THE WORLD JOURNEY CONTINUES

Orientation is done. Did I learn anything? A little. They had some speakers who were entertaining and were from North America which made it a little easier on the ears. I learned some new games and I learned how to make a simple storybook out of folded paper. The woman who taught that was a Canadian. I had to tell her that I really enjoyed her seminar and she didn’t have to tell anyone she was Canadian because she said, “eh”. You can take the Canuck out of Canada, but you can’t take the hoser out of the Canadian.

Last night we were treated to a performance of traditional Korean music and instruments. They were kids playing and it was quite enjoyable. It was quite nice of the school board to bring them in to give us some culture. Here’s some pictures of the percussion performance and one of the string performances.



A group of strings players (I can’t remember the name of the instrument) treated us to this familiar music. Click the link to catch 2 of your favorite tunes.

Today we went to the Suwon fortress which was our cultural field trip. It wasn’t bad. There was a palace, a fortress wall, and the usual things. After China, I need first rate palaces to interest me. I hear the one in Seoul is good so I’m looking forward to visiting that. While we were there they had a special martial arts exhibit there. Aren’t these guys scary?





And then, of course, the scariest picture of all.

They wanted to sign me to perform in their troupe on a long term contract, but I told them that teaching kids is my life, and I would have to pass. Needless to say, they were crushed.

On the way back to the resort from the fortress the bus broke down. That was fun. We had to wait for a new bus, and the person picking me up at the resort to bring me back to Paju had to wait for me.

The custodian guy picked me up. He seems like a very pleasant fellow. He brought me a bottle of ice water for the trip which was quite thoughtful of him. When we were just getting into Paju he pulled into a rest stop and asked me if I wanted a hamburger. A Korean rest stop is not where I would choose to eat anything, so I told him no thanks because I had to get home to get ready for Hong Kong. I hope he understood.

He’s picking me up in 5 ½ hours to go to the airport. I booked a hotel online in Hong Kong and it’s rated 4 stars and it’s only about $70 a night so I wonder what’s wrong with it. I have a list of things that might be interesting to see. I don’t have my visa issuance number yet, which I need for my visa. The agency told me they went to immigration today and asked them to hurry up. They told the agency they could have the number tomorrow. The agency asked why they couldn’t have it today, and they were told it had to be tomorrow. Damned if I understand anything.

What all this means is that if I don’t have it before 3PM I can’t start the process tomorrow and I’ll be in Hong Kong an extra day. I don’t like that idea because this weekend will be expensive as it is. I think I have a shopping bug. Do you think that there’s anything to buy in Hong Kong?

I’ll probably visit Macau also because it’s close. I know nothing about Macau, but it’s close. So that’s a good reason. It’s incredibly cool to just say, “I’m going to Hong Kong for the weekend”. It’s almost better than saying, “I’m going to Buffalo for the weekend”.

The hotel has Internet so I’m lugging my computer so I can post if I feel like it. Keep those cards and letters coming in. Only 2 weeks until I leave for Texas. It’s hard to believe. This last week has flown by and has been my best week. I look forward to starting my new job. It’s great to feel positive. I wonder how long it can last? Y’all take care now. (Just practicing my Texas talk).