100% exhaustion

Whoa, kids. I can't even fathom how people raise children on their own. It's nice to see that b/c there's so little land and people are all squashed together, people here can more easily stop by each other's homes and help out. But even then! Yesterday, another cousin's daughter came to be babysat, and she made all the other children look totally tame. I've been eating too much food, too.

My one big errand was getting myself to Hongik University and meeting the professor who is supposed to be my supervisor/affiliation. That was a trip. I was confused in the cab (though the driver was SUPER nice), and asked the guard in the front of the school for directions. After wandering around a little (and two more calls from the prof saying, "where are you??"), I just asked a random student for help and she got me to the right place. Then there was a huge rigmarole of who are you and what are you doing and what does this letter say and let me get this other guy to translate it and now we have to change it so that the university isn't liable and let's go edit it and print it out and NOW he'll sign and goodbye! WHEW. I don't actually need the letter, but figured it wouldn't help my case if I said that it was for my files and not Fulbright's files. I didn't know how to say, "it's just a formality."

But once that was over, I felt much better and also much worse (just b/c the hierarchy and bureaucracy in academia was so icky to be surrounded by, even if it was just for half an hour). So I called my cousin and her very sweet friend came to pick me up outside the oilbank (aka gass station) on the corner near the subway station. So I stayed another night, though I really just wanted to get back to the empty house far from Seoul where all my vitamins and floss and peace and quiet were. Plus, I feel guilty for taking over my niece's (very comfortable) bed again! She still offered me chocolate in the morning (at 6:45am) so I'm hoping she didn't mind.

Today: orientation for language classes. Then, FINALLY, I'll try to make my way back to the place I'm supposed to be staying. I've been totally shocked by how nice strangers have been: all the guards at the universities, the cab drivers, the randoms that I ask for help. I had been warned never to ask for help, but so far, no major issues. Whew.