Blog of Chris

I started my new job today with Wachs Utility Services, a company that does contracted maintenance for the Baltimore Metropolitan Water System. It was a more adventurous day than I thought it would be, as I figured I would be poking around the IT systems, setting up my work area, and meeting people in the office. It turned out that the new workstation they ordered for me had not arrived yet, so they sent me out into the field with one of the maintenance supervisors! (I was dressed for cubicle work, so of course I looked very out of place with my safety vest on, standing by open manhole covers and sinkholes around the city)

Before we hit the road, I was checking out a diagram of the different pressure zones in the system, which shows where all the water starts, is treated, and is stored for use. I learned a shocking fact today, mainly that Druid Hill Lake supplies treated water to most of downtown Baltimore, including my house.

This was shocking to me because I had always figured that they pumped water out of the lake, treated it, and then it went to my house. I learned today that it’s treated first, then sent to Druid Hill Lake, and then goes directly to the pipes, ending up coming out of my faucets. This is what’s called an “open reservoir”. It just seemed kind of dirty to me, as there’s all kinds of nasty things that can end up in Druid Hill lake. For example: Bird Droppings, Dog Droppings, Human Droppings, Squirrel Droppings, not to mention junked vehicles, dead bodies, and whatever else anyone feels like dumping in it. So that’s that… don’t spit in Druid Hill Lake, it drains into your shower.

I also got a first hand look at something that’s been bugging me since I bought my house in Locust Point. The water here has always been kind of nasty, and has a lot of suspended rust in it. I guess it’s a good source of iron, but it stains the toilet bowls, sinks, shower, and anything else it comes into contact with regularly. The other thing that always puzzled me was that my water service comes in from the alley, while the rest of the houses on my block get service from the street. It turns out, they are all fed by a 6″ main, and my house, along with just two others is served by a 3″ main in the alley, which is a dead end pipe (meaning it only gets water from one source, as opposed to being interconnected in a “grid”) Experts at my new company informed me that 3″ mains are practically unheard of, that dead end mains get full of debris much faster, and that since there are only three houses feeding off of it, it’s even more prone to have gunk build up inside it. Awesome.

This raised the question, why, oh why, did my lucky house and two others get this crappy alley feed, when everyone else got the good one from the street? My thought is that these three houses (mine, my neighbor’s, and one across the alley on Hull Street) are older than the rest, and got plumbing before the rest of the block was built on, which only warranted a 3″ main. Anyway, this is just the tip of the iceburg when it comes to making sense of a 100 year old city water system.

One of the hardest parts of the work Wachs does is actually locating the various valves and water mains they are servicing. This is the requirement for a Geographic Information System, which is based on the written records they city maintains, but is constantly updated with locational and attribute data collected every day in the field. In a system this complex, there are tens of thousands of valves, and just as many ways to lose track of them. As most of them are located in the street or sidewalk, it’s very easy for a paving contractor to lay new asphalt over them. Sometimes shady contractors will dump their trash into a valve vault just to get rid of it, cutting off access to the valve controls. Sometimes the as-built drawings for a new main aren’t right. Sometimes whole sections of the system are re-done, abandoned, or removed, but the records weren’t updated properly. There’s a whole tangled web of pipes, installed at different times over the past century in a city that is constantly expanding.

I learned of recent events in Washington D.C., where firefighters were powerless to stop a blaze because the hydrants had no water, and the valves that fed them were seized…  this  is the kind of thing that preventive maintenance avoids, (also, if you don’t open or close a valve that has been sitting in the ground for a few decades, it much more likely to break when you finally need to open or close it)
The maps reminded me of Sim City, and I now have a desire to play that game again, and actually put some thought into designing the water system.

I also learned today that fire hydrants are tied in directly to the same mains that feed your house, at least in Baltimore.  Someone once told me that they are fed from a separate set of mains that run parallel to the ones that we drink from, and that fire hydrant water was non-potable.  Debunked!  This is why they can hook you up to the fire hydrants for temporary water when they are servicing the mains.

We ventured into the city where a field team was re-routing water after a main break.  An entire street had caved in, slumped about 5 feet and cracked to pieces, after running water eroded the soil beneath it.  It was pretty wild to see what water can do over time if it’s left to run.  They said the erosion was so severe that it was encroaching on the foundations of some of the homes.

