The Postcard Wall

When I arrived in Korea, I had seven cards/postcards with me. I taped them to the largest white space in my apartment to try and make the place more like a home. I had no idea it would become such an interesting and fun mosaic of color, stories, and friendship. I have postcards from 12 states and 6 countries, either sent to me or bought on my trips. Not all the letters I have received ended up here, but the majority of them are there for you to see.

It would be crazy amazing to see how many states I can collect (can you believe I don’t have a Texas one up there?) before my departure in March 2013. If you would like to contribute to this wall of wander, please feel free to drop me a comment. If I’ve got you on FB/Twitter/YouTube, drop me a message to let me know you’re interested.

Here’s a list of my current states:

• California
• Delaware
• Florida
• Hawaii
• Kansas
• Minnesota
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• South Dakota
• Virginia
• Washington D.C.
• Wyoming

In the spirit of Chuseok, the Korean equivalent of our Thanksgiving, I’d like to give a very massive thank you to everyone who has contributed to the making of this collage. I can’t tell you how appreciative I am of the mail I receive, just that it feels like I’m not completely on the other side of the world from everyone else. Thank you for that!

I will readily tell you I had no intention of going to the DMZ when I arrived in Korea. In all likelihood, that could be attributed to knowing as much about the Korean War as M*A*S*H managed to bring to the table. My impression of that period in history was that it happened in Korea, lots of people died, and for some reason the US was involved. Yeah, really no clue, I’m ashamed to say. (Also, I generally try to avoid situations where people are patrolling with firearms and there are land mines behind the fence that’s ten feet away from me.) There’s the additional issue I have with trivializing historical events from other cultures, and this trip really felt more like a tourist destination than anything.

It’s been difficult for me to grasp how the locals feel about the issue of separation between North and South Korea. The younger generations appear to see it more as a curiosity than a traumatic experience of families being lost or separated. In that respect, I don’t feel I have the right or ability to accurately portray my experience or impressions of the DMZ without obviously coming across as a generally ignorant tourist. I would like to apologize in advance for that.

Coming from a military family, I was told several times by different people I should take a trip toward the border. I style myself as the hippie child when it comes to being an army brat twice over and then some. I dislike shooter games (unless you count 007 Goldeneye), pretty much all types of modern warfare, and would much rather hug a tree and visit temples than go anywhere near a “hostile” country. I’m pretty firm in the belief that I would be a terrible soldier, primarily because I’m regularly questioning why we do what we do. At the same time, I’m very proud of my family’s military service and heritage, so while I recognize I would be unwilling to do what they’ve all done, I’m glad they had/have the fortitude to serve.

My grandfather returning from the Korean War.

Since Ash is winding down her time in Korea, we’ve been doing a couple of things she hasn’t done since she arrived in Korea about a year and a half ago. We signed up once again for an Adventure Korea trip that would bus us to the Freedom Bridge and Memorial, into the civilian control zone, the Third Tunnel of Aggression, and Dorasan Station.

We stopped first at the Freedom Bridge, where POWs have been exchanged in the past. Remember the part where I mentioned part of the DMZ had become a tourist destination? To prove my point, I would like to mention the theme park that was within walking distance of the memorial. Yes, theme park. And there was also a Popeye’s. Aside from those two things, I enjoyed spending time at the memorial and learning more about the abandoned, bullet-riddled steam engine, the Peace Bell, and the Stones of Peace Wall. Trying to grasp the gravity of what had occurred was still quite difficult, especially considering the actual land of the DMZ was quite beautiful.

The memorial, Freedom Bridge, and DMZ.

We had lunch in the civilian control zone, in a small village that made its living from a touristy shop it ran and the restaurant that served only delicious, locally grown food. We were offered as much as we could eat and a wide variety of different foods. The people there were very nice. We were told they can only leave their homes a couple of days out of the year for security reasons, so vacation days aren’t something these people are familiar with. They also are not required to serve in the military because they are basically already living in a tense, military controlled environment.

A portion of our delicious lunch.

