fun at immigration and other stuff

I spent 2 afternoons this week taking trains and taxis to the Suwon Immigration Office to apply for an Alien Registration Card. My first attempt on Wed. was a bust. I had a health check at the hospital and they forgot to give me a page of my results which are needed to receive the card, so I was sent home. When I went back on Friday it turned out I was also missing some other form but this time it can be faxed so I don't have to go back. I did have to relinquish my passport for the second time in a month though. I hope the mail system is reliable. I really hate that feeling that I'm not going to get it back!

On my excursions, I learned how to get around on the express trains and the subway system. The first attempt was a little stressful because I understood enough of what the ticket agent said to know I had about 5 minutes to get to my train, but I didn't know where I needed to go. All the signs and my ticket were in Hangul (Korean writing), but I found someone who figured out what I needed and was able to show me where to go. I made it to my train on time. The scenery to Suwon, which is between Pyeongtaek and Seoul, was made up largely of rice paddies, some rolling terrain, and the large cookie-cutter apartment high rises that seem to be all over the country. If I'd had a seat I would have taken some pictures out the window, but I was standing for the ~25 min train ride.

On the way home from Suwon on Friday I had a broken conversation with an older man on the subway. He seemed very nice and I think wanted to practice his English. He asked how to say a few things, like "glasses" when he got his glasses out to look at the guide book of Seoul that I had with me. We looked at the "helpful phrases" part of the book that had things in both English and Hangul. He practiced the English and helped me to pronounce the Hangul. At one point he asked my age. I told him and he said he was 62 and joked that I was half. In the few weeks I've been here I've already been asked the age question many times. Many of my students asked it on the first day of class, which at first I thought was a little weird. I never knew or asked how old any of my teachers were. I've since found out that a lot of importance is placed on age in Korean society. It's used in determining one's place in the social hierarchy and the amount of respect a person should be given. It's considered a perfectly normal question, and isn't considered impolite or too forward. Anyway, the train ride was more enjoyable and went by quickly since I had someone to chat with.

Our shipment of stuff is supposed to arrive tomorrow! It will be so nice to have more than a week's worth of clothes again. And I'll finally have my bike so that I can start exploring further and take some more pictures. Sorry, there aren't any new ones this week.