Down on Charles Street, we were locating valves for a temporary shutoff that would occur at night.  Our GIS printout showed three critical valves that were nowhere to be found.  After considerable analysis they were able to figure out what was necessary for the shutoff, but this was just another example of the maps and the system not jiving.  There are probably hundreds of these incidents a week, and we use the GIS to correct them as best we can.

It was a long day, and a long blog posting to go with it.  I dig this stuff… it’s maps, history, exploration and a lot of problem solving… and I get paid for it!  I’ll try to keep you posted as I get settled in.

-C

Me, in front of Krusty Studios.

http://www.simpsonizeme.com

“Man, it’s the same bull—- they tried to pull in my day. If it ain’t that piece of paper, there’s some other choice they’re gonna try and make for you. You gotta do what Randall Pink Floyd wants to do man. Let me tell you this, the older you do get the more rules they’re gonna try to get you to follow. You just gotta keep livin’ man, L-I-V-I-N.”

To all 3 of my faithful readers, I apologize for ending coverage of my trip to Korea halfway through. Sometimes it’s in you, sometimes it’s not. Since my return, my days have been chock full of résumé writing, applying for GIS jobs, and not having nearly as much side work as I had been banking on.

I might have found a renter for my room, which I should be able to lock down this week. We shall see.

My friend James Snoddy, who was in ROTC with me at UMD, returned to the area yesterday after over 3 years of active duty, over a year of it in Iraq. We went on a run and got some dinner, and caught up on things.

Ryan, who helped immensely with the design and construction of my addition, is now fixing up his house, further north in Baltimore. I spent some time helping him out, but have realized that I am completely fed up with construction, at least for the time being.

The summer following the completion of my house hasn’t really gone to plan, but all is not lost.

I’ll be at the beach this weekend with my friends from high school, reminiscing and fishing…

-Chris

I was a nasty, rainy day this morning. I ventured to a shopping district east of downtown, after reading that there are underground malls on my tourist map. They were there, but they were less malls and more shopping centers full of private merchants. I picked up a few trinkets and gifts to take home.

I think this is the Bank of Korea’s main building.

This is banana milk. See the two characters that look the same. They say “na”.

There is a sale on Happy today.

Damn, I need to rotate these. The ad at the right says “Pasta Cone” It’s an ice cream cone with meat, veggies and pasta in it. No, I did not try it.

It’s like 7-11, except with a sign that makes no sense.

I decided to go to namsan mountain, the site of Seoul Tower. I can remember going there in 1986, and wanting so dearly to ride the cable car up the mountain. My dad would always drive us there, I think I remember him saying cable cars were deadly.

I took the cable car up the mountain today. The fact that I was the only one on it should have been an indicator, but this was just the beginning of a major tourist disappointment.

It was cloudy and raining… not a great day for visibility, but I insisted. When I got to the top of the mountain, it was another 7000 won to go to the top of the tower. For some reason I remembered there being rides and games up there in 1986. This time, there is just an observation deck, and you couldn’t see anything at all through the fog. There’s an overpriced gift shop at the top and a revolving restaurant (oh, and Sky Toilets) but that’s it… I spent about about 10 minutes trying to see Seoul through the fog, and gave up. We have a souvenir plate of a visit to Seoul tower in 1986, and I look happy enough in it, so I’ll hold on to that memory, not the one I made today!

The fog doesn’t look that bad from here.

Sky toilet = no privacy

At Yongsan train station I saw these guys. I have no idea what or who they are, or what they are promoting, but they looked cool enough for a picture. This one looks like the bad guy.

I met up with Specialist Chris Epps, son of Sergeant Firstclass Retired Kevin Epps, one of my NCO instructors in ROTC. He caught wind that I was in Korea, and linked me up with his son, who is brand new to the Army. We linked up and chatted for a bit, and then some of his friends came by and we got some Kalbi. This was an awesome meal, cooked over flaming coals instead of gas flames! I loved it, and shared some of my limited knowledge of Korean food with these young soldiers.

SPC Epps and I.

Now I’m back home… it’s so humid here, I had to come back and clean up. I think I’m going out again with Eugene tonight, but we shall see.

