The Dyson Airblade: one of my favorite things about SFO (that I nearly forgot about!)
The flight from SFO to ICN was long and cramped. I had a window seat, which made it slightly easier for me to sleep (even though I didn't get much) and there was a nice couple sharing a row with me. First thing I learned...never fall asleep at the beginning of the flight. I woke up in time for the food but I missed the beginning of Adjustment Bureau, the only inflight movie I was remotely interested in, and nearly missed the passing out of customs forms. I guess the flight attendant thought that I was related to the couple I was sitting with so she didn't bother leaving me a form... (All Asians look the same/related?)
I expected that since this flight was international that I would have more leg room than my flight from RNO to SFO. Nope. It was the same and it was a nearly 12 hour flight!
This, however, was ingenious. "Midnight" snack was ramen! Not the greatest taste though...
Messing with the camera settings, I captured my bright pink shoes and some artwork featured at SFO. The layover was long and my pink shoes came in handy when a friend came looking for me in ICN.
After I landed, I not only had to catch a tram to get to the baggage claim but I had to go through immigration, customs, and exchange my money. Customs, surprisingly, was the shortest. But overall, everything went smoothly. I finally got to meet someone also traveling through USAC (Jason) at the airport, pink shoes and giant backpack being my identifiers... And I met up with my friend Jung-soo (정수) and I am currently staying at her house as I wait for the dorms at Yonsei to open. Her family is great and the hospitality is superb. I'm sort of wishing that I could just stay at her house for the entirety of my stay, haha!
I got settled into Jung-soo's house and after eating dinner, her parents, sister, and I went out for a walk (I need to beat the jet lag) around the area. Jung-soo unfortunately is studying for a final that she has tomorrow... We went for patbingsu (팥빙수), a popular dessert in Korea made of red beans, shaved ice, various fruits, and whatever else the maker chooses to put in there (like mochi and I think there were corn flakes, the cereal kind, in mine today). It's great for the summer (see picture below - I was lame and forgot my camera, so this is from the internet).
An example of 팥빙수!
We moved down the street a little bit to what Koreans call a "Hof." It's basically a place that sells beer and delicious foods that go with the beer (anju - 안주). For Koreans, it seems it's all about the food. They have a separate menu for what goes well with alcohol. What makes the "hof" (it was spelled "hof" on the sign...) special is that customers eat outside in plastic chairs and tables. Really. Those plastic chairs and tables are it! You frequently see Korean movie scenes set in places like this... This little outing really helped me beat the jet lag. I haven't slept for about 20 hours and I think I should be on Korean Standard Time soon.
Tomorrow, I'm planning on having a chill day as I adjust to the time change. And, it's super hot and humid here. I feel like I'm gonna die, no joke. Just sitting here makes me sweat.
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