Coming to Korea, I pretty much knew I'd be a very small piece of the foreign community here, but never did I expect to be THIS much of a minority! Pretty much every foreigner is here to teach English, but no one is actually a teacher! There's my one lone quality. Next, it seems everyone came here for a short time, but years later are still here! Like a black hole you get sucked into and never leave. I've met people who have been here 5 years, 3 years, even 6 years and counting but never "I just got here last week"!
A friend told me I have the "fresh off the plane" look where to me sounds like a small child at Christmas. My head and eyes are never ending movements back and forth so I take in as much as I can. I try as hard as I can to blend in, and not look like a rookie, but something about my long blond hair, flip-flops and huge eyes somehow give me away!
Friday, April 27, 2007
BIG SUCCESS!
A fellow “Yankee” co-worker showed me the hot spot to shop- Myeong-dong. Lots of expensive clothing stores and restaurants-now I just have to remember where they all are! Got my first experience on the subway, but with a tour guide right there to catch my mistakes, it was too easy!
I decided to use my knowledge later that day to go grocery shopping. I found a close supermarket and went to town! Got some good basics: peanut butter, bread, spaghetti, ramen noodles (in Korean, so not too sure the flavor) and fruit. Also needed a pot and some utensils, and came across a mug that I just couldn’t resist buying if only for the saying on it. It had a cartoon dog on it with the quote “dog is good boy. It is god firend with pople in my heat for ever.” Pretty sure they thought it made sense, but to me it was just too funny to pass up!
Being that I don’t start work for another week, I decided to use my first free day here to go on a small mission by myself. I read about this little bookshop that sold new and used books, lots of ones in English, and had free internet so I decided to go for that. This operation included me taking the subway and switching lines twice, which made me both nervous and excited to prove I don’t get lost EVERYWHERE I go! Turned out to be much easier than I had expected, and I make it to the small community of Anguk. Being I only had a map of the area, not the streets, I realized I had no idea which way to walk from the subway stop. Using my “bible” (a Seoul tour book with a subway map and maps of the surrounding cities) and my great sense of direction (HA!) I head in the direction I decide is the right one.
By some act of God, I manage to find the bookshop and discover a little underground piece of heaven! I get a cheap book, use the internet, and make a vow to myself to return shortly. Back to the subway I go, now knowing exactly how to get home and feel like I had a pretty productive day!
I decided to use my knowledge later that day to go grocery shopping. I found a close supermarket and went to town! Got some good basics: peanut butter, bread, spaghetti, ramen noodles (in Korean, so not too sure the flavor) and fruit. Also needed a pot and some utensils, and came across a mug that I just couldn’t resist buying if only for the saying on it. It had a cartoon dog on it with the quote “dog is good boy. It is god firend with pople in my heat for ever.” Pretty sure they thought it made sense, but to me it was just too funny to pass up!
Being that I don’t start work for another week, I decided to use my first free day here to go on a small mission by myself. I read about this little bookshop that sold new and used books, lots of ones in English, and had free internet so I decided to go for that. This operation included me taking the subway and switching lines twice, which made me both nervous and excited to prove I don’t get lost EVERYWHERE I go! Turned out to be much easier than I had expected, and I make it to the small community of Anguk. Being I only had a map of the area, not the streets, I realized I had no idea which way to walk from the subway stop. Using my “bible” (a Seoul tour book with a subway map and maps of the surrounding cities) and my great sense of direction (HA!) I head in the direction I decide is the right one.
By some act of God, I manage to find the bookshop and discover a little underground piece of heaven! I get a cheap book, use the internet, and make a vow to myself to return shortly. Back to the subway I go, now knowing exactly how to get home and feel like I had a pretty productive day!
What the?........
So it seems the ONLY thing that didn’t go wrong today is that I actually made my connecting flight! It all started off at the airport at home-when my ticket issued came up VOID I should have guessed it was all about to go downhill from there. After a few phone calls and many attempts to reach the travel agency, I finally got my ticket and settled in for the short 13 hour flight!
