It’s that time again…

The sky is getting a darker shade of blue. The clouds seem higher. There is a chill in the air. Sunlight and shadows seem to be more vivid and crisp. The humidity of summer is being replaced by fresh, cool air.

Year after year, over and over, the cycle continues… It is autumn.

Autumn may mean the beginning of a new term for me, hoards of students coming back from summer break, and preparation for classes; but something else still runs strong through my veins… hunting.

That is the one thing I truly miss here.

Crisp autumn mornings, frost crunching under my feet, the sounds, as well as the silence, are what brought me to the woods year after year. For those who do not know true hunting, you will be stuck on the image of killing, this is not hunting.

For me, killing is a rare option of hunting. The definition of the word is what gets my blood moving. Understanding nature, patterning it, being patient with it, caring for it, using it, respecting it; these are the things that make up hunting.

Yes, it is true, there are those who hunt for nothing more than a trophy, or the thrill of the kill; those who drive out, sit in a tree, and wait for happenstance, or those who send out packs of dogs to do their legwork, but those are not true hunters.

I can recall taking my father on a hunt once. I took him to a spot and told him to watch a portion of the woods, and that at 10:00 two deer would walk out and head in a specific direction.

After I left him, he realized that he was close to another hunter, and he moved away. But, at 10:00, that hunter shot two deer at the exact spot I told my father to watch. I remember him asking me how I knew; my reply was simple, “Because I knew.”

I know my father, and he would not have shot those deer, but he was just as happy to help that hunter carry his deer out of the woods. I took him into the woods to share the experience, and I believe he learned a little more about me that day.

It sounds all serious, and it is to a point, but it turned into more of an enjoyment when I found a good friend to hunt with, David. Over the years together, we learned a lot about the woods, but in the most entertaining ways. I think the major force behind going hunting quickly turned into the need for vast amounts of humor, which we came up with on a constant basis.

To be honest, the most fun we had, were on those days where we didn’t even see a deer, turkey, squirrel, or whatever it was we were hunting.

From the first time I fired a bb gun at a rabbit, to the last time I saw a mallard fly off into the sunset, I have been in love with the woods and the creatures therein.

Yes, the bamboo forests of China are awe inspiring, but they pale in comparison to a nice mixed hardwood/pine forest of N. America.

One day, I will return.

(Taken Oct. 22nd, 1997 - Great Falls, SC)
I only mounted this because my father told me, before I left to go hunting, that I would get one so big I would have to spend all my money getting it mounted. It happened, so I felt I needed to.
This deer fed me, my parents, and the needy of the Church.

A little bit of home.

When I left for China, one of the things I made a point to bring with me was my South Carolina state flag baseball cap. It was dark blue with a white palm tree and crescent moon. I had picked it up while taking a walk with my mother.

It was not long, before the hat was destroyed by the coal smoke, dust, and knot tying washing machines of China.

I have since made a few nice “hat” finds while I have been here. I found a nice U. of Tennessee cap, which I wear often, a REALLY nice dark green NY Yankee’s cap (not a fan, it just looks nice), and a RealTree camo cap that I would have paid well for to use when I was hunting in the states.

Suffice to say, I am set with baseball caps, or at least I thought I was, until today.

I have been spending a lot of time now trying to help Jason find a Texas A&M cap, shirt, or anything else we can find. These quests give us something to do.

Today, when I noticed a promising shop, I was quite surprised to walk in and find, of all things, a South Carolina state flag cap, just like the one I brought to China. The only difference is, it is orange, with blue tree and moon. I do believe it may have either been a discard, or made for Clemson fans.

Anyway… I could not let this one go, even if it did cost me 30元.

And, as soon as Jason saw it, he said the same thing people would say about the original one I wore, when I was in Michigan. “People are going to think you are Muslim or something.”

I wanted to say, “Well, true, just like they will think your state flag is Cuban or Puerto Rican…” But… even I know, you just don’t mess with Texas.

Content

I have mentioned this before, but I wanted to add something.

When I was young, I would sit in wonder, of people’s tales of their grandfathers. I would see old, gray headed men, speaking of things they did in their lifetimes, and be on the edge of my seat. Stories of war battles, surviving the Great Depression, camping, traveling to strange places, doing, what seemed to me, as adventurous things.

