Maddy Middle Earth

Snow, Birthdays and Trains

2011-05-03T23:03:00.001+03:00

I am sure there is any good excuse for taking four months off from my extra-curricular blogging activities but perhaps the fact that the Turkish government closed all access to blogspot.com sites would be a valid one.According to the news the shut down was due to a violation of copyright of one blog showing football matches but it felt more like the hand of censorship.Anyways there are ways round such restrictions but I guess I couldn’t be bothered, now its up and running so no more excuses for not updating. I believe I left off somewhere in January but I can’t really remember February besides the fact it was cold we even got some snow. In March my friend Byron, who I met in Thailand on myeacher’s training course and also taught in Seoul with me, came for a visit. Unlike me Byron committed to two years in South Korea and his first stop when his contract ended was Istanbul. Iwas excited to show him how different these two cultures are and help cure him of the reflexive bowing and the bad after taste of Korean food. He had a great time visiting all the usual tourist cities, meeting my friends and I think most of all, enjoying all the yummy desserts.It was great to really be able to compare the difference from my

life Seoul was wonderful but I truly believe Turkey is way more my style.

April was of course my birthday and in true Maddy style I had not one but two killer parties. On Thursday April 7th, I arranged to have a work/student party at my friend Kemal’s new bar.

My students were really awesome they got me some of the sweetest presents. I got a purse, two scarves, a dress, a blouse, jewelry, a starbucks mug (they know how addicted I am to soy lattes) and even a glass that has mine and Michael’s picture engraved on it. Sooo sweeet !! The party was pretty awesome all the teachers came and my students, we all got pretty lose. The party didn’t stop till nearly 4 am and I was defiantly paying for the next day.On my actual birthday I was pretty much bed ridden till 5pm, classic! I managed to pull it together and put my party dress back on for party #2. That night we threw a little shindig at my pad, luckily the rain stopped just in time so we could enjoy my spacious terrace. It was a good turn out of my Turkish friends about 20 or so but the party didn’t last too long. My grumpy neighbor called the cops around 9:30 when there were about 5 people here. When the cops came they agreed there so no problem and just gave us a little warning about the music. Unfortunately they should up a second time just before 12 and pretty much kicked everyone out. So we had to move the party to bar a little earlier then expected but it all was good. We danced the night away and it was another birthday to remember!!

Two weeks later it was visa-run time again. Due to a little procrastination and lack of funds Michael and I decided to take a train adventure through Bulgaria and Romania. We departed Friday night form Istanbul and arrived in Bucharest, Romania 20 hours later. The ride there was actually pretty enjoyable we had our own private sleeper carriage and pretty much spent the whole time chillin’ out watching movies and reading, while watching the countryside pass by.

When we arrived in Bucharest we easily found a cozy hostel not too far from all the main attractions. We ate a huge Bavarian style restaurant that had a dozen beers on tap at a reasonable price. Which was a nice change from the over priced single choice beer of Effes in Turkey. We did a little exploring that night and surprisingly Bucharest was a pretty hopin’ city. Lots of bars and clubs with tons of young people, and even girls! (In Istanbul you’re lucky to find 10 girls in bar full of 60 men).

The next day we set out to find Dracula’s Castle in Transylvania. Instead of going with a private tour guide, I entrusted Michael to “Jason Bourne” our way there. There isn’t so much a bombing tourist industry in Romania and therefore a lack of English. We took another 3-hour train ride to a smaller city in the north expecting to easily catch a bus to the famous Dracula Castle but after a few wrong buses and some unhelpful bus station workers, we found ourselves stranded and running out of daylight. In the end we decided to make the best of it (aka continue drinking beers) and grab some food. We finally aborted our mission and decided to get the next train home, we discovered we had missed the train back to Bucharest and the next one wasn’t for another 7 hours at 2:30 in the morning.

Trying again to make the most of it we grabbed another couple of bottles and started loitering in the station. In the ended we caught a small mini-van back to the city even though we were unable to get a refund for the train tickets, but the van ride was quite enjoyable. There was a very talkative and touchy feely drunk guy next to Michael, who had the same ideas as us for road trip drinking. The whole time the guy was spouting off in Romanian, cheersing us and making the driver pretty angry every time he dropped his liter of beer on the floor. We eventually got back to our hostel after being dropped off in the middle of Bucharest and disoriented.

much broke the whole trip. We were counting that on

The next day and our last day was a mad rush. We had been unable to exchange any Turkish lira all weekend; leaving us pretty

Monday morning we could find a bank that would exchange our money, but no such luck. I spent an hour doing a crash course in all the tourist sights, snapping as many pictures as possible while Michael sorted out our train tickets home. Before we knew it we were running through the train station trying to catch the only train to Istanbul.

The journey home was anything but enjoyable we had skipped breakfast and spent our last dollars buying some snacks for the ride home. So for 12 hour journey through Romania we had a bag of chips, some juice and a chocolate bar. Still not sure why on an international train ride they wouldn’t have a proper food cart but when we finally got to Bulgaria around midnight we found a western restaurant that we were able to gorge out at for less then $8 each. The next 11 hours were even less enjoyable, our train was 2 hours late arriving and there was no sleeper carriage or heating. We were miserable trying to get comfortable in our single seats and use our extra clothes as blankets.

After the crossing the border into Turkey at 5 am, going through customs and sorting out our visa’s we were allowed back on the train which finally arrive in Istanbul at 11am! So all and all it was quite an adventure. From the little time I spent in Bucharest it was an interesting place with a lot of history. The trip was filled with a few almost missed or wrong trains, some money issues, another two stamps in my passport and getting another opportunity explore an unknown culture.

Back to life in Istanbul, I think my honeymoon phase might be over. It’s been six months of experiencing a rich culture and making lots of new friends but I am feeling like the time has come. I missed my sister’s 30th and my nieces 4th birthday this month and any day now I will be missing the birth of my 3rd niece. It’s these moments when you wish you could be in two places at once. Class loads are fading out as summer slowly approaches. I have had most my students for over 5 month, although it has been extremely rewarding watching their English skills exponentially improve, there is something stronger calling me home. I am not sure what the future holds for me at home, I am sure it will be a dose of reality and without a doubt some good times with old friends. So for now I am counting the days till summer!

Going Dutch

2011-01-25T11:37:00.004+02:00

Since I am technically an illegal alien in Turkey I am forced to leave the country every 90 days, but I like to think of it as free holiday. I looked up flights to Berlin, Spain and London but the cheapest ones were to Amsterdam, so why not.
This was my second trip to Amsterdam, but the first was somewhat of a blur. It was 2006 and I went to Amsterdam with my study abroad program after spending a few nights in Paris. So the whole idea of international travel was well beyond my head, plus I wasn’t even the legal drinking age in America so I had yet to develop the matured taste for beer.
I had originally planned to take the trip alone but at the last moment Michael worked some magic and arranged to escort me all the way to Amsterdam. We arrived in Holland late on Saturday evening; we had a small layover in Munich, just enough time for a proper German beer, pretzel and my favorite Ritter Sport chocolate. On Sunday the weather was surprising crisp and not too cold. I was fearing the worst, I thought I might be trekking through a foot of snow and trying to keep myself from hyperventilating but the weather was only slightly colder then Istanbul. We spent the day wondering the streets, taking pictures and just enjoying the peace and quiet. Amsterdam was a nice getaway from the chaos and noise of Istanbul. You don’t realize how much noise 18 million people make, especially when they all seem to be taxi drivers who love blaring their horns.

Amsterdam is so cute, all the precious Dutch people strolling around on their bikes; you can just feel how they are living the privileged life in the top percentile of the world. The streets are spotless, there are barely any cars and the people are extremely friendly. The food was not to bad either, of course we had plenty of French fries with mayo and ketchup, I had some delicious crepes and no trip to Holland in complete without a few Heinekens. I even had a chance to meet up with one of Sophie’s friends that lives in Berlin. It continues to amaze me as I travel to all the corners of the world that I am never far from friends. It truly is a small world and I am fortune to experience just some of its many wonders

The next few days where pretty mellow, the weather was grey and Amsterdam is not as crazy as most people like to assume. Dutch people are pretty reserved; the only rowdy people are the handful of drunk English blokes wondering the streets. Even the red light district is clean and safe; I mean for heaven sakes there are swans swimming in the canal just outside the windows with half naked prostitutes dancing in them. This imagine kind of sums up Amsterdam.
.

The Holidays

2011-01-10T17:34:00.006+02:00

A second year away from home during the holidays and sad to say but its gets a little easier each time. The holiday season really was a blur, I guess especially in a Muslim country. We had a cheesy Christmas party at work, in which I received my awesome Tarkin binder. Christmas was pretty unusual this year but nonetheless a great day spent with close friends. I made a special Turkish breakfast and we spent the day singing bad Christmas songs and drinking Baileys. That night we had a nice Raki dinner with friends. Besides the missing visit from Santa or a stocking full of goodies, Christmas was still a holiday.

Zane arrived in Turkey last Thursday and as always it so great to have a friend from home visit. You can relax a little bit more and reminisce about the good old days. Hard to believe we have been friends for almost 10 years and had the opportunity to visit each other around the world. It has also been very interesting listening to Zane talk about his experience in Kabul, Afghanistan and even a little eye opening for a bleeding liberal such as myself. We spent the majority of his visit hopping from bar to tourist attraction, foreign food restaurants and then back to cocktails. I finally had a chance to eat some Mexican food and some yummy sushi.

The other great thing about having a visitor is having an excuse to do all the tourist things you should done already. We went inside the Sophie Mosque, which is being renovated to reveal all the Catholic paintings that were covered up. We also went to the Grand Bazaar, which was truly grand, over 4, 000 shops!

New years were pretty awesome this year. Erhan and his friends decided to avoid the whole club scene by throwing their own party. We rang the New Year in style and I even had a special kiss this year ☺

No better time then the first of the year to reflect on the last 12 months, and oh what a journey it has been! 2010 started off right, on the island of Boracay in the Philippines on one of the best vacations of my life. I truly feel in love with the country and I am already making plans to return for NYE 2012. I ended my year abroad in Seoul, saying goodbye to some great friends and an overall life changing experience. Next up was a 4 weeks tour of Thailand and Cambodia with the two greatest friends a girl could ask for. Once again Thailand didn’t disappoint and it was nice to return to my home on Ko Chang! After that I got a chance to visit Sydney, Australia a dream come true and a wonderful transition back into Western culture.
My return to America in April was just in time for my birthday and Coachella. My summer in Cali was unreal and better than I could ever had imagined. It was an honor to be there to walk down the aisle and share with Sarah her magical wedding. Meeting my raver family, starting weekly family dinners and Sunday fundays in San Diego are defiantly the highlights of the year.
Sharing a bed, a house and new experiences with Brittany really showed me what the word friendship means. She was my rock, my energy, my inspiration and my best partner in crime. The end of the summer brought some tough times and a growing phase that sparked my need for adventure and lead me to Turkey. Since the moment I landed at the Istanbul airport I have been overwhelmed by the hospitality and the quality of friends I have met here. I am excited to start the New Year in Turkey and to continue building and enjoying my life in middle earth.

Tarkan

2010-12-16T14:29:00.002+02:00

You know I've been dying to share some Turkish pop without, so here it is Tarkan (the Justin Timberlake of Turkey)

Raki .. yes please !

2010-12-16T13:38:00.004+02:00

Life in Turkey is finally settling down. I moved into my new flat last week, we have had no hot water, no heat, no stove, no refrigerator or any furniture for the first week, but we did manage to have a little house warming party!! The party was not up to my usual standards, but of course a goodtime. It was great to see my new house filled with all the new friends I have made in the last 6 weeks.

My besties !!

The flat is super cute, like a dollhouse or a house for midgets. The place is unfurnished, which is why it’s so cheap but also why we are living with the bare essential. I did get over to Ikea this week and purchased myself a big girl bed. Sad to say, but this is the first time I have had my own bed and own room in almost a year. I think that means I am a grown up.

The flat is defiantly still a work in progress. No kitchen really or tables or any sofas but the location is perfect. A great neighborhood close to all our friends and just a 15-minute walk to my work (uphill). Work is at full speed. I am up to almost 40 hours of teaching, which means a lot more time lesson planning and way less time sleeping. But I an actually still enjoy going to work 6 days a week and my students are really cool.

I wish I had more to report about Istanbul besides the fact that winter has finally arrived. We had a little snowstorm last weekend and the temperature most days has been around 10 degrees Celsius and I have no winter coat!

Last week, I did get to experience a traditional Turkish “Raki” night. Raki is the liquor of Turkey; it is really indescribable but similar to the Greek liquor Orzo or Sambuca. There is only one proper way to drink Raki, and that is over a long period of time in a big group and served with many different kinds of Meza or fish. Meza’s are the small dishes of cold appetizers such as cheese, potatoes, salad and a bunch of other things I don’t know the names of you eat before your meal. You mix the Raki with a small amount of water that turns the liquor a milky color. The affects of Raki are a little different then your typical alcohol. It’s not so much of a drunk feeling but I mellow, funny and chatty induced behavior. Overall an enjoyable night and another chance to add to my list of local drinks.

I have had a fresh Guinness in Ireland (with some Jameson).
I have drank Sake in Japan.
Way too much Soju in Korea.
Buckets of SangSom in Thailand.
A schooner in Australia.
Wine in Italy and France.
A proper Cider in a London pub
Tequila in Mexico, I just don’t remember it
A beer with Germans at Oktoberfest and some Jagermiester too!
And now Raki in Turkey

My new flat

2010-11-28T15:29:00.005+02:00

Here is a little preview of my new flat and my new bestie Sophie ! You cant really tell but we have a great balcony with a pretty sweet view of the sea. We are planning to decorate our little dollhouse in boheiman chic/ happy hippy hut.

Kismet "Fate"

2010-11-25T03:10:00.009+02:00

Really? I have been here a month! The time has seriously flown by, but I feel very adjusted to my life here (besides the fact that I am still homeless). Work is going quite well. I have decided to just work at one school and I have about 25 hours a week so far. I work weekend mornings and weekdays from about 2pm till 10pm, with Tuesday as my day off. Not your typical 9 to 5 but I think it keeps work from getting so monotonous and I am almost nocturnal now. Which is great in a city like Istanbul where everything is open late and you can get anything from beer to Chinese food delivered to house 24-7.

After 2 weeks at Ali’s house, he has passed me

along to his friend Erhan. I meet Erhan a few weeks ago at his birthday party and right away I knew this was a good guy to know in Istanbul. Erhan has graciously opened his home up to me, I am sure when he agreed to let me stay there he had no idea I would be there for the next 3 weeks. Erhan’s house is just a 20-minute walk to my work and his home is always lively and full of friends.

I feel very fortunate to already have a large group of Turkish

friends. They include artists, models, photographers, designers, students, teachers and musicians, all very creative, intelligent and easy going. I spend my days drinking Turkish tea and coffee in the cafes and visiting friends at work and stopping by people’s homes for a chat. My biggest fear before coming here was being alone, and I think I have probably only spent 3 hours by myself since I arrived. I am always reassured that “I have met the best people in Turkey.” I am also sure that one of these days all that Turkish I hear will sink in and I will be fluent I no time.

Last week was Bayram, the Muslim holiday to celebrate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son to God, good thing God intervened and told him to sacrifice a ram instead. So, each year Muslims recreate this act by sacrificing a lamb, cow sheep or goat. The meat is divided and given to relatives, friends and neighbors and the needy. Being a vegetarian, I was quite nervous about this sacrificing holiday, especially when I heard the city smells of blood for the whole week and there will be carnage everywhere. I have been lucky to avoid all scenes of massacre so far and any smells of blood.

Due to Bayram, all schools are off for the week. Which would have been great if A. I had money and B. I was ready for a vacation. But Erhan was kind enough to invite me to his hometown, Izmit (just an hour outside Istanbul). I feel so lucky to be “going home for the holidays.” Izmit is a small suburb right on the sea, quiet and suburban. The holiday felt very familiar, lots of food, family, deserts and little kids in their Sunday best.

