I invited a friend and fellow blogger Kevin Kim out for dinner at the Oasis in the Dragon Hill Lodge on Yongsan Garrison.  I was really looking forward to the Mexican buffet (which also features some pretty nice barbecue) and I’m sure he was too.  I even had the foresight to go online and confirm they were open for dinner on Wednesday night. So, I was sorely disappointed when we arrived only to be greeted by sign saying “closed for repairs”.  Thanks for keeping your webpage updated.  Bastards.

We settled for dinner at another DHL eatery, Greenstreets.  It was fine I suppose, just not what I had anticipated or wanted.  Kevin did the Reuben sandwich and I had some surf and turf (sirloin steak and salmon).  Kevin proclaimed the Reuben tasty, despite some sogginess in the bottom portion of bread.  My meal was good, but not spectacular.  Well, the baked potato was disappointing–not sure when it was baked but it was barley warm.

Anyway, we had a nice chat over dinner and then Kevin, as is his wont, hiked the 20,000 steps back to his residence.  I opted for the subway.

I hope he’ll give me the opportunity to redeem myself by sharing the promised Mexican buffet at some date in the future.

Ah, Sunday.  Did my usual this morning.  Which means perusing Facebook and exploring the internets.  Enjoyed this story from blog buddy Kevin Kim in which he relates an encounter with the Korean police (it’s about midway through the post).  As far as I can ascertain, he was guilty of WWW–walking while white.  Or half-white anyway.

It’s just doesn’t pay to be melanin challenged these days.

Today is also the first day of the new Seoul Sunday Singles League season.  I founded and administer the league, and I’ve been busy with various preparatory tasks (schedules, rosters, stat spread sheets and the like).  Match play begins at 5:00, and I believe all stands in readiness.

Prior to utilizing the traditional darts aiming fluid (aka beer), I have found preparing an appropriate foundation is beneficial. Today I went with burritos.

Browning a pound of American ground beef…

The secret to success is using the right combination of seasonings. Or you can do it my way and buy a mix.

Lettuce, tomato, green onion, cheese, salsa and something to wrap them in. I find tortillas work best…

And it comes out looking something like this. Your results may vary.

Time to shower up and journey into Itaewon for a evening of darting.

I spent the morning completing a raft of forms and questionnaires documenting where I’ve lived, where I’ve worked, and what trouble (if any) I’ve gotten myself into these past several years.  I then I had to provide names, addresses and phone numbers for individuals who could vouch for my whereabouts, employment status, and general good character.

Having filled in all the blanks with all the information requested (often redundantly), I was off to Camp Kim to have two complete sets of my fingerprints inked onto paper.  With that task complete, I carried all my documents over to the Security Officer on Yongsan Garrison.  He wasn’t in, so I left them with his KATUSA.  Provided all my “t’s” were dotted and “i’s” crossed appropriately, I will be given a link and password for eQIP, the “Personnel Security Investigation Portal”.  As I understand it, I will then enter virtually the same data that I delivered on paper today.  Gotta love the government!

This process is necessary so that I may be given access to the military’s computer network.  As simple and mundane as my current workplace responsibilities are, I’ve only been doing half of them since I am unable to enter data into the GoArmyEd application.  A co-worker has been graciously doing that portion of my job, but of course my boss would prefer I be fully functional.  It’s all a little frustrating since I previously held a “secret” clearance which was supposedly archived when I retired.  Alas, all that documentation has mysteriously disappeared.  I blame Edward Snowden.  Bastard.

Anyway, having taken care of business (on my own dime by the way) I headed on over to the commissary to restock the larder.

Here’s what I bought for $104.46…

Here’s how I carried said groceries home…

And here’s how they looked when I unpacked them…

Obviously, I love the benefit of shopping in what is essentially an American grocery store. But schlepping the shit home is a real pain in the ass.  Today I took the 143 bus to Gireum.  The bus stop is several blocks from the commissary gate (and the commissary is a block or so from the gate).  I had the good fortune of having a seat on the bus, but it was still a 45 minute ride.  There was a heater blowing right under my seat directly onto my bag with my frozen foods, but they seemed to weather the trip okay.  Another three blocks walking from the stop in Gireum to the apartment, and my arms were screaming. There’s got to be a better way.

