The most experience I had working with little kids before moving to Korea was babysitting my niece and nephews. Knowing how to balance strict teacher/nice teacher has been something I have had to learn. You can't give them too much because they will walk all over you, but if you don't bend a little, don't have a little fun with them, they don't get to act like kids. I have found it is a hard hard task to learn how to find that balance. And I won't lie, it has taken me a long time to learn how to find that balance. Now, with less than 2 months to go in the school year, I feel like I finally have that balance. It seems as though the kids are feeling that way too, and here are a few times those kids steal my heart :)
Like so many have said, it's the small things in life that count. The other week, school was about to end and it was Friday. I heard two of my students talking and heard my name a few times in their conversation and James says how much he will miss me, then the other student asks, "Katie teacher is this your last Friday? Will you be back next week?" I say, "What? Of course I'll be back next week. I'm here until you graduate!" Then James says, "No, I meant I'll miss Katie teacher this weekend. I won't see her for 2 days!" I was taken aback!! James is not one to show his emotions often and especially to me! It made my day.
As Christmas approaches, we are doing a lot of Christmas crafts and fun things in class. One of those things is writing letters to Santa. I had the kids write a practice letter, then they have a final draft that we will send to Santa. I was proof reading the letter so the kids can fix their mistakes and send a perfect letter to Santa. As I was reading, most the kids are asking for Nintendo D.S. or Nintendo Wii, cell phones, touch phones, puppies, kitties and everything else under the sun. Then I get to Rain. Rain did ask for some kind of toy, but it wasn't that part that got me. He wrote to Santa, "Katie teacher is kind. I want 10,000,000,000 Katie teachers." It was so adorable! I never thought one of my students would ask for 10 trillion of mes!!
If you have been following my blog you know I teach two different classes, Bristol and Leeds. I usually start the day with Leeds and the second lesson I move into Bristol. Usually when I go into Bristol Ian is on the floor or running around, Danny and Minjae are wrestling on the floor, and some of the girls are fighting over God knows what. But lately, it has been a bit different. When I come into the room, I set my things down and get ready to start the class. Before I can even walk 4 steps into the room, Terry is around my waist giving me a hug. She doesn't say anything, just runs up to me and puts her arms around me! Now, I miss my nieces and nephews more than words can describe but when that girl comes up to me and just hugs me, my heart melts a little. She doesn't do it every day and sometimes it comes out of nowhere. Today for example, I was sitting on a chair in the room close to Terry, and we were listening to Ian give his Picture Diary presentation. Out of nowhere, she just gets up and gives me a hug. She doesn't say anything and quietly sits back down!
Lucille is another on who loves to hug. But Lucille is a bit different. Lucille doesn't always give hugs but when she does, she always says these four words, "I like Katie Teacher." That's it. Those four words. It's so simple and so sweet but it always makes me smile.
These kids can drive me nuts. They can make me want to bang my head against a wall, but they have their way of making my day! They are the reason I'm staying another year and the reason I want to teach when I come home!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
Some school updates
I realize I have been writing a lot about what I have been doing OUTSIDE of school and I thought I would give you an update on what has been going on at school.
Things have been pretty good at school. I can't believe how fast the year is going by. It feels like I just started teaching these kids and now I will have to say good-bye in less than 3 months. With the end of the school year, also comes the end of my contract. My other foreign co-workers decided a while back to leave after their one year contract and travel. They had voiced their decisions by talking openly about where they will be going and the things they plan on seeing. By doing so, my boss knew they were all planning on leaving and it would be hard to talk them into staying for another year. Since I had come to Korea with the idea of possibly staying two years, I didn't make plans for traveling after my contract was up. And because I had no plans, I never talked about what I might want to do once my contract was done.
A few weeks back, my boss approached me and asked me what my plans were. I told her I wasn't sure but I was maybe leaning on staying for another 6 months, maybe a full year. To make a long story short, I had wanted to go home after 6 months so I could do apply to Teach for America and be home in time for my in person interview. I had wanted to stay a full year but it wouldn't' be possible since I HAD to be home for the interview. My parents had a better idea. They thought that instead of me coming home after 6 months, I could just fly home for the interview and still be able to stay in Korea for a full year. I like this option the best.
I went back to my boss and told her I could stay a year and they came back to me with some numbers. Without getting into too many specifics, lets just say I am very happy with not only the raise I will be getting but the signing bounce I will get on top of that. Not to mention the more opportunities I will have to travel. Although staying another year means one more year away from my family, more missed holidays, birthdays, marathons, and not seeing my nieces and nephews growing up, this experience is like nothing I have ever experienced and its something I'm not ready to give up yet.
And even though there have been many times I have been unhappy with my school, overall it has been pretty good. I am always paid on time, I work decent hours, and I live in a great apartment and a great area. There is little for me to complain about.
So there it is, I will be here until March '12, and after that I hope to travel around Southeast Asia for a few months. I'm really excited to be staying and very happy with my decision. Plus, this just gives those of you out there reading this an excuse to visit Asia!
Things have been pretty good at school. I can't believe how fast the year is going by. It feels like I just started teaching these kids and now I will have to say good-bye in less than 3 months. With the end of the school year, also comes the end of my contract. My other foreign co-workers decided a while back to leave after their one year contract and travel. They had voiced their decisions by talking openly about where they will be going and the things they plan on seeing. By doing so, my boss knew they were all planning on leaving and it would be hard to talk them into staying for another year. Since I had come to Korea with the idea of possibly staying two years, I didn't make plans for traveling after my contract was up. And because I had no plans, I never talked about what I might want to do once my contract was done.
A few weeks back, my boss approached me and asked me what my plans were. I told her I wasn't sure but I was maybe leaning on staying for another 6 months, maybe a full year. To make a long story short, I had wanted to go home after 6 months so I could do apply to Teach for America and be home in time for my in person interview. I had wanted to stay a full year but it wouldn't' be possible since I HAD to be home for the interview. My parents had a better idea. They thought that instead of me coming home after 6 months, I could just fly home for the interview and still be able to stay in Korea for a full year. I like this option the best.
I went back to my boss and told her I could stay a year and they came back to me with some numbers. Without getting into too many specifics, lets just say I am very happy with not only the raise I will be getting but the signing bounce I will get on top of that. Not to mention the more opportunities I will have to travel. Although staying another year means one more year away from my family, more missed holidays, birthdays, marathons, and not seeing my nieces and nephews growing up, this experience is like nothing I have ever experienced and its something I'm not ready to give up yet.
And even though there have been many times I have been unhappy with my school, overall it has been pretty good. I am always paid on time, I work decent hours, and I live in a great apartment and a great area. There is little for me to complain about.
So there it is, I will be here until March '12, and after that I hope to travel around Southeast Asia for a few months. I'm really excited to be staying and very happy with my decision. Plus, this just gives those of you out there reading this an excuse to visit Asia!
Gyeongju
The weekend after the bike trip, Jared and I decided to head out of town again, this time without the bikes. We headed south to Gyeongju, which was the old capital city of Korea. It has a lot of history and many many cool things to see.
We took off on Friday after work and a bike ride, God knows I need my workout. It was about a 3 1/2 hour car ride, thankfully Jared was driving because I passed out about 2 1/2 hours in. We got to the city around 1 o'clock or so, and like the other trips we had been on, just pulled up to a random hotel and got a room. We were both so tired that we just passed out as soon as we got to our room.
Saturday morning we go right to it. Our first stop was Cheonmachong Tomb, these are large ancient tombs of kings and noblemen of the Silla Dynasty. These aren't just normal tombs, they look like huge hills but they are actually tombs (almost like a mini grassy version of the pyramids). They are all over Gyeongju but the Cheonmachong Tomb you can go inside and see some of the remains. We walked around the tombs for a while before heading to the Cheomseongdae Observatory. This is the oldest existing observatory in all of Asia. It was constructed during the reign of Queen Seon-deok (632-647), it was used for observing the stars in order to forecast the weather. It was pretty cool to see something that had been standing for so long and to think of how advanced it was for its time.
After the observatory we decided to get some lunch. Now, at this point I had been in Korea for just over 8 months but I know nothing when it comes to finding new food to eat, much less how to order it. This is just one area that Jared does wonderfully at. He has taken a few Korean lessons and he know how to read it and how to order good food. He knows I love the side dishes in this country so he looked into a meal that is mainly side dishes (if you have never seen Korean side dishes, google it! They are amazing)! I'm not even sure what the name of the meal was that we ate, but it was just a bunch of side dishes, lettuce leafs, and sauces. It was delicious!!
After lunch, we headed to Anapji pond. As said in the historical book of Samguk-sagi, during the 14th year of King Munmu’s reign (AD 661~681) in the Silla period (57 BC ~ AD 935), a large pond was dug and small mountains were built all within the palace walls. Additionally, beautiful flowers were planted and rare animals were brought in to create an exquisite garden environment. It is at Wolseung (fortress erected in AD 101 during the Silla period) that we can find Anapji Pond. In 1974, an excavation revealed large spherical shapes (measuring 200 meters in diameter and 180 meters in height) indicating that 3 islands were located in the pond. Anapji Pond can presently be viewed in its near original splendor, thanks to restoration efforts. It was absolutely beautiful! I felt like I was walking around in a dream. (Side note, these experts are from a Korea Sparkling web site, which is a Korean travel web site. I can’t write that well).
After Anapji pond, we walked back to the car to head up to the mountains to Bulguksa Temple. This temple has many different aspects of it but before we could even get into the temple, we were blown away by the amazing fall colors it had to offer. The tress surrounding and inside the temple were magnificent!! I had never seeing anything so beautiful in my life. I literally felt like I was on the set of a movie. We spent a good 20 mins just taking pictures of the trees on the outside of the temple. Then, once we were inside, we were even more blown away. After looking like the ultimate tourists and taking a gazillion photos, we made our way to the historic sites of the temple. Among them were the famous pagodas, Dabotap (Many Treasure Pagoda) and Seokgatap (Sakyamuni Pagoda) are major pagodas of Korea. They were both gorgeous and made me want a pagoda in my house, when I eventually have a house. Jared of course thought I was crazy along with my new obsession with pagodas.
After taking another couple hundred pictures of the pagodas, we made our way around the rest of the temple. We saw various Buddhas and although we weren't allowed to take pictures, I snuck a few. Once we had our fill of trees, Buddha, and pagoda pics we headed even further up the mountain to see Seokguram, or the representative stone temple of Korea. The mountain we were on was called Mt. Tohamsan, and the stone temple was simple amazing. It is an artificial stone temple make of granite. The construction started with Kim Dae-Seong (700~774) in 751 during the reign of King Gyeong-Deok (742~765) of the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C.~A.D. 935) and it was finished twenty-four years later in 774, during the reign of King Hye-Gong (765~780). Seokguram is known to have been built with Bulguksa Temple. According to the history book Samgukyusa of the Goryeo Dynasty (the country that unified the Korean peninsula at the end of the Silla Dynasty, 918~1392), Kim Dae-Seong had built Bulguksa for the parents who were alive, and Seokguram for the parents of his former life.
This temple was built into the side of the mountain. It was so cool to go inside and see this amazing granite statue that was so concealed by the mountain, a person would have no idea something so majestic was inside. Once again, you weren't supposed to take pictures but I managed to snap a few with a little help from Jared.
After the statue we were about burnt out on tourist sites, and not to mention quite hungry. We headed back down the mountain and back to the hotel. Now, if you have been following me on my journey through Korea, you may have noticed a trend whenever I go out of town. I tend to find somewhere to eat Duk Dori Tong. This meal has easily become my favorite Korean dish and it is even better with good company and a few bottles of soju! After wandering around for about 15 mins, we found a Duk Dori Tong restaurant and enjoyed our meal, with a few bottles of soju!
After dinner we decided to head back to some of the places we had seen during the day, and am I glad we did. Anapji pond was spectacular at night! There was Asian music playing and the way they lite the buildings was incredible!! After wandering around for a bit, we caught a cab and headed back to the hotel for some much needed sleep.
On Sunday, we decided we had pretty much seen all there was to see in Gyeongju and thought we should get a move on as to beat the Sunday traffic. It was a spectacular trip and some place I will be heading back to next year. Next year?!?! Next year, you may ask, yep I will be staying for year number two!!! More on that to come...
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Updates Galore
I realize it has been a long time since my last post and a lot has happened since. Where to begin.....
After Meredith left, it was strange to not have anyone at my house, I felt a bit lonely. It was so great to have visitors for so long and I'm so fortunate to have friends and family willing to travel half way around the world to visit me. Nonetheless, after my all my guests had left, life went back to it's normal, crazy self.
At school, we were getting ready for our Halloween party. Halloween is not a big deal in Korea but we wanted to show the kids how kids in America celebrate Halloween. Since the Korean's really didn't know Halloween, the party was pretty much the foreign teachers responsibility. Which was fine, except it's just another aspect of the job that gets frustrating. We are always expected to do a little more than is really possible. Nonetheless we took on the challenge and made a great Halloween party for our students. They all wore their costumes to school and had a day full of games, dances, haunted houses, a fashion show, and of course tons of candy. It was really fun to see the kids try "American" candy, like candy corn, for the first time. Things that are just second nature to kids back home, is a new revelation for these kids. It was fun to act like a kid, and to let the kids act like kids, for a day.
That weekend also brought the Chuncheon Marathon. Chuncheon is a town about 2 hours east of Seoul and the marathon is one of the biggest in the country. Chuncheon is a very beautiful city and the views during the fall months are supposed to be gorgeous, hence having the marathon there in October. Since I was injured, I got a stress fracture in my heel in September, I couldn't run. I was really bummed I couldn't run and it was hard to see all my friends from the Seoul Flyers posting their pictures on facebook. Since I was feeling a bit down, Jared, my Kiwi boyfriend, thought of a great way to cheer me up.....we decided to do a weekend bike trip!!!
(Quick update: Jared and I have been dating for about 4 1/2 months. He is a big cyclist and he's got me biking A LOT more than I used to. He even bought me a bike so we could bike together. He is from New Zealand and he has been in Korea on and off for about 6 years. The bike has been a god sent since I hurt my foot. Jared has also been very understanding of my injury and my need to stay physically active when I'm not running. And he will take every opportunity to go explore Korea on a bike. He also has a car, so it makes it much easier to travel and see Korean!)
