A horrible Plot Revealed!

This whole “teaching English in Korea” thing is the wily little Korean fockers’ way to get back at me for the Korean war. The ratbastards left me to die, naked, in the cold, without food!

Perhaps I should go back to where I left off last time…

I got up after the snowy night (lame picture taken out of the hotel window inserted for your viewing pleasure) after a night during which I woke up at three KST (Kimchi Standard Time) and IM’d with MAF for a while and then woke up again at five or so. Dorked around the hotel (et me another Korean sammich) and headed to Incheon at 11 or so. A boring 3 hour ride down to Daejeon on which I snapped that picture of the flats between Incheon airport and Incheon City. One of the ugliest stretches of land I’ve ever seen and between the mist and the smog it looked even creepier.

Got to the bus station, called Nick, and within moments was being whisked to BPU. Some of you may have seen the map of BPU and if you have, it is accurate. In what it does portray. What it doesn’t portray is that the city also runs up to, and in-between the buildings and areas of the college.

They quickly ran me down to my place, said about 5 words and then quickly scuttled away like the vicious, uncaring crustaceans* they are. They wanted out before I realized that the place was cold enough for my breath to condense and when they said they would bring me the manual for the heater, “tomorrow” that meant there would be no heat today. That and there were no beddings. They had warned of that, however, and I had brought some limited stuff.

The pictures of the place are interspersed here. I was a bit confused that there was no washing machine as had been promised, but I was excited, so I overlooked that.

No, really, I overlooked it. Take a look at the bathroom picture and note the thing in the far corner. That’s the washing machine (I had taken if for the on-demand water heater this place has stashed somewhere – like many Korean apartments you have to tell the heater to turn on before you do dishes or shower. This should be interesting in the morning.).

I ran out to see the neighborhood. Found a barber. Also found a PC Bang and IM’d the OAF – there is no internet in the apartment, so I may be dependent on the PC Bang until I get my office hours. I don’t think I intend to get internet at home, since it had become a kind of TV version 2.1 for me. Also found a biggish store for a Korean neighborhood and bought a pot, some ramen and udong noodles, and some toilet paper. I have, I guess, the beginnings of my household affairs.

Tonight I have been heating the place with the stove burners and snatched the mattress into the living room. I noticed that the drapes were blowing in and out with the wind, so I have them battened down with my empty suitcases and a jacket. I can see there will be some weatherproofing to be done here. I think the Koreans looked at my picture and thought, “The fat one might survive apartment 301. If not, he fertilizes much cabbage.”

The stove has the place up to a toasty 60 degrees (NOT in the bedroom or bathroom, which are still frigid) and the spicy Udong Noodles have had a similar effect on my stomach. It’s about to be 8 here, which was my ‘break the time-shift goal’ and I expect to be asleep soon. The upstairs neighbors have come home, and while I can hear them, it is nothing major (yet!). Tomorrow I have to drop by the office, and then on Thursday our orientation begins. Monday is classes. Not much time. I still need to figure out how to get a bank account and cell-phone. I guess I’ll email my mentor tomorrow.

For now I am just struggling to stay awake long enough to try to get through the night with only one unwanted wake-up call.

Nice.. I just went to take a pre-bed slash and my urine steamed like a power plant!

*What's the difference between three Koreans under a steam roller and a lobster........