Clubhouse Courier See our website at www.GFRA.net

June 24, 2011

Koje Hash House Harriers Host Hash #866 ****Sunday 6/26/11 @ 10:30 am****

Continuing a long tradition of combining Sunday morning Hares and Hashers with Sunday afternoon Down-Downs and Hashdashery, the Koje Hash House Harriers will host their next event on 6/26/11. All are invited to attend the event and a sign-up sheet is posted in the Foreigner’s Club. Have no idea what this event is or what language is being used to describe it? Try

Up and Coming Events:

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Quiz Night at the GFRA Clubhouse ***Saturday, 6/25/11 @7:30 pm*** “Intellectual brilliance is no guarantee against being dead wrong”- David Fasold. So on this premise, the playing field could be almost level at this Saturday’s Quiz Night. The event kicks off at 7:30 pm and prizes will be furnished to those teams with the most correct answers. So, enlist the help of your smartest family and friends (or perfect strangers if your circle is on the thick side) and come out to enjoy a pint, good company, and some challenging questions.

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Ladies Tour of Tongyeong ***Tuesday, 6/28/ 2011****

Tongyeon, a larger city located about 45

minutes from Okpo on the mainland, will

be the site of the coming ladies group

tour. The city offers a plethora of

restaurants, shopping and is known for

Najeonchilgi, a type of lacquer ware and

pearls. The group will be traveling by bus

at a maximum cost of 33,000 KRW.

Please contact Laura at : llh1hll@aol.com

for more information.

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4th Korean Cooking Class

****6/30/11 @ 1:40 pm****

Owing to continued complaints about

the quality of cooking in our local

expat households, the ladies group

continues to offer Korean cooking

lessons. Next weeks class will meet at

the GS Mart in Gohyeon and will learn

to make Man-du-guk, a Korean

dumpling soup. So ladies, spice it up

in your kitchens and impress at dinner

parties with a new menu of tradition

Korean recipes.

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Retrospection:

Last week’s events and goings-on!!

Hash #865 Hits new Heights on 6/12/2011.

The last Hash was held on 6/12/11. Hashers and

Hares gathered at the foreigner’s club at 10:30

am and trekked the trail to the Guksabon

observatory, via the trail behind the fire station.

Upon completion of the hike, the group

gathered in the park for curry and down-downs.

The Hash was glad to welcome several first-time

attendees, as well as a returning members from

abroad. More information is available at the

Koje Hash website at: www.kojehash.com

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On Saturday that dynamic duo, Dai and Mark came down from Seoul and put together another of their quiz nights and prize draws.

As per normal it was a packed house with ten teams taking part. The crowd was fairly well behaved although the occasional excitable scream from the kids’ room indicated that they were also getting the odd answer right.

The losing team whose name slips my mind had left before the pomp and ceremony associated with the prize giving had started. It was a shame because without losers we have no way of knowing how smart we really are.

The winners had thoughtfully called themselves Armadillo’s. As most of you will know Armadillos are New World placental mammals, known for having a leathery armor shell. Their armor served them well as they took more flack from the question master, than N. Korean can muster. This was due to some of their inventive answers.

To be fair, the Armadillo’s did have a section of the OIS teachers as part of the team. It was due to this team dynamic that most people were certain would handicap them. As you can imagine if everyone else was so “right” they would have been participating in the winner’s ceremonies instead of watching. While the night eventually proved the Armadillo’s as the brightest team there were definite, “Signs of a misspent youth!” You may opine, but it was they, who walked away with the good prizes. The school principal, Ian Sinclair who had presided over the team gave frequent nods of approval as the team debated the answers. After the quiz, he sat quietly clutching his new found friend, Jack Daniels.

On another table and a little later in the evening, Ann-Marie, another OIS teacher had won a bottle of bubbly as part of the prize draw. It was a shame there were no champagne flutes as prizes to help her drink it in a orderly fashion. It is so unrefined slugging champagne from the bottle.

Big thanks to Dai and Mark for their efforts and for all those who attended.

Quiz Night Queries Net Big Prizes for GFRA Members

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As there are a variety of accounts the general consensus is that Admiral Lee Kicked the Japanese’s Ass here in the Okpo Harbor in 1592. It was the first naval battle of the Imjin War and the first of many victories for Admiral Lee. The stories range in the number of turtle ships Admiral Lee had at his disposal, but it appears there was a 10:1 advantage in the Japanese’s favor (13:130). I hope you enjoyed the festival as much as the Korean ancestors enjoyed a victory over the Imperialist Japanese.

