THE GODS OF EXERCISE GET THE LAST LAUGH

I took the bus to school today. The reason for this is that I wanted to leave school early to get a bus into Ilsan and pick up my car. The bus ride was short and it was about a five minute walk to the school from where I got off the bus.

I went to my 8AM class and there were only 2 kids there. I asked another teacher and he said that they didn’t know they had a class today so I should just skip it. Another well planned out Korean thing. (I said they were nice people, I didn’t say they were organized people).

I had 2 other classes today where I foisted off my questionnaire on them. It’s depressing. It’s bad enough seeing their English level, but their knowledge of world history is overall quite poor.

Mee Kyung spent a good deal of time on the phone for me getting me car insurance. She thinks she found the cheapest one, but I have to pay higher for now until they see my driving record. I’ll pick that up in the States. But, maybe when they see my driving record, my insurance will be more. At the moment it’s $700 for the year which I believe is less than I was paying.

I got permission to leave school early today to head out and get my car. I was quite excited. I took the bus to Ilsan and then a taxi to the car place since I didn’t know where it was. Either did the taxi driver, but I had the salesman’s card so he called him to find out how to get there. It was close and easy. The salesman was downstairs waiting for me and he saw that I was alone. That frightened him because he doesn’t speak English. I figured it would be no problem since I had all the papers.

We went upstairs to sign the last few papers and to pay him and he called Yoon-soo. I think he wasn’t sure I understood. I didn’t want to ask Yoon-soo to go with me because he was working, and I could do it myself. We got everything straightened away and off I went in my new Daewoo Nubmia (or something like that).

I still say it rides quite nicely. My first stop was to get some gas. Gas is not cheap. I spent about $40 and got a little more than a half a tank in a compact car. I guess you have to take out a mortgage to get it filled up. After the gassing up, and filled with my new freedom, where do you think the first place I head to is? Yes, that’s right. Starbucks. I grabbed a coffee and ate a piece of cake. I put my coffee in my cup holder and got practice at driving a stick and drinking coffee at the same time.

I can’t explain how excited I was. I’ve had nicer cars, but I already love this one. It’s because it represents a new level of freedom, and will give me the adventure of getting lost and not speaking the language. I felt like I was grinning from ear to ear.

When I got back to Paju (which I figured out by myself) I headed out to the E-Mart so I could buy some Snapple Ice Tea. It’s funny that I never drank ice tea in Texas, but here in Korea I do. E-Mart is not an electronics store which at first I thought it was. E-Mart stands for “Economical Market” or something like that. Anyhow, it was great to just go and get what I wanted without it being a major excursion. (Actually, I wouldn’t have gone without the car).

I came home and parked the car. I took my grocery bag and went into the apartment and that’s when the exercise gods began to laugh. The elevator was out of order. I live on the 13th floor. It’s a long walk up. I did not enjoy that at all. The elevator will be out of order until 5AM tomorrow, or so they say. I have no idea the ages of the people who live here, but I’d hate to be some old guy on the top without an elevator. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of an elevator in a one-elevator building being out for so long.

I didn’t want to walk downstairs and then walk back up, so I took a couple of pictures from the 13th floor of my car. Here they are.



Tomorrow is my last day before my departure to Texas. I just got to the school, and now I’m gone. I’m sure my loving fans (the kids) will miss me. I’ll be sad that the regular English teacher will be there when I return as I'll miss Mee Kyung. I don’t know if she’ll miss me, because she says it’s so hard to talk English.

Yoon-soo called tonight to see if I got the car and to make arrangements to pick me up on Saturday morning to take me to Ilsan so I can catch the bus to the airport. He said that if I call him when I return, he’ll pick me up in Ilsan and drive me home. How very kind. But I’m thinking of driving and parking at the airport. There are two reasons for this. One is I don’t want to be lugging suitcases on the bus and the second is that if my plane is a couple of hours late returning, I’m stuck at the airport without a bus. With the car, I’m guaranteed transportation home. Another dilemma to figure out.

I took out some books tonight to take on the plane along with some DVD’s. With bringing my computer, I have the option of watching movies I want to watch. I also made a note reminded me to shut my windows before I leave. So I suppose the packing, or at least the getting ready, has finally begun. Two days from this time I’ll be somewhere over the Pacific (I think) on my way to my old Texas home. I can’t wait to hear those accents again. (That was being sarcastic).