Charlene's Travels Abroad

So... almost a month between posts. I would like to say I was off having amazing adventures where I was unable to sit down long enough to compose even the simplest of lines but let's be honest I was just too lazy.

After my whirlwind of an April I wanted to have a very relaxing May. And I did. It was glorious. I got back into painting. I read some books. I enjoyed spring time like I have never been able to do back home (because spring only lasts a few days). I spent time with friends and I got some much needed R&R.

On the job front there wasn't much to write home about. We were just chugging along with the same ol' same ol'. We did have our annual English Speech Contest and that was an interesting week. We had our first open class of the year (it's like an open house for parents at the beginning of the year and only two parents showed up to our class- and both of them were dads- my co-teacher was really nervous at only having father's in the room haha).

Korea celebrated Buddha's birthday and I got to see a very cool lantern parade and have a much appreciated three day weekend.

The last week of May two friends from home came to visit me! It was super exciting. BM and JF it was a blast having you here! I have been in Korea for almost ten months now and it was strange to see Korea through new eyes again. Taking them around Seoul and various parts of Korea and seeing their reactions to what has become ordinary life for me was fantastic.

Their reaction to Korean BBQ? Priceless. Being bowed to or having random people stop them in the street for interviews or just to say hi? Hilarious. They also came to my school one afternoon and the kids... oh man, my kids' reactions to these tall and (in their opinion) blonde foreigners, one of which had a massive beard, yeah... it was the highlight of my day.

We also spent a lot of time driving to various spots around Korea thanks to my awesome preacher. He loves showing off Korea and being the ultimate tour guide. It was definitely an experience thanks to him. BM and JF were able to see the DMZ, some islands off the west coast, took a drive almost down the whole western coastline to a small town, see the Seoul night skyline, and much more. I hope they had a great time. They left on June 10th for the second part of their great Asian experience in China. I am a little beyond jealous that they will be spending the next four months traveling around Asia... not gonna lie.

And I realize that considering it has been so long since my last post I really should have more to say but at the moment this is all I got. Little life update of the whirlwind and roller coaster that has been the past month.

I shall end on this note. I will be staying at least one more year in Korea (yay!!) for now it is just one... but who knows what will happen in time. But for everyone back home... fear not I shall see you soon. I just purchased a ticket home for my summer vacation! Yay mini trip State Side in August!

Also I do not do humidity well... it is going to be a long summer...

Ok so edit:::: I really did write this (not within a few days but much sooner than this posting) I also wrote it as I was going to bed and clearly in my sleep befuddled state I hit "save as draft" rather than the correct botton "publish" which are perilously close to one another when one is so tired they can barely keep their eyes open. SO I am obviously going to reread through it to make sure I actually made sense and then I shall finally get this posting up.

~~ and here starts the original post~~~

And when I say a few days, clearly I mean over a week... my bad. In my defense we have another open class coming up so work is very hectic right now. Not a very good excuse but that's my story and I'm sticking to it. (So this opening doesn't really work anymore but it is still staying in... so sue me.)

I am still tired from my April excursions. Given the fact that I was travelling or working and not taking breaks for most of April, plus I had (have) this cold/cough thing that just will not quit (oh hey update it seems to have passed finally!! yay), and I am incapable of making smart sleeping decisions and will watch videos online instead of going to bed a decent hour... it is no surprise that I am still tired. I am trying to change that though and will be going to bed as soon as I finish writing up this entry.

So onto the good stuff. The last weekend in April I went on a much anticipated journey to the southern tip of Korea to the Island of 진도 (Jindo). I wonder if technically I would say the Island of Jin since "do" means Island in Korean? Whatever it's Jindo on the map. I have been looking forward to this festival since I first started researching things to do in Korea years ago.

To start my journey we all headed to meet the charter bus at 11 o'clock at night. Now, I may not have the best sleeping hours, but I have been asleep (or at least comfortably settled in my bed) by 10-11 each night, so packing my bags and traveling to the other side of Seoul that late at night already has me regretting my decisions. But, as I said, I have been waiting for this trip for so long I am willing to forgo my comfort for the time being. I get on the bus, settle in, and promptly fall asleep. It was glorious. We reached our destination about 4 in the morning and some of our group got off the bus and went on a hike up a mountain. I am not a hiker. I am definitely not a hiker at 5 in the morning after having spent the night on a bus. But hey, more power to you if you are. I stayed on the bus and slept.

