So, the thing about Jet Lag is this: it sucks. When I flew in to Incheon, which is sort of Seoul but sort of not, it was about 3 in the afternoon, but I'd just been on a plane for 11 hours and that was just coming in from San Fransisco. And I'd added another day. And I hadn't slept the night before I flew out because I was doing laundry and the dryer decided to be a pain and take hours to dry one load of my clothes. So I was pretty tired. But at the same time, I'd slept on and off the entire flight from San Fransisco and everything was so exciting and I knew I just had to get through Immigration and then I'd get to see my family. I felt pretty good, is what I'm saying. I foolishly assumed that since I'd been keeping weird sleeping hours before arriving in Korea I would not be as jet lagged as everyone said I would be. Here's the thing about that assumption: it was completely wrong!
As soon as I found my family (they had made the cutest sign welcoming me to the country!) we still had a pretty long drive to Osan Air Force Base where we stayed the first night so we wouldn't have to drive all the way to Daegu where my family lives. The drive was really cool though, because we got to drive through the Korean country side and see all of these rice farms. It was all very pastoral and yet still kind of foreign because the landscape is different than what I'm used to. Still, if I'd been an old school English poet I'm sure I could have written a ridiculously long poem about those little rice farms and the meaning of life in general and the futility of trying to rise above one's station or something. As it is, I'm not an old school English Poet so I basically just looked out the window and said, "It's so pretty" a bunch of times. So, at this point, I'm still operating under the impression that I'm totally fine, jet lag wise, even though my step-mom, Takiko, is telling the kids to make sure I stay awake. We're sitting in the backseat of the truck eating donuts which we purchased at the airport and I'm completely thinking that I'm fine. I could not have been more wrong.
When we reached Osan Air Force Base I needed a visitor's pass so after we did that we got checked into our hotel, which was half old barracks and half newly constructed building, and I put all of my luggage in my room. And that's about when the Jet Lag hit. I'm not even kidding. One minute I was completely fine and the next I was looking longingly at the hotel bed wishing we didn't need to eat food. It was like, 6pm or something. Not late at all. We ate dinner at Chili's on base with some of my parents friends, and I'd like to say I was mentally present, but I pretty much wasn't. I don't remember much of the conversation, but what I do remember is checking the clock constantly because I was officially allowed to go to sleep at 9pm. Anyway, Jet Lag totally kicked my butt that night and everyone knew it. So as soon as I was allowed, I took a shower and fell right asleep in my hotel room.
I slept for about 10 hours. For someone who was essentially an insomniac before leaving the States, that's pretty fantastic. So at this point I'm pretty much thinking that the whole Jet Lag struggle thing is over. I mean, I just slept for 10 hours and woke up on my own so things seemed pretty good. And Jet Lag only lasts one day right? Wrong. Of course, I didn't know I was wrong until later that night. After brunch with Doug and Prisana (my parents friends from the night before) at the Officer's Club, we went into town to do a little bit of sightseeing. We spent the morning in town, looking for these amazing, thick, comfy blankets that I love and needed to send home to my cousin who just got married. After buying the blankets we looked through all the little shops. I pretty much wanted to buy everything but Takiko assured me that there would be better deals in Daegu.
Then it was back on the road and headed to Daegu. I was still feeling pretty good until about an hour into the trip. I started feeling sleepy again, but rationalized it by saying that I was always sleepy in moving vehicles, that I'd been walking around a lot and that I always wanted to take naps at this time on Sunday afternoons. Luckily for me, we stopped at a Rest Stop right around the time I was starting to nod off and that kept me awake. Now, if you're like me, when you hear the words "rest stop" you think vending machines and a few working bathrooms. In America you're lucky if you get a rest stop with some benches and a vending machine that actually has food in it. In South Korea, rest stops are basically like little strip malls. The one we stopped at was actually small, but it housed a food court, a little clothing shop, a playground, a smoking area, big bathrooms, convenience stores and a concession style food line.
We bought Korean style pancakes at the concession and even though they look like American pancakes on the outside, they are so much more involved. Korean pancakes are usually filled with something, and the ones we bought were filled with nuts and brown sugar and they were super rich and delicious. We bought three of them for about 3,000 Won (a little less than $3 or about that) and I could only manage to eat one. We also found Steak flavored Cheetos. They were interesting, but I had a hard time believing they were actually Cheetos and I probably wouldn't have except that Chester was right there on the bag. So apparently they were legit. We also found peach flavored ice which is apparently a thing here. Basically, when you are an American with little to know knowledge of the Korean language, going to any kind of food store means you just look at the pictures and hope it tastes good. I thought that would be weird and that I wouldn't like it but it's actually been pretty liberating. As long as you have the attitude that you'll try anything once, you can find some pretty cool things.
The road to Daegu treated us with a lot of interesting sights. We saw a few more farms, some incredibly green mountains, lots of wild flowers and even a legitimate traffic jam. By the time we got into Daegu it was time for dinner so we stopped at a restaurant called Italy & Italy. It was interesting because when my little sister bought pizza they brought out a little bottle of honey for her to put on her pizza. I tried it, and while I don't think I'll be pouring honey all over my pizza from now on, I do have to admit that it was pretty good. I ate a whole slice of it that way. When we made it to the apartment, I was feeling that tiredness again. I spent the night helping my little sister with her timeline for school and trying not to fall asleep while watching a movie with my dad. Needless to say, I didn't exactly pay much attention to the movie. I once again went to bed right at 9pm and I was out immediately.
Let's check the score shall we? Jess: 0 Jet Lag: 2
So, here's what I've learned about Jet Lag. You might as well just give in to it. Because it doesn't matter how much you're used to pushing the limits of when you sleep or how late you are used to staying awake late, Jet Lag will claim you. So you might as well just sleep. It's really not all bad. I mean, I've seriously never slept as well as I have since landing in Korea.
On the road to Daegu!
Korean Snacks (and one American water)
Korean "Sprite"
The View from my Parents' Apartment
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