The rest of my holiday was mellow and uneventful. I did find some time to get a new tattoo. I have been thinking about getting another tattoo for a while, and when your new best friend is a tattoo artist, what better time then the present. I picked an Arabic style font in red ink with the “STARS” and “ALIGN” across my right and left wrist. It’s the title to one of my favorite Kaskade tracks (I am officially obsessed) and it reminds me to trust in fate.

On Sunday I went my first professional basketball game, which was pretty exciting because I got to see Mr. Alan Iverson play. It was only his second game with Besitkas and the fans were going mental. Apparently in Turkey games are so intense only one of the teams fans are allowed to come to the game. The entire time the Besitkas fans were chanting and singing. And the few times I had my friends translate what they were saying, instantly regretted it. Lets just say it was a lot of talk about players mothers and various body parts. At the end of the game the visiting team had to berushed off the court by the riot squad in full gear. That’s pretty much all that is happening. I still love it here, I enjoy the chaos of the city but the kick back style of the Turks and I can’t get over Turkish breakfast!

I made it

2010-10-30T16:49:00.017+03:00

Merhaba!! I made it safely to Turkey even though my flight was pretty horrendous. I had 2 layovers, no in-flight entertainment, hangover and stuck in the way back in the middle seats for each leg of my flight!! I didn't have the normal feelings of excitement and anticipation that you usually get before an international trip, just a headache and the feeling that I was in way over my head.
After a few moments of panic that no one was going to pick me up at the airport, I spotted Ali! He and his two friends came to pick me up and the first thing they did was take me out for a beer. That's when I knew everything was going to be okay.

My new Turkish mates !

I spent the first week running from job interview to job interview. I had like seven appointments and one demo lesson in my first four days in Istanbul. On day five I signed two contracts with two reputable language schools. I will mostly be teaching young Turks and business professionals. I am already working six days a week and building up my hours so hopefully in a few weeks I will be working full-time.

The street I work on and my school.

I have been communing to work from Ali's house. He lives about 30 miles outside the city center in a nice little gated community with his older sister. She is sooo cute and only speaks Turkish and a lot of it!! She will just comes and sits on my bed and chats with me at breakfast and I just smile and nod but I am pretty sure we understand each other like 90% of the time.

It’s been a great experience spending the last two weeks in a Turkish home. I am already addicted to Turkish breakfast: fresh whole wheat breads, tomato spread, jams, an array of cheeses and grapes and of course Turkish tea. It also doesn't hurt that Ali and his friends love to talk about San Diego, which makes me feel right at home. Ali has been so gracious and really shown me why Turkish people are famous for their hospitality. We have become fast friends and he has really saved my ass in Turkey. I am scared when I move out that I wont eat (I hate knowing the local language at restaurants) or know how to get anywhere or know who recharge my phone or talk to anyone. I feel like a baby bird leaving the safety of the nest but I am stoked for my own flat!

Some of my first observations about Istanbul:

The traffic is pretty much the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen. My 40 km commute to work can take anywhere from 45 minutes to over two hours. The streets look a lot Bangkok minus the motorbikes and New York City minus cars staying in designated lanes plus pedestrians running in and out of traffic. We sometimes sit in gridlock traffic for hours barely moving when it's not even rush hour. I hoping to not really have to deal with when I move and I can walk to work.

One of my favorites things about Istanbul is seeing the turrets from all the Mosques scattered every few blocks through out the city. I also really like hearing the Adhan, the call for pray, five times a day from the Mosques. It always makes me stop for a minute and be grateful.
Its surprises me every time I travel to a new country how much you can learn. My first day here I thought my brain might implode from learning so much in one day. I hadn't really prepared myself mentally for this and It all became very real when I arrived. I hadn't really spent much time thinking about the language barrier or how I would learn Turkish but within the first hours I remembered all to well the feeling of listening to people talk for hours and not having a clue what's going. I also realized how much I talk in America and maybe almost dominate most conversations. Now that I can't share my every thought I have a lot of time to think, even when I am surrounded by a group of people. It's nice to have so much time to think, but sometimes I feel like I am constantly making mental notes. I hope this forces me to actually try and learn Turkish. I can at least read the letters but I defiantly have a lot of work to do on my pronunciation.

I recently read a quote that summed up my thoughts exactly;

"Once I leave the US, I am not bound by the rules of my culture. And when I am a foreigner in another country, I am exempt from the local rules. This extraordinary situation means that there are no rules in my life. I am free to live by the standards and ideals and rules I create for myself." - Rita Golden Gelman

Thai Love

2010-10-22T00:28:00.005+03:00

Once again .. I was asked (or bet yet pleaded) to make a little montage of our last trip to Thailand and Cambodia in February 2010. It was an awesome a trip and I actually did stuff this time in Thailand!

Oz

2010-10-22T00:24:00.004+03:00

Here is a video a made a few months back for my little sweetheart Eunyoung. I travelled to Sydney, Australia for 3 weeks in March 2010 and oh what a journey it was !

The next chapter

2010-10-16T03:57:00.006+03:00

So after 6 months back in America, I got the travel itch. I started looking for jobs all over the world: Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Egypt, Argentina and everywhere in between. And then one day I decided Turkey ! And ever since then I have been asked why Turkey?
My answer is really long actually ... First I didnt want to go to Asia again so that rules out China, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Then I was thinking Southeast Asia but i have already been to Thailand so many times .. then I was thinking about South America but most of the work there is volunteer and you need some money saved up before you go. Work as an English teacher in Europe is usually reserved for EU citizens. The Middle East was another option, the pay is good but the Women's quality sucks. So that leaves me with MIDDLE EARTH or more precisely Turkey.

Istanbul is literally both in Asia and in Europe. Istanbul has a population of 12.8 million people. Turkey is 99% muslim but the most secular of any majority Islam country. Isanbul is also home to one of the world oldest bazzar. The nightlife is suppose to be insane and the mediterranean food phenomenal.
I began searching for work in istanbul about a month ago. I was offered a job at a language school (which prompted me to buy my plane ticket to Istanbul) but after some investigating I learned about the schools bad reputation. I decide to decline the job but continue on my mission to Istanbul. For the past two weeks I have been sending my resume to English schools and Au Pair agencies all over Istanbul. I have had several skype interviews and I even have some lined up for next week. So I am hopeful that with some charm and hard work I can land a job right away.
By some chance luck, a friend of a friend living in Istanbul has offered to pick me up form the airport and let me stay with him until I am settled in. Sweeeett!!!
So what is boils down to is, I packed up my life in San Diego, left the love of my life (Brittany), bought a ticket across the world in hopes of finding a job, finding a new place to live, making new friends and surviving on the $400.00 in my bank account. I can only guess which countries I will visit and the new experiences I will gain. Stayed tuned for new posts and let the new adventure begin!!!

the ROK

2010-02-09T05:07:00.002+02:00

Here is a video I made to summarize my year in the Republic of Korea.
I like to think of it as a present to all my firends who made this year what is was and I really like making these videos!!

This is the END

2010-02-09T04:47:00.003+02:00

Thought I take a moment to reflect on my time and thoughts about Korea, which can be best expressed in list format

Things I am going to miss

-Men wearing heeled shoes and man purses, with tighter jeans and better haircuts then me, who aren't even gay!
-The subway! Not once this whole year have I ever wished I had a car, remind me why California hasn't caught on to this idea?
-Cheap taxis, not tipping and no taxes
-No crime. I can leave my purse in any bar and be confident no one will take it. I can lose my phone and assume I will get in back in a few days.
-Not paying rent and having a salary
-The best TOFU in the world
-Bars never closing and the fact that is completely acceptable to pass out anywhere (for examples please refer here www.blackoutkorea.blogspot.com )
-My students and Lacy <3

Things I won’t miss

-The smell of kimchi and soju on the subway
-Being forced to eat Korean lunch at school everyday
-Getting pushed by everyone all the time
-Not being able to read anything or understand any thing in Korean
-Any food that contains rice or black bean that is trying to be passed off as a sweet, candy or dessert.
-Living in a concrete jungle

Reasons I know I have been in Asia a little too long

-I have mad chopstick skills
-When I run into someone the thought of saying excuse me doesn't even cross my mind
-I have forgot what tipping is
-When I see a white person I find myself staring at them and thinking they are weird and wondering what they are doing here
-I bow to everyone in every situation has become an uncontrollable reflex
-It is a compulsion to put up a peace sign in every picture

Greatest moments this year (stole this idea from Brittany)

-My first trip to Thailand, where I meet my Brummie mates and my counter parts Brittany and Lacy. Thailand changed my life redefining my views on gender roles and sexuality and showing me the simpler side of life.

-Becoming an Elementary school teacher. I found a career I could really be happy doing for a long time. A job that I strive to do better at everyday, that is truly fulfilling and makes me proud to say what I do.

-Going to Beijing with my mom. Not only was standing in Tienanmen square or on the Great Wall the coolest things I have ever done but I got to go to Olympic Swim cube, awesome!

-Discovering my happy place. Sitting in a hammock on my bungalow porch in Ko Phangan overlooking two beaches discussing the meaning of life with two people who make me a better person, Andrew and Brittany.

-Taking my 3rd students swimming and getting totally destroyed in almost every race.

-Going bungee jumping. Taking that step off the edge was single scariest action I have ever taken and screamed the whole way down but I did it!

-Overall, being fortunate enough to have the means and opportunity to travel. I honestly believe you can’t really understand who you are or where you come from until you experience someone else’s way of life. Traveling gives you the freedom to be your true self. The continuous experience of meeting new people from all over the world is a consent reminder to yourself of who you are. I more content and confident then I have ever been in my life. I feel empowered and capable of things I never imagined. I no longer am concerned with keeping to some fictional life track defined by my age. My goals are more focused on the present, being true to myself and being happy.

January and beyond

2010-02-05T14:21:00.001+02:00

January was pretty uneventful. I had English Winter camp everyday, but only from 2 to 4. The rest of the time I stayed hoarded in my apartment scheming up plans for the future. After about 100 different ideas, a few calls arranging and cancelling plane tickets, some budgeting and long conversations with Brittany and Lacy I think I have finally settled on a tentative plan for the next 6 months of my life. Here it is goes…

First finish up my contract in Korea. February 11 will be my last day of work after that Lacy and I are headed to Thailand. Yeah I know my third trip this year, but I really freaking love this place. We are going down to the southern islands and kicking on the beach for two weeks.
Then around March 1st Brittany and my friend Willie are meeting me in Bangkok. From there we are going river tubing in Laos then making our way to the famous Ankor Wat temple in Cambodia. Hopefully there will be enough time for a stop off to our favorite island in Thailand, Ko Chang before we fly back to Korea on March 9th.
I am going to use my free flight from Seoul (included in my teaching contract) to fly to Sydney, Australia. I came up with this last minute tip to OZ after Brittany’s and mine original plan to explore Vietnam crumbled. So , now I going to spend about 18 days down under visiting my friend Eunyoung. I am super excited to go to Australia, it has always been on the top of my list of places to visit. I hope I don’t waste all my money there before I came back to the states. It's a little bit more pricey there then Southeast Asia and I going to have to remember to tip.
Speaking of being back in America, exciting news: Brittany has decided to move with me to San Diego. We are going to find jobs as nannies and swim coaches for the summer until we come up with the plan for our next adventure. We are so sad that our other third Lacy won’t be with us, she will be staying a little longer in Korea and hopefully joining us at the end of the summer. Wherever in the world that may be:)
So I’ve got 7 more weeks before I touch down in California. I am slightly nervous, I will have spent 14 months in the East and I am expecting some intense culture shock. I am glad Brittany will be there to share my pain and I am sure spending time babysitting my nieces will make the transition that much easier.
Well I think I did a good job updating. I don’t think I did so well on the short part.

Boracay Baby

2010-02-05T06:23:00.005+02:00

On Christmas day the ladies and I packed up our bags and headed to the Philippines for a two week holiday! We caught a late night flight into Manila airport, we had a 6 hour layover (which turned into 12 hours because the closed the airport we were suppose to fly into) before we caught our domestic flight into Kalibo. Once we reached Kalibo we had to take an hour ride in a overcrowded van to the port, then a short ferry ride to the small island of Boracay,(aka Paradise). Why do the most beautiful beaches always take the longest to get to?
Out of all the tropical beaches I have been to this year, I think Boracay might rank first. The white sand and clear waters went on for as far as you could see. We spent most of our days lounging on the beach, sailing around the island, meeting the locals, drinking fresh mango shakes and watching the sunset. And when the sun went down we were up to our usual nightlife antics, especially with the local San Miguel beers costing about a dollar each.I know, I know, hard life for a paid vacation.

Before we knew it, it was News Year Eve and the island was in the midst of high tourist season. We rang in the New Year at a “white party” on the beach with some crazy Aussies and fun Swedish boys. I couldn't’t imagine a better place to start 2010, a beautiful beach with my two besties. I think this year is gonna be a good one!
Our original plan was to leave Boracay after we had fully recovered from our New Years hangovers and check out some of the other island in the Philippines but it’s just so hard to get on that ferry. We ended up making good friends with the managers of our hotel and some of the local bars and we were having so much fun we couldn’t imagine leaving. So our 7 days stay turned into 12 days, we didn’t get a chance to see any of the other island but I think we made the most of our trip. Sure we could have traveled more but aren't the relationships you make more important then the sights you see? My trip can best be summed up in this video I made. I know it's long but there are some great landscape shots and I promise I wasn't drinking as much as it appears.

One of the best days on the island was when our friend Sadrock took us sailing to his home on the mainland. He brought us to a friends house where they were celebrating some Saints day (the Philippines is overwhelming Catholic), they gave us lunch and invited us to their BBQ. It was rare opportunity to be welcomed into the village’s celebration and share some beers with the locals.

But by far my favorite memory from the trip was scuba diving. We had a few hours training before we were dropped in the middle of the ocean for a 40 minute dive. In the beginning it was a little scary and totally unnatural to be breathing underwater but after you get over the mental block it’s amazing! We were swimming through spectacular coral reefs filled with exotic neon fish. I seriously felt like I was swimming in the movie Finding Nemo and all the characters were there. I didn’t even know colors that bright existed in nature. The Philippine's crystal clear water and thriving ecosystem makes it home to some of the best dive sites in the world. I can’t wait to get certified and dive again.

Our last night in Boracay, Brittany and I had serious ambitions for getting permanent jobs on the island. I was in training as a DJ and Brittany had her first shift behind the bar. We plan on brushing up on our skills and applying for jobs on our next visit.

I really feel in love with Boracay. Not only was it a beautiful place but the people are what made our trip. The Filipino people have to be some of the kindest and most hospitable people, not to mention there English is practically fluent. It was so refreshing to be in such a friendly and open culture, which made coming back to Korea that much more difficult.
When the day finally came to broad the ferry to the mainland and endure the flight the Manila, we were all but happy. We spent a night in Manila trying to readjust back to the city life but nothing can quite prepare for the shock of reality.
I was still in my shorts and sandals when we landed in Seoul, where temperatures were below freezing and a couple feet of snow had piled up on the ground. Coming back to Korea was more then depressing then I feared. Getting cut in front of, elbowed and knocked out the way, all before I made my way back to my apartment really made starting count the days till the end.

Way back in December

2010-02-05T06:14:00.003+02:00

I am going to try to sum up the last 2.5 months as quickly and accurately as possible, in parts or more. It might be hard to capture all the moments but better now then never at all. I realize this blog will someday act as fairly accurate account of my year abroad and since I don’t keep a dairy this will be the next best thing.So let’s begin in December.

First it got cold, then it got colder, then it got freezing, then is snowed and snowed some more. When the novelty of my first winter worn off, I finally realized what my New England friend, Brittany was warning me about. Not wanting to ever leave the house, sleeping all day, craving the warm food and the biggest shock to me was how much of a homebody I became. I actually found myself staying home on weekend nights, shocking!

