Finally arrived

After all the chaos and stress I finally arrived safely at the airport of Incheon. Having passed never-ending gangways I got my stamp which tells me to leave the country by September 18th. I got my baggage easily and discovered Mr. Cho at once. I knew he would pick me up and so we went to the centre by bus; the ride took about one hour and a half and I already heard some interesting things about Korea.

It will be natural comparing Korea with China and by looking out of the window already I already discovered two things which are completely different. I didn’t see a single bike and all in all the traffic seemed to be far more organized than and not as messy as I know it from Tianjin or Xi’an. Here you won’t find the mix of small old buildings and extremely modern huge skyscrapers but mainly long-established high-rise buildings. Modern trends haven’t taken the city by surprise but grown into it slowly over decades, grown old with it.

From the stop at „Hilton“hotel we’d been picked up by Goetheinstitutes own (!) van and reached our destination after a few minutes. The building is located at Nam mountain which appears as a green oasis in the middle of this huge city.

After I had been presented to everyone and marvelled at the institutes measures and equipment I went for lunch with three other German girls: Tina (teacher), Lena and Stephanie (trainees). In a tiny little restaurant I chose - with the others’ help - a rice dish with vegetables which was delicious and only about two Euros. After lunch Tina took me to the city centre so I could change money and already get a little impression. Also then I noticed that everything seems to be going on in a neat orderly fashion; many people are elegantly (and actually no one poorly) dressed and isn’t far as loud and dirty as in China. And even if it sometimes reminds of China here and there – the crowds are missing! The air is astonishingly bearable – and to the rain I got already used in Genoa ;o)

I got a few maps and guides (in German!) from the tourist information and a rechargeable card for busses and subway from Tina. Only once someone called “Hello hello”, no one is staring but despite all the differences I missed the colourful chaotic hustle and bustle from the streets of China. Somehow, these first impressions were a little deflating and I felt tired and out of place…

Back in Goetheinstitute I took my baggage and went with one of my bosses to her home. She had offered me to stay with her during the first days till I have found a place to live. After having picked up son and cat from the vet and her husband, we went to the district of Yonhuidong. The ride seemed to me like an eternity and I was about to fell asleep a few times. When I had taken off my shoes and replaced my trousers with a skirt, taken seat on the sofa with an aperitif and putting my feet up, I finally had the feeling of having arrived!