Moments From the Past Few Weeks

Thought now would be a good time to post a few pictures, so here is the past week or so in pictures. Kids, friends (Dan, Chad Graham, and Ssang-dong all from Brierfest) and Chenggyedong stream in downtown Seoul.

One thing that is worth mentioning that I did..................this is one of those "woopsies" moments................was I gave phone tests to my kindergarten kids this past week. This went well and normally takes an hour and a 1/2 or two hours, so I try to be brief, but hold the conversation long enough for parents to be happy. This can be particularly difficult with my little 5 year old class. They just don't speak much English, so I talk and they try and spit out a few words and I act like I understand them completely, when I really have no idea. It can be funny when you hear a parent whisper things into the ears of the kids. I'm starting to ramble, sorry.

So when I finished with the kids it was time for me to go, enough is just enough in one day, so I mentioned to my team teacher/Korean teacher, that I was finished but wasn't able to call these kids, she said OK, but this parent has asked that you call during this time. Blah! This would be a window of about 10 minutes to call this student in another two hours. But by this time I was finished at work for the day (one of those just get me outta here situations) and had to get off to a surprise birthday for one of our friends, so I took the number with me. I left the school, got on the subway and made my way over to Brandon and Rachel's place for dinner and a film. It was great, we had fun together and got to meet a bunch of Korean people and watch The Terminal, with Tom Hanks, which now that we had all traveled a bit and done our share of sleeping in airports, we can relate too. It was great to see our friends and chill during the week, cause that doesn't' always happen with our different working hours and all. And what better a place to have a surprise than in Korea, where any little thing can be a surprise.

The point of the story is this, as you may have forgotten, just as I did, I was supposed to call one of my 5 year old students two hours ago! Crap! Come to find out the next morning, when the students mom called the school, "my" quiet, sweet, attentive little Jennifer cried because Kevin Teacher didn't call!....................................

Now I want to relive myself of this burden partially, her mom has to give me a little more time to call (more than a 10 minute period to expect a call) and it can't be at such a bad time, when a teacher wants to be away and as distant from work as possible, at home. I ended up calling the girl the next day as I walked down the street on my cell, it was ridiculous.

The adventure continues for another 5 months!
Kev

Japan Again

I'm sure your all aware that this past weekend was the Lunar New Year, so I wanted to wish you all the best on this......................Lunar New Year...........................moving along.

Essentially it gave us an extra day off, so I used it to go and visit a college buddy from my semester in Abbotsford who is teaching near Osaka, Japan. It was great to see the man know as Neuf, or brother Josh from the Winkdolf (Winkler, MB). We had a great weekend doing dumb things that only we would really appreciate, so I'll spare you all.

One things that made this a great trip was that I got a much better taste of the country, that what my quick trip in June gave me. This was more like the Japan I had imagined, traditional, full of history and interesting, where as my previous trip was one where I didn't have time to go outside the city and found it "dirty" and "empty" on many levels.

This, of course, was courtesy to Josh's "blitzing" nature, which allowed us to jump all over the place during my quick two day visit. We spent a day in Osaka catching up and relaxing, while the next day we were out near Kobe in the morning than back across the area to Kyoto, which was beautiful.

All in all, I recommend.
Kev

Why Now?

The Dueck family isn't one that is completly steeped and bound by significant amounts of formal tradition, but there has been one that I have missed over the past five autumn's that I have been away from home. And it goes all the way back to 1988 on a drive back to Vancouver from Oregon. And has stuck with me ever since (not sure if you knew or even remember this mom or dad, it's one of those moments that is clear as day to me!)

