MAN - ABD - SEO

This entire trip to get to Gwangju took over 24 hours.

We got to the Manchester airport by 6:30am. We found our airline counter (Etihad) and proceeded to check in. Good thing my bags were just on the limit! For some reason there was a massive line up to go through security that day. the line up went out all the way outside and even snaked around! It took us almost 2 hours to get to the security check! There was a bunch of people who didn't arrive 3 hours before their flight that had to be fast tracked to the front to not miss their flights. Crazy!

We still had a little less than an hour before our flight so we stopped to get some food. Pasty was open so I eventually got to try the Steak Cornish pasty and it was delicious. It was a bit big so I could only eat half of it. Neil picked up some more tea at the duty free. Surprise surprise.

The first plane ride to Abu Dhabi took about 7.5 hours. It was a very nice flight! We even got real forks, knives and spoons to use! No plastics. We were surrounded by children on this flight, many were toddlers. i didn't get much sleep at all. But at least this flight had a good free entertainment selection. I watched a couple of movies on this flight. I even watched a Chinese movie. This flight included a lunch meal and a snack wrap. I had the chicken and rice and Neil had the fish. His was much tastier, but they were both great. the snack wrap was delicious!

When we arrived in Abu Dhabi, it was super hot and humid. Neil's glasses fogged up right when we stepped out. We had to take the stairs out of the train and onto a bus to get to the arrival terminal. Our layover time was about 3 hours and I was able to convince Neil to visit the McDonald's. I was curious to see whether they had anything different and specific to this country. He ordered a McChicken meal (boring!) and I had the Classic Deluxe Chicken meal. This burger was huge! And much like a McChicken it also had a slice of Swiss cheese and a slice of tomato in it. It was very yummy.

The next flight took about 8 hours. This airline is very on point with their meals. Right away we got a cup noodle and a bun. Then they turned down the lights so we could get some sleep. I think I was able to get about an hour or so. Neil got a bit more. I ended up watching a few movies and TV shows. I watched Divergent which I thought was very good. I also watched 3 episodes of a show about the Silcon Valley. It was interesting. For breakfast I got beef congee and Neil got eggs and chicken sausage. It was very yummy.

The plane arrived about 25 minutes later than it's suppose to. It took us a while to get through immigration, there was a lot of foreigners. We eventually got our luggage and a Mr. Kim met us at the arrival terminal. He brought us to the bus station terminal and helped us with purchasing our tickets to Gwangju. The bus was to take off at 1:20pm. It was a 4 hour bus ride with a break stop at the 2 hour mark. Surprisingly this bus was very comfortable. Big comfy seats that recline back and the A/C was on. Many people were able to sleep including us. I had about a 1 hour nap. Neil even read his book on the bus.

By the time we finally arrived at Gwangju (U-Square) it was about five. Mr. Lee picked us up at the bus station and took us to the school right away to meet with the director, vice directors and some teachers.

UK Part IV

After meeting Neil's family and friends, it's time to meet up with my family in Liverpool. We caught 10:40am train which took about 2 hours. At this point I realized that my "train pictures" all look the same. I wanted to pick up some pastries at Pasty but it wasn't opened :(

Phi picked us at the station and we headed to my aunt's straight away. This is the gathering place where eventually all my relatives would arrive. Right away we were served food. And then the barbeque started and then the food became endless. We tried our very best to eat as much as we can and everything was so delicious! I wish I could've ate more. I even wore my loose clothes. After everyone's arrived, we did some photos in the backyard. There was quite a bit of people and it took quite a while. Everyone had their smart phones out and I had my ipad.

After the photos, we said our goodbyes. I think Neil might have received some thinly veiled threats to take care of me. We stopped by to visit my uncle Sing's grave before the train station. It had been seven years since my first time in Liverpool.

When we got back to the house, we quickly packed up our stuff and set off to Manchester airport where we had a room booked. This way we could get to the airport quickly in the morning to catch our 9:20am flight. Both Neil and I fell asleep in the car ride to Manchester. It was dark by the time we arrived. Neil's parents have been so sweet and amazing this whole trip, we couldn't thank them enough.