Being a newbie at cycling, I wasn't sure what a weekend bike trip entailed. Here's the short story: We load the car with the bikes, drive to a city about 2 hours outside Seoul, park the car, load the bikes with everything we need for one night and two days, and take off toward our destination. I was very proud of myself that I could fit everything I needed for one night stay at a hotel and two days of cycling into a very small bag that hooked to the side of my bike.
We arrived at our taking off city at about 9am on a Saturday morning, took the bikes off the car, loaded them up, and took off. It was a beautiful day, little wind, sunny skies, and pretty warm for late October. We biked for about 3 hours before stopping for lunch. We stopped in a small town at a bibimbop restaurant for some grub. We didn't stop long, since we still had a long way to go, got back on our bikes and trucked on. After lunch the real fun began. Before lunch, we had rode about 50kms on relatively flat land, the route for after lunch was much different. We had about 50-60k's to go before we arrived in our destination town, but these k's were over mountains. I knew going into this trip there would be many mountains and it would be challenging but I was more than up for the challenge. Going up mountains is slow going, painful, frustrating, but so worth it at the same time. Especially where we were! The veiws were amazing! The fall colors were like nothing I had ever seen!! We stopped many many times for pictures, which does make the day longer, but that is what the trip was all about, seeing Korea. Going down mountains is also very very rewarding!! After all the up and up, the down is such an amazing feeling.
After a day of up and downs, we were finally getting close to our destination. The last few k's were relatively flat but the views were just as stunning. After 106k's and 6 hours of biking, we found our hotel. We showered quickly and set out to find some food. One of my favorite Korean dishes is called Dak Dori Tong, (Google it if you have never heard of it, it is delicious!!) and it is even more delicious after a day of biking. We found a place to eat, ordered our food and some Soju (Korea's version of Vodka). After dinner we strolled around the town for a bit but after a short while the excursions of the day started to really wear on us and we decided to get some rest.
The next day brought another glorious day and a wonderful day to add some K's to my bike! We hit the road around 8am for a short 60k ride back to the car (needless to say the 60k's would be over some more mountains). The views at the start of the day were wonderful, the fall colors were putting on a show that weekend. We took out time riding through the valley just taking in the views and enjoying the peace the country side of Korea brings. After a few short breaks, and refuling on snacks, we headed up the last mountain of the weekend. This "up" was much more challenging than the day before. Like I said before, going up a mountain is hard work, but going up a mountain on tired legs is even harder. But like all (or most) uphills, it is always worth it. Once we were on top, we could see mountains upon mountains. It was if they were layered in the sky, like nothing I had ever seen! Also, the downhill was pretty amazing. After the mountain, we had a nice easy 10k ride back to the car.
Once we got back, we quickly changed and found some food. After a wonderful lunch, so satisfying after a long day on a bike, we headed back home.
It was an outstanding weekend and something I never thought I would do. I learned a few things about myself in the process. First, that I can fit everything I need for a weekend into a very small bag. And second, that I am more than just a runner and I can push myself in ways I never thought I would. It was a great experience and more than just something I can now cross off my bucket list. It was something that is becoming a bigger and bigger part of my life. Stay tuned.....
After Meredith left, it was strange to not have anyone at my house, I felt a bit lonely. It was so great to have visitors for so long and I'm so fortunate to have friends and family willing to travel half way around the world to visit me. Nonetheless, after my all my guests had left, life went back to it's normal, crazy self.
At school, we were getting ready for our Halloween party. Halloween is not a big deal in Korea but we wanted to show the kids how kids in America celebrate Halloween. Since the Korean's really didn't know Halloween, the party was pretty much the foreign teachers responsibility. Which was fine, except it's just another aspect of the job that gets frustrating. We are always expected to do a little more than is really possible. Nonetheless we took on the challenge and made a great Halloween party for our students. They all wore their costumes to school and had a day full of games, dances, haunted houses, a fashion show, and of course tons of candy. It was really fun to see the kids try "American" candy, like candy corn, for the first time. Things that are just second nature to kids back home, is a new revelation for these kids. It was fun to act like a kid, and to let the kids act like kids, for a day.
That weekend also brought the Chuncheon Marathon. Chuncheon is a town about 2 hours east of Seoul and the marathon is one of the biggest in the country. Chuncheon is a very beautiful city and the views during the fall months are supposed to be gorgeous, hence having the marathon there in October. Since I was injured, I got a stress fracture in my heel in September, I couldn't run. I was really bummed I couldn't run and it was hard to see all my friends from the Seoul Flyers posting their pictures on facebook. Since I was feeling a bit down, Jared, my Kiwi boyfriend, thought of a great way to cheer me up.....we decided to do a weekend bike trip!!!
(Quick update: Jared and I have been dating for about 4 1/2 months. He is a big cyclist and he's got me biking A LOT more than I used to. He even bought me a bike so we could bike together. He is from New Zealand and he has been in Korea on and off for about 6 years. The bike has been a god sent since I hurt my foot. Jared has also been very understanding of my injury and my need to stay physically active when I'm not running. And he will take every opportunity to go explore Korea on a bike. He also has a car, so it makes it much easier to travel and see Korean!)
Being a newbie at cycling, I wasn't sure what a weekend bike trip entailed. Here's the short story: We load the car with the bikes, drive to a city about 2 hours outside Seoul, park the car, load the bikes with everything we need for one night and two days, and take off toward our destination. I was very proud of myself that I could fit everything I needed for one night stay at a hotel and two days of cycling into a very small bag that hooked to the side of my bike.
We arrived at our taking off city at about 9am on a Saturday morning, took the bikes off the car, loaded them up, and took off. It was a beautiful day, little wind, sunny skies, and pretty warm for late October. We biked for about 3 hours before stopping for lunch. We stopped in a small town at a bibimbop restaurant for some grub. We didn't stop long, since we still had a long way to go, got back on our bikes and trucked on. After lunch the real fun began. Before lunch, we had rode about 50kms on relatively flat land, the route for after lunch was much different. We had about 50-60k's to go before we arrived in our destination town, but these k's were over mountains. I knew going into this trip there would be many mountains and it would be challenging but I was more than up for the challenge. Going up mountains is slow going, painful, frustrating, but so worth it at the same time. Especially where we were! The veiws were amazing! The fall colors were like nothing I had ever seen!! We stopped many many times for pictures, which does make the day longer, but that is what the trip was all about, seeing Korea. Going down mountains is also very very rewarding!! After all the up and up, the down is such an amazing feeling.
After a day of up and downs, we were finally getting close to our destination. The last few k's were relatively flat but the views were just as stunning. After 106k's and 6 hours of biking, we found our hotel. We showered quickly and set out to find some food. One of my favorite Korean dishes is called Dak Dori Tong, (Google it if you have never heard of it, it is delicious!!) and it is even more delicious after a day of biking. We found a place to eat, ordered our food and some Soju (Korea's version of Vodka). After dinner we strolled around the town for a bit but after a short while the excursions of the day started to really wear on us and we decided to get some rest.
The next day brought another glorious day and a wonderful day to add some K's to my bike! We hit the road around 8am for a short 60k ride back to the car (needless to say the 60k's would be over some more mountains). The views at the start of the day were wonderful, the fall colors were putting on a show that weekend. We took out time riding through the valley just taking in the views and enjoying the peace the country side of Korea brings. After a few short breaks, and refuling on snacks, we headed up the last mountain of the weekend. This "up" was much more challenging than the day before. Like I said before, going up a mountain is hard work, but going up a mountain on tired legs is even harder. But like all (or most) uphills, it is always worth it. Once we were on top, we could see mountains upon mountains. It was if they were layered in the sky, like nothing I had ever seen! Also, the downhill was pretty amazing. After the mountain, we had a nice easy 10k ride back to the car.
Once we got back, we quickly changed and found some food. After a wonderful lunch, so satisfying after a long day on a bike, we headed back home.
It was an outstanding weekend and something I never thought I would do. I learned a few things about myself in the process. First, that I can fit everything I need for a weekend into a very small bag. And second, that I am more than just a runner and I can push myself in ways I never thought I would. It was a great experience and more than just something I can now cross off my bucket list. It was something that is becoming a bigger and bigger part of my life. Stay tuned.....
Sunday, November 7, 2010
More Visitors
Not long after Luke and Dana left, my cousin Meredith came to visit. Let's just say I have been quite spoiled here with visitors :) Meredith came the Thursday after Luke and Dana left so I wasn't lonely too long. Unfortunately I couldn't meet her at the airport so I gave her step by step directions on how to get to my place, and she found it like a champ! She was even more of a trooper and came to school with me the next day!! The kids loved it and it was really fun for her to see what my days consist of. She made it through my kindy schedule then she started to crash so she went home before the after school started. Once I got home from work, she had taken a bit of a nap and then we went to get some food. This was her first "real" Korean meal. It wasn't anything too special, just a typical bib im bop restaurant, but she enjoyed it. After that, she was pretty jet legged so we just had a low key night and got rested up.
The weekend was great because we got to spend a lot of time together and see Seoul. I took her to the great tourist places in Seoul, the great palace, a temple, and of course shopping!! It was a long day and we were both pretty tired by the time we got home. We were going to go back into Seoul for dak gaulbi but we were way too tired and we just hung around Bundang for the night. Sunday we got up and went to the Korean Folk Village, and even though I have been there 4 times, it is always fun! Meredith had a great time seeing the Korean culture and of course there was more shopping!
Since I didn't have a week off like I did when Luke and Dana came, she had to explore Seoul on her own during the week. She did a lot on her own and saw a ton of the city. She saw World Cup stadium, the Korean War museum, went to the DMZ, walked the Seoul Fortress Wall, and went to Olympic Park. I was really happy she got to do so much even though I couldn't be with her. Saturday came all too fast and it was time for her to go.
I couldn't believe how fast the time went by when I had visitors. It was so wonderful to have family and friends be able to visit and see what my life is like her. Sure, I can try to describe it and you can see pictures, but it's so different when you get to see it first hand. Once again, saying good bye brought lots of tears. I really think saying good bye the second time is really harder than the first.
The weekend was great because we got to spend a lot of time together and see Seoul. I took her to the great tourist places in Seoul, the great palace, a temple, and of course shopping!! It was a long day and we were both pretty tired by the time we got home. We were going to go back into Seoul for dak gaulbi but we were way too tired and we just hung around Bundang for the night. Sunday we got up and went to the Korean Folk Village, and even though I have been there 4 times, it is always fun! Meredith had a great time seeing the Korean culture and of course there was more shopping!
Since I didn't have a week off like I did when Luke and Dana came, she had to explore Seoul on her own during the week. She did a lot on her own and saw a ton of the city. She saw World Cup stadium, the Korean War museum, went to the DMZ, walked the Seoul Fortress Wall, and went to Olympic Park. I was really happy she got to do so much even though I couldn't be with her. Saturday came all too fast and it was time for her to go.
I couldn't believe how fast the time went by when I had visitors. It was so wonderful to have family and friends be able to visit and see what my life is like her. Sure, I can try to describe it and you can see pictures, but it's so different when you get to see it first hand. Once again, saying good bye brought lots of tears. I really think saying good bye the second time is really harder than the first.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Luke and Dana....saying good-bye a second time
Friday morning brought sunny skies once again. I got up early and went for a bike ride while Luke and Dana got ready for the DMZ. When I got back, we had some breakfast and headed for the bus. We took the bus into Seoul and made our way to the meeting spot for the DMZ tour.
We boarded the bus at noon and headed north. It took about an hour to get the the DMZ. It was a very cool drive up, looking north to North Korea. Our tour guide was a Korean girl and she was awesome! She was pretty funny and really easy going, she made the whole tour more enjoyable. Our first stop was the third tunnel. South Korea has found 4 tunnels that the North made that go from North Korea directly to Seoul. It was these tunnels that lead the North Korean soldiers into Seoul to start the Korean War. North Korea built 17 tunnels to invade Seoul, so far South Korea has only found 4! That scares me a bit.
Anyway, we got to go down into the tunnel, it was really cool! We climbed down about 75 feet to reach the tunnel. We got to walk through the tunnel and see how they made it. It was really cool and a little creepy to know that North Korean soldiers marched through that exact tunnel 60 years ago to invade Seoul. What a strange feeling.
After the tunnel, we headed to the JSA, or the Joint Security Area. During this portion we were under the guidance of the US military. We were told when we could and couldn't take pictures and how we needed to act. We got to see a lot of cool things during the JSA portion but the best part was actually seeing buildings that belong to North Korea and seeing the North Korean soldiers! We got to stand and face North Korea and North Korean soldiers, they were even looking at us through binoculars, it was quite humorous! We were instructed at this time that we couldn't wave, point, or gesture in any way to North Korea or their soldiers. I had to hold my hands in front of me so I wouldn't accidentally point their way. After looking to the north, we went on to a few of the check points. One that we stopped at was really neat. We got out of the bus and stood looking North, we were surrounded by North Korea on three sides! It was a little intense but really really cool! North Korea has some gorgeous landscape and mountains, it's a shame no one can enjoy them.
After all this we headed back to the entrance of the JSA, got back on our original bus and on with the tour. We went on to see the train station that has been built and the tracks that have been laid that connect North and South Korea. It is a gorgeous building and ready for action when/if the Koreas become one again.
Once the tour was over, and we made it out alive, we ate dinner and headed home. It was a long day and we were all tired, most of the people fell asleep on the ride back to Seoul. We got back to where we started from, caught a cab and headed back to Bundang. We were all really tired, we wanted to go out and party a little since it was Dana and Luke's last night here, but we just didn't have it in us. We just spent the night talking and being with each other.
Saturday was yet another gorgeous day but a sad one at that. Luke and Dana had their things packed and ready to go as we headed out to explore Migeum one last time and grab some lunch. They enjoyed their last Korean meal and we headed back to the apartment to grab their things and head to the bus.
The whole week they were here I tried to take in and soak up every moment. It felt like a dream, to have my best friend and my brother with me in Korea, I felt like I was home. I knew it would all end too quickly but I treasured every moment I had with them. It was amazing to have them here, and even more amazing since I didn't know Luke was coming. The homesickness never really goes away when you live half way across the world, but being able to see and spend time with family and friends helps beyond words. It wasn't any easier to say good bye to the both of them a second time around, but I was okay with the sadness and tears because of the time I got to spend with them.
