Make Me Yours

Episode 3: Wake up, snooze, repeat

I've been in Seoul for four days now. I have to admit, I slept most of it, trying to get on this brand new time zone. Night is day, day is night. Seoul is 13 hours ahead of Toronto, making it quite difficult for me to communicate with my family. The best window of opportunity is between 8 o'clock and midnight Eastern Standard time. It makes it the evening for my family, and the early morning-noon for me.

As I hang up from the long face time call with Anna and Jennie, I brush off a tear that escaped my eye without me really noticing. I miss them already and it hasn't even been a week.

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Leah emailed me last night, which made me a little bit homesick too.

"Hey babe! I hope you're all settled in. I miss you. Please call me soon? Louis emailed you the number of the driver who picked you up at the airport. He's your guy, so whenever you have to go somewhere, please give him a ring? Don't take the subway. Apparently it's even crazier than the one in TO! Talk to you soon T.

-L

The thought of having someone to drive me around made me a little uneasy. Where's the adventure in that? Stubborn as I am, I decide to finally go outside and get some vitamin D from the sun, as I've basically been a vampire for the last four days. I get up from my bed, and reach my closet before dramatically opening the doors. I thank my past self for being a reasonable adult and unpacking as soon as I got here, because I truly believe I wouldn't have the courage to go through that right now and would probably live in my luggage forever.

Browsing through my outfits, I quickly check the weather to narrow down my search. It's a beautiful day in Seoul, 22 degrees with a big bright sun. I pick a sexy shoulder cut floral dress, which showcases my boobs in the most perfect way but isn't too slutty to get weird stares if you wear it outside of a club. I slip on a pair of black platform sandals and turn around to check myself out in the full length mirror hung behind my bedroom door. Yep. I look hot. I quickly touched up on some curls in my hair, applied a quick coat of mascara and lipbalm and then ran out the door grabbing my purse on the way out. I made sure that the phone the company gave me was fully charged, as I was most likely going to run all the battery down with Google Maps.

My current residence is located in Hannam-dong, a neighborhood close to Han River. It's a quiet neighborhood with a lot of restaurants and beautiful authentic housing, with an easy access to Seoul City center (about a 16 minute subway ride). I didn't have a lot of time to read about the area before coming here. I'm not particularly nervous about it, remember, I love an adventure.

I pull my purse over my shoulder and let it hang on my right hip, opening the front door of my house. As I get ready to take my first step outside, I suddenly feel a shiver running across my whole body. It hits me all at once; the fact that this is the very beginning of my life here. Roaming unfamiliar streets, reading signs in another language and not having a single clue what it means. I know that it will take some time to adjust to this whole new way of living, to get acquainted with the culture, to familiarize myself with the people here. But I'm so ready. I plaster the biggest grin on my face and take my first step out of my home.

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I've been walking for a while now, and I can't stop smiling while I try to take all of my surroundings in. Everything is so beautiful, it's like my eyes refuse to close! Vegetation is everywhere, roads are clean, little shops here and there inviting me in for a taste of Korea. I quickly bow to the people who cross my path, as I've read on the Internet that it is kind of a polite thing to do, even with strangers. Some bowed back to me with warm smiles, appreciating the effort I was making, others simply nodded and continued walking. I finally decide to raise the challenge a little bit, and I punch in the navigation app Hannam Station. I don't feel really scared to embark on this journey alone, since I've carefully made sure that Mr. Lee, my chauffeur, 's number was safely added to my contact list. If I get lost, I'll just give him a call! I thought.