Year Three - The Weekend That Was

I was going through old emails I had set aside for possible WTK posts when I came across this one from the Winter of 2003-2004. In March of 2004 Korea got hit by a wicked snow storm. It was the worst snowstorm in Cheongju for March since they started keeping records. Nova Scotia had been hit a month or so before by White Juan. One of the worst winter storms to ever hit. Some of the drifts were 2 metres high.

While I had mentioned this in a previous I had never found the email talking about it. Until tonight.

Here is the email.

****

Hi

What a weekend. We ended up with about 38 cm of snow. Luckily there was no real wind so there was no drifting. I will throw my pics into a web site soon so you can see them.

I guess I played good Samaritan too much Friday on the way to and from work. Helping out all of those stuck cars left me in pain Saturday. My left shoulder and neck were F'd. As was my right shoulder and side, but not nearly as badly. It didn't bother me when I went out Friday night.

It didn't take me long to get a cab. Hilda however was hosed by the weather. Her 40 min bus trip ended up taking just over FOUR HOURS!!!!! The road was bad, traffic was heavy, and once she was on it she couldn't get off.

It wasn't as bad here Friday night transportation wise but Saturday was horrendous. Plus I was in pain. I was meeting Hilda for supper in SacheongDong. It took me 30 minutes just to get a cab! The cab ride took over 30 minutes, I was late for dinner, and it cost double what it normally would have for the ride. I was in pain from my shoulder/neck so I didn't stay out late. I called it a night around 10:30.

That is when the joy of waiting with umpteen million others to get a cab was revealed to me. People were literally lined up down the street waiting to hail cabs. Cabs were stuffed full. If they weren't full they would stop and get extra fares going the same way. Here I was in pain, cold, feet wet, wondering whether I should rejoin Hilda and the others or just go home.

A Korean guy waiting beside me started talking to me. His speech was SO fast I couldn't understand anything at first. He repeated himself and finally I made out was odie-gah, where go. I said YongAmDong. He said Ah.

He had been getting partially filled cabs to stop so he could see if they were going his way. After talking at/to me he started asking for me too. He got me a cab within 5 minutes. If it weren't for him I would have been there a LONG time. I thanked him in Korean and English. His kindness didn't just help me get home quickly, it made me feel a lot better about life in general. It is strange how just one random act of kindness can perk you up. I hope I had that effect on the people whose cars I helped push.

Sunday was rest day. I was a laaaaaaaaaaaazy bum. Rented some videos, made some chicken soup, and just lazed around. It was nice.

Saw the doctor today. Instead of pain killer pills he gave me a painkiller patch to use. You put the patch on the sore area and leave it. It leeches PK's into your over time, about 12 hours. you know it is working because you feel warm and tingling where it is on. (No, it isn't good enough to make you warm and tingly all over. :) )

While the snow we got was no where close to what NS got, it was a huge amount for here. As I mentioned, it was the worst March storm in 100 years. Most people say it was the worst they have ever seen for any winter. There is still a lot on the ground, and the government is still clearing streets. Now when I talk to students about real snow they know what I mean. :)

Take care

Flint

*****

I am glad I ran across this email as I had almost forgotten about the guy who got me a taxi home that night. Sometimes when dealing with idiots like those at Korea Sentry, or just venting about shit that happened, I forget about the good people. I guess you could say that guy helped me out again.

It also had me thinking about how much I enjoyed Korean saunas. The day of the storm schools and hagwons CLOSED at noon. Some co-workers and I ended up going home and meeting at a sauna near our apartments. It felt so good after being wet and cold ... and sore from pushing cars. I miss saunas.