School broke for vacation on the 22nd but before I was free, I had to go on a 2 day teachers retreat. I was not looking forward to 48 awkward hours with my 70 Korean coworkers not speaking to me, eating Korean food for 6 meals straight and me not understanding anything that was going on. For the most part my all fears came true and then some. I spent 12 hours riding on bus with a hacking cough on the verge of a breakdown. Not the ideal situation right before Chirstmas to be overloaded with Korean culture when you are missing the holidays at home with your family and friends. On the plus side I did win some money from the Principal for my awesome dance and noreabong (karaoke) skills at our teachers talent show. Althought, I credit my looming vacation in paradise to my survial of this trip.

Mo'vember

2009-12-01T17:05:00.016+02:00

Can’t say there is a good reason for my hiatus on blogging, guess my life no longer feels as adventurous and odd as it once did. After 10 months I am feeling pretty comfortable in my day to day and I have made the final decision to not re-sign my teaching contract. Not that I don’t love Seoul and I think it would be impossible to find better friends than the ones I’ve made here. But my little nieces aren’t staying babies and I’ve got a wedding to take part in this summer. Although, I am not quite ready to give up my travels just yet so hopefully I will only be back in the states for about 6 months before I head down to South America or maybe Thailand.
Instead of talking about the pending future I think it might be necessary to recap the last two months.
First there was Halloween. That week at school I had prepared a special Halloween lesson. I taught my students a little bit about the history and traditions and I mistakenly promised them candy. They just had to find me on Friday and say “trick or treat.” This ended up being a very ambitious promise seeing how I have almost 600 students, who easily cornered me in my classroom turning my “trick or treat” activity into complete mayhem. Needless to say they didn’t quite understand the one piece of candy each rule.
I decided this year to dress up as Minnie Mouse, seeing how there were only a handful of costumes at E-mart to choose from. The girls on the other hand got a little more creative and made very cute shark costumes. The festivities in Seoul were pretty good for a country that doesn’t actually celebrate the holiday.
After Halloween was my mom’s arrival, which I was really looking forward to not only was I going to show my mom my life here but also, I was getting a whole suitcase of Trader Joe’s goodies. My mom brought more chocolate, sweets and candy then I knew what do with.

I took my mom to all the standard Seoul sights. The palaces, the museums, the tower and of course the foreigners bars. She had a great time meeting all my friends, having a few beers, playing darts and sharing some embarrassing stories.
During the week my mom came to school everyday to get a taste of my daily Korean lunch. All the teachers were so excited to meet her and the vice principal couldn’t stop taking pictures of us. My mom made such a good impression on my principal during their teatime visit, that he let me leave school early everyday. I was so overwhelmed by schools respect for family and the kind words they offered my mom about my performance.
That weekend my mom and I got a little adventurous and took a trip to Beijing. It’s just a short 2-hour plane ride away but a world away from the modern comforts of Korea. Not wanting to shock my mom with my whimsical and budget travel techniques, I agreed to get a tour guide. Probably one of the best decisions ever, with only three days in the thousand-year-old city of Beijing we needed an experts help to cover all that ground.
As soon as we stepped off the plane our tour guide “Tommy” was there to greet us. He was a young slender and pretty much all around cheerful Chinese guy who spoke really good English. We also had our own personal driver for the weekend, Mr. Boa. He was very professional and even drives some heads of states around when he's not toting tourist all over Beijing.
On our first day Tommy took us to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and to the top of a park that overlooked both places. Unfortunately the weather was about -5 degrees Celsius all day but we did a fair amount of walking so we didn’t really get a chance to cool down much.

After lunch we took a rickshaw ride through the Hutong streets of Beijing. They are the traditional small alleys ways and housing that surround the ancient capital. We even had a chance to sit down and speak with an interesting local Chinese woman who shared some life stories with us. After our muddy rickshaw ride Tommy took us to the home of the 2008 summer Olympics. I got to see the famous bird’s nest of the opening ceremony and the ice cube where Michael Phelps won his seven gold medals. Guess we were about a year shy of all the real action.
Day two we had another full day. We took a two-hour drive outside of Beijing to the Great Wall. To reach the top of the wall we took cable cars up and then hiked along the wall for a few hours. The great wall was really breath taking and it was great Tommy was there to give us lots of history and knowledge about the wall. The best part was taking the single rider toboggans down the hill. I was a little less adventurous then my mom who came speeding down the hill almost catching my tail on the way down.

Next up we went to a Chinese fish restaurant, where you can actually catch your lunch. I don’t how but I managed to catch my very own trout in 5 minutes. Apparently I was the only guest Tommy had even seen catch one. But as soon as I pulled the fish out the water and saw him gasping for air and flopping around I wanted to throw back in. It was a little too late for that and he did make for a tasty lunch.
After lunch we drove out to the Summer Palace. An extensive piece of real estate, complete with lake and marble boat, where the Emperor and Empress use to spend their summer days.

My favorite part of Beijing had to have been the Silk Street market Tommy turned us on to. Not only did I get to exercise my professional bargaining skills, I got to school my mom a little bit too. My poor mom is just too kind and too friendly for the haggling markets, I swear every time I turned around she was being hustled into making an outrageously overpriced purchase. But in the end our good cop bad cop routine got us some pretty sweet deals on some black markets goods. We did so well I am even considering taking orders from overseas to fund my next trip.
In the end we had a great time in Beijing and our tour guide made for an extremely easy and carefree trip. I am glad my mom got to experience and compare the two Asian countries. Beijing was an amazing city with history so old it’s hard for our young American country to really grasp.
I felt so grateful to have my mom come all this way to spend time with me. It will really make my last three months here that much easier. I know I was the envy of all my friends who were eating my mom up. It’s only going to get harder as the holidays start approaching and the long absences from our families start to sink in.
Speaking of holidays, Thanksgiving this year was fairly traditional. Well, by traditional I mean I worked all day and celebrated with a buffet style Turkey dinner at a South African Sports bar with only 5 other Americans. The real celebration was on Friday night at a friend’s house in my neighborhood. Thanks to my mom’s care package I was able to make the stuffing and the classic green bean casserole complete with fried onions. Our dinner had all the fixin’s except the pumpkin pie and my tofurkey but still delicious and filling. So, really this year I got two days of Thanksgiving dinner, what’s not to be thankful for?

And speaking of gratitude, I recently had a humble experience. The girls and I signed up to do a temple stay in the countryside of Korea two weeks ago. We had a pleasant time drinking tea with the monks, doing a silent meditation walk in the forest, making prayer beads and lotus lanterns, waking up at 3am to chant and do 108 bows. Wish I had some pictures to share but to me it never really felt appropriate to snap shots when trying to achieve enlightenment. I just wished my fellow temple stayers had felt the same way, instead the peaceful retreat was more like the paparazzi at the red carpet. Either way its has been nice to get away from the crazy nightlife scene of Seoul for the past few weeks but I think that means trouble is a brewing.

Konichiwa Japanland

2009-10-18T10:50:00.007+03:00

Ok so I am about two weeks behind on keeping up with things. For Chesok (Korean Thanksgiving) we went on a little trip overseas. I signed up for a biking trip to the Japanese island Tsushima for three days. I guess I didn’t read the small print but I figured biking meant a leisurely stroll around the island. Well, I guessed wrong.
I should start with the beginning of our trip. After work on Thursday we meet up our group and took an overnight bus to the southern city of Busan, from there we hoped a two hour ferry to the Tsushima. This is where my reality came crashing down, not only would I be biking for the next 6 hours after awkwardly sleeping on a bus I would be carrying all of my belongs (a thirty pound backpack). After hours of rolling hills, reminders of how out shape I might be and some help of a friend who spoke Japanese we made our campground just before sunset.

That night we enjoyed fresh sushi from the supermarket and delicious Japanese beer around the campfire. I was so sore from that day’s excursion I could barely sit down and I was not looking forward to another full day of bike riding but I did get to take our rental car for a little joy ride. I don't know what was weirder that fact that I was driving which I haven't done in 10 months or that I was on the left hand side.
After some moaning and groaning we convinced our group leader to carry our bags in the car to our next destinations. This made the 8-hour day of biking through the rural island with the occasional stop for water and ice cream, way more bearable. As we climbed the last hill to our motel destination the full moon hung low in sky against a breath taking view, almost making the journey worth it. I was so exhausted I think I went to bed at 9pm on Saturday!! But not before prancing around in our complimentary kimonos and sipping on the best green tea ever.

The next morning we woke up early to watch the sunrise over the water and then enjoyed the rest of the day relaxing at a near by beach. I was trying to even out the horrible tan lines I had acquired from riding in the sun all weekend. When the trip was all said and done we had biked over 75km in two days!

That evening we took the ferry back to Busan but the girls and I decided we didn’t want to end our fun. We got the name of a cheap motel and a fun area to go out and extending our vacation for one more day. Probably one of the best decisions ever. Our cheap little love motel room had a gorgeous view of the Busan Bridge, apparently how the city got the name “San Francisco of Korea”. I could see some of similarities. The people were a little more kick back and casual then the fast paced sophisticated Seoulites.

We ended up having one of the best nights ever. We meet some crazy English boys (surprise surprise) and a generous Korean named Kevin who took us to a private Norebong (Korean karaoke). It’s a miracle I have lasted this long not ever going to one, it was only a matter of time. Kevin really pulled out all the stops buying us bottles of wine, beer, cheese and fruit plates.
I have to say Norebongs are a ton fun banging on tambourines and friends singing out of tune, what not to love? Not that I actually sang a single note but I would definitely go again just for the joy of watching everyone else embarrass themselves.

The next day, we spent the day on the beautiful sandy beach soaking up the last rays of sunshine. I am still in complete denial about this real winter thing with freezing temperatures and snow that is approaching shortly.
Final verdict: Busan was awesome. I feel guilty it took me so long to get down, even made me question why I hadn’t considered living there before. Japan was even cooler. The people were extremely friendly and I felt I learned more Japanese in two days then I have learned Korean. But biggest discovery Japan beer is yummy and way better then Korean!! Next I got to get over to Tokyo better it is even better.

Chug Chug....

2009-10-06T15:55:00.005+03:00

Things are just chugging along here. Not much is new so updating seems a little mundane. It's actually quite frightening how much I have adjusted to my life in Korea.
Last week we celebrated Brittany's birthday in true Korean androgyny style. Everyone showed up, almost half of our friends we meet in Thailand we there! We had a blast kickin it in the park for 6 hours before making it to our favorite messy western bars where we stayed till morning.
The week before that we had another killer weekend at Global Gathering, an international festival that brought in some world-class bands and DJ's. Not to mention, two of my favorite Korean pop groups also made an appearance. Which always makes me feel like a ten year old teeny bop at a an NSYNC concert
In other recent news I was selected as one of the Native English teachers to teach other Korean teachers from my school district. It means 6 hours more a week of teaching and working till 7 most nights. But it’s a great way to get some more Adult ESL teaching experience and the pay is pretty sweet too!
After almost 8 months away from home, I feel like I have lost touch with what all the cool kids are doing. I have totally forgotten that is not normal for men to carry a purse have way more stylish haircuts or wear tighter pants then me or that staying out till 7am is crazy! I can't even remember what is like to go the grocery store and be able to read all the labels, or have a conversation with a cab drive or let alone understand what anyone is saying anywhere! I have come accustom to the daily challenges of living in Korea, which has in no way encouraged me to learn Korean. Still really sad I only know 7 words, oh well.
The time is almost approaching where I will need to make the fatal decision to resign my contract for another year or pack my bags. My head has been spinning in circles, if feels like the hell of graduating college and not having a clue what to do with your life. My train of thought is going something like this 1. Stay in Korea another year (or 6 months) continue living my amazing life with the greatest friends I could've ever asked for and even save a little bit more money. 2. Go back America, probably just for the summer, visit my family and friends before jetting off to another country (which is a whole another decision) to teach English. 3. Use my free flight home to go to India or Thailand and live as cheap for long as possible...

What is making this so hard? It's relationships! Thank god I don’t have a boyfriend to worry about because parting ways with my buddies here will be hard enough and not seeing my nieces for another 6 months might kill me!! The life of a nomad is not easy but there are so many countries and places to see and my free spirited 20's will only last for so long . . . (approx 6.5 years before society really expects me to be reproducing and such)

Thailand Love

2009-09-26T07:09:00.003+03:00

I learned how to use iMovie and I made this rad video of my latest trip to Thailand. Its a walk through my 16 days in paradise, so sit back and take look!

I love my life ! (Thailand Edition)

2009-09-04T11:03:00.018+03:00

I have a lot updating to do for the last four weeks and so much has happened. Andrew (my completely platonic counterpart from SD) arrived the first week of August. We only had a few days to check out Seoul before your trip abroad. So naturally we put on our matching outfits (it wasn’t entirely on purpose but we fit right in with all the other young twin outfit wearing couples). We took the cable cars up to the top of Seoul Tower on probably one of the most humid days.
Just imagine shoving 20 people into a glass box with no air in direct sunlight for 10 minutes. Seoul Tower is the tallest point in the city and the only way to really grasp the magnitude of 18 million plus people all living together.
I could hardly wait for Friday to arrive. I had pretty much been taking about summer vacation since the first day of school and for even longer then that I had been anticipating my return to Thailand. With our backpacks packed and only 20 minutes till we left for the airport, a representative form the airline called my cell phone to inform me that all their flight for the evening had been cancelled. She tried to politely explain to me that there was a natural disaster in Taipei (where all their flights connected) and there was no way I was getting to Thailand in the next 24 hours. With only one flight serviced to Bangkok my chances for getting a seat on the next flight were looking slim. To make a boring story short I cancelled my flight with the airline called a friend’s Korean travel agent and booked two direct tickets to BKK airport for first thing in the morning for only about $80 bucks more then my original flight. In my moment of stress and self-absorption that my holiday was totally being interrupted I barely even acknowledged the seriousness of the disaster in Taipei. It wasn’t until a few days later that I realized how grave the situation was and regret being uncooperative with the airline. Having just been to Taipei in May I hope they are able to mend and recover quickly.
In the end everything worked out for the better. Once the wheels of the plane touched down in Thailand I wanted to jump out the window. I was so anxious to be there; the food, the people, the smells, the sights and the SangSom! What would I do first? Well there is really only one place on the agenda of a backpacker passing through Bangkok, Kho Saun Road. Without any preparation or explanation I was rushing Andrew and I into the nearest cab straight into Bangkok chaos. I guess I can understand why his first reaction was “Did you really just make me travel half way around the world to visit another Tijuana?” He soon would understand that although Bangkok might not be glamorous it is a place unlike another and can hardly be compared to Mexico.
First on my list of things to do was track down my Brummies mates. I hadn’t seen them in almost six months ago since our course ended. As soon as we were reunited we fell right back into our old banter, or I should better said they starting taking a piss at me with in the first 5 minutes. It was great to catch up with them and learn about how their teaching experience was going in Bangkok.
One can really only spend some much time in BKK before the constant heat and smell of your own sweat gets to you. We spent Sunday checking out the Grand Palace, eating great street food and getting lost walking around. I discovered why you can get some pretty heavy duty sleeping aids over the counter in Thailand. How else could you spend 14 hours on a night train and another 2 on ferry and not even realized it happened? It was the easiest 18 hours of traveling I’ve ever had.

So when we arrived in Ko Toa early Monday afternoon and within 20 minutes of docking the boats we had ran into Andrew’s old roommate and found you a place to stay for the next week, I knew this trip was going to be epic. The boys decided to sign up for an open water dive course, which is the main attraction on Ko Toa. It is fairly inexpensive and one of the best spots to dive.I had to pass up the opportunity because the thought of setting an alarm and following a schedule while on vacation made me cringe. So I got to spend the next 7 days hanging out solo in our beachfront bungalow catching up with the sun.

Ko Toa was a chill island with lots of backpackers who had just come from the crazy full moon party and were now taking it easy. I enjoyed the vibe, meet some nice people and saw some amazing sunsets. Only drawback was losing my camera, which was totally my fault for leaving it with the passed out guy while a group of us went for a late night ocean dip. When I came back from the water my small purse with my camera inside was gone and the cushions had been collected, leading me to believe that someone behind the bar probably nicked it. I didn’t have too many pictures but it was a new camera and my third one this year. Around day 8 on Ko Toa, after Brittany had joined us, we realized it was time to move on a see some more islands. It’s just so hard when your in a place that doesn’t seem like it could get any more beautiful to pack up your bags and spend the day on a ferry.

