Themes of the Recent Robert

It's almost been 2 years since I've seen home. It's been worth every second.

The time in Korea seemed to pass by so quickly last year. I'm telling this story from a much changed perspective than I had at the time I left. How Do I begin?


Toward the end of the first teaching contract I completed in Seoul, I felt that all things were wrapping themselves up. I was heading in a direction that I felt was natural. That is, I was being led by the inspiration that brought me here in the first place....the desire to see the world and to experience things in an unfiltered and unbiased way. Well.....that is exactly what happened, and I feel deeply changed.

Korea is a country with a very different culture and society than any I've ever seen, insofar as it pisses me off the most. However, my experience here as been quite vivid and much more saturating because of the length of time I've been here. Overall, I think Korea is a great country and a great place to live in the world. I would never have truly felt this unless I had embarked on a journey of independent travel through Thailand and Malaysia.


The anticipation and excitement were almost unbearable as the time dwindled down to finishing my contract. I knew that I would be returning to Korea, because I had just extended my work visa with the same company and signed another contract for the following year. The catch was that I would start 3 months later. I had 3 months to do whatever I wanted. I decided going to Thailand was the best option.

Upon arrival I had no idea what to expect and I was definitely intimidated by the new faces, the masses of other travelers, and more importantly the heat. If you've ever seen "Apocalypse Now" you could guess why I felt like going a bit crazy like Kurtz did. The heat makes everybody a little crazy. This was also my first true solo traveling experience. Yes, I did come to Korea alone, but I had people waiting for me. I had people helping me along the way. In Thailand I didn't. The only contact I had was a buddy I met in Korea, who was only going to be around a few more days.

I received my 28 day Visa Waiver stamp in my passport and was thrust into what would be my greatest adventure yet. I spent 2 full months in Thailand and another 7 days in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. After all of it I returned to Korea with a profoundly different and new perspective on the world and traveling.


If I can tell any story, I want it to be permeated with the theme of self revelation and personal growth. These are the most important things traveling does to you, or for you. Traveling allows you to see your real self, that is of course, if you allow it to happen.... if you let go of the holds that would hold you.... seeing it for what it really is.

I realized this is just the beginning of my story...

The Return of Travel

Initially, this blog was started because I was excited about traveling and experiencing new places. Even though living in Seoul is certainly travel, after a few months of being in the city it gets harder to create a story, because you start to get into a routine.

Fortunately for me I was able to break out a 10 day vacation from work. I decided to go to Guam. I normally would not have chosen Guam, but I figured since I have a connection there I would be able to experience it less as a tourist.

First of all, the beaches in Guam are immaculate. I suppose anywhere in the south pacific is good, but it was my first time being in any tropical water. I was simply amazed at the blueness of the bay and the sea. The weather was quite good too, usually sitting around 80 something. At any time of year you can practically go to the beach and feel great. The water is really warm during the day and there is a lot of marine life to see through the clear water. I went snorkeling and it was fantastic fun. I would love to go back to any island and do it again.


It felt so strange to be in the US again, speaking English to everyone, and using American money. I am so used to Seoul. I was actually happy to be back. Guam is a laid back place, however, it would be just as easy to get into a routine and ignore all the great things about it.


One night I decided to buy a cigar, something I rarely enjoy in Korea. I went out on the beach alone. It was so peaceful. I just sat there and enjoyed the quiet while the breeze kept coming. I thought of trying to crack open a coconut from one of the trees, but before I could I suddenly felt uncomfortable. There seemed to be a few people walking around in the shadows, which wasn't necessarily odd, but this one guy just kept walking back and forth. I don't think he saw me at first, but then he started getting closer to me. At this point I was thinking it wasn't good because he was in between me and my car. So I made a walk to the open beach under the bright moonlight so I could get a better look. I would have been happier if the guy didn't come down to the beach on my exact path after I started walking. I then noticed another shadowy figure flanking my left, so at that point I was getting overly worried. This is what I do though, I think its a way for me to entertain myself sometimes. Anyway, I decided to walk the beach line until I got the the next hotel, but the shore turned into rocks, so I had to cut into the trees. I made it to a wall outside the hotel. I looked back to see the same idiot following my path. So I found a good place to jump and I hopped the wall. Coincedentally I had my binoculars with, so I kept an eye out for any other idiots. Finally I made it back to the hassienda. All was good and fun.


The good thing about travel is that it gets me ready to do it again. It re-ignites why I wanted to do it in the first place. I will be finishing up my job in Korea within 10 weeks. I look forward to the possibilities.

Out of the City for Once

Recently, I had a chance to take a trip with one of these "lets get a bunch of foreigners together and go do outdoorsy things" groups. Actually, it was very fun and gave me a chance to meet a whole new entourage of peoples. We took a trip out of Seoul (서울) to Gangwondo (강원도) on a nice big juicy bus. Honestly after being in the metropolis for six to seven months it was a breath of fresh air to leave, literally. Seoul doesn't exactly boast the cleanest air. Korea has some truly beautiful scenery once you make it outside any major city.

