So, after a a 12-hour flight followed by a 3-hour layover, which was followed by another 3-hour flight, all of which culminated in a 90-minute drive, we have finally reached where we will be staying in Korea. For now. When we managed to pick up some free WiFi in Hong Kong, we were moderately disgruntled to find out that our apartment (where we were meant to move into today) will not be ready until Saturday.
None of this helped ease the nagging voice in my head telling me that this is a scam. Although we have had a Skype conversation with our director, signed a detailed contract, and had our flights paid for, the small, tinny voice whining about being sold into slavery was still squealing on. It also got noticeably louder when our driver (who picked us up from the airport) spoke no English and herded us into a black minivan, complete with tinted windows and a cushioned roof for improved silencing of screams. i attempted to drown the voice out by engaging my brain in deciphering the Korean writing and counting the number of toll gates and speed cameras that we passed through. The final tally was 5 speed cameras and 4 toll gates in 90 kilometres. SANRAL could learn a thing or two.
Nevertheless, after over a day of traveling (factoring in the hours we missed simply by changing timezones), we lie in a hotel room (complete with flat-screen television and personal computer), soon to drift off to sleep. This will be more difficult than it sounds, due to our bodies thinking that it is still mid-afternoon, but we are both rather worn out from the many hours spent sitting behind people whose seats leaned back far more than should be allowed, and hearing the snoring of a man who fell asleep before our first plane even took off.
What will happen when we go to our workplace for the first time tomorrow? I cannot say yet. But it will certainly be more affecting than our trip here, and far more influential on our enjoyment of the coming year.