Well i Have been back now in the USA for 1 week and it has been very weird.

I must first thank everyone involved in the last fundraiser @ the Yellow Taxi. I have no words to thank all of you all who helped, gave their time, various lessons and other things that helped me feel a lot of love.

There were A few tears and sad faces at this party and please everyone, I AIN'T DEAD YET!!!



on my facebook, you'll see photos of that night. I thought that the live band was awesome, they played g-n-r and Kashimar by Zeppelin and I loved it. I danced to "Turning Japanese and I just loved it.

It was sad to say goodbye to a lot of good people but please remember, I will see you again..either this side or the other.

Well the next day was Sunday and it was time to say goodbye to my church and that was sad. I actually sang for the first time for the church. I stated that US vets have used this song for funerals and a belief that God will forgive all sins that soldiers have done for king and country. I then sang Amazing Grace. They seemed to like it and after church I said goodbye and went back home to finish packing and breaking down my computer and gave away my TV.

It was sad because my i knew that my time in Korea was coming to an end. On Monday night I went to the Millieaum Cinema near Daejeon Station and saw the hot Korean film and made it my last film review for awhile.

Then it was Tuesday and my friend Thomas helped me get my bags to the Daejeon Train station and to Incheon Airport. I did allow myself one luxury. I cashed out my ktx point card and got a first class ticket to Seoul Station for 10,000 won. It was a great train ride. But I felt very sad that it was time to leave Daejeon and Woosong University.

We waited a few moments for my friend Bryan to arrive at Seoul Station and then we caught the express train from Seoul Station to Incheon Airport. I ink that I convinced Bryan and Thomas that this is a great way to travel to the airport. It cost 13,800 from Seoul to Incheon and took 45 minutes. We all really enjoyed the trip.

When we exited the train we soon found the Korail cart and they transported us and our bags to the airport at no extra cost. I was feeling so spoiled after first class, express and this. I then checked in for stand by and we then went to eat and McDonalds. About 1.5 hours later I received my ticket and said goodbye to Thomas and Bryan.

I then hit the duty free store and went to take the express subway to my gate for the airplane ride. While I was waiting I sent a text to a lot of people and I said.

"See you at the crossroads on this side or the other side." I received a few goodbye and good lucks. I boarded the plane at 1650 and got a great seat.

I watched Cars 2 and a film from Japan about a Star watching dog. It was a nice flight, a few minutes of sleep and then we hit sfo @ 1100 pdt and I had 2 hours to get through customs, recheck the bags and try and make it to the next flight. All went well I did rush it but I made it and we left about 1 hour late but we left and in 3 hours, I had arrived back in DFW and I knew that I was home.

over the next few days, I have done all of the pre paperwork for ssi, va, 2nd opinion and other things. Now I have to hurry up and wait and maybe appeal.

I am glad to be home but I wish it wasn't under these conditions. If I was cancer free, this was going to be my last year of teaching. Now I wish that I was teaching. I hate not being able to work. It been nice to see my family this week and hopefully soon start to see some friends of mine.

I am church shopping right now and when I have made my choice I will pass it on.

I am doing ok but wish that I didn't have the cancer but I will look at what the new doctor want to do and just do it.

More news soon............Mike

Movie Review: The Crucible 도가니 (Do-ga-ni)

What do you do if you have been told that a devil exist in your children's school and that he is a foreigner. Now you are shown a movie that the devil is one of your own and that the school’s principal and teachers, and even the police, prosecutors and churches in the community are actually trying to cover up the truth. Welcome to the film that has forced South Korea to look at itself and to see the real face of evil.



If you have been following the news here in Korea for the past few years you have seen the false claims against foreigners here and the stories that just seem to get crazier and crazier by the month. The only white face in this film and movie theater was me and the audience couldn't actually believe what they were seeing.

For those who haven't heard of this film yet the basic idea of this plot is that “The Crucible” follows a group of children with disabilities who suffer physical and sexual abuse at the hands of their teachers. The audience had a real problem with so-called Korean teachers actually being the abusers.

The film shows the abuse, the cover up, the trial and its aftermath.

Now if you have a child who is special needs, then you do not need to see this film, because you will become very angry. If you don't have any children then I do recommend that you watch this film. Where I saw the film, there were no English subtitles but for this one, they really were not needed.

