Advertisement
Published: March 3rd 2012
Edit Blog Post
Downtown YeongCheon
I was like what the hell. Today was fun! The last couple of days, I've actually been a bit of a recluse. Hiding in corners, eating what's left in my fridge instead of walking across the street to get something... you know, anti-social. But my friends from EPIK brought me out to Daegu for a little reunion. The day started out a bit crazy.
I had to catch a train to get to Daegu, but I had no clue where the train station was. Colleen (former teacher who lived in my apartment before me) had kindly left me a note saying that to get to the train station from downtown, I should cross the bridge and keep walking straight past the market to get to the train station. However, I wasn't sure which bridge she meant, and I wasn't sure what she meant by "market." Seafood market? Walmart market? AND I wasn't sure how far past the market the train station was. 5 minutes? 20 minutes? That's a lot of unknowns! I found a bridge that looked like a "main" bridge and crossed it. It was a hell of a walk. Soo glad I wore sneakers.
After crossing the bridge, all I saw were a
TrainStation
Yay! I found it! Fuck yeah! bunch of stores. I walked past numerous cell phone, clothing and coffee shops. Then, I walked past fresh fish and vegetables and fruit, all displayed on roadside stands. The smell was... unmistakable. This was the "market." I saw a sign for Daegu, and turned right like it said. I walked and walked and didn't see any other signs. There were less and less people around the further I walked. I decided to turn back, and keep going down the main road. I walked for another 5 to 10 minutes, then stopped to look at Google Maps on my phone. I didn't know what the symbols meant, but one looked like a train station, so I walked toward it. When I got there, I found it was a post office.
Aaghh!! I started to worry. Had I passed it? Should I keep walking?? Should I have taken that right at the sign?? I looked and looked on Google Maps, and finally gave up. I went back onto the sidewalk, and looked up. I don't know how I hadn't seen it before, but there was YeongCheon Train Station - right in front of me! I did a little song and dance.
TexMex in Daegu
Photographic evidence! I got to the ticket counter and asked for a ticket to Daegu. The ticket lady handed me a ticket and said, "It leaves at 1:21 pm." I looked at my phone. It said 1:21 pm. I ran to the trains, where I crossed the tracks and jumped on board my train just as the doors closed. Damn Indiana Jones style! The train arrived in West Daegu about 30 minutes later, and I met up with Hannah and her new friend, Robert.
Then, we met up with Ronnie, Lolade and her friend, Katleho. If you read my previous blogs, you know Lolade was my roommate during orientation in Daejeon, and I have gone exploring Korea with her and Ronnie before. Kat (Katleho) was in the same orientation, but in a different classroom, so I hadn't met her yet. She's from Johannesburg in South Africa... super nice chick! 'We decided we wanted to go party it up in Pohang (city on the beach).
We were all pretty hungry, so we went to a TGIFriday's, where I ordered a chicken quesadilla and margarita (I know, I know.. but, really, what if this is my last chance to eat Western
Reunited
Margaritas and friends <3 food for the next year??). I was buzzing from having too much coffee, and the margarita did a great job of balancing me out. lol We told each other how things are going at our different schools. Poor Lolade had someone try to "rub the black off" her hands. I was like, "Really? Reeally?? Come on, Korea!" lol My own first day of school was rather uneventful. I went to the opening ceremony and was introduced to the whole school. The girls all chanted my name for some reason (I am the only foreign teacher, I think), which I thought was cute. Then, I spent the rest of the day pretending to do work at my desk, and napping on a couch in the English teacher office. The end.
After dinner, we went shopping (poor Robert and Ronnie. lol), had a Krispy Kreme break, and looked at Apple products we planned to buy with our first paychecks. lol Robert noticed the time, and told me I had to go catch my train back home. It was 8:40 pm, and the last train left from West Daegu at 9 pm. We were in central Daegu. No Pohang partying tonight (wahh). I hopped in a taxi, held on for dear life, and caught the train just as it was leaving (yes, again!).
I got to YeongCheon and took a taxi home. The cab driver complimented my face (which I, personally, felt was busted) and invited me to take his swimming class. Yes, in that order. I just smiled and nodded, hoping to never see him again. haha I'm so mean. Oh, well, I was just trying to "save face" by not turning him down outright. There are a lot of different cultural norms here, and I am still learning about them. For instance, they don't greet or smile at strangers when they walk past them. I'm used to uttering a "Hi" or at least offering a friendly smile. But, here, they think you're mentally ill when you do that. Maybe they're not that far off 😉
Anyway, sorry for the ridiculously long blog. Had to make up for a whole week of not blogging. Hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to ask me anything!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.042s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 7; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0229s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1mb
Mamma Lamma
non-member comment
Miss You
Hola Mi Amor, I love reading your blog. Gives me a little insight as to how your day is going. Keep writing...I love to read about you. Have Fun in Korea and remember you are Very Loved and Very Missed. See you Soon. Love Mom