(Day 83) Hwaseong Immigration Detention Center-day 70 C-13

sit-ups	push-ups	chairlifts
2 x 50 + 100	2 x 50, 40 + 2 x 30	40 + 2 x 30, 40 + 2 x 30

Breakfast	2 hard boiled eggs soy milk bread filled with red bean
Lunch	kimchi some sort of salad with apples chicken nuggets and fish cake in hot water
Dinner	kimchi & mixed rice veggie and squid soup

20 days has to be some sort of record this time. I must be a drama magnet. The universe works towards making me the center of conflict, even when I have nothing to do with it in the first place.

Today started like any other. I woke up, put away my bedding, dragged my ass to the common area for roll call, got my electric razor, shaved, brush my teeth, got my bedding back on the floor, got my breakfast, went back to sleep.

The room supervisor called out to see if anybody wanted to see a doctor, I answered. 2 detainees went home. Castaway was on TV, I watched it.

Uzbekistan complained about someone hanging wet clothes to dry on the clothesline without squeezing them out enough, resulting in water all over the floor... He got into a yelling match with Bangladesh, the culprit. The room supervisor came to find out what all the fuss is about. Uzbekistan told him. Filipino piped in with his two cents. I piped in with mine. The Chinese who walks comes out yelling, pointing his finger at me. I have no idea what he's talking about (it was in Korean) and all I do is read, draw, write and occasionally watch TV. I try not to interact with the Chinese as much as possible. Anyway, Chinese who walks was complaining about me doing something. I stood up walked over to him and said "fuck you." About the only English he understands. He grabs me by the throat, trying to choke me. I punch him in the jaw pretty good, but lose my balance and fall when he pushes me away. He now has the advantage of higher ground so I just cover up until the guards come separate us. The room supervisor ask if I want a room change I'm like "hell, yeah! One with no Chinese!" The only downside is I wasn't able to deliver the picture I did for the Sri Lankan so I won't/can't get paid for it. I sent it via guard express post anyway.

The Chinese who walks is also told the pack up his stuff and was moved, whether to solitary or a different room, I don't know.

So now I'm in a new cell block again and there are less Chinese, but only one less than the 10 I just left. There are however, more English speakers with a Kyrgyzstan, Pakistani and Nigerian joining the ranks and I'm in the same cell block as Rwanda so I'll see him at exercise period on Tuesday and Thursday, which is today.

The room supervisors must hate me by now. In two months, I've changed rooms at least 4 times due to conflict. I only have 13 days to go. I should be able to make it in this room, but I say that every time and it's not from lack of trying. I just don't tolerate fools and I don't like being bullied (or choked).

So far, this room is a little more relaxed. Its got the same strange layout as the last cell-- big sleeping area with no raised platform or walkway, except the tables are oriented with the seats facing the TV rather than perpendicular to it.

This is the reason I know it's more relaxed. In the last room, all the slippers in the common area that are removed when entering the sleeping area, were lined up neatly against the wall on either side of the doorway. In this room, they are piled up in front of the doorway. No neat freaks and this room, but there is still the old Chinese man who commandeers the TV remote to watch Korean dramas. I don't think I will be able to get away from the bawling woman and yelling men-- the two forms of acting range in Korea, until I leave the country. And if hallyu is as popular as the Korean media makes it out to be (if I hear Gangnam Style one more time...), I may never get away from it. There is a hell, and its right here on Earth.

Another way I can tell it's a different environment in this cell-- After the exercise period outside, the Chinese who yells didn't yell at me to wash my slippers when I came back inside nor did anyone mop the floors or clean the bathroom. However, there are at least 5 to 6 Chinese-Koreans and therefore 5 to 6 potential assholes. The odds of staying out of trouble here are not good. I think the room supervisors are setting me up to fail on purpose...

I got an application for a free lawyer so I wrote a statement of what happened and what I would like to see happen and filled out the application. Perhaps having a lawyer will increase my chance of getting out of here in 2 weeks.

I ate the rice today. It was mixed with eggs and vegetables. I was hungry. I'm weak.

The Pakistani explained the plight of the Chinese fishermen to me today. I never really thought of it this way but really it should have been obvious. They're out fishing for the day/week/whatever, never expecting to be boarded by the Korean Coast Guard and arrested. When they get here they have no passport and maybe even no ID. All of this has to be checked and verified before they get send home. It could, and does take months. I didn't think about that aspect before. I never take my passport to work, either...

Tomorrow's Friday. Only one more Friday to go until my fate is to be decided in a Korean court. I hope the fates are kind. I've had enough of this bloody country and it's probably had enough of me.

The funniest thing about today's incident is the guard who asked if I wanted to change rooms and videotaped my exit was Mr. Asshole, himself. I think he sort of envies me at this point, because I did what he's probably always wanted to do-- namely, punch one of these self righteous ajjoshiis in the mouth.