iPhone

I finally got an iPhone!!!  Yay!!!!

Payday is at the end of the month and on Tuesday I had yet to get a bank account and a phone.  I knew it had to happen sooner or later as I was definitely getting paid...and it made sense to get both together.

The school secretary-goddess (she is really so much more than just a secretary) took me to the bank down the street first.  We - well, she - set everything up for me and I got an account, account booklet, and debit/ATM card.  I signed at least ten different pages and understood nothing.  ...Sometimes living in a different country where one doesn't speak the language can be worrisome...

For the phone we went across the street to this tiny shop.  Inside were displays of the very first cell phones: clunky, big, boxy, and almost ancient! There were also pagers on display.  No iPhones to be seen.  When I think of phone shops I think of the Verizon stores in the USA: big, sleek, modern, and spacious.  This little store was the antithesis of what I was expecting. Of course, the phone salesman didn't have any iPhones in the store and had to call another store somewhere else in Seoul to have it delivered.  I requested the iPhone 4S but apparently there aren't any in stock because the new iPhone is coming out (in OCTOBER!) so they were trying to run down the remaining stock levels.

My phone wasn't going to be delivered until 7 pm that night, but I signed all the paperwork and asked questions while I still had my secretary-translator.  The pricing was okay and I decided to get insurance (I work with kids - wouldn't you?).

When I arrived at 7 pm the delivery man still hadn't arrived. The salesman ended up calling him five or six times and yelled at him to hurry up.  The poor man roared up in the little motorbike and apologized to me three times in English. The salesman set up my phone and I was able to walk out about an hour later.  Unfortunately, he didn't configure the 3G settings so I had to go back the next day.

I love having a smart phone.  I appreciate the constant access to the internet because it keeps me in close contact with my family (hello Skype and Kakao Talk).  I also like the map feature so I can more easily figure out where I am when I am out and about.  Perhaps my favorite feature is the camera though.  I am already snapping pictures and taking videos to share!  Stay tuned!