Once we reached Ko Phangan we were exhausted and could hardly be bothered to wonder around the island looking for the cheapest accommodations. Thank God we didn’t settle for our first stop, a hotel that was charging $60 bucks a night, an absolute outrageous price for anywhere in Thailand. We set our sights on Mellow Mountain not really sure what we were expecting. After a small trek up the mountain, which was only accessible by beach, we had found our paradise. A prefect bungalow tucked away from the heat up in the jungle hills of Ko Phangan for only $10 a night. I thought I was going to cry when he showed use our place, a wraparound porch with a hammock, a king size bed, a fan, bathroom (no hot water or flush toilet) overlooking the entire peninsula including views of sunrise and sunset.

Ko Phangan is notoriously know as the party island, hosting the world famous Full Moon party that can attract 30,000 in peak season. We unfortunately were about 1 week two late or 3 weeks to early till the next big beach bash. So the crowd wasn’t too big during our visit but enough to keep our interest for 5 days. The oddest thing about being on Ko Phangan was how messed up my sense of direction got. It took be a minute to get use the sun rising on the water and the coast being on the opposite side. The sun was so intense in the mornings we could barely stand to lay on the sand or swim in the too hot ocean.
On one day in particular we decided to beat the heat in the tattoo parlor. Brittany and I had been talking about getting traditional Thai bamboo tattoos since our last trip. We had looked at a few shops before and I was starting to have second guesses about the whole thing. Brittany was pretty gun-ho about getting hers and once we got into this shop and starting talking to the guys she was all in. We sat and talked to the artist for a while flipping through the ancient Buddhist protection book, of Sak Yant. Which are sacred geometric shapes that were tattooed to soldiers by Thai Buddhist monks before they went to battle. Only monks can actually read their text. As soon as Om (our tattoo artist) showed me the picture I knew I wanted it. It’s meaning is to bring love to myself those around me, for wellness and peace.

I watched Brittany go first, once the bamboo started hitting her skin I was waiting for her reaction but it never came. I was worried she was in shock but she just said it didn’t hurt and could barely feel it. Hers took a little less then an hour and before I knew it I lying on by side with a needle to my skin. Mine was not as painless as Brittany’s. There were a few spots I thought I might start crying but I held it back and within 40 minutes it was complete. The great thing about bamboo tattoos is there is no bleeding; you can go in the sun and swimming right after. I honestly would never get a tattoo with a gun ever again.
I now have a lasting token of Thailand and how much the country has changed me. It truly is a place that I can’t describe. All I know is when I am there I am so content in the deepest part of my heart. I have nothing more then a backpack and could never imagine having anymore. I do not worry about things, people, places, time or dates. I never had a watch, checked my email once and never really knew what day it was. It just brings you back down to earth and into the present, no future, no past.
I really feel in love with our place and I even made great friends with the magic shake bartender Max. He had some great words of wisdom and was cool enough to invite us to his small birthday party at the bar. I would honestly live up on that mountain for the rest of time, well minus the fact that the beach bars played their music loud enough for space to hear every night from 10pm till 6am in the morning. I mean the beach is pretty much a ghost town until noon and no once even thinks about going out until 11.

When our stay at mellow mountain had to come to an end we signed up to take the overnight ferry to Ko Phi Phi. Again, I can’t stress the importance of sleeping aids when dealing with an 8-hour sleeper boat that was turbulently rocking, a bus ride and another long ferry ride. Making for another 14 hour trip but as soon as we could see where we were headed, we understood why everyone calls this the best places in Thailand.

Ko Phi Phi was breathtaking, a huge beach, clear water as far out as you could swim and rocks protruding out of the water like a small Yosemite. We had planned to take a boat taxi over to see “the Beach” where the movie was filmed but weather and a little bit too much partying got in the way of it this time. I have a feeling I keep leaving out important things to do and see in Thailand because I have to leave something to do when I come back next time (which might be as early as December).
As you are island hopping you meet people from all over the world Ireland, Finland, Israel, Italy and of course the English. They all come for different reasons, holiday from Uni or celebrating release from the military but everyone measures their trip the same way, the day they have to snap back into reality and find their way back to Bangkok to go home.

After Ko Phi Phi it was all the way back up to BKK and almost 48 hours of straight travel but seriously sleep aids are the best. I felt like I floated up the coast. I did some last minute gift shopping and got my hair re-straightened (I am obsessed with magic straight). We were on the red-eye flight back to Seoul so we only had the afternoon is BKK.

Our flight was now getting in about an hour before the first day of class. Fortunately Korea’s government is super paranoid about swine flu and has ordered all teachers that leave the country to self-quarantine for 7 days after reentering. This basically meant I got some real time to recover from my vacation, readjust and show Andrew around the city some more. I guess it wasn’t all paranoia because one of my co-teachers actually caught H1N1. She thinks she got it while vacationing in Thailand but she said it was really no big deal, went to the doctor, felt sick for a few days and has now fully recovered.
During my second little vacation in Seoul I took Andrew to a few palaces and museums, but most importantly I showed him how we party on the weekends here. This also meant we spent a lot of time in recover mode in my small studio apartment that somehow began growing mold while I was away. Who knew your suppose to crack the windows in humid climates so your apartment does turn into a Petri dish.
When Tuesday rolled around it was back to reality. I sent Andrew on his way and I headed back to school. I forgot how much I love living with other people and not being alone so much. It was good to get back into the groove and see all my students again especially when most of them keep pointing to my skin with very concerned looks. Like teacher why are you so dark? I am still trying to work on my explanation, that’s it’s ok I want to be this color. It’s a good thing.

2009-08-04T14:50:00.004+03:00

I did it!! I bungeed off a 52 meter bridge by my ankles (opposed to the less adventures waist option) For this trip Brittany and I tried a different travel group called Adventure Korea. We have had such good luck with these groups. All we do it wire a little chunk of change in exchange for a hassle-free and action packed day. The trips have also been a great way to meet other out going English teachers from all over Korea.
Two charter buses full of foreigners departed the station at 8am. We arrived at our scenic location just two and half-hours after leaving Seoul. First on the agenda was some white water rafting (or more like clam river cruising). Our boat of 9 was lead by a little energetic Korean, who named us “A-team”. I don’t know how he knew the title of Brittany’s and I running joke but I knew it meant today was going to be epic.
The rafting ride was 7km of gentle rapids and lots of Korean chanting. I think I even picked up a few new Korean phrases. The river was lined with a dozen or so beautiful waterfalls and some very interesting rocks that were supposedly formed by volcanic lava.

After our rafting and lunch break we made our way to the bridge of doom. Not wanting to hesitate (or miss my opportunity like last time). I rushed to the font of the bungee line. After signing my initials and jumping on the scale I was on the ledge with straps around my ankles with only 3 people in front of me. I was so nervous to jump I couldn’t bear watching the jumpers in front of me. I was mostly trying to concentrate on which diving technique I would use. Before I knew it, the bungee cord was attached to my legs and I was being given the clear to jump.

As soon as I put my toes on the edge I freaked out. I looked down and thought no way can I just dive off this bridge. I knew it was too late to turn around now and the longer I waited the worst it would get. So I had to did and quick.
I shut my eyes for one second, gave out a yell and dove off the ledge. Taking that step was probably the scariest moment in my life.
Once I opened my eyen I was falling head first towards the water. I actually went so far down my hands touched the water. Then I immediately shot all the way back up, almost to my original jump off spot. At this point I was still screaming at the top of my lungs and was not looking forward to falling straight back down, but I did. This repeated it self about 3 times before I eventually lost momentum and started spinning in circles by ankles until the man in the rowboat came to my rescue and unhooked my legs. Once I was safely in the boot, I realized my entire body was shaking and that my blood-curdling scream had caught the attention of every person in the surrounding 5km. Thank god my friend on land captured the whole thing. Check it out! You can hear me scream!

From Maddy in the East

Looking back I wouldn’t say bungee jumping was “fun”. It was just down right terrifying. I was scared the entire time. Your body doesn’t react well to free falling for that long. I think it was defiantly scarier then sky diving but I am glad I did.
Once I got home I noticed my ankles were a little larger then normal. I figured they just weren’t use to carrying my entire body weight upside down by a bungee cord. Well two days later my right foot (the one that ruined my summer last year) was really bothering me. I taking my mothers advice and advantage of my free health coverage and popped over to the clinic. With some pointing and a couple broken English sentences the doctors decided I needed acupuncture. I have never had oriental medicine but I figured why not. They took me to the back and stuck six needles in my legs for about 20 minutes. It was painful at all but I am not sure what it is suppose to do. My foot still hurts but maybe its one of those things that takes awhile to set in. I will let you know how it turns out. I am off to the airport to pick up Andrew!! Then we are off to magical Thailand on Friday.

Man-U and K-pop madness !!

2009-07-28T09:05:00.007+03:00

This game was just another shining example of why I love Korea. What other country would have more cheering fans for the visiting team? The crowd went absolutely nuts every time star player Owen faces or the head coach came on the big screen. But nothing compared to the absolute roar that erupted every time the camera spotlighted Korea’s soccer god, Park Ji-Sung. Although he didn’t appear on the field until the last 20minutes of the game, that didn’t stop the entire stadium of 65,000 fans from chanting his name while he sat on the sidelines.

The match took place at Seoul’s impressive World Cup Stadium, built when the city hosted the games in 2002. Seoul FC put up a good match for the first half scoring two goals but that wasn’t enough to hold off the talent of Man-U, who ended the game in victory with three goals.

What really sent me into a frenzy was when Girls Generation came out on the field for their halftime performance. Brittany and I nearly died of excitement and shock. I have a newfound obsession with everything K-pop and I had no idea they would be performing (or lip synching).
Girls generation is one of the hottest all girl groups in Korea. They are pure manufactured pop goodness (which was embarrassingly obvious when the wrong music came on and they stood their awkwardly for a few minutes).

I seriously listen to K-pop all the time, maybe even more then some of my students. My favorite right now is the new group 4 Minutes; they are these cute little funky Korean hip-hop girls. Listen to their big hit "Hot Issue" I freakin' love it!
Then of course there is the most popular boy band, Big Bang. They are badass dancing machines. There are a few other boy bands like 2pm and Super Junior that have so many members it’s hard to remember their faces. Here is a little preview of some K-pop boy candy, its so addicting!
I just can't help myself the beats are just so catchy. When I am singing along I feel like I almost speaking Korean and I know what I am saying. My next step is learning the dance moves. Every major K-pop track has an elaborate signature dance routine, that of course all my girl students know every step to. But what was really more impressive was last week by the Gays, when seriously every boy in the club broke into a full fledge dance ensemble without missing a beat. Not only was I one of a handful of ladies in the club, but now I was a dance leper. I am never lettting this happen again, how embarrassing. Must practice dance routines before next visit to Homo hill!!
Side note I finally gave in and bought another camera. I went to the Techno mart and picked myself up a slightly older model camera for about a hundred bucks. Thanks to the help of a friendly Korean girl who helped me barter with the millions of sales guys in the overwhelming neon lit mall. Stayed tuned, lots more picture coming. Up next week: rafting, second attempt at bungee jumping, Andrew's visit and Thai paradise!

MUD FEST Baby!!

2009-07-15T05:14:00.009+03:00

Although I have no actual photographic proof I was at said MUD FEST, it will probably go down as one of the greatest events of my year here.
It all started 9am on Saturday with a party bus to Boryeong Mud fest. An annual event held on the eastern coast of Korea that brings thousands of people to this small beach town for two weeks of the year. The mud supposedly has many beneficial minerals and it good for your skin but mostly it’s just fun to play in.
It was fairly overcast that day but that didn’t stop us from charging straight into the sea within the first 30 minutes of our arrival. I am pretty sure every foreigner in Korea had found his or her way to Mud fest. The beach and sea was packed with people, we were running into friends every two minutes.
It wasn’t long before we found the mud or better yet, the mug found us. It was complete chaos! There was hug inflatable slides into mud pits, mud fighting rings, mud cages and just all around debauchery. Every single person was covered from head to toe in thick mud. I imagine it was similar to the joy a pig feels when rolling around in fresh wet mud. It was awesome!

Everyone was having a great time getting messy and rinsing off in the water. Eventually the lack of sun and slight rain caught up to us. You can only walk around soaking wet with mud for so many hours. We headed back to the hotel room for a memorable bath and prepared for evening. We had heard rumors that some of the biggest K-pop groups would be performing at the outdoor stage later that night.
Sure enough that slight rain had turned to torrential downpour causing everyone to abandon their campsite and find shelter in the nearest alcohol establishment. The rain wasn’t enough to stop us from taking advantage of the local amusement park and the 3 rides it had to offer. I couldn’t believe they would actually operate these janky carnival rides in such questionable weather but that’s why I love Korea.
It would be impossible to run a festival like this in America. First it would be way too overcrowded, they would charge a ridiculous amount to get in (in Korea it was of course free), they would defiantly regulate and overcharge for beers (ours were provided courtesy of 7-11), there would have been a million cops there (I think I saw 2 all weekend) and it would be a breeding ground for law-suits (seeing how almost everyone came home with some kind of injury. One girl cracked a rib, another friend broke a toe and I was double heel kicked in the head by a flying-flipping girl in the ocean) It would just never go down in the States.
On Sunday I was really looking forward to getting back out in the Mud madness because but the sky had other plans. It was raining so hard that barely anyone was out on the beach and even less people were covered in mud. This whole concept of the weather deciding how I will spend my day is still quite foreign to me. I’ve been told this is only beginning of monsoon season. It has stopped raining since Saturday and I already think I might drown, along with my school that is flooding at an alarming rate. I don’t see how it could get much worse but I hope I will be chilling on the beaches of Thailand when it does.

A-team

2009-07-07T09:42:00.007+03:00

Wow! I feel like I haven’t updated my blog in weeks. Not much has really happened.
School is winding down. Only two more weeks till summer and 30 days till Thailand! Sounds weird but I am actually looking forward to summer school. I don’t have to come into work till 9am and I get off everyday at noon. Plus I get paid extra on top of my salary and paid vacation time. I guess another one of the perks of having a “real job”.
In other uneventful news, I did have plans to go bungee jumping last weekend but it was a no-go. I had been looking forward to doing it for weeks. I even stayed in on Friday night (which never happens) so I could wake up early and clear headed. When we showed up to the group meeting point at 9am there was already a large group gathered. The plan was to rent bikes near the Han River then cycle to bungee jump site. I was so excited to bungee jump that I must have forgotten to read the part about a 40km bike ride on the invitation. When we got to the jump site we were informed that only 15 of us would be able to jump, we had about 26 people. So everyone had to draw numbers to see who would get to take the plunge off the 40-meter tower over the lake. The girls and I made a promise that if we didn’t all pull numbers we would wait and come back another day. A decision I almost instantly regretted when I was the only one to pull out a number. But being the team player I am I gave up my place to our friend James. I was really disappointed but the fact that no of us got to jump is really motivating us to come back and take the leap!
It was so heartbreaking having to watch everyone get the adrenaline rush of making the plunge. Good thing there is a cure for heartbreak, BEER! We decided since we couldn’t jump we might as well make the best of a beautiful day with some drunk bike riding. We rode all 20km back with beers in hands having a jolly time and luckily without incident (I guess I didn’t learn my lesson from the broken-ankle fiasco of last summer). Why is it that summertime always brings out the daytime drinking?

Instead of This ...

We Did This!

Although this weekend had less sunshine it was in no shortage of good times. Ironically, my Irish friend Ross planned a Sports Day at the park for the fourth of July. Not to be out spirited by an Irishman. Lacy, Brittany and I got decked out in red, white and blue coordinating outfits with fabulous matching sweatbands. When we got to the park it was pouring rain and it looked like Sports day might not happen but the good thing about the weather here is that it’s always changing, you just have to wait.

