It all began innocently enough on Sunday evening when I decided to buy some beans instead of spending money on the americanos one must drink here since drip coffee is not a thing. This is after a trip down to Suwon, an hour away, because someone posted a sign for a shoe store that carried large read: Western-sized) handmade shoes. This, naturally, was a mirage, as the store had barely any sandals (what I needed), & only went up to size 8. I then wandered til I came to a store that ALSO only went up to size 8 in 2 styles, & I went with the pair that felt least likely to give me blisters & would go with most of my clothes. Sandals I paid 4x the price of in America bc EVERYTHING outside the US is a giant, motherfucking rip-off.
Monday morning I had time to make coffee, since I've re-aggravated a hip flexor injury that has now expanded to include my left outer hip. While I can now walk pretty much pain-free, bringing my knee up to my stomach or extending the leg back is still painful, so not much working out happening on MWF, my leg days. I then left, & had just sat down on the bus when I realized I'd left the coffee on the counter.
Tuesday I was committed to taking it with me, so even though it isn't to be done, I took the coffee I brewed Monday with me on Tuesday. I held it against my left side as I had recycling to take down, when I started feeling a cold wetness there. My coffee container had apparently sprung a leak, & coffee was spilling all over my clothes. Luckily, miraculously, it really wasn't noticeable, so at least I didn't have to deal with looks or comments at work.
Undeterred & ready with a liquid carrier I'd inherited from Ashling, I made cold brew on Tuesday night, & set the contained coffee in front of my door.
I was waiting for the elevator with my hands once again/as usual full of garbage/recycling, when I dropped the coffee, which exploded all over the floor, my legs, & new shoes. I was minutes late leaving for the bank because I not only needed to transfer money to my American account for bills, but also FINALLY was going to ask to set up a remittance account, so I don't have to take these trips to the bank & fill out paperwork to send money to my US account each month. With the remittance account, I can do it from an ATM. So now I had to go back to my apartment to wipe myself off. I left the puddle on the floor in front of the elevator, though I did put as many paper towels as I had on the roll left, pretty much ineffectually, on the floor.
I rushed out again, incredibly agitated because as I said, I had shit to do. We transfer the money, but OF COURSE when I ask for the remittance account, which was made for foreigners & many of my friends have, was told that only Koreans can get that account.
Of course. Because who else BUT a Korean would need to regularly send money to the US, or England, or anywhere outside of Korea on a regular basis, insular country that this is?! So now I have the unmitigated joy of running around Korea finding a bank with a teller who DOES know how to open this account.
& finally, the next day I went to see my doctor for my monthly check-up. Nothing new there, except I asked about how long a pulled muscle takes to heal, & she told me to go down to the 3rd floor of that building and see the orthopedic. The blessed man trained in the US, speaks English, & of ALLLLLL my luck, after an x-ray & an ultrasound, said I had torn, not pulled, the muscle. He said it shouldn't require surgery, but I needed to rest & not workout for about 5 weeks. Because, awesome. Aside from needing to remain bathing suit ready for summer, I get the added bonus of my anxiety not having exercise to help keep it checked. So really? This week could go bite itself.
Saturday, May 18, 2019
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
I mean, the other thing is,
not much happens here because I don't go out due to not having money, not being able to eat, having to cook & clean, and now my Saturday classes. So there's never too much really to report.
I guess one little nugget is my friend Jess, whom I adore, is a bit off her rocker. She takes EVERYTHING super personally. At wine night, she felt like the Canadians mocking America were mocking her. Then there's a girl, one girl, who was a bitch to her. So Jess got up in the middle of wine night & just left, without saying a word. She left the chat & everything. Later she said it's just the one girl she doesn't like. 1 girl out of like 20. Really, she needed to leave the group for that? Well she felt like she did. Jess had also created a meme chat, which only me & a few others she knows well are in, definitely not the offending girl nor most of wine chat, but she quit that chat too. I've talked her out of doing this before when she took people not replying to her message in the wine chat right away on a Friday afternoon badly, but at this point, I don't feel like trying to reason with her. & I think the wine chat girls are done with her drama. So I just see her on her own or with a girl we met who moved down to where I live.
