So who ever attacked anyone with a pair of nail clippers? That’s what I wanna know. “Is water okay? Can I bring along a bottle of water?” “Which country are you going to?” “Australia.” “Yes. Water’s okay for every country except America.” I’m in the Singapore airport, you know, the transfers and duty-free shops area. So in Korea, I was among the duty free shops and asked, “Is there an ATM around here?” “No.” “Why?” “Because we must limit how much money leaves the country.” “I see.” It seems the ATM in the transfers section of the Singapore airport isn’t …
Category: TRAVELS
Travel Without Tech
One of the things about traveling is that it really reminds me how my personal comfort is ridiculously dependent on gizmos. Lime and I traveled up into Kangwon province, which is a pretty interesting place in some ways. We ended up spending most of our time in Sokcho, which is a town near the most northeastern point in South Korea. It was interesting because people did seem somewhat more chilled out there than in other places. They seemed more relaxed, and calmer; I wonder if the weather had anything to do with that? Perhaps… it was a lot cooler there …
오예, 베이비!
The title of this post is “Oh Yeah Baby!” written in Korean. It’s something I once taught some kids at one of those camps I used to work every summer and winter in Jeonju. Hearing tons of kids laughing and teasing one another on the bus and then following up with, “오예, 베이비!” — in fact they were saying it in English but with the cutest little accents — brought me such joy. It’s a happiness comparable to what I feel right now, having just heard that it’s very likely I will, in fact, be able to attend the Clarion …
No Wm. Gibson?
I was in the Japanese bookshop the other day, looking for a couple of books for Lime’s friend who majored in Japanese lit. That was a pretty odd experience… the girls who helped me spoke very little English, and I ended up saying, “New? Woman or man? Award? Okay!” and getting two books that way. While I was there, I checked out their extremely decent little SF-section, when I noted that there was no William Gibson in the SF section. I found myself surprised, but only for a moment. I guess a lot of the allure of his Nipponese sf-fantasies …
Not Making That Tom Waits Joke
…because it’s not true, it’s just that the rooms are so small here in Japan that I feel really big. Everything on TV twenty minutes ago was deeply weird, but it seems to have normalized now. Free internet in my room, the Sun Life Hotel in Fukuoka. If I had readers in Japan, I’d put out an offer to meet anyone who felt like it and have dinner and a beer, but I don’t think I know anyone in Fukuoka. Ah well. Maybe the foreign guys I met at the airport and went to the embassy with will call, and …
Volunteer Abroad, Internship Abroad with Global Crossroad in more than 20 Countries
Global Crossroad is an organization that organizes volunteer programs in developing countries. For anyone who’s thinking of traveling, it might be an option, since it not only cuts down on travel expenses (some — costs are reduced, not completely defrayed) but also allows you to do volunteer work whilst enjoying a foreign country. Though I can’t find a way to access it from the frontpage, the Mongolia Summer Camp program looks very interesting.
Back To This Business
I’m back in Korea. And look at the first news article I see on my return, translated and in my email box: Subway Farter Attacks Fleeing Man On the 20th, a 57-year-old Mr. Mun was charged without detention at the Kangdong Police Station in Seoul for assaulting a subway passenger who expressed displeasure at his farting in the subway. At approximately 7:30 p.m. on the 19th, Mr. Mun let out a loud fart in the vicinity of Cheonho Subway Station after embarking the Line 5 train. When a 24-year-old office worker named Seo, who was next to the farter, expressed …
Miniscule World
You know, the world is small. It’s insanely small. My back hurts, I’m tired from a day-long ride in planes (though it’s only a taste of what’s to come in a few days), and I am in Montreal. I’ve been in the city an hour and a half, and already run into someone I knew in grad school. And someone I thought was really cool and interesting, no less! We’re going for coffee in a couple of days, before she leaves town. Tomorrow’s the wedding of an old friend, and I’ll see another old friend. I am definitely seeing a …
Back in Saskatoon
Well, let’s see now. I am back in Saskatoon, and I have a few interesting surprises that have come to my attention: My income tax wasn’t filed in 2001. I’ll chalk it up to a miscommunication between my parents and myself, but I do wish they’d told me when they got aan extremely threatening letter last December. I found the letter tucked into a magazine sent here for me, and neither parent seemed to know anything about it, though the letter had been opened and apparently read before being tucked into the magazine. I discovered that the government of Quebec …
Trip so far
Okay, my thoughts so far: Seeing Helen and Ann has been good. Victoria is a very very Aryan island. Vancouver, conversely, is a very heterogenous place. Very diverse. I’m shocked at how that culture-shocked me. (I doubt it will continue in Saskatoon.) Gay people (EDIT: or is it just young, trendy people in Vancouver? Judging by some of the in-jokes I heard, I assume it’s a gay thing, but maybe not.)eat really well. Like, REALLY well. Helen has lots of lesbian friends (though she, dating a man, appears to be straight), and they eat well. I was glad to be …