We have what appears to be an oven in the new place, so I excitedly set about baking up a batch of walnut brownies.  Alas, either it is not a convection oven or it was in broil mode because within five minutes there was smoke and burned brownie batter.  Damn it.

At least the steaks and samgyapsal turned out okay…

And the view while grilling wasn’t bad either…

And so goes another day in paradise.

Or should I say “movin’ on up!”

The view from the 19th floor…

On Thursday we moved into this brand spanking new apartment building…

Still in Gireum, in fact we are across the street from the old joint. We lived on the 5th floor of Building 105 shown in this photo I took from the new apartment. Not directly above the subway anymore, so I have an additional five minute walk added at the beginning of my commute…

I was pretty impressed with the efficiency of the movers. One million won bought 3 men and 1 woman for the day, including a truck and…

…this elevator like device.

So, the movers show up at 0800. The woman does the kitchen (naturally) while the men set about disassembling things that needed disassembled and packing up everything else that didn’t. They had the old place emptied out by noon.
Given our dizzying new heights, they used the elevators to bring our possessions into the apartment.
When I had my shit shipped back to the USA, they just left my house filled with boxes (although they did put the beds and stuff together). Not these Korean movers–everything was unpacked and if something was dirty (like the refrigerator) they cleaned it!
It was all completed by around 1830. They all worked their asses off and it made that one million seem like a pittance.

The new place has three bedrooms and two baths and is much more modern and high tech.  I was trying to figure it all out and set off some alarm, so the maintenance guy had to come up and reset it.  Jee Yeun admonished me to not touch the control panel again.  Fine by me.

Yesterday was my half-day at work (I’m on a 20 hour per week contract, and do 8 hour shifts on Monday and Wednesday) so I got to test out my new commute.  I had some things I wanted to take care of on base, so I headed out at 0900.  You are welcome to join me for the ride if you want…

Every commute starts with slipping into your shoes, right?

Stepping into the scary elevator for the ride down. I say “scary” because they are all encased in plywood, with tape and graffiti. I guess they’ll stay that way until all the apartments have been occupied.

Down the driveway…

…across the boulevard and past the bus stops…

…Gireum station, line #4, entrance #3…

through the turnstiles…

…and onto the train. I actually had to stand for 3 stops, but seats usually open up at Dongdaemun…

By Seoul station the car was almost empty. Two more stops and I’m at…

…Samgakji! This puts me 25 minutes into my commute.

This guy is always in the station. Never heard him sing, but I assume he does golden oldies. *ahem*

As I leave exit #1 I see it has begun to rain. I have a ten minute walk yet, but I’m too lazy to dig the umbrella out of my backpack…

Through this gate and I’m on the hallowed grounds of US Army Garrison–Yongsan.

Plenty of time to take care of a little banking…

…and grab a quick bite to eat at the food court. Wasn’t feeling like BK or Popeye’s….

…and Subway or Chinese weren’t what I wanted either…

Ah, but some Taco Bell would hit the spot. Three crunchy taco supreme and a large diet Coke took the edge right off those hunger pangs…

So, I work for the Yongsan Army Education Center, which as you may have discerned is upstairs from the Post Office. But I don’t work there, I just drop by to pick up mail…

I’m still facing a one hour bus ride to get to work. Although I do get paid for riding the bus…

My destination is K-16. The ROKs use it as a military airport, the Army has a fleet of helicopters based there…

Crossing the Han…

Better to be riding than driving…

Finally arriving at my duty station. I’m downstairs in the computer lab. Where the work is not quite as intellectually stimulating as my morning commute…

Speaking of being stimulated, one of the purposes of going in early yesterday was to check in with the boss of the unit I use to run.  I’m holding out some hope that he may choose to re-employ me.  With my friend Dennis’ recent departure, there is a vacancy.  Unfortunately, the boss was in a meeting.  So, I had a nice visit with some of my old staff and they all expressed the hope I’d be brought on board.  Well, Dennis’ job as the supervisor has been filled by an internal promotion, but that still leaves a vacancy.  The person I would work for was hired after I left, so she doesn’t really know me (although I did join her and Dennis for dinner last summer).  So, I dropped by her office to say hello.

