My Easter Weekend

Hi all!

Happy belated Easter to all! Hope you all had a peaceful and blessed time. My weekend has been adventurous to say the least! And not necessarily in a good way all the time! More later....

So, little over a week ago, I was advised to refill the oil for the heating system in my apartment as it was showing empty, and serious damage could be caused. Well, of course I complied. Fortunately I had the cash on me - which was actually money I had brought with me to tide me over till my first payday here. It cost 180 000,00 Korean Won (approx R1250,00). Apparently, the oil can last 3-4 months (floor and wall heating plus hot water). Right, so, I thought, hey, no problemo, I can always draw some more cash when I need it.

Right so, a week later, I try to use the local ATM at the bank with my INTERNATIONAL cards (both debit and credit). And they DO NOT WORK HERE!!!!! And no, I will not be able to transfer funds from my SA account to my already existing but naturally empty Korean bank account, as the very nice, handsome, good English-speaking Korean bank staff member advised me. I was upset, worried, concerned, angry, blah blah blah.....

The next day, I told my co-teachers at the high school about my troubles. One of them offered to take me downtown to the bank during a free period. (A word about the banks here in my town.) The same branch, but there's a baby and big brother branch. I went to the baby bank the day before, which had staff speaking excellent English. The big brother version is government-owned, and they couldn't speak English. But they were helpful enough to phone the Interpretation Diivision, so I could be assisted telephonically. That worked out quite well and efficiently, I must say. Ok, so the short of it is that I needed to find a GLOBAL ATM in order for my cards to be accepted. The nearest global ATM's are about 1 hour away, in the cities of either Andong (to the north) or Daegu (to the south). Fortunately I was going to Andong for my medical exam that Sat, so I was able to use my credit card at the Korean Exchange Bank ATM.

I also have a wonderful support system here in the form of the other expats that I met in Seoul. We all stay in touch daily via Facebook, and so, are able to offer each other all kinds of advice. So, at least I can always double-check what I get told by the locals. You see, information is personalised in Korea. You won't always get the same story from everyone. It's embarrassing for Koreans to lose face by not knowing something or not being able to assist you. So they will give you advice and information as they see fit, within their own understanding. (Don 't know if this is making ANY sense to you!)

On Sat morning, I took a bus to Uiseoung (25min away) to meet one of my co-teachers so she could drive me to Andong for my medical.

Right, at the hospital. You won't believe this, but I swear it is true! 30min medical exam which consisted of: meeting with the doctor, urine sample for drug test, blood drawn for HIV test, chest x-ray, dental exam, height, weight and girth measurements, blood pressure plus eye-test! Everything is on the same floor with Energiser bunny staff. I felt as though I was on a human conveyor belt in a super-efficient factory!

After that, my co-teacher took me for a drive to Andong Dam, which is one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. The dam is massive, but terribly low right now due to drought. I'm definitely going back there. It's a cultural hive of activity. The roads are all lined with cherry trees in full blossom! STUNNING. After that, was sushi for lunch. And back home.

Easter weekend here is pretty normal. Friday was a normal work day, as was Sat. There were a few snippets on the local news about Easter Sunday services. But it looks like a bigger fuss is made of Buddha's birthday which was early March but they are still stringing up colourful paper lanterns everywhere. It's very pretty.

I'm planning a shopping trip into Daegu this weekend, where I'll meet up with a bunch of expats from the surrounding areas. Some much needed rapid English conversation! Yay!

Okey dokey, till next time...

Love to all

Andrea