So, I moved to Korea

A week ago I left my house at 3:45 am with a suitcase, a backpack, and a one-way ticket to Korea. A short flight took me from Toronto to Chicago, and then a long flight took me from Chicago to Seoul. I’ve signed a one-year contract to teach English at a hagwon (private school). This 12-month gig is the longest commitment I’ve made to anything in my short career as an adult. For this and other reasons, my mind was racing on the drive to the airport. But as soon as I passed through security and settled in for the journey, something clicked and I felt at home. After a summer spent saving money and forming plans, it felt good to be on the move again.

The thing I want most right now is new experiences, and since I boarded the plane every moment seems to have offered one. As we began our descent into Seoul, an in-flight tutorial encouraged us to massage away the fatigue and stiffness of the 14-hour flight, and I had a feeling that Korea and I were going to be friends. Incheon, my new home, is very unique. Some things feel North American, some things remind me of the time I spent in Southeast Asia last year, and some things are just 100% Korean. Signs pulse in every shade of neon, balloons are incorporated into displays wherever possible, and everything than can play music, does. My running list of things to try grows exponentially. There are foods to taste, neighbourhoods to explore, an amazing community of expats to meet, and a whole country and continent to be seen. But I don’t have to look that far for adventure. When you’re trying to establish yourself in a new country where you don’t read or speak the language, something as mundane as buying laundry soap is a novelty and an accomplishment. It’s humbling and exciting and gives you a total appreciation for the fact that everything you’ve ever called ‘normal’ is relative to where you’re from.

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These are some photos from my neighbourhood, Nonhyeon-dong, in Incheon. Incheon is a coastal city to the west of Seoul (the two share a transit system and seem to melt right into each other on the map).

And some photos from beyond Nonhyeon. Geography isn’t my forte, but bit by bit I’m mastering the subway system and getting oriented. With views like these, though, being lost is never a waste of time.