In February, as you know, mom came to visit! It was great to see her. though it was then that I learned she's been totally & completely brainwashed by Fox News. Everything from Brett Kavanaugh to the concept of privilege she is adamantly on the side of Trump & Trump supporters. As much as I love him, I blame Neil. Well at least we both agree the BBC is reliable.
I'm glad she got to meet most of my friends, & we did end up staying at a jimjilbang the night before the tour of the DMZ (I stayed on the bus & napped). I do wish she'd listened to me when I said we should go to some places where I can't eat so she could try a lot more stuff. She said she doesn't really eat rice, so that eliminated a lot of things, especially bibimbap, which seriously everyone should try. While she had no love for my blood sausage soup, the other soups she tried she loved. After she got back, she wanted to try to make one of the soups she had, & asked the names of them in case there was a place in Chicago that served them.
So, I mean, that's all I can think of for now. I spilled something on my computer so now several keys don't work, so I need a new keyboard to use until I can get home & upgrade the computer (though won't do that if I haven't found a job to do).
So really, you can consider yourself all caught up. Hurray hurrah hurray.
I guess one little nugget is my friend Jess, whom I adore, is a bit off her rocker. She takes EVERYTHING super personally. At wine night, she felt like the Canadians mocking America were mocking her. Then there's a girl, one girl, who was a bitch to her. So Jess got up in the middle of wine night & just left, without saying a word. She left the chat & everything. Later she said it's just the one girl she doesn't like. 1 girl out of like 20. Really, she needed to leave the group for that? Well she felt like she did. Jess had also created a meme chat, which only me & a few others she knows well are in, definitely not the offending girl nor most of wine chat, but she quit that chat too. I've talked her out of doing this before when she took people not replying to her message in the wine chat right away on a Friday afternoon badly, but at this point, I don't feel like trying to reason with her. & I think the wine chat girls are done with her drama. So I just see her on her own or with a girl we met who moved down to where I live.
In February, as you know, mom came to visit! It was great to see her. though it was then that I learned she's been totally & completely brainwashed by Fox News. Everything from Brett Kavanaugh to the concept of privilege she is adamantly on the side of Trump & Trump supporters. As much as I love him, I blame Neil. Well at least we both agree the BBC is reliable.
I'm glad she got to meet most of my friends, & we did end up staying at a jimjilbang the night before the tour of the DMZ (I stayed on the bus & napped). I do wish she'd listened to me when I said we should go to some places where I can't eat so she could try a lot more stuff. She said she doesn't really eat rice, so that eliminated a lot of things, especially bibimbap, which seriously everyone should try. While she had no love for my blood sausage soup, the other soups she tried she loved. After she got back, she wanted to try to make one of the soups she had, & asked the names of them in case there was a place in Chicago that served them.
So, I mean, that's all I can think of for now. I spilled something on my computer so now several keys don't work, so I need a new keyboard to use until I can get home & upgrade the computer (though won't do that if I haven't found a job to do).
So really, you can consider yourself all caught up. Hurray hurrah hurray.
So, backwards ho!
Well I already mentioned Leo's Saturday classes. The owner being the pain in the ass she is found more students who also want to take a class on Saturday. Apparently more to have their own class, rather than joining Leo's (not that I have any idea what their level is, hence if they even COULD join Leo's class. But this being Korea, level is irrelevant because it's all about age. Dumb asses). Again, more money is great, but I want my fucking weekend. I don't want to be working 1/2 a day on Saturdays as well. But money. But fucking my Saturdays. There we are on that.