We stayed at the Crowne Plaza and for some reason we got a handicap room. The washroom was massive! The sink was low but for some reason, the toilet is very high. They also added an extra cot in our room. We requested a 5am wake up call and tried to get as much sleep as we can before our long journey.

UK Part III

We caught the 8:40am train to Bridlington. After seeing York, Neil wanted to show me a different side of England. It took 1.5 hours to reach Brid. It is a seaside town and from what I gather a small town that's mostly busy during tourist - summer season. Many people will rent campers and go out to one of the seaside towns for the summer. I can see the appeal to children as it reminds me of PNE. There are many rides and arcades. There's even a pirate ship ride! You can actually go on a ship that goes out into the waters, circles around and then comes back to shore. It's got a jolly rancher flag and everything! It was only 1 pound to ride it. If the waters didn't look so rough, I might have gone.

We walked along the promenade and there are fish shops everywhere! We finally settled one that's off the promenade but still close by. It was very yummy. The fish was very moist but I thought the batter from the first night was better. Next we went to play a bit of mini golf in a pirate themed place. I won :D And I kept the score card. We played a couple of arcade games and got tickets to exchange for prizes. Like I said, very much like PNE/Playland. Next, we went to pick up some rocks! By that I mean rock candies or rock sticks. They come in all flavours and sizes (shapes too!). I also picked up a marshmallow sandwich for the road.

On our way back to Sheffield, we stopped at Meadowhall Centre. It was Neil's parent's anniversary party so we picked up a card. It was a very busy mall. Since it was raining I guess more people migrated to the mall as well. Eventually we got back to the house and luckily the rain stopped and we were able to hang out in the backyard for the party. Neil and I had head downtown to meet up with his friend Mark. We stopped at Lloyd's first. I got ID'd! :D After we went to Dev Cat (aka Devonshire Cat) and then to Washington. It's nice that you can go to many different places in one night - unlike the bar scene in Vancouver. At Washington, there's a beer garden which is basically like a covered backyard patio.

Before midnight Neil and I took a bus back to his place. It was a double decker bus and we sat on the top :) By the time we got back, his aunts and uncles were all still drinking. The party wasn't over. The British sure knows how to party!

UK Part II

My second day in the UK, Neil and I caught the 9:40am train to York. It was a scenic and pleasant 1 hour train ride from Sheffield.

York is a very beautiful city! So full of history and evidently so today. The city used to the capital of England and there's a wall around the city that still exists. I wished I had learned more about York before I got there but the tours gave me a pretty good idea.

After getting our tour pass, we headed to the York Minister. This is a big beautiful church. Reminded me a bit of the Notre Dame Cathedral. It's still being used for services today as well as tours.

Much of York is pedestrian only and it's how one would imagine the UK to be, narrow streets with cute shops and cobble stone walk ways. This area is called the Shambles. As we walked along these streets, we stopped to get a pork sandwich and some crackling to share. As we are eating on the street, it started to rain! We ate the rest of our food under a walk way. Next, we went to get some cream tea at a Teddy bear shop. It was a bit obscure so there was no line, which was nice since we wanted to get out of the rain. The tea and scone as super delicious! I couldn't finish my scone and I wished I could've taken it to go with me. But we had so much more to see!

Next we went to the Jorvik Viking Museum. The greatest part of this tour was the ride through the re-creation of a Jorvik Viking village. Neil told me as I was riding through that the smell was also re-created. The outhouse part was a bit smelly! It was like riding the "It's A Small World" ride but a million times better! There's mechanical characters, voices, and so much more! I really enjoyed this and would go back again.

Our next destination was the Castle Museum. There were several parts to this and my favourite is the old english era. There were also World War I and II exhibits, kitchen throughout the decades, a prison area and music and art section. Outside the museum, we climbed a set of stairs to reach the Tower. After climbing to the very top, my knees were feeling a bit wobbly and I needed to get down closer to the ground. It was a great view though!

