February 16th:
First, I'd like to write about my experiences yesterday on my flight.
Traveling from Washington Dulles to San Francisco was long enough of a flight at about 5 hours. I wasn't looking forward at all to getting off the plane only to get right back on another and fly over 12 hours to Seoul, Korea. I figured that after about 6 hours I'd be gnawing off my own leg to get free. Thankfully, the person sitting next to me, Edward, was a great traveling companion, and made those 12 hours bearable. Edward is an interesting guy - he's a video producer, teacher, artist, actor, and stand-up comic, living in LA (Los Angeles, not Louisiana). He had a lot to say about teaching methods and of his love for teaching. We also spoke quite a bit about art. Having never taken an art appreciation class myself, he gave me some interesting perspectives on art. I enjoyed talking with him because he seemed to have the same outlook on life that I have. He also had an amazing tolerance for alcohol. I don't know how anyone could drink 2 mini-bottles of wine, 7 (at last count) Bloody Marys, and a beer over the 12 hours.
We watched the map of our trip as if we were watching the New Years Eve ball drop over a period of twelve hours. Edward was so excited to be in Korea. He can't wait to hit the karaoke bars.

After finally managing to find the special Army/AirForce cab I needed to take, we began on the hour's journey from the airport to Seoul. Coming into Seoul, I could see some amazing things in the night skyline. All the bridges had neon lights to illuminate the structures. I slept most of the cab ride, though frequently I was jolted awake by the insane driving by the cab driver.
Here's a link to a picture of the first bridge I crossed in Seoul. It's a huge suspension bridge, as you can see.

Today: My hotel room is hilarious. There's a single remote that controls the temp, lights, alarm clock, as well as "Do Not Disturb" and "Make Up Room" buttons. It's as freaky as I thought it would be. I'm living "Lost in Translation". At least the showers are tall enough. There's a scale in my bathroom that measures in kilos. I stepped on it, and it very nearly circled all the way back to zero. That didn't exactly make my day. In the drawer by the bed is, of course, the Bible. Also in the same drawer is the "HelloPages" phonebook and a book entitled "The Teaching of Buddha". In a country that is about 1/2 Christian and 1/2 Buddhist, this makes sense.
Just outside my window, I have a view of Mt. Namsan and Seoul Tower. Mt. Namsan is the site of a smoke signal station used by the Joseon Dynasty (1392 - 1910) to warn outlying fortresses.
Determined to avoid the costly hotel restaurants, I needed to go out and find some food. I walked around a bit, feeling like such an anomoly. I got some strange looks. Finally, I ducked in to the store across the street from the hotel and bought bottled water, crackers, a can of pineapple, and a can of iced coffee. It'll do for now. Here are some more pictures I took on my two short walks today:
Just outside the window from the elevator lobby, I took this picture of a Presbyterian Church, looking ancient and dwarfed by the encroaching monoliths that surround it.
Here's another shot from the same elevator lobby of the city. The city is huge - there are tall buildings as far as the eye can see in every direction. Edward told me that Seoul is the 4th most populated city in the world. I believe it.
Here's a shot of Namdaemun Gate. It was one of 4 gates allowing access to the city, previously surrounded by a protective wall. According to this website, it is Korea's #1 treasure. I guess that's why you see so many people in this picture battling each other to get a closer look.

February 18th:
Okay, I'm on my second day of work here today. I took an AAFES (American Air Force Exchange Service) cab from my hotel to the PX on the base to get some breakfast before work. After breakfast in what's basically a food-court for the military, I walked up the hill in the dark, listening to the orders being shouted at the troops as they ran by doing their morning run. My favorite: "You can die on your own time!" I could hardly contain my laughter, but thankfully I did. Thank goodness I was never in the military.