It was on this drive that mom and dad were listening to a football game that they seemed deeply entrenched in. It would end up being the last playoff game the Seahawks won or had a chance to win, and as a result, and being the 6 year old that I was, I followed suit. And since that point I have never looked back. Ironically, this was the last time that my new favorite football team, the Seattle Seahawks won a playoff game. This was '88 and the Seahawks lost to the Cincinnati Bengals, who were led by a couple guys named Icky Woods and Boomer Esaiason. That may be partly why I remember the game, those players had ridiculous names. But the love for the Seahawks, the traditional lovable losers, from my young perspective had begun. With this love for my new favorite team, the tugs on dad's suit right after church begun, as he tried to chat with friends after the service. I was still at the point where the most important thing to me was getting out of the church as fast as I could after the service, and it would be because the Seahawks game starts in 20 minutes. This lasted for about 18-20 years. Not all of which I tugged on dad's coat, but most of which church was followed by nacho's and football. I still looked forward to this when I would be home at Christmas and the odd long weekend I was able to be home from Brierfest. It was a time where, Dad and the boys (Dawson and I) would watch the Seahawks (or other games) and mom and Amy would join us as long as their interest was still there. This was rest for us after church and was something we just did.

So what does this have to do with Korea? Nothing! I am just wanting to share my joy and reminisce on times passed and painful games watched, and now I am finanly seeing the result that I have always been hoping for, that the Seahawks are going to the freaking SuperBowl, and it is the year I couldn't physically be further from those Hawks!

Unbelievable!

In case your wondering................cause I know you all are...............I have discovered that I can get AFN (Armed Forces Network) on my TV, after going 7 months thinking all I could get was static. And it was here, that I have been able to enjoy parts of the Seahawks success. As long as I am able to get up early enough to catch the game, and it ends before I go to work, which won't be the case for the Super Bowl, my working hours are identical to the time of the game. Blah!

Anyway, that is enough,

GO HAWKS!
Kev

It's A Small World After All

...............It's a small world afterall, it's a small world after all, it's a small world after all.........now that you are putting those words to the tune of the song, I hope it doesn't get stuck in your head!

"Same, Same" seems to be a recurring theme to these January blog entries. Little happens, partly because the weather doesn't inspire me to be outside for long periods of time, partly because the concrete buildings are kinda boring, and partly because I am content to just spend these cold winters days in the apartment with a nice cup of Joe (coffee) and a book, knowing that I anticipate being all over the place in the spring. Beijing (China), JeJu (Korean Tropical Island), Seoraksan Park (a beautiful national park on the east coast), and potentially a weekend out on an island on the west coast at some point over the next few months before I get home.

I look forward to all of those, but for now, I figure I will splurge to you one of the most significant things my 7 1/2 months in Korea have taught me. And that is this, it's a small world! Not just because I have been blessed with great company and friends here in Seoul, but because the world has actually gotten a lot smaller in my eyes as I live amongst and watch people who live differently that I do in a land that at one time seemed so far away.

Before I got here, the thought of going to Asia seemed to be such a HUGE leap for me. I always viewed it as the land over there, or the place where most people in Vancouver are from and some place I would never go because it was just so far, and why the heck would I want to go over there anyway? Those people do what they do and I do what I do and whatever they do is great if it works for them. The thought that many of the people in Vancouver had roots in other places, seemed strange and abstract, almost like lip-service, as I had yet to understand it for what it was, real life, not just something that was talked about. Before traveling over here I had the mentality that it was me against them, or they are very different than I am. Both of these are true to a certain extent, however there is still something that makes me, one with these people.

When I would be in North America and here of things happen around the world, fires, earthquakes, wars, disasters and what not, it would have been easy for me to shrug it off as, this won't happen to me, and that only happens in "those" places, which to me weren't actually places in the world, but images on a television screen.

The lives of those people on the television screen have become all to real to me. As I see people smile at me in the streets, as I see that they have the same needs as I have, spiritually, relationally, physically, emotionally and the list can go on......................I have come to realize that they are no different than me. And the world is a really a small place.