I asked how things were going and she said it was pretty hectic since Dennis left.  I casually mentioned that I’d be happy to help her out with that, but she really didn’t respond to that one way or the other.  I visited with a couple of other folks and as I was leaving, she asked if she could talk with me for a few minutes.  Of course I said of course.

She showed me a policy memo that had been written during my tenure and asked for my interpretation of one of the clauses.  Well, I frankly didn’t remember much about the policy or why it was written, but I gave it a quick read and hemmed and hawed my way through my best guess of what it meant.  I wasn’t really satisfied with my response and I’m not sure my insights answered her question.  She thanked me and I left.

During my long bus ride I got to wondering if that had been an impromptu interview or test or whatever to ascertain if I still had what it takes to be a useful addition to her team.  Now, I’ve been out of the game for four years but I don’t think I’ve got that much stupider.  And when I was in the game, I didn’t tend to shoot from the hip and make any policy interpretations without much more careful consideration.  So, maybe I should have told her that instead of trying to come up with a best guess on-the-spot.  Or maybe she was just seeking an opinion and there was no other motive so I should stop stressing about it.  I guess I’ll find out in due course.

And finally, after work I hoofed it into Itaewon, grabbed some dinner, drank some beers, and threw some darts.  Won the tourney (W30,000) and hit the double out jackpot (W66,000), so there’s that.

Well, I guess this article about an ex-pat’s time in jail is meant to be sympathetic.  It didn’t “strike” me that way though.  Ahem.

Do Korean’s get a fairer shake in the Korean judicial system?  It appears that way. Are foreigners sometimes targeted?  Perhaps.  But dude, you just can’t go around pounding on people who piss you off.  No matter what country you are in.

Today I and two other friends journeyed out to the Nambu Prison to visit our buddy Jeremy Frye.

Prior to our appointed rendezvous at Noksapyeong station I stopped by the PX to purchase some reading materials for Jeremy.  I was pretty disappointed with the available selections, but I wound up buying several paperback novels, an almanac, and a couple of crossword puzzle books.  This is about the only “outside” items you are allowed to give a prisoner, although they do have some items you can purchase on-site that will be provided to the inmate.

Anyway, we caught a cab at Noksapyeong and rode out to the Express Bus Terminal where we boarded the line #7 subway for Gwangmyung saguri station.  From there, a bus carried us to the “gates” of the prison.  Took just over an hour all told.

As we neared the entrance to the detention center where Jeremy is being held I thought it would be a good idea to snap a picture of the facility.  It wasn’t.  A woman in uniform leaned out a window and screamed at me “NO PICTURES!”  I was like all “my bad” and she yelled “DELETE IT!”  Which I sheepishly did.  I had no desire to see the real inside of the prison.

Although I did delete the photo I took as instructed, one of my companions had taken this shot on a previous trip and got away with it…

Once inside we filled out a visitor form and took a number to be logged in to see Prisoner #3681.  When said number was called we went to the window and presented our identification.  Chad and Lonnie had Korean forms of ID, I was using my USFK ID card and my South Carolina driver’s license.  Which proved to be a problem.  The prison official I was dealing with spoke little English and since I wasn’t ordering beer my limited Korean was useless.  Anyway, he wanted some Korean government issued form of identification which I don’t possess.  In frustration he turned to Chad (who speaks some of the local language) and told him without Korean ID I’d need a passport to gain entrance to the visitor gallery.  I didn’t bring my passport with me however, and he finally gave me the universally understood bureaucratic head nod telling me I was screwed.

We retreated from the window to discuss our next move.  I suggested to Chad that we find a supervisor to see if there might be an exception to the “rule” in my case.  Chad doubted his Korean was good enough to argue for that effectively.  So, I was thinking I’d made a wasted trip when the guy we’d been dealing with behind the counter called out to Chad and said that if I could get a picture of my passport he’d accept that. I tried to call Jee Yeun three times but got no answer.  Then I remembered I’d sent a scanned copy of my passport in an email when I applied for my job here.  Thank god for smart phones! I found that email, pulled up the attachment, and everything was good.

The room where we waited for Jeremy’s number to be posted. I did not take this photo either having been completely intimidated by this juncture.

