The Lost Nomad One of the most trafficked stops on any blogreaders surf routine almost always consist of a stop at The Lost Nomad. A great place to learn about the daily ongoings of Korea, the expats in it, through the eyes of an ex-Air Force blogger.

Q:Where are you from?

I can tell you're not a regular reader of my blog because if you were, you'd know I'm a diehard Cleveland Indians/Browns/Cavaliers fan. Yeah, yeah, I know.

Q:What do you do here?

I go fishing every chance I get. Seriously, I'm retired Air Force, and currently a civilian contractor for USFK.

Q:How long have you been in Korea?

This time, since 1997. I was here previously from 1986 to 1989 (the good old days).

Q:What is the etymology behind the name 'The Lost Nomad'. Is he really nomadic and lost?

Yeah, I'm lost, all right. Ask anyone that knows me. Nomadic, not really in the true sense of the word since I've been here since 97. Before that though, my wife and I moved at least every couple of years due to being in the AF. If we were at any one place for three years, we started getting antsy, no matter how much we liked where we were at. But even though we've been here for nine years this time, we haven't "settled down" because this is just another transitory phase for us. We just bought a house in the states last year so once we leave here, that'll (hopefully) be our final destination.

Q:I see, so you're an ex-GI who is now a GS, am I right? So now that past scandals have plateaued, who do you feel is the champ for worst media rep, at the moment? GIs or english teachers?

Actually, I'm not GS, I'm a contractor for USFK, working in the IT field. To answer the question - from what I see, it goes back and forth between the two, depending on the latest incident but it seems like in the last year, English teachers have been bearing the brunt of the negativity. Surprisingly, the reaction to military crimes or incidents has been pretty low-key in the last year. But I'm sure there are only so many taxis the soldiers can hold up before they're back in the public spotlight :).

Q:What's your take on the future of Itaewon, post-Yongsan?

That's a good question but one I feel I'm not really qualified to answer since I've lived most of my time in Korea down here in Songtan - but I'll give it a shot. I think Itaewon will still be there to a degree because the merchants and bar owners aren't relying solely on the military for business like the ones right outside Osan Air base or camp Humphreys. Sure, I think some stores will close or change (like coin and plaque shops which do cater to the military) and some of the bars may lose business and even close down. But the merchants will adapt as they always do. I believe it's really going to depend on what happens with the area Yongsan now sits on. If Seoul really does go ahead with the plan to turn it into a nice park, then I can see a push to "clean up" Itaewon as well.

Q:GIs and GS have access to a lot of things that the rest of us don't. Most notably, the PX and Taco Bell. But food and shopping aside, what is an aspect of your life in Korea that you see that most other expats wouldn't?

The biggest thing, I'd think would be that the military here gets a bad rap both from the Korean media and expats alike. 99% of the military folks over here are hard working, law abiding, and for the most part, like being over here, doing what they're doing, even though a lot of them are here against their will and away from their families. The few bad apples you read about in the paper (and sometimes on this very blog) and the ones that do hit the ville and get into trouble are not the rule, but the exception. Unfortunately, most Koreans and other foreigners living here seldom get to meet or interact with the other 99% that live and work behind the walls of the military bases.

Aside from that, other things that most other expats don't see or have are of course (like you said); access to the BX/PX and commissary, the on-base restaurants, the hospital, gas station, movie theater, video rental store, education center, post office and arts & crafts center, just to name a few. Our little slice of America.