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Gandalf says no shoes shall pass this point. Two tiny Korean men in suits representing the college met me at the Daegu train station. Lots of bowing ensued. It was very interesting speaking to one of them who spoke a little English. I think I'm going to need to learn some basic Korean. One spoke a little English (Ho Sung Lee) and the other not so much (Mu Yeoun Kim). They took me to the college and straight to the President's office (Chun Jung Kim) where there were more bows and we sat around a fancy little table with fancy leather chairs. The cute receptionist brought us all hot tea. I was severely underdressed and needed a shave. Everyone was wearing a suit and I'm in my just got off the plane comfortable pants with the elastic waistband. The president, through Ho Sung Lee, said he was very excited to have me here and looking forward to this program getting off the ground. Ho Sung, stayed with the President, and Mu Yeoun took me to my office. It was a quick little walk away. The campus seems very nice. There are lots of buildings. There's also a hospital there where I guess people take college classes and work there. My office is pretty cool. It has a desk, computer, phone, etc. There's also a desk where the administrator will sit. Her name is Starrlite and she's my assistant and interpreter too. She'll be helping me research and develop the program, as well as helping me survive here. I haven't met her yet. I was then taken to my apartment by Mu Yeoun and one of his assistants. My first true Korean culture thing then happened. The first thing that the two guys did was kick off their shoes in the foyer area, so I did the same. I'll have to get used to that one, because that happens a lot here from what I understand. The place is brand new. All new floors, walls, appliances, etc. Everything is in Korean, so it's going to be fun figuring out how to use this stuff! What I learned today about Korea: 1) They are very respectful to each other. 2) Almost all the men wear suits. 3) Take your shoes off at the front door.
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