Yeah!! Finally just few more hours to the 48 Hours Design Challenge!!
My journey in Seoul will begin. I'm so nervous, worried, excited and happy at the same time, but don't know which one is more than another.
I've read all the presedence, try to train my brain to be more creative since these past 3 weeks, but still I'm nervous.
I've double checked my travel documents, luggage contents, laptop&software, designing tools, phone cell atributes etc but still I'm worried.
The fact that I've never been to overseas further than India, never try transit flight before, knowing there will be autumn season in Seoul with temperature up to 9 degree celcius, and meeting many designers from other countries, makes me feel very excited. Well, I always want to try something new, and this is really new experience for me.
I'm feeling happy too knowing everyone I love is still have faith in me. My family, friends, Studiofour partners and especially my hubby.Really missed him so much.
The British Council Indonesia also support me very well. I will try my best not to make them dissapointed.
So my flight was at 3.15 from Sukarno Hatta International Airport, Jakarta.
I had a transit flight from Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur, arrived at 19.15. After 2 hours transit, then I took 7 hours flight directly to Incheon, Seoul. I was so lucky because next to my seat was empty, so I got bigger space :)
Right after the plane was landed, it was about 7am next morning with 9 degree celcius weather. Barely slept at night at the plane.
I tried to switch on my iPhone, can't wait to contact my hubby, family, and BC Indonesia. Aparently even my 3GS iPhone doesn't work here. They seems to have different phone network than other countries. There's a rental counter for phone cell, but it was closed when I arrived because it was still very early morning.
From the airport I took limo bus to Prima Hotel. It took about 1 hour and costs 14.000 won.
I was amazed by the view between the airport to the city. We passed mountains, rivers and sea. Awesome view!! And the whole city looks very clean, tidy and all in the right order. The guys all wearing tuxedo, I'm not sure it because the weather or they are indeed very stylish. But over all, I love the scenery along the way to My hotel room.
As I arrived at the hotel, it was 9am, the receptionist told me that the check in time was started at 2pm. So I decided to put our lugages at the hotel and walk around the city with 2 other ladies participant from Singapore (suprisingly Singapore do join the challenge). We went to the Seoul Design olimpiad venue. It was at the stadium. Those two ladies ended up attended a design conference. Lucky I decided to just walk around the stadium, because they said the conference is a bit boring.
I saw so many things, various kind of design, amazing!! I wish I could share all the moments with someone I know. I want the world to see what I've seen that day. So many creative product from so many creative young designers. I was fly... so high...it was like a morphin to my brain. I never seen such design festival like that before. All venue treated very designely. I feel like I don't wanna go anywhere else anymore.
I went back to the hotel at 2pm. Right after I feel a cramp on my feet. I guess the excitement makes me forgot that I was walking on my 10 cm high heels boots carrying my laptop for almost one round of the huge stadium. I couldn't find those 2 ladies from Singapore, couldn't even contact them, so I took the subway by myself, just to try something new. And it was so confusing. They have so many subway lines. Compare to Singapore lines, it was 6 times much more. And even after I alight at the right subway station, I still have difficulties walked down to my hotel. There was no locacity map, no information station. I asked some guys on the street, and they can't speak English so I showed the address and still they didn't understand. So frustrating. So after I walked around tried to remember some places that might lead me to my hotel and not succeed at all, I decided to take cab. The funny thing was, that it was just 20m from the point I took cab to the Hotel. And the nice uncle driver didn't allow me to pay for the taxi. He just smiled and refuse to take the money I offered him. It was so nice of him. Indeed it was very near, hehe...I felt so silly.
After I took shower and take a nap for few hours at my hotel room, a girl knocked at my room, she's my roomates. Her name is Sarah, 26 years old, Industrial designer from Taiwan. She's a nice girl and hoping will be my good roomates.
That evening was the opening ceremony. It was a very humble welcoming ceremony. I got chance to meet my teamates (4 girls and 2 guys) and also my team leader(Jim, a product designer from London). So at the short introduction with my teamates, I felt that we'll gonna be a dream team. Hopefully I'm right.
Tomorrow the battle will begin, really hope for the best :)
Cheers!
