Seoul Searching In South Korea February 14, 2011

I felt like the only westerner in the subway on the hour journey to Seoul because I WAS. With all my heavy bags strapped to me like cargo, the Koreans all had a good stare at me, especially the elders. They didn’t even try to be discreet, they just stared right at me. I just listened to my ipod and focused on getting to my station- Gangdong (which apparently I say like a westerner and nobody can understand me). It was my first time maneuvering in the subway on my own and I wanted to make sure I was reading the maps correctly. I had to transfer twice and each time the train would arrive minutes after I arrived. It was so seamless that it had to be a good sign. I made it to the station right on schedule to meet Zach- my couchsurfing host. I was feeling a bit better having done something on my own and regaining confidence, but I couldn’t help feeling incomplete without Jeff around to act like a goof until he made me laugh. I tried not to think about it but a couple times on the subway, I couldn’t help but reminisce and tear up a bit. I have no idea what the Koreans who were staring at me thought of that situation, but they did continue to stare.

Picture Me Rollin in South Korea February 6, 2011

So good to see this face after 10 years!

I stepped off the plane groggy after spending the last 8 hours in a drug induced sleep to ensure my back wouldn’t cause me extreme pain again on the flight. I was immediately jolted awake from the unfamiliar feeling of cold weather that slapped me across the face. Whoa, this is going to be much colder than I expected. Then the realization that I was about to see Jeff after 10 years hit me and I was wide-awake and anxious with excitement. As the doors parted to exit customs, I scanned the crowd and there he was standing right in front with the same smile I remembered. He looked essentially the same and when I hugged him it felt like only days had passed instead of years. We chatted and tried to catch up on the whole drive north of Seoul to Camp Red Cloud in Uijeongbu, where Jeff was stationed for the past year and I would be calling home for the next 4 weeks. When we got in, I had to sign in at the gate and would continue to have to sign in and out every 24 hours everyday for the entire time I would be staying, which I think goes without saying that was going to be a huge pain in the ass.