Two weeks after Ashlynn left Holland, I also left Schiphol on a one-way ticket to Seoul, but in my case Seoul would be the first leg of my first trip around the world. Along the way, I had a stopover in Warsaw.
When searching through our currency collection, I found some Polish zloty which I thought were worth around €40. The waiter had a good laugh when I handed him old currency that was no longer accepted. Ironically one of Ashlynn’s closest friends in Seoul was from Warsaw and was thrilled to take those old bills off my hands.
Seoul had previously changed my life; it was where I was first exposed to international travel and the idea of living as an expat. Dad and Ann lived there in the early 90s and I got my first passport to visit them in 1991 when I was 27. Over my five visits, I spent about eight weeks in Seoul and was looking forward to experiencing the city with Ashlynn.
The international airport had changed locations since I was last there in 1995. I took an airport shuttle directly to Ashlynn’s neighborhood: Gwangjin-gu District, southeast of the city center. The ride was much calmer than I recall in the past; I remember that Eden and I were in tears before we even pulled out of the airport parking lot on that first trip because it was so chaotic.
I was a bit overwhelmed when I stepped off the bus but luckily I was able to find Ashlynn’s agency pretty easily. Instead of renting her own place, Ashlynn was staying in a model apartment managed by her agency; sharing was more affordable in this overcrowded city. She was a bit apprehensive about living with total strangers,but quickly bonded with the other girls. The biggest drawback was that she was constantly having to watch good friends leave.
I was quite surprised and pleased when her agency offered for me to stay with her for the ten nights at no charge. Not only would this save me lots, but I could spend a lot more time with Ashlynn. She was at a casting when I arrived, so someone walked me over to the apartment.
The apartment was set up to sleep five in its three bedrooms, but while I was in town there was just Ashlynn and one other model, so we all had our own rooms. We were spoiled by having a housekeeper that even did the dishes. The downside was that Diana, who was a 20-year-old Russian living in Tel Aviv, left plates with unfinished food laying around.
It wasn’t a fancy place and would probably seem crowded with five, but was a nice size for the three of us.
The bathroom was quite compact and got soaked whenever anyone took a shower since the showerhead was above the sink.
This was the view from the apartment. The immediate neighborhood wasn’t very interesting, but it was an easy walk to the metro or vibrant areas filled with shops and restaurants.
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