Hi All
As part of my daily reading I often read the freakonomics blog as I find it fascinating and here is a post which I found particularly interesting (It is a bit old but none the less good). Watch the video and let me know what you think
http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/who-will-climb-the-piano-stairs/
Sunday, February 28, 2010
New Challenge
Alright family I have a new challenge for us. Post the most delicious meal that you have made this week (and lynnette it must be made this week) and the recipe that you used to make it (if you didn't use a recipe to make the meal then write all the components that you used). If you want to include a pic then more power to you.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Trieste
Hi
I just thought I would post a few pics (not from my camera as I am still getting it fixed but from a friends camera)
These pics were from my last trip to Trieste (with any luck I will not have to be back) not that Trieste is a particularly bad place to visit but there are nicer places which I would rather be spending my time.
I just thought I would post a few pics (not from my camera as I am still getting it fixed but from a friends camera)
These pics were from my last trip to Trieste (with any luck I will not have to be back) not that Trieste is a particularly bad place to visit but there are nicer places which I would rather be spending my time.
Some friends which came along for the ride and to do a little shopping in Trieste (These young ladies are always up for a shopping trip so I was not hard to convince them to come along)
What trip to Italy is complete without some hotdogs at Ikea (yes that is right we hit up Ikea for some cheap hotdogs, they were cheap in price but large in value). As you can see my knack for taking terrible photos is still alive and well.
This was by a castle
And this is the castle (I am sorry that there is not a better pic available but it was raining and we were pretty close to the castle and it was not I who was taking the picture. I can be honest and admit that even if I did take the picture I don't think that it would have turned out much better.
Anyways that is all I have to say and all the pictures which I have to show. I will talk to you all soon. As the Italians (and apparently everyone else in Europe) say Ciao.
Love ya wll
Plenty of time under the wire . .
I was planning to leave this post until 11:59pm Saturday night (still before Sunday) but I had some time in the afternoon, and well, I guess I didn't want to stay up too late.
Life is Winnipeg is going well. Work at the lab is continuing as usual, with no recent escapades of ransomed underwear or disappearing socks. As it is Lent there is a suspicious increase in desserts and goodies in the lab lunch room. One of my fellow co-workers is Roman Catholic and is a strict adherent to the 46 days of fasting. His loving co-workers insist on tormenting him with bringing in all wonderful kinds of treats, apparently Nanimo bars are a favourite. He's a good sport about it, and doesn't cease to rise to the occasion to mourn his inability to consume said delights. Needless to say, I have to be very careful to not overindulge, easier said than done I'm afraid. I had to resume running to help ease the guilt.
Beyond work, life is going pretty fair. I've picked up some shifts at KD this upcoming month, I'm hoping to do some volunteering at Siloam Mission (hopefully starting this Tuesday), and I'm looking into a pilates/dance/yoga place not far from here. The price is pretty fair, and it is conveniently close. I'm also still attempting to sew, I'm much closer to finishing my shirt, I have one sleeve, the neck band and the front done. So now I just have to finish it (maybe when I talk to you all tomorrow morning it will be finished).
Good news!! I have learned a new and very important ability. All of you now know someone (me) who is able, with just the might of her lungs, deshell a hard-boiled egg! Yes I know it is quite a feat. And because I'm feeling generous (and am trying to make this post long enough to rival Dad's), I will enlighten you all on this amazing parlour trick, which you too can learn and impress all your friends (and students) with. 1st. Boil your egg. This is important, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, attempt this with a raw egg, not only will it be gross, but also very messy. The only way to truly boil an egg is (Lynnette pay close attention . . . you too Mom), place your egg in a saucepan with water, place it on the stove and turn the correct element on (the correct element being the one beneath the saucepan). Once and only once the water is boiling, set a timer for 10 minutes and leave the pot of water (with the egg) boiling. Watch carefully to ensure it doesn't boil dry and you end up with a egg-plosion (MOM). 2nd. After the 10 minutes has past (note: time must be 10 minutes, not less - Lynnette, nor more - Mom). Run cold water over the now hard-boiled egg in the saucepan, effectively cooling the hard-boiled egg. 3rd. Gently crack both ends of the egg and remove a small portion of the eggshell from each end. The 'pointy' end of the egg will be were you will be applying force air (ie your mouth), and this hole should be slightly smaller than the non-pointy end hole. 4th. Place your mouth over the hole on the 'pointy' end, create a tight seal, then blow! You may want to have a hand ready to catch the soon-to-be air-born shell-less egg. VOILA, your de-shelled egg is ready to eat. DELICIOUS!!! Season with freshly ground salt and pepper and you have yourself a wonderful and health part of a balanced breakfast.
