Camp Humphreys that is.

You’d think I was from Moscow the way I was rushin’ around on Tuesday morning. Wanted to catch the 0700 bus from Yongsan Garrison to Pyeongtaek.  I was there on time. In fact I was two weeks early.  The 0700 doesn’t begin to run until May 15th.  Ah well, the 0800 got me there in time for my 1000 meeting with my realtor.

Now, I had previously looked at a monster of a house.  Way too big for me (4 bedrooms/4 baths, 2 living rooms and an office), but in the location I was seeking (downtown Anjeong-ri). The issue was whether the landlord would accept a short term lease.  Here’s how it works–I’m given LQA (living quarters allowance) based on my pay grade.  Realtors want to max out your authorized LQA amount because that equals a larger commission.  I get that, and my efforts to be shown smaller places in the neighborhood fell on deaf ears. The realtor convinced the landlord to rent to me for four months, so I’ll be living in a palace.  I’m going back to sign the lease next Wednesday.

The last time Uncle Sam paid my rent I was living in a building called “Royal Palace”. Now my house is named “Star Palace”. I guess that’s progress.

Given the short period I’m committing to, the landlord was unwilling to completely furnish the house.  I told the realtor to just move everything  from upstairs to the first floor and I’d make do.  The downstairs is bigger than my current residence and I don’t use all this space.

The movers are packing me out in Seoul on Thursday and if I can work out the logistics of closing out with the landlord here (i.e. turning in the keys and getting my 5 million deposit back) I’ll be living in my digs on Friday.  Monday at the latest.  Ain’t life grand?

With my business completed with the realtor, I walked around town some.  I was really taken aback by just how quiet the area is compared to Seoul.  That will take some getting used to, but as a pedestrian I have to admit the lack of traffic is pretty nice.

Anjeong-ri has everything you need. Except the tumbleweed.

And just like we say in Itaewon, “meet me at the Hamilton”…

Your spelling may vary.

I wanted to check out the walk from my new digs to my new office space in the 8A HQ building.  It’s about 30 minutes hoofing it to the gate nearest HQ.  When I arrived there I noted that the walk-in part of the gate access was still under construction.  Security would not let use the vehicle entrance, so I turned around to make my way back the main gate in Anjeong-ri.  Then I spotted a vacant cab with the tell-tell base access window sticker so I shouted out “Yogio!” and he turned around and drove me to my office.

I’ll be working on the top floor of the building in this fine office.  Not as big and nicely furnished as my current digs, but size doesn’t matter.  That’s what she said anyway.

Speaking of size, Camp Humphreys is HUGE!  The largest military base outside the USA, taking up about the same square miles as the District of Columbia.  And it is bisected by an airfield, which means driving and walking to anywhere is by necessity done in a roundabout fashion.  From the garrison bus depot near the commissary and PX it took 30 minutes to walk to the main gate.  From my office back to bus station was a good 45 minute walk.

I do believe all that walking was my personal best one day effort.

Now I’m back in Seoul packing out my old office.  And I came upon this relic from my previous tenure:

Words of wisdom from the book “Who moved my cheese?“. I’d had this made and left it with my successor when I retired all those years ago. I had frankly forgotten all about the book and it’s message. But yes, my cheese did get moved but hopefully I’m on my way to finding some new cheese.  There’s some wisdom to be gained here. Don’t mourn the old cheese. Finding new cheese is life’s adventure.

Ah, I see now I wrote about it on my last day at work in 2010.  Little did I know what heartbreak lay ahead of me.

Okay, here’s the book condensed into a 16 minute animated video.  Thanks Google!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16hxCB1Dvd4