After everyone was back from the hike we drove to a sauna so people could shower and clean up. 진도 is famous for a special breed of dog that they have. The 진도 dog is incredible if trained properly. We were treated to a show from a dog that had been under training for a mere four months. If only some people could follow orders as well as this dog the world would be a better place. It was incredible watching this dog fleet arouand and over and under obstacles, climb up bridges and release banners, raise flags, jump through hoops (and arms), retrieve drinks from the fridge, and dance with his trainer. It was fascinating and makes me realize that I will never be able to have a pet because I would never be able to train it properly. Because if I ever did get a dog I would need it to be able to do some sort of awesome trick too but I am far too lazy to spend the time training an animal. Too bad though, these dogs are seriously cute.

After the show we headed into the downtown area of Jindo for lunch and to stock up on supplies. There are no convenience stores or places to buy any kind of food or drink near the pension we were staying at so everyone stocked up on whatever they may want for the night. I think every person had a bag containing some form of liquid when we returned to the bus. It must have been great for business having 130 tourist attack your convenience stores. I hope they appreciated us.

This afternoon was the first time that it actually felt like spring. I was actually too warm and had to remove my sweater. A wonderful feeling after the very long winter. Another go on the bus and the highlight of the trip was fast approaching.

Once a year, for reasons unknown (we'll go with tides) a 2.8 kilometer "road" opens up between 진도 and a small neighboring island. It has become a very popular festival because you can walk from one island to the other. Most people (as in locals) go to collect abalone, crabs, squid, or any other kind of sea life that can be foraged, others (as in from the rest of Korea or foreigners) come for the festival that surrounds this event and the seas parting. This phenomenon has many names: The Miracle Sea Crossing, The Moses Crossing, The Jindo Miracle Sea Crossing... the list goes on. I'll just call it awesome. We arrived at the festival and walked around a bit. KL and KB were with me on this trip and we stopped for a bit and watched some traditional Korean performances. Fan dancing and pansori music (traditional Korean music) to name a few.

Out on the water boats were circling together and we were not quite sure why but thanks to Koreans and their need to show that they can speak English we found out. This large group of boats looked like they were playing a massive game of following the leader but we were told it was an ancient prayer. They were praying for big fish and a good harvest. The boats even released colorful smoke into the air as they circled. Unfortunately we had no idea what the colors signified and neither did our friendly English-speaking-Korea. It was still pretty cool to watch. There were a good number of boats circling and I am very impressed with their ability to stay in a circle and not fan out to a weird oval shape. Kudos guys, kudos.

The sea was going to start parting at 5 so around 330 we got on a small boat and sailed to the adjacent island to wait to cross back over during the parting. This island was picturesque. I loved everything except the smell. I don't think I could ever get used to the seaweed smell that comes with living by the ocean. But there were cute little houses and boats all around. It was very obvious it thrived on the fishing business due to the amount of nets and various instruments that were stacked near the water. I don't even know what these things are called in English let alone their Korean name but we watched a few men stacking them and I swear I thought I was going to watch someone die. This old man was holding this "thing" that is longer than he was tall and trying to get it up (or down?) a huge stack. I could just see him slipping and tumbling into the jagged rocks below. I don't care how long you've been doing it- it looked crazy!

Once we were at the crossing point you could tell there was a much more festive attitude. There was a group of Korean drummers and they were just pounding away. Once there song ended they herded all of us into their group and started handing out their drums and began teaching us how to play. There were more of us than them though so I didn't get a drum but I did get to watch and that was enough for me. It was a long wait for the water to open up enough and I just sat and admired the view for most of the time.

The crossing was to start with some of the military carrying flags, and then the drummers, and then the people who were just going to cross but again the foreigners joined ranks. There were so many flags a couple of people asked to carry them. At first the Koreans were a little wary but were finally convinced and that just opened the flood gates for many of us foreigners to grab a flag and race to the front. But before the crossing we had to take a group picture. So many people. And our group picture was infiltrated by the drummers who wanted a picture with the foreigners. It turned into a mass of people and I swear at least a hundred pictures had to be taken from how many cameras were going off.

Of course mother nature is on her own time schedule so we didn't start to cross until closer to 530 but that is ok. I had grabbed a flag, a twenty foot high bamboo pole with a ridiculously long flag attached (I might add)- because, really, how many times can you say you participated in a traditional ceremony during a once-a-year (let's face it once-in-a-lifetime) ocean parting? About half way through I deeply regretted that decision, but hey, live and learn. Also, if I ever go again, note to self: buy the funny thigh high rain boots... trust me you'll need them.

