Taxi Ride

Today I decided to venture out of my humble abode and go on a jaunt in the outer city of Gumi. I thought I was brave. I thought I was going to be successful in finding a converter so I could hook up my computer in my room. I was dead wrong.


I am a country bumpkin and unfortunately it shows. Part of my korean experience is to rub away that ignorant free thinking without a care in the world attitude. Lets face it-Montana is sheltered. Street smarts and city lingo and having an understanding of how urban dweller live is lacking in Montana.

In Montana I was lazy and had everything at my beckon whim. I didnt have to go far. Complaining about driving 7 miles to Kalispell (the nearest city) and how bad the traffic is, is a huge joke. I have seen people drive backwards.

My first taxi ride the driver almost collided with another car.

Today was my first solo ride with the Taxi driver. They dont know English at all. It would have been really smart to have known Korean before I came but if and thats a big IF I survive than I am living proof that nonverbal communication is all that the world needs and I am not talking about the middle finger.

I went to the E-mart and later Latte Mart in hopes to find a converter from HP. I was able to find a salesman who knew english and also talked on the phone with someone who knows english.


Korea and I am sure Asia in general are so polite and respectful. All I have to say is an yung ha se oh (Hello) and bow my head and then say Kan sam ne da (THank you) or Ano (Goodbye).


In the Department Store this is all I said. I understood what they were saying in Korean:

We dont have a Converter here. You will have to contact HP.

I took my Taxi back to my apartment and the only way I could find it was showing them my boss' business card. Unfortunately its going to take me a long time to find my way around here.
Other Words I know
Chin gu....Friend
Col ...nose....I have a big nose I guess and there is a saying which I will include because its a Korean saying. (Some guy told me at the party and be warned if you dont want to know please skip the next paragraph.....).


"We say in Korea that someone with a big nose has a big dick..."


So, in other news I had 4 classes today. My classes were wonderful. I am a little behind my lesson plans but somehow have learned to wing it. Its going alright. I am going to be really swamped with work tomorrow.

I think I am going to take tonight easy. I was going to go to a bar and have a drink but I think I should save some money.


Speaking of Drinking another tidbit of information that came out of the FOREIGN party was that I have a huge apartment.... In other words, I think I have been named the new host for American parties.

My coming to Korea and Asia was a hope to leave behind my American way of life and clear my head from some of the things that haunt me. In other words I dont really want to start my old life up again because I wanted a year or just sometime to think about what everything meant --being removed from the situations has given me time to reflect.