#imbeingparanoid

This morning, I woke up at 6:00am as usual. But instead of getting ready for work, I had to get ready for a meeting with Gwangju’s Office of Education. Because I had about 2 hours to get ready and no idea what the weather would be today I decided at about 6:30am to go out, walk over to the café by my apartment and stand outside stealing Wi-Fi to check the weather report.

So when I exit my building, I exit in a tiny alley/road on the side of my building (it’s a hill). I can walk down the alley to the road in front of my apartment building and that is the route I usually take, but I can also walk up the hill to the road behind my apartment building. Further background on my apartment area: my apartment is in a row of apartments and then there is the street and then there is also a row of apartments in front of it, with a street in front of that row.

Okay so now to the story. So at 6:30am I exit my building (on the side) and walk down hill to the road in front of my building where I normally walk. As I am walking down the short hill, I see that the street in front of the apartments in front of mine is ridiculously foggy. I think: “hmmm? I wonder what that is… why is it so foggy? Oh well…” and I keep walking.

When I get about halfway down my street a car rounds the corner and starts coming at me, trailing this thick white fog I saw in the street in front of mine. PANIC. Is this fog toxic? Is this a plot to kill me? Is this North Korea attacking? WHY MY STREET?! Irrational thoughts invade my mind and I turn around and start walking back to my building thinking I can avoid the death-fog coming toward me. I hear the car catching up and I can smell the fog a bit… I start walking faster. The car is definitely catching up… I round the corner to the side of my building with the entrance and when I know the car driver cannot see me and think what the hell is this crazy foreigner doing? I haul ass running up the hill to get to my apartment, for this irrational fear has led me to complete (maybe not complete) irrational paranoia.

I reach the entrance of my building (the door is always open to the stairwell) and wait there… Should I go up the five flights to my room? Am I safe here? There has to be other people out right now… Do all Koreans know that toxic fog is sprayed at 6am and they must stay in their houses? WHY HAVE I NOT HEARD ABOUT THIS?

I decided I was being irrational. I came back out of my apartment building as soon as the car passed and this time, went up the hill to avoid the now foggy road I normally take to the café.

Everything seems fine when I get there. There is even a guy who also appears to be snagging some Wi-Fi from outside the closed café. He seems Korean and he isn’t freaking out about this mysterious fog…

Then… the car comes back around. This time it passes the street behind my apartment. I can definitely smell the fog this time… it smells like black licorice and chemicals. That can’t be good... but the guy next to me is still not freaking out! I’m being irrational right? I mean someone would have told me if there was a deadly fog sprayed by my apartment right? The car comes back around and leaves my small apartment area.

Still, I am mystified (and my throat is a little sore tonight)? I asked a few people and we think maybe it was some sort of bug spray, especially since my apartment is backed up to a mountain. But still… If I die, we’ll know why.

(Possibly) Irrationally fearful,