Seoul--The Soul of Asia

Here it is already February of 2008. I've been in Korea for over 2 months (in which time, for those of you keeping track at home, I have consumed 13 boxes of cereal). Time has literally flown by...but the cold weather lingers. In the month of January, I experienced the coldest day of my life. It was around -17 degrees. For some of you who live on the surface of the moon--this isn't cold, but to normal human beings, this is painfully chilly. Fortunately, I now have 3 space heaters to keep me semi-warm. The trouble with small space heaters is that you must place them relatively close to your body in order to stay warm. Mind you, my apartment is not spacious, but if you get up and move even several feet away, you run the risk of hypothermia. I have to keep a scarf and jacket next to my computer desk just in case I want to get a drink or something.

This last "weekend" (I put it in quotes because my weekend isn't like a normal weekend, seeing as how I have Monday and Tuesday off), I went to Seoul...all by myself. It was quite an adventure.

It was a lovely day. High of 39 degrees. BEAUTIFUL. I got out my sunblock and my beach towel and headed to Seoul.

On the shuttle ride to Ilsan, I couldn't decide whether to take a bus or the subway to Seoul. Ultimately, it all depends on where you want to end up. The bus will take you right to Seoul Station (which you've seen pictures of in previous posts), whereas the subway can take you to any number of hostile, underground pits of despair.

Thanks to my brother, I have a very informative book about Seoul, which includes maps of the city and the subway system. I had not taken the subway to Seoul before, only buses. But where did I want to go first? Well, one main reason for going to Seoul was to find a supposed shared branch of my American bank in Seoul so I could deposit money. But, for some inexplicable reason, the only available information about this Seoul branch was the building number and the telephone number. I thought I'd better go to a Tourist Information Center or something so I could get more specific information. Well, this book showed all kinds of different Tourist Information Centers. I traced a logical and seemingly simple route. I could take Subway Line 3 (the Orange Line) from Ilsan into Seoul. I would have to transfer to Line 1 (the Dark Blue Line) at Jongno Station, which would take me to City Hall, and there was a Tourist Information Center close to it. So, I thought I'd try it out. From Ilsan, it takes about 40-45 minutes to get to Seoul. There are 18 stops between Ilsan and Jongno Station. It was an interesting ride into Seoul.

Two people falling asleep on the way to Seoul (they were not a couple)--

Ilsan is the beginning/end of the Orange Line, so when I got on the subway, there were hardly any people. But as we traveled closer to Seoul, more and more people got on. They love sitting really close to you and coughing on you. I thought for sure, when this older man sat down next to me, that the inevitable was going to happen. You know what I'm talking about. When they fall asleep on you. He did enjoy coughing without covering his mouth, but besides that, nothing happened.

The subway--

However, at one point on this leg of the trip, some nicely dressed older gentlemen came into our car with a big cart of stuff. I don't know exactly what it was he had in his cart, but he immediately started talking loudly and showing off his product. It was some sort of glove/boot/sock thing. I was listening to my mp3 player at a high volume, as to drown out the various noises that accompany a trip of this ilk, not that I would have understood what he was saying had I been listening freely. I first saw him put one of these things on his hand and hold it up for everyone to see. At one point, he even slipped off one of his shoes to show that he was wearing one of these things on his foot, and they either provided traction, warmth, or both. I was at a loss. All I know is that they were multi-colored and sold for 3,000Won ($3). While I was slightly intrigued as to why the subway car was the best place for his peddling, I did not purchase one of his glove/boot/sock things, nor, for that matter, did I see anyone else buy one of these things.

The man selling his wares (complete with shoe off)--

I was following along very closely to the stops that we were making. When we came to Dongnimmun, I knew I was close. After that was Gyeongbokgung, then Anguk, and then Jongno. I don't know what any of these words mean, but I thought you'd enjoy reading them. I'm just typing them as they're written in my book.

