Incheon Arrivals: A Trial by Fire (and Food)
After nearly 20 hours of travel, we finally touched down at Incheon Airport—a cavernous, high-tech hub that was our first real glimpse into South Korea. Bleary-eyed and running on whatever fuel keeps international travelers upright after a day of airplanes and airport food, we navigated the usual post-flight gauntlet: immigration, baggage claim, and the frantic setup of eSIMs so we wouldn’t be stranded without communication. Even with limited Korean, we fumbled our way through it, propelled by a mix of adrenaline, anticipation, and sheer survival instinct.
With our lives somewhat pieced together, we boarded a charter bus that looked like it belonged on the Vegas strip instead of a South Korean airport, bound for Seoul. As we rolled through the city, I felt the weight of exhaustion settle in, but the excitement of finally being here kept me awake. Skyscrapers flashed by, neon signs reflected in the glass, and the streets pulsed with energy—Seoul was alive, even in those quiet transitional moments.
By the time we reached our hotel in Insadong, a district known for its food, art, and boutique shops, I was caught somewhere between starvation, delirium, and the desperate need to explore (or maybe just collapse into bed). We had just enough time to drop our bags off, splash some water on our faces, and attempt to look like functioning humans before heading out for our first Korean meal.
Now, before coming to Korea, I had armed myself with the recommended survival apps—a digital Swiss Army knife for navigating an unfamiliar country. These included:
- Papago (for translations)
- Kakao Maps & Naver Maps (since Google Maps is borderline useless here)
- Kakao Chat (for communication)
What I hadn’t expected was to be designated as the group navigator within an hour of arriving. Our team lead was handling logistics at the hotel, so I was asked to guide everyone to the restaurant—a simple task, given that it was literally around the corner. Feeling confident, I led the way, and upon arriving, I made what I now refer to as my first rookie mistake: I greeted the restaurant owner in Korean.
Now, why was this a mistake? Because he immediately responded in rapid, fluent Korean, assuming I understood every word - Spoiler: I did not. At that point, my Korean proficiency was somewhere between “thank you” and “hello”, and I quickly realized that my brain was not prepared for this trial-by-fire exchange. Scrambling, I yanked out my phone and hurriedly typed into Papago, letting him know that our team lead would arrive shortly and, unfortunately, none of us could hold a conversation in Korean just yet. He was understanding, and we eventually got everything sorted, but it was the moment I realized that survival here meant expanding my vocabulary fast.
Once our team lead arrived, we sat down to our first meal in Seoul, and it was nothing short of incredible. This was just a taste—literally—of what was to come. I can confidently say that South Korea has some of the most delicious food I’ve ever had in my life.
By the time we made it back to the hotel, the exhaustion had finally won. I don’t know what my classmates did after dinner, but I dragged myself to my room, finished unpacking the essentials, wrapped myself in the thick down comforter, and fell into the kind of deep, dreamless sleep that only comes after 20+ hours of travel.