The following stops were at the Third Aggression Tunnel and a small museum, followed by a trip to the Panmunjom observation center. We weren’t quite expecting a workout when we arrived at the Tunnel, andI would like to warn anyone considering going that you need to be in pretty good shape if you end up walking down. The descent is hard on your knees, if you’re taller than 5’4″ you’re going to have to bend over a great deal, and the ascent will leave you rather winded with your calves burning. If you’re older, I would suggest paying the additional fee and taking the train down the tunnel and back up again. The museum was quite informative, but we were rather rushed through it to get to the documentary, which I found to not be as informative as I would have liked.

Pushing for unification.

As I mentioned above, we were slated to go to Panmunjom, but when we arrived at the checkpoint, we were not allowed through. Instead, we headed to Dorasan Station earlier than planned. Our guide mentioned we would go to the Observation Center in Paju, which she thought was better than the one at Panmunjom for views for North Korea. I was completely okay with this decision since stoic guards of any sort tend to freak me out. Dorasan Station is a railway station that is completely ready for the reunification of North and South Korea. It is equipped with customs and quarantine buildings and holds the hope of one day connecting South Korea to Europe by rail, making transcontinental travel possible on one line. Because the station is not regularly used, we were allowed to meander about on the tracks.

To Pyeongyang

On our way back to Seoul, we stopped for about an hour at the Paju Observation Center. The views of North Korea were beautiful. We watched a mini documentary about the geographical layout of North Korea based on what we could observe, and there was a cultural museum on one of the lower floors.

North Korea and its propaganda village.

At the end of the day, I’m glad I went. The trip made me appreciate the country I’m currently calling home so much more. It made me love Korea in a completely different way.

We checked out of our hotel in Tokyo and headed over to Tokyo Station where we would catch our Shinkansen train to Kyoto. Dining on a quick pick up from Starbucks, we found our platform and reveled in the timeliness of trains in Japan. The ride from Tokyo to Kyoto was about 2h45mins. Once we retreated from the city we were met with the beautiful Japanese countryside, and some rain on occasion. When we finally arrived in Kyoto, we decided to forgo waiting for the shuttle bus to our hotel and took a cab. I don’t think I’ve ever taken so many cabs before I lived in Asia. Our hotel was upscale, which provided a nice reprieve from the rest of the traveling we’d been doing. We treated ourselves to a king-size bed, great food, relaxing atmosphere, spa-like bathroom, everything.

The main reason I wanted to come to Kyoto was to visit the Fushimi Inari Shrine. The torii have always fascinated me, and the shrine has been on my to-visit list since I took Asian religions in undergrad.

The start of the many torii along the mountainside.

Had the weather been cooler and not threatening rain, I would have liked to walk other torii trails along the mountain. Considering dusk was on its way and we were being eaten alive by mosquitos, we ventured back to the hotel, unsure of where or when we’d find another taxi to take us back. We found one after wandering through some back alleys and praised the air conditioning. We had a lovely evening back at the hotel and just relaxed.

Pink skies from our hotel.

I couldn’t keep myself from responding in Korean when saying the basics of “yes”, “thank you”, and “hello” to the Japanese people we encountered. While amusing in hindsight, it was a bit frustrating. We prepared ourselves to get up at 5:30 the following morning to catch an early taxi to the train station. The phone rang at 6:00. Thankfully we packed the night before. We rushed out of the room, checked out, I held my breath through every red light, and we made it with some time to spare. Once again, thank you Japan for having trains that run on time. Our trip to the airport went smoothly and I picked up a couple of postcards as well as some delicious KitKats you’d be hard pressed to find elsewhere.

The strawberry ones are so delicious!

It would be an easy thing for me to stay longer in Kyoto. It’s not nearly as sensory overwhelming as Tokyo, and I would love to visit more of the shrines. It found it as peaceful as I was expecting once we ventured outside of the major city areas. If you have any reservations at all about going, please take this as my recommendation. Go. You’ll love it if you take the time.

Check it out! I’m making a dent in my travel list!

And now, pictures!

The first torii on the way to Fushimi Inari Shrine.

Donate a coin, make a wish, ring the bell.

Checked this off the list!

The many faces of the fox.

On our flight to Narita!

Saturday found us pretty early, waking up at 5:00 in the morning to catch the 5:30 bus to the airport for our 8:40 departure out of Incheon. The bus that arrived only had one available seat, so we had to wait for an additional half hour for a second bus to show up. I suppose you could say we had nail biting moments for the entire trip when it came to getting to the airport.

The flight went well enough, and about 2 hours later we found ourselves in