-C

This is a mailbox…

Hyundai also has department stores…

At the War memorial, they have huge plaques on the wall honoring the UN soldiers who died fighting the Korean War.  The US’s names are divided by state, so I snapped a shot of Maryland’s troops.  My armory in west Baltimore was home to an all black transportation unit that served in Korea… just a side note.

The War memorial building was massive, and included history on military actions on the Korean Peninsula since recorded history.  It was pretty amazing to see all of the different kingdoms and invasions that have taken place over the years, all leading up to the present order of things.

Eugene enjoys “Fried Chicken Snack.”  Actually, I ordered them out of curiosity.  They are corn-chip like, in the shape of a chicken drumstick.  He actually compared the consistency to Bugles.  I thought they were pretty gross.

I was able to get on to Yongsan Army base, but I had to go get into some local database in order to get a guest on.  I took care of it, and Eugene and I headed for the PX.  He wanted Taco Bell, which he was unable to get anywhere in Korea.  After a good Taco Bell greasebomb, we headed for the PX, but he was denied entry with his guest pass!  Nuts!   I got a haircut, and we headed off to the baseball game. Army bases are pretty much the same wherever you go, which is good and bad.

Instead of peanuts and crackerjacks, the vendors outside the baseball stadium are selling assorted Duk, and dried squid.

Even the vendor inside has dried squid in her arsenal!  Awesome!

We got there a bit early and got good seats right in front of the cheerleaders.  That’s right, cheerleaders.  I had never seen anything like this before.  Seating is general admission, and the stadium is divided between the fans.  About 15 rows up there is a platform, massive speakers, huge drums, a cheerleader, and dancing girls!  They get on stage between innings and do dance routines.  When our team is at bat, the cheerleader gets everyone to chant the batter’s name, make coordinated noise to distract the pitcher, and yell at the opposing team’s fans.  It’s great!

This game was the Doosan Bears vs. The LG Twins.  Both of these teams share the same stadium in Seoul.  Doosan and LG are both corporations that own the teams!  My brother told me that there are no town or city affiliations like in America, all of the teams are corporate owned! I suppose it’s no different in America, and the teams are owned by rich people and don’t really represent their respective cities.  Hrmmmmm…  Go Doos
an!

A rack of fish!

And BEST plastic surgery!

Good night!

-C

On Monday, my father took me to see his older brother’s grave. He died in 1984 in Tokyo, Japan. I never knew him, and my father never really told me about him, but today I got a few more details about my late Kun Abogi (Uncle).

Seoul has sprawled so quickly over the last 20 years, that the small, rural town where my uncle is buried has turned into a bustling development of highrise condominiums, almost overnight. The one lane road that led to it from Seoul has been replaced with a six lane thoroughfare, busy with stoplights, buses and cars. This all happened so quickly that the landmarks my father once used to find his brother’s cemetery had all but disappeared. After a few wrong turns we learned that the main road through town bypassed all the landmarks, and the less sightly older shops and commercial buildings were hidden away from the new bypass. There were really only a few easy to miss roads connecting the old to the new.

While trying to gain our bearings in the newly built-up area, we stopped for a lunch of barbecued pork.

My father pours an offering of soju on his brother’s grave. We also brought two bean candy bars, which were my uncle’s favorite as a child. My father taught me the customs of paying respect to the dead, which included deep bows, sharing a drink of soju, and pouring some of it out around the grave.

After visiting Kun Abogi’s grave, we ventured north, towards the DMZ. We couldn’t go all the way to the DMZ, because the areas around it are restricted to civilians, but it was still quite an experience. My father, a big Korean War history buff, told me all about the troop movements in the area, especially the crossing of the Imjin River. Here you can see a sign that warns you to KEEP OUT. The DMZ is just a little ways past that fence.

I got a pretty good run-down of Korean War history, and was able to see the kind of terrain troops on both sides had to deal with when conducting their operations.

This is completely unrelated, but I saw an entire shelf completely stocked with different kinds of Ramen, one of my favorite snacks as a kid.

This is the site of the freedom bridge, where the POW exchange was made after the Korean War. The railroad connection was made more recently, and now trains can run between north and south Koreas.

