Weekend Wrap-Up - (Korea) Days 347 - 349

One of the bodies at the Body Worlds exhibit

Most four day weekends I wrap everything up into one entry, but I guess I got a little excited and posted yesterdays before remembering it was the weekend....oh well.

Friday: (Veterans Day) Woke up about 0930 and video chatted with my wife for a while. I then met up with PV2 Charlie and we headed to the war museum right next to post. I've been there multiple times before, but PV2 Charlie wanted to go and said there was a new special exhibit. It was called "Body Worlds" and was pretty interesting. "The Original Exhibition of Real Human Bodies" they use a process called plastination that allows them to show these human bodies as never before. It was pretty cool seeing all the exhibits. After the exhibit we headed outside and happened upon a performance that was going on in the war museum's courtyard, so we stayed and watched it. There was music, then drums, then an ancient army performance and finally a modern army performance with the Korean army, navy, marines and air force all in formations doing some pretty cool movements all in sync with each other.

I then got a call from SPC Roy asking if I could drive his car and park it at The Dragon Hill after he rented another car for a trip he was taking down south. We had lunch and then I headed back to my room. A little while later PV2 Charlie and I headed down to the theatre and watched Tower Heist. It was a pretty funny movie and had Eddie Murphy in it, who I haven't seen in anything but kids movies for a long time.

Another couple of the bodies from Body Worlds

Some of the drummers going to town on the drums during a performance outside the war museum

One of the Korean military formations during the performance outside the war museum

Saturday: I woke up about 0930 and headed to the Shoppette to grab some milk as well as coffee…I was totally out. I then did the usual…laundry and video chatted with my wife. Not a whole lot went on today…a workout at the gym and then I watched a movie in my room called "Ironclad". It's back in the medieval times in England and has some great fight scenes including one where the lead actor takes his sword and slices a guy almost in half from head to mid-section. Not much else going on besides a little schoolwork…just a relaxing day.

Sunday: Woke up about 0900 and thought I would be watching the UFC on FOX via AFN, but I couldn't find it anywhere. I ended up watching one of the preliminary fights on the internet and then finally it came up on AFN, but only for the main event. While I appreciate at least the main event being broadcast on AFN, it really kind of sucks that they didn't show any of the under cards like they usually do.

I then video chatted with my wife before heading to the gym. I did some schoolwork and then started watching numerous TV shows. I gave my comfy chair to PV2 Charlie and I forgot just how uncomfortable the standard chairs are in our rooms. I received the chair from SPC Short who I replaced and I thought it only fitting that it should be passed on to my replacement.

There were a few times as it got later in the night I was watching TV shows and there were loud knocks on my door and others down the hall. I freakin' hate living in the barracks and I can't wait to get out of this place. I just plugged in my headphones and kept watching my shows…there is no way I'm going to answer the door if they don't even have the decency to even say anything.

SMA - (Korea) Day 343

Work call was 0830 this morning. We setup for a meeting in the top secret conference room and then we got a call from Special K telling us we have to pick two people to go to a CFC (Combined Forces Command) 33rd Anniversary Celebration. Nobody wanted to do it, so SPC Mick and I decided we would go and take one for the team. We caught a special shuttle that ran from our office to the theatre on post were the "celebration" was taking place. It wasn't much of a celebration. It was basically a couple speeches and some awards were handed out and they needed some people in the audience to clap. The real celebration was later at the Dragon Hill Lodge, but that was only for VIPs…which we were not.

By the time we got back to the office it was time for lunch. I headed to my room as usual and video chatted with my wife. Once back in the office I drove PV2 Charlie and SPC Mick to Collier Fitness Center (The Gym on post) and we attended another event that our NCOIC signed us up for. This one was for the Sergeant Major of the Army. He is touring around giving out a lot of information and taking questions to take back to the pentagon. His main focus when talking was a lot about benefits and entitlements. There are going to be a lot of changes because our country is in such poor shape financially. The army will be shedding at least 50,000 people. He said they will be recruiting less, forcing people to retire, and kicking out troublemakers. He spoke about how if we want to get promoted that it's going to be a lot tougher and we will have to do stuff to distinguish ourselves from our peers in order to get recognized. He also mentioned changes that are being proposed for a new PT test and new uniforms.

There were a number of questions asked, but the one I was most concerned with was about tuition assistance. He said the article in The Army Times was a little premature and he is for not making any changes to it. He also said if there are any changes that will be made, it will take a while to process. I'm hoping I can finish my degree before they make any changes.

By the time we got back to the office, it was time to clean up and head out.. The whole day seemed to consist of attending meetings. We left a little late, so I  knew I wouldn't make it to the gym before rush hour. Instead I took a nap. I then ate dinner and watched Survivor. My guilty pleasure…I love that show. After that I headed to the gym and did a cardio workout. My back is feeling better, but still not 100%.

I wrapped up the night by doing some schoolwork and then watching an episode of Flashpoint.

Weekend Wrap-Up - (Korea) Days 320 & 321

The newly renovated Trent Gym. What used to be a basketball court is now
a huge exercise and weight room. A pretty nice setup...just too bad
we had to lose the basketball court

Saturday: This was yet another chill weekend where I didn't do a lot. Just chilled for the most part. I slept in until 1000 and did laundry (my normal Saturday routine). I then watched some TV shows until my wife was able to video chat with me. After we finished I stayed in my room, the weather outside was pretty crappy. There was non-stop thunder and it was raining. I just watched some more TV shows, took a nap, watched some more TV shows. By this time the rain changed to a light sprinkle, so I headed over to Trent Gym to work out.

This was the first time I'd been there since the remodel. They took out the entire basketball court and replaced it will exercise equipment. I'm pissed that they took out the gym, but the setup is actually quite nice for weight lifting. Plus I don't have to worry about Zumba going on…lol.

The rest of the night consisted of yet some more TV shows in my room…pretty boring day.

Sunday: I slept in until 1000 again which is always nice. I watched a TV show before video chatting with all my kids for a while. It's always great to chat with them. They are growing up so much, I just can't believe it.

I then went to the food court and grabbed some Subway for lunch before video chatting some more with my wife. After the chat I spent some time cleaning my room…well at least my side anyway. Watched some more TV shows and then decided to switch it up a little and watched a movie instead! The movie was Colombiana which is about a girl who's parents are killed and she in turn grows learning to be the perfect killer and eventually returns the favor to her parents killers. It's actually a pretty decent movie.

My roommate came back and we ordered some KFC "Korean Fried Chicken" for dinner. Always tasty stuff.