Circumstances, beyond my control, lead me to grow up without a grandfather. I did have two wonderful, caring, strong, kind, humorous, grandmothers though. But, being a guy, I always grew up thinking I missed out on something.

Since I never had one, I thought they were just a certain type of super-person. I would make up my own stories of “When I was a grandfather.” I believe a tape of that may still be in existence. They were amusing, but the underlying reason for them, was quite sad.

Slowly, over the years, I have come to the realization that I was fortunate. That’s right, fortunate.

I didn’t grow up with stories, I grew up with examples. I grew up with a father who showed by example, how to make my own adventures.

I didn’t grow up with “WOW! Grandpa’ I wish I could do that.” I grew up with my father telling me, “Why don’t you do this?” And I grew up with the encouragement to do those things. (Not that I always did, but that is the atmosphere I did grow up in.) And, yes, some of the adventures I made for myself were ones I know he wished I never partook of. (My police record was cleared when I turned 21… it’s all behind me now. Haha)

I don’t fool myself; I know that parents live their lives vicariously through their children, and I can see my dad doing the same thing with me. My parents have been married for 45 years, and have raised 4 children. My father seems to me happier about my life than I am. (Not that I am not happy.)

But, I also know that he will always have a little more worry about me, than he does for the rest of the “kids”. They have started “moving on” as some would put it. I just happen to be made with a different mold.

When my father was my age, he had wife, a mortgage, two pre-schooler’s, a toddler, an infant, a dog, a 9-5 job, a car, and, possibly, a lifetime supply of aspirin and antacid.

I, in no way, could ever imagine myself in that situation. I’ve always thought that I have to be as old as my parents to, own a house, get married, settle down… But, the problem is… I will never be as old as my parents.

It’s like looking through your high school yearbook when you were a junior, and seeing all those seniors. You KNOW you are looking at 18 year olds, but, for some reason, they will always be older than you.

When I look at this picture, I don’t see a man, younger than I, with me (before that pesky little brother came along). I see my father, the same way I always saw him, the same way I see him now.

But I have done things that I dreamed about as a kid:

Visited Leyte Gulf in the Philippines.
Walked the Great Wall.
Smelled the sweet air of Bavaria.
Gazed at the Eiffel Tower.
Hunted bear in the wilderness of the upper peninsula of Michigan.
Caught sharks.
Snorkeled in the blue waters of the Pacific.
Fished for blues in the Atlantic.
Hunted turkey and Deer in the woods of the Deep South.
Visited the two towns on this earth were the oldest bird fossils have been found.
Seen Bob Hope do a live stand up routine.
Bass fished in the Tennessee River.
Felt true love at first sight.
Still feel the pain of her leaving.
Seen the Hope Diamond.
Almost went into mental overload at all the beautiful Asian women in Japan.
Visited every state, east of the Mississippi.
White water rafted in the same river they filmed “Deliverance”.
Had my first kiss at the same house they filmed “Patriot”.
Almost lost my lunch in the White House.
Duck hunted in the Great Lakes.
Been the “Best Man” at two weddings… Always a best man, never a groom.
Thrown a rock at North Korea.
Amassed a fine collection of minerals, coins, banknotes, antique firearms, fossils, and other assorted junk.
Made $70,000 a year, in a suit and tie job in the automotive industry.
Smoked Cuban cigars… in Canada.
Drank champagne in Paris.
Trekked through Luray Caverns.
Pulled giant catfish out of Santee Cooper.
Looked into the eyes of the sweetest nieces and nephew.

And, my greatest accomplishment… After repeated attempts at teaching my sister how to make farting noises with her hands; seeing my hard work come to fruition in the middle of a packed, silent, courtroom.

Now… I find myself, teaching English in China.

My Brother-In-Law, David, once said, “You are going to be that old man at the end of the street, where all the kids want to go to see his cool stuff.”

I am growing up to be the grandfather that I never had, but that no one else will either. I think I am content with that.

Stuff…

The perfect gift:

Before he left for another job, one of the foreign teachers gave me the perfect gift. An “I’m with stupid” t-shirt. It was meant to be a part of a pair that I was going to put together, but alas, I could not find the other t-shirt when I went back to buy it.