We boarded the bus at noon and headed north. It took about an hour to get the the DMZ. It was a very cool drive up, looking north to North Korea. Our tour guide was a Korean girl and she was awesome! She was pretty funny and really easy going, she made the whole tour more enjoyable. Our first stop was the third tunnel. South Korea has found 4 tunnels that the North made that go from North Korea directly to Seoul. It was these tunnels that lead the North Korean soldiers into Seoul to start the Korean War. North Korea built 17 tunnels to invade Seoul, so far South Korea has only found 4! That scares me a bit.
Anyway, we got to go down into the tunnel, it was really cool! We climbed down about 75 feet to reach the tunnel. We got to walk through the tunnel and see how they made it. It was really cool and a little creepy to know that North Korean soldiers marched through that exact tunnel 60 years ago to invade Seoul. What a strange feeling.
After the tunnel, we headed to the JSA, or the Joint Security Area. During this portion we were under the guidance of the US military. We were told when we could and couldn't take pictures and how we needed to act. We got to see a lot of cool things during the JSA portion but the best part was actually seeing buildings that belong to North Korea and seeing the North Korean soldiers! We got to stand and face North Korea and North Korean soldiers, they were even looking at us through binoculars, it was quite humorous! We were instructed at this time that we couldn't wave, point, or gesture in any way to North Korea or their soldiers. I had to hold my hands in front of me so I wouldn't accidentally point their way. After looking to the north, we went on to a few of the check points. One that we stopped at was really neat. We got out of the bus and stood looking North, we were surrounded by North Korea on three sides! It was a little intense but really really cool! North Korea has some gorgeous landscape and mountains, it's a shame no one can enjoy them.
After all this we headed back to the entrance of the JSA, got back on our original bus and on with the tour. We went on to see the train station that has been built and the tracks that have been laid that connect North and South Korea. It is a gorgeous building and ready for action when/if the Koreas become one again.
Once the tour was over, and we made it out alive, we ate dinner and headed home. It was a long day and we were all tired, most of the people fell asleep on the ride back to Seoul. We got back to where we started from, caught a cab and headed back to Bundang. We were all really tired, we wanted to go out and party a little since it was Dana and Luke's last night here, but we just didn't have it in us. We just spent the night talking and being with each other.
Saturday was yet another gorgeous day but a sad one at that. Luke and Dana had their things packed and ready to go as we headed out to explore Migeum one last time and grab some lunch. They enjoyed their last Korean meal and we headed back to the apartment to grab their things and head to the bus.
The whole week they were here I tried to take in and soak up every moment. It felt like a dream, to have my best friend and my brother with me in Korea, I felt like I was home. I knew it would all end too quickly but I treasured every moment I had with them. It was amazing to have them here, and even more amazing since I didn't know Luke was coming. The homesickness never really goes away when you live half way across the world, but being able to see and spend time with family and friends helps beyond words. It wasn't any easier to say good bye to the both of them a second time around, but I was okay with the sadness and tears because of the time I got to spend with them.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
More Luke and Dana....
Wednesday brought cloudy skies but no rain!!! I was happy we would be able to go out and see things outside and not be kept indoors. After a morning bike ride with Luke, we set off for Suwon and the fortress wall. I was excited because I had never been there and I knew this was something fun for Dana and Luke. The fortress wall is a big wall that is about 5 kilometers in circumference. It was built in 1794 by the king so he could show his respect towards his parents. It also had a outlook on the top of a small mountain where they would watch for enemies. When we got to the wall, we just started walking. It was pretty cool and we eventually made it to the base of the mountain and had to climb a few stairs. By "few" I mean about 100 or so. After we climbed, we kept walking to the look out. There was had an amazing view of Suwon and all the surroundings. We took about 200 pictures from the top, then we continued to explore the rest of the wall.
We spent most of the day there and by the time we were heading home we were pretty tired. Since it was the actual Chusok day, nothing was really open so we decided to make dinner at home. We relaxed and ate dinner then decided to head off into Seoul to go to the Seoul Tower. This is a tower, kind of like the Space Needle in Seattle, with spectacular views especially at night. I was excited to go because, like many things on this visit, I had never been there before. We got into Seoul around 8:00 or so and I took Luke and Dana through Myeong-dong to get to the Seoul Tower. Myeong-dong is a really big shopping area for foreigners and it was really fun to have Luke and Dana walk through and be engulfed by the madness that is Myeong-dong.
We made our way up to the tower and the cable line that took us to the top. After waiting in line for a bit we made it up, bought our tickets, and waited in another line for the elevator up. Once we got to the top, all the waiting and lines was worth it. It was a clear night so we could see all the city lights! It was pretty fun to walk around the top and look in all different directions. We took more pictures, took in the view, and finally made our way home.
We got back to the bus around 11 o'clock. We were all exhausted and we all crashed on the bus. Luckily we woke up before we missed our stop. We dragged ourselves back home and went to bed.
Thursday brought clear skies and great weather....finally!!! I was so happy Luke and Dana would be able to enjoy real fall weather, not the monsoons we had earlier in the week. It was a good thing we had such great weather because we had a jam packed day.
We headed into Seoul around 11am and started our day at one of the biggest palaces in Seoul. Gyeongbokgung Palace is one of the greatest to see. I like to take visitors to this one because once you see this palace, you have seen them all. We spent a good amount of time at the palace and they both took lots of pictures. They enjoyed it but they both agreed the Korean Folk Village was better because it was more intimate and personal. I would agree but the palace was still pretty cool.
After the palace, we went to a small temple close by. I had been to this temple earlier in the year and it was really neat because there were 3 huge Buddhas inside the temple. I really wanted them to see this and we were lucky because they had the big doors open and we had a great view of the wonderful artwork and the Buddhas inside. We also got to witness many many people worshiping. I felt a bit like I was intruding but it was really cool to be able to see that many people praying at the same time. I just wish I could have understood what they were saying!
After the temple, we grabbed some food and headed to Insadong road. This is a great place to do shopping for traditional Korean gifts. Luke and Dana were both really excited for this, seeing as though they had brought SO much money to burn on souvenirs. We spent about 2hours walking and shopping. I had a great time because I love Insadong and my bank account can attest to that! They both had a great time and got their fair share of gifts. Once they were satisfied, we headed home.
It had been another long day. We relaxed for a bit at home then headed back to Travelers for some dinner and a drink. We didn't last too long there either and headed home pretty early. It was a great day and Friday was the DMZ, or Demilitarized Zone. I was excited for that but I was also a bit sad because my time with Luke and Dana was quickly coming to an end.
We spent most of the day there and by the time we were heading home we were pretty tired. Since it was the actual Chusok day, nothing was really open so we decided to make dinner at home. We relaxed and ate dinner then decided to head off into Seoul to go to the Seoul Tower. This is a tower, kind of like the Space Needle in Seattle, with spectacular views especially at night. I was excited to go because, like many things on this visit, I had never been there before. We got into Seoul around 8:00 or so and I took Luke and Dana through Myeong-dong to get to the Seoul Tower. Myeong-dong is a really big shopping area for foreigners and it was really fun to have Luke and Dana walk through and be engulfed by the madness that is Myeong-dong.
We made our way up to the tower and the cable line that took us to the top. After waiting in line for a bit we made it up, bought our tickets, and waited in another line for the elevator up. Once we got to the top, all the waiting and lines was worth it. It was a clear night so we could see all the city lights! It was pretty fun to walk around the top and look in all different directions. We took more pictures, took in the view, and finally made our way home.
We got back to the bus around 11 o'clock. We were all exhausted and we all crashed on the bus. Luckily we woke up before we missed our stop. We dragged ourselves back home and went to bed.
Thursday brought clear skies and great weather....finally!!! I was so happy Luke and Dana would be able to enjoy real fall weather, not the monsoons we had earlier in the week. It was a good thing we had such great weather because we had a jam packed day.
We headed into Seoul around 11am and started our day at one of the biggest palaces in Seoul. Gyeongbokgung Palace is one of the greatest to see. I like to take visitors to this one because once you see this palace, you have seen them all. We spent a good amount of time at the palace and they both took lots of pictures. They enjoyed it but they both agreed the Korean Folk Village was better because it was more intimate and personal. I would agree but the palace was still pretty cool.
After the palace, we went to a small temple close by. I had been to this temple earlier in the year and it was really neat because there were 3 huge Buddhas inside the temple. I really wanted them to see this and we were lucky because they had the big doors open and we had a great view of the wonderful artwork and the Buddhas inside. We also got to witness many many people worshiping. I felt a bit like I was intruding but it was really cool to be able to see that many people praying at the same time. I just wish I could have understood what they were saying!
After the temple, we grabbed some food and headed to Insadong road. This is a great place to do shopping for traditional Korean gifts. Luke and Dana were both really excited for this, seeing as though they had brought SO much money to burn on souvenirs. We spent about 2hours walking and shopping. I had a great time because I love Insadong and my bank account can attest to that! They both had a great time and got their fair share of gifts. Once they were satisfied, we headed home.
It had been another long day. We relaxed for a bit at home then headed back to Travelers for some dinner and a drink. We didn't last too long there either and headed home pretty early. It was a great day and Friday was the DMZ, or Demilitarized Zone. I was excited for that but I was also a bit sad because my time with Luke and Dana was quickly coming to an end.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Luke and Dana's visit
As I said, I would go into more detail about Dana and Luke's visit. So here it is...
It took us about an hour or so to get home from the airport. We got home and they were both pretty hungry so I took them for their first taste of Korean food. We went to a kimbop shop, which is Korea's equivalent of fast food. They both tried dolsot bibimbap, which is rice, vegetables, and a raw egg served in a stone pot. In Luke fashion, he ordered two and proceeded to eat both of them and the rest of Dana's. Once they were done eating, we headed home and crashed for the night. But I couldn't sleep! I was so excited they were there I think I slept a total of 3 hours that night.
Saturday I let them sleep as late as they wanted and I went out for a bike ride. Once I got back, they were both awake. We got ready and set off to explore Migeum so they could see where I lived. It was a gorgeous day and we were able to walk around and see the area.
We got back home, grabbed some food and got ready for Luke and Dana's first real Korean experience....Korean baseball!! We caught the subway for Jamsil for the LG Twins/KIA Tigers baseball game. It was an experience neither of them had ever encountered. The game was another great display of bad fielding and hitting and even more terrible pitching. But the talent factor had nothing to do with the experience of the game. Both Dana and Luke enjoyed the game and the chance to see what baseball is like in another country. After the game we were all a bit tired and hungry so we headed to Travelers in Seohyeon. It is a foreigners bar with good American food. We got some food, had a drink and we were spent. We headed back home to get some sleep.
Sunday brought a bit of rain but we didn't let that stop us. We went to the Korean Folk Village, which is a pretty cool way to see Korean Culture in a small area. We walked around and saw all the sights, then the downpours started. Thankfully we had already seen much of the village and so we waited it out a bit, finished looking around and headed home. Since I had to work the next day, we had an early night and went to bed pretty early.
Monday brought more rain but it didn't matter because we were spending the day at school. It was Chuseok Fun Day at school so all the kids wore their Hanboks, Korean Traditional Clothes, and all the teachers also got to wear Hanboks. Since it was our only day of school that week, we didn't do any studying and just had fun. It was a perfect day for Luke and Dana to be there. We played traditional Korean games, took pictures, and made traditional Korean food. The kids loved playing with Luke and Dana, once they warmed up to them. At first they were all a little scared of them but it took all of 2.3 seconds for them to be hanging on them and asking them all kinds of questions.
It was great for me to have Luke and Dana there because now they can put faces to the kids I talk about. And they can picture my school and know where I go to work every day. It was a long and tiring day but it was really fun. Monday night we went out for some more Korean food, this time it was dak galbi, which in essence is chicken and vegetable stir fry. They both like it but I think they both like dolsot bibimbap better! After dinner we meet up with all the girls I work with for a bit of Noribong, Koreans karaoke. It was a great time and I was happy they both got to experience the magicalness that is Noribong.
Tuesday morning started off cloudy but no rain so Luke and I went for a bike ride, we would have gone running but I hurt my heal right before they came. I was bummed I couldn't run with Luke but I was happy we could at least go biking and Luke could see where I run every day. The bike ride was good and since it was cloudy and looked like rain, we decided to go to the Korean War Museum in Seoul. And it was a good thing we had indoor plans because on the way into Seoul it started raining, and by raining I mean the most torrential rain I have ever seen! It was an adventure getting to the museum. First we had to take the bus to Seoul, then we had to hail two cabs in the downpour. Once we got two cabs we had to find our way to the museum. With the help of the Korean Help Line, we finally found the museum but that was not the end of the adventure. The museum entrance was a bit of a jog from the curb and it was a jog through huge puddles and the pouring rain. Instead of getting my shoes completely soaked, I took my sox and shoes off and leisurely made my way to the doors.
After trying to dry off, we started looking around the museum, and it was worth the rainy adventure. We learned more about the Korean War than I had ever known before. We learned how the war started, why the North attacked the South. How the North almost captured the entire peninsula and how the South fought back. We also learned how the border came to be and how the two countries still have strides to make before unity is possible.
Once we were done exploring the museum, it was still raining cats and dogs. Instead of trying to wait it out, we decided to just start heading home. Since we knew finding a cab would be tough, we just took the subway. It was a bit scary when we went down into the subway and one of the lines was closed because of flooding!! After about an hour on the train we finally got home and it was still raining! We grabbed some food at the kimbop shop and headed home. Once we got home we looked to see how much rain we had gotten, Seoul had got 10 inches of rain in about 5 hours!!! It was like a monsoon!
That night we invited some of the girls over and just watched a movie. We headed to bed pretty early to get rested up for more jam packed days.....
It took us about an hour or so to get home from the airport. We got home and they were both pretty hungry so I took them for their first taste of Korean food. We went to a kimbop shop, which is Korea's equivalent of fast food. They both tried dolsot bibimbap, which is rice, vegetables, and a raw egg served in a stone pot. In Luke fashion, he ordered two and proceeded to eat both of them and the rest of Dana's. Once they were done eating, we headed home and crashed for the night. But I couldn't sleep! I was so excited they were there I think I slept a total of 3 hours that night.
Saturday I let them sleep as late as they wanted and I went out for a bike ride. Once I got back, they were both awake. We got ready and set off to explore Migeum so they could see where I lived. It was a gorgeous day and we were able to walk around and see the area.