Starting to think about how soon I'll be heading home. I don't know if my time remaining will fly by, or if it will drag on. I can't wait to see my wife, my kids, my family and my friends. It's been too long!!

Weekend Wrap-Up (4-Day) - (Korea) Days 313 - 316

On the way up to Seoul Tower...me with a view of the city behind

Saturday: Woke up around 1000 and did my normal Saturday routine of laundry and video chatting with my wife. This weekend is a four day weekend, so I'm looking forward to relaxing and sleeping in each day. I ate lunch in my room and then met up with PV2 Charlie and PFC Pickle to hike up to Seoul Tower. PV2 Charlie hasn't left the post yet and wanted to visit the tower, so I figured I would count that as my cardio for the day.

Once we got back we split up and I met up with the young hawaiian to watch some fireworks. I'm not sure what the occasion was (either fall harvest season or the birth of the Korean nation), but there was supposed to be a big fireworks show along the river. The young hawaiian knew the park to go to and we boarded the subway and headed there. Once we made a transfer to another subway line the crowd started to gather. It was bigger than the crowd at the Linkin Park concert that boarded the subway earlier this year…and I thought that was a lot of people! There were a number of police everywhere for crowd control. It started to sink in that this was a big deal. The subway train arrived and people started to board, but they all couldn't fit and the doors would not shut, this is when the police got involved and forced the ones keeping the doors open to exit the train.

The next train came and the young hawaiian and I made it on…just barely. The subway train was so full! I've been in full subways here before, but this was unlike anything I've experienced yet. I couldn't move my arms…it was similar to being in a rock concert in the general admission section close to the stage. Just so many people squished into one place. It was pretty crazy!

A few stops later everyone departed the subway and we just followed the crowd. The streets were full of people. When I say full of people, I mean there were more people than I've ever seen in one place before…ever. In every direction I looked there were just crowds and crowds of people walking down the streets. When we made our way to the riverside park, the scene was more of the same…people everywhere you looked. We stood and watched the fireworks, which was a pretty impressive show for a little over an hour and then decided to head back. We weren't sure how long the show was going to last, but after a while it was all pretty similar stuff. We headed back and the crowd was still large, but not nearly as bad as when we came…..what an experience.

PFC Pickle, Me, and PV2 Charlie at Seoul Tower

A view down one of the streets full of people during the fireworks show

Some of the fireworks at the park on Hahn River

Sunday: The morning consisted of watching UFC 136 in the young hawaiian's room. His roommate is TDY until at least January, so he rearranged all his furniture. He now has quite the setup and it's all his room for a long time. He moved all the furniture to the outside walls and joined the two beds to make one big bed. He has a big screen TV in the middle which made a great setup for the show…which was great as always.

We then headed to Walker Hill's Paradise Casino and did the poker tournament. I have come to the conclusion that I'm not a very good poker player. I'm glad it's a free tournament. Granted I didn't get any good hands, but I lost pretty quick…it took the young hawaiian a bit longer, but he eventually lost as well. He came in about 18th place, while I was more like 50th or so. Unfortunately you have to be in the top 5 in order to win the 100,000 Won.

We headed back and got to our rooms about 1830. I watched TV shows (CSI, Falling Skies, & Survivor). Falling Skies is a new show (for me). I saw that it had Noah Wyle in it, whom I always liked in the show ER. The executive producer is also Seven Spielberg...plus it's about aliens invading earth, so I had to check it out. We'll see how it progresses.

Monday: I slept in until 1000 and video chatted with my wife for a while. The day was a pretty chill day consisting of watching TV shows, going to lunch with SPC Roy and then watching some more TV shows. I then then went to dinner with PFC Pickle and followed that up with even more TV shows. Not a lot to report on except it was a nice relaxing day.

Tuesday: I slept in until about 1000 again and video chatted with my wife for a while. I then cleaned up my room a bit, I'll save the more extensive cleaning until next weekend. I met up with the young hawaiian and we took the subway to Myeongdong. This is a shopping district that is pretty cool. There is a lot going on everywhere you look and they have a number of shops to check out. The young hawaiian wanted to do a little shopping, then we stopped and had lunch.

SPC Roy ended up calling and wondered what I was up to. He actually lives close by Myeongdong, so he ended up meeting up with us after a bit. We did a little more shopping and then had dinner together. We ate at one of SPC Roy's favorite spots and had makkoli (rice wine) with dinner. I enjoy drinking makkoli so much more than soju.

We then headed to a bar and had a couple beers. We discussed the current events with the US military and the couple of rapes that have happened. SPC Roy said the Korean news has been reporting about it a lot. What the news states though is that these guys were investigated and then the military just came in and took them away. SPC Roy said his family (all Korean) have been asking him what is going on. To the Korean's it looks like we're just taking these guys and protecting them from the Korean justice system. The news doesn't report on the trouble they are getting in with the military and the jail time they will be serving. Instead it just looks like they are being protected by the military. So of course there are a lot of Koreans that aren't too happy with the US military in Korea at the moment.

We called it a night early since it's a work night and headed back to post. The end of a nice 4-day weekend!!

Weekend Wrap-Up - (Korea) Days 292 & 293

At The Young Hawaiian's barracks...this sign always cracks me up...all I see is dirt and weeds...lol

Saturday: Since I was feeling sick this weekend I decided to take it pretty easy, so there is not much to tell. I woke up this morning after a great NyQuil induced sleep that lasted until almost 1000. I then did laundry and video chatted with my wife for hours which was nice. I had plans to meet up and work out with PFC Pickle, but because I wasn't feeling too good I decided to just go purchase some orange juice and vitamin water and stay in my room.

The rest of the night was spent hydrating and watching True Blood & Breaking Bad. I did manage to do a SkillPort before heading to bed.

Sunday: Another great NyQuil induced sleep that lasted until around 1000. I did schoolwork for a while and then video chatted with my wife and kids for a few hours. I tell you that it is so awesome to be able to video chat with my kids, but it also breaks my heart at the same time. I hate not being able to be there and be a father to them. My son is playing football for the first time and I will not be able to see any of his games. My oldest daughter is in high school and experiencing everything that goes on with that new stage in her life. It just kills me inside when I talk to them. Don't get me wrong I love talking with them, but it is also a big reminder of how much of their life I'm going to miss because I chose to join the army.

