Vietnam

Holy freaking crap - what a month. Ya know when ya do something like this, its always a good idea to write down goals. Specific stuff ya wanna laugh at over a beer with someone way down the line. Maybe its this beer with the pops on a Vietnamese beach called Vung Tau.

...absolutly amazing.



Maybe its crawling around in this - as laughter no longer fits, rather a nostalgic cheers to all the crazy kids who would crawl into this. With a pistol, and a flashlight...looking for their Vietgong counterpart.

Looking for something like this:


Then...do this:

Crawl into this:

Without a flash on your camera...

While you're in this obnoxious debacle, don't get caught in one of these:

...usually covered with a piece of paper masked with dirt.

...dont get whiplash:

I’ve been here for 5 months as of today. I’ve been humbled everyday in many different situations, regardless if I am in Asia. A Texas State basketball camp, or in most cases a cute girl at a bar…haha. Most cases – psh. But the fun thing, laughing about it over a few drinks at the REX Hotel in Ho Chi Minh where a majority of the big brass used to stay during the war. The guys sending young men to die for their indecision and probably even ego.

I really think it takes a lot to humble yourself and realize that every day for the next 7 months, you’ll be waking up in a country where you’re not only a ‘waygook’ (fingre quote it)…you’re also a deaf and blind white dude trying really hard to get into graduate school or even find an ellusive bar in Gwangju. As was the case last evening.

Yeah its freaking bad the hell ass that I’ve been to 6 countries before I’m 24. But according to Korea (as I was born in 86) - I'm 24 as of January 1st. But, I've still got a GRE to deal with on June 12th.

It took me a boat in the Mekong Delta, to stop worrying about grad school.

Haha, watch Dad try to find the toothpicks - and me try to get that damn piece of fruit on my toothpick...

The Great Wall - hm, the brought latters guys, not that great now huh?!?!?

(it took us 3 times to get Dad to open his eyes to take this picture...haha)

About 15 minutes outside Beijing, Dad and I did the Badaling section of the Great (freaking) Wall. We kept saying - never in a million years did we expect to do something like this. It was the off season for tourism, so the wall wasnt PACKED as it normally is during the summer or spring.

Bit of a hike too!

garful old man: Haha, Oct. 1st 1949 the People's Republic of China took over, and Communist China was born - the China we know today. Oct. 1st 1947 my father was born - MY DAD IS OLDER THAN CHINA!!!! (we got a kick out of that)

That's our tour guide Brian: "we can keep walking along - but its just more wall"

Ok, so I totally had a plan to be super productive on my days off, but the tempeture just dropped like 40 degrees in the last 10 minutes. Its going to be 70 tomorrow, so I'll be out and about to blog somemore....for now -

목포에서 환호!!!!!!!

(compey mokpo)

(cheers from mokpo)

Beijing!

Oh, vacating, its beautiful. I started my vacation at 11:30 a.m. Jan. 29th, as my Dad took over the last 30 minutes of my English Camp. 8 Sixth graders were hounded by this MEAN Doctorate of Education. He, literally, almost hit a kid.

Haha, poor kid. It was good times though, he was on skype and I had my students ask the computer "can you visit" and he said "no, I'm in Texas." He was right down the hall, and just walked in, munchkins went CRAZY!!!

Then, it was to Seoul, to fly out here:

We left Mokpo the night before to catch our 11 AM flight to Beijing, in the communist China. It was $170 visa for Americans, $40 for everyone else.

You can see how communist they really are with the way they live - lined apartments after apartments.

At 'half-past noon' (as tim the brit would say it, dont forget the air quote)...we got into China and met out tour guide Brian. It was brilliant, I had spent about $1300 bucks on this tour, and as Jon said last night at moes. "There is and a place time to do it on your own, and there's the time to put down the dough, to take the stress out."

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/package/beijing.htm (in case anyone wants to go to China without stress)

Brian was amazing, he picked us up right outside baggage claim, dropped us off at the hotel and made sure the tour was about us. It seriously took everything that is annoying about traveling out of it, we didn't have to find a cab, or a train, or a horse carriage - we had a personal driver. It was SO worth it.

Tiananmen square:

That is the gate into the Forbidden City, where the
commoners were not allowed - hence Forbidden ;)
...it was a bit later that night obviously

Its also where that happened...

...and China's 'compensation' - wait I mean their show of Military force...

This was inside the forbidden city, obviously, gorgeous in there!!!

So, this was the Temple of Heaven at the end of the Forbidden City. There's this street that goes from this Temple through the Forbidden City all the way to the Bird's Nest. Which is where the 2008 Olympics were. China was very hardcore about making this one street, it kind of signifies their existence. According to our tour guide - I think he means, it means we build really long roads through really cool stuff. Below is the birds nest...again, only called the birds nest cause it looks. like. a birds nest.

....anyway

this was on the way to the T square to our restaurant, cool building eh?

...damn, good, food.

...but i had to pee...in this. EWWW




Then, we did the Zoo o' Beijing. Twas amazing, be sure to see the Panda video at the bottom...




This dude cracked me up!!






After the Zoo we did the AMAZING Summer Palace for one of the Kings way back when. (this was before I got my coffee.

It was so cool there, literally, these crazy kids were on the freaking lake. There was about a foot of ice beneath them, so its not like they could have died - but seriously, who does that. Crazy northerners.

This palace was built as a get away from all the stress that was the forbidden city. Basically where the Kings did their King...thing. Ya know, KINGED around. Haha, it was damn cool though.

