I was heading back home from Yangjae today and was sitting on a bench, waiting for the subway at Seonbawai Station (near Seoul Racecourse Park).  The headlights of the train came closer, and I quickly got up to throw away my Coke Zero can before getting on.  I sat down and looked for my phone to see what time it was, making sure I’d get home plenty of time before my class in the afternoon.  Looked through my purse, through the bigger tote I was carrying, and patted myself down… no phone.  Ok, it had to be somewhere.  I rummaged through my things again.  No phone.  I started to get concerned.  This time, I took everything out of my bag and touch every item before returning it into the bigger bag.  No phone.  I couldn’t have lost it, could I?  I’ve never lost a phone.  I would never just set it down.  Ok, it must have fallen out of my pocket when I got up from the bench.  That’s the only explaination.  ARGH!

I got off at the next stop, which was three stops away from Seonbawi.  I rode the train back to Seonbawi, hoping, hoping, hoping, it would still be on the bench.  I asked the ticket seller if anyone brought a phone to her - nope.  I went back to the bench where I was sitting at and looked around.  There was a man sitting there and I asked him if he saw my phone - nope.  I walked around perplexed, looking into the garbage can that still contained my empty Coke Zero can.  Nothing.  The old man called me over and offers to let me use his cell phone to call my phone.  I called, but the phone has been turned off.  Hmmm.

I quickly accepted the fact that I lost my cell phone.  Life’s too short to dwell.  I didn’t feel angry, distraught, lost, or countless other feelings some cell phone junkies might have.  It’s gone… oh well.  I’ll live.  At least I didn’t lose my wallet, iPod, or planner/journal there were in my bag.  More than anything, I felt annoyed at having to go cancel my phone tomorrow and sign up for a new one.  I also got to thinking… I don’t know anyone’s phone number by heart.  Not even Raswan’s!  I know it’s 010-something something, 6389.

At school, I called my phone several times, but it was still off.  Maybe whoever picked up my phone took my T-Money card, which was attached to the phone, and threw the phone away?  By the time I got home around 8:30pm, I was checking my email and saw one that said URGENT.  A woman found my phone and called one of my contacts, and this person emailed me.  I got the woman’s phone number and called Thomas through Skype.  His Korean friend found out her address for me and I’m going to Gangnam tomorrow to pick up my phone! I’m assuming this woman didn’t make tons of long distance calls or chatted up phone sex operators on my won.  So, I’m going to pick up a Starbuck’s gift card to give her, as a way of saying, “Thanks for not pocketing the 12,000 won T-Money card and throwing my phone away.”

Have you ever lost a cell phone?  Was it a tramatic experience?  What happened?