Pre-Chusok life

It's been a while since my last post... The past few weeks I've mostly been just looking forward to vacation. I did have "adventures" trying to set up online banking so I could transfer money home.

There was a lot lost in translation when I had originally gone to set up my bank account. And in America it doesn't take much to set up online banking. Social security number, bank account number, pin, etc... Not in Korea. Let me take a quite break and say Koreans are the most inefficient people EVER. They have zero organizational skills...(that means zero multi-tasking skills as well...)

I think I had it set up on my own without having to go to the bank. But still couldn't do what I needed to do. So I called the bank's English line from Skype. Naturally, a Korean answered. I tried to explain what I needed. She needed my Alien Registration Number. Fine. She asks a question I didn't really understand. I said yes (that's always my answer to questions I don't understand). Then I hear music and Korean jabber... I hung up. Because I obviously don't know Korean. I mean that's why I called the English line... So the next day I insist to my employer that I need to go to the bank branch with a Korean.

The lady taps at her computer for a while. Needed my registration card, passport, bank books. Fine. She gives me a new card thing and said I'm ready for online banking. (Not true...) I spent the rest of the day (an hour lunch break and five 10 minute breaks) trying to give the damn online system what it wanted. FINALLY I was able to send money home...

And I have a wonderful "Only in Korea" story...