Korea - day one

After an uneventful eleven hour flight, I eventually land in Seoul at 4 a.m. European time (that's 1 p.m. in Korea). Luckily, the weather is less hot and less humid than expected, but probably only since it was pretty extreme in Mainz before take-off. It is another 1.5 hour drive to the university, where I introduce myself, attend the group seminar,look at my new work place and change money in a nearby bank, all before going to my new home.
I exchanged a mere 1,000 € to receive 1.5 million won in 150 (!!!) 10,000 won bills, which I then give to my landlord covering the rent of the first month and the deposit. The building I live in is really classy, as is the room itself, while pretty small but nice. Notice the step in the entrance area of the room, which is typically Korean and may not be surpassed with shoes on. This already lead to some minor complications, since most Koreans wear sandals or other shoes that are easy to take off, while it always takes me quite some time, forcing everyone to wait whenever exiting or entering a new flat. Finally, I get to take a shower in one of the most 'interesting' bathrooms I've seen in a while. How one is supposed to keep towel, door and toilet paper dry while showering is a mystery to me. At least the bathroom is self-cleaning and there are nice surprises when one forgets to switch between faucet and shower head... Afterwards, I decide to meet up with Johannes (another IRTG student here) and go out for dinner, since I'm way past tired anyways. We end up in an all-you-can-eat Korean grill place, with me sticking to the rather traditional types of meat and remembering that Kimchi and Soy bean sprouts are quite spicy. After that, I end my first exhausting but exciting day in Seoul.