Trip of a Lifetime

Hey everyone!

Yes, that's right - I made it back home successfully! I didn't get sick ( just a minor cold), nothing got stolen, I didn't get horribly lost (I mean, I always get lost, but nothing too alarming), no injuries, nothing broken, and only one casualty: the loss of my green UWGB workout shorts that I brought to sleep in. I believe they're somewhere in my hostel in Nepal - sad. Oh, and I got a wicked sunburn on my back from my beach day in Goa (yes Mom, I used sunscreen...but I must have missed some spots because I was feeling it for days.) But all in all, my trip was a wonderful experience and I feel so fortunate to have gotten the opportunity to travel there.

I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that I took lots of pictures and I have lots of stories. The bad news is that I would have to type for two days straight to post everything, so I'm going to have to do quite a bit of consolidating. I'll write country by country - I'm settling in for my third day of deskwarming (the part of my amazing job where I just have to show up and sit here - I can do whatever I want (under the pretense that I'm 'preparing lessons') and they even let me leave early.) So I'm kind of off the hook for today then - no pictures yet, but if you are on Facebook you can see my albums that I just uploaded.

So, if you'll allow me to prelude my individual country posts, let me tell you a little bit about my overall experience. Do you remember when I quoted my Lonely Planet book to say "Nothing can fully prepare you for India, but perhaps the one thing that best encapsulates this extraordinary country is its ability to inspire, frustrate, thrill and counfound all at once?" This couldn't have been more on the money, and it hold true for Nepal and Sri Lanka as well. I had never seen such abject poverty, insane living conditions, and ways of life before, except on television. I wasn't prepared for the noise, the crazy busy streets, the cows that ruled the road, the people everywhere, or the stares. Ohh the stares. Let me put it this way: remember when I said Koreans are really good at staring? Well, they could take lessons from the majority of the South Asian men. These guys are pros. I was stared at from top to bottom my entire trip, and by the end of it I was so ready to be left alone. I actually embraced Korean staring when I came back on Sunday, because Korean staring is purely out of curiousity. The South Asian staring was much different, and it made me feel much more uncomfortable. When you see my pictures you'll notice I wore a scarf and pants almost everywhere, even when it was hot out. There was a reason. They not only stared (of course, most of it was simply out of curiousity, but the rest of it was definitely not), but most tried to chat me up, and most for the purpose of selling me something, whether it be a shopkeeper, a taxi driver, a restaurant owner, or a 'guide' offering to show me around. Oofda. I quickly learned and mastered what I like to call my 'tough face.' Look straight ahead, walk fast and confidently, avoid eye contact, and say "no thank you" with a polite smile to everyone who called out "yes, hello madam, have a look?" or "where are you going madam, taxi?" or "yes madam, I give you good price, or "Madam, what country from you?" Of course, this was only in extreme cases - in some areas and cities I was able to stroll more casually and act much friendlier, (no one likes looking like Victoria Beckham all the time) but most of the time when I was out on the streets (they never seemed to understand that most travelers prefer walking everywhere - if I want a taxi I'll find one myself, thank you very much) I had to put on my tough face. It was hard, it made me feel like a horrible person, and I hated being marked as a money machine tourist. That was the frustrating part.

However, the thrilling part came hand in hand with the frustrations. From the moment I touched down in Nepal, I enjoyed the thrill of simply being in the country and seeing a place I have only ever read about or seen on television. India was an electrifying experience, and Sri Lanka was beautiful everywhere you looked. Singapore was awesome too, and my time in all four countries was heightened by the fact that I was actually there, walking around on the streets, eating the food, sweating in the heat, and taking in the experience. I saw so many beautiful sights, got to know some of the local people in each area, and learned so so much about each place while I was there. One added bonus of my trip that I hadn't counted on was finding a pleasing variety of used bookstores, mostly in English. A lot of them were tourist traded, but there were also a lot of local publications. Add these books to the hours and hours of public transportation that I rode on, and imagine how happy I was :) I bought books about Nepali history and culture in Nepal, traded them for ones about India in India, and about Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka. In Singapore I traded some books (that were quite heavy to keep carrying around) for a large book on the history of Singapore. As a result, I was able to read about Tibetan Buddhism while in Nepal the day after I visited a Tibetan monastery, I read the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabarata while on trains in India, and I read about the recent civil war and ethnic fighting in Sri Lanka while IN Sri Lanka, etc. There's no better way to learn than experience, and by actually being there my reading came alive, and I was able to see firsthand what I was reading and learning about. I actually kept track: I read and traded 13 books on my 3 week trip. I was so distraught at not being able to buy the cheap used books and bring back with me - I just didn't have the room. There's an amazing bookstore in Kathmandu I would consider returning to just for their dirt cheap books that I just can't get in Korea or America.

So that was fun. When I wasn't walking around and exploring, meeting people, or on a train or a bus, I was taking breaks at coffee shops (not very many of them like in American and Korea) or local restaurants, eating amazing Indian food, reading, and taking notes. I called it my educational vacation, and it was nice to have to down time in between my busy travels. I also had an added incentive to read fast - the more books I finished the more I could trade at the next bookstore. I planned my trip so that I alternated night traveling with staying in one spot for the night. It worked out to five nights sleeping on a bus or a train, five nights staying with host families, and three nights at guesthouses in India. Nepal and Sri Lanka were all guesthouses. That was different to me - my prior backpacking experience was in Europe, where I slept many nights in shared hostel rooms. That concept didn't really catch on in South Asia, as there were mostly just hotels or guesthouses - you had to book a room for yourself, so I didn't end up sharing with anyone. That was fine by me, but it made for a more solitary experience that I expected. However, there were always guests around at the breakfast table or dinner table, and I met other travellers quite easily throughout my trip.

I'll save the rest of my details for my country posts. But before I sign off here, I have to talk about the most significant part of my trip and what I took away from it. My prior travel experiences have been limited to Mexico on a beach resort, the Caribbean on a cruise, the US, Western Europe, and South Korea. In other words, I have only traveled in affluent countries, and while there have been instances of poverty here and there, I had never seen or even imagined anything like South Asia. I saw the slums of people living in makeshift houses out of metal or wood or tree branches. I saw women and children working in the fields, carrying water in buckets from the local well or spring, washing clothes in the river, washing themselves in the river or public water spouts. I saw cows and other animals wandering everywhere, on the streets in front of the homes, with no one cleaning up after then. I saw piles upon piles of garbage in rivers, ditches, and the streets. I felt like I had been transported back to the Middle Ages, but then I would turn the corner and find a cell phone store. The contrast between tradition and modernity, between poverty and affluence, between sanitary and unsanitary conditions was overwhelming. What I quickly began to realize, and even more so than ever before, was how lucky I have been in the past to have grown up in a good environment, with so many things I took for granted such as adequate health and dental care, a clean, safe neighborhood, and especially a good education. Of course, people in Nepal and India and Sri Lanka have these things too, especially in the big cities, but these people are harder to find, especially to the average tourist. In South Asia, the poverty is manifest and unavoidable, from the people in the streets trying to sell you endless things, to the children who knock on your car door at a traffic light begging for money, to the slum houses set up along the train tracks, drying their clothes on the empty tracks.