I got off at the right stop, and looked for Line 1. Signs were clearly marked for me, thank goodness. If you've ever ridden on a subway, you know there are usually 2 sides to each Line. One going this way (East/North), one going that way (West/South). Even in NYC, it's awfully easy to get confused about which direction you actually want to go. But I figured it out. My side clearly said "City Hall". So I knew I was going the right direction.

I got on the Line 1 train and prepared myself to exit at City Hall.

In the bustle of excitement that was my first transfer, I failed to follow my plans to the letter. I was supposed to stay on Line 1 for 2 stops, in order to get to City Hall. For some reason, I thought it was only 1 stop, and thusly I got off the train at the wrong stop, one stop early. I didn't realize this until I was above ground.

All was not lost, however. As soon as I surfaced, I realized I was somewhere quite familiar, though I hadn't intended to be here. I surfaced at Jonggak Station (not to be confused with Jongno Station--stay with me!). It was right at this place where I stood and celebrated the New Year, though I didn't know it at that time. But as soon as I climbed the steps out of the subway, I noticed the familiar buildings (one which still has a Christmas tree design on it and has the words Happy New Year 2008 still on the side) and the GIANT bell pavilion that literally rang in the New Year.

Do you remember this building from my New Year's post?--

I had never seen any of this in daylight. It was quite interesting. Cars and trucks were now speeding along the street where I had stood that eve.

The intersection where I stood in the road--

I took this opportunity to get closer to the pavilion. It is actually called Bosingak. My helpful little book tells me that "this pavilion houses a modern version of the city bell, which was originally forged in 1468. The bell is rung only at New Year, when crowds gather here to celebrate. In Joseon times, the great bell was struck 28 times every night at 10 p.m. to ask the heavens for a peaceful night and to signal the closure of the gates and the start of the nightly curfew, which was enforced by club-wielding watchmen. It was struck 33 times for the 33 Buddhist heavens at 4 a.m., which signaled the start of the new day when the gates were reopened. It also sounded when fire broke out."

Bosingak--
The sign by the pavilion, fascinating--
Can you imagine waking up to the clamor of 33 loud bell rings at 4 a.m. every day!? At some point, I would just stop caring about knowing when the gates were being reopened. JUST OPEN THEM--I DON'T NEED TO KNOW. And when they say gates--they mean gates. As with many ancient cities, there was a wall around Seoul. I'm in the middle of investigating all I can about this wall, and will bring you more information in a future blog. But I will give you this tidbit. If you're following these blogs closely, you would remember me shopping at an outdoor market called Dong Dae Mun. Well, unbeknownst to me at the time, Dong Dae Mun means "East Gate". Near the market is the actual gate that allowed entry into the city years ago. I will eventually have pictures of it. Obviously, there is no longer a wall around Seoul, it has long since been destroyed.

Anyway, seeing all this made me glad I'd made this unplanned mistake. But now I had to figure out how to walk to where the Tourist Information Center was. I was quite turned around. I knew on the map where City Hall was, but not in relation to where I currently was standing. Of course, I could have simply got back on the subway, but it would have been silly to do that. Plus, with the warm weather, I really just wanted to walk.

I figured it out. I had to walk this way, then turn right and then left. It seemed easy enough. Well, not really. Once I got to the other corner, I was confused again as to what direction the Tourist Info place would be. I walked South when I should have walked North, and I crossed the street when I shouldn't have. I wasn't upset or anything, remember it was really nice out (in actuality, it was quite a bit warmer than it had been for weeks, and I actually wasn't cold, and it truly was sunny, but by no means was it "really nice out"). Counter to my usual bad luck, as I walking, I found a small tourist stand right on the corner. I went in and the young man in there spoke English. Whew. I told him I was trying to find this mysterious bank, building number S-1479. I gave him the phone number, and he called it. No answer. Then he looked it up on his computer, but found nothing. He called someone and asked them if they knew of it. They did not. He sent an instant message to someone on his computer, asking if they knew of it. At first they said no. Well, as soon as I was about to search on yahoo myself, the person sent him a message saying the bank I was looking for was located in the Seoul Financial Center, which just happened to be directly across the street from this little Tourist stand. How wonderful! The guy literally turned around, pointed out the window and a huge building across the street and said, "Right there. 22nd floor." Ok, great. Thank you.