After the video chats, I took a nap for a while in my room and then headed to visit The Young Hawaiian. It had been a while since I'd visited him, so we caught up and also watched the Meyweather boxing match on TV. He finally told me where he got assigned…Fort Riley in Kansas. He's not too excited because he'll be leaving this city that is full of nightlife and be heading to a place that has nothing. He's planning on getting a lot of schoolwork done…lol.

As for my next steps for my assignment to Germany, I am waiting on my wife to get her physical which is this Monday. She will then be able to complete her screening paperwork with the army medical center and send it all to me. Once I have that I will turn it in with the paperwork that I have filled out and wait to get my orders. I can't do much of anything until I get the actual orders in my hand. Hoping for a good nights sleep tonight and also hoping I'm feeling better to start the work week tomorrow.

mom

Sorry you are feeling so bad, emotionally and physically, wish there was something we could do to help. Your kids are doing just fine, but I know that doesn't help. I think you made the right decision, so hang in there. Saw Scott and Bonnie and she said she is so proud of what you are doing. It will be better when you get to Germany and have the kiddos all summer, whoo hoo

Tuesday, September 20, 2011 - 01:00 AM

Brandon

Thanks mom. I'm looking forward to Germany as well because at least I'll have my wife there with me the entire time and the kiddos in the summer. I can't wait to see everyone before I head over there :)

Tuesday, September 20, 2011 - 10:05 PM

Charlie - (Korea) Day 291

In my office SPC Mick takes a nap. He says his helmet makes a good pillow. This
is what happens when we have to come into work early...LOL!

Work call this morning was at 0630, which means we did not attend the company Friday PT that our NCOIC said we are going to do from now on starting last week….lol. We haven't done one yet, but "next Friday we will for sure!" Suits me fine, I think I get a better work out on my own. We had to open our conference room and turn the system on for a meeting that was going to go on all day long.

Once everything was good to go, I headed over to Starbucks to get a coffee. Whenever I have to go in early, I don't have time to brew my own. I then worked on some SkillPorts for a while and then had our colonel sign my new year's TA request, now my tuition assistance (TA) will recharge in October. I'm glad I got started on it right away, I was able to exhaust my entire fund for the year. I know a lot of people that always plan on taking classes while they are in the army, but just never start. By my calculations I should be done in about a year and some change. After my current class though I'm going to be studying for a new certification.

I just registered for a Windows 7 computing environment class. The class is being offered the last week of October. We have to finish up some SkillPorts relating to the class before then and after the class we will get a voucher to take the certification exam. So I'll be turning my attention to this after my current class is over on Tuesday. I can't pass up a free certification!

I spent some time trying to get through all the red tape that goes along with getting access to the network. SPC Mick's account expired for some reason and I've been in touch with the network folks trying to get his account back online. Turns out they thought his DEROS (the time he's leaving Korea) was up and expired his account. I sent them his paperwork, but since it was on an old form they wouldn't accept it..WTF? I had to get a new form filled out and then routed to a number of people in our office for approval. Each person such as a supervisor, the security admin, the Information Awareness Officer, and so on each have to receive the document electronically from me and digitally sign it. I repeat the process over and over until it has all the correct digital signatures on it and then send it to the network folks. I get a reply back saying they don't see the guy who signed as the security officer as "the security officer" in their system.

So…I'm getting a little pissed at this point. His stupid account should not have been turned off in the first place! I send the memo that states that this particular person is indeed our security officer. They reply back and state that I shouldn't send anything with social security numbers via email. I'm about to go nuts at this point. I take a black sharpie and mark out their social security numbers and then email it back to them. I'm then told the system they use to upload such memos to is down, but they will turn on SPC Mick's access through tomorrow night, then they are hoping to be able to upload the document and turn his account on for good. I can't believe all the crap, the red tape, the BS that has to go on just to get one simple thing done here.

I head to lunch and video chat with my wife in my room, then head back to the office and do some more SkillPorts. I call 1RC to check on our new guy and I'm informed that he's ready to be picked up. So me and our NCOIC take the car and head to 1RC. He has a pretty whacked name, so our NCOIC just says "I'm looking for…." and starts to just spell it out. Turns out he's a 25C, so I'll just call him PV2 Charlie. We pick him up and load his bags in the car. We take him to the company and grab the in-processing paperwork for the company. They tell us where the new housing office is located and we head off to find this building. We drive all over the place and end up going back to the company to get better directions. Finally we find it and it's actually in The Young Hawaiian's barracks. We were looking for a separate building. It turns out our barracks are full, so they set him up in newly remodeled barracks near 1RC. The specialist that set him up had us follow her in her car to the his barracks…only a small problem, she didn't know where they were. We drove around in circles for a while until she stopped and called her boss and then also asked some directions. Our NCOIC wasn't too thrilled. Finally we found the barracks. They have some pros and cons. He has a smaller room, but he has it all to himself. Everything is nice and new, but he has a community bathroom and showers. He can either stay there, or move to our barracks next week sometime when there are some openings. I think even with the community bathroom I would seriously consider staying there. A room to myself sounds very good!

We brought PV2 Charlie back to the office and introduced him to the few that were there and then I took him back to his room and dropped him off shortly before 1700 with instructions to have a safe weekend and show up at 0700 on Monday.

I headed to my room to find out that the maintenance guys came to look at the lights, but were unable to fix them. This doesn't surprise me at all because they are freakin' morons! I guess "The Light Guy" is down at CP Tango today and might be able to come and fix our lights this Tuesday. So I get to live in the dark until then.

I then headed to the PX for some supplies. I'm starting to feel sick. Whatever my NCOIC had this week, I'm starting to feel it. I was coughing last night before bed. I do not want to get sick! I picked up some Vitamin C, some NyQuil and some Excedrin. I ran into a guy that went to AIT with and we chatted in the aisle for about a half hour catching up. He's come a long way from that first day in our A+ class, he thought everything was magic…now he's actually fixing computers!

I headed to the food court, ate dinner, went to my room and did some schoolwork before watching some Breaking Bad and then taking some NyQuil before going to sleep.

A ROK soldier from our sister office in our conference control room taking a nap.

Got The Levy - (Korea) Day 256

The augmentees hanging out in front of our office. This is where a lot of their
time was spent while waiting to go on the drives. The cover provided a little
shelter from the heat.

Work call this morning was at 0730. As usual for this week me and Special K took the vans down to tent city and picked up the augmentees. They all received their schedules, so they know what shift they will be working, who will be the drivers, and who will be the augmentees. The first shift then drove to CP Tango and then K16, then back to the office.

