Opsayo

This is it. I'm at Incheon airport for my flight back to the US. I will miss this country more than I could have thought possible a year ago. I came hear with the attitude that you can live anywhere for a year and what you get out of a place depends on what you put into it. I have run into many people here who are here for their year or two. They see it as a speedbump or an item they need checked. I would come back in a heartbeat. I continue to tell people that if it weren't for an assignment to Germany I would have extended. That's the truth.

As far as culture shocks go, I think moving from the Washington DC area to Seoul is probably the biggest one you can find moving between capitals in the first world...maybe Tokyo. Korea is unique. It's not like China, not like Japan, not like Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia or the Philippines. It's an island (figuratively, but essentially as well) and has developed an amazing culture that began before my ancestors were even looking out over the Atlantic. They invented (not improved, modified or adapted, they created a writing system that makes more sense that any other I've ever seen about the same time Columbus was making his voyage.

Amazing people, amazing culture. I will miss both immensely.

Deja Vu

My bags are packed and my apartment is cleaned out. I'm now back in the same hotel I stayed at in January 2005. I'm again living out of a suitcase. All my worldly possessions that I will have access to for the next 6 weeks are sitting on the floor less than 10 feet from me. A few final pieces of paperwork and a 45-minute drive to the airport are all that stand between me and the United States.

Koreans save the world?

From The Washington Post…

Kimchi Sales Rise on Link to Possible Bird Flu Cure
By Elissa Silverman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, December 31, 2005; Page D01

Moon K. Yoon sensed something was up about two months ago when the 16-ounce jars of kimchi started moving quickly from the shelves of the Lotte Plaza International Supermarket in Fairfax, a sign that interest in the spicy cabbage dish had moved beyond the Korean customers who typically buy it by the gallon.

At the Super H Mart on Lee Highway in Fairfax City, sales of $7.99 bags of freshly made kimchi have increased 55 percent, compared with a year ago, store records showed.

Ho Jin Lee, president of Kim Chee Pride Inc. of Maspeth, N.Y., which supplies kimchi on the East Coast, said sales jumped 20 percent this year.

A sudden new joie d'epice in the American diet?

Try avian flu.

Complete Article

Transition

Welcome back. Just out of curiosity, if there are no comments on this entry thus far, let me know when you read this. You may get a prize if you're the first.

I've been negligent in my blogging duties. Since my last posting I have…

…Visited Thailand:


Since returning I have felt I should receive a stipend from the Thai Tourism Bureau as I have I can not talk to someone about this country without encouraging them to go.

…Been visited by K:



We had a great week. We both got to explore the country, her for the first time and me for the first time as tour guide. Its amazing how much differently you see something when you are the teacher, not the student. The week consisted of (among other things) A Joint Security Area (Panmunjom) tour, driving from Seoul to Gyongju and then onto Pusan for the Pusan International Film Festival and Jagalchi Fish Festival. While at dinner in Pusan we were served a small plate of unidentified items that looked like fish slices, but different. Each piece had a thin black outer layer, a thick white layer and a brownish-red layer. Upon querying the waiter he told us they were 고래 ("go-ray"). He searched the restaurant for someone who knew the English word, finally using his cell phone to look it up (unsuccessfully). This whole time it is obvious to us that this is a gift from him to us. In this culture you do not refuse gifts, so we relegated ourselves to eating these items. About this time he came back and pronounced it "sea elephant." K and I looked at each other and thought "whale?" Our suspicions were confirmed when he again returned with a piece of paper on which he had drawn a picture of a whale that Walt Disney himself would have been proud of, complete with smile and a fountain of water squirting from his blowhole. We choked down one each and confirmed that the black layer was skin, the white was blubber and the brown-red was meat. Not wanting to offend the guy I swallowed two more pieces with the help of copious amounts of soju (the ubiquitous Korean liquor) and water. K refused to eat any more, so we hid the rest at the bottom of a bottle of beer.

My "interesting" food list now contains:

• Alligator


• Escargot


• Ox blood soup


• Jellyfish


• Rattlesnake


• Silkworm Larvae


• Whale

…Been visited by my parents and brother:

This week consisted of more touring, including the JSA (above), shopping, great food, Thanksgiving and oral surgery (not quite as enjoyable as the rest).

…Been visited by P:

"In the area" for a conference in China, he took a slight detour for a few days and visited Seoul on the dime of a major software company. More food, more shopping and one more trip to the JSA. That makes 5 trips there for me. I think that qualifies me as a tour guide. Interestingly, I've been on 5 different versions of the tour: Official military VIP, official military, USO, and two separate Korean tour companies.

…Enjoyed Christmas and New Year's:

About 50% of those who practice religion in Korea are Christian (the other 50% are Buddhist), so Christmas is pretty prominent, but not as overwhelming as it in the US. I spent both eves with friends here. On New Year's Eve we journeyed downtown to experience the literal ringing in of the new year. From Lonely Planet Korea:

Bosingak (보신각)
Situated in Jongo (Bell street), Seoul's main street during the Joseon period, this pavilion houses a modern version of the city bell that was originally forged in 1468. The bell is only rung at New Year, when crowds gather to celebrate, but in Joseon times it was struck 33 times at dawn (for the 33 heavens in Buddhism) and 28 times at sunset (for the 28 stars that determine human destiny).

All in all a fun night. As you can see from the above photo, bottle-rocket-type fireworks were omnipresnet. Despite police attempts to shut down fireworks vendors there was a constant barrage overhead. So much so that in the 2 hours we spent in the area we had accumulated a visible layer of soot and debris.

…Confirmed I will be moving to Germany

That's right. On 30 January I depart Korea, spend about 10 days in the US before I touch down at Frankfurt International Airport for part two of my international adventure. I'll be living in or around Wiesbaden (which is a good 4-5 hour drive from Oktoberfest in Munich, for those of you planning to use it as a staging point). Needless to say the next month will be busy, so please bear with me.