tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76785456796386084762024-02-20T01:10:14.959+09:00Midwest to South KoreaIn February 2012 I made a crazy, but what turned out to be, awesome decions: quit my job and move to Korea. After two years I wrapped up my life there and moved on to travel the world. That was another two year stint before guess what, returning to Korea! So here I am, back in Kimchiland with lots to say... Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10815615870478298274noreply@blogger.comBlogger176125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678545679638608476.post-91308762889777398322016-05-25T21:00:00.000+09:002016-05-25T21:00:27.300+09:00If I Had a Million DollarsThree years ago it seems that I was often writing about my students, either things they did in the classroom that entertained or amazed me, or some occurrence from the rest of our time together. The past six months I've often had thoughts of "I should write about this" but for some reason those rarely materialize. The blog has taken a back seat in my life while I pursue other interest and spread my time thin between different outlets, but I'll try to get back into it. My students although vastly different than those I had at Buksam High School are still entertaining, intelligent and full of fun ideas so it's only fair I share some of this with you.<br />
<br />
Last week I presented one of my writing classes with the topic "If I had a Million Dollars", I'm surprised I hadn't done this sooner, but was reminded of the song (and discussion point) while chatting with a friend last week. This particular class is always filled with energy and bright ideas, so I was hopeful for the writing they would produce. So without further ado, if I had a million dollars...<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Jane - one of the twins in class, always great writing and cool ideas<br />
1. Go to space to explore<br />
2. Travel with my family, maybe to Italy<br />
3. Buy a great house with a big yard and garden<br />
<br />
Robin - until recently the only boy in class, always talkative and has something to share, also one of few that seems to think outside the box and have opinions agains the 'traditional korean way' but seems resigned that the can't break the mold.<br />
1. Buy a nice house and car<br />
2. Spend some money but also save for the future (at least 20%)<br />
3. Donate money to people that need it, maybe orphans or poor children in Africa<br />
<br />
Hermione - new to class, and if her name doesn't give away one of her passions this will...<br />
1. Build a Harry Potter theme park<br />
2. Visit the 9 3/4 platform in London<br />
3. Build an Amusement park<br />
4. Meet all the Harry Potter characters<br />
5. Buy apartments in both Seoul and Andong<br />
6. Buy all of the Harry Potter books and movies<br />
<br />
Sarah - I'm always excited to see Sarah, even when she's down she tried to show a smile and keep a positive attitude. Very bright but at times can sense the 'only child' syndrome.<br />
1. Invest in stocks so that I can increase my money for the future<br />
2. Travel abroad<br />
3. Buy a house and invest my money so that it will last<br />
<br />
Crystal - the other twin, to be honest I sometimes have a hard time telling these two apart<br />
1. Buy and airplane so that I can travel anywhere I want<br />
2. Buy the biggest house in Korea<br />
3. Save the rest of the money<br />
<br />
Having a successful discussion with these students I decided to repeat the topic with another class of mine. This second class has a few students who struggle to pay attention during class and rarely add much to the discussion, but I was hoping this topic may give them more opportunities. <br />
<br />
Lucy - Aside from answering my point blank questions I'm not sure I've ever heard her speak<br />
1. First I would buy lots of clothes<br />
2. Buy a car and a house in Seoul<br />
3. Save money, give some to my parents or donate to poor people<br />
<br />
Mary - she really does try, but half the time I'm not sure she knows what's going on<br />
1. Give money to poverty<br />
2. Shop for a new home with a garden<br />
3. Go shopping for clothes and jewlery<br />
4. Any leftover money I would save for the future to go on a world tour<br />
<br />
Sally - another quiet one, maybe with a bit of an attitude<br />
1. Buy tickets for a BTS Concert<br />
2. Contribute to the needy, when I was young I saved money in a piggy bank but it was not sufficient so now if I have enough I can help the poor.<br />
3. Take a trip with my family (world tour) because I never traveled abroad with my family.<br />
<br />
Harry - high level, really bright but is easily annoyed with his classmates causing him to shutdown<br />
1. First I would create my foundation (business) to create more jobs because now the unemployment rate in Korea is so low. I would also have scholarships to great Universities like John Hopkins for example, but maybe $1 million is not enough money.<br />
2. I would invest in Samsung and CJ entertainment stocks because they have high gains<br />
3. Run for President of teh country and then I will make more money for the future<br />
4. Finally I would conduct a study for stem cell research<br />
<br />
Julia - new to class, seems smart but unwilling to share it<br />
1. I would travel around the world, for example New York city to see the statue of liberty, Sydney Opera house and Paris<br />
2. Donate money to the poor<br />
3. Travel to many different countries festivals, like the winter carnival in Canada<br />
<br />
Ivy - talkative, but not always on task or topic<br />
1. I would buy a big house for my parents<br />
2. Grow many animals, for example dog, cat, hamster, pig, fish, desert fox, crocodile...<br />
3. Invest my money to earn more for the future<br />
4. Buy presents for my family<br />
<br />
Erika - another quiet one<br />
1. Buy the EXO Album and Concert tickets<br />
2. Buy a car and house for my family and also a car for myself in the future<br />
3. Buy my father a fishing house in Yeongdeok because he likes fishing<br />
4. Use the money to learn many things<br />
<br />
Julie - again, smart but quiet<br />
1. Take a trip abroad with my best friends<br />
2. Open a department store that sells uniforms because they are expensive and many people need them so I will sell many and make lots of money<br />
3. Stay in a 7 star hotel on vacation<br />
<br />
When I gave the students the topic the biggest complaint or comment was that $1 million is not enough money, which they're probably right. This isn't an unimaginable sum of money anymore, so dreaming about what you would do with such is difficult. Clearly they went above and beyond their 1 million limit, but the idea was to get them thinking and writing, not crunching numbers. Most students, although big dreams, wrote about realistic possibilities which I believe reflects on the Korean education and culture. Aside form some extravagant theme parks and distant travels, the students kept their ideas close to home. Also of note is the amount of family included - travel together, building a house together, and helping parents. Everyday in this country teaches me more and more about the culture I'm living in, sometimes it opens my eyes while others it makes me shake my head in disappointment. One thing is certain though, writing about these kids and reflecting on my hours in the classroom allows me to reflect on my time here, so expect more of this soon.Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10815615870478298274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678545679638608476.post-67001050815227387002016-05-22T17:42:00.001+09:002016-05-22T19:24:10.661+09:00Promises of Magic Delivered <div class="MsoNormal">
Feeling better and ready to leave the confines of my house I was happy to have a boyfriend with a weekend (finally) off work, and was able to get out and explore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite waves of boredom or cabin
fever I do get <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">really </i>good at being a
hermit, finding comfort in my habitat, but I was happy to get out on
Saturday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a brief meeting with my
old friend (enemy) Soju, Friday evening and lots of needed catch-up time with
the boy, it was a late start on Saturday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After waking up he was busy on his phone, no not messaging or screwing
around on social media, rather searching for where he was taking me for the
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked twice but got only vague
answers, leaving me clueless but surprisingly content.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I usually like to be the one with the plans,
so it seems I’ve changed a bit recently?</div>
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We finally ventured out around 1pm for lunch, which neither
of us had an appetite for (I blame Soju – <i>for
everything</i>). I asked where we were
headed next, but the only answer was “Magic.” He asked if I was okay to drive (ride) for two hours because he wanted
to take me to a temple in 밀양 (Miryang), a place I’d never been. I was fine, after all car naps are always an
option for the passenger, but my concern was for him having to drive there and
back. He said no it was fine, so off we
went, stopping in <span lang="KO" style="font-family: 바탕;">군위 휴계소 </span>for a coffee (and batting cage practice, much to my dismay) before continuing
on our way. I asked why this temple we were headed for was ‘magic’ but he told
me I’d see once we got there, only hinting that there were three reasons behind
his claim, and fish being significant.</div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 바탕; mso-fareast-font-family: 바탕; mso-fareast-language: KO;"></span></div>
<a name='more'></a>The drive passed quickly and we were soon in
Miryang, apparently a place chock full of temples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first stoplight we came to had sign
postings for at least five different temples, but likely double that amount. We
drove a short ways to 만어사 (Maneosa), including a steep climb along old roads into the
mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we approached there were
loads of rocks blanketing the hillside, almost as if an avalanche had recently
occurred.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> 재훈 (</span>Jaehoon) explained to me that
these were the fish he had referenced and were significant to the temple,
Maneosa meaning “10,000 fish”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
parking lot was nearly empty, and from a first look (aside from the ‘fish’) it
didn’t seem that there was much on offer, but then I remembered the ‘3 magic’
promise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 바탕; mso-fareast-font-family: 바탕; mso-fareast-language: KO;">I was first instructed to read the signboard
introducing the history of the temple, learning the story behind its creation,
naming and significance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In short the
temple was a gesture of thanks to Buddha from King Suro (42A.D. - 199 A. D.)after the Buddha saved
the Gaya Kingdom from misfortune that had fallen upon it. The problems were due
to a forbidden relationship between dragon Okji and a Nachal (Greek siren)
and came in the form of thunder and hailstorms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We took our obligatory pictures in front of the gorgeous view and then
재훈 began searching for a small stone, for what I had no idea. Equipped
with his stone he guided me into the stone pit, walking down a few rows before
he found a place he was satisfied with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He then proceeded to start taping stones, the first of which sounded
merely like two rocks being beat together, but the next was quite
different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather than rock it sounded
like he had tapped a hollow metal container, a faint high-pitched echo rang
from this stone(?).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently there’s
no explanation behind the noise, but I was equally impressed, entertained and
intrigued.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 바탕; mso-fareast-font-family: 바탕; mso-fareast-language: KO;">I was next led to one of the temple halls and told
the second magical thing was inside. As we entered all I saw was a massive
rock, definitely not what I was expecting and much different than the
traditional Buddha statues contained inside these temples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was not yet impressed, but knew there had
to be a story behind this rock so waited for 재훈 to explain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t get a full history lesson (probably
better that I didn’t), but he told me that the rock cries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At first I was confused, but then looked up
and saw dark streaks coming from the top (head) of the rock which could
definitely be interpreted as remains of the rocks tears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said the rock cries when Korea is going
through difficult or hard times; as mythical as this may sound I decided to
take his word for it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 바탕; mso-fareast-font-family: 바탕; mso-fareast-language: KO;">I was so distracted by the beautiful views and impressive sculpture of Amita-bul (Buddha of the western paradise) that I
almost forgot there was still one more piece of magic for me to discover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We walked back to the central area of the
temple while 재훈 explained; he first told me I must prepare a wish, some
dream or desire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He then explained that
there was a heavy stone I would have to lift; I was supposed to lift it once
and upon setting it down think about my wish or dream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once set with my wish I could then lift the stone again,
but maybe it would be impossible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
legend says that if you are able to lift the stone on your second try your wish
will not come true, but if you can’t, well then congratulations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I mulled over my wish a Korean couple
came by and the man decided to give it a try, struggling greatly to lift the
stone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He gestured for 재훈 to give
it a try, maybe assuming he also wouldn’t be able, but he passed saying he’d
done it once before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Watching this man I
figured I too wouldn’t be able to lift the stone, but I managed to get it a few
inches off the base.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After setting it
back down, 재훈 told me to think of my wish and try again. Unsure what would
happen I was surprised when the rock felt like a ton of bricks, not budging in
the least when I tried lifting it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 바탕; mso-fareast-font-family: 바탕; mso-fareast-language: KO;">After living and traveling in Asia for four years
the novelty of visiting a temple has began to wear off, but this one sang a
different story. I guess it’s only the novelty of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">temple </i>that has worn off, shifting my reason for visiting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before, I was interested in the architecture and history whereas now I’d rather just enjoy it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No matter the country or setting I’m always
able to find a moment of peace when visiting a temple, unless they’re
overloaded with tourists, then it’s a bit hard. Aside from this though, temple
visits take on a whole new meaning when you have someone that speaks the
language or knows the history and is able to explain it to you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember the first time I really
appreciated a temple, while <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2012/10/miyajima.html">traveling in Japan,</a> simply for the fact they
provided an amazingly detailed information pamphlet explaining the significance
of everything inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Similarly my
second experience at <a href="https://yogifootprintsblog.wordpress.com/2015/05/20/angkor-again/">Angkor Wat</a> greatly contrasted my first, as I decided to
pay the extra money to have a guide lead me through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even more reason to make an effort in
building relationships (friends, boyfriends or even students) as these people
really will help to open your eyes to the secrets of your [new] home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10815615870478298274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678545679638608476.post-43739107477013174032016-05-15T13:53:00.003+09:002016-05-15T14:12:56.799+09:00The Recovery Process BeginsFor as high as my spirits were on Monday, I woke Tuesday with a heart and head full of "this.sucks." Waking up stiff from head to toe with new aches and pains as I rose from bed set the tone for the day, but I tried to beat it. I was up early so gave it some time before texting Sam to see if we'd be able to go get my bandages changed. He responded that we'd first meet the insurance man at my place around 11 and could go take care of my face after. Like I said before, my mind was anywhere but on the legalities of the accident, but I'd soon have to deal with that too, once again so glad I had Sam. <br />
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The two of them were at my door shortly after 11 and after they talked for a while Sam explained "my choices". Apparently the police were arguing that the accident was in fact my fault, actually <a href="http://klawguru.com/2014/04/13/bicycle-law-in-korea/">this blog post</a> does a good job of describing the details involved with bikes in Korea. The officer said there was no bicycle lane on the sidewalk so I should have been riding on the road, although the sidewalk was divided half red/half white, which in my understanding represents a bicycle lane, but I digress. Thankfully, like I said before, the man that hit me was not an asshole, took responsibility for the incident and was willing to pay for the damages. Sam explained because of the laws the payout may be less (me taking partial fault) and that I had two choices: 1. A lump sum payment up front or 2. Submission of all medical costs to his insurance with possible additional payments after. I've still yet to make the decision on this, but either way I feel like things will be <i>okay. </i>I had a few moments of "what the hell" thoughts as we sat and discussed, but as the meeting came to a close I was feeling better.<br />
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Sam then took me to Andong, Seong-so hospital so I could have my wound cleaned and bandages changed. This was another headache as I was told (by the guy that stitched me up) I should go to any plastic surgery hospital in the city (there's more than you'd think), but after Sam called a few, the hospital was the only place that would see me. Obviously there's no money is sparing a few minutes to change a bandage, so the plastic surgeons weren't interested. Thankfully the staff and doctor at Seog-so were delightful and the wait wasn't unbearable, but there was one down side. The doctor (only one) would be on vacation from Wednesday until the following Monday, not terrible but it meant I'd get to hang out with my stitches for a few extra days. I was told to return Friday for another cleaning and change (by a fill-in doctor) and again Monday morning to have the stitches removed and "Instructions on how to treat the wound so there is no scar" words I liked hearing, especially from a doctor with flawless English.<br />
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As we left Sam told me the doctor said I could return to work anytime, but we both agreed I should take the day to rest, I needed it to. Physically I was doing okay, but the mental shock of everything was starting to burrow in and my mood matched the skies, rainy and gloomy. I managed to push myself to study Korean for a few hours, but the rest of the day is a blur. Eventually I was in bed, already considering returning to work the next day, much to the dismay of friends and family. When I woke on Wednesday my sentiment towards work hadn't changed, so I began preparing myself for the day ahead. The first step of which was buying some face masks to hide behind for the next few days. My face wasn't too messed up, but I didn't need to give people more reasons to stare, and thankfully face masks are in full fashion over here. Although my boyfriend and a few others told me to stay home as long as I could, I had more than one reason for going in. To begin with sitting at home alone did little for my mood, left with my thoughts "If's, but's and what's next" I was sick of that company, at least teaching would distract me. On top of this I had a sense of guilt, I knew the week was busy for everyone else, so my absence was doing little to help them. Finally though was the knowledge that I had over 100 students wondering about me, was I okay, when would I be back, how was I doing? Although I'd be like a monkey on display, I knew that returning to their questions and concern would be yet another distractor and mood booster.<br />
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Feeling not so terrible with my new look, I ventured to school, with a stop for one last mood booster, in taro bubble tea form. Before I even got my shoes off I met Lisa, one of my youngest students who may have been in shock to see me and immediately asked if I was okay, before running to inform the others. The rest of the girls trickled over as I walked in, asking how I was and what happened, it was sweet. Sam came out of his office and asked how I was, before springing on me the headaches he'd been dealing with since the previous afternoon. Apparently he'd been on and off the phone with the police arguing about the details of the case, who's fault it was, who'd be paying and what the final outcome would be. The police argued that I should have been on the road and/or stopped my bike and walked at the crosswalk, therefore everything was my fault and I should actually be paying for the scratches to the drivers car. Sam was a champ, arguing on my behalf and threatening to call his lawyers so we could discuss everything in court. It also appeared that the police did a poor job of investigation, no CCTV, no black box, and little information from the scene. This was evident to me as I recall the sidewalk was divided and also it wasn't <i>technically</i> a crosswalk, so did I really have to stop and walk? Whatever, the point is Sam had my back, the man that hit me wasn't an asshole and things should work out smoothly.<br />
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The first day back wasn't so bad, Wednesdays are my short days after all, and thank goodness for that. I finished at 8, came home and soon after eating was in bed, sound asleep before 10:30. Thursday was pretty similar, although I had less drive to get ready and head into work, one day was enough for the week, wasn't it? After my early bedtime I was up with the sun, did some yoga (yeah, I managed to get back on the mat 3 days after the accident - despite a few aches) and was again able to fall asleep for a few hours. Sam had more news for me when I arrived at work that afternoon, more issues with the cops who apparently just didn't want to let it go, but finally realized their "we just have to explain the laws" were falling on deaf ears and gave up. To my knowledge they've since closed the case and so now it's only between us and insurance, which I don't foresee being an issue (fingers crossed). Work was more of the same, class after class, one curious student after the next, quickly falling back into the old routine. One of the more annoying aspects of this whole ordeal was the replay that went on in my head, usually as I closed my eyes to go to sleep. I don't remember every detail of the accident, but the initial impact would come flashing back to memory almost every time I tried to fall asleep. Sometimes it was the same series of events, but after talking to Sam about all the details I had a few alternate scenarios play out in my mind. The most disturbing of which is when I considered that I had been riding in the street, as the police suggested I should have been. What then, wouldn't the man have still hit me, and then what, I get knocked into oncoming traffic? This coupled with my multiple dreams of teeth falling out did no benefit to my sleeping habits for the week, but at least with those I could wake up with a flood of relief. <br />
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Friday was more of the same, but also held an air of its own excitement seeing as it was time for another hospital visit. I was scheduled to return to Seong-so for another wound check, cleaning and bandage change, but this time alone. I decided to walk there as it wasn't so far, I had time and also hadn't really been out and about for a few days. I arrived early, but quickly realized I'd be waiting for a while and joined the queue of other patients. Having started work again from Wednesday I was supposed to have class at 3:15, but that clearly wasn't happening. I texted both Sam and Tim to let them know I'd be late, but hoped things would move along quickly. When I eventually saw the doctor at about 3:30 the visit lasted less than five minutes, just enough time for him to change the bandage, clean the wound, tell me things looked good and return on Monday. I left with the note for my next visit and some rapid fire Korean spewing from the nurses mouth, most of which fell on deaf ears but I gathered to be "Come back on Monday between 9:30 and 10:00 to see the doctor, don't get your face wet and go check-out at reception before you leave."<br />
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With the removal of the big bandage from my check and confirmation that my face wasn't totally destroyed, I was feeling a bit better. Back at school students were once again concerned, seeing as I was late for the first class, and I had a new slew of kids to tell all my stories too. This week was also one of the first that we had a 'normal' schedule after nearly a month of students not attending due to English camps, class field trips and mid-term exams. Although it was my first full Friday in a long time the hours passed by rather quickly, but that didn't mean I wasn't tired when 10:20 came around. The weekend has been mellow, two days of <i>actually </i>sleeping in (after a few random hours awake at 6am) yoga, movies, writing, blogging and maybe some Korean studying this afternoon, but I've enjoyed it. Tomorrow morning I'll visit Seong-so hospital one last time, bringing me one step closer to recovery. I'm getting the stitches out and will be provided with instructions on "How to treat the wound so it doesn't scar" both of which I hope will be a success. After that my tooth is the only remaining issue, which having dealt with similar situations before (in both the USA and Australia) I'm not too worried. Although I do have some hesitation as I've heard more than one horror story when it comes to dentistry in this country, why I don't know. I decided to count my bruises yesterday and came up with a grand total of 18, legs, arms, hand, face and chest included. Like one of my co-workers said though, not a bad outcome considering what happened, and I agree it could have been broken bones I was counting, or worse. </div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10815615870478298274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678545679638608476.post-30378345128316340292016-05-12T14:14:00.000+09:002016-05-12T14:29:28.431+09:00Adventures at Andong Hospital I've completely failed at sharing stories of my adventures, struggles and other details of my second bout in Korea, but that's about to change. It's been a while since my last post, but I'm guessing this one will draw a little attention. Last weekend, I ventured up to Seoul to meet an old High School friend, Anna. Coincidently we met each other only two weeks ago, when I traveled to Thailand and was able to see Anna in Bangkok, where she's currently living and teaching. This time around though it way my turn to play tour guide, and I can proudly say I did a fine job of it. I spent yet another weekend falling <i>deeper </i>in love with this country. Saturday night we accomplished a full night out in Gangnam, thanks in part to our awesome Couchsurfing host, full of Korean BBQ, Soju, Beer, Chicken Butt, and of course Noraebang (Karaoke). Sunday followed suit, despite a creeping headache, with more delicious food, a visit to both the Bukcheon Hanok village and Ihwa Mural village, a stop for coffee near The Blue House, quick breeze through Gwangjang Market and ending it all back in Gangnam. Needless to say we were in bed early and before long Monday morning came and it was time to say goodbye, with me heading back to Andong. Thoughts of "I don't want to work today" were swimming through my mind as I arrived, and as luck would have it I got the day off, but not under the best of circumstances. I got to spend the afternoon at Andong Hospital, after a car decided it'd be fun to knock me off my bike...<br />
