This Weekend and Some Random Observations

Well, I guess I'll start with the trip this weekend. The rafting took place in the Hantan River (famous for rafting and being the home of that nasty Hantaan Virus). It was a little disappointing. First, it started to pour down icy, cold rain on us right as we were leaving so it was pretty freezing. Worse than that, a HUGE lightening storm started right above us and we still went. It didn't feel very safe. I know at camp we always have to get out of the water at the first sign of lightening. The only thing that made me feel a little safe was that the river was in a canyon with an 80-100 foot high wall on each side. I assumed the lightening would hit something up there, but it was still a little uncomfortable holding metal paddles in the water.

The rafting itself was pretty calm. There were a few spots with some mild rapids, but nothing that was remotely scary or intense. I guess that makes sense since they had no idea what anyone was capable of. Most of the trip went like this; we would paddle for a 30 seconds and then float for a minute or two. I guess they wanted to make it last a while.

The best part of the rafting was actually the break we took in the middle on a little sandy beach. The flipped over one raft and put it on top of another raft. We could run at it and use it as a slide into the river. We also floated a raft upside down and wrestled on them. I got to wrestle Colin (or should I call him Sally?). Haha. Overall, rafting was fun but not as intense as I was hoping.

Bungee jumping was AMAZING!! I've never had a rush like that before. The bridge, at 52 meters high, is the only bridge in Korea with bungee jumping. You just jump off and it's a complete free fall. Plus, the bungee doesn't grab as soon as you think, so it's that much more intense. I can't wait to do it again (if you haven't noticed, there's a video I made on the previous post showing some of the jumping).

...and now for something completely different. Many of these are just generic things that all Westerners notice when they come to Asia, but I thought some people would enjoy them:

1. Koreans where lots of t-shirts with English phrases that either don't make sense or are poorly translated. ie - "Impossible is Nothing" (I really wanna get that one before I come home)
2. The coolest t-shirt I've seen....my first night here, across the street from my house "Pocono Cheesecake Factory" That made me smile
3. The letters "L" and "R" actually make the same noise in Korean (and probably other Asian languages) so that's why they struggle with pronouncing them in English.
4. Korean words cannot end on a consonant sound and the letter "F" does not exist. Sucks having the name Jeff. In Korean it's pronounced "Jeh-puh." Luckily, I spend most of my time with English speakers (though my students gave me a Korean name. They change Jeffrey Alan Moses to Se Ju An....I like that).
5. You can ride a bike, motorcycle, or vespa on the sidewalk, and as long as you ring your bell or honk your horn, you don't have to avoid crap. It's the pedestrians job to get out of your way.
6. The first song I heard on the radio here was Paula Abdul "Straight Up Now Tell Me."
7. There are some things that I guess happen in every society....like kids hanging out outside of seven-eleven.
8. Any time I mention that my grandfather fought in the Korean war, people become very respectful and thank me.
9. I live in the city and have never felt safer. Not once have I ever wondered if it was ok to walk walk down a street late at night.
10. Koreans are quite possibly the nicest, friendliest, most hospitable people on earth

There are many more things I could say, but I'll save those for another time.

An Afternoon to Remember

Ah, Wilderness Camp

As most know, this is the first time since 2000 I haven't spent a summer at camp and the first time since 2001 I'm not at Spruce Lake. I knew it's be kinda hard, but at times it's been pretty bad. I really do miss camp. It was kind of bittersweet visiting when I did. Of course, I want camp to run smoothly. Camp can be one of the most important thing that happens to a kid. It was for me. The thing is, it's hard to see something run so smoothly without you after you spend 6 years pouring your heart and soul into it. I guess that's kind of selfish, but it was hard to see everything run so well without me. It even made me wonder if spending all those years there had made any kind of difference. Then today I got an email from one of my all-time favorite campers. He was in my tent both years I was a counselor, and we had many talks while I was the head counselor (good and bad). Well, he took the time to get my email from the new head counselor to let me know how much he missed me this summer. One of the most moving emails I've ever received, among other things he said,

"Jeff Moses I never thought last year would be the last year I'd see you....I just really wanted to email you and let you know that you've helped me alot in my walk with Christ, and life in general and I wanted to thank you. Fireside wasn't the same without you, the entire camp wasn't the same."

It just felt really good to know that my time at camp made that big of a difference in at least one kid's life. Who knows. Maybe there were more. He wants to hang out when I move home. I wouldn't miss it for the world.

All cities should have a backdrop like this. The best thing....the entire city of Seoul is surrounded by peaks like this :)

Summer Intensives

Now that I've finally adjusted to my class schedule and figured out what I'm doing, the schedule completely changes. This Monday, we start summer intensives. You know how you can take a college course in a few weeks during the summer? That's basically what we're doing. I start at 845am and teach until about 5 or 6pm. I have one or two 45 minute breaks in there, but other than that, I'm teaching the whole time. plus, then I need to do all my grading and prep for the next day. I will be teaching 50 class periods a week. It's going to be NUTS! While I'm not looking forward to the classload, I am looking forward to the craploads of overtime I'll be earning this month.

Other than that, things are going well. I love Korean food. I'm going to have to find out where I can get it when I come home. Most of the guys I'm working with are sarcastic jerks....so we get along great.

Just a Quickie

Hey everyone. Sorry it's taken me a week to post anything (and it's short). Just so you know, I made it here safely. School has been intense, but I'm figuring it out. Once I get the internet in my apartment, I'll be able to put up some better posts. Right now, I only have internet access at school so I don't have much time. More to come very soon.

This is actually happening

It's 230am on Tuesday morning. I'm about to go to bed. I'm waking up in about 3 and a half hours to go out to breakfast with my parents. I need one last trip to the best breakfast joint in PA. That's right. You guessed it. Powderbourne Gun Club. It'll be my last taste of cream chipped beef, scrapple, and oh that Powderbourne bacon. We'll be eating around 7 and then leaving for the airport at 8. In 9 hours, I'll be on a plane for the first leg of my loooooong journey to Seoul.

I won't be able to get the internet hooked up in my apartment for a few weeks so I won't be online much. I'll make a point to stop by an internet cafe and post some updates. Keep my in your prayers. The next time you see news from me on here, I'll actually be living in Seoul!

FRUSTRATION!

Things just aren't going smoothly. My work visa took longer than it was supposed to. I had to go to NYC on Friday and need to go back Monday to pick up my stamped passport. That means I can't leave Sunday. I am waiting to get my new travel itinerary for Tuesday.

I am supposed to sell my car today. I need that money, but the guy who I'm supposed to sell it to hasn't called me back! I just want something to go smoothly and start my new job.

I Fly Out Sunday

I received my official travel itinerary today. I will be flying out of Philly International Airport Sunday July 8th. My Flight leaves at 11:25am. I have a 2 and a half hour flight to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and then there's a 90 minute layover until my 12 hour flight to Tokyo. I'll be at the Tokyo airport for almost two hours. Then it's time for my final 2 and a half hour flight to Seoul, South Korea. I'll arrive there at 8:30 Monday morning (Eastern Standard Time) which will be 9:30 Monday night in Korea. I guess this is actually happening :)