So This is Christmas.....

Merry Christmas,

It is now officially Christmas in Korea. My first trip to the big city (Seoul) yesterday was awesome. We were successful in getting a cabbie who did not try to kill us. In order to really bring the holidays into focus we attended a performance of the Nutcracker at the Seoul Performing Arts Center. I was also reminded that it is also Christmas in Asia because the Salvation Army has bell ringers here as well. Although, they are quite different. Instead of an old man or woman constantly ringing the bell, they have younger looking Koreans, in Santa costumes, ringing every fourth time and a loud speaker type thing playing Christmas music. I have included some pictures of my events along with a visit to the live fish market. I literally had "Seoul food" yesterday. I should warn any of those PETA hippie types who might stumble onto this site that I have also included pictures of our food's last few moments, so beware. We enjoyed our dish with a traditional Korean drink Soju and ginsing. Soju is a Korean vodka, I believe, made from rice. I am unclear however. I loved Seoul so much, that we are going back today to watch Casino Royale on the IMAX screen. James Bond is going to be fricken huge. I can't wait.

Almost Christmas

Greetings from the Land of the Morning Calm and at this time Land of the Morning it is !@!@! cold out. After a very busy week including a war fighting exercise which had me working nights I finally have a chance to kick back and relax for a couple of days. I am very excited because it is my first trip to Seoul today. I was able to venture outside post last night and was very honored to be invited to a Chunkah dinner with some of the fellow Army lawyers enduring here with me in Korea. I am still amazed and somewhat meloncholy that it is Christmas already and I will not be home or near my family and friends. However, I am making great friends and I am certain to have a different yet almost as enjoyable holiday season. I continue to adapt/take my life into my own hands each time I take a taxicab. Last night was no different. In addition to passing folks on the opposite side of the road and merely yielding at stop lights, our cabbie seemed to multi-task as he watched his dashboard mounted DVD player. I was serenaded with the likes of the rapper Fifty Cent singing "Hey shortie it's your birthday" as the cabbie weaved his way/narrowly avoided, cars, fruit stands and other obstacles. Today I am riding a tour bus down to Youngson/Seoul. It should be a bit less stressful. I have posted a couple of pictures from the first post I was at, Camp Stanley, along with some bathroom humor (literally)I wish each and everyone a very Merry Christmas.

My Arrival in the Land of the Morning Calm

After chasing the sunset across the international date line for fourteen hours I finally arrived in Korea. I am finally coming out of my jet lag daze. Here a few observations and stories from my first few days in Korea.
I think that I finally also realized how tall I really am. After pushing my way through many Koreans, (by the way personal space and the unwritten rule of not getting into one's personal space went out the window) I realized that is pretty cool to be able to gaze over the top of about eighty percent of people in an airport.
After a night in Seoul, I made my way north to inprocessing (that is the army term for getting your shots, making sure you exist on the computer for pay purposes and death by Powerpoint slides on many topics from don't drink too much to the pc advice of if you didn't bring it over, don't bring it back) I am currently in the middle of all of these fun activities. I was able to meet with my sponsor (the person I am replacing who both internally and externally gave a polite chuckle as she showed me around during her last twenty four hours in Korea). I was able to escape the inprocessing center and all of the unavoidable WTF that goes along with it for a few hours to see my new digs. Upon my return to the inprocessing center, I was able to experience a Korean taxi ride first hand. Within a forty five minute span (the time it took to get from my new office back to the inprocessing center) I learned alot about Korean rules or better yet "suggestions" of the road. One of these rules is what a red light really means. If there are no cars or relatively few cars on the road and near the intersection, stopping at a red light is optional. You can also pass people in any form whatsoever, as long as there is some stretch or patch of road available. Finally, it is probably better just to try to take a nap as you make your journey in one of these cabs. Either that or guzzle a bottle of Soju (Korean vodka) prior to entering the taxi.
On a final note, I was able to experience part of the Christmas season at a tree lighting ceremony on Friday. The ceremony was complete with a Korean Presbyterian Choir. They sang Jingle Bell Rock as well as the first Noel. The only thing that went through my head was the Peking Duck scene on a Christmas story. Fararas and an off key solo were slung about freely and with passion during the performance. This is a preview of my Christmas in Korea, I am sure.