A Day in the Life...

It's been a while since my last post. I apologize for that. Rest assured, it was not laziness on my part. On the contrary, I have been extra busy lately.

At any given time, I am working on a multitude of different projects; all which require my intense attention. We are currently in the Winter season (December-February). Each season has 2 shows. I am an understudy for one of the shows. You can see my picture on the poster. How fun!

The full-size poster (close up is the second picture)--

You can see the two large banners hanging on the sides--these are for the current shows (I'm in Winter Wonderland, the other is The Snow Queen)--
I have now done the show a total of 4 times. When Derek goes on vacation for nearly 2 weeks in February, I'll be doing it every day. That's why I must rest my foot--so it's well enough by then to handle the stress.

Anyway, we are now preparing for the Spring Season (March-May). The schedule here is very strange, and hard to explain. Basically, there are 2 teams of people here. Development Team and Performance Team. The Performance Team is just that. They do the Main Stage shows, and that's about all. But the Development Team develops all the elements for the next season, including activities, game shows, and even the Main Stage shows. And while they're developing all these things, they're also understudies for the Performance Team.

So I'm on the Development Team. So while the Main Stage shows are going on during the day, I'm actually doing the other activities we offer here. I'm either reading stories as Grandpa Jay at our Storytelling House, or I'm working at the Snowy Mountain Challenge, our winter-themed game show. When I'm not doing that, I'm either helping other people on the Development Team with their projects. The theme of the Spring Season is "The 50's". Our team has to write all the scripts, plan all the activities, and get everything arranged.

Two new shows have been picked for the Spring Season. I could either be a Director for one of the shows, or I could audition to be one of them.

Early last week there were interviews for the Director position. I decided I would rather be a director. Considering that the acting here is...well...different than acting anywhere else, I thought I might try to get more directing experience. When I say "different", I don't mean anything bad. Children's theater is children's theater no matter where you are (which is basically what I'm doing), but when you consider that most of the kids here do not understand what you're saying, and getting them to answer your questions is often like pulling teeth...I thought I'd prefer directing. I'm sure you can understand.

Since I'm on development now, I'm up next for the Performance Team. So, if I became a director for the next season, I would be on Development Team once again, and not get the chance to perform for 3 more months. Basically, if I got picked to be a Director, I would be stuck on development for 3 more months. My group leader said some people don't care whether they're on development or not...but others only came here to perform. After weighing the options...I still wanted to be a director.

So I had an interview. It was a good interview. Ultimately, they decided they wanted me to be in a show instead of direct one; in addition to the fact that it would mess up my schedule. They also said they need strong singers for this upcoming season. Fine by me.

Out of the two shows, there was really only one role I wanted. It's actually two roles, played by the same person. Curtis/The Cook. Since the theme is the 50's, half of the show takes place in a diner, the other half in a classroom. Curtis is a "C" student, but he loves sports. He's a mixture between the class clown, the dumb jock, and the innocent friendly guy. The Cook is a clumsy guy who knocks things over, burns himself, and falls and hits his head. It's full of physical humor, which if you didn't know, I really enjoy. (I won the Harvest Festival Talent Show in college one year for teaching people how to fall!)

Once I didn't get the director position, I decided this was the role I wanted.

Auditions were last Friday. The cast list went up on Saturday afternoon, and I got the role I wanted.

We started rehearsals this week, and that's taken up a great deal of time. In addition to all this (understudying, doing activities and game shows, helping other people with their projects for the next season, and rehearsing for the next season), I am also responsible for writing a script for the FOLLOWING season, the Summer Season (June-August). So I've been busy.

I'm really enjoying rehearsals. There are only 4 people in the cast, and I like them all. It's been really fun so far, and we're not even close to opening the show. Usually the fun doesn't start until several weeks into rehearsal. I better enjoy these people--I have to do this show with them for 3 months! It's something like 130 shows! Insane. I've never done a show that many times. Although, when I worked at Disneyland, I did take hundreds and hundreds of trips around the Jungle Cruise. And when I was traveling around to elementary schools, I did those shows hundreds of times...but this is a bit different. I look forward to it.

On another note, we had our first snowfall of the year this past week. I woke up to the sound of scraping. I knew immediately that it was shovels. I opened the curtains and, not only was there already about 2 inches of snow on the ground, but it was coming down pretty heavily. It didn't stop snowing until around 5 that afternoon. It's been colder than ever here since then. I heard that this past Wednesday was -17. It was painful. But it did make for some nice picture taking.


Outside of all of that--check out youtube.com for some videos of mine. All you have to do is go to youtube.com and type in my name, and video choices should appear. Then you can email me and tell me your favorites, or your least favorites. There are videos of me singing, playing the piano, falling; and there are even videos of the recent snowfall and of my New Year's adventure. Check it out.

Until later--

A Photographic Journey to the Post Office

Yesterday, Tuesday, January 8th, I took a walk to the nearest Post Office. I needed to mail some things. Isn't that why one goes to the Post Office?