Well, I don't think my post is quite as long as Dad's, but hopefully it has brought smiles to all you Manitoba-abandoners. I Love you all Muchly, millions and billions, trillions and kazillions to infinity plus one, Plus one more than all of you!!!
Hey Family!!!!!
Ha ha! I made it, just at the end of the week! I'm really really good! I went to Tirana for 3 days for a church planting movement conference. Really good in thinking about what is a 'church'. So I want to pass this info over to you. What is a 'church'????
I had a very unexpected thing happen to me.... but you'll have to wait until tomorrow when we talk. Ha ha!!!
I answered your voice thing mom. it doesn't sound me though.... weird with a beard. Anyways... I'll hear from you all tomorrow!!!!
Love Net
Vacationing in Winterpeg
Not to be outdone by your father, I need to give a brief account of my time in Winterpeg. Actually the weather was beautiful, only a few days of biting cold stuff. There are some distinct smells that I had forgotten about - the smell of wood smoke, pine trees and cold snow. It was great being back and I have to admit that I really did miss Winnipeg in the winter. The sky on the cold clear days can not be found anywhere - it truely is amazing. The sound of crunching snow on a cold morning is like no other sound. These things made me nastalgic for Canadian Prairies.
I enjoyed my time with Rebekah and her roommates. It was good to spend time with Mom and Dad and hear the stories - I do believe they are the same stories as I heard last time. It was great to be able to do things with Rebekah - MTC, Globe Theater, Church of the Rock, Dessert Sinsations, The Tallest Poppy, Eat Bistro, etc, etc. All very good but not so good for the waistline but a wonderful companion. Sorry I didn't take any pictures but I am certain that you all remember what it looks like.
Anyway since returning to Korea, the weeks have been filled with meetings, planning and more meetings. Classes begin on Tuesday and I am looking forward to getting back into a more regular routine. Unfortunately my classes have been changed two times since getting back. Hopefully this is the final schedule and that my classes will fill up and not get cancelled. Both Dad and I are teaching 5 core classes and then we have the one class that we are team teaching - Dad gets 2 credits and I get one for this course. We are actually quite excited about teaching this class and will be trying something new for the department - team teaching and doing everything online.
Praise Item: We wanted to use online resources for a couple of our classes, including the course we are team teaching. The department has a computer lab which hasn't been used for a number of years - the room was a shambles. We asked about using the room but did not receive much support from the department admin staff. Then word came that the University Admin wanted to use the room for Freshman registration so the department admin got the word that all the computers had to be made ready. They hired a guy to take the systems all apart and put them into service. Dad and I helped out by cleaning and organizing what we could. So as of today, there are 25 systems up and running. We need to have 24 to 26 systems ready for next week when we begin classes. Praise God for working this out. Interestingly, the Univ. Admin decided that they didn't need the room afterall but that was after David, the computer guru had spent all his time reconfiguring the computers. So next week we will have the computers ready and will be able to access the programs that we had been planning to use.
The vacation is soon ending, classes begin on Tuesday - Monday is a national holiday here. I'm a little nervous about what this semester will bring as we are piloting some new ideas and also I'm not certain about my classes. As of this moment, one of my classes has no students. If it gets cancelled then I will be short 3 hours which could really screw up next semester.
I enjoyed my time with Rebekah and her roommates. It was good to spend time with Mom and Dad and hear the stories - I do believe they are the same stories as I heard last time. It was great to be able to do things with Rebekah - MTC, Globe Theater, Church of the Rock, Dessert Sinsations, The Tallest Poppy, Eat Bistro, etc, etc. All very good but not so good for the waistline but a wonderful companion. Sorry I didn't take any pictures but I am certain that you all remember what it looks like.
Anyway since returning to Korea, the weeks have been filled with meetings, planning and more meetings. Classes begin on Tuesday and I am looking forward to getting back into a more regular routine. Unfortunately my classes have been changed two times since getting back. Hopefully this is the final schedule and that my classes will fill up and not get cancelled. Both Dad and I are teaching 5 core classes and then we have the one class that we are team teaching - Dad gets 2 credits and I get one for this course. We are actually quite excited about teaching this class and will be trying something new for the department - team teaching and doing everything online.
