All good things must come to an end

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 rush hour 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. 

Cebu, not sure how I feel about you

Although it produces amazing memories, interesting stories and some great pictures, budget travel isn't always glamorous.  In order to get that cheap airline fare you might have to be okay 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 solo 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 outgoing 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 wide awake around 8am, why? 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.  

Meet, the Jeepney

Getting Some Lovin'

Last summer my co-teacher Anna [이혜진] came into school one day full of excitement, telling me that she had bought a new house in Daegu, but shhh this is a secret.  I'm still not sure why it was a secret but I was happy to be one of the few she told about it, the reason being, she wanted me to come visit.  She didn't actually move in until mid-october and since then has been busy with buying new furniture and getting situated in her new neighborhood.  Repeatedly at school she would tell me that she wanted me to come visit and stay with her for the weekend, getting the chance to meet her family  (including the adorable boy pictured below) and explore Daegu together.  Despite a few failed planning attempts and busy schedules I was finally able to make my visit two weeks ago, woah two weeks ago already? 

Anna's son 최한결 

Well, That was Interesting

Since my time in Korea is winding down (more on that later) I decided to start working on my Korean bucket list, you know the things that one "must do" while in Korea.  I've been talking about doing a temple stay since I first arrived in Korea, but for some reason kept putting it off.  About a month ago my vice principal walked over to my desk and handed me a packet of papers saying "umm if you're interested you can do" and then disappeared (he's sneaky like that).  I'm not sure if he can read minds (or maybe he spies on me?) because I had literally been searching for a temple stay that morning, and what he handed me was an application for a free temple stay at Jikj temple in Gimcheon.  I've been to this temple once before, with my dad and really enjoyed the scenery and beauty of the mountain setting.  The temple stay program is one of the most popular in this area so seeing as I hadn't yet made plans for that weekend I decided to apply, after all it was  free so I had nothing to lose. 

직지사 

수능 잘쳐!

The crisp air, delayed rise and early fall of the sun, leaves changing and falling can only mean one thing. You're probably thinking fall has arrived but that's not exactly what i'm talking about.  In Korea, the dropping of temperatures and changing of leaves reminds students, parents and teachers of one thing - D-day.  If you remember, I already wrote about this infamous day last year so you can get most of the details there.  This time around however, I had a bit of a different experience so I wanted to give it another go.  Now that i'm a veteran teacher the intensity of this day hit a little bit closer to home, last year I didn't know any of the 3rd grade students; I never got the chance to teach any of them let alone have a conversation with them.  This year it was a bit different, some of my favorite students and the reason I decided to stay for a second year, were among those preparing for the exam. 

Weekday Getaway

Despite the fact that I thought November would be a long month (only one scheduled day off for the Korean SAT and our school festival) I've been blessed with some extra surprises. Last week was the annual EPIK trip which I was lucky enough to join this year, giving me an extra two days off school, creating a nice little 4-day weekend.  The bi-annual trips are open to all EPIK teachers, however preference is given to those that have been here over a year (have renewed their contract) and received a positive recommendation from their school.  I was happy to hear that many of my friends, both from Buksam and my original orientation class would be joining for the adventure, although I had some reservations about spending 24+ hours with 150 foreigners, I guess I've gotten used to my isolation on the farm. Honestly the best part of the trip, in my opinion, was that I didn't have to go to school for two days. Don't get me wrong, I love my job and don't mind coming to school everyday, but the students seem to be in a slump with an insurmountable need for sleep, not ideal teaching conditions. So yes, I greeted the opportunity to wander Korea for two days with open arms, even if it did require my wearing a name tag.  

Woryeong bridge, Nakdong river and golden Ginko trees

School Days and Seoul Ways

The plan for Wednesday was for the three of us to get up early and have Joonwoo drop us at the bus terminal before heading to work himself.  That was the plan at least, upon waking up I realized that I really was not up for a trip to Gyeongju. I though tagging along wouldn't be too bad, I could skip the temple (seriously they're all looking pretty similar these days) and then join in for some afternoon bike riding and finish the day with dinner with some of my Gyeongju friends. But then I found out my friends were busy and I realized I was dead tired, instead I left my brother and Katie detailed instructions on how to survive on their own, made my way home and slept for another 3 hours :) it was lovely.  I met them back at the bus station that evening and it turns out they did just fine on their own.  Joonwoo must have liked us because he canceled the plans he had with a friend and joined us for dinner instead, Gamjatang yummmmm.  That night we took it easy, showered, set up a nice floor bed for those two in my shoebox of an apartment and prepared for school the next day. 