I helped out with setting up the secret conference room for a meeting and then ended up going to lunch in my room where I video chatted with my wife. After lunch I headed to the company to pick up a hard copy of the levy brief that I need to fill out in order to get the the process started so I can get my orders. Special K took the augmentees back out to CP Tango so they could practice some more pickups and drop-offs in the access tunnel, so I was free from augmentee duty for the day. I helped clean up the secret conference room and then gathered office supplies together for us to take to CP Tango.

I then had to wait for a conference that was going on in our conference room to end before I could leave. It lasted until 1800 unfortunately. Grrrr! Since I worked late I ended up not working out. Instead I headed to my room and rested for a bit before watching some TV shows and doing a SkillPort before going to sleep.

Driving in Circles - (Korea) Day 254

Work call this morning was at 0600. We had to setup for a meeting in the top secret conference room. This was the only "normal" work I did for the day. The rest of the day consisted of training the augmentees. Special K and I took two vans and picked them all up at tent city at 0745.
We took 4 vans and made a convoy out to CP Tango. We had Special K driving the lead van, with me driving the 2nd van, an augmentee who already knew the way driving the 3rd, while our NCOIC drove the 4th. We made it there without any issues and I tried to show the folks in my van the various landmarks I use while navigating to and from CP Tango. When we arrived at CP Tango, we walked around the outside showing the augmentees the various portals and the helicopter pads where they will be picking up the generals and other VIPs. We then all loaded up and headed back to Yongsan where we broke for lunch.

I ate lunch in my room and was able to video chat with my wife which was nice, I wasn't sure if I would have the time or not because of our schedule. After lunch we all met up once again and made the same trip to CP Tango only this time our NCOIC did not come. We also had the augmentees drive the route while me and Special K sat in the passenger seat helping them out and answering any questions. We ended up making this round trip twice in the afternoon switching out drivers so everyone could get a feel for driving in Korean traffic and feel comfortable making the drive back and forth.

Speaking of Korean traffic…it gets so bad at times there was actually a food vendor standing in the middle of the road selling stuff. We went by quicker than I could get my iPhone out to take a photo, but it was definitely something you don't see everyday. He had on a surgical mask, I guess that was to protect him from all the exhaust fumes…lol.

We ended up losing 3 of our augmentees when we got back from the first trip after lunch. I guess they weren't screened well enough before they were assigned to us. Because they will be transporting high ranking officers and VIPs in the vehicles, they have to have at least a "secret" security clearance and these three did not. They are going to go to another unit and we will be getting three new ones tomorrow.

By the time we got back from the 2nd trip after lunch it was almost 1700, so we turned all the augmentees loose for the day. I was able to check my email in the office and quickly finish only 1 SkillPort. We then left for the night and I changed in my room and headed to the gym. After my workout I ate a snack and did the usual….TV shows and a SkillPort. I start class again next Tuesday, so the number of SkillPorts I have time to do after work is going to go down.

CQ - (Korea) Day 228

My workstation during my brief appointment as cashier at the DFAC.
I was manning the "Main Line" and the touch screen was how I input all the info.

Work call this morning was at 0700. The thing about roommates is that they share the same room with you. My roommate is a pretty cool guy and very nice, he just stays up late every single night. He usually doesn't get up before me, but in today's case he did. I have a fan going and I have my headphones in playing "white noise". I also wear my PT beanie over my head to cover my eyes to keep out the light from his desk lamp. Some nights are better than others, but I would guess I lose a good hour to two of sleep each night because of my roommate. I am looking forward to leaving the barracks life once I leave Korea.

Back to the rest of the day…I arrived at the office and we setup for a meeting down in the secret conference room. It was going to be the first meeting of the new commander and there were some last minute changes of course. We finally got everything setup and fixed a couple of misspelled name blocks. Then as we were getting ready to leave a marine officer came over and said "so…what would it take to get coffee for the head table?" I was thinking to myself, well sir…it would take some advanced warning, unless you want me to pull it out of my ass. Another army officer came over and said "It will only take them going up stairs and getting it". This set off a chain of crazy events. Our office including CPT Hooah!, our NCOIC, our sergeant and all the junior soldiers had to start scrambling getting all the coffee, water crafts and everything that goes with a full setup from our office which is four flights of stairs above this secret conference room. With everyone helping we were able to get it all down there, but it looked like crap when it was all setup and we were doing the setup around the generals who were already sitting at the head table. We were able to finish before the commander ended up coming though, which I was very surprised.

I then had to pull more secretary duty for my NCOIC making a lot of calls to see if people were going to come to another meeting. I really dislike doing that. As I was heading down to bring an updated list to my NCOIC, CPT Hooah! sees me and tells me to follow him because we may have to call "stand by" for a meeting. I ended up sitting with him near the secret conference room for about a half hour doing nothing except trying not to fall asleep.

I finally headed to lunch and video chatted with my wife for a bit before heading back to the office. I was able to finish one SkillPort before being handed another call list that I had to do. I know I would never want to be a telemarketer. I had to leave at 1500 and head to our company headquarters for a CQ brief. I have CQ tonight starting at 1630 until 0900 tomorrow morning. After the brief, I headed to the shoppette to pick up some supplies for my shift (drinks, beef jerky, etc). I then went back to my room for a small rest before heading to the DFAC. Something new they have added to our shift is being the cashier in the DFAC for dinner. Very strange, they would have just random people come in and do this every single day. A worker trained me on the system for about 5 minutes and then turned me loose. Not too hard, just enter in what service they are and have them enter their social security number. Only a few folks actually paid money. I then actually ate at the DFAC once the shift was over and they locked the doors. The food was much better than my previous experience at the old DFAC. It was also nice doing something other than just sitting at a desk staring at a wall for CQ.

CQ consists of mostly sitting at a small desk staring at a wall. I had to take inventory of everything in the day rooms for our barracks to make sure nothing is missing. We are also supposed to do a "security check" once an hour, which is basically doing a walk around and through the barracks to make sure all is well. I had my laptop at the desk, so I was able to watch a number of TV shows, do some SkillPorts, watch "Sniper: Reloaded" which is the 4th movie in the "Sniper" series. It wasn't too bad, of course I wasn't expecting much. I also listened to a number of podcast episodes that some old co-workers make “Tales From The SpacePod”. They are pretty funny, it's good to hear voices of friends that I haven't heard in a long time.

