viperinkorea

FINISHYYYYY!!!!!!

2008-07-07T09:06:00.001+09:00

1 credit card, PAID OFF!!! ASSAHH!!!! But, that was the small one, uuggghhh!!! Just keep plugging away though, and soon, it will disappear.

maid rite!!!

2008-06-28T11:43:00.002+09:00

I think it is gonna be an uphill battle to get Debbie to understand some "American" things or moreso, some "Iowa" or "Arkansas" things. ahahahahaaa. Love you Debbie. I made loose meat sandwiches for lunch today, and Debbie said, "what's the big deal? its just hamburger." But all of us who have lived in Iowa or eaten at a Maid Rite or some other loose meat sandwich shop know it's not just hamburger. The funny thing is, when she ate it, all I heard was "MMMMMM." hahahhaa. Hopefully it was more than just hamburger. Lots of other things go into the sandwich than that.
We are into the "rainy season" now. The weather this time of year is HORRIBLE!!! rain every day or every other day it seems like. We are downloading movies to keep up busy so if you have any good ones to recommend, please let us know.

hmmmm

2008-06-15T09:19:00.003+09:00

Hello, I am sorry I have been so terrible about all this blogging stuff. I started off so well, but have since struggled. It is hard to come up with stuff to write. Let's see..... since the last time, we have travelled to Guam. It was a lot of fun. We did some dolphin watching, parasailing, sea kayaking, danced in a polynesian fire show, beach laying, and some more beach laying. We enjoyed some different western foods(TACO BELL!!!) as well as did some grocery shopping(taco seasoning, chex mix, cavendars, shake&bake, hamburger helper, and so much more.) MMMMM-MMMM. We rented a car while there and we did some touring of the war sites. So much history there from the world wars. The people there were super nice and it is flooded with Japanese tourists. Some things we wanted to do we just decided weren't worth it due to the tourist trap prices they charge, and get from the Japan tour groups. One excursion was a tropical fruit farm tour and when we asked them what we get for 20 bucks, they said they take you on a tram around the farm. You can't get out, you can't sample the fruit, nothing exciting there. Maybe it is because we have both seen many many farms in our life.

Last night we went to a charity auction. There is an orphanage that a bunch of foreigners work with just doing different activities and teaching English a couple Saturdays a month. In fact, they all go to my school. They auctioned off 16 guys and girls then did a "Dating Game" type show. It was good fun and over 3,000,000won($3,000) was raised for the orphanage. A lot of money that is raised through us foreigners is going to pay for university tuition for some of the children when the time comes.

Kidney Beans

2008-04-06T17:29:00.002+09:00

Well, I know I have mentioned previously to some people in email about how I wanted to learn how to cook with beans. We can get canned kidney beans for a fairly good price, so today I finally used up 4 cans of them. Started out not quite sure what was happening, and then just added various things. 2 cans of corn, a can of chopped tomatoes, a lot of water(1/3 of the pot), salt, pepper, dried onion, and some chicken boullion packets. It has turned out pretty good. I am quite surprised. I told Debbie this probably won't be very good cuz I am just throwing things in there, but as long as we can get 2 meals out of this, I will be happy. Well, I think it will provide us with several meals and it tastes pretty darn good.

What goes with a sandwich?

2008-03-24T20:22:00.002+09:00

After several different discussions on several different occasions with Debbie, I want to get some outside opinion. Well, they weren't really discussion, more just comments made in passing whenever a sandwich was mentioned. lol. What goes with a sandwich? What do YOU eat with your sandwiches? Ham sandwich, turkey sandwich, grilled cheese, any kind of sandwich. What goes with a sandwich? Please put your thoughts and/or comments up here for Debbie and I to see. There can be other things as well. Obviously Matt and Rach will put fruit, etc cuz of Z&E. But what if it is just YOU eating. No kids, nobody else. I KNOW Matt would be devouring a bag of chips just like I would. hahahahahhahaa.
I say chips are the ideal mate to a sandwich.
sooooo: Sandwich and chips 1
Let the tallying begin.

The great poo-headed cartoon character.

2008-03-22T21:36:00.003+09:00

Ahhhh, the wonder of Korean cartoons. I remember first seeing this little fella my first year here. He is a classic character that is for sure. My brother almost wrecked the car when I told him the story about this guy while coming home from the airport. Can you guess what that is on his head? A fancy asian type of hat??? Ice cream??? hmmmm.............well, if you don't know, then just read the title of this blog. If you need to, read it again to make sure that is correct. hehehehehee. The kids and parents BOTH like this cartoon. hahahaha. This is the GREAT DONG CHIMEE!!!! To translate that for you......poo injection, hence my fingers in that shape. Also, they LOVE to take their fingers and poke each other in the uhhhh, rear, ADULTS included. For some reason Dong is not spelled the normal way. It is spelled ddong, I would assume because Dong is a popular name here, so they don't want any confusion. Anytime a student here says the word ddong, refering to poo, he/she will 99.9% of the time spell it out for you "ddong" and then start laughing.

This is what we do

2008-03-19T22:18:00.002+09:00

Well, some people might wonder what we do all day while teaching ESL. Well, now that we are back to teaching 6 classes a day, we have to do lots of different and fun things, to keep not only the kids entertained, but ourselves as well. These songs REALLY grow on ya. Check em out. Especially if you have some little ones of your own(4-8). So far I have only showed them and sang these songs with 1st and 2nd graders. Not sure they would be popular with 3rd grade and above. We do real teaching as well, but these really stuck out as stuff they enjoys. The Elephant Song was a HUGE SMASHING success!!!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=yihq8BIhL9c
http://youtube.com/watch?v=z0q7YhEnPXk&feature=user
http://youtube.com/watch?v=N_amvHhO9VY&feature=user

On a different note, we have booked "2 tickets to paradise"!!!!!! We booked our tix to Guam, and the largest K-Mart in the world, last night. Stayed tuned in at the middle to end of May for pics and stories. :o)

Talk about shooting for the stars

2008-03-08T16:01:00.001+09:00

Came across this article on CBSsportsline.com and wanted to share it. This kids has a lot of determination in trying to get what he wants.