When I crossed the street to enter the building, I noticed something quite odd. A group of men were standing around looking at what appeared to be a wall. Upon closer inspection, this "wall" is a long case with the newspaper pinned up for people to read. I've never seen such a thing outside the bathroom of "Red Robin". It was hilarious. Guys just standing outside, on the side of the road, in the cold, reading the newspaper like this.

The gentlemen reading--

Okay, then I went into the big building. There were 3 different sets of elevators. The first set was for floors 1-11, second set for 12-24, and the third set for the rest...I'm not sure how many stories the building was total. I think 27. Anyway, I headed for the middle set of elevators, pressed the up arrow (some things don't change), and got on the elevator when it arrived, punching the number 22. Once I got to the 22nd floor, everything turned into a movie. The doors opened, and I stepped out. To my right was nothing, just a window with a great view of that side of the city (see pictures). To my left was a set of glass doors. Through the glass doors I saw 3 Korean ladies behind the big counter, and on the wall behind them was the logo for the bank. Mind you, not the one I was looking for. Hmm. I went in. Two ladies were standing by one lady sitting. The woman sitting spoke perfect English. Like frighteningly perfect English. I said, "I'm looking for USA Federal Credit Union..." The little design on the wall behind her shows, "UBS Bank". Two out of three letters ain't bad...even if they're not in the right order. But really, close only counts in death and horseshoes, right? The woman kindly informed me that this was not, as I'd gathered, USA Federal Credit Union. I told her what the man in the Tourist Center told me, and she gave me the typical customer service look...the one that says, "Please leave my presence immediately before I'm forced to verbally berate you further."

I left the 22nd floor. I returned to the lobby, where I checked the long listing of the businesses actually in this building. No USA Federal Credit Union was listed. I asked a lady behind the counter if she knew anything about it. She did not. I showed her the phone number of the supposed bank, and she dialed it. Again, no answer. A man next to her was flipping through a little notebook, and he told me to go to State Street Bank on the 18th floor. I thanked them and returned to the appropriate set of elevators.

"This is hilarious", I thought. "I'm dressed like a tourist, I look like a tourist, for all intents and purposes, I am a tourist. I'm wearing two pairs of gloves, a thick jacket, a hooded sweatshirt and a baseball cap. Oh, and I'm sure my backpack with the "Goonies" patch on the back ain't helping my 'No, I'm not a tourist' case."

The 18th floor was quite as swanky as the 22nd. To the right was the window with the same view, albeit it 4 less stories worth. Funnily enough, the view from the window afforded me a great shot of the little Tourist Center I'd gone to moments before.

Just above the yellow/white bus is the small Tourist shack--

To my left their was a hallway; right and left. The signage, all in English, said that State Street Bank was to the left. I walked down the hallway to the double doors of the State Street Bank. I realized I had no real idea why I was headed to this bank. It occurred to me that perhaps the folks behind the desk in the lobby just thought I wanted a US bank. Well, it didn't matter much. I tried to open the doors, and they were locked. I chuckled audibly and headed back to the elevators, after which I promptly left the Seoul Financial Center and went back to the Tourist Information Center. I think the guy was surprised to see me back.

I told him what had happened, he apologized, though I certainly didn't blame him. We then began a very detailed search for this illusive bank location. I showed him the internet site that gave me the information. There are supposed to be 3 branch locations in South Korea, but only one in Seoul. He called the other 2 branches. The first one had no answer. The second one was a restaurant. Ha. Speaking of a restaurant, by this point it was 2:30, and I was quite hungry. The poor guy tried everything, but we couldn't figure out any more information about this bank.

Ultimately, I guess my American bank is just creating a dirty lie. I think they love reading blogs about their customers overseas and their unvindicated search for these fictitious branches. I thanked the guy once again, and got out of there, never to speak of the bank again until now.

