All right, let me tell you about my week in the land of the morning calm. (This is a LONG post. If you get bored, just scroll down to the photos).

Monday was the first of a three day “new arrivals” training program we are encouraged to attend. Monday sucked. The presenters were just going through the motions for the most part, seemed rushed and disinterested, and failed to convey much useful information. The group (about 20 of us) was a mix of military, civilians, and dependents. It was often unclear what information was applicable to the military folks exclusively or whether civilians were also expected to abide by those rules of conduct. Near as I can tell, unlike my military brethren, I am permitted to use off post barbers and I am not required to use the “buddy system” when I go into town. One thing was made very clear, the 1200-0500 curfew applies to everyone here, and it will be strictly enforced. A contractor in Osan was suspended for three weeks without pay for a curfew violation. The streets of Itaewon are crawling with MPs so it is likely you will be caught if you are not on base or in your residence after midnight. The curfew is very controversial amongst the civilians, but I for one will willingly submit to General LaPorte’s authority to impose “force protection” measures as he sees fit. He’s the boss, and I am here to serve, not make demands.

Anyway, except for the female sergeant who barked out her ten minute presentation like we were a bunch of recruits and the EAP guy who was a dead ringer for the counselor on South Park (he actually said “hmmkay” repeatedly) there was not much to keep us entertained.

After Monday’s fiasco I was not looking forward to Tuesday, but I was very much pleasantly surprised. Mr. Lee gave us an introduction to Korean history that was fascinating. He is a history professor at a local university and he was quite passionate about his subject. For centuries the Koreans have lived in the shadow of the big gorilla called China, and have had to fight repeatedly to keep their culture from being assimilated by the Chinese. He talked about the methods China used in Manchuria and Mongolia, and warned that China was a force to be reckoned with in the future. He said the Chinese are a very patient people, but their dream of dominance is being actively pursued. He talked about the Japanese a lot too. Although Asians look similar to many Americans, the cultures of Korea, China and Japan are very unique. Each has its own language and customs that define them as a people, and they have struggled mightily to preserve those identities for thousands of years.

Mr. Lee also talked about the special relationship the Republic of Korea has with the United States. He noted that over 7,000 South Koreans died fighting alongside their American brothers in Vietnam. I never knew that. He said that bonds forged in blood are difficult to sever, but it was very important for each of us to be positive examples as Americans. He talked about how we will leave his country after a couple of years, but the image we leave with the people we meet here will remain with them for a lifetime. I do take that responsibility very seriously. In the short time I have been here I have come to realize that you definitely want the Koreans on your side.

We next learned of some “do’s and don’ts” of Korean manners. Some things are common sense (respect the elderly) and others require changing some habits (using two hands to pour drinks or when paying for something). I am more comfortable in social settings with each passing day and once I master some of the language, I think I will get along quite well with the people here.

Ah, the Korean language. I guess I have a vocabulary of twenty or so words, some useful (hello, thank you) others not so helpful (various body parts and items of clothing). But I am learning, and Koreans are always appreciative of the effort and quite friendly about correcting your pronunciation. We were introduced to the Korean alphabet (Hangul). It has 24 “letters”, 10 vowels and 14 consonants. Interestingly, no capital letters. The Hangul symbols that are so alien now will make sense once I have memorized the alphabet. Each symbol represents a consonant-vowel or consonant-vowel-consonant. Unlike Chinese, where each symbol represents a word (thus requiring learning thousands and thousands of words), once you have memorized the Hangul characters and the sounds they represent, you can read the language. Of course, you won’t know what it means until you can associate those words with the objects they represent, but comparatively speaking, it is not all that difficult. Or so I have been assured. I will soon find out as I have signed up for Korean lessons, and will be attending class twice weekly for the next three months. At last, a social life!