Yeah, it may be a 10 hour flight to get here, but when you can see it for what it is, people and culture, it has come to be all to real. The life these people live will no longer be something viewed as strange and distant but as one which we experience together, bound not by countries or political views (CDN's, don't forget to vote on Monday), but by the oneness in which the Lord intended, and the oneness that is exemplified only in the holy trinity. We aren't the trinity, but my travels have made me realize the oneness in which we as humanity stand in, bound only by sin.

This is the best I can do in a nutshell to the continued lessons I'm learning during this adventure, once again, it's worth greater conversation in person, like many of the stories over here.

God has been good.
Kev

Up By 7am On The Weekend?

yep, yep, yep, that was definantly the case for me, the getting up early thing on the weekend that is. One by force, the other by choice. The force was for a talent show the kids at our school put on for their parents on Saturday. It wasn't as enjoyable for me as it was for the parents. I couldn't watch it and was one of the teachers who had to keep kids "in one piece" backstage as they waited for their queues. That session couldn't have finished soon enough.

The next morning, I arose by choice at 6am, as I was up to watch a football game. Being born in Seattle and enjoying sports, I have always followed the usually dreadful Seahawks, but for the second time in my life (literally) they were playing a huge game. And now they are a win away from the Super Bowl, so I had to see it and plan on doing it again next week.

As far as other things going on out here, they seem to be the “same same,” so I figured a quick little video would do best this time around. Yeah, it’s cheesy, but it’s different, and as we continue in this mundane winter season out here, the action will be slow, so I’ll do my best to stay creative and regular.

Here’s the link for my latest piece. It’s only a couple minutes long, so it shouldn’t take an hour + (to all my dial up friends out there) to load. It’s of the kids on, or in preparation for the talent show they put together for their parents. You'll have to cut/copy it and paste it onto the address bar of your web browser.

http://ia300221.us.archive.org/3/items/KevinDueckPersonalVideo
/The_Kids_When_Im_in_Charge.mov

Annyong Heekassaeyo
Kev

A Little Vacation Hangover

After this weekend, and for the first time in about a month, I feel a much bigger semblance of normalcy. However it did take a week of work and dealings with kids in order to get there, I must include that I had some of my own "irregularities" to deal with as well.

I came back from vacation to a new school. I didn't get moved, but the school did a Korean blitz renovation, and they brought about a lot of change for 9 days of work. In 9 days they put in new wallpaper, knocked down walls, made rooms bigger, moved the secretaries and took over the upstairs of our building, which was previously used by UBER school, which closed a few months ago.

So the school changed physically, as did my schedule. It got a whole lot easier and to be honest, it was a little boring. I can't believe I'm gonna say this, but I missed having a classroom full of kids. A few of my classes are down from 10 kids to 3 or 4 due to the winter vacation the elementary schools have. I have also had a class cancelled and another one moved which makes my work day a lot shorter. I just waste that extra time with a little more sleep in the morning.

I suppose this helped the transition from vacation to work, but this little tid bit didn't. I thought I brought a little friend back to Korea with me from Thailand. I felt like this little guy would tell me when to sleep, when to "go" and when to eat, but luckily I didn't. Who is this friend I thought I brought back, it was a parasite! I did a few things which fellow travelers had done and got them, such as walking barefoot, which was stupid to do, but I was on vacation, and laying on the sand without a towel, where these parasite friends live. After a visit to the doctor and a quick prescription, I was relieved to know that his diagnosis was that I had travelers "frequency", which is a common side affect for visitors to Thailand. I'll leave all that to your imagination (Korea doesn't have Pepto Bismol)!!!!

In other news, and after some time in the Korean winter after the sun in Thailand, i'm opting for the winter beard. Staying warm beats staying presentable. It should last until March, be looking for pictures in February, when I got more blog picture space.

That should do it,

Later,
Kev

This Is The Story Of..............

Dan and I just got back from Thailand, and here is what we did. The pictures were meant to be in order so that you could follow a bit of a story, but this isn't the case for all of them. Hope you can manage anyway. I also used up all my picture upload space for the month, so there won't be anymore pictures until February. Just fun stories!!!!

