Day 3 : The Last Week

Maybe I will miss the warm sun rising over my little home here in Korea. It's warmth carrying it's way into my shoebox and warming things up from a cold night. You can watch the sun go past the sky by seeing the sun-rays go from one end of the wall to the other. It's funny because Tom has a little pattern he follows. Around noon he comes out of the covers, where he was slumbering, and heads to the sunshine. I've also noticed around 2:30 he likes a spot on top of my suitcases that sit in the balcony.

Sorry, Tom but our routines are going to be smattered to pieces as we head to America. I hope you can find sunshine in our new place, despite that it rains a lot in Seattle. But I think the amount of stairs and that there is a little porch outside will make up for it. I'm going to have to get some kind of bowl for him to cozy up in, as I'm not taking his plastic one.

Day three was less vigorous than yesterday. It was also one of final conundrums. Instead of using a friend to help get my box to the post office, I figured I could use a taxi. I told the taxi, "Nowon Post Office, please?" But in Korean. To my dismay he took me to a further away post office then the one nearer to my house. I guess I didn't know the one I had been going to was called something else, so he took me to THE Nowon Post Office. No matter, I just hopped on a bus to get me back to my neighborhood.

I then went to the bank and loaded up on some USD! It's cheaper to get cash then to exchange, so I figured take advantage of that. However, I will still end up transferring after my school gives me all what is due.

Time to head back to America and stimulate their economy and contribute taxes. Is there a tax break for taking care of a sweet and lovable cat!? On my way home from the bank I stopped in the local stationary store. I really need to avoid these before I leave, as I now have yet another notebook. But I wanted to get a nice little card holder for Seattle. I plan to use their bus card (like T-Money) to get around and thought a sleek pouch would be a good idea. Well two hours later, I got it! haha.

I looked around on Google Maps today to figure out how to get to all the places I need to visit when I get back. I hope to get to the DMV to get a shiny new WA State driver's license, then head to the Sprint store for a new phone. Ah the wonder's of technology...who needs a paper map anymore?

Once I'm feeling a bit less jet lagged I hope to start making my day trips around the town getting what I need out of the way before the next Quarter starts. Oh yea, I'm going to be a student! I'm starting to get a little nervous because it's been six years since I was in school and don't know if I can remember how to do it. But I know I was doing well at the Seoul KOTESOL workshops, taking notes and contributing, that it should be fine. I'm actually looking forward to doing research, taking notes and compiling it all together.

Well, I guess three more sunrises for me and Tom here in Korea.

Flying Tom Update

I've pretty much got it down what I need to do to get Tom out of Korea. I'll be heading back to the Vet about a week before we fly to get his final documents in order. I've got his carrier all ready to go, although I'm not sure whether to add a frozen cup of water for him in there.

Then I started to think about what's going to happen once I land in Seattle. After browsing endlessly on the Seattle International Airport website I wasn't finding the right answers. If you have ever traveled internationally you know that there are several steps to going from the plane to the sidewalk, at the airport. After some investigation I found the procedure at Seattle's airport to be much different from the experience I have had flying into San Francisco International Airport. What they do is have you first go through immigration, then you pick up your luggage and go through customs. After this you put your luggage back on a conveyor belt that will spit it out at the main terminal where you can exit. Where in that process do I pick up and show the papers for Tom?

I called the airline (KoreanAir) to see if they had the answer, since on the Seattle airport website it said, "Call your airline for further information" about picking up pets. After calling twice the answer I got was to get the cat via customs. Well where was the customs office or what did that mean? Their response was mostly that I meet up with my cat in the main terminal. But that didn't make much sense considering I go through customs before getting to the main terminal where you pick up your luggage. I finally found the number for the customs office at the airport and gave them a ring. Keep in mind I'm on Korean time and America was going to sleep (around 1am). Thankfully a nice gentleman answered the phone and told me the whole procedure.

I get Tom during the Customs process after I get off the plane. I'll have to give up my luggage a second time so it can go to the main terminal, but I'll be able to keep a hold of my pet after that. A few concerns I have is that they better have carts available during that middle process of picking up your luggage then letting it go. Otherwise little me is going to have a tough time hauling 2 large suitcases, a carry on and Tom through Customs and out again. I'm also concerned Tom might have done his business in the crate and things will be smelly at the airport. They have relief areas for dogs outside, but something tells me cats wouldn't do well in that space. I would buy those "pee pads" but you can't just buy one, the sell them in large packs. Maybe some paper towels stuffed inside would do?

After I get my luggage and can go on my way, my plan is to get a taxi and make it to my new home. Taxis allow pets right? I'll give an extra tip if it really is such an ordeal.

