Lee Min Young “ The airport. Enough said. I

have arrived in the land of pure torture.        

             

And...I am not quite sure if I'm prepared.

            First, seeing that I forgot to practice reading my name in Hangul, I will have no idea where to go.

            Next, I haven't seen my sister since she flew over to see me herself five years ago, right before she went off to medical school to become a heart surgeon. So, if she comes to pick me up- because I know my parents won't- I'm not completely sure what she looks like. I know. It sounds weird.

            Wait, I've seen this sort of thing in dramas before. Well, like...ish. Because most of the time the Korean person coming from America knows how to read, and/or write.

            I am capable of neither.

            So....blah, blah, blah, airport security check, standing in line for an hour, boring stuff.

            Suddenly, I hear from a middle-aged guy behind me, "Agassi-" something in Korean.

            Oh god. Not this. Not now.

            "I'm sorry, what?" I reply.

            Wow. I come to my home country after eight years abroad, and the first thing someone says to me I can't understand at all.

            I hear more gibberish, so I just smile and awkwardly nod back. He seems to be waiting for me to reply, so I say the only thing I remember how to say and pronounce correctly: "Anyoung haseyo..." erm, what else do I know? "Mannaseo bangapseu-....seu...."

            Okaaaay, all I'm doing is naming off greetings, and this ahjussi is looking at me like I have completely lost my mind.

            While I am mentally scolding myself, I get called up in the line and show the person my passport.

            Wait. If that ahjussi was in the same line as me, that means he has a passport from some other country. And from what I can see through his blue passport labeled...well...."passport", he should've been able to speak to me in English if I had asked him to.

            Yeah, my observation skills are a little rusty.

 

            When I finally escape the land of long lines and waiting, I see the ahjussi from earlier walking behind me out the doorway.

            "Okay, time to test my skills," I mutter to myself. "Let's see who's picking him up."

            Easy rules of the observation game (OG):

- Whatever is trying to be found out must be discovered before a revealing action

- It cannot be known to the observed that they are being so

- At least three observations must be made to make an ending inferration

           

            Rules set, and begin.

One.

            Alright, from what I know, he has American citizenship, so it is possible that the person coming to pick him up would be holding a sign in English, like me.

Two.

            From the way his walking sped up, I can guess he's found that person.

Three.

            His eyes are focused northwest, and there is someone holding a sign in English, so....

            Through my observations, I can infer that the dude holding the sign is the dude that's picking that ahjussi up.

            But I was so focused on the dude that I was walking in their direction and accidentally tripped on the ahjussi's suitcase.

            "Oops..."

            The dude on the left answers with something that sounds like: "See gyeh noon oh dee-" something something.

            I'll admit it: Korean is officially giberish to me.

            "I'm sorry, do you speak English?"

            The ahjussi replies instead. "Yes, we are both originally from America, but I'm just visiting before I go to Europe."

            This is crazy.

            Astou