In short order we saw 3681 on the board and entered through the doors to the left in the photo above.  A guard checked our paperwork again and directed us to room #15 (of what appeared to be twenty) which was occupied by another prisoner and his guests.  So we waited.  After a bit, the guard called out “John McCrarey” which I admit made my heart race a bit.  I tentatively walked up to his desk and he directed me to room #5.  Where we found Jeremy waiting.

An inmate in this facility is allowed one ten minute visit with up to three visitors per day. The room was like a small norebang, with two chairs and a glass partition separating us from Jeremy.  There was a speaker box at the base of the window with a timer that began ticking down from 10 as soon as we entered the room.

Considering the circumstances, Jeremy seemed to be in reasonably good spirits.  He talked about the status of his case for awhile.  Still no trial date, but he took that as a positive sign that the prosecutors have still not been able to build a viable case.  Still, he was frustrated that he was being held pending trial at all, stating that he was only locked up because he was a foreigner.  He seemed confident in his attorney and felt like he could prove that he was not the proximate cause of the victim’s demise.  I’m not sure how viable his theory of the case will be, but I don’t reckon I ought to be discussing that in this public forum anyway.

Jeremy apologized to Lonnie for being unable to fulfill his duties as the dart league secretary, asked Chad about some items he’d like retrieved from his former employer, and told me he was sorry he’d been unable to keep our scheduled meet-up when I returned to Korea (he was arrested the night before).  I told him I hoped the fiction books would help him “escape” some from the boredom of prison life, and he seemed excited about the crossword puzzles as he feared his mind was turning to mush.  Chad noted that he’d lost some weight and he said he’d started exercising.  And that pretty much took up the allotted ten minutes of our visit.  So, we said our goodbyes, did some fist bumps against the glass, and three of the four of us exited the prison.

Anyway, I guess he’s handling it all as well as can be expected.  But it is still a nightmarish situation in which to find oneself.  The facility was modern, clean and well-lighted (at least the parts we saw) so in the category of “it could always be worse” I suppose a first world jail is better than the hellholes you see on shows like Locked Up Abroad.  I can selfishly attest that when I start feeling sorry for myself, I think of Jeremy and am reminded that my problems are relatively meaningless.

We are all hoping for the best possible outcome for Jeremy’s situation.  It was good to see him again.

There’s a full moon over Gireum-dong tonight. Probably in your town too I reckon…

Tonight’s meal was fit for an American…

Ventured out to the commissary this afternoon. Without a vehicle the whole experience is an exercise in logistics.
Took the subway to Noksapyeong station, and hiked over to the gate in closest proximity to grocery store. I have to limit my shopping to the amount I can carry back home.
I did purchase these two bags to supplement the two backpacks I brought along. The orange one purports to keep cold foods cold.
Spent $150 and was able to carry my treasures to the bus stop, but I was pushing the limits of my pack mule abilities.

While waiting for the 143 bus, I encountered this dangerous looking hombre…

Noticed this new dining? establishment in Itaewon. I assume they serve Rocky Mountain oysters….

Attended a birthday party/darts tourney last night at Dolce Vita…

And Jee Yeun came along. Having her there to cheer me on was like old times. It may be no coincidence that I threw some outstanding darts and my partner and I took home 1st place money…

Saw this billboard in the Samgakji subway station and thought to myself “Dude, what are you staring at?”  My proposed caption: I’ve never seen any that small before…”

In yesterday’s post regarding the screening of “The Interview” I mentioned there was a panel discussion after the movie.  I was drinking and not taking notes, so if you are interested in hearing all that was said here’s the YouTube video:

The event also generated a fair amount of news coverage.  Yahoo News, The Korea Times, and the Wall Street freaking Journal.

Also in the news (still) is the sad case of my friend Jeremy.  KBS offers this report:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi–lu9jFdM

I don’t speak Korean well enough to know what they are saying, but the illustration showing the deceased grabbing the girls arm isn’t the story I’ve heard–it was her crotch. Anyway, it doesn’t matter in the eyes of the law I suppose.  In other Korean language media reports I understand Jeremy is being portrayed unsympathetically.  I heard the deceased’s father is not happy that the expat community has engaged in fundraising efforts on Jeremy’s behalf.  If you have an interest you can read them here, here, here, and here.

On a lighter note, my blog buddy Kevin Kim made mention of bad jokes “that old men tend to let slip like random flatulence…”  Now, you can see why I might take that personally, but he was not in fact speaking of yours truly.  Even if I am an old fart, so are you!