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I sent this picture to my friend, accompanied with a "Don't freak out, but I'm in the hospital". She definitely wasn't expecting "I got hit by a car" to be the next line of that conversation, and I think I had shock of my own typing it. I was halfway home, thinking about what I'd make for lunch and debating if I had enough time to fit in a workout before having to go into school. Little did I know my <strike>day</strike> week were about to take a turn. The "How did it happen" - I was riding along the sidewalk, loving the day, not considering there may be a car sneaking out of the upcoming alleyway, but little did I know. Halfway across and "Oh Fuck" sets in, seconds later I'm rolling from hood to ground with immediate thoughts on "my teeth" (for those unaware they've broken before). As fast as I was down I stood back up, bringing my hands to my face to meet streaming blood. I knew, without having to check that at least one tooth was broken, and a quick brush from my tongue confirmed this. The driver emerged from his car expelling "I'm sorry's", but I was too busy screaming to care (more out of anger and frustration than pain). Two workers emerged from the neighboring auto body store and were clearly shocked at the scene they walked into. I was offered tissues to soak up the blood while the driver got the police on the phone, at which point I realized I'd be needing some help and immediately thought of Sam (my boss). </div>
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His cheerful voice made me laugh as he asked "How are you?" I wasn't sure how to intro this one but muttered a "Ummm I'm okayyyyy, but I just got hit by a car". Thankfully he wasn't to far away, still on his way back to Andong from Incheon, and assured me he'd join me as soon as possible. Minutes later the police and paramedics arrived, talked briefly and then ushered me into the ambulance, saying we were headed for Andong Hospital. Of course no one spoke English and the paramedic by my side apologized for such in the most endearing way (he was cute too, which helped). We soon arrived at the hospital where I was guided to the ER and quickly ambushed with doctors, nurses and questions. I'm thinking I should sign up for the TOPIK (Test of proficiency in Korea) test after passing this surprise exam with flying colors, still bleeding and in a bit of shock. I was taken for a head CT and full body x-rays to confirm I didn't injure more than my face, and as I was rolled out of the examination room heard a "Are you okay?" Upon hearing Sam's voice I felt a flood of relief, knowing he would help to sort everything out, but couldn't help laugh in response to his question. The driver and insurance man arrived soon after, at which point I was especially grateful for Sam's presence. Thankfulness ensued when the man who hit me expressed great sympathy and told me not to worry, everything would be taken care of. Until this point I hadn't really given much thought to the monetary complications of this whole mess, but it was nice to be told not to worry. </div>
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Back in the ER I was on hold for a slew of drugs, an IV (my first) of antibiotics, a tetanus shot and one other mystery (no one told me what that one was for), both of which were administered on the back side - I'm telling you the fun was never ending on Monday. The news came back that my head and body were okay, so the only thing remaining was sorting out the mess that was my face. I knew Sam had to get to school and was <i>okay </i>with being left alone, but the doctors all looked worried at his departure, how would they communicate with this 외국인? Eventually I was wheeled up to the dentistry clinic for an assessment of the injuries, this was the point in the day I realized I'm too optimistic. While being carted around I had two realizations: 1. I should take pictures because I'm totally going to blog about this and 2. (when catching my reflection in the elevator doors) Most people would probably be panicked or scared, alone in a hospital where hardly anyone speaks English, thousands of miles away from home, but I was oddly content with it all. </div>
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I stumbled through Korean with the receptionists and assistants, doing surprisingly well for the state I was in, but was pleased when the dentist spoke beautiful English. The visit seemed unnecessary for the most part, as he told me I had chipped a tooth (no 2) and that I should go get sutures and then we will fix the tooth later. The highlight though, was when he reached for the tweezers on the examination tray near by, my mind quickly started wondering what he could he could be doing as he approached my face. I couldn't feel much, but when he pulled them away and showed me a chuck of my tooth that was lodged in the cut I once again had one reaction, laughing - at the absurdness of it all. A little more waiting and it was back to the ER, escorted back to my bed to wait for being stitched up. There is some amusement in being the only foreigner present as it seemed every person in that room knew who I was and it was also easy to tell when they were discussing my situation, hearing "스테파니" float through the air. </div>
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Before too long I was rolled over to the operating room where a flurry of doctors and nurses fluttered around me. I think maybe they weren't sure who would get the honor of stitching up the foreign chick, but eventually I had two by my side and it seemed we'd be starting the process. Cleaning the wound wasn't lovely, but part two was by far the worse. It wasn't until my squeal of pain that I heard a "아파" from the doctor, confirming that, "Yes, this will hurt". I wasn't even sure what they were doing, but as my mouth began to numb I realized it was the shot(s) of anesthetic that sent me squirming. My eyes were covered but I sensed that there was a change in doctors at this point, the new one mumbled some concern of my being a foreigner, but the other assured him, "No, she speaks Korea well" a nice confidence boost in my vulnerable state! Once numb the process was easier, only nasty when I could feel the sensation of thread being pulled through my lip, both outside and inside. In total I received 7 stitches outside and 4 inside my upper lip, and just like that I was <i>done. </i>I had to get Sam back on the phone for the final instructions of what was to happen with me, but was ultimately free to go. I was sent home with a slew of pills and instructions to visit a plastic surgery clinic the following day to have the wound cleaned and re-bandaged. </div>
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The friendliness of the day wore off as I exited the ER. Waiting at the pharmacy desk the receptionist seemed only annoyed with my presence and the Pharmacist was also less than eager to explain things to me. As I walked away with my drugs I was left slightly confused, "I'm supposed to go home now..that's it?" but sure enough, that was it. I grabbed a taxi (one of the less appealing parts of being hospitalized alone) and was home within minutes, ready to let the days events sink in. Ironically enough I got my wish of "Not wanting to go to work today" but I was anything but grateful for that. Sitting at home alone in a pity party, 11 stitches in my face and bruises across my body didn't beat dealing with minions all afternoon. The evening did improve though, first with an hour long skype session with a best (really concerned) friend, followed by a visit from an equally concerned boyfriend (toting ice cream), and ending with a skype call to the family (obviously concerned). Everyone's sentiments matched mine, for their concern and sympathy at the situation was matched with, if not exceeded by, relief that I was not more seriously injured. </div>
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This week has definitely started on a different foot than I ever dreamt it would have, but through it all I've been fairly positive. The shock has worn off, but Tuesday I woke up with realizations that the headache was just beginning. Dealing with insurance, police and doctors is how I'll be spending the next few days, if not weeks. Thankfully, I have an amazing boss who is on my side and willing to spend the time to help me through this all. There's more details to share, but I'll save that for part two, for now just know that I'm <i>okay, </i>mostly in part to all of the amazing people I have in my life. </div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10815615870478298274noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678545679638608476.post-47128578023226420282016-04-17T13:30:00.000+09:002016-04-17T13:30:46.394+09:00It's All About the Finish Line The thoughts and opinions that continue to be expressed by my students doesn't always blow me away, but I do have to sit back in a state of awe as I listen sometimes.<br />
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Last week during a writing class every student was given a different writing prompt, asked to respond to the answer during our time allotted, after which we would share our work. The first student had a question of beauty vs. brains, if he could only have one which would it be. I was happy that he, and the rest of the students agreed that intelligence would trump looks should they have to decide, but it was some of his reasoning that made me shudder.<br />
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Intelligence is more important so that we can study, get a good score on the exam, go to a good University and get a good job. Then we will make a lot of money and if we are not beautiful we can have surgery to be more beautiful.</blockquote>
There is truth to this argument, but I was slightly disappointed that this was the only track "intelligence" can take. There was little to no consideration for the value of intelligence on a more human level, the only value was seen in achiving the dream of a good job and more money.<br />
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We moved on to our second student, presented with the question of "If you could have any skill what would it be and why?" This boy has been an all star since joining our school only a few weeks ago so I had high hopes for his response.<br />
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I would want to have super intelligence because then I could study quickly and be very smart. I would go to a good university and get a good job, to be a good son to my parents. Finally, I would become rich by investing in the stock market, then I could donate to poor people. </blockquote>
Although the trend of money strung throughout his answer I was pleased that he didn't look only to the monetary gains, and when he did acknowledged an ability or desire to share this with others, notably his parents and the poor.<br />
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The third student was asked if he could become invisible what would he do? I was sure given the prompt we had moved on from the 'money and success' type of answers, but apparently I was wrong.<br />
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If I was invisible I would go to school and change all the students grades to bad grades and my grades higher. Then I would be the best in the class and smartest student. I would go to a good University and get a good job so I would have lots of money. </blockquote>
While there were a few other details in his answer this is all that stuck out to me. Three different writing prompts and three different students, and yet all of their answers followed the same structural response.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>I need to get good grades so I can go to a good University, get a good job and makes lots of money</b></span></div>
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Is this all it's really about? When I think back to my 13 year old self I like to believe that my brain was filled with thoughts other than those of school, jobs and money, but I could be wrong. I look at these students, kids really, who have imaginations and ideas just waiting to pour out of their brains, but something stops them. What's happening Korea? These kids spend all their time on their studies, casting aside things like reading and playing piano because they are viewed as "time wasters", yet now look at what's happening as a country. The youth <a href="http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20150726000328">unemployment</a> rate in Korea is shockingly high, with many graduates struggling to find full time work. Those "good jobs" that everyone dreamt about simply are not available. A large portion of recent graduates are all going after the same jobs, they want something safe, secure and 'good' as my students so eloquently noted, but not everyone can have the few jobs that are available. Instead graduates are either turning abroad or settling for something else. </div>
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I'm not really looking for a way to solve the unemployment problem in Korea, that's way beyond my scope. What I wish I could do for my students however is show them that 'good jobs' aren't always the answer. I guess it's a motivator to make them go to school, attend academy classes and finish their homework, but I think there should be some other motivators at play. Let these kids take time to explore their interests; piano lessons, dance class or sports are all a valid use of children's time in my eyes. I couldn't have been happier last week when I found out I'd be losing a student due to her enrollment in ballet classes. Even better when this came from the same girl who's sister reported doing 'mom homework', I guess there's some kind of balance in that house after all. </div>
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I can only hope more students and parents support the 'extracurricular' activities and avoid the multiple academy, overstressed, no free time students I often see rolling through my door. </div>
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Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10815615870478298274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678545679638608476.post-10145416961022414352016-04-13T12:38:00.000+09:002016-04-13T12:38:08.720+09:00The Great DebateOne of the highlights of my new job is that I'm no longer a puppet teaching 'fun' English classes, these kids are here to learn and my classes are no exception. My schedule rotates between reading and writing lessons but I also have a few debate classes thrown into the mix. It took me a few lessons to get into the swing of things with the students, understanding what their level was at, their debate style and of course personalities, but now things are going along great. While not all the topics are received with high praise, most of our lessons have went pretty smoothly, sometimes students have surprised me with strong arguments and unique viewpoints, while other times I've been left in a slight state of shock. Let me give you some examples...<br />
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<b>The great hagwon debate</b></div>
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There were the standard con arguments of cost, time and overall effectiveness, but these were easily outweighed with the students eagerly expressed pro arguments. </div>
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<li>We <b>must </b>prepare for the next grade, we can review and preview things we have not learned at school, hagwons make up for the things we miss at school. <span style="color: purple;">So basically public schools in Korea are failing at their purpose? Kids tend to treat school as play and hagwon as school...</span></li>
<li>If we don't study at hagwon we will fall behind in our class and do bad on the exam, and then not get into a good high school or university and not get a good job. <span style="color: purple;">Elementary school decisions will forecast the rest of your life, no pressure though. </span></li>
<li>If we don't go to hagwon where would we go after school, our parents are still working. <span style="color: purple;">Why did I not realize this job was a glorified babysitter? </span></li>
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I was genuinely intrigued to see what the kids had to say on this one and was <i>not so </i>surprised when I had mulitple students begging to be on the 'con' side of the argument. After all my previous job was cut after years of the government talking about cut backs, but what was the students perceived value? Pro supporters were in favor of a natural pronunciation, learning of different cultures and overall interest in learning English, but again con dominated. </div>
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<li>Native teachers are expensive, costing the government much more than a Korean teacher who could fulfill the same job (50% of the English budget goes to Native teachers). <span style="color: purple;">I'm just happy to be getting a paycheck, oh and a free apartment.</span></li>
<li>Often times they only teaching speaking and listening, classes that many students treat as play and either ignore or sleep through. <span style="color: purple;">True.</span></li>
<li>Most aren't even properly qualified teachers. <span style="color: purple;">You shouldn't seen the shock on some faces when I confirmed that no, Korea does not require a <b>teaching </b>degree (or certification).</span></li>
<li>These lessons could easily be replaced with skype, youtube, or other online formats. </li>
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Writing prompt: <b>What is the best age and why</b></div>
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An overwhelmingly high number of students argued that five years old, was in fact the best age. This proves one of two things, either the kids have little imagination capability in guessing that maybe 20, 30 or 70 might be fun, or it's all downhill from here. The reasons to support their claim? </div>
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<li>We get to go to kindergarten and meet friends, but there's no homework and we also don't have to go to hagwon. </li>
<li>We don't have to study yet. <span style="color: purple;">As you shouldn't at five years old. </span></li>
<li>It's <i>okay </i>when we make a mistake. <span style="color: purple;">Which leads me to believe it's not okay soon after...</span></li>
<li>We can take a nap</li>
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Soon after I followed this up with: <b>What is the worst age and why</b></div>
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This time encouraging them to be creative and think <i>outside the box </i>I hoped for a few different responses, but alas creativity is not key with these kids. The resounding answer was eight or nine years old, and the reasons are not that hard to guess. </div>
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<li>We have to start first grade and have lots of homework. <span style="color: purple;">Despressing</span></li>
<li>We must go to academy and study more. <span style="color: purple;"><span style="background-color: white;">Also depressing.</span></span></li>
<li>There is no time for play. <span style="color: purple;">Depressing. </span></li>
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While my intent with these two writing prompts was to encourage kids to think about their future, fun opportunities that lay ahead, what I got was a sad look at reality. It seems that for these kids, at least in their minds, life peaks at 5 with fun, games and new friends, but goes downhill not soon after. By eight years old you're enrolled into your first hagwon and from that point on it's just work, work work. From elementary school to middle, where you must study to prepare for high school, and then the ever important <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2013/11/blog-post.html">suneung test</a> which will hopefully get you into a good university, so you can study to get a good job, at which you hope to work at until retirement, without getting laid off to make room for the new, younger, smarter fresher batch of <strike>robots</strike> I mean graduates. </div>
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Incase you were wondering my <span style="color: #e06666;">rose colored, </span>everything is great here - I love this country glasses have been removed, and I'm seeing a first hand account of the <b>darker side </b>of the coin. These are only a few examples of the eye openers I've come across, but I promise to share more soon, and not only from the classroom. </div>
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Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10815615870478298274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678545679638608476.post-78585860005062249332016-02-28T18:20:00.002+09:002016-02-28T18:21:19.629+09:00Road Trippin'Before taking off for Europe I wanted to spend one more weekend with Hue, also it was technically his summer break and I couldn't just let him sit in Milwaukee the whole time. If I had thought ahead a bit more I would have planned a <i>real </i>trip, but instead a 6 hour drive north, with stops both in my college town and the twin cities, would have to do. I didn't want to be responsible for a huge group, after all I wanted to have fun this weekend, so my invite extended only to Hue and Jun, both of whom were happy with the plan. To round out the group I invited my cousin Alivia, smart, independent and with a thirst for knowledge, I'm honored when people say we're a lot alike. Given the people I'd be spending the next few days with I had high hopes for the trip.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>We left Friday morning and for the first portion of the trip everyone was pretty quiet, being the driver this was not going to fly with me, I required entertainment while carting these three around. I introduced the boys to the 'Alphabet Game' an old favorite from family road trips, and despite driving and keeping my eyes on the road, dominated. The drive was one long stretch of deja vu, bringing back University memories as I neared my old campus town. We did all the road trip things, played car games, ate snacks and jammed out to music. Upon arriving in La Crosse we checked into our room, but failed on one account. Having only booked for two people I should've had the boys wait in the car, but stupid me they came in, meaning we'd have to pay an extra $20, not worth it for the room IMO, but such is life. We dropped our stuff and went to find food, I passed on most of the car snacks and was thus starving by this time. Per a friends suggestion (and because I <i>never </i>ate there during my college days) we had lunch at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hmong-Golden-Eggrolls/166323263379116">Hmongs Golden Egg roll</a>, the name's odd and it's previous location in a bank building were maybe what previously deterred me. It's since had a make-over and the food was awesome, reminiscent of my days in SE Asia, yum.<br />
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Up next was the bluffs, I couldn't bring these three to La Crosse and not give them the grand tour, a small hike and views over the city included. They were luck in that we timed our arrival along with that of a train, this way I could share with them the story of when I almost killed myself running across these very same tracks. The hike was just as beautiful as I remember and everyone seemed to enjoy the views from the top. If I'm lucky this trip may have persuaded my cousin to add La Crosse to her possible University options, I'd love to have a reason to go back and visit. We finished the afternoon with a walk through campus, unfortunately being summer vacation many buildings were not open, but they were still able to get a feel for the campus and I a walk down memory lane.<br />
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After resting or some time at the hotel, and cleaning up after our hike we contemplated what to do with our evening. Seeing as the three of them were all underage hitting up the bar scene was quite out of the question, instead I had the brilliant idea to see if anything was playing at the Riv, an awesome old school theater downtown which also serves food and drinks. We were in luck, not only was something showing but the time coincided perfectly with my phone interview (for a job in Korea). Finally the next morning we took a walk along the river, another of the natural highlights of this city. Not to brag or anything but I think I was a pretty awesome tour guide fro La Crosse, aside from Ice Cream at the Pearl there's not much we missed.<br />
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Back on the road, headed north again, soon crossing the border into Minnesota and continuing on our way. I'd never before actually made the drive from La Crosse to Minneapolis, I was either in a bus or passenger of a friends car, but the sights were spectacular. Aside from worrying we might blow off the road due to high winds the drive was enjoyable and we arrived in the cities after about two and a half hours. I had booked a hotel near the mall, for one it was cheaper being outside the city and we were planning to do some shopping Sunday morning anyhow. After dropping off our things we were right back in the car and headed towards the city to explore, without much of a plan to lead us. <br />
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I have a few friends living in the city, two of whom were in town and planning to attend a music festival in Loring park. We wanted to stop by the Sculpture garden which was nearby so I told them we'd try to meet up after doing so. The roads were packed and parking was ridiculous as expected, due to the concert, but we got supremely lucky when someone pulled out just as we were arriving, free street parking is much preferred to the $5~$10 lots! Unfortunately almost all of the sculptures had been removed from the garden, kind of forgot the reasoning, but we were able to see and take a few pictures with the big spoon, so it wasn't a complete let down.<br />
