Monday, August 3, 2009

First Arrival - Part 1

I had just completed my contract working for the Canadian government in Sri Lanka. Since I had never been to South Korea I thought this would be a good time to visit before I jumped into a full-time job back home in dear ol'Canada. Though I would've liked to stay in Sri Lanka a little longer, there were just no viable jobs there for expats.

Korea was so close to Sri Lanka it was only a 5 hour flight, unlike that horrendous 20 hour flight I took from Montreal. Besides, I was very curious to see the place my parents had grown up. When my parents had left Korea, the country was still under a harsh dictatorship and in great turmoil. Anyone who wanted to leave the country had to leave all their possessions behind, meaning their money and valuables. So when my parents arrived to Canada, they literally had nothing in their pockets.

My parents spoke from time to time about how it was growing up in Korea. Although my mother was mostly unaffected by it, my father had grown up during the Japanese occupation. He wouldn't really elaborate too much but he can still speak a little Japanese. This was all he could speak in school as a child. He had occasion to speak with Japanese students that came to our universities and would ask for directions. My eyes would always kind of glaze over when they would get into a conversation.

When I got off the plane at the Incheon airport I remember how I found the quality of the air palpably stifling. Lucky for me I arrived during the "yellow sand" storm which occurs every spring. My uncle and cousin picked me up from the airport. I was supposed to stay with them for about 6 months although I doubted I would stay that long. Turned out I was right...but only aobut staying with my cousins.

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