Lent: Reminder

***Don't forget to sign the petition (and this one too!) to save refugees from North Korea!***

Blessing #24 - The kindness of strangers.

Today is the day that my allergies kick my butt sinus-pressure-wise, unless I dope up on medications, which I hate doing, but I had to teach, so I chose the medicine route.  Unfortunately, this induced zombie-Anne on the bus this morning, meaning that I realized what the thud was as I was getting off the bus just a little too late.  Yes, the sound that attracted the attention of everyone on the bus except me was my phone tumbling off of my lap and onto the bus stairs.  I realized it just as the bus pulled away from the stop.

Fittingly, this is a picture of my head teacher and me,
on a bus, celebrating 빼빼로 Day (11/11).

I got to school as quickly as I could in my mouth-breathing state, and my head teacher made some phone calls for me to try and locate my phone.  Amazingly, no one had swiped it, nor had they stepped on it.  The bus driver kindly searched the bus for it, and, finding it, told us what time to expect him back at the stop and promised to deliver it to me.

So, at 9:40am, I found myself anxiously waiting at the bus stop where I figured he'd show up.  Unfortunately, I forgot to account for route reversal, so I had to dash into the street as the bus driver pulled up, holding my phone out the window (sometimes it pays to be a minority).  He was quite the congenial guy, chuckling at me and the handful of chocolates I shoved at him.  I'm sure he got a good laugh at me almost getting hit by a car on my way back to the sidewalk, too.  I hope he and his wife enjoyed the story over dinner.  I know my friend and I did as he stopped by to help me with the art project I'm currently working on.  (It's due on Wednesday, but that site may get an unfinished version.  We'll see.)

As for me and my phone - we're reunited, unscathed.  I'm grateful.  I like my iPhone and its ability to connect me to the US for minimal costs.  In fact, for about $60/year, I can buy a US number through Skype, which, thanks to its iPhone app, connects straight to my phone.  Anyone who can call Tennessee for free can reach me in Korea for free.  It's pretty awesome.

My cute phone, after it lost one of its feet.  I removed the other.  They're both in my purse now, waiting for me to get adventurous with some superglue.

But I digress.  Today there were a whole lot of strangers who could have made my life pretty annoying without any real consequence to themselves, but they chose not to.  How often would you see that happen in the States?  I think that's something we should work on, and a definite part of groupthink that we could afford to adopt.

When was the last time someone you didn't know did something nice for you?  When was the last time you paid it forward?