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The music festival was free which meant huge crowds, thankfully my friend let us in on a tip to use the 'back entrance' so we were able to avoid waiting in line forever. It was a mission to find anyone in the crowds but we were successful after wandering for only a few minutes. Unfortunately the food vendors (Chipotle, also sponsor) were only offering overpriced burritos and nachos so we thought it better to go find something more substantial and cost effective. After a brief meeting with my friend Mitch and promise that we'd be back later, we made our way to a nearby Chinese restaurant where we ate more than our fill and Hue satisfied his 탕수육 craving with orange chicken. Unfortunately as we ate the rain came down, in buckets, which meant a wet run back to our car. <br />
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I was at a loss for what to do with these three underagers on a rainy Saturday afternoon in the city. Both of my friends were back at the apartments drinking, and although the invites were extended I wasn't sure that was what my companions were looking for. Alivia wanted to at least see the campus so we took a drive through town, not knowing there was a football game about to start which graced us with loads of traffic. Ultimately we decided to drop in on my friends, first to Mike's house for a miniature DSP (Delta Sigma Pi) reunion before leaving them to the bars and then reuniting with Mitch at his apartment, thankfully the two are both centrally located. Despite the short distance, the drive to Mitch's was harrowing, with rain coming down in sheets, my wipers on super speed could barely compete. Mitch has also taught in Korea and his roommate lived in China for a few years so it was a cool international mix and vibe at his apartment, with Korean paraphernalia decorating the walls, I believe helping the boys not to feel completely awkward. While I caught up with Mitch the boys were entertained with his air dart gun, but poor Alivia probably could have been having more fun. We called it a night after watching a good portion of School of Rock and letting the rain die down, returning to our hotel and properly passing out, one more day of adventure ahead of us. </div>
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I was up early, but in no hurry to rouse the rest of them, instead taking some time to catch up with an old friend, sharing with her the news of my interview for Korea. Our only plan for the morning was shopping and the mall wasn't open until 10am so there was no point in rushing. I grabbed a few take-aways from the hotel breakfast and woke the rest of them with the smell of waffles, maybe the only instance thus far in the trip I felt like the <i>adult. </i>We decided to separate at the mall, allowing each of us to go where we wanted, but agreed to meet back at the entrance by 1:30. When I saw the crushed look on the boys faces I agreed to 2pm, but having a six hour drive ahead of me that afternoon that was as late as I wanted to stay, plus I'm not much of shopper. Alivia and I stuck together, stopping at only a few stores with the majority of our time spent in Forever 21, and before long we were back at the entrance waiting for the boys, ready to head back to Milwaukee. </div>
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The drive back was enjoyable, until everyone decided to fall asleep and leave me rocking out to music on my own. That and the "TP" warning light that kept flashing were my only complaints with the drive. I wanted to ignore the light, but upon realizing I was the <i>adult </i>on the trip decided I should figure out what it means. Google solved the mystery and told me my tire pressure may be low, considering we had another five hours to go and winds were strong I decided to pull off and fill the tires, another form of entertainment and new experience for the boys. From there the drive was smooth, except for our failed stop in Madison where we were planning to grab dinner, instead ending at a Thai restaurant in Milwaukee somewhere around 7pm. Honestly, I was sick of driving and the thought of eating in Madison and then getting back on the road sounded terrible, better to just push through and be home. All in all the weekend was a major success, until the last few hours I forgot that I was technically responsible for these three, and felt more their equal than a teacher, 누나, or older cousin. I wish I could have had more time and a more exciting destination, but we took what we were given and made the most of it, plus there's still plenty of time for the rest. Hue will be back in Korea soon and we'll explore on his home turf ~~ something I can't wait for, less than three months now! </div>
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10815615870478298274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678545679638608476.post-33343278434337580062016-02-07T16:16:00.000+09:002016-02-07T16:16:26.468+09:00Summer Fun After partaking on the end of summer trip with Hue and his friends I realized I had some work to do. These students, my new friends, were now on summer vacation and for the most part hadn't made any plans. I couldn't let them just hang out around Milwaukee, reliant on buses to get them where they needed to go and not knowing what to do with themselves. I started brainstorming ideas and soon had a list of things not only that I wanted them to experience, but things that would be just as fun for me. After parting ways at the end of the field trip I ended with 'See you soon' rather than 'Goodbye', and I meant it.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>My first responsibility was to introduce them to the <a href="http://wistatefair.com/">Wisconsin State Fair</a>, I mean how could I let them live in Wisconsin and miss such a spectacle? Food on a stick, pig races, giant slide, farm animals, what more could these kids ask for in a day? I told Hue to invite his friends, but as some were proactive in scheduling their own vacations, there were only four of us total. My cousins, whom Hue had already met and befriended were also planning to go so we all met up for a day of eating and wandering, but mostly eating. There's always deals to be had at the fair so I chose opening day, where admission was only two dollars, granted you brought a few canned goods.<br />
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We arrived around lunch time so it was only natural that we start with our first round of eating, what was going to be difficult however was deciding <i>what </i>to eat. They all asked me for advice, but I even wasn't sure where to start. Ultimately we wound up with a variety of things, but I think the corn dog was one of the biggest hits, thankfully we still had plenty of time to sample more. Before doing so however we decided to explore the animal barns, rows upon rows of pigs, cows, horses and sheep, I mean doesn't that just sound thrilling? I think having grown up in Wisconsin, and visiting the state fair as a child the novelty has long since worn off for me, but for the rest of them it was at least a new experience. We also had to make sure to catch the pig races, something I always remembered as being a highlight at the fair, but there too the excitement seemed to dull. I still had high hopes for one more thing, the giant slide, which Hue treated us to after finding 20 bucks on the sidewalk.<br />
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The final <i>must do </i>at state fair was, of course, eating the iconic cream puffs that so many people rave about. It was nearly impossible or me to explain what exactly they were or why they're so famous, so instead I just forced them all to eat one. The hesitation on how to approach the monstrosity was amusing, but they eventually got the technique down and the four we bought quickly disappeared. Although we could have stayed longer and ate more, we all agreed that our time at the fair had been enough and so to end the day I took them all to the Ale house downtown, one good meal away from campus and fair food, but unfortunately a few months too soon to appreciate the beer. <br />
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A few weeks later, and shortly before I was set to depart for <a href="https://yogifootprintsblog.wordpress.com/category/destinations/europe/">Europe</a>, I arranged plans for another outing with my new favorites, this time in the form of baseball and of course more food. The students had went to a game earlier in the summer with their ESL class, but did not partake in any form of tailgate, which in my opinion is the most important part of the whole outing. This time I wanted to give them the full experience, so I called in a few favors (bags game, grill and grill master - my dad). Along with all the food and games I invited my cousin Adam to join, having seemed to take a liking to Hue and Jun on their last meeting I thought he'd enjoy the day. We got lucky with the weather, clear skies full of sun, which provided for the perfect tailgate. I introduced everyone to Wisconsin brats, a variety of snacks, and my cousins 'famous' chocolate chip cookies, at least the eyes of Hue. After a few rounds of bags and polishing off nearly all the food - I almost forgot how much teenagers can eat - we made our way into the game. Our seats were in the nosebleeds (nice and cheap), but being an end of season, mid-week game there were plenty of other seats for us to choose from, so we switched to a lower level about halfway through.<br />
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I'm honestly not sure who had more fun that day, all of the students, my dad or myself. The excitement everyone had, from getting away from campus, successfully tailgating, and building fusion hot dog monstrosities was infectious. This may have been one of my favorite tailgate experiences at Miller Park, and ironically also my most sober. I said before I'd love to go on a cross-country road trip with one of my Korean friends and this day was more proof that would be an amazing experience. Introducing and sharing my own culture is a way to see everything through new, fresh eyes, things that have become normal or boring in our own routine are brought back to life by others. The day was a complete success and my only regret at the end of it was that I had not done it sooner, thankfully though I still had a few weeks before saying my goodbyes.<br />
<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10815615870478298274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678545679638608476.post-52011981453029601232016-02-05T13:43:00.000+09:002016-02-05T13:43:53.494+09:00Can I Come? As it always does summer began to fly past us and before long we were already entering August, Hue was wrapping up his summer ESL courses and I was itching to leave the country. I tried a few times to make plans with Hue but it seemed he was always busy with studying or our schedules just didn't collide. Then one day his response was 'I have the final class trip' and I went out on a limb asking if I could join. I had fun hanging out with just him so wouldn't tagging along on an ESL, end of summer, multi country mash-up be that much more exciting? The correct answer is yes. Thankfully his teachers didn't mind, as long as I was registered and paid my fees, so that's how I found myself on a school bus filled with teenagers from around the world, and a few teachers from UWM. Once again I fell in with the students feeling a sense of belonging more there than with the staff, and many of the students being Korean, I felt like I <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2013/04/field-trippin.html">was back.</a><br />
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<a name='more'></a>The trip was to Kettle Moraine State Park and was supposed to be filled with hiking, boating, a picnic and other outdoor activities. Soon after arriving though I realized most if not all of this was optional, more or less it was just a day to have fun. I had yet to meet any of Hue's ESL friends but that didn't mean they didn't know about me. While waiting for the buses in the morning I met a few students and the resounding response was <i>"ooooooh, YOU'RE Stephanie!" </i>it was clear Hue had shared a bit about me and I couldn't have been happier hearing so. The students came from all corners of the world, but I quickly fell into the Asian clan, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, all represented. On the bus the fun continued, I was complimented on my Korea ability, commended for my attempts to accept and learn the culture, and thanked for welcoming my new friends. Given how fun the first few hours were going I had high hopes for the rest of the day.<br />
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We arrived and almost immediately it was time to eat, the spread of American <i>picnic </i>food was a sight even for me to see, so I was interested to see how the students would take to it. Chicken, cheeseburgers, pasta salad, taco salad (this one was new to even me), fruits and veggies filled the tables. Everyone was encouraged to eat a lot, one instruction no one had a problem following. When I asked the students if they missed food from home the moans, groans and sighs that erupted were probably heard from the other side of the lake. The Koreans were soon lamenting Korean fried chicken, and although we were eating some fairly delicious chicken, I felt their pain. Another consensus was that Diet Coke sucks and root beer is weird, I get the second one, but Diet Coke?<br />
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I thought we would all be ushered onto a group hike at this point, but thankfully we were released to explore on our own. There were options of swimming, boating, playing soccer or just relaxing. I followed a group to the boat dock but chose to pass on jumping it, instead leaving it to the boys to explore. It was clear a few of these students had little to no water experience, especially the one from Africa who was almost persuaded to take off in a canoe with no paddles. I was slightly concerned for the wellbeing of a few, but thankfully I wasn't actually in charge. While waiting I spoke with a few of those who were, one of whom was genuinely confused as to who I was, I couldn't be a student as my English was too good, but I wasn't a teacher either? I had to explain my connection to the group on more than one occasion throughout the day, but each time took a moment to appreciate how unique but also awesome it was.<br />
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The boys decided to go swimming but there was no way I was getting in the lake, temperatures were no where near high enough for me to partake. Instead I grabbed my Kindle and sat on the beach, enjoying a little bit of quiet time, still entertained from afar. Spending the day with this ESL community was a breath of fresh air after a few months at home, away from my travels, teaching and exploration. I met a teacher who has lived in eight different countries and another whose daughter is enrolled at an international school, a place where she's exposed to dozens of different languages, cultures and looks. Most importantly though I met the students, kids that left the comforts of their home town to explore America, finding new friendships, experiences and of course the English language in Milwaukee. These people both inspired and reminded me that living in Wisconsin doesn't have to be as simple as that, there's always a way to bring the world back home. <br />
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For now, I'm not ready to <i>settle </i>into the comforts of [any] home, my feet are still itching to leave as soon as I arrive, and there's too much left in this world for me to see. To be honest, I'm struggling to see through the eight months I have remaining in Korea, however I believe once the winter skies part things will improve. It is after all, a country I've fallen in love with time and time again, a place where each day brings something new, I learn from my students just as often as they learn form me, and I'm free to discover, improve and enhance myself. <br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10815615870478298274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678545679638608476.post-43310030922769432692016-02-04T13:45:00.001+09:002016-02-04T13:45:53.328+09:00Chicago the Korean EditionAfter a summer filled with Milwaukee adventures with Hue and some of his friends it was finally time to venture across state lines and show the boys a bit of what our neighbors to the south have to offer. My friend Shaun (fellow <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2012/06/home-sweet-home.html">Buksamer</a>) was coming home for a visit, bringing with him his new Korean wife 미진, which of course called for a party. Shaun had invited both Caitlin and myself, both so we could meet his wife and have a little reunion of our own. We figured this was the perfect excuse for a weekend trip to Chicago and wanted to bring Hue and his friend Jun along, thankfully Shaun didn't mind.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Caitlin came down to Milwaukee early Saturday morning and after picking up the boys we were on our way. Shaun lives in the northwest suburbs of the city, so the drive wasn't too long and we were soon in his backyard, meeting family, eating food and of course drinking a few beers. It was different seeing Shaun in his family setting, and while he fit in with friends and family just fine, it was clear that part of him was still in Korea. The boys were amazed by the seemingly endless supply of American snacks, not to mention the delicious catered Mexican fare that was for lunch, I had a hard time pulling them away from the snack table. Aside from eating and socializing we also introduced the boys to 'bags' (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornhole">cornhole</a>, beantoss or whatever else you may call it), but once we transitioned they also didn't want to leave that game. Eventually though we said our goodbyes, for we still had lots to do during our visit.<br />
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Stop two, and what we thought might be the highlight of the trip was dinner at an (according to reviews) delicious Korean, <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/san-soo-kab-san-morton-grove">San Soo Gab San</a> in Lincoln square Chicago. You could feel the excitement in the car as we drove nearer to our destination, and not only from the two natives, Caitlin and I were equally as excited. As soon as we walked in the door I thought Hue might have a heart attack as he sighed, "아!! 냄새, 냄새!!" He was, of course, excited about the smell, the distinct waft of Korean BBQ permeating the air. As we were being seated, while ordering and throughout the night Hue chatted with our servers, likely expressing his excitement at finding a taste of home after four months of American food, and explaining who the silly white girl next to him was. A highlight for me came when I spoke my small sampling of Korea and our waitress commented that I spoke with '<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyeongsang_dialect">Gyeongsang dialect</a>' ~ you got that right, Gumi girl and proud of it.<br />
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The boys probably could've stayed and ate all night, but we had more things we still wanted to do. Our next mission, one that would have been simple were we <i>actually </i>in Korea was to find a noraebang. Caitlin and I had mapped out a few beforehand but we weren't sure if we'd have success getting in. Sure enough, the first one we visited wouldn't admit anyone under 21 seeing as they served alcohol on the premise. Caitlin and I were annoyed but I can only imagine how frustrated the boys must have been, coming from Korea where they could legally drink or easily do so even if not of age, to America where the rules and regulations were never in their favor. We left disappointed but were not ready to give up, there had to be another opinion, and there was! We called ahead and explained our situation first, not all of us were 21 but we also didn't plan on ordering any drinks, and <i>thankfully </i>this time we found success. I only went to a noraebang once with Hue in Korea, but he must not have sang that much because he had some talent he was hiding! Both him and Jun amazed me with their, not only singing, but also rapping abilities. Almost every song Hue sang he altered his voice to sound exactly like the artist, Leesaang being one of my favorites. <br />
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Again, we could have stayed all night, but being Chicago we were aware that our bill was probably racking up faster than anticipated so we decided to call it a night after a few hours. Instead of shelling out for a hotel room, and in order to have a full Korean experience we decided to spend the night at <a href="http://www.kingspa.com/chicago/">King Spa</a> in Niles, Illinois. I wasn't sure how authentic the spa would be, but after paying and entering the woman's room I realized it was spot on, and gorgeous! The baths were already closed for cleaning so we changed into our awesome loungewear and made our way to the co-ed area. There were people scattered everywhere to sleep, the movie room, lounge area and the designated sleeping rooms. There wasn't much else to do and I was exhausted so I grabbed a corner path of floor and crossed my fingers from sleep. I awoke a few hours later roasting and decided I had to move, by this time some people had left already so I was lucky to find an open recliner in the movie room, earplugs and face mask back in place and I was out cold. Oversleeping the rest of my group I didn't have as much time in the baths in the morning, but enjoyed it none the less.<br />
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Just when I thought the excitement had come to an end I remembered what our plan for the morning was; our next stop wasn't far, in fact it was right next store at <a href="http://h-mart./">H-mart.</a> We promised the boys a market full of Korean goodies, and one more delicious meal at the cafe, what we didn't realize though was that the market also had Korean fried chicken. The boys excitement for chicken was almost as high as my excitement for Hyejangguk, okay no they were probably more excited than I was, overall though everyone was in a great mood. After eating it was time for shopping, filling our carts with all the tastes of home (or second home). Again Hue was slightly disappointed at his inability to buy alcohol, but being the nice 누나 I am helped him out a bit. Eventually we pulled ourselves away from the mart and started the drive home, but we weren't quite ready to call it a weekend. Caitlin recalled there was a <a href="http://www.caffebeneusa.com/">Cafe Bene</a> in the area, so we had one final stop before admitting it was the end.<br />
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This weekend, obviously, brought back some feelings for Korea. It reminded me of the many things I absolutely love about this country, brought me closer to my friends and memories from my first time living here and ultimately may have encouraged my return. Sitting here in Andong, six months later, I'm not sure if I should be thankful for that effect or not. I've started a <i>new </i>life here, and although it's vastly different than the one I led before, it's still an interesting one. Korea is changing, or maybe it's me that's transformed, after all I have <a href="https://yogifootprintsblog.wordpress.com/category/destinations/se-asia/">done some things</a> since I left. Anyway, Hue will be returning home in a few months and I cannot wait to go explore together, this time with him as my host! </div>
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10815615870478298274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678545679638608476.post-39266673730409486302016-02-02T09:21:00.001+09:002016-02-04T17:16:25.629+09:00Teacher, I'm Coming to America During my first two years teaching in Korea I had multiple students that spoke of the day they'd be coming to visit me in the United States. I of course encouraged these dreams, but aside from a select few, seriously doubted it would actually happen. Then last year, while <a href="https://yogifootprintsblog.wordpress.com/2015/04/22/its-always-the-students/">teaching in Cambodia</a> I got a text from one of my previous students 임희욱. He was asking for advice, which school from a list of 7 he should pick; believe it or not he was going to start studying in America that summer. My jaw hit the floor when I browsed through his choices, there at number 5 was UW-Milwaukee, a short 20-minute drive from my parents. house. I gave him an unbiased review of his options, but also mentioned that Milwaukee was in fact my home-town, although I wasn't planning to be back for a while.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>A few months passed and we exchanged the occasional texts, until I got the one that read "Teacher, I'm coming to America - Milwaukee!" I still didn't believe it was real that one of my previous students from Korea would soon be living and studying in my hometown, but it sounded cool. Due to a series of unfortunate events, and realizations about those I left at home, my plans to return changed and I was back sooner than expected. Within a few weeks of my return I was meeting 희욱 (Hue) for dinner and could hardly believe this was really happening. It was so cool being able to help an old student adjust to his new home, introduce him to my city, friends, family and life in America after he had witnessed me do the same thing in Korea.<br />
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My summer schedule was wide open so I promised Hue that we could meet often, and if he had any questions not to hesitate calling me. Another highlight was the weekend my friend Caitlin was in town, a girl I <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2013/06/i-came-here-to-eat-and-maybe-drink.html">met in Korea</a>, but coincidentally went to the same University as I, and we decided to test our cooking skills and make Hue 찜닭 [Jjimdalk]. He was definitely skeptical of our ability to prepare this dish correctly, but he seemed equally excited at the prospect of having some home-cooked. After a day of exploring Milwaukee we came back to amazing smells filling my brothers apartment (we took the slow-cooker approach to Jjimdalk) and our mouths started watering as we waiting for my brother and his girlfriend to return home from work. If Hue's words of praise weren't convincing that the food was delicious the amount he ate proved it. Bowl upon bowl Hue devoured our Jjimdalk with a goofy grin pasted to his face, clearly we had accomplished what we set out to do.<br />
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Although he was often busy with his studies we were able to meet frequently for dinner, coffee, or a day exploring Milwaukee. One weekend I invited him to visit my hometown - suburbs of Milwaukee, for a taste of real American life. We took a bike ride around town, where I pointed out all three schools I attended, rode through 'downtown' and sampled the iconic Ferches custard, and this was only the beginning. For the night I took him to my cousins little league baseball game and the following day we hit up the Asian market not too far from my house. The look on his face was priceless, like a kid in a candy store, reminding me of the first time I stepped foot in the Military base grocery store, in Waegwon.<br />
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Caitlin returned again for the 4th of July and we felt it was only appropriate to include Hue in our celebrations. The weekend was old fashion, hometown style, starting with the local morning parade, a day at my aunt and uncles house for a cook-out and pool party, finishing with fireworks again in my hometown. I guess I became so accustomed to traveling with Asians that I didn't realize others giving us sideways glances, wondering who my new little Asian family was. It was also a bit awkward as I realized many friends and family assumed Caitlin and Hue were an item - being Korean with a little girl in toe (Caitlin's adorable daughter Brynn), you couldn't <i>really </i>blame them. As 'American' as the day was we couldn't help but add a bit of a Korean flare, while enjoying the eruptions of light in the sky we 건배'd [cheersed] with a bottle of 막걸리 [Korean rice wine]. I guess you can take the girl out of Korea, but not the Korea out of the girl.<br />