If that isn't enough and you want more "action" from our time in Korea, you can download our Christmas video. It will take about an hour to download (go do something else and come back) and the video itself should last 20 minutes with another 10 of dumb clips. Here is the link

http://ia300240.us.archive.org/2/items/KevinandDanSeoul2005Xmas/Christmas_Video__fullcut.mov

Below the pics is a brief day to day of our little trip as well.

Here we go......................................

So,

Dan

Dan
Originally uploaded by kevdu.

Here we go........

And Kev's

And Kev's
Originally uploaded by kevdu.

Sitting in the back of a pickup on our way to the beach.

Excellent Adventure

Excellent Adventure
Originally uploaded by kevdu.

A brief run through of our week in pictures.

In Thailand.

In Thailand.
Originally uploaded by kevdu.

The Thai flag.

It Was Beautiful!

It Was Beautiful!
Originally uploaded by kevdu.

On our way to our day of rock climbing, we climbed the right side of this peninsula.

No, It Was Excellent!!!

No, It Was Excellent!!!
Originally uploaded by kevdu.

Blue water here, blue water there, blue water everywhere!

Although the Sun Wasn't Always Up

Although the Sun Wasn't Always Up
Originally uploaded by kevdu.

It has to go down sometime!

Nope, Nope, Nope......It Was Spectacular!!!!!!!!!

Nope, Nope, Nope......It Was Spectacular!!!!!!!!!
Originally uploaded by kevdu.

A small island bay about 30 minutes (by boat) from the mainland.

It Was Good Enough

It Was Good Enough
Originally uploaded by kevdu.

This was Ao Nang beach in the Krabi area.

You could hire these long tailed boats to take you to the local islands and beaches that don't have road access. You have to take a boat to get there.

What a place!

So We Did What Most People Do On Vacation........

So We Did What Most People Do On Vacation........
Originally uploaded by kevdu.

Good Morning,

Who doesn't want to wake up to a camera?

And A Little More...........

And A Little More...........
Originally uploaded by kevdu.

A tough wake up for Dan

As Well As Catching Flies

As Well As Catching Flies
Originally uploaded by kevdu.

Airport sleeps are the best........

(that's a lie)

And A Bit Of Reading Too

And A Bit Of Reading Too
Originally uploaded by kevdu.

I'm a loser............I know

But I Was In Thailand

But I Was In Thailand
Originally uploaded by kevdu.

Exchanging money here

So I Did Other Stuff Too,

So I Did Other Stuff Too
Originally uploaded by kevdu.

I don't understand why I don't always tuck in my shirts...................

Hot blue helemt, isn't it!

Like Riding Motorbikes,

Like Riding Motorbikes
Originally uploaded by kevdu.

Spent the day riding around Koh Samui.

Had to wade through a few flooded streets, and navigate ourselves around the other vehicles while driving on the opposite side of the road.

Drinking Coconut Milkshakes

Drinking Coconut Milkshakes
Originally uploaded by kevdu.

Korea got snow, what, and I wasn't there!

Yeah, this too was nice, after a day of riding motor bikes, we stopped for a milkshake.

The guys in the background are taking coconuts off the tree for our second round.

Eating Seafood

Eating Seafood
Originally uploaded by kevdu.

A little Red Snapper just off the ocean.

Koh Samui has great seafood!

Getting Massages

Getting Massages
Originally uploaded by kevdu.

Right off the water. You can see the people on the beach behind me.

It was great.

Getting Into The Waterfalls

Getting Into The Waterfalls
Originally uploaded by kevdu.

Well, Dan was the only one to get that for into them, I sat back and watched with the camera.

Swimming and Snorkling in Blue Water

Swimming and Snorkling in Blue Water
Originally uploaded by kevdu.

Yeah, that was OK, if your into the warm sunny day, blue water swimming and beach kinda thing..........

While Dan Holds My Life In His Hands.

