PDO and In-Country Orientation
I'm finally in Seoul and settled in with my host family! Almost two weeks ago I left Kentucky and after some delays, the other two NSLIY students from KY and I arrived in New York City for Pre-Departure Orientation.
PDO
Even though our flight had been delayed, we were still one of the first groups to arrive. Since we had time to spare, we walked to Central Park and explored a little bit. Once most of the students arrived, we all gathered in one of the rooms and ate pizza and just got to know each other.
Afterwards a large group went out to get bubble tea but I contracted strep before leaving KY and was still feeling the effects so I just showered and rested in the room.
The next day was completely full of sessions such as safety and intentional language learning among others. After dinner we headed to Columbia University for our first group photo.
The night was free for us to explore and I got to experience the bubble tea I had missed out on the night before.
The 14 Hour Flight
Thursday morning we were up and packed early so our entire group could get through check-in and security at the airport. Not gonna lie, it was a struggle to get all four of my bags around. Our shuttle driver had to play some top level Tetris to fit our bags into the back and even then most of us had to hold bags in our laps.
Check-in and security at the airport was smooth (except I thought they were going to confiscate my flat iron) and we had plenty of time to walk around and get lunch or snacks. Now, I know airport food is expensive ~especially being in NYC~ but I paid 8 DOLLARS for a bag of Chex Mix. If I had known the price I would not have bought it, but all the prices were strategically hidden.
Our plane left around 2.00pm and overall it went pretty well. I wasn't able to sleep very much but that means I had 14 hours to get to know the other students.
In-Country Orientation
We arrived in Incheon Thursday night and took a bus to the guest house we would be staying at for ICO. The bus ride took about an hour and I was in awe of what I actually saw of Korea but I couldn't keep my eyes open.
Once we were dropped off, we still had to walk a little ways and let me tell you; it was a struggle. Uneven pavement and suitcases that weigh a combined weight of 100lbs+ do not work well together. After dinner we all headed to our rooms for the night. For some reason my room couldn't figure out the AC so we silently suffered the first night. Luckily we got some help the next day.
Friday was filled with orientation and a placement test but orientation was still very engaging. For the last part of Friday's orientation, we were placed with 'supporters' who each helped us accomplish missions that included using the subway so that we would become more familiar with the transportation.
My group went to Dongdae-Mun and I don't even know what we found but it was pretty nice :) We also ordered some street food and sat down for Bingsu before returning to the guest house.
The next day, we walked to the Better World office and had our Host Family Orientation. After having lunch together, we returned to the guest house and already, most of the host families had arrived.
My Host Family arrived shortly after and they helped me roll my many suitcases over to their car. Most of the other students had about an hour long awkward car ride, but luckily mine was only ten minutes.
When we got home, I spent a while unpacking and organizing their gifts. My host mom made an amazing dinner (I still can't get all the names right) and I tried to follow the K-drama my host dad and sister were watching.
The experiences that I've had so far have all been amazing and I can't wait to experience more as we prepare for Chuseok (a harvest holiday) and the first days of Korean High School.