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It was during the 4th of July holiday that we devised our next travel plan. Our friend Shaun was returning home in August for a visit which included a wedding party in the suburbs of Chicago, to which Caitlin and I were both invited. As this was another friend from Korea we figured he wouldn't mind us bringing Hue along, and we ultimately decided to make a weekend of it, including the Korean market, 삼겹살, 노리방, and even a Korean style 찜질방.<br />
<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10815615870478298274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678545679638608476.post-22326829325327878252016-01-24T21:56:00.002+09:002016-01-27T22:46:42.342+09:00That Hagwon LifeI'm [already] three months into my contract in Andong, and the differences between this job and my last are pretty clear. Gone are the days of desk warming and pretending to be busy between class periods, now replaced with jam packed schedules, one after the next. There's days when I have no more than 20 minutes of break time between classes, but those are matched with days I only have to stick around for six hours instead of eight.<br />
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Coming into this contract I knew my experience would be a vast contrast to the life I was used to in Korea, and that's part of the reason I chose private versus public. At least at a hagwon I wouldn't be able to directly compare my old school to the new, of course life was going to be different. I was expecting all of these schedule changes, loss of a co-teacher, mixed classes and high work expectation, but there was one thing I overlooked. I completely ignored the fact that I'd be face to face with the students who are waist deep in Korea's <a href="http://theconversation.com/south-korean-education-ranks-high-but-its-the-kids-who-pay-34430">education problem</a>, overworked, under slept, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/02/opinion/sunday/south-koreas-education-system-hurts-students.html?_r=0">highly stressed kids</a> - the youth of this country.<br />
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Teaching in public school I knew that my students were stressed and overworked, but what high schooler isn't? I remember days of studying, homework and essays and now watch my cousin in America complain about the same, it's something all high schoolers go through. My old students had to stay at school until 10pm, but I also watched them sleep through classes, play with friends, and some days not <i>actually </i>study all that much. At this hagwon though, the kids are 1) much younger and 2) serious about getting the work done. These kids (or maybe their parents) are serious about their studies which means no time for screwing around, playing or sleeping. Basically what I'm trying to say is, working at a hagwon can be a little depressing.<br />
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So that's where I am, three months deep into a whole new culture shock experience. Learning again what it's like to be a teacher, on some days playing babysitter, and ultimately trying to show these kids a little more than the ins and outs of the English language. I can already feel bonds growing with some of them and hope to befriend more. Of course their parents are paying for their education, loads of homework and robot production, but I'm hoping to give them a little bit more than that. <br />
<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10815615870478298274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678545679638608476.post-37304613324152330142015-11-19T15:04:00.000+09:002016-01-25T23:27:55.254+09:00I'm baaaackFor anyone that happens to stumble across this old blog...good news, I'm back! Not that I ever really left the blogging world, I moved over <a href="https://yogifootprintsblog.wordpress.com/">here</a>, to detail my travel adventures and dabble in the yoga/travel blogger world. Quickly realized I didn't want to make this hobby a <i>job </i>and kept it at just that, a hobby, a place to tell stories. Although I am working on my <a href="http://www.stephanieboedecker.weebly.com/">personal site.</a><br />
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So what happened in the last two years? Well, first off <a href="https://yogifootprintsblog.wordpress.com/2014/02/13/its-not-goodbye-but-see-you-later/">I left Korea </a>and embarked on what was supposed to be a 5-6 month SE Asia backpacking trip. I figured I'd take some of my savings, explore the Indochina peninsula and then venture back home. I did all of those things, quite successfully in fact, the problem was I didn't want to stop there. I returned home and immediately felt the itch to leave again, there was just no staying put for this girl.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I ventured around the US a little bit, but ultimately I was headed back to Asia. I took a job teaching yoga in Cambodia from February 2015-April 2015 and decided to use the few months before starting to explore some more, and re-visit a few old friends, oh and missing the Wisconsin winter didn't hurt either.<br />
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I even managed to squeeze a visit to Korea into the mix, actually <a href="https://yogifootprintsblog.wordpress.com/2014/11/24/returning/">starting my adventures there</a>, and was both reminded why I love the country but why I also <a href="https://yogifootprintsblog.wordpress.com/2014/12/03/saying-goodbye-yet-again/">wasn't ready to return</a>. From there I had a blast in the Philippines, making loads of <a href="https://yogifootprintsblog.wordpress.com/2014/12/21/making-friends-and-leaving-again/">new friends</a> and expanding upon my personal <a href="https://yogifootprintsblog.wordpress.com/2014/12/26/finding-a-balance/">yoga practice</a>, oh yeah and lived through my first <a href="https://yogifootprintsblog.wordpress.com/2014/12/10/typhoon-hagupit/">typhoon scare</a>. Next it was Taiwan where I watched the <a href="https://yogifootprintsblog.wordpress.com/2015/01/31/happy-new-year/">ball drop </a>in style, <a href="https://yogifootprintsblog.wordpress.com/2015/01/31/transitioning-in-taiwan/">reconnected</a> with an old CS <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/search/label/hiking%20taiwan">host/hiking buddy/friend</a>, and <a href="https://yogifootprintsblog.wordpress.com/2014/12/29/my-first-week-at-dada-english-school/">taught English</a> to some lovely little kids. I wouldn't have guessed I'd next meet a <a href="https://yogifootprintsblog.wordpress.com/2015/02/19/like-minded-travelers/">life long friend</a> in the small town of Klaten, Indonesia, but you can never predict life, especially when centered around travel. Finally, it was time for me to head towards Cambodia, where I would first spend an awesome week <a href="https://yogifootprintsblog.wordpress.com/2015/05/18/playing-tour-guide/">with my brother</a> and his girlfriend before testing out the <a href="https://yogifootprintsblog.wordpress.com/2015/04/15/im-a-yoga-teacher/">yoga teaching gig</a>.<br />
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Cambodia really tried to challenge me this time around, from a broken computer, <a href="https://yogifootprintsblog.wordpress.com/2015/04/01/motorbike-mishaps/">motorbike accident</a> complete with stitches and a bit of a head injury scare, all the way to a <a href="https://yogifootprintsblog.wordpress.com/2015/04/11/grand-theft-backpack/">stolen backpack</a> - phone, wallet and spa keys included. Through it all though, I had friends by my side and learned about myself in ways I wasn't expecting. Cambodia is a country that will test your endurance, play with your emotions and make you question things, but it will also <a href="https://yogifootprintsblog.wordpress.com/2015/07/01/revisiting-cambodia/">give back to you</a>, if you let it. Ultimately my three months there were unforgettable, <a href="https://yogifootprintsblog.wordpress.com/2015/04/22/its-always-the-students/">leaving a mark on my soul,</a> but also prompted me to head home.<br />
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I won the 'Daughter of the year' award when I <a href="https://www.facebook.com/stephanie.boedecker.1/videos/10204048901294955/?l=8856207890133304218">surprised my mom</a> on Mother's day, she thought I was en route to Myanmar when I was really holed up at my brother's apartment for a few days. I spent the summer trying my best to avoid the, 'What are you doing now' and 'What's your plan' type of questions and made up a few theories when completely avoidance wasn't possible. There was a road trip south through Illinois, <a href="https://yogifootprintsblog.wordpress.com/2015/07/31/not-the-home-of-indiana-jones/">Indiana</a>, <a href="https://yogifootprintsblog.wordpress.com/2015/08/04/crossing-another-state-off-the-list/">Kentucky</a>, and <a href="https://yogifootprintsblog.wordpress.com/2015/08/20/nash-vegas/">Tennessee</a> to reconnect with some old friends and entertain myself. Also were the token summer weddings, one feeling more like a high school reunion than wedding ceremony, but tons of fun none-the-less. Eventually though my feet were itching and I knew a plane ticket would be the only cure. I dabbled with plans for South America, even roping an old friend into the mix, but then my promises for <a href="https://yogifootprintsblog.wordpress.com/category/destinations/europe/">Europe</a> kept haunting my thoughts and I realized that's where I needed to be.<br />
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It was supposed to be a two or three month trip, but then silly me, I decided to get a job. The summer months spent with one of my previous Korean students (different story I'll explain soon) reminded me just how much I loved that country, and ultimately pushed me to return. Only a few weeks before jumping on a plane to Norway I found myself signing a contract for Korea, ultimately cutting my trip shorter than expected. <br />
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If you've stayed with me till now, congrats, you're all caught up. There's loads of stories and pictures to go along with the last two years of my life, but this is not the time or place to go through them all again. That's actually what <i>my book </i>is for. Instead I've brought this blog back to life so I can chronicle what it is to be a hagwon teacher in Korea. That's right, no more cushy public school, EPIK life for this girl, no more desk warming, no more drunken staff outings (okay that might still happen), and no more <i>treats me like one of their family </i>co-workers. This time around in Korea I've hoped on board an entirely different ride, and based on my first three months it seems there's going to be a lot more ups and downs, twists and turns than last time. Buckle your seat belts, recline your chairs and grab some popcorn because this year is bound to be an entertaining one.<br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10815615870478298274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678545679638608476.post-33864107990071653002014-02-05T14:04:00.000+09:002015-06-25T12:11:37.915+09:00It's Time to Say Goodbye<i>Todays article is written for the <a href="http://internationallyindebt.com/2014/02/08/reach-to-teach-blog-carnival-love-letters-3/">Reach To Teach Teach Abroad Blog Carnival</a>, a monthly series that focuses on providing helpful tips and advice to ESL teachers around the globe. A new topic and various articles will be posted on the 5th of every month, so be sure to check back.</i><br />
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For this month's blog carnival we were asked to write a letter professing our <span style="color: #a64d79;">love </span>to the one place we love the most. I've done something similar for my new home <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2012/06/home-sweet-home.html">once before</a> so I considered picking a new location, but as my time here in Buksam is coming to a fast approaching end, I thought it only appropriate to give it one more mention. <br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;">Buksam</span>: the sprawling rice-fields, local farms, small town shops, and friendly locals - my safe haven in this rapidly changing, fast paced country.<br />
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When I was first told, two years ago, that I would be teaching High School in a small town just outside of Gumi I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into. My first impression came through the eyes of a friend, "Korea is great, I just hope you don't get placed in Gumi".<i> Uh oh.</i> I was soon being picked up by my co-teacher, rushed through E-mart and dropped at my apartment, <b>welcome home</b>. It took a few weeks, but I quickly settled into and began adapting to my new environment, and not too much longer after that is where the<span style="color: #a64d79;"> love story </span>began. <br />
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No matter the season, this view <i>never </i>got old </div>
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The people in Buksam started <span style="color: #a64d79;">flirting </span>with me from early on. Somehow the questioning glances I received welcomed me to the new town, rather than making me feel like an outsider. I sensed interest in their stares, <i>"Who is this new person?"</i>. There were the children who welcomed me with cheerful smiles (often accompanied by their their<i> "Waegookin!"</i> shouts, of course), friendly ajummas - <b>yes </b><i>friendly </i>(while the rest of the country complained of their harshness and shoving) and many helpful workers (should they be able to speak English or not). I remember the woman at 7/11 intently explaining to me how to use and recharge my bus card, instructing me to come back to her for help when it runs out. I've now seen her nearly every day as I pass by the store, drop in to pick up packages, grab my morning coffee or an evening beer, and even discovered that I<b> freak her out</b> by sitting on the edge of my roof, <i>sorry</i>.<br />
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This place isn't so bad</div>
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Speaking of, my roof is the place where these feelings of <span style="color: #a64d79;">love </span>intensified. Yes, silly as it may seem I found my own little patch of heaven on the green concrete slabs, of the top of my building. Sitting up there I was separated from everything and everyone below, I could look down and observe the town. I found it as an amazing place to <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2013/12/how-i-spend-my-free-time.html">practice yoga</a>, read a book, bathe in the sun, enjoy my lunch or dinner and hold a few cook-outs with friends. As the winter weather set in, not only did I scoff the cold but I lamented at the fact that my outdoor escape would soon be shut down for a few moths.<br />
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Can't beat these rooftop views Not a bad place for sitting to relax either </div>
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And you can't forget the yoga</div>
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My roof was not the only place I found serenity in Buksam, the sprawling rice fields and rolling mountains taught me a new <span style="color: #a64d79;">love </span>for the outdoors. My students and teachers alike would laugh at Buksam and complain about there being <i>nothing to do</i>, but you just have to be creative. The concrete paths through the rice fields and around town taught me a <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2013/04/racing-through-korea.html">love for running</a>, leading me to completely my first<a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2013/04/running-like-energizer-bunny.html"> half-marathon,</a> a feat I forever thought was impossible. 혀자봉, located conveniently between my home and apartment, enhanced my new found <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2013/10/blog-post.html">love of hiking</a> and proved to be a great, free gym.<br />
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How could I <i>not </i><span style="color: #a64d79;">love </span>running here?</div>
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Same goes for the hiking</div>
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I couldn't write this<span style="color: #a64d79;"> love letter</span> without mentioning, thanking and cherishing the key player of it all, the <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2013/08/teachers-field-trip.html">staff</a>, <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2013/03/grinning-from-ear-to-ear.html">students </a>and <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/search/label/school%20outings">experiences </a>had at <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/search/label/school">Buksam High School</a>. The thought of leaving it all in a few short weeks is something I don't even want to face, but <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2012/12/5-4-3-2.html">remembering </a>how much I've been blessed during my time here brings an immediate smile and sense of <span style="color: #a64d79;">warmth </span>to my heart. My staff, and not only the English speaking members, have always treated me with kindness and sincerity. I've always felt like part of the team, despite language barriers and through moments of awkward silence or confusion. A few staff members, including my principal and co-teacher Anna, have treated me as a if I were a daughter of their own, inviting me into <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2013/12/getting-some-lovin.html">their home</a> or out for dinner. I've received special treatment (<a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/search/label/jeju">trips to Jeju</a>, <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2013/05/gyeongju-with-mom.html">days off</a>, and little to no desk warming), which I can only attribute to my good attendance and hard work - <i>their words not mine</i>.<br />
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We've shared love songs, creative races, hiking and many more memories I will never forget </div>
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I <i>definitely </i>got lucky in the principal department. </div>
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Only foreign teacher I saw in Jeju all week ~~ I'm one lucky girl</div>
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Of course I couldn't finish my<span style="color: #a64d79;"> love affair</span> without mentioning the <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/search/label/students">students</a>, likely the star of the show here. Like any school there are classes that drive me insane and make me want to walk out the door, but 10 times to 1 I love being at school and interacting with my kids. They bring entertainment to the days and have quickly become my friends. I'm lucky to have so many great kids that share joy and laughter, despite having to come to school during breaks and for nearly 14 hours a day,<a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2013/11/blog-post.html"> studying with no end in sight</a>. My students have treated me as both a friend and a teacher, even making me feel like a <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2012/06/taste-of-good-life.html">celebrity</a> at times. Although I haven't been present in their classroom for the past year, having to say goodbye and watching the 3rd graders graduate this Friday will be a proud but difficult moment for me. I've spent so many hours with these kids, welcoming some into my home, <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2013/05/blog-post.html">visiting them on the soccer field,</a> and friending many on facebook, I know that, in a sense, they will be with me forever. I've had students tell me they will one day visit me in the USA while others have told me I must return to Korea for their wedding, not to mention the ones telling me I will one day<i> be their wife.</i> If it weren't for the students pleas I may not have stayed for the <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2012/12/5-4-3-2.html">second year</a>, and so to them, I am forever grateful. <br />
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Pasta party at my place^^</div>
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Staff and students that are out of this world I believe I win #1 fan award </div>
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As if it weren't known to the world already, there it is, my love letter to Buksam - the small town I've grown to call home during my two years in Korea. As I prepare to leave I've noticed the town changing, new buildings going up, talks of a subway line coming into town, and of course new faces all around. I hope though, that the town is able to retain it's charm that I fell in love with. <br />
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Oh the memories</div>
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It's funny because I actually wrote an <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2012/06/home-sweet-home.html">ode to Buksam</a>, nearly two years ago, only three short months into my life here. To be able to look back and compare my thoughts, then and now, is pretty special, and in doing so it's clear to me that I knew I had wound up someplace special, right from the beginning.<br />
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This writing prompt from Reach to Teach could not have come at a more appropriate time. Causing me to stop and reflect on my life, shortly before packing it up and moving away, is just what I needed to do. Not only am I moving on from Korea but i'm also leaving this blog. <i>No fears though</i>, you can continue to follow my adventures at my new blog: <span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.yogifootprints.com/">Yogifootprints</a> </span>where I hope to be half as entertaining and maybe a little informative as well. <br />
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With Love,</div>
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~Stephanie</div>
<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10815615870478298274noreply@blogger.com4Gumi-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea36.119485 128.3445733999999435.7095145 127.69912639999994 36.5294555 128.99002039999993tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678545679638608476.post-64566188726966469232014-01-21T21:37:00.000+09:002016-01-24T22:00:31.896+09:00Don't let me get Hangry <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Aside from the people I meet, some of the most memorable travel moments and stories revolve around food. I like to think I have a pretty healthy diet but when it comes to traveling I generally have <i>no rules</i>. Street food? <i>Definitely </i> Mystery meat? <i>Sure, why not.</i> "I'm not telling you what this is, you just have to try it" <i>Fine. </i>Actually, I'm not even good at the 'don't drink the water in xxx', i'll try to improve on that one though. With food, my motto is to try anything once, worst thing that happens is you don't like it, okay so then try something else. For the first 25 years of my life this has done me pretty well, so I don't see a reason to change a thing. Although the people in the Philippines left a lasting impression on me with a strong desire to return the food was just, well, food. It wasn't <i>amazing </i>but it never disappointed either, but i'm sure there's lots I didn't even try so i'll get those on my next visit. </div>
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Over-tired and a bit stressed out in Cebu we stumbled across Halo-halo</div>
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<i>Maybe we should have kept walking</i></div>
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The Hawaiian pizza called our names </div>
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Good compared to what we can get in Korea, but so small :( </div>
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So many delicious Eggplants</div>
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Lunch before the underground river - delicious but rushed</div>
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Grilled fish, Kangkong, pork, chicken and rice</div>
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Seafood Paella at the Badjao floating restaurant, Puerto Princesa </div>
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~~ I need to go to Spain for the <i>real </i>version ~~</div>
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So much to choose from, street stalls in El Nido </div>
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What I wound up with - chicken and rice </div>
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Feast prepared by our boatmen in El Nido</div>
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Chicken, Pork, Fish, Squid, Eggplant, fruit and <i>of course </i>rice</div>
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Falafel with hummus at Blue Azule </div>
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unfortunately didn't get a picture of my <i>amazing </i>burger</div>
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Perfect breakfast spot </div>
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First of many Filipino breakfasts, Tosilog</div>
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Sweet marinated pork, fried egg, garlic rice, fruit and coffee</div>
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Not food, but I had to document our "mini bar"</div>
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Yes, a bottle of rum in the Philippines will cost you roughly $2</div>
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We demolished those shrimps </div>
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Chicken adobo to go with a beautiful sunset </div>
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Went the American route this time</div>
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Veggie omelet, HOMEMADE bread (big deal coming from Korea) and <i>fresh </i>fruit</div>
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Giving Tosilog another try, this time at the El Nido Corner</div>
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^^not a bad view at all^^</div>
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My pathetic little lunch on the boat to Coron</div>
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Stranded and hungry on a boat, anything tastes delicious</div>
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Feast with Ian in Coron</div>
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Lumpiang (spring rolls), Pork Sisig, and Pancit Bihon</div>
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Final breakfast, gave the longinisa a try </div>
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surprisingly enjoyed that breakfast sausage</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">FRUIT</span></b></div>
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Final meal in the Philippines and one of the best</div>
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Chicken BBQ, Garlic Rice and Adobo Kangkong </div>
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It wasn't very tasty...</div>