This part was hard to see and take in, and I didn't feel it was right to take pictures of such conditions, so you won't see any of it - you'll just see the impressive sights and splendors of South Asia, which deserve mention and praise as much as the poverty deserves addressing. My trip really put how fortunate I have been and am in life, and how much I have really taken for granted in perspective. In the past few days I have found myself even appreciating Korea much more than I did before, for its clean, quiet streets, its people that leave me alone and don't seem to see me as an ATM when I'm simply walking down the streets, and for its familiar modernity. I still have a lot to learn about life and the world around me, but I think going to South Asia was a beginner's crash course into the reality of the world, and how the western world that I grew up in is absolutely nothing like many other millions of people who share the planet with us. I only hope that my learning and experiencing more about these problems of inadequate health care, education, and overall quality of life in countries such as Nepal (one of the poorest countries in the world) will lead to learning more about what the solutions might be.

One last mention: if you're reading this and thinking, wow, what horrible places to see and visit - you're terribly wrong. I mention the hard parts only because they are too obvious to ignore. Yes, it's hard, and yes, it would be nice to pretend it just doesn't exist, but you just can't. However, my experience as a tourist would probably have been limited to just this - the shock at seeing the povery and the amazement at seeing sights such as the Taj Mahal and the beaches of Goa. However, I was incredibly lucky to have two family stays, thanks to my mom's friend Shanthi, who seems to have relatives and friends all over the world willing to help me out through my travels. When I stayed with these two families (it actually ended up being three due to a train station miscommunication, so I was a last minute guest until my host could come pick me up) I was treated with so much kindness and hospitality, and their families were so welcoming and gracious towards me - what an amazing treat after living on the road for a couple of weeks, being treated purely as a tourist. With these families I was able to talk to them about India's current situation, learn more about why India is the way it is, learn how people feel about India and how they try to help, and, one of the best parts, eat homecooked Indian food. Both of the moms took time out of their days to take me around the cities (New Delhi and Mumbai) and I really felt like I got such an insider's perspective, worth more than a dozen guidebooks. Something has to be said for the resiliance and kindness of the Indian people - they wouldn't be such a strong nation without the power of their hearts, and to meet them and talk with them provided inspiration for me for the future of such a beautiful country.

So, when traveling one has to take in the good with the bad, and hopefully take something valuable away from both. In this regard, my trip was a huge success. Was I inspired? Yes. Frustrated? Oh, yeah. Thrilled? Immensely. Confounded? Every minute! Thanks Lonely Planet - you hit the nail on the head. Fun fact: travelers and Indians alike call Lonely Planet India "The Bible" since so many tourists tote it around. I had Lonely Planet, but since I downloaded the PDFs I just printed off the maps and took notes in my notebook - a 'covert' Lonely Planet, if you will. I hope you are all having a great week! I'll write more about Nepal next and show you some pictures. Love you and miss you all!

Korea: Past, Present, and Future

Good morning everyone! I hope your week gets off to a great start! I spent a wonderful weekend in Seoul, since my new teaching schedule (until the end of January) allows me to have afternoons off.

On Friday I was able to make it to the bus terminal a little after 1, and by 1:45 I was on my bus, ready to sit back and enjoy the 3.5 hour ride to Seoul. It was a beautiful day outside, and I enjoyed looking at the snow covered mountains (more like rolling hills...but some were big) and the pretty scenery on the way up. The window watching didn't last very long, however, as I passed out halfway through, due to a busy and sleep deprived week. So I pretty much slept my way up to Seoul, but it was still a nice bus ride, nevertheless. The Korean bus system is extremely efficient and effective, from how the buses almost always run on schedule to how there is a bus only lane once the traffic picks up near Seoul. I'm not sure if that's how it is in the States also for some of the bigger cities, but I know my past coach bus experiences to swim meets certainly haven't been that smooth in traffic.

Due to the bus lane we made it to Seoul right on time. I zipped my way over to the connected subway station and quickly found my transfer lines. I read in my guidebook that Seoul has a 'nearly idiot proof' subway stations', and sure enough, I figured it out just fine. As long as you know your stop or something nearby (thanks to the English translations on nearly every subway map) and you understand the basics of the subway system you will be fine. It was subway rush hour in Seoul - very crowded and packed inside - but I guess that's city living. Everything was announced in English, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean as well, so if you weren't near a subway map (or couldn't move to look at one due to being packed in like sardines) you could at least listen for your stop.

I navigated my way to Steve and Mary's - my hosts for the weekend. They have a wonderful location just north of the Han river - just a few subway stops from nearly everything. They had a delicious, hot, and hearty beef stew waiting for me - it was heavenly on the cold winter night. A nice taste of home - it was even in the crock pot. We had a nice dinner and did a lot of chatting about Christmas - sadly, Steve's father had just passed away recently so Steve had been in Mankato the past week - he had just gotten back the night before. I had no idea, and wouldn't have asked to come up if I'd known, but he seemed to be doing well and felt better after having some closure at the funeral in Mankato.

We were all pretty tired, so we turned in early after spending some time in their cozy living room - I planned my day out and headed to bed before 10 - the first time in a long time. Saturday morning I woke up and got ready for the day. I had two objectives for the day: the Seoul National Museum and the Korean War Museum. I figured since it was too chilly outside to walk around and explore, which is usually what I like to do when visiting a city, I would hit up the museums this weekend to make sure I saw them and didn't feel guilty spending outside time inside a museum later on in the year. I was quite excited for both, as I've been brushing up on my Korean history recently.