If you asked me whether I was starting to get nervous about the trip, I would tell you that it's a little bit. I think I'll mostly be on edge wondering if Tom is okay under the cabin and when I will see him when I get out. But many people do this all the time and so I'll have to trust the system. I just hope Tom has a good ride and doesn't come out too traumatized by this whole thing.

Tom, you can do it!

Operation Flying Tom: Approved for Flying

For my flight home I'll be flying Korean Air, which is funny because when I first flew to Korea this was the airline I took. Since then I haven't flown Korean Air again and certainly miss their good meals and excellent service. I picked this airline because I figured for the price and prestige, Tom will have a good flight. Thankfully the wind will be blowing towards America, so our flight will be about 9 hours.

Since I found out that Tom weighs over the 5kg limit to bring him in the cabin, I knew I needed to get a sturdy and reliable carrier for check-in. A few weeks ago I went to the Chung Hwa animal clinic in Itaewon and checked out their carriers. Knowing I could get the same thing cheaper online, I ordered one as soon as the airline confirmed Tom's spot on the plane.

The name of carrier is "Iris Air Travel Carrier" and looks to be a Japanese product. What I like about this carrier is that it is assembled with hardware, making it something that will stay together during travel. You can check out it's listing on Gmarket with this link and scroll down to the "M" product area.

It wasn't too difficult to put together and came with a hex-key to assemble the bolts. While I worked on it Tom watched on patiently.

I lured him in there by throwing in a treat and then quickly closing the door. He didn't seem to upset being in the carrier, and had room to stand up and lay completely on his back. I hope that he finds his way into the carrier himself and gets to know his new plastic home.

Most of what I need to get done to prepare Tom for flying has been taken care of. The next step will be to take him back to the Vet about 10 days before departure and get certificates for his flight. Then it's to the airport quarantine office to be approved and off we go!

I thought I would copy and paste the following information from the Korean Air website on transporting pets, as I found this information quite useful.


Check list:

Check pet's health status

		Pets must be healthy and at least 8 weeks old.
		Avoid any type of sedatives as it can affect the body temperature and blood pressure of the pet.
		Korean Air will refuse to carry any animals that are under medication, violent, ill smelling, sick or pregnant

Pet carriage to destinations

		Please check in advance if your destination allows pets.
		Currently the UK and Australia apply very strict plant and animal regulations, prohibiting passenger planes to carry them. To check the custom regulations for each country, click  ‘Custom regulations for each country’ or contact the organization concerned.

Rabies vaccination prior to departure

		Most countries ask for a rabies vaccination certificate from pets, such as dogs and cats if they depart from Korea.
		Pets should be vaccinated 30 days before the departure date. Please make sure that the vaccine will be effective for your entire trip (Vaccine is usually good for 1 year.)

Applying for Pet Travel:

How to apply

After having documentation required for the quarantine inspection at destination ready, contact the reservation center and make the booking for pet travel. For regulations and requirements in Korea, contact Incheon Animal Quarantine Office(+82-32-740-2660~1).

Documentation required

		Customs documentation (2 copies)
		Rabies vaccination certificate (2 copies)
		Documentation provided by the animal quarantine office (2 copies)

NOTES Bring the above documentation to the check-in counter. The required documentation varies according to departure city. Please confirm the documentation before your travel.

Charge for pet travel

		Regardless of your free baggage allowance, you will be charged extra for your pet according to the excess baggage charge in the following table.
		Payment will be made during check-in.
		For the details, please refer to the table below.

Call the Airline:

One thing they don't mention on the site is that you should call the airline before you travel to alert them your pet is traveling and to make sure it has been approved. For all you know other passengers might be taking a lot of pets too, filing up the cabin space. So it is best to call and let them know ahead of time. Also you can ask important questions to the representative if necessary. You can find numbers to your airline via their website.

If you have any questions about pet travel I would be happy to answer them as I am going through this process. So far since everything has been running smoothly I feel more confident taking Tom over. As for how Tom feels, well... hehe!

Some fun time around Konkuk University

Even though my time is ticking away here in Korea I still hope to spend it with friends and exploring around town. I met up with a new friend last Sunday to enjoy an early movie, lunch and just looking around the Konkuk University area.

At the small independent theater run on the campus we saw "First Position", a documentary about young talent making it into the the dance world. It was a good movie and it flowed well as sometimes documentaries can get stuffy. For the most part I became inspired by the stories and also ignited my feeling to return to America. The tales of some immigrants who are trying to make it in America, makes me want to jump over and help them. I don't think you need to see this movie in the theater and can easily watch it at home and still enjoy it.

