Seoul to Daegu... Part One. (Friday 21st of Feb 2014)

Dear Sal,

Well we both passed. After a week of almost non stop preparation it was some what of an anticlimax. I had about three coffees and about six cigarettes before the final exam even begun. My body is so exhausted I desperately need to sleep. Hopefully this weekend will allow me some much needed time to rest, but some how I doubt that.

Last night, we went out for a meal with some friends we'd made. An India of all things, it was really good, but expensive.  We talked and laughed about anything and everything but the training. It felt wonderful to get out and forget about the impending doom of morning, if only for a couple of hours.

I feel like me and my group partner, who's called Adam by the way, had a great trainer who really made the whole week much more bareable. Other groups didn't appear to be so lucky. The whole thing flew by with ease. Within a few minutes of finishing a man came in the room, handed me my completed medical check to give to the school and my train ticket to Daegu. The goodbyes where rushed, as people exchanged emails, phone numbers and Facebook information. Their was only three of us departing from Seoul station, after showing one man our tickets we where thrown in a taxi and he quickly drove off, waving our last farewells to the survivors of Chungdams relentless training week.

The drive to the station was long and at times worrying. The driving here is terrible. At one point our driver was on his phone texting as the red light in front changed to green. A barrage of horns beeped franticly as he slowly finished writing his message, he didn't give a shit. This happen several times on the journey. Apart from the roads, the public transport here is amazing, everything is on time and regular, that's not a lot of waiting around. And everything is label in English, thank god.

We original thought the three of us would be on there same train, but alas, our luck run out. Poor David had to wait over two hours at the station by himself. I hated abandoning him on his own. I felt sick, but not from nervous about traveling to my new home,  I just didn't want  to leave him behind. I don't know when I will be seeing him next, hopefully tomorrow.

I am currently on a crowded train headed for Daegu, without internet or a phone. The  melancholy tones of The Carpenters are my only company. I am armed with my branch managers phone number and the hope that someone will be waiting to meet me at the other end.

Love, hugs and a packed of Marlboro Lights chew sae yo

Samuel James.