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Suho1004
Maniac (V) Inmate

From: Seoul, Korea
Insane since: Apr 2002

posted posted 08-30-2002 16:04

[Edit: obscenely long post ahead. You have been warned.]

No, it's not some important date in world history--sorry to disappoint you. It is, however, an important date in my life. On August 30, 1995, with very little idea of what I was doing, I got on a plane and flew to Korea. I was only two weeks out of university, and I had so little money that even after selling my computer I was only able to buy a one-way ticket.

During the spring of that year, a friend of mine had told me about a friend's mother (yep, a friend of a friend) who was recruiting English teachers for a language school in Korea. I gave it less than a day's thought before I decided to do it--I had done some work in Japanese studies, and I was planning on getting to Japan anyway, and Korea was the perfect stepping stone. So, with very little preparation, I picked up my life and moved halfway across the world.

My first day in Korea rates as the worst day of my life. I've had some doozies since then, but nothing can really top that first day for sheer and utter hopelessness. I arrived at the airport at 6:00 in the morning after a 16-hour flight and no sleep--and no visa, for that matter. The friend of a friend's mother--let's call her "Dragon Lady," to borrow a popular nickname--had told me not to worry about a visa. The immigration officer at the airport, however, thought differently. He asked me for my visa, and when I told him I didn't have one he just looked at me with this odd grimace on his face. Then he asked me what I was doing in Korea, and I showed him the address of the language institute I was going to work at. Little did I know that this was illegal (hey, I was young and stupid). I know for a fact that if I had had a round-trip ticket he would have put me on the next flight out. Since I didn't have a round trip ticket, though, he gave me a 15-day temporary visa, and told me I would have to leave when that expired.

The Dragon Lady herself was supposed to pick me up at the airport, but when I came out of the gate there was no one waiting for me. I take that back, there were about a dozen taxi drivers, circling like vultures waiting for a dead body. One approached and asked me if I needed a ride. When I said no, he just smiled--like the vulture who knows that all things will come to it in the end. I went back, found the telephones, and called the Dragon Lady's house. Her husband answered and said she had already left for the institute. When I told him she was supposed to pick me up at the airport, he said he had no idea about that. As it turns out, she had only gone out to the store and was coming back, but that wasn't much help after the fact. I went back out to the vultures, knowing I was defeated.

When I asked the driver how much the fare would be to the institute, he asked me how much money I had. Fortunately, I wasn't that stupid, and I told him a fraction of what I really had. He wasn't happy about it, but accepted it (I know now that even that amount was a rip-off, but what did I know then?). We then embarked on a two-hour drive around Seoul because the driver apparently didn't know the city from a hole in his head. It was raining, and he had the radio tuned to some talk show. I spoke absolutely no Korean (well, I knew how to say "Hi"), so it was complete gibberish to me. My sleep-deprived, stress-addled mind, though, insisted on making some sense of the unending stream of information. In my delusional state, I heard a man talking about how he killed children by making evil toys. I didn't even find this disturbing at the time.

When we finally arrived at the institute, I dragged all my luggage out of the rain and into the lobby, then walked into the office. I introduced myself as the new teacher, but the man behind the desk only looked at a calendar and said, "We're not expecting any new teachers today, and I can't find your name anywhere." So then I asked him if Dragon Lady worked there and he said yes, so I asked if I could wait until she arrived. They showed me to a small room with an even smaller couch. I curled up on the couch, wondering what to do before I faded into unconsciousness.

Dragon Lady didn't actually show up until 6:00 that evening (I slept the whole day through). She assured me that everything was OK, and I actually began to feel better. Then she asked me what kind of visa I had, when I told her I didn't get one because she told me not to worry about it, she yelled, "You were supposed to get a tourist visa and we would take care of it when you got here." Maybe I should have known that, I don't know. I was to delirious at the time to argue. She said she would take care of things, and told me I would be living with two teachers named Sara and Christina.

By the time the three of us got back to the house, I was wide awake. So we sat around drinking and getting to know each other. Somewhere during that time I learned that my two new housemates were lesbians. The fact didn't bother me too much at the time, but that's only because I didn't realize what it meant my life would be like. When they were getting along, I was shut out, but when they fought they both tried to get me to take their side. It was hell, to say the least. And it was definitely not what I imagined living with two lesbians would be like.

