An Ode to Mr Son

So, on Wednesday afternoon I lost my purse. *cringe* To the male population of my readers who may not understand my plight as well as the women readers, let me clarify:
A woman's ENTIRE LIFE is in her purse. It's now Friday and I don't really hold any hope of getting it back at this point. My best hypothesis is that I left it at the bus terminal and didn't notice that I didn't have it when I got on the bus. Anyway, here is a list, in order of importance, of the things in my purse:
Alien Registration Card (needed for just about every transaction in Korea)
Cellphone (pathetic, I know, but I've come to depend on it)
Keys to my appartment and motorbike (Mr Son has a copy of the former, and my motorbike is still sitting at the Bus Terminal)
Bank Card
about $200
TD VISA
Health Card (which I worked so hard to get, as mentioned in my previous post)
Expired Canadian Driver's License and HEalth Card
Couple of new international phone cards
Motion Sickness Travel Bands
Core Sore Meds
Costco Cards
Chap stick and lip gloss

Well, that about sums it up, but to be honest the first three items are the most important. This happened at the awesomest time as I'm leaving for China in a few days and need my Alien Card to re-enter the country (GAH!).

Anyway if you can imagine the frustrations of doing this in Canada, multipy that by a billion and that's how you would feel if it happened to you in a country where you couldn't communicate with anyone.

Enter Mr Son. He literally saved me. While I was going through various emotions of confusion, frustration, dejection, topped by a lasting feeling of embarrassment, he dragged me around and got many things accomplished that I couldn't have done on my own. Here's a list:
Went to bank to report missing card and get a new one
Went to Police Station to Report my missing EVERYTHING
Went and got a copy of my appartment key cut
Went to Post Office to give them a copy of the police report in case it showed up there
Went to Gwangju to get a new Alien Registration Card
Went to LG Telecom to suspend my cellphone

That about sums it up. I'd be completely lost without Mr Son. He's awesome and one of the reason why I love Korea so much.

I got my arse kicked!

Was I in a bar fight with a stout Korean woman over a piece of man-meat?
NOPE!
Was I subject to unbearable ridicule by my students and then lynch mobbed?
HARDLY!
The one who made me limp for 2 days was a formidable adversary. She loomed above me like some great, craggy monster out of myths of old. This monolith's name is Wolchu and she's 809 meters tall.

This past Saturday 15 native speakers (and around 5 billion Koreans)decided to undertake the journey of Wolchusan, a mountain in the small county of YeongAm, which is famous for its jutting rock peaks. While it's by no means the tallest mountain around, it's rumoured to be one of the more difficult treks due to the terrain. "Difficult" is an understatement for inexperienced hikers such as myself.
Previously, my "hard-o-meter" for mountains was based on my life-altering experience hiking Mont Albert in the Gaspé region of Québec. Mont Albert is around 850m high and the course was 17km long. It took a good friend to talk me to the top of if, because I didn't think I could do it. So far, no mountain in Korea has trumped that experience for me...until now. Although the course we did was only 6.5km, it took us over 6 hours to finish and the going was infinitely tougher. Thankfully, I never had an "I can't do this" moment. I just kept going.
The interesting thing about this mountain is that there are a lot of steep sheer rock that are pretty much impossible to climb, so sometime in the recent past people have installed staircases that are so steep at times that they were really more like ladders. Stairs, ladders, railings and ropes. I wondered why anyone would want to "hike" a mountain if they couldn't do it without installing man-made devices. Then I got to the peak and I understood.


I'd like to say that after the tough climb up the trail down was a piece of cake, but alas, it was equally as grueling.
Throughout the entire hike we ran into many, many Koreans who were so friendly and welcoming. They were also WAAAAY better at hiking than we were. Honestly, there's nothing like having a 50 year old woman breeze past you as you are gasping for air to remind you that you should hit the gym every now and again :D

Anyway, as tough as it was, I still consider it an awesome day. My leg muscles were screaming at me for a few days afterwards, but all's well now.

For more pics from the mountain, click on the link, dudes!
Wolchusan

and the verdict is...

after a few suggestions for piano names, one was virtually thrust in my face that I simply could not deny... (having things thrust in your face can sometimes be inconvenient and untimely, but this time is was, dare I say it, fate).

First of all, some excellent suggestions were:
Ludwig
Sebastien
Elton
Billy (as in Joel)
and I myself was considering the name Avery (which, really doesn't fit with the above list of famous pianists).

Then, this glorious morning, I happened to be chatting with Brett on MSN. He kindly informed me that Avery would be a good name if I wanted my piano to suck, so I challenged him to come up with something spectatular. And he did.

My piano shall henceforth be referred to as....
DR. ZAIUS

If this is somewhat anticlimactic for you, let me explain the name a bit...
Once upon a time in the 80s (all good stories start like this), there was a pop song hit "ROck Me Amadeus" by Falco. The popular 90s cartoon The Simpsons parodied this song, replacing "Amadeus" with "Dr Zaius." Hilarity ensued. Dr Zaius is also a character from the original "Planet of the Apes".

And there you have it. A name that is in someway related to a classical composer of some renown, but without being to obviously nerdy. Although, I should go with obviously nerdy, as that is one adverb/adjective combo that describes me perfectly...

...but I digress.