I have to say, I'm not much of a museum peruser/stroller, unless I'm with someone. When I go to museums, I'm more of a museum attacker. Museum attacking is a practiced art, and I've had wonderful opportunites to work on my skills during my travels the past few years. I'll give you a couple tips. As every good attacking strategy should, museum attacking involves a plan. This plan can be best developed and implemented by first making a beeline for the museum info desk when you enter and asking nicely for an English translation museum guide. Scan the guide, figure out what you want to see the most and prioritize efficiently. Example - if the exhibit you want to see the most is on the second floor, but the first floor provides more background, go to the first floor first so that you can at least see it and learn a little background, albiet more quickly, and then when you reach the second floor, right about the time your feet should start to hurt, you'll be more interested so you won't care about the pain as much. If you go to the second floor first you'll have a much less pleasant experience when you reach the first floor, because your feet will hurt and you'll be less interested. If your feet don't hurt from standing by the end of the day, you didn't do it right. I never said museum attacking was easy - it's not for everyone.

Also, I should mention museum attacking involves not only reading nearly every English translation available as you walk around to look at the exhibits, but also taking notes on your museum guide - take notes in the section you are in on the guide so you'll remember it easier and be able to organize your notes better. You learn more when you write things down (at least I know I do) and it makes a great keepsake. Oh, and the number one rule of museum attacking: always allow for a coffee break when you have just one floor or a few exhibitions left (provided you have enough time before the museum closes) - you'll have time to restrategize, recharge, and give yourself a rest before finishing off the museum. If you coffee break too early you might get discouraged and lazy - not allowed in museum attacking. Oh, last rule - make sure you have water! For further information on museum attacking you may contact me via e-mail.

While I would love to tell you all about Seoul National and Korea's history (there were a ton of great artifiacts from the different periods in Korean history) I know I would lose some faithful readers if I went too in depth, so I'll just skip to the highlights. The outside of Seoul National was quite impressive - it recently moved to a new facility, which consists of not only the huge expansive building (pictured) but also a reflecting lake, a beautiful pagoda, and some trails to walk around on in the surrounding area. Once inside, I executed stage 1 of my museum attack, devised my strategy, and got to work. Besides the artifacts, which were neatly organized in the first floor exhibits, outlining Korean history, (Sidenote: I was unaware that Saturday morning opening time also happened to be Korean schoolkid tour day - there were so many gaggles of kids running around with backpacks, name tags, and workbooks it was almost overwhelming at first. However, it was cute to see them sitting in their little groups in a corner of the exhibit, working in their workbooks while a teacher lectured them!) there was also an impressive collection of Korean art, scuplture, calligraphy, pottery, and metalworks. My favorite wings tied for first place: it was close between the Buddha section (tons of sculptures, paintings, and drawings) and the pottery section. Korean celadon (a special greenish color of glaze) is the most well known - it was adopted and modified from the original Chinese pottery during the 13th and 14th centuries - but I also learned about some other, more recent kinds of Korean pottery. It was all beautiful, and so interesting to learn about. The museum was fantastic and impressive - I spent a happy four and a half hours there, complete with a hazelnut latte, before heading to my next destination: the Korean War Museum.

The war museum was quite close to the National Museum - a short walk but it was freezing out so I took the subway just a few stops over. My guidebook warned against doing both the National Museum and the War Museum in one day, but clearly the guidebook didn't know I am a museum fanatic - after doing four museums in one day in London (I went to all the free ones that I could get to between 10 am and 6 pm) I figured I could handle it. No regrets, but I will think more carefully next time. 

I wasn't prepared for how impressive the outside of the museum would be - it was more like a memorial park, with tons of sculptures, war machines from the Korean War (planes, tanks, battleships, etc) and a huge front entrance. The broze casts of the people were so interesting - the faces of the Korean War - from the soliders to the civilian women to the children - all in different expressions of heartbreak, sadness, and determination to fight back. I plan to come back when it's warmer out and just walk around the outside park area - but I only had three hours to see the museum, so I didn't look around outside for very long.

The war museum (inside) was equally as impressive, though not nearly as big. I didn't realize that it was actually a history of war in Korea museum, not just a Korean War museum. The entire first floor covered the history of warfare in Korea, including stone age bow and arrows to medieval bows and arrows to modern mechanics. I'm not much of a technical war person, but even I found it interesting and it provided another angle to Korea's history - I learned more about the warring between the Three Kingdoms that existed in Korea before they were all unified under one Kingdom, and then how Korea repeatedly had to fend off Mongolian and Chinese invaders. The most successful invasion was by the Japanese in the late 15th century, but they were kicked out soon enough, only to come back full force about 400 years later. It also talked about the Western nations (European and American) 'opening the ports' of Korea in the late 19th century, which was its first real contact with the West (that they responded to, that is.)

The second floor was dedicated entirely to the Korean War. It started with the background, the beginnings of the war, and the development of the war in one wing, then continued on with development, peace talks, and finally the conclusion of the war. It included remnants from the war, testimonies, documents, and amazing visual displays of what life was like for the soliders and civilians during the war. I learned (to more of an extent than I was aware of) that North Korea was extremely better prepared for war than South Korea, in terms of nearly everything - mapower, equipment, people, economy, etc, largely due to assistance from the communist parties of Russia and China. There was a wonderful display dedicated to the UN forces and how grateful South Korea is to them. The 'teardrop' memorial that I have pictured is fashioned out of the ID tags from UN soldiers, and there was a display dedicated to each of the countries that contributed forces to help South Korea. The map picture shows all the nations who came to the ROK's assistance during the war.

I was kicked out of the museum at closing time (oh, I forgot to mention that I always schedule at least 10 minutes of gift shop time at museums as well - I'm a sucker for pens (they last longer than pencils), keychains (a dedicated collector since I was young), and postcards (scrapbooker.) After the museums I was tired and worn out, but satisfied. Mission accomplished. I finished off the night by heading to Itaewon - the foreigner's district of Seoul, which is packed with every kind of ethnic food you can imagine, along with a fantastic used/new English bookstore and a foreign food market. I stocked up at both places, and immensely enjoyed wandering among hundreds of English books again (not quite Barnes and Noble, but it'll do.) I got back to Steve and Mary's around 8 - Steve had turned in early due to his jet lag, so I chatted with Mary for a bit and unwound for a bit before heading to bed.

The next morning I attended the early service at Steve's church, then hung out and chatted with some of the members after the service. I had to skip out early to head to another part of the city to meet up with another English teacher who I'd met via e-mail last summer. (She was my roommate's brother's wife's cousin...also from Minnesota!) She'd been extremely helpful and patient in answering my dozens of questions when I was preparing to leave for Korea, and I was excited to finally meet her. We met at Butterfinger's Pancakes, a wonderful American breakfast restaurant with everything you could ever want at a breakfast place. I enjoyed my brewed coffee (rarity) and shared a breakfast omelette, potatoes, and pancake dish with Megan as we chatted about our Korea experiences. It's funny how an experience like teaching in a foreign country automatically bonds you to people - it's always nice to meet someone from back home as well!