So with in an hour the rain had passed and the dragonflies were out in full force. We graciously named ourselves “The A-team” and we were serious (and slightly buzzed) about this competition. There were about six teams made of 5 people, so imagine over 30 foreigners dressed ridiculous, playing odd games, drinking in a Korean park on a cloudy day. A classic recipe for the Fourth of July, minus being in America, having fireworks, BBQ’ing and beach part.

Sports Day had all the classic events: egg spoon race, three-legged race, an obstacle course, throwing contest and tug of war. Although we rarely came in the top three, we had tons of laughs and an awesome time cheering each other on. Spending our countries birthday in a park with more English and Irishmen then Americans was usual but still patriotic!

Jeju Island

2009-06-16T10:03:00.007+03:00

It really it like the Hawaii of Korea. Well I can’t say from experience because I have never been to Hawaii but white sand, volcano rocks and crystal water sounds same- same to me.
It was only a 55-minute flight to Jeju from Seoul. We arrived early Saturday morning and had a full day packed of activities. First we took a bus to a smaller island named Udo, where we rented bikes and rode around the island. Udo is a small fishing village that is famous for the fishing ajumma. They are a group of elderly (like 60+) women who everyday strap on the wetsuits, rain or shine and collect seaweed and shellfish from the freezing water. Brittany and I enjoyed some of their hard labor at lunch. We had a wonderful fresh raw seafood plate and some nice cold Cass-uh.

After our bike ride we took the ferry back to the mainland and climbed up to the top of a carter. I think it was a couple thousand steps straight up but once we got to the top the view was amazing. We could see the whole island. Next up the dude ranch. I was really looking forward to doing some horseback riding. The experience ended up being pretty funny, mostly because we had to wear red vest and cowboys hats. I believe it is the Korean way to always wear the complete and appropriate outfit for every activity. Horseback riding consisted of going around in a circle with someone leading my horse. I did get to do one lap trotting which was exciting but I think the whole horseback-riding excursion lasted all of 20minutes.

We made our way to the accommodations at the beach just in time to catch a breathtaking sunset. As a group we enjoyed a traditional Korean BBQ style dinner and a classic beach bonfire. I called it an early night and set my alarm for 9am so I could wake up really early and catch as much sun as possible.

It was an unusually perfect day in Korea, not a cloud in sight and the sun was out in full force. I wasn’t expecting Jeju to have such clear green water and soft white sand. Probably one of the top beaches I have ever been to. Our group had a whole day of activities planned beginning at 11am, Chinese acrobats, a sex sculpture park and cave exploring. The weather at the beach was so prefect Brittany and I couldn’t bear to leave. We did the very un-Korean thing and separated from the group, letting them know we would meet up with them later at the airport.
Boy did I get my fill of the sun. We clocked in a total of 6 hours at the beach without any sunscreen. By the time I got to the airport I was feeling the full affects of my day in the sun. When I began to get chills and a fever I was worried it could be sun poisoning. I woke up on Monday with blisters on my chin and forehead. I really don’t know what I was thinking. My skin hasn’t really seen any sun for 4 months and the sun in Jeju was very intense. As if not being able to move or take shower wasn’t bad enough, the looks I got a school were horrifying. My co-teacher had a hard time understanding how I could get so burned. Koreans always wear sunscreen, gloves, arm sleeves, a full face visor and carry an umbrella to protect their skin from any direct sunlight. Which probably explains why there was only a handful of Asians on the beach and a bunch of Westerns. My whole school was pretty mortified by my alarming skin color. I am going to blame it on the fact I haven’t been to the beach in months for my intentional ignorance about skin damage.

Jeju was beautiful. Who would have ever thought you could find such paradise in Korea?

the Sunday wrap up

2009-06-08T10:02:00.003+03:00

The weeks just keep flying by. I can’t believe it’s already summertime. School doesn’t get out here until the middle of July so still got seven more weeks of class and then three weeks of summer camp before my vacation. I am just dying to get back Thailand, less then 60 days till departure.
I guess I should mention the craziness that is North Korea, seeing how is only a couple hundred kilometers away. I don’t think my information is any different from what you hear back in the states. The South Koreans don’t seemed phased or concerned by the recent aggressive actions of Kim Jung Ill. They are confident the world is supporting them and I am sure the huge US military presence here is also a confronting factor. They are still hopeful for a united country, just his week my students made some beautiful unification posters. Not sure how that would go down, North and South seem like night and day to me but peace is always the best resolution. Lets hope for change.

On the weekend front I had to make a really tough decision. It was serious agony. Choice 1: Go camping and to the beach on the east coast for the weekend with all my mates.
Choice 2: Stay home all weekend without my besties but go see KASKADE Saturday night.
I’ve never had such an internal battle. I spent all day Friday weighing both options and couldn’t make up my mind. I literally had my bag packed to go camping was getting ready to go out the door but something stopped me. I glanced over at my wall that is scattered with a handful of my pictures from all the Kaskade shows I’ve been to. I mean how could I really pass up an opportunity to see my favorite DJ play an international show and what kind of poser would that make me. So I had to stay true to my passion, choice #2 it was.
I spent Saturday lounging in the park and buying some produce at the market but it felt a little weird not being with my sidekicks. Luckily my good friend Sarah was more then willing to get all dolled up and dance the night away with me.
The night started out a little rocking. As I was standing in the subway my heel unexpectedly broke. I usually never wear heels out and I was now defiantly regretting the decision. As I was hobbling out of the subway on one foot, my lucky stars aligned. A street shoe repairman! This guy was serious and well equipped to handle the job. What he did was nothing short of surgery. There was hot tar, screwdrivers, a torch, screws, nails and glue all involved just to get my heel back in place. After 45 minutes and five dollars he had fixed my shoe. Thank god because only having one pump would have really ruined my outfit.
Kaskade played an amazing show as usual. A three-hour set that got everyone jumping. I was front and center the whole time, taking way too many pictures, which really pissed the bouncer off. Whoops! A magical evening indeed beside the fact I woke up to a broken camera, no clue how I managed to crack the screen but lets just hope the Costco warrantee covers nights at the club.

Sunday was spent in usual recovery mode. The weather was actually quite nice lately this weekend but this week was more like a rollercoaster of weather patterns. Monday was hot and clear, Tuesday was cloudy and warm, Wednesday there was rain, thunder and lightening, Thursday to Sunday was hot and pleasant. This is too confusing for me; I really don’t understand this whole season thing. I mean I am use to San Diego, a mild 70 degrees with scattered clouds, that’s weather no?
Looking forward to this week heading to Jeju island “the Hawaii of Korea.” Brittany and I are going with an online meet up adventure group, so private plane and planned activities all weekend. We are going to be renting bikes and cruising around the island. Means I get to see the ocean, its been way to long and I am in need of an open water swim. Got to get my camera gets fixed in time to capture it all.

Korean Love

2009-06-01T09:46:00.006+03:00

So now that I have got a pretty regular schedule everyday; school, swim, dinner, sleep and very fabulous best friends. I am getting very comfortable in my new groove but I am worried that all the strange little things that use to stand out to me when I first got here have now become the norm. Rides on the subway are no longer hour-long people watching sessions but just a mundane activity of a couple hundred Koreans and me.

Let me share my new favorite obsession, Korean couples. They are the best and the most extreme ever! There are certain rules that apply if you want to be in a Korean relationship (see list below)
• Must act like you are in a TV drama all the time. This means the girl is crying, ignoring her boyfriend and only speaking by using different pitches of whining.
• Need to have matching promise rings.
• Text each other at least 100 times a day.
• The man must carry the girl’s purse.
• Walk each other to the subway and hold your hands against the windows until the train takes off acting like you are parting ways for eternity but then immediately texting each other when eye contact is lost.
• The ultimate sign of affection is the matching outfits! I kid you not, this is a phenomena. Korean couples actually wear matching outfits, head to toe out in public. I have seen girls wearing the same shoes, t-shirt and men’s jeans as their boyfriend and men wearing the same shorts and hoodie as their girlfriend. I have heard there are actual stores dedicated to this fashion crime. I don’t know where these couples are going and why it would ever require them to wear identical outfits but it does make my day whenever I spot one. (I secretly cant wait to wear one)

I am “so Korean” lately. I have expanded my vocabulary to three words. I know pretty amazing, it only took 12 weeks but seriously I can actually distinguish words now. I can also adequately get to and from my house via taxi. I have pretty much mastered the subway. I can make Kimbap (Korean sushi) and Korean men love me! I think I am turning Korean

Last Thursday after swim practice a group of Ajeoiss (older men) invited me out for soju (rice alcohol). Seeing how I had stood them up last Friday which made them “very angry at you Mardy, we drink lots Soju so angry you no come.” I felt more then obligated to go, plus I wouldn’t mind actually making some friends at my pool. Since I am convinced that the locker room attendant who follows me around with a mop every time I walk to my locker has gotten all the Ajumma (older women) to hate me. I can’t tell if the guys in my lane think because I am the only one who does flip turns I must be intentional trying to splash water in their face.
Other then that everyone is very friendly, lady that works in to pro shop even ordered me special speed fins. They are all very impressed by my swimming especially since I politely agreed when they asked if I was a professional. But in my defense, I did beat their fastest swimmer in a race by a couple body lengths.
So soju with the Ajeoiss turned out to be very entertaining evening. After 6 or 7 bottles all their English had to deteriorated to inaudible and they began an elaborate game of charades. They were so funny and were very excited to teach me Korean customs. Such as; you must never pour your own shot, always hold your glass with your right hand and left when receiving, how full you pour the shot is how much you like person (they liked to make mine over flowing) and you never split the bill, one person always picks up the whole thing!

The rest of the weekend was pretty typical. Friday night in Bucheon, yummy Indian food and drinking on the streets with a group of Korean guys who tried to teach use Korean. Saturday was a beautiful day. We spent the day lounging in the park then sippin Coronas at a beer garten. We joined some friends for a nice BBQ on a rooftop that had an awesome view of Seoul tower. Saturday night turned into Sunday morning like it always does somehow. Since the weather has been so gorgeous I can’t bear wasting another Sunday sleeping all day. So I trekked it across town to join some friends for a baseball game. The LG Twins played the Kia Lions and the stadium was packed. Couldn’t even find a seat but $5 bucks for a professional game, can’t complain.
Its Monday afternoon and the week is off to a spectacular start. Just booked my 17-day holiday in Thailand! Only 67 days till I am back in paradise. But what makes this the ultimate week is that my number uno DJ and love of my life, KASKADE is coming to Seoul on Saturday. I am one very happy dancing queen : )

Maddy Teacher

2009-05-22T13:33:00.003+03:00

I have now been away from home for 4 months. I think that official makes it the longest time I have ever been away from my family and friends. I am starting to miss the small things, like a good sandwich or a big salad, real Mexican food, and all my snacks from Trader Joes but what I really miss is the beach. I long for just a couple days in San Diego but I think that is part of adjusting.
I’ve been warned about the stages of homesickness, the first three months are exciting and new, then you have lows around the 3rd and 9th month mark when everything that was different and new is now an inconvenience and annoying. I really never thought I could be victim, as I am always pretty optimistic and looking on the bright side. I once was told by a close friend “I would be happy living in cave” which is probably true but I think it is mostly a case of the summer time blues. The weather was gray and rainy this week, which I have never experienced that in May! So I am still wearing a jacket and gettign soaked on the way to work. I hate umbrellas and I refuse to get one especially in summer!
Weather a side I can’t complain. I have now been a teacher for a solid 3 months and I am really getting use to my new name “Maddy Teacher.” I absolutely love my students; they are always so enthusiastic in class and super friendly in the halls. I feel a lot more confident in the classroom, straying a little more from the textbook, take some more chances and getting more creative. Last Friday was national Teacher’s Day in Korea so a few students made me cards and brought me carnations, which always brightens the day.
Now that I have a camera I was able to take some photos of my school and the English classroom. It’s a typical English classroom for Korea. It’s pretty high tech but not as nice as some of the other schools I have visited. I have been told I will soon be getting a huge touch screen t.v in my classroom. I have even been enlisted by my boss to help design the new English room that will be constructed later this year. I have to come up with a catchy phrase for our “English Only Zone” …any ideas?

The education system is pumping a lot of money in their English programs, all new classrooms and more training for the teachers. Three days this week after school I had to attend a workshop for the Native English and Korean co-teachers. It wasn't half bad, learned some new techniques, games and meet some of the other teachers in my district. It gave my co-teacher and I a chance to really bond (or gossip over the handsome English teachers). It also reminded me how lucky I am to have such caring co-workers and a supportive school.
On Tuesday I went to see my first movie in Korea. Me and a couple of my co-workers went to see the new movie Demon and Angles film. Not bad, especially because I didn’t have read subtitles the whole time like everyone else in the theatre. That night I also had my first visit to a proper Korean home. One of the teachers invited us over for dinner. She made an elaborate spread of seafood and traditional Korean side dishes. I was really great to see how the typical family lives here and her son was so cute, jumping off the walls and continually babbling at me in Korean. Everyone here lives in apartments, usually three to four rooms, living room, kitchen, a small dining table on the ground, and a balcony. What stood out the most was the fact that the whole family slept in one room, mom, dad, daughter and son. The asked "How old when you stop sleeping in parents bed?" I said "ummm... we never start."

Seoul 3rd Annual DJ Fest

2009-05-11T16:14:00.007+03:00

Wow!! i survived another eventful weekend. This one might have been the biggest achievement. Seoul host it's 3rd Annual Dj fest, two days of live electronic music and countless DJ's. We all got together for a pre-party bbq on the rooftop of a mates house and slowly made our way to the venue. I think I clocked in a total of 12 hours at the festival and even managed to stick around long enough to witness the aftermath firsthand.

After an over stimulating Saturday night, I decided to do a little hiking in my neighborhood. I took a little stroll through the park behind my apartment and found a nice trail up a small mountain. I got a nice view of the Bangwha birdge and the west-side of Seoul. The real gem was when I found an awesome century old Buddhist temple. Its seems I keep being rewarded for taking adventures.

MADE IN TAWIAN

2009-05-08T02:48:00.001+03:00

Just got back from four days in Taipei and my official verdict is… I liked it!

There were a few drawbacks but some really unexpected highlights. I will start with the downside. Sunday we decide to go to beach and of course it was the only day it was cloudy and rainy, so NO BEACH. We did a little research and decided to take a train about 90 minutes north of Taipei to a little hot springs town. We found this great hotel there with a very helpful manager, Oliver. He put us in a very nice room, private mineral bathtub, plush queen beds and Japanese style sitting room all for about $60 bucks. This also included access to the roof top grotto style mineral pool and since there were no other guests at the hotel we got the pool all to our selves. Oliver even took the liberty of putting on a full on photo shoot for us. He set up his tripod and went to town taking pictures of us splashing around. I wouldn't be surprised if we end up on the cover of hotels next brochure or a billboard somewhere in Taiwan.

Oliver even arranged for us to get Oriental massages in our room. I think my masseuse use to have a job as a torturer because I spent about 75% of the time clenching my teeth and trying not to cry. I think my body is still bruised and it feels like all the toxins were literally kneaded out of my body. I know what a sad life I lead when my biggest bureden is a painful massage.

But my other minor conflict in Taiwan was the food. I was very excited to try all these great Buddhist vegetarian buffets I'd been reading about but no such luck. I ate more American fast food chains in four days then I have in the past year. But one night we went to this popular night market, where I fortunately ran into some fellow Seoul teachers. Including one the spoke Chinese that made finding some authentic food a little easier. Once I got over the sight and smell of pig ear soup and rancid meat, I tried some local food. I tried a decent oyster dumpling pancake thing and some of the fresh fruits that reminded of Thailand. I wasn’t daring enough to try the famous Taiwanese stinky tofu. Its fermented tofu and it smells god awful, so I passed. The other smell I couldn’t stand was these tea soaked eggs they had in every 7-11 (in Asia that means every 200 feet) they looked like rotten black eggs soaking in sewer water.