Praise Item: We wanted to use online resources for a couple of our classes, including the course we are team teaching. The department has a computer lab which hasn't been used for a number of years - the room was a shambles. We asked about using the room but did not receive much support from the department admin staff. Then word came that the University Admin wanted to use the room for Freshman registration so the department admin got the word that all the computers had to be made ready. They hired a guy to take the systems all apart and put them into service. Dad and I helped out by cleaning and organizing what we could. So as of today, there are 25 systems up and running. We need to have 24 to 26 systems ready for next week when we begin classes. Praise God for working this out. Interestingly, the Univ. Admin decided that they didn't need the room afterall but that was after David, the computer guru had spent all his time reconfiguring the computers. So next week we will have the computers ready and will be able to access the programs that we had been planning to use.
The vacation is soon ending, classes begin on Tuesday - Monday is a national holiday here. I'm a little nervous about what this semester will bring as we are piloting some new ideas and also I'm not certain about my classes. As of this moment, one of my classes has no students. If it gets cancelled then I will be short 3 hours which could really screw up next semester.
A Vacation to Remember
[Warning - this email is long and rather boring - if you'd like to just skip to the end and look at the pictures, I'll fully understand! It just seemed to take on a life of its own as I was writing - good theapy for me! For those of you who persevere to the end, CONGRATULATIONS!]
Well, its been awhile since you've heard from Judy and I, so I thought we'd send an update to let you know we both survived our respective vacations this past winter semester. It has become our habit of late, not so much by choice but rather by necessity, to take separate vacations - while this unfortunate trend looks likely to be continued over the next year or so, Judy and I certainly hope to put a stop to this nonsense after that point - but that's another matter!
As most of you know, Judy and I headed off in separate directions across the globe this past January - on the 19th at Busan international airport, Judy flew east via Tokyo and Minneapolis to Winnipeg, while I flew west to Europe. Judy went to see Rebekah, as well as her parents and extended family, while I was able to spend a week each with Wes (in Italy and Slovenia) and with Lynnette (in Albania).
Judy's outbound and incoming flights were all routine, while mine were anything but! My first clue to the unusual was when we both headed to the airport from our Busan hotel room that Tuesday morning - Judy was able to check her baggage and get her boarding pass with minimal effort, but my unexpected adventure was only beginning. To make a long story short, my Lufthansa flight was cancelled due to mechanical problems with the plane and it took four flights, three different airlines, one bus and a very indirect route through Asia (Hong Kong) and Europe (Zurich) to get to Venice, Italy - the good news is, the ground staff were willing to re-book me directly to Venice, instead of to my original destination in Rome. Even though I arrived in Italy almost 12 hours after my anticipated arrival, I was able to bypass Rome and fly directly into Venice - and at about the same time in which I would have arrived by train from the capital - God is good!!
I had been anxious to get to Venice that morning because Wes was coming from Slovenia to meet me there. He had to be in the northern Italian city of Trieste that morning (Slovenian visa regulations) anyways and we had planned to meet in Venice. We spent four days touring the Venice area and, despite some difficulties getting to understand and use the Italian transportation system, were able to get around quite well. We then went by bus back to Ljubjana, the capital of Slovenia, where both of us managed to cram into Wes' "cozy" [cramped] room for a few days. By day, Wes generally studied for his exams while I explored around the city (very nice!) - by night (10:00 being late for me!) we went out to sample the Slovenian cuisine (not bad - a bit on the heavy side, but not bad!)!