At the site of the freedom bridge, we saw a display case where they have what’s left of an M1 rifle sitting on top of linked 5.56mm blank ammunition. I am pretty sure that nothing in the Korean War fired 5.56 linked ammo…

Next my dad took me to the site where the 1st Battalion, Glouchestershire Brigade (England) was pinned down and trapped by Chinese forces in 1951. They were locked into a valley with only two ways in and out, and impossibly steep slopes on either side, and held out for several days before being overrun.

Later that night, I met up with Eugene and some of his grad school friends and went out on the town for some drinks. Sinchon is the local hotspot near his school, and it’s full of shops, bars, clubs, and restaurants. With lit-up signs everywhere, it almost reminds me of Times Square.

We got some mandoo from a street vendor in Sinchon.

It was good to visit my late uncle’s grave, get a good bit of history, and hit the town with my brother. Tomorrow we’re going to the War Museum, the Army Base, and a Baseball game!

-C

We got an early start and headed out to Jecheon. We ventured here in 1986, during my last visit to Korea, but I remember very few details about that trip. My brother Eugene, my father, his wife, and I all loaded up the car and headed downtown to pick up my Aunt.

My father’s older sister is named Hwang Yoo Mi. That makes her my father’s Nuna (a male’s older sister), and my Komo (father’s older sister). I had not seen her since 1986! I believe I spoke with her briefly on the phone sometime in the late 90’s, but I am not sure. Regrettably, I was so out of the loop on who my Korean relatives are, and how we are all related, that I had to ask Eugene to explain it all to me when I arrived. As you will see in photos, my Komo and I have similar cheek structure.

This is the elevator button panel. You will notice that the 4 has been replaced with an “F”. My father explained to me that the sound of the number 4 when pronounced in Korean sounds the same as “death”, so it is avoided at all costs. It’s like skipping the 13th floor.
Our first stop was not in Jecheon, but was at a ferry boat crossing on the Han River. Mokgye is the name of the site, and it is here that my father, his mother, and his siblings had to cross the river when they were refugees from Seoul in September 1950. They had to make a 100 mile hike on foot (my father was 5 years old) when Seoul was transformed into a bastion of defending North Koreans. Allied troops had recently landed at Incheon, and were headed towards the city. He said that the North Koreans were digging in and setting up sandbag positions near his home, and they were forced to flee.I encountered this dig living near the ferry crossing site. His owners had made a little doghouse from plastic tubs and a board, and he had a bowl full of Ramen noodles and meat chunks. He seemed a little skiddish, and needed a bath, but he was still fun to play with. I hope to get my new dog in August.

My father, Jon Whong, his wife, Yea Won, my Komo, and Me.

This is Tak Sa Jong, a creek where we went camping and rafting in 1986. My dad says I was too scared to go down the rapids in the raft, so they had to let me off on shore, where I walked… then they picked me up again downstream. What a wuss.

This is a plaque on the front of the Shin Hwang building. (Hwang is another way to spell my last name in English) This building is in downtown Jecheon, and is owned by my father’s cousin, Hwang Ik Chuk. (I call him Kun Aboji, which means Uncle) This building is in the heart of the Jecheon commercial district, which is full of upscale shopping establishments.

The man on the right is my Kun Abogi. This was taken in his home prior to our excursion to explore the surrounding areas of Jecheon. This town is surrounded by huge mountains, and massive limestone formations. The natural environment is simply beautiful, and there are hundreds of streams and creeks making their way down the steep slopes. The windy roads made me long for my TT!
After a lunch of noodle soup, Kal Guk Soo (hand cut noodles), we stopped at a little farm.  My Aunt bought a years supply of Garlic, which you can see in this picture.  They weave the garlic plants into bunches, and hang them up. I also encountered a cow and her calf, who didn’t seem to like me very much.

We went to a lake with some little rock islands, and a few shops.  Apparently, we were here in 1986 as well, but I don’t really recall it.  The scenery was breathtaking, as the tops of the mountains disappeared into the low clouds…  pretty amazing stuff.After a kind gentlemen let me use the restroom in his restaurant, I felt obliged to buy something, so I found some ice cream in a tube for 1000 Won.  I have never seen anything like this before, but it was delicious, cold, and not at all messy.  It’s called “Boy meets Girl” for some reason… whatever.We went to a historic site, with buildings from the late Joseon dynasty.  All of these buildings were down by the river, but they built a dam in the 80’s and had to relocate them all. Eugene is shown here standing next to a guard.

