To Hong-Ik University and Beyond...
Trip Start
Aug 30, 2005
1
8
49
Trip End
Aug 29, 2006
Jochiwon,
Korea Rep.
Sunday, September 4, 2005
Well, let's begin shall we? Saturday, September 3 2005 (picture one of those B-rated movie with a detective holding a lamp in your face):
Today I saw a roadkill rat, roadkill snake and decapitated frog. How bout that? All in one day! Okay, I am getting ahead of myself... I should start by saying that I took to meet my newly acquired North American comrade, John. Now since in Korea Saturday is a regular work/school day I was stuck by myself tofind a way to meet the guy. Bless my familys' heart they were worried I was going to be killed (rightly so judging from the hereafter metntioned) - so they commandered their sons' cellphone for my use - which as it was all in Korean I had no idea how to use, however I didn't have the heart to point this inconsequential detail out. So there I went down the road an estimated 30 min walk - needless to say this is perhaps one of the foremost stupid things I have done in my life (is there a first person past tense for life?). Why you ask is this so dangerous? Good question, it is a two-fold answer. The first being that Korean road do not have shoulders to them as in Canada. Now any country bumpkin looking at a population demographic and a map of Korea could has surmized this situation arising. Not Jeremy though, on no! Apparently a Science degree is an excuse to be slow. Now, the second reason is that Korean is very hilly and judging when a quasi big rig might come steaming over the top of a ahill is a fine Korean art that take many year to hone. But you see there are no Koreans that know this art, it is lost - because people that walk on Korean road are usually killed. So I did this for the Korean half-hour which as it turns out is 1 hour by the North American. Just picture a large white man trying to dodge 1000Kg Korean bullet steaming towards him for over an hour - I got the market cornered over Tae Bo now with this workout. This is where I saw the rat, snake and frog! Didn't think I'd ever get to that did you? But it made you read...
So 5 Km and 15 pounds lighter, I arrive at Hong-ik University - AND only 10 mins late. Stellar. Then I waited. And waited. Was approached by a security guard for looking suspicious. And waited some more. The bastard didn't show!
So I walked around the university, which in and of itself is a misnomer as the University is a very steep hill. Now you can add dehydrated and out of breath to the menu of ailments. Humidity 10,000% and rising.
Finally finishing my 'walkaround' the University I do one more check to see that John wasn't delayed, by a massive hangover or night in jail, and hightail it off campus.
Now knowing the ropes for walking a Korean road, I was much better prepared for the walk home. Why you ask did I under take this event again? Good question. One answer: I had no idea which bus to take or how to use my now useless Korean cellphone. So off I went.
Feeling a little more comfortable with my new Hobo ways I decided to try and check out a Korean cemetary I saw for the road on a hillside. It didn't quite work as I planned, see the Korean cemetary appears to be privately run and surrounded by an equivalent of a funeral home. I say this as I tried access another down the road and ended up in the same straight. I can say it wasn't a waste of time, I got some nice rural Korean farm pictures and met a elderly Korean couple and their grandaughter. I was unable to communicate with them but it was a memorable experience, especially that they only talked faster when they saw my confused expression. Screw you Mastercard, can't buy that!
So 5 Km, 15 pounds and a Korean ER (joking on the last) later I get back home. They had called the cellphone like 15 times and thought I was dead (which begs the question: Why were the police not looking for me?). Apparently the phone had been on vibrate, and walking I had not felt it go off. Kelsey does this mean I have nerve conduction problems? Am I dying?
Well apparently this was not enough to deter them from trying to train me in the Korean alphabet, which is relatively simple, however they expected a modern Confucius out of a 10 minute lesson. Alright that is a little harsh because it was helpful, but they had me trying to read stuff with extra consonants and sounds I didn't get in the lesson.
Oh and Ash, no my boss is not gay - even though he has called me handsome twice now, as he is now the first of three Korean men to call me handsome. Apparently this is quite acceptable in Korea.
Then we had guest over for my first Korean BBQ, ummm. Nice way to finish off a good day in the Land of Morning Calm.
Now to bed and Beyond....