The crossing was amazing. It started out pretty dry and the colors of the seaweed and rocks from the bottom of the ocean were amazing. Also the sun was setting we were marching to drums. there were tons of people. It was just fantastic. Watching all the people who were just walking or gathering the sea life and focusing on the ground and trying not to fall, it was an incredible experience. About half way through KL found a small octopus that was beached (and being who she is she couldn't touch it but she wanted it to go back into the water to try and save it) so KB went to try and grab it to put it back into the water. Have you ever tried to grab a live octopus? It is not easy. After a few failed attempts (they are slipper and fast) a small crowd had gathered to try and figure out why this white girl was jumping around and yelping and laughing. An old grandmother came along and was trying to give KB tips. Finally she was able to grab the poor creature and she threw him back in the water. This is not what the old grandmother wanted. Mid toss she yells at KB and dashes for the water and in one fell swoop snatches the poor little octopus out of the water and he disappeared into her bag within seconds. I have never seen something happen so fast. We were a little dumbfounded. And sad that we weren't able to save the poor little creature from death. At least the grandmother was going to enjoy her dinner.

Half way through the waters had not completely parted and I ended up getting soaked up to my knees because my rain boots just did not cover it. It's okay though, I really did want to take part of the ocean with me. not. Once we walked back to the main island I looked back and realized just how far of a walk that was. And just how many people were present. It was crazy insane!

And because it's Korea there is a story that goes along with every event. So to explain the crossing there is an age old tale that goes a little like this:

Once upon a time there was a small island that had terrible creatures. These creatures were tigers and the people on this island were powerless against these fearsome creatures. Now one year the tigers had amassed such great numbers that in a moment of dispare they all decided to gather their belongings, get on their boats, and sail away to another island. All was well, the people believed they had been reprieved, until one family realized they had left their grandmother on the island! Duhn duhn duhn. This old woman too feeble to protect herself kneeled on the beach and began to pray for salvation. Just then the waters parted and she saw a walkway all the way to the island where her family was anxiously awaiting to see her fate. The grandmother, wasting no time, began to cross the ocean, a tiger in hot pursuit. The family seeing what the grandmother was doing also began to cross in order to meet her half way. After the long journey the grandmother was reunited with her family! She was so happy, but so tired, she rejoiced in their reunion and... promptly died in the in the middle of the ocean. The family went back and the waters came together again.

I have no idea what happened to the tiger. Or the family, Or why the heck that is such a sad story. But I do know that there is a statue of the grandmother and tiger on one island and the family and a Jindo dog on the other.

Now... why someone didn't just get on a boat and go back to get her? That is also a mystery. Who needs clarification when legends are involved anyways?

After the crossing we all headed to our pension on the beach for dinner and much needed sleep. It was a fun night, In the morning we all boarded our buses and headed off to the final day of our journey. Half the group headed to a Tulip Festival and the other part (myself included) headed to 대둔산 (Daedunsan). 대둔산 is a mountain that you can take a cable car up to a certain point and then there are a ridiculous, and I mean ridiculous, amount of stairs to lead you to the top. We hopped a cable car, trekked up hundreds of stairs, just to cross a cloud bridge (which, btw, is awesome. Hundreds of feet in the air crossing between peaks? Um. Yeah, I can say I've done that.), then more stairs to get to the vertical staircase. Yes. Vertical staircase. Just another wonderful aspect of this mountain. Heights and I are not friends. We have a mutual understanding. I don't go up and they don't make me fall down. But part of my whole experience here in Korea is to get out of my comfort zone and this mountain did that.

Tea atop the mountain and then we descended, got back on the bus, and headed home. It was an exhausting trip but so worth it. I loved every bit of the weekend and it was definitely a highlight of my time in Korea.

So far May is turning out to be a calm month. I am taking a break from trips (apart from excursions into Seoul). Work is interesting, as I said I have another open class coming up, and we are also in the middle of an English speaking contest.

I will try and get better at posting more.

Until the next time!