While in Ljubjana, I started to explore options about entering Albania, which turned out to be easier said than done! I was still overweight (the baggage, that is - me too, but I was more worried about the luggage that held all the stuff I was taking across half the world that Lynnette had requested - but that's a whole other story!), so decided to travel to Macedonia, a neighboring country, by bus - that entailed an overnight drive of 14 hours through Croatia and Serbia (think middle of the night trudges through snowy boarder checks along the way), FINALLY to enter Macedonia at 4:00 a.m. (yet ANOTHER snowy walk through border security checks) and arrival in Skopje, the capital, at 5:45. Imagine my dismay when I was told that the one bus available to travel into Albania wasn't running until 7:00 p.m. (some 13 hrs. later!). I scrambled to take another bus up into the mountains to a Macedonian town near the Albanian border - it was already snowy in Skopje - and it got snowier the higher up into those gorgeous mountains the bus went! To make another long story short, after getting off that bus and hauling my luggage through a foot of snow (creating a snowplow effect all the way!) to find a taxi driver willing to take relieve me of most of my remaining Macedonian currency and take me the 14 kms up a mountain pass to the Albanian boder (passing trucks putting on their snow-chains along the way), I did manage to walk (actually, shuffle through the snow!) to the border, present my credentials, FINALLY exchange Euros for Albanian currency (Leke), and find yet another taxi driver who was more than happy to relieve me of much of my newly acquired Albanian cash! It took two additional furgon (kind of a cross between an Albanian taxi and a bus) rides to FINALLY make it to Lushnye, then a final 1 km trudge down a street in a steady drizzle (STILL dragging my luggage behind!) to where daughter Lynne has a shared apartment with an Operation Mobilization team-mate. Finally, I made it, and was able to empty the contents of the one suitcase containing supplies that my baby had requested.
As a country, Albania has many challenges ahead of it. For one thing, the infrastructure (roads, internet, HEATING, etc.) is sorely lacking. The country emerged from communism in the early 1990's and still has far to go to catch up Europe, as well as many other countries throughout the world. Most people (Lynnette included) do not have indoor heating, as that is considered to be an expensive luxury. When considering that concrete structures get very cold (I was reminded of Judy's and my 1.5 years of residency in Wuhan, China) in Zero Degree Celsius temperatures, it was not easy keeping warm that week! The country does have some beautiful areas though - namely one area in which I enclosed several pictures - its a UNESCO world heritage site - overall though, there is still a lot of improvement (job opportunities, infrastructure, etc.) which are necessary!
My experience in traveling from Slovenia to Albania only confirmed my conviction that I should travel across the Adriatic Sea to Bari, Southern Italy, from Durres, Albania. One week after I arrived in Albania, I boarded the ship for a 9 hour overnight journey. My accommodations on board, while modest, were certainly comfortable - there was plenty of heat and even the showers were roomy and equipped with all the hot water I would ever need! I had found out that it was a Greek vessel (The Athens) that also wouldn't take my few remaining Leke as payment on even a cup of coffee - Albanian currency is not only hard to obtain, its almost impossible to use once outside of the country - oh well, I now have more souvenir currency - we'll send it to Lynnette with her next "care package". The journey was largely uneventful - I'd gone to bed early so awoke about 5:00 a.m. - when I got on board about 5:30 (after that wonderful, long shower!), I was rewarded by a gorgeous sunset rising over Albania to the east, with the dark coastline of Italy rising up ahead of me - to top it all off was a gorgeous half-moon and a sky full of stars - beautiful!
When our ship docked in Bari, Italy, I'd foolishly thought I'd quickly clear customs - not so, the leisurely Italian immigration officials seemed to say! I waited in line for about an hour with at least 150 other passengers prior to finally clearing customs. Now if I'd been a European Union citizen, I would have had a customs official line almost to myself and a clearance pass in about 2 minutes! Oh well, such are the breaks! By the time I'd gotten to the train station, I was able to book a train but had no time for breakfast - the 5 hr. journey from Bari to Rome took me through some gorgeous scenery - vineyards, olive groves, mountain tressles, ancient Roman aqueducts, hill top villages, you name it: I even saw Mt. Vesuvius (the ancient volcano that buried Pompei two centuries ago) in the distance.
When I got to Rome by late afternoon, I was hungry, since I hadn't eaten since the night before. After finding my hotel/hostel (nice place, but even hostels are expensive in Rome!), found a place selling great pizza (they charge by the piece and weight in Rome - not cheap, but oh-so-delish!): I was amazed at the variety of toppings!! The next day it was raining, which matched my mood - by that time I'd had enough of traveling, plus I missed my wife: Here I was in one of the most gorgeous and romantic cities in the world without my lover, wife and best friend! The following two days were sunny so that improved my mood somewhat, although I was still plenty ready to head back home! Rome is amazing, with all its old ruins, statues, variety of architectural styles, and, of course, food and the Vatican - they've got an amazing collection of treasures in that city! I mostly wandered around, but took a bus tour on one of the sunny days - it was great to sit on the open top of the double-decker bus and bask in the sunlight!
