Bon voyage!

The day of my departure had finally arrived. I was going to Korea!! *SO excited* I hadn’t been back since the summer of 2000 so it was definitely time to visit the motherland again. *laughs* My mom and grandparents were going too. Actually, my mom already left last week to make it to her friend’s wedding which left me to escort the grandparents. Eh, that was not what I had envisioned when picturing my grand return but what could I do? *shrug*

This morning was a crazy rush. As usual, I hadn’t done my laundry until the last minute which meant I had to wake up extra early just to pack. *pulls hair out* What do you take on a month long trip? I didn’t want to over pack but at the same time, it was still a MONTH. I don’t think I did to badly. One and a half bags isn’t too bad, right?!? *sheepish grin* Then Liz had overslept so I ended up driving her to school. ARGH!

By that time, I realized that I had to make a stop at the bank. I needed money to spend on my trip! So I hauled ass and was rushing around like a chicken with its head cut off because our ride was showing up at 10am. *bwak bwak* As I was out and about, I decided to pick up breakfast. McDonald’s McGriddles. YUM!! Everything was going well until I tried to put the drink holder with the orange juice on the floor and ended up dumping a whole cup on my passenger seat. *doing a remarkable impression of a statue while watching the cup tip over in slow motion*

There was a lake, A LAKE, in the passenger seat. I ran inside to get some napkins but it seems McDonald’s napkins are made in a way that makes them impenetrable to liquids. Odd since I would have thought that their purpose was to clean up messes… *hysterical tears for about five seconds until I realize the time* Anyway, I had to get back home.

I got back just in time to scarf down my food, make a valiant (yet quick) attempt to clean the mess in my car and finish packing just as our ride arrived. I hope the orange juice doesn’t rot or something while I’m gone. *imagining a rank, wet mess where my passenger seat used to be when I arrive back home a month later* Oh well, it was time to go! And so we went.

We arrived at the airport and checked in with no hassle then realized we still had TWO WHOLE HOURS before our flight was scheduled to take off. *twiddling thumbs* The only point of interest that whole time was the man standing in front of me when we were getting ready to board. He had such large tufts of hair growing on his ears that he had styled them into wings! (People are weird.) We quickly found out seats and I passed out for the first 30 minutes but woke up as soon as the plane took off. *unnaturally wide awake* (I usually sleep for the entire flight.)

Ah, yes. Eleven hours of…movies. I am not a huge TV fan. Nor do I watch movies very often. But what else was I suppose to do??? *bored to tears* Not to say I didn’t enjoy some of the movies I saw but the rest were just to fill the time. At least the food was good! About two hours prior to landing, my grandmother decided to subject me to the various ways one can ask “Are we there yet?” I think the query was expressed every fifteen minutes until the plane touched down on the ground. *cries in frustration*

We were rudely received at customs by a churlish individual who clearly hated his job. It was possible that he just didn’t like foreigners, which makes it doubly bizarre that he is in a profession that puts him in contact with them daily. People should really try to find jobs they like. Doing something you hate day after day really rots your soul. Then you just become a shitty person and NO ONE LIKES YOU. And that makes you hate your job more. It’s a vicious cycle. “Just say no!”

Anyway, the problem was we didn’t put an address or phone number where we were staying while in Korea. I should have thought to at least write down a phone number but the orange juice incident had really thrown me for a loop. So there we were with no contact information. But my mom and aunt were standing right outside waiting to pick us up! He was adamant what we were stupid for not knowing where we were staying and had the audacity to yell at my grandparents how ridiculous it was that they didn’t even know their own son or daughter’s phone number. What a bastard…

He did finally let us through. Then we sat in the car for an hour to get to my aunt’s apartment. My butt was in PAIN. But at least I got to get my favorite black noodle dish delivered as soon as we unloaded the car and got everything hauled inside. *drool* Korean food just doesn’t taste the same in the States. Afterwards, I wanted to go to the grocery store. I asked my cousin, Hyun Ji, where the nearest one was. She offered to walk with me but told me that it was pretty far. Like I care! I had just been sitting for the past twelve hours. A little walking wasn’t going to kill me.

She lied! It was super close!! Lazy little… *grumble grumble* At least I got my fix of Korean ice cream. Then we stopped by the bread store on the way home and I got this rice cake donut that I’ve been craving for forever. *happiness!!* When we got back to the apartment, I decided I needed to go to bed. I had been up for a LONG time. And that was my first day in Seoul!