We got back home, grabbed some food and got ready for Luke and Dana's first real Korean experience....Korean baseball!! We caught the subway for Jamsil for the LG Twins/KIA Tigers baseball game. It was an experience neither of them had ever encountered. The game was another great display of bad fielding and hitting and even more terrible pitching. But the talent factor had nothing to do with the experience of the game. Both Dana and Luke enjoyed the game and the chance to see what baseball is like in another country. After the game we were all a bit tired and hungry so we headed to Travelers in Seohyeon. It is a foreigners bar with good American food. We got some food, had a drink and we were spent. We headed back home to get some sleep.
Sunday brought a bit of rain but we didn't let that stop us. We went to the Korean Folk Village, which is a pretty cool way to see Korean Culture in a small area. We walked around and saw all the sights, then the downpours started. Thankfully we had already seen much of the village and so we waited it out a bit, finished looking around and headed home. Since I had to work the next day, we had an early night and went to bed pretty early.
Monday brought more rain but it didn't matter because we were spending the day at school. It was Chuseok Fun Day at school so all the kids wore their Hanboks, Korean Traditional Clothes, and all the teachers also got to wear Hanboks. Since it was our only day of school that week, we didn't do any studying and just had fun. It was a perfect day for Luke and Dana to be there. We played traditional Korean games, took pictures, and made traditional Korean food. The kids loved playing with Luke and Dana, once they warmed up to them. At first they were all a little scared of them but it took all of 2.3 seconds for them to be hanging on them and asking them all kinds of questions.
It was great for me to have Luke and Dana there because now they can put faces to the kids I talk about. And they can picture my school and know where I go to work every day. It was a long and tiring day but it was really fun. Monday night we went out for some more Korean food, this time it was dak galbi, which in essence is chicken and vegetable stir fry. They both like it but I think they both like dolsot bibimbap better! After dinner we meet up with all the girls I work with for a bit of Noribong, Koreans karaoke. It was a great time and I was happy they both got to experience the magicalness that is Noribong.
Tuesday morning started off cloudy but no rain so Luke and I went for a bike ride, we would have gone running but I hurt my heal right before they came. I was bummed I couldn't run with Luke but I was happy we could at least go biking and Luke could see where I run every day. The bike ride was good and since it was cloudy and looked like rain, we decided to go to the Korean War Museum in Seoul. And it was a good thing we had indoor plans because on the way into Seoul it started raining, and by raining I mean the most torrential rain I have ever seen! It was an adventure getting to the museum. First we had to take the bus to Seoul, then we had to hail two cabs in the downpour. Once we got two cabs we had to find our way to the museum. With the help of the Korean Help Line, we finally found the museum but that was not the end of the adventure. The museum entrance was a bit of a jog from the curb and it was a jog through huge puddles and the pouring rain. Instead of getting my shoes completely soaked, I took my sox and shoes off and leisurely made my way to the doors.
After trying to dry off, we started looking around the museum, and it was worth the rainy adventure. We learned more about the Korean War than I had ever known before. We learned how the war started, why the North attacked the South. How the North almost captured the entire peninsula and how the South fought back. We also learned how the border came to be and how the two countries still have strides to make before unity is possible.
Once we were done exploring the museum, it was still raining cats and dogs. Instead of trying to wait it out, we decided to just start heading home. Since we knew finding a cab would be tough, we just took the subway. It was a bit scary when we went down into the subway and one of the lines was closed because of flooding!! After about an hour on the train we finally got home and it was still raining! We grabbed some food at the kimbop shop and headed home. Once we got home we looked to see how much rain we had gotten, Seoul had got 10 inches of rain in about 5 hours!!! It was like a monsoon!
That night we invited some of the girls over and just watched a movie. We headed to bed pretty early to get rested up for more jam packed days.....
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Dana came to visit....and brought my brother!
Dana, my best friend from childhood, had planned on visiting me in Korea before I even left. Once I got here, she started looking at a good time to come visit. We decided on the end of September because I knew I had four days off of work and I could spend a lot of time with her. By April, she had her plane ticket booked and she was set to arrive Friday, September 17th and leave Saturday, September 25th. Little did I know Luke had been talking to her while her and I were planning her visit and they booked their flight together. Somehow, they kept if a secret from not only me, but our entire family for 6 months! I can't put into words how surprised and excited I was when I saw him walk through the doors of baggage claim. But before that happen......
....I went to pick Dana up from the airport Friday night and I was so excited to see my best friend! I felt like a kid waiting for Christmas to come. I was so giddy I couldn't control myself. I got to the airport and her plane had already landed so I hurried to baggage claim to see my friend. I waited impatiently for about 20 mins and then I saw her. I couldn't control my reaction and I ran to her and hugged her so hard. I was already crying and couldn't breath or talk. We hugged and she backed away from me and said she had to wait for her friend. I said, "Your friend?" And she said, "Yeah, I sat next to this guy on the plane ride over here and I said I would wait for him after baggage claim." I was like, Okay that's cool, "where's he from?" And she said, "Chicago." We waited there for a few seconds then the doors from baggage claim opened. It felt like it took my brain hours to process who was walking in the doors. I saw his sweatpants and sweatshirt and I thought to myself, 'I know that sweatshirt, I know those sweatpants' then it all clicked in my brain, it was Luke!!! It felt like a dream. I thought he was going to turn around and leave! I couldn't stop crying. I was sobbing. But so excited to have my brother here, with me, for a whole week.
Details on the week to come....
....I went to pick Dana up from the airport Friday night and I was so excited to see my best friend! I felt like a kid waiting for Christmas to come. I was so giddy I couldn't control myself. I got to the airport and her plane had already landed so I hurried to baggage claim to see my friend. I waited impatiently for about 20 mins and then I saw her. I couldn't control my reaction and I ran to her and hugged her so hard. I was already crying and couldn't breath or talk. We hugged and she backed away from me and said she had to wait for her friend. I said, "Your friend?" And she said, "Yeah, I sat next to this guy on the plane ride over here and I said I would wait for him after baggage claim." I was like, Okay that's cool, "where's he from?" And she said, "Chicago." We waited there for a few seconds then the doors from baggage claim opened. It felt like it took my brain hours to process who was walking in the doors. I saw his sweatpants and sweatshirt and I thought to myself, 'I know that sweatshirt, I know those sweatpants' then it all clicked in my brain, it was Luke!!! It felt like a dream. I thought he was going to turn around and leave! I couldn't stop crying. I was sobbing. But so excited to have my brother here, with me, for a whole week.
Details on the week to come....
Thursday, September 16, 2010
What? You're pregnant? I hope this doesn't effect your teaching!
No, I'm not pregnant, but Sheena is. She is due is February so she is about 4 1/2 months along. I couldn't be happier for her since she has been trying to get pregnant for a couple years now. She has waited to tell the moms of our kids for some personal reasons. Since she is starting to show, she decided now was a good time to tell the moms. She had to call all of them and tell them she was pregnant and that she will be leaving in February for one month. Now, when I heard Sheena was pregnant I was so happy! I congratulated her because that's what you do when someone is going to have a baby. I thought this was a universal reaction to pregnancy, well at least wanted pregnancies. Apparently that's not the case in Korea. As Sheena told the moms of our Leeds class, their reaction was not that of joy and happiness but almost of resentment and anger. One of the mom's response was, "I really hope this doesn't negatively effect your teaching". What!?!? That's what you say to a woman who is going to have a child!? I just don't get it! Not only were they acting upset that she is pregnant but they were offended she waited so long to tell them she is pregnant. I guess "personal life" means nothing to these people! Not when you pay as much as these moms do to send their kids to Helen Doron!
Jeez!!!
Jeez!!!
And I do teach once in a while....
I realize it has been a long time since I wrote about school and teaching. I have just been having too much fun doing everything else :) But o-my, the changes that have been happening at school, where shall I begin....
After Brian and Justin left the school, I still miss both of them very much, our class was down to 5 kids. Another 7-year-old class, Preston, was at 4 kids. Instead of having these two classes separate and have two different teachers, the school decided to combined the two classes. It made sense, financially, because the school didn't have to have a teacher for a small class and they were able to create another class, which means more money for them. It also made sense because Heidi, the teacher of Preston, was leaving because her contract was up and the kids were without a teacher. But it also means huge headaches for me and Sheena. The two classes were studying completely different books and were/are at different academic levels. Plus, my class grew from 7 kids to 9 kids, with some very strong and contrasting personalities.
It was a bit of a struggle at the very beginning. Trying to get the "new" kids caught-up in the lessons and workbooks was challenging, but it was very encouraging to see how well the new kids were adjusting and rolling with the punches. Kids are resilient. The Preston kids had switched teachers, books and classrooms and they didn't even flinch. Of course they were sad Heidi had left and they were a bit nervous to start new books and learn new things, but it didn't take them long to feel comfortable in their new class.
About 2 weeks after the classes combined, Bristol got one more "new" student. Amy joined our class from another 7 year old class in the school. Our class is now at 10 students, 7 of which are girls!! If ever I have kids, I pray to God they are boys!! Oh my goodness! These girls are 7 going on 13. They have attitudes, they are catty, they gossip, and they do it all right in front of me and Sheena. We have been one class for about 3 weeks now and we have already had tears being shed because of teasing and bullying. They act like best friends one minute and the next they are fighting over who was done writing a sentence faster. It's been very trying and has taken some creative seating arrangements to stop the bickering and cattiness.
Even though it has been an interesting and exhausting past few weeks, I have really enjoyed getting to know my new kids. They have started warming up to me but I can still instill fear in them, by taking away their stickers!!
After Brian and Justin left the school, I still miss both of them very much, our class was down to 5 kids. Another 7-year-old class, Preston, was at 4 kids. Instead of having these two classes separate and have two different teachers, the school decided to combined the two classes. It made sense, financially, because the school didn't have to have a teacher for a small class and they were able to create another class, which means more money for them. It also made sense because Heidi, the teacher of Preston, was leaving because her contract was up and the kids were without a teacher. But it also means huge headaches for me and Sheena. The two classes were studying completely different books and were/are at different academic levels. Plus, my class grew from 7 kids to 9 kids, with some very strong and contrasting personalities.
It was a bit of a struggle at the very beginning. Trying to get the "new" kids caught-up in the lessons and workbooks was challenging, but it was very encouraging to see how well the new kids were adjusting and rolling with the punches. Kids are resilient. The Preston kids had switched teachers, books and classrooms and they didn't even flinch. Of course they were sad Heidi had left and they were a bit nervous to start new books and learn new things, but it didn't take them long to feel comfortable in their new class.
About 2 weeks after the classes combined, Bristol got one more "new" student. Amy joined our class from another 7 year old class in the school. Our class is now at 10 students, 7 of which are girls!! If ever I have kids, I pray to God they are boys!! Oh my goodness! These girls are 7 going on 13. They have attitudes, they are catty, they gossip, and they do it all right in front of me and Sheena. We have been one class for about 3 weeks now and we have already had tears being shed because of teasing and bullying. They act like best friends one minute and the next they are fighting over who was done writing a sentence faster. It's been very trying and has taken some creative seating arrangements to stop the bickering and cattiness.
Even though it has been an interesting and exhausting past few weeks, I have really enjoyed getting to know my new kids. They have started warming up to me but I can still instill fear in them, by taking away their stickers!!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Samcheok: Rocks, parks, and caves
As small as Korea is, it has some magnificent things to see. After experiencing Seoraksan and all it's beauty, it was hard to imagine what more Korea could offer. Then I went to Samcheok and explored the caves.
Samcheok is also on the east coast of Korea and required another road trip. This time it was not just Jared and myself but two of my co-workers also went along. We left Friday after work and made it to Donghae, a town right next to Samcheok, in about 2 1/2 hours. We didn't have hotel reservations but thankfully in Korea it's quite easy to get a room. We found a nice place and settled in for the night. We didn't get up ridiculously early Saturday morning like we did in Seoraksan but we still were up and at 'em by about 10am. We had a lot to do!
We started the day visiting some famous rock, we weren't entirely sure why the rock was famous but nonetheless we stopped, took some pictures and moved on. Our next stop was a park that was dedicated to a Korean who won the Marathon in the 1992 Olympics. Jared had found this once on-line and put it on the itinerary just for me, how sweet!
The next stop was one of the reasons for the trip to Samcheok. It was the penis park. Now before you say, "excuse me, a penis park?" there is a reason and story behind the park. To make a long story short....
Long ago in a coastal village there was a beautiful girl who used to gather seaweed. In teh distance there was a rock called Aebawi where seaweed grew. One day the girl was taken out to the rock by a man, the man had a pack to marry her, he promised to return to the rock to pick her up after she collected seaweed and he went back to the village. The girl waited for the man but wild waves prevented him from going out and getting her. That night, a terrible storm came and drowned the ill-fated girl. From that time on, the fishing turned bad in the village and rumors started among the villagers that it was due to the dead girl's bitter soul. The people of the village decided to offer carved wooden phallics as a sacrifice in the village to the bitter soul of the unmarried girl. Mysteriously, after that, teh village again enjoyed good fishing. The ceremony where wooden phallics are offered is still held today on the first full moon of the lunar year.
So before you judge, what we visited has historical meaning! Nevertheless, it was both hilarious and disgusting at the same time. And we were all way too immature for that park!!
After we cleansed ourselves of the penis park, we headed to the caves, the real adventure of the weekend! It was about a 20 min drive to the mountains from the park. We parked the car, and made found where to buy tickets. We opted for the cheapest tickets, $4, and made our way up to the mountain. As we were climbing to the top we realized why our tickets were only $4, it was because we had to CLIMB straight up in order to get to the caves! We could have paid more and taken a cable car to the top but I guess the hike was good for us. After the 20 min hike we made it to the top and started our journey into the caves. Words can not describe how amazing those caves were! It was like we were in a cathedral of rock! It was so high and it went on forever! It took us about an hour to walk through the whole thing. There were different types of stone and different shapes the stone had taken from the years of water running through it. They are also known to be the biggest of their kind in all of Asia. They were absolutely gorgeous and some place I will never forget!
After we hiked backed down the mountain, we made our way back to the hotel for a shower and to rest before dinner. We headed out to dinner around 7 o'clock. The great thing about Korea is that you can just walk outside, wherever you are, and find a place to eat within 30 yards of where you are. And that is exactly what we did. We found a great Korean restaurant and had a wonderful Korean meal with the locals. The other great thing about Korea is that even though we are foreigners and we don't really know the language, people are usually very nice and friendly. Throughout dinner we had 3 bottle so beers and a few soju shots bought for us. We also had a table share their rice cakes with us. It was a great night with great food and maybe a bit too much to drink.