The objective of this trip was to do some hardcore rafting, hardcore socializing, and then of course hardcore river trekking. Turns out the only hardcore thing was the socializing. We may be able to attribute soju to encouraging the antics, however, it was a very good time whilst eating Korean BBQ and kimchi.



Rafting was interesting, somewhat fun, and somewhat not dangerous. Our guide told us that someone had died three weeks before we arrived on the rapids, but I think he was probably just trying to get our blood flowing. Also, he decided to put all seven of our crew on a very tiny rock and let us balance ourselves for about 10 minutes. That may have been one of the more interesting moments of rafting.



I had never been River Trekking before this trip, but it was really fun and much different from hiking a mountain. At all times you could look up and see the surrounding mountains, which were very steep. At various points there were nice jumping spots were we all took a plunge.

I've been thinking recently that it may actually be fun to see other parts of Korea more often. I may take some kind of road trip through Korea. I'll have to wait on that one.

Memory burn turns to experience

I recently had one of the most dumbfounding cases of amnesia concerning the combination to my electronic door lock. I've been pressing those little buttons for months now and it seems that imputing the code became a matter of muscle memory rather than memory memory. I credit my buddy with the blame for asking me to run up to his room, use his combination, and read a series of passport numbers for getting my head in the wrong place. When I returned I tried pressing the code, but it was like I just shut down and the memory of what was right was gone. I had just bought a new classical guitar and I was in the middle of recalling an old tune by Mr. Bach and was eager to get back to it. What was worse is that since I was doing a ''solid'' for a friend and planned to return shortly, I left my wallet and money in the room. I was starving. I was about to take a shower. I knew I would be cranky as a result. After making all the phone calls I could in English and exhausting every possible resource for the code, I accepted the situation and climbed a mountain with my buddy Mike.

It was a cool day, so the hike was quite nice. I was waiting to get any info I could about the code. I knew the last source would be the person who lived in the room before me. I ''facebooked'' her, but since she was in Paris on a sunday noon, I didnt expect much. The mountain was nice and green. We could see a very good distance that day across the river and the vast streches of the city limits. I tried to think what it might have looked like 500 years ago and my guess was that it would still have been an amazing sight.

Back at my buddy's spot, I just passed the time as I could, trying to think of ways of getting that damn code. Evan suggested I stay at a Jjimjilbang over night. Since it's only 8,000 won (5-7 US $ ) to stay, it was actually a brilliant idea. After sneaking around my workplace for a way into the office, which is one place I could have scored the code, I just hung out with the boys for a while. I made my way to the public bath house, for the first time.

I can't say it's the best thing since sliced bread, but a public sauna Korean style isn't so bad. I could use the relaxation after a day of low stress. I took a dip in the hottest of hot tubs, frigid cold water pool, and almost a 200 degree sauna. The hot to cold is quite theraputic. They have sleeping rooms there with mats on the floor and what I would call a block for your head. For a sauna, the sleep is not so hot. Between old men snoring, farting, and cell phones twinkling, I had on and off sleep. But I dig. I was hungry after being in the sauna, so I bought three hard boiled eggs, but not really. When I cracked them, they were nasty brown. I thought they had to be purely rotten, but the guy who sold them to me was saying in Korean that it was "ok" while waving his hand at them as if I shouldnt eat it? But I braved it after a Korean pasta chef came over and said they were simply cooked a different way, almost like in a stove with heat. How about that for a midnight snack.

Being locked out of my room stinks, but I probably wouldn't have gone to the jjimjilbang otherwise, so I have to submit that it was a good experience produced by bad luck. I finally got back into my room today after coming back to work and getting the code. It seems like all circumstances lined up so that I couldn't have done it any other way. Now I need some groceries...Kims Club baby.

When routine returns.

I finally got my camera to start working again. I think by chance, I figured out the battery needs to be re-insterted from time to time. I've been adjusting to life in Korea for a good three months now. I kept saying in the beginning "I wonder when culture shock is going to hit me?" Well, even though I was an anthropology major, I don't think I fully grasped the concept. I can't say with certainty, but I think I may have a touch of cultural distaste. I think this has a lot to do with the three month period and having a solid schedule set in place. The first two months were very exciting and busy. Everything was so new and interesting. Things are still very interesting, I even know enough Korean to get around ok now, but not enough to have a basic conversation, unfortunatly. I have this Idea in my head about what I want to do with my days and my time, but it seems like I don't actually get around to doing it. I dont have to be at work until 3 everyday, so it is an aweful temptation to sleep in. After losing a lot of my fitness gains I finally made a stand to get back in the gym. I actually really love working out and doing hard physical challenges. So that was a missing piece of the puzzle for a while. Another thing is that I now eat much better than I did when I first arrived. When you travel, some adjustments and sacrifices have to be made, and for me they came in the form of unhealthy eating and loss of fitness in order to maximize time for adventure. So even though I have a healthy appetite for travel, I now believe that periods of rest are essential for mental health.

