MLK weekend away

I walked out of the Army base. The Korean soldiers at the gate told me where the bus to the subway stopped, and after an unsuccessful stop at an ATM, I arrived at the bus stop. The subway then Seoul then Busan were my destinations. With the air cold and crisp, the apartment high rises of the small city of Ueijeongbu rising in the distance, the sun on my face, and friends from last year in Korea waiting for me, I was ready to kick it Korean style.

The elevator from the subway station to Seoul train station was packed with people. I spotted a global ATM on the way up, and I was in business, it was won time. Soon I was headed to Busan on the KTX high speed train and in between the familiar scenery speeding by and the smooth ride I felt excited. Near the end of the trip the passenger next to me woke up and we talked for a while. In Korean. I was back.

F.E. and I successfully met in a subway station, no cell phone presenting no problems. For dinner that night I suggested delicious samgyeopsal, and the tent restaurant delivered. The jazz bar we went to later that night provided a nice setting to catch up on each other's busy lives. F.E. is living the extension dream of a Fulbrighter: no host family, a great apartment in a great city, a comfortable school placement, and 2 months winter vacation.

After seeing the sights of Busan and making my triumphant return to karaoke, I headed back to Seoul to meet A.K. We also had a great Korean evening, capped off by more karaoke. The next day I completed my transition back to Korea by getting a cell phone. I was texting away in less than five minutes. Just like my rusty voice, my Korean culture has recovered after six plus months away from the singing rooms, and the country.

Back in the ROK!

After a six month break in America, I have returned to South Korea. I started life as an active duty Army officer, and trained at Ft. Benning and Ft. Sam Houston. I expected to feel different emotions when I arrived at the airport, something between triumph and a sense of destiny. After a 14 hour flight, I was just glad to be off the plane.

At the luggage carousel I discovered that Korean Air had lost my luggage. As I waited outside customs for the military bus to come and take me and the other soldiers to the base in Seoul, I noticed I didn't have that new surrounding anxiety I had the year before. I also didn't have as much hair, or my luggage... but I already mentioned that.

We've been restricted to military bases since our arrival, so outside of the Korean employees on the base, who speak English, there hasn't been much Korean culture to interact with. I doubted that the woman who gave us our two hour Korean culture and language brief was even Korean. I'm itching for samgyeopsal, also known as Korean bacon, Korean bbq, or three layer pig fat.

But other things remind me I'm in Korea. In America, I really missed being able to look out at the mountains. Texas and the Boston suburbs = pretty flat. Classic Korean geography - mountains and stretches of flat farm land, interrupted by high rise apartments - surrounds our base. To me, this is an AMERICAN base in Korea. To the soldiers who don't know anything about Korea, this is an American base in KOREA!

Like the mountains, nothing is immediate in Korea. Every relationship I had over here - with my school, host family, Korean food - was developed over time. This is where I wanted to be and I'm thankful I'm here. I have to realize that even though I'm very familiar with the country, it's going to take time to develop a relationship with the country as a soldier, not an English teacher. I've had plenty of time to study, and the large amounts of Korean language I forgot is coming back. My lost luggage is now back, and I'm back in the mountains.