Even with the amount of alcohol we consumed Saturday night, Jared and I were up at 6am Sunday morning to go on a bike ride. Even though it was early, it wasn't that hard to get out of bed the next morning. It was a beautiful day and I was excited to see the area on a bike. We were off and running (cycling) by 7:15. We headed away from the city to the valleys and mountains that Donghae had to offer. It was so great to be biking on little country roads and out of the business that is Seoul and Bundang. We were in the valley for about 20 mins, then we started our climb up another mountain (I'm beginning to pick up on the fact that Jared doesn't like to do things the easy way.) It took about 45 mins or so to climb this mountain and it was really cool to get to the top and look down on the valley we were just biking through. And even though the uphill is tough, the downhill makes it all worth it!! This downhill was the most fun I've had going down on a bike. I think it's because I'm starting to get more comfortable with the speeds you get up to doing down hill. After the downhill, we peddled through some more quiet valleys and then headed back to the main road and back to the hotel. We made it back by about 11am, just as the girls were getting up! We showered, got packed, and checked out just before noon. We were going to spend some time at the beach before we headed back but by the time we got lunch we were all ready to hit the road.
Traffic heading home was awful and it's a good thing we decided to leave a bit early. It took us about 5 hours to get home, when it should have taken about 3-3 1/2. Such is life in Korea. I wasn't going to let the traffic ruin another great weekend!
Samcheok is also on the east coast of Korea and required another road trip. This time it was not just Jared and myself but two of my co-workers also went along. We left Friday after work and made it to Donghae, a town right next to Samcheok, in about 2 1/2 hours. We didn't have hotel reservations but thankfully in Korea it's quite easy to get a room. We found a nice place and settled in for the night. We didn't get up ridiculously early Saturday morning like we did in Seoraksan but we still were up and at 'em by about 10am. We had a lot to do!
We started the day visiting some famous rock, we weren't entirely sure why the rock was famous but nonetheless we stopped, took some pictures and moved on. Our next stop was a park that was dedicated to a Korean who won the Marathon in the 1992 Olympics. Jared had found this once on-line and put it on the itinerary just for me, how sweet!
The next stop was one of the reasons for the trip to Samcheok. It was the penis park. Now before you say, "excuse me, a penis park?" there is a reason and story behind the park. To make a long story short....
Long ago in a coastal village there was a beautiful girl who used to gather seaweed. In teh distance there was a rock called Aebawi where seaweed grew. One day the girl was taken out to the rock by a man, the man had a pack to marry her, he promised to return to the rock to pick her up after she collected seaweed and he went back to the village. The girl waited for the man but wild waves prevented him from going out and getting her. That night, a terrible storm came and drowned the ill-fated girl. From that time on, the fishing turned bad in the village and rumors started among the villagers that it was due to the dead girl's bitter soul. The people of the village decided to offer carved wooden phallics as a sacrifice in the village to the bitter soul of the unmarried girl. Mysteriously, after that, teh village again enjoyed good fishing. The ceremony where wooden phallics are offered is still held today on the first full moon of the lunar year.
So before you judge, what we visited has historical meaning! Nevertheless, it was both hilarious and disgusting at the same time. And we were all way too immature for that park!!
After we cleansed ourselves of the penis park, we headed to the caves, the real adventure of the weekend! It was about a 20 min drive to the mountains from the park. We parked the car, and made found where to buy tickets. We opted for the cheapest tickets, $4, and made our way up to the mountain. As we were climbing to the top we realized why our tickets were only $4, it was because we had to CLIMB straight up in order to get to the caves! We could have paid more and taken a cable car to the top but I guess the hike was good for us. After the 20 min hike we made it to the top and started our journey into the caves. Words can not describe how amazing those caves were! It was like we were in a cathedral of rock! It was so high and it went on forever! It took us about an hour to walk through the whole thing. There were different types of stone and different shapes the stone had taken from the years of water running through it. They are also known to be the biggest of their kind in all of Asia. They were absolutely gorgeous and some place I will never forget!
After we hiked backed down the mountain, we made our way back to the hotel for a shower and to rest before dinner. We headed out to dinner around 7 o'clock. The great thing about Korea is that you can just walk outside, wherever you are, and find a place to eat within 30 yards of where you are. And that is exactly what we did. We found a great Korean restaurant and had a wonderful Korean meal with the locals. The other great thing about Korea is that even though we are foreigners and we don't really know the language, people are usually very nice and friendly. Throughout dinner we had 3 bottle so beers and a few soju shots bought for us. We also had a table share their rice cakes with us. It was a great night with great food and maybe a bit too much to drink.
Even with the amount of alcohol we consumed Saturday night, Jared and I were up at 6am Sunday morning to go on a bike ride. Even though it was early, it wasn't that hard to get out of bed the next morning. It was a beautiful day and I was excited to see the area on a bike. We were off and running (cycling) by 7:15. We headed away from the city to the valleys and mountains that Donghae had to offer. It was so great to be biking on little country roads and out of the business that is Seoul and Bundang. We were in the valley for about 20 mins, then we started our climb up another mountain (I'm beginning to pick up on the fact that Jared doesn't like to do things the easy way.) It took about 45 mins or so to climb this mountain and it was really cool to get to the top and look down on the valley we were just biking through. And even though the uphill is tough, the downhill makes it all worth it!! This downhill was the most fun I've had going down on a bike. I think it's because I'm starting to get more comfortable with the speeds you get up to doing down hill. After the downhill, we peddled through some more quiet valleys and then headed back to the main road and back to the hotel. We made it back by about 11am, just as the girls were getting up! We showered, got packed, and checked out just before noon. We were going to spend some time at the beach before we headed back but by the time we got lunch we were all ready to hit the road.
Traffic heading home was awful and it's a good thing we decided to leave a bit early. It took us about 5 hours to get home, when it should have taken about 3-3 1/2. Such is life in Korea. I wasn't going to let the traffic ruin another great weekend!
Seoraksan National Park
One of the prettiest places in South Korea is Seoraksan National Park. It is one of the highest points in all of Korea with stunning views and difficult climbs. Since I came to Korea, I have wanted to visit the park and a few weekends ago I finally did.
Jared and I left Friday night after work and headed east. The drive out was not bad at all and only took about 3 hours, which is good for Korea! We got to our hotel around 11:30 and crashed as soon as we hit the pillow. Saturday morning we got up bright and early so we could start hiking before it got too hot. The day brought clear and sunny skies, which is good because we knew we would have a clear view when we got to the top of the mountain but we also knew it would be a long hot hike. After a quick breakfast and a double check to make sure we had all the food and water we needed, we headed to the start. The hike we did was 5 kilometers and it was pretty much straight up. The recommended time to climb to the top and to get back down was 8 hours, now I am not a hiker but I knew we could do it much faster than that.
We headed off into the woods and stared our journey. The first part was pretty tough because my legs were just not used to using hiking muscles. After about 30-45 mins, my legs were getting used to the motion and didn't feel as tired. We hiked for about an hour or so before we took a break. We found a nice creek with lots of rocks to sit on to have a few snacks and rest for a bit. Since neither Jared or I are big on "taking things easy" we only rested for about 10mins and then we were on our way again. The path was a combination of stone, stairs, and dirt. The stairs were probably the most difficult thing to climb, and let me tell you there were plenty of them!! We would stop periodically to get some water or just take in the views but we didn't take another break until we got to the top.
We made it to the top in about 2 hours, half the recommended time and the views were absolutely breathtaking! We were on the highest point of Seoraksan, the skies were clear, and we could see for miles! It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I could have stood on top of that mountain for hours and not gotten sick of the sights.
We had our lunch and just relaxed for about a half hour before starting our descend. As hard as going up was, the down was actually more difficult. Once again, my legs were just not used to using those muscles for such a long period of time. Going down didn't take as long as going up but my legs were jello by the time we hit the bottom. Round trip took us less than 5 hours, 3 hours shorter than the recommended time, I felt pretty good about that seeing as though that was the first mountain I had ever climbed!
After we got back to the room and changed clothes, we headed off to the beach. We spent about 2 hours napping in the sand and swimming in the nice cool water, it was an exhausting day and it felt nice to not be moving for a while. After we got our fill of sand, sun, and water, we headed back to the hotel to clean up. By this time I was so pooped and hungry all I wanted was some dinner and to go to bed early! Jared knew a great restaurant in Sokcho, the town we were in, that was walking distance from our hotel. We made our way there, had some great Korean food and some much deserved wine. After dinner we headed back to the hotel and got ready for bed. It was only 7pm but we were both so tired we really didn't care we were going to bed so early. We tried to watch a movie but fell asleep about 20mins in. It was okay we passed out early because the next day was once again filled with physically taxing things.
We were up early, once again, but this time we weren't hiking to the top of the mountain, we were biking to the top! Yep, after a day of hiking and exhausting ourselves we decided to bike straight up the mountain. Now, I haven't spent much time on a bike so I was a bit worried about the 8K climb I was about to embark on. Thankfully Sunday brought some clouds so it was not as hot but it was still muggy and humid and the biking was not easy. It took us about an hour to climb all the way up, well it wasn't all the way up but it was a 3,000ft or 920 meter climb on a bike, it was tiring! But it was so satisfying to get to the top and be able to look down on what I had just biked!
The great thing about biking up something is knowing you get to go down!!! The downhill took much less time but man was it fun!! The first time I went down something steep on a bike I was terrified, but the more and more you do it, it gets less terrifying and more and more fun! After we got down, we got some water and snacks and headed out to do some trail running, because that sounded like a great idea! There was a small waterfall about 4ks from our hotel so we headed off after the bike ride. It was a very pretty run and definitely worth the jog. After we took in the views for a bit, we headed back to the hotel clean up, check out and head home.
It had been a great weekend but the adventures weren't over yet. Since Jared has been in Korea on and off for the past 6 years, he know his way around and knows where to find beautiful scenery. Instead of heading home on the normal highway we took a bit of a detour. He took me to a beautiful mountain lake with gorgeous views. It was so calm and peaceful I was grateful for the chance to see it. The rest of the drive wasn't too bad, meaning we didn't get stuck in too much traffic. We got back to Migeum around 4 o'clock or so and spent the rest of the night just relaxing and getting ready for another work week.
With so little time off it is so important to us to take full advantage of our weekends. That weekend was exactly what an overworked Foreign Kiddy teacher needs!
Jared and I left Friday night after work and headed east. The drive out was not bad at all and only took about 3 hours, which is good for Korea! We got to our hotel around 11:30 and crashed as soon as we hit the pillow. Saturday morning we got up bright and early so we could start hiking before it got too hot. The day brought clear and sunny skies, which is good because we knew we would have a clear view when we got to the top of the mountain but we also knew it would be a long hot hike. After a quick breakfast and a double check to make sure we had all the food and water we needed, we headed to the start. The hike we did was 5 kilometers and it was pretty much straight up. The recommended time to climb to the top and to get back down was 8 hours, now I am not a hiker but I knew we could do it much faster than that.
We headed off into the woods and stared our journey. The first part was pretty tough because my legs were just not used to using hiking muscles. After about 30-45 mins, my legs were getting used to the motion and didn't feel as tired. We hiked for about an hour or so before we took a break. We found a nice creek with lots of rocks to sit on to have a few snacks and rest for a bit. Since neither Jared or I are big on "taking things easy" we only rested for about 10mins and then we were on our way again. The path was a combination of stone, stairs, and dirt. The stairs were probably the most difficult thing to climb, and let me tell you there were plenty of them!! We would stop periodically to get some water or just take in the views but we didn't take another break until we got to the top.
We made it to the top in about 2 hours, half the recommended time and the views were absolutely breathtaking! We were on the highest point of Seoraksan, the skies were clear, and we could see for miles! It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I could have stood on top of that mountain for hours and not gotten sick of the sights.
We had our lunch and just relaxed for about a half hour before starting our descend. As hard as going up was, the down was actually more difficult. Once again, my legs were just not used to using those muscles for such a long period of time. Going down didn't take as long as going up but my legs were jello by the time we hit the bottom. Round trip took us less than 5 hours, 3 hours shorter than the recommended time, I felt pretty good about that seeing as though that was the first mountain I had ever climbed!
After we got back to the room and changed clothes, we headed off to the beach. We spent about 2 hours napping in the sand and swimming in the nice cool water, it was an exhausting day and it felt nice to not be moving for a while. After we got our fill of sand, sun, and water, we headed back to the hotel to clean up. By this time I was so pooped and hungry all I wanted was some dinner and to go to bed early! Jared knew a great restaurant in Sokcho, the town we were in, that was walking distance from our hotel. We made our way there, had some great Korean food and some much deserved wine. After dinner we headed back to the hotel and got ready for bed. It was only 7pm but we were both so tired we really didn't care we were going to bed so early. We tried to watch a movie but fell asleep about 20mins in. It was okay we passed out early because the next day was once again filled with physically taxing things.
We were up early, once again, but this time we weren't hiking to the top of the mountain, we were biking to the top! Yep, after a day of hiking and exhausting ourselves we decided to bike straight up the mountain. Now, I haven't spent much time on a bike so I was a bit worried about the 8K climb I was about to embark on. Thankfully Sunday brought some clouds so it was not as hot but it was still muggy and humid and the biking was not easy. It took us about an hour to climb all the way up, well it wasn't all the way up but it was a 3,000ft or 920 meter climb on a bike, it was tiring! But it was so satisfying to get to the top and be able to look down on what I had just biked!
The great thing about biking up something is knowing you get to go down!!! The downhill took much less time but man was it fun!! The first time I went down something steep on a bike I was terrified, but the more and more you do it, it gets less terrifying and more and more fun! After we got down, we got some water and snacks and headed out to do some trail running, because that sounded like a great idea! There was a small waterfall about 4ks from our hotel so we headed off after the bike ride. It was a very pretty run and definitely worth the jog. After we took in the views for a bit, we headed back to the hotel clean up, check out and head home.
It had been a great weekend but the adventures weren't over yet. Since Jared has been in Korea on and off for the past 6 years, he know his way around and knows where to find beautiful scenery. Instead of heading home on the normal highway we took a bit of a detour. He took me to a beautiful mountain lake with gorgeous views. It was so calm and peaceful I was grateful for the chance to see it. The rest of the drive wasn't too bad, meaning we didn't get stuck in too much traffic. We got back to Migeum around 4 o'clock or so and spent the rest of the night just relaxing and getting ready for another work week.
With so little time off it is so important to us to take full advantage of our weekends. That weekend was exactly what an overworked Foreign Kiddy teacher needs!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Changes
Change is mandatory, growth is optional.