View of Seoul Tower from Seoul Station--
Seoul Tower, later that night--
Seoul Station at night (like a mall)--The guy told me what bus to take to get to Seoul Station, which was down the road a ways. I knew there were places to eat at Seoul Station. When I say places to eat, this isn't to suggest that there weren't a plethora of eateries right around where I'd been thus far traversing. However, you must keep in mind my sensitive palate. I needed some Western food.

McDonalds.

Perhaps it was my hunger, or my frustration of not finding the bank, but I decided it would be best to order the NEW Spicy Chicken Tenders. Unconsciously, I thought, "Hey, this is McDonalds, their spicy isn't really spicy..." It was when I bit into the first piece that I immediately realized, "...but I'm in Korea and spicy is like a competitive sport for them. These people eat peppers like they're honey roasted peanuts." The french fries tasted like yucky fish (I'm assuming they fry them in the same oil as the fish), though after my second piece of chicken, I couldn't taste anything anyway, so I just kept eating to satisfy my hunger. It worked out pretty well. Then I bought an Oreo McFlurry to complete the dietary murder. It was perfectly refreshing and delicious. I quickly began to regain feeling in my mouth. Thank goodness for McFlurries!

My next stop was to be Yongsan Station, where on a previous trip to Seoul, I went to the 9 story electronics store. This may seem odd, but the main subway stations have large malls or shopping areas built on them. Think of Grand Central Station in NYC (a very large travel junction), and add a shopping mall. That's what Seoul Station is like, complete with a Baskin Robbins, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, and a department store. Yongsan Station has a movie theater, E-Mart (Korean version of Target), a small automobile display, and the 9 story electronics store.

My dad had wanted me to look for a specific camera lens for him, and by all accounts, Yongsan is the place to look. My little book tells me all about the famous Yongsan Electronics Market. But after reading the description of it, I realized the 9 story electronics store, while full of electronics for every conceivable need, was not the famous Yongsan Electronics Market. I walked out of the mall in an attempt to find the actual famous place. I walked South a little bit, then back North a little bit. Nothing. So I went back into the mall to follow the exact instructions in my book.

When I followed those instructions, it took me through a pedestrian overpass that delivered me exactly where I wanted to go. The famous Yongsan Electronics Market. I walked around and around for a long while as there are many floors and many different booths. I followed further instructions on how to get to the street, where little booths were set up along both sides of the street. These booths were either full of various electronic equipment or full of bootleg DVD's. It was overwhelming.

The pedestrian overpass--
I saw a bit of a rainbow before going through the overpass, see it?--
Inside the overpass--

Speaking of overwhelming, one thing I've failed to mention thus far, and perhaps rightfully so, is a certain food they sell on the streets. I don't recall the name of it, but it carries with it the foulest smell known unto mankind. They are some type of bug, or worm. Perhaps it's silkworm? I don't remember, and honestly, just thinking about it makes me dry heave a little, so I'll stop. But I snapped a picture so you could see for yourself.

Whatever it is--

After spending lots of time looking around through the indoor and outdoor markets, it was getting dark, and I was ready to return home. I walked back through the overpass and made my way down to the subway. I returned to Seoul Station, where I caught the 9709 bus. As I learned from my previous travels to Seoul, this was the best way back. The subway could've taken me back to Ilsan, and would have been quicker in the long run. However, I didn't know how to get home from Ilsan. I'm certain there is a bus that would take me back, but I don't know where to get it or what number it is. So, I stuck with what I knew. After this day, I think that was best.

The 9709 bus goes to Geumchon. From there, I catch the 900 bus back to English Village. That trip took nearly 2 hours, as it took us a great deal of time to get out of Seoul at 6:30-7:00 on a weeknight. I wasn't thinking. It didn't matter, I had my trusty mp3 player to keep me company. That and the lady crammed next to me.

I returned home safely and without incident. You see, it's all a learning experience. And that, along with shoveling snow, builds character...right, Dad?

More fun times lie ahead. Stay with me.

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".