After breakfast she took me and her friends to COEX, an absolutely huge underground shopping complex packed full with shops, restaurants, coffee shops, a huge bookstore, a movie theater, an aquarium, and a...kimchi museum! Only in Korea. We decided it would be a relevant cultural experience, so we paid the three dollars to check it out. It wasn't really that great, to be honest, but I learned more about how it is made and got to do some kimchi taste testing. I don't know if it's a good or bad thing that I've gotten so used to kimchi that I can tell whether it's good kimchi or not, but either way it's true.

After the museum we said our goodbyes, and I headed back to the bus terminal around 3, ready to get home and do some getting ready for the upcoming week. I had never been to the main area of the Express Bus Terminal - I thought the one in Gwangju was big - but I was amazed at the size of this one, called Central City. It was so big that the major cities had their own ticket lines, and so efficient that I literally bought a ticket that was scheduled to depart 6 minutes later. It was a quick thirty seconds of glancing at my ticket, double checking the time, looking up to find the terminal gate, hopping on the bus, and then departing five minutes later. Bam.

On the way home it was another beautiful sunny day (though deceptively chilly) and I enjoyed looking out of the window at the snowy hills and pretty landscape. This time, however, as opposed to the Friday before, my thoughts about the mountains were different. I kept thinking back to the images at the war museum, of guerrilla soldiers wearing leaves on their helmets for camouflage scrambling on their bellies up the same hills I was looking at, rifles at the ready. This past year marked the 60 year anniversary for the start of the Korean War - when you think about it, that's really not much time at all, is it? South Korea went from a nation of extreme, war torn poverty to a highly modern and economized country in a mere 60 years - it was hard to imagine the busy, glitzy capital that I had just departed from as anything but that. I also thought about how many countries had dedicated their services to the ROK to fight against communism in those very hills, and how many soldiers had died for the idea of democracy and freedom. It was sobering yet encouraging to think about how Korea, with its resilient spirit, fought back and surpassed the world's expectations. In the wake of recent events it was disturbing to me to think of the possibility of something like it ever occurring again, and that the people who might determine that possibility were only a mere two hours north of where I was that day. However, I also thought about how important it is to know that just as the world came together to fight for freedom in 1950, if something were to happen the world will again unite and go to great lengths to preserve democracy for the people of South Korea.

As much as the news and politicians want to predict the future, no one knows what will happen. My hope is that things will change in North Korea's leadership, whether by outside forces or internally, in order to help the people of North Korea, many of whom are starving and without jobs. I hope that the realization of the need for change will come sooner rather than later to the leaders of North Korea, because I can't see the people lasting much longer in their current situation. I also hope that the horrors from the memory of the Korean War from the past are enough to affect what decisions are made for the future, to prevent history from repeating itself.

In the meantime, south of the DMZ line, things here are stable and steady and life goes on - business as usual. People still meet with friends and family, go out for coffee or ice cream, and enjoy movies or museums (only the brave go museum attacking, however) and continue to enjoy life. Because why live a life in fear? South Korea never ceases to amaze me with its interesting blend of tradition and modernity, and after learning so much more about South Korea's history this weekend I am more excited than ever to keep experiencing this unique opportunity. I hope that your New Year is starting off as well as mine - blessings and peace to you all! Have a great week!

Happy New Year!

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 and 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 have 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 there 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.

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 then 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 everywhere, 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!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Hi everyone! I apologize for being so late in getting this posted - I've had a busy week, and I don't have my Monday prep morning anymore (aka Monday morning e-mail answering and blog writing) so this has been pushed back. I did start it on Sunday evening though, so I'll just pick up where I left off - you won't even notice. Happy New Year!

I don't think my parents know this, but when I was younger I used to sneak out of the house late at night and go on 'snow walks' when it was snowing outside. Not when it was blizzarding, not in freezing cold winds, but only on those special nights when just a hat, coat, boots, and mittens kept you warm enough to comfortably walk around the quiet neighborhood, with big thick snowflakes falling all around you and the sky illuminated with the reflection of the snow and streetlights. These were my sacred nights when I felt like I had the magical transformation of the neighborhood all to myself, and each step I took in my boots would be buried in snow within the hour, so no one would know I had been there (though I always figured I could bank on the paper boy to cover up my tracks if Dad ever wondered why there were snow footprints leading up to the front door when he got the paper in the morning.)

My snow walks became less frequent as I got older, but I remember one night, when I was home for Christmas break last year and coming back to the house late after visiting some friends, when it was the perfect snow walk night. The sky was almost pale orange and the snowflakes were picture perfect, looking especially luminescent against the brightly colored Christmas lights around the neighborhood. I had to get up early the next morning to go work at the cafe, so I refrained from going out walking, but I remember standing on the driveway in the snow, peacefully looking around and thinking about how beautiful winter snow is, especially at home after being away at school for so long. Christmas has always been my favorite holiday, and the beauty of the winter snow has always enhanced it for me.

As I prepared for my first Christmas away from home, I tried to keep myself as busy as possible so I wouldn't have much time to think about how much I would miss my family, friends, and Minnesota over Christmas this year. As the weekend grew nearer, certain songs made me tear up, teaching my kids about my family's Christmas traditions hour after hour made me sad because I knew I wouldn't be there, and we had no snow to speak of. Needless to say, I was a bit apprehensive about how I would actually handle Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Lucky for me, I've made some great friends here over the past four months, and it was comforting to know that if we couldn't be at home with our friends and family, at least we had each other to stick it out with. I was planning to spend Christmas Eve in Jangheung (please note the careful and correct spelling this time - I'm not about to make another error at the bus terminal.) with Sara and some friends, and then head with Sara to Mokpo on Christmas Day for the Christmas party that our other friends Chad and Lisa graciously hosted.

Christmas Eve happened to be the last day of the school year, (each school ends on a different day, depending on the principal - my country school ended the day before) which meant that I had to say goodbye to all of my ninth graders. It was bittersweet, for though I was happy for them to be moving on to high school I knew I would miss them next year. I received some wonderful Christmas cards and even a bookstore gift card (yes, even in Korea someone made sure I got books for Christmas) from my students, and even exchanged e-mails with some of them, promising to help them with their English in high school if they needed it. Friday morning I only had to teach one class before the assembly, which consisted of an awards ceremony and a mini graduation ceremony. After that - it was winter vacation! All the students left, celebrating the end of another school year, and all the teachers celebrated also - by going out to lunch. I received a nice surprise by getting to go home right after lunch - I had expected to have to stay most of the afternoon.

