Or as normal as it gets around here anyway. The biggest drama I encountered yesterday was a lack of San Miguel Zero in two different bars. Yeah, life is hard sometimes but we just have to learn to deal with the inevitable disappointments.
Fifteen years ago today I woke up for the first time in The Land of the Morning Calm. I certainly had no idea back then that my life would never be the same again. It’s been a rollercoaster ride but I will never regret my decision to leave my cocoon of security in the USA for a life of comparative adventure in Asia. Here’s the post I did on my first day at work for United States Forces Korea. Highlights included being welcomed by a 3-star General and finding out I was subject to a peninsula-wide curfew for all USFK military and civilians. My reaction back then made me laugh today:
Anyway, I have no problem with the curfew. I’m not big on the bar scene and I don’t see midnight that often anyway.
Well, things change I suppose but I still don’t see midnight that often these days.
Speaking of bars, I popped into Bar Celona last night and encountered a couple of folks from the ill-fated Sampaloc Cove adventure. One of them being the woman who is a former cop and physically restrained an out of control Reza. She showed me the big bite marks on both her arms. I’m no dentist, but I’d say Reza has a healthy set of choppers, that’s for sure. Her boyfriend Joe was holding their dog during the incident and came out unscathed. We quaffed some beers together and revisited the crazy from the perspective of 24 hours distance. I was a little surprised to learn from Joe that this is not the first time that a drunken Hana and Reza had gone psycho. The big news though was that two of the victims have filed complaints with the police and the Barangay office. Joe and his gal have been asked to provide witness statements and they agreed to do so. Another member of our party has declined to get involved in the probe. I haven’t been asked, but I would also not make a statement. What’s done is done and my takeaway is to stay away from crazy folks like Hana and Reza.
Speaking of crazy, yesterday I had the bright idea to follow a part of Günter’s trail from Monday’s Hash in reverse. I had seen where it entered my subdivision and was curious about the path that I had never taken. I was hoping it might be the new way to access My Bitch I’ve been looking to find. Alas, it was not be. You might even say that Günter got some revenge for my having previously avoided his trail. The part I took yesterday led down through a creekbed and required climbing and jumping over rocks and boulders. Granted, the trail as laid by the Hare was going up the creek, but it was still fucked up. I honestly don’t think any of the Hashers did this part of the trail; everyone had taken a short-cut long before reaching the end of an ill-advised 12-kilometer hike. Even the notorious Leech My Nuggets told me he had come back after doing “only” 9K. Ironic that I found myself out there in harms way after all. Well, I made it but I was not pleased with my decision. Lesson learned.
Yep, me bitchin’ and moanin’ about shit is a sure sign that things are back to normal around here. You are welcome!
Here’s to the return of normalcy. In the litigious States, if an encounter left someone with bite marks on the arm, there’d be a lawsuit.
I expect it could here as well. If the police don’t want to pursue a criminal case, the Barangay officials will investigate and attempt to negotiate a settlement. So much here revolves around “face” and the loss thereof…
“I’m not big on the bar scene”, had me rolling on the floor with laughter, stop it John, it hurts. You sounded like Bill Clinton—-“I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky”. With regard to the curfew, which I was subject to up in 2ID, it was my understanding that it really couldn’t be enforced on civilians. Peace Out!
Well, the civilian union filed a grievance. It was my job to defend the command. But the bottom line is that the overseas commander has broad discretion to do what is necessary to protect the folks he is responsible for. GEN Sharp claimed it was a safety issue based on intelligence regarding a terrorist attack on places where Americans congregated. Anyway, we won the case but the curfew was lifted on civilians a couple of months later.
It’s true though before I moved to Korea I did not frequent bars much. Itaewon ruined me! 🙂