Monday’s Music Fix…
…presented on Wednesday.
Oops. Sorry about that. “Why so late?” you ask? Let me tell you.
I arrived back in Korea at about 5:45 Monday morning. I was originally scheduled to arrive at 5 a.m., but the flight from Hanoi was delayed due to some kind of medical emergency onboard the plane. Not sure what the issue was, because the person who had it sat about twenty rows behind me. All I know is that a member of the cabin crew led a man holding a first aid kit down the aisle and about five minutes later he left the plane.
Anyway, I had to be at work at 7:30, so what would have been an inexpensive and casual limousine bus ride back to Anyang turned into an expensive and rushed taxi ride. I arrived home in time to take a quick shower and showed up at work with a minute to spare.
Making matters worse, in the middle of the flight I dreamt that the pilot announced that we were preparing for the approach to Incheon. It was a very vivid dream, so I took off my eye mask, raised my seat and waited. And waited.
And waited.
For about two hours.
After thirty minutes or so of waiting I realized something was amiss, but at that point I was wide awake.
The point of all this is that after work I was dead tired. Fortunately, this is mid-term exam week at our school, so I only have to work half days. I slept all afternoon on Monday, woke up for a couple of hours in the evening, and then went right back to sleep.
Yesterday we had our teachers’ “Sports Day” in the afternoon and then a 회식 (after-work dinner) in the evening. We ate eel. It was the second time I had tried it. The first time I actually thought it was pretty good, but last night…not so much.
They say that eel - like about a hundred other foods in Korea - is “good for stamina”. I wasn’t able to test that last night, but I can say that I woke up with no hangover this morning, so maybe there’s something to it.
Now…on to the music. Here is The Kooks’ “Always Where I Need to Be”
April 30th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
I knew it!!! Knew you were in Vietnam that is!
Oh and just an update, came back from Vietnam myself (1st time) on the 26th after my mid-term break for a week. Started in Hanoi then onto Halong Bay, Danang and finished the trip in Hoi Ann before catching my flight from Hanoi back to Incheon. I had a difficult time getting home, much like yourself, but I won’t go into detail now. Anyway, just wanted to say that Vietnam rocked and if it wasn’t for the weather I could see myself going back quite frequently.
But thought I’d tell you since you dedicated a post to me about my international card mishap. I went to the KEB to send some money home the week before I went to Vietnam. I asked if I could get an international debit card, thinking the answer would certainly be ‘no’, like Nong Hyup and Kook Min. To my surprise it was a ‘yes’. ‘Great!’ I thought. Fast forward to the ATM in Hanoi which should take my card…and like you said with your experience in Vegas - no dice. This comes after the teller assured me that the card would work but luckily I wasn’t about to take her word for it as I recalled your story and took along extra cash. Bottom line is - if you have an international card it might not be as international as one may think. So I have to tip my hat to you, Iceberg, on the heads up and a wag of the finger to KEB for false foreigner promises…damn you Korean banking system!!!! (fist shaking in anger towards the heavens)
Lastly, when are you going to come clean with the news you promised us a few weeks back. Does it have something to do with Vietnam and marriage? Perhaps it’s about time to change the name of this blog from ‘Iceberg’ to ‘Pho-berg’?
TP
May 1st, 2008 at 8:57 am
Personally, I dig the hot weather. What grows tiresome is the incessant honking of scooter horns.
May 1st, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Did it finally come off?
May 2nd, 2008 at 6:34 am
Nah. It’s still there. Thank you for your concern for my penis.
May 3rd, 2008 at 3:00 am
Just be patient…