The two weeks I actually taught at the institute are something of a blur. I only remember a few things about that time, like my first class, when I was thrust into a room full of elementary school students and told to "teach them English." I asked if I would be given a textbook, and one was promised, but it never arrived. The students began to throw coins at each other, and I spent the hour trying not to take one in the eye. At the end of the two weeks, though, it turned out that the Dragon Lady was not able to work magic with my visa, and I would have to go to Japan to get a new visa. This was no problem for me, as I had friends in Japan.

When I got to Japan it was too late to visit the consulate, and my friends told me that the next day was a national holiday, and the consulate wouldn't be open. By the time I did get to the consulate, though, a typhoon had moved in, and I wasn't able to leave Japan until a week after I had arrived. As I said, this was no problem for me, and I actually had a pretty good time with my friends. In fact, they tried to convince me to stay in Japan, and even told me they would put me up until I could find a job and a place of my own. As tempting as the offer was, I told them that leaving Korea now would be giving up. I guess I was just too stubborn to admit failure. So back I went.

Needless to say, my problems were not over. Dragon Lady accused me of fabricating the story about the typhoon (I know I'm creative, but a typhoon?) just so I could stay with my friends longer, and fired and evicted me over the phone. She even said she would send her goons over the next morning to make sure I left the house. Christina and Sara assured me that Dragon Lady was all bark and no bite, but just to be on the safe side I took a walk early the next morning. I soon found myself at the bottom of some stairs, and before I knew it I was at the top of Namsan, the South Mountain. There was a small pagoda there with some benches beneath it, so I laid down on one of the benches and stared up at the intricate woodwork.

I stayed there for most of the day, and I'll admit that I prayed for most of that time. Now, I know there are some that don't put much stock in such things, but it was what I needed at the time. And when I came down off the mountain, I knew that I would be OK. The Dragon Lady's goons never came, but Christina and Sara had decided in the interim that they didn't like living where the Dragon Lady knew where to find them. The three of us ended moving together, and I severed all ties to the institute.

A lot has happened in the intervening seven years--far more than I could ever write here. But things did turn out OK. I've been married for over five years to a wonderful woman, I have an MA in Classical Korean Literature, and I have a great job as a Korean-English translator.

Apologies to everyone for the long post, but I always get a bit emotional around this time of year. I remember how everything started, and I look back to see how far I've come. Just thought I'd share a bit of that with my fellow inmates.


Cell 270

[This message has been edited by Suho1004 (edited 08-30-2002).]

Dufty
Paranoid (IV) Inmate

From: Where I'm from isn't where I'm at!
Insane since: Jun 2002

posted posted 08-30-2002 16:17

Such instances are the building blocks of our existence.
Sounds like you took a bum-rush and turned it into a life.

<edit>This isn't prose!!!</edit>

[This message has been edited by Dufty (edited 08-30-2002).]

Indus
Bipolar (III) Inmate

From: Maine
Insane since: Aug 2002

posted posted 08-30-2002 16:33

That is quite an experience I must say....I had to read the whole thing...it was very interesting. I am sure that you thought many things in the time that you were going through the bad times and what if you had not made that decision....and I am sure that you also learned a lot from that experience as well.

Suho1004
Maniac (V) Inmate

From: Seoul, Korea
Insane since: Apr 2002

posted posted 08-30-2002 16:35

Heh, sometimes I still wonder what my life would be like if I hadn't made that decision. Above I shared with you the crappy beginning, but there have been so many awesome times that I really can't imagine it any other way. It hasn't been easy, but it's been worth it.

Lord_Fukutoku
Paranoid (IV) Inmate

From: West Texas
Insane since: Jul 2002

posted posted 08-30-2002 18:10
quote:
My sleep-deprived, stress-addled mind, though, insisted on making some sense of the unending stream of information. In my delusional state, I heard a man talking about how he killed children by making evil toys.

And it was definitely not what I imagined living with two lesbians would be like.

I'm loving it man
Great story, thanks for sharing. Sometimes you just gotta jump in head first. And even if that's not the most desirable way to do something, it's almost always the most entertaining when you talk about it later in life.


________________________________________________________________
-- Jack of all trades, master of that which has my attention at
the moment.

Unoriginal Cell 693

njuice42
Paranoid (IV) Inmate

From: Gig Harbor, WA
Insane since: Feb 2002

posted posted 08-30-2002 19:36

*thinks about moving to Korea...*

njuice42 Cell # 551
icq 957255

Bugimus
Maniac (V) Mad Scientist

From: New California
Insane since: Mar 2000

posted posted 08-30-2002 20:14

Thanks, Suho. That was really cool of you to share that with us. What a story, have you ever considered writing a book?

