I've decided that getting on a bus in Korea is the likeness to getting on a ski lift. It's coming quickly, it's barely stopping, and if something goes wrong you are holding up a whole line of people and most likely a whole line of other buses too. Lovely. So when you get on and scan your card, you sure as darn better hope the stubborn piece of technology, as we all know technology can be, is working or you get to feel really embarrassed! yaaayyyy.
On Halloween, I was supposed to go paint balling, but because it rained incessantly, it was postponed. (to this weekend...woo!) So instead, Jackie and I went on a Scavenger Hunt. Several things (I'll throw out the number 78 just for kicks) were on the list to do and the goal was to get as many done with your group as possible. The tasks ranged from finding a dog in a Halloween costume (didn't happen, I don't think we even saw a DOG) to making a human pyramid with a Korean on top (success!) to eating live octopus (yes, I did it, and it latched to the inside of my check while I was frantically chewing it....gross). Without bragging, I'm just going to say that our group was awesome, and we won. The prize? A bag of American Sour Patch Kids...totally worth it. I also obtained a surprisingly detailed lion mask for the task "Have your whole group come back in costume." It sits on the top of my dresser, occasionally making me look twice in surprise. I'll probably be relinquishing to my little brother.
Last weekend I went to The Time Travelers Wife (good movie) with Sarah and David. The theater was almost completely empty besides us but this couple came in and sat....right next to me. This is an unfortunate pet peeve of mine. If you have ALL this area to sit in...WHY pick the seat next to me? huh?! Give me some spacceeeee. I looked at Sarah and she said "They have assigned seating in theaters Kaley." How did I miss this? AND WHY?!?! Kind of dumb, I won't lie.
Daylight savings time: proposed as a joke by Benjamin Franklin so people might save candles and actually put into effect by William Willet, doesn't happen in Korea. So people, I'm 15 hours ahead of you now!
Last Monday and Tuesday it was very cold. Sarah and David didn't have school because the government shut many of them down in lieu of the increase in Swine Flu cases. I DID have school but my break in the middle of the day allowed me to join them on a quick tour of a traditional Korean Palace. I walked to the subway and grabbed a tasty, warm green tea latte out of the vending machine while I waited for it to arrive. I assumed it would be about 10 minutes because I heard the one before leave right before I went up the stairs. To my immense surprise, the next train arrived only 2 minutes later. Standing there with a very hot drink, too hot to gulp down, and never knowing if it was OK to get on the subway with liquid...I froze (probably with a silly look on my face) with indecision and just decided to hope on, it was too yummy to throw away. I sat down and was on my way. Then an odd thing happened...the train started to slow down....it was moving at a crawl. I probably could have walked to the next station faster....so instead of being a quick 2 minutes between the next stop, it was more like 6. When it DID stop at the station it opened the doors like normal (letting a big gust of cold air in) and I sat there, waiting for them to close....and waited, and waited, and waited. Apparently, the train was ahead of schedule....so the operator decided to take it easy for 12 minutes or so to get back on schedule. They sure did pick a heck of a cold day to leave the doors open for so long!!! Gah!!
One day this week was waiting for the elevator in my apartment with my trusty (broken) bike. I was listening to my Ipod which was on shuffle. As the elevator doors opened a song by Avril Lavigne (female rocker extraordinaire) came on. I wheeled my bike into the elevator and stood there...rocking out to the song...with my eyes closed. Soon the doors opened, and thinking it was my 4th floor I turned to get off. I was horrified to find that a man was looking at me...and I was still on the 1st floor. We kind of looked at each other while the doors closed (he was laughing at me). I realized that, in my own little world, I had not hit what floor I wanted to go to, and elevators, not being in the business of reading minds, refuse to go anywhere if you don't tell them to. Embarrassing.
One of my evening classes told me that since they had to pick English nicknames, I needed a Korean one. They then proceeded to name me Yun Mi. Yun-meaning melody. America- Mi Guk means Beautiful Nation in Korean so Mi-meanings beautiful. It was nice! Now I just have to remember how to write it!
The back tire on my bike is wobbly....I thought "maybe it just needs to be tightened" so I took it to the bike repairman on the side of the road. What I gathered from his gesturing and the only word in English he could get out..."bearing"...and his unwillingness to just fix it...I think I have a permanently broken bike. Awesome.
Last night, seven people were going downstairs at the same time after work so we all squeezed onto the smallest elevator I've seen. As I looked up to see what floor we were on...I, for the first time ever, saw the words "FULL" right by the number. Hahaaaaa! They should probably put to words "TOO FULL" on there also because I have a feeling that's what it would have said. Ooops.
Love!
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