So yesterday was the mandatory beginning of the semester teacher dinner. The dinner is to greet new incoming teachers and to say goodbye to the transferring or retiring teachers/staff.
Everyone HAD to be there. We travelled to the other side of Suncheon to a BBQ pork restaurant.
The food was really good. There were more than thirty staff members at the dinner. So total there must have been at least twenty cars there.
Guess who ended up taking a taxi from the restaurant to a bus stop on the other side of town? Teacher Jenny and me. She is too reserved and does not feel comfortable asking people. I refuse to beg anyone for a damn thing. Some of them saw us trying to flag a taxi but ignored it.
I would rather walk across burning sands then to ask a local for anything I can do my damn self. That goes for any country.
Walking to the main avenue was good exercise after eating that heavy meal, anyway.
I don't know why Koreans are not fat. MY GOODNESS.
We ate pork then ate another kind of pork after that!!
Then most teachers drank soju and beer.
Where do they put all those calories?
I almost rolled out the restaurant after eating.
The taxi ride was about 12 minutes to a bus stop near Teacher Jenny's house and along my bus route.
I'm glad she was able to tell the taxi driver where to go but even if she had not been there, I would've survived.
The main lesson in living in another country is to learn how to navigate the necessities as soon as possible. No one wants to wear out their welcome. Even if you are slow to learn the language, figure out how to do the basics by yourself. Grocery shopping, taxi and bus rides, hospital and restaurants.
It will be the key to your sanity in a new environment.
Less stress and less having to depend on people who may be reluctant to help anyway.
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