It's a long shift and goes until 0900 on Saturday. I ended up not drinking any coffee or Mountain Dew because I thought I would make it just fine, but at some point around 0600 I dozed off for a bit. At one point I was watching CSI, then the next thing I know my screen saver was on and the show was over. That little nap gave me what I needed to last the rest of the morning, I was able to video chat with my wife a few times throughout the night and I was even able to talk to my branch manager about my next assignment. Because of the time difference there is never a really good time to call, and every other time I've tried all I get is a busy signal or no answer. Since I had all night during my CQ shift, I thought this would be a great time to try. Surprisingly the guy was very nice and gave me my next assignment. He said he would be putting through a waiver, but that it should all show up on my ASK (Assignment Satisfaction Key) on the AKO website sometime next week. I'm not going to mention it to many people until I actually see it under my assignments on the web. I know things can change and I don't want to get too excited yet. I'm not even going to mention it on here yet….

Scavenger Hunting - (Korea) Day 226

Work call this morning was at 0830. We setup for the normal Wednesday meeting in the secret conference room and I ran the slideshows as normal on the regular and secret computer. Everything went smoothly…no complaints. After the meeting I ran over to the tech center to pick up The Big Dog's blackberry. Unfortunately they could not get it setup for him because there was a hardware issue. Special K and I took the office car and turned in the blackberry to the cell phone service place which is right outside of one of the gates.

By the time that was over, it was time for lunch so I had Special K drop me off at my room. I ate lunch and video chatted with my wife…always a nice treat! When I headed back to the office I started the army SSDL1 training and had visions of finishing module 3, but I was interrupted quite a bit. First it was my sergeant trying to find more stuff to check off his inventory list. That can be pretty difficult at times because of the limited descriptions and such. It's kind of like a scavenger hunt around the office and conference control room.

After that our NCOIC came up and asked what I was doing. When I told her training she said "good, then you can stop that and help me do this." Needless to say I never finished my training for module 3. Instead I spent the rest of the day calling different offices asking if people were going to attend a meeting this Friday. Some were wondering why I was calling because they already RSVP'd and others were happy to be invited. I made it about a quarter of the way through the list and will have to pick up where I left off tomorrow. We cleaned up and found out we'll be doing some prep work for the big change of command ceremony tomorrow. This is for the commander of US Forces Korea…the head guy!

I headed to my room and did the usual…ate dinner, watched TV shows and did 3 SkillPorts. I didn't get a chance to do any of those while at work today.

Weekend Wrap-Up - (Korea) Days 222-223

A view of Seoul from Walker Hill Resort Casino

Saturday: I slept in until about 0930 and then video chatted with my wife and son for a while. I then did a SkillPort. I'm trying to do at least one a day, and many more if I get the chance. I then headed off to the Dragon Hill Lodge here on post. I was going to reserve a hotel room for a ROK buddy of mine, but all the rooms were full. My ROK buddy works in our ROK sister office and is currently serving his two years of mandatory service. His fiancé came up to visit and we had lunch…a very nice and cute couple.

I headed back to my room and took a nap. I don't know what it is lately, but I've been needing naps on a daily basis! After waking up I met up with PFC Pickle and we went to the theatre on post to watch Transformers 3. Even though I had already seen it, he didn't want to go alone and I thought it was good enough to see twice. We then went to the food court to eat dinner and have desert. I ate so much ice cream I thought my stomach was about to burst. I waddled back to my room and did some schoolwork before ending the night with some TV shows.

Sunday: I video chatted with my wife and did my laundry. I then worked on schoolwork before heading to lunch with the young hawaiian. We ate at the food court and then met up with an officer he works with. We all headed off to Walker Hill Casino to play in the free poker tournament. My first bet was "all in", I was either going to double my money or be taken out…I was taken out unfortunately. I had an Ace/King, but a guy with a pair of tens beat me. The young hawaiian and his officer fared better placing 9th and 10th, but you have to be in the top five to win the $100 each. Oh well, we had fun and it didn't cost anything.

We then headed to a nearby mall to have some dinner. Because everything is in Korean we are used to seeing a picture and pointing at it to order. This particular restaurant didn't have pictures on the menu, the only pictures they had were outside of the restaurant (which is what drew us in). Our waitress followed us outside and we each pointed to a dish we wanted…lol. The food was great! I love the fact that there are so many places to eat in Korea that don't cost more than $10. This dinner was only $5.50 and it was both filling and tasted great. Another perk is that you do not "tip" in Korea. So when something costs $5.50, that is all you pay. I'm going to miss that.

We then headed back to post via the subway. Another great benefit of living in Seoul Korea, the subway can get you pretty much anywhere and it's very cheap! When I got back to my room I kicked back, relaxed and I'm sure you can guess…..watched some TV shows.

The young hawaiian playing in the poker tournament long after I was knocked out

This is a street vendor selling pirated DVDs. They sell 'em really cheap and have all

the current hits playing in the theatre. The quality isn't very great, but still watchable.

It's crazy how this is just normal here.

It Takes A Strong Finger - (Korea) Day 221

Another one of those signs that just don't sound right after being translated

Work call this morning was at 0730. We setup for a KUB in our conference room. After the KUB the same set of people continued for an all day meeting. SPC Mick and I were chosen to be the designated slide flippers for the day. SPC Mick took the first shift until lunch and I did SkillPorts on my computer. I left a bit early for lunch and video chatted with my wife for a bit before heading back to the office.

When I got back I made sure everything was ready to go for the second half of the day's meeting. I flipped slides which is a fairly boring process. You can't really have the TV on because you have to listen for the presenter to say "next slide", at this point I had to click the down arrow on the computer. This was my job for the rest of the day. My finger got quite the workout!

The meeting ended a little before 1700 and we cleaned up the conference room and shut everything down. After that we headed down and cleaned up the office. We gathered for our weekend safety briefing. Our sergeant at one point asked SPC Mick what his job was. When SPC Mick replied that he was an "Operations Specialist" our sergeant told him to get down and start doing some push-ups. I guess our sergeant was asking what his MOS was (42A Human Resources). Everyone in the office is a 42A except me. Our sergeant then asked Special K if he had enrolled in school yet, as soon as he started saying an excuse our sergeant told him to get down and "beat your face" (push-ups). I got off easy this time.

We left and I took a nap as soon as I got to my room. I don't know what it is, but I have no energy lately after work. After the nap, I did my schoolwork and then relaxed and watched some TV shows. A pretty laid back Friday night.

Weekend Wrap-Up (4-Day) - (Korea) Days 215-218

The Doosan Bears vs LG Twins baseball game in Seoul

Saturday: Woke up at 0830 to video chat with my wife for a bit before playing basketball with the ROK soldiers again. SPC Roy joined us and we ended up playing 3 on 3. A good workout, and even though we didn't keep score I think we won! I then headed back to my room to video chat some more with my wife.