Yi Sun-sin (March 8, 1545 – November 19, 1598), was a famous Korean naval leader. He is also respected as one of the greatest admirals and military leaders ever in world history. His Battle of Hansando ranks as one of the top four naval battles ever fought. The Admiral, who never lost as single battle or ship, is also respected for his character and leadership abilities. His brilliant tactical mind led the Korean navy to crushing victories over the Japanese navy. As the Lord High Admiral of the Korean fleet under the Joseon Dynasty, Yi Sun-Sin led the fight against the Japanese during their invasion of Korea during April 1592 in the Seven-Year War. He turned back the enemy fleet of Japanese invaders with his innovative turtle ships, and is considered the premier Korean national hero of all time. He was shot by a stray bullet in the Battle of Noryang in November 1598, and died. He was posthumously given the titles Chungmugong (The Lord of Loyalty and the Arts of War) and Deokpo'ong Buwongun (Prince Deokpo'ong).

History is Written by the Victor: OKPO

Great Victory Festival

6/16/11-6/18/11

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Congratulations Are in Order!

Bomi Ryu and Anthony Eccles tied the knot on June 11th, 2011 at the Samsung Hotel in Goyheon. The ceremony was officiated by Steve Horn, a Chevron PRC employee with long ties to South Korea and the Okpo community. We wish Bomi and Anthony a long life together filled with happiness and joy.

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A Geoje Graduation!!!

Recently, one of our younger members, Kenneth McAdam, graduated from GIFS in Sacheon. For the uninitiated, GIFS stands for “ Geoje Idiot Flunked School ” (only joking Kenneth). GIFS is one of the closest High Schools for foreign kids in the Geoje area. Located in Sacheon, it’s no mean feat for the kids from Geoje who attend this school, with their days starting before most of us are out of our beds (or the bars in some cases). Kenneth’s parents, Russell and Debbie (pictured), have been based in Singapore for almost 1 year now and Kenneth has no doubt been racking up endless hours of study time in their absence (yeah, right). Kenneth is also well known to most of the hashers on the Island , although when asked for “a quote about this upstanding young gentleman”, most just laughed and said “no comment”…… Anyway, many congratulations to Kenneth, who is now heading back to the States to study medicine in the hope of one day becoming a doctor. We’re sure you’ll breeze it!

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On Safety’s Side

Typhoon MEARI’s Arrival!

Typhoon MEARI, the first Typhoon of the season, is on its way! While the storm is not expected to directly hit Geoje at this time, we can expect some strong winds and rain from the storm. As residents prepare for MEARI’s arrival on Sunday the 26th, there are two approaches that are typically considered. The first is to put on your ACME rocket propelled roller-skates and disappear like Wiley Coyote. The second is to make like a tree and stick it out. If staying put is your chosen course of action, don’t forget to stock up with the appropriate supplies, just in case the predicted winds and rain turn into an apocalypse. Hence, the following checklist was devised for your convenience by some Louisiana Hurricane Party veterans:

Soju- Check

Beer- Check

Canned Goods (like beer)- Check

Food- Check

Flashlight, grill and Charcoal- Check

Ice chest with ice- Check

Coming from the southern US I often went through this ritual and it tends to bring out the best in people. A good example is the last time I was preparing for a major storm; I was coming out of the grocery store with steaks, sausage, charcoal, beer & other party favorites, when a kind looking indigent fellow sitting next to front door of the store says to me, “ I have not eaten in 2 days”. I looked at him with some admiration as I responded, “you have more will power than me”. I then went to my car and headed home to enjoy another storm on the Louisiana Riviera.

On a serious note: preparation provides the best piece of mind. I hope you weather things well.

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Friday, 6/24

Saturday, 6/25

Sunday, 6/26

Monday 6/27

Tuesday 6/28

Wednesday 6/29

Thursday 6/30

Chicken Cutlet

Closed Closed Pork Steak with Fried Onions

Sweet Potatoe and Sour Chicken

Beef Strognoff

Chicken Curry

What’s for Lunch?

Courier Query of the Week:

Observe the photo on Page 1 of this publication. Do you know where it was taken? The first person to email the correct answer to clubhouse.courier@gmail.com will win one free beverage of their choice at the GFRA bar, courtesy of Travis and Jennifer.