Lyrics to ROCK ME AMADEUS
by Falco

He was the first punk ever to set foot on this earth.
He was a genius from the day of his birth.
He could play the piano like a ring and a bell
And ev'rybody screamed:
Come on, rock me Amadeus.
He was a superstar, he was dynamite and whatever he did (it)
Seemed to be alright.
And he drank (and) he cursed and he fooled around
But when the women would shout:
Rock me Amadeus,
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus,
Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus,
Oh oh oh Amadeus.
With a bottle of wine in one hand and a woman in the other
'Cause he was a ladies man
He never stopped to worry what the next day would bring
Because the girls would sing:
Rock me Amadeus,
etc...
His mind was on rock and roll and having fun
Because he lived so fast he had to die so young.
But he made his mark in history.
Still ev'rybody says:
Rock me Amadeus

Lyrics to "Dr Zaius"

spoken: Help the human's about to excape
Get Your Paws Off Me You Dirty Ape
( gasp) He Can Talk x7
I Can Sing!!!
Ooo Help Me Dr. Zaius
Dr. Zaius, Dr. Zaius!
Dr. Zaius, Dr. Zaius!
Dr. Zaius, Dr. Zaius!
Oh, Dr. Zaius
Dr. Zaius, Dr. Zaius!
Troy: What's wrong with me?
Dr. Zaius: I think you're crazy
Troy: I want a second opinion.
Dr. Zaius: You're also lazy.
Chorus
Troy: Can I play the piano anymore?
Dr. Zaius: Of course you can.
Troy: Well I couldn't before.
Chorus( 2x )

who's hotter? it doesn't matter! I have a piano!

nessie presents:

hey folks!

please welcome the new addition to my life!



yep! that's right! I bought myself an electric piano. I love, love, love it! Now, I can practice anytime of day, for however long I want! w00t! Beethoven, here I come! (Yeah, I'm still in the high-beginner phase of learning, Beethoven is a long way off). As I am in the business of naming inanimate objects (motorcycle = champ, clarinet = Geddy Lee), I'm open for suggestions on possible names. Any ideas? To narrow the field, I'm fairly certain that it's a boy piano.

Anyway, I acquired "him" last sunday and my co-teacher helped me pick it out and close the deal with guy. She's great. After buying it, we browsed around and she bought this:


when we parted ways, she GAVE it to me!! Can you believe it? Just out of no where, she gives me a cool present. I'm one lucky girl.

...then again, some things happen pretty slowly

"Well, how do you mean, Vanessa? You sure got a needle in your butt right quick!"

So true, imaginary voice of assumed reader! This is one of the many paradoxes of life in Korea-land.

After a year of remembering to ask, and then forgetting to ask, I finally got my health card! w00t! It became apparent that, even though I don't get sick very often, there are the occasional bouts of "maybe" illnesses that require IMMEDIATE attention. And so, after this last occasion, I decided to press the subject of my health card.

(Back story - All Native Speakers receive a health card upon arrival at their new schools. Said card will ensure you quick and ridiculously cheap doctors visits and drugs. I, however, didn't get this card last year)

I casually mentioned to my co-teacher that I had to go to the doctor's office about my eye and that, rather illegally, I had to use Mr Son's health card. She looked at me with a confused look and went through several phases:

- " You don't need a card, you just need your Alien Registration Card"
NOPE! It was quite useless at the Doctor's.
- " You must have received one when you got here."
Nope! I never got one.
- "you must have lost it."
Nope! I never got one.
*look of utter confusion*

Anyway, it turns out that the acquisition of a health card is ridiculously simple once all parties involved understood that I, Vanessa, did not in fact have a health card. Yesterday my co-teacher and I took a fun trip to the health office, waited 5 minutes, and then walked out with a shiny new card. Oh mercy.
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Another fun project for me has been trying to get a new washing machine. The one that I have has been here for 10+ years and likes to eat my clothes. I asked for one before the summer vacation and by the end of the day (to my surprise and delight!!) I was told that I would get one. Relatively painless success!!

Fast-forward to after summer vacation. I casually asked my co-teacher about the status of my washing machine. Status - NO FUNDS!! awesome!

I believe that all the funds were spent on the new foreigner's appartment. (Yes, a new foreigner on Boseong!!) Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not bitter about all the shiny new things that Noel (new guy) got. In reality, it's better that a brand new teacher comes to Boseong to a nice appartment and that the "Veteran" has the *ahem* rustic digs. I'm perfectly comfortable where I am, all I want is a washing machine.

I suppose part of the problem is that my machine still "works", as in, I can put clothes and soap in it and the clothes end up wet and spun around after about an hour. it's the effectiveness of the machine that is questionable. I never did get a straight answer about who exactly is responsible for my appartment - it could be my school, the county OR the province. They seem to be passing it off on each other. Anyway, after considerable confusion, I had to give in to lying and saying that my machine was completely broken. Once that was settled, my principal was instructed to send an official document to the county education office, who would then send a document to the provicial office. The P. office will then send another document down the line. I think eventually all this paper pushing will produce a washing machine. (made from recycled paper?)
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My moldy wall has been rewall-papered after a few months of moldiness!! (but I won't get into that story.)
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In other news, last Saturday, I spent the day on a Korean tall ship / schooner called the Koreana. Many foreigners came out (old and new alike) and hung out as we sailed to one of the islands off the coast of Yeosu. We sailed, got dropped off on a tiny island and then sailed back. The weather was nice, warm and breezy, the people were awesome and the potluck was tasty. I made tiny little egg salad sandwiches that were a big hit! yay me!
if you want to see pictures, click below!
Yeosu Boat Pics
Some pictures courtesy of Virginia and Stu

hmmm, that's all!