http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/10693980

Oh happy kitchen, Oh happy day

2008-03-07T21:10:00.002+09:00

Ok, so we don't REALLY have a kitchen, but the area that serves as our kitchen just had a happy day. We got a slow cooker and a toaster oven from our school today. Finally! Now can anybody give me recommendations on using a rotisserie? It is inside our toaster oven. I think I might try some hunks of beef on it first. Not sure if that is the best idea, but guess I will see as I go along. MMM-mmm. I hope. :) 6.5 quart slow cooker as well. Quite large. Now which part is best to use in that to make a roast? I think it is rump roast, is that right mom? Unfortunately, not sure where that is on the cow, other than the butt area. Top, bottom? where?
Other big news, well to m anyways, is my exercising. I have lost 5% body fat since I first joined my gym here on Jan8. I have moved my belt 2 notches. Woo-Hoo!!! Now I only have 6% more to go before May, and beach time. My goal is set at 10% body fat, so have to really work hard and continue to watch what I eat. Anybody have any ideas on adding flavor to steamed veggies? Debbie is okay with them, but I am getting REALLY tired of eating drab, plain tasting veggies, but as stated above, I need to avoid buttering them up or cooking them in a pan with EVOO. Spring is here also. supposed to be up into the 60s next week. Another big Woo-Hoo!!
Hope everyone is doing good. Bye

England

2008-03-03T20:58:00.002+09:00

Well, Debbie is on a "let's teach in England" kick. She has someone she went to school with that is teaching over there. Apparently they are in dire need of teachers for all subjects. I guess she knows someone else(or the other girl knows her) who is a teacher recruiter for schools in England, so she seems to think we will have an "inside" connection maybe. It might be a fun adventure, but we will definitely need to find out a LOT more about it. Things such as, salary, retirement, insurance, housing, air tickets to and from, and I am sure we will continue to come up with new questions. It would be a lot of fun to venture around the European countries and take in all the history. Hope everyone is doing great.

Random thought

2008-03-03T20:56:00.002+09:00

Hey has anybody ever noticed that when people bite into a raw carrot, they close their eyes as they bite. This random observation has been brought to you by the letter "B".
Go ahead, test and "see." Even when it is pointed out to someone, the vast majority of the time, it still happens.

whats going on

2008-02-25T22:11:00.002+09:00

Hey all, I need to keep on this because if I skip it for too long, I will just completely stop writing on it. Not a whole lot to talk about. We are hoping to start venturing out more on weekends as the weather heats up.
We got a couple of extra cooking appliances from our school as an agreement for us to not demand a move any longer. We got a toaster and an electric grill pan which would have been nice to have BEFORE we cooked dinner, but I will break it out tommorrow for dinner because it is Bulgogi Tuesday!!!!! YAAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!. Bulgolgi is SOOOOOO good. If you can find bulgogi sauce at a store near you, I highly recommend giving it a shot. Leave me a note and I will run you through what to do with it. MMM-MMM. It basically a marinade but it makes a so-so piece of meat really good.
Played baseball again Sunday. I sure hope the teams we play in the regular season are a lot better than the teams we have been playing. In 3 preseason games I have 2 HR, 4 doubles, a bunch of singles, a bunch of walks and I have been hit by a pitch in each game. This is partially because I do not move out of the way. I have only made 1 out so far. Very interested to see how they handle the real games, because you just never really know what to expect here in Korea. Just when I think I have something figured out in regards to how something is done, BAM, they change it completely and I am confused and lost again. hahahhahaha.
We all thought we would be back to teaching in the mornings and the afternoons in March, but now the mornings have been pushed back till I believe the 17th. So, now nothing to do in the mornings for half of March, but we still have to be there in the mornings. If anybody has any good websites, please let me know, cuz I am always bored and looking for new things to read online while at school. Hope everybody has a good week.

progress reports

2008-02-18T10:48:00.002+09:00

Ahhhhh, the sweet, sweet smell of organization. Today we were given forms to fill for progress reports for the students. OK!! This is good, so now the parents will know how their kids are doing before the class is finished. OH WAIT!!!!! We did that less than 2 weeks ago. Yes, that's right, we filled out the same progress reports for the same students less than 2 weeks ago. So, parents, I will now inform you of just how much your child has improved in 8 classes. COME ON!!!!!
I think what really happened is that none of the teachers has a clue of what the schedule for things like these looks like because there is not much communication on things that are important, such as the students, between the "head teacher" and the other korean teachers. My guess is the first reports were supposed to go out in January, but he is not organized enough to have realized it and pass it on to us teachers. Now, he is trying to make up for it by sending out reports within 2 weeks of each other. And of course, the "head teacher" is also not here today, we don't know where he is, and we have questions that we need answers to as soon as possible. How convenient. Rant is finishy. hahahaha. Have a good day.

My how the mighty have fallen

2008-02-03T23:18:00.000+09:00

I was in the gym last week, when I looked up on one of the TVs, and I was quite surprised. In fact, I even had to walk over to it to get a better look. Paris Hilton was on one of the "Variety Shows" that the Koreans love so much. This is what it has come to for Paris? hahahhhaaa. I don't even think that Kato Kaelin or Gilbert Gottfried would choose to do a Korean variety show, yet there she is. I just found this quite amusing.

What am I doing here?

2008-02-01T11:53:00.000+09:00

Wow, things have been boring here lately. I feel like I am in the movie Office Space. I get to work and I sit and stare out the wall for a while, then I mess around on the internet for like 3 hours. I have been playing a lot of Pirates vs Ninjas on Facebook. I know, LOSER!!! I have been helping with the baseball team more and more. The coach is starting to trust me more I think. I worked with 4 players from their 2nd team on hitting. Today I worked with a player on 1st base defense. We are only teaching 3 hours in the afternoon 4 days a week. I am really enjoying my classes, I just wish there were more of them. In March we will start up again with morning classes. More overtime also, so that is good. Well, guess that updates things for now. bye everyone.

