Monday, January 3, 2011

It's another year

Well, 2010 has gone into the books. I can't say it was my best year. I was frustrated by the necessity of coming back to Korea after attempting to find work in Taiwan. This of course set the year off on a bad footing. I got a job right away when I got back, but it wasn't exactly what I really wanted, and that added to the frustration. Then both the nationals and Redskins had horrible seasons, so even sports offered no relief. Then, of course, the real kicker was that I was seperated from Rebecca for great stretches of time. Not a recipe for a particularly entertaining year. However, the year did end on a pleasent note as I spent two weeks in Taiwan with Rebecca and came back to Korea rather refreshed (photos to follow).

2011 will be a mystery. I'm currently looking at several job offers that would be significant improvements on my current situation (in schedule and classes taught if not in salary), including one here at KNU. The best options at the moment are the KNU job and one at my old university Chungnam National University in Daejeon. Both jobs are very similar in pay and hours and are places I'm familiar with. The benefits of the CNU job are that it's located in Daejeon where the is a lot more to do (as opposed to Gongju), and I'd be living off campus. The benefits of the KNU job are that the vacation time is better and, although I have to live on campus, I don't have to pay ANY utility bills at all (plus avoid the hassle of moving). Hopefully I can get a concrete answer from one or the other sometime in the near future and have things settled before the year gets too old.

The trip to Taiwan was just what the doctor ordered at the time. I was slowly losing my mind as the semester came to a close and was greatly relieved to get away from KNU if only for a couple of weeks. Rebecca got a week off from work, so the first week was spent in Kenting, which is the southern most city in Taiwan. Kenting is a typical beach town full of restaurants, beachware "boutiques", and keen junk shops. Normally the weather in Taiwan this time of year is rather chilly and wet, but Rebecca and I lucked out and had spectacular weather throughout the trip. We did a bunch of sightseeing, at a lot of food, and generally had a good time. After Kenting, we stayed for a couple of days in Kaosuing, and then headed back to Taipei. Once we got to Taipei, Rebecca had to work, so I spent most of my days wandering around ofr hanging out at Carnegie's, catching up with some of the folks I met whan I was there before, and drinking beer. After she finished work, Rebecca and I would meet up to have diner and walk around the night markets or whatever neighborhood we happened to be in. All in all, it was a great trip, although too short by half.

All of the photos are from Kenting:

Our hotel.



Morning coffee.




Southern most 7-Eleven in Taiwan, lol.

The southern most point in Taiwan.




The Queen of Taiwan.


It was so windy on this hill I could barely hold the camera steady.



Wierd sand dune that apparently only happens in this one spot.

Master of the Universe!




Enjoying the wind, surf, and spray.

This place has an naturally burning methane pocket. The people are cooking sweet potatoes and corn to sell to the tourists.



Sunset on our final night in Kenting.