Wow, I bet you miss me - I think my last post was sometime last year. I hope the New Year is finding you all warm and cozy as you cross through various stages of winter hibernation, especially in the Midwest. Luckily, your hibernating abilities have been greatly aided by your recent consumption of all the delicious holiday treats that passed your way...at least, that's usually how it works for me.
Before you begin reading I must warn you: the following blog entry contains lots of snow pictures. I'm sure those of you who have been living in record breaking snowdumps are pretty sick of the snow, so if you don't think you can handle another image of snow - stop reading. If you're willing to brave it and you have a warm blanket nearby, you may continue reading.
For the past four years New Year's has marked the beginning of my annual Florida training trip for the university swim team - ten days of sleep, eat, swim, eat/beach/sleep (either simultaneously or some combination of the three within a short time period), swim, eat, sleep, repeat. Insert random games of shuffleboard or cards (all we have energy for after swimming four hours a day), add some wicked sunburns to those of us whose midwestern skin has turned nearly translucent by January, and of course, add some pain medication and/or ice to help alleviate the intense pain our muscles have to endure, and you have a pretty complete picture of my usual January.
My situation is drastically different this year. I'm living in a moderately cold climate (around 30 degrees, warmer in the day and colder at night) with some snow to look at an
d enough ice to make the roads a bit slippery - a strange change from the January tundra weather in Wisconsin and Minnesota. No swimming, no beach, no pain. This was my walk to school from the bus stop on Thursday morning (which I had to walk back home on a half hour later because we found out it was a snow day) Instead of a break from schoolwork during which I usually tackle a long, difficult novel that I actually have time to read (Tolstoy was usually my winter break author of choice,) I am working harder than ever now, as I have to prepare for four hours of English camp a day, five days a week. Last, instead of stocking up and eating staple swimmer foods: cereal, pasta, sandwiches, and (my personal favorite) Goldfish crackers to keep up energy and fuel for the thousands of meters I usually have to swim, I'm indulging in my new favorite Korean foods: kimchi (spicy fermented cabbage), kimbap (rice wraps), and jjigaes (soups). Said foods usually run for 2 to 3 dollars for a filling meal of rice, vegetables, and soup - the perfect meal on a cold winter day. My friends and I, who were tending to favor the western restaurants when we first arrived in Korea since we eat Korean every day at school, are now choosing Korean restaurants to eat at...they are cheap, delicious, and incredibly flavorful.
d enough ice to make the roads a bit slippery - a strange change from the January tundra weather in Wisconsin and Minnesota. No swimming, no beach, no pain. This was my walk to school from the bus stop on Thursday morning (which I had to walk back home on a half hour later because we found out it was a snow day) Instead of a break from schoolwork during which I usually tackle a long, difficult novel that I actually have time to read (Tolstoy was usually my winter break author of choice,) I am working harder than ever now, as I have to prepare for four hours of English camp a day, five days a week. Last, instead of stocking up and eating staple swimmer foods: cereal, pasta, sandwiches, and (my personal favorite) Goldfish crackers to keep up energy and fuel for the thousands of meters I usually have to swim, I'm indulging in my new favorite Korean foods: kimchi (spicy fermented cabbage), kimbap (rice wraps), and jjigaes (soups). Said foods usually run for 2 to 3 dollars for a filling meal of rice, vegetables, and soup - the perfect meal on a cold winter day. My friends and I, who were tending to favor the western restaurants when we first arrived in Korea since we eat Korean every day at school, are now choosing Korean restaurants to eat at...they are cheap, delicious, and incredibly flavorful.
My last post about Christmas was much later than I usually write - the reason I was so late on that was because of the aforementioned English camp. Even though the school year technically ended on Christmas Eve (their school year runs from March to December, with a long winter break and short summer break compared to our year from September to May, with a short winter break, spring break, and long summer break) most students attend some form of 'winter camp,' be it math or science or English, for about 3 to 4 hours a day, usually only for one to three weeks. I tend to think of them as 'enrichment classes,' as there is no set curriculum, and the main objective is to just keep exposing them to English through reading, speaking, listening, and writing, but in a more fun way than a typical class lesson.
