2003-01-16 - 7:11 p.m.

Sunday, January 12, 2003

Off-line, stream-of-consciousness writing [The notify list folks know what I mean, heh, heh!]

I still haven't found my paper journal, so will write in what's here. I had an entry ready to post and took it in my backpack last week, planning to put it up. Somewhere, I laid my pack down and forgot to pick it up when I left. I've been to the PC bang and the shops, no dice. Bummer! I had that pack since 1984, got it at Caswell's Liquidation Center for eight dollars, and it went to Ireland with me in Y2K. Plus losing 6 months of journal entries. Grieving won't bring it back, but ... there you go! I guess I needed to pour out my frustration at my inability to hang onto an old travelling companion.

I need to get ready for bed soon. It's 11:40 p.m., and I need to arise at 6 a.m. Tomorrow is coming early,- it's nearly a two hour commute to the Moms' class, which starts at 9:30 a.m.

Sure is good to know that, a week from Monday, I have two hours teaching in the afternoon also. This will be the primary school boys' and middle school girls' classes.

I had a second dentist's appointment last Friday, just after I talked with the mothers of the kids I'll be teaching. They live over by the Kyodae station.

Kyodae is close to the dental clinic, only 4 stops up on the # 7 "ho-seon" (subway line). {Note: that "eo" vowel sound is like "schwa" but further back in the mouth, approaching the sound of "aw" in "saw."} It's about time I learned how to say "subway line" in the local language! Today, I had trouble with the second syllable and showed the shopkeeper my subway map. She kindly pronounced the word for me and I parroted her twice to make sure it stuck.

Last Friday, I had a lovely visit with the mothers. It didn't feel much like a job interview at all.

Today, Cho said that one of the mothers has invited me to move into her spare bedroom! Her husband is working in the states, and she has a pretty good-sized apartment. My first reaction is "No," just because I don't want to be always on "company manners." If I drop the shampoo bottle on my foot, I'm apt to shriek blasphemies. I'm really a rather cantankerous old biddy! And, since I have a touch of insomnia, I like to be able to go to the PC bang in the wee small hours. That might not go down well with folks who sleep normally, having the door opening and closing at weird hours.

The dentist and his periodontal technician took me to lunch again, after scaling my fangs. This time, we went to a cafeteria. The food was great! The cafeteria is actually connected with the traditional restaurant to which he took me the first time. I'd packed a lunch of noodles and veggies, so I shared that with them,- an extra side-dish, as it were.

Oops 12:15! Signing off now! Time for hot milk and winding down to sleep. "Nightie-night!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tuesday, January 14, 2003

More cleaning at the dentist's!

He checked Hygenist You's work and (I suspect) the progress of the antibiotic toward curing my gum disease. (A bit of poking my gums was my clue.)

Afterwards, I tried to call Mihwa at the Coex (just across the boulevard from the clinic) but my cellphone battery died. I got a "western omlet"sandwich and a yougurt drink for 1,300 won (about US $1.04) from a stall near the clinic and came over to the Coex food court to eat it, where I'm writing now.

Later -- I spent a couple hours looking for Global English.com, part of the time with a COEX employee. He was clever; he asked the cleaning ladies. After about forty minutes of traipsing up and down corridors, I gave him Mihwa's home phone number. However, whoever he talked to there wasn't able to tell him the section of the building she works in, either. So I gave it up, thanked the young man and came along home.

As far as "wars and rumours of wars," things are very relaxed here in Seoul. Coming back on the subway, I sat with four young men in the Korean Army. They had been out shopping, were carrying colourful department store bags, and they aren't at all worried about the North Korean saber-rattling. They think it's all blown up out of proportion, probably due to a mis-translation* of the original news report. At any rate, they are not "on alert."

*This was reported in the online news within 48 hours of the story, back when it first came out, October? These fellows understood that the verb used in the North Korean broadcast meant "maybe we might sometime in the future."

Thanks for reading.

Happy Trails!

~ Sil in Corea

Footnote: I'll be making the 90-day visa renewal run this weekend, and I plan to take pictures. Heaven only knows when they will be up on line, as I'm really short of cash right now. I was able to borrow enough to cover the trip and Cho loaned me an extra 5 manwon for survival until Jim gets back.

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