TKD Test

I don't have any pictures of myself, however here are some choice shots from today's adventure in Wonderland. As expected, I was the only foreigner to be found at the competition and I was the "talk of the town" -- or so it seemed anyways. I still can't speak or understand Korean, but with all of the pointing, following, touching, screaming and laughing, I seemed to be causing some sort of commotion. Maybe I had toilet paper sticking out of my Dobok. Who knows...

The results of the test are unknown as of yet, but I can say that I was so nervous I barely remember what I did after stepping onto the mats. I know I fought with some girl, and I think I did some kicking and presented my Poomse. But honestly, I couldn't really say. I guess I'll find out in the coming weeks. I do remember enjoying the fighting. I wish I had the opportunity to do that more often! Apparently in both Rugby and Taekwondo I enjoy the kicking-the-shit-out-of-someone-else factor very much. Odd, a bit scary, but True...

Thailand

The Canadian Government is not telling tourists to stay out of Thailand, so at this point I am still planning on heading there directly after I finish y Korean contract. Speaking of which, I have only 40 teaching days left! Is it wrong that I'm already counting? Perhaps, but I don't care. The sooner I am finished with this teaching stuff, the better. Seriously: I am not cut out for teaching! I don't think I'm particularly bad at it, but it drains the passion and soul right out of me! It's the thing I wake up dreading every morning and the thing I worry about as I drift in-and-out of sleep every night. There is some comfort in knowing that teaching is 100% NOT for ME, but the discomfort of doing it nevertheless is painful. I can hardly wait until Nov. 17th. I will be skipping on my way out the door. Goodbye and good riddance!!!

What now...?!?

Martial Law has been declared in Thailand following a military coup by the country's armed forces. Tanks are now rolling through the streets of Bangkok, and the Thai Prime Minister, who is presently stranded in the USA, has declared the city to be in a State of Emergency. Apparently turmoil has been brewing in Thailand since their last general election, and the current state of crisis erupted after 6 bombs were detonated last Saturday.

This may very well mean that my post-Korea plans will significantly, as I was slated to fly into Bangkok on November 20th. I shall be watching this calamity unfold and waiting too see what becomes of it. Perhaps I will have to limit my travels to Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam...

Or perhaps I will start looking into Singapore...

Who knows. But I hope this crisis ends quickly, not only for the sake of my selfishness, but for the sake of the Thais and others whose lives are now at stake.

An unhappy adieu to Angus

Well, today was the day. The man of my life has left the country and now I am stranded in this God-forsaken backwater by myself. Sure there are over 50 other foreigners living in Mokpo, but none are even remotely as cool, kind, interesting, funny and fabulous as Angus. Hope lies in the fact that Sunny will be returning to Mokpo sooner rather than later, but Angus has truly been my best friend for the last 3 months and it's hard for me to imagine what my life will be like now that he's gone. He has helped me through the bad weeks, he totally took my mind off my cast while my foot was broken, he has shared my love for Korean movies, The Hours, magazines, music and wine -- all of which we enjoyed together almost every weekend. His departure only emphasizes the need for my own exodus. For the next two months I will have to try to busy myself with all the last-minute touristy things I want to do and get myself ready for my post-Korea adventures (which will hopefully include a trip to visit Angus' homeland). My plans will have to content me for the time being, but he mundane weekly hell won't pass quite so quickly without him waiting at the end of it with a corkscrew in hand.

I am already missing him and he left only a few hours ago. It's going to be a tough 2 months.

Shark Dive

It was a blast-and-a-half to go swimming with the terrifying fish living in the Busan Aquarium. Although I wasn't allowed to bring my own camera into the tank, the Dive Master took some shots for which he's now charging a ridiculous fee. I've downloaded some small copies to give you an idea of what I saw while I was down there. It was definitely a CRAZY experience -- ESPECIALLY after hearing about Steve Irwin's death (R.I.P.) only two days later. There were some large rays swimming around the Busan tank, however my tense yet titillated attention was focused on the grey nurse sharks, leopard sharks, and reef sharks circling in our midst. Apparently my apprehensions were slightly misdirected! Actually, we were warned to steer clear of the sea turtles as they have been known to bite people on occasion. In fact, the same recreational diver was nipped twice on two different shark tank diving excursions!!! You'll all be relieved to hear that I exited the water safely and even got to keep a couple of the sharks teeth I collected off of the aquarium floor.

Overall, it was a great experience and I might try to diving again before leaving the country. I'm looking forward to diving in Thailand and maybe upgrading my level to Advanced Open Water Diver. It's a whole different world down there. It belittles you in that a really good way.