For this winter holiday, I finally got enough time off to go home.
Ever since I came to start my 2nd round of public school but in South Gyeongsang Province this time (late June 2017), I had not gone home. Why? Simply because there are not enough vacation days for me to take to go back. We used to get 23 vacation days a year. Now we have 26. I need 4 days just to fly to and from the States. Korean teachers mostly get the entire vacation period off (the whole month of August in the summer, and all of January and February--minus the 2 random weeks of classes--in the winter.
Ever since I came to start my 2nd round of public school but in South Gyeongsang Province this time (late June 2017), I had not gone home. Why? Simply because there are not enough vacation days for me to take to go back. We used to get 23 vacation days a year. Now we have 26. I need 4 days just to fly to and from the States. Korean teachers mostly get the entire vacation period off (the whole month of August in the summer, and all of January and February--minus the 2 random weeks of classes--in the winter.
My winter holiday was December 25 (yeap, Christmas Day) - January 14. That's almost 3 whole weeks away from Korea.
My flight from Gimhae International Airport (just outside Busan) left at 7:20 am. With public transportation, my only option was a \70,000 won-taxi ride. No, thank you. I stayed in a hotel 5 minutes away from the airport with a free shuttle bus for hotel customers. On Christmas Eve, in the afternoon, I started my journey home by going to the Air Sky Hotel.
My flight from Gimhae International Airport (just outside Busan) left at 7:20 am. With public transportation, my only option was a \70,000 won-taxi ride. No, thank you. I stayed in a hotel 5 minutes away from the airport with a free shuttle bus for hotel customers. On Christmas Eve, in the afternoon, I started my journey home by going to the Air Sky Hotel.
Night Before My Journey Home
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| Just off SeoBusan Yutongjigu Station (the station before Gimhae International Airport) |
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| This was a nice hotel. Click here for more details. |
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| The outdoor terrace that looks at the metro station. |
Morning of My Journey Home--Gimhae
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| Breakfast = Breakfast bowl from Dunkin Donuts Egg whites, spinach, potatoes, and a little bit of cheese. |
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| From my Japan Airlines window seat, I see Korean Airlines. Sorry, but Japan Airlines was cheaper. |
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| Japanese mountains |
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| What a view, eh? |
Layover in Tokyo Narita
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| Interesting lounges |
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| Snack 1: Yakisoba (?) noodles in a hotdog bun |
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| Snack 2: Dunno the Japanese name, so I'll call it "3-ga gimbap" (Korean). White rice, salmon, and seaweed |
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| Snack 3: Egg salad and tuna salad sandwiches in 1 package |
Layover in Dallas, Texas
In my experience of flying into a major American airport and needing to transfer on, I'd say that Dallas has impressed me. The process was much more streamlined, digital, and efficient. Fly internationally and return to the States via Dallas to see for yourself, if you haven't already. Much better experience than flying into any airport in or near New York, LA, or San Fran. |
| WHAT?! This Latino channel has its own store?! |
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| I didn't realize how much I missed Auntie Anne's pretzels. I also forgot how big the portion sizes are. |
Final airport: Jacksonville, Florida
My parents and my boyfriend were waiting for me at arrivals. My parents took my luggage, and my boyfriend took me out to eat. Before, eating out on Christmas was unheard-of. Now, that's changing little by little.
My 1st meal back in the States? Biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, and hash browns at Denny's.
I'm such a Southerner.
It's great to be back home.
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| That meal had no idea how I was gonna massacre it. |
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