one month left to go on pen...
So I probably should have joined sooner, if anyone is new to the Osan area or Korea in general feel free to pick my brain for a years worth of knowledge.

crunkpanda@yahoo.com is the best way to find me as I don't hit the forums too much.

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http://www.crunkpanda.com

Welcome CP, but you should hit up this forum it is a wealth of knowledge and we welcome what you can bring..

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CH-47 SI

They must find it difficult...

Those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than truth as the authority. --Gerald Massey

It's not that I don't want to come by, it's just I forget.

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http://www.crunkpanda.com

No problem, not doubting you in anyway!! Just looking for people who know about Korea.

Welcome!!

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CH-47 SI

They must find it difficult...

Those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than truth as the authority. --Gerald Massey

It would be interesting to see a paragraph or two titled "All the things I have learned about life in my year in Korea, summarized in this short story! " And what is a Crunk? Just because you have to go, doesn't mean you have to leave the forum! We have members all around the world! Stick around!

Ask and you shall receive.
As I wrote, I realized that a year is not easily summed. I've left out volumes.

Osan In My Rear View Mirror
- Crunk Panda™

Now that I am a brown bean, a seasoned veteran or just an all encompassing ***hole (take your pick) I can look back on a chapter of my life.

It started out on a warm June day, after a couple flights in the United States I find myself in line for the Patriot Express, a now distant memory. The Patriot was a rotator aircraft that flew direct from Seattle into Osan. The plane was dilapidated at best, the flight attendants seemed about as thrilled as I was to be on the plane and the food was worse than a Country Captain Chicken MRE.

After around 13 hours we begin our descent, and soon after I see the Patriot Batteries from my window, it was at that moment that I realized... I wasn't in Kansas anymore Toto.

The only good thing was, instead of having to be bussed from Incheon to Osan, I was already on base. I just had to clear customs, good news for me.

Soon after, I was immediately whisked, bags and all to the Mustang (enlisted club) for inprocessing. This is now a thing of the past, now instead of getting a list of appointments that could spread for weeks you knock it all out in a deployment line type system where you are assigned a chalk and you roll with it for 3-4 days. Time will tell if this is an improvement or not.

As I walk around I do notice that the humidity levels in June are quite awful. Having just arrived from Louisiana I thought it couldn't be nearly as bad, I was proven wrong. I was then greeted to a thunderstorm and was told by most everyone "If you don't have an umbrella, get one". I immediately thought "I don't need an umbrella, what man carries an umbrella". After about a week of storms, this man carried an umbrella and now owns two.

Not much later I was off base, trying to take it all in. I was reminded of open air type markets I have seen in Mexico and other places. Koreans may well be the best hustlers out there, sun up to sun down they are trying to make a dollar. Some more willing to deal than other, most unwilling because they know you are going to spend your money. If you don't someone else will.

I've watched the dollar try to keep pace with the won, it's been a losing battle for the most part. Some deals are still to be had, you just have to look a bit further and venture off the main strip of Songtan.
I've had a soju or two in what seems to be every bar in Songtan, I've enjoyed Modelo in Bobo's and I've turned down buying more juice in Golden Gate than you can shake a stick at, to this day I have still not bought a juice. Even when money maker approached me in Golden Gate. While I have given her a few thousand Won while she is on stage, you can't blame a man. After all, she does have breasts. Too many nights began in the Golden Gate as we initiated all new folks on pen to what was the Wax Show, an take to be recounted for perhaps another day.

As the night closes in, you usually see lines in two places and people checking their watches religiously so as not to break curfew. The lines flow into the street from McDonalds and then again at the gate. From the sober eye it looks like night of the living dead, as the zombie airmen, sailor, soldier and marine all attempt to now make the death march home or to billeting. Perhaps if you were lucky, as you stumbled home... Sally propositioned you one last time "Wanna go?" she seductively says as her 842 month pregnant belly protrudes towards you.

After a year here I can quote most AFN commercials. I can tell you that it is best to talk about sexual harrasment while playing racquetball. I mean, he'd rather hear it from you than his supervisor! I learned how cool it was to get citizenship while you are in and how now "THERE ARE NO FEES!!!". You get to discover how for you to check out a woman who is passing is wrong, but if a woman does the same to you... You should stop using chewing tobacco. Don't get too excited just yet, there is still more! You also get to find out all you could want to know about all 50 states and who were the presidents and "THE MAN!".
While you are here you will see Korean's walking around with surgical masks and wonder why, not much later you will encounter a yellow dust storm and curse the Gobi Desert. At best you will have difficulty breathing. I'm still convinced the dust is spreading Cancer or AIDS. Perhaps Cancerous AIDS.

This time of year is difficult because now I have to adjust my calling for the states, they have day light savings time which offsets by an hour, here the clocks never change. Much like many parts of the world, still no matter how often I have seen it, I find it odd.

Looking back, I will miss aspects of South Korea. I'll miss Seoul, I will miss a lot of the people I have come to know over the year. I won't miss the humidity, I won't miss the mutant spiders, who won't bother you usually but will make you hurt yourself. There are a lot things I will not miss for a second, but at the end of the day. I don't regret a minute I spent here. Would I do it again? Likely. Will I do it again? Only time will tell.

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http://www.crunkpanda.com

Thanks, Crunky. We enjoyed that! I knew you could do it.
We don't know your age or your IQ, but we know that you have spent your time at Osan, and lived to tell about it! It will be something to tell your grandchildren, if you don't get any of those illnesses caused by the Yellow Dust!

Panda,

Do you mind if I add your post as an article? I think it would be a great reference.

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Visit USFK Classifieds, the FREE classifieds in Korea!

By all means

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http://www.crunkpanda.com

Added it here:

http://www.usfkforums.com/articles/2...r.htm#post7767

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Visit USFK Classifieds, the FREE classifieds in Korea!