My trip to Laos complicated my leaving date, because the day I fly back in is the day for the cheapest airfare. The guy found another flight that leaves on the 20-somethingth, with an 11-hour layover in Taiwan. SOOOOO not ideal, but it will be from 10:30 AM, so I can at least go out & do something in Taipei. So I can live with it. Just.
My trip to Laos complicated my leaving date, because the day I fly back in is the day for the cheapest airfare. The guy found another flight that leaves on the 20-somethingth, with an 11-hour layover in Taiwan. SOOOOO not ideal, but it will be from 10:30 AM, so I can at least go out & do something in Taipei. So I can live with it. Just.
Long time no see
Yes yes, I know, it has been quite a while. So hopefully I'll update in several posts. It's just that, between reading, starting the search for remote jobs for when I leave Korea, and working on grad school stuff (have to get my CV finished), the blog definitely falls to the wayside these days. Prior to this, what's my excuse? Too much nonsense. Honestly, especially when it's a cleaning weekend, time seems at a special premium & I've been unable to do it all. 2 weekends ago I was supposed to clean, but I was so sick from a cold, I just couldn't do it. I'm also teaching a Saturday class for my favorite student, Leo (the owner's son). I'm his favorite teacher, & we don't have class together this semester, so I think he asked his mom if she could figure something out. Her solution was I'd teach him for 1.5-2 hours each Saturday. I was NOT excited about working on a Saturday, though I do love Leo & the extra money is definitely going to help. It's in the evening, so at least I can lay in bed & read & take my time doing stuff, which is my thing on the weekends, but early evening is also when I usually start cooking or cleaning, so I'm losing my prime Saturday activity time. Not to mention complicating if I can go anywhere after on Saturday nights, since I get out at 8:30. But Leo's great; hell, in our second class, he told me he'd been looking forward to Saturday all week so he could see me! Cute little bugger.
So we'll start recently and work our way backward, shall we? We shall. The most recent thing is I had a big old health check last week. Do I need to mention AGAIN how much I LOVE the system here? It's efficient, SOOOOO affordable... I could go on, but you get the point. We did full blood work, urine, thyroid ultrasound, uterine ultrasound, PAP smear, mammogram, & colonoscopy. All for $180.
Blood work & urine were all fine. My thyroid levels are a little high, which might be indicative that my body isn't completely converting the pills I take to the active form of the hormone, which is actually common with the usual meds. However, it could also be because I haven't been taking iodine & tyrosene because I honestly forgot about them. So, I'll get those again, plus she increased my dosage, so we'll see how it goes next time. The other great news is that apparently several months ago when we did the full blood works, my thyroid antibodies were gone, so my body isn't actively destroying it anymore. In short, yep, my aggravating & extremely limited (albeit really healthy) diet has done what it ideally is supposed to.
We'll need a breast ultrasound because mine are rather dense, which I knew. So we're doing that in June. Not sure why the wait, & wondering if I shouldn't ask about doing it sooner since I'm leaving, but hopefully there won't be anything to be concerned about. (I know my breasts can be a bit cystic as well.) The only bad thing was that apparently I have an ulcer. How perfect, yet unsurprising, given the leaky gut theory. I can't feel it; she prescribed some medication for it, & just said to avoid spicy foods (pretty easily done, except that Jessie took me to a great kimchi jiggae chain & there's one near my train station). Hopefully that will get straightened out, however that is done.
So we'll start recently and work our way backward, shall we? We shall. The most recent thing is I had a big old health check last week. Do I need to mention AGAIN how much I LOVE the system here? It's efficient, SOOOOO affordable... I could go on, but you get the point. We did full blood work, urine, thyroid ultrasound, uterine ultrasound, PAP smear, mammogram, & colonoscopy. All for $180.