Advice my dad gave me years ago. These are also the words that helped me in my transition from living in the states, to living in Korea. They are also words that can be applied to so many things in life.
I have been working in Korea for 6 months now. In those 6 months, I have grown quite close with my students. I have been with them for 5 days a week and I have seen them grow so much, both physically and academically. It is only natural that I have formed bonds with each of them and that they play a big part in my life. About a month and a half ago I learned one of my favorite kids was moving to the states. I know teachers aren't supposed to have favorites but let's be honest, we all know our teachers had favorites when we were in school. I was so sad when I heard this news, I almost had tears in my eyes. He was such is such a cute little guy and such a sweet kid; he was almost like my Toby replacement.
The month before he left, he was gone quite a lot, saying good bye to family and friends around the country. And he was so sad. When he was at school, he was always on the verge of tears and a few times he did start crying. The week before he left, it was the end of the day and I was giving him a hug good-bye and he looked up at me with his big brown eyes and stuck his lip out and said, "10 more days." So sad! I wanted to cry then and there. He was only at school about 5 days of his last 2 weeks and with about 3 days to go, we were walking up the stairs after lunch and he looked up at me and asked, "Katie teacher, will you miss me when I leave?" So precious!
Three days later, it was his last day. We threw a little party for him and gave him a few good bye gifts. I had all the kids make a card for him, took his picture with all his classmates, laminated all of them and made a little book for him for a keepsake. As the party was winding down and "home time" was getting closer and closer, him and his classmates were realizing what was about to happen. Justin, the boy leaving, was quite sad, as was his best friend Ian. I have to say his teacher was very sad as well.
We said our good-byes and I assured him that he would have so much fun in the U.S.A. I will miss Justin but like the saying goes, change is mandatory, growth is optional.
Advice my dad gave me years ago. These are also the words that helped me in my transition from living in the states, to living in Korea. They are also words that can be applied to so many things in life.
I have been working in Korea for 6 months now. In those 6 months, I have grown quite close with my students. I have been with them for 5 days a week and I have seen them grow so much, both physically and academically. It is only natural that I have formed bonds with each of them and that they play a big part in my life. About a month and a half ago I learned one of my favorite kids was moving to the states. I know teachers aren't supposed to have favorites but let's be honest, we all know our teachers had favorites when we were in school. I was so sad when I heard this news, I almost had tears in my eyes. He was such is such a cute little guy and such a sweet kid; he was almost like my Toby replacement.
The month before he left, he was gone quite a lot, saying good bye to family and friends around the country. And he was so sad. When he was at school, he was always on the verge of tears and a few times he did start crying. The week before he left, it was the end of the day and I was giving him a hug good-bye and he looked up at me with his big brown eyes and stuck his lip out and said, "10 more days." So sad! I wanted to cry then and there. He was only at school about 5 days of his last 2 weeks and with about 3 days to go, we were walking up the stairs after lunch and he looked up at me and asked, "Katie teacher, will you miss me when I leave?" So precious!
Three days later, it was his last day. We threw a little party for him and gave him a few good bye gifts. I had all the kids make a card for him, took his picture with all his classmates, laminated all of them and made a little book for him for a keepsake. As the party was winding down and "home time" was getting closer and closer, him and his classmates were realizing what was about to happen. Justin, the boy leaving, was quite sad, as was his best friend Ian. I have to say his teacher was very sad as well.
We said our good-byes and I assured him that he would have so much fun in the U.S.A. I will miss Justin but like the saying goes, change is mandatory, growth is optional.
Islands, Caves, and our last days in Thailand...Part III
Thursday started bright and early for us. This was our day for our island tour. We signed up for a full day of snorkeling, kayaking, and island hopping. We had our expectations set quite high, we had heard nothing but great things about the sights we would see on this boat trip, turns out we may have had those sights set too high.
We boarded the boat at 8:00am and were under the impression it was an hour and a half boat ride to the cluster of 40 islands for some snorkeling and kayaking. The boat took off around 8:30 with about 40 of us on board. It was moving quite slow and I thought it was going to be a long hour and a half. The views were gorgeous but I was just so anxious to get to the islands. Luckily, the 6 of us girls are quite outgoing and were quick to make friends with a wonderful French couple. They were there on holiday and they were a joy to talk to. And the husband made it his priority to get his picture with every one of us. Any other place I would have thought he was a creepy old guy but not in Thailand, and not on that boat.
And thankfully we had that couple to entertain us because our hour and a half boat ride was really about two and a half hours! As we got closer and closer to the islands, we got more and more excited. The views were already spectacular and I couldn't wait to get to shore and see it up close. The water was a gorgeous blue and the islands were absolutely beautiful.
We finally made it close to shore and they started unloading the kayaks for those who wanted to kayak. Diane and I were the only ones in our group of 6 who wanted to do this, so we got our life jackets and got ready to go. They threw the boat in the water for us and off we went. We didn't paddle that far but we went to this wonderful island where we got about 10 mins to look around and take pictures. It was beautiful and I felt like I was in a movie. After the 10 mins we got back in the boats and paddled to another beach. On the way, we paddled through a few "caves", which was really cool. We made it to another beach where those who had not kayaked were waiting. We were able to go swim and relax for about 20 mins before we got back on the big boat to eat lunch and go to the next beach to go snorkeling.
During lunch, we made our way over to the snorkeling beach. It was at this point that I was a bit disappointed. I had envisioned the snorkeling would be at a more remote island where there were little to no people. Boy was I wrong. We pulled up to the island and instead of it looking like an abandoned island of bliss, it was more populated than Mall of America at Christmas time. We got to shore and found some place in the shade to lay our stuff and relax. Before we even tried to go snorkeling, we talked to a few other foreigners on the beach and heard the snorkeling about as exciting as watching paint dry. So, instead of boring ourselves with looking at sand through goggles, we decided to venture off on our own. We heard there was a pretty cool cave to check out just up the beach so we decided to check it out. We headed up the beach and found the path to the caves. It wasn't an easy climb but it wasn't far and in about 20 mins we were in the cave. It was well worth the climb!! I'm not sure what kind of stone it was, but it looked a bit like huge icicles stacked on top of each other. I climbed a bit more into the caves and made it to a spot that looked up out the top and to the sky. I felt like I was in a National Geographic special. It was no doubt one of the highlights of the trip.
After the climb through the caves it was time to head home. We got our stuff together and loaded the boat one last time. It was again a long ride home but we filled the time by singing to Lindsey's iPod, which I'm sure all the other passengers loved.
We got back to Koh Samui around 5pm and we were taken back to our hotel. It was a long and tiring day but in the end, the sights and memories were well worth the trip.
The last two days on the island were pretty low key. We spent Friday lounging around on the beach and enjoying our last full day in paradise. We had a great last night in Thailand but we were all ready to go home.
Saturday brought clouds and a bit of rain. Even though rain on vacation is always a downer, we were very lucky with the weather during the week so we were okay with the gloominess. We spent the day relaxing and spending the Thai Bhat we had left as to not bring any home. We enjoyed one last meal of street food and packed our bags, ready to head to the airport. Our flight was at 10pm so we caught a cab around 8pm and said good-bye to the sun and surf we had enjoyed the past week.
Our flights home were long and tiring but we got back home safe and sound. Living on island time for a week made it a bit challenging to get back to real life. Work that Monday was a struggle. Getting back into the swing of things is always difficult, but even more so after escaping to a tropical island.
I am proud to say I now have two more country stamps on my passport. Slowly but surely it is getting filled. Traveling is addicting.
We boarded the boat at 8:00am and were under the impression it was an hour and a half boat ride to the cluster of 40 islands for some snorkeling and kayaking. The boat took off around 8:30 with about 40 of us on board. It was moving quite slow and I thought it was going to be a long hour and a half. The views were gorgeous but I was just so anxious to get to the islands. Luckily, the 6 of us girls are quite outgoing and were quick to make friends with a wonderful French couple. They were there on holiday and they were a joy to talk to. And the husband made it his priority to get his picture with every one of us. Any other place I would have thought he was a creepy old guy but not in Thailand, and not on that boat.
And thankfully we had that couple to entertain us because our hour and a half boat ride was really about two and a half hours! As we got closer and closer to the islands, we got more and more excited. The views were already spectacular and I couldn't wait to get to shore and see it up close. The water was a gorgeous blue and the islands were absolutely beautiful.
We finally made it close to shore and they started unloading the kayaks for those who wanted to kayak. Diane and I were the only ones in our group of 6 who wanted to do this, so we got our life jackets and got ready to go. They threw the boat in the water for us and off we went. We didn't paddle that far but we went to this wonderful island where we got about 10 mins to look around and take pictures. It was beautiful and I felt like I was in a movie. After the 10 mins we got back in the boats and paddled to another beach. On the way, we paddled through a few "caves", which was really cool. We made it to another beach where those who had not kayaked were waiting. We were able to go swim and relax for about 20 mins before we got back on the big boat to eat lunch and go to the next beach to go snorkeling.
During lunch, we made our way over to the snorkeling beach. It was at this point that I was a bit disappointed. I had envisioned the snorkeling would be at a more remote island where there were little to no people. Boy was I wrong. We pulled up to the island and instead of it looking like an abandoned island of bliss, it was more populated than Mall of America at Christmas time. We got to shore and found some place in the shade to lay our stuff and relax. Before we even tried to go snorkeling, we talked to a few other foreigners on the beach and heard the snorkeling about as exciting as watching paint dry. So, instead of boring ourselves with looking at sand through goggles, we decided to venture off on our own. We heard there was a pretty cool cave to check out just up the beach so we decided to check it out. We headed up the beach and found the path to the caves. It wasn't an easy climb but it wasn't far and in about 20 mins we were in the cave. It was well worth the climb!! I'm not sure what kind of stone it was, but it looked a bit like huge icicles stacked on top of each other. I climbed a bit more into the caves and made it to a spot that looked up out the top and to the sky. I felt like I was in a National Geographic special. It was no doubt one of the highlights of the trip.
After the climb through the caves it was time to head home. We got our stuff together and loaded the boat one last time. It was again a long ride home but we filled the time by singing to Lindsey's iPod, which I'm sure all the other passengers loved.
We got back to Koh Samui around 5pm and we were taken back to our hotel. It was a long and tiring day but in the end, the sights and memories were well worth the trip.
The last two days on the island were pretty low key. We spent Friday lounging around on the beach and enjoying our last full day in paradise. We had a great last night in Thailand but we were all ready to go home.
Saturday brought clouds and a bit of rain. Even though rain on vacation is always a downer, we were very lucky with the weather during the week so we were okay with the gloominess. We spent the day relaxing and spending the Thai Bhat we had left as to not bring any home. We enjoyed one last meal of street food and packed our bags, ready to head to the airport. Our flight was at 10pm so we caught a cab around 8pm and said good-bye to the sun and surf we had enjoyed the past week.
Our flights home were long and tiring but we got back home safe and sound. Living on island time for a week made it a bit challenging to get back to real life. Work that Monday was a struggle. Getting back into the swing of things is always difficult, but even more so after escaping to a tropical island.
I am proud to say I now have two more country stamps on my passport. Slowly but surely it is getting filled. Traveling is addicting.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Motor Scooters...Thailand Part II
The third day in Thailand started just like every other day in Thailand, with an early morning run. I get up and run every morning before work in Korea, but there was just something so satisfying about getting up to run in Thailand. Maybe it was because I knew the rest of my day would be filled with relaxation and not kids asking me, "teacher, page what?" all day, but whatever the reason, it was wonderful.
After my run and fresh fruit breakfast, we resumed our positions in the sun on our beach chairs, staring at the Gulf of Thailand. After about 4 hours of sun bathing and switching between swimming in the infinity pool and the gulf, we decided to rent some motor scooters and explore the island of Koh Samui. We rented the scooters for 24 hours, and it was pretty cheap, but not all of us wanted to ride on our own. Brandy and I decided to split the cost and ride on one together. This seemed like a great idea at the time, save a bit of money and still have some fun, but neither one of us had ever driven one of these before, and now we were driving with someone else on the bike with us. I'm not sure how we missed the huge "DISASTER" warning written all over this idea, but even if we had seen it we probably would have chosen to ignore it.
Before we hit the open road, we each had a few practice runs. It went pretty well but I did not feel very comfortable driving with someone on the back. Never the less, Brandy fearlessly hopped on the back and off we went. Oh, I almost forgot to mention, in Thailand they drive on the left hand side of the road-made the trip a bit more interesting. We made our way out of the hotel parking lot and on to the Lamai walking street. We maneuvered our way through people and other moving vehicles, just a tad frighting, and made our way to the main road. To get to the main road, you have to go up a somewhat big hill and make a left onto the main road. This sounds easy enough, but when you don't' really know how to drive a motor scooter and when you have someone riding on the back, this is quite difficult. As we were climbing the hill and making our way to the intersection, we had to stop and wait for traffic. As I stopped, or tried to stop, I lost control of the scooter and we fell over. Luckily we weren't going very fast so the bike just fell over, unluckily the exhaust pipe fell right on Brandy's leg! I felt horrible!! She had a huge burn mark on her leg and she was in a bit of pain. She took it like a champ though, and continued on as we made our way to some sights around the island.
It was so great being able to explore the island on our own. We spent the rest of the day traveling around discovering new beaches and quite little coves that we would never see on a scheduled tour. The places we found were very peaceful, such a change from the beach we were staying on. And as we made our way from place to place, the landscape of palm tree mountains made me feel as if I was driving in a movie.
After about 3 hours of riding and exploring, we decided to head back since it was getting dark. We had only made it to the south part of the island and there was so much more to see on the north side. We had only rented the scooters for one day, we we had to have them returned by 1pm the next day, unless we rented them for another day....
When we got up the next day, and after my run, I decided I was not ready to give up my scooter just yet. So Hayley and I rented our scooters for another day so we could explore the north part of the island. After my much needed relaxation on the beach, well maybe "much needed" is taking it a bit far, we headed back out on the bikes (I think it can go without saying that Brandy was finished with the scooters). We wanted to check out Chawang beach. Lamai and Chawang were the two big beaches on Samui. We chose to stay on Lamai because it was more low key than Chawang and we wanted to have some quite and relaxation on our vacation. Even so, we wanted to check it out.