I was going to wear the “I’m with stupid” t-shirt, and I was going to TRY to get Jay to wear this shirt…

Man, the implications are just hilarious.

(I must admit though, walking around China alone, wearing my t-shirt, does give me a sense of satisfaction here.)

“Mystery of the Roo’s” revealed:

I posted this on another page, I just thought I would include it here.

The following was posted on CNN’s web page:

Headless kangaroos found near park

Wednesday, August 10, 2005 Posted: 0601 GMT (1401 HKT)

SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) -- The bodies of a dozen kangaroos have been found on an Australian golf course over the past 10 weeks, their heads chopped off and missing.

Wildlife officials said on Wednesday they were baffled by the beheadings of the iconic
animals on the Yarrambat Park course outside the southern city of Melbourne. The
course is next to a wildlife park and kangaroos frequently graze there.

"It's strange. The heads have been taken off with a clean cut," said Catherine Smith, an inspector with Australia's Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The groundsman at the golf course found the first few decapitated kangaroos and buried them, but when more headless animals appeared, he notified authorities.

"I've been here 20 years and I've never seen anything like it," Rod Joronen told local
media.

Officials said that one possibility was that the animals may have been shot first in the head and when their heart stopped, had their heads cut off.

©Copyright 2005 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

I know EXACTLY what it is….

Good to the last dro…. Oh shyt.

I’ve been replaying the past few minutes of my life, over and over again, trying to rationalize it, trying to normalize it, trying to find some way of not letting it bother me.

Crickets are supposed to be a status symbol, symbol of luck, cherished pet, in China… right?

This evening, I went into town to eat Korean bbq with a fellow teacher. When we finished, we went down the main street to buy some of our favorite tea. It is a stand, where they fill the plastic cups, then seal the top with plastic. You have to poke a straw into it to drink it. (For those of you from here, it’s sort of like “bubble tea”, but just regular tea.)

They prepare several of these, put them into the freezer, and pull them out as the demand comes in.

Well… I just got finished drinking one… all of it… to the very bottom…

Where the dead cricket was.

I went and showed the teacher who went with me (I only bought two, he bought three). He said, “Look, it’s only a cricket. It could be worse. It could be a roach, or it could have happened to me!”

Then, in an attempt to find out if I could just transform the incident into some form of “cultural good luck”, I asked a Chinese friend what would happen if she found one in her tea.

She said, “Don’t mind, they won't charge you for the cricket. Cricket is free”.

So, I have resigned to the fact that it is not a lucky Chinese omen… it’s just a bug in my tea.

I will just hold my stomach tonight.

Unterseeboot 234

In March of 1945 the German submarine U-234 left Kiel on its way to Japan. It’s only mission, delivering two Japanese officials and German VIP’s, along with several metric tons of equipment. Along with this equipment were 10 cases of uranium oxide.

Following the unconditional surrender of Germany, the U-234 surrendered on May 14, 1945 to the USS Sutton; along with two Japanese officials who had committed suicide, rather than be taken prisoner.

Think about this when you remember today’s anniversary.

60 years and counting… A small price to pay.

60 years and still counting, free of the oppressive war machine of the Japanese and German militaries.

To all of those who, on this day, remember out of hatred, for the act of dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, I have a few things to say.

Korea did not ask to be attacked, invaded, and occupied for over a decade.

Russia did not ask to be attacked.

China did not ask to be attacked, invaded, and occupied for over a decade.

The Philippines did not ask to be attacked, invaded, and occupied for over half a decade.

British territories did not ask to be attacked, invaded, and occupied for over half a decade.

Malaysia did not ask to be attacked, invaded, and occupied for over half a decade.

Hong Kong did not ask to be attacked, invaded, and occupied for over half a decade.

Islands such as the Midway, Guam, Tarawa, Tinian, Solomon, Wake, and others, did not ask to be attacked, invaded, and occupied. These were islands without even a military. Unless I am mistaken, that makes them ALL civilians.

America did not ask to be attacked and brought into a war. At that time, America was doing everything it could, to remain peaceful.

In my book, every one of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers killed by Japanese, was just a civilian of one of these countries that Japan decided to attack.

So, you may not think Japan asked for the bomb to be dropped…

But it did, in more ways than one.

Japan deserved anything we could dish out, including total annihilation of its people, just to save one life of one of the several countries peoples it had brutalized.