I then spent a large part of the day doing schoolwork as Saturday is when I have the most time to do so. I then met up with PFC Pickle and we headed to the hotel on post (The Dragon Hill Lodge). We met up with the air force master sergeant from my office as well as my NCOIC to catch a bus to a Korean professional baseball game here in Seoul. It was the Doosan Bears vs the LG Twins. The game was a little unique in the fact that I believe both teams share the stadium. The fans were divided with the Twins fans on one side of the stadium and the Bears fans on the other. Chants and songs would go back and forth throughout the game. Even though I'm not a huge baseball fan, this was a great experience, I was impressed with how crazy all the fans were! Lots of fun was had by all.

We took the bus back and ended up eating dinner at The Dragon Hill Lodge. We walked out just in time to see the fireworks show the post was putting on for the independence day celebration. After the show we headed back to our rooms and called it a night.

At the baseball game: My NCOIC, Me, & PFC Pickle

They know how to serve beer at the baseball game here in Korea. Strap a
keg on the back of a vendor and turn 'em loose

Sunday: I woke up at 0830 and headed to PFC Pickle's room with a pit-stop at Starbucks before hand. We watched the UFC event in his room. It was a great card with a lot of good fights! The rain was non-stop on the way to his room. Even though I had an umbrella I still ended up getting pretty wet. I had to borrow his umbrella again for the walk back to my room. I'm getting a little tired of this rain. People think I should be used to it coming from the Seattle area, but at least there I had a car to protect me from the rain. Here I walk pretty much everywhere I go.

When I got back to my room I video chatted with my wife for a bit before watching some TV shows and then doing some schoolwork. I headed over to the PX and got my haircut. It was a slow day at the salon and my barber started attacking every hair in sight. Not only did she shave my head, she cut the hair coming out of my ears, trimmed my eyebrows, my neck hairs, and even my nose hairs. This lady was dedicated!

I finished off the night with some more TV shows and some SkillPorts.

Monday: I woke up at about 0700. I video chatted for a bit with my wife before being picked up by SPC Roy. We headed to the iPark Mall and met up with the army major and his wife from my office as well as the air force master sergeant and my NCOIC. The army major had purchased tickets in advanced with reserved seating for Transformers 3 in 4-D. Watching a movie in 4-D brings a movie to a whole new level. The seats move, you smell different scents, you feel wind blowing and also get the occasional spray in the face during a wet scene. It was a lot of fun and the movie was great…much better than Transformers 2.

After the movie SPC Roy and I took off and headed back to the post to catch a taxi. SPC Roy's sister-in-law bought him a Thai massage and he wanted me to go with him. So we went once again to have a "couple's massage" (really…we're not gay!) I've never had a Thai massage before, I was just expecting something similar to the normal massages I've had before. I was in for a bit of a surprise. We both slipped into the provided shorts and t-shirt and headed to a room where we both laid on the floor. Two older women came in and started stretching our legs in all different directions. We were massaged, stretched, and walked on for two hours. You could hear both of us at times groaning as some parts were a bit painful. Both of us had to stop the old ladies at times to tell them to stop cause it was too much pain to bear. Afterwards we both felt like jello. The massage wasn't a relaxing massage, but I can say that I felt pretty good afterwards.

We then headed to have dinner which ended up being some boiled pork and kimchi. Since SPC Roy bought dinner, I told him I'd get us dessert. He chose Cold Stone, so we headed to Itaewon and enjoyed some ice cream. It's been a long time since I had Cold Stone…I savored every bite. He then dropped me off at my room where I passed out. I took a two hour nap before getting up and doing some schoolwork, then watching some TV shows. I also did a SkillPort or two between shows just to get in a few for the day.

Tuesday: Today I finally got a chance to sleep in as long as I wanted to, and I took advantage of it. I slept in until 1000! I then video chatted with my wife for a while before meeting up with SPC Roy once again. His wife heard how good the movie was yesterday and wanted to go, so SPC Roy was left watching his kid alone and wanted company. We hung out and waited for her to finish, then ate lunch together at the food court. After that I headed back to my room and took a nap. I think my body was still pretty relaxed from the crazy massage yesterday. After the nap I met up with SPC Roy once again to run an errand with him. We dropped off a laptop at his uncle's company and then went to a Costco. Unfortunately we took the subway there because SPC Roy was afraid of all the traffic, so I didn't buy anything.

We ended up eating at one of his favorite restaurants nearby having "beef and leaf". A very popular dish that I just love here in Korea. You cook the meat at the table and wrap it up in a lettuce wrap along with some spices and eat it. Of course we had to have some soju with dinner. I found just how well cider chases down soju! After dinner we took a taxi back to post and I headed back to my room. I did my schoolwork and only one SkillPort.

It was a pretty good weekend!

Jumper - (Korea) Day 210

I'm starting to think that Korean's take customizing their motorcycles
to a whole new level.

Work call this morning was at 0800. When we arrived at work nobody really knew why we came in early. We had absolutely no meetings on the schedule for today. Turns out someone was looking at tomorrow's schedule…D'oh!

With nothing on the schedule I did what I normally do…SkillPorts. First I looked up my promotion point worksheet just to see where I'm at. I think I may start doing this every Monday to see how I'm progressing. My current status is:

Military Education: (Max 260 Points)

Army Correspondence Course Program (ACCP): 365 Hours = 73 Points

So my SkillPorts so far (365 hours worth) equal 73 promotion points. Each SkillPort varies in how many hours it's worth. I just do a section at a time and don't pay too much attention to how many hours each one is worth. I think right now I'm already ahead of most PFCs as far as points go. My goal is to max this portion out (260 Points) before I leave Korea.

I took a break from SkillPorts at 1000 because there was a special UFC event on. I took a break and watched it in our conference control room. It was OK with some average fights until the main event. Our sergeant came up and ended up watching it with us. Two heavy weights (Cheick Kongo vs Pat Barry) duke it out. Barry almost knocked out Kongo and then a second later it was Barry that gets knocked out. It was crazy! All of us jumped out of our seats.

Time for lunch…I headed to my room and video chatted with my wife and texted back and forth with my daughter, I can multi-task! Lunch was over quicker than I wanted, but I had to head back to work…I have more SkillPorts calling my name.