My flight was due to take off early the next Tuesday morning - so early, in fact, that the direct train running from downtown Rome to Leonardo Da Vinci Airport wouldn't have been running - it would have taken me 3 busses, starting at 3:00 a.m., to have gotten to the airport before 5:00. My solution was to sleep at the airport - I, along with about 30 other weary travelers in transit, tried to get some sleep but that proved to be difficult, considering we were under the watchful and somewhat suspicious eye of the local constabulatory - the cops checked my credentials (passport and airline reservation) twice throughout the night - I don't think it dawned on them that no-one would willingly bunk down in a rather run-down, deserted airport overnight unless they absolutely had to!
My flight from Rome to Munich, Germany was uneventful (thankfully!), but that would, of course, change on the next leg of my journey home - we boarded the plane for South Korea only 20 minutes late, so I was hoping we'd get off in time - not to be though! When we'd finished boarding and anticipating being pushed off from the loading platform, the pilot came on the intercom to report a "problem" - turns out a part needed replacing and its replacement didn't work either! To make a long story short, we had to disembark after an hour, then wait for a replacement plane to be readied. Wouldn't you know it, the snow had begun to fall again (Munich was cold - I'm glad I was in the airport - great place, by the way!) so the plane had to be de-iced before we FINALLY took off 3.5 hours late. Of course, the plane was packed so I tried to make myself as comfortable as possible (at least it was only a 10 hr. flight on the way back!). Of course, we landed in Seoul (Incheon) way behind schedule so it was doubtful the plane would even go on to Busan - great, I thought, another shuttle to Seoul Gimpo and then a domestic flight to Busan - for fortunately, they did decide to fly out there after all, so I finally got back just before noon - still 8 hours to go before I would pick up my beautiful bride - plenty of time to get our pre-arranged hotel room, a nap and a meal. Of course, Judy's flight had no problems - she even got in 1/2 hr early, but I sure wasn't complaining - it was so wonderful to see her again!
We stayed in Busan for a couple of days, mostly just lazing around, eating and sleeping. By the time we took the airport bus back to Pohang, it was starting to snow - we decided to take a taxi directly back to our University and the white stuff was accumulating - by the next morning, no-one in our region was going anywhere - we found ourselves in a winter wonderland with at least 8 inches of heavy snow on the ground - we'd gotten back just in time - our area rarely gets any snow at all, let alone a significant accumulation, so it took a few days for the roads to get cleared - we were raiding the back of the fridge and cupboard, since we didn't have many supplies on hand - one more adventure - oh well, it was good to be home!
Now we're in the final stretch before our classes begin again next Tuesday. We're already planning our next (likely separate) holidays - won't we ever learn?!?
I hope everyone enjoyed this "epistle" - if you gave up reading and just skipped to the end, I fully understand!
Love to all,
-George
Well, its been awhile since you've heard from Judy and I, so I thought we'd send an update to let you know we both survived our respective vacations this past winter semester. It has become our habit of late, not so much by choice but rather by necessity, to take separate vacations - while this unfortunate trend looks likely to be continued over the next year or so, Judy and I certainly hope to put a stop to this nonsense after that point - but that's another matter!
As most of you know, Judy and I headed off in separate directions across the globe this past January - on the 19th at Busan international airport, Judy flew east via Tokyo and Minneapolis to Winnipeg, while I flew west to Europe. Judy went to see Rebekah, as well as her parents and extended family, while I was able to spend a week each with Wes (in Italy and Slovenia) and with Lynnette (in Albania).
Judy's outbound and incoming flights were all routine, while mine were anything but! My first clue to the unusual was when we both headed to the airport from our Busan hotel room that Tuesday morning - Judy was able to check her baggage and get her boarding pass with minimal effort, but my unexpected adventure was only beginning. To make a long story short, my Lufthansa flight was cancelled due to mechanical problems with the plane and it took four flights, three different airlines, one bus and a very indirect route through Asia (Hong Kong) and Europe (Zurich) to get to Venice, Italy - the good news is, the ground staff were willing to re-book me directly to Venice, instead of to my original destination in Rome. Even though I arrived in Italy almost 12 hours after my anticipated arrival, I was able to bypass Rome and fly directly into Venice - and at about the same time in which I would have arrived by train from the capital - God is good!!