Enough about the downside because it doesn’t really even come close to out weighing the good. Best part of the whole trip was arriving late to the airport and getting bumped up to business class. All of us looked like we had just won the lottery when they told us they had to move us to business class at the cost of our vegetarian meals. I finally see what all the fuse it about up there. We got to stretch our feet, sip champagne and browse our personal TV’s all the way to Taiwan. I only wish our hostel was half as nice.

The rest of the weekend was filled with sight seeing, temples, monuments and Taipei 101, the tallest skyscraper in the world. I also got ride on the fastest elevator in the world, 88 floors in 36 seconds. And no weekend would be complete without some clubbing. Saturday night some locals directed us to check out a club called Luxy. The club was crowded and the Dj was quite impressive. I can’t remember the last time I chose the hip-hop room over my favorite dance electro scene but I actually had a great time getting down to the rap especially when they played California love.

Children's Day

2009-05-01T17:28:00.001+03:00

I love Children’s Day! Why? Because it means I got paid to come to work on Friday and all I did was Skype all day. Plus no work Monday or Tuesday!! (Children’s Day is national holiday when everyone honors their children. The parents give gifts to their kids and according to my students they will be receiving Nintendo Wii and computer games. I wish we had this when I was kid.)
It also means my first trip out of Korea. Brittany, Lacy and I are heading to Taipei, Taiwan. I know kinda of random but it’s only a 2-hour flight and it was the cheapest place we could find on such short notice. I actually think it’s going to turn out to be a really fun trip. A bunch of other English teachers are going to be there too, so the more the merrier.
Did you know Taipei has the tallest skyscraper? Yeah! 101 stories, that should be cool but I am most excited about the beach. Only an hour away! My tan from Thailand has long since faded. Even though being translucent white is the all rage here, I mean every commercial is for skin bleaching. But I am a Cali girl and I can’t really fight the urge for the ultimate tan. I also heard there’s tons of good veggie food, of course lots of shopping and it’s cheap.
Earlier this week I treated myself to a little post birthday/pre children’s day and first paycheck gift. I bought a Camera! I took a little trip down to Costco and picked out a nice Olympus digi. I can’t wait to share all my photos!!!

Be kind- Rewind

2009-04-24T05:44:00.003+03:00

I was inspired by my current book, The Power of Kindness, to write a little about the random acts of kindness I seem to experience here in Korea on a daily basis. People warned me that Koreans could be cold and impolite but I have found quite the opposite. Well besides that the fact that bumping into someone in completely normal and never requires an excuse. Bur I actually embrace this custom. I walk fast, so it’s a relief to be able to make my way through a crowd not having to apologize to every person I innocently tap.

But back to kindness, it always surprises me. From the girl who politely informs me that me backpack is slightly open on the subway or the overly accommodating waitress or the fact that I have yet to leave my house without someone yelling “Hello” at me. Old men who want to chat, women who are curious why I am in Korea, and the high school girls and boys who see me walking down the street and always say “Hello.” It cracks me up when I quickly respond with “Hello, how are you? ” they immediately get flustered and run away giggling.

You’d think being the stranger in a foreign land I would be the one who is embarrassed by the miscommunication at restaurants but that is never the case. Every waiter and waitress bends over backwards to try and understand what we are ordering and they often get very shy and apologetic that they don’t understand English. This blows my mind, I should be the one who feels like a moron for not speaking their language and I don’t think any waiter in America has every felt guilty about not understanding a foreign customers. Another reminder of the difference in cultures.

I had my first official failure in speaking Korean. A group of us flagged down a taxi on Saturday night, so I decided to take charge and hop in the front seat. I confidently directed the taxi driver to take us to “Hongdea”. He quickly nodded his head and repeated back to me “Hongdea”. After 15 minutes of driving, a raising cab fare and unfamiliar sights I said “Hongdea nay .. University?” He replied, “no, no… you say Bongdik” Without the exact pronunciation or accent Korean words can easily be misunderstood. He turned around and drove back over the river. In the end we got to where we wanted and the driver kindly reduce our cab fare, even though I am sure it was my fault.

Later that night a very nice guy gave me a stuffed pencil that he had won. It was about 4am, we were just leaving the club and we stumbled upon a group of Koreans trying to knock down a pyramid of bottles with a baseball. Well, I guess my enthusiastic cheering helped and he gave me his pencil! Yet, another example of random kindness.

I was so happy last weekend to finally do some real hiking. Brittany and I took as easy night Friday so we could wake up early (i.e. noon) to actually do something productive on Saturday. We climbed these two small mountains on the Westside of Seoul. We got a great view of the city and little workout too. We did manage to somehow get lost and end up off the trail, probably because we couldn’t read the signs. We had to scale a fence but luckily there was a very sweet Korean lady monk to help us down and point us in the right directions.

Maddy Day!!

2009-04-12T19:22:00.005+03:00

Wow! I am exhausted from my birthday, actually more like birth-week. This was the first time I have ever woken up and actually forgot it my birthday until I got to work. I think that means I am getting older and birthdays are becoming another reminder of how time flies.
The teachers in my English club threw me a little party with a nice cheesecake and traditional Korean rice sweets. One of my six grade classes even made me birthday cards, so cute! They each wrote (or attempted to) me a little message in English and drew me a picture of a gift they would have like to give me. One kid even drew me a very elaborate 2004 Roils Royce Phantom, I wish!
That night a few of my friends from my neighborhood and of course my besties Lacy and Britney came over and we all went fro dinner. We had some celebratory Soju cocktails and beer. My new Korean friend, that lives in my building even came, good thing because ordering vegetarian at Korean restaurants in always a process. It was a nice little get together but it was only a taste of what was to come….

Friday was dubbed “Maddy Day” by my friends here in Seoul. My very gracious friend Sarah and my roommate from orientation hosted a fabulous party at her house. She shares an apartment with her boyfriend so they got double the funding and in turn a super sweet pad. She really went all out with decorations, party hats and nice spread of appetizers. But the best party of the night was flip-cup showdown between team Hello Kitty and Rainbow ponies; unfortunately I was on the losing Hello Kitty team. For those you have not been to college in the last decade, flip cup is a drinking game the consists of two dueling teams of four or more players basically trying to out chug their opponent and then flipping their cup over. It can get pretty intense and always results in some tipsy behavior.

Look they spell my name!

After a few rounds and team Hello Kitty ultimately admitting defeat we moved the party onward. The details of the rest of the night are blurred for me, thanks to the bottle of 151 brought by a certain friend that will remain nameless. From the pictures I know we danced, somewhere and there was singing of some classic America tunes and fried street food. I know I had a great time because waking up on Saturday was painful.
I was not sure I would be able to make it to night two of the festivities but like a true solider I rallied. Well, the girls and I didn’t fully recover until 9pm that night; we actually almost missed the last trains we went out so late. After a very long and late dinner we didn’t end up walking into the club around 2am. I love this! Nowhere in America can you arrive at 2am and still get severed a beer. We went to a swanky club in the posh area of Seoul and danced till 5:30am, going home just in time to catch the first train back. I didn’t make to my bed until 7:30 this morning, probably the time I should have been getting ready for Easter mass. Oppss!

Good thing I don’t have work Monday because I think I am going to need that extra day of rest after all this celebrating. Ohhhh being born is ruff! This is my first year away from my friends on my birthday but I couldn’t have imagined a better weekend. I am blessed to have such good friends especially in such a short period of time. Thanks everyone! I might actually be looking forward to turning 24.

Sporty Spice

2009-04-12T08:34:00.003+03:00

I think I have almost checked off everything on my "First Month in Korea Things-To-Do-List." I am not sure when my obsession with making to-do-list started but I cant remember so I must have been as an infant. But seriously I am completely dependent on them and unable to accomplish anything unless it is explicitly written as a bullet point under the heading "Things-to-do." So my current list for goes something like this….
• Medical exam
• Alien registration card
• Multiple entry visa
• Install cable and internet in apartment
• Get cell phone (if feels good to text again)
• Sign up for gym
Now that I have cut through all the government red tape, got settled in my new place and signed half a dozen one year contracts (not ending till April 2010) I feel like it would be a waste to just pack up and leave the day my teaching assignment ends. I can ‘t predict how I am going to feel in a year but I do know I am in no rush to repeat to this list.
I am most excited about my latest accomplishment, signing up for the gym! I joined the International Youth Center; it’s just about one block from my apartment. Not sure why it’s called the International Youth Center because I am almost positive I am the only foreigner member because everyone looks surprised to see me there. I am use to the unusually long glances in Korea. I think it is mostly due to the fact that my hair is not black. I am also pretty sure everyone talks about me at the gym, especially the older Korean women in the lockers room, who laugh and mutter American in Korean whenever I walk by. I am not bothered by it. Ignorance is bliss!
I am so thankful I have such a helpful and kind co-teacher who doubles as my personal translator. She set up everything in my apartment and all my appointments all on her own time and after school. She even came with me to get my cell phone. Thank god she was there because we had to go to two different stores, negotiate my contract, open a new bank account and then wait a day to come back to the cell phone shop to sign everything which would have been impossible for me to do alone.
Signing up for the gym was probably the hardest and happiest moments I’ve had here.I don’t know where I got the idea that I would be able to sign up for a gym membership with my nonexistent Korean skills. After 40 minutes of pointing, some physical acting, a calculator, a calendar and 6 phone calls to her daughter who spoke some English, the woman at the front desk and I were able to figure it out. My membership includes access to the health center that consists of some treadmills, a few bikes, free weights and not muck else. The tricky part was getting my swimming membership, at first she I was signed up for swim lessons but eventually we figured it out. I am only allowed to swim from 7 to 7:50 everyday and in one lane with at least 5 other people. It’s not the ideal situation but I will take what I can get and I can never complain about getting a chance to swim.
On Tuesday last week all the staff from my school got to take the afternoon off to cheer on the staff volleyball and table tennis teams. They even started school early and let the kids go home before 2 so we all teachers could travel to the opposing school. It was hilarious watching the vice principal destroy the other school at table tennis. During the volleyball game all the teachers were very enthusiastic, pounding on drums and singing chants. We didn’t win but it was a lot of fun and I think every school in the world should have intramural sports for teachers.
While on the subject of sports, I have determined the official sport of Korea is rock/paper/scissors from young to old. My students use it every 5 seconds and it is the preferred way to settle disagreements by adults. I am convinced that the government uses this method to make executive decesions.

the Latest

2009-04-05T13:48:00.004+03:00

I am officially a registered Alien! which means I can now re-enter the 21 century. I will be ending my 12-week abstinence on cell phones and signing a contract sometime in the next few days. I had the Internet and cable set-up in my apartment yesterday and four of my co-workers came over to help me translate. It was a little awkward entertaining at my place when I only own one cup, one chair and my bed that serves as my couch, dining room table, desk and everything else I don’t have. I am happy to get cable in my apartment. There are a couple American channels but I am really looking forward to catching up on all the Korean drama shows and finding out who all these pop stars are that my girl students have plastered all over their notebooks.
This week was another successful accomplishment, I really enjoy coming to work everyday and pretty much being done with the majority of my work by lunchtime. Wednesday I started teaching English club with my Korean co-workers. Once a week we will meet to discus various topics in English so they can practice listening and speaking. It’s really informal and I don’t have to do any preparation but it’s a great way get to know some of my co-workers and for me to be included in the conversation for once. They basically just want me to talk about myself for a hour, which is pretty easy since I really only get to have conversations of depth on the weekends, so I don’t mind! This week I taught them some very valuable phrases like “chill, what’s up, sugar mama, blow off steam,” haha.. I can’t wait to see what I teach them next week.
I went the Cherry Blossom festival yesterday but the only a few trees had bloomed so it was kind of a disappointment. The weather is still pretty chilly here, I can’t wait for Springtime when I can leave my pea-coat at home. I ventured around last Sunday in my neighborhood. There are a lot of these fitness parks in my area, they usually have a track and some exercise machines. I like to think of them as playgrounds for the elderly. My initial intention was to go for a run but I ended up finding some hiking trails. Hiking is all the rage here; the typical Korean hiker comes complete with hard core hiking boots, two walking sticks, hat and the newest Colombia outfit. So I looked a little out of place and lost in my running shoes, plus I had no clue where I was headed. But I am glad I decided to take the road less traveled because I stumbled upon this great view and amazing bridge, right in my back yard that I never even knew existed.
I really need to get a camera so I can capture all the sights around me, maybe a birthday present to myself this year.

One down Eleven to go

2009-03-27T10:50:00.000+02:00

I can’t believe I have already been here for a month and away from home for 9 weeks! I feel like I just stepped off the plane and only my first day in the classroom. After a month I feel obligated to do some reflecting on my new life in Korea. Overall, if you couldn’t already tell I am having a blast. My life is busier then I had imagined, less lonely then I had anticipated and definitely not as scary as I had feared. One of my biggest hesitations before signing a years teaching contract was the forty hour workweek. I wasn’t looking forward to joining the 9 to 5 Monday to Friday crowd, that I had been avoiding ever since graduation but I have to say, it’s not that bad. Maybe it’s my light workload or my early bedtime but I wake up on time, for the most part and the weekdays seem to fly by.
Day to day life in Korea is going smoothly, I finally started running into some of the other English teachers that live in or near my building. I am excited to have some contacts in my area but worried in might interfere with my new 10:30 bedtime. I haven’t really ventured out too much in my neighborhood due to the lack of my Korean language skills and the frigid temperatures. I have yet to even master Hello, you would think after four weeks and hundreds of encounters I would be able to say “Annyeong haseyo” but it’s about three syllables to long. This was especially annoying when the phone in my classroom would not stop ringing yesterday. I picked up the first five times only to realize it was going to be a very short conversation, seeing how I didn’t understand a single word they were saying or vice versa. It felt very rude hanging up on someone after about 3 seconds but we were clearly not getting anywhere. Then I had to uncomfortably spend the rest of the afternoon pretending that my phone wasn’t ringing. So my Korean is a work in progress and one of the many goals I’ve set for myself in the next year.
I hate that I like Korean food so much. I was under the impression I would come to Asia and lose weight. I guess I am still in that “I’m on vacation” mode and “I’ve never had that, I have to try it!” So I have been trying every fried pastry waffle street food thing I see and I have fallen in love with several sweet snacks from the convenience stores (Korea loves 7-11 just as much as Thailand). I eat lunch at school everyday, which is hit or miss. Sometimes there are plenty of veggies dishes and other days its just rice and kimchi for me, which is fine by me when the main meat dish is DOG (no joke!) or chewy octopus! I mostly cook dinner at home, the grocery store is at the bottom of my building and I buy my fruits and veggies at the little street stands. It’s hard to go out to eat when you cant read Hongul (Korean) or verbally express anything. I have a hard enough time at the grocery store trying to play pictionary with every product, hoping I am buying what looks like soy sauce but not sure because they have an entire isle dedicated to bottles that all look like soy sauce.

I spy with my little eye...