We made a few stops before we actually got to Chawang. We stopped at the Big Buddha Statue, which is exactly what it sounds like, a huge gold statue of Buddha. It was really cool, but it was clear it was just made for tourists and not an actual place people worshiped. After Big Buddha, we head to the beach. It was very pretty and the water was a beautiful shade of blue, but I thought our beach was more beautiful and I was very happy we had chosen to stay on Lamai. After we checked out the beach, we started making our way home. We rode back right along the coast, and I would have to say this was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip. We stopped twice on the way home to see the gorgeous views of the island. We found another cove and stopped to take some pictures. The views made me speechless, which is hard to do! The water was crystal clear and three different shades of green and blue. The mountains were over flowing with palm trees and the sand was so white it looked like someone bleached the beach. The contrast of all the colors reflecting off each other was like nothing I had ever seen.
As I stood there, trying to take it all in, it was hard to realize that this was my life. I was standing in paradise. We took a few more pictures, the pictures couldn't capture the beauty of that place, and we made our way back to the scooters.
After we arrived back to the hotel, we parked our bikes and made our way back down to the beach. We swam a bit more, then headed into our rooms to shower and get ready for dinner.
Even though I had already rode an elephant and fed a baby tiger, and I knew I had more adventures like snorkeling and kayaking in front of me on this vacation, I would say that this day was my favorite part of the trip. The freedom of the scooters is something you can't get on a guided tour and the sights I saw is something I will never forget.
That being said, the next day was another adventure in itself......
After my run and fresh fruit breakfast, we resumed our positions in the sun on our beach chairs, staring at the Gulf of Thailand. After about 4 hours of sun bathing and switching between swimming in the infinity pool and the gulf, we decided to rent some motor scooters and explore the island of Koh Samui. We rented the scooters for 24 hours, and it was pretty cheap, but not all of us wanted to ride on our own. Brandy and I decided to split the cost and ride on one together. This seemed like a great idea at the time, save a bit of money and still have some fun, but neither one of us had ever driven one of these before, and now we were driving with someone else on the bike with us. I'm not sure how we missed the huge "DISASTER" warning written all over this idea, but even if we had seen it we probably would have chosen to ignore it.
Before we hit the open road, we each had a few practice runs. It went pretty well but I did not feel very comfortable driving with someone on the back. Never the less, Brandy fearlessly hopped on the back and off we went. Oh, I almost forgot to mention, in Thailand they drive on the left hand side of the road-made the trip a bit more interesting. We made our way out of the hotel parking lot and on to the Lamai walking street. We maneuvered our way through people and other moving vehicles, just a tad frighting, and made our way to the main road. To get to the main road, you have to go up a somewhat big hill and make a left onto the main road. This sounds easy enough, but when you don't' really know how to drive a motor scooter and when you have someone riding on the back, this is quite difficult. As we were climbing the hill and making our way to the intersection, we had to stop and wait for traffic. As I stopped, or tried to stop, I lost control of the scooter and we fell over. Luckily we weren't going very fast so the bike just fell over, unluckily the exhaust pipe fell right on Brandy's leg! I felt horrible!! She had a huge burn mark on her leg and she was in a bit of pain. She took it like a champ though, and continued on as we made our way to some sights around the island.
It was so great being able to explore the island on our own. We spent the rest of the day traveling around discovering new beaches and quite little coves that we would never see on a scheduled tour. The places we found were very peaceful, such a change from the beach we were staying on. And as we made our way from place to place, the landscape of palm tree mountains made me feel as if I was driving in a movie.
After about 3 hours of riding and exploring, we decided to head back since it was getting dark. We had only made it to the south part of the island and there was so much more to see on the north side. We had only rented the scooters for one day, we we had to have them returned by 1pm the next day, unless we rented them for another day....
When we got up the next day, and after my run, I decided I was not ready to give up my scooter just yet. So Hayley and I rented our scooters for another day so we could explore the north part of the island. After my much needed relaxation on the beach, well maybe "much needed" is taking it a bit far, we headed back out on the bikes (I think it can go without saying that Brandy was finished with the scooters). We wanted to check out Chawang beach. Lamai and Chawang were the two big beaches on Samui. We chose to stay on Lamai because it was more low key than Chawang and we wanted to have some quite and relaxation on our vacation. Even so, we wanted to check it out.
We made a few stops before we actually got to Chawang. We stopped at the Big Buddha Statue, which is exactly what it sounds like, a huge gold statue of Buddha. It was really cool, but it was clear it was just made for tourists and not an actual place people worshiped. After Big Buddha, we head to the beach. It was very pretty and the water was a beautiful shade of blue, but I thought our beach was more beautiful and I was very happy we had chosen to stay on Lamai. After we checked out the beach, we started making our way home. We rode back right along the coast, and I would have to say this was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip. We stopped twice on the way home to see the gorgeous views of the island. We found another cove and stopped to take some pictures. The views made me speechless, which is hard to do! The water was crystal clear and three different shades of green and blue. The mountains were over flowing with palm trees and the sand was so white it looked like someone bleached the beach. The contrast of all the colors reflecting off each other was like nothing I had ever seen.
As I stood there, trying to take it all in, it was hard to realize that this was my life. I was standing in paradise. We took a few more pictures, the pictures couldn't capture the beauty of that place, and we made our way back to the scooters.
After we arrived back to the hotel, we parked our bikes and made our way back down to the beach. We swam a bit more, then headed into our rooms to shower and get ready for dinner.
Even though I had already rode an elephant and fed a baby tiger, and I knew I had more adventures like snorkeling and kayaking in front of me on this vacation, I would say that this day was my favorite part of the trip. The freedom of the scooters is something you can't get on a guided tour and the sights I saw is something I will never forget.
That being said, the next day was another adventure in itself......
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Thailand!! Part I
It's been way too long since I last wrote, but I have a pretty good excuse.....I was in Thailand! For someone who had never left the country before moving to Korea, well I had been to Canada but that doesn't count, a trip to Thailand had only been dreamed about! We had been planning this trip since we can to Korea 5 months ago. It had been talked about for so long, I thought it was just something we would talk about but would never happen. That's why the whole trip was so unreal, but also amazing, wonderful, and so hard to put into words. But god knows I'll try.
We, and by we I mean myself and 5 of the other foreign teachers. We left early Saturday morning, around 5:30am and we had a long day of traveling in front of us. We had layovers in Shanghai and Bangkok before finally arriving in Koh Samui at 9pm Saturday night. Even though it was a long day of traveling, once we got to the island we were so excited we didn't care about the 12 hour travel we had just endured.
We got a shuttle to our hotel, got in our rooms, and went straight to the beach. Even though we couldn't see anything, I could hear the waves crashing and feel the sand beneath my feet and I knew I was some place special. We spent Sunday just relaxing on the beach. We all got massages and pedicures on the beach and ate wonderful "street" food from the beach vendors. These vendors sold ,whole pineapples, grilled corn on the cob, and papaya salads, and for very very cheap. I think I probably ate about one whole pineapple each day, they were just so good!!
Sunday night we took it easy and found a good place to eat right on the beach. We discussed what we wanted to do that week and decided to sign up for the Elephant Trek the next day. The elephant trek consisted of viewing the mummified munk, riding an elephant, feeding a baby tiger, going to and swimming in a waterfall, visiting a "magical garden", and finally eating a Thai style lunch atop a mountain with magnificent views. After dinner we walked around to find the place to sign up for the trek, gave them our money and called it a night. It's amazing how much the sun really drains your energy.
I woke up early the next morning, and every morning really, to go for a run. It was interesting running in Thailand. First, they drive on the left side of the road so I had to get used to that. Also, there are A LOT of stray dogs. At first I was a bit scared they would start chasing me but they were quite friendly and didn't even flinch when I would run by. After my run, I met the others for breakfast and waited for our guide to pick us up for the days adventure. We stopped and picked up two other couples along the way, one pair was from Australian and the other from Sweden. They were all good people and fun to have on the trek.
Our first stop was the Mummified Monk. This was a man who had his body preserved for his family. It was a little creepy and gross but interesting all the same. After we saw that, we headed into the "jungle" to ride elephants. This was pretty cool! I got to actually sit on the elephant, like I was controlling him! A bit scary but unbelievable at the same time. After the elephant ride, I held and fed a baby tiger!! This was one of the highlights of the trip! It was so cute and so sweet but yet in the wild, a completely terrifying animal! After the animals came the trek to the waterfall. The 4X4 we were ridding in had places to sit on the top of the roof, so me and two others got to ride on top of the car as we climbed into the jungle. Let me tell you, this was one of the roughest, craziest, most fun rides I have ever been on! It was once again a bit terrifying but very cool all at the same time. Once we made it to the waterfall, we took pictures and went swimming. Even though this water was not the clearest, it was very very refreshing, and just really cool to be able to swim in a waterfall.
After the waterfall, we got back on the 4X4 and headed higher into the jungle to go to the "Magical Buddha Garden" and eat lunch atop a mountain with "magnificent views", these are not my words, these were the words the brochure used to describe the trek. I was back on top the 4X4 for the climb to the garden and I think I saw my life flash by eyes about 8 times with tree branches and power lines flying by my head! But we made it to the top safe and sound and walked around Buddhas "Magical" Garden for a bit. By this time we were all famished and ready for some grub,ewe climbed back in the 4X4 one more time and climbed higher to the top of the mountain for lunch. And they weren't kidding with the "magnificent views." It was breathtaking. No other way to describe it.
After lunch, we piled back in and made our way back to the hotel. We were all pretty beat so we decided to relax on the beach and swim a bit in the gulf, it was a rough life for a while I know! We showered up and headed out dinner. We were staying in a great place, we had food markets, restaurants, and shopping markets right outside our door. We found a restaurant and enjoyed some delicious Thai food. It was once again an early night, I think I was in bed by 10:30, but god did it feel good to sleep!!
Much more to come on Thailand...but if I wrote about the whole week in one entry you may never leave your computer. Part II to come shortly......
We, and by we I mean myself and 5 of the other foreign teachers. We left early Saturday morning, around 5:30am and we had a long day of traveling in front of us. We had layovers in Shanghai and Bangkok before finally arriving in Koh Samui at 9pm Saturday night. Even though it was a long day of traveling, once we got to the island we were so excited we didn't care about the 12 hour travel we had just endured.
We got a shuttle to our hotel, got in our rooms, and went straight to the beach. Even though we couldn't see anything, I could hear the waves crashing and feel the sand beneath my feet and I knew I was some place special. We spent Sunday just relaxing on the beach. We all got massages and pedicures on the beach and ate wonderful "street" food from the beach vendors. These vendors sold ,whole pineapples, grilled corn on the cob, and papaya salads, and for very very cheap. I think I probably ate about one whole pineapple each day, they were just so good!!
Sunday night we took it easy and found a good place to eat right on the beach. We discussed what we wanted to do that week and decided to sign up for the Elephant Trek the next day. The elephant trek consisted of viewing the mummified munk, riding an elephant, feeding a baby tiger, going to and swimming in a waterfall, visiting a "magical garden", and finally eating a Thai style lunch atop a mountain with magnificent views. After dinner we walked around to find the place to sign up for the trek, gave them our money and called it a night. It's amazing how much the sun really drains your energy.
I woke up early the next morning, and every morning really, to go for a run. It was interesting running in Thailand. First, they drive on the left side of the road so I had to get used to that. Also, there are A LOT of stray dogs. At first I was a bit scared they would start chasing me but they were quite friendly and didn't even flinch when I would run by. After my run, I met the others for breakfast and waited for our guide to pick us up for the days adventure. We stopped and picked up two other couples along the way, one pair was from Australian and the other from Sweden. They were all good people and fun to have on the trek.
Our first stop was the Mummified Monk. This was a man who had his body preserved for his family. It was a little creepy and gross but interesting all the same. After we saw that, we headed into the "jungle" to ride elephants. This was pretty cool! I got to actually sit on the elephant, like I was controlling him! A bit scary but unbelievable at the same time. After the elephant ride, I held and fed a baby tiger!! This was one of the highlights of the trip! It was so cute and so sweet but yet in the wild, a completely terrifying animal! After the animals came the trek to the waterfall. The 4X4 we were ridding in had places to sit on the top of the roof, so me and two others got to ride on top of the car as we climbed into the jungle. Let me tell you, this was one of the roughest, craziest, most fun rides I have ever been on! It was once again a bit terrifying but very cool all at the same time. Once we made it to the waterfall, we took pictures and went swimming. Even though this water was not the clearest, it was very very refreshing, and just really cool to be able to swim in a waterfall.
After the waterfall, we got back on the 4X4 and headed higher into the jungle to go to the "Magical Buddha Garden" and eat lunch atop a mountain with "magnificent views", these are not my words, these were the words the brochure used to describe the trek. I was back on top the 4X4 for the climb to the garden and I think I saw my life flash by eyes about 8 times with tree branches and power lines flying by my head! But we made it to the top safe and sound and walked around Buddhas "Magical" Garden for a bit. By this time we were all famished and ready for some grub,ewe climbed back in the 4X4 one more time and climbed higher to the top of the mountain for lunch. And they weren't kidding with the "magnificent views." It was breathtaking. No other way to describe it.
After lunch, we piled back in and made our way back to the hotel. We were all pretty beat so we decided to relax on the beach and swim a bit in the gulf, it was a rough life for a while I know! We showered up and headed out dinner. We were staying in a great place, we had food markets, restaurants, and shopping markets right outside our door. We found a restaurant and enjoyed some delicious Thai food. It was once again an early night, I think I was in bed by 10:30, but god did it feel good to sleep!!
Much more to come on Thailand...but if I wrote about the whole week in one entry you may never leave your computer. Part II to come shortly......
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Hiking and Biking
I finally went hiking in Korea! This may not seem like a big feat, but in Korea, if you don't hike, you might as well just leave! It wasn't a big mountain or a long hike, but it was beautiful and a lot of fun.
A lot of the mountains in Korea also have palaces on top of them. Since important people lived in these palaces, they were guarded by stone walls, or fortress walls. These walls were then guarded by the soldiers to fight off any enemies. Many of the palaces and fortress walls are still standing and are really fun to see. The fortress wall/mountain we went to climb was called Namhansanseong Fortress. We, and by "we" I mean it was three of my co-workers and myself, went somewhat early on a Saturday morning to the palace. It wasn't far from Migeum, only about 30 min on the subway. Once we got there we took a bus to the top, well almost the top. Now that may seem like cheating, and it kind of was, but a lot of the fun of hiking the mountain is seeing the palace then hiking down. I do want to go back and hike up the whole thing but we didn't have enough time this day. Once we got to the top, the view was really cool. Unfortunately it was cloudy so we couldn't see all the way to Seoul but on most days you can see for miles.