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10815615870478298274noreply@blogger.com0Philippines12.879721 121.77401699999996-2.8277345 101.11971999999996 28.587176499999998 142.42831399999994tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678545679638608476.post-83302464908057239862014-01-20T20:58:00.002+09:002016-01-24T22:00:31.916+09:00All good things must come to an end<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After my day on the water, and a refreshing shower, I figured I should devote a little time to the streets of Coron. I ventured out with my camera, but no real purpose or destination in mind. On the way out of the Sea Dive resort I ran into our captain from the day, Jam-Jam, who seemed amused when I responded "I don't know" to his question of where I was headed. If there was a <i>rush hour </i>in Coron I think I ran straight into it, the market and surrounding streets were overflowing with people, many of which appeared to be school kids, recently released from class. I zig-zaged my way through the rows upon rows of market stalls, covered a few blocks of the center of town and started to head up towards Mt. Tapyas when I ran into Ian, my new friend from the previous days boat. </div>
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<a name='more'></a>Like me, Ian was out for an afternoon walk to explore the town, after spending the better part of his day <i>studying - </i>he was planning on completely his scuba diving certification while in Coron. I decided to join him and continue wandering, eventually finding ourselves in a <i>very Korean </i>cafe. I was actually surprised by the amount of Korean I saw in Coron; Cebu sure I know a lot of Korean's move there, but all the way our here on this tiny island? Well that's a little more impressive. We eventually found ourselves at Lolo Nonoy's, an unassuming but delicious spot for dinner. Although I wasn't <i>very </i>hungry thank to my lunch feast, we ordered a variety of Filipino dishes: pork sisig, pancit bihon, and lumpiang ubad, after all this was one of my final meals in the Philippines. We finished the evening with a few more drinks back at the Sea Dive resort, relaxing evening to a great [first] day in Coron.<br />
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One of these things is not like the other </div>
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First school bus scene in the Philippines</div>
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More impressive than the coast guard </div>
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Cute and delicious </div>
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Friday morning I was up early, no surprise there, and after arranging my airport pickup for later that afternoon, decided to make the trek up Mt. Tapyas. Ian had told me the view wasn't really <i>that </i>impressive but I didn't have many other options for the day and also had barely done any form of hiking during my trip, so I wanted to check it out. It's not so much of a <i>hike </i>as it is a never-ending staircase up the side of a hill, 720 of them to be exact. From the top of Mt. Tapyas (and on the way up) you could see some of the effects that typhoon Haiyan had on Coron. There were many trees uprooted from the ground, buildings destroyed, and most notable was the cross at the top of Mt. Tapyas which was completely knocked over. </div>
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Maybe halfway up</div>
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View from the top </div>
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Had to do something different than the peace sign</div>
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The cross which was unfortunately destroyed by the typhoon</div>
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Could've kept hiking that way, but I had a plane to catch</div>
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Oops</div>
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After my <i>hike </i>it was still early so I wandered around town trying to decide what to do with the rest of my day, more importantly, what I was going to eat. I did another stroll through the market looking for any last minute purchases or souvenirs, and then wandered over to Lualhati park to relax and observe the boatmen at work. Before heading back to the hotel to pack up and leave I returned to a small restaurant I had walked by the day before. I ordered my final Filipino breakfast, this time opting for the Longsilog, and throughly enjoyed every last bite.<br />
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After effects of the typhoon </div>
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Good place to relax, besides all the boat men asking if I want to go island hopping </div>
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Boat captains in the making </div>
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My time in Coron definitely went by too quickly, I wouldn't have minded another day to relax and explore, hop around some more islands or check out the hot springs. There were definitely less tourist in Coron than in El Nido which let me get a better feel for what the city is <i>really </i>like. In El Nido you really only get to experience all of the stores and companies catering to the tourist, not too many <i>mom and pop </i>shops left, and if there are you kind of have to look for them. Although I was reluctant to leave my airport shuttle arrived right on time to deliver me to the airport. It was an interesting ride, winding through the countryside of Busuanga island, but allowed me to meet Jan and his friends - providing me with a <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2014/01/cebu-not-sure-how-i-feel-about-you.html">great ending t</a>o my time in the Philippines. </div>
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My home for two [short] days in Coron </div>
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Your'e welcome, and I will </div>
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Busuanga island from above </div>
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A nice way to say goodbye </div>
<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10815615870478298274noreply@blogger.com0Coron, Philippines12.0772376 120.1884691000000212.0772376 120.18846910000002 12.0772376 120.18846910000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678545679638608476.post-38097917042394121322014-01-19T13:15:00.001+09:002016-01-24T22:00:31.875+09:00Welcome to Coron <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Thankfully, getting settle in Coron, post boat ride, was a breeze. Ian and I walked part of the way to town, eventually flagged down a tricycle and soon arrived at the <a href="http://seadiveresort.com/">Sea Dive resort,</a> where I had a room booked. There was a kitschy bar, conveniently located about 10 feet from my room so Ian and I decided to grab a drink before calling it a night. The next morning I was up early thanks to the combination of roosters, construction and the dive office being directly next to my room, there really is no sleeping in with budget accommodation. I made my way into the dive office with planning to figure out an island hopping tour for the day; different than El Nido, where you pay per person/per tour, in Coron you pay 1,500 for the boat but can share it with up to four people. I didn't really want to hire my own boat so I was looking to tag along with a group of two or three. It was my lucky day because a Chinese couple were just preparing to leave and said it was no problem if I tagged along. </div>
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Another day of this? Don't mind if I do</div>
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I had just enough time to fill my water bottle and rent a snorkel mask before I was being whisked away onto the boat. I was glad to have arranged a tour so fast but my stomach was screaming for food, after all I barely had a <i>real </i>meal the day before. As we pulled out of the harbor I got my first good look at the city of Coron and to be honest, it wasn't <i>too </i>impressive, but the city isn't what this place is known for. Coron is all about the beauty of the islands and water surrounding it, the city is small and on top of that was severely damaged by <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25051606">Typhoon Haiyan</a>, two months ago. Our day started with a stop at the 7 islands which is just what is sounds like, 7 small islands which provide a great area for snorkeling. I was a bit hesitant to get in the water, the sun was barely out and I was cold, but I didn't want to pass up some potential beauty so I jumped in. The coral and array of fish was <i>much </i>better than anything I saw in El Nido, there were actually colors in the coral!</div>
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7 islands, best snorkeling I did in the Philippines </div>
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After swimming around, getting <i>attacked </i>by a few fish, seriously one tried to eat me, and seeing many 'Nemo' families, it was time to move on. Our next stop was Coron island to see and swim in Kayagan Lake, one of the most famous (or at least most photographed) destinations in Coron. I'm sure that pictures of the lake and surrounding area are what first drew me to wanting to visit Coron, so I was happy to finally be seeing the area in person. The lake is actually a mix of fresh (70%0 and salt (30%) water so it was much more refreshing to swim in than the ocean water. Visitors are only allowed entry to a small portion of Coron island, partially to protect the environment there and also because the rest of the island is inhabited by the indigenous Tagbanua tribe and they don't necessarily want tourist tromping through their back yard every day. <br />
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Entrance to the lake with Yo-yo and her husband</div>
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The <i>famous </i>photo, Kayagan lagoon</div>
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Couldn't resist the peace sign </div>
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Kayagan Lake </div>
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cool little fishy friends</div>
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I could have stayed in that lake all day, if someone brought me lunch, but after an hour or so it was time for us to move on. I was happy to hear that it was time for lunch and although I had no idea what was on the menu I knew i'd enjoy it. Yo-yo and her husband had bought supplies for lunch at the market that morning but said that it was no problem if I shared with them, again lucky me! Our boat guide, Jam-Jam had apparently prepared lunch while we were swimming in Kayagan lake so it was all ready to go by the time we arrived at Atuayan beach. We had a <i>feast </i>of fresh fish, crabs, a veggie stir fry, fruit and of course rice. The food was delicious, maybe I should marry one of these boat men, they're fit and active, outgoing and <i>great cooks. </i>At first I felt bad having to make them share their food with me but there was <i>more than enough </i>to go around. <br />
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Does life get much better? </div>
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Oh surprise, surprise, more boats!</div>
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Beautiful lunch spot </div>
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Satellite dish? Interesting</div>
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We were given the option to do some snorkeling around the corner from where we ate lunch but I was mere seconds from entering a food coma. Seriously, Yo-yo kept pushing food my way and I thought I might burst by the time I left that table. Before I fell into a deep slumber the others told me it was time to move on, we still had plenty to see and do! Our next stop was CYC (Coron Youth Club) beach but i'm not really sure why it's named that. As we pulled up Jam-Jam explained to us that when he was a boy the beach actually used to be <i>at least </i>double the size but businessmen keep selling the sand to aquariums so the beach is shrinking. I was getting cold (my mom would probably kill me for saying that) so I decided to actually <i>swim </i>here to work up some body heat. After doing a few circles around the boats I came back to where Yo-yo and her husband were floating and soon turned into teacher. Neither of them knew how to swim but Yo-yo asked me if I would teach her how to float on her back (as I had been doing) without the life jacket. I had to think back to childhood, when my uncles threw me in their pool and said swim, for any tips I could give her. I guess I remembered something because before long she was floating with no problems!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkpJzieBFf6eBS2Pn4Md7nZVYzQgZN1z3uPbcLjTcALe_1QAG1w_jEbco3isj9OZS1470UmjYckenVgRJ8bVCsHLbwWDJfb6NM82mNO443LcIzLSs53hzUTclxTkjaBobfRnxD2IDry4/s1600/IMG_5193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkpJzieBFf6eBS2Pn4Md7nZVYzQgZN1z3uPbcLjTcALe_1QAG1w_jEbco3isj9OZS1470UmjYckenVgRJ8bVCsHLbwWDJfb6NM82mNO443LcIzLSs53hzUTclxTkjaBobfRnxD2IDry4/s320/IMG_5193.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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Poor little remains of CYC beach </div>
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When we were done with our swimming lessons Jam-Jam said this was actually our last stop and that it was time to return to Coron. Yo-Yo was expecting to be out touring until 5pm so asked if there wasn't somewhere else we could go before heading back (it was only about 3 o'clock) and so we made our way to the twin lagoons. I guess since we paid the price of the boat for the day the <i>tour </i>was more flexible than those in El Nido, you can kind of do what you want - within reason. To enter the twin lagoons your boat parks outside one of them and then you must swim under, or climb over, the entrance to the second lagoon. I opted for the swimming method but felt a bit claustrophobic as I passed under the low hanging rocks. The lagoons, similar to Kayagan lake, are a mix of fresh and salt water but with a higher percentage of salt water. The mixture creates an <i>oily </i>look in the water as well as warm and hot pockets where the fresh and ocean water are mixing together. Although we were told to bring our snorkel masks there wasn't much to see due to both the deep water and cloudy waters. Instead I enjoyed some more swimming, loving the warm pockets and swimming quickly through the cold.<br />
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Entrance to the twin lagoons </div>
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Security for what? </div>
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Oh just some pretty limestone </div>
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After getting back to our boat I was hoping I could sit in the sun for a while to dry off/warm up before we hit the sea; thankfully other boats had parked us in so I was given the opportunity to do just that. I could probably sit on one of these boats and just watch the boatmen work all day, the way they maneuver around each other throughly entertains me. I thought about it when we were in El Nido and it was definitely clear in Coron that these boys grow up on these boats, it's their lives. I'd guess that it's one of the more secure jobs in Coron, it's not like there's going to be a shortage of tourist any time soon, and i'm assuming they love their job...sail around on a boat all day with gorgeous scenery? Doesn't sound like a bad gig to me. </div>
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I could take pictures of these boys all day, such skill, and so young!</div>
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Clearly, we got out <i>just </i>in time</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyac7uWQ2YbwkLEDymHLeAAy5Sjf0PkWetwR248IPwWUW7D8JO8vZOHT22f6KQot-1BcBx_sC49vtgvwzGO6O83vbM0Cntcbi2d_3lqVLUh1likreX83FUbPOynU3E5YC0wI7ww2e3DbI/s1600/IMG_5230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyac7uWQ2YbwkLEDymHLeAAy5Sjf0PkWetwR248IPwWUW7D8JO8vZOHT22f6KQot-1BcBx_sC49vtgvwzGO6O83vbM0Cntcbi2d_3lqVLUh1likreX83FUbPOynU3E5YC0wI7ww2e3DbI/s320/IMG_5230.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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Our captain for the day, Jam-Jam </div>
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By this time, the sun had given up on making a full time appearance, my fingers and toes were turning to prunes and I think we were all a bit tired, so it was time to return to Coron. During lunch Yo-yo had asked if I wanted to join them on a trip to the hotsprings that evening after dinner, but she now changed her mind and said they were too tired. Throughout my trip I got <i>super </i>lucky with the people I met along the way, and this day was no exception. Yo-yo reminded me of many of my Korean co-teachers, friendly, outgoing and genuinely interested in my life, i'm glad I got up and stumbled into the dive office when I did. Looking back, this day was actually another result of my <i>boat disaster. H</i>ad I come into Coron, on time, the day before, I likely would have already booked a tour for the next day, either with <i>less enjoyable </i>company or possibly alone. So there you go, <b>everything really does happen for a reason.</b><br />
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Playing follow-the-leader</div>
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Not much from the bay but I loved this little town</div>
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My Tapas and Sea Dive resort ~ <i>home sweet home</i></div>
<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10815615870478298274noreply@blogger.com1Coron, Philippines12.0772376 120.1884691000000211.0833206 118.89757560000002 13.0711546 121.47936260000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678545679638608476.post-64817521223314101712014-01-18T14:13:00.000+09:002016-01-24T22:00:31.898+09:00I'm on a boat ~ <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Thursday morning I was up early, packed up the remains of my belongings, said goodbye to my friendly hostel owners and made my way to the pier. I still had some <a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=2002890">doub</a><u>ts</u> about the day ahead of me but there was really no turning back at this point. I was told to arrive at the pier at 7 o'clock (an hour before we were due to depart) but knew there would be a lot of waiting in store for me. I considered stopping to buy more snack for the journey but then decided I didn't need to, and instead went to sit at the pier. There were already a few people waiting while others slowly trickled in, couples, friends, two families and a few other solo travelers. I kept quiet and enjoyed my morning of <i>observance, </i>watching the people that I was lucky enough to spend the next 8+ hours with. I knew that an 8 o'clock departure meant we'd be lucky to leave somewhere around 8:30 but many others seemed to be a bit annoyed at the lack of urgency on getting us aboard. Finally, closer to 9 o'clock they brought us to our boat, loaded our luggage and then gave us the go ahead to get on the boat, <i>"one by one" </i>to which no one paid much attention and stormed the boat like a pack of wild animals. I hung back and laughed at the idiocracy with two others, as the rest of them made their best attempts at sinking the ship before we even left the port, gr<i>eat </i>I was about to be stuck on a boat with 30 morons. </div>
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Let the waiting game begin </div>
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I couldn't help but laugh at the idiots as the pushed their way to the front of the line, trying to be the first one to climb down into the boat, did they think we weren't all going to get a seat? I allowed them to push past me and when I finally did enter the boat chose one of the last few remaining seats. I thought I got lucky, as I didn't have to share my seat with anyone, but then as I looked around I realized everyone else had a nice think foam cushion under their ass while all I had was hard plywood, <i>jerks. </i>I decided to take advantage of the extra life jackets floating around and built myself a little cushion, which came in extra handy when I realized I was seated right next to the engine, ultimately turning my seat into a vibrating bench, <i>oh yeah this was going to be fun</i>.<br />
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Out <strike>trusty</strike> little boat </div>
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Get comfy everyone, it's going to be a <i>long </i>ride</div>
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Goodbye El Nido, I'll miss you</div>
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Before we were allowed to leave the coast guard made a check of the boat, for what i'm not sure, but he did have a <i>drug sniffing? </i>dog along with him. After walking around and basically just chatting with the boat staff they were ready to leave, but apparently their dog was not. I took almost 10 minutes for them to get the dog off the boat, one of them finally having the sense to pick it up and carry it - <i>and these are the people that will be saving us if we're in trouble? </i> I tend to underestimate the length of things (distance, time, etc.) and this was a perfect example of such a situation, 8 hours on a boat? <i>Ehh no problem, we'll be there in no time. </i>I spent the first few hours quietly enjoying my surroundings, thinking about life, observing the other boat passengers and snapping a few pictures.<br />
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One of three Filipinos on board, she seemed cool</div>
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Beautiful blue skies, good day for a boat ride </div>
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French - Canadian <i>boyfriend</i></div>
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One of <i>many </i>Russians</div>
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After a few uneventful hours on the sea we came to a stop; one of our boatmen (the only one that seemingly knew English) explained to us that they had to change the belt pump, or something like that. We floated around for close to half an hour while they got to work but before long were on the move again, no sweat. A little while later they came around and delivered 'lunch' to us, which consisted of a sad looking portion of chicken and heap of white rice, damnit I should've bought those snacks. </div>
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Repair #1</div>
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Island local coming to check out the random boat </div>
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Tasted better than it looks, but not by much</div>
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After the quick repair we were on the move for a while, this was looking like it was going to be a good day. If everything went as planned i'd be in Coron before sunset, have plenty of time to check into my room, find dinner and relax, <i>but nothing every goes as planned, </i><b style="font-style: italic;">does it? </b>We were soon coming to anoter stop, but this time there was no explanation from our boat crew. One of the old men, who i'm going to assume was our boat engineer/mechanic, opened up the <i>floor </i>to the engine and started playing with it. I had a perfect birds eye view of what was going on, watching with more intrigue than concern, after all I assumed these guys <i>knew </i>what they were doing. </div>
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At least the views were pretty </div>
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An all too familiar view for the day </div>
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It was when one of the boatmen handed our <i>mechanic </i>a plastic bag and some thin wire that I started second guessing my earlier assumptions. There was a section of the engine that kept coming loose and ultimately leaking (<i>possibly oil) </i>and he was now trying to secure it with a tightly wound plastic bag. A few other passengers decided to come by and see what was going on, one of which, a big Russian man, thought he should try to help. I was embarrassed <i>for him </i>as he knelt down jabbing his finger at the broken portion of the engine, blabbering on and on in Russian. <i>Clearly </i>these boatmen don't speak English so I didn't think his Russian was gong to get very far with them, also his offer to help came across as more insulting, as if dismissing their ability. Although I was skeptical of their method,s I knew that they guys grew up on boats, this is their life, so i'd much rather trust them than some <i>crazy Russian dude. </i><br />
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Russians, Russians everywhere </div>
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Pangadiauan Island - an all too familiar view</div>
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After about half an hour of smooth sailing I heard the engine once again go silent and knew this was going to be an interesting ride. They played with the engine some more, this time rigging a rubber hose to the leak which seemed to work much better than the plastic bag. A few minutes later we were on our way again, but not for long. The next time we stopped there was no playing with the engine, but instead, the anchor was dropped, <i>oh shit. </i>The best part was that during this whole ordeal no one was telling us <i>anything, </i>I mean it's not like we had anywhere to go or anything we could do, but it wouldn't hurt to be informed <i>a little bit</i>. Seeing as it was now obvious we weren't going anywhere a few of the <i>more outspoken </i>passengers decided to inquire as to what exactly was going on. Apparently, we had run out of oil but our boatman had called the coast guard from Linapacan, the nearby island, and they had promised to bring some for us. The two girls from London appeared to be <i>a little </i>upset and insisted that they call for a new boat to be brought to us, I thought this sounded like a fine idea but knew it was useless. We were only halfway into our journey meaning it would take <i>at least </i>four hours for another boat to reach us, and thanks to the reviews I read, knew this wasn't likely anyways. Oh, and I almost forgot, the icing on the freaking cake - our toilet pump was broken. 30 people, a broken boat, 13 hours and no toilet, <i>oh yeah things were getting interesting. </i></div>
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Oh look, <i>he's back</i></div>
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Until this point I had completely avoided speaking to anyone on the boat but decided i'd break out of my shell, mostly for the benefit of figuring out what was going on. I realized that many of the passengers from the back assumed I was with the Russian crew of 16, but I was quick to correct them on their mistake. The two girls from London were friendly, if not a little high strung; there was a very opinionated woman from <i>I forget where</i>, and a lovely couple from Canada, who were just trying not to hurl, <i>thank god I grew out of my seasickness. </i>After an hour of waiting we realized the <i>half hour </i>estimate for our oil delivery was on Filipino time. The Russians decided to bust out some tunes, starting with the ever so appropriate "Don't worry be happy" and seemed to be having a merry time. After floating in the sea for nearly two hours we finally had our oil, delivered by a tiny little man in a kayak, and were ready to go. As the sun was setting on the horizon our crew pulled the anchor and sent us on our way, ensuring us that the engine was fixed. Honestly, during this whole ordeal my biggest concern wasn't the boat, the oil, other people or even <i>when </i>we'd be getting to Coron, my mind was on food - I WAS HUNGRY. It's amazing how good food can taste when you're really hungry, I treasured that small packet of crackers and styrofoam cup of Coke I was handed for <i>dinner</i>. </div>
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Rations </div>