Here are some weird things I've noticed about Seoul since I've been here:

• Traffic is insane, here. Red lights and lines on the road are mere suggestions. My brother-in-law would love it here, considering the way motorcyclists ride. They're used as delivery vehicles and couriers, so they're everywhere. They're modified to carry cargo - I saw one today that carried bunches of roles of fabric. The first two walks I took, I kept having to dodge them as they road down the sidewalk. Insane.
• Police cars leave their lights flashing all the time. I don't know why. It's just strange.
• Some cars and minivans look small enough to be able to be folded and fit easily in your wallet. I hope to get a picture of some of these things. They're 4 seater cars that look like something kids would have fun with in the back yard.
• The city isn't trashy - it's rather clean, but everything looks like it's been there since forever + 1 day. Plus, though there are no open sewers, it certainly smells like it.
• Many people, especially older folks, wear surgical or dust masks. It's like what we saw during the SARS epidemic when television cameras sent us images of people causiously moving about the city in these masks. Now I know that this sort of thing is probably normal, SARS or not. I don't know if SARS ever got here, but people are wearing these masks, probably because of the frigid air or the fact that the city is so @#%$&% polluted. It's so populated, and the sky is very hazy all the time.
• According to the "Let's Go" book on Korea, the people are friendly, and if you got lost, someone would gladly help you find your way. I must say, that ain't the case. The little venturing out I've done, people either don't dare make eye contact, or they look at me like I'm a freak with 3 heads. I don't understand that. I like everybody. I want everybody to like me. The unfriendly feeling I get here has really turned me off to this place. I'm hoping something will change that.

February 21st:
The other night, after writing this journal, I cracked open a beer, leaned against my hotel room window, then said aloud while raising my glass up as if proposing a toast: "Alright, Korea, change my mind about you!" I probably said it loud enough for the occupants on either side of my room to hear it.
Shortly after that, I decided to take the hotel shuttle bus down to the tourist area shopping district called It' aewon, or I taewon or I Tae Won (I've seen all three versions). I got off the bus and went to the first Korean restaurant I found. The menu had items for 5000 Won on page 1, and for 10,000 on page 2. Thinking the items on page 1 were appetizers, based on the price, I ordered the 10,000 Won item. It turned out that the 10,000 Won dish was enough to feed at least two people. The folks were very kind and attentive. I was so appreciative of their kindness that I went back the next night and ordered the 5000 (about $4.50) Won dish. It was still too much food. On that second night, I remembered walking out and thanking them, with them saying all sorts of things to me I didn't understand. But at least they smiled when they said it. We didn't understand each other, but we had a moment.
After that, I've felt a lot better about this place.
I've also felt a lot more comfortable moving around here and going to stores. This evening, I went to all sorts of stores down in that shopping district.
Working on the military base, I see a lot of Koreans there, too. I've noticed that they're much friendlier than the Koreans when I step off base. I think I've finally figured out why, and here's my hypothesis:
It's the big city, and they're just as unfriendly as in any other city. Just like anywhere else, they probably refuse to make eye contact or be friendly in any way, fearing that they might be asked "Where's the bus station", or "hey, toots, let's dance", or "have you got any spare change so I may purchase a ticket back to the states?"
The Koreans on base must just figure they're not likely to get that sort of encumbrance.
Today I went to a pub that was recommended to me, called "3 Alleys". It seemed like it was a haven for English speakers. There were Canadians and Irish folks behind the bar. There were also lots of English-speaking Korean waiters and waitreses. They sold logo shirts that had flying pigs on them for 25,000 Won. They also sold shirts with the words "Seoul Survivor" for 50,000 W.
The main drag of It'aewon is really wide, but here's a shot of a back street.

The base on which I'm working has many old buildings built years ago by the Japanese. Here's a picture of the office in which I've been working. It's sort of like one of those really big trash dumpsters,only with windows.
Another interesting thingy - here's a tiny little car that has no business being a 4-door. There's no reference to get an idea of the size, but I can say that I've eaten pizzas larger than the tires on this thingy.

My traveling companion on the flight over here, Edward, has also put up a blog to chronicle his experiences here: Click!

