Leaving and Arriving: Part II

After hopping into the van with a complete stranger who spoke no English, it was all blind faith from that moment on.

I'm sure the driver had seen the look on my face a million times, as he picks up foreigners and new teachers all the time. Wide-eyed and aghast at the new surroundings, I watched as we got closer to Incheon, Ansan and Seoul. Even though I had seen cities, bridges, skyscrapers and cars before, it was like the first time all over again.

Now, reader, let me remind you of an important detail: For 6 months I had been preparing to make this journey across the Pacific and researching every facet of South Korea, and Incheon City. I have never been more prepared for a trip as I am now.

Imagine my sheer panic when my driver flew right on through Incheon City. I felt my jet-lagged heart racing despite my exhaustion, and tried to explain to my driver that I think we missed an exit. This was futile considering the language barrier and the fact that he was the driver from South Korea, not I. Would I tell a neurosurgeon how to do brain surgery though I had never done one? Probably not.

We kept driving and driving, all the while letting me experience the near death moments that occur on a Korean freeway regularly. An hour later, my driver pulled into a dark lot nearby a gas station and a few small shops. He stopped, grabbed his pack of cigarettes and got out. I sat digesting where I was at and what was going on. What was going on??

Finally, the driver explained that I was in fact living in Icheon city, the dark, looming building in front of us was actually my school and we were waiting for my co-teacher to arrive and show me to my new home. OOPS. Oh the difference a letter can make.

My co-teacher, Lily, arrived not long after, and explained in broken English that she was my go-to gal in Korea. Little did I know at the time what a life-line she would become; my only one here.

We drove a short distance up the street to a small dirt road, with broken down cars and old shipping freight containers turned into small shops along side. Just as I thought, "Who could live here?" Lily said, "We are at your apartment." Excuse me????

Just around the corner from the shanty-town, surrounded by urban rice paddies, stood a dark, 3 story building. On one side the rice paddies, and the other a tire warehouse, the building was to become my new home. Lily helped me carry my heavy bags up the 3 flights of stairs, turned left and down the hall. She opened the door and my apartment stood waiting for me, barely vacant from the previous teacher.

Lets put things in perspective a bit. I grew up sailing with my family, and am used to small spaces. I am definitely ok with cozy. I never quite imagined living in something the size of a 3 star hotel room, with 1 star amenities. Immediately in the door stands my small gas range for cooking, no oven. Lily quickly showed me how to turn the gas on and off, while I considered how little it would take to fill this room and blow it to pieces if I wasn't careful.

She then showed me the bathroom. My tired brain took a second to realize that there was no shower, just a nozzle attached to the sink, and the whole bathroom would become the shower when I needed to bathe. Just like using the head on the sailboat, but with more water.

The main room was filled with the bed/futon, which given its immense ratio to the actual room, I wish it were more comfortable. On the far end of the room, was a something I hadn't considered, but is very common among Korean living: a sliding glass door to a small sun room, with more sliding glass to the outside. In this small room is a washing machine and a drying rack. And, a pot for Kimchi. What I didn't realize is how airtight and super efficient this makes the apartment. It was immediately clear that these are smart people, working with what they have.

Lily asked me if I had any questions, then informed me that she would be outside waiting at 8am the next day to show me the way to school. EIGHT A.M??? It was 11pm, and according to my body, I had been awake for almost 2 days.

After Lily left, I sat on my new bed, looking at my surroundings with a disbelief in really being here. I had been telling myself, and everyone else that I was going to do this for months, and I actually followed through. Thats what it feels like.

The time leading up to my departure hadn't been any easier than the leaving itself. Unemployment had left me feeling worthless and without hope for the future, stress and resentment had built to a fever-pitch within, my heart recently broken like it had been so many times before, and uncertainty of where I was going with this thing called life weighed on me greatly. Finally sitting in an empty, sterile room in South Korea was the first time I had a chance to let it all go.

As I laid awake, hearing the new sounds and smelling the new smells, I felt at home in a whole new way: I finally get to start over.