Oh Mr. Theroux if only that weren't so. You, and by you I really mean me, never really thought about the time in between "the experience" of traveling. Actual travel is exhausting and uncomfortable to say the least. When you are thinking about the whole concept it sounds great hop from one part of the globe to another taking in everything that the world has to offer. Yes. Sign me up! And do not get me wrong I love it and I encourage any and everyone to travel (even if it is just to a neighboring town). But, my oh my, the time getting from point A to point B is an experience all by itself.

I said I was going to be busy in April and busy I was. Ay yi yi. Never again will I plan so many trips in such a short time frame. I loved the trips and I am glad I went on all of them but I am so tired now. After my trip down to the Cherry Blossom Festival I had a weekend of staying home and enjoying what Ilsan has to offer. It was very nice except for the fact that I started to get sick. During this time of year Korea experiences what they call "yellow dust." Which is basically massive amounts of pollution that gets swept up in the wind and atmosphere and comes directly from China to settle over Korea. It is gross. When it's particularly heavy it looks just like the name would suggest. Yellow dust. Over everything.

Now considering where I come from you'd think I'd be able to handle a little dirty air. But apparently seven months of clean air have made my lungs and body soft. I have had a cold for two weeks because of this stupid dust. But my cold did not deter me from going on my little mini vacations.

The third weekend in April I had a two-day trip a little south to 대구 (Daegu) and some surrounding areas. Korea has their own brand of bull fights and it was the annual bull fight festival. I got up at the unholy hour of 430am to catch the very first subway to the opposite side of Seoul and then got on the tour bus for a four hour ride to the area we were going to be staying in. Enter the very un-glamorous bits of travel Mr. Theroux. So the trip started out a bit rocky just for the sheer pain of the actual transportation bit. And again the rain decided to join us (which in some parts turned to snow) so the festival was kind of a flop. The bull fights still happened because they were indoors but all the other scheduled activities and experiences of the festival didn't happen because it was all outdoors. After one fight (which ok it isn't a Spanish fight so no one died but it was still sad to see the poor bulls pushing and shoving each other) KB and I headed over to the Bull Fighting Theme Park. And yes that was the name but no it was not a theme park. It was a museum. Someone really needed to hire an English speaker to confirm the name.

We spent a good three hours at this "theme park" sitting near the wall outlet charging our phones and playing word games. Woohoo sounds like an epic time and a great use of our travel experience. Although I did get a kick out of the map of bull fighting around the world. According to this map we have been calling ourselves by the wrong name. We are not the United States of America like I thought. We are, in fact, the United of States America. Those pesky little prepositions. Such a difficult concept to grasp. But fear not, we fared much better than poor Mexico, who is actually "Maxico." And we seemed to gain a lot of land mass near our eastern border. And Greenland took some enhancement meds because it was twice the size of the USA. Strangest most amazing map I have ever seen.

After the mostly-flopped bull fight we headed to an abandoned railroad tunnel that has been turned into a winery. It was amazing. This area of Korea is known for their peaches and persimmons and they have their own special winery that makes persimmon wine. You can walk in this tunnel and taste the wine and see some of the barrels of wine that are being aged. There were some slightly creepy areas that I loved and they made it very cool inside with the decor and copious amounts of christmas lights that lit the whole area. But it was super crowded. Apparently everyone likes to go wine tasting when it rains. That does not bode well for the summer months when it basically doesn't stop raining...

After the very cool wine tasting we headed to the hotel and then to dinner. Afterwards most of the group headed to check out the night life of 대구 (Daegu) but since I had been up since 430 I headed back to the hotel to sleep. And sleep I did. On a very hard floor with the traditional mat on the floor style. Let's just say I really appreciate my mattress now.

The next morning we all hopped on the bus, drove another hour or so, to 구미 (Gumi) where we ate lunch. I am very proud of myself. I ate blowfish. Not exactly something you hear everyday. Oh, yeah, I ate blowfish for lunch today. What about you? Surprisingly it did not have a fishy taste to it. It was really good.

After lunch we all headed to a zip line adventure! This was the highlight of my weekend. A 2 mile long course with 9 different runs. It was amazing. So much fun I want to go again! There isn't much to say about zip lining. If you've gone you know what I am talking about and if you haven't you really need to remedy that. You strap in to this massive body harness and basically fly down a mountain on metal cables. Doesn't that just make you want to find your way to the nearest zip line establishment? Despite my lack of a glowing description I highly recommend it. Go. Do it. It's fun. Peer pressure!

Then it was back on the bus and subway and walking and then home to my wonderfully comfortable bed and personal shower.

