31 Days

That's it. 31 days left. While I'll gladly leave the food and their educational system behind, there are a few things about Korea I will miss. Since I'm procrastinating, I think this is the perfect time to name a few:
1. I'll miss the US Air Force flying their jets overhead way too early in the morning and way too close to my roof. Aside from slightly liking the screech of their engines, it reminds me where I am.
2. The daily reminders that North Korea is a stones throw away. I like watching footage from Pyongyang on the nightly news - they look so Disneyland happy - as in not.
3. Fall. Ok, there will be Fall again, but its a glorious feeling when the humidity disappears and that cold, crispness comes.
4. The subway - it's so easy to hop on, though finding a place to stand is a different story - but once in a while, when you get a seat - well, they should make a Visa advertisement about it - priceless.
5. The rice fields - the perfect place to watch the seasons.

Not a glowing review of good memories, but a start. It's hard to concentrate with the jets circling overhead, so I'm gonna go put on some headphones and drown them out.

Money for nothing

Planning a 5-month trip that involves 8 countries is a little overwhelming. To add to this, I need to schedule in several volunteer positions that are part of my research for my masters degree, and have been waiting for confirmation from one in Vietnam for over a month - which in the long run, isn’t that long – but in terms of our current financial crisis, it’s an eternity.

A month ago my money was worth something. I’m paid in Korean Won. The rest of the world – air lines, visas, volunteer fees, etc. they like to be paid in US Dollars, or at least their local currency (which means I have to first exchange it to US Dollars since Korean banks will only exchange into Dollars, Euro and Yen). And there is the problem. The Won has dropped in value at an exceptional rate these past few weeks and as I type this, it continues to drain away. It’s like going on a shopping spree for air. And stress.

When I arrived last December 1,000 Won was about $1 – and it stayed that way through August. September things started to fall – 1,100 or 1,200. Not good, but livable. Wednesday the Won dropped to 1,400. In one day I lost over a thousand dollars in value.

So, friends in the US who think your actions don’t affect the rest of the world – so you buy houses with no money down, max out your credit cards, live beyond your means and then complain and go bankrupt – thanks a lot– you owe me some money.

Mongolia is...

... car camping in a minivan - only it's supped up with 4WD, shortened wheel-bed and lifted. And the road is a rut in the sand with only two street signs for the entire country. And you're traveling with other strangers who just want to see like you do.



... keeping warm with a fire made of wood if you're lucky, sheep shit if you're not. But your tent is a ger and lined with wool to insulate everything.



... like the plains east of the Rockies, or the hillsides of Montana and Wyoming, or the deserts of California, but then a herd of camels cross your path and you remember.


... Amazing.