I Want To Ride My Bicycle

I had cancelled any cool plans for today knowing that I seriously need to get this data plan sorted with my phone. I keep going around and having this adventures, relying on my keen sense of direction and the chance of wifi to get me home.

Full disclosure: this next part is me detailing phone troubles, scroll down to the next bolded letters if that doesn't interest you.

To get a bank account you need a phone, and to get a phone plan you need a bank account. To get a phone plan you need an Alien Resident Card (ARC) -but those take about a month. So I got a pre-paid phone plan, and I set it up with my passport. Then I found out it doesn't include data.

The guy at the phone place told me that the credit that was on there could not be used for data but I could start a phone plan using the same number. He couldn't transfer the existing credit and recommended I come back in October when the credit has run out. Which was fine, because I still needed my card and a bank account.

When I did go back they had difficulty since I used my passport before and now I was using my ARC. So they told me to come back today. I came just before one, since they only opened at noon. They had tried to contact the South Korea Telecom office but they wouldn't get through for about four hours so I left and came back at 5.

I didn't leave until almost 8pm. They discovered that the prepaid amount actually covered me for three months so I would have to wait until the end of November to transfer the number. Or, we could do it right away with a new number. Huh. I took that offer.

And it works.

tl;dr problem solved, slowly.

During the time that I left I walked the path I had walked to the bank on one of my early adventures. I had remember a store selling used bikes and I went back to that very same store. I had anticipated using my phone's data and translating app to facilitate communication -but that wouldn't be option for quite sometime. Instead I used some Englush, some Korean, and a lot of gestures. The man running the place was very accommodating and excited to help. He set me up with a used bike, a lock, and through in a basket and some maintenance for free. The cost was about 75$ Canadian. I only had 60$ in my wallet so I told him I would go down the block to the bank. He told me "use the bike!". Which was very trusting of him, so naturally I had to come back with the money. What a nice guy!

Then I just went everywhere. I found the arcade that the other teachers had showed me, I went back to the artificial waterfall. It's open again, but there's no water yet. I went to the start of the path along the river and went down for about ten km. I passed beautiful fall colours, many herons fishing in the river, looming blocks of towers, the stadium for Ansan's soccer team and even a turtle. It was incredible.

I know I'm not crazy about being on my own, I like company. I'm such an extrovert, unless I have a bike. I am never alone with a bike, and sometimes I appreciate being alone more with a bike. That's why my bike trip around PEI was so successful. Even now I lovingly stare across the room at my new friend, my bike.

The only reason I had to turn back while bike riding was because I had to get back to the phone place. If the weather is still favourable I hope to go out tomorrow and finish!