I had been anxious to get to Venice that morning because Wes was coming from Slovenia to meet me there. He had to be in the northern Italian city of Trieste that morning (Slovenian visa regulations) anyways and we had planned to meet in Venice. We spent four days touring the Venice area and, despite some difficulties getting to understand and use the Italian transportation system, were able to get around quite well. We then went by bus back to Ljubjana, the capital of Slovenia, where both of us managed to cram into Wes' "cozy" [cramped] room for a few days. By day, Wes generally studied for his exams while I explored around the city (very nice!) - by night (10:00 being late for me!) we went out to sample the Slovenian cuisine (not bad - a bit on the heavy side, but not bad!)!
While in Ljubjana, I started to explore options about entering Albania, which turned out to be easier said than done! I was still overweight (the baggage, that is - me too, but I was more worried about the luggage that held all the stuff I was taking across half the world that Lynnette had requested - but that's a whole other story!), so decided to travel to Macedonia, a neighboring country, by bus - that entailed an overnight drive of 14 hours through Croatia and Serbia (think middle of the night trudges through snowy boarder checks along the way), FINALLY to enter Macedonia at 4:00 a.m. (yet ANOTHER snowy walk through border security checks) and arrival in Skopje, the capital, at 5:45. Imagine my dismay when I was told that the one bus available to travel into Albania wasn't running until 7:00 p.m. (some 13 hrs. later!). I scrambled to take another bus up into the mountains to a Macedonian town near the Albanian border - it was already snowy in Skopje - and it got snowier the higher up into those gorgeous mountains the bus went! To make another long story short, after getting off that bus and hauling my luggage through a foot of snow (creating a snowplow effect all the way!) to find a taxi driver willing to take relieve me of most of my remaining Macedonian currency and take me the 14 kms up a mountain pass to the Albanian boder (passing trucks putting on their snow-chains along the way), I did manage to walk (actually, shuffle through the snow!) to the border, present my credentials, FINALLY exchange Euros for Albanian currency (Leke), and find yet another taxi driver who was more than happy to relieve me of much of my newly acquired Albanian cash! It took two additional furgon (kind of a cross between an Albanian taxi and a bus) rides to FINALLY make it to Lushnye, then a final 1 km trudge down a street in a steady drizzle (STILL dragging my luggage behind!) to where daughter Lynne has a shared apartment with an Operation Mobilization team-mate. Finally, I made it, and was able to empty the contents of the one suitcase containing supplies that my baby had requested.
As a country, Albania has many challenges ahead of it. For one thing, the infrastructure (roads, internet, HEATING, etc.) is sorely lacking. The country emerged from communism in the early 1990's and still has far to go to catch up Europe, as well as many other countries throughout the world. Most people (Lynnette included) do not have indoor heating, as that is considered to be an expensive luxury. When considering that concrete structures get very cold (I was reminded of Judy's and my 1.5 years of residency in Wuhan, China) in Zero Degree Celsius temperatures, it was not easy keeping warm that week! The country does have some beautiful areas though - namely one area in which I enclosed several pictures - its a UNESCO world heritage site - overall though, there is still a lot of improvement (job opportunities, infrastructure, etc.) which are necessary!
My experience in traveling from Slovenia to Albania only confirmed my conviction that I should travel across the Adriatic Sea to Bari, Southern Italy, from Durres, Albania. One week after I arrived in Albania, I boarded the ship for a 9 hour overnight journey. My accommodations on board, while modest, were certainly comfortable - there was plenty of heat and even the showers were roomy and equipped with all the hot water I would ever need! I had found out that it was a Greek vessel (The Athens) that also wouldn't take my few remaining Leke as payment on even a cup of coffee - Albanian currency is not only hard to obtain, its almost impossible to use once outside of the country - oh well, I now have more souvenir currency - we'll send it to Lynnette with her next "care package". The journey was largely uneventful - I'd gone to bed early so awoke about 5:00 a.m. - when I got on board about 5:30 (after that wonderful, long shower!), I was rewarded by a gorgeous sunset rising over Albania to the east, with the dark coastline of Italy rising up ahead of me - to top it all off was a gorgeous half-moon and a sky full of stars - beautiful!
