We Have Landed

Entry number 3. We arrived in Korea yesterday morning at 5am. It was still dark, and on the car ride into Seoul (1 hr) it seemed that we could have been in any Western country. The girls even asked at one point as we were about to go into a tunnel if we were going to Pittsburgh. Only once we got closer to the city and saw hundreds of highrise apartment blocks did it seem a bit more foreign.

We saw none of the famed traffic congestion, but admittedly it was 5am on a Sunday morning. John had met us at Incheon airport with 2 of his faculty colleagues. Our bags (only 9) went in one car and we went in the other. Unloading them at this end was a bit of a task as we are currently living on the 3rd floor.

The flight itself, and leaving the US was pain-free - not tear-free. Karen and Iris drove us from Princeton to JFK. Mila was pleased to see NY city at night, before she fell asleep in the car. We flew Asiana Airlines, which I highly recommend. We had signed up for Family Assistance, which you can get if you are flying with children under 7. This was a GREAT idea. We were helped onto the plane, just after the First Class passengers. This was really helpful, as the majority of travellers (mostly Koreans) had started to line up for boarding 1 1/2 hours before we started boarding. Both girls slept at least half of the flight - I think leaving at midnight helped!

Arriving in Korea we were helped off the plane, then whisked through all the restricted areas, taken to the front of the line in customs, then and 2 staff help us with our bags, which came off the carousel straight after the First class bags. We were out of there within 1/2 hr!

We got to the apartment which is furnished in what I would call retro/junk/left-over/yuck style. Still it is furnished. Our final home will be an identical apartment (in layout, not decor) on the 2nd floor. It is currently being refurbished, and should be ready at the beginning of April, which coincides with when our things arrive that were shipped.

So, back to yesterday - we had a snack, then all went to bed, woke 4 hours later and then John gave us our first experience on the Seoul Subway. We went to church, then I was given the task of finding our way back home. Subway on the green line, transfer to the purple line, then finding our way back to our apartment through all the tiny little winding streets. Obviously we made it. John made us a Korean dinner, then all back to bed. I woke at 3am this morning, which is 5pm in Princeton, and the girls woke at 5.30am, so I think we are in good shape to survive the day.

Today John is taking us to the Dongdaemun market, which is legendary, and huge. I hope to tell you of our adventures there later.