Group picture with class 1-3

오빠와 여친 한국에 왔어!

If you read my blog regularly (or more likely are a family member) you'll know that my brother came to visit almost exactly one year ago. I guess Korea made a good impression on him because he decided to come back for round 2, and this time bring his girlfriend Katie along for the ride.  Actually I think it might have been her desire to come that fueled their visit. Katie previously taught in Japan for two years so she's familiar with the foreigner teacher/living in Asia lifestyle. Unfortunately she didn't get the chance to stop in Korea while on this side of the world, but that worked out in my favor, more visitors!  Unfortunately my brothers boss wouldn't give him an additional Friday (very necessary for across the glob travel) so they duo arrived late on a Sunday night.  On the plus side they were able to score a RT flight arriving in Busan and departing from Seoul, maximizing the amount of Korea they'd be able to see. I'm lucky to work for an awesome school that allows flexibility with my schedule so I made the trip to Busan early Sunday to relax at the beach before going to meet my visitors at the airport. 

Gwangalli 'Diamond' Bridge 

Getting some Culture and Nature in Daegu

The past few weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind. Last week my brother and his girlfriend Katie were here for a visit so I spent some time before that preparing for their arrival.  Last weekend I had to meet them in Busan on Sunday night so I decided to stay closer to home and explore Daegu on Saturday.  I kept seeing cool pictures on Facebook and Instagram recently and finally discovered that they were coming from the new exhibit at the Daegu Art Museum.  If you've been keeping up you'll know that I went there a few months ago with my friend Sara but seeing as the exhibitions had changed I decided another visit was in order. Pretty cool that the museum always has something new to offer so you can't really get away with the excuse of oh I've been there before. 

Something Borrowed, Something Blue

Before I left for my adventure in Korea (at the time thinking i'd only be a year) I made two requests of my friends: 1. No weddings and 2. No dying.  I guess it's pretty obvious why the later would be a request anyone would make when they're leaving the country, but are weddings really that big of an event to miss out on? Umm yeah. Actually next years wedding season is a big pull for getting me back to the United States, food, friends, dressing up, pictures, cake, drinking, dancing and who could forget the chicken dance. With this image of a wedding in my head it was hard for me to imagine what a Korean Wedding would be like, especially after hearing that their wedding halls are so affectionately named Wedding factories, and hearing many friends complain about having to attend.  For those reasons I was a bit confused on how I should feel about being invited to my first Korean wedding last winter, so let me explain. 

Have I Really Changed?

Today’s article is written for the Reach To Teach Teach Abroad Blog Carnival, a monthly series that focuses on providing helpful tips and advice to ESL teachers around the globe. I'll be posting a new ESL related article on my blog on the 5th of every month. 

A year and a half ago I quit my job, packed up my life and said goodbye to family and friends. My decision to move halfway around the world, to teach English in South Korea was met with many different reactions, both good and bad.  Although most of the people I choose to surround myself with are fully supportive of my decision there were those that had their doubts or at least thought I was a little crazy. Although, good or bad they all seemed to agree on one thing, "This will be an adventure that will change your life".  So now after being here for a year and a half, traveling to other countries and taking the opportunity to visit home I'll take a minute to contemplate those changes and make an attempt at explaining  ‘How Living Abroad Can Make You A Better Person’. 

Take a moment to stop and smell the flowers

You Impulsively Buy Shoes? I Opt for Plane Tickets...

When I told my co-workers that I would be returning home for two weeks the first reaction I generally received was "oh so short!"  Which, considering how long and expensive the flight was going to be I tended to agree with.  I also had a lot of people I wanted to see and wasn't sure if time would permit to see them all. That's why when my friend Jared asked if there was any possibility that I'd make a side trip to DC I said most likely no.  But then a few weeks later, around 3 am (my normal high-thought process time) I reconsidered this decision, I mean why not?  So the next morning I searched, found and bought a ticket to DC, probably the best decision regarding my trip home I could have made. 

All Good Things Must Come to an End

On my second full day in Bali I wanted to get out of Ubud and see some more of the country. Usually i'm not one for organized tours but there were some pretty sweet deals that took you around so I signed up for the "Kintamani - Besakih Tour"...thankfully it wasn't your typical tour guide bs trip. The group was just me and two other girls from the Netherlands and of course our guide. Local guy from Ubud named Juk who seemed pretty BA.  I started the day off early with another 7am yoga class and was at the visitors center by 9 (after stopping for some fruit at the market and getting ridiculously ripped off).  We set off with a full day of fun ahead - first stop the Elephant Cave Temple.  

