fml. bml.

fml.
my legs are about to break from walking around literally the whole day.
story: so i was riding the subway back from my aunt's a few hours ago. i have to transfer onto another subway line at "chungmuro" in order to get to apgujung. i got off at chungmuro and went the opposite way from apgujung. i realized 2 stops after and got off. what was i supposed to do from there? just walk across to the other side and ride the right subway back towards the right direction to apgujung right? but STUPID ME, tired from the whole day, didn't think and got back off at chungmuro, thinking i was supposed to get onto the right subway, which i was already ON. so, short story even shorter, i took way too long to get home. fml.
anyway...
september 2nd marks 1 month since i arrived.
which also means it's time for rent.
as you guys already know, i live in a booger-sized room in apgujung. i pay 530,000 won, which equals to about $500. ridiculous? unbelievable? outrageous? damn (excuse me) right it is.
... which is why i spent hours last night researching and writing down 7 different "livingtels" in gangnam.

*livingtels: kinda like a hostel. look at this, for example
some rooms have their own bathroom and some don't, which means you have to use the community bathroom. thank the Lord i got my own. the place i'm living at right now is co-ed.
here's a video of my place right now. excuse the mess.

so why gangnam when it's ridiculously, unbelievably, outrageously expensive? because it eases my dad's anxiety. yesterday, as i was in the car with my dad trying to look at a place in chungdam (apgujung and chungdam are both in gangnam), i suggested looking at some places near stella and jeanne. he responded with, "where they're living is not as safe. i wouldn't feel uncomfortable. it's like sunset blvd of LA." ok, dad, i'm the one paying for it. why should i cater to your comfort?
... because otherwise, it means a thousand more phone calls and text messages from him every day.
ok fine, gangnam it is. fml.
so today morning, i woke up early, called the different places, asked if they had a room available, how much the price was, and then process-of-eliminationed it down to 4. the trip to the first one was hell. i got lost for 30 minutes. i drew out the map of each livingtel i was to visit and i KNEW for sure i drew it right. then why couldn't i find it right away? i was so frustrated. turns out these people suck at locating their building on a map. fml.
that 30-minute delay prevented me from visiting the last 2 on my list because i had tutor at 5. by 3, my legs were about to die on me. it was raining one minute, super hot another minute... fml.
the last place i decided to visit before giving up and leaving for tutor (1.5 hrs away... fml) was predictable. tiny, booger-sized, dirty compared to my current place, 460,000 won. ehhh...
and then. as i exited the building, i saw a sign with pictures on it. "noble house? probably foble."
(for those of you who don't know, i add "f" to everything "fake." example: when you're supposed to be studying, but you're thinking about other things -- ftudying.)
anyway, i looked at the pictures, thought, "probably false advertisement like all the other places." but i think God pushed me to check it out anyway...

bml. (bless my life)
noble house: an answer to my prayers, literally. i've been praying constantly the past few days about this and God has graciously answered. not only is this place brand new, but it's way bigger than all the other livingtels i visited. bml. the front desk people, a fairly old couple, are nice. men and women are separated by floors. the hallways are wide. the kitchen is really clean. most importantly, the rooms are way bigger. my room is on the bigger side and guess how much i have to pay.
420,000 won!!! bml. best deal i've found in gangnam. God, thank you thank you thank you times a million!

say hello to my new place (for now!)

*i have to move out by tomorrow. i found this out an hour ago. fml.

now onto another fml dilemma:
so brian song (kcm stsm leader 2k9; he's in korea for another year) called me at 7:15 am today morning. i greeted him with an "i hate you" and he went straight into asking me, "are you interested in teaching at an elementary school?" it caught me off guard. "what? i can't. i don't have a working visa." and then he explained to me that he knows someone who hires at this elementary school in shinchon (near yonsei university) and that some teacher at the school just turned in his 2-week notice, which means he's ending his contract too early. basically, if i get the job, i get free housing, awesome hours, and awesome pay. problems:
1. i need a criminal background check done in a week: gotta ask the U.S. department of justice to mail me a fingerprint card. then i have to fingerprint all 10 fingers at a police station, fill out some form, and mail it back to sacramento, along with $25. fml. then, i have to wait for the results to be mailed back to my mother, who has to go and apostille/notarize it and then mail it back to me. fml fml fml.

2. i need to get an F-4 visa: my parents don't know where my birth certificate is so i have to order a copy of it, which takes who-knows-how-long. also, i have to register my name in the Korean family registry, and then after that's done, i have to prepare more documents. fml.


i also got a call back today morning from this one hakwon that requires me to work from 9 - 6:30 M-F. the ad says i only get 1,500,000 won (~$1,300), which pretty much means slavery. i'm still going to the interview tomorrow at 11am anyway.
either way though, i can't accept any hakwon jobs until i know for sure i can't get the elementary school job. so..... that means if i really don't get the school job, then i waste ~2 weeks of potentially being able to find a hakwon job. fml.

speaking of hakwons, you know the place i helped out for 2 weeks? the 15/hr place that was an hour away? still haven't sent me my moneys. i deleted his number a few days ago. i can't find his number anywhere online. fml.


so many fml's eh? well, it's all the more a lesson i need to learn of trusting in God and counting my blessings. bml that i lived in such a safe, convenient, clean area for my first month. bml for not fainting today of exhaustion, dehydration, hunger, and heat. bml for overly-caring parents and relatives. bml for my 2 closest friends who are with me in korea. bml for being introduced to the elementary school job. bml for having God who i can find rest and comfort in, who protects me and holds my hand wherever i go and gives me all these bml's and fml's to learn and grow from. :)