iN KoReA

I left Saturday evening from Charlotte, NC to Chicago. It was tough leaving my family, but I know God will watch over them and protect them. When I got to the Chicago airport I almost got lost. Apparently, every terminal in Chicago is separated and the only way you can get from one to the other is to take a train. It sucked. Not only was the international terminal on the other side of the airport, but also I had to go through the security check-in again!

Anyways, while I was waiting on my flight, I met this Korean-American family traveling from Cooperstown, NY to Seoul. God was definitely watching out for me! Not only were they fellow New Yorkers who actually KNEW where my hometown in New York is, but also they were believers! It was an awesome meeting! They introduced me to a church here in Korea (it’s in Seoul, the downtown area, about 1 hour from where I live). I was so blessed to meet this family! God is awesome!

The flight was LONG! I spent half a day flying in a plane! It was even longer than my flight to Europe. But the food and the service was amazing! It was better than the American and European airliners, and it was cleaner too! It was on the plane I had my first taste of Korean food. Korean food is very spicy! So, if you like spicy stuff, Korea is the place for you. It made Mexican spices look like crap! When I got here it was raining, which, evidently, Koreans believe that if you move anywhere when it is raining that is a good thing. It means you’ll be wealthy. I hope so!

Anyways, the owner of the school picked me up. He’s a really cool guy. Very laid-back and relaxed. I feel very honored to be teaching in his school. When my flight landed it was 3 am Monday morning; so, he took me to my apartment. It’s a brand new place, and nobody’s lived in it yet. However, there wasn’t any furniture it yet, and the owner looked upset about that. So, he put me up in this weird hotel. The room isn’t bad, but the place uses black lights to light up the hallways. It’s kinda creepy. Interesting, but strange.

Everything here is packed! I feel kind of stupid because I don’t know any Korean yet. But everyone seems happy to help me and nobody’s looked upset when I didn’t know any Korean. I keep forgetting to take my shoes off before I enter people’s houses and I forget to bow sometimes; however, nobody has given me a hard time for it yet. Hopefully, I’ll get these cultural differences down pat, and I won’t look so stupid.

I really hope I’ll be able to make church this Sunday. I might not work this week, which is kind of disappointing. But, it may be a good thing if I don’t yet. Who knows?

I know you guys have been praying for me. God has definitely been looking out for me even though things have been happening so fast. Fortunately, I haven’t felt scared or frightened doing this at any point. The only thing is that I miss my family and friends back in the States, or at least I will. If you get Skype, I can call you for free just as long as you have it and have a headset (headphones and a microphone combined).

Well, I don’t know when the next time I’ll be online. It costs 500 won an hour, which is like 50 cents a minute roughly. So, I’ll talk to you guys later!

Peace.