The Trip Goes On

Every time I arrived at the airport I felt like it was about time for me to head back to Korea, but no, the vacation just kept going. After one last delicious meal at the airport in Kuala Lumpur it was time for me to board my last Air Asia flight, bid Malaysia adieu and head for Bali.  The major downside of this flight was that i'd be arriving in Bali at 11:30pm, not optimal but you get what you pay for.  I guess I was getting too lucky with my trip because shortly after arriving in Bali I encountered my first "oh shit" moment of the trip.  To begin with I didn't realize i'd be standing in a 10-mile long line to get a visa, but that was just annoying, the real problem came when I tried to use my phone to contract my couch surfing host.  No service, no wifi, and no public telephones - oh shit. So I get to the taxi stand and am immediately bombarded by the relentless taxi drivers asking where I'm going and if I'd like a ride. Seeing as I had no where to go I really just wanted them to get lost...I put my timidness aside and approached a couple whom I overheard were headed for Kuta (popular beach town where I was planning to stay) and asked if I could tag along, praying there would be a room open for me. Long story short, the couple was awesome, there was a room, I spent 10x what I planned on, but I got breakfast, a free drink and a pool! 

Seeing as I paid for a nice pool I figured I should fit in a swim and some sun time before heading north to Ubud. Check-out time was 12 but I pushed my luck and meandered down to reception at about 1pm, before having to catch my 1:30 bus. Kuta was crazy busy with hawkers trying to lure any passerby into their shops, I made the mistake of stopping in one shoe store and had a hard time leaving "okay miss, you name a price, how much, good price!" That and it seems every person in that city could magically turn into a taxi driver or transport service at the drop of a hat. "Miss you need ride? Where are you going? Taxi miss?"  So annoying....so per the advice of a few friends I booked a bus ticket with Perama and was soon on my way to Ubud. 

Upon arriving I was again under attack..."Miss, you need room?" "Taxi????"  "Miss, where are you going, I have room" "Transport, miss?"....now if you know me at all you might understand how annoying I found these people.  I mean, I don't even like when sales people ask if I need help finding something - leave me alone! So as I walked the streets of Ubud looking for a homestay I pretty much decided I wouldn't be staying anywhere with pushy, relentless owners.  I stopped in a few places, one too high for my budget, one just to humor the poor man that was begging me, a few decent, but ultimately kept walking until I found myself at Raka Guest house. My two requirements were WiFi and a swimming pool, seeing as they had both, the owner was nice and I was exhausted, I was sold.  After a much needed shower I made my way out to explore the town and find something to eat. As I was walking back to my hostel I did a double take thinking I recognized someone, but who would I know in Ubud Bali?  As chances would have it I ran into a couple from the airport whom happened to be on my same flight and briefly talked to in the Visa line after arriving in Bali.  We shared a few beers and loads of travel stories at their hostel before I decided to call it a night. The next day was spent exploring all that Bali had to offer - including a 7am yoga class. 

Ubud market 

Lotus Pond

After a morning of wandering I decided to make my way to the south side of town and check out the Monkey forest.  I heard/read mixed reviews  of this place and knew that it'd be more of a tourist stop than nature walk but I figured when in Rome.  It was only a few dollars to get in and it's not like I had anywhere else to be. Definitely different than the natural parks I had visited and spotted monkeys at earlier in my trip but still beautiful and entertaining.  They aren't kidding when they say the monkeys aren't shy and will approach you, especially if you have food.  I saw a few different people with monkeys jumping on/at them and heard the squeals of one child that didn't enjoy his monkey encounter.  

 

I wanted to take full advantage of the yoga studio in Ubud so I singed up for a week unlimted pass - although I would only be staying there for three days it was cheaper than the "3 class" pass so I figured as long as I made it to four classes it'd be worth it.  I started my day with the 7am vinyasa class which was perfect and returned later that day for an afternoon hatha class. Honestly these "world famous teachers" the studio boasted about didn't impresse me, or maybe I was just partial to Sue and Alvin, the teachers I met in Kuching. 

