I think I almost let a month go by without updating

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Hey everyone!

Well, it's been a great month out here in Korea. Some of the lesser highlights:
I've learned how to play the intelude from Blondie's "Heart of Glass" on guitar.
I've gotten back into drawing in a rather large but pocket-friendly sketchbook I've got.

Some of the more awesome highlights:
Discovered after going to Noraebang without drinking that my singing voice has actually improved. I guess that's due to a lot of practice... I swear I thought noraebang was lame before I came here and tried it.
I've been writing up a storm in my handwritten journal. Jotting down memories, things I've done, impressions of what its' like out here. I'll blame that on not giving this travel blog its' due efforts, I assure you all when I return to the USA that you will get to read the stories or I'll get around to typing them up.
On July 12th Roger, Jo and I rented a car and went for a drive as far south as we felt like going, which was awesome. We found an amusement park that looked abandoned but probably was closed for the season, a lot of rice paddies, some very friendly Koreans, and a beautiful sunset.
One of my friends out here is an Engineer for a shipbuilding company here, and the other weekend he gave me and two of my good friends a tour of two of the ships they're working on here in Mokpo. It was a trip, I can only say it's like being in one of those TV shows that shows how things get made, all other words fail. I can honestly say I didn't know what the markings on the side of vessels were for until our friend told us what they meant. He was very knowledgable on boats - and since he's in charge of making them I'd hope so!

It's been hot and humid out here. I ride my bicycle almost every day still.
I'm intending on returning to the USA after my contract is up, I know this is letting down a lot of my friends here in Korea who want me around with them for one more. I've been making contacts with graduate schools back home and plan on working my ass off when I return.
No idea which school yet, which will dictate what city in Washington I'll relocate to. Though as happened last time I got the fire under my ass to jump on this, I'm also looking into what college credits I need to take before graduate school. I've also been assured by a friend who's in the same boat that there's a mountain of red tape to battle.
Being out here has rocked me like a hurricane. It's nice to get out into the world finally and come out of my shell and man up.
There are only a few reasons I'd stick around another year without hesitation, otherwise I intend on being professional and completing my contract in four months, and coming home in time for Thanksgiving and working towards my Masters.

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Photos

the sun's setting
over Mokpo.
I took this on the bridge heading towards Daebul, looking back at Mokpo's Peace Park.

Apartment Towers
Rows and coloumns of similarly designed apartment towers line nearly every city in Korea. My friend lives in one, and they're not half bad.

My friend Alex
We got a tour of the shipyard in Mokpo from our Irish friend who's the Supervising Engineer.

me underneath a boat
This is a not so good, but only photo of me standing underneath a freighter being worked on.

We rented a car
I thought this was kind of a neat photo with how it came out.

this'd be the gate
to the amusement park we found when we went explorin'.

We got lost
If you know where this intersection is, then awesome!
Just kidding, thanks to GPS we'd never get lost.

a shot of the amusement park
Yep. It was kinda creepy to drive around with no one else around.

the park
We actually drove up on the brick.