Some say the war was already won, that there was no need for the bomb.

It was not won after the firebombing of Tokyo.
It was not won after the battle of Midway.
It was not won after the battle of Saipan.
It was not won after the battle of Iwo Jima.
It was not won after the battle of Tarawa.

It was not won after the bombing of Hiroshima.
It was not won after the bombing of Nagasaki.

It was won on August 15th, 1945 when Japan announced its unconditional surrender.



For all those Japanese schoolchildren listening to stories of survivors…

Try to find a survivor of the gassings in Harbin…
Talk to a survivor from the USS Arizona…
Talk to an Allied POW.
Talk to a native inhabitant of the islands of the Pacific.
Talk to a survivor of the Bataan death march.
Talk to an Allied nurse… ask him/her what they saw.
Talk to a worker on the Burma-Siam railway.
And, finally… Talk to an Allied POW who was there as well (250 died).

Talk to them, ask them their stories.
You are not your ancestors. You do not live in the past. You have nothing to ask forgiveness of. You only need learn the truth.

Trip Up North

GOOD MORNING NORTH KOREA!

Anyone who knows me, knows I disdain making plans for pretty much anything, especially trips. I like to go when I want to, when I feel like it. It is the anticipation of schedules that leads to some high anxiety for me. I’d rather make a mad rush at the last minute, than to pre-plan and walk in an hour early.

I had been told that there were busses leaving to DanDong from 8:00am to 4:00pm every hour. This helped give me some leeway with my “non-schedule”. I got up one morning, went to the bus station and tried to purchase a ticket for the next bus. It was 9:00am, but the woman told me there was only one bus every morning, and it left at 8:30.

I gave in and bought a ticket for the following day to DanDong. (Why a bus and not a train? Trains take 10 hours, busses take 5 ½ hours… don’t ask me.)

When I bought the ticket, I noticed on the screen it was 97.50, but the lady asked me for 98.50. I’m starting to give in to this occurrence. I’ll let them have their little victories (#1).

The next morning, I was feeling… crappy. But I got to the hot, stuffy bus station and waited. While I was there, I was reminded of the differences of television broadcasts here… in a way that did not make my morning any happier. A program was on about road safety. I have seen, and tried to avoid these at all costs. They show everything, when it comes to wrecks… with cars or pedestrians. I looked up, just in time to see a bus smack into two people walking across the road. That’s an image I didn’t want in my head while waiting to board the bus.

While standing in line, I happened to do something without even trying. I caused a terminal full of people waiting on busses, to laugh at me. A man walked in front of me, holding his granddaughter. She was leaning over his shoulder and caught site of me. I looked at her, smiled, and waved. She immediately went into the loudest wailing I have heard to date.

When he turned around and saw me, he, his wife, and the rest of the place just burst into laughter as I apologized profusely for being scary. No matter what he did to get her attention away from me, no matter how far away he walked, she would twist her head around to look at me and scream. There was nothing I could do but put on my sunglasses and try to avoid her line of sight. It was pretty funny.

When I got to DanDong, what little plans I had were cut short for reasons I won’t go into. But it didn’t stop me from getting out and about.

DanDong is a nice city on the Yalu River, bordering N. Korea. I was amazed at the size of the city and its beauty. All along the riverside, there is a nice “boardwalk” with many people in all sorts of activities.

The bustling city and skyline of tall buildings was a stark contrast to the pretty much desolate banks of N. Korea. I literally saw only one light coming from the opposite bank.

There are two bridges at the river, one is a working, guarded bridge, the other is… well... the remnants of what the U.N. bombed in 1950. The Chinese side is nicely built, but halfway across the river, all that is left are the pylons. That particular bridge was built by the Japanese from their conquest of the Korean peninsula, on their way to Manchuria.

I want to stress U.N. and not U.S. I wanted so much to tell the park guide that the huge historical sign was inaccurate, but I knew it would have probably ruffled some feathers, and then gone on deaf ears.

Jay and I had a laugh when I asked her why she thought the UN bombed the bridge. She said she didn’t know, so I said, “Because they got tired of you sending them all those supplies.”

