shwew. who knew moving to the other side of the world would be so exhausting?! this is the first second i've had to sit down since arriving in seoul, but i wanted to take time out for a quick blog since i know lots of you have been asking for it.

mom, dad, and i had time for a quick 4am photoshoot before i left columbus. our last family picture for at least a year...we're all super busted from severe sleep deprivation!

the flights (plural:3) were decent overall. aside from bad turbulence above chicago and almost missing my flight in san francisco, my last few hours in the states were enjoyable. :) i got super confused in san fran due to the airport's severe lack of communication, and was trying to figure out what was going on when i heard my name being called over the intercom. i ran the full length of the concourse only to find out they didn't really need to talk to me. as luck would have it, i had also arranged to meet another english teacher (coming from midamerica nazarene) at the gate since we were on the same flight to korea. i was able to introduce myself to him through the sweat that was running down my face and in between gasps for air. i love to make a great first impression! hahaha. my life is always exciting.

the 13 hour flight from california to seoul really wasn't as bad as i had expected. international airlines are so much better than those in the states. i had a personal tv screen in my seat so i was able to watch plenty of 'planet earth' and 'how its made.' i also fit in a few korean films & 'this is it...' which was, by the way, amazing! i was also able to track the progress of our flight, which was helpful.

they fed us about every two hours and the food was so good. aside from it being 13 hours long, the flight was really enjoyable.

once i landed in incheon, i was thrilled to see john & ben waiting for me at the airport with a sign that read 'welcome to korea, ming wang!' they are two of my great friends from college & i am so lucky to have them here with me. we were able to share a meal together with the dozen or so other new english teachers. we chose the very korean KFC. exotic, right?

since landing, we have been busy unpacking and starting orientation. today, we all had to go to the clinic to have our physicals. these are required in order to get our alien registration cards. while at the clinic, i saw alot of confused looks from koreans who kept trying to speak to me in korean. this is a look i will get very used to seeing in the next year or so.

we had a traditional korean meal for lunch today, complete with no shoes, indian-style seating, kimchi, rice cakes, and a gazillion side dishes. it was so good. some of the dishes are really different from what i am used to in the states, but they are mostly delicious. i downed some serious korean cuisine today. john, erica, and i just got back from dinner with our other trevecca friends who have already been in cheonan for a few months. it's been like a little reunion...i love it!

our liaisons here at KNU (korea nazarene university) are awesome and have been so helpful. the teachers who have been here for awhile are all great, too. everybody has been so friendly and willing to assist with anything at all. they don't even laugh when we ask dumb questions. newbies!

i haven't been too jetlagged since arriving, but i have felt the exhaustion starting to settle in this evening. that means it's time to wrap up the blogging and sleep my life away...

i'll end by noting 2 things. one awesome thing about korea is that they heat through the floors rather than through vents. this is fantastic and a method the US should seriously consider adopting. #2 is that korean bathrooms are crazy. they don't really have showers here...more like a shower head somewhere on the wall. no shower curtains or specific shower section of the bathroom. surprisingly, it doesn't soak the rest of the bathroom too badly. still...something to get used to!

i love korea so far and will have lots more to report on soon!