Alien in a Strange Land

I have been officially recognized as a temporary resident of the nation of South Korea! What does that mean? I am finally eligible to be billed. In Korea, you really can't do anything without an Alien Registration Card (or ARC, as we foreigners so affectionately refer to it). Even the nationals have a similar ID card that they also have to carry around with them and be prepared to present for all types of situations. It really is quite an ingenious system.

So, the first order of business, now that I had an official status in the country, was to feel human again. How was this to be accomplished? I needed a cell phone and internet! For the last three weeks, my only contact with people outside of the school building has been taking my laptop to the local coffee shop and logging on for as long as my battery would hold out. It was a great way to get to know the nationals, especially my great friends at the coffee shop, but it was starting to get a little expensive!

Because I live in an office-tel, I only had one choice for internet. My boss at work, who is able to accomplish things at the speed of light, made the appointment for me to have my cable internet hooked up this past Monday. The appointment was for 4:00 (I got to leave work early!). The guy showed up at 3:59 and he was out the door at 4:02! No joke! It was amazing! No fee, no tip, fastest internet I've ever experienced! Since then, I've been up until WAY past my bedtime reveling in the freedom to log on whenever I want.

The cell was a different matter. I told my friend at the coffee shop that I was finally able to get a phone, and he was more than willing to help me. He even said he would call a friend who knows English better than he does to help out. Little did I know that this friend was the owner of his store! He actually owns four or five Ediya coffee shops, and he's not only willing to spend a Saturday night helping a foreigner get a cell phone, but let his employee take time off work...twice... to help me out! Amazing people. Long story short. The bank messed up and I had to go back again on Monday. My coffee shop friend came with me again, during work hours, and it was all settled. Cell and internet all in one day! The cell is LG, which is a Korean company, for those who didn't know, and it's way better than the LG I have at home. My friends at the coffee shop were so happy for me that they gave me a congratulatory waffle and sent me “happy cell phone” text messages. This alien feels loved!