Arriving in Tokyo I had a mere 50 minutes to catch my next flight. I somehow make it on and of course get seated next to the most obnoxious Japanese woman draped in (what turned out to be) fake diamonds and pearls. The little movie screen in front of her wasn’t working, so she thought it would be helpful to scream at me in Japanese- just in case I could somehow understand her and fix it! Lucky for me (finally a glimpse of the light) she got moved to a new seat with a working screen, so I sat back, relaxed, and watched a movie.
Being told the person meeting me at the airport would in fact meet me at a subway stop instead, I was now to take an hour long bus ride to some random stop where, with any luck, I could find this said person. I only panicked for a minute before finding the information desk that would hopefully save the day. Going with the theme of the day, the last bus left about a half hour before I arrived….sweet.
Informing my superior of this, he suggests I take a cab there instead. Oh don’t worry, it’s only gonna be $80.00! yeah right!! So I kindly let him know I didn’t have that on me, and he’d have to pay (I win finally!). Naturally I get a cabbie that doesn’t speak English-which is fine-but after repeating several times where I had to go, he gets into the city and proceeds to drive around an extra 20 minutes trying to find the stop. After the third time he decided to leave the car in park AT A STOP LIGHT to ask the cab behind us for directions, I decided I was never going to make it, and I’d remain sleepless for the rest of my life!
Finally my cabbie sorts it out, and after talking to many people walking by, he finds the right one and I head off to my temporary apt. (Which happens to be a small room with a bed, fridge/sink/stove combo, and desk. At least I had a TV and DVD player, which I found Sex & The City on- in English no less!)
I think the best part of this place had to be the bathroom. Seemed normal but without a shower. Looking closer I notice 2 taps on the wall about a ft. up from the floor with a short hose connected to each. Apparently this is the “shower”!?! Well, at least I won’t have to worry about getting my hair wet!
After all that, for some strange reason I’m fine with it. Could be one of 2 reasons:
1. I’m excited to finally be here
2. I’m just way too tired to care
Arriving in Tokyo I had a mere 50 minutes to catch my next flight. I somehow make it on and of course get seated next to the most obnoxious Japanese woman draped in (what turned out to be) fake diamonds and pearls. The little movie screen in front of her wasn’t working, so she thought it would be helpful to scream at me in Japanese- just in case I could somehow understand her and fix it! Lucky for me (finally a glimpse of the light) she got moved to a new seat with a working screen, so I sat back, relaxed, and watched a movie.
Being told the person meeting me at the airport would in fact meet me at a subway stop instead, I was now to take an hour long bus ride to some random stop where, with any luck, I could find this said person. I only panicked for a minute before finding the information desk that would hopefully save the day. Going with the theme of the day, the last bus left about a half hour before I arrived….sweet.
Informing my superior of this, he suggests I take a cab there instead. Oh don’t worry, it’s only gonna be $80.00! yeah right!! So I kindly let him know I didn’t have that on me, and he’d have to pay (I win finally!). Naturally I get a cabbie that doesn’t speak English-which is fine-but after repeating several times where I had to go, he gets into the city and proceeds to drive around an extra 20 minutes trying to find the stop. After the third time he decided to leave the car in park AT A STOP LIGHT to ask the cab behind us for directions, I decided I was never going to make it, and I’d remain sleepless for the rest of my life!
Finally my cabbie sorts it out, and after talking to many people walking by, he finds the right one and I head off to my temporary apt. (Which happens to be a small room with a bed, fridge/sink/stove combo, and desk. At least I had a TV and DVD player, which I found Sex & The City on- in English no less!)
I think the best part of this place had to be the bathroom. Seemed normal but without a shower. Looking closer I notice 2 taps on the wall about a ft. up from the floor with a short hose connected to each. Apparently this is the “shower”!?! Well, at least I won’t have to worry about getting my hair wet!
After all that, for some strange reason I’m fine with it. Could be one of 2 reasons:
1. I’m excited to finally be here
2. I’m just way too tired to care
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