February 23rd, 2004: the "Send Lawyers, Guns, and Money" issue"

Okay, things are going well here. Socially, that is. Work still sucks, but at least my co-workers are cool. So, I'm on a first name basis with Denny, one of the Korean bartenders at 3 Alleys Bar who spent 12 years in Annandale, Virginia. Every time I walk by the coffee place in Itaewon called "Hello Beans", the lady who's always working there waves to me. I'm finally comfortable walking around the city. But you know, when your favorite salty snack has been replaced by some flattened freeze dried squid parts, it's enough to make you run screaming down the street "This is not my beautiful 7-11! These are not my beautiful Pork Rinds!"

February 29th, 2004

Okay, been busy with this damned work thing. Also, I've been somewhat deathly ill, so I spent most of Friday night and Saturday in bed. I'm better, now. So, today ended up being a good day to get out and do something adventurous. Like previous journeys into the unknown, I wore my SpongeBob boxers, to give me courage.
One thing I'm so used to in the US is the standard of vehicles allowed on the road. Here in Korea, anything goes.
I decided to brave the subway, today. It took about an hour for me to read through the instructions to get a farecard, but once I did, I found it easy to navigate through the system. I decided to take a break from my usual shopping haunt, and try what's considered the art district of Seoul, called "Insadong". They ended up having the same old junk as my regular shopping area. At least there was a Starbucks!!! Though there is a Starbucks logo above the Korean text, I didn't even notice it until I came out of the cafe'. The green font gave it away.
Here's a shot down a street for my friend Dave. Only he would understand when I mention "Ze double glaze", though he might not understand why I mention it here. Nevermind - just enjoy the picture.
Here's a shot of a post office dating back to 1884. They certainly have been maintaining it well. It was built by mandate of Hong Yeongsik. Apparently Mr. Yeongsik, along with two others, attempted to take over the country in 1884. The coup failed in three days, and this probably was never really used as a post office. Five stamps were printed here, and never used. The embarrassing thing - I was looking for the Buddhist temple and was awed by this structure. You're really a novice traveller when you can't tell the difference between a Buddhist temple and an old post office. Our little secret now, okay?

Now I'd like to change gears just a bit, an talk about how certain expressions just don't translate well between cultures, but it doesn't seem to stop anyone from trying. Here are two examples, using the text from the two different cans of iced coffee I've been drinking:

March 1st, 2004: the "Primus Sucks!" Edition

Okay, work is going better, now. We're finally getting through some #@$%&*?! computer problems, and accomplishing things. Good thing - I've got 3 more working days here!
Went to Itaewon again for dinner and perhaps some shopping. Got some zesty Thai food, but most stores were closed. It's a holiday today, something like "Foundation Day", in Korea. So, now for something completely different.
Saturday, while doing my laundry, I was subjected to this horrible Larry King interview on CNN piped through as it is at most government sites I've been to recently. Thankfully a GI, also doing his laundry, wasn't too thrilled with it either, and jumped on the folding table to change the channel. He was first interested in the Professional Wrestling competition(?) being aired, but finally put it on the Hard Rock (not the restaurant) music channel. The song "My Name is Mud" by the band "Primus" came on. Boy, that took me back. What a great, yet horrible band.
They've always been a band with such obvious talent - a very tight ensemble exuding such incredible raw energy. That's quite an enigma - sloppy yet tight, noisy yet subdued, dude. They have such a gift for making noise and discord somehow beautiful. They've been around for quite a while, with many albums to their credit, movie appearances, and even credits to the theme song to the cartoon "South Park". The problem they've always had, however, is how badly they suck. The band is apparently painfully aware of this, as they end every performance by saying "Thank you all, we're Primus, and we suck." Even their official website is www.PrimusSUCKS.com Well, even a band like Primus needs support, so after hearing the poor souls on the digital audio station, I decided to buy their 2003 release, which is a DVD/CD combination, including all their videos. It sucks. I must say, my favorite has to be the song, "DMV", a song with which we can probably all identify. Here's a sample of the lyrics from that song: