DAY 25: LAST DAY IN KOREA

So, we got home from the spa, all cold again after trying to flag a taxi down in the early winter morning. I slept a little before waking up at 9 to do some final packing and heading to the uni shop to purchase my keepsake Yonsei shirt (which I left to the last minute!)

Since it was a 7.35pm flight, I only needed to get to airport at 5pm. Unfortunately, we had to check out by 11am so I got my stuff outta there and headed to the Global House lobby one final time (Anu was still sleeping when I left and I didn't get to say goodbye:(). I said farewell to Michelle and Belicia, and a few other people who were checking out that time. We were all pretty sad :(

Gen and I had unch at 'Strawberry' again, since it's so close by to where we were. But with 2 heavy luggages (I was pulling 23kg + 12 kg on my back) each and a crazy cold wind, that short walk to the restaurant was so difficult, and we got there we still had to lug our luggage down one flight of stairs into the restaurant.

After lunch, we managed to drag our luggages out again, and take a taxi to Seoul Station (specifically the KTX - high speed Korea rail). The taxi driver lady was a little bad-tempered, in my opinion. Anyway, we got our tickets from the ticket machine at the station. I then got my 23kg luggage checked in at a different part of the station since I was flying with Korean Air, and left my 12kg backpack with Gen at Smoothie King while I made one last trip to Insadong to get my tea and tableware.

I finally made it back by 3pm, so we could speed walk to our train that was leaving at 3.30pm (it was a huge train station!). We reached the airport at 4+, got our tax returns (I had one receipt worth like $2 while Gen managed to get about $80 worth of money back :p). In Korea, if you spend above 30,000 won in a single receipt, you get to do a tax return at the airport. They have people who do it for you at the kiosks and are super fast!

We had our dinner at the food court before we went through customs and said our goodbyes. :'( I walked to my boarding gate, which happened to be right at one end of the airport terminal where I use my remaining mobile credit to call my family. I struggle a little to control my emotions as I listen to their voices, reminding me that it was time to go home. As I sit in my seat, watching the landscape of Incheon get smaller, I fight back tears of sadness, and of joy for the time I had in Korea.