Quantity versus Quality

2008-01-22T19:46:00.001+09:00

On my way home from the gym today, I stopped in again to watch the boys hit in the batting cage. It really struck me how much better the kids in America are at baseball than the Korean kids. There are several things to consider here though, not just America has more people, etc. These boys practice from 9-6 everyday, yet their skill level is nowhere near kids of the same age in the U.S. The kids in the U.S. practice, I would guess on average from 1.5-2 hours 3 times a week, and that is during the good weather months/baseball season. Here, they are doing it year round, and when school starts up again, they will still be practicing for 5 hours I am guessing. So, is the quality of instruction that much better in the U.S. than it is in Korea? Does it have to do with genetics? We have much more muscle structure than Koreans do as well as bigger and longer bones. This is due to their diet versus ours as well as genetics. Meat is not a "main course" as it is in the U.S., which no doubt contributes to our kids' size. Back on topic though. The coach at my school has been doing this for 7 years I believe, but he does not have a college degree and he started doing it when he was 19 (he's 26 now). Does his knowledge or lack of knowledge come into play? How much does it have to do with the fact that he is teaching the kids whatever his coach taught him rather than possibly exploring other options. Their hitting is very weak because they do not use their legs very well. They hit with their hands, then their hips, resulting in weak hitters. In the U.S. several different styles are taught depending on the coach, but the constant tends to be hips first, then hands, resulting in more power. Maybe it is just the differing cultural styles, such as his coach did it this way, this is how he was taught, this is how it has always been done, so we will do it this way. Overall, the kids here have a lot higher quantity of baseball, but I think the quality of baseball, both practice and instruction, are not as high as in the U.S. I am sure there are some kids that practice baseball for 4 hours everyday and they also get good instruction in the U.S., but the numbers of kids doing it for more than 4 hours a day in Korea probably far exceeds the number of kids doing it in the U.S. I also wonder how many of these boys here would be playing baseball on their own with their friends if they weren't on the school team. I am sure that my brother and I had a lot more fun than these boys are having now. We loved going to practice after school and after our paper routes, well, I guess I will only speak for myself, hahahaha, but I also loved playing it with my friends in our yards or in a neighbors yard. Would it have been the same for us if we would have been forced to practice all the time? Who knows. Thankfully, we never had to find out. These kids I don't believe have much choice in the matter, which is unfortunate.

2008-01-19T19:53:00.000+09:00

Hey all, things are going good at school still. I think we have the apt problem taken care of. It sounds like they are gonna let us have the $300/month, and we will stay in our current apt. They are also gonna give us a small portable stove that uses the little propane tanks, similar to a camping stove. This will give us a 2nd burner to cook on now. Along with what Debbie used to use as her electric tea kettle will give us 3 things to cook with. Put the veggies in the tea kettle and it is boiling in like 30 seconds, not EVEN exaggerating. Debbie can back me up on how quickly it boils. This will pay for most of our food bill each month, so that is good. Also, smaller apt=lower utilities. Save a dime, save a dollar. Then give that dollar to my student loan company. hahahahaaha. We recently a acquired a water cooler for our apt. Free, but we have to buy 2 19liter bottles of water every so often, big deal. Only $5 each, versus paying $3 for a 6pack of 2liter bottles which we then have to carry home from the store each time we go. Tap water is not good enough to drink. Koreans don't even drink it, so it isn't just the foreigners. We are only teaching in the afternoons now, 3 classes at 40 minutes each. We still have to come in at 9:00 though. Borrrrring. I "sneak" out quite a bit for 30-45 minutes at a time to watch/help out with the elementary baseball team. It can be difficult sometimes because of the language barrier, but demonstration goes a long ways. Can't believe our first 3 weeks are up. They have really flown by. I hope the rest of the year goes the same way. Smooth at school, and no problems with the apt. That would be great.
We are currently trying to decide what to do with our vacation time. Last year I didn't really travel much at all, other than around Korea. This summer we are gonna use 7 days of vacation and fly to Jeju Island, South Korea for a 3 or 4 day weekend, and then we need to decide what to do with the other 5 or 6 days of vacation for the summer. Hong Kong is a possiblity, but we are still researching it. It might be ungodly hot and humid at that time of year, so will have to check into it further. Travelling around Korea is a possibility so that we won't be spending as much money on flights and hotels. During the Chusok Holiday(Korean Thanksgiving) we will be going to China to visit the Great Wall and other things. Debbie is expected to SHOP LIKE CRAZY! hahahahaha. Get your requests in now for purses, etc Rachael and others. hahahhaa. Next winter will be Thailand, but we are not sure for how long. We will still have 5 days to use as vacation. However, if we resign with the school, they will give us an extra 2 weeks of vacation, in theory so the teacher can visit home. So if we can combine the 5 days with the 2 weeks, we might spend the Christmas season travelling Thailand, Phillipines, and the south Pacific with one of the special airpasses where you can travel to so many places whenever you want for a set price. Something like that, we have to look into it more. If you have any suggestions, let us know. That is just what we have "decided" on so far, but it could change. Have a super weekend. Cheers.

baseball opening ceremony

2008-01-18T22:08:00.000+09:00

The pictures are of my 130,000won(apprx $140) bottle of wine that I was given at the "opening ceremony" for my baseball team. Everyone on the team was given one, including my co-worker, who is only on the team cuz he can speak English and Korea. He says he has never played baseball.

This "opening ceremony" was more of a big deal than I expected. There were 8 huge flower things, not the real name for them, but they are taller and wider than I am all fresh flowers and I can't imagine what they cost. I got to admit, they do smell really good though. Our sponsor is a local TV station, and I guess they pay for everything, including the food, which included big trays of fruit, chicken, beef ribs, sushi, shrimp and of course the always present octopus and kimchi. I was just expecting it to be a bunch of Koreans sitting in a small restaurant eating pork and drinking soju. I can't wait to see what they will give us if we do really well, or what about if/when I hit a HR. I wonder if there will be gifts for playing well. hahahahaha. Debbie is hoping for more wine. I told her I got this bottle of wine for her, but once we looked in a pamphlet that was in the bag and saw the price, I decided I will try some of it.

I am really hoping they don't hassle me about doing things the "Korean baseball" way. I think our body types are a wee bit different, and I have been doing the "American baseball" way for oh, probably about 25 years, so don't think I will be changing it. We are apparently a "new team" so this is the first year for us. the 8 guys sitting at my table are all younger than me, so maybe they can play ball a little bit better than the team in Masan from last year. The last thing I had to do is cut the cake. I guess cuz I am the foreigner. It was me, the team director, the manager and I think 2 of the big wig businessman for the photo op. Maybe it is good press for them if they show up in a newspaper with a Megook(American). Thats all for now. Cheers.

