biffnix

And if you wanted to teach Korean in another country, would you rather teach in Syria, an African country, or the US or Europe?

I’m sorry you feel that way. Cultural exchange programs such as the JET programme in Japan, and whatever equivalent there is in Korea are wonderful programs which promote and encourage understanding amongst nations. And the world can certainly use more understanding instead of less. I appreciate the perspective, though.

When were you there last? I hadn’t been since 1990. A lot has changed, of course. But, it’s still a great place to visit.

lol. Actually, that’s my son’s room that I turned into my mancave when he left for college. I’m just too lazy to repaint it…. :)

Heh. Entirely unintentional (I think - maybe it’s subconscious?). In 1990, I originally ordered a Clapton Strat in Midnight Blue, but it was taking so long I asked what they had in stock, and they had that Frost Red one, so I took that instead. I really wanted a blue Rickenbacker, but couldn’t find one on Reverb that I like (no chips or wear), so I ordered new from Sweetwater, and I liked Fireglo better than Jetglo or Mapleglo. The Ultra Strat - I really wanted an ash body, and that was the nicest color in the series with an ash body. I guess the red theme just sort of happened…

Yes, we chose Spring deliberately, for the weather. While it did rain a bit in Hirado (southern Japan), it was lovely everywhere else we visited. The timing for Kyoto was really good - just before peak cherry blossom blooms, by just a week or two. So while it was a little crowded, it was nothing like full bloom tourist crowds!

I highly recommend it. It is remarkably easier these days, with Google maps for transportation. Public transit is amazing there. I’m fortunate that since my mother is Japanese, language isn’t much of a barrier for me, but I saw tons of folks using Google translate just fine. And the dollar is strong against the yen right now, so it’s a great time to go there!

Because Korea is more developed, I would imagine. And Syria has state department advisories as a dangerous location for Americans to travel. Teaching English is a good way to travel abroad and not have it cost a lot, since they have guaranteed employment in their host country.

The program my daughter is on does all of the hard work in finding a place to live, arranging a vehicle, work visa, all of those complications for a young person living abroad.

Thank you.

The iPhone does have a pretty good night mode, but this wasn’t shot in that mode, as there was plenty of ambient light.

I think this one was in wide angle. I do always shoot in RAW, though, so I can post process in Lightroom. The iPhone does do a lot of color processing on-camera, which I don’t usually like, hence my preference for RAW photos to tweak later.

I debated quite a bit before deciding not to bring my “good” camera. But, as they say, the best camera in the world is the one you have with you when you see something interesting…

Kyoto was great. If you’re not familiar, and aren’t sure what to see, I highly recommend a tour guide. They can show you what you want. Kyoto has a famous geisha district “Goin” which has a fascinating history, if you enjoy cultural history. A food tour would have been great there, as well - but we did that for the Izakaya area in Tokyo earlier that week…

Yes, I’m using it now. It took some flailing at first - I’m so used to swiping left and right to navigate forward and back in Apollo that I kept accidentally upvoting or entering the “reply” dialog by accident. Too many years of Apollo muscle memory, I guess.