Korea
One thing I usually try to keep in perspective is my time in Korea.
For those of you that have taken the time to get to know me, you will know this is my 4th assignment in this backwater cesspool they call a country. I try to refrain from throwing insults and taunts about this place since it is just a waste of energy on my part, and frankly anything bad that could be said about this place is just mirrored in the daily lives of the people unfortunate enough to live here.
But enough of that. Instead, I am going to write about how some good friends of mine will be coming here shortly and how much I will dearly enjoy seeing them again, even if it's just for a brief moment in time. My good friend Joe, that was stationed with in 2001 and my other friend Brookie that I've known from my time at Misawa. Both are dear friends to me who have brought me more delight and encouragement simply by being than by any choice of words or other means of setting an example that can be expressed. Their faithfulness and loyalty as friends have gone the mile and have passed the test, time and again. While we may have differences of opinions or likes and dislikes, ultimately it's been their respect and compassion that have really impressed me.
To say that I am "tolerated" by alot of people is truly an understatement. I'm bold, cocky, and at times semi-narcissitic, but I also have a heart as big as Texas and I'll always give you the benefit of the doubt even if you don't deserve one. The majority of people I work with here don't see things in that light always, and often times I am misunderstood and as a result become ostracized for not "fitting in" with the rest of the herd. I've always been into my own thing, although places like this make it extremely difficult since you're monitored 7/24. Just today I was telling a co-worker that the past 9 months I've kept a low profile and haven't burned any bridges purposely since this place is such a shark tank, and she looked at me like I was showing her something I had just pulled from out of my ass. From the base commander on down, the religious mafia and politically-correct assholes that have turned an otherwise party-haven for the weary and dejected into a prison camp/gulag setting in hopes to make rank and get a bigger piece of the pie. Silly rabbit, don'tchoo know that the shit sandwich still tastes the same no matter how many chefs make it?
I will truly enjoy the time I spend with Joe and Brookie for the simple fact it is quality time and not we're not being forced to deal with one another on some work-related situation where we're required to be nice. It just comes naturally. As my time comes to an end here I will start to come out of my shell and become more open with my death metal paraphenalia and overall persona. While I'm not going to shit where I eat by throwing caution into the wind, I will show people that after 9 months of hibernation I still have a pair of balls if they piss me off, and call them on it too. The wisdom I gained here last time was that it's best to blend in and learn your enemy for the time being and then remove the veil of secrecy when the time is right. More importantly, Know which battles are worth fighting.
So I will leave this ass-end of the world in 80-some-odd days and once I do I will never look back. It's been a test of inner-strength for me as well as learning alot of ropes on becoming a supervisor and managing your own section. The good thing is I suppose I didn't screw up too bad considering the mistakes I've made were small and easily correctable, and nothing else has been mentioned to me. I go under the impression that no news is good news, however I'm not out of here yet and the guy I work for can be a real asshole at times, especially when he decides to blind-side me with something I was completely unaware of. I've held my tongue in those moments he's been like that, although with him going to the same place in Germany I'm going to, it should be interesting to see how things pan out.
I just may have to clear the air with this guy after all.
For those of you that have taken the time to get to know me, you will know this is my 4th assignment in this backwater cesspool they call a country. I try to refrain from throwing insults and taunts about this place since it is just a waste of energy on my part, and frankly anything bad that could be said about this place is just mirrored in the daily lives of the people unfortunate enough to live here.
But enough of that. Instead, I am going to write about how some good friends of mine will be coming here shortly and how much I will dearly enjoy seeing them again, even if it's just for a brief moment in time. My good friend Joe, that was stationed with in 2001 and my other friend Brookie that I've known from my time at Misawa. Both are dear friends to me who have brought me more delight and encouragement simply by being than by any choice of words or other means of setting an example that can be expressed. Their faithfulness and loyalty as friends have gone the mile and have passed the test, time and again. While we may have differences of opinions or likes and dislikes, ultimately it's been their respect and compassion that have really impressed me.
To say that I am "tolerated" by alot of people is truly an understatement. I'm bold, cocky, and at times semi-narcissitic, but I also have a heart as big as Texas and I'll always give you the benefit of the doubt even if you don't deserve one. The majority of people I work with here don't see things in that light always, and often times I am misunderstood and as a result become ostracized for not "fitting in" with the rest of the herd. I've always been into my own thing, although places like this make it extremely difficult since you're monitored 7/24. Just today I was telling a co-worker that the past 9 months I've kept a low profile and haven't burned any bridges purposely since this place is such a shark tank, and she looked at me like I was showing her something I had just pulled from out of my ass. From the base commander on down, the religious mafia and politically-correct assholes that have turned an otherwise party-haven for the weary and dejected into a prison camp/gulag setting in hopes to make rank and get a bigger piece of the pie. Silly rabbit, don'tchoo know that the shit sandwich still tastes the same no matter how many chefs make it?
I will truly enjoy the time I spend with Joe and Brookie for the simple fact it is quality time and not we're not being forced to deal with one another on some work-related situation where we're required to be nice. It just comes naturally. As my time comes to an end here I will start to come out of my shell and become more open with my death metal paraphenalia and overall persona. While I'm not going to shit where I eat by throwing caution into the wind, I will show people that after 9 months of hibernation I still have a pair of balls if they piss me off, and call them on it too. The wisdom I gained here last time was that it's best to blend in and learn your enemy for the time being and then remove the veil of secrecy when the time is right. More importantly, Know which battles are worth fighting.
So I will leave this ass-end of the world in 80-some-odd days and once I do I will never look back. It's been a test of inner-strength for me as well as learning alot of ropes on becoming a supervisor and managing your own section. The good thing is I suppose I didn't screw up too bad considering the mistakes I've made were small and easily correctable, and nothing else has been mentioned to me. I go under the impression that no news is good news, however I'm not out of here yet and the guy I work for can be a real asshole at times, especially when he decides to blind-side me with something I was completely unaware of. I've held my tongue in those moments he's been like that, although with him going to the same place in Germany I'm going to, it should be interesting to see how things pan out.
I just may have to clear the air with this guy after all.
posted by Machine at 12:24 PM
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