Finally, we went to The Dungeons. Neil's told me nothing about this place except the name. It is an interactive tour with actors and scenes that illustrated the history of York. Some parts were really quite scary. Often times some of the audience (a group of maybe around 15-20) had to participate. At one point, Neil was volunteered as the guy with the plague and the one to test out torture devices. It's hard to describe, you really had to be there. As scary as it was (and yes, I screamed several times) it was very fun!

We caught a train back to Sheffield and we for a carvey with his family. So much food. But oh so delicious! and lots of drinks too. After dinner we all hung out and drank more back at home. The kids played with Ella and I wondered how they managed to have so much energy.

UK Part I

One word to describe my trip in the UK: whirlwind.

My first day consisted of arriving at Manchester Airport after a 14+ flight + travel. Then a a1+ hour long ride to Sheffield. I was quite tired to say the least. My first fish and chips experience was delicious! My favourite by far :D Britain - you do deep fried fish very well.

When i got to Neil's parent's place I was greeted by a very enthusiastic German Shepard named Ella. After eating and drinking, there was only one thing left to do: sleep.

YVR to FRA to MAN

My bag was overweight :( It's 10 lbs more than the limit. At this point I can't take anything more out so I ended up paying the $150 charge. My bag can go up to 60 lbs on my way to Seoul, so I'm okay with it. 

The flight was just over 10 hours and I landed at night in Frankfurt. The plane ride was very pleasant. My seat neighbour is a Canadian who lives in Germany with his family for over 20 years. I tried to sleep and even took some melatonin. Although it made me really tired, I just couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep more than an hour or so. The charter only had one free option for one movie and one episode of Modern Family. I wasn't interested in the movie so I can't even remember what it was. If I wanted a bigger selection, I'd have to pay. Same with alcohol. I ended watching tv shows and movies on my ipad instead. The dinner meal on this flight included pasta, bread with butter and cream cheese, fruit cup and lemon cake. The breakfast included a german rye bread (tasted like cardboard), two pieces of meat and cheese (each), bread roll with cream cheese and butter and a fruit cup. It was edible but nothing significant. 

I had get off the flight via stairs (think Allegiant Air) and take a bus to the terminal. It was sooooo hot and muggy right away! I had my carry on suitcase, a bag of 3 bottles of wine and my big purse. It was hard carrying it down the stairs, on the bus and up some stairs. My arms were a bit sore. The terminal had some lounges that several people were sleeping on. The weird part was these lounges were no where near a departing gate. Perhaps this airport had a lot of long layovers? I couldn't take a picture because I was too busy carrying all my stuff. It was a long walk to my departing gate. For a 2.5 hour layover, I was really disappointed this airport did not have any free wifi. They had janitors and airport staff riding on bicycles, but no free wifi. Good thing I had my ipad to keep my company. An hour before I was suppose to board my flight, the gate changed! And I had quickly find my way to the "new" gate. Good thing I checked on one of those screens because I didn't have internet. 

The flight to Manchester was very pleasant. The elder couple beside me was very sweet. I managed to nod off for maybe half an hour or so. For a 1.5 hour flight, that's not bad at all! The snack on this plane was a very yummy piece of cake. 

When I landed in Manchester, although I didn't have to take the stairs out of the plane, there was a few flight of stairs I had to climb to get to immigration and luggage pick up :( My arm is pretty sore. I tried to do it on my own when a man offered to help me. But I couldn't get more than a few steps. He turned around and helped me carry my carry-on all the way down the stairs. I told him he was a wonderful person. As a foreigner, the line up through immigration was very short and I got through pretty quickly. Even my luggage arrived early! Again, I had to get some help loading it onto my cart. Speaking of the cart, it was free! It costs 1 pound (non-refundable!) Good thing I had a 1 pound coin otherwise, I don't know how I'd be able to take my luggages with me. This airport also does not have free wifi :( I had to sign up for 1 free hour. Just as I was able to log on, lo and behold Neil appeared in front of me with some pretty purple flowers! 

The ride to Sheffield was a long one because it was during rush hour and traffic was a bit heavy. The trip included some very scenic roads and the ones that the Tour de France went on. I can still see some of the remnants from this event (yellow bicycles everywhere!) 

Quick YVR update!