Torii torii torii

The next morning as I showered I heard pots and pans clattering in the kitchen and was a bit surprised when I came out to a full spread for breakfast which Haruka had prepared. Such a fantastic host - and did I mention she insisted I take the bed while she slept on the floor mat? Too nice. I was soon out the door and on my way back to Kyoto station via bus (which yes, to the dismay of my Korean co-workers, I was able to navigate by myself). Today's main objective was to make it to the Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine, so I set this as my first destination.  The shrine is one of the most visited in Japan and notably so as it contains over 5000 orange torri gates, winding through the hills behind the shrine. 

Entrance gate to the shrine

After wandering the hills for a few hours I decided I should probably try to make my way back to town, there was still plenty to see in Kyoto! I strolled back through the shops outside the shrine and was sure to buy some green tea ice cream, which was delicious, before finding the bus home.  It was still another 20 minutes before the bus came so I decided to wander a bit, eventually making my way to the next stop down the street, thankfully I'm easily entertained and my camera provided me with entertainment in the interim.

I got back to Kyoto station around 3:30 which left me plenty of time to visit one more temple (as most of them close by 5pm).  Due to numerous suggestions from friends I set me sights on Rokuon-ji temple, which is home to the famous Kinkaku (Golden pavilion), named a World Heritage site in 1994. The temple is a zen Buddhist temple and the garden and buildings are said to represent the Pure Land of Buddha. To be honestly I was considering passing this stop but boy am I glad I didn't, the temple really was a sight to see.

I was planning to meet Haruka for dinner at 7:30 so I still had some time to kill before heading back to the station.  Although the Imperial Palace closes at 5pm I decided that it would still be worth it to take a walk around the palace gardens, plus it was free! The garden was HUGE and actually a bit eerie as the sun began to set.  There were still many people walking, running and biking around the park, but as it got dark I decided to make my way to the well lit streets of the city. 

Although the sun had set, I saw my fill of Kyoto and had been walking all day, I decided to continue with my marathon tour of Japan and walk back to the station.  I had time before my planned meeting with Haruka, so why not? It was a straight shot to the city so I had no fears of getting lost along the way, plus it gave me a chance to experience the city away from all of the tourists.  I arrived just in time to meet Haruka and we then proceed to find a sushi restaurant for dinner.  YUM I'd go back to Japan tomorrow just to eat some fresh, delicious, non-Korean style sushi.  Although it was short trip, accompanied by a typhoon, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Kyoto. I said goodbye to Haruka and made my way to yet another overnight bus, this time en route for Hiroshima. 

Koreans Aren't Friendly?

Okay so this is something that's been bothering me for a while so I figure I should finally sit down and write about it.  One of the most interesting things about going abroad are is of the opinions, tips and precautions people feel the need to share with you before you go, suddenly everyone you know becomes an expert on your next destination.   Before coming to Korea and over the past 7 months living here I've heard plenty of suggestions, warnings and comments about the people, food, driving, weather, you name it.  One common utterance I've heard, on multiple occasions is "Oh Korean's, they're not very friendly", this has come from people in the US, Taiwan, and even others living in Korea  (by both foreigners and Koreans, speaking of those from different provinces/cities). Well, after living here for 7 months I'm finally going to call BS.  Like many generalizations and stereotypes, this may have been true for some people, but so far, in my experience, it's been quite the opposite.  Even this morning during the last part of my run, the man riding on the back of the garbage truck turned to smile, wave and say hello - maybe he's the one that prompted this blog post.

Gyeongju X 2

After staying around town for a few weeks I decided it was time for me hop on a bus.  I was originally going to visit a friend in Ulsan but plans changed and we're going to have to reschedule.  After hearing from a few friends I decided it was back to Gyeongju for me.  Saturday morning I woke up at 7am (thank you internal alarm for adjusting to no longer let me sleep in) which was an hour before my alarm.  I had tenative plans to ride my (new) bike to the bus terminal and since I was up early I decided to go for it.  It took me about a half hour, much better than the stupid bus and much more enjoyable views as well.  My friend Sara planned to arrive around 12:45 which meant I had just over two hours to myself.  Being a beautiful day I decided to start by walking to Daereungwon Tumuli Park and the surrounding area, noted as world cultural heritage sites.  This is where most of the royal tombs of Gyeongju are - some lay outside the gates but I wanted to get the full experience so I paid the whopping 1500won (< $1.50) to enter.

Cheonmachong (Heavenly Horse Tomb)

Royal tomb of King Michu (13th king of Silla) 

Next stop, Cheomseongdae Observatory, which I expected was only a few minutes away on foot.  Everything in Gyeongju is gorgeous, my walk to the observatory was through more tombs and beautiful fields of flowers and green! So much green - something I seem to be lacking in my city, I get more cement and dirt... Anyways the observatory was built during the reign of Queen Seonduk in the Shilla dynasty and is the oldest existing observatory in the far east. 