2009-03-23T16:58:00.000+02:00

In order to register as an alien of Korea there a few hoops you have to jump through. One being the invasive medical check that requires a veil of blood (my arm still looks like I’m a IV user), a cup of urine, HIV test, drug screening, chest x-ray, color blind test, eye exam and a measurement of my bust line (not quite sure about this one). I picked up my results a few days later from the hospital and I was relieved to find I passed! I don’t what any of these tests have to do with my teaching abilities, seeing how they are almost exclusively required for foreign English teachers, it seems to be Korea’s safeguard against disabled drug using westerners teaching their children.
I had to take my medical report directly to the immigration office in order to apply for my residency so I can obtain important things like a cell phone and Internet service in my apartment. I’ve been in no rush to accomplish either of these things seeing how it is much cheaper to steal Internet from my neighbors and I am enjoying the flashback to life before cell phones. I can honestly count the times I have touched a phone in the past 9 weeks and I am coping quite well. It’s amazing when you actually have to pick a place and time to meet someone and then follow through! You can’t call and cancel or shoot a text that you’re running late; I think it is improving my character.
With all my recent travels to and from the hospital and immigration. I’ve had some time to do some quality people watching. I have been making some interesting and very general observations about my fellow Seoulites. I first have to mention the fashion, before I came I had no idea what to expect. Would it be like the funky style of Tokyo or would be an out-dated version of America?
I quickly learned Korean have a style all their own. It might just be the city thing but I never feel shame walking home wearing my clothes from the night before because everyone is else is dressed up too! The color palate is mostly mute tones and hair colors range from black to dark brown. There is either a serious eye sight epidemic or glasses are the newest fashion accessory because I say about 60% of people here wear glasses. They are mostly funky thick Ray Ban frames that may or may not have actual prescription lens in them. So here are some general ideas for those of you that are curious what is gonna on in the fashion realm over here:
Women: Black tights and super cute high heels are a must, along with a sport leather jacket. An expensive bag, preferably Gucci, Louis Vuitton or Coach, are essential. A clean classy look, oversized sweaters and blouses but still feminine. Think New York City minus the crazy funk.
Men: I find the men’s fashion way more fascinating. They defiantly take their clothes just as serious as the women, designer jeans and the latest tennies. Preppy sweaters under fitted blazers and a baseball hat (usually Yankee’s and I can’t tell if Koreans love NY or they have no clue what their wearing). But my favorite thing about the men has to be the man purse also referred to as a man bag. Since I am going through ladyboy withdrawals man bags are the closest thing I get to androgynous behavior. Man purses came in various shapes and styles and are carried by the young, old, student and professional. There is the over the shoulder bag, hang at the side bag, the clutch and it might be a women’s purse being carried by a man but the same designer rules apply to men as to women, so Gucci and Louis are the most desirable.
Okay that’s enough about clothes (that ones just for my fashion divas) another thing I’ve noticed about Koreans is that they are absolutely obsessed with their cell phones. I mean people in So-cal are too but this takes it to a new level. It is completely appropriate to pick up your cell phone at anytime, i.e. staff meetings, while your teaching, mid conversation and any other time it rings. If their not directly talking to someone, they are texting, and if their not texting, their checking their phone to make sure their not receiving any incoming messages. If communication isn’t possible then they have their headphones in, antenna up and are watching TV on their 2in cell phone screens, which is probably one of the reasons they are all wearing glasses. But what cracks me up the most is the cell phone jewelry. Every single phone no matter if you’re a grandma, serious CEO, or a fifteen year old boy you have shit hanging from your cell phone. I really can’t even tell you what it is, sometime their pointless key chains, mirrors, USB cards, good luck charms, screen cleaners or subway cards. As much as I would like to say I wont join this group of idiots with bedazzled phones. I think it is almost inevitable that I will. I am sure I will find some charm that I just cant live without it hanging from my phone.

Erin go' Korea

2009-03-16T14:41:00.002+02:00

Saturday was another eventful outing in Seoul. It started with a little St. Patrick's day festival and parade in the center of town. It was pretty much a meet up of the foreigners in the metropolitan area looking for an excuse to wear ridiculous green outfits. There was some traditional Irish music and not much else... besides the free Guinness!!!! (which was almost identifiably watered down). Brittany and I tried to gulp down as much free beer as we could before our poor limbs couldn't take the cold anymore. We continued our festivities indoors at some of the local pubs running into a few friends. I am always shocked every time I run into someone I know here. In a city of 10 million and out the thousands of bars, what are the chances I see the handful people I know every time I am out. Later on we headed out in Hondgea to get the dance party started. We did some major bar hopping adding and losing some friends along the way, and finally finding the anticipated dance floor around 2am. The club was playing some quality techno house tunes, just my style and one of the many reasons I know I am going to have an amazing year in Seoul. But once again we found ourselves in the 4am how do we get home predicament? And there are really only a few options, pay for the expensive cab ride all the way home, keep dancing till they kick us out of the club or go eat somewhere until the metro starts running. Of course we chose to have our favorite fourth meal of the day. Thanks goodness we were with one meat eater, otherwise they refuse to serve two vegetarians because to Koreans that qualifies as not eating. After a very filling Korean spread it was finally time to call it wrap and catch the train home and I think I can proudly say I celebrated my heritage in true Irish fashion, with a marathon binge!

Nights out in Seoul

2009-03-15T13:08:00.003+02:00

Last weekend I had my first experience out on the town in Seoul and... I couldn't be happier. I was able reunite with the whole ATI crew at a nice Mexican style restaurant in Iteawon (foreigners central) last Saturday. After warning my fellow English teachers about their upcoming orientation and listening to their helpful advice about their first week of teaching, we hit the town. The Koh Chang girls were back in action! We meet up with new friends I meet at the SMOE orientation and danced the night away! We went to a sweet underground bar in the Hongdea area. Hondgea is over flowing with bar, clubs, restaurants and loads of young people. Its right by the University so the drinks are pretty economical and everything stays open 24-7. The unfortunate thing about Seoul is that the metro closes at 11:30 and doesn't open up until 6am so this makes it pretty difficult to get home. There are tons of cabs but they can get pretty expensive. So at 2am when we couldn't dance anymore we decided to kill some time till the subway were back and running. First we tried to get some late night vegetarian food, which apparently is a four-letter word in Korea because we got refused service at about 10 restaurants. We finally had to give in and order so some seafood dishes! After a filling Korean meal we still had 3 hours to kill and that when we had the brill ant idea to hit up the all night sauna. For $8 bucks we got to chill out in hot bath and sauna room with a handle full of naked elderly Korean and matching issued uniforms. The best part is the nap room, where you can sleep on the ground with about 40 other people until they kick you out at 8am. It was kinda of like a homeless shelter/ spa treatment so after a nice shower and a little sleep we got to hop on train back home.

N. Seoul Tower

2009-03-11T13:46:00.006+02:00

Forgot to mention, last Friday we took a little field trip to the Seoul Tower. Its kinda of like the Seattle space needle. Its right in the center of Seoul on top of this mountain. The view from the top was incrediable and unlike anything I've ever seen. I mean I've been to the top of the Effile Tower and the Empire State building but this blows them out of the water. From the top you get a complete 360 view of Seoul, which is like looking at the sky scrapers of downtown Manhattan, only times it by 100 ! There must be thousands and thousands of high raises and they go on for as far as you could see. Every building in Seoul is like 20 stories high but I guess thats how you fit 10 million people into one city. We also got to catch a traditional Korean fighting preformance. I added some pictures to my album so you can get the full affect.

Teacher Maddy!

2009-03-10T09:26:00.007+02:00

Wow! So many beginnings all at once. New neighborhood, new house, new job, new boss, new coworkers!
but I'll start with the last day of orientation. We had a farewell lunch with all the native English teachers and once again I found myself parting ways with new friends but at least this time we will all be somewhere in the same city. After lunch we took buses to our new schools. My two co-teachers were waiting there to greet me and take me to my new home!
They were so sweet and even carried my enormous luggage. Both of them speak pretty good English, which is such a relief! They helped me move in to my new studio apartment on the 10th floor, there are so many high raises I still forget which building I living in. My co-teachers handed everything with my landlord, they were very concerned about me being in a new place all myself, the school accountant even came to make sure everything in my apartment was suitable. My place is cute, I have a queen bed which is surprise. Lots of storage, a small kitchen (no oven), a washer and a toilet/shower( literally I almost have to sit on my toilet to take a shower). The location is very convient, even though its about a 45 min subway ride from the center of Seoul everything I need is in close by and my school is just a 2min walk.
On my first day of work the Principal introduced me over the morning video announcements and I had to make a little speech about myself, it was a little awkward because everything was in Korean and I had no clue what to do but I suppose this is a feeling I will get very use to. At the staff meeting after school, i just sat quietly not knowing the they were talking about me for 5mins and they all laughed at how surprised I looked when they presented me with a bouquet of flowers.
After my first day of work my co-teachers took me to dinner and to the E-mart to get all the essentials for my new place, the school even insisted on buying me a rice cooker, a staple of a Korean kitchen. They have all been very helpful and generous!
Today was my first day of actual teaching. There were a few hiccups but the kids were so excited and their English is so good that we blew through two lessons in one day! The Seoul education system is very organized especially the English program. I have a textbook for each grade with the lesson place explicitly written out and CD-Rom that basically teaches the class for me. I pretty much teach the same lesson 5 times a day. I really only have to plan four- 40min lesson a week and since there already written for me I just need to come up with my own games for each unit. So after I teach I have alot of free time. This job is sweet!
My school is really nice, way better then any school I've seen in America. Every classroom has a huge 50 inch flat screen TV, a projector that hooks right up to the computer and the bathrooms are straight out of Star-trek. They have automatic doors and the toilets have 10 different buttons and I have no I idea what any of them do.

Let me out!

2009-03-05T15:00:00.005+02:00

I haven't been outside in probably four days and I think we are all starting to go a little stir crazy. The coordinators try and plan activities for us at night like traditional Korea dance, which was interesting and B-boy lessons, which sounds funner then it is.
I've been able to hit the gym a couple times but I am still confused by the whole kgs thing. I have no idea what wieghts I am lifting and it just makes me angry that America has to run on a completely different system then the rest of the world. Especially when your trying to talk about the weather with anyone from Europe, the UK, South Africa or Canada and you dont know how to convert celcius. It snowed on Tuesday which was neat but its been mostly cloudy and cold the rest of the time.
This week has been long, but informative. We've had some really good speakers: Korean teachers, experienced ESL teachers, Seoul tourist reps and a bunch of training lectures. I got a lot of tips and some new ideas for teaching but I feel like I've been preparing to teach for the past 6 weeks and I am ready to dive in.
Orientation has been a good place to formilarize myself with Korean food, seeing how we have to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is rarely vegatearian options so I mostly end up eating rice and lettuce three times a day. There is usually a couple unidentifiable veggie side dishes that aren't to bad and of course kimchi, the official food of Korea. Its a fermented spicy cabbage, I am not quite sold on it yet but its suppose to be good for digestion. I better get use to it because its defently a staple of their diet and I will be eating lunch at my school everyday. I am hoping I will at least get a little tofu now and then. Other then that I think I'll be able to manage Korean food, its generally spicy, fresh and really colorful! The flavors are different from other asian food but I like it, even though half the time I have no idea what it is, let alone what its called.
Tomorrow we are observing some classrooms in Seoul and then taking a bus tour of the city. I am excited to get out and do something!

Korea!

2009-03-04T06:21:00.002+02:00

I arrived on Saturday for my week long orientation for the native english teachers of the Seoul public schools. They put us up at this really nice facuility: gym, pool tables, fosball, soccer field and speedy internet. The downside is that its two hours outside of Seoul and we are on serious lockdown. There is about 200 of us and no one is allowed to leave and no alcohol! but a small group of us managed to escape into Seoul or a few hours, which was sweet! I got to see my friend Zane, who has been working here for the past year. My first impression of Seoul was good, everything was super clean, the metro is easy and fast, and overall it seems to be very technically advanced.
Both my roommates taught in Korea last year, one is from Canada and the other from Ohio. They are a fountain of information and they give tons of tips for surviving my first year. About half the people here have already taught in Korea before so that a good sign that I'll like it! The orientation is long, we have breakfast at 7am and go to till 9pm! They really try to keep us busy so we dont get into trouble. Other then that it has been very informative and Im getting really excited to start teaching on Monday. They aren't really giving us any specific information about where we will be teaching or living. All I know so far it that I will be teaching elementary somewhere on the west side of Seoul. On Saturday my co-teacher will pick me up and take me to my new school and home! I cant wait to unpack, settle in and finally stop living out of a suitcase.

Closing remarks on Thailand

2009-03-01T14:23:00.000+02:00

Ok I know I have already updated my blog like 3 times but I am just so happy to have a speedy Internet connection. Before I start on Korea, I have to share some thoughts about Thailand before I forget.
Let me start with motorbikes, everyone rides them. It not uncommon to see a whole family on one bike, the dad driving, the mom behind him holding an infant, and maybe a couple kids hanging off the back. In Chaing Mai one of my friends got in 3 accidents in one week!! The drivers and traffic are crazy but they all so use to it, its no sweat for them. In Koh Chang another one of my friends got in a really bad accident, went off the road almost lost his toe, his arms and legs were covered in scraps. It looked super painful. The roads were extremely steep, windy and slippery from the daily dose of rain. In just one day they said there was 20 bike accidents on the island. But it was pretty convenient that the boys got motorbikes so they could take us to the store or to the next beach whenever we wanted and we didn’t have to pay for the overpriced taxi. They were more experienced but still liked to act like daredevils ever chance they got. It was defiantly scary but I’d never been on a motorbike before, kinda of thrilling.
Another unique thing about Thailand and my favorite topic Ladyboys! also known as Kathoeys. They are everywhere, especially the bars and nightclubs. Bangkok has the largest population of transgenders in the world. I believe it is so popular because there are an abundance of surgeons and the operations are significantly cheaper then in anywhere else in the world. It’s even common for Americans to come to Thailand to receive gender re-assignment surgeries. There is a high tolerance and wide acceptance of Ladyboys throughout Thailand, even though a lot of them are prostitutes that prey on unsuspecting foreigner men. The whole concept totally fascinated me, I couldn’t get enough and I am still not sure I really understand.
Music in Thailand was just my style, reggae during the day and sweet dance electro music at night. They loved Jason Mraz and of course Bob Marley. Koh Chang was all about the house music but I suspect that has to do with all the European tourist. Food was amazing! I am addicted to spicy food now; if my eyes didn’t water at every meal it wasn’t hot enough. I love to put chili sauce all over everything and lots of peppers, so good! I am really gonna miss the food but I look forward to having more then 3 kinda of beers to chose from.
Ok I think I am ready to say goodbye to Thailand. I find myself always bringing it up in conversation but it time to adjust to a more conservative and appearance driven life in Korea.

Bangkok

2009-03-01T12:57:00.002+02:00

It was a bittersweet moment to arrive in Bangkok. The bus took us to the wrong station so we had to cab it across town in rush hour traffic to pick up our stored luggage. Then after an hour of searching for a vacant hotel, we finally found a guesthouse with actual aircon! Not to mention we had to carry our huge suitcases and backpacks down these super narrow and crowded alleys that barely fit us, or the motor bikes that’s were trying to squeeze by. We stayed off Khao Saun road, backpacker’s central of Bangkok. Tons of bars and young people walking the streets, not the best place to stay after two hours of sleep and 10 hours of traveling but exciting.
It so embarrassing traveling around with so much STUFF and having to explain to every person who gives us that “what the hell are you doing with all that” stare, that we are moving to Korea for a year. It was even worse when there was 5 of us girls, with all our luggage, trying to take a shuttle to the airport and they basically laughed at us and had to call us a special cab. We all were on the same flight to Seoul, which was a blessing and curse. Nice that we got some extra time together but bad that all of us were trying to beg the airline to wave the over weight charges on our bags. Mine alone was over by 16kg but somehow she let me slide without paying a single thing.
We all arrived in Korea safely and found our drivers right away, it was sad to say goodbye to all my new friends, once again. It sucks meeting all these new people, spending so much time together and then being separated. All the other girls were placed just outside Seoul, so I am sure I will be central meeting point for all our reunions.

