This is my first blog upon returning to the decadent west and my last blog about life in Korea. I thought it would be appropriate to conclude by thanking some people who I met on the peninsula. So a respectful gamsa hamnida and a solemn nod of the head to the following:
To Soupy, first and foremost. As the recipient of an entire gushing blog in his honour already, I feel that there's nothing else to be said.
"'What's that smell' Spot said."
To Pieter, who, in his love of Korean life and his appreciation of how lucky he is to live in the country, puts every other foreigner to shame.
"We should go now, you haven't eaten for ten minutes."
To Luke, for the pints of gin and tonic and the left-wing chat interspersed with archetypal Aussie-ness.
"John Howard likes to go power-walking in his neighbourhood. People from all over Sydney drive there to leave their dog shit on his route."
To Russell, the true all-rounder, for his hospitality and invigorating conversation. Also, for reining in his haiku in my presence and for taking to Joeuser like an anorak to water.
"I've just had a conversation about football with a complete stranger."
To Pete, a great man and a good man, for his boundless joie de vivre. Also, for brightening up Ansan for a certain mutual friend of ours.
"I'll never get tired of the staring."
To Angela, my long-suffering Korean teacher, for all her help and support.
"But I learnt all the past participles."
To Adam, for introducing me to the walls of Suwon and for the endless anecdotes.
"And then I heard Motzart."
To MarkJames, for his unflappableness.
"What did you say to her?"
To I Jung Yong and I Ming Yong for introducing me to jeon and mak keo li.
"Really?! I look 32?!"
To the people from the other stages of my life who I met in Seoul: Angeal, Irene, Liam, Maggie and Alasdair, all of whom left with a love of Korean food.
A Tokyo thanks to Liam again for showing me around the Japanese capital.
Another Tokyo thanks to my sister Catriona for her impression of a proud Japanese mother at the kendo tournament.
While we're on the subject of travel, thanks to Shanghai for being bewitching and for giving me the chance to speak Chinese again.
Speaking of which, thanks to Fred, with whom I enjoyed many trilingual "conversations".
"No, no: 'jin tian tai re'"
To all the guys and gals over in Yeongtong, especially Carissa.
"Your accent is so cute."
To Leanne, for letting me win at pool by thinking about chocolate.
"Five thousand won and it's the size of the plate."
To Michelle and Helen for being good craic and for enduring the Moshe anecdotes.
While we're on the subject of that weekend, thanks to Stuart for making Pete, Soupy and myself cry with laughter.
"g-o-apostrophe-s."
"Do you guys know what an adjective is? Coz I fucking don't."
"He nearly got sacked coz he couldn't spell 'guitar'"
"45 minutes, my fucking arse!"
"Apologise?! Tony Blair should apologise to me!"
To all my work colleagues who had to put up with me when I wasn't always sweetness and light.
Finally, a big thank you to all my kids for their boundless (some might say child-like) enthusiasm. Thanks for the teasing (all of it initiated by me) about Barry Teacher's receding hair, his resemblance to several members of the animal kingdom and his ineptitude with women.
Thanks and apologies to anyone I've forgotten.