And so the Journey Begins

My first thoughts upon entering the San Francisco International Airport were:

1. There are a lot of people flying at this time of night (11pm)

2. Keep the tears at bay

3. In 24 hours, I will officially be in Korea

After these initial thoughts, I made my way to the check in area where I ended up checking all 3 of my bags. My carry on was considered overweight (it rolled in at about 25 pounds instead of 15), but it got check for free and that's all that really matters. Once that was complete, I sat with my grandparents for a little bit before I had to head to security.

The flight took off at 1:05am, and by 2:30am I had a nice, hot dinner sitting in front of me. I’m not usually a late night eater, but who was I to pass up a free meal. Dinner consisted of turkey pasta, fruit, a bread roll, and a Twix bar; very tasty. I then settled in for a very restless night. One would think that being 5’1 would allow me ample leg stretching room, but that was not entirely the case. Nevertheless, I was able to catch a couple hours of sleep. Breakfast was promptly served at 2:30am Taiwan time, about noon US time. I enjoyed stir fried rice noodles, fruit, yogurt, and a croissant.

Dinner

Breakfast

My layover in Taipei, Taiwan was short and sweet. I managed to talk to my parents before getting on the plane since it was only about 4 in the afternoon for them, 5 in the morning for me. Once on the flight, I watched The Black Demon, a movie about a giant shark terrorizing an oil rig (I do love a good shark movie). I was fed a meal of fish and tofu rice, fruit, and a pistachio cake.

2nd Breakfast

We landed about half an hour early (yay!), and I quickly made my way through customs. I picked up all 3 pieces of luggage and found my way up to the third floor where I picked up my international SIM card. I then journeyed through the airport to find the waiting area for the Epic program. I knew I had arrived when I saw about one hundred young adults, with about 3 suitcases each, sitting on the floor. Honestly, the relief I felt looking at all the people was immense. I may not have slept for 16 hours, but I could finally take a much needed breather. I was able to meet some amazing people right off the bat waiting for my shuttle bus; friends from the UK, South Africa, and all around the United States.

The shuttle bus going to Jeonju University was over 3 hours most of which I spent admiring the views of my new home. At the university, I checked in and received my room assignment, and I lucked out with my 3 roommates! Dinner was a chaotic mess of loud conversations, minimal seating, and various pasta dishes. After we ate, we had to go to our first orientation meeting, which I was 8 minutes late to. Mind you, I left 10 minutes early and still mandated to get lost for 20 minutes. The meeting detailed the next week of orientation and expectations of us on campus. Back at the dorms, I quickly showered and then passed out.

Jeonju University where orientation is being held

More to come!