It's also what's been dumped all over us today like the splattery slime on that Nickelodeon show.
Yes, our three-day (five-day if you count the weekend) vacation at the end of summer school is over and it's back to work; I'm leaving in 20 minutes for our first faculty planning day. The kids arrive on Monday and it's back on the chain gang.
Actually, I'm looking forward to the fall semester, but you know how I produce more whine that Ernest and Julio Gallo.
Yesterday, in a newbie blunder, I managed to throw away a hundred bucks. Faina, the new English teacher, flew in to Incheon and I went to meet her. The school gave me 100,000 Won with the expectation that I'd take the bus to the airport (15,000 Won) and grab a cab back (50,000 or so).
Well, I waited and waited with my little sign at the egress and finally Faina emerged. As we were headed out with her 37 bags to grab a taxi, a guy came up to me and asked if we needed a cab.
"Yes," I said.
What. A. Maroon.
He took us to his van, which had "AIRPORT LIMOUSINE" painted on the side. It was highly legal; he had a meter and a license and all.
...aaaaaand the trip cost 159,000 Won, a little over triple the standard taxi rate. In my defense (and then I throw myself on the mercy of the court and plead temporary, but not necessarily short-term, insanity), I had never in my life taken a taxi from an airport before.
I'm hoping that Mr. Park, our boss, will spring for the whole fare, but I wouldn't blame him if he didn't.
I dragged the jet-lagged Faina around the neighborhood for a bit, took her to the neighborhood equivalent of Mecca (E-Mart), and left her to her sleep, however much she could grab.
I'm sure my mad transport-acquiring skillz made a great impression on her.
To end on a happier note, I've been wanting a Mets t-shirt (has to be blue, not that noxious black they wear these days) for a long time. Faina, bless her, brought me a present, completely out of the (Mets) blue: a blue Mets t-shirt.
And now I have ten minutes to get out of here. I owe, I owe...
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Edited to add: the taxi driver gave me a receipt, which I didn't look at till this morning. Fare: 159,000 Won. Receipt reading: 7,500. Seventy-five HUNDRED.
1 comment:
Steve:
Back around 20 years ago, I was robbed by a guy pretending to be a cab driver in NY City just outside of Penn Station. So, I know how you feel. At least you got to where you were going and everyone was intact!
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