The subway in Seoul? A certified cultural experience. It's clean. Fast. On time. Air-conditioned. Cheap. And the train jingle? An instant serotonin boost. If you’re spending even a day in Seoul, chances are you’ll be riding the subway, and loving it. But before you hop on, here are a few things I learned along the way:

First night in Korea.It was quite the drive from Incheon Airport to Seoul, or more specifically, to Anam. Once we arrived at the dorms, we were dropped off and had to lug all our bags uphill in the dark. Looking back, it’s hilarious: ten of us rolling giant suitcases in both hands, heavy backpacks digging into our shoulders, trailing behind one another like lost ducklings trying not to trip on one another. And, none of us really knew where we were going.

Seventeen hours, a few movies, and 7,000 miles later… I was in Korea. But let’s rewind a bit. It’s 2 a.m. and I’m wide awake, not from jet lag (yet), but from nerves. It’s my first time leaving the country. My first time being way more than two hours away from home. For four months.