Wednesday was our field trip day. We took a bus from Yongsan garrison into downtown Seoul. Of course it was snowing a bit, but it was warm enough to keep down the accumulation on the streets. We toured a museum, and observed the Blue House, where President Roh keeps residence. It is built at the base of Bugak Mountain, which serves as a natural barrier to missile attacks from North Korea. Well, unless they are armed with nuclear warheads, but that is a recent development. Security around the Blue House is incredibly tight, and photography is strictly limited. I was allowed to take a photo from one location, so here it is:

I will come back on a sunny day and remember to use my zoom next time. Still, you get a sense of what I described. Next, I have a picture of Mr. Lee in front of the north gate of Guyongbokgung Palace, which was the seat of the Choson dynasty.

Yes, I know I have no skill with a camera. Use your imagination!

After our visit to the Blue House, we bussed over to Lotte World. A pretty interesting place. It has a big amusement park (indoor and outdoor), large shopping area, and museums. It reminded me a little of the Mall of America in Minneapolis-St. Paul. We had a very nice guide who led us around the place. Here’s a picture of the entrance:

So, we walked around inside the museum and observed depictions of Korean life from the stone age forward. It was pretty nicely done. I snapped this picture of one of the displays of Palace life during the Choson dynasty:

Then there is this guy, who is not much like the Koreans I have had the good fortune to encounter:

Next we had a traditional Korean lunch at a restaurant inside the museum. They had the short tables, but also some western style tables better suited for us big Yanks. That’s where we were seated. Of course we had two types of ever present kimchi (which I like quite well), soup, and then a big bowl of something (bindaettok?) I can’t recall the name of. Anyway, it had rice and shrimp and sprouts and a raw egg on top and was served in a sizzling bowl (like fajitas). We stirred up all up together, added some soy and hot sauce, and dug in. Well, I didn’t exactly dig in. I have been practicing and practicing with the wooden chopsticks I received as a going away gift, but damn, those metal chopsticks the Koreans prefer are difficult to master. I was disappointed with my performance to say the least. I was able to manage small bites with great effort, but anyone who has seen me eat knows I am not a small bite kinda guy. Well, at least I didn’t have to ask for a fork, so that is some progress I suppose.

After lunch it was on to the amusement park where we were treated to some free rides. We did the jungle river, the monorail, and some of us braved the roller coaster. I had something very strange happen on that ride. When I got near the front of the line, the guy who holds the stick to make sure you are tall enough to ride looks at me and says “how old?” I was dumbfounded so I just stared at him. “How old, how old?” he repeated. I blurted out “49”. He looked doubtful but nodded and walked off. My new American friends were laughing their asses off. I saw a sign completely in Hangul except for the numerals “55”, so I surmise that you can’t ride if you have reached that particular milestone. Looks like I need to buy a bottle of Grecian formula or something. Well, I was so disconcerted that when I was boarding the coaster, I tripped on the seat and knocked the restraining bar of the car ahead of mine into the head of a young Korean girl. She yelped but was gracious to my humble “meean-hamneeda” (sorry). Of course, the restraint locked into the down position, but she was able to squirm under it and into her seat. I sheepishly looked at the Korean teenagers in line who appeared equally bemused and disgusted. So much for my contribution to international good-will. At least the ride was a blast! Here’s a photo of the inside portion of the amusement park:

And here’s one of a vending machine I thought was kind of interesting. You can’t tell in this picture, but the English label on a can of DelMonte orange juice reads “squash orange”. Guess something was lost in translation.

After leaving Lotte World, we took the subway back to Yongsan, including a station change. This was to get us familiar and comfortable with riding the really fine public transportation system in Seoul. It is actually easier than the Metro in DC. You buy a ticket that is used to enter and exit the station. The trains are all color coded and the stops are sequentially numbered which is real handy. They also make station announcements in English. So this may prove to be my preferred mode of travel, as I am not at all comfortable driving with locals quite yet.

Wednesday night I spent with my new friend Howard drinking far too many beers in the hotel bar. He is an amazing man with many talents. He is an actor, artist, writer, swordsman, and all around good guy. He has been a lifesaver for me during my first few weeks in Korea. Sorry to say he is moving to Japan (left tonight). I am really going to miss him. But he sold me his car and gave me his cell phone, so at least I have those tokens to remember him by.