The film itself really doesn't pull any punches. You will see the abuse shown on the screen and you will see the inaction, the cover up and when the police finally decide to act, you will feel their actually guilt for not acting sooner.

Overall its a film that needs to be seen and that maybe the Korea public will wake up and realize that anyone can be the devil not just a foreign faqce.

Grade: A

ITS SO HARD TO SAY GOODBYE TO YESTERDAY...



Well this will be my last article for Socius for awhile dear readers. For those who do not know, my cancer has returned very aggressively and my Korean doctor states that I have stage 4 cancer and that I might have 1 year left in this world. I will be leaving Korea between the 10th and 14 of October to go back to Dallas Texas and get a 2nd opinion and fight this bastard named cancer.



When I got the bad news, I was lucky I had some friends with me in the hospital room visiting me and after a few moments I said, "Ok pitty party is over!, I want to hear stories about Beer and Girls!!" I thought a lot about this Tim McGraw song and I have tried to do this. I have really taken the advice that my father gave me when he was facing his cancer battle. He told me, "Mike, I will either beat this cancer or I am going home to God."

I have told many of you this exact same thing and I believe it!

I am not angry or upset that the cancer has came back, I am actually quite ok with it. Sometimes bad things happen and we don't know why, we just have to deal with it and pray to God that in the end it will be all right.

Now I want to say goodbye to all of the wonderful people at Woosong University and Daehundae Church who have and are helping with many different fundraisers. I do not have the world to say thank you and I will really miss a lot of the teachers from there.

A few weeks ago a few of us went to the Hanwha Eagles baseball game. Me and Beth both caught a souvenir baseball thrown to the outfield crowd.



And it got me to thinking about my 5+ years of watching games there with friends and fellow teachers. We have had some of the most interesting conversations about many varied subjects from all over the world and the majority of them haven't been about baseball. I will really miss going to the Hanwha games and maybe, just maybe, one day the will win another KBO title.

To the Socius reader, thank you for putting up with my views of what the hell I think a good film should be and why you should or shouldn't see a film. I Have always called it liked I saw it and a few times you, the reader, really let me know that either I was a genius for agreeing with you or I was a redneck hillbilly for not agreeing with you point of view. I thank you for making me on of the few ex-pat film critics that stories got posted world wide. I will try later and continue the film reviews but it will depend on my health.



Over the last few decades, this song "Amazing Grace - Bagpipes" has been a staple of US military vets funerals. I have always loved this song because of the things I did for King and country when I served and that this song believe of eternal salvation can be achieved by anyone, if they believe in God. This gave me a lot of strength when times in the hospital weren't that great. If I do die soon, please play this at my funeral.



I was also thinking of this song a lot lately. I got a bad break again with this cancer and I have to fight it once again. But if this is my destiny set out by God, all I can do is follow his instructions and fight. But I also remember all of my friends who I have met along the path. " I COULD HAVE MISSED THE PAIN BUT I WOULD HAVE HAD TO MISS THE DANCE." is one of the lyrics in this song and I have thought a lot about that. I will miss you and I am hating the fact that I have to leave Korea but I am glad that I got to know alot of you and even better, call a lot of you my friends.

The Dance-Lyrics...

Looking back on the memory of
The dance we shared beneath the stars above
For a moment all the world was right
How could I have known you'd ever say goodbye
And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain
But I'd of had to miss the dance
Holding you I held everything
For a moment wasn't I the king
But if I'd only known how the king would fall
Hey who's to say you know I might have changed it all
And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain
But I'd of had to miss the dance
Yes my life is better left to chance
I could have missed the pain but I'd of had to miss the dance


To my former students, I will miss you. I have really enjoyed watching a few of you learn about life love and soon babies will be in your life.



I got to see a newborn baby when i was in the hospital and I immediately thought of this song. I am a teacher and I am trying to teach the next generation and that they will learn much more that I will ever know. Lord, if these are the times of war, let me face them, i am a fighter, please let my students know nothing of this and let them live the rest of there lives in peace.

please remember this my friends, from a song that I love...

but I know Jesus and I talk to God
and I remember this from when I was young
Faith, Hope and Love are some good things He gave us
and the greatest is Love, the greatest is love.

I don't know my future right now here on earth. I will try and beat this damned cancer or I go home to God. After I leave Korea, I hope to see you again, either on this side or the other. Goodbye to my 2 children, my son and my daughter. I love you both very much!!!



Goodbye, farewell and amen!