After the movie we headed across the street to 우마이도, which was an amazing and splendidly delicious Japanese ramen restaurant. The menu was by far the most simplest of things I have ever seen, with just two main choices and side dishes. I ordered the "regular" one where you could have ordered the "spicy" version.

What you see here is, and sorry the color isn't just right, a bowl full of fresh noodles, pork slices, hard boiled egg and green onion seasonings. The broth is what makes Japanese ramen unique and they did a really great job. For a cool end-of-fall day this hit the spot!

Next my friend suggested we wander around the Konkuk University campus and so I enjoyed the peaceful scenery. I didn't even know there was a small lake on the premises.

The lake came complete with geese who were eager to get some crackers or something off the visitors.

Sharing time with friends in Seoul is timeless and the walk around the lake quite memorable. But things were starting to get cooler and so we headed towards the downtown area, where I knew of a cat cafe.

This was my friend's first time to a cat cafe and I enjoyed watching his reaction. As for me I've been to many and so sized up the place.

The ...

고양이다락방 건대점

was a good cat cafe as it had many cats who were friendly and playful. Also the owners of the place weren't too strict on people and politely corrected where needed. It was a nice balance of sleeping cats vs. playful ones. 

I even managed to get one to sit on my lap and get a photo taken.

We stayed in this warm and cozy environment for a good amount of time, soaking up the sights of cats and people interacting with them. It came time to leave and on the way out I spotted the door covered in cat drawings, which was awesome. 

The rest of the evening was having pizza at a place nearby and then heading home to rest before starting the work week. It's great how there is still many places to discover here in Seoul before I leave. I certainly feel like I fit into this city and country and leaving is going to be quite an adjustment. But I'm confident the transition won't be too difficult. ;)

Operation Flying Tom: Preparations

If I go, Tom goes! I'm taking my fur ball with me to America and this will be my first time flying with a pet. Actually, I have a sad story about flying a pet in my past but I don't want to share it. Ha!

There are two choices to bringing your pet back home. One is that you could take him in the cabin with you and the other is you can check him in under the plane. I would prefer to take Tom with me into the cabin as this means I'll know where he is at all times, and be there to comfort him. However, regulations stipulate that your animal must weigh (including the carrier) 5 kgs (about 11 pounds). I took Tom to the Vet today and the poor thing weighs in at 7.5 kgs.

Now I've been told that airlines don't really weigh the pet, unless probably if they look enormous. Maybe at the inspection office they might weigh him, but it's the airline that has these regulations. So I could try and bring him on the plane, but I'm the kind of person that worries it won't work out and I'll be stuck with no options.

Going with the other choice of checking him in under the plane isn't my favorite one but it might be for the best. For one I won't have to worry about getting through security, where you have to carry your pet through the gate as they scan the bag. Then I think I would have a hard time kicking back comfortably on the plane with Tom between my feet, worrying about him. Putting him under the plane means he will have more space in a hard-shell carrier to rest and wait. Plus if he goes to the bathroom it won't be so embarrassing.

There is still time to sort this out and I could try and put Tom on a diet and exercise plan. But I feel with just about 3 more months, not much will happen. In Itaewon there is a Vet office that people have recommended to help me out. So far I've gotten an email response from them but they are kind of slow to respond. But I hear they sell carriers for check-in, so I think I might take a look.

In the meantime, I had Tom get updated on his shots. Especially the rabies vaccine which is necessary for travel. I was pleased to find my local Vet had an English doctor who also was the "cat specialist". Tom did not enjoy his Vet visit one bit by hissing and growling his way through it. Thankfully, the place is just across the street from my house.

I'll need to take him back to the Vet before I travel to receive a health certificate, but for now he can rest at home.

Until then I hope I can figure out the best way to fly him over, and also get him use to transportation. What do you think about that Tom?

Tom's Brother in for the Holidays

Tom's brother, Kaiju, is visiting for the holidays. His mommy is off on her own vacation. All is good, as Tom will need a place to stay come February when I go off on my adventure.

Kaiju is a well-behaved guest and certainly keeps Tom company.

Since I am spending more time at home these days, I get to see their patterns. For the most part they sleep during the day to occasionally get up to eat or play. They move to various spots, sometimes Tom taking the cat carrier and Kaiju the soft bowl.

When their not play-fighting they seem to share a sweet bond.

But I make sure they don't play too rough and it seems they are okay. I'm actually happy they play together, because it means less time Tom has to chew my legs.

Although they keep the end of my bed occupied at night, I did enjoy their wake up call this morning. Both sat on top of my chest and waited for needed petting. haha

:) Happy Meowolidays.