Blood work & urine were all fine. My thyroid levels are a little high, which might be indicative that my body isn't completely converting the pills I take to the active form of the hormone, which is actually common with the usual meds. However, it could also be because I haven't been taking iodine & tyrosene because I honestly forgot about them. So, I'll get those again, plus she increased my dosage, so we'll see how it goes next time. The other great news is that apparently several months ago when we did the full blood works, my thyroid antibodies were gone, so my body isn't actively destroying it anymore. In short, yep, my aggravating & extremely limited (albeit really healthy) diet has done what it ideally is supposed to.
We'll need a breast ultrasound because mine are rather dense, which I knew. So we're doing that in June. Not sure why the wait, & wondering if I shouldn't ask about doing it sooner since I'm leaving, but hopefully there won't be anything to be concerned about. (I know my breasts can be a bit cystic as well.) The only bad thing was that apparently I have an ulcer. How perfect, yet unsurprising, given the leaky gut theory. I can't feel it; she prescribed some medication for it, & just said to avoid spicy foods (pretty easily done, except that Jessie took me to a great kimchi jiggae chain & there's one near my train station). Hopefully that will get straightened out, however that is done.
Wednesday, January 9, 2019
Turns out, cheating's never worth it.
Sometime last year, I had a Ferrero Rocher. I used to love them, but of course can't eat them now due to the crunchy part. I looked at it & thought about how much I LOVED them, & thought, fuck it, I'm going to eat it. & while it was good, it wasn't nearly as good as I remembered, not even close really.
New Years Day I stayed at my friend Jess'. She suggested that getting ramen from this place near her would be the PERFECT way to start the new year, though of course she said she knew it wasn't for me. Because I still had antibiotics from my last visit to my doctor for my skin & my skin was looking great (definitely helped by vacation & not cheating diet-wise in Cambodia, where I suspected it'd be much harder to find food to eat than here but that wasn't the case at all), I said no, fuck it, let's do it, I'd eat ramen!
It's been well over a year, maybe 2, since I've had wheat noodles. Jess just LOVES this place, but I was taken aback a bit because it was sweet. Even the the hardboiled egg that had been cooked in the broth was. I of course don't know if it's really authentic & the Japanese like it a little sweet, or if Koreans sweeten EVERY FOOD that isn't Korean. Either way, the soup was good, but the transformative experience I expected since I'd not had anything like this in years once again just couldn't approach meeting my expectation. Maybe it's a combo of having loved this type of thing so remembering that, & that it's forbidden now due to my diet. Likely of course also that the Koreans couldn't resist sweetening it because they're animals, but in any event, I had a few small stomach issues for several days after, nothing major, but even before that I thought, taste-wise, texture-wise, overall enjoyment-wise, nothing (except chocolate chip cookies I had at a holiday party when Keri was here) just cannot & do not live up to the idea/memory of them in my head. Will definitely make sticking to my diet a lot less difficult.
New Years Day I stayed at my friend Jess'. She suggested that getting ramen from this place near her would be the PERFECT way to start the new year, though of course she said she knew it wasn't for me. Because I still had antibiotics from my last visit to my doctor for my skin & my skin was looking great (definitely helped by vacation & not cheating diet-wise in Cambodia, where I suspected it'd be much harder to find food to eat than here but that wasn't the case at all), I said no, fuck it, let's do it, I'd eat ramen!
It's been well over a year, maybe 2, since I've had wheat noodles. Jess just LOVES this place, but I was taken aback a bit because it was sweet. Even the the hardboiled egg that had been cooked in the broth was. I of course don't know if it's really authentic & the Japanese like it a little sweet, or if Koreans sweeten EVERY FOOD that isn't Korean. Either way, the soup was good, but the transformative experience I expected since I'd not had anything like this in years once again just couldn't approach meeting my expectation. Maybe it's a combo of having loved this type of thing so remembering that, & that it's forbidden now due to my diet. Likely of course also that the Koreans couldn't resist sweetening it because they're animals, but in any event, I had a few small stomach issues for several days after, nothing major, but even before that I thought, taste-wise, texture-wise, overall enjoyment-wise, nothing (except chocolate chip cookies I had at a holiday party when Keri was here) just cannot & do not live up to the idea/memory of them in my head. Will definitely make sticking to my diet a lot less difficult.