And yes, I do tend to be a little gassier than I’d like, but fortunately my farts don’t stink!

Alrighty then, what else?  Well, there’s this:

This was a painful little reminder. Not just of the uncertainty of my current situation. It brought to mind the Korean ex-GF who broke up with me after more than a year of dating– by email! While we were living together! And then she asked if she could stay in my guest room for a few months until she moved to the USA. And I let her!

So, that’s good to know I suppose…

Anyway, things are surprisingly good on the home front.  The wife has been joining me on my expeditions to Itaewon and taking care of me just like the good ol’ days.  Some of my friends have been confused by this, and frankly so have I.  When I asked what was happening she just told me she wants to spend as much time with me as she can before she, well, leaves.  In that regard she asked me not to move out until she is ready to move to the countryside.  Hell, I ain’t in no hurry to go anywhere.  I don’t know if she is having second thoughts or if this is just the sweetest break-up in the history of relationships.  I’m not getting my hopes up, but then again, hope springs eternal.  I’ve got her until she’s gone and I’m content to live day-to-day.  I’ve got the rest of my life to be sad and lonely.

I mentioned in a post prior to leaving the states that Blue Cross was dicking with me over reimbursement for a physical I had at Soonchunhwang hospital way back in April.  This is the standard, albeit comprehensive, battery of tests that most Koreans do on an annual basis.  Apparently the adjusters at Blue Cross don’t see the value of preventative medicine.  I’m $1300+ out of pocket, so I’m not going to take it up the ass (which coincidentally was one the tests for which they have thus far refused to pay).

Anyway, I went to see the hilarious Dr. Yu who graciously provided me 8 pages of doctor’s notes/medical justification for the tests that were administered.  He did charge me W85,000 for the service.  I’m submitting a claim for reimbursement of that bill as well as a special fuck you to Blue Cross.

The next challenge was getting the documentation to Blue Cross in an expeditious manner.  I talked to a Customer Service Rep who suggested I FAX the records.  I asked if I could scan them as well and she said that would be acceptable.  I was unable to find a working scanner though, so I went to the PX on base which offers a FAX service for one dollar per page.  I followed up with a email to Blue Cross asking for confirmation that the documents did in fact arrive.  And I also berated them again for putting me through all this unnecessary hassle.  We’ll see what happens next.

There were lots of folks doing returns of unwanted Christmas gifts at the PX, so I had a goodly wait to be served.  A guy a couple of numbers ahead of me had the unique issue of having been undercharged for some items.  I was pretty impressed that he endured a long wait in line to do the right thing.  Of course, the clerk at the window didn’t have a clue about how to do a reverse refund, but a manager was called to the scene and the money did eventually change hands.

As a nice bookend to the story above, the next woman in line had a whole shopping cart of items which made me fear for my wait.  Fortunately, her problem was only with three items: white boards of various sizes.  It seems she had been charged twice for the large one, twice for the medium one, and not at all for the small one.  That took some time to sort out, but the takeaway for me was to check your receipt, something I rarely do.

Afterwards, I bought a 12-pack of Diet Coke which filled my backpack.  Then I hoofed it into Itaewon where I had a key made for a hefty W10,000.  Then I played darts and took first place prize money of W30,000.  Bought a round of drinks for my vanquished opponents which brought my bar tab to around W50,000.  Which is why it is hard to make a living playing darts.

For those of you who have been following the story of the expat teacher being held in the death of a Korean man after a bar room brawl, here’s a pretty comprehensive account from The Korea Observer.   I’m not sure how reliable a source they are (I’ve never heard of them at least), but the facts as reported do square with the stories I’ve been hearing around town.

Folks are donating to a legal defense fund with some regularity through the Facebook page set up for that purpose.  I’m hoping to get to visit Jeremy at the Nambu prison soon.  I also plan to help organize a benefit darts tournament early next year as well.  And that’s all I can think to do for him at this point.

Last night during a darts match two guys (an American and a Canadian) went after each other.  It didn’t get physical , but it certainly easily could have.  It actually pissed me off because I had just been talking to one of the guys about Jeremy’s situation earlier in the evening.  I just don’t understand why anyone would even think about getting in a bar fight knowing what the consequence could be.  Stupidity reins.