Now I much prefer a charter bus to normal buses or crowded trains but they can still be ridiculously uncomfortable. No leg room. No reclining enough to get comfortable. No control over temperature or bathroom breaks. After a few hours your butt hurts and you don't want to sit but you can't do anything about it. This is where the travel parts gets precarious. Is the actual travel worth the destination? If it weren't for the zip line and the potentially haunted (at least it looked like it could have been the best place for a haunted story) then I would deem the travel portion not worth the destination during this trip but all in all I am glad I went. If anything it just gave me a perspective of a not so good weekend away.

Balance, that's all it was, balance.

And balance I received. This not so great of a trip was a precursor to what I shall deem the best weekend trip to date. 진도 (Jindo). My last weekend trip in April... there are not adequate words to describe it yet. Jindo is amazing. And just a little teaser of what is to come in my next post... I shall speak of Moses miracle crossings, beach side barbecues, puppies, and mountain climbing. Add a little Doctor Who and friends and it equals epic proportions that likes of which this blog has never seen!

But see them it shall! Next time because I am tired. I am sure you are just riveted beyond belief now. Well I promise you won't have to wait longer than a few days.

Until the next time!

The first of my three weekend trips in April was exhausting but so very much worth it. I went down to 진해 (Jinhae) for the annual cherry blossom festival and then to a small seaside town called 통영 (Tongyeong). Travel around to explore more of Korea: 1. Sleep: 0.

It's the tough choices in life.

The weekend started Friday evening. I went with KL pretty much the entire length of subway line 3 to meet up with the tour group at 11 o'clock at night. I guess out first clue that sleep was going to be scarce on the ground was the fact we were leaving Seoul at 11 o'clock at night to get to the southern tip of Korea at 430 in the morning. Yeah. Now I usually have no problems sleeping on vehicles but there is something about a charter bus that just makes sleep impossible. Mainly the fact I could not stretch out my legs because of the speaker under the seat in front of me. I usually can just prop my head on the window and be good but not this trip. I swear every extremity fell asleep while I could not.

We finally rolled into the town and all of the weekend plans were derailed. A rain storm decided to make itself present for the festival as well. I guess the rain and clouds wanted to see the beauty for themselves. But it definitely put a damper on the weekend. Saturday was supposed to be spent with part of the group going on a hike on one island and the other part of the group exploring another island that is more picturesque and sightseeing worthy. Hiking in the rain is not ideal but impossible for our group because of the danger level of the peak they were going to hike, also, the ferry's stopped running because of the storm. Yay storms. Thanks a bunch.

So we went decided to switch the days of our trip. We went straight to 진해 for the festival. The rain washed away a lot of the crowds but it was still pretty busy when it got later in the day. It was definitely not as beautiful as it could have been because of the rain. But despite most of the blossoms being on the ground it was still a beautiful site to see. I got some great pictures of the cherry blossoms and a famous creek and bridge walkway. We spent some time at the actual festival grounds and then took another bus to some railroad tracks that have some famous cherry blossoms as well. That was actually fun and very pretty too. We got to stand on the tracks and take pictures and then we got some good pictures when the train came through the station as well.

Basically the festival was just one big photo op. We ate lunch (some incredibly delicious BBQ pork) and then clambered back on the bus and headed to 통영. I crashed on the bus ride to our hotel. Not gonna lie the best hour of my day.

It finally stopped raining once we got closer to 통영. 통영is considered to be the Naples of Korea. I have never been to Naples so I couldn't tell you if it is similar but it definitely did not look like the rest of Korea. I actually felt like I had left Korea. If it wasn't for the food I would never have thought I was still here.

We spent the evening exploring the harbor town and ate dinner and went to bed early. The next day was going to be another exhausting day because we had to be up and ready to board the bus by 6am. At least that is what we were told. But again mother nature had other plans. As the hikers went there way we (the non-hikers) were supposed to take a ferry to the island we were going to spend the day exploring but because the storm warning had not been lifted the ferry we were supposed to take was not running (the island is pretty far out there) so we had the option of taking a different ferry to a different island. Great and all, improvisation is a way of life, but this ferry wasn't leaving until 11am. So here we are awake and ready to go at 6 am and no where to be for almost 5 hours. So what does one do that early in the morning when you have already turned in your room key?

Explore of course.