When our ship docked in Bari, Italy, I'd foolishly thought I'd quickly clear customs - not so, the leisurely Italian immigration officials seemed to say! I waited in line for about an hour with at least 150 other passengers prior to finally clearing customs. Now if I'd been a European Union citizen, I would have had a customs official line almost to myself and a clearance pass in about 2 minutes! Oh well, such are the breaks! By the time I'd gotten to the train station, I was able to book a train but had no time for breakfast - the 5 hr. journey from Bari to Rome took me through some gorgeous scenery - vineyards, olive groves, mountain tressles, ancient Roman aqueducts, hill top villages, you name it: I even saw Mt. Vesuvius (the ancient volcano that buried Pompei two centuries ago) in the distance.
When I got to Rome by late afternoon, I was hungry, since I hadn't eaten since the night before. After finding my hotel/hostel (nice place, but even hostels are expensive in Rome!), found a place selling great pizza (they charge by the piece and weight in Rome - not cheap, but oh-so-delish!): I was amazed at the variety of toppings!! The next day it was raining, which matched my mood - by that time I'd had enough of traveling, plus I missed my wife: Here I was in one of the most gorgeous and romantic cities in the world without my lover, wife and best friend! The following two days were sunny so that improved my mood somewhat, although I was still plenty ready to head back home! Rome is amazing, with all its old ruins, statues, variety of architectural styles, and, of course, food and the Vatican - they've got an amazing collection of treasures in that city! I mostly wandered around, but took a bus tour on one of the sunny days - it was great to sit on the open top of the double-decker bus and bask in the sunlight!
My flight was due to take off early the next Tuesday morning - so early, in fact, that the direct train running from downtown Rome to Leonardo Da Vinci Airport wouldn't have been running - it would have taken me 3 busses, starting at 3:00 a.m., to have gotten to the airport before 5:00. My solution was to sleep at the airport - I, along with about 30 other weary travelers in transit, tried to get some sleep but that proved to be difficult, considering we were under the watchful and somewhat suspicious eye of the local constabulatory - the cops checked my credentials (passport and airline reservation) twice throughout the night - I don't think it dawned on them that no-one would willingly bunk down in a rather run-down, deserted airport overnight unless they absolutely had to!
My flight from Rome to Munich, Germany was uneventful (thankfully!), but that would, of course, change on the next leg of my journey home - we boarded the plane for South Korea only 20 minutes late, so I was hoping we'd get off in time - not to be though! When we'd finished boarding and anticipating being pushed off from the loading platform, the pilot came on the intercom to report a "problem" - turns out a part needed replacing and its replacement didn't work either! To make a long story short, we had to disembark after an hour, then wait for a replacement plane to be readied. Wouldn't you know it, the snow had begun to fall again (Munich was cold - I'm glad I was in the airport - great place, by the way!) so the plane had to be de-iced before we FINALLY took off 3.5 hours late. Of course, the plane was packed so I tried to make myself as comfortable as possible (at least it was only a 10 hr. flight on the way back!). Of course, we landed in Seoul (Incheon) way behind schedule so it was doubtful the plane would even go on to Busan - great, I thought, another shuttle to Seoul Gimpo and then a domestic flight to Busan - for fortunately, they did decide to fly out there after all, so I finally got back just before noon - still 8 hours to go before I would pick up my beautiful bride - plenty of time to get our pre-arranged hotel room, a nap and a meal. Of course, Judy's flight had no problems - she even got in 1/2 hr early, but I sure wasn't complaining - it was so wonderful to see her again!
We stayed in Busan for a couple of days, mostly just lazing around, eating and sleeping. By the time we took the airport bus back to Pohang, it was starting to snow - we decided to take a taxi directly back to our University and the white stuff was accumulating - by the next morning, no-one in our region was going anywhere - we found ourselves in a winter wonderland with at least 8 inches of heavy snow on the ground - we'd gotten back just in time - our area rarely gets any snow at all, let alone a significant accumulation, so it took a few days for the roads to get cleared - we were raiding the back of the fridge and cupboard, since we didn't have many supplies on hand - one more adventure - oh well, it was good to be home!
Now we're in the final stretch before our classes begin again next Tuesday. We're already planning our next (likely separate) holidays - won't we ever learn?!?
I hope everyone enjoyed this "epistle" - if you gave up reading and just skipped to the end, I fully understand!
