Al and Jen Join Hell's Angels

Hey guys!

I know I'm being a very bad person and not keeping up with the blogs like I should. This stomach bug still has a hold on me and is making it difficult to be creative. Or positive. Mostly, it just makes me look at each meal and cry a little. Jen's got it too, albeit a slightly kinder version.

We did not, however, let that stop us from taking advantage of our 3 day weekend. Jen and I took a trip out of the city with some friends of ours. Here's the highlights:


What you're feeling right now is a little intimidation, and likely some desire. That's perfectly normal. Jen and I do look pretty amazing with our hardcore gang of misfits on our incredibly powerful hogs. Dangerous? Obviously. But that's the way it is with a lifestyle like ours. And no, a cheap straw fedora in no way takes away from the amount of pure hardcoreness that emanates from us in overwhelming waves. That's just how it is. We rented these bad boys for an hour for just $10. They probably got 15mph with a full charge on the battery, and we tore apart that quiet beach side town with our lawlessness and disregard for authority. James Dean ain't got nuthin' on us. Nuthin'.

Oh, yeah, we did some other stuff too. Saw some mountains, something about a temple... there's a slideshow after I'm done rambling. But this part was interesting:

These guys were at the entrance to the palace inside Seoraksan National Park. It's the biggest national park in Seoul, and borders North Korea on the north, and the Pacific Ocean on the east. There were four of them, total. Each was holding something different. The temple was Buddhist, and four were clearly guardians. But this was the interesting part.

This was their feet. All four of the guardians had at one or two unfortunate souls at their feet, furthering the "guardian" idea. The thing is pure Buddhism doesn't believe in any higher powers. There is no heaven, or hell. We live in a world of suffering, and we must break our ties to all earthly things in order to achieve Nirvana, which is thankfully a higher state of existence and not an obnoxious 90's grunge band. Unfortunately, no one there could explain in English this contradiction. I couldn't even find something to tell me when the temple was built, so this is going to have to be yet another unanswered question... well, for me. Most people couldn't care less, and those that do care probably did the extra leg work to find an answer. Nuts to that.


This is our little group. From left top: Tianne, Mike, Claire, Jen, Angel, Marika, and Yours Truly

And this is a giant mushroom man holding a smaller mushroom while giving the town of Sokcho a big thumbs up. I'm sorry if the picture is a little blurry, but the bus driver didn't seem likely to stop for us to snag a picture. I'm actually quite proud of us for this little adventure. Jen and I made all the arrangements on our own- choosing a location, transportation, lodging, activities, etc. We obviously had some help in the translations, but the bulk of the legwork we did ourselves. It went really really well, and everyone had a great time on the trip. If only our stomachs had cooperated...

To be fair, Jen and I are feeling better, if certainly not back to 100%. We've had stomach pains every day for quite a while. We've made some diet changes (not easy out here), and taken some meds. A trip to the doctor is the next step, but I'm a little concerned. The hospitals out here are top notch, there just isn't the same emphasis on things like cleanliness and privacy. It'll be an uncomfortable experience at best. My appointment is Saturday at 10:30am. Jen is planning on just swiping some of my meds, which is for the best, seeing as our school forgot to renew our health insurance. I'm trying to be more upset, but a straight trip to see a specialist, without going to a PCP first, is costing me a whopping $35. Since that's cheaper than most co-pays back home, I'll deal with it. All told, we'll just have to see how it goes. Say a prayer, Ill blog all about it, fret not.


So the 6 month mark is fast approaching and Jen and I are feeling good, all told. I can say that personally I'll be glad to have cleared the halfway point. This place is fun, don't get me wrong, but the dew is off the rose.

Thing is, I miss youth ministry. Constantly. They talk about it being a calling, not a career. I hadn't really understood that until I got out here. I'm excited about being here, and trying all sorts of new things, and all that jazz. But there is nothing like the feeling of standing in a parking lot at 6am going over how to fit 2 tons of gear and 17 youth into a 20 passenger bus. So many things constantly remind me of it, there's just no way around it. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall we?

Jen and I have figured out our rough travel plans following our time here in Korea, and we're ironing out the kinks over the next few weeks. The hope is to have decided on a plan by the end of October, and start making arrangements by the end of November. A lot of it will have to be decided as we go, but flying is cheaper if you buy tickets earlier, so that's what we're doing. As soon as Jen and I get something we feel is final(ish), I'll pass it along.


Hey Dad! Look at this! Needless to say, if Korea loses power it'll be months before we get it back. This one isn't even one of the really bad ones, it just happens to be one we saw when the camera was handy. It gets much worse the more residential the area, but the whole thing makes me a tad nervous. I remember watching some of the Progress Energy folks in cherry picker trucks fixing lines to a hospital during a hurricane. I couldn't imagine trying out this bad boy...





Alright, lets get to some SIGN TIME!!

I had been worried about running out of material, but not anymore. Holy cow, I got tons. So much, today you get a twofer.

I know, I know... you're welcome.



Claire used to work at a Starbucks in New York (knew Eddie Whitewolf- how random is that?). She was pissed, not because of copyright, but because they weren't open until 5:30pm.



Aside from being a little morbid, don't you think it looks like the little guy just pushed his pops over the edge then went for the "look cute" defense?


Here's your slideshow. Enjoy!