I scratched my head and hit my cell phone aiming to turn off the alarm; I pulled my blankets over my head not ready to start the day. In the next few hours I will be starting a new life, changing my story setting and its theme, and that’s something that scares me, to the point of keeping me under the “security” of my blankets. *BEEP BEEP BEEP* “UGH!” I scream. I push the covers off me and yawn scratching my head again. I turned off the alarm and received a text.

Gasper: RISE AND SHINE!

Me: more like rise then die -_-

Gasper: lol you seem happy!  Your flight is in three hours! I’ll pick you up in 20 minutes to drop you off.

Me: okie doke  

Today I’m going to be officially moved to Korea, to graduate school and find my way to my dream. I sat my phone on my  vanity and looked into the mirror. I’m a mix girl, being tan, I have long brown curly hair with a small freckled face. My lips are full and pink, my eye lashes are long and my nose is small, my cheekbones could cut you. I grabbed a brush and started to comb my hair. “UGH the pain of being a  curly girl” I pulled my hair slick back into a perfect ballet bun. I checked my time. “oh god Gasper will be here any second!” Gasper is my child hood friend, kind of like a brother to me. I quickly run to my closet and grab a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt; jumping up and down pulling my jeans pass my and sliding the t-shirt over my head I hear my phone ring. “Crap!” I picked it up running out of breath.

“Hello?”

“Hey Suriya I’m almost there. You need me to help bring your things to the car?”

“Yes please.” I hang up, I wasn’t trying to be rude but I was nowhere near ready, and Gasper knows. I run to my closet and slip on my red converse. *DING DONG* I scream to the door “come in, come in!” Gasper walks though the door watching me run franticly to get my suitcases and carry on. He grips the door knob and leans against the door laughing. I glare at him and speak with rude tone. “uhmm ya know although you do look really cool leaning against the door and stuff, I REALLY COULD USE YOUR HELP!” I ended up screaming. He laughs again and takes my suitcases to the car. In the car I look out the window watching the scenery of Tampa Florida pass by. I speak. “This will be the last time ill ride by these apartments, and ice-cream shops and Wal-Mart’s and Targets.” “Is it weird?” he says. “It’s sad.” I reply. Getting out the car at the airport Gasper hands me my luggage. I look down trying to keep my tears in. YOU HAVE TO BE STRONG SURIYA!  I look up at Gasper and smile. “IM GOING TO BE LIVING IN KOREA!” I smiled again widely showing all my teeth. He half smiles back. “yeah you are.” My lip starts to quiver; it’s too hard to hold back my tears. I start crying putting my face into my hands, it was an ugly cry. Gasper pulls me into an embrace patting my back. “Don’t worry too much ill come visit as much as I can.” I uncovered my face and rolled my eyes and freed myself. I smirked. “Please don’t forget to visit me.”  I grabbed my suitcase and rolled it over to the gate.

IN KOREA!

I walked outside the airport looking for the van my school said would be picking me up. I searched everywhere for it but everything was so foreign, even if I did see the van I wouldn’t be able to tell due to the letters. Just as I reach for my English to Korean dictionary I hear someone with a sweet soft voice call my name. “Suriya?” I turned around almost instantly. “Yeah that’s me!” I smile waving. She comes up to me and bows. “Hi Suriya I’m Bom.” I shake her hand and say. “Nice to meet you.” She continues to talk. “I’ll be the one helping you get adjusted. As I am sure you probably have already experience some culture shock.” I smile from embarrassment and how true her statement was. “A little bit” “I’ll take you to eat and then we can go to your apartment.” I reply with a smile “okay.” As we ride in the van I notice how much Seoul reminds me of New York. But I also notice how many foreigners I have seen, and that’s none. I see people bowing to each other I see teenage girls in plaid skirts with thigh high socks and blazers arms looped together walking home from school. I see a person who look loopy and that’s what shocks me the most, it’s only five in the afternoon. Bom speaks. “So how old are you?” “Eighteen.” “Eighteen, that’s a nice age. Kids over here are usually still in school at that age.” “Yeah,  same in America. I graduated at 16.” “Wow you must be smart!” “More like determined.” Just as I said that our car slams on the breaks. I heard Bom yell something in Korean. “MORON!” she yells in English. That might be another thing that will come as a shock; their drivers. She looks back at me in concern. “You okay?” I reply with a shaken smile. “YUP.” I reclick my seat belt three times.

The next day I hear a ring at the dormitory door. I rush to the door and open it. There Bom stood with a wide toothy smile. “Remember to bow to those who are older than you and when you greet someone. It shows respect.” I nod my head and bow. She holds a clipboard in her hand and laughs. “ARE YOU EXCITED!?” I rub my eyes still recovering from the affects of jet lag. I smile. “I’m nervous.” “AYYY! Don’t be! Today’s the day you get your cosmetology license and you graduate! You should be happy” I force a smile. Then Bom speaks. “Go get ready; do your hair like a professional because that’s what you will be soon and your makeups like a goddess. You want to show your skill!”  She pushes me off into the bathroom. When I finished curling my hair I walk into the kitchen, she had prepared breakfast. But something totally different from American breakfast, there was rice, meat, fried egg and seaweed sitting on top of the table, she brings a pot of soup and sets it down also. “Do your makeup and then you’ll have your first Korean breakfast.” After applying foundation, red lipstick and mascara I sit at the table. I take the chopsticks and raise an eyebrow. “Don’t worry” Bom says. “I have some spoons for you, but you’ll have to learn how to use chopsticks sooner or later.” I grab the spoon and start to eat the white rice. And Bom starts to speak. “I got some big news for you!”

“What?”

“Well the school was looking at your grades, and saw how well you were doing and decided to place you somewhere you might indeed like.”

“Really? ; Where?”

She smiled and raises an eyebrow. “Are you prepared for this?”

I nod my head and smile eagerly “yes!”

“You have been placed with kpop stars at the Big Hit entertainment!”

“You mean celebrities?”

“YUP!  You’ll be helping them when it comes to hair and makeup. They got you in with a soon to be debuting group called BTS!” my eyes grew big with excitement. “NO WAY!” she nods and smiles. “Hard work pays off!”