Getting Ready...

I am currently in the process of getting ready to travel the 6,220 miles to Seoul, the capital of the Republic of South Korea. That milage is for the most part accurate, however flight duration is a matter of lay-overs. A non-stop flight, a rare novelty from Minneapolis, is roughly 15 hrs and 50 minutes, give or take wind current. As I will no doubt have succumb to one-stop, possibly two, my travel time will be anywhere from 16 to 20 hours, also dependent on wind speed. Personally, I will enjoy having some time to stretch my legs with a nice walk in the airport rather than in between the cramped carriages of economy class seating. (To also prepare myself for this long haul, I have been exercising and stretching more to scare away any possible leg cramps. Naturally, I very much don't wish to suffer from a blood clot!) 

         Other preparations and precautions include learning the Korean alphabet and some useful phrases such as 'Hello', 'Goodbye', and most obviously 'Where is the bathroom?'.  I have also been reading a helpful guide book called "Culture Shock: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette". It has so far told me I shall have no friends if I do not eat the food (for those who know me very well, you realize my wariness), I will be expected to bow to all co-workers and acquaintances while attempting to read their 'gibun', or their mood, current feeling and state of mind, and I will be assessed (and most naturally) by others on my ability to 'fit in', that is my individuality will be criticized after awhile as hurting the all the people of Korea, their culture and their history. I hope I am wrong about the last factoid, but I have also learned a similar blip from my friend who is currently teaching in Yangdong, South Korea. She explained to me that because the Koreans are so proud of their heritage, they 'feel' hurt when a foreigner speaks ill of their country (all too natural) and when a foreigner does not assimilate when long-exposed to the culture. Similar hair-cuts, styles of dress and even thoughts and actions are expected to be taken on in some form by an 'expatriate', as my culture shock book obsessively calls the foreigner.  Assimilating to their way of life will be somewhat of a goal of mine, as I wish to experience their culture in total. However, I am merely leery of losing a bit of my individualism that I love, and really all Americans love. Thus I am also preparing myself to embark on a mentally and physically (as I will need to find some food I like!) trying journey by providing myself with some familiar thoughts, pictures and knickknacks; as well as recipes I can use with Korean staples :) (I am desperately worried about the food situation though I'm sure I'll be fine.)  

      As a soon to be weary traveller, my thoughts are simply those of every nervous git who decides to fly across the world: irrational and fantastic. Once my journey finally begins I am sure I will have much better things to discuss, but for now my story is one of preparation, of getting ready...