Please click on the white text above that says “Michael in Korea.” This will take you to the constantly updated front page of the blog *shudder* I said blog.

Thus ends my year-long journey to the motherland. Therefore, this blog shall be coming to an end, also. It will still be up on my servers for years to come, as a reminder to myself and others of my (not so) epic adventure to another country. It’s been fun.

My next project is still TBD, but it will come up on my regular URL – http://dirtySAMURAI.com – so stay tuned!

365 days in Korea. Kind of…

Woke up at 5:30am to get ready for the hour long bus ride to 인천 airport, check-in, and 14 hour flight to America.

It’s been fun, Korea. Maybe in the future, after I graduate, I’ll be back. Maybe.

To those of you staying in Korea, have a great time! Try everything your province has to offer and everything other provinces have to offer!

Thanks to my parents, my sai lo, sai sai lo, and lil sis for picking me up at the airport. Good to know that people in the States still know I exist.

For me, this update is just pictures of my check-in procedure, flight, and pick-up at Dulles international airport.

Oh yeah, I got a new phone! Same old number.

Woke up a little early so I could hit up 용산 to sell a few things. There, I got to bargain a price for the 135L lens that I had, but was unsatisfied by the price they were giving me (650,000 원!? Are you f***ing serious?), but was pleased with the price they would give for my broken 40D (500,000 원). While waiting to make decisions about buying another lens with that money, I got to try out the Canon 50mm f/1.4 (not that much different from the 50/1.8) and 85mm f/1.2L mk1 (a behemoth of a lens). Wow. What a great lens the 85mm is. You can really feel that the autofocus is slow as molasses, though. In the end, I just ended up selling the camera and getting a case for my iPod touch.

I was planning on meeting up with Chris (remember him from when I went snowboarding?) and hang out with him for a bit. He ended up having urgent business to attend to, so I tried to hang out with Jennifer – Gina’s friend – instead.

We met at 삼성역 and her friend/boss/coworker from Arirang Radio gave us, plus a couple of Jonathans, a ride to Market O where we met Korean singer BMK. I ate lunch while everyone else had 빙수.

Jennifer and I split up from the others and headed to 명동 to meet her TBS broadcasting friend, Hemi (?). We ate Pho noodles at Pho Kims. Hilarility did ensue due to the name.

Met more TBS broadcasting folks at Bier Halle, where we had a couple of beers, fries, and sausages.

Jennifer was supposed to meet up with another friend and go to a party hosted by one of the earlier Jonathans that we met. I had to leave to get some rest before my early flight!

Today is the day that I feel recovered from this damn throat inflammation.

And today is the day I fly to 서울.

Woke up early to meet up with Hannah and go to a Buddhist temple near 제대. She was asked by her mother to translate for a group of visiting Americans. Then she had to go to a meeting, which is when I went back home to clean up my room a little more and pack as much as I could.

Grabbed lunch with Hannah and Mike at 홍짜장, went back to NeoCampus to check out of my room, said goodbye to Mike and Sol, headed for the airport with Hannah to meet 민지 and fly to 서울. Alone.

Was picked up at the airport by 석민형, grabbed McD’s for dinner, and came to 삼촌’s place to shower and sleep.

Well, now I’m here in 서울, tired, trying to figure out what to do with all my time tomorrow. I have so much time, but only one day…

Still sick, but feeling a lot better. The new medicine from the doctor helped a bunch.

Went out for lunch with Hannah and Mike at Zapatas, played pool after that, and then went for some donuts at (the newly reopened) Dunkin Donuts.

After taking a rest back at home, we went back out for a couple drinks and 노래방. Sol joined us.

A fairly decent way to end my stay in Jeju. It may have been the “same old thing,” but we make it fun, damnit.

I have more pictures from my cell phone. Will upload when I get the chance.

So sick, but Hannah nursed me through the day. She came over in the morning with a bag of ice and 본죽.

Ate lunch with Hannah and Mike. We had 오리구이 (grilled duck meat).

There are pictures, but they’ll have to wait until I land back in the States.

Lunch at Pasta& with Mike, Hannah and 이슬 (a.k.a. Chair). Jacob dropped in to say hello and told us that he was all packed and ready to leave (TOMORROW!!!!). Hannah and, to a lesser extent, 이슬 helped Mike find a gift for 은림’s birthday. Jacob joined us for mid-day 노래방ing at the end of which Hannah and Chair left. The boys headed back to NeoCampus for a while until we all headed out to Doors for Hannah’s second performance. After she sang, we came back to 시청 to hang out with the birthday girl.