the most wired city in the world?

so much for that! my roomate has just gotten my internet up and running so the blogging can begin. luckily, i kept journaling regardless of the availability of my blog. i am going to post yesterday's below and next write on today and post pictures!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008. 7:13 AM- Seoul, South Korea. Monday, July 14, 2008. 5:13 PM- Mississippi, USA.

Fate has forced me to retreat to Microsoft Word to “blog”. In the “most wired city in the world”, a boast that we have been touting for months, I cannot get a wireless signal or connection otherwise to the Internet. So many times have I wanted to sit and tell of the adventures of the past 24 hours, but my dependence on technology tells a different story. I’ve even thought about going to paper and ink- I brought with me two journals, but that is now my last resort. So I am writing this account and will publish it as soon as I can.
I think that I must admit that I have been homesick since getting to Korea. The Korean students didn’t fly in with us, and navigating the city alone became very hard for us. We landed at about 3 yesterday morning. I had slept plenty and well on the flight, so, when we got to our rooms, I started milling around and getting dressed for the day. The troubles started there. Remember, I am alone at this point, which was probably not good for me anyway. The air conditioning, as I now know, is remote controlled. While it didn’t take me an eternity to figure this out, the time it did take was hot. They use air conditioning very sparingly around here, so I was sweating through my clothes by this point. Also, my adapters and converters to power outlets were giving me fits. This I also soon mastered; but, after a 14 hour flight to a new country 6000+ miles away from home, all I could do was sit on my bed and cry. Family, do not worry; I made myself snap out of it through a little talking to myself and keeping myself busy. As soon as I was dressed, I went to a friend’s room. We were soon conversing about our shared struggles to adapt to a new environment. I am realizing now that this is all part of such a wonderful experience, and it can only be good for me to not be surrounded by every comfort of home. I have everything that I need right here. If I do not get the internet for two weeks, it won’t be the end of me. But, food, that is another story. We were all hungry for breakfast, so we ventured onto the main road near our dorm to find something. After several frustrating attempts for directions from one too many people who didn’t speak English, we spotted the blessed golden arches of McDonald’s, and all but sprinted to her doors. With my belly full of hotcakes and coffee, I felt ready to embrace the city- that is, until I walked outside to the stench. I’m not exaggerating when I say that this city stinks. They do not have trash cans anywhere, and littering is rampant. It is not uncommon to see Seoulites walking around with masks on- fighting either the smell or pollution, I’m not sure which. Even the halls of our dorms smell because of the cooking and the fact that the windows are constantly open- even in the heat and humidity. The humidity is worse than that of the South, so walking around it in yesterday took some adjusting. We found a very neat restaurant where the food is prepared and put on a revolving type platform that circles around by every table and diners grab whatever looks appetizing to them. The food was mostly sushi, with a few servings of fruit mixed in. Needless to say, we loved it. Afterwards, we headed to an outdoor market to shop, where I got two Starbucks drinks that can be refrigerated in my room. Those will be good for the mornings. The Koreans arrived last night, and I believe that we were all so tired that we exchanged brief but nonetheless happy greetings before settling in for the night.