It is nearly a 30 minute walk, one-way, so I took my camera with me, and snapped some interesting pictures. I thought I'd share my photographic journey with you. These pictures will be in order of when they were taken, to give you a better idea of my journey.

To get to the Post Office, I only have to cross one major intersection. There were leaves along the sidewalk my entire way.



A guard shack of some sort lies right across the street from English Village. In the background you will notice a large mountain. If I were to walk up the mountain, and turn around, I would see North Korea. I'm guessing this is a good look out point...should anything happen. I have no idea how long it's been abandoned. If I panned the camera just to the left of the sandbags, you would see a gas station a stone's throw away. It's not like I'm in the middle of nowhere.



On the opposite corner of the street from the guard shack is a beautiful church being built. It's quite large.



Just about 100 yards from the guard shack, on the same side of the road, is this bunker of sorts. There is fencing all around it, and it also appears to be abandoned and not in use. This bunker is directly across the street from the new church.



I got a few good close-ups of the fencing. It wasn't just a normal chain link fence, it had this green/blue rubber coating to the metal. It is clearly broken and rusting, which made for some interesting pictures. At the bottom, right-hand corner of this picture, you can see a white, rounded object. That's my shoe. I cut it out of the picture in editing later (among making other color and contrast alterations), but kept it in for you viewing enjoyment. I didn't have my foot in the picture on purpose, okay.



This is the same picture as the previous one...just with no random foot, and with some neato effects.



Again, directly across from this bunker of sorts was the church being built. Here is a better shot of both buildings. The one on the left is also new, it's just further along. On my way home, I noticed men working on the rooftop of the newer looking building, but didn't take a picture of it...because, well...it was just guys walking on a rooftop. No big deal.



As I continued to walk, this sign was on my side of the road. It appears to be a speed limit sign, but perhaps it's not. It shouldn't have been on my side of the road, since I was walking against the traffic (traffic nearest me was going in the opposite direction of me, and would not be looking at this sign). Whatever. It's an interesting sign, showing both wear and interesting characters. Look them up, perhaps you'll learn something...then you can share your findings with me. I don't have that kind of time.



On my way home from the Post Office (you see how hazy it is!) I was walking behind four older ladies who were walking and talking up a storm. They're little old ladies, so I passed them pretty quickly. You'll notice we are the ONLY ones walking anywhere...and there really is no traffic. Earlier, when I said "It's not like I'm in the middle of nowhere", I may have spoken to soon. I am in a very rural area, but you notice there are 3 lanes each way for traffic! If you will also notice the walls on the far left side of this picture. Those are along the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street. They are blocking your view of a new "city" being built. Nearly everyone lives in high-rise apartment buildings (which I've mentioned and photographed in other blogs) instead of houses. Behind those walls I could hear hammering and other "building" noises. A new set of high-rise apartment buildings will be going in over there. Perhaps that's why they planned such an expanse of road.



After I passed the ladies, I went down this side street to see this 90-50% off sale! That's another funny thing about signs here. Just one more backwards thing, I suppose. I've seen this in Geumchon and Ilsan and Seoul. Anytime they list a sale--it's always the highest percent off followed by the least percent off. Also, more Korean characters for you look up. You may also notice that there are clothes on racks outside. There is literally nothing keeping anyone from stealing some of those clothes. But as I've learned, theft is really not an issue in Korea. I've heard that from many different people. For the record, I did not steal any clothes.



As I continued on my way home, I walked by a rather small ditch of sorts along the sidewalk. There were lots of noteworthy things in there, including, but not limited to, dog poop. I have spared the world from pictures of that (I did not take any pictures of it, sorry if you're disappointed). However, I did get some interesting pictures. There was a torn piece of what appears to have been part of a basket of some kind.



It was such a hazy day that taking pictures without the flash left most things drab and rather colorless. I clicked the flash on to get a slightly different look. I really prefer when the sun is out...but South Korea and the sun do not appear to be on speaking terms right now.



Unfortunately, when you do not use a flash, and you're taking close up, macro-focus pictures, it can be blurry. Fortunately, I didn't get a better picture of this corn cob (because I think it could have been gross).



So, you see, even though you're not here in Korea with me, you can still take a walk to the Post Office with me. I'm sure that was quite an adventure. To get the full experience, I suggest lowering the temperature in your house to around 40 degrees...or go sit in your refrigerator while you read it. Now you know how it feels.

Wherever you are...if it's not as cold as this...enjoy it. If it is as cold as this where you are...whoopdee doo.

RINGING in the New Year

So, my New Year's Eve/New Year's Day was quite an adventure. It was literally 12 degrees below zero here...and that was standing in the sunlight. However, I did find that the freezing weather is good for a few reasons. (1) It makes one remember what it was like to live in Arizona, and begins to cause one to hate himself for ever cursing the oppressive heat therein; (2) makes one thankful for God's creation of the sun and all it's life-giving power; and (3) in a cruel twist of verbal irony, one begins to feel what it's like to not feel parts of one's body previously rendered useful.