. . : slicePuzzle

Wangenstein
Maniac (V) Inmate

From: The year 1881
Insane since: Mar 2001

posted posted 08-30-2002 21:21

The worst times always make for the best stories...



Odd behavior; even temperament...

njuice42
Paranoid (IV) Inmate

From: Gig Harbor, WA
Insane since: Feb 2002

posted posted 08-31-2002 01:48

Seriously, I mean... if it was interesting enough to hold my attention (or lack thereof), it'll go Nobel in no time

njuice42 Cell # 551
icq 957255

Dracusis
Maniac (V) Inmate

From: Brisbane, Australia
Insane since: Apr 2001

posted posted 08-31-2002 04:36

Wow, what a thrilling story. Your an amazing writer. I'm glad you decided to share that with us.

Book? I'd just settle for a web Novel. ~hint hint~

docilebob
Maniac (V) Mad Scientist

From: buttcrack of the midwest
Insane since: Oct 2000

posted posted 08-31-2002 06:31

Good story, Suho. Thanks.
Enjoyed the trailer. I`m thinking , maybe Bruce Willis for the lead ?

OlssonE
Maniac (V) Inmate

From:  Eagleshieldsbay, Sweden
Insane since: Nov 2001

posted posted 08-31-2002 11:55

[lol]
Yeah great story. I love eeeeeh...ehrm the middle part with the thingy... y'know???

[/lol]


[This message has been edited by OlssonE (edited 08-31-2002).]

Suho1004
Maniac (V) Inmate

From: Seoul, Korea
Insane since: Apr 2002

posted posted 09-01-2002 06:04

Glad you all enjoyed it.

Lord_Fukutoku, Wangenstein: you guys are definitely right about that. It's the rough times that build character and make great stories.

njuice: even if you don't move here, you're welcome to visit at any time!

db: Bruce Willis for the lead? Hehe, that might actually work. Although someone a little more clueless and less tough would probably be more realistic...

And to all who mentioned a book:

Believe it or not, I used to have a web site up on Tripod, detailing my experiences in Korea and opinions on life here. Actually, it's still up, but it's been so long since I've updated it that I would be embarassed to give out the URL. I'm working on a new site now, but I made the decision to leave "personal" stuff out of it, for the most part, and give it a more "academic" slant. I made this decision for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I'm now officially considered a "scholar" here in Korea, so I thought it would be more appropriate to have an academic site not tainted with my own personal rants and stories. Secondly, to be honest with you, I didn't think people would be all that interested in reading about the crap I went through.

However, after reading what some of you have said here, I'm wondering if I should not revive the "personal" part, maybe as a separate site. I still want to keep the academic site clean, so to speak, but now it doesn't sound like such a bad idea to update and revise my old stories. The original version ran to five parts and covered everything up to my marriage and my sixth-month stay in Mongolia--and that was only my first two years here. I would definitely have enough material for a web novel (it wouldn't really be a novel, of course, since it all really happened to me).

Also, considering the popularity of blogs these days (they're still popular, right?), I could always use the beginning (the original five-parter plus updates and revisions) as a background story and post updates as they happened. Hmmm... I kind of like that idea. I've got to admit, I wasn't really thinking about reactions when I first posted this, I just wanted to do it to commemorate the seven years. But I'm glad I did it, because the reactions here have really gotten me thinking again. It's been a long time since I've done any real (non-academic) writing...

docilebob
Maniac (V) Mad Scientist

From: buttcrack of the midwest
Insane since: Oct 2000

posted posted 09-01-2002 07:17

Write on, dude

njuice42
Paranoid (IV) Inmate

From: Gig Harbor, WA
Insane since: Feb 2002

posted posted 09-01-2002 08:21

Indeed! Waiting with baited breath

njuice42 Cell # 551
icq 957255

WebShaman
Maniac (V) Mad Scientist

From: Happy Hunting Grounds...
Insane since: Mar 2001

posted posted 09-01-2002 10:02

Hehe...my days as a grasshopper...

Thanks, Master Suho.

Write on!

Dracusis
Maniac (V) Inmate

From: Brisbane, Australia
Insane since: Apr 2001

posted posted 09-01-2002 13:51

"Actually, it's still up, but it's been so long since I've updated it that I would be embarassed to give out the URL."

I have many of those! And none of you will never see them! Hah... Thank god.

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