Love to all,
-George
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Because I feel that we have been slacking
Hi all
It occurred to me that it has been a while since anyone has posted to the blog and I figured that I had better get this started again. I apologize for the delay in this post but I have been stuck in a library for the last month studying so unless people wanted to see pictures of me hunched over books and looking crabby this was why I didn't bother posting.
Well yesterday I finally managed to become legal, that is right after being here in Europe for almost a month and a bit past when my tourist rights (the three months that you are allowed to be in Europe with out a visa) expired I have FINALLY!!! gotten my temporary residency visa. The great part is it is valid until Sept 30, 2010. I only have to get it signed by the municipality either today or tomorrow and I am good to go!
It was nice as well because I was able to go to Trieste with some friends so the trip was not as boring as usual and I didn't have to wake up early to take the train or bus. Actually I was very relieved because just before I left I found out that I may not be able to get my visa as the consulate was only open Monday, Wed and Fri however when we got there I was convinced just to check to see if it was possible; (dad is this an appropriate use of a semi colon) low and behold after a short conversation at the door of the consulate I was allowed to get my visa early. HAHAHAHA I guess the guy (Mr Tarence) was sick of dealing with me and figured that it was easier to just give me my visa and get rid of me, that is what 5 trips to Trieste will do.
Going to get the visa meant that I had to miss my first day of classes, don't worry I had contacted the professor in advance and he was very alright with it as he had gone though the same thing himself no to long before. As a result I don't have any comments on how my classes will be but I will let you all know in time.
Alright before I go I am going to throw out the challenge for everyone to post at least something before we speak again on sunday (no not being on skype on sunday will not get you out of this commitment so don't even think about it) before I go. When I challenge everyone to post I mean everyone, that means that both mom and dad must each put up separate posts. Also no one can say that they don't have anything to post because I am sure if you think about it you will think of something.
Well I have to go for a run but I expect to see 4 more updates by the end of the week.
I hope that you all have wonderful weeks and I will talk to you on Sunday.
Love
Wes
It occurred to me that it has been a while since anyone has posted to the blog and I figured that I had better get this started again. I apologize for the delay in this post but I have been stuck in a library for the last month studying so unless people wanted to see pictures of me hunched over books and looking crabby this was why I didn't bother posting.
Well yesterday I finally managed to become legal, that is right after being here in Europe for almost a month and a bit past when my tourist rights (the three months that you are allowed to be in Europe with out a visa) expired I have FINALLY!!! gotten my temporary residency visa. The great part is it is valid until Sept 30, 2010. I only have to get it signed by the municipality either today or tomorrow and I am good to go!
It was nice as well because I was able to go to Trieste with some friends so the trip was not as boring as usual and I didn't have to wake up early to take the train or bus. Actually I was very relieved because just before I left I found out that I may not be able to get my visa as the consulate was only open Monday, Wed and Fri however when we got there I was convinced just to check to see if it was possible; (dad is this an appropriate use of a semi colon) low and behold after a short conversation at the door of the consulate I was allowed to get my visa early. HAHAHAHA I guess the guy (Mr Tarence) was sick of dealing with me and figured that it was easier to just give me my visa and get rid of me, that is what 5 trips to Trieste will do.
Going to get the visa meant that I had to miss my first day of classes, don't worry I had contacted the professor in advance and he was very alright with it as he had gone though the same thing himself no to long before. As a result I don't have any comments on how my classes will be but I will let you all know in time.
Alright before I go I am going to throw out the challenge for everyone to post at least something before we speak again on sunday (no not being on skype on sunday will not get you out of this commitment so don't even think about it) before I go. When I challenge everyone to post I mean everyone, that means that both mom and dad must each put up separate posts. Also no one can say that they don't have anything to post because I am sure if you think about it you will think of something.
Well I have to go for a run but I expect to see 4 more updates by the end of the week.
I hope that you all have wonderful weeks and I will talk to you on Sunday.
Love
Wes
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Albania with Dad
This is dad being so kind sharing his song book with a blind person!!
This is Tracey and i in our living room!
This is Pastor Edi and I and dad (taking picture) getting ready to fuel up before we master the castle.
This is dad at the castle at a 2000+ year old castle
This is a blury pic of me with all my goodies! Thanks Mom and dad!! And our heater thats on!!
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