This is a grist mill, which was operated by an animal walking the stone around in circles.  I was fascinated by this, as I spent considerable time studying the grist mills of Montgomery County, MD when I was in college.

Here is a Joseon dynasty farmhouse.

This is the view from one of the relocated buildings.  The Han river can be seen in the distance; the fog has settled in the valley.

I was knocked out for most of the ride home, a combination of Jet lag and 2 very busy days.  It was good to see relatives that I have not been in contact with for a long time, and see the town where my father grew up.
Now it is Monday morning.  We don’t have a set plan for today, but I’ll let you know what develops.

-C

Disclaimer: My father helped me write this, because I forgot all the names of the places we went!

On my 2nd day in Korea, my father took me out to explore the city on foot. Seoul is HUGE, and as complicated as I found the Subway to be the night prior, the bus system is even more confusing. Each bus has a 3 digit number, and there does not appear to be any method to the madness, at least not to this foreigner.

We started out at a little flea market that is housed by an old stadium. Again, this flea market is massive, and there are hundreds of tables peddling everything from power tools to second hand shoes. About half of them are selling something to eat, too. This picture is of a pretty prominent commercial area across from the old stadium.

My father is eating a hottuk, which is kind of like a churro, except looks like a pancake. It can be had for 500 Won. (48 cents)
We spent a little while at the flea market, where I picked up a laminated poster of the Seoul subway map for about 2 dollars. Someday I will hang it next to my map of the Washington Metro, so we can see how small ours is by comparison.

This little creek is called Chonggyechon, and was recently revitalized. It used to be an open sewer for central Seoul, and they even built a raised highway over it to hide the stench. Recently, it was re-built as a park with nice walkways and greenery, and it is basically a 2.5 mile long fountain (its water is recirculated)

It seems to me that everyone and his brother is selling something in Seoul. Literally everywhere you look, there is a cart, booth, or stand set up, selling something. While we were exploring, I came across a small DVD shop, and was intrigued to find the exact same pirated DVD boxed set I encountered over a year ago in IRAQ! Yes folks, it’s “The Beach Boys: An American Band” with BRAIN Wilson. Wherever this thing was illegally produced, it found its way to Iraq and Korea. Awesome.

Some of these street vendors are selling MREs (U.S. Army field rations). Where did they come from? Hrmmmmm.
My father is searching for the coveted Beef Stew. He likes to keep them in his car in case the need arises.

We then ventured to a Central Market, which was completely full of produce, meat, and fresh caught seafood. Here is a tub full of teeny, tiny crabs, about 3/4 of an inch wide! It seemed to me that everyone was selling the same stuff, though they must be making money if they’re still there.

My dad and I in the Wang Shim Ni, central market.

This is Chong Gak, the Bell Pavilion. This was used to call for opening and closing the major gates of Seoul, when it was a walled city. There are re-enactors in period costume guarding the entrance. There are all kinds of historic and ancient buildings scattered around the big city, which is interesting, because you never know what to expect when you turn the corner.

McDonald’s has 4 syllables in Korean.

This is a severely overloaded motorcycle. This happens a lot more than you would think.

Oops, I forgot to rotate the picture. This is gigantic Buddhist temple, with equally gigantic golden statues of Buddha inside. There is a woman praying near the bottom of the picture, and you can really see how huge it is.

We got Mandoo Guk for lunch at a nice little restaurant, and my father commented on how everyone dining there was over 50. (except for me of course). He was making some social commentary about how the traditional dishes have lost popularity, and the younger generation has an affinity for Burger King and TGI Fridays. Interesting…

So, we ventured back home via complicated buses. (These bus drivers do not play around, they are ruthless and offensive drivers. As soon as one foot is on the bus, they are flooring it to the next stop and honking their way through Seoul’s crowded streets. They accelerate and brake so violently, that the only way to keep your balance is to be in a seat. If you are standing, you will be bumping into everyone around you)

Also… there are no public trash cans in Seoul!  If you buy a drink at a sidewalk vendor, I am told you should finish it on the spot and return the can to the vendor.  If not, you will be walking around with it for hours.  Interesting, again.
Tomorrow: Jecheon, my father’s hometown, about 3 hours east of Seoul.

-C