no pictures- words of excitement

It's almost 4 in the morning, "why am I awake?"

Well I was shook from my sleep by a most alarming sound... an alarm.

I couldn't quite believe it, but coming from the speaker in my ceiling was wailing sound of an alarm, and from my hall the desperate ring of a bell.

I opened the door, and see little movement, one man. I take a little whiff. I smell something. A little familiar.

I start to gather my things. A shirt (it's freezing) my uke (new-electrified, super awesome, wanted to keep morale- my own included, up, and couldn't quite figure out what would happen if everything burned down, would I have insurance to cover it?)

Carried my shoes the 6 cold tile floors. Met up with a friend on the building putting his on on the 2nd floor. My building-mates confirmed my friend Shawn's experience- they took the elevator (those that responded to the persistent wailing).

That familiar smell, like burning, but special. Why do I know it. I hear something that makes my heart jump- electrical fire. That's why I know, for the 4th or so time in Korea, this evening I (apparently) destroyed something electrical.

I know my constant harping doesn't change anything. Maybe the ol' U.S. of A. is dummy proof. But I can never think of a circumstance where plugging something in (back home) caused the smells, and sounds (not to mention accidents and destruction) that it can here. (To draw it out clearly, since I said I would elaborate not blah blah write a story- I bought a 10 w amp for 20buckaroos, carried it around Seoul all day, finally got home at night and plugged it in, with little excitement. Got a little excitement from the amp, mostly when distortion allowed me to sound vaguely like Jimi H on uke. I turn it off and go back to the acoustic sound which is just as loud. A little while later I hear a pop. I unplug the little adapter for the amp. It is hot and smoking. Unclear if it will ever work again.)

Overheard in Korean upon returning (2 Korean dudes, appear to be the only people responding, aside from a young Korean woman who looks as rattled as I feel) that this was a drill. Typical Korean cover up. They don't make fire alarms like this back home, smells and all.

I am finally done shivering. I think I can ignore the burnt hair smell, especially if my neighbors up and down and beside the stairs can.

I am thinking now in my last bitter thoughts before I conclude this installation of nightly sleep, it was good fun that they did this on a Saturday night, maybe lots of people weren't home.