Which brings us to today. I had high hopes for getting much accomplished, but was only partially successful. I caught up with Howard a little after 0800 and we went about our business of doing the car transaction. First I had to buy insurance, so he took me to a place in Itaewon. Unfortunately, the insurance person didn’t get to work until nine, so we spent the time chatting about his Irish ancestors who were pirates in the 18th century. Fascinating. So, we finally got the insurance purchased at a fair price of $353 per year. Then it was off for the vehicle inspection, done by one of the garages on base. Then we had to go to the vehicle registration building at Camp Kim, but it was closed on Thursday until 1300. So I took Howard back to the hotel so he could finish packing, and I went off to get my ration card and pay situation straightened out.

No luck, the ration place and civilian personnel were both closed until 1300 for “sergeant’s time”. Don’t know what the hell is up with that, but seeing as how my unit gets no such benefit, I reported to work. I had a message from my realtor saying she wanted to meet me at 1700, so I figured we would complete the paperwork on my apartment so I could move in next week as planned. Being out of the office for three days meant a full inbox and lots of email accumulation. Plus, the Chief of Staff (a person that must be kept happy) was not satisfied with the results of a big project I had worked on last week, so that elephant is back at the top of my to do list. Let’s just say work wise, things are heating up.

At 1300 Howard and I went back to Camp Kim to finish the vehicle registration process. Went off without much trouble, except we needed an officer to sign the bill of sale. Luckily, there was a Lieutenant waiting to register her car, and she graciously fulfilled that requirement for me. Here’s a photo of the nice Korean soldier who affixed my USFK decal to the window of MY car (a 1992 Mitsubishi Expo).

And here is the former owner of MY car and good friend, Howard:

Oh, all right. Here’s one of me. And yes I know that the great food in this hotel has not been kind to me. I’m working on it. Really. Once I move and stop eating like a king on the government’s dime (and start walking to work) I will be fine. Honest. (In the meantime, I need to learn to use photoshop so I can make that “pe” (stomach) disappear).

When I got back to the office I had an email that my pay situation has been straightened out, so I at least accomplished that. A car and a paycheck. Now for the house.

Well, the realtor met me with the news that there was a “small” problem with the apartment I had chosen. Seems the owner has decided to sell the place rather than rent it to me. I was quite disappointed. Ms. Kim and her trusty companion Ms. Jeong took me back to a place I had previously considered but rejected for reasons of location and lack of furnishings. It is a very nice place. Brand new, which I do like. Modern appliances and plenty spacious. I met the owner and his wife and they were quite pleasant. The man’s zipper was down, and Ms. Kim kept whispering to me to tell him about it. Hell, I didn’t want to embarrass him, but Ms. Kim was insistent, so when she left the room I just pointed at his crotch. I don’t think he understood what I wanted at first, which made me a little nervous that I might cause yet another international incident. Then he got it, blushed, zipped up and mumbled something in Korean that I choose to believe was kind. I know losing face is a bad thing, especially during a financial negotiation. Oh well. He agreed to furnish the place and with the horrible exchange rate that currently exists, I am getting what appears to be a good deal.

The villa is in Hamman-dong, which is just down the road from Itaewon, probably a mile or so farther out than the villa I was supposed to rent. I’m on the second floor and the view is not nearly as nice as I had hoped for, but it is on a slightly better street (not as narrow and steep). There is a great rooftop area set up for party’s: tables, and a kitchen and the view is great. So I guess when the weather is nice I can spend time up there. Anyway, I still get to move next week and that is important to me. I think it will work out fine, but I will have to purchase a TV/DVD, appliances, dishes, linens, towels, etc.

Ok folks, I have worked on this post for over two hours. Hope you found it of interest. Now, I’m off to bed. Big day at work tomorrow, plus I have to be at the housing office at 1500 to sign the lease. I just want to be done with all the BS and settled into a life. Any life but this hotel room experience. Good night!