Campy's Blog: Life in Daegu #7

Happy New Year!

It's been a long time, here's a brief update on my life, and every share-worthy picture I've taken since returning from my summer vacation in Busan last year. I recently tore my ACL during a judo sparring session, just after Christmas. Tomorrow will be exactly 1 month after the surgery. I'm walking again, and recovering well. The surgery and hospital experience was great; exactly what I'd expect from Korea, or better. The food was especially amazing. Everything was home/hand made, traditional Korean styles, and also vegetarian, custom for me. Some of the best meals I've had in Korea actually! Interestingly, my physical health in every other aspect is the healthiest maybe ever; I've lost a ton of weight, now hovering around 160 lbs, which I don't remember seeing on a scale since high school. I regularly see a traditional internal medicine doctor (accupuncture, herbal medicine, etc.) who also uses modern technology like ultrasound. He monitors my diet and has introduced a 'detox meal' recipe that I make every day in a blender. Organic everything, mostly green leafy vegetables, minimal sugar/grains, etc.

2025 will be my 3rd year of the snake since my birth in 1989, another snake year. I am hoping to see America made great again, and other countries as well.

Auntie friends; the best kind of friend you can have as a foreigner!

entrance to an old tunnel used mostly by the Japanese colonizers I believe

now this tunnel is a wine cellar; it's the perfect natural temperature and humidity.

field trip - top floor of a huge mall nearby.

first belt promotion since arriving in Korea. Been a green belt since the last time I was regularly doing judo in Vermont 10+ years ago.

I comitted to studying in a 10-12 month advanced bible course. Welcome to my weird life! (no, I'm not converting or anything like that)

food expo - "K-Food"

art village next to expo center. didn't bother exploring it, too tired.

these apples are YUGE. Biggest ever that I've seen.

traditional, healthy, and delicious! The very best.

this has been sitting in my cupboard for months...they are bean pod shells, used as tea.

'keto kimbap' - a favorite food for me. Kimbap is basically Korean sushi, but it can be anything, not just seafood.

these ducky goose creatures make some really loud sounds, and they're easily found at the lake near my home.

water massage face

orthopedic clinic. Threw my back out (literally) at judo practice.

water jets was the final treatment, before this I did magnetics, lasers, and electroshock. It worked! I went from being able to barely walk and in pain at work all day, to 85% normal the very next day, and now at this point months later my back feels totally fine.

new bike! ordered online and assembled mostly by myself

truffle sandwich. this brunch place could be my favorite restaurant within walking distance. she has a lot of vegetarian options by accident; a good sign.

pesto burrata and omicha - bright and fresh and filling

the highlight of this picture is the grass which is abnormally tall. This was on purpose; they came by later in a few weeks and harvested yet into hay! This park is a 3 minute walk from my home.

this much food and gifts happens every single time one of our kindergarteners has a birthday. Unfortunately the birthday cakes are quite low in quality, but extra fruits and french fries I partake in.

this urban Buddhist temple is right near the center where I have bible class. architecture like this is quite rare for daegu and other big cities in Korea. This is a very modern, very 1st world country.

That's Jason, my new neighbor and colleague from America. In this picture we're kinda lost and he's like hey, should we follow all these police to get to the main event? I'm like YEP that should work well...

pride parade. I felt uncomfortable here. Pride parades in Korea (or anywhere in Asia) is a whole different thing than in a place like Austin, TX or Provincetown, MA. Very uncomfortable, wish I didn't go. This is not a good thing to do in the lowest birth rate nation in the world. Abortion is also not good to promote in a nation like Korea. Has nothing to do with morals or religion...

new Birkenstocks, haven't had a pair in years. I love 'made in Germany' but unfortunately, my feet are not perfect for these.

'sambap' - use the lettuce as a sandwich.

first time since landing in Korea my feet touched the earth...I don't like taking things like this for granted, but then again, if I really cared, I wouldn't have waited so many months to simply touch the ground with my feet!

night hike to the top of Apsan mountain, within Daegu city. Like most other places in Korea I've been to, the traditional architecture Buddhist temples don't seem to be in use.

the interior of this 'american indian' restaurant is one of the most authentically american experiences I've ever had outside of America. I should've taken a picture! Tableware, furniture, menu, everything was authentic, rustic, even the smell brought me back home.

one of the many lovely views from the bike path I use regularly

portable art exhibit in a subway station

I LOVE her drawings!

the secret to health - by Dr. Lee

Happy Halloween at Wonderland! The 3 pumpkins were carved by the 3 male teachers. Middle one is mine.

I bought a children's picture dictionary for Pooh class. They love it!

my awesome costume! Was able to scare only a few of them unfortunately :)

World class coloring by one of my 6 (5) year old students

'chim' - accupuncture. These ones have tiny needles attached to magnets, where the magnet is doing most of the work.

beautiful cafe we found in the middle of nowehre, outside the city

Fall colors

best time of the year for biking by the river

update of the one tattoo I got back in Clark College. Originally it was only Japanese, now it's understandable in Chinese too. I changed the bottom character to 'dao'/'do' (The Way)

bottled cold brew, never seen this before

brown belt promotion, plus a well-crafted joke. Disclaimer; if you're offended, I don't care.
My name in Korean is written and pronounced; "Al-lek-seu"

I was Santa for the whole school! Only one student was fooled by this. I thought I could at least fool some of the 5 (4) year olds, but didn't quite get there I think.