What a night!! Sam saved by a Sam

Today after a long and un-busy Saturday shift working at Ssamzi gil, Soo jin and I subwayed it over to Myeong-dong station to meet up with Sean gardner for dinner.
I knew that Sean would be craving some American food, so we found a fried chicken place called two-two. Thwarting my weight loss ambitions, I had a Korean beer too. I love Korean beer and I hate beer in general! Anyone who knows me knows i have a hard time finishing a beer by myself, it usually ends up going warm before I get 1/2 way through, but this stuff i can guzzle down!
We strolled around the area, and its night market scene, I may go back there for $20 skinny jeans and $10 bags and shoes.
So we finally call it a night and go our separate routes at the subway stop. Sean and I travel a bit together then separate at a transfer station. About 10 stops later I realize I'm heading the wrong way on the subway line. A little panicky because its late and im not sure when the subway closes I get off and hop around to the other side of the track. Nervously I wait for the next train going the other direction.
Finally it shows up and I hop on, now 19 stops away from Dangsan! I choose to sit next to this cute young sleeping Korean dude since the alternative was an old dude and a drunk dude and open my book again anticipating a long ride ahead.
Half way to the next stop an ominous voice comes over the P.A in Korean. uh. oh. seriously? one stop is all I get? Yep. the subway is done, everybody off. So I'm on subway line #2 the green line which is a big circle around central Seoul, and I'm basically at the opposite end of the circle. Guul Station! I nervously look around as everyone gets off, and I reluctantly follow the now awake, cute young Korean boy. He turns around to see if I am indeed following him and says, yes, this is the last stop! (Oh nice! he speaks english!) " I didn't know it was going to stop so soon, Where are you going?" he asks. "uh dangsan" I reply, "how about you?" "Sinjeong! so close! lets split a cab!" What luck, I think to myself. I know cabs aren't that expensive here, but I have no idea just how far I am from home, and as a foreigner on my own, without many options I don't have a lot of negotiating leverage. Also I only have $10 on me!
The boy and I start talking as we walk along the subway platform, It turns out he just got finished with his mandatory 2 years in the army (required for all korean boys) and he spent 4 years in Vancouver prior to that studying. He was very excited to learn I was also from Canada, and I was very excited to learn that his English name is Sam!
Like vultures, there are a tonne of cabbies surrounding the subway exit, Sam talks to one of them, and relays back to me that he will take us to our two stops for $25 but he would like to wait for another potential rider, to beef up his fare. We wait a little bit but there isn't anyone else. Sam whispers to me that he told the guy we were friends so we both wouldn't have to pay $25, which is why the driver wanted to wait for a third. I nervously tell Sam that I only have $10 on me, and that maybe we could find an ATM first. He smiles and says, "don't worry about it, I'll pay the $25, You are Canadian and It would be my pleasure, when I was in Canada, everyone was so nice to me!" WOW.
I give Sam my caricature button with a drawing I did on it, and my phone number and tell him, Im a caricature artist and I would love to return the favour by drawing him. In the cab he tells me all about his Canadian education experience and how he spent a lot of time not working, but snowboarding and skateboarding and how difficult Korean school is in comparison. I told him I could believe that, that many of the Korean kids I went to school with in Toronto were such hard workers, that it must have been what they were accustomed too. I also mentioned that I read about how hard the entrance exams to the Korean universities were and how hard korean children work to prepare for this test, their whole lives, only to party and slack off once they get in. He confirms this with me and promises me to work hard when he gets in.
Then Sam asks me my age, which is a very common thing to do here, like I mentioned in a previous post, and when I say 27 he says woaaah! Older sister! hahaha...ugh. guess that puts us right out of flirt zone and right into the friend zone. Sam informs me he's 23, and though he did look young, to me all koreans are older than I guess. Plus he's lead a pretty involved life so far so I was guessing around 27 for him too. wrong! Sam still suggests that we get together sometime for lunch though, I accept, my first korean friend that I made on my own!

The cab finally gets to my stop, it must have been a 20 min. ride, so who knows how much that would have cost me in Toronto, but I think $25 was a pretty good deal. I shake hands with Sam, and call up Sean to tell him about the events that transpired. and when I get home I get a text from Sam, confirming my phone number & apologizing for texting so late. I text back, no worries Sam, thanks for saving my ass tonight, I'm a night owl, and I'm up working on my blog, its about you! He writes back

"yes sista!!!!! u better go to bed soon for health sista!!! take care i text you next!"