In a world of hurt

So my friend Jeremy is behind bars.  He’s being transferred today to a prison in Incheon where he will stay until his trial date, presumably in a month or so.  He’s been charged with “violence resulting in death”, which I understand is the Korean equivalent of manslaughter.

Several weeks ago Jeremy was at the Old Town Tavern in Itaewon.  He observed a young Korean man verbally and physically harassing a female friend of his.  Jeremy intervened, and a shoving match ensued (some accounts say Jeremy punched the guy). The Korean man subsequently fell to the pavement, struck his head, went into a coma, and later died from his injuries.  He was 20 years old. I’m hearing in his 30’s now, see update below.

I’m not sure how you say “screwed” in Korean, but that most certainly describes what Jeremy is. The altercation has been reported in the Korean media in terms much less favorable than those I’ve described above.  An attorney Jeremy has consulted advises that he is facing 7-10 years in prison, although that might be reduced to as little as two years, provided he makes some restitution to the deceased’s family.  The victims medical bills alone are fifty million Won.

Like many expat teachers in Korea, Jeremy is basically broke.  He was fired immediately after the incident hit the news.  He will have difficulty funding a competent lawyer, I see no possibility of him being able to pay off the family.  The Go Fund Me campaign started on his behalf had only generated several hundred dollars before it was pulled.  Go Fund Me doesn’t allow people to donate to the legal fees for individuals accused of a violent crime. So, like I said, he’s pretty much screwed.

I’ve known Jeremy for several years and I’ve never seen him be violent or aggressive.  But I knew he had been in fights before, mostly because he’s a stand-up guy who won’t back down.  As another mutual friend put it, Jeremy is a smart man who does some really stupid shit.  Now two lives have been destroyed and their ain’t a fucking thing anyone can do to change that.  It’s a nightmare for all involved.

So I offer this sad story as a cautionary tale.  Just walk away.  It’s not worth it.

UPDATE: A friend of Jeremy’s has created a Facebook page in an effort to generate some financial support for legal expenses.  I wanted to post the account of the events outlined there for clarification.  I wasn’t there and neither was he, but this is probably as close to accurate as we are going to get.

A good friend of mine, Jeremy Frye, was recently arrested on charges that could put him in prison for a long time. Because I wasn’t there at the time of the incident I can only relay the story according to Jeremy and a couple of other friends who were at the scene. I will try to simplify it. Here goes:

On Nov. 30th, Jeremy was at a local bar with his friends in the early morning. A Korean man in his 30’s sexually assaulted one of Jeremy’s Korean female friends by grabbing her inappropriately. The Korean man was removed from the bar by the security later to come back inside. The Korean guy pursued to apologize but instead tried to become physical with one of Jeremy’s mates. The Korean guy then left the building only to harass another one of Jeremy’s female friends and physically trying to harm her. Jeremy stepped in and removed the Korean guy which resulted in a scuffle. When this happened, he was almost immediately pulled away by the bar owner and security guard and went back inside. Several minutes later the paramedics arrived on scene because the Korean guy fell unconscious. When the police came, the Korean guy’s friend pointed at Jeremy. They questioned him and then let him go home. Later in the day, the police arrived at Jeremy’s apartment and arrested him for more questioning. He was held overnight and released again. The police told him the Korean guy was in a coma. About a week later the Korean guy died in the hospital. Jeremy is now in prison and awaiting his trial, which could be in a month.

If you feel like giving Jeremy the proper legal assistance, you can transfer funds to a bank account I have set up for him. I will try my best to keep everyone updated on his situation on this page. It will be difficult to contact individually.

KEB
620-237511-243
Murphy

Today I successfully completed all the requirements necessary for issuance of an identification card that allows me access to the various facilities on U.S. military installations in the Republic of Korea.

Tomorrow I’ll head over to the Korean Immigration Service to secure a SOFA visa.

Tonight I dined on galbi.

Life is good in Korea. And so is the galbi.

Went to bed at 0600 hundred this morning and woke up at 0900.  I’m running on fumes right now but I’m trying my hardest to stay awake until at least 2200.  Hopefully a full night’s sleep will get me back on a more normal sleep cycle.

Stay tuned.  More news tomorrow!