Either the world turned upside down or I'm on the other side of the globe! We left JFK last Tuesday at 1:00 PM and arrived at Incheon on Wednesday at 4:00 PM, 27 hours later. We were told by the captain that the flight would take 13 hours and 40 minutes, when in fact it took 13 hours and 42 minutes. I don't know where those two minutes went, but I want them back. I could use them because my sleep cycle has still not fully acclimated to Seoul time.
One of my bigger fears about coming to Korea was fortunately not realized, as the dogs passed their inspection and were not quarantined. Korea is strict about bringing pets into the country. The dogs had to go through multiple examinations and vaccinations, be microchipped, and be issued health certificates which then needed to be validated by the FDA office in central New Jersey. As if that weren't enough, they also had to be on diets because they and their carriers could not weigh more than 11 lb. if they were to ride in the cabin with us, which they did.
The dogs are adjusting nicely. No language barrier for them, although I'm waiting for them to notice the family of stray cats living above our garage. About the garage: it's really more of a cave in which seven cars are crammed in at angles only a mathematician would appreciate. Then there are the roads. Technically, we live on a one-way street, although as with other one-way streets that I have observed here, the "one way" seems to be more of a suggestion than a regulation. Also, there are no sidewalks on the back streets, which means any street off the main thoroughfares that intersect the city. People just walk down the middle of the street and drivers navigate their cars around them. The cars have their revenge on the main roads, however, when drivers will sometimes drive over the sidewalk to get to their desired parking spot.
Seoul is enormous. It has the density of New York and the sprawl of LA. The district where I live and work, Songpa-gu, could be its own city. Thus far, I have only begun to develop an awareness of my immediate surroundings--our street and one block north and south. When first visiting a large city, every street, every building looks the same. I'm reminded of traveling to my first job interview in New York nearly 20 years ago. Walking from Grand Central to Chelsea, I may as well have been on Mars, so alien was the environment. Eventually I would be able to walk that route with my eyes closed, but it took time.
One of my bigger fears about coming to Korea was fortunately not realized, as the dogs passed their inspection and were not quarantined. Korea is strict about bringing pets into the country. The dogs had to go through multiple examinations and vaccinations, be microchipped, and be issued health certificates which then needed to be validated by the FDA office in central New Jersey. As if that weren't enough, they also had to be on diets because they and their carriers could not weigh more than 11 lb. if they were to ride in the cabin with us, which they did.
The dogs are adjusting nicely. No language barrier for them, although I'm waiting for them to notice the family of stray cats living above our garage. About the garage: it's really more of a cave in which seven cars are crammed in at angles only a mathematician would appreciate. Then there are the roads. Technically, we live on a one-way street, although as with other one-way streets that I have observed here, the "one way" seems to be more of a suggestion than a regulation. Also, there are no sidewalks on the back streets, which means any street off the main thoroughfares that intersect the city. People just walk down the middle of the street and drivers navigate their cars around them. The cars have their revenge on the main roads, however, when drivers will sometimes drive over the sidewalk to get to their desired parking spot.
Seoul is enormous. It has the density of New York and the sprawl of LA. The district where I live and work, Songpa-gu, could be its own city. Thus far, I have only begun to develop an awareness of my immediate surroundings--our street and one block north and south. When first visiting a large city, every street, every building looks the same. I'm reminded of traveling to my first job interview in New York nearly 20 years ago. Walking from Grand Central to Chelsea, I may as well have been on Mars, so alien was the environment. Eventually I would be able to walk that route with my eyes closed, but it took time.
How well I remember that time, John. I think you already had a love for New York City even back then, and I recall your going to that interview. Such a long while ago, and yet sometimes it seems like yesterday.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Mom xo