Good Morning GSLIS….or “achim insa” as they say here in Korea! I apologize for not sending a speedy update about our journey so far, but due to the hilly terrain and relentless heat, our wi-fi connection is unreliable at best. I’ll recount our journey starting with our departure from Boston-Logan International Airport, a logical place to start I think, but would first like to point out that this trip really began months ago. Yonsei University has been a spectacular host thus far and have been working hard since last year to plan this amazing trip. Without their continuous support and dedication to our students, GSLIS would not have such an incredible opportunity to experience an LIS education abroad in a world-class library that really is leading the way in information technology. Thank you to Yonsei University,….you may have bitten off more than you can chew with this wild and adventurous group of librarians!
Departure:
So here is where it all gets really interesting – six grumpy, sleep-deprived library students (including myself – the Dean’s Fellow) and one excited library professor meet at Boston Logan International Airport at 4:00am Wednesday morning July 25th, 2012. Here is the starting line-up of rockstar, globe-trotting students who met at the airport as almost strangers:
Candice Kortkamp – you might recognize her from the tech lab!
Matthew Brown – the only male of the group who has been a good sport about all the jokes he gets about traveling with so many women!
Shana Novak – already rockin’ the peace sign like a pro!
Jen Hornsby – about to slay some tasty Korean cuisine!
Laura Spiller – she is half-Korean and has gotten to meet some of her family here in Seoul!
Bethany Fair – Dean’s Fellow who sends you all the absurd e-mails – gettin’ wild in Seoul!
Professor Lisa Hussey – expert traveller, hat lover, and now a Ginger Tea enthusiast!
And this is the motley crew of bibliophiles who boarded Asiana Airlines Flight OZ0201 from Boston to LAX and from LAX to Incheon Airport in this beast of an airplane:
And although it was a long and arduous flight that began with many grumpy faces (hey what else do you expect at 4am in Boston-Logan?), the enthusiasm and anticipation was apparent from the moment we stepped onto the airplane. For our meal options, we were offered a choice of Western cuisine or Korean cuisine. Guess who chose to play it safe and eat the Western option? NO ONE! That’s right…even the vegetarian took on the hefty portion of bibimbap for our first Korean meal in the middle of the sky! And this was how I knew that we had an adventurous, eager group of travelers ready to take Seoul by storm. Photographic evidence of our in-flight meal here:
There was even paper instructions on how to eat bibimbap which was useful, and we were also served Makgeolli, a traditional Korean rice wine (which I have figured out is MUCH MUCH different than Soju which is essentially Korean vodka – not a good lesson to learn via taste testing).
Otherwise, the flight was quite nice despite being extraordinarily long. Many of us watched The Hunger Games (and several reluctantly admitted to watching Twilight Breaking Dawn – myself included – yup, judge away!) and almost no one slept. It must have been the excitement, or perhaps the premonition that we were about to get off the airplane in Incheon to find THIS:
Yes, even in Seoul, they love Dunkin! But in true Korean fashion, you will find a green tea latte on the menu, which I wish would be included in the American menu as well (yes, I had to try one).
Here we are, after 24 hours of travelling, all smiles, ready to make our way to our hotel in Incheon:
We arrived safely in Incheon with varying levels of energy and grogginess, but with 100% excitement and anticipation from all. The first 24 hours were rough in terms of sleep deprivation – but have been worth it already and we’ve only been in Seoul for 3 days!
I’ll be updating much more today with as many photographs as possible. We all chose to do different activities over the weekend since we had free-time, so expect different posts from different students on their experiences. We had some palace visits, temple meditation, a trek up Seoul Tower, a battle with Mt. Bukhansan, tea-houses in Insa-dong, and a beautiful welcome dinner with the Yonsei University students who are now our dear friends!
Cheers,…or as they say here in Korea: “Kunbe”,
Bethany