What I'd do for a Rubicon burger...
We've been doing a lot of wandering (and wondering) lately. In such a big city, it's easy to get a little lonely and do a lot of thinking. Most people that have been in Korea for bit say that you hit a bit of a slump after a couple of months or so, and I think that I may be hitting it. I think I realized it the other day when I was hanging out with one of the teachers from our school, an Afrikaner fellow from South Africa named Stephan. We were watching the Colbert Report, and I was trying to explain to him why it was so damn funny. But he didn't get it at all. He didn't understand most of the punchlines, let alone the little nuances that make Colbert so funny. It made me kind of miss home--my friends and family and, well, Americans that get other American's humor.
I don't want to give the impression that I'm depressed or sad. We've both made a bunch of pretty good friends and are really enjoying our time here. I guess I'm just trying to say that I miss burritos and the Rubicon and brewing beer and Sargeant's coffee and the farm and our porch and the people we love.
-Ryan
posted by beth and ryan @ 3:11 AM
9 Comments:
ah, yes...i remember that slump when i lived in s.africa. i think it is rooted in the fact that you know you will be there for "a year" (perhaps more)...you are looking ahead, and looking behind, too. it's great that you two have each other, and fellow int'l travelers, to help you get through it. it ebbs and flows. (besides, political humor is probably the hardest to explain...and s.africans have their own...which i am sure i didn't get.) thank god for the net; at least you still have access to plenty of colbert and stewart--more than you could ever want or need to watch!
So can you get whole episodes of The Daily Show and the Colbert Report?
And how did your most recent beers turn out? I don't have the time or the inclination to brew anything myself, but we have some good microbreweries nearby. I don't know if you like it, but shoju just isn't my thing. Hope you're finding some decent beer. Anything other than lager?
Thanks for the support yall,
Yea, South Africans are a strange bunch, especially Afrikaaners (we work with 2 very different South Africans, one Afrikaaner and one Brit). I am grateful for Mr. Stewart and Mr. Colbert, we can get full episodes on Comedy Central, which we watch every couple of days. Unfortunately, most of the websites we used to use for TV and music aren't available abroad, so we've been sticking to books mostly. I've been into a lot of books that I should have read in high school, but didn't, like Ender's Game and Animal Farm (the kids in my classes are reading Animal Farm. I figured I should read it before I teach it). Bethie has been reading Steinbeck and some stuff by a Japanese fellow, I can't remember his name though. It's nice to finally not have an excuse not to read. I'm actually also trying to conquer War and Peace. I've got year, we'll see if I can do it.
As for the Brew, BOOOOOOO!!!!! There are no good beers in this entire country. The "nice stuff" is Heinekin and Budweiser, and there isn't even a word for microbrew. Needless to say, I've lost some weight because I haven't been able to partake in my daily 400-500 calories of beer a day. Soju's alright, but its not beer. It goes pretty good with BBQ (or galbi in Korean) and a group of friends, but that's about it.
I made a couple of high gravity batches before I left, which are currently sitting in my parent's and grandparent's basement, so they should be pretty interesting by the time we get back once they've aged for a year or two. I can't wait. I'm getting worried about the beer situation here though. The night of the election, we celebrated by drinking some Budweiser at an American bar. This is a true story...I actually heard Beth say something like "it's not that bad..." Oh goodness, has it been that long?! Please pray for us....
It's hard to believe you have been there almost 2 months. Have faith, Christmas is coming and you never know what might be arriving at the school for you and Beth, such as a little taste of home. Chris and Mike will be hanging out every Saturday night as they are both missing you; I doubt on his front porch though!! And again, Thanks Beth, I love the farm and see why you loved being there. I still hear well when Beth was here...........but the dogs are happy as they get to lay on the couch!! I miss you both and Ryan as for the beer.......
We miss you too buddy. E-mail me your mailing address over there. I'll send you some nice glossy's of me drinking a bunch of sexy ale and naughty porters!
And remember, you can always take up drinking scotch. Less calories, more detriment to body organs.
we miss you both too :-/ That's a real bummer about the beer situation over there. Just think how awesome it will be though when you finally get some good beer. It will be like your first christmas all over again!!
Oh! country 'tis of thee,
sweet land of liberty,
that and nice ales.
Land where my father brewed,
porters and lagers too,
let my poor tongue awake,
in your friendship I'd partake,
sweet hops, miss you.
For a sip of barley wine,
Oh, it would be so fine,
I say it would not spill,
to the beer heavens I would sail,
oh dreams of mine........
Now class, one more time!!!!
hey guys you want a rubicon burger and i want a in and out burger...as for the beer make mine a glass of wine....i love your blog site and the pictures are great love ya...
your such a baby ryan. you cant even last two months away from mom huh, what a momma's boy. Just remember, kim jong wants you over there way more than obama wants you here, so you may want to think about that before coming home. haha. just messing with you guys. You better get over the home sickness tho, you still got ten more months. It will be nice to see you guys when you get back, keep up the good work converting those little bastards.
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