Let me start by saying because of my own laziness, I know maybe ten or eleven words in Korean. Because of where we live, I had to take a bus to Incheon Int. Airport. I assumed the buses ran all day. I got to the bus terminal at about 3:45 and proceeded to the ticket counter only to be told that there were no more buses traveling to Incheon today. I immediately start to panic because I am flying out of Incheon at one a.m. and my ticket was non-refundable. I call someone Justin works with so he can speak to the ticket lady and he comes back on the phone to tell me I have to take a bus to Seoul and then to Incheon. My bus also leaves in five minutes so I have to run to avoid missing it. I get on the bus and enjoy a very comfy ride to Seoul. The express buses that go there have huge leather seats and two little air conditioners per seat. Also because I bought one ticket, I got the side with only one seat so I did not even have to sit next to anyone. It was pretty glorious.
Three and a half hours later, I arrive in Seoul and proceed to the ticket counter to get on the next bus to the airport, only to be told I cannot purchase a ticket because its a normal bus that comes every twenty minutes and I have to go outside and find the stop. On top of this, my phone is now dying and I have not brought my charger because the phone wont work in Germany. Oh yeah, I also have only 10,000 KRW in cash because I was supposed to be able to purchase my ticket at the terminal which accepts credit cards.
I found a Shinsegae department store employee who probably deserves some kind of amazing prize for being awesome. He walked with me for thirty minutes until we found the stop and then on top of that he gave me some cash because the fare for the bus was 15,000 KRW. I almost cried when he gave it to me.
I board the bus and arrive at the airport exactly when I was supposed to be there to check in. I get to counter only to find out it is an issue that I do not have my alien id card. (I lost my wallet awhile back and have been too lazy to go get a new card) To top it off the visa sticker in my passport was the original one that expired in June. So the check in lady calls immigration in the airport to confirm I am not illegally in the country, checks me in, hands me my boarding pass, and tells me I need to go to the Immigration office to get updated documents so that they let me back into the country when I return in October. So I go to Immigration, get my new sticker, and make it through security with enough time to utilize the awesome free wi-fi and check in with my loved ones. I also used that time to make Nadia think I was mia because my cupcake business was so busy :D She had no clue I was really en route to her front door :D
The rest of the trip was really long but smooth. The airline was awesome and the food was actually pretty delicious. I met Sean at the airport, got a handy dandy temp pass for bases so I don't have to sign in and out constantly, and went to the front door. I rang the door bell, Nadia answered, and then this happened:
All in all it was a pretty awesome surprise and am so far absolutely loving being here. So far no real German adventures. I have just been enjoying the Super American-ness of military bases :D It is kind of like visiting home and then going to Europe at the same time. Of course I will continue to post accounts of our trips throughout the next two weeks :D
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