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
How quickly I forget there's a cost for everything!
But Asia will always remind you! Or me, because that’s the kind of relationship Asia & I have.
A good portion is my fault, because I forget to adjust my mindset to scam alert when I leave wealthy countries. The tuk-tuk driver that was my cab ride home from the airport since I couldn't find my pick-up, asked to be my guide, since that's how he (& all the tu-tuk drivers) make their living. So I didn't ask him his rates until the morning of day 2, figuring it'd be the same as normal, though not so when they apparently work for a company in the airport! Apparently if you have a job there, you make 4 TIMES what every other tuk-tuk driver charges!
But then, it's the Cambodian way to say, "I didn't tell you right away because I didn't want to upset you." I've heard/read about others hearing this here. And because this IS Asia where logic doesn't exist, it's much better to spring that sort of price hike on people after all is said & done.
Add on that I was feeling a little sick this morning (my guess is the dragon fruit smoothie for breakfast yesterday, though I guess it could be the water I drank after my bottled water ran out, though I did boil it), & you've got a great comedy of errors in the making! I was planning on giving him $60-70 for all 3 days, which he took for the 1.5 we did.. OH, but ONLY after telling me that while he charges $90/day (average is $20-30), he DID NOT HAVE CHANGE FOR THE HUNDRED THAT THE ATM GAVE ME. But then, neither did my $50/night hotel. So he had to drive me to a money exchange. And THEN, not making this up, the fucker complained 1 of the 20s I gave him (he had all 3 I got from the guy) was “too old” & demanded a new one! I gave him the 2 $10s which he also was less-than-satisfied with, but by then I’d headed inside.
SO I decided to give the swim-up bar a try, though I’ve got $60 to get me through today, tomorrow & most of Thursday. Well plus the rest of this week until we get paid on the 30th (I think, or 31st since the 30th is a Sunday).
And God knows I LOVE the temples here, I can’t get enough, but I’ve seen so many & I don’t know what their names all are & they still kind of blur together, even though I just want to see more more more. There are some further away that clearly I couldn’t see today b/c of my transportation issue. Some people on couchsurfing are looking to share tuk-tuks but for those temples I’ve already seen. Given my never-ending money issues on this infernal continent, I’m not going anywhere unless I share one.
& that’s one of the other things about developing Asia. Yes, OF COURSE those of us coming from wealthier countries make WAY more than they do, & ride less of a razor’s edge to abject poverty.& yes, prices look a bit cheaper here. But believing that we can grow money & don’t need or have budgets, plus being nickled-&-dimed for everything including taking your picture can, over time, be a big issue.Yes, I make more. I also get charged WAY MORE for shit back in Korea, so I don’t actually have, well, any leeway. I skipped lunch b/c I had 2 drinks today at the bar. I can’t take out more. I MIGHT be able to get another $10 out, but not even sure about that, since I think it’ll be like $204 & I have $212 in there now. Sooooo great!
BUT the bright side is I saw A LOT of amazing temples already, so if shit doesn’t work, I at least did that. & there’s always the possibility I’ll find others to hang out with & split the cost of some wine or something. Plus I can’t complain about the weather! So I’ll find a was to while away my remaining time, even if it is like I would in Korea.
But Asia will always remind you! Or me, because that’s the kind of relationship Asia & I have.
A good portion is my fault, because I forget to adjust my mindset to scam alert when I leave wealthy countries. The tuk-tuk driver that was my cab ride home from the airport since I couldn't find my pick-up, asked to be my guide, since that's how he (& all the tu-tuk drivers) make their living. So I didn't ask him his rates until the morning of day 2, figuring it'd be the same as normal, though not so when they apparently work for a company in the airport! Apparently if you have a job there, you make 4 TIMES what every other tuk-tuk driver charges!
