TAXSHI! TAXSHI!

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Setting: far-far away from home- the wrong road following the wrong river
Props: 24 rolls of toilet paper, a broom I found in a trash pile, new umbrella, a bag full of kitchen supplies, mini-trash can
Characters: Me, Ajuma (Korean lady), 3 Ajushis (Korean men)

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Plot: I was dropped off at my apartment on Thursday night (Aug 25) at about 9:30PM.. in the apartment WAS a bed, some quilts, a pillow, a closet, an empty kitchen (well.. there was a refrigerator & washing machine in it), a table & chairs... what WASN'T there was toilet paper, utensils, cups/bowls, soap, trash can... the basics!

Luckily I had saved some napkins from the airplane :) The next morning, I woke up and decided to explore the dong (neighborhood) I live in... Seosheon-dong. The thing is.. is I have no idea where I am or how to find my apartment again.. so I took some pictures of the area.. wrote down some key elements (river, Yeoul-ro (a large road I live near), the huge school that's near me, Mano Bar, Gapsyeong-ro (my street name)).

So off I went, at 9:00AM to explore the new area, grab some lunch, and shop...

... 4 hours later ...
I am hobbling because I have blisters on my feet from my new unbroken-in Rainbow flip-flops, sweat rolling off me from the heat & humidity, deciding to go ahead and pick-up some toilet paper because I'm definitely close to my apartment (huge pack of 24! .. since I don't have far to go and all)... I begin walking along the river 'in the right direction' and NOTICING that the street name I am walking along isn't the street name I wrote down.. thinking.. 'maybe it's like South America, and the road names change every couple of blocks?'..

... 30 minutes later ...
Same wrong road name.. WHERE AM I?!

I see some people standing outside of a garage, walk up to the Ajuma and point to the road name I had written down in Korean... she says "TAXSHI, TAXSHI" along with a million other words in Korean. I shake my head no, and start pointing in random directions, trying to get her to point in which way I need to go.. she continues to 'yell' (talking seriously loud and intensely) in Korean.. the only word I'm understanding is "TAXSHI". There are 2 other Korean men standing there, and they start chiming in on the conversation.. oh yea, in all Korean.

THEN, a man walks over who speaks English, and can obviously tell that I am more than confused. The first thing he says is, "She says you need to take a taxi, it's far away." I told him that, "I walked here, I'd like to walk back.. I just don't know the direction."

:::Note: Don't forget how tight I am with money... ME.. pay for a taxi when I could walk?!:::
:::Note 2: I STILL have blisters on my feet.. paying for it.. just in a different way!:::

THEN, he starts talking to them in Korean.. and I'm thinking, GEEZE, PLEEEEEEASE please, just point in the direction I need to go, and I'll be on my way.. confusion.. done!

He told me that "They just fixed this truck, and they'll take you there."
Me: "OMGoodness, really?! THANK YOU, Thank you!"




So they put all of my stuff in the back of the truck, motioned for me to get in, and then to scoot over, and off I go imbetween two Ajushis, trash can on lap... FOR A FEW MILES.. as they took me to where I THOUGHT I already WAS! :)