Baduk

One of the things I've really wanted to do in Korea is to learn how to play Baduk, or more commonly known in America as "Go" (Japanese name). I've been pretty slack on trying to learn due to lack of people who know how to play AND can speak English. Many people know how to play, and just as parents send their kids to these English academies, they also are sent to Baduk Academies. Baduk has interested me for a while, but the trouble is that the game is very difficult. Some say it's even harder than chess to master. I have known that there is another foreigner named Dan who knows how to play, so I called him up finally and we played this weekend at the Blue Agave bar. He's a super cool guy, great teacher, and loves to play.

I also have been playing Baduk with my friend Tom from home over the internet. We are able to talk the whole time over the microphones through Google Talk, and play at the same time. It's super fun to catch up on the goings on at home and also get a nice game in. The other day I even got to talk to Kevin Quealy! Good to hear from ya!

On a side note: We posed for this picture like we're super concentrated on playing, but in fact the game is over and we're just counting up territory to see who won!