But then, it's the Cambodian way to say, "I didn't tell you right away because I didn't want to upset you." I've heard/read about others hearing this here. And because this IS Asia where logic doesn't exist, it's much better to spring that sort of price hike on people after all is said & done.
Add on that I was feeling a little sick this morning (my guess is the dragon fruit smoothie for breakfast yesterday, though I guess it could be the water I drank after my bottled water ran out, though I did boil it), & you've got a great comedy of errors in the making! I was planning on giving him $60-70 for all 3 days, which he took for the 1.5 we did.. OH, but ONLY after telling me that while he charges $90/day (average is $20-30), he DID NOT HAVE CHANGE FOR THE HUNDRED THAT THE ATM GAVE ME. But then, neither did my $50/night hotel. So he had to drive me to a money exchange. And THEN, not making this up, the fucker complained 1 of the 20s I gave him (he had all 3 I got from the guy) was “too old” & demanded a new one! I gave him the 2 $10s which he also was less-than-satisfied with, but by then I’d headed inside.
SO I decided to give the swim-up bar a try, though I’ve got $60 to get me through today, tomorrow & most of Thursday. Well plus the rest of this week until we get paid on the 30th (I think, or 31st since the 30th is a Sunday).
And God knows I LOVE the temples here, I can’t get enough, but I’ve seen so many & I don’t know what their names all are & they still kind of blur together, even though I just want to see more more more. There are some further away that clearly I couldn’t see today b/c of my transportation issue. Some people on couchsurfing are looking to share tuk-tuks but for those temples I’ve already seen. Given my never-ending money issues on this infernal continent, I’m not going anywhere unless I share one.
& that’s one of the other things about developing Asia. Yes, OF COURSE those of us coming from wealthier countries make WAY more than they do, & ride less of a razor’s edge to abject poverty.& yes, prices look a bit cheaper here. But believing that we can grow money & don’t need or have budgets, plus being nickled-&-dimed for everything including taking your picture can, over time, be a big issue.Yes, I make more. I also get charged WAY MORE for shit back in Korea, so I don’t actually have, well, any leeway. I skipped lunch b/c I had 2 drinks today at the bar. I can’t take out more. I MIGHT be able to get another $10 out, but not even sure about that, since I think it’ll be like $204 & I have $212 in there now. Sooooo great!
BUT the bright side is I saw A LOT of amazing temples already, so if shit doesn’t work, I at least did that. & there’s always the possibility I’ll find others to hang out with & split the cost of some wine or something. Plus I can’t complain about the weather! So I’ll find a was to while away my remaining time, even if it is like I would in Korea.
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
How to create a travel story
Make sure the visiting party doesn't have sufficient information! Though also the visiting party has to forget to make sure you send them, say, your address in the local language instead of just English. Also, for once don't get a SIM card for the country you're in at the airport, lol.
After an airport mishap wherein Keri's departing flight for Incheon left 5 minutes after her flight from Cape Town landed, Keri was set to arrive at Seoul Station at 10-10:30, so getting to me around 11:30-midnight is when I expected her. Both times came & went with me thinking more & more, "she should have gotten here by now."
So at 12:30 when I got a call from a Korean phone, I knew it had to be her. The story was she got on the 51 bus as I told her, but when she got off it had become the 502. Both buses will get you to me, but one is a few bus stops away on a nearby intersection, the other stops right in front of my building. I usually send the turn-by-turn & landmarks for someone coming. I sent the landmarks, but Keri didn't see them (because I'm fairly certain she got on the wrong bus). She knew the bus ride should only be about 15 minutes, & said she thought, "Jen said there'd be an overpass & a Lotte Mart, but I don't see them." Then after 20 minutes she thought, "Jen said 15 minutes, this can't be right." After 30, she thought, this definitely can't be right. The bus comes to a stop at the bus garage (announced in English & Korean, so she definitely got on the wrong bus, b/c the 51 only has stops announced in Korean). The driver makes her get off after everyone else does.