There is a famous neighborhood in this town that is very run down and poor so people took it upon themselves to make it more beautiful by painting the walls. There are so many different pictures and styles and colors it definitely had the desired affect. I think I took close to 500 pictures during these 2 days.

After spending quite awhile walking around this neighborhood and snapping as many pictures as humanly possible we headed back to the hotel to someone's room that still had their key. On our way back we stopped at a live fish market (so many interesting fish). Also it was mesmerizing to watch all those old 아줌마 (ajummas are just old ladies) methodically cutting up all the fish. You could tell they had spent years doing the exact same thing. We also went to a big outdoor market and looked around.

We met up with the rest of our small group at the hotel and headed to the ferry. I have never been on a ferry before and I most definitely had never been on a Korean style ferry (we sat on the floor) but it was awesome. The ride was fun and there are a lot of other little islands that we passed so, again, I took way too many pictures. We went to an island called 비진도 (Bijindo). There were so many colors! And the weather was really nice. The rain had finally ended and there were blue skies. We walked from one end of the island, up this hill, down the hill, and across a path that connects what looks like two parts of the island from one ferry port to another. My hair still hasn't completely forgiven me for the wind and sea water.

Another ferry ride and we were back at 토영 harbor and ready to go home. Again we had to learn to adapt (some hikers were injured and we had to pick them up from the hospital where they got stitched up, the rest of the group missed their ferry back) so we didn't end up leaving until close to 430. We got back to Seoul a little after 10 which means I did not get home until close to 1130. I pretty much crashed and woke up Monday morning ready to crawl back into bed.

What I lost in sleep I made up for in pictures. I was a picture taking fool this whole weekend. I am looking forward to what the rest of the trips have in store. Hopefully mother nature decides to play nice and have spring actually arrive. I would like to put my winter coat away and not have to get it out again for awhile.

Until the next time.

I guess the best thing is to address the elephant in the room. I wasn't sure if I should even glorify Kim Jong Un's behavior by bringing anymore attention to his antics, also with my luck I will eat my words, but one must not live in fear, right?

So onward.

North Korea, also known as Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is throwing yet another temper tantrum and the rest of the world has decided to take notice. What some people don't realize though is that the Korean War never actually ended. Bear with me for a moment as I give a tiny little history lesson (and please if you read this and any facts are incorrect please tell me). So looking back into history the Korean peninsula has not really fared well.

This poor peninsula has been subjected to countless invasions, occupations, and foreign rule throughout it's long and distinguished past. But up until 1948 and the end of World War II it was always one country. Japan had been occupying Korea and when they fell at the end of the war so did their rule over Korea. But despite all of the 'stuff' that was going on with the rest of the world (you know, wars, treaties, holocausts, a-bombs) Korea was yet again not left alone. The Japanese left but the Soviet Union and the US quickly took their place in Pyongyang and Seoul, respectfully, leaving a gaping divide down the 38th parallel.

Now I will not get into major history here because frankly I just don't know enough about it to say anything with any ring of legitimacy but as I understand it 1948 the establishment of "north" and "south" happened. In 1950 the Korean War started. Three battle filled years later and in July of 1953 the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed. This agreement was designed to "insure a complete cessation of hostilities and of all acts of armed force in Korea until a final peaceful settlement is achieved." (courtesy of wikipedia) That sounds all fine and dandy but no "peaceful settlement" has ever been achieved since 1953. Sixty years later and North and South Korea are still technically at war.

Which brings me to my first point. All those news outlets out there who have joined the bandwagon and have started reporting all of Kim Jong Un's latest movements and his reports of being "in a state of war" with South Korea. He is speaking the truth. Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Yes, North Korea is in a state of war with South Korea. They have been since 1950.

And here is where we enter into the portion of today's program to talk about what I think of this whole situation. Many a metaphor come to mind when I try to think of the best way to describe the situation. All of them great in my opinion but somewhat lacking. It seems I need more than one to fully get my point across.

So first. Kim Job Un. He took over for his father at the end of 2011 and the world has seen many changes come to the North since then (shout out to Google and Dennis Rodman) but sadly many things still remain the same. It seems to me that Kim Jong Un is not just trying to show his country he is just as good, if not better, than his father and grandfather. I'm not excusing any of his behavior or attitude but it can't be easy being the Supreme Leader. Seems pretty daunting to me. All that power to do whatever I wanted to all those hopeless plebeians I have under my cult-style rule? Obviously I would have to exert more power too. Why doesn't the world understand? He just needs anarchy, that he rules.