We stayed at the top for a bit then made our way down. Down is almost as hard as up! The decline was pretty steep and our quads were hurting by the end, but it was so nice to be out of the city and in nature. It really reminded me of being in northern Minnesota, and it's so nice to know such places are so close to where we live.
Some would think a Saturday full of running and hiking would be enough exercise for one weekend, not me. At some point in time, the week before our hiking, I had agreed to a 100K bike ride, that's 60 miles, with a friend! I'm not really sure what I was thinking but since I had said I would do it, there was no backing out. I was really excited to go because I wanted to see if I could actually make 100K on a bike. We started out and rode along the river path that I always run on. We stayed on that until we hit the Han River in Seoul, about 25k in. We stayed on that path for a while and eventually it took us out of Seoul and onto a nice, quiet path with great scenery. We peddled for about another 10-15k or so and then we ran out of path and had to ride on the road. It wasn't too bad, drivers in Korea are really scared of bikers because they don't want to hit them, so they really keep their distance.
At this point, I really had no idea where we were. I trusted my friend, and he is pretty good with directions and he rides a lot so I wasn't worried. As it turned out, we were just about to bike up the same mountain I had just climbed the day before! By now we had gone about 60-70k and had been riding for about 4 hours, and I was getting really really tired!! Going up the mountain was tough, we took some breaks and rested our legs for a bit but finally made it to the top, or close to the top. The view was awesome! It was a clear day so we could see all the way to Seoul, which was really cool!!! Next time, I will bring my camera!
As tough as the uphill climb was, the downhill made it all worth it!! I have never gone so fast on a bike!! It was a bit scary, but more exhilarating than scary, and I would happily climb another mountain just to do that again!
After that, the rest of the ride back to Migeum was a piece of cake. We got back on the trail by the river and rode home. By this point, my butt was hurting pretty bad and I was pretty pooped, but it was a great day and a wonderful way to see Korea. I didn't quite make 100k, it was more like 91k, but either way I was amazed at the fact that I had rode a bike that far. Our total ridding time was 4 hours and 21 minutes and we averaged 20k an hour, not bad for a nonrider! But boy was I feeling it the next day!
A lot of the mountains in Korea also have palaces on top of them. Since important people lived in these palaces, they were guarded by stone walls, or fortress walls. These walls were then guarded by the soldiers to fight off any enemies. Many of the palaces and fortress walls are still standing and are really fun to see. The fortress wall/mountain we went to climb was called Namhansanseong Fortress. We, and by "we" I mean it was three of my co-workers and myself, went somewhat early on a Saturday morning to the palace. It wasn't far from Migeum, only about 30 min on the subway. Once we got there we took a bus to the top, well almost the top. Now that may seem like cheating, and it kind of was, but a lot of the fun of hiking the mountain is seeing the palace then hiking down. I do want to go back and hike up the whole thing but we didn't have enough time this day. Once we got to the top, the view was really cool. Unfortunately it was cloudy so we couldn't see all the way to Seoul but on most days you can see for miles.
We stayed at the top for a bit then made our way down. Down is almost as hard as up! The decline was pretty steep and our quads were hurting by the end, but it was so nice to be out of the city and in nature. It really reminded me of being in northern Minnesota, and it's so nice to know such places are so close to where we live.
Some would think a Saturday full of running and hiking would be enough exercise for one weekend, not me. At some point in time, the week before our hiking, I had agreed to a 100K bike ride, that's 60 miles, with a friend! I'm not really sure what I was thinking but since I had said I would do it, there was no backing out. I was really excited to go because I wanted to see if I could actually make 100K on a bike. We started out and rode along the river path that I always run on. We stayed on that until we hit the Han River in Seoul, about 25k in. We stayed on that path for a while and eventually it took us out of Seoul and onto a nice, quiet path with great scenery. We peddled for about another 10-15k or so and then we ran out of path and had to ride on the road. It wasn't too bad, drivers in Korea are really scared of bikers because they don't want to hit them, so they really keep their distance.
At this point, I really had no idea where we were. I trusted my friend, and he is pretty good with directions and he rides a lot so I wasn't worried. As it turned out, we were just about to bike up the same mountain I had just climbed the day before! By now we had gone about 60-70k and had been riding for about 4 hours, and I was getting really really tired!! Going up the mountain was tough, we took some breaks and rested our legs for a bit but finally made it to the top, or close to the top. The view was awesome! It was a clear day so we could see all the way to Seoul, which was really cool!!! Next time, I will bring my camera!
As tough as the uphill climb was, the downhill made it all worth it!! I have never gone so fast on a bike!! It was a bit scary, but more exhilarating than scary, and I would happily climb another mountain just to do that again!
After that, the rest of the ride back to Migeum was a piece of cake. We got back on the trail by the river and rode home. By this point, my butt was hurting pretty bad and I was pretty pooped, but it was a great day and a wonderful way to see Korea. I didn't quite make 100k, it was more like 91k, but either way I was amazed at the fact that I had rode a bike that far. Our total ridding time was 4 hours and 21 minutes and we averaged 20k an hour, not bad for a nonrider! But boy was I feeling it the next day!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Soccer Part II-Making kids cry!
The Friday before the Korea/Uruguay game, our school had all the kids wear their Korea soccer gear to school. Then they bought face paint to paint the kids' faces, got them some props, a few soccer balls and some headbands, and took about a million pictures. It was a complete waste of time but the kids did look really cute! Many of my kids are huge soccer fans and play soccer themselves. One kid in particular, Ian, loves soccer! I mean he lives and breaths soccer! This World Cup is like his Christmas. The previous games I had worn my own Korea soccer shirts to work and I told all the kids I was cheering for Korea. I was sad when they lost in the first round, but we were all really excited Korea had made it to the second round.
As the day was winding down, I told my kids that if Korea won their game, and the USA won their game, they would play each other. Then I asked them who they thought I would cheer for if that happened. Of course they said Korea! It was then that I crushed little Ian's heart! I told them that IF it would happen that Korea and US would play each other, I would indeed cheer for the US. As I said this, the look on Ian's face went from shock to complete and total heartbreak! His head went down, and when I looked over at him again, he was crying! Now I'm not talking just a few tears, he was sobbing! It was as if his mom just died! I had torn out his heart and did a little dance on it! I went to console him and as I did, I was trying not to laugh. That may sound heartless, but the kid was crying because I would cheer for the US over Korea! It was a bit funny.
Just after that, the bell rang and we had to get ready to go home. As we got ready, Ian would not look at me! He was so mad! I got the rest of the class ready and I tried to tell him I would still cheer for Korea and that I still wanted Korea to win, but he would have none of it. As we were walking down the stairs he said, "Katie teacher is bad! I'm angry at teacher!" Even though that was a little harsh, I still thought it was funny!
As it turned out, both Korea and the US lost so we didn't have to deal with the two teams playing each other. By Monday he was over it and told me he was not longer mad at me. How precious!
As the day was winding down, I told my kids that if Korea won their game, and the USA won their game, they would play each other. Then I asked them who they thought I would cheer for if that happened. Of course they said Korea! It was then that I crushed little Ian's heart! I told them that IF it would happen that Korea and US would play each other, I would indeed cheer for the US. As I said this, the look on Ian's face went from shock to complete and total heartbreak! His head went down, and when I looked over at him again, he was crying! Now I'm not talking just a few tears, he was sobbing! It was as if his mom just died! I had torn out his heart and did a little dance on it! I went to console him and as I did, I was trying not to laugh. That may sound heartless, but the kid was crying because I would cheer for the US over Korea! It was a bit funny.
Just after that, the bell rang and we had to get ready to go home. As we got ready, Ian would not look at me! He was so mad! I got the rest of the class ready and I tried to tell him I would still cheer for Korea and that I still wanted Korea to win, but he would have none of it. As we were walking down the stairs he said, "Katie teacher is bad! I'm angry at teacher!" Even though that was a little harsh, I still thought it was funny!
As it turned out, both Korea and the US lost so we didn't have to deal with the two teams playing each other. By Monday he was over it and told me he was not longer mad at me. How precious!
Computer and Soccer
About 2 weeks ago, I was working on my computer and the entire screen froze up, faded to white, then to black and crashed! Thankfully, I was able to take it to someone who spoke English and got it fixed for me very quickly. Originally he had thought it was the logic board, whatever that is, but it turned out to just be the screen. After about a week and a half and $50 later, I have my computer back and it is as good as new!
Surprisingly, so much has happened in that short week and a half! (I hope you are picking up on my sarcasm because I'm laying it on pretty thick!)
Unless you were living under a rock in Korea, it would have been very hard to not know the World Cup was happening. The Korean's love the World Cup! The thing that is funny, is that during the years between the World Cup, no one here really cares about soccer. Once the World Cup starts, its a different story. That being said, I was really excited to experience how the rest of the world views the World Cup. The first round games were exciting and Korea did well, they won one, lost one, and tied another but moved on to the second round. As a small country, without a huge soccer background, moving on to the second round was a huge accomplishment. The first game of the second round pinned Korea against Uruguay. The game was a Saturday night at 11pm. I was pumped I would be able to watch this one (the first round games were played while I was in Jeju, and another was at 3:30am. I didn't really get to experience those games.) We decided to go to City Hall and watch the game with thousands of crazy Korean fans. We got to City Hall around 7:30pm, the game was at 11:00pm. We found our spot, set down our stuff and started to wait. It was a ton of fun! Even though it wasn't my country I was cheering for and I couldn't understand any of the pregame entertainment, it was such an awesome experience. It was so cool to see how a sporting event can bring an entire nation together. Around 9:30pm, while we were enjoying some Korean pop group sing on stage, it started to rain. Now, when it rains in Korea, it doesn't just rain, it pours!! Thankfully we had ponchos and were able to keep relatively dry. Even through the rain, everyone stayed, partied, and waited for the game to start.
At the stroke of 11:00pm the game started. The rain had stopped and all eyes were on the big screen. 5 minutes in, Uruguay scored. The silence was deafening. You could hear a pin drop. It was as if someone had died. I could go on with the cliche saying. It was quiet! The mood picked up with the many chances Korea had throughout the half. One guy hit the post and there were many more near misses. The start of the second half brought renewed hope, Korea scored shortly into the second half. It is an amazing sight when they score. It doesn't matter that you don't know the person next to you and it means less that you may not be Korean, you will high five and hug them as if they are your next of kin. It's so cool!
Unfortunately Uruguay scored with about 10 min left in the game and Korean could not battle back. It was a sad day but it was a great experience!
The night was far from over though! It was about 1:15am when we were leaving City Hall. Thankfully the buses were running late that night and we caught one of the last ones out of Seoul and onto Bun-dong. As we pulled into Seoyheon, it was 3:15am and we were only 15min away from USA vs. Ghana. We made our way to one of our favorite bars, Pub 210, and settled in for the US game. It started awful, much like the Korean game, with Uruguay scoring first. The US tied it and they were able to force and overtime. In the end though, Ghana was the better team that night and the US was sent home, as was I.
It was 6:15am as we left the bar. Words cannot describe how tired I was!! I made my way home and into my bed for about an hour and a half (why, you are wondering, would I only sleep for an hour and a half)? I had to wake up and skype with my family! I was not very coherent while skyping but it was good to see my family!
Even though the weekend ended with both of my teams loosing in the World Cup, it was an experience I will never forget!
Surprisingly, so much has happened in that short week and a half! (I hope you are picking up on my sarcasm because I'm laying it on pretty thick!)
Unless you were living under a rock in Korea, it would have been very hard to not know the World Cup was happening. The Korean's love the World Cup! The thing that is funny, is that during the years between the World Cup, no one here really cares about soccer. Once the World Cup starts, its a different story. That being said, I was really excited to experience how the rest of the world views the World Cup. The first round games were exciting and Korea did well, they won one, lost one, and tied another but moved on to the second round. As a small country, without a huge soccer background, moving on to the second round was a huge accomplishment. The first game of the second round pinned Korea against Uruguay. The game was a Saturday night at 11pm. I was pumped I would be able to watch this one (the first round games were played while I was in Jeju, and another was at 3:30am. I didn't really get to experience those games.) We decided to go to City Hall and watch the game with thousands of crazy Korean fans. We got to City Hall around 7:30pm, the game was at 11:00pm. We found our spot, set down our stuff and started to wait. It was a ton of fun! Even though it wasn't my country I was cheering for and I couldn't understand any of the pregame entertainment, it was such an awesome experience. It was so cool to see how a sporting event can bring an entire nation together. Around 9:30pm, while we were enjoying some Korean pop group sing on stage, it started to rain. Now, when it rains in Korea, it doesn't just rain, it pours!! Thankfully we had ponchos and were able to keep relatively dry. Even through the rain, everyone stayed, partied, and waited for the game to start.
At the stroke of 11:00pm the game started. The rain had stopped and all eyes were on the big screen. 5 minutes in, Uruguay scored. The silence was deafening. You could hear a pin drop. It was as if someone had died. I could go on with the cliche saying. It was quiet! The mood picked up with the many chances Korea had throughout the half. One guy hit the post and there were many more near misses. The start of the second half brought renewed hope, Korea scored shortly into the second half. It is an amazing sight when they score. It doesn't matter that you don't know the person next to you and it means less that you may not be Korean, you will high five and hug them as if they are your next of kin. It's so cool!
Unfortunately Uruguay scored with about 10 min left in the game and Korean could not battle back. It was a sad day but it was a great experience!
The night was far from over though! It was about 1:15am when we were leaving City Hall. Thankfully the buses were running late that night and we caught one of the last ones out of Seoul and onto Bun-dong. As we pulled into Seoyheon, it was 3:15am and we were only 15min away from USA vs. Ghana. We made our way to one of our favorite bars, Pub 210, and settled in for the US game. It started awful, much like the Korean game, with Uruguay scoring first. The US tied it and they were able to force and overtime. In the end though, Ghana was the better team that night and the US was sent home, as was I.
It was 6:15am as we left the bar. Words cannot describe how tired I was!! I made my way home and into my bed for about an hour and a half (why, you are wondering, would I only sleep for an hour and a half)? I had to wake up and skype with my family! I was not very coherent while skyping but it was good to see my family!
Even though the weekend ended with both of my teams loosing in the World Cup, it was an experience I will never forget!
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