It's getting hot in here

Busan, South Korea

June 25, 1987
육이오. 6-25 and all that jazz. Saw relatively little. Class and all. At night Miss Jeong called and said let's go to Xanadu. I said OK. Then I called to see if Carrie was invited. She said, "No." She was upset for that and some other things. She saw me after class. I didn't see her. She said, "기분 나쁜일 한두가지겠나?! I said I don't know and hesitated for a moment and hung up. I almost thought about getting upset but then realized I didn't come here to get screwed over. This is my vacation.

June 28
The day after the above entry, Carrie brushed me off after class. I came home thinking I would never see her again but was content. She was waiting on the porch. She came in and we talked, apparently it was only a game. We went shopping and I spent a fortune but it was fun. I was tired. We saw the famous Miss Yu. She is fat and ugly. She and Miss Jeong were going to Xanadu. Carrie and I were shocked. Anyway I went to the famed Xanadu first day. There were many rad chicks. They played a few good songs but I wasn't interested really.

June 29
Class today and I napped away the afternoon. Last class and I went for tea and then dinner. I am sweating right now. No class tomorrow. But I will be busy anyway.

July 1st
No class yesterday but I had to go out with Mr. Shin and the "others." I hated it. Today was busy with the first day of classes for July summer vacation. I have six classes of my own. I help Mr. Shin with 4 for free. It seems like it could be pretty fun with many people around and stuff. Carrie didn't come but I didn't call her.

July 2
Second day of class. It is very hot. The start of 장마. Mr. An is a geek. Carrie came over much to my regret. She gave me a book to learn the Japanese writing*. I should study. I need more self-discipline. Surprisingly enough I have been jogging a bit recently.

*March 6, 2009
Yes I still have it:

Don't ask me why 'cuz I have no clue. Before today I hadn't even opened it in probably 20 years. It looks like I used it for a while but quit barely a few letters into the alphabet. My handwriting was terrible; childlike scratchings. I did study Japanese for 2 years at University, but we had textbooks for that.

One might expect Carrie to have given me Korean study books, but she was a bit Japan-obsessed. I already mentioned I have a picture of her in a Kimono standing in front of a Japan Travel poster. Years after we separated, I heard a third-hand rumor that she was in Japan working as a "hostess." No idea if it's true or not.

3 comments:

Matthew Smith said...

i wonder if people wonder about you? ㅋㅋㅋ "whatever happened to that white guy?"

please keep up this journal as it keeps me quite interested in the connection between expats now and 20 years ago. this blog is priceless IMHO

White Rice said...

Matthew,
My ego hopes they wonder too... The sad thing is, for the majority of the names of people I recorded in my journal 20+ years ago, I have no recollection at all. Kinda sad. Others I remember every detail. Weird.
Thanks for liking this blog and thanks for reading and commenting.

Anonymous said...

I started keeping a journal when I was 8. I was reading over them a few weeks ago, while cleaning up bookshelves. I have no idea who the people I was talking about are, with the exception of a few really foggy "I think she lived down the street" thoughts.