As a result, I've been racking my brain trying to think of how to entertain the same 12 kids, (2 diferent levels) for four hours, 5 days a week for three weeks - about 20 lessons a week, compared to the usual 10 I have to prepare (minus my usual prep hours!) This past week I was prepared for each lesson, but only on a day by day basis - I came home and immediately started working on the next day's lessons, usually waking up early to finish them after spending five to six hours a day preparing. My life was consumed by winter camp. However, due to the two snow days that I lucked out with last Thursday and Friday, I am now prepared through most of the upcoming week, and I can plan the rest of the lessons at a more leisurely pace. The camp theme is 'Around the World' - we are reading an abridged version of The Adventures of Sinbad chapter by chapter each day, and then 'traveling' to a different country each day, which the vocabulary/activities/readings are centered around. It's been fun, but again, a lot of work.
I only have two more weeks of camp at my main school now, and then I spend seven days at my other school (for which I can use the same lessons since it is a different group of kids) before finally leaving on my vacation! I haven't had one (well, besides my recent snow day four day weekend) since September - I'm definitely ready! After working out my camp schedule with my two schools (a longer process than you might think - Koreans tend to not have schedules ready and made far in advance like we're used to - there are a lot of last minute changes) I booked my tickets, got my visas in order, and have been travel planning ever since. I'm going to three different countries: Nepal, India, and Sri Lanka, and then I have a 19 hour layover in Singapore on my way home, during which I'll be able to leave the airport and do a little exploring. There are endless amazing sights to see in all three countries, and a month doesn't seem to be enough to cover just one, let alone three, but I figured I'd rather go and get a taste than not go at all. I'll post more about my itinerary as the time gets closer, but for now the thought that in less than four weeks I'll be taking off for Nepal is enough to keep me braving the winter cold (I know, I know, I have nothing to complain about compared to most of you guys back home) and not lamenting the fact that I'm not in Florida right now.
My 'snow days' were a joke by Midwestern standards - about three inches of snow on the ground, but due to the lack of salt on the roads and the apparent lack of snowplows (I hear they ha
ve them here...but I haven't seen one) the roads weren't in great condition. As my school is out in the country, (the picture to the right was outside the front door of the school) it was hard enough for us teachers to get out there on the bus, but a lot of the students had a hard time getting the
re as well, so school was cancelled. I spent the day happily working away at one of my favorite coffee shops downtown (pictured), watching the snow come down outside the windows and laughing at all the people walking by carrying umbrellas for the snow.
ve them here...but I haven't seen one) the roads weren't in great condition. As my school is out in the country, (the picture to the right was outside the front door of the school) it was hard enough for us teachers to get out there on the bus, but a lot of the students had a hard time getting the
re as well, so school was cancelled. I spent the day happily working away at one of my favorite coffee shops downtown (pictured), watching the snow come down outside the windows and laughing at all the people walking by carrying umbrellas for the snow.
On Thursday night I found out that the next day would be a snow day as well, as there 
was a bona fide snowstorm going on - big thick flakes falling all day and all night, (I took this while waiting at the bus stop on Thurday night) all over the area, so I planned to sleep in a bit and hang around on Friday morning before heading out to Mokpo, where the New Year's Eve festivities were planned to commence. However, after corresponding with Sara that morning it turned out she couldn't get to Mokpo that night due to the buses having a hard time getting in and out of her little country town because of the snow. Unsure of how the night was going to end up, by the time I got to the bus station I found out that the buses were, however, running to Jangheung from Gwangju, so we decided I should just head there first and then see if we could get out to Mokpo if the roads were more clear later in the afternoon.
was a bona fide snowstorm going on - big thick flakes falling all day and all night, (I took this while waiting at the bus stop on Thurday night) all over the area, so I planned to sleep in a bit and hang around on Friday morning before heading out to Mokpo, where the New Year's Eve festivities were planned to commence. However, after corresponding with Sara that morning it turned out she couldn't get to Mokpo that night due to the buses having a hard time getting in and out of her little country town because of the snow. Unsure of how the night was going to end up, by the time I got to the bus station I found out that the buses were, however, running to Jangheung from Gwangju, so we decided I should just head there first and then see if we could get out to Mokpo if the roads were more clear later in the afternoon.