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I'm pretty impressed with myself for staying so positive throughout the whole day, I guess I really have learned to <i>go with the flow. </i>Actually, most people on the boat seemed to stay in high spirits, it's not like we had any other choice, unless you wanted to swim to one of those small islands nearby. Thankfully, after our oil delivery, we were able to continue on to Coron without any more problems. Every time the <i>mechanic </i>opened the floor to check on the engine I held my breath in hopes that everything was <b>okay, </b>and thankfully it was. Throughout my travels i've come to learn that i'm <i>afraid of the dark </i>so was a bit on edge as the sun set, but I got used to it. The stars and moon came out and I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful scene as we neared Coron and it's outlying islands. </div>
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When we finally got off the boat it was just after 10pm, 13 hours after we left the port of El Nido, only five hours late, <i>no biggie. </i>My hunger problem was solved as they handed us a small box of <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLvQKAHFZwqJYMHhK1tG7mglaiafPTqeL10-5jLhXgaTWEgpL5C09ZaK2-ikpIf-3lt3k4XIepjX5p1aLUyLfkvByjlNTvldLIpJGv7HtpiPrMuaE0GqIb8wPqB_yV7VMzeDO2FkxGpiA/s1600/_MG_5345.JPG">pancit bihon</a> and a bottle of water, FOOD. As I stood there relishing in the fact that <i>we had made it </i>and I had food, I heard a voice mutter "Well that was fun". I turned around to see Ian, one of the other <i>solo </i>passengers on board, and my <i>new friend </i>for the next few days. I guess everything happens for a reason, doesn't it?<br />
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Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10815615870478298274noreply@blogger.com0Linapacan Strait, Philippines11.6109747 119.9567081999999811.5487597 119.87602719999998 11.6731897 120.03738919999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678545679638608476.post-23647203502675092442014-01-17T22:13:00.000+09:002016-01-24T22:00:31.857+09:00Finding my own little patch of paradise <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After Loudine's early morning departure it was time for me to do some exploring on my own. I didn't really have any plans for the day but thought I should see what I could do in El Nido, sans money. Each time we ventured out on a boat I noticed that there was somewhat of a walkway around the coast to the northeast, so I decided to explore. The path led through some more remote <i>resorts, </i>nestled in amongst the local villages. I got a fair amount of stares, but let's be honest when <b>doesn't </b>that happen in Asia, as I passed by resorts, shops, houses and even a quaint little cemetery. I wanted to keep going along the trail and see how far it would take me, but my stomach thought otherwise.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKVJ_r7EAUNWcdpSfq0E8x0UFqNLJc6RiRP8wrwotZiJDRYfvOsq2dCkYQp7G78JbRKmqpz7O0zHwT_5Ciw_KRFF-aEJw077zcSuFNV67icVxRW7ul1Q2ZddWJtLUfY-BUMRIdFVyqwig/s1600/IMG_5072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKVJ_r7EAUNWcdpSfq0E8x0UFqNLJc6RiRP8wrwotZiJDRYfvOsq2dCkYQp7G78JbRKmqpz7O0zHwT_5Ciw_KRFF-aEJw077zcSuFNV67icVxRW7ul1Q2ZddWJtLUfY-BUMRIdFVyqwig/s320/IMG_5072.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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Random pontoonish boat</div>
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I made my way back to town for a much needed breakfast, and eventually found myself back at Sea Slugs, our spot from a few days before. This time though, I opted for the American version of breakfast, which was equally as delicious. Before returning to Sea slugs I made a stop at The Alternative and considered hanging out in one of their 'nests', but a combination of the high prices and scorching sun made me think otherwise. After breakfast I stopped by the Art cafe to exchange my book at their <i>awesome </i>book swap, and look into tickets for the boat to Coron, but that's a whole other story.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5NkYGcnNvKIDqfsgu0EYtbAIj7dwMCnqFqjNQ2obtWfTWbxPq0RmB1kdm7WBIVsISr4BaPJW9T2tUc1D6muqU1XIqUUFdtZC1F-QXM8ssTLGmefNPjVLQLB6IlsRmtbs2do8lJstF6dY/s1600/IMG_5076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5NkYGcnNvKIDqfsgu0EYtbAIj7dwMCnqFqjNQ2obtWfTWbxPq0RmB1kdm7WBIVsISr4BaPJW9T2tUc1D6muqU1XIqUUFdtZC1F-QXM8ssTLGmefNPjVLQLB6IlsRmtbs2do8lJstF6dY/s320/IMG_5076.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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Elaborate graveyard </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv6cAy6a5pozx61Ao2b4kxDZAZ_7tOcpaccB-j_wVKt9dVt3-oOmlj-n_1TYb26X0u-rkUia8GcmZKc19JGAFozwhEtN0SAGIez0dMiPgFmu-v95GSHATXQQe0JruAuKuWUiBo0vsj-WY/s1600/IMG_5086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv6cAy6a5pozx61Ao2b4kxDZAZ_7tOcpaccB-j_wVKt9dVt3-oOmlj-n_1TYb26X0u-rkUia8GcmZKc19JGAFozwhEtN0SAGIez0dMiPgFmu-v95GSHATXQQe0JruAuKuWUiBo0vsj-WY/s320/IMG_5086.JPG" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
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Nice little private beach, i'll be back </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrUGfMZjAJTJbIvZAIs9exOkXqmXa0XFre0iI5B74PQESebzimUeC3RDzO4h66Ti7Ny0BwryNiScFD6nS1FKFs1MmUyrHKPhlfd0i-kJbQUSnp4kw4YGPDuKPRDhIctlQYqKvfM5aNpVY/s1600/IMG_5089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrUGfMZjAJTJbIvZAIs9exOkXqmXa0XFre0iI5B74PQESebzimUeC3RDzO4h66Ti7Ny0BwryNiScFD6nS1FKFs1MmUyrHKPhlfd0i-kJbQUSnp4kw4YGPDuKPRDhIctlQYqKvfM5aNpVY/s320/IMG_5089.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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Trying to be artsy? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-QLfbk2pJ6u8sIFdpCEjujgc4InVrXDj8hXFs9OLHXib2W6hh_N0C79ms3W12IWMDS09YOhrx_FlwDiidenede9t810idWwnWnjDvuA0m9BAEWldozyDlV3ZXn-ubYnx0-lcIzjOEKKM/s1600/IMG_5097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-QLfbk2pJ6u8sIFdpCEjujgc4InVrXDj8hXFs9OLHXib2W6hh_N0C79ms3W12IWMDS09YOhrx_FlwDiidenede9t810idWwnWnjDvuA0m9BAEWldozyDlV3ZXn-ubYnx0-lcIzjOEKKM/s320/IMG_5097.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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Abandoned ship</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMJyshko_ANPj8iK5kAkwAmytuq_OgnflfXPMif8uF8PfOCHJc8fMxz8B4p9ncoIovt82Cw6NfiFW22K9qvNO8ZIJcfGu545W4PAl2pNl04ydf5ocgin612nvwg03iG_BW4tMYGQsku90/s1600/IMG_5099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMJyshko_ANPj8iK5kAkwAmytuq_OgnflfXPMif8uF8PfOCHJc8fMxz8B4p9ncoIovt82Cw6NfiFW22K9qvNO8ZIJcfGu545W4PAl2pNl04ydf5ocgin612nvwg03iG_BW4tMYGQsku90/s320/IMG_5099.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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Version two</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98xxZ4VQrVLi3ap0ouwy-j7LnUGpIKpQLLBO8Nn4NyYLP9duLcivV6VTxN4-v64uSk09D9TpTx6SGAGgewIAS3bNuL9-qc6PvJegERVCVgykBEVeH_s9l6fWH5DQ4okytVGcCvoOm4h8/s1600/20140106_103149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98xxZ4VQrVLi3ap0ouwy-j7LnUGpIKpQLLBO8Nn4NyYLP9duLcivV6VTxN4-v64uSk09D9TpTx6SGAGgewIAS3bNuL9-qc6PvJegERVCVgykBEVeH_s9l6fWH5DQ4okytVGcCvoOm4h8/s320/20140106_103149.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>The Nest </i>at The Alternative </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuX7_CyKvdTyz3LHGD5taevtQh8g9vdANFcRn_0vbnE-QyLG5R9pHH1GCR3o4kPvySDDdvDHcJgKtHJAxu6UcJx2qgnVgT20GrpVpYP0kCLK_f2S8hHBy7rOESJQj7yuxyuXZTDF16-7Q/s1600/20140106_122049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuX7_CyKvdTyz3LHGD5taevtQh8g9vdANFcRn_0vbnE-QyLG5R9pHH1GCR3o4kPvySDDdvDHcJgKtHJAxu6UcJx2qgnVgT20GrpVpYP0kCLK_f2S8hHBy7rOESJQj7yuxyuXZTDF16-7Q/s320/20140106_122049.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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Art Cafe book swap - for those of us without E-readers</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGw3AfJTAZ4PtdOEyiMByNG9b3uBeks575Z6yxwINu4DUn896XwOvghCcWDBRs6sXicqCQ0VbXhI83rMMPurXh83HKeRzNP4JE-CsPoVJAyURHbiljWNetyu1dMJjS7MIqGIFYeo8mDLo/s1600/20140106_122054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGw3AfJTAZ4PtdOEyiMByNG9b3uBeks575Z6yxwINu4DUn896XwOvghCcWDBRs6sXicqCQ0VbXhI83rMMPurXh83HKeRzNP4JE-CsPoVJAyURHbiljWNetyu1dMJjS7MIqGIFYeo8mDLo/s320/20140106_122054.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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View from the Art Cafe</div>
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I wanted to get back to <i>my </i>beach and explore more of the island so I bought a few snacks, packed up my bag and changed to tennis shoes. I'm sure a few people remembered me from the morning and wondered why I was roaming through their village again but I didn't mind, they were still greeting me with friendly smiles. I got past the secluded beach I saw the first time but decided to keep going, I guess this was as close as I was going to get to hiking for the week. The scenery was gorgeous. forests to my right and the sea to my left; what made it even better was that there was no one else around. I found a quiet little place nestled in amongst the rocks and sat down to delve into my new book which made for a perfect afternoon. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1rNribBBiB6qUROg7nMgjoMzioLky-RyL-_V-tbE9wt8ygGpJQKGoQ740d8ZjjEf8ojMcZ5WOdbN_7t3z6m4XF0oZnRRQoPqF-cmncJ88ffMzT-Dr92weGFrs0VDNiL5WnnBTHjYsHFI/s1600/20140106_135402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1rNribBBiB6qUROg7nMgjoMzioLky-RyL-_V-tbE9wt8ygGpJQKGoQ740d8ZjjEf8ojMcZ5WOdbN_7t3z6m4XF0oZnRRQoPqF-cmncJ88ffMzT-Dr92weGFrs0VDNiL5WnnBTHjYsHFI/s320/20140106_135402.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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My reading <i>nook</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGbKd7yaja-Sx4rL8Ritx97PW1nAEHoVPtyYYDFouCz-tVMhyphenhyphenIK3Wol4MyLEjVnV3gJf8Hmn7FUJAvx6kdLa-vBPbeU9LHMgIHAZQGpNvgX85OnYmTxm7vLIgk7kv_yezU9Ts5Eswe0u8/s1600/20140106_135817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGbKd7yaja-Sx4rL8Ritx97PW1nAEHoVPtyYYDFouCz-tVMhyphenhyphenIK3Wol4MyLEjVnV3gJf8Hmn7FUJAvx6kdLa-vBPbeU9LHMgIHAZQGpNvgX85OnYmTxm7vLIgk7kv_yezU9Ts5Eswe0u8/s320/20140106_135817.jpg" height="154" width="640" /></a></div>
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Not the best quality, but I had that beach to myself </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpcpDbpUkd5ZV3exFocoGqh_pn71IVlXvDowbd8NCAuXMbAFc2SwxEGGhw4vEjUlfyJRxpxzhDFolzC2UILUC028DdLNPHl3ROhlM5GfeJu7gD-zhYG7cNbo8NUputj0qOseJ9zwLMW4/s1600/20140106_144016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpcpDbpUkd5ZV3exFocoGqh_pn71IVlXvDowbd8NCAuXMbAFc2SwxEGGhw4vEjUlfyJRxpxzhDFolzC2UILUC028DdLNPHl3ROhlM5GfeJu7gD-zhYG7cNbo8NUputj0qOseJ9zwLMW4/s320/20140106_144016.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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Selca, sometimes it just has to happen</div>
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Usually when i'm traveling I make it a point not to return to the same place/restaurant twice but <i>Blue Azule </i>was calling my name. I had actually promised the owner and waiter that i'd be back so I <i>kind of had to go. </i> I <b>almost </b>ordered the same thing but didn't want to go <i>that far </i>so this time I opted for the falafel burger which was equally as delicious. The waiter seemed to want to talk to me the whole time but our conversation never got very far, eventually I left, made my way back <i>home </i>and called it a day.<br />
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The next day I was <i>planning </i>to take the boat to Coron but after reading some colorful <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294255-i8273-k6001429-Ferry_from_El_Nido_to_Coron-Palawan_Mimaropa.html">reviews</a> I decided to cancel my ticket and spend another day relaxing on the beach. I really wasn't sure if I was going to take the boat on Wednesday or not but didn't want to get aboard the <a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=2002890">Jezebel</a> that day. If you recall from my <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2014/01/from-boats-to-bikes.html">last post,</a> boats and I don't have the best track record as it is, so I didn't want to jump aboard one with a poor history, including at least one incident of sinking. Instead, I devoted some quality time to the beach, my book and my tan.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDbeOYRLI8HJkS_ImMfPvhoteXUp4smE7QrvV-n1-6fA28zGQ2yCPweRTKMdtsHY4RQjdjMP6S4yOEvNv7uaNry16mGK7uGvwLaaNxaLZ0A4C3z6lXjIJSquAolD4AmIiPYBJgb-66SPg/s1600/20140106_151919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDbeOYRLI8HJkS_ImMfPvhoteXUp4smE7QrvV-n1-6fA28zGQ2yCPweRTKMdtsHY4RQjdjMP6S4yOEvNv7uaNry16mGK7uGvwLaaNxaLZ0A4C3z6lXjIJSquAolD4AmIiPYBJgb-66SPg/s320/20140106_151919.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Back to my spot from the day before, a little yoga action may have happened there</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgStm-Fp-6fFdTtHnsJ6J0dwKnpG0ToVPfpN4-jeyvHnhMS-tYsf_TZGSlqGFgZZymLYJye5RO6XINalT85X4n3vGj0P_kUbM39mVmwKDO1dQ0mYjoas2TOqQYSAql83c7KLmefIvVBkG0/s1600/20140107_132813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgStm-Fp-6fFdTtHnsJ6J0dwKnpG0ToVPfpN4-jeyvHnhMS-tYsf_TZGSlqGFgZZymLYJye5RO6XINalT85X4n3vGj0P_kUbM39mVmwKDO1dQ0mYjoas2TOqQYSAql83c7KLmefIvVBkG0/s320/20140107_132813.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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Oh, hello friend</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjySmPE9936QY5cNrKHplLY77HPRpZ8tSPlzP2nKDFIQVAp7Iyq3lXziCY-dzMZnlmmJHK01nengJNL99jeM1cxPEH9n0ozp34feofpbxvqrjYdCiyGOqzPo7ED3nXMLGobrw5RkZ3sR8k/s1600/20140107_171302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjySmPE9936QY5cNrKHplLY77HPRpZ8tSPlzP2nKDFIQVAp7Iyq3lXziCY-dzMZnlmmJHK01nengJNL99jeM1cxPEH9n0ozp34feofpbxvqrjYdCiyGOqzPo7ED3nXMLGobrw5RkZ3sR8k/s320/20140107_171302.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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Fresh fruit shake stand, <i>I miss you</i></div>
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Later that afternoon I decided to suck it up and buy my ticket for Coron the next day, worst case scenario our boat goes down and I have to float in the middle of the ocean for a few hours. I then spent my final evening in El Nido relaxing on the beach. I caught my last sunset and also observed some really, <i>really smart </i>people as they attempted to board their boat for, what i'm assuming, was a sunset cruise. Honestly, people watching is the best form of <i>free </i>entertainment, you would have thought these people were the <i>wicked witch of the west </i>the way they were trying to avoid the water. <i>You're in El Nido and going on a boat - why are you wearing long pants?!</i><br />
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Last sunset on the beach </div>
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Thanks for the entertainment^^</div>
<span id="goog_1319438677"></span>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10815615870478298274noreply@blogger.com0El Nido, Philippines11.2097089 119.4622538999999510.7112829 118.81680689999995 11.708134900000001 120.10770089999995tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678545679638608476.post-52619624759327195992014-01-15T15:06:00.000+09:002016-01-24T22:00:31.885+09:00From boats to bikes <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
On our second day in El Nido we knew that we wanted a more relaxed morning and time to try one of the traditional breakfasts (well I did at least), so we made our way to the beach. Being the <i>savy budget </i>travelers we are, we did a lap up and down the beach comparing menu options and prices before settling on Sea Slugs, which seemed to give us the best value, as well as a great location. If I could wake up and be served breakfast on the beach <i>everyday </i>i'd be one happy lady. By the time we were seated I was starving and the traditional Filipino breakfast, <a href="http://www.busogsarap.com/2009/12/tosilog-tocino-sinangag-at-itlog.html">Tosilog</a>, hit the spot - pork, fried egg, rice and fruit, <i>yum. </i>After breakfast we made our way back to the <i>Fast and Furious </i>shop with hopes of renting a motorbike for the day, allowing us to explore the peninsula on our own accord. Things went pretty smoothly, we were handed the keys and stopped back at our place to pack our bags before venturing off, but then the bike wouldn't start. We <i>pushed</i> it back to the shop and explained the problem to which they asked us what <b>we did? </b><i>Ummm nothing your bike is a piece of $#!*. </i>They took some time running around trying to find us another bike but were unsuccessful. Seeing as it was almost noon, I told Loudine we'd be better to cancel our plans, rent Kayaks for the afternoon and come back for a bike the next day. </div>
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Good solution </div>
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<i>Our </i>shop didn't do kayak rentals but we didn't have to go far before we found one that did. We wound up renting a kayak from the Art Cafe along with snorkel masks and a waterproof bag; before long we were out on the water, enjoying yet another beautiful day. Kayaking, to me, is one of those <i>'fun in theory'</i> things. It looks and sounds like a good idea, but then once I get myself in that boat and am 15-30 minutes into it, i'm ready to be done. I think part of my problem is that my adventurous side wants to go fast but my muscles just don't cooperate. Although the ride out was gorgeous, paddling along limestone cliffs and beautiful blue seas, I was more than ready to reach a beach.<br />
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More comfortable than it looks</div>
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Couldn't resist the beach <i>Selca</i></div>
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We made pretty great travel partners </div>
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Mom "You always have to climb up on those rocks"</div>
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Yes, yes I do</div>
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We had to have the kayak back by 5pm so we decided to leave around 4 giving ourselves plenty of time. As we left our private little beach the skies were looking a bit gloomy with big storm clouds to our west. I was optimistic in thinking that the winds were blowing that way and these clouds were leaving us, but I was wrong. Within 20 minutes of leaving the rain started, not a big deal seeing as we were already wet from our beach fun, but not <i>ideal </i>for kayaking. A fine mist would have been fine but the downpour that followed wasn't exactly what I had in mind. We weren't the only ones returning from a day of fun, many of the island hopping tour boats were also entering the harbor and while doing so, thought it'd be a great idea to take a picture of the two poor girls stuck in a kayak. I think I should give up on the whole boating thing, I swear every time I get into one the rain gods are called, <i>this </i>has happened to me on numerous occasions; 7th grade outdoor ed on Lake Geneva, camp counselor on Lake Michigan, oh and of course my near death white <a href="http://stephinaustralia.blogspot.kr/2009/04/1500-and-13-days-later.html">water rafting experience</a> on the Tully River. After our days adventures we decided that another bottle of rum would be a great idea for the evening, we poured ourselves a few cocktails, showered and headed back to town for dinner - where we enjoyed some awesome shrimp.<br />
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Reggae dinner decor </div>
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Oh hey</div>
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After dinner we wandered the street of El Nido looking for some fun, after running into our friend Nico (from Puerto Princesa) we found ourselves at the Reggae bar, just meters from the beach. There was a pretty legit live reggae band doing all kinds of cover songs but the bar was super crowded. After hanging around the bar area for a while I followed a crowd out to the beach seating - plopping myself at a table with 7 french boys, "<i>hope you don't mind my intruding". </i>As we enjoyed the weather, and some more drinks the tide began creeping closer and closer, until we were eventually sitting <b>in it. </b>Loudine came by to tell me she was going back but I decided to stay and chat with my <i>new friends. </i>I should have known where the night was going but was still surprised when one of them thought i'd be a good idea to toss me into the water, clothes and all. I felt bad being the only one to enjoy the fun so I quickly pulled them in with me, nothing like a good midnight swim with half a dozen french boys.<br />
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Only appropriate we went to the Reggae bar later</div>
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After returning to my room, showering <i>again </i>and washing the sand out of my clothes it was time for some shut eye, after all we had more adventures planned for the next day. As promised we returned to <i>our </i>tour office bright and early where they had a scooter waiting for us, and it even worked! We stopped for breakfast and loaded our bags with a few snacks before venturing off on our own for the day. It's funny, in Korea I've scootered Loudine to Gumi station and around town countless times but this was actually the first time with me on the back of the bike. After hearing countless tricycle drivers offering rides to Nacpan beach we figured it must be the <i>place to be </i>so we set that as our first destination. </div>
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Scooter adventures!</div>
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The ride was pretty uneventful for the first half hour or so but then the road disappeared, well not <b>completely </b>disappeared but rather turned into a <i>rocky </i>gravel/dirt path. Although I was on the back of the bike, and couldn't do much to control the driving, my eyes were still glued to the road. I'm sure this all would have been a lot easier had we been on one of those 'off-roading' motor bikes, but we only had our trusty little scooter. We did make one stop along the way to get some pictures and watch the farmers slaving away with their buffalos, well kind of. When we stopped for our pictures the buffalo must have decided it was break time, not making the least attempt to move, so the farmer deemed this a good time for a smoke break. </div>
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That looks like <i>fuuuun</i></div>
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Enjoying life, out in the <i>middle of nowhere</i></div>
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Even the murky waters were beautiful </div>
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After our break it was another turn down an even less traveled, rockier road, <i>more fun in the Philippines?, </i>well there's always an adventure that's for sure. Before long we arrived at the entrance to Nacpan beach, signed our lives away in the register (it seems they like to keep track of where everyone comes from at what you do) and were welcomed into paradise - I must say it was definitely worth the drive. <br />
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We made it ~~ Nacpan beach </div>
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Despite it being <i>peak </i>beach time there was hardly anyone there, <i>perfect. </i>The beach seemed to stretch on forever with nothing but beautiful blue skies, sparkling seas and limestone cliffs in the distance. Despite the sunburn I was already acquiring I was prepared to stay all day. I went for a brief swim but was sick of being knocked over by the waves so decided to stroll along the beach instead, before returning to lay in the sun and play a little ~~ While sunbathing we were greeted by some local children who thought it'd be a great idea to sing us some Christmas carols, I think we all knew what they were after.<br />
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Visitors </div>
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That boy in the waves was doing headstands - I copied</div>
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Couldn't resist beach yoga</div>
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Although the beach was gorgeous and begging us to stay all day we had to move on; wanting to take full advantage of our scooter (and not relying on tricycles) we still had to make it to Corong Corong for the sunset. Back through the gravel roads, over the rickety bridges and passing many friendly, smiling Filipinos we went. Corong Corong is just south of the main <i>downtown </i>area of El Nido but boasts nothing more than resorts and small shops. We drove through looking for a good place to catch the sunset and finally found ourselves at the Sunset terrace restaurant and bar. As we climbed the stairs down into the restaurant I realized that it was basically an extra room thrown on to the side of a families house, actually it may have just been their kitchen/dinning room. What I am guessing was their daughter, greeted us and served us drinks, while her brother sat nearby watching dramas.</div>
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Big truck, little bridge</div>
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Sunset dinner spot</div>
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Welcome to our home?</div>
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We wound up being a bit early for the sunset but had no where to be and were quiet enjoying the view here. My stomach was rumbling so we decided to share a meal and ordered the Chicken Adobo platter. A few minutes later the boy returned looking a bit concerned; I thought he was going to tell us that they were out of that, which was only <i>partially </i>true. He explained that they were out of chicken, but if we could wait for a half an hour he could get some, <i> no problem! </i><b>This </b>is how you run a restaurant - not "Sorry we don't have that" but instead, "Sorry, we don't have that but i'll go get it for you". Eventually the chicken came, the <i>dad </i>cooked it up into a delicious meal and we enjoyed a gorgeous sunset, a pretty good evening for Loudines last night in <i>paradise. </i></div>
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Waiting for the sun to set </div>
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I've heard a lot about the Philippines sunsets, <b>did not</b> disappoint </div>
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I'll spare you and only post a few of these </div>
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Good ending to my time with Loudine</div>
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Do beautiful sunsets ever get old? </div>
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After the sunset we made our way back to El Nido, returned the bike and went back <i>home </i>so Loudine could pack up here things. Unfortunately it was time for her to return to the cold of Korea and get back to work, <i>thankfully </i>I had one more week. One of the tough things about traveling to El Nido is budgeting your money, there are no ATM's in town so you have to draw cash before you go, estimating how much you will spend. Loudine <i>thought </i>she had drawn enough money but I guess our adventures dug deeper into her pocket than expected, along with a few clothing splurges, leaving her <i>just enough </i>money to get back to Puerto Princesa.<br />
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Bye bye Loudine~~</div>
