안녕하세요 (Annyeonghaseyo) !!

So after a 13 hour flight from JFK to Seoul, a 2.5 hour bus ride to Goesan, and 7000 miles of travel, I finally arrived at Jungwon University for Orientation.  The flight felt must shorter than I expected: stayed awake 3 hours, slept 6 hours, spent the last 4 hours getting the high score in Tetris on my little TV monitor!  For dinner, they served bi-bim-bap, which was a wonderful start to my culinary journey in Korea.  Once we landed, we had to wait a couple hours for the other 2 flights of Fulbrights to land.  Eventually, our Orientation Team Coordinators arrived and we loaded up the buses with our massive suitcases (See below).

The orientation site is absolutely exquisite, a perfect mix between a vacation resort and a swanky marble palace.  Jungwon University is a super small private school in the middle of nowhere.  Although less than 1000 students attend the university, the facilities are amazing and the campus is sprawling oasis with multiple pools, saunas, and a golf course. 

We are seriously spoiled here.  I can't wait to spend time in the massive pool area, which I my bedroom window overlooks.  And with all the water slides and that crazy hamster wheel thing, it feels, at times, more like an awesome summer camp than a grueling training program.

The first couple days have been a blur.  Mostly, they have consisted of overcoming jet-lag, meeting 87 other Fulbrights, trying not to get lost around campus, and eating lots of yummy meals in the cafeteria.  Fortunately, I love kimchi and Korean food so the adjustment has been relatively easy.  It's only been four days, but I've met a ton of amazing people, who are all so accomplished and dignified in their own right.  It's humbling to be in their presence and I'm honored to be considered one of them.  Here's the first photo of me in Korea, and another with my roommate Lauren.

The Fulbright Korea program is considered the gold standard of all Fulbright programs, largely due to it's rigorous Orientation program.  Mornings are consumed by four hours of intensive Korean language classes.  The language program is run through the Institute of Foreign Language Studies at Korea University, which is the second most prestigious university in the country.  In the afternoon, we have four hours of teaching or cultural training.  I also signed up for extracurricular activities: taekwondo, archery, the Global Language Educational Exchange (GLEE) club [where we meet Korean students], and traditional tea ceremony.  They keep us busy here but I'm loving every second of it.  More pictures of the gorgeous campus (Please note the epic dinosaurs)!

Goesan is, by Korean standards, a super small and remote town.  But yesterday, we got to explore it in teams of four on an epic photo scavenger hunt!  Here are some of the highlights.  Well the dog wasn't one of the items on the list, but I thought he had the fiercest eyebrows!

Well so far so good.  Tomorrow is the second day of language classes and in the evening, Mrs. Shim Jai Ok, the Executive Director of the Korean-American Educational Commission is visiting us.  Apparently, this is a super big deal and we've been practicing our 인사 (insa = formal bow) like crazy.  Time for a shower and then bed.  Miss you all!

A Shameless Request for Mail

"Or don't you like to write letters. I do because it's such a swell way to keep from working and yet feel you've done something." - Ernest Hemingway

Need a terrific source of procrastination?  Find yourself missing Danielle?  Well, consider writing her a letter or sending her an (ideally edible) care package!  Yes folks, in the age of cyber space and email galore, letter-writing has become a lost art.  But it would make my day and I would happily return the favor.

Between July 3rd and August 18th, I can be reached at the following address.  Please keep in mind that most mail will take approx two weeks to arrive in Korea and once I leave the Orientation site, mail will not be forwarded to me.  So if you plan on sending me something in August, wait until I know the address for my permanent placement.

Danielle Kim (Fulbright ETA)
c/o Fulbright ETA Office, 2nd Floor
Jungwon University
5, Dongbu-ri, Goesan-eup, Goesan-gun
Chungbuk, South Korea 367-805

Whew, that's a mouthful.  Speaking of staying in touch, my primary email abroad will be kim.daniellej@gmail.com.  I will still check my other accounts, but on a less frequent basis.  Also, my Smith email address will expire soon, so please stick with Gmail.  Lastly, I urge you to create a Skype account and add me: danielle_j_kim, so that we can video chat!

Ahhhhh! I'm leaving tomorrow and I'm too wired to sleep! :D

Humble Beginnings

So here it goes.  I'm spending my last few days in the States packing, organizing my life, and mentally preparing for the adventures ahead.  I can't believe it's almost here!  Ever since I received my acceptance letter that fateful day in April, I've been trying to imagine what the upcoming year would be like.  But this Friday, I will be boarding a 14-hour flight to Korea, a place that seems so foreign, yet to which I am intimately tied.

Once I land in Incheon Airport, likely disoriented due to extreme jet-lag, I will be bused off to Jungwon University in Goesan, Chungcheongbuk-do.  There, I will reside for 6 weeks for intensive cultural and language training alongside my Fulbright peers.  At the end of Orientation, I will learn of my school placement and move in with a lovely Korean host family.

I am leaving behind so many people that I care deeply about; people who have never doubted my abilities and will surely root for me every step of the way.  It is my hope to live up to their high expectations and make them proud.  This blog will be my primary way of sharing my experiences and photos, while entertaining them with my amusing stories and sheer wit.

Alright, I should prob go and continue squeezing my minimalist chic wardrobe into two suitcases.  The idea of cutting down my glorious shoe collection is quite unpleasant, but I am so excited to start this new chapter of my life.