With all this guy's obvious handicaps into the world of international affairs and basic human dignity it is no wonder people are talking. But really, he has to be ten times of insane to think threatening the US is every a good idea.

And here we enter the gray area.

I love my country. I am proud of my nationality and my government. Do I agree with everything all the time? No. But that doesn't mean I don't carry around a certain amount of pride. So take that with this grain of salt.

The US has a superiority complex. A major one. Shocking I know. Who would have that good ol' Merica would have issues with its ego? Clearly not Americans. So add to the equation a dictator trying to prove himself and a country with an ego bigger than its national debt and you will end up with a volatile combination. And just for kicks and giggles take a newly elected female president and throw it into the mixer. What comes out of the oven? The biggest inundation of "oh my goodness or you okay?? Do you need to come home??" rhetoric from every member of an expats family and a massive media storm depicting terror and war all over the news. I mean I appreciate the concern but really all I am worried about is rain falling, not bombs.

Think of it this way. You are at your family reunion. Everyone that is still alive has joined you at the park for a nice afternoon spent in the sun. And obviously things go south, I mean, some of these people really hate other members of the family. Your family history has involved death, lies, stealing, adultery, tattle-telling, the inability to share, whining, deception, and favoritism, and that's just this generation. So mom and dad are fighting over money while their kids are fighting over who gets what portion of the food. Then there are those aunts and uncles who are trying not to take sides but are secretly taking bets on who is going to win. Grandma is over in the corner talking about grandchildren and lamenting the loss of tradition. Then comes the obnoxious older cousins who you think are so cool with their big cars and beer chugging skills. And over in the corner is the red-headed step-child that no one really talks to because historically he just doesn't play well with others. Well the really loud bickering has stopped between mom and dad for a moment and even the kids have calmed down a bit and now we can hear the sister of our red-headed foe tugging on her step-dad's jacket saying how Johnny-who-likes-to-throw-tantrums is looking at her and she doesn't want him touching her nice dress and getting it dirty. Now usually the rest of the family is too busy to worry about what Johnny might do to Susie's dress but now that the main source of entertainment is in a temporary lull all attention goes to Johnny. And dad, sensing the ability to show off a bit, puffs up his chest and goes to give Johnny a stern talking to. But now, Johnny who was just trying to get someone to notice him gets mad, he wasn't doing anything except trying to talk to his sister. So he gets all mad and starts threatening to throw another tantrum because his sister relies on their step-dad too much. But dad can't have that. The whole family is watching now. He has to show just how much authority he has. But Johnny can't back down either or he will forever be looked upon as that insignificant spot in the corner of the family photo that people try to cover up in frames. So tempers start flaring and the rest of the family realized how much bigger Johnny got while they weren't looking. What's going to happen? And Susie is just standing off the side not exactly sure what to do as dad postulates and Johnny throws his toys around.

Yeah, it's kind of like that.

The world is trying to guess what Johnny will do while Susie has seen this tantrum before.

Now I am not trying to say there is absolutely no danger because as much as I would like to think Kim Jong Un is not a complete moron he may prove to be more of a troglodyte than people assume and actually follow through with his many fluff filled threats. But for now not many inhabitants of South Korea really believe that. At least there isn't a massive line to stockpile rice and kimchi at the local markets. Just like Susie, South Korea has heard this all before, they have been living in the threat of "it's possible" for 60 years. I mean, I am taking precautions because it would be irresponsible not to, but by precautions I mean signing up for alerts and e-mails from the embassy. I am still living my life. I am still going to work and planning trips. Anxiously awaiting spring to officially grace us with her presence. And generally not thinking about the weird step-brother in the corner.

Is Kim Jong Un a threat? To his people? To the south? To the world? Does the US overreact to things? Does it like to show its power? Does it like to stick its nose in other people's business? I'll leave the final answers to you but for me: yes, yes, possibly (but really... the Korean peninsula is small- any bombs will hurt the north too- and the destruction of the resources he so desperately needs makes me want to turn this 'possibly' to an unlikely), unlikely (see the previous explanation as well), yes, yes, and yes.

Will something happen? Who knows. I do not claim to see the future. Am I worried? No. All I can do is live in the now. Which means I am waiting for the end of my Friday and the start of my very busy adventure filled April.

Jinhae Cherry Blossom festival here I come! ... as soon as 430 gets here and I can go home!!!

Until the next time...