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After all of our adventures I was ready for an <i>early </i>bedtime but as I was getting ready to go to sleep there was a soft knock on my door followed by a "It's me". Apparently the Roro bus was having some issues so they canceled their final bus, the one Loudine was supposed to take back to Puerto, leaving her stranded. <i>Thankfully </i>she had a really generous tricycle driver who helped her figure out how she would be getting there (by shuttle-van at 5am the next day) and offered to drive her back to El Nido as well as picking her up in the morning, <i>for free. </i>After all of my adventures in the Philippines I've found that no matter what kind of situation you find yourself in, <i>believe me I had a few interesting ones, </i>there's going to be some form of a <i>guardian angel </i>there to help you. </div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10815615870478298274noreply@blogger.com0El Nido, Philippines11.2097089 119.4622538999999510.7112829 118.81680689999995 11.708134900000001 120.10770089999995tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678545679638608476.post-5076245811459097772014-01-15T14:57:00.000+09:002016-01-24T22:00:31.879+09:00So this is what all they hype was about <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After our, <i>thankfully, </i>uneventful bus ride to El Nido, we decided to get a trike to the <a href="http://elnidoboutiqueandartcafe.com/">El Nido Art Cafe </a>to get recommendations on where to stay in town, since we hadn't prearranged anything. The cafe is basically the central 'go to' spot in town for all of your needs - clothes, snacks, tour bookings, boat and plane tickets, as well as a good meal/drink. They were helpful in providing us with a list of accommodation (including price range) so we decided the best method would be to start knocking on doors. We originally wanted a beach side cottage but upon realizing the 'non-beach' properties were literally 10 ft across the street we settled on a cute room at the El Nido Plaza Inn for only 500php per night, such a steal. Once we were settled in our room it was time to explore the town, get to the beach and find something to eat! </div>
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Home away from home</div>
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Of course our first destination once leaving our room was the waterfront and views did not disappoint! The sun was already setting so it was a little late to go jump in, but we knew we'd be back early the next day. If there's a few things El Nido is NOT lacking it'd be beauty and food, there were restaurants just about everywhere you looked; making the real problem choosing where to eat. After our 'fancy' dinner the night before we wanted something a bit more authentic so we decided to test our luck with the street vendors, grilling up whatever you chose right there in front of you.<br />
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Trying to decide on dinner</div>
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I think he's onto me</div>
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Chicken and rice, simple yet delicious</div>
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Streets of El Nido</div>
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The next morning we rose with the roosters, lucky me I already get a taste of this at my apartment in Korea, so it wasn't <i>too </i>much a nuisance to me. It was actually kind of convenient because it got us up and going so we could figure out our plan of attack for the day. A few blocks from our place we stopped at the 'Fast and Furious' tour office and wound up booking ourselves onto Tour A for the day, island hopping here we come! Loudine needed her morning coffee so we stopped across the street, mooched some WiFi and then made our way to the beach to wait for our boat.<br />
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This image never gets old </div>
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Found myself there a few nights later</div>
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Away we go~~~</div>
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I think it wound up being close to 10am before we actually left but again, no problem - we were on vacation and had nothing but time! We had to share our boat with three other couples, our boatman Mark and captain <i>whose name I forgot </i>and some ideal weather - this was going to be a good day. Our day started with a stop at Seven Comandos beach where we had just shy of an hour to play in the water, catch some sun or admire the fish and coral. I spotted my first <i>Nemo </i>of the vacation but was otherwise a bit let down with the sea life. A lot of the coral in this area was dead, which according to some of our boat friends is due to the fact that fishermen used to fish with dynamite here, <i>smart. </i>Next we made our way to Shimizu island where we had two hours to relax, snorkle and enjoy a delicious lunch buffet. The snorkeling here was a bit better than the previous location but still nothing <i>spectacular</i>, that or I was just tired and hungry. The island was beautiful but clearly the central spot for many different tours so we had to share the small beach with many people, including our <i>favorite couple</i> who couldn't keep their hands off each other. Lunch was prepare by our boat boys and wow did they do a good job, I had no idea what was taking them so long to prepare but once they called us over, I was impressed. There was a full buffet of fish, pork, chicken, squid, eggplant salad, cucumbers, and of course rice and fruit, it's safe to say no one left that island hungry. </div>
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Our boat for the day: Slice of Life </div>
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Boys preparing our lunch</div>
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Just realized i've had that suit since Australia...6 years ago</div>
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Eventually it was time to get back on the boats and head to our next destination which was the secret lagoon. Obviously it was a secret at one point in time but not so much the case anymore, we were one of many boats pilled up to check the place out and had to wait in line to actually enter the lagoon. We 'parked' around the corner from the lagoon entrance and then had to walk along a beach/rocky edge to the lagoon entrance. I wish I would've caught a picture of Mark as he carried about six cameras for all the tourist as we waded through the water. Not only that but once we entered the lagoon he switched roles from boat/tour guide to photographer, so i'll have to give picture credit to him for some of these shots. On the way back to the boat we went through the customary "Where are you from, how long are you here, etc. etc." conversation, and although it was short I was glad to actually talk to him. Actually I wish we could have hung out more, these boat men left me intrigued. </div>
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Mark, he was cool, yeah I liked him</div>
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Boat captain</div>
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Inside the secret lagoon </div>
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Limestone crocodile </div>
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View from inside the lagoon </div>
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I found a cool hole, and Mark took my picture</div>
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<i>end of story</i></div>
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It's kind of frustrating writing this and posting these pictures; as beautiful as they are the images don't even come close to doing justice for the beauty we saw that day. The secret lagoon was one of those places you can't capture the true beauty of, no matter what angle you snap a picture from there's no real way to explain what it looks like inside. Safely back on our boat, no cameras sacrificed to the water, we moved on to the Big Lagoon, which we conveniently didn't have to exit the boat for. I could honestly ride around on these boats all day just watching the boatmen work their magic, you think navigating El Nido traffic is hard, try driving one of these things. Not only do you have to navigate the sea but you also have to watch out for swimmers, snorkelers and other boats - and don't even get me started on the parking. </div>
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Boating through the Big Lagoon</div>
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I <i>am</i> wearing bottoms, believe it or not</div>
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But really, this place is gorgeous</div>
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Oh look, another boat picture</div>
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Our final stop of the day, and what may have been my favorite part was the small lagoon. Again, multiple boats were parked at the entrance with people swimming everywhere but once you got past that congestion it was beautiful. We were told to bring our snorkel masks but really there wasn't too much to see here. Instead it was a wide open lagoon with deep blue waters perfect for a late afternoon swim. Loudine and I took off well ahead of the group and were also the last back to the boat, only getting there because Mark called us in, I guess the others weren't enjoying it at much as we were. As we made our way back towards El Nido Loudine and I agreed that it had been the perfect day and we were both ready to be back on land, showered and rested. We were dead tired from the days adventures so settled on a simple, but <i>awesomely delicious </i>dinner at <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g32339-d1750452-Reviews-Blue_Azul-El_Nido_California.html">Blue Azule</a>, where I ate one of the best veggie burgers of my life.<br />
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Leaving the small lagoon</div>
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Awesome restaurant, delicious food,<i>wish I had one here</i></div>
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Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10815615870478298274noreply@blogger.com0El Nido, Philippines11.2097089 119.4622538999999510.7112829 118.81680689999995 11.708134900000001 120.10770089999995tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678545679638608476.post-27237924825304431482014-01-14T13:46:00.001+09:002016-01-24T22:00:31.862+09:00An introduction to Paradise<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Despite our delay, Loudine and I made it safely out of Cebu and on to the wonderful island of Palawan, first stop the <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1878406">Bamboo Nest</a>. I found Jonathan and his <i>awesome </i>house on Couchsurfing and couldn't pass up the opportunity to stay with him, not only did he sound like an amazing guy but his house set-up was intriguing. He gave us great directions from the airport including two tricycles (both of whom tried to overcharge us, <i>of course</i>) and a short walk leading to the 'back gate of his property'. I'm sure, had it been light out when we arrived this all would have been a bit easier, but as Loudine and I wandered down a dark dirt road we weren't exactly sure what we had gotten ourselves into. Despite a few moment of doubt we arrived safely and were greeted by Jonathan and his warm, welcoming smile. Our room was in the second story of the [hand-made] <i>bamboo nest, </i>which was awesome, I felt like I was sleeping in a tree house. We later found out that the reason for the sketchy 'back-door' entrance is that Jonathan lives on the Navy compound and can't have random foreigners walking in and out the front gate, fair enough. After settling ourselves Jonathan invited us to join him for dinner in town at <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g294257-d2310296-r158286952-Ima_s_Gulay_Bar-Puerto_Princesa_Palawan_Mimaropa.html">Imas</a> vegetarian restaurant where we enjoyed great food and good conversation. </div>
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Path to Jonathans, much better in daylight </div>
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The bamboo nest Kitchen area </div>
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Our room</div>
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Living room/ lounge area Front entrance </div>
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The next morning we were up early, you don't really have a choice when you share a neighborhood with numerous roosters, in order to get ready for our day at the Underground river. Jonathan took care of booking our tour for us so all we had to do was wait at his house for the van to pick us up, talk about great service. They arrived shortly after 9am and we were the last to pack into a full van of 10 people, time to get cozy for our 2 hour journey. I shared a bit of small talk with some of the passengers but overall the ride was pretty uneventful, I guess it was still early. Upon arriving in Sabang we were ushered over to <i>quickly </i>eat our lunch before getting in the boats that would take us to the river. Our guide explained that due to rough waters they were closing the river around 12pm so we had to hurry if we wanted to make it out. Lunch was delicious although a bit rushed, but I would rather had swallowed my chicken whole than to sit around and miss out on going to the river. Once we boarded our boats we were told that we'd actually be <i>the last </i>boat out of the day, talk about good timing. </div>
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Underground River, one of the <i>New</i> 7 wonders</div>
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Seemingly shy boatman</div>
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First of <i>many </i>boat rides in the Philippines </div>
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After the thirty minute boat ride you must get out and take a 10 minute walk through the jungle before arriving at the entrance to the Underground river. Here, there are smaller boats which will take you into the river itself, along with your mandatory hard hat and life jacket, did I mention orange is <i>not </i>my color? Hands down some of my favorite people in the Philippines were all of the boat men that we interacted with, and we couldn't have started with a better one. Visitors are allowed about halfway through the 8.2km river and along the way your boat guide provides you with plenty of information and even a few jokes. The river is filled with bats and sparrows and of course some impressive stalagmites and stalactites, formed from the presence of 11 different minerals. The river also houses one of the largest 'cave rooms' in the world, with a volume of approximately 2.5 million sq meters, <i>yeah </i>this place was pretty impressive. </div>
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mmm, so sexy</div>
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Hopefully all the people won't destroy this beauty</div>
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Entering the river </div>
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T-Rex coming down from above</div>
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Mother Mary in the 'Cathedral' Lions face in the shadows</div>
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The three wise men </div>
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Quick taste for what the river was like </div>
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The tour inside the river takes about 45minutes but seems to go a lot faster as you stare at everything in awe, just make sure not to stare in awe upwards - unless you want a mouthful of bat poop. Due to strong winds and choppy waves we didn't have much time to <i>hang out </i>in the area so we made our way back to Sabang, stopped for a few pictures and then were ushered back into our van to return to Puerto Princesa. </div>
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Kids are cute, <i>everywhere</i></div>
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Simplicity of childhood</div>
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Hard to believe but the van ride back was even less eventful than the one there, I guess it was time for an afternoon nap. Back at Jonathan's we took some time to rest, shower and even do some yoga (with the dogs and roosters) before getting ready for the evening. Being New Years eve we decided to <i>splurge </i>on a bottle of local rum, a whole 85php (~$2) and start our night early with some cocktails. Nico, from France, had no plans for the night so we invited him to venture into town with us and see what we could find. We had heard that the <i>place to be </i>was the B<a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g294257-d1553637-Reviews-City_Baywalk-Puerto_Princesa_Palawan_Mimaropa.html">aywalk</a> downtown, so after 'hitchhiking' our way out of the Navy compound we caught a tricycle and soon found ourselves amongst the locals. </div>
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Fallen angel with my rooster friend </div>
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Puppy kisses while in forearm balance</div>
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Welcome to the Bay walk</div>
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Starting his career early</div>
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Nico was telling us about an awesome seafood restaurant but upon arriving we told they were out of food so instead we had dinner at one of the street stalls and also indulged in one of their massive beer towers. After a while I was getting bored of sitting so I took a few laps around the area before meeting some local Pilipino boys, shy and friendly, just like the Koreans :) The five of us spent the rest of the evening together listening to the live bands, drinking and enjoying the NYE fireworks. Later in the night we decided to move on to a bar downtown for a few last drinks before calling it a night, <i>and what a fun night it was</i>.<br />
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New friend, Ronnie^^</div>
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NYE Fireworks! </div>
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That's kind of how the night went </div>
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Nico and Loudine - and some stylish goggles </div>
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We finally got home somewhere around 5am, slept for a few hours and then rose to start yet another day of fun. We were in no hurry to get anywhere, believe me we planned it that way, so we had a relaxed breakfast and spent some time talking to Jonathan. Eventually, we got ourselves ready and started towards town, planning to get a ride to Honda bay and find a beach. After walking for 10-15 minutes we were scooped up by a tricycle and found ourselves in the company of Jeors, our new favorite trike driver. He agreed to take us out to Honda bay and come back to pick us up later that evening, roundtrip 400php which seemed like a great deal. Along the way he did his share for tourism offering us stops to book boats, snorkel gear, souvenirs and t-shirts, great effort on his part! At Honda bay we hired a boat to take us over to Cowrie island where we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing on the beach, swimming and eating <a href="http://www.aquietnerdything.com/2011/06/friend-friday-summer-recipe-halo-halo.html">halo-halo</a> (close backup to patbingsu).<br />
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Weird half sunken ship just chillen' </div>
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Cowrie island and our captain</div>
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Sun, sand, and sea ~~ happy as can be</div>
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mmm perfection </div>
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I'm never leaving </div>
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Joers was back, as promised, to pick us up around 5pm and drive us back to town. Along the way we asked him about a good place to eat dinner and of course he was FULL of recommendations, one of which being <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g294257-d1762677-Reviews-Badjao_Seafront-Puerto_Princesa_Palawan_Mimaropa.html">Badjao</a> floating restaurant. We agreed that this sounded like a cool place to check out and he was more than happy to drive us there. We had a bit of a scare when the sign said CLOSED as we pulled up but found out that they opened at 6pm; seeing as we had <i>no where </i>to be and <i>nothing but time</i> we chose to wait. </div>
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A little windy </div>
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Mangroves surrounding the restaurant </div>
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Fancy pants </div>
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Sunset while we wait? Don't mind if I do!</div>
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Living the life</div>
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The restaurant was definitely a bit pricier than we were planning for dinner but we did awesome work of finding probably the most economical item on the menu. We decided to share the seafood paella which was <i>plenty </i>of food for the two of us and at a great price. Of course when we were finished Joers was there waiting for us, ready for our next destination. He tried talking up the Tiki bar in town but we were dead tired after the previous nights entertainment so we opted for a stop at the ATM and return back home. When we asked what we owed for our chauffeur services that day he told us it was 'up to us' which was an awesome gesture from him but made me a bit nervous as we didn't really have a grip for trike fares yet. Being the great businessman he is ,Joers made sure to inquire about our plans the next day and assured us he would be back at 7am to pick us up for our journey to the bus terminal. Seriously if you find yourself in Puerto and in need of a ride give him a call - 09486447308, he'll be more than helpful. </div>
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Early morning with Joers and his trike</div>
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Although Joers tried talking us into booking a van for our journey to El Nido we held firm to our plans and opted for the, <i>much cheaper, </i>Roro bus. We arrived in plenty of time to catch the 8am bus, buy some snacks and secure <i>comfortable </i>seats before departing. Tickets are bought once you board the bus so as we rolled out of town we were presented with <i>one more </i>surprise for the day as tickets were only 294php, almost 100 less than what everyone had been telling us, <i>score! </i>The 6 hour journey was actually quite pleasant, well not for half the bus that was experiencing motion sickness and utilizing plastic bags, but I was comfortable. We arrived in El Nido later that afternoon with no problems and were on to the next leg of our journey. <br />
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Roro bus to El Nido</div>
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Ice cream: 15php (~0.30)</div>
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<i>yes please</i></div>
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-SCQ1BXOpRMI%2FUtlDhlAqmuI%2FAAAAAAAAMp0%2FNSwEN3TTwTQ%2Fs1600%2FIMG_9205.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaC40JcBXNiJMUbxLNeXnJST9XiDmxEngyhX1sDaXiatvXF2ZW7K6GWRKBXs0amK_HXEmhkD0nO2B7q043oKj05DmXxHgXBaeEug2TQR8YZ5zm6PgwDCRnpvFgFK8CJXvVexD23a9gUjA/s1600/IMG_9205.jpg" -->Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10815615870478298274noreply@blogger.com1Puerto Princesa, Philippines9.9672162999999987 118.785509999999938.9663057999999989 117.49461649999994 10.968126799999999 120.07640349999993tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678545679638608476.post-7613610731824042822014-01-13T22:38:00.000+09:002016-01-24T22:00:31.906+09:00Cebu, not sure how I feel about you<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Although it produces amazing memories, interesting stories and some great pictures, <i>budget </i>travel isn't always glamorous. In order to get that cheap airline fare you might have to be <i>okay </i>with arriving somewhere in the middle of the night, tired and a bit disoriented. Lucky me, I turned up at Cebu airport somewhere around 2am still having to navigate my way into the city. I've learned to keep an eye out for other <i>solo </i>travelers, especially in situation such as these, so when I found a girl that looked to be a similar situation as myself I decided we should join forces. Cabs from the airport are known to try and scam tourist so I figured we should join forces and at the very least we could split the fare into town. Although the cab drivers tried to feign ignorance, we got lucky in that our places were only a few blocks from each other, I guess being <i>outgoing </i>worked in my favor here. I quickly 'checked into' my room and drifted off to sleep, I briefly awoke around 5 to let Loudine in (she had a later flight) and then found myself <i>wide awake </i>around 8am, <i style="font-weight: bold;">why? </i>We decided to venture out in to the city as we were both starving, wandered the streets for close to an hour before stumbling into a Thai restaurant, comatose. Once our stomachs were full we decided to go back and nap, shower and prepare ourselves for a day of sightseeing. </div>
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Meet, the Jeepney<br />
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We decided since we had the time that we'd just walk downtown and see what we came across on the way there. <i>Honestly though, </i>there wasn't much, the city is congested and a little smelly, and it's supposed to be <i style="font-weight: bold;">better </i>than Manila, let's hope I never find myself <i>there. </i>We took note of some massage parlors, restaurants and bars that we could return to later in the evening before stumbling upon the market. I've been to public markets before but this was an entirely new beast, crossing the road was a mix between a frogger game and a death wish while the market stalls themselves were swarming with people, animals (both dead and alive), and various goods. Honestly walking these streets made me feel a bit claustrophobic so I was all too happy to leave. We weren't really sure what way was out but we were soon winding down some back alleys, eventually coming out near the sea; we took the opportunity to get away from the madness and enjoy a little quiet. </div>
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Good luck</div>
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madness</div>
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Nap time</div>
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Not exactly the beaches I was waiting for, but still pretty</div>
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Not sure that water looked <i>swimmable </i></div>
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Cute kids, until they begged for our $$</div>
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Although the water reminded me a bit more of Lake Michigan than any beautiful beaches you'd see featured in a Philippines travel guide, it was still nice to be away from the city's craziness. We talked to and took a few pictures of the local kids - per their request, but then had to shoo them away as they asked for money. "You take picture now pay me" - great businessmen in the making right there. From the waters edge we made our way to Fort San Pedro, took a picture and left, as you can probably tell we were <i>over</i> the whole 'tourist' thing for the day.<br />
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My <i>one </i>touristy picture from Cebu</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1cMnpGnppZ2UXr-HBI1jHuYo3pQz56YejOezKXQ5E0WkBYZiP2sAURTUckuersHe58QIShZrq7AP3YZ6C_NKKeNdYj4oY-YCV0fE4Nd05ukmhYAqof3jrNuhkRewC1MacIgJNGZdBVZM/s1600/IMG_4745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1cMnpGnppZ2UXr-HBI1jHuYo3pQz56YejOezKXQ5E0WkBYZiP2sAURTUckuersHe58QIShZrq7AP3YZ6C_NKKeNdYj4oY-YCV0fE4Nd05ukmhYAqof3jrNuhkRewC1MacIgJNGZdBVZM/s320/IMG_4745.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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I'm going to pretend this is of some importance....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsi9FHh8sqcgsw2aurEaeAuwTgB9bznlMI1ycra_XI2hAzw4l9J7LtJfu5h8sh0_7_-fpKoH7ppS8trwOURYvVXq-giIM_9O38ij9NtEbnwNG1uPGNBSL11i9QJpZlFC2ZNj597vVG8PA/s1600/SAM_3856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsi9FHh8sqcgsw2aurEaeAuwTgB9bznlMI1ycra_XI2hAzw4l9J7LtJfu5h8sh0_7_-fpKoH7ppS8trwOURYvVXq-giIM_9O38ij9NtEbnwNG1uPGNBSL11i9QJpZlFC2ZNj597vVG8PA/s1600/SAM_3856.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Success!</div>
