day one: in the air

I’ve been on this particular plane for maybe five hours. My watch is set now to Seoul time, so that I don’t get too hung up on what time it “really” is, or how long I’ve been awake…so all I know is that I got on this plane at 2:00 PM California time, and now it’s almost 11 AM Korea time. Unfortunately, even though it’s light out, I know that 11 AM in Korea means 10 PM back home, which means I’ve been bouncing around the globe for WAY too long. It would be easier if everyone else on this flight weren’t treating it like nighttime. Does everyone want to be just waking up for their day at 6:30 PM when we arrive? All the shades are down, most of the lights are out. The plane is dark and quiet, and the (extremely attractive) stewardesses are taking breaks in the back. There’s a bit of turbulence, nothing huge. And I am the only person in my row of 3 seats, so I am currently stretched out with my back to the window and my feet on the seat, laptop plugged in to the handy armrest outlet, taking a break from my fourth or fifth episode of True Blood in order to write this little update.

I’m getting a little nervous about what will happen when I get there, in terms of my employment and its expectations, but I’m also getting more excited about what I’ll get to do when I’m NOT working. A job is a job, and learning a new one is scary, but this is totally within what I can handle…and it’s only 40 hours a week. I’m looking forward to meeting the other people there, to looking up my cousin’s friend Joey who lives close by, to exploring Seoul and tracking down my favorite stores, and ferreting out cool places to eat! I can’t wait to get my room set up, and to furnish a little bit…I loved that part of college, moving into the dorms, and here I get to do it again! And, as I keep on needing to remind myself, to do all this in a totally new country. Why is it that no matter how many times I say that it never seems real?

Incidentally, the airline is very nearly as great as I talked it up to be. The seats are not hugely roomier than the ones I just vacated on US Airways (which DID seem bigger than other airlines I’ve flown recently…Continental and AirTran felt much more cramped), but having the whole row to myself cancels out any concerns of being cramped! There are movies and TV shows to be watched on the personal screens mounted above the tray tables, but I haven’t browsed yet because True Blood is so full of freaking cliffhangers that I just keep watching! The lovely stewardesses have been around with drinks 4 or 5 times, the food was VERY good and we got to choose our meal, we got hot towels and travel kits as soon as we sat down, and...even the alcoholic drinks are free! Pity I can’t show up stumbling drunk when I meet my new employers. :-P I’m about done drinking anyway. In US time it’s bedtime, but it’s not even noon in Korea yet, so it’s either too late or too early for wine.

Incidentally, I forget where I posted what information, but my airport experience this morning was easy as pie. Easier, because pies can be hard to make! It only took me 20 minutes from getting out of the car to plunking down at my gate…which meant I had 2 hours to kill, but oh well. I was worried they’d charge for my bags, since US Airways usually DOES… but apparently they keep the same policy as the connecting international flight, which is to say that 2 bags are allowed to be checked, free of charge, provided they’re 50 lbs or less each. Would you believe that my big suitcase weighed in at 50.0 lbs??? I sailed through security, got some coffee, found my gate, and was done. San Fran was a little harder, the terminals could have been better marked, I had to exit and re-enter security for the internatl terminal (although my checked bags went straight through, thankfully) and I stood in the wrong line for like 10 minutes before being told that I needed the OTHER side of the international terminal. Not well marked. Oh well. Still got to the gate about 40 minutes before boarding began, and had time for a sandwich and a glass of wine. Skipped food on the first flight because they very uncool-l y charge you. Given the choice between an airplane sandwich or salad for $7, or waiting until I arrive and having the whole airport to choose food from, for about the same cost? I think I made the right call. Caprese sandwich, yum.

Back to the sexay vampires now.