University of Dayton - MyLife

Today is the day I have been waiting for...

Today is the day that I have been waiting on for a very long time. Although I have known for a few months that I would be leaving for Korea on July 3rd, this morning it feels surreal. This morning I am going to mass with my parents and to our favorite breakfast spot in Chadds Ford, Hank's Place.

My flight will leave from Philadelphia this afternoon and about 30 hours and two layovers later, I will arrive in Korea early on Sunday morning. It will be Korea time, so when I call home my parents will be just about to watch 4th of July fireworks.

Luckily, the travel agency has placed about half of us on the same flight from Los Angeles to Korea. I think that the flight will be a great time to meet the other "Fulbrighters" and begin our new friendships. I received an e-mail from my orientation leaders yesterday morning that explained that our orientation meetings begin after lunch on Sunday. I plan on being tired for at least the next week, but I am not concerned because my adrenaline will move me along.

During my first six weeks I will be studying Korean culture and the Korean language at Kangwon National University in Chuncheon. The orientation team has prepared many events for us during these weeks, such as teaching at Camp Fulbright and a visit to the DMZ. It will be a throwback to living in Marycrest again without air-conditioning. I am also looking forward to living among my peers again.

I am starting to get really nervous, but I am confident that this experience will be a once-in-a-lifetime journey that I am ready to take on. My final blog will be from orientation in Korea when I will sign off after four wonderful years with the MyLife site.

Jul 3, 2009 6:38 AM Permalink