Parents driving me to the airport on a sunny beautiful day in Vancouver. 

Quick selfie in the car! 

I'm 10 minutes from boarding! Will update with trip details next :)

A weighing issue.

I have finished my packing. As you can see with the following pic I have all the essentials.....and i'm under the limit. 'ave it!

Brew kit

50 lb Luggage (23 kg)!

I cannot tell you how excited I am that my luggage weighs exactly 50 lbs! Yesterday it was 70 lbs. After re-packing countless times and discarding many things, it's finally down to its allowable weight. I absolutely underestimated how hard it would be to pack my whole life under 50 lbs. As I'm looking at the things I had to take out: winter ski jacket, white blazer, suede boots, green sweater, black jacket and my favourite Lululemon duffle bag - it sucks :( Now my policy is if I want to add anything else to my luggage, I need to take something out.

I am taking two luggage with me. One is a 28/29" and the other is a 20" carry-on. Both are made by Atlantic. I don't know if they are a good brand but they were on sale and it looks different than just plain black. I really hope it won't break on me!

I wanted to write down a list of things I'm bringing with me but I don't want to tempt the fates by opening up my perfectly packed luggage so I'm going to list things from memory.

Check-in: 

• Clothes 
• jeans, leggings, tights, yoga pants, dress pants
• long sleeves, short sleeves, sleeveless, tank tops
• dresses (casual and formal)
• winter/fall coat, blazer, light jacket
• scarves, hats, gloves, socks
• Make up & tools
• Toiletries - small size shampoo, conditioner, body wash
• Sewing and medicine kits
• Body lotion & deodorant
• Shoes
• runners, flats, flip flops, heels (1 pair each T.T)
• Gifts

Carry-on:

• summer clothes
• under garments
• important documents
• little make up bag
• small first aid kit
• snacks
• hair straightener + plug converter
• jewelry

I'm also taking a big purse as my personal item to keep things I need access to readily like my passport, wallet, ipad, etc. 

I might be a tad too over organized because I've already picked out my airport outfit. :) 

Update on Visa and Packing

We received our Visa Issuance number!...and now we wait for the Korean Visa. Mine will be ready by July 14th and Neil's on July 17th-ish.

I started cleaning, organizing and packing my suitcase. Neil has less stuff (:P) so he's pretty much packed. I, on the other hand, have been doing it almost every night. Going over all my stuff and putting them into, take, keep and throw piles. I've pretty much sorted all the "keep" stuff and now need to decide between take and throw. It should be done by this weekend. And then I have a week and a half of living out of my suitcase :)

This is my take/throw pile of make up/lotions

This whole process has been pretty quick from the moment we decided to apply online. This wasn't something spontaneously decided on a drunken night. We've talked about it for a while and even applied for EPIK but neither of us made it through. So the next logical step was to apply for private schools through recruiters. I started applying online at the end of May and Neil started at the beginning of June. Below is a time line of how quickly everything happened. (Please note it probably helped that we both had our documents ready before we got a job offer)

May 26 - I applied online
June 2 - Neil applied online
June 9 - contacted by TEK to apply as a couple
June 14 - potential job offered
June 15-16 - interviewed with the school
June 17 - accepted job offer
June 18 - officially confirmed/job offer - emailed signed contract
June 19 - sent documents/paperwork to SK via Fedex
June 22 - my documents arrived in SK
June 26 - Neil's documents arrived in SK
July 2 - Visa Issuance number received
July 2 - I went to the Korean Consulate in Vancouver to submit my papers for the Korean Visa
July 3 - Neil mailed his documents to the Korean Consulate in London
July 3 - exchanged CAD$ for British Pounds and Korean Won
July 14 - pick up Visa & Passport in Vancouver
July 16 - I leave for the UK
July 17 - Neil to receive Visa & Passport
July 21 - we leave for SK
July 22 - arrive in SK

All of this is happening in less than a month! Like I said, super quick!

Korean Won and British Pounds

When I'm done packing this weekend, I'll let you know about all the things I'm packing. While most things are available in Gwangju, there are some things that's not readily available, like deodorant!