After a longer than usual bus ride that I spent most of looking out the window at the pretty snow and mountains, once I got to Jangheung it turned out the Mokpo line was closed for the rest of the day, so we decided not to waste time by going back to Gwangju and then Mokpo, as we woudn't get there until close to 9 or 10, and instead just make the most of our New Year's Eve in Jangheung. Sara made a delicious pasta dinner for me and our friend Cassie, who also lived in Jangheung, which we enjoyed with 1 dollar bottles of sparkling wine. After relaxing and chatting on the cozy warm floor (I like to think that hanging out at Sara's place in the winter is best compared to hanging out in the Arctic Circle, but at least she has heated floors) we toasted in the New Year outside in the snow (our grand plan ended up lasting about one minute - it involved running outside, yelling Happy New Year at midnight, and then immediately running back in due to the cold) and then decided to celebrate by going out for our new favorite...Korean food. Yes, it was 1 in the morning, and yes, it was delicious.
The next day we lazed around in our pajamas and worked on booking tickets and planning for our upcoming trips (she's going to Indonesia and Southeast Asia), watched a movie, and th
en went for a walk to take some pictures of the beautiful snow covered scenery in Jangheung. I thought about where I was at this point last year (in Green Bay ready to leave for Florida, with two months left of swimming after my fourteen years of training, and only one semester left of college.) I applied to work in Korea right before leaving for Florida, knowing that I wanted to work overseas after graduation, but having no idea where I would end up and how amazing it would end up being.
en went for a walk to take some pictures of the beautiful snow covered scenery in Jangheung. I thought about where I was at this point last year (in Green Bay ready to leave for Florida, with two months left of swimming after my fourteen years of training, and only one semester left of college.) I applied to work in Korea right before leaving for Florida, knowing that I wanted to work overseas after graduation, but having no idea where I would end up and how amazing it would end up being.
As I headed home that day and gazed out the bus window at the dazzling snow, I thought about how comfortable I am with my current life - teaching, traveling, riding buses everywher
e, eating with chopsticks every day, reading whatever I want instead of what I needed to write my next paper on, and planning dozens of upcoming trips. It's exactly what I imagined my life to be while living overseas - but I realized that what I hadn't counted on were all the great experiences I would have due to all of the great people I've met and become friends with in just a short time. No matter where in the world you are, you can almost always have the essentials - food, water, shelter, clothes - but it's not until you interact with the people - local or fellow travelers - and you share experiences with them, either at work, volunteering, or even just out to eat for a meal, that you will really truly experience a new place, and nine times out of ten you will enjoy it that much more. I can read books anywhere, I can sleep in hostels all around the world, I can take as many pictures as I want to, but how many times am I able to pay three dollars to eat a steaming hot bowl of kimchi jjigae and rice with my friends at 1 AM on New Year's Day? Or eat Korean pizza with corn as a staple topping (don't ask me why - they think we do that on pizza, apparently) with my friends for Christmas dinner?
e, eating with chopsticks every day, reading whatever I want instead of what I needed to write my next paper on, and planning dozens of upcoming trips. It's exactly what I imagined my life to be while living overseas - but I realized that what I hadn't counted on were all the great experiences I would have due to all of the great people I've met and become friends with in just a short time. No matter where in the world you are, you can almost always have the essentials - food, water, shelter, clothes - but it's not until you interact with the people - local or fellow travelers - and you share experiences with them, either at work, volunteering, or even just out to eat for a meal, that you will really truly experience a new place, and nine times out of ten you will enjoy it that much more. I can read books anywhere, I can sleep in hostels all around the world, I can take as many pictures as I want to, but how many times am I able to pay three dollars to eat a steaming hot bowl of kimchi jjigae and rice with my friends at 1 AM on New Year's Day? Or eat Korean pizza with corn as a staple topping (don't ask me why - they think we do that on pizza, apparently) with my friends for Christmas dinner?
These experiences and many, many more, are what made my 2010 such a great year - I can't wait to see what 2011 will bring! Much love to all my family and friends who make me count my blessings each and every day for being in my life. I hope you all had a great holiday season and have a fantastic start to your New Year!
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