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I'm proud to say we mastered the Jeepney and got ourselves the <i>cheapest ride of our trip [8php each] </i>close to the area where we had ate breakfast/lunch that morning. One of our friends from Korea was also in Cebu so we were trying to make plans to meet him for dinner and drinks that evening, a bit harder when you're relying on WiFi for communication ability. Loudine and I had a <i>pathetic </i>dinner along with a few delicious beers before finally meeting Min-kyu and making our way back to our guesthouse for a few more drinks. Crazy how small the world is because as we sat down I spotted the girl I shared the taxi with the night before, sitting across the room. The five of us sat together drinking and sharing travel stories before eventually calling it a night. </div>
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Met in Busan, reunited in Cebu</div>
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Taxi buddy and friend </div>
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We had fun</div>
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Before leaving to catch a taxi back to the airport we took some time to capture the <i>charm </i>of our lovely guesthouse,<a href="http://kukuksnest.webs.com/"> Kukuks nest.</a> Despite being in an extremely noisy area, actually i'm not sure there is a <i>quiet </i>place in the Philippines, we got a great deal. The rooms were <b>super cheap</b>, clean [enough] and the staff was accessible, they also served food and drinks but we never did get a chance to try the former.<br />
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Lovely decor in our room</div>
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Artwork everywhere</div>
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Lounge/restaurant </div>
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Bar/Entrance area</div>
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Bye bye, Cebu!!</div>
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After spending nearly two weeks in <i>paradise </i>it was <b>unfortunately </b>time for me to return to the busy city for a night. I was hoping I could match up my flight times and spend only a few hours at the airport but no such luck. After a series of <i>extremely lucky, </i>weird-how-things-turn-out-for-the-best, events I found myself in a lovely hotel room near the Mactan-Cebu airport.</div>
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<i>Two </i>beds, <i>hot</i> water, <i>flushing </i>toilet, <b>TV!?</b></div>
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Let me explain: after our first <i>taste </i>of Cebu I wasn't exactly jumping at the chance to trek back into the city for the end of my vacation - talk about leaving a bad taste in your mouth. Instead I decided to search and book a cheap room on Mactan Island, closer to the airport. I found a place called the <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g294261-d3927132-Reviews-Anthurium_Inn-Cebu_Visayas.html">Anthurium Inn</a> on Agoda and after reading reviews decided it was a good choice for the price (~500php). On the way to Coron airport I met Jan and his three friends, all locals of Cebu, and spent a good deal of time talking to them and sharing travel stories. We parted ways after boarding the plane but found each other again soon after landing. None of them had heard of this <i>Anthurium Inn </i>and even after googling it weren't familiar with the location. I think Jan felt a bit sorry for me being alone and venturing off into the unknown, so he offered to drive me there himself. This was one of those 'go with your gut' scenarios but I definitely felt a lot more comfortable in the passenger seat of Jan's car than the back of a Cebu cab. So off we go into the crazy streets of Cebu, just in time for the start of rush hour. We started getting farther and farther from the airport, turning down less traveled roads at which point Jan started giving me <i>shit </i>about my planning. "Does your mom know where you are right now, i'm going to send her pictures" "Where did you find this place" "No seriously, who wrote those reviews, these people are good businessmen". Well we eventually pulled up to the lovely Inn - <i>conveniently located </i>almost 15 minutes from the airport down a dodgy dirt road. </div>
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ummm where are we?</div>
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Jan pulled a U-turn to bring us up in front of the hotel, <i>almost </i>came to a stop as he said "Are you really going to stay there" and then just kept driving. I laughed as said "umm I guess not, are you not allowing it?" Honestly I don't think he could have had a better response, <i>"Hell no i'm not allowing it, you were last seen with me, so tomorrow when you turn up missing they're gonna check CCTV and i'll have cops coming to knock on my door! I'll take you to a better place"</i>. So we backtracked our steps down the dirt roads, local markets, and congested streets until we reached the <a href="http://www.islandsstay.com/">Island Stays Hotel</a>. Jan accompanied me inside to check that they had rooms, which they did - only problem being the only option left was the most expensive room at 1,950php. I have a credit card and would've paid it, just to be settled somewhere, but as I took out my wallet Jan says "Don't worry i'll pay". After I picked my jaw up off the floor I asked why to which he simply replied "umm a gesture of kindness", he also mentioned that he was sorry he couldn't invite me to dinner because he had to be back to the airport to pick up his aunt. As if the Philippines didn't give me enough reasons to return (stay tuned) going back to repay Jan is one more to add to the list. <b>Seriously </b>how do I get so lucky as to meet such wonderful people - my friend Loudine said I must have been stockpiling some good Karma!</div>
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Last day, and it rains</div>
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I literally spent my last [friday] night in the hotel room, watching TV and <b>honestly, </b>it was perfect. Having to be back in the city, after two weeks of <i>awesomeness, </i>a bag of dirty clothes and lack of <i>comfort </i>I couldn't have asked for anything else. I <i>really </i>appreciated my nice hotel room the next morning, when I awoke to <i>buckets </i>of rain, I can't complain too much though because the rain did hold off while I was enjoying the islands. After an amazing shower, some hotel-room-yoga, and lounging, I faced the rain for one last meal before making my way to the airport (where <i>of course</i> I'd end up sitting for hours thanks to delays).<br />
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~ Perfect last meal ~ </div>
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Chicken BBQ, Garlic Rice and Adobo KangKong</div>
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10815615870478298274noreply@blogger.com0Cebu City, Philippines10.3156992 123.8854366000000510.0657982 123.56271310000005 10.565600199999999 124.20816010000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678545679638608476.post-6969131717854431872013-12-28T14:22:00.000+09:002015-06-25T12:10:26.053+09:00The Season of Giving <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Like I mentioned in my last post, my favorite part of the holiday season centers around <i>giving, </i>so what better way to celebrate than to give presents, and <i>hopefully some joy, </i>to 70+ children. Earlier this spring when Aimee, the founder of <a href="http://kkoom.org/">KKOOM,</a> asked me to help her with the annual holiday part for <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2012/07/samsunwon.html">Samsungwon</a>, I had absolutely no hesitation. This is the first year that Aimee wasn't able to be in Korea for the holidays since founding KKOOM 6 years ago; she was looking for support from the foreigners here to keep the tradition going. I attended the Christmas party <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2012/12/christmas-round-1.html">last year </a>so after seeing the joy that it brought to the kids I knew I wanted to help make that possible again this year. Unfortunately, the orphanage is currently undergoing construction so hosting a large scale party proved to be impossible, 70+ kids and volunteers running around a midst welding, sawing, hammering and other chaos didn't sound like the best idea. Instead, we decided to host an <i>online </i>gift drive, asking volunteers to support one (or more) children by purchasing gifts from their <i>wish list</i>. We were able to get enough volunteers (some even sending money from the US), purchase the gifts and organize all of those sent from across the country. It was a bit of chaos for a few days as we sorted through boxes, wrapped, sorted and shopped but <i>thankfully </i>everything came together by 3pm Sunday afternoon. </div>
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Finally organized, 70 some odd presents </div>
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The orphanage is divided into separate houses, each consisting of 7-10 kids and one 'house mother' who cares for them. Along with 4 other volunteers, I spent roughly two hours going house to house, distributing presents to the kids with a bonus of <i>fried chicken, </i>which was paid for by KKOOM. Although we weren't able to host a full party with decorations, games and more volunteers, the kids were still able to get a good dose of Christmas cheer. It's amazing how shy some of these kids can become when stuck in front of a group of foreigners. Not only are they shy about speaking <i>any </i>English but they were also now receiving gifts from us and, you could tell, wanted to express their gratitude but weren't exactly sure how to go about doing so. Most of the kids asked for pretty simple gifts so it's understandable that they weren't jumping forjoy over their boxes of Oreo O's, Pringles and Ramen, but you could tell they were happy with what they got and appreciated the time we spent with them. There's really not much else to say about these kids, they're all pretty awesome, <i>and adorable </i>so I'll let the pictures do the talking.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">~Chicken and Cola for all~</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUti36jwERZRexc8MO_JKrWW3fB6xPgnM_hzneJSihw4Il_8M7wtNppKNVBbHnUqkv59rtyPuIdNOhS_GmInjSqFTHIcNgOAtdQTaCyLVPAxrZn-LG7G_yqMCW5HUxJRqehIGqGc_0Qy0/s1600/20131222_160702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUti36jwERZRexc8MO_JKrWW3fB6xPgnM_hzneJSihw4Il_8M7wtNppKNVBbHnUqkv59rtyPuIdNOhS_GmInjSqFTHIcNgOAtdQTaCyLVPAxrZn-LG7G_yqMCW5HUxJRqehIGqGc_0Qy0/s400/20131222_160702.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course, they fed us too ~~ best fried Chicken I've had in a long time</td></tr>
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Christmas eve was fairly uneventful at school, we finished watching Christmas movies in class and only a handful of students actually uttered <i>Merry Christmas</i>. I did surprise my Principal, Vice-Principal, and co-teacher 이혜진 with their presents, but aside from that there was <b>very little </b>Christmas cheer in the air. I left school a bit earlier than 혜진 so I could stop home and pack a bag before heading to Daegu to spend the next few days with her and her family. Although Christmas is not quite the same here, especially the food, I knew that i'd be doing plenty of eating; for a majority of the drive home we discussed everything she bought and what I would be eating for the next few days. Hospitality is the same wherever you go and generally centers around food, 혜진's mom reminds me of my own Grandmother, always offering you more to eat and making sure you're comfortable. When we arrived at her house 혜진's mom, dad and son were all waiting for us and I was <i><a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2013/12/getting-some-lovin.html">again </a></i>welcomed with open arms and big smiles. We spent the evening playing with some of 한결's new toys, eating, watching the news and eventually going to bed, but not before a few bedtime stories. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">한결 and his Grandfather</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a clown </td></tr>
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I awoke the next morning to the sounds of pots and pans clanking in the kitchen and delicious smells wafting into my room. Although I was up early I stayed in bed for a while listening to the early morning activity of the family. 한결 was up early and I heard him wishing his Grandfather a Merry Christmas before coming in to see if/when his mom would wake up. I'm not sure if there could be something much sweeter than a little boys voice whispering 어마 사랑해요 [<i>mom, I love you</i>] for no apparent reason. Although it wasn't the smell of bacon and eggs wafting into my room <i>(to be honest I don't even like that for breakfast)</i> I was genuinely looking forward to whatever 이혜진's mom had prepared for me. I think a true testament for my adaptation to Korea is the fact that Kimchi for breakfast no longer sends my stomach into somersaults. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">~~Good morning~~</td></tr>
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Thankfully my stomach was growling as I knew I'd be encouraged to eat, and eat, <i>and eat some more; </i>많이 먹어...전전히와 많이 먹어. I tried to find a good balance between filling myself, pleasing the <b>chef</b> and still saving room for the copious amounts of food I knew would be presented to me throughout the day. Although I thought I had succeeded, I heard her mom mention a few times I did not eat enough, evident when she brought apples and coffee over to me minutes after finishing breakfast. </div>
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I appreciate the fact that the morning church service was held at 11 o'clock, giving us plenty of time to enjoy breakfast and get ready before leaving, also the church is conveniently located right next to their apartment. We arrived early, as we knew it would be a full house and didn't want to end up in one of the <i>overflow </i>rooms, thankfully grabbing one of the last available seats. I stuck out pretty obviously and was immediately spotted by multiple church staff asking if i'd like the translation service. Although I don't have much experience with holiday church services in the US this one seemed pretty short, there was a prayer, quick scripture reading, message and announcements from the senior pastor and we were done, <i>kind of</i>. The next hour was spent listening to music and singing presented by the Zion Choir and orchestra. They performed "The Many Moods of Christmas" which consisted of 18 different Christmas carols, some of which I've never heard although all of which I've never heard <i>in Korean. </i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Zion Choir</td></tr>
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After the service finished the church was providing 떡국 to all members in the basement cafeteria, but my stomach was not ready for that. Instead, we made our way to the church cafe to enjoy coffee before heading home. The morning was completely different than the annual Christmas celebrations I have at home but I throughly enjoyed it. I only have two regrets about the morning 1. that I didn't get a group picture with 이혜진 and her family and 2. that I couldn't talk more with her parents (if only I could learn Koran overnight). When we got back to her house I spent a solid half hour playing a pac man<i>esque </i>computer game with <span style="text-align: center;">한결</span> before it was time for us to get ready and head to our next destination. After I had asked 이혜진 if I could join her family for Christmas she said that she'd ask her friend if we could all celebrate together and so that's how I found myself in another <b>friendly </b>home with good company. Her friends have two children who are both adorable, but one of which seems to be ending her 'terrible twos' faze and serenaded us with her screams a few times that afternoon. Another bonus of the day was that they all spoke English so I wasn't lost in the conversation at all.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifhLEPFrEmg32RuwCt7OMOCkGaYpMv38EL7Af8rrCxb30UuAr_pcqZMnCXjBcHlvlRnz0duEpr_6SNzjTMUg5-aPKbKnHL_rj_BIjfuWi8ms9J2D_-9KpcfrEP193QOiC1L-0Pc7Ep3wo/s1600/20131225_155643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifhLEPFrEmg32RuwCt7OMOCkGaYpMv38EL7Af8rrCxb30UuAr_pcqZMnCXjBcHlvlRnz0duEpr_6SNzjTMUg5-aPKbKnHL_rj_BIjfuWi8ms9J2D_-9KpcfrEP193QOiC1L-0Pc7Ep3wo/s400/20131225_155643.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids are multiplying!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isn't Christmas without a few meltdowns</td></tr>
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We spent the afternoon talking, playing games with the kids and cooking (well I didn't help much but the others were hard at work). The delicious smells from the kitchen were making me hungry so I was more than ready to eat by the time dinner was finished. The food was definitely not a <i>traditional American Christmas, </i>but it was<b> awesome</b>. There was tofu salad, bulgogi, jjampong and <i>of course </i>Kimchi and rice. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy7luF83RA63FPxCkCEzDaHe0kpSqyperIqPL6j97dyS3QXk48spRtkbL-ZC6cygr48xKy1VbB78Sz7y2UHixPMxTAQr8v_M1M05zG3MGmt6_N7ExI6JwNHEvDJGhiVaxQlvR1p0DxNEg/s1600/20131225_175651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy7luF83RA63FPxCkCEzDaHe0kpSqyperIqPL6j97dyS3QXk48spRtkbL-ZC6cygr48xKy1VbB78Sz7y2UHixPMxTAQr8v_M1M05zG3MGmt6_N7ExI6JwNHEvDJGhiVaxQlvR1p0DxNEg/s400/20131225_175651.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Korean Christmas feast</td></tr>
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It's definitely been a while since i've been in the company of children for an entire day and as cute as they are I'm still at the point in my life where I enjoy them in <i>small doses</i>. I rather enjoy being able to eat my meal in peace without having a child screaming, asking for help, running away from the table or trying to start a duck duck goose game. Props went to Dad this day who sat at the children's table helping his kids and putting up with their antics. A few minutes after we started eating someone asked him how the jjampong was but he was unable to answer because he hadn't started eating yet, what a good dad. I was again sent to sit down and relax as the other women took care of the clean up, it's nice but I feel so useless. I guess they'll all just have to come visit me one day so I can repay the hospitality. Eventually it was time to head home, after all we did have to go back to school/work the next day.<br />
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When we got back to 혜진's house <span style="text-align: center;">한결 quickly remembered that Santa was supposed to have come that night. I was a bit confused as there were no presents under the tree, where were they hiding? Then </span><span style="text-align: center;">한결 disappeared behind the curtains and went out to the porch searching for something. Finally I heard him shout "ahh he came" and eagerly came back into the living room with a black bag with his present inside; a game that seemed to be a combination of both jenga and don't break the ice. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santa came!</td></tr>
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I've been extremely lucky during my time in Korea not to have expereinced a major sense of homesickness, but I think it's clear who I have to thank for that. The people in my life here (foreign friends, Korean friends, co-workers and students) have helped to create a place of comfort, a place that I can call home. There's not a day that goes by that i'm not thankful for both the <i>new </i>life I've created here as well as the family and friends I have back home and across the globe who are constantly supporting me. </div>
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Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10815615870478298274noreply@blogger.com0Daegu, South Korea35.8714354 128.60144535.4593849 127.95599800000001 36.2834859 129.246892tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7678545679638608476.post-6388370874255395412013-12-27T13:37:00.002+09:002016-01-24T22:00:31.893+09:00Holiday Rant Being removed from your country allows you to appreciate the good and really despise the bad aspects of where you came from, it's kind of like an out of body experience. Being away from family and friends can be tough during the holiday season, but it also gives you an opportunity to realize what you miss and appreciate versus what you can do without. For me, celebrating Christmas in Korea for not one but <i>two </i>years now has really opened my eyes to the consumer driven, materialistic season the US has turned this holiday into. This year, headlines spread across news sources and social media alike critiquing companies for opening their doors on Thanksgiving day and reaching all the way until Christmas. While living in the United States I was aware of what Christmas has turned into but was able to turn a blind eye to it. Maybe it's because it's the <i>norm </i>and <i>everyone is doing it </i>mentality that allows just that, everyone to <b>continue </b>to do it.<br />
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Friends back home have been posting pictures of all the <i>great </i>presents they've received or maybe complaining about what <i>Santa </i>had forgotten. It really struck me yesterday, as I watched 한결, my co-teachers son erupt with excitement over the one, <i>yes </i><b style="font-style: italic;">one, </b>present Santa had left him this year. Couple that with my time spent<a href="http://kkoom.org/category/blog/?utm_source=KKOOM+Emails&utm_campaign=d75ced2ea6-Merry_Christmas12_25_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_caaeafef56-d75ced2ea6-83877157"> distributing presents at the orphanage</a> last weekend and you could say my Christmas was a real 'eye-opener' for lack of a better expression. </div>
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I may not always be the most expressive when receiving presents or showing my gratitude, but I truly hope that those close to me understand my true heart and feelings. Actually, that's something my mom has always complained about, sorry i'm just not the type to jump for joy when opening presents. I've always found more joy in the <i>giving </i>aspect of Christmas, the days leading up to the big <i>reveal </i>of what I thought was, <b>the best present </b>of the year, were always filled with anticipation. Although I wasn't working with my Dad to hide jewelry inside bath towels, or trick my brother into thinking I forgot about him, the tradition of giving continued. This year the lucky recipient of my <i>master present </i>was none other than my principal. Even if it does take a good amount of soju for him to express his true heart to me, I know that he sincerely wishes me the best for my life here in Korea. After nearly two years of his <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2012/06/guemosan-x-3.html#more">assistance</a>, <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2013/05/teachers-day.html#more">dinners together</a>, <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2012/07/play-time.html">soju sharing</a>, hospitality, special treatment (<a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2013/04/field-trippin.html">Jeju-do</a>, <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2013/05/living-good-life.html">extra </a>days <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2012/12/beau-in-korea.html">off</a>), care for my <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2012/06/taste-of-good-life.html">family</a>, and <a href="http://greendalegoeskorean.blogspot.kr/2013/09/wedding-season.html">unique memories</a> it was about time for me to repay him. I decided to make him a<a href="http://photo2.walgreens.com/walgreens/calendar/order.id=29772525006/order.leadingolioid=824234827006/order.status=BRW/order.type=CAL/order.qty=2/fromPopup=true/"> photo calendar</a> capturing some of my favorite moments while living in Korea and teaching at Buksam high school. Like me, he is a bit shy in expressing emotions and gratitude but when he proceeded to go room to room showing off his calendar to our staff I knew I had succeeded. </div>
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Recently I was complaining to a friend about people buying me presents which probably made me out to sound like a bit of a Scrooge, but I hope my message wasn't <i>too </i>misunderstood. My problem with gift giving is when people <i>feel the need </i>to buy something <b>just </b>for the sake of giving a present. I'm sorry, but if you're going to buy me some trinket, random clothes, a 10,000th bottle of body wash/lotion, or chocolates/candies, I'd rather you save your money. But wait, <i>it's the thought that counts, </i>right? While I agree with this statement, the context that it's generally said in, is where <b>everything goes wrong. </b>I hope i'm not making myself out to sound too cynical right now, so let me explain. Isn't it true that most people utter this statement after someone receives a <i>completely inappropriate, </i>cheap, or otherwise problematic gift? So, what i'm saying is, if you <b>really </b><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">thought </span>about that person your buying a gift for, then this entire situation could have been avoided. Just the fact that you 'thought' to buy me something is a bit superfluous, if you took the time to really <i>think </i>about me it'd be <i>that much more </i>appreciated. This point was driven home with my recently when fellow foreign teachers were posting online for suggestions of what to buy their staff. One post read: "Any gift ideas or places to get gifts (aka expensive wine/soju) are appreciate." To me this is a perfect example of <i>I"m buying you a present because I have to/should.</i><br />
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Okay, one more thing I want to mention before I wrap up this rant, hopefully <i>someone </i>is still reading. As I rode to Daegu in my co-teachers car on Tuesday evening, the radio host started a discussion on the topic of <i>re-gifting. </i>Ultimately the talk show determined that this is an extremely <b>distasteful </b>method of gift giving and sends a message of <i>I don't care about the recipient of this gift. </i>Personally, I disagree with this, sure that's one of the possible reasons for a re-gift, but what if you received something that you <i>knew </i>one of your friends would like better/really suited them. In my opinion re-gifting, if done in a tasteful manner (and of course not giving used/old items) is perfectly acceptable.<br />
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I meant to start this post as a recap of how I spent my <i>second </i>Christmas away from home, truly enjoying myself and making some new memories. Somehow though, that did not happen, instead I wound up with a rant of what is <i>wrong with Christmas. </i>Hope I didn't offend anyone or make myself out to be a grinch, i'll be back soon with how I <i>actually </i>spent my Christmas this year. </div>
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Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10815615870478298274noreply@blogger.com0South Korea35.907757 127.7669220000000229.325985999999997 117.43977350000003 42.489527999999993 138.09407050000002