To and fro Seoul

Though not quite completely confident, I went to the interview in Korea. An acquaintance warned me that this was not a good idea. Others also raised a brow when they found out that the company was not paying for the travel expenses. Ultimately, though, I knew that the potential advantages were immeasurable. Therefore, I flew to Korea in the cheapest way I could find.

I drove from Port Elgin to Detroit, left my car in the airport parking lot, flew to Tokyo, then flew to Korea. From Incheon (ICN) I was able to find a bus that would take me to the subway network, so that I could quickly and economically get to my destination. For under a $1000, it was a great deal. For what I got out of the trip, it was worth 10 times more than that.

Although the travel time exceeded 26 hours, it felt disappointingly short. The only part that dragged on was the drive from Port Elgin to Detroit (346km), as I was worried that I might be late. The snow on the roads did not help either. 5 hours was all it took, quite a bit more than I expected, so I was grateful for my father's insistence that I an extra hour to get to the airport.

In the flight to Tokyo, I sat next to Lin, and we also had an extra seat between us, thanks to the self check-in service that allowed me to choose exactly where I wanted to sit. He was a Chinese mechanic working in Houston, visiting China for the New Year's. I was eager to talk to him because I was interested in the job market for an engineer in Houston, the MagLev train in ShangHai, the possibility of driving down to Mexico, and a few other things.

In my flight to Seoul, I sat next to a Korean guy studying business at Toyko University. He surprised me with some starting salary figures of Japanese university grads. It differed little from that of Korea. The Canadian salary turns out to doubling the Asian salary for new grads. We also discussed the growth of China, and the position of Korea, Japan, and China. He advised that I learn Chinese, rather than Japan. He's also a big fan of Eric Clapton, and is therefore going to name his future clothing company Crossroads.

I was starving when I was transferring from airport bus to the subway, so I stopped by to buy some soondae on the street. The lady gave me some free fish cakes for my advice for her 30 y/o son who was an engineer. As always, the lady had riches greater than one would first assume from her street business. I should have realized this by considering the probable price of a store of the size of the one she and her husband operated. However, she also told me that she owned additional property within the building, and that she would not hesitate to spending it all, in order to teach her son English, so that he may work internationally.

This post is getting too long so I'll end this post by sticking to my transportation.

I tried to finish watching Marie Antoinette on the place from Seoul to Tokyo, a movie I got through halfway on my flight in the opposite direction. I made use of every minute available, but I could not finish the movie, as we arrived in Tokyo too soon.

I sat next to a sweet Japanese girl who was really smart. She was telling me about the economy of Japan and Asia, and also suggested that I learn Chinese, rather than Japanese.

My drive back was hell. I was falling asleep at the wheel, yet the roads had patches of snow that caused the car to lose traction completely. Only by God's grace did I arrive safely.