Saturday, February 28, 2015

First Moments: Ryen's Guide to Winging It!?

       Hello everyone and welcome to my first blog since I have been in South Korea. So, for this blog I would like to tell you how I am doing. However, first things first. Many have wondered how my flight went. Well, it was boring. That might sound bad, but please here me out. The take off was fun and exciting. It was a culmination of months of hard work, and it was finally happening. To be honest, though this moment was very special, it was almost ruined. To my friends on the east coast, they understand just how bad the snow storms have been. Just before take off, a massive snow storm came and delayed boarding by 2 hours. Then once boarded, we were stuck infront of the runway for another 3 hours. This just added to the total length of the flight that was already going to be 15 hours long. I am not one to complain, but this tested my resolve a bit. Despite these setbacks, the plane did take off and it was an enjoyable flight. I was treated with respect. I like that. Hard work has taken flight.

       Now I am in Seoul, S. Korea. I am so excited but very, very tired. Once through customs, I caught a taxi to my hotel. I am fairly certain I was ripped off, but I had no way of challenging the prices. I was able to get to my room with no issue, and the room was quite nice. I slept well and was able to have enough energy to get to my dormitory after a very long taxi ride and getting lost for an hour. With the help of some new friends, I was able ti check in to my dormitory and be able to explore Seoul some. I went out for dinner that night with my new friends, and for the first time I had Korean food. It blew me away. It was just fantastic. I am not sure what it was, but it was good. I went to sleep in S. Korea that night with a mind blown with the fact that God's plan actually led me here. "How on earth did I get here", I keep asking myself. Blown away by all that I have seen, I can't help but just lay in my bed amazed at the truth about my situation. I am in S. Korea! I am a student of one of the greatest universities in the world.

     I awoke up the next day to a trip to see the city some more. I went to a traditional village untouched by technology. Then we went to the Koran War Memorial. Talk bout a sobering trip. Then we went to the heart of the city. How grand it was. I have yet to be in a city so huge as this. It is very intimidating, but now I seem to have a handle on things.(Perhaps self-deception?) Anyway, Classes start tomorrow. I am not sure how to feel about this, but, to be honest, it does not really matter how I feel. This is still college, so, I have no choice but to go to class. That is just how it is. I am excited to get busy again. Many say college suck, but learning for me is a fun experience so it is not much of a chore that a awesome privilege. Thank you all for reading, and expect these to come out every Friday
or so. I love you my beautiful people.

Thursday, February 5, 2015

A Fond Farewell




     Hello friends, It's Ryen again and it looks like you found me! This post will catch you up, and will include a farewell from me. Let start by apologizing. I had to skip last weeks blog due to me moving out of my house and paper work logistics going all weird. So, my visa was finally approved and I was able to sign up for classes. These two things are answers to prayer. It has been months to get these things figured out, but I owe some great housemates, friends, and family for the encouragement I have been receiving. I am abundantly blessed by them.

      I will be leaving on the 21st of February on a fairly large plane. I am excited, nervous, and everything in between. I am still working on the packing, and if anyone has any ideas please let me know. I am very much open to suggestions. This was a long time coming, and it has indeed been a bumpy road. Now, I am only a few weeks away from stepping on a plane to an adventure that will surely change my perspective forever. I am thankful for my advisers at Old Dominion University. Without their unyielding support, this journey would not be a reality, and if you are reading this thank you so much for everything. It really has been amazing working with you, and I want to let you know that you made this process very smooth for me. When I get over to S. Korea, I promise that your investments will not be in vain.

     Now here is that "Fond Farewell" you saw in the title. Last week there was a great deal of "goodbyes", and it was a very bitter sweet time for me. It was a rushed week, and was not able to say goodbye to everyone. So, goodbye everyone. I love you guys so very much. There is no way to truly say the goodbye that is in my heart because I cannot hug you through this post. However, I really just want to properly say goodbye to all of you. This goodbye is more so for people at ODU. This is because some of them I won't see again for a rather long time. Many of you I will see come august, but I wanted to do a heartfelt farewell to those few that I won't be seeing again for awhile. For those back home, I will be seeing you for the next two weeks. You guys are the best. Thank you guys for helping me make this happen.

As always, please share this with all of you friends. The youtube channel is set to launch this week Friday night. Lets get the channel on to a good start.

Thank you my beautiful friends you,
Ryen