CHRISTMAS

So, Merry Christmas to you. Right now, it's 10:38 p.m. on Christmas night for me...making it early morning Christmas for most of you.

I worked today, making 3x overtime for the day. I played a penguin twice, and Santa Claus twice; all the while singing Christmas carols with Korean children and their families.

Christmas is relatively new to the Korean people. While it is a celebrated holiday, and they love both presents and Jesus; it is still somewhat of a new concept. Generally, they do not know or understand the traditions I grew up with. But they're learning, and it's exciting for them.

There were many more people at the park (English Village) today than I thought there would be. On a normal day, the park would mostly consist of school children, here for the One Week Program. But today, there were mostly families in attendance. All told, there were probably more than 300 people here today. That's more than normal...at least for this time of year (so cold). I would venture to guess that Disneyland's estimated park attendance will be over 65,000 for Christmas Day. So comparatively, 300 was a breeze.

Candy, one of my co-workers, gave me a bag of chocolate covered raisins with this message attached: "You've been naughty so here's the scoop: you get nothing but reindeer poop." One of the funniest things I've ever heard. I hope you enjoy it.

Candy (and me in my new "set")--
In my limited time here, I have made a few observations, which could change given more time. I have noticed that the kids are generally reserved, and do not wish to volunteer for things. They do not want to be singled out, they do not want to participate on an individual level. I have noticed this while I've been walking around in town as well. It's almost as if they are afraid of being an individual. They do not want to stand out. You don't see Koreans wearing baggy pants and torn jeans (unless that's the specific style). You don't see Koreans wearing sideways ball caps or chains or jackets with safety pins in it. They have a specific mold, depending on their age, and they generally stick with it. I find that interesting.

I intend to spend New Year's Eve in Seoul, where, no doubt, there will be a celebration. It might even be on television. I hear there is a ball drop there. So far, this is the only chance I've ever had to do something really different for New Year's. I look forward to the experience. I'll be sure to share what happens. I'd like to know--what is the most exotic place you've been for a New Year's event? Or what's the most exciting thing you've done to celebrate the New Year? I spend enough time talking about ME, and what I'M doing--I'd like to hear about you.

I've failed to mention some of the other foods I've tried since being here. At Uno's Pizzeria, I had broccoli cheese soup (and I ate all of it--thank goodness there was lots of cheese in there). Chris made some guacamole, and I had a couple dips of that. It wasn't horrible. A little scary, but not horrible. You see, I've had this rule...at least for the last few years. The rule is: if I can't pronounce the word of the item, the item doesn't go in my mouth. So it's kept me from trying a lot of different things.

Group at Uno's Pizzeria in Ilsan (on the left is Tonya, Chris, Andrea, Carrie, & Rachel; on the right is Candy, Sarah, & Chad)--
At E-Mart, when I had my big shopping spree, where I spent over 130,000Won, I bought butter. Weird butter. Organic butter. I thought it would be lovely. It ain't. It tastes like fish feet. I know; fish don't have feet. But can you imagine what they'd smell like if they had them. For some inexplible reason, the butter tasted like fish feet. I do not use it any longer...except to cook with. When it's melted, the horrid taste goes away. But I can't spread it on bread or anything unless I toast the bread, and the butter can be melted. Yuck. So much for trying to eat something organic. I don't care if it's supposed to be better for me, it's no good to me if I'm dead from the horrible taste.

I was so fortunate this past week at E-Mart to walk past the frozen food aisle. There I saw a most pleasant sight. Tony's Pizza. They were small, personal size "Pizza For One" microwavable pizzas. I thought they'd be super expensive, because stuff that's clearly from America usually is. But each was around $2. I bought only two, because I was concerned that they wouldn't be very good in the microwave. I couldn't have been more wrong. They were DELICIOUS. I say "were", as in the past tense, because I ate those puppies right quick. Not in the same day; I know what you were thinking! But I'll definitely buy more of those on my next trip to E-Mart.

