I really should have known better than to trust Paul and go with him that day. When he acted like my host family's apartment was so far, I really truly should have known he was confused and had no idea where I lived. But I didn't listen to my intuition. Women, ALWAYS listen to your intuition. And men, find a female friend and ask her to share her intuition with you. It could really change the world. I had just walked to the church earlier. It took MAYBE 10 or 15 minutes tops. It was like 7 long big city Korean blocks and that was all. It wasn't far. But after our orientation when we were all leaving, Paul seemed concerned for me and SWORE it was faster to take the subway. I couldn't imagine that was correct, but he lived in Pusan and so I trusted him. Of course he knew his way around the entire city of 5 million people. Why not? We left and began to walk to the subway. Again, I should have known this was a problem when, by the time we reached the station, I realized I would have been home by then, so I was pretty sure Paul was lost. But hey what do I know, it was my 2nd day in a new city in a new country where I didn't know the language. Surely Paul knows better than I. So I kept going. He paid for my ticket and we got on the subway. We rode two stops and he GOT OFF THE TRAIN. It was his stop. He told me to go one more stop and when I came out of the underground, my apartment should be easy to find from there. Okay Paul. I'm going to believe you. So Paul steps off the train and suddenly I'm aware of the train full of korean eyes that are all fixed on me. The only person other than myself who spoke english and I LET HIM GET OFF THE FREAKIN TRAIN! I rode the one more stop and got off the subway, walked out of the underground and had NO FREAKING CLUE where I was. I saw apartments, none of which were mine, lots of lettering I didn't understand, and a lot of korean people staring at me. I thought I'd be smart. All I had to do was get back on the train, ride it back 3 stops to where we boarded the train and then I could walk back to the church and back to my apartment. Easy, right? Oh, if only. I go back down into the station, pay for a ticket, get on the train... Yup, going the wrong way. I had gone another stop in the direction I was going to begin with. Damn. I realized that after one stop so I got off the train, got on the other one, and rode back 4 stops. I got off the train, walked up to the street from the underground and didn't recognize a single thing. I had no idea how to get back to the church. I started walking in one direction. Looked around, and walked back. I went a different direction. I was scared to go too far because what if I then lost the subway station entrance? WHY hadn't I left crumbs or something to mark where I had come from?! More staring. More signs I couldn't read. More of people who DIDN'T SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE AS ME. It was also getting dark and more chilly than it had been previously when Paul and I were walking to the station. And I had a heavy backpack on my back. I go back down into the station and luckily had my host sister renee's phone number. Now, has anybody ever tried to talk on a payphone? It cuts you off after just a few minutes. I couldn't figure out how much I was supposed to put in the machine so I just start shoving coins into the machine until i got a dial tone. I dialed the number. Well, my host sister's english was barely conversational and I was trying to explain to her that I was lost, and trying to tell her where I was by reading signs I couldn't understand so she could try and tell me how to get home. Then the freaking payphone operator in freaking korean freaking mumbles something and the phone cuts me off. UGH! I sat down, on the floor, in the corner, closed my eyes, and tried not to cry. I didn't want some well meaning person to see me and try to help when there was no way we could communicate with each other. WHY hadn't I invested in a korean dictionary. WHY?! I put my big girl panties on, got up and was determined to not have to sleep in the subway station tonight. So I trudge over to the underground map and start reading. Under the korean writing, it did have the phonetic spelling of the different stops in american alphabet. Suddenly, I see Haeundae. WAHOO!!! That's the beach I live by! That's GOT to be close! I counted the stops from where I was, got back on the train and travelled to that stop. I got out of the underground, convinced I was going to see my apartment, and the beautiful beach, and the stuff that I was familiar with as being near my apt. I KNEW I'd be home shortly. Nope. I didn't see my apartment. I didn't see the shopping center. I didn't see the mountains or the freaking beach. All I saw were big buildings full of restaurants and businesses. BUT I saw English. In big bold letters came my salvation... COFFEE HOUSE. I nearly ran to it. Once I got inside this nice little korean man looked up and smiled at me. "English?" I asked. He said nothing but gave a gesture that said "just a bit" but really meant "probably knows how to say hello and that's all" I showed him the address I had written on the piece of paper of where I lived and asked how far. "very long way" %#$@^ I held my hand up to my ear like I was holding a phone receiver, hoping that it wasn't somehow translating into a korean gesture for something offensive, and said "telephone". He smiled nicely and handed me the phone. I dialed renee again. She answered and sounded in a panic. Yes I'm sure she was panic-ing. Here she and her mother were supposed to be putting me up for the month and keeping me liking korea, and on day two i get lost. I would be panicked too. I asked her to speak to the man so he could tell her where I was and they could figure out how to get me home. They spoke for awhile and then hung up. "Taxi" So the nice korean man escorted me outside, hailed a taxi, put me in it, rambled something in korean (I translated it as probably something about the stupid american girl being lost and needing to go home, so charge her double and give me half....or something like that) and away we went. We pulled up to my apartment. YAY! I paid him and went upstairs. The elevator doors opened to one of my host brothers standing there smiling. Oh bless his heart. I've never been so happy to see a face I recognized, even if he didn't speak english, at least I knew I was HOME! He walked me to the apartment (hey...i actually did know how to get there, lol, i wouldn't get lost again) and the whole family was home. Renee hugged me and then we had a great laugh about my getting lost. I knew Paul would feel bad about it, so I didn't want him to find out, but I HAD to tell the rest of my team the story, so I sort of told them when he wasn't around the next day. However, we all went shopping for teaching supplies the next day at the shopping center next to my apartment and, not thinking about it, I pointed out my apartment and said that's where I lived. Paul stopped, his face went pale (yeah, that was a sight, korean man goes pale) and he gasps. "Carrie....what do you mean you live there?.......... THAT'S where you live?"....... And then it's like he remembered yesterday... "CARRIE!!! WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY?!" I told him the story and we laughed about it. I teased him about it for several months after that. I survived. And now it's a funny story to tell. I was inspired by Matt to tell my own story of traveling woes. Go read (and laugh at his misfortune.....shhhh I didn't say that...) http://thebigshowatud.xanga.com/708541302/my-weekend-and-the-practical-reasons-rich-people-fly-private-jets/ | 
