To land in South Korea was a dream come true. I was in seventh heaven when I got the chance to meet my students in person. At first, I didn’t know where to begin until my boss handed over the itinerary and other pertaining travel documents.

Day 1:  

We landed in Incheon airport at 10:00 pm. I waited for my best friend who is from Singapore and was taking a trip with  me.  The Incheon airport is so cool. You wouldn’t get bored of waiting.

Incheon International Airport (Seoul-Incheon International Airport) is known as the largest and the busiest airport in the world.

Day 1 : We took a shuttle bus from the hotel near Incheon and headed for Yangjae subway station.

Next stop… 

Lotte World

The (mostly) indoor amusement park in Seoul, South Korea.It’s also one of the planet’s most popular parks. 

Hobak yeot (Korean Pumpkin Malt Candy) 

On the way, we passed a street vendor selling Hobak Yeot.  Yeot is a traditional candy similar to taffy,and this one was made out of pumpkin.   It was really, really good.  I never liked it until then.  It’s very hard, so you let it sit on your mouth for a few seconds, and it quickly softens to chewing consistency and almost disappears like cotton candy.

Korean couples let it be known! Koreans very much enjoy showing their relationship statuses. You will often see Korean couples holding hands, kissing, and actually wearing matching outfits is quite common! They are so sweet that you’ll hate yourself being single. Can someone find me an opppa?! kkk 

We came across a coffee shop that sounds exactly my name. Caffe Bene is a leading coffee label of Korea. It is a trend-setting multi-cultural space that offers an ideal combination of coffee, waffle, and gelato.  I was a bundle of nerves before the party but I still ordered a shot of espresso to keep me alert and active.

Meet and greet with the students.

I get really nervous when meeting new people and seem to always put my foot in my mouth. I was a bundle of nerves hours  before the party since I didn’t know exactly what to expect. It beats my expectation after seeing my students in Take 5 cafe. I finally could meet my students Mr. Doo, Jiwoo, Viki, David and the rest of the students who attended the party. It was really an amazing night. I admit, it was totally a nerve-racking and exciting experience for me, but as I introduce myself to them, I felt a lot more comfortable knowing that these people are the ones I  get to talk to online/ on the phone every day and every night.

All this success and recognition would not have been possible without my students. I was moved by their thoughts and actions. The fact that they came to the party even though some of them had other things lined up made me feel happy. The award I received is dedicated to each one of them. Thank you to my amigotalk (Bne) family, specially to our CEO Belle for making this night possible and for making our trip extra-especial. Words are powerless to express my gratitude.