Books and War

Okay, yes, I know it's been a little too long since I've last posted. Instead of boring you with my excuses, I'll just get right to it.

Life has been good. I've been settling into a nice little routine here. It's starting to get pretty humid and I'm making good use of not one, but two air conditioners in my classroom. As expected, my girl students complain that it's too cold. With all the sympathy I can muster up, I tell them to bring a coat next time.

Last week I found the bookstore and my quality of life has drastically improved since then. I finished The Coldest Winter, a book on America and the Korean war, and tackled two 500 page novels that I just couldn't put down. If you're looking for some exciting summer reading, put Child 44 and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo on your list. Two excellent books in my humble opinion.

Reading The Coldest Winter really put living and working in South Korea in a new perspective. In a short 50 years, South Korea has transformed itself into one of the best economies in the world. That would have never been possible if it weren't for Americans fighting in what, at the time, they and the folks back home thought was a meaningless and futile war (sound familiar?). Even now, it's known as The Forgotten War. In many ways, it was an embarassing war for the U.S., with many foolish decisions being made by those in charge. But to forget the sacrifice of those who gave their lives for a free and democratic South Korea would be a tragedy. If it weren't for their sacrifice, I wouldn't be living, working, and making money here today.

Well it's almost 2 a.m. here and I haven't been feeling too hot lately. If I don't post before the 4th, Happy Fourth of July!