Settling in Seoul

After a long 12 hour flight, I've finally made it to Seoul!

Luckily with Hawaiian Airlines being one of the few flights to arrive during the evening, the airport process was quick and simple. Before even leaving Hawaii, I was dreading the whole airport process the most as I heard from a few of my friends it took them 4+ hours of waiting in line and getting out of the airport. But for me, I was surprised to see that there were no long lines and many of the workers there spoke English so all you really needed to do was hand them your papers and they do all the work for you. I made it out of all the 5 check-points and grabbed my bags in about 45-50 mins. I also had booked a taxi 2 days in advanced through Trazy (Korea's #1 online travel shop) so I wouldn't have to wait in another long line for a ride. Since my accommodation was quite far (about an hour drive) from the airport, I knew it would be expensive. But with Trazy, you pay a one-time price and they will take you to any destination. I paid $70 USD for this service to get to my place and saved about $30! As soon as I passed through all the check-points, my taxi driver was waiting for me by the exit holding up a paper with my name and helped me with my luggages. I was glad to have booked this service as I already felt jet-lag as soon I got off the plane and couldn't wait to get to my room.

An hour in the taxi went by faster than I thought as I was just looking at the lit-up buildings and bridges the entire time. I will say though that the drivers in Korea are quite reckless because I felt myself getting a little motion sickness halfway through because my driver was going fast and breaking hard at times. But before you know it I arrived at my place! I'm currently staying at an off-campus dorm and only a 3 minute walk away from Korea University which is super convenient and nice! Since the building is kind of hidden and on the side of the road, the taxi driver was a little confused where the place actually was but thankfully he spoke a little English and I had asked him to call the manager of the building to guide us to the right location. I was really grateful he didn't just drop me off on the side of the road with my bags and let me figure it out myself because it was about 9:30 PM and very cold! He even helped me carry my 2 suitcases up 5 flights of stairs to where my room was and I was really appreciative for him and such great service. As soon as I reached my room, the manager of the place, Mr. Kim, (who will also be taking care of me and 40 other students) was more than welcoming despite it being pretty late at night. He helped me turn on the heater, showed me how to work the shower and TV and also brought me dinner which I wasn't expecting but was very happy to hear because I was quite hungry. My first meal in Seoul was a spaghetti lunch box and some orange juice and I finished it in no time!

After eating, unpacking, and settling in, I went to sleep without a problem despite the huge time difference in Hawaii. But, I couldn't have been more relieved to be here in Seoul and with a great first night!

Sunrise + view from my window :)