While Dan Holds My Life In His Hands.
Originally uploaded by kevdu.

Now that I think about it, was that really a good idea?

Dan did fine, i'm here to talk about it.

And Climbing Rocks,

And Climbing Rocks
Originally uploaded by kevdu.

This was just off the ocean.

Those who were belaying were doing so from a small portioon of beach available.

Essentially We Just Monkied Around!

Essentially We Just Monkied Around!
Originally uploaded by kevdu.

Real picture, real monkey, taken by Dan.

Our climbing guide Youan is in the red in the back, he was money.

It Was A Good Time Had By All

Good Time Had By All
Originally uploaded by kevdu.

Gotta cut the pictures short there. Had a few more to put up, but I ran out of space for the month, already.

I'll post more pics in February, unless I get time to fool around a little more with this.

A Thai Getaway

It was vacation time for me, so this past week, because I am in Korea, I had to make good use of my time here and go somewhere on this side of the world. I choose Thailand, and I wasn’t disappointed. Here is the abbreviated account of what we did.

Day One
Seoul to Bangkok, slept (by slept I mean didn’t sleep) in the airport at Bangkok, waiting for our next flight 10 hours later.

Day Two
Made our way to Koh Samui. It was rainy and ugly out, so Dan and I were both bummed about it. So we hoped for sun the next day, and went to bed, to make up for our lack of sleep the night before.

Day Three
Spent the day on Koh Samui (Island about 20km2) riding motorcycles around the island, going to various beaches, waterfalls, and restaurants. Great day, the tropical fruit drinks out here are great. Particularly coconut milkshakes served in coconuts that they take off the tree right in front of you, as you sit by the ocean.

After riding around, we deserved a Thai massage (clean and legal!). They are infamous, I now know why. This would be the first of many

Day Four
Hopped back on the buses and ferries and made our way to Ao Nang beach near Krabi, on the Indian Ocean. It was another long day of traveling, but after spending 3 or 4 days here, it was worth it. What a spectacular area!

We met a couple Swedish guys on the trip over and spent some time with them, while also going for another Thai massage. Although this one was on the beach. A sweet massage on the beautiful coast. This was the vacation I was looking for!

Day Five
Went island hoping and snorkeling in the area. Swimming on white beaches, in clear water, small islands, with great coral for snorkeling……………..it was just like the pictures!

We then had a transfestite serve us dinner. Or maybe a woman with a deep voice, I leave that option open, although all signs point to the former.

Day Six
Rented a few kayaks and hit up the various beaches in the area that you can only get to by boat. It was outstanding (I’m starting to run shy of words to describe how great this place is!!!) Was in and out of the water on this day, when we felt like it. Water was beautiful, sea caves everywhere, oh boy, it was nice!

The day on the water was cut short though, by incoming clouds, we ended kayaking back to the beach we rented it from into the wind, through rain, and a thunderstorm. I was paddling with all I had (I was getting a little nervous………….). But we made it.

Day Seven
Went rock climbing, on actual rock! We were hanging over the ocean. Once again, it was good.

Finished the day with a good foot scrub. The masseuses do everything, so I thought I would mix it up a bit, and after wearing flip-flops for a week, the feet were a bit nasty. So I literally had a layer of skin removed from my foot.

Day Eight
Our last day in Krabi, so we did a bit of shopping, really only stuff we could fit in our overstuffed bags (I only brought a small backpack), Then concluded the vacation portion of the trip with a visit to the masseuse on the beach. I went with a nice foot massage. It was stellar!

Day Nine
Flew back to Korea. Tried to meet with a buddy in Bangkok, but it didn’t work out, so Dan and I got on the next flight (red-eye, still paying the consequences for that one) back to Seoul, and our vacation time was done.

If you followed all that, well done, I’m impressed, it may have been boring, but I hope it was informative.

Whats next? Gotta force myself to sleep, good night.

Happy New Year
Kev