Tuesday June 25-Wednesday June 26

I had an uneventful flight from Burlington to JFK, arriving around 7:15 am. I made my way to Terminal 1, and found that I wouldn't be able to check in for my Korean Air flight until 10:30. So, luggage in tow, I got a Dunkin Donuts coffee and bagel and waited out the 2.5 hours.

Standing in the check-in line I noticed a few people that looked like they could be teachers, so I introduced myself. Sure enough, they were other Korea Society fellows. Five of us arrived at the gate together, and we were gradually joined by the other 22 who were flying from JFK. It was nice to get to know my fellow travelers before taking off.

Once on the plane I was astounded at how big the Airbus A 380 is. I sat in row 42, an exit row with no seat in front of me and plenty of room to stretch out. Aside from the caged bird under my seat, it was great.

We were served lunch, and I chose the bibimbap. It's a bowl with beef and assorted vegetables all arranged colorfully. You mix in rice, sesame oil, and as much of a spicy red paste as you can handle (Korean Air helpfully provides a card for non-Koreans, showing us how to prepare this dish. The bibimbap pictures below are from Google images, I forgot to take my own pictures). It was fabulous. I skipped the side dish of seaweed soup.

After reading, watching 2 full movies, listening to podcasts, and sleeping a bit, we were served another meal. (This was around 10:00 p.m. New York time). I had a pasta dish with cheese and vegetables, salad, roll, and carrot cake. Nothing Korean about this meal.

I dozed for the rest of the flight, and before I knew it we were beginning our approach to Seoul. The A380 is really a smooth ride! I de-planed and quickly caught up with other Korea Society fellows, as we had been scattered throughout the plane during the trip. We gathered luggage, made it through immigration and customs, and were met by sponsors from Korea University. We also met 2 other fellows who had flown in from Chicago, and 1 who flew in from Dulles. They had arrived only 30 minutes before us. Another flight from Los Angeles was arriving 30 minutes later, and we would meet the Los Angeles travelers later in the evening.

I changed some money, then we were off on a comfortable bus to the hotel. I slept for most of the way, and was a little dazed when we arrived at the hotel. We all agreed to spend 30 minutes settling in, then meet again in the lobby at 8:00 p.m. Once there I joined with 6 other teachers: 2 from Maryland (PG and Frederick Counties), 1 from Rhode Island (North Kingstown), 1 from Texas, 1 from Oklahoma, and 1 from Ohio. The Texan and Oklahoman had met each other 4 years earlier on a different educational trip to Korea, so we had some expertise with us.

We explored the narrow streets behind the hotel, and were all a little overwhelmed by the food offerings. We walked right past the familiar coffee houses, Parisian bakeries (which looked delicious), Popeye's fried chicken, McDonald's, and ubiquitous 7-11s. Aside from these choices nothing was in English, and the pictures outside the restaurants were not particularly helpful. Feeling hungry, we all eventually agreed to just go in to one place that looked inviting. It turned out to be a great choice.

It served mainly jeon, or "pancakes": platter sized fried concoctions stuffed with kimchi, ground pork and kimchi, or seafood. The helpful cook, who spoke English, suggested 2 pancakes for the 7 of us, and 2 bottles of Soju, a popular alcoholic beverage. Kimchi, and raw onions in soy sauce were served on the side.

The pancakes were phenomenal, a perfect first meal. The Soju tasted like I imagine ethanol to taste, and I stopped myself at 1.5 shot glasses of the moonshine. Total cost for the 7 of us 22,000 ₩ or about $3 each. A total bargain!

We walked the neighborhood for about another 30 mintes, and arrived back to the hotel around 10:30. I was tired but not exhausted, but definitely ready to lie down and unwind. Lights off at 11:00 - good night from Seoul.