Day 1 in Korea

Well, I'm finally here.

First of all, I want to thank everyone who donated to help me reach Korea. You guys are just as instrumental in what's about to happen as I am for actually going. Without you, there's no way I could've even made it here. So thank you, and God's going to bless you for helping make this a reality.

So, let's start off with discussing my trip over here. Honestly, it was pretty good, with only a couple of snags. First of all, I can't go anywhere without forgetting somewhere, that's becoming ever so clear. I left a bottle of shampoo and a bottle of body wash sitting at my mom's house. These were my big bottles, so all I have is enough of each to last me a week now. So, I have to go buy some later, and if I can't find any that are comparable to mine (and I need something antibacterial in the body wash department), I'll have to ask mom to mail it to me. I don't think that will be a problem.

The flights went well though. My flight to Detroit was smooth sailing. I always flip out about those puddle jumpers, but this was a non-issue. Honestly, I was almost asleep on that flight before we even took off. I actually had to fight to stay awake.

They overbooked my flight to Tokyo, which still wasn't a concern for me, since I already checked in. However, we were 40 minutes late in pulling away from the gate, because they were still loading cargo to the plane. We were consequently an hour late taking off. I had a fit of impatience sitting in my seat, especially when they told us to turn off our electronic devices well before the flight took off. So all I could do was sit there in silence, which was frustrating.

On top of that, I started to worry. My connection was rather tight in Tokyo last time, and this was the exact same itinerary. Was I going to make it in time if we were an hour late getting to Tokyo? Especially when it took around 20-30 minutes to taxi to our arrival gate last year. So yeah, I was concerned.

Shortly after takeoff, however, the captain informed us we were still due to arrive on time to Tokyo. I breathed a little easier, but still in the back of my mind, I had that worry. I ate well, there was shrimp with pretty much every meal I ate on that flight. Not that I'm complaining about that (anyone who knows me would know that's the exact opposite of what I'm doing).

I was also able to sleep for four hours on this flight. This is a big step. I was quite relaxed. Last year, I was scared to death to fly period, let alone overseas. This time, it was just a matter of, "Meh...this is all routine." Not even turbulence got me perturbed.

True to his word, we arrived in Tokyo right on time. On top of that, our arrival gate was very close to the runway, so it was a very short taxi this time. Regardless, I took off in a semi-Home Alone-esque sprint to the security gate, not wanting to take any chances. I got through really quickly, and found my gate really fast. I mean, to leave an hour late, and still get there on time? And to find my gate with an hour to spare? That's a God thing, clearly.

The only problem with the flight was the landing. It was one of the roughest landings I've experienced. And when I say that, I mean, the plane bowed pretty heavily, to the point where I was slightly concerned that it might hit a wing on the ground, and send us flipping over. However, that didn't happen, obviously, or you would've heard about it on CNN by now.

I had a snack on my flight to Seoul (Egg Salad and Tuna Salad sandwiches), and we arrived early to Korea. And then I was pretty much instantly comfortable and excited. Got through immigration and customs really quick. Found Yoonmi. She didn't stay long, but brought my new camera, and said how happy she was to see me, and then found my contacts at Durihana.

One of which was a North Korean. He was our driver. I also met Joseph, who was the person I had been e-mailing recently. It was quite awesome to meet these people. I was so excited.

When I got there, they wanted to bless me with food. I honestly wasn't hungry, and was ok, but they insisted...and took me to McDonald's. Considering how excited I was the last day at McDonald's (where I work), and almost kissed the ground when I walked out on Friday, I found this quite ironic. But it was such an awesome time. We talked on the way to Durihana.

Gwangjin (the North Korean), come to find out, is a drummer. He found out I play bass, and already wants to jam. This is quite an appealing offer for me. Been a while since I jammed with anyone.

They set me up in my dorm room (which is a single bed room), and let me get situated and sleep.

This morning I woke up, and took care of everything regarding my SD Card (reformatting it for my new camera), and checked Facebook. I then went downstairs to find Joseph, and to find a towel to take a shower. I was still in my pajamas. The instant he saw me, Gwangjin immediately motioned for me to come into the office area, and immediately introduced me to Chun Ki-won, the pastor of Durihana.

If you don't know much about the North Korean refugee crisis, Pastor Chun is super important. As in, he is one of the heads of the underground railroad responsible for getting the refugees out of China. He travels the world over talking about this crisis and getting aid from people to make this possible. So to say he is important is an understatement. Without him, this system would probably crumble.

And here I am in my pajamas, meeting with him. He's wearing all but the suit coat of his three piece suit. And I'm in my pajamas. I think he was underdressed. *sarcasm*

He was incredibly kind. He already had a breakfast of pastries and breads laid out for me, and also supplied me with milk and coffee to compliment it. It was wonderful. We talked some, and I think this will be a wonderful month.

He introduced me to some of the staff, whom are very kind. Right now, they gave me a desk (letting me borrow Gwangjin's while he's away), and I'm just waiting to see what's up. I'm thinking they might let me hold off on starting until tomorrow until I'm fully situated and overcome my jet lag. I may head out to E-Mart soon to get what I forgot at home. I also need to head to Yongsan later. Tonight, I'll be eating Indian food with Yoonmi, and grabbing some dress shoes for this weekend.

All is well in the Eastern front though, guys. Praise God. I haven't had many opportunities to snap pictures. I snapped one at the airport, which I'll put up here. I have snapped some of the Durihana complex right now, but my camera is upstairs. I'll post them later.

http://min.us/m4Z6ZuvfeiW31

This was from my church bulletin Sunday. Not that I like boasting about it, just that it is a nice reminder that my church is praying for me, and the rest of the people in the mission field this summer.

http://min.us/mVumKrcY2oECl

And here's a sign on the way to border control. I was so excited.

Some messages to specific people:

Carmen: Yes my shoes were tied! In fact, I reached an escalator in Incheon airport, and saw my shoes came untied, and STOPPED TO TIE THEM! You should be insatiably pleased with that.

Tina: No kimchi yet, but trust me, I'll try to eat some this time around. I did have a bulgogi burger at McDonald's last night though.

And to everyone else: Thank you! 감사합니다!

Keep an eye on here and my Facebook for more!