On a lighter note, I've been doing some hiking with my boys up in here. I have a few pictures to put up. Hopefully they testify better than I.

The Olympus pose as Evan deemed it was a nice touch upon the rock. I think I will throw a few random pictures into the mix. I believe they are, not with respect, me walking with my hitman gloves on through Hongdae, me looking out over a quiet night street, and some stuff.

I've also been feeling the need to set goals. I need to write it down. I think that helps me not sit around. A year is actually a long time and I have about 9 more months here. It gives me a lot of time to think about what I might want to do in the future. I also dislike smog.

First Fruits of Seoul

I've been here in Seoul for about three weeks now and it's been the most interesting and fun experience of my life. It does really suck not to be able to speak the language. I've decided that I'm going to take a Korean class starting next month, so I should be able to pick it up quickly once I get some kind of structured learning going on.

There is so much to do in Seoul. The reason I haven't made another post is because I always feel like using my time for something else. Last night on the subway I was thinking the experience must be different for people who work and live in Seoul than for those who are purely travelers. I haven't even scratched the surface of what Seoul has to offer, yet I've been here three weeks. Working in the late afternoon is also a bit different. It allows for a night out any night, but most of the things I want to do aren't a part of fantastic night life. However, going out in Itaewon or Hongdae is really fun and I can meet a lot of Koreans who speak English.

I must apologize for the scarcity in pictures, but it's not really my bag to take lots of pictures. I should make that my bag.

Recently I went to a Buddhist temple area. I don't remember where this was exactly because I went with a Korean friend and she was just showing me around different places. I like this picture because it shows the contrast between tradition and the modernity of Seoul. I don't know for sure but I think Buddhism is less prevalent than Christianity and other religions practiced here. I heard that being a Buddhist in Seoul is more of a trend and that wealthy families tend to belong. I really wanted to take a picture of the inside of one of the temples I went in, but they were in the middle of some kind of prayer. I haven't quite figured it out yet but I can see very conservative remnants within Korean culture, but it doesn't really make sense to me. I can't really explain that well right now. This place was pretty cool. There was a large marble-like surface where people would go out and pray. Here, as well as houses and such you have to take off your shoes. I had to take off my shoes when I went into the temple.

Damn I need some new clothes. Everyone here wears really fashionable stuff. It's great to shop here because there is an endless selection. I have to start managing my money. You can spend it well and fast.

I need to get a haircut.....

Little taste of Japan

Holy hand grenade (An old Combs expression). Seoul is unbelievably amazing. I'm sure it's because I've never been out of the country and everything is just new and exciting. Living here for the past 5 days has been very fun. I don't even really know where to start. The trip here was an adventure as well, since my flight was delayed 3 hours on the tarmac in Detroit due to weather. I missed my connection from Japan to Seoul, so the airline (Northwest) put all 300+ passengers in a hotel with free dinner and breakfast, so I wasn't complaining too much. I will say that the 12.5 hour flight wasnt so comfortable, but I was able to get up and walk around, chill with the flight attendants, and fall asleep throughout to pass the time better.

Once we got to Japan some of us got together and decided to go out in Narita, because we were at least 2 hours by taxi to Tokyo. We ended up walking down the street to a little bar, only armed with "hai" and "arregato", which respectively means yes and thank you, I think. So that lead to me saying Hai to a very skank glass of whiskey, but Asahi made up for that. I was humored by the music that Uzi coined as 50's occupation era. Koreans and Japanese both love to play American music everywhere. Even as I'm sitting in Holly's Coffee, there are christmas classics playing. It was really fun to just meet up with other travelers, going to all different parts of asia: Bangkok, Beijing, Manila, and Seoul. So we made the best of our lay-over. In this picture new friends (Will, Taryn, Uzi).

Riding an Asian airline was way better than Northwest. I met a cool dude on the plane, Joseph, on his way to Taejon. He helped me with some basic Korean phrases.

I can't really complain about anything here. The people are way nice and my job is fairly simple and I get a free nice apartment on the 14th floor in Seocho-gu, im not sure yet which dong (neighborhood of course). I get to walk in at night and look out to a nice little cityscape.

So far I haven't been able to do many touristy things. I'm starting slow and exploring my neighborhood before I really over extend myself. When I go out with friends I don't worry about getting home, but the language barrier is intimidating at times. However I am getting better very fast. Last night I managed to hail a taxi and get home by myself after too much soju, which is also why this post is going to be short.

more to come.....