First baseball practice

2008-01-13T18:40:00.000+09:00

Wow, what a confusing day. I showed up at 2:00 when we were supposed to have practice. I started playing catch with a guy there, then I took some fly balls and ground balls. Afterward, one of the players asked me to be on their team. That got me thinking, hmmm, maybe this isn't the right team. Sure enough, the elementary school coach came up to me and said, "Practice, uhhhh, delay, ok? 4:00 PM. Hey when you don't know their names, they really do look very similar. And as a friend of Debbie and her brother, who happens to be Chinese said, "There was a look alike contest in China, they all won." So unless I know their names, it is very hard to know who is who. You try remembering which guy is Kim Sung Joon, and which one is Kim Sang Yoon. Sang and Sund sound very similar as do Joon and Yoon. On the plus side though, I know all 12 names of my students from my morning class. I think Debbie and Christina may not know any of their students' name.
Anyhoo, the manager for the elementary school is apparently the manager for the adult team I will play on, although I don't remember seeing him out there with the elementary school during practice. I am not sure how it actually works with them. But I did notice that it is WAAAAY too serious for kids that are 9-12 years old. It's ok to be serious, but kids that young don't need to be getting yelled at like that after every inning. I don't know much Korean, but I do know when someone is yelling at another. The kids looked scared to play. I don't think they ended up winning. And I found out later that I don't think my team even practiced, so I don't know who was wanting me to get measured for a uniform. I hit with a few of his team members for about 45 minutes, then left as he tried to get me to stay for a uniform. I guess I told him I would be on his team, again, thinking it was the regular team that I was supposed to be playing on. oops. At least I got a few hundreds cuts in the cage. Guess that's all for now. Cheers.

Pics from Dr. Fish

2008-01-13T18:35:00.001+09:00

The Dr. Fish sign. Debbie and the fish above. Me and my fish on the left.

Pictures from Osaka

2008-01-06T18:13:00.000+09:00

Temples we visited in Osaka, Japan.

The oldest temple in Japan. It was built in the 500's. I think around 570 but cannot remember.
Me and my ladies. hahahaha

A little man holding up the Ash Buddha temple.

Below is the temple where the Buddha made of ash can be found. The story is over 200,000, I think closer to 300,000, bodies were burned to make the ash for the buddha statue. No pictures of it though, sorry.

Baseball in Gwangju

2008-01-06T18:01:00.000+09:00

Hello, today was a gorgeous day so Debbie and I walked around the neighborhood mainly looking for a gym to work out in. No luck, so we headed towards our school because we knew there was one nearby. We walked past our school and there were Koreans inside the baseball building practice. Lucky ME!!!! I communicated with them that I was a teacher at the school and one guy said he was the coach of the school's baseball team. Then I asked if I could play on their men's league team. He said "test, next Sunday." Which I guess means tryout to see if I am good enough. I played catch with him and they were all impressed it sounded like, so chances are very good that I have found a team to play ball with. Even better is that after work, I can jump in the batting cage at our school and take some cuts. If the gym across from the school is any good, then I can head over to lift weights right after that. Home by 6pm to cook and eat dinner and then I will have free time without having to worry about going to the gym after dinner. Hopefully it will all work out. Now I just have to try to convince the school to let me help with coaching the baseball team.

I'm back

2008-01-05T19:16:00.000+09:00

Hey everybody, it's me again, "viperinkorea." I was brutal last time cuz I just didn't write much at all, but this time, I vow to do better. I am in Korea this time with my fiance Debbie. We are in the city of Gwangju, South Korea. Popluation, 1.5+ million people. Home of Mt. Gundeumsang.....or something like that. We are currently in a very small apartment, considering it is for 2 people, not just 1. If it was solo, it would be more than big enough. We haven't decided if we will stay here or not though. We originally told them we wanted a bigger apt, but we have since reconsidered among ourselves. We are considering trying to get the extra $300/month instead of a bigger place. When we got here there was nothing in the apt except a bed. At our urging, they have since added a wardrope, tv stand, dining table, 2 chairs, and a microwave. The tv will be coming next week. We hooked up the internet this morning, and the phone and cable will be next week, hopefully with several English channels.
Our school so far seems fantastic. We have the normal extreme disorganization that is to be expected here, but at least it isn't just us, but our Korean co-teachers as well that are left in the dark about everything. We work 8:30-4:30 so we have normal working hours. We are not sure where we will find a gym, haven't really explored the area. Spent our first Saturday at Home Plus, probably the best supermarket/department store for foreigners. I got a haircut, which is ALWAYS an adventure, and we both experienced Dr. Fish. You place your feet in a tub full of little fish, which peck at your feet/legs, presumably to eat any dead skin. Very ticklish and freaky feeling. But feet did feel good afterwards. Still do tonight. I will include pictures of it as soon as Debbie uploads them onto her computer. Our co-worker rocks. She has been in this city for 4 years. She is here with her fiance. They are from Montreal. She is willing to fight for what we all deserve just as Debbie and I are. Some foreigners show up here and work, and just go along with what their Korean bosses tell them, which can lead to a lot of unfairness, not in the foreigner's favor. All 3 of us will demand to be treated the "right way", as she proved by standing up for herself on a contract issue and Debbie and I did the same on the apt(even though we might stay in it for the money:$300) Wow, what a long write up. Sorry about that, but had a lot to cover. Hope this finds all in good health and good spirits. Cheers.

viperinkorea

For the family

2007-06-19T04:21:00.000+09:00

Hey all, here are some pics of me and Debbie that I said would be here in the email.

Packages from home

2007-02-06T22:44:00.000+09:00

Packages from home. Is there anything that us waygooks like to hear more than that? I am not sure which is better though, knowing one is coming or being surprised when one shows up unexpectedly. The wait is agonizing when I know a package is being sent. I feel like my nephews probably feel waiting for Christmas. I am fortunate that my parents have been so willing to help me through all of this experience with both the occasional care package and with helping to sort things out back home when I send money for the dreaded 5 letter word---bills. Thank you Mom and Dad for everything you have done for me, before I moved here and since. I love you.
Ben Mayer

Bread is NOT the same as bun

2007-01-25T22:55:00.000+09:00

Why is it that some people seem to think that bread will work just as well as a bun. I cooked hotdogs for dinner tonite, and I noticed I didn't have any buns. Well, clearly, GREAT planning on my part. LOL. I was forced to use bread instead. For the record, buns are WAY better than bread. I can't really explain it, it's just one of those things that is. Why is the sunshine warm, why is ice cream good? It just is. You can't continue to question it. They are definitely not the same thing. True both fit into the "bread" category, but, come on now. You and I both know it isn't the same. Just go put water into your car instead of gasoline. Are they not both liquids. EXACTLY!!! I think I proved my case without needing to resort to history's greatest legal maneuver, "The Chewbacca Defense." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_05h9g17JDs

