I spoke to the Lady Andrea last night. She's back in Zagreb. I won't go into detail, but her marriage earlier this year is over. It will be a while before divorce actually happens. I plan to visit her sometime next year. nuff said.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. I've had my meal today. A peanut butter
and jelly sandwhich, made with pumpkin bread. I still have a liter of
mandarine orange juice by my side waiting to be polished off.

I am between classes right now, listening to my station on Soundclick,
trying to prepare my message for Sabbath service in the morning. I'll
be speaking, and the heat is one. I'll let you know how it goes later.

See ya.

EDIT:    thanks to findingeeyore for this one.

You scored as Neo, the "One". Neo is the computer hacker-turned-Messiah of the Matrix. He leads a small group of human rebels against the technology that controls them. Neo doubts his ability to lead but doesn't want to disappoint his friends. His goal is for a world where all men know the Truth and are free from the bonds of the Matrix. Neo, the "One" 75% James Bond, Agent 007 67% Batman, the Dark Knight 63% El Zorro 63% The Terminator 58% Indiana Jones 58% Lara Croft 54% William Wallace 54% The Amazing Spider-Man 54% Maximus 54% Captain Jack Sparrow 42% Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0 created with QuizFarm.com

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Column detail of PalGakJung, located at Topgal Park near the Jonggak shopping district.

PalGakJung was constructed in 1897. On March 1, 1919, the Korean
Declaration of Independence was recited here, and the March 1st
Movement started. In 1910, Japan invaded Korea and colonzed it. Korea
became a free country once again in 1945 following the defeat of Japan
by the United States, ending World War II.

DaeWonGak Sabi, Topgal Park- roof detail of a temple constructed in
1465. The magnolia trees are magnificent. Too bad it was a cloudy day
when I was there snapping pictures.

Song Hye Kyo - Korean actress

Zhang Ziyi - Chinese actress

New Line Cinema is picking up this Korean film for a release in more than 60 countries, including the United States, early next year. I've seen the movie trailer on television. You may wish to check out the music video in advance. They both look fantastic.

In brief, it looks at the lives of four people in the ancient Korean kingdom of Balhae. At one time, Korea was a kingdom that had a border reaching into Manchuria. That all changed when the Mongols came along. Now there is a rivalry between China and Korea as to which version of history is accurate. Some things mesh perfectly, while a lot is debated and argued. What I do know is that Korea has been invaded about 3,000 times in its history. That Korea went from being dirt poor in the 1950s following the signing of the peace treaty, dividing the country in half, and becoming among one of the top 20 largest economies in the world in about 50 years is nothing less than miraculous. For a comparison, it took Germany and Japan 150 years to achieve the same level of economic growth prior to WWI and WWII.

For those who are fans of the movies Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero, and House of Flying Daggers, this movie looks to be an excellent addition to the new wave of martial arts movies produced since the 1990s. I'm looking forward to seeing this one.

More pictures are coming soon. I just need to check a lot of my spelling. Pronounciation is a bit difficult, only because I'm not getting enough reinforcement and repetition in saying the words. I've been to the internationally well known shopping district called Itaewon, and will be going back there when I have some money. I picked up some trinkets for two of my nephews and my neice, as well as as greeting cards to send home soon. I've also picked up two books of poetry by Korean authors featuring the English translation.

Classes are going well. I feel like I'm a bit out of water in some ways, but I think we are doing okay for now. That includes all the new teachers around the country. The drills are going well, and I think everyone is having fun with the conversational part of it. I think most of the students just need a boost to their confidence levels. The junior classes I help with are okay, too. They need some confidence.

I'm still writing poetry. I haven't written as much since I arrived in Korea, but I'm staying with it. Here's one I wrote a few nights ago.

It's not What You Think

Here I am pen in hand
wondering if these words will stand
I'm too tired, it's getting late
soon I will meet my fate

Here I am walking tall
wondering what it is I just saw
I'm too tired my eyes they burn
bloodshot from all the scorn

In this place I take a stand
wondering if they will strike down the band
so here I am I'm still free
walking away just let me be

Trade my sword for a gun
going out to have some fun
it's not what you think, I'm okay
I'm running out of words to say

Some long for peace
others want a war
I don't know what I came here for
Trade my sword for a gun
going out to have some fun

It's not what you think, I'm okay
I'm running out of words to say

Come here, my love, one last time
gonna stop me on a dime
the words will last, stop on a rhyme
listen to the wind chimes

It's not what you think, I'm okay
I'm running out of words to say

I feel the sun on my face
feeling a love for this place
I have this peaceful feeling
and for this love I'm kneeling

It's not what you think, I'm okay
I'm running out of words to say

So here I am I'm still free
going outside to find me
though I'm not lost, I'm not found
in the end I'm glorybound

I'm too tired, the sun it burns
just a little while longer
still this world continues to turn
just a little while longer

and it's okay what you think
and I'm okay
I'm just running out of words to say

Cheonggyecheon Stream - flows into the Hangang. It used to be covered. A few years ago it was rennovated and is a very popular attraction in the downtown part of Seoul.

Cheonggyecheon - late afternoon. The tall person in front was a part of my orientation group.

Cheonggyecheon

There are 5,100 tiles used in making this mural of a king's trip to a fortress. In Korea's history, it has been invaded 3,000 times.

More later.

Ankara Park - Seoul, South Korea - November, 2005

Sahmyook Lake, Sahmyook University, Seoul, South Korea - October, 2005

Day is Dying in the West - Seoul, South Korea - October, 2005

It took a while, but here they are. These are the first images from Seoul. I'll have more later, as soon as I can find a decent imaging program to work with.

Borrowed from Moniet. Thank you.

Your Birthdate: September 26

You lucked out the the skills to succeed in almost any arena. Put you in almost any business or classroom, and you'll rise to the top. You're driven and intense, but you also know when to kick back and cooperate. Your ability to adapt to almost any situation is part of what's going to make you a success. Your strength: Your attention to detail Your weakness: You can be a little too proud of your successes Your power color: Turquoise Your power symbol: Arrow pointing up Your power month: August

Just checking in. Just like eastern Kentucky in the fall, it is cool here. Very cool. The leaves are yellow and red, the sky is a murky blue, mostly from the smog that hangs over the Han Gang. (Gang is the word for river.) I've seen a few people wearing surgical masks to filter out the pollution. In spite of this, Seoul is a very clean town. It is very rare to see litter on the sidewalks. Cigarette butts are the only thing I've seen as far as litter goes. No pop bottles, no burger wrappers, nothing like that.

Seoul has a population of 22 million people. Yet, I have only heard sirens once since arriving, and have seen firetrucks responding to a call on one occasion. I think the police are bored. There are no police helicopters flying along the highways keeping track of the traffic flow, and there are no news helicopters in the air to update on highway conditions. When I go to sleep, I only hear the roar of the highway, less than one-tenth of a mile from where I currently share an apartment with two other missionary teachers. It is safe to walk down dark alleys in Seoul.

Across the canal is an island where Donald Trump constructed four towers. Trump World and Trump World Two are about a quarter of a mile apart, and are within a mile of Daebang Station. Prominent on this cityscape is a promotional poster for programming for KBS. This television station has an incredible antennae array on the building.

Korean food is good. I've grown to like kimbob, a seaweed roll filled with steamed rice and a center made of egg and mixed vegetables. I can handle kimchi, but no more than three times a week. Cabbage kimchi is good, but I like the turnip or radish kimchi better. Think of kimchi as sourkraut with tobasco sauce mixed into the recipe.

I have pictures on my keydrive. I hope to share pix before the end of the week. More later.