(And, for those of you Chinese who still think that the war in Korea was just imperialist America on its way to invade China, ask yourself two things: Why did the bombing stop at the border? What, other than the 1990 Gulf War, was the only war sanctioned by the U.N.? There were over 15 countries involved in that war, and each has monuments somewhere in Korea, to their war dead. The Gulf War was a reaction to a country invading another; Iraq invading Kuwait on August 2nd, 1990. The Korean War was a reaction to a country invading another; N. Korea invading S. Korea on June 25th, 1950. China became a member of the U.N. on October 24th, 1945, they did not veto. The Chinese seat on the U.N. at the time of the Korean War was held by KMT. Would the US want to invade its allies? The U.N. never attacked China, however on November 25th, 1950, China attacked the U.N.)

Another strange occurrence happened when I looked at my pictures from this time… The “park ranger”/soldier at one of the towers resembled someone… I can’t quite put my finger on it…

One afternoon, Jay and I decided to try our hand at fishing. We went and bought some clams at a market, and were on our way (of course I brought a rod and tackle with me to China). On the way, I stopped by a stand that was selling all sorts of souvenirs. I decided to indulge in my addiction and buy a complete set of N. Korean currency, bills and coins. After figuring that the conversion rate was a little over 300:1, I again let the man have his victory by buying the lot for 25元 more than it was worth (#2).

While concluding this transaction, a couple with their teenage son approached. I had learned from experience, that their body language reflected their wanting to test their sons English ability. So, as I always do, I gave in happily.

I found out that the father was also a teacher, of mathematics and chemistry. When Jay let them know she attended BoHai, they seemed quite happy. The mother had also gone there. When I explained that I taught there, they were even happier; it seems their daughter is going to be a freshman this coming term at BoHai.

They invited us to dinner and we accepted (free meals… I can’t turn down). We went to a nice Japanese place and talked for a long time. I made some new friends. The father said he never thought he would have a chance to have dinner with a foreigner, much less become a friend to one.

When we parted company, it was raining, so the fishing trip came to an end… as did my ownership of the said clams.

Let me tell you about hotels in China, or at least the many I have stayed in. They are quite nice, and have what you would find in any western hotel. There are some differences though. Many of the “safe” ones have some sort of entertainment (KTV) in them. And, since they want to attract people to their hotel, it is usually on a top floor, so people can see the lights. This is something you want to think about when it comes to choosing a floor.

Another difference is the fact that, since clothes dryers are not a common commodity, the laundry room is closest to the place where they would dry their bed sheets… On the roof, in the open air. Just another thing you want to remember when choosing a floor. Industrial washing machines can make some racket.

I was nicely perched below both of them. (I leerrn slowlee)

I went to the antiques market in town and picked up a few things of interest. There are always many things I would like to have, but the authenticity of them is always a question. One thing I did find, that just made me think, was a U.S. cent/penny dated 1952s. One has to wonder if it may have come from a soldier or how it actually did find it’s way to northeast China, so close to the border of N. Korea. I also picked up some old KMT currency. The man wanted 100 for each of them, I walked out having paid 10 for each.

One night, as I came in, I went to the snack counter to buy a drink. I know they are overpriced, but I was tired. When I asked the lady at the counter how much the drink was, she said she would have to ask. She looked at a lady at the reception desk and asked her. The woman replied that it was 8元. As I was handing the woman at the snack counter a 10, the lady from the reception desk came over to “relieve” her. So I handed her the 10 instead. I waited for the change, but the woman looked at me and said the drink was 10. When I told her I thought she said 8, she replied that the other lady did not know the right price. I wanted so much to tell her, “Yes, I know, but it was YOU who told her it was 8!” But, instead, I let her have her victory (#3).

As I approached the elevator, I noticed a woman who had just gotten off. I pressed the button, waiting for it to return, and she looked at me and started speaking English to me. Her English was not the best, but she asked if she could speak with me. Many people will do this to practice, and I don’t mind it too much.

We talked for a while, and then the elevator came. I was surprised when she got on with me. I thought maybe I had made a mistake and she was just waiting for the elevator the whole time. I started to get a little suspicious when she got off on the same floor as me. Then, she asked if it was ok if she came into my room, and we could continue talking. (A note to my friend David… remember the tattoo I have?)

Anyway, I was just going to watch some TV, so I told her it was ok for a little while, but then I needed to get some sleep. We talked for about an hour, and then she came out with, “I can have sex with you for 400元.”