Deuces,
Ben Mayer

Seoul

2007-01-05T14:02:00.001+09:00

Hello everybody. Some people have been wondering, How was Seoul? Seoul was crazy. Being from lil ol' Arkansas, I have never seen that many people in one place. There were people selling anything you could think of from places all over the world. Do you want a pair of Mickey Mouse socks, Itaewon. Do you want sports jerseys, Itaewon. Do you want giraffe, elephant or just about any other animal carving from places like Nigeria, Tanzania, and other exotic places, Itaewon. The "salepeople" are relentless also. They would just follow us around the stores and ask us if we wanted to buy something. We were asked if we wanted to buy a very nice jewelry box about 10 times. BY THE SAME WOMAN!!! I answered her politely in English and Korean, but she stayed on us till we left. Itaewon is the main tourist part of Seoul, and I am pretty sure everybody there spoke English. I met people from about 15 different countries, and sadly enough, the Americans/Canadians were the least friendly. I ate 3 Subway sandwiches, and drank some Dr.Pepper. The biscuit I had at KFC was out of this world good. Its funny how you realize the convenience of things like that in America when you are not around them. Ate Outback Steakhouse for Christmas lunch. MMM-MMM. Always tastes better when you haven't eaten food like that in 7 months. (I don't really care much for Outback when I lived in the US.) I opted to not buy a Leather coat, but I am pretty sure I could have gotten one for less than $100. Probably $75 if I really wanted to push him on the price. I instead bought a regular winter coat for 10bucks at a dept store in Masan. Hey can't beat the price, and it is still quite warm. Unfortunately, it seemed all the custom tailoring was with Korean fabrics, which isn't quite what I wanted. Think highly flammable material that isn't soft, and is a little shiny. Hopefully I can find a place that makes real shirts and suits before I go back home. The Nutcracker was amazing also. It was easy to understand, even with Korean dancers. LOL. Matt I can't believe you asked me that. The weather was amazing also considering how far north it is. Didn't even need a jacket during the day, and the sun shined all weekend. The clubs and bars were crazy packed, and we were told by a few (friendly)local English teachers that it wasn't even a busy night. The hotel was great also. I think we got off pretty cheap at 50bucks a night for each of us, considering our location and the quality of the hotel. To sum it up, was Seoul fun, yes, but only in little bits. I am glad I was only there for 3 days/2 nights. I thinkthat is plenty of Seoul for me. There is NO WAY I could ever live there. The subways were packed door to door, and there were just way too many people. Am I glad I went, yes. If you are ever in Korea, then you just have to visit Seoul at least once. It is one of the international hubs of the world.

Ben

Christmas in Seoul!!!

2006-12-16T15:54:00.000+09:00

Christmas in Seoul!!!
Hello everybody, how are you? I am fine thank you, and how are you? You ESL teachers in Korea know what I am talking about. lol. I am going to celebrate Christmas in Seoul this year. Leaving Saturday morning for a 6 hours train ride. I am so pumped about this. We are going to watch the Nutcracker as well. No words, so no translation needed. I am going with about 10 other people, so it's going to be wild I am sure. We will be staying in a part of Seoul called Itaewon. I am told it is a huge foreigner part of Seoul. Surely I can find a jacket there that will fit me. I am going to look into getting a leather jacket made actually. People tell me that stuff is fairly cheap up there. Guess I'll see. Wow, I hope this week doesn't take forever. Merry Christmas everybody.
Ben Mayer

Allo

2006-11-28T23:20:00.000+09:00

hello people, what is happening. Things have been going pretty good lately, with lots of new excitement. My friend Marie pushed a couple of Korean guys down some stairs, HAHAHA. Brian Urlacher would have been proud of her tackling ability. Who knew that Maakoli(Korean wine) was such good "Tacklin' Fuel". I celebrated Thanksgiving with the Neighbors. No seriously, with the Neighbors(Nate and Courtney) not the neighbors. lol. Courtney cooked some wonderful food and Nathan even made some delicious cheesy broccoli rice. I think that is what he called it. Has anybody seen this Meercat Manor on Animal Planet. It is great. You gotta try to check it out at least once. Many people here are getting ready to leave or have just left, so it will be interesting to see who moves in. If you are interested, let me know, and I will tell others that you might be looking for a job.
Ben
I have included a few Halloween pics. Group is just friends from here(Ty, Marie, Nate, Courtney, Kate, Myself.) I was Cupid, Nate was an Ajuma(old Korean lady), and Courtney was Marilyn Monroe. The other pic, I am not sure, just me and Nathan messing arou
nd with the camera

BBQ

2006-10-27T20:43:00.000+09:00

BBQ

Here is a great article about some great BBQ. This guy is awesome too. I have seen his show and it is definitely worth watching. Makes me long for some real American cooking and meat.
http://livetastefully.msn.com/Article1.aspx?id=Ambassador_sep.aspx&GT1=8634

stun gun

2006-10-17T16:58:00.000+09:00

I got this from somebody elses myspace page. It is funny

Stun Gun
Stun gun. ONLY A GUY WOULD DO THIS.

Pocket Taser Stun Gun, a great gift for the wife. A guy who purchased his lovely wife a "pocket Taser" for their anniversary submitted this...

Last weekend I saw something at Larry's Pistol & Pawn Shop that sparked my interest. The occasion was our 22nd anniversary and I was looking for a little something extra for my wife Toni. What I came across was a 100,000-volt, pocket/purse-sized taser. The effects of the taser were supposed to be short lived, with no long-term adverse affect on your assailant, allowing her adequate time to retreat to safety.... WAY TOO COOL!

Long story short, I bought the device and brought it home. I loaded two triple-a batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button. Nothing! I was disappointed. I learned, however, that if I pushed the button AND pressed it against flesh or a metal surface at the same time; I'd get the blue arch of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs.

Awesome!!! Unfortunately, I have yet to explain to Toni what that burn spot is on the face of her microwave. Okay, so I was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself that it couldn't be all that bad with only two triple-a batteries, right?!!!

There I sat in my recliner, my cat Gracie looking on intently (trusting little soul) while I was reading the directions and thinking that I really needed to try this thing out on a flesh & blood moving target. I must admit I thought about zapping Gracie (for a fraction of a second) and thought better of it. She is such a sweet cat. But, if I was going to give this thing to my wife to protect herself against a mugger, I did want some assurance that it would work as advertised. Am I wrong?

So, there I sat in a pair of shorts and a tank top with my reading glasses perched delicately on the bridge of my nose, directions in one hand, and taser in another. The directions said that a one-second burst would shock and disorient your assailant; a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms and a major loss of bodily control; a three-second burst would purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water. Any burst longer than three seconds would be wasting the batteries.