Just up the hill from the observatory is the Gyerim forest. It is said that King Talhae one day entered the forest after hearing a hen calling.  The king found a golden casket hanging from a tree holding a smart looking boy who was crying.  Thus the forest got the name Gyerim after the hen. 

Remains of the tree in Gyerim

I made my way back to the station to meet up with Sara and Amanda for an afternoon of shopping.  Sara has a Korean wedding to attend next weekend and wanted to find some traditional gifts to give the bride and groom. Amanda had heard about a folk craft village towards the outside of town so we jumped on a bus to explore.  The shopping area focused mainly on hand crafted ceramics and were they gorgeous!  I may have to go back to buy some Birthday and Christmas presents - or things for myself, although it's hard not knowing where i'll be a year from now. 

Later that night I met up with Son (my awesome host in Gyeongju - soon to be my second home).  We  he cooked some chicken, rice and veggies and we had wine, nice low key dinner.  The weekend before he wanted to get a group to go bowling but that failed so I said i'd try it out this week.  The ally was pretty small so we had to wait about a half hour (which we spent at the nearby 7/11 drinking beer since they didnt' sell any at the ally, weird).  We bowled a few games, in which Son kicked my ass - guess I have to practice for next time, then called it a night.  Son got up at 7am to meet a friend in Pohang for a hike and graciously let me sleep in and later let myself out.  

I again decided to walk back towards town - I figured I had the time and it was gorgeous out so why not.  I picked a new route as opposed to the rive route we took last time, passing more beautiful forests, the Gyeongju stadium and a nice river crosswalk.  

After about an hour I found myself at the station - sat down to rest for a few minutes, use the bathroom (they have real toilets there) and then it was off to Anapji pond. The area around Anapji includes a representation of the palace during the Unified Silla period.  The original area included many buildings, Imhaejeon hall, a garden and after 674 a lake and artificial hill to plant rare flowers and trees, and to raise birds and animals. After seeing the pond I decided to make my way towards the bus terminal, which was once again a beautiful walk. First I walked through Gyeongju Wolseong, a large open area where Sinwolseong palace once stood.

Anapji pond 

Once again I had a successful weekend in Gyeongju, I knew there was a reason that I wish I had been placed there (before even coming to Korea).  The city is gorgeous, SUPER easy to navigate and has a great contrast of history and present day amusement.

Much love to all my friends and family, 

Stephanie

Bulls, Beer and Burgers

During my downtime at school you can usually find me perusing different 'Korean tourist' websites, looking for ways to spend my weekends.  A while back I stumbled across information for the Cheongdo bullfight festival, I mentioned it to a few friends with tentative plans to go but didn't make it much further than that.  Apparently it's the nations largest bullfight competition and dates back about 1000 years. About two weeks ago the topic came up again, but this time through an organized tour with Waegook Travel., I usually tend to pass on the organized group travel plans, but the price was decent and I figured it be nice to have a bus cart me around and not have to figure out trains, buses and taxis.  Plus my friends Meredith and Sara were interested in joining so I figured it'd be a good day.

Gyeongju

A few weeks ago I taught the expression "April showers bring May flowers".  The kids understood the meaning, however it didn't translate well as rainy season here is summer, unlike the April showers we have at home.  Spring arrives here just in time to cure you of your winter blues, this is the time to catch the beautiful cherry blossoms [벚꽃]. Literally, you need to catch them before their gone, the blossoms tend to bloom during the first few weeks of June (depending on location) and are usually gone within two weeks.  I was in luck, my friend Son was planning to stay in Gyeongju for the weekend to explore and invited me to come along.  Gyeongju was the capital of South Korea during the Shilla dynasty so there is a ton of history and lots to see there.

Busan Newbie

This last weekend I was lucky enough to get time to spend with some of my family. Darren, Joan and the kids: Alivia, Claire and Adam are on a whirlwind tour of Korea and China; I was able to meet them for the weekend in Busan, one of many stops on their jam packed vacation.They weren't scheduled to get into Busan until Saturday evening but I wanted to make the most of the weekend so I got up early and caught a train to Busan.  I looked into a few different ideas for the day and since the weather was pretty nice when I got there I decided to start with Yongdusan park (Dragon's head mountain) and Busan tower.  It seemed pretty close to the train station so I decided to walk....