4:20am Saturday. Changwon bus terminal. My bus has arrived about 45 min. ahead of schedule, and I am both excited that the trip passed so quickly and groggy from having been awake for most of the night. I whip out my handy cell phone and dial my friend Shane, who I am in town to visit. No answer. Thinking he is simply asleep and didn't hear the phone ring, I call again. And again. And again. And again. And again. I send him a text message. No reply. I track down a helpful local who speaks a small ammount of English to translate the Korean message I am getting at the end of the ringing on the phone. He shakes his head at me saddly and says "Phone sleep. No ring." I look up and down the dark street a little forlornly - I don't know where Shane lives, and I don't have any other way to contact him. I don't know what I will do.
5am. The sun comes up kind of all at once in Changwon. First it is dark, then the street lights go off, then it is light. The busses start running past, and people begin to walk around. Not many, but a few. I try Shane another 16 times, with no luck. I figure once he wakes up he will realize his phone is dead and will contact me. I know he sleeps a lot later than I do - maybe as late as 10am. I'm all set for a long wait.
5:15am. I notice a big tourist map of Changwon next to the terminal and check it out. The area looks lovely, and there are a lot of sites marked on the big map. I find the university and decide that if I can't get a hold of Shane by 9:30 then I will take a taxi to the university and see if I can find someone who knows him/where he lives. If that fails, then at least I will have seen where I will be working soon and can continue my self-guided tour of the area from there. I sit down on my backpack and pull out my book, thinking that I am fine but that 9:30 is a long way off.
6am. My phone rings! It's Kyoung, Shane's girlfriend! She has woken up early, realized I haven't called yet, and is checking up on me! I tell her with relief Shane's phone is dead and she says she will be over soon. Halleluia!! No self guided tour afterall!!
6:15am. Disheveled and sheepish Shane and Kyoung pull up in front of the station to rescue me from my neverending night. They feel bad, but no harm no foul. I am just happy it is 6:15 instead of 9:30. The moral of the story - ALWAYS have a backup plan, 'cause you never know when someone is going to be dumb and ignore their girlfriend telling them to plug in their dying cell phone before they go to bed...