All the while I'm looking at this little device measuring about 5" long, less than 3/4 inch in circumference; pretty cute really (and loaded with two itsy, bitsy triple-a batteries) thinking to myself, "no possible way!"

What happened next is almost beyond description, but I'll do my best...

I'm sitting there alone, Gracie looking on with her head cocked to one side as to say, "don't do it master," reasoning that a one-second burst from such a tiny little ole thing couldn't hurt all that bad.. I decided to give myself a one-second burst just for the heck of it. I touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button, and HOLY MOTHER, WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION )*(&#(*)&)(#%)jld*(&#*#***!!!

I'm pretty sure Jessie Ventura ran in through the side door, picked me up in the recliner, then body slammed us both on the carpet, over and over and over again. I vaguely recall waking up on my side in the fetal position, with tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both nipples on fire, testicles nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked under my body in the oddest position, and tingling in my legs. The cat was standing over me making meowing sounds I had never heard before, licking my face, undoubtedly thinking to herself, "do it again, do it again!"

Note: If you ever feel compelled to "mug" yourself with a taser, one note of caution: there is no such thing as a one-second burst when you zap yourself. You will not let go of that thing until it is dislodged from your hand by a violent thrashing about on the floor. A three second burst would be considered conservative.

SON-OF-A-B^&%$... That hurt like hell!!! A minute or so later (I can't be sure, as time was a relative thing at that point), collected my wits (what little I had left), sat up and surveyed the landscape. My bent reading glasses were on the mantel of the fireplace. How did they up get there???

My triceps, right thigh and both nipples were still twitching. My face felt like it had been shot up with Novocain, and my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs. I'm still looking for my testicles. I'm offering a significant reward for their safe return.

North versus South--I am ok.

2006-10-12T00:10:00.000+09:00

North versus South--I am ok.
Hello everybody, wanted to let everybody know that things are going great here in "South" Korea. The North I am not so sure. It seems that things are and will be ok. I have not heard anything from the Koreans I know to be worried about. Me and some friends have discussed this some, and one thinks that North Korea is being used as China's puppet. But in the news China seems to be against most of what North Korea has been doing. If that is a real scenario then WW3 is nearby due to the Chinese/Russian alliance. I am registered with the US Embassy, so it is my understanding that if we need to be evacuated, then they are responsible for helping me get to safety. I have been told this by several people that have been here for a few years. If anybody knows otherwise, then please let me know. We have about 30,000 troops currently stationed here and many more in neighboring countries, but lets all hope there is no need for any of them. So far things seem to be completely normal in the south part of South Korea, where I am living. It seems that Japan is being the most aggressive with the restrictions on NK, so Japan may end up making the first move. My brother put as NK has nothing that we need so we don't care what they do, as long as they don't bother us or our friends. But it seems Kim Jong Il(KJI) is trying his best to get the US involved. If KJI was serious about his threats, it seems that Seoul would be destroyed in no time due to the numbers of the NK army versus the SK army. Whether or not they could do much beyond that, not too sure. Obviously their economy is terrible so their resources are not there. Now I don't claim to know anything about politics or more or less about anything other than sports, lol, but this is a quick summation of my view of things over here. Love you all. Ben

Hey Hey, a new blog by Ben---"Old School"

2006-10-01T04:44:00.000+09:00

Old School
OK, who wants to be "Old School". This isn't the Will Ferrell sense of Old School. This is OLD SCHOOL. I am talking Silver Series Old School all you Tech Baseball guys. Yeah, you know what I am talking about. Old School is Tecmo Super Bowl on a Saturday night/Sunday morning when you are 12 years old. Old School is tube socks with shorts. Old School is growing the 'stache out to spur a winning streak New York Yankees. This is "Old School." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxkcZsSYzn0

Running in the Streets

2006-08-08T21:22:00.000+09:00

Helloooo New Brunswick(Harold and Kumar) for the uneducated. First of all, you have got to check out this link http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14224099/
my goodness, who does not think this is a great idea, well except for the 20 guys who work at the bar.
Speaking of bars, I tried again as bartender, this time at All That Jazz. Some pics are on my profile. I am probably the best beer dispenser man I know. Why does free beer always taste so much better? I got 2 words for you. "Free" "Beer"
We will try for the 3rd time to play the Official All-Star game against Busan on August 15. The rain has stopped and I think the sun is moving closer by the day. I know this is cliche, but it is a different kind of hot here. It just feels like the sun in right on top of you here. Nabo is making his 2nd appearance as a singer at Joyce's looking forward to that, probably more for the drink specials. Also, it is bikini night. Wear a bikini and get things cheaper, so I better get to shopping to find a 2 piece that will fit me hahaha. Matt the owner of Joyce's is back from Thailand. The place is always much more lively when he is here.
Looking forward to visiting some beaches in the next few weeks as well. I am told the beaches are not much fun here because they are overcrowded. Oh well, guess I will still need to make my own opinion. I am stepping back from the weightroom for a few months due to my shoulder having problems again. It has been 15 months since my surgery but seems to flare up and hurt once in a while. Hopefully this will put an end to it by taking off of weights until November or so. It also saves me 60 bucks a month. I am just going to run in the streets, which is actually a lot of fun, mainly because it scares so many Koreans to see somebody 6'3" 240lbs running at them or from behind them. I think I enjoy that more than I should. If anybody has any stovetop recipes for chicken, I am looking for some more variety, but I am trying to stick just to chicken because it is healthier than the beef here, and I like chicken. Simple enough ehh.
Until next time
viperinkorea

whats happening

2006-07-21T12:37:00.000+09:00

I know, I know, I have been getting really lazy with the lack of posts. School is going good. We are back to a more normal schedule. I have a 90minute break in the middle of the day, so I use that to go to the gym. Makes it much easier than doing it after work and dinner, but I am having to really squeeze my workout down. On the baseball front, I was picked for the League All-Star team. I chose not to play because I did not want to spend a whole day on that(it was a holiday no less). I was supposed to leave my house at 9 am and I am sure I wouldn't have gotten home until after 9pm. There are pics on my home page of another game we had though. The team has advanced to the playoffs with a second place finish(out of 20 teams) We will also start tournaments soon, I think September. We will play other teams from other towns. The rules are foreigners cannot play backcatch, and I think they are limited to 2 innings, or we cannot pitch at all. The teams from Busan and Daegu supposedly have many foreigners because of the military bases. Our friend Alex also informed us(nate and I) that when we joined the league, they made a new rule limiting us to 2 innings pitched each. That sucks, but it is also kind of cool. Well, enough baseball, for now anyway.