When we woke up the next morning… I’M JOKING!!!!!!!!!!!!

When she said that, I politely declined and she left. I’ll let you decide if it was an issue of looks, money, or morals.

The next morning, I went out for a walk. I stopped by a little stand to pick up some cigarettes. When I handed the man a 5, he acted as if he was not going to give me change. When I asked how much they were, he said 5. I then told him I could take five steps and buy them for 4 from another vendor; he smiled and admitted they were 4. (I don’t buy bus tickets, Korean money, or drinks from hotels every day, but cigarettes are something different. I didn’t let him have this victory.)

Monkey Sister (Jay), Gerdy, and Kiko. Students and friends.

Getting home is not like planning for a trip. Getting home is relief for me from any anxiety I may have. So, keeping this in mind, I decided one day to take a walk to the bus station and buy my return ticket.

Any time I walk the streets of any city, men seem to want to act silly and use the sighting of a foreigner as a way to “impress” their friends. Hearing the lonely call of the 东北男人 is a common occurrence, and usually sounds something like this… “HelloAh! Hahahahaha” and is repeated, in increasing volume, until it hears a reply; then it turns into just “HAHAHAHAHA!!”

Since DanDong is even further northeast, there are fewer foreigners. I would say the reactions from the citizens increased twofold.

On my way to the bus station, I heard several of these calls. As I was almost at the station, the roughest looking person to do it so far, started in on it. He looked like a stereotype for a hitman in the Chinese mafia; shirtless, muscular, shaved head, gold tooth, and tattoos included. For some reason, I still can’t understand why, I walked over and started talking to him… in Chinese. He was shocked, to say the least, it didn’t follow the normal calling routine. We actually had quite a lively, fun, decent conversation which was quickly turned into a gathering of about 50 people.

When I finally did go home, I noticed he was in the same place, I threw up my hand to wave, and he waved and said hello. I think it made his day, because those who were standing around him looked at him as if they could not believe we knew each other. We both smiled at that.

The other thing that happened quite frequently, and is something I have come to thoroughly enjoy, were the interactions with children and their parents. The parents are always overly encouraging their children to talk, but I try to stop them. I don’t want the kids frightened of me.

I will always squat down so that I am below their eye level, and say something in Chinese to them or make them laugh. A few minutes of this, and they are acting like my best friend.

While in line to get my ticket, I noticed a little girl peering at me through the handrail of the ticket booth. She had a plastic toy in her hand and she smiled at me and acted like she was hitting me with it. She would hide her eyes behind the rails and I would cover my face with my hands. She tugged on her mother’s shirt-tail and pointed me out to her. We exchanged smiles, but the girl kept acting like she wanted to beat me, smiling the whole time.

After I got my ticket, I noticed her and her mother were getting ready to enter the terminal. I called to her; the mother heard me and pointed me out to the girl. When she turned around, she was about a meter away from me. The little girl smiled from ear to ear, turned quickly and ran away screaming and giggling. I seem to have that same problem with all women.

When I got back to JinZhou, as I was walking down the street, a woman came up to me and, in Chinese, asked me if I knew where some money she had, had come from. It was a bill from Brazil, so I tried my best to explain it to her. I finally remembered the word, but I was saying it wrong, so I asked Jay to send me the Chinese characters.

As we talked, I showed her the money I had picked up from N. Korea. When I flipped to the last of them, I had forgotten about the two KMT bills I had in there. An elderly man who was in the gathering crowd, flew over and his eyes got really big and he picked one up. He smiled and said, “This is worth 100 yuan.” Hahaha

It was at that moment a police car came up. I did not realize it, but the crowd had grown so much that many were blocking a side street. When I looked up and apologized, the policeman was a little shocked. I guess he was glad to see it was just people, in interest, gathering around a foreigner, and not some major problem. He smiled and we all cleared the road.

Blah blah blah

I just got up, and I was going to write about my trip, but in the middle of getting ready I realized I had cold KFC and some Star Trek Voyager to watch... So... You will just have to wait.

Here is a taste of what is to come:

These were available in my bathroom. I can picture the job interview now... "Nice socks Kyle, where'd ya' get them??? Santa???"

sleep well

i am guarding the north korean border