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09/13/2008: "Settling In and Hurricanes"
No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth--just busy settling in at Yeosu and teaching classes at the university. This weekend and Monday is the Korean holiday of Chuseok (chew-sock), so I have a bit of time off to catch my breath and make a post. I promise I'll try to do better with the frequency of entries.
Right now, though, I'm watching CNN International and following the landfall of Hurricane Ike along the Texas Gulf coast, an area where I lived when I was a youngster. It looks to be quite bad in Galveston and other areas, so we can only hope for the best for those folks. My brother in Fort Worth might also see some severe effects of Ike as it passes through his neck of the woods.
And speaking of hurricanes, the island of Hispaniola, which includes Haiti and the Dominican Republic, has also been hit extremely hard in the past month or so. I guess I left just in time, more or less, and my sympathies go out to those people, also.
We've also got a typhoon, Sinlaku, heading in our direction, but it's predicted to turn to the north east and rake the eastern coast of Japan. For now, though, we've had some very nice early fall weather, with clear, blue skies and mild temperatures. The area is quite beautiful, where mountains meet sea, and I've posted a few photos below and more on the new Yeosu section of the Photo Gallery.
Everyone I've met so far has been extremely friendly and I've struck up good friendships with the other 4 foreign teachers. There are 2 Aussies, a Canadian, and a fellow from just north of Boston (but I forgive him for his baseball loyalty to you know what team). Word is that the uni is hiring another teacher from New York, so maybe we Yankee fans will be in the majority.
Here's a night shot of Yeosu from the campus, which sits high upon a hill overlooking the city.
Yeosu at Night
I took a hike in the surrounding mountains last weekend and caught my first view of the ocean from the top of high hill. The photo I took is below. I rode my motorbike down to one of the beaches (didn't have my camera), and it was quite nice, though not exactly the type of beach I've been used to for the last few years. 
Yeosu Harbor
Here's a view of the Cheonnam National University campus.
Yeosu Campus
And, finally, a shot of the building in which I work, the Health and Human Sciences building where the Language Education Center is located. More later.
Language Education Center Building