I am starting to branch out some more on the foods I eat. I have tried bokimbop, which is fried rice with vegetables and eggs. I would have never eaten it in the States, but I like everything that is in it. I have tried some beef stew that was pretty good. Would have been much much better I am sure if it wouldn't have been 95 degrees outside, plus we had just finished a game. The team wanted to go so we went. We don't get much input on that stuff yet. I ate some Korean ribs also. OMG it was sooo good. Sorry Matt, it was better than yours :-) Well, until next time, keep on keepin on.

viperinkorea

Baseball pics

2006-07-21T00:41:00.000+09:00

one month

2006-07-06T22:04:00.000+09:00

Hello all, it has been a little over a month since I started here in Korea. So far it has been a good decision. Lots of new experiences, obviously. I don't care much for the true Korean foods but I have found enough to eat. I did actually try of lot of different foods, just was not able to eat them much. Some of these"vegetables" I have never even heard of, and who would have ever thought of putting some of this stuff in their mouth. I did eat part of an octopus. I almost lost it right back too. No more of that. I know I just can't do seafood. On the baseball field, we clinched second place and a spot in the postseason. I became the first foreign pitcher to get a win. I pitched 2 innings in relief before having to leave with a slight hamstring pull. Struck out 5 while I was in there. I got my first great hit also. Hit a laser off the CF wall. It never got above 20-25 feet the whole time. It felt really good. Hopefully it is the corner turning hit that will get me going. Hey Pettigrew, isn't the Fall season approaching? ahhahahaha. Fall Monsters of Korea. Don't think Nabo hasn't brought that up many times for each of us. My camera has been fixed, but I forgot to put the battery pack in before we left for the game, then I forgot to get it out of Myung Won's(one of our pitchers) car, so he has it now. Will get it back this weekend I hope. Hope all is going well with everybody.

viperinkorea

Skittles or Starburst

2006-07-02T18:36:00.000+09:00

Skittles or Starburst Current mood
Which is better, Skittles or Starburst? For me, it is a toss up. Right now I would have to say Skittles.(I haven't found any Starburst in Korea) But, it depends on my mood, which candy I want to eat. For those of you who eat Skittles, how do you do it? Do you eat one skittle at a time? Do you dump several into you hand and eat them all together? do you dump them into your hand, and just eat one color at a time? There are actually so many different choices here. I prefer to dump some into my hand, and then just eat one color at a time. How many depends on how many of each color are in my hand. For those Starburst connoisseurs, do you unwrap and eat one at a time? Some people might unwrap every candy, and then eat in a certain order, or flavor at a time. Others may combine colors to form new flavors. Personally, I think this is a mistake. I prefer to eat them one at a time. Have you noticed though, that whenever someone asks for a Starburst, the lemon(yellow) is almost always the flavor given away. Skittles or Starburst, you can't go wrong either way. Now you will go out and pay a little more attention to the eating habits of others when it comes to these candies. :-)
viperinkorea

Welcome to school children

2006-06-21T23:15:00.000+09:00

June 22
I haven't written on here in over a week so I figure I had better post something. It is freakin hard to come up with things to write about. When I am out doing things, I see things and think of things to write about, but then I forget all of those ideas it seems. I am NOT going to carry around a notebook and jot down ideas. Thats just ridiculous. The school that I am working at is apparently one of the best schools in Masan for foreign teachers. I always hear stories from other teachers about what happens at their schools, but so far, there isn't much to complain about. I just do my job and keep the kids happy and educated. That seems to be the main objective. Not so much to keep the kids happy, but keep the parents happy. I am told that they kind of run the schools in Korea. Thats just the way it is. Oh well, just keep plugging away I guess with the kids. The kindergarten kids are all super. They are I think ages 3 -6. I am not for sure though. I do know that when I got to Korea, I turned 28. I am not sure how it works, but they consider you to be 1-11/2 years older, not sure how it really works. So basically the 6 year olds are really 5 year old and so on. We were/are supposed to have a field trip tommorrow so that should be fun. It is supposed to rain, so I don't know if we will actually have the field trip. I have pics of the kids, but alas, I am having camera difficulties. The LCD screen is cracked, so I have to get my school director to take it either back to Wal-Mart or have it fixed at Samsung after service(or something like that). I am being told it should be fixed free of charge. I have only had it 2 weeks, and I haven't a clue how it broke. I took it out Sunday to take a picture of the baseball stadium, and saw it was cracked. We won our game about 15-2. I finished 2-4 with two doubles. I also stole 3rd base. Even though I had 2 hits, I was not at all happy with the way I swung the bat. It just doesn't feel right. It is kind of funny that the guys on the team tell me I am fat, yet I am the only one stealing bases. hmmmm, go figure. Nathan put it best: you may have a bit of a gut, but look at the muscle you have. They have zero muscle on them. That seems like a good enough trade.
I may have to steal that from Nathan the next time they start cracking on me. Planning on doing some hiking in the next few weeks, so maybe I will have some mountain top pics soon.
"Stay classy America"
viperinkorea

signs, signs, everywhere signs. What do they mean?

2006-06-13T22:44:00.000+09:00

This is me rapping at Joyce's. http://www.webmasan.com
This is me and Alex. He is the Secretary General of Cultural Arts. He is also the guy that is running the baseball team Nabo and I am playing with.
This is Posse 217-Korea style.

