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My little thank you to Autumn
I’m in Seoul for our region’s annual journalism conference/competition. This time I get to join/coach a team of students while they capture their stories. It’s most definitely a perk to my job!
Today, for me, is a fairly easy day because I just help do odds and ends with set-up things. The real work begins tomorrow. Luckily on this easy day, Mother Nature blessed us with gorgeous weather. It’s warm, sunny and the air pollution is below 100. Normally, when I’m here, that’s not the case, so I loved my walk around Yongsan base, which is mostly vacant since much of it has closed down.
I love living on Guam, and I love the fact that 365 days a year (except during a typhoon) I can go swimming in 80-degree water — even when it rains because, lol, it aint cold.
But, I’m a four seasons gal. When I’m living in gorgeous warm areas I forget how much I love the fall, until I get to experience it. The sun is prettier when she shines at a slant through filters of gold, red and orange, and oh my goodness the crisp air. It’s warm, but you smell the cold working it’s way back.
Sadly, this time last year is also a tragic one for the city. It’s still mourning the loss of 159 souls to the Itaewon crush. On the other side of the walls of where I am, Koreans march and lament their anger over the way this was handled.
I understand their anger; too many of our young die while simply trying to enjoy their lives. But, I’m getting off track. This post is about sharing my joy for this time of year.
Even the fish at the pond get into the spirit of Go Orange!
The weather report promises me a few good days of this, so I’m giddy I get to love my job while also loving a season I won’t get when I return home.
That said, diving does provide me with glimpses of all sorts of glorious color.
I love the gifts of Guam as much as I do the four seasons. My heart will ache for them too, when I move on to my next home, wherever in the world that may be.
Time keeps rolling on by…
As is typical I’ve been busy with guests, work and fun day trips. In two weeks it’ll finally be School’s Out for Summer! I’m so looking forward to that. Our trip to China and Korea seems like forever ago, but it was just last month.
I promised a post on South Korea and Hong Kong, so here’s a quick snapshot of the fun we had.
Seoul and Hong Kong were our favourite places. In part because they’re just easier to navigate. There’s no strict visa process or censorship, there’s more English spoken, and our credit cards easily worked. Seoul was the friendliest, quirkiest city we visited. You’d think taking a tour to DMZ would be a somber event, but once you get over the barbed wire alongside the road (to keep North Korean soldiers from swimming in for an attack — a plan gone wrong for those swimmers) your bus pulls into, I shit you not, an amusement park. Our guide told us it was for the young children of families visiting the area to either mourn the loss of relatives or feel closer to loved ones still on the other side.
The tour we took included a stroll into an infiltration tunnel (you can’t take pics), which I was really excited about until a few minutes in I realised I was going to have to walk like a hunchback for too long a time. Um, those tunnels were not made for the tall folk. But, it’s all good because our exhausted selves got to be entertained by our singing tour guide.
Yep, we dodged mines listening to “Gangham style” and “I did it my way!’ It was so odd to be in such a serious, tense place (there are rules to follow and soldiers to do their thing) surrounded by so much touristy/silly things, but I think that might sum up Korea — mix in the fun with the serious.
We also got to go to a Korean baseball game (way fun and so much energy) and a Korean barbeque (yum yum!). And, yes, we got to use high tech toilets (the fan is oddly refreshing) and see K-pop fashion.
Hong Kong was oh so cosmopolitan and gorgeous. We had an amazing day touring their Big Buddha and surrounding areas. It was just stunning.
There’s so much more I could tell you, but I’m tired from a day at work, so the pics will have to tell the tale. We’re hoping to visit both Hong Kong and Seoul again and do more touring around. This trip was just a quick taste of what it was like, plus a chance to whoop it up with Jordy & Wilber and my buds based near (a few hours away) Hong Kong.
Before I close out, though, I do have to share some of the bizarre signs we saw. LOL definitely lost in translation (or not …)
But my favourite all time pic is this one from our last night in Korea.
What you don’t see is the metal pole with a latch on the top. This is on the 9th floor of our hotel near the elevator. Basically, if there’s a fire you’re supposed to hook yourself up to that rope, trust the metal pole and repel to safety. Um, I guess it’s first man first live; everyone else gets to jump.
Next up? Bonnie and Michael visit, and then we’re off to our summer travels. Oh and Dou Dou fest is also just around the corner — another week of mayhem and dragons.
bettina without borders 