Prepare for crosscheck and landing...

Leaving on an international trip is always stressful. There's languages to learn, money to exchange, transportation to organize.  This trip also threw in a few bonus challenges for me before we even embarked.

As many of you know, I'm finishing my last semester of grad school.  Typically, this has been easier said than done, as it's just been one set of hurdles after another.  My university's spring break was conveniently the week before we were to go to Korea, so I had to deal with assignments that were due while I would be gone.  I turned on my computer to prepare to send some files to A's tablet, so I could use that to upload them from Korea, when I discovered all the Microsoft Office icons on my computer had been replaced by some weird symbol.  Thinking this strange, I attempted to open the documents.  I tried Powerpoint, Word, and Excel and all said that these programs and locations no longer existed. 

Visions of all my work deleted, including the papers I needed to submit, and having to pay another couple hundred dollars for new Microsoft programs sent me into a panic.  A and I went online to see if it was possible to re-download and install the programs to my computer... after some forgotten passwords and other glitches, I was finally able to recover my programs and all of my work on my hard drive.

That evening, I checked my university email to see if there was anything of concern I needed to deal with before I left.  I received an email from my advisor telling me I'd failed one of the three questions on my comprehensive exam necessary to graduate.  I was told to contact another instructor to schedule a retake.  I did so, explaining that I was leaving for Korea and would have to take it when I returned.

True.  I passed the second time.

I've never failed anything in my entire life.  I was unprepared for the effect that failure would have on me over the next couple days, as it slowly sunk in that I may not graduate if I didn't pass the retake.  I realized I'd never considered that possibility, as this is my second masters and third degree over all... how could I not pass?  I shuddered to think that wasting money on this degree was the lesson that was chosen to teach me not to be so egotistical.   Deciding to take this retake as seriously as possible, I emailed my instructors for sample answers, as though I understood the question, I didn't understand what kind of answers they were looking for.

We prepared to leave for Korea at 5:45 Monday morning. I checked my email again at 5:40 to make sure my teachers had received my emails.  They had, and replied that I had 36 hours from yesterday to retake the exam, no exceptions.  I sent a hasty reply that I wasn`t sure of the wireless availability, timing, etc. that I would have once I reached Korea, so I may not be able to retake it.  I dumped the contents of my purse on the couch and repacked everything with my computer into my backpack.  Luckily, A had already bought an adapter for his tablet, so if I could find wireless and a plug, I should be able to use my computer.

After some stressful train changes, two planes and a bumpy highway bus we made it to our inn on Jeju.  The sun was just about ready to set, so after being shown around the inn by a nice man who spoke fluent Japanese we went up to the rooftop terrace to watch the sunset.  Our room thankfully had its own wireless router, so I sat down and completed my exam, submitted my papers, and prepared my pack to hike the famous Olle trails the  next day.

Sunset overlooking Seogwipo Harbor from our inn terrace.