So, I headed back to my place and packed up the rest of my stuff for the weekend (including remaining Christmas cookies that I was determined to get rid of after an entire week of baking and decorating for my kids) and headed to the bus terminal. I surprised Sara by arriving right as she was done with school. It was an especially cold evening, so after enjoying coffee at her local coffee shop we hurried to the grocery store to pick up some ingredients for dinner, then hurried back to her place to have a cozy night. And cozy it was. We cooked a delicious stir fry, complete with some gravy to add to our potatoes, boiled some frozen green beans (one of my favorite parts of Christmas Eve dinner), toasted some wheat rolls, and broke out the wine. It was a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner, without a taste of Korea. No lefse or Swedish meatballs for me this year, but the potatoes, gravy, green beans, and rolls were spot on. We finished off our meal with Christmas cookies, and then started to watch The Holiday - classic chick flick Christmas movie. Our movie was interrupted early on with some other teacher friends who live in the area, so we switched to the more gender neutral movie Elf, and enjoyed our Christmas treats, then just sat around and chatted. It was a perfect relaxing night.

The next morning, Christmas Day, we again treated ourselves to relaxation, and after Skyping with our families (still Christmas Eve at home) I was treated to delicious home made Swedish pancakes and coffee by my gracious hostess. We finished watching the Holiday (and were inspired by the hot chocolate scene to go make our own hot chocolate to accompany the movie) as we enjoyed our breakfast. A little later, we made lunch and then got ourselves ready to head out to Mokpo, where the Christmas party with our other teacher friends were scheduled to take place.

When we walked outside we were greeted with...Christmas snow! Nice, big, white flakes that were coming down at a surprisingly fast rate. I had my beloved white Christmas after all, as the snow persisted during the hour and a half bus ride to Mokpo. and coated the city with a thick white blanket.

The Mokpo party was a lot of fun - about 12 other teacher friends and couples from orientation - here are some pictures of the decorated apartment (you can buy some Christmas decorations here, but they are few and far between - most of us has people from home send us candy canes, stockings, etc (thanks Mom)) We had a potluck of snack foods, drinks, and desserts, which we happily munched on while chatting away about school, our upcoming travel plans, etc. Our contract allows us all to have 24 consecutive days off sometime during winter break, which is January and February. Virtually none of us have the same schedule - some people are splitting theirs and working in between two different country trips, some are going early in January, some in early February. From my information gathering at Christmas, the vacation hotspots this winter will be Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia (Bali), and the Phillipines. Think warm and think beach - that's what we are all planning. I myself am actually heading a bit farther west to India, but I'll talk more about that later.

So, what did I have for Christmas dinner? Pizza. Yup, around 8 PM we decided we wanted 'real food' and so the boys made a run down to the local pizza chain and brought us back our Christmas dinner. Not quite like turkey, but it was a pretty good second choice. The Korean take on western pizza is actually pretty decent, though they tend to favor some strange toppings, like sweet potato and corn...and for some reason the pizza always comes with a side of pickles.

We also had a White Elephant gift exchange (pictured) and played Pass the Present with Christmas music. We had some classic Christmas movies playing in the side room alternating with Christmas music. Between the decorations, treats, friends, music, movies, and fun it definitely felt like a holiday celebration. We made the most of being away from our families and friends by adapting to our new home, and we all had a great time. Most of the guests left around midnight, since they live in the area, and Sara and I stayed over at their place - we headed to bed shortly after.

The next morning, after a highly nutritious breakfast of cold pizza and Christmas cookies, we said our goodbyes, commenting on the success of the weekend. The snow was still coming down hard as we left, just to give us a taste of home, we figured. I slept a little on the way home, and then decided to spend the day doing what I do best - coffee shopping. Downtown was hopping, for in Korea, they celebrate Christmas only as a nominal holiday - some places get into the decorations and the colors, but its more due to Western influence than actually following traditions. Many Christian Koreans will celebrate it in their churches, but not much at home. On the contrary, Christmas is a day to eat a special 'Christmas cake' and typically it's a date night for young couples.

On the walk back to the bus stop I realized though it was still lightly snowing it really wasn't all that chilly, so I decided to take a detour and walk to the other bus stop by Art Street - my favorite quiet, cobblestone street in downtown. As I walked by I noticed the huge lit up Christmas tree on display in the downtown area - I hadn't ever noticed it before. As I reached the bus stop, I decided that it was the perfect night for a snow walk. I wasn't disappointed - the trees were beautiful, and everything was covered in snow.

Obviously, I've seen snow before and I know what a winter landscape looks like, but for some reason it seemed more special and magical in Korea. It was a sense of familiarity, a reminder of home, and it brought me back to my childhood snow walks. No matter how old I get or what country I'm in, snow always has a sense of fascination for me. Even if I'm freezing cold or frustrated at the road situations (ex: driving home from Green Bay in bad weather) I've always stopped to take a moment and appreciate the snow. I realized that as much as I gripe and moan about the cold sometimes, I would never want to live permanently in a warm climate all year round and not see snow.

Between my cozy Christmas Eve and Christmas Day morning, my white Christmas snow, the fun I had with my friends at our Christmas party, and my snow walk, I decided that I had had a pretty great Christmas, despite the fact that I'm hundreds of miles (and quite a few time zones) away from Minnesota. I hope you all had wonderful Christmases - many thanks to those of you who sent cards - they were such a fun surprise to receive  I hope you all have a wonderful New Year's weekend - stay warm and stay safe!  Happy New Year

A Christmas Wish Come True

Good morning everyone!

I'm sure all of you are busy baking cookies, shopping, and preparing for Christmas this week. I can't believe it's in four days. I had a fun weekend that turned out much differently than I expected - but in a good way. I've been keeping up with Christmas episodes on TV, playing Christmas music for my classes, and this week I'm teaching all Christmas lessons, so I am definitely feeling the holidays, but my experience on Saturday at the orphanage is what really captured the essence of Christmas. Oh, but first - here's a lovely picture I took when I walked outside the door at school last week - the mountain valley views are forever changing and always beautiful.