Hello all, it has been a week since my last post, so I figure it is time to write another one. Hmmm, Matt,I don't know how you come up with these posts all the time. What has been going on here in Korea. I have found several restaurants here that I can eat at, but I have been doing a lot of cooking. The Koreans love lights and signs. There are signs everywhere for every little thing. The restaurants have some great signs too. The most ridiculous cartoon characters and it seems they are all holding up one or two thumbs. It is also funny to see a cartoon cat and cow on a sign for a pork restaurant. I know, I know, it probably IS cat, hahaha. World Cup is getting even more crazy with Korea playing tonight. Of course, USA got beat last night, but does anybody even care about soccer in America? Not too many people I know in America are worried about it. I have a few pics of myself and some friends I have made here. I am on the mic rapping to a little Gin and Juice(Snoop Dogg), Phish style. As far as school goes, the kids are great. They do some of the strangest things. They also laugh at the weirdest times at the strangest things. I think that it is all Koreans that laugh all time. Hope all is going well.
Ben

Baseball today

2006-06-06T23:23:00.000+09:00

Baseball today
Today was a holiday in Korea, so no school. We played a baseball game today, and I was able to play. 4-5 with 4 doubles. I also pitched the 9th inning. Nabo played very well also. He had 3 hits and also pitched very well. Still working on getting a camera. My owner and my Korean friend Alex(Arex) said it is better to buy off TV/internet show. I guess I will have them help me buy it that way. Possibly going to Demilitarized Zone(DMZ) near Seoul this Saturday. Apparently, years ago, the South discovered that the North was building a tunnel system into the South. The North said they were not responsible for the tunnel, but South said the only opening is on your side. Thus the DMZ was born and the South gives tours and tells history of country and is making money off of it. Because of that, the North said they were in fact responsible for building the tunnels (are you sure?) so now they split the money I guess. It is kind of late now so I guess I will hit the bed.
viperinkorea
today's date is 06-06-06, that has got to be worth something. Is there a special name for that? Maybe that is why we had a holiday.

Go Go Corea

2006-06-06T23:13:00.000+09:00

Sunday, June 04, 2006
Go Go Corea, this is what their World Cup shirts say. And no I didn't spell that wrong. They have shirts that have a K instead of a C, but that not as interesting.(not like this is anyway) Well, I had a BIG post typed up Sat afternoon,but my comp froze, so now I am typing in Word then saving then posting. I did in fact manage to sleep most of the flight to Tokyo. I remember waking up to eat, then waking up again to eat a snack(sandwich), then waking up again for breakfast(What! you no want breakfast), well ok, so I did want breakfast. The first time dinner came around, an asian boy hit me in the shoulder to wake me up, then in my oh my god who just woke me up haze, he had to show me out to setup my tray. It was in the arm rest. Also, this kids mom traded seats with another asian girl so she could sit with her children, so seeing this, I did the only thing possible, I acted like I was asleep so she wouldn't ask me for the same type of thing. Well, that didn't stop her. She tapped me on the arm and said, could my husband trade seats with you so he can sit with family. Being the regular a$$hole American, I said no, I need the extra legroom that my seat provides. Then I acted like I was alseep again. But wait, there is more. On the 2 hour flight to Busan(Pusan) I end up with a whole row of seats(3) to myself. How awesome was that! I look across the aisle from me and who do you think was sitting there? The husband. I figure he would ask me to trade with his family(3 seats, 3 people) but he did not. For the record, I would have traded him seats because it was only a 2 hour flight. Gina, thanks for showing me around Minneapolis. That looks like it will definitely be a destination when I get back to visit. Hmmm, geez there is so much to say and show you all. I am hoping to get my camera tommorrow(Monday) so I will have pics soon. Some of my previous info was incorrect. I am living in Masan, a city of 500,000. I will be working 9-10 hour days for the first month because there are only 2 foreigners(non asians/english speakers) at my school currently. 1 will be back in a month. I was not ready for that at all. my first day was very mentally taxing, but at least I will get paid more for it. I was not happy with my decision at all when I got off work. Then, Courtney and Nabo come walking around the corner to meet me at the school and my mood changed very quickly seeing familiar faces. Hopefully Monday will be better at school. The weekend was "legendary"--NPH. Everything is so bright at night and people are everywhere. We went bar hopping and met some great people. I have met: australians, canadiens, british, irish, koreans, Americans and new zealanders. I have so many great ideas for bars in America now too. Some things are just very hard to explain without pics. They have girls dancing on trucks that drive through the street advertising things. They also have them on the street dancing in front of their stores. They are always in front of the cinema. I will post pics of them soon. I am learning some Korean already. Very useful to be able to say thank you(comsamida) I have found McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Popeyes, Dunkin Donuts and Baskin Robbin all withing a 5 minute walk of my apt. I am on the 1st floor of a 20 story building. The shower is the bathroom. The whole bathroom. Toilet, sink, shower, cabinets, its all one thing. Makes it very easy to keep bathroom clean though. My gosh, I know this is a ridiculously long post, but their is so much to write. The Irish bar Joyce's that we went to Friday and Saturday was a lot of fun. They play lots of games and it is just a loud and rowdy place. Not rowdy in a bad way though. Sat night was the welcome party, and it started of great. We went to a bar on the 5th floor of a building overlooking the plaza, and they had a great thing going for them. They had a beer glass called the Ace that is about 3 feet tall, and it is only 4,000 won(4.00-4.50 american) Then we went to Joyce's for the party. I beat some little Korean dude in pool and his friend gave me a go go Korea towel. They are so World Cup crazy I can't even describe it. We went home around 3 because our Korean baseball friend was picking us up in 5 hours for the game. I didn't get to play because they didn't have a uniform for me. They have them fitted. they are sweet unis too. The hats are brutal though. The Korean guy(Alex) was taking me around and showing me off to everybody. When I met the team, they starting chanting K1, which is similar to Ultimate Fighting in USA. We then ate lunch and then had a practice. I think they wanted me and Nathan to hit. Nathan didn't pitch too well today either, but we will fix that by playing catch more often. I pitched in the bullpen also, and I have to say I did a damn good job. For those in the baseball know, Nabo caught me and said I was about mid 80's. Not too shabby I think. Alex had two professional players in Korea catch for me also, and they were very impressed as well. The main starting pitcher looked at me and Nabo and said, "1-2 punch", and the coach said we would be like Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling for the teams. Obviously they are impressed very easily. I know I am leaving out so much, but I think this post is more than long enough. I hope everybody is doing well. Good day.
viperinkorea

And away I go

2006-06-06T23:09:00.000+09:00

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Well, I am making the final preparations to move off to Korea. I hope you will enjoy the journey as I describe all of it as best I can. I am looking forward to many adventures around the Asian countries, as well as immersing myself in Korean culture. Throughout my blogs, you will no doubt see mention of my good friend Nathan(hereby referred to as Nabo) and his wife Courtney. Nabo is a friend of mine from Tech and I am sure we will be doing a lot together. They have been living in Korea since February, so they will be showing the basics once I arrive. Hopefully I will have much to share next week, because the bar by my apt is having a welcome to Korea party for me( I am sure at the urging of Nabo.) I am looking forward to this next chapter in my life, and hopefully my family members and friends will be able to keep in touch with me through this. And Rachael, I will be coming back to America, don't worry.
Viper