As I was in my office our supply sergeant came in. Our sergeant had asked us to give her no more than $5 each to help purchase a gift for the supply KATUSA who is getting out soon. Our supply sergeant came up and said she got the money, but wanted more. She said there is going to be a BBQ and a farewell for a number of the folks who are leaving our office. She said she will also need us to bring stuff for the farewell BBQ. I told her just to let us know what to bring. It's this Friday and this is the first we're hearing of the potluck and farewell. Our supply sergeant says she feels like she's going around begging for money. I think we have plenty of officers in our office. Their pay scale is public knowledge as is mine, and there is a huge difference between an E3 and O3s and O4s. Maybe they should chip in a little more…I'm just sayin'.

We cleaned up and were let out a little early by around 1645 or so. I ate dinner in my room and had just started a show when my phone rings. It's my sergeant and I can hear him on the phone and outside my door. WTF? He then proceeds to tell me that he came up here to talk to another guy, but kept his lights on when he turned his car off…dead battery. He had me go to the office to grab the office car so I could give his car a jump. When I arrived in the office (in my sweats and a t-shirt) I grabbed the keys. Two officers where still there and just watching me with a curious look on their faces. I stopped for a second to explain. The air force major then said be quick because I shouldn't be driving the office car in the clothes I'm wearing…lol. I took care of the jump, then as I was getting comfortable in my room again SPC Roy calls. He needs company again while translating…lol. I pack up the laptop and head over to his office. I also bring with me some ramen because he's starving. I watch a couple shows and chat with him while he's translating.

This time it wasn't as late, SPC Roy decided to take a break and come back in very early tomorrow to try and finish. It's a huge PowerPoint, but he's gaining ground on it. I get back to my room and check in with school to make sure our project is still making progress, then call it a night. I'll make it to sleep on time tonight.

Big Plans - (Korea) Day 204

A ROK soldier in our sister office trying to figure out the copier. This particular
soldier (doing his mandatory service) speaks English very well and plays basketball
with us at times...pretty nice guy.

This morning we had a 0500 formation in front of the barracks. I was called last night and told about it. One moment I was planning on going to work at 0800, then the next I heard this news. Grrr. We formed up and our first sergeant told us we were going to have a "G.I. Party". For those of you who don't know, a G.I. Party isn't a party at all. It's when a bunch of soldiers have to clean or do some other sort of work...party has no business being in the name. We were instructed to go to our areas in the barracks and start cleaning. I guess our first sergeant saw the common bathrooms in the other barracks and was pretty disgusted, so this is the result. The only common area on my floor of my barracks is the laundry room and it's the only area I even use. I spent a little over an hour cleaning some washers. I had flashbacks of TRADOC (basic training and AIT). We finally were told we could go back to our rooms about 0615 to get ready for work. I took a shower and then got my uniform on before starting to video chat with my wife. Next thing I know there is a knock on my door…we have another formation. WTF?? I go out there and I'm the only one in ACUs, everyone else is still in summer PTs . Our first sergeant told everyone they did a good job and that there wouldn't be another formation tonight or tomorrow as long as they keep everything clean. There will now be a person in charge of each floor of our barracks and they will also be responsible for assigning rotating cleaning duties to all the rooms to help keep everything clean.

Not the way I wanted to start my day. It's really one of the many drawbacks living in barracks. You are at the mercy of someone else at all times. I can't wait to get to my next duty station and actually live off post with my family! I headed to work call which was at 0800. We setup for a meeting in the secret conference room called "U-Staff" which is kind of interesting because it involves all the member states of the UN that is here in Korea. I flipped slides for a while until Special K came down to relieve me. I guess CPT Hooah! was having some technical issues and wanted me to come up to the office. Turns out we had a bad fiber optic cable. After calling the help desk they came and verified it by using one of their cables. The tech then takes his cable and leaves. I was like…hold on there little buddy, we need that good cable. He then told me our office had to purchase our own fiber cables. Holy cow! Luckily a major in our office had a spare in his desk that we were able to use.

I then worked on SkillPorts until lunch. For lunch I headed to my room and ate while video chatting with my wife. After lunch I headed back to the office and started more inventory of the computers. This time I went to the command group and inventoried all of their items. At first the sergeant said they were too busy, but then told me to hold on and then helped me out.

After that I headed back to my computer and did some more SkillPort. I then took a small break and watched a little TV. Before I knew it I was asleep, I guess the TV was pretty boring. I was woken up by my phone vibrating in my pocket, it was Special K telling me to open the door to our conference room. I had fallen asleep with my legs up on the table, so they were elevated the entire time I was sitting there. When I got up to open the door I almost fell over because my legs were asleep! I grabbed the table and slowly made my way to the door. When I opened the door our NCOIC was waiting there for me. As we walked in our KATUSA was fast asleep in the conference room…lol. Our NCOIC was like…"what are you doing?". We all gathered around and had the "sit down" that she promised earlier.

The sit down was a very informal talk with all of us. Our NCOIC basically told us about herself and wanted to get to know us a little better. She then told us about what she envisioned with our office. She has a bunch of ideas and plans, we'll see how it all plays out. So far all my experiences with plans and ideas here have started off with a bang and then slowly whimper out of existence. She wants us to do a lot more PT, we will be leaving work early to go work out. I really wouldn't mind that. She also wants us to do sergeant time training once a week. When we do this training, we each will be responsible to do the training for everyone else on a rotational basis. She also said our sergeant has not been volunteering us for duty anytime the company requests it. So lucky us…we'll get the chance to pull weeds and such in the future. She also wants us to go to the soldier of the month boards and such to get us some experience doing so. I guess we'll see how it all goes. Our office has always been a little different because of our odd and ever changing schedule. We are always flexible because of the various meetings that we have to cater to. It will be interesting to see if and how our NCOIC will be able to accomplish all of these goals. All in all I think she seems like a nice person and wants her soldiers to succeed.

We left after cleaning the office at 1700 and I headed to my room to eat dinner. I then did my normal nightly routine of schoolwork and TV shows. Normal work call tomorrow, so I should get a good night of sleep.

Nuttin’ but SkillPorts - (Korea) Day 203

The day was so laid back our KATUSA couldn't stay awake...lol

Work call this morning was at 0830. We had no meetings at all scheduled for today, so it was a pretty laid back day. In fact all I did in the morning until lunch was SkillPorts. I then went to lunch in my room and was able video chat with my wife. When I headed back to work I did a little IMO work as usual. I helped our NCOIC finally get completely setup with her secret account. I also had to put in a work order for the secret network connection at her desk…now it is not working.