Island Life on Koh Chang

2009-02-28T19:41:00.002+02:00

After 12 hours on a night bus we arrived in Bangkok earlier Monday morning, caught the first bus to Trat, which was another 5 hours bus ride. Then we had to take a small tuk tuk 45 mins to the pier, then a 30 min ferry to Koh Chang, then another 45 mins in a crowded tuk tuk up crazy windy roads. So in all it was a 20-hour journey to get there but as soon as I saw the island, I knew it was worth it. We were so lucky to have Dan with us so he could bargain and navigate us there, or else it would have been a lot more stressful.
Koh Chang was an amazing place. A relatively small island on the verge of becoming a tourist hotspot. You can see where they are tearing down the old hut bungalows and building large concrete resorts. It’s crazy that just 30 years ago the island was completely inhabitant by wild elephants. We stayed on Lonely beach, which has become a favorite spot for backpackers to chill out and relax, so there was tons of vegetarian food and everything was pretty cheap. There ended up being about 6 of us staying there, so all shared a couple of bungalows right off the beach for less then $7 a night. Don’t get me wrong; this was by no means the Ritz. Our bungalows were poorly put together by bamboo, wholes everywhere, perfect for mosquitos and geckos to get in. There was no AC just a small fan and one large bed with no blankets. You have to pretend that the mosquitoes net is really saving you from getting eaten alive at night but it’s really hard to complain when your surrounded by such beauty.
Beside the bugs, one of my favorite things about Koh Chang was all the animals. There was wild monkeys climbing on the telephone polls, elephants walking down the street and tons of stray dogs that just come and ate off your plate. At our bungalows alone we had two cows, a dozen cats ( a made really good friends with cat in particular he looked just like my child hood cat spunky but I called him boots) millions of geckos that make crazy noises at night and huge cockroaches. it really was a jungle!
A typical day: We wake up around 11, walk to our favorite breakfast place that is practically on the ocean, we lounge in our hammocks, order fresh fruit shakes and amazing curry dishes. Then walk to the beach and float in the crystal clear warm water for a couple hours soakin up the rays. The best part was once you swim out and turned around all you can see is white sand and the bright green jungle with rolling mountains, truly paradise. One day we even swan to this isolated island that must have been over a mile away. It was very difficult to get to shore because of all the rocks but it was quite the accomplishment to get there. We even found a fresh coconut that we broke open on a rock and drank the milk straight out of, it was right out of a movie screen. After hours of tanning and throwing the Frisbee or rugby ball around, we’d watch the sun fade into the horizon, take a short nap and shower, then we’d head to one of the local bars that are always putting on free barbeques (they even had tofu bbq). Every night one of the bars would host a party, the island was so small you were bound to see everyone from the beach that day and everyone you saw last night.
After 7 days in Koh Chang I had to say goodbye to my English boys. We’ve spent the last 4 weeks together all day everyday and I really become of the mates, for better or worse. They went off to Cambodia to hang out and look for teaching jobs. The girls and me stayed on the island too content to move, we even extended our trip by an extra day because we couldn’t imagine a better place to be or better people.
We meet some really cool people during our 11 days there. A couple of chill guys from Sweden, a group from South Africa who were so sweet and generous, a super friendly Canadian couple and of course a bunch of new English blokes. Its so crazy how we can all come from every corner of the world but we all have so much in common. Everyone is young, loves to travel, out going and completely liberal in all senses of the word. Every time we’d meet new people they were so surprised to learn we from America, they all said they rarely meet any while traveling Southeast Asia and that we were by far the coolest. It was so surprising to hear how excited and appreciative foreigners were to America for electing Obama, they really have a lot of faith they he can restore America’s name abroad.

ATI graduation

2009-02-28T18:10:00.003+02:00

I thought I would share a poem/ speech that one of the guys in my program said during our farewell party, you might not get all the inside jokes but I thought it was a great way to sum up the experience:

Just when it feels like its time to settle in,
Im off again.
New country, unknown streets, unfamiliar people.
And now its time to say good to those crazy romances and long weekend trips.
In three weeks, this time did fly,
as many memories as Sang Som sips
Aye Tat Ta !!!!!
Its been a proper good time.
A bunch of geezers and birds in this random life of fate.
And now its time to say goodbye to new friends, crazy romances and long weekend trips.
So true how this time did fly
Making more memories then Song Som sips.
So we broke some windows, left our mark.
Anything goes with ATI after dark.
But through all the gossip of this and that,
one thing remains true
To Sinthana we will not be invited back
We got tricksters and hippies, hicks and Thai boxers
Some patient, some witty, we've even got porn stars!
So with more joy then misery, we should now rejoice
Because faster then Mc delivery, we will each be gone by choice.
So, I think I speak on behalf of the class,
when I thank our beloved ATI staff, for putting it all together
And dealing with all our shit.
Now its time, we each do our bit.
Phonology, grammar, context and games
Speaking and teaching American,
now matter what they say, does take brains.
We got to teach really very good and speak of course, totally smart
Remember to shower and hold in a fart.
So trim your beard and respect the culture.
Don’t drool over the young like a linger vulture.
Always remember the best teacher is a student.
So no hangovers, no piercings and always cover your tattoos
And always be prudent!
Remember chalkboard management and lesson organization
You’re more then yourself, you represent a nation
So be lively, do a little dance, sing’em a little song
And try not to be a typical farang.

Core Dialogue (teaching method we used obsessively)
A- We would like to thank our sponsors.
B- Who?
A- 7-11, Leo, Sang Som, Singha
B- You forgot McDonalds.
A- Super size me!

note: Sang Som was our favorite Thai Whiskey

Goodbye Chiang Mai ... Hello Kho Chang!

2009-02-15T07:00:00.003+02:00

i just finished packing up my bags and checking out of the hotel. What a process trying to refit all my air-tight bags back in to my suitcases, but somehow I managed to make it all fit a little better then the first time. I plan to leave one of my suitcases in Bangkok while Im down at the beaches. Lacy, Brittany, the English boys and I are catching a night bus at 7 pm to Bangkok and we should arrive around 7 am Monday. Then we are getting the next bus (and ferry) to Kho Chang! I am so excited for some R & R in the sun.
I survived my visa run to Myanmar. It was the worst car ride I've ever been on! All twelve seats of the mini-van were full, the driver must have thought he was 4 wheeling. The ride was so bumpy and jerky, two people got sick and I was really close to being the third. Myanmar reminded me of Tijuana, nothing special. We literally walked across the border got our passports stamps, turned around and walked right back into Thailand. Overall the trip took about 9 hours, which isn't too bad but its just one of those annoying inconveniences of traveling.
i am sad to leave Chiang Mai and all the new friends I've meet. Now I've got friends to visit all over China, Korea and Thailand. It has been a lot of fun and a great experience.
P.S. I actually let my hair air dry for the first time in my life and its straight! I am a believer in this Japanese hair striaghting! It will be perfect for my holiday on the islands!!!

Elephants in the Streets!

2009-02-11T17:34:00.004+02:00

I have so much to share since my last post ......

Let me start with teaching. On Tuesday we had our second practice teach at a local elementary school. My lesson went really well. I had the first lesson of the day so my students were really responsive and enthusactic. From Wednesday to Friday we taught at this massive private middle school, there was over 1.500 students. Day one was a little shaky, middle school kids are way more timid and self concsious about speaking English but by Friday I was way more confident and relaxed. My feedback was very positive, I've been told i have a perfect teacher voice. (By the way, my excessively loud voice has become the running joke in the program!, causing my instructor to move floors and a few upset hotel resident but I denay all charges of guilt) I've had an awesome time teaching these past two weeks and I've learned so much from peers. But Im glad this week is over, waking up early and planning lesson plans all night is pretty trying!!!
After all our hard work ATI and the resort threw us all a big going away party. We all got to wear traditional Thai costumes and we looked like Aaaaamazing! The karaoke portion of the night got a little out of hand and everyone was celebrating to the max! A great way to say goodbye as we all head our separate ways to teach but totally inconvientdent for my visa run!
Since I found out I have an extra week in Thailand, I have to leave the country tomorrow at 7am to get a 15 day extension on my visa. A group of us are taking a 10 hour bus trip to Myanmar (Burma) to cross the border. Im not looking forward to the trip but I love getting new stamps o my passport.
After the visa run, me and my new friends Brittany and Lacy are heading south.We are all on the same flight to Seoul so we are taking a little holiday before we have to get down to business. On Sunday we are taking the night bus to Bangkok and then finding our way to Kho Chang, off the Central coast of Thailand. It's suppose to be beautiful! Tons of islands you can swim to, cheap bungalows and the sun!!!. i already miss the beach and I can't wait to relax and work on my tan.

Other happenings.....
I got my hair chemically straightened, kinda like a perm. It took 4 hours! but it was super cheap and now I have Asia hair for the next 6 months. I think it looks pretty good and since I am without my usual utensil, its totally convenient.
I'm falling more in love with Thailand everyday, everything is walking distance and inexpensive. I took two huge bags of laundry to get washed, the next day they were clean and folded for under 5 bucks. It's quite the life here !

Now to the elephant ....
A group of us went to our favorite spot last week and on our way out of the bar, no joke there was a baby elephant just walking down the street! It was the craziest thing I've seen. He was so cute! He looked just like Dumbo but it was kinda of sad, he really shouldn't be walking down a busy street at 2am.

Teacher Maddy

2009-02-06T14:01:00.002+02:00

Today was amazing!
Everyone did a really good job teaching and our kids sat through four hours of English lessons! I had to go last, so I had plenty of time to prepare but the kids were a little restless by the time it was my turn. Once I got up to the front of the class and started my lesson all my nerves disappeared. The kids I taught were in the third graders, they were so sweet. After my lesson a group of the girls came up and gave me hugs. One of the boys even gave me two oragami hearts. It made my day!
All the Thai kids were so excited to see us westerners walk on campus, at lunchtime the guys even played soccer with all the schoolboys. We will be going back to the same school four days next week, so by the time I get to Korea I will be well prepared. I cant wait to have my own class and meet my students in Korea!

Prepin'

2009-02-05T10:36:00.003+02:00

Yesterday I ventured to the mall to find a skirt for teaching it has to go past my knees when I sit down! After two hours all i came home with was a box of Cheese-its and goldfish, no clothes but soooo yummy!
Tomorrow will be our first day of teaching in the Thai schools! i will be teaching a 40 minute class about fruits to 15 elementary students. I'm feeling way more confident after our second round of peer teaching today. I was more prepared and did all my homework this time. I even went to bed at a descent time last night!
Well, it wasn't all by my own choice. I have been singled out as the loudest American (especially at 2 am) and apparently my voice travels in the halls, keeping my instructor awake.... oooppppsss! So I've been asked to stay off the third floor when I come home at night. but really? Im not that loud.... am i?
Pretty much everyone from the program, about thirty of us, went to this great blues bar down the street last night. There was a local Thai reggae band playing some classic Bob Marley jams, so killer! Thailand has an wonderful culture, everyone is so friendly and kick back and the weather is still great everyday!

Gettin' Physical

2009-02-04T15:39:00.002+02:00

I finally went on a run! Me and some friends went to Chiang Mia University after class yesterday for a some exercise. The guys played a pretty good game of soccer with a large group of Thai guys while I got to run around the track for a couple of miles. I am a little sore today but it feels good to run again!
After our day of exercise, we went to one of favorite bars in CM. It's this great veggie, reggae, rooftop bar that over looks the city. You have to leave your shoes downstairs, sit on ground with small thin pillows and drink your beers off a low table. The bar has a great vibe and atmosphere, I wish there was one in Cali !

Temple on the Mountain

2009-02-02T11:44:00.007+02:00

Just before sunset on Sunday night, a group of us to a pick-up truck to visit a Buddhist Temple on the top of the highest peak in Chiang Mai. After 20 minutes of traveling up a winding road trying not to slide out the back of the truck and 300 stairs, we finally reached Dio Suthep. The view from up top was truly breathe taking (besides the smog) you could see all of Chiang Mai. We got there just before evening prayers. We actually got to observe the monks chant for over 30 minutes. It was a humbling and peaceful moment to say the least. It was a very serene place, the smell of incense and flowers was incredible. I took some pictures with a friends camera, so stay tuned......

Sawadee Kha!

2009-01-30T13:01:00.004+02:00

That means Hello in Thai. Which is one of the two words I know.

I just finished up my first week of TESOL training. Today we did our first practice teaching in front of the class, mine went less then perfect. It's pretty difficult to use simple language and explain English in front of everyone. Next Friday we all get to teach a lesson at a local school here in Thailand. I'm pretty excited to see what is like in a foreign school.

Everything else is going great! I've been going to the University after school to throw the Frisbee around and watch the English boys play soccer with the local Thais. The weather is prefect, just about 80 degrees. The resort were a staying at is right outside the main part of Chiang Mai so we get a nice taste for the local culture. At lunch we just walked to the dozen of street stalls and grab an omelet with rice for 10 baht (30 cents). We love to hang out (looter) at 7-11 because they are literally every two feet, I had a proper slurpee last night! (Oh yeah, along with learning Thai I've picked up a good amount of British lingo)

I just found out I don't have to be in Korea until Feb 28, a week later then I originally thought. Which is cool because now I have a two weeks to go the beach and check out some of the islands down south. But my visa runs out on the 20th so I have to make a weekend trip out of the country, I was thinking Laos?!?

Night Market

2009-01-26T10:04:00.005+02:00

Last night one of the instructors took us to this great rooftop reggae vegetarian restaurant. It over looked this massive night market. After dinner we wondered around the market for a couple hours, it went on for blocks and blocks! There was tons of hand crafts (probably all from China), a lot of silk, jewelery and of course every kind of Thai food. I love the atmosphere at the markets and getting to bargain with the vendors, you really feel immersed in the culture.

We had our first day of class today and I think its going to be a lot of fun. Everyone in the program is really outgoing. We learned some basic Thai phrases and a little history about the country. We did some group exercises and acting in front of the class. I got paired up with the English guys, who were making me laugh all day, everything just sounds so funny in an English accent!

A few notes on Thailand so far:

For transportation around Thailand we ride in these trucks called, Tuk Tuks. You just flag down the drivers get them 20 baht (less then $1) and they take you anywhere in town. There basically small pickups with benches and a hand rail, you just cram as many people as you can inside usually ten or so, and hold on!

Beer here is more expensive then food but still under $2 for a big bottle. The local beer called Chang is unregulated so you can have one bottle that's less then %5 alc or one that's like %14. So its always a surprise and usually you don't know until its too late!

Tonight there are celebrating the Chinese New Year here in Chiang Mai which is one of the biggest holidays here in Thailand, cant wait to see what it all about!

Meeting the Group

2009-01-25T12:11:00.000+02:00

It was such a relief when I finally got to meet others in the TESOL training program.

We all meet up at the airport on Saturday morning to take a 10 hour bus to Chiang Mai, in north Thailand, where we'll be doing our training. Of course, I had the most luggage, so embarrassing! seeing how most of these people have been traveling for months with just a backpack and here I am with the two largest suitcases and a full backpack, typical so-cal girl.

There are a couple Canadians, some cute English boys, a bunch of east coast people and a really interesting Aussie couple. Everyone is pretty well traveled and a few people have even done the peace corps, and almost half of us are vegetarians, so that's really exciting!

We arrived pretty late in Chiang Mai but I managed to grab a couple beers at the local bar near our accommodations and chat with some local Thais, who very kindly tried to teach me some basic Thai with no suck luck.

My first day in Chiang Mai was great. A group of us went exploring the city and it looks like there is going to be so much to do here. There are local cooking classes, yoga studios, muy thai boxing matches, elephant rides, hiking and even shooting ranges (not that I'll be trying that anytime soon, but just in case). There are little coffee shops and markets everywhere that have tons of exotic fruit and really cheap food, like $1 for pad thai. The best part is the Thai massage place where you all kinds of foot, head, back massages for hours for less then $10. I think I could really get use to this!

Bloggin?

2009-01-25T11:55:00.000+02:00

So I am not really sure about this whole bloggin thing... but ever since I have arrived in Thailand I am so overwhelmed by all the sights, smells and people that I had to find a way to share this experience with everyone. First, I think I should go back in time a little....

I arrived in Bangkok late Thursday night. The flight was surprisingly easy and not that long, I didn't even have jet lag. Friday morning I hit the ground running and went to see the Grand Place. It was the most elaborate and ornate place I've ever seen. The emerald Buddha and countless shrines were breath taking and it smelled of beautiful incense. I wish I had pictures to share but my camera is out of order so you'll have to wait till I get the disposable developed.

After the Grand Place, I wandered the streets for a few hours. There are markets and vender's at every corner and food stalls every 10 feet. After a long day of walking I headed back to my hotel where I got an amazing Thai massage for the same price as my grande iced soy mocha!