Haha, pandas...haha, the opera. Hm. just...hm

Jen: "Asia 10, mikey 0" hahah

Gotta admit, Muju was awesome. That is almost everyone, right to left we've got....Jo, Marie, Steve (superman, or clark kent) alex, roger, liam, shelly (bending down), emily, sarah, amy, me, jon and jen.

There was a sign that said: "Muju Ski Resort, Its a happy time!"

It was an amazing trip, its about 3 hrs away
from Mokpo and freaking cold! I had to do my winter camps with the 6th graders so we left the 2nd to last weekend of January before the padre came to Korea. It was pretty freaking amazing, though I did get stuck on a black diamond on accident.

Stevo and I were riding the lift to the other side of the mountain, as we thought...ended up going to the top....

...whoops.

We asked these Koreans if this is advanced or beginner...it was 'advanceeed.'

Whoops, tis a bit steep...

Haha, I went anyway, this poor kid thought I was taking a pic of him...

Nope, just the black diamond I went down!!!!

Seriously about a 10000 mphs, I said "just don't knock out your teeth"

There were a LOT of people, and we got lift passes from 10:00 PM to midnight, around 70 bucks. it was a bit scary for the rookies of skiing...

Let me paint you a word picture...

Liam was on the bunny hill (right there) and I was way far away and I heard in his Georgia accent..."there are too many damn koreans!!"

...we're in Korea buddy (jen, hahaha)

Seriously can't believe I'm alive after skiing this...

So when I was flying down, I missed the exit for the hill Steve was on, and I just fell to the ground in awe that I was alive and this dude goes....

Korean Guy: Have a happy time??

Me: ahhh, bahhh, ahhhhh, ohhhh, AMAZING!!!! 2nd time, 2nd time

Korean Guy: bahh, pable...!

‘Pable’ in Korean means stupid…haha, down he went on the green.

Anyway, I've got the week off so I'll throw up a few more blogs about China and Vietnam...

Cheers from Mogggie mokpo!!!

...teacher game

...don't leave a bear costume out at a bar. this will happen!

0 0

Just like the PC room, the Training was a HAPPY TIME!!!

Wednesday Jan. 20^th

9:12 AM

Woah, its been a while but this month and a half has been NUTS. I went literally, from having 2 months off to…one week, to one month…back to two months off. Now it looks like I’m done next Friday until March. Giving me all of February off. Which is good…

Again, its hard to complain when ya got a month off…

Anyway, we’ll start in Seoul for this ‘orientation’ that would have been BRILLIANT 3 and a half months ago – but after doing this, I knew a lot of what they were lecturing us on.

For instance, we were told how to co-teach for 3 hrs. Cool pics outside the dorm though.

Basically, be professional. I met some good people up there, the most interesting a guy named Jim.

Living the American dream – 9 to 5, nice car and house, 33 years old working in Insurance. Making damn good money…but he ended up bailing for Korea about a month ago. Gotta love that.

I met a bunch of South Africans too, mistaked them all for Australians…which is kinda near it eh? (eh: gotta stop haing out with canadians). It was rough, 8 in the morning til 8:30 at night. We had a midnight curfew too. Like, they would lock the doors with a chain…seemed like a fire hazard if ya ask me. All I'm saying, make sure not to leave a bear costume out a bar, someone WILL put it on...

Then got back to Moggie, and started my English camp. Last week was all 3^rd graders which were ADORABLE. God they make me laugh. Taught them 4 non-blondes, “what’s going on”

Ahaha, hahaha….HAHAH.

First we went to the National Museum of Korea:

Haha, a friend of our's Brian got talked into talking to students. He was hysterical!

The frozen "swimming" area...

The old school coffins. They were never Jewish...right?

I like to think, that if I lived in that time, and there was a statue made after me...I'd be this guy.

We went to the Korean War Museum:

Quick pic of the DMZ...not the real one ;)

(A mash unit)

I think that's hawkeye above!

...woah

It says: fight or die. there was a huge battle a middle school in Busan before the UN got involved. this helmet was recovered off a middle school girl who was fighting. once the north took over busan, the UN and everyone got involved. I do mean everyone. Its crazy how far this country has come.

A lot of countries were involved...

The total casualty report. Including the UN and Korea

Just the people killed from Texas....

This was a tear drop of dog tags of the soldiers killed - if you can see it, the sand makes a ripple.

Friday Jan. 22^nd

1: 54 p.m

Week went well, lessons kicked some buuuut! Kids had fun. Vice Principal had fun watching me, bit intimidating. I think he’s trying to learn too…I don’t know.

...never give a camera to the kid in the first row. this will happen, i was in the middle of saying: "exactly"

We were playing this game called 'directions' (be sure to air quote on that). Kid puts on a blindfold, and the students YELL "left, right, strait, backwards." Then, it was Mike teacher's turn to go. So, I look at the clock, its noon.

I get taken outside by a 3rd grader, says: "mike teacher, goodbye, i come back..."

Then, they created a maze for Mike teacher to go through. Requiring, kneeling (not crawling, just knelling). Then, crawling...then I had to pass the 'gate keeper': rock paper sissors. Had to win first. All whilst blindfolded. Kids are loving it and SCREAMING english, it was pretty amazing. They knew every word for every action Mike teacher was doing.

The vice principal was watching the whole time, laughing his little korean booty off.

Have my back man, help me out, the maze was tricky.

Anyway, this is my: "what are you trying to say little one" face.

Well, anyway, that's mike teacher...

목포에서 환호!!!!!!!

Dad I hope you read this from Korea!