Chris “Talks Story”

Posted on August 1, 2022 by Carol

I met Chris in South Korea, when both she and Alan, the man who became her husband, were in the US military. Recently, we talked online, and she told me what moving around the US, Korea and Germany had meant for her. Thanks to Chris for the photos.

Chris’s story

You said that, in each of the different places you have lived, you left a different person than you came.

In Hawaii, when we talk about our lives and subjects like this, we say we “talk story”.

Every place I went had a certain effect on me in one way … Read More

An Unintended Adventure, Part 2

Posted on April 28, 2022April 30, 2022 by Carol

On December 10, 2016, I posted an interview with Geri Dickinson about the accident, the rehabilitation, their wedding and life together.[ Link] Geri and I have always been pretty open with each other, so it struck me during and after this interview was that not once did I hear a tone of voice or a hesitation suggesting marrying a guy who’d lost both legs might not be such a good idea. That speaks to their love for each other. Not many people are so fortunate.

My first interview with Chris was about his adventure with a mountain tribe in … Read More

Medical (Mis)Adventures in the Philippines

Posted on October 1, 2019September 23, 2021 by Carol

I arrived in the Philippines on July 7, 2007 with bags and two cats. A half shipping container full of stuff would arrive from South Korea three weeks later. The idea was that Mary, her husband Walter and I would retire together in a large bungalow in a rather posh subdivision. They had already moved in.

Korea had spoiled me when it came to healthcare—inexpensive, efficient and effective. As part of my employment package at the Buddhist university in Seoul, I had Korean National Health insurance, which automatically paid half of any medical bill and drug cost. I’d gotten semi-annual … Read More

Hungary, or ESL after Korea

Posted on September 1, 2019September 23, 2021 by Carol

Five years ago, Steve and I had an interview about his early days in the Peace Corps, starting in 1973, and his then current gig at Yeungnam University near Daegu, where he taught from 2012-2017. We called it “Korea Forty Years Later (Link)

In this recent interview he talks about this past year he and his wife Marsha spent teaching in Hungary, which he sees as a possibility for other teachers after they leave Korea.

Steve’s story

How was it teaching English in Hungary? When did you go and what was your experience?

My wife and I arrived … Read More