If you remember, I mentioned last week that this past Saturday was our Adopt A Child day at the orphanage. One of the volunteers organized the entire Adopt A Child program, which was a huge success. A few weeks ago, he asked the girls to each write down four things they have on their Christmas list, including their name, age, and size. After some translating with the orphanage director, he put out a notice on Facebook and put an announcement in the Gwangju News, calling the foreign community of Gwangju to help make a special Christmas for the girls. He had a tremendous response, and soon had tons of people calling him to volunteer to buy gifts - he personally assigned each person with a gift, took down their contact information, and established two drop off points for people to drop off their purchased and wrapped presents at. Within three or four weeks, he had nearly every present accounted for, and he personally took care of the few remaining. He expected a much smaller amount of people to respond and hoped that the girls would get at least two gifts on their list - but in the end, all the girls got four gifts each, due to the Gwangju community effort.

After our last Korean class (I passed!) and a visit to the bake/book sale orphanage fundraiser that was put on by my book club, my friend and I headed over to the orphanage. There was quite a bit of activity, and we ended up staying the whole afternoon to enjoy the festivities. Some of the girls are placed in a homestay program, similar to foster care, so they were all there with their homestay families to celebrate also. The afternoon started off with lots of performances by both a local band and then by the girls themselves. I was so impressed. There was singing, dancing, and playing of instruments. It was neat to see them having a ton of fun and showing off for their audience. Us volunteers even showed off our skills by singing a rendition of We Wish You A Merry Christmas for the girls. Here is a video of one of my favorite performances: the star of the show was the little cutie in the front, which I'm sure is no surprise to you.

After the performances, there was a big meal provided for the girls and the volunteers by local donators. We socialized and played with the girls, enjoying pizza, fruit, snacks, and salad...that I ate with chopsticks. When in Rome.

After lunch and cleaning up, the homestay families left, and all of us volunteers waited in anticipation for what we knew was coming next. Sure enough, guess who showed up? It was Scottish Santa Steve, otherwise known as just Santa. A big cheer rang out, of course, and there was an extended photo shoot with Santa - the girls were thrilled.

After Santa's arrival, it was time for...presents! I was very impressed at the organization - the presents were all brought in in cardboard boxes, and, with his helpers, Santa called out the names of the girls, who came up one by one to get one present at a time. Instead of ripping them open immediately (which I would have done, I'm sure) they sat and played with their wrapped presents, eagerly waiting to see who would get called next. It was really fun to see the girls that I bought presents for - I got two clothing items for two different girls - smile with excitement as they received my presents. I couldn't help but think how wonderful it was of Al to organize everything - who knows what kind of a Christmas the girls would have had otherwise? It was really inspiring and great to know that so many people had made just a few donations each to bring Christmas to so many girls. I couldn't think of a better way to see Christmas in action, and was so thankful to have the opportunity to see firsthand the joy that was brought to the little girls.

We all had a lot of fun during the present distribution - sharing the excitement with the girls who proudly came over to show off what they had gotten. One of the little tootsies got ahold of my camera and started taking pictures of everyone (note: if you want silly pictures of people, just find a two year old to carry around and take pictures for you - it's also highly entertaining.) We gave her a taste of her own medicine by sneak attacking the camera away from her and taking her picture with me - we made sure to give it back right away though, of course. Clearly she has a bright future in photography - here are Sara and Santa Steve, post Santa costume.

After about three hours at the orphanage, the festivities began to wind down, and we made our exit (after detaching our little photographer from my camera...and my arms.) I couldn't have thought of a better way to spend the afternoon. Since we had eaten at the orphanage and figured we'd better not try for a repeat of last weekend's dining marathon, Sara and I headed back to my place for a while to regroup and run some errands, then we went out to meet some friends later.

I had planned to spend all day Sunday finishing up my Christmas gifts, decorating cookies, and getting a head start on my lesson planning for next week. However, due to staying out late Sara stayed over at my place, so instead of my planned early wake up, I ended up sleeping in (I kept having to reassure myself it was okay and I'd still have the day to work.) However, after a relaxing cup of coffee at my favorite neighborhood coffee shop - Kenya Espresso - we made the spontaneous decision to throw out any plans of productivity and instead spend our afternoon at the...movie theater. Harry Potter 7 had made its release in Korea on Friday, and we heard from some friends that it was worth seeing. I hadn't seen a movie in months, and had never seen one in a foreign country, so I considered it a new and necessary experience. After stumbling around a bit trying to figure out how to buy a ticket, we purchased them (with the help of some Korean guys who could see our obvious fail to understand how to buy them) and only later did we realize we actually bought tickets for the IMAX viewing instead of the regular screen - better than the other way around, I suppose. After a very authentic Korean lunch (aka - mouth on fire spiciness that left us both slightly warmer and in a lot of pain...so good though) we purchased popcorn and pop to complete the experience, then headed inside.

Note to self: IMAX is probably a better idea when you're not in the front row...however, those were the only seats that were left. (When we purchased our tickets at the machine we had to select our seat numbers on the touch screen.) After attempting to adjust our heads and necks (I felt like I was almost laying horizontally) we settled back and zoned out to enjoy two and a half hours of Harry Potter. I thought the movie was really well done, and am definitely anticipating the final movie next summer. It was also nice to just relax and focus completely on a movie. My head was still spinning when we left the theater due to the proximity of the screen, but as I walked out I was struck with the odd reminder that I was still in South Korea - the day had seemed so typical of a weekend at home that I had nearly forgotten I wasn't at the River Hills Mall or BayPark Cinema (Mankato or Green Bay.)

I realized that even though I was so far away from home there were still experiences that seemed completely normal to me. Friends going out for coffee, families going to an afternoon movie, watching a movie in English in the theater (though you'd have to ignore the Korean subtitles...) The sense of familiarity was comforting, especially as Christmas draws closer and closer. I have to say though, the best and most comforting feeling was manifested at the orphanage this past Saturday, when the joy of giving was so obviously shared by all who donated gifts, and the happiness of watching the girls' faces was contagious. The effort of the community that pulled together to make Christmas happen for these girls was incredible, and I was so happy to be a part of it. As you make your final rounds at the mall (especially on Christmas Eve) this week, and then hopefully get to watch your family and friends open your presents, I hope you experience the same feeling of happiness that I felt this weekend. Making those girls' Christmas wishes come true was the best present I could have ever gotten.

I wish you all and your families a very Merry Christmas! Stay warm and safe on the roads, all you brave winter weatherers!