I wore an undershirt, t-shirt, long sleeve collared shirt, a sweater and two jackets (six layers). My upper body was perfectly warm, even hot at times. At E-Mart, I bought a pair of jeans that has a fleece lining. VERY comfortable and warm. I wore those AND a pair of long underwear. My legs were fine. I wore two scarves, two pairs of gloves, and three pairs of socks. My feet were still cold.

On the 31st, I had my check-up at the hospital in Ilsan. It had been two weeks since my original appointment, where I got all the medication and all that. Nothing eventful happened, the doctor just said he expects the foot to heal in 6 weeks. We'll see. After finishing at the doctor, I got on the 1000 bus and headed for Seoul Station.

The Hospital I went to in Ilsan--
The Hospital's name--
The doctor's office, complete with magazine rack (all magazines in Korean)--
A shot of Seoul Tower, in the distance, on my way to Seoul--
Now in Seoul, a closer shot of Seoul Tower--
That's Seoul Tower--
Old Seoul Station--
Old Seoul Station--
Outside, benches in front of the Old Seoul Station--
New Seoul Station, almost like a mall inside a train station--Inside the New Seoul Station--
Apparently, every year for the new year, there is a bell ringing ceremony at this large bell pavilion in Seoul. The pavilion is not unlike the Korean Friendship Bell in San Pedro, California. The one in Korea is just a lot larger. We arrived at the spot by 11:00 p.m., just to insure that we'd have a spot.

The Korean Friendship Bell, San Pedro, CA--
The Main spot for Ringing in the New Year--From the pictures you can see that there was not only a multitude of people in the streets, but the setup was quite elaborate. In front of the bell, there was a small stage area. TV cameras were near the street, and two giant TV screens on either side of the pavilion showed the action. There were tons of lights set up and a stage in front of the pavilion. The side of the building diagonally across from the pavilion had the time projected onto it.

A laser projection showing the time 23:32--
Our spot for the Ringing in of the New Year--
A close up view (the bell is in the background, to the left of the big screen)--
There were huge amounts of people in the crowd, and many people had purchased Roman candles and were shooting them off even before anything started.

Large crowd #1 (to my left)--
Large crowd #2 (to my right)--
At about 11:40 p.m., the stuff started. I had no idea what was going to happen, nor did I have any clue as to what anyone was saying. That was part of the fun. Two news-type people stood in front of the big screen closest to us and began talking. People cheered and said things. Then, on the big screen, I could see what appeared to be news coverage and some sweeping boom camera shots of the crowd. More cheering and screaming and waving.

The buildings I stood in front of for the New Year--
Now we're live, they're introducing the people who will ring the bell--
I saw a line of people come to the stage at the foot of the pavilion. They were shown on the camera and introduced to more cheers and screams. Those people then walked up the steps to the bell. I gathered that these were the people who would be ringing the bell. I was told that the mayor, along with several recognized "People of the Year" get to ring the bell. They take a massive wood log and ram it into the bell to make the sound.

As we still had about 10 minutes to go, some singer/dancer acts were introduced. A group known as "Super Junior" was introduced to much applause and screaming. This is a boy band...with about 10 members. Very strange and completely uninteresting to me. A kids choir followed them, and they sang "Auld Lang Syne". As they finished, the countdown began, both projected on the building and on the big screens. The numbers were in English, like 10, 9, 8, etc., but most of the people around me counted in Korean. I don't know the numbers yet.

When it was midnight, it was pandemonium. Screaming, jumping, shouting, and more screaming. I'm now deaf in my left ear due to the screams of the person who had been camped out on my left shoulder for the previous 20 minutes. At this point, sparklers were going off and more Roman candles were lit and fired. I'm sure I ingested some gunpowder and various pieces of shrapnel from the explosions. Quite good. UGH. I even got some in my left eye.

Roman candles going off BEFORE midnight (behind me)--
Roman candles going off AFTER midnight--
After the celebration, me eating my used Roman Candle--Throughout the evening, there were literally hundreds and hundreds of police officers, all in matching uniforms. Honestly, they looked like kids, and I saw no weapons. They all had those pointy flashlights that I remember using at Disneyland to direct pedestrian traffic.

Police marching through--
The police marching away--reflective gear and all--
I don't believe I've ever mentioned this, but this should go along with the other "backwards" things in Korea. The emergency telephone number is 119. Not 911; 119. It's printed on their cars and on other emergency vehicles, and it cracks me up.

I didn't want to regret NOT going to Seoul for New Year's Eve. As I have never before spent this holiday in some distant place, far from home, I thought this year provided an excellent opportunity to do just that. I am thankful I got to experience it, and come out the other side alive. However, I will never again spend New Year's Eve in Seoul, South Korea...downtown...in the middle of the street...sharing the space with a trillion other people. I have never had my personal space invaded in such a way. True, the closeness did allow for much more warmth...but I would gladly have taken the cold wind to the face rather than the elbow to my back. I swear, I was ready to throw down if I felt one more shove. Perhaps if I was a contestant on "American Gladiators" or a Klingon warrior, I wouldn't have minded, but as I'm neither of those things...it was quite annoying.

One guy celebrating--These are the reasons I can safely call this blog "The Korean Adventure".