She goes to a convenience store, where SOMEHOW NO ONE has the transit cards, & everything else is closed b/c it's almost 1 am on a Wednesday night. She has no translator because she can't use her phone if there's no wifi.
She gets across my address, which he didn't know of course. She asked about a taxi, so he took pity & called. But the taxis, being Korean & the ONLY DEAL IN TOWN AFTER MIDNIGHT BECAUSE THAT'S THE DEAL THEY STRUCK WITH THE GOVERNMENT, weren't willing to come out to the bus depot then. So, Keri got the guy to let her call me. She naturally asked me to get in a cab & come get her. I'm not entirely sure where she is, because I have the name of the bus garage, while the MiniMart owner keeps saying, "Uiwang station," over & over & over. When they say yeok for station, that's the metro. But he was saying, "station" in English this whole time. That's why I was confused b/c the bus didn't end at Uiwang station, according to the map on the internet.
Then Keri goes, "Oh, wait. He might be able to get a driver." the MiniMart owner takes the phone, says, "Uiwang station," one more time for good measure, then hangs up the phone.
So. I'm like, does she have a taxi? Or was it a false alarm? Is she on her way? I'm thinking she'd call back to let me know, but no call. So, I figure I'd better just get out there.
I get in a cab, & the guy is surprised & confused I want to go to Uiwang station, which is not only not one of the closest metro stations, but they're all closed. We get there, & of course everything is closed & dark. I'm looking around but not seeing Keri or a convenience store. I put into the translator my friend was lost, she was here, & we'd go back home from here when I find her. He indicated he'd wait, but still seems not entirely sure what to do. I figure I'm going to have to get out & look for her, & type that, that she's in a convenience store. We both start looking all around, but don't see one.
So then I think, oh! I'll call the the store owner & they can talk! Despite the usual inability of Korean men over the age of 40 to handle talking to someone on my cell phone, he talks for several minutes, & at the end is sounding resigned. I'm like why, wtf is going on? He hangs up, does the x with his arms all Koreans do with foreigners which most of us find weird & dumb af & says, "There is none." There is none WHAT? There's no address? There's no store? There's no Keri? I start typing these questions. He sits there looking at his phone, & I see he's downloading google translator. This is the mud standard of translators, but ok. He starts speaking into it, & it translates nonsense or stuff that makes no sense in the situation. Finally he says through it, "let's go to the bus station." I'm like YES, that must be where she is, I KNEW Uiwang station couldn't be right!
We're driving along when I get a message from Keri: "I'm at your apartment, where are you?" Naturally I'm like NOOOOOOO FUCKING WAY! I communicate to go back home. By this time, the taxi driver is finding this whole situation understandably funny, so he translates, you need to write your friend if she has no phone. He's laughing, I'm laughing, going back & forth how I lost her, that she got a taxi after all, that I will welcome her to Korea then yell at her.
So after an hour I got back home to see my dear Keri, who likewise is laughing with me over the whole situation, but immediately helping make the consternation of 30 minutes ago an even more distant memory by giving me some guava goodies as I requested plus wine.
Understandably, Keri isn't likely to be venturing out on the buses or very far from home today. But it's Thanksgiving Day anyway so she can get the turkey breasts I got going while recuperating from traveling.
After an airport mishap wherein Keri's departing flight for Incheon left 5 minutes after her flight from Cape Town landed, Keri was set to arrive at Seoul Station at 10-10:30, so getting to me around 11:30-midnight is when I expected her. Both times came & went with me thinking more & more, "she should have gotten here by now."