Fun, Friends, and Food...always food

Good evening to you all - I'm writing especially to the brave Minnesotans today who are dealing with the Midwest's greatest accomplishment: winter weather. Exhibit A: subzero temperatures and snowdrifts. Exhibit B: the Metrodome's roof collapsing...yikes!

Anyway, Minnesota totally stole my thunder for this week's post, since I have some pictures of my first snowfall in Korea (it just had to one up me, didn't it?) On Wednesday it snowed for a couple hours in the morning, but by the evening it had all melted and then it was back in the 40s for the rest of the week. So I got a taste of winter on Wednesday, but mostly I still feel like I don't deserve Christmas yet because I haven't endured the suffering of the Midwest in December. There's still time I suppose. These are pictures outside my classroom window, by the way - they have an interesting way of pruning the school bushes and trees.

I can't believe I'm writing this, but it's down to my second to last week of the semester -our last day is Christmas Eve. I have been in Korea for almost exactly 4 months now - unbelievable. Remember I told you time seems to work differently in Korea? Still true. Anyway, I have a bunch of Christmas events going on this weekend and next week, so I have been busy baking, shopping, wrapping, and crafting. I must say, it's a lot more fun to prepare for Christmas when I don't have to worry about final papers, exams, swimming, and driving the 6 hour drive home through winter weather. The only thing missing (besides friends and family, of course) is Barnes and Nobles - the best at Christmastime. Someone please go enjoy it for me. 

I had a really good weekend - it was a balance of fun and productivity (and a lot of food consumption) that, as usual, went by way too fast. Friday night I studied diligently for my test on Saturday morning (test, not quiz) but when I showed up on Saturday morning with conjugated verbs dancing around in my head, I found out that instead of Korean class all of the students were going on a 'field trip' to put our newly learned language skills to good use. All of the levels were combined together (so I was with some of my other friends in the other classes) and we were walked a few blocks over to Daein Market, one of the largest covered markets in Gwangju. I must say the GIC (the people who put on the lessons - Gwangju International Center) had a pretty great field trip set up for us - our small group task was to walk around in the market and buy ingredients that we needed to make a Korean dish. We had fun wandering (more like led around for fear of us getting lost) around the market, and now I know where to go when I need fresh turtles or eels for my next recipe.

After purchasing our ingredients (green onion and mushrooms) we were led to a little room that had tables and a mini kitchen set up for us, where we were taught how to make a dish called sanchyeok. It is made of ham, imitation crab, mushroom, and green onion, which are skewered and t

hen dipped in flour, egg, and fried in a pan. It was delicious.

When we were finished cooking we took our creations back to the original room, where the other group was busy making a type of cookie out of melted sugar. We all shared and enjoyed our mini lunch - much better than taking a test.

After Korean 'class' I headed to the orphanage, where we talked about puppets (in preparation for the upcoming puppet show) and did a mini skit with the girls - it was so much fun! There is a little more structure to our orphanage activites these days, with planned activities and topics - a little planning sure goes a long way. The girls always put a smile on my face, especially when they come running over to greet us as we walk in. We have our Adopt a Child Christmas gift event this Saturday, when we will give the girls presents from their wishlist (all through volunteer efforts to put their name on the list and buy presents for the girls) I'm really looking forward to bringing Christmas to the orphanage. There is also a bake sale this weekend to raise money for the orphanage. 

After the orphanage Sara and I really had no objectives in mind but we still wanted to hang out downtown. Since it was a little chilly to just wander around, we did some minimal shopping...but ended up bouncing around to different establishments - first for coffee, (oops...twice for coffee) then a few hours later we had a snack, then dinner, followed up with dessert. We concluded that our day had absolutely no productivity, but at least we did what we are best at: sitting, eating, and chatting. It was nice to have a day of nothing.

After Sara went back home to Jangheung I headed back myself to get a head start on Sunday's task: Operation Christmas. I have taken it upon myself to make Christmas cookies for all my students, since they don't really have the concept of baking Christmas cookies over here (Korea has never really been a traditional baking society - many Korean homes don't have ovens.) Can you imagine? Anyway, I decided to bake all the cutouts this weekend (thanks to Mom for mailing me Christmas cookie cutters) so that I could freeze them and decorate them when the time came to distribute them in class next week. So I got busy. By dinnertime on Sunday I had accomplished most of my tasks, so I figured I deserved the night off. I had been invited out for seafood at a traditional Korean seafood restaurant, so I showed up ready for a new experience, since eating seafood in Korea is quite different than the way we eat at home.

And an experience was what I got. Our friend Eddie (his actual name is Hyun Seok...but we call him Eddie) took us to a shellfish restaurant, where we were seated at a round metal table with a huge hole in the middle. Inside the hole was a fire thing (I'm not sure how they lit the fire...I just know it was burning...) with a grill on top. What did we do with this grill, you might ask? Grilled a basketful of oysters, that's what. We got a huge basket overflowing with fresh oysters, and with our metal tongs and special gloves, we roasted and grilled our oysters to perfection. I had actually never eaten an oyster out of the shell before (to be honest, I didn't even really know what one looked like...) but I learned that you have to wait until it starts to crack open on its own, and then you have to pry it open with your knife and check to see if it's ready to eat. It turned out Sokhom (pictured - happily prying open an oyster family of five...) liked hers pretty raw, I liked mine well done, and Eddie was somewhere in the middle, so the three of us had a good system down of opening them up, then passing them over to whomever would enjoy it the most, depending on how much it was cooked or not. It worked well. We had a great time cracking, chatting, and munching.

We had some side dishes with our oysters (soup and kimchi, of course) so I was pretty satisfied by the time we finished our basket...but then I learned that we had ordered the unlimited oysters...and my dinner companions weren't full yet. So, we got another basketful and I continued to enjoy perfecting my oyster skills. I ended up getting more practice than I bargained for...because Sokhom and Eddie still weren't full! Three hours and three baskets later, we finally decided we were pretty oystered out, so we paid a mere eight dollars each and headed out.

 This past week I've noticed how much more settled in I feel - I don't feel like I need to run myself down by jam packing my schedule and making sure I don't miss any 'Korea experiences' - I have an actual life here, and living includes working in some time to just stop and enjoy life around you. There is rarely a day when I don't think to myself 'hey, you're in Korea right now!' especially as I walk to the bus stop from school and admire the beautiful mountain scenery along the one street village. Korea is continually surprising me, and I'm learning to just settle in and take it as it comes, one day at a time.