The rest of the work day was more SkillPorts. I was able to find on AKO a place where it actually shows all of your accumulated promotion points. It's pretty cool, because you don't have to do any of the guesswork and you can tell what they have in the system, so if there is something missing you can get it updated. I currently have my civilian education portion maxed out even with only an associates degree because I have a number of technical certifications that count as points too. SkillPorts will keep counting towards my military education, so I'll keep an eye on that until it is maxed out as well.

We were let go early at 1600, so I headed to my room and just relaxed. Watched some TV shows, before doing schoolwork and then watching some more TV shows before heading to bed.

Packages x2 - (Korea) Day 184

A photo of our KATUSA and SPC Mick hanging out in the office

Work call this morning was at 0830. We only had me and Special K in the office…well only counting E-4 and below. SPC Mick is coming in late because he had to work on the holiday and our KATUSA had a special meeting he had to attend because he's going to mentor a new "baby" KATUSA. We didn't have anything in the early morning going on, so I worked on SkillPorts. With the short week it's going to be tough to get all ten done.

I was asked to help Seaman from our admin office pick up mail. I guess there were a lot of boxes because of the holidays. When we got back I called Special K and we all carried them into the office. I found out that two of the boxes were for me…pretty cool! Special K and I then setup for a small meeting in the top secret conference room.

I then went back to my lair and worked on more SkillPorts…that is until the NBA finals started. I then watched the entire game which was a treat. The game was pretty good, I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the series.

I headed to my room after the game and was able to video chat with my wife for a while before heading back to work on some more SkillPorts…lol. We were able to clean up early and leave around 1600 which was pretty cool. I headed to my room and started working on schoolwork. This is the last week of my class and we have a team project that is due, so this gave me some extra time to work on it. I also did my laundry since I will not be around this coming weekend. I then ate dinner and finished out the night doing schoolwork. I am hoping to finish my part by tomorrow night and hand it off to the rest of the team to complete. I am hoping we get a decent score to help out my grade a bit in this class. I'll be so glad when it's over. My next class is on IT Security which should be a little easier since I just went over that in AIT and have been doing SkillPorts related to it as well.

Weekend Wrap-Up - (Korea) Days 166 & 167

Spicy Ramen which was very good and spicy. I ordered a #2 on a 1-3 scale of hotness.
I'm pretty sure I could have handled a #3

This weekend was a pretty laid back weekend. I have plans for ones coming up, so I'm not bummed out or anything that I didn't do much.

Saturday: Woke up around 0830 and did laundry. I hate the dryer here (you may hear this every weekend until I'm outta here). There is only one dryer that actually has heat and it was in use when my clothes were finished washing. So I stuck mine in a dryer that just spun my clothes around and blew cold air on them. I kept checking and as soon as the clothes in the good dryer were done, I took out their clothes and placed them on top of the dryer. I then stuck mine in there so they could actually dry. A half hour later they were good to go and the other person's clothes were still on top. I started laundry at 0830 right after I woke up and wasn't able to finish until about 1230…good grief.

I was able to video chat with my wife though and then do a lot of schoolwork. I usually try and reserve Saturday to finish a lot of my schoolwork. The young hawaiian gave me a call and asked if I wanted to see "Fast Five" (the fifth installment of The Fast & Furious movie series). It is playing at the iPark Mall which is not too far from post. We left with another friend of his and headed out towards the mall. When we arrived we found the theatre in the mall (it's a huge mall). The way they sell tickets for the shows is interesting. You take a number and wait until your number is called. There is no line, just a small crowd of people waiting for their number to be called. We waited patiently and then purchased our tickets when our number finally showed.

We had about an hour before the show, so we found a place to eat in the mall. I had some spicy ramen which was excellent. (I did find out later that it comes out just as hot). We went into the show which was being shown in 4D. There were no 3D effects at all, but what we did experience actually made you feel like you were in the movie. The seats move during certain sequences and may even jerk or jump when a car slams against the wall or something. We could feel air blowing and different scents came for instance when they were on the beach. There were also little parts of the back seat that would move, especially during a fight scene when a person was thrown against a wall. The whole experience was pretty cool. I've been to similar ones at Universal studios and DisneyWorld, but this was the first normal movie that I've been to in 4D. I would recommend it for sure. It brings a new level to the movie watching experience.

The young hawaiian got a call from a a girl (that is a friend) and planned on going out with her to some club later on. He asked both me and his other friend if we wanted to join them. We both declined. As for me, the club scene is just not my scene. I also do not want to stay out until 5 in the morning either. I don't mind going out for a few beers, but not anything crazy like that. I chose to head back to my room and relax while watching a couple TV shows.

Sunday: I woke up around 0830 again. I had all intentions of even sleeping later, but my bladder and my body wouldn't have it. I got up and video chatted with my wife for a while. I then cleaned my room. Sweep, mop, and wipe everything down. I only clean my side and the bathroom, I don't touch my roommates side.

I got out for a bit and headed to get my hair cut. I went to the food court and had some ice cream, then headed to the library just to check it out. I haven't been to it yet and wanted to see what they had to offer. After that I headed to visit the young hawaiian who was on CQ duty at his barracks. I took my laptop so we could swap TV shows and movies. I asked him how last night went and he said he stayed out until 3AM. That seems pretty early for his usual weekends, but then again he did have a CQ shift today. When I asked him how the night went he said it was full of lies and deception. He's starting to get worried that he's going to forget everything he's told this girl. The girl is 27, so he told her that he's 26 (he's much younger). He also told her he's not in the army, he's a contractor with the US government. He lives in an apartment off post (but his roommate's parents are over, so they can't go there). Oh and he told her he's half Korean. When she asked about his last name, he said he took his mother's name. The guy is in pretty deep now…it's going to be hard for him to keep everything straight when he's around this girl…lol.

When I got back to my room I watched a movie the young hawaiian gave me. OMG! The movie (based on a true story) is called 127 hours and is about a hiker that goes out and gets stuck in a canyon. His arm is crushed by a boulder and pins it so he is trapped. He ends up cutting his own arm off in order to free himself. It's pretty crazy, I'm not sure if I could do that!

I now am under the 200 day mark for my stay left in Korea, I can’t wait to be reunited with my family!!!

Overheard Quote: "They don't even have normal people on the billboards here, you know black or white...they are all Korean!" (A black lady in the young hawaiian's barracks who was complaining about being in Korea. She couldn't believe that all their billboards and advertisements had Koreans as models. She felt that they were not very inviting to foreigners)