So at 12:30 when I got a call from a Korean phone, I knew it had to be her. The story was she got on the 51 bus as I told her, but when she got off it had become the 502. Both buses will get you to me, but one is a few bus stops away on a nearby intersection, the other stops right in front of my building. I usually send the turn-by-turn & landmarks for someone coming. I sent the landmarks, but Keri didn't see them (because I'm fairly certain she got on the wrong bus). She knew the bus ride should only be about 15 minutes, & said she thought, "Jen said there'd be an overpass & a Lotte Mart, but I don't see them." Then after 20 minutes she thought, "Jen said 15 minutes, this can't be right." After 30, she thought, this definitely can't be right. The bus comes to a stop at the bus garage (announced in English & Korean, so she definitely got on the wrong bus, b/c the 51 only has stops announced in Korean). The driver makes her get off after everyone else does.
She goes to a convenience store, where SOMEHOW NO ONE has the transit cards, & everything else is closed b/c it's almost 1 am on a Wednesday night. She has no translator because she can't use her phone if there's no wifi.
She gets across my address, which he didn't know of course. She asked about a taxi, so he took pity & called. But the taxis, being Korean & the ONLY DEAL IN TOWN AFTER MIDNIGHT BECAUSE THAT'S THE DEAL THEY STRUCK WITH THE GOVERNMENT, weren't willing to come out to the bus depot then. So, Keri got the guy to let her call me. She naturally asked me to get in a cab & come get her. I'm not entirely sure where she is, because I have the name of the bus garage, while the MiniMart owner keeps saying, "Uiwang station," over & over & over. When they say yeok for station, that's the metro. But he was saying, "station" in English this whole time. That's why I was confused b/c the bus didn't end at Uiwang station, according to the map on the internet.
Then Keri goes, "Oh, wait. He might be able to get a driver." the MiniMart owner takes the phone, says, "Uiwang station," one more time for good measure, then hangs up the phone.
So. I'm like, does she have a taxi? Or was it a false alarm? Is she on her way? I'm thinking she'd call back to let me know, but no call. So, I figure I'd better just get out there.
I get in a cab, & the guy is surprised & confused I want to go to Uiwang station, which is not only not one of the closest metro stations, but they're all closed. We get there, & of course everything is closed & dark. I'm looking around but not seeing Keri or a convenience store. I put into the translator my friend was lost, she was here, & we'd go back home from here when I find her. He indicated he'd wait, but still seems not entirely sure what to do. I figure I'm going to have to get out & look for her, & type that, that she's in a convenience store. We both start looking all around, but don't see one.
So then I think, oh! I'll call the the store owner & they can talk! Despite the usual inability of Korean men over the age of 40 to handle talking to someone on my cell phone, he talks for several minutes, & at the end is sounding resigned. I'm like why, wtf is going on? He hangs up, does the x with his arms all Koreans do with foreigners which most of us find weird & dumb af & says, "There is none." There is none WHAT? There's no address? There's no store? There's no Keri? I start typing these questions. He sits there looking at his phone, & I see he's downloading google translator. This is the mud standard of translators, but ok. He starts speaking into it, & it translates nonsense or stuff that makes no sense in the situation. Finally he says through it, "let's go to the bus station." I'm like YES, that must be where she is, I KNEW Uiwang station couldn't be right!
We're driving along when I get a message from Keri: "I'm at your apartment, where are you?" Naturally I'm like NOOOOOOO FUCKING WAY! I communicate to go back home. By this time, the taxi driver is finding this whole situation understandably funny, so he translates, you need to write your friend if she has no phone. He's laughing, I'm laughing, going back & forth how I lost her, that she got a taxi after all, that I will welcome her to Korea then yell at her.
So after an hour I got back home to see my dear Keri, who likewise is laughing with me over the whole situation, but immediately helping make the consternation of 30 minutes ago an even more distant memory by giving me some guava goodies as I requested plus wine.
Understandably, Keri isn't likely to be venturing out on the buses or very far from home today. But it's Thanksgiving Day anyway so she can get the turkey breasts I got going while recuperating from traveling.
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