I hope you all have a great week - you are probably all snowed in right now if you're in Minnesota - enjoy a cozy day at home. You know you wanted to stay home instead of go shopping at the mall anyways. Happy almost Christmas week!

Christmas in the Air.

Hello all!

I'm a little late in getting this post out today - I've been working like a Santa elf to get my Christmas package shipped home today - it's a relief to have that done.

I hope you all had a great weekend - I actually don't have too much to write about today, as I enjoyed another low-key weekend (I'm getting better at them.) Friday night I headed to a nearby coffee shop to study for my Korean test on Saturday (which went fine...though I studied the wrong chapter...) and then after doing some banana bread baking for an upcoming bake sale, I headed to bed. Saturday after Korean class I headed to the orphanage, which was a ton of fun. We are trying to implement more of a proper ESL program for the girls, so the Korean high school girls who volunteer with us have sort of taken charge and provided activities for the girls, like ABC worksheet and word puzzles, etc. They administered a skills test a couple of weeks ago, and now are organizing the girls by skills at different tables. Our job now as volunteers is to sit at the tables with them and help them along, either by providing clues or adding on to their basic knowledge. We sang the ABC song and helped them work on their penmanship, along with other activities. There ended up being so many volunteers on Saturday that the kid to adult ratio was nearly one to one. It was a lot of fun for everyone, and as always the time flew by.

After volunteering my friend and I made ourselves slow down a bit and enjoyed a nice afternoon sitting and chatting at a coffee shop downtown. Most of the coffee shops here (since they have English names and Western influence) are decorated for Christmas, and they usually have some sort of Christmas display. So between the Christmas tree display that I conveniently planted myself in front of and all of the busy shopper people watching (yes, that's a term...I made it up) I got to do from the window, downtown Gwangju definitely had the feel of Christmas in the air. I must admit, I had been a little skeptical about Christmas in Korea, since they don't celebrate it nearly to the extent that we do. (About 25 percent of Korea is actually Christian these days, so they celebrate it as a church holiday, but now western influence has infiltrated it enough so that most Korean families have a tree and a big family meal on Christmas...but still not like most western countries.) I purposely avoided playing Christmas music in my apartment, and I tried to brush it off, as I figured Christmas would just have to be something I look forward to upon my return home, since thinking about it made me sad for home. However, I can't ignore the days on my calendar as they draw me nearer and nearer to Christmas (I also can't ignore the excitement of my students for their winter vacation, which starts Christmas Eve.) So like it or not, Christmas coming fast and furious, even here in Korea.

We met up with two friends of ours who were in town for the day and had a nice dinner out at an Italian cafe - we got our pizza fix and got a lot of chatting in. After dinner they all headed back to their respective towns and I headed over to Art Street to pick up a few Christmas supplies. I've mentioned Art Street before - here is a picture to the right. It's one of my favorite places to walk through, especially at night - much quieter and less busy than the nearby downtown streets, and the cute little galleries and shops tucked in among the narrow, cobblestone street give it almost a European feel. The entire street is decorated with these lit up archways, giving it an extra special experience. It was a nice quiet end to my busy day.

On Sunday I woke up with absolutely nothing planned, but I had two goals in mind: to clean my apartment, then make my Christmas cards and get everything packed up and shipped home on Monday. If you would have seen my disaster of a room you would have been very impressed with my ambition. I'm continually impressed with my skills for making such a small room so messy when I have a busy week - I'm barely ever home, and when I am I'm usually getting ready to go somewhere again. This particular week it looked like Christmas presents and card making supplies were thrown into the tornado that swept through my room, in addition to the usual clothes and random books/notebooks. It was quite the mess. I always seem to find something better to do than clean...but I put my foot down yesterday morning, played a BBC documentary about Indian history on my computer to keep me company (did I mention I'm going to India next month? More on that later.) and got started scrubbing.

Later that day I decided to do some Christmas shopping. I was Santa Claus on a mission when I finally reached my destination: the huge bookstore/stationery store in the bus terminal. I knew what I was looking for, and I was quite pleased with my purchases by the time I checked out (somehow some other cutesy little things not on my list found their way into my bag too...I wonder how that happened?) Then I spent some time wandering around Shinsegae, a fancy department store with brand names like Louis Vitton and Gucci that currently has a fantastic Christmas display up. There were many parents and children admiring the display - it was fun to see their oohs and aahs. The picture above is more to capture the adorable little girl on the right than the display itself! Between shopping for Christmas presents and taking the time to admire the Christmas displays, I was definitely in the Christmas spirit.

The picture below is an interesting contrast - there was some sort of Korean celebration happening right across the hall from the Christmas display at Shinsegae. I've seen a display similar to this for a Korean wedding celebration- much like we send flowers for a funeral or special event, they send flowers with either the event or some sort of good luck saying written on it - I've no idea what they say, but they were pretty to look at and they smelled really nice.

After getting back home, I worked on my Christmas cards at a nearby coffee shop. As I wrote my many holiday greetings to my friends and family back home (sorry, my handwriting is still messy - Korea hasn't changed that,) which will be on their way to the States very soon, I was reminded that no matter where you are in the world, you can still have Christmas. I was expecting a non-Christmas this year due to the lack of red and green merchandise in all stores, the lack of cold weather/snow, and especially the lack of my friends and family. However, that night in the coffee shop it really hit me: the Christmas spirit doesn't come from Santa displays or loudly blaring Christmas tunes that bombard you wherever you go. It comes from the spirit of giving and the universal idea of caring, sharing, and spreading joy to those you are close to, or even to those you aren't. Though I'll miss being with my family a
nd friends so much this holiday season, it's nice to know that I can still send them Christmas cards and little sticker packets with random Korean sayings on them just to show that I will still be thinking of them. It's also nice to know that being so far away takes the pressure off of other people feeling obligated to get a present for me and instead I can just fully enjoy Christmas by giving to others. (Plus there aren't any Barnes and Nobles in Korea - I'd be kind of hard to shop for this year, hey? )

So, though I take the risk of sounding like a Hallmark card, this year I ask you to make sure that among your crazy busy holiday schedules, weekend mall avoidances (sometimes necessary to preserve sanity) and last minute Christmas Eve shopping runs (you know who you are) you take the time to remember that Christmas is all about giving and bringing joy to others, whether in a card, a Christmas cookie, or even just a couple quarters in the Salvation Army bucket. I guarantee you I'll be trying to do the same, all the way over here in Korea as I prepare for my first Christmas away from home.

Wishing you all a happy and blessed holiday season! Have a great week!