From the first day we knew we were coming to South Korea, there’s always been that lingering voice in our ears whispering, ‘North Korea.’ From this computer in Yeoju, to the most dangerous and heavily guarded border on the planet, is a distance of approximately 70 miles. Yes, there is technically a war still being fought one hour’s drive north of Seoul. At times, that thought can be a bit eerie, yet most of the time, it’s just business as usual around here. Despite all of the news lately that has been full of reports pertaining to, missile or satellite… missile or satellite? Is the border open/ closed/ open again? Will Japan shoot the thing down or will it get far enough that the U.S has to? When is it getting launched? …despite all that, and ... read more

“Good morning class.” “Good moning teecha.” “How are you doing today?” “Fine. Tank you. How about you? “I’m excellent, thank you. How’s the weather today?” “It’s…” a collective contemplation falls over the class. One boy in the back of the room says, “yellow?” “Let’s try this again. How’s the weather today, class?” “ It’s… yellow dust today.” “I don’t know what that means. Um, foggy? Is it foggy today?” Half the class shakes their head yes, the other half, no. “Ah, well, it’s kind of foggy, so we’ll just use this one.” That was the scene inside Cass’ class this past Tuesday. If anyone ever questions the ability of children, take this to heart, they were spot on correct; ‘Yellow dust’ was more accurate than I would have ever been. Even the little forecast box that ... read more

Taking a vacation from what seems to be a vacation was a new concept for Cass and I, but after our jaunt to the Philippines, we found out that we come back to Korea with fresh eyes. Still, seeing signs we don’t understand, and being surrounded by people that can only half communicate with us, has become the familiarity of home. It was over a week since we had to… “Gangnam Apat-a ka Juseyo (go to Gangnam Apartment please),” but pulling into the Family Mart (‘Fam-ee-lee Mawt ka juseyo’) and tossing our backpacks on the cement from the backseat of the taxi, I had one of those moments when you sigh, and feel the comforts of the familiar. In the air, on our way home from Manila, I had a sense the craziness of that place ... read more

I have finally figured out Hollywood. I’ve got all those television commercials pegged. I know the secrets of those tourist ad campaigns where a sweeping shot of the most beautiful beach imaginable is shown, where it quickly becomes the backdrop for some catch line as, ‘Visit the most beautiful white sand beaches in the world during your visit to (fill in the blank).’ Yup, I’m on to all of them. Here’s the secret… Boracay, Philippines is all of those pictures. No matter the country, the continent, or hemisphere, it’s Boracay. Boracay is the silhouetted sailboat against a burning sunset, it is the sand so soft it makes you think of flour, it is the brown palm trees with striking green leaves stretching over the aqua marine waters and crystal blue sky, it’s the happy hour margaritas ... read more

…that’s the only accurate way to describe our 48 hours and change in the hub of this chaotic, charming, threatening, beautiful island-style of city. We had a long day of travel, as all really are, but after planes, trains, and automobiles, we touched down on Filipino soil. Almost in coordination with each other, we realized that we were going to be in for an adventure that would easily top our first week in Korea, a feat for the ages. Once through immigration and customs, again just a formality in this part of the world, not the rigorous and violating Guantanamo Bay-like interrogation process the U.S. seems to subscribe to, our first bout with nonsense came in the form of a taxi ride to our hostel. I guess the taxi wasn’t totally at fault for our first ... read more