Yesterday, being Monday, was my only day off for the week. I again went to Ilsan to do some shopping. Towards the evening, after watching "The Golden Compass", I had a craving for McNuggets. McDonalds was right there...and I couldn't help myself. I wondered if I could go a year without having McNuggets, and the answer is NO. They don't offer the 10 or Super-Sized 45 pack here in Korea. I had 6. So very good. Not chicken, for sure, but so good.

Also, while in Ilsan, I bought myself a "set". I think I've mentioned what a "set" is before. Set is a common term used in Korea for just that; a set of something. Instead of a Value Meal, your burger, fries, and drink are called a set. Well, yesterday, I bought a dress shirt set. It includes a tie, a dress shirt, and a sweater. Many Koreans wear these things together. I heard that is a European style. Well, I don't recall seeing this style in America, and I really like it. Basically, they wear a dress shirt and tie, like normal, but then they wear a sweater, which often serves as a sort-of vest, over that and then a sportscoat. It looks very nice. The sweater is the big difference for me, and I really like it. It's just something different, and I enjoy it. I also bought some Korean made tennis shoes. Merry Christmas to me!

My dress shirt set (chocolate brown and pink)--
"Service" is something else I've mentioned before. Service is basically when you're given something free of charge. I've bought a carton of milk, and taped to the side of the carton is a tiny carton of milk. That's service. I have paid for an hour of karaoke, and when the hour is almost completed, they add on an extra 20 minutes. Service. I even bought a box of cereal a few weeks ago and taped to the side of it was a bowl. Convenient...service.

Well, this past week was the strangest bit of service I've seen so far. I bought a box of cereal...and with it, I received a small pair of pink and white gloves. They were taped to the box. Some other cereals had beanie hats taped to them. The two items are completely unrelated to one another; but that's service. Something free. This country is so neato.

This past Saturday, I sang at a benefit for UNICEF. It was organized by one of my co-workers, and I volunteered to perform in the benefit. Until that night, I realized I really hadn't had the opportunity to do something that I really enjoyed since arriving here. I guess what I mean is, I haven't felt "in my element" since I arrived here. My time here has been spent catching up with everyone else and learning all the new things I need to know to survive.

Needless to say, it was great to get up in front of an audience and sing a song. I sang "This Is The Moment" from Jekyll & Hyde. While you can view me singing this song on youtube.com (from a karaoke party), Saturday night's rendition isn't uploaded yet. I do have the file of the entire concert, if you'd like to see my part, or any part of the concert. It's 1.4G in size, and takes a while to download (10-15 minutes for me); but if you'd like to see it, I can send it to you. Just ask. You can easily download it, watch it, then delete it. No harm done.

I've only been here 5 weeks. I've got quite a stint in front of me. Is there anything you want me to buy for you? Something cool and Korean/foreign? Just wondering.

Before I go, I wanted to mention the things I miss most about America. I don't think I take many things for granted, but this experience heightens my understanding of that concept.

I miss the beach. The sound, the smell, the easy access, the freedom of the beach.

I miss my car. My car was more than my car, it was my buddy. I miss my buddy (his name was Eugene). He is with a new family now.

I miss ice cream. For some reason, the ice cream here just doesn't cut it. It simply doesn't taste the same.

I miss the weather. Predictable at best, and boring at the least; it was still better than this. The weather in South Korea reminds me of Louisiana mixed with Seattle mixed with Washington, D.C. Gloomy, cloudy, cold and humid. No doubt the summer will not prove any friendlier. Perhaps the coming spring will be nice. I shall see.

I miss legible road signs.

I miss being able to go ANYWHERE and know I can communicate without charades.

I am very fortunate that I do not have to miss Dr. Pepper, Burger King, Frosted Flakes, Tony's Pizza, and karaoke...for they are in plentiful supply here in Korea.

There are also some things I simply don't miss. These may go without saying, but for the sake of creating a longer blog and making a point, I will list them.

I do not miss traffic.

I do not miss driving in said traffic.

I do not miss my cell phone...nor the accompanying bill.

I do not miss the constant and belligerent news media.

Count your blessings, name them one by one.