So, I'm writing this post as I sit at my desk at work. No, Dad, I'm not being a slacker. I'm just trying to make the best use of my time while I sit here in an empty classroom.
Gee, Jenny. Why are you sitting in an empty classroom?
Well, you see, the students didn't come to school today.
That's nice. Why?
Well, there's a hurricane, you see.
Then why are you at school?
Well, I don't know. I'm just supposed to be here.
But you said you were in an empty
classroom. Where's your coteacher?
She's at home.
Wait... what?
She left early so she could drive home before the brunt of it hit this area. Technically you have to use vacation time for that (some vacation!). But you see, having just come back from my two week summer vacation, I'm fresh out of vacation time. So here I sit, in a school that's empty except for about five other teachers and the vice principal during what is supposedly the worst typhoon to hit Korea in almost a decade.
Speaking of my vice principal, he just came on the PA system and made an announcement. In Korean. Of course, I have no idea what he said. Just going to hope that it wasn't anything too urgent, and that if it was, one of the remaining teachers in the school would let in on the secret.
All that being said, as I look out my window, my view is...well...boring. The windows have been rattling just a little. But otherwise it's just an overcast, windy day. With a sprinkling of rain here and there. I must say, I'm a bit disappointed.
Looking out the window at my apartment, however is a different story! Actually, you can't look out my window.
Once again... Why?
I covered my entire window in newspaper.
And you did this because?
It was suggested by a lot of Koreans to help protect my apartment.
Newspapers are going to protect your apartment?
Right. I know it sounds crazy. I think the plywood boards put up by people in Florida every hurricane season makes a bit more sense. But nonetheless, people here swear by it. A few of them say that taping newspaper to your window, and then spraying them with water, makes the windows super strong.
...And you believe this?
Most definitely not. But I'm not going to rule out what some of the other Koreans hypothesized. They said the benefit is that if your window breaks, the wet newspaper helps prevent the glass from shattering everywhere. I suppose their other suggestion, putting duct tape X's or boxes across my windows would have been easier. But I came across newspaper first.
Ok, well, I suppose, 'Better safe than sorry!'
Yeah, I felt pretty good about when I finally finished the job around midnight last night. But then about five minutes later I realized the water would dry up quickly. Huh. I suppose this sort of window treatment only works if you are home to maintain it and continue spraying water on it. (By the way, spraying water proved quite difficult, given that I don't have a spray bottle. I do, however, have an iron that has a misting function. Excellent, except that more water leaks out the bottom than sprays through the nozzle part. I ended up just getting a rag and wiping down all the places I could reach. Needless to say, the top of my wall of windows was a bit neglected. Still, I figured getting what I could reach was better than nothing.)
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| My apartment window before I attacked it with newspaper. |
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| After. Obviously. |
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| The duct tape X window treatment. Would have been a lot less work. But hey, you live and you learn! |
A Few Quick Links About the Storm
I don't understand the way they stated the wind speeds, but I did get a kick out of this quote: "[the strong winds] can move not just people but big rocks!"
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Unfortunatley for the people of North Korea, it looks like
they will be seeing a bit more typhoon action than us in the South.
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Wow! Typhoon, oh no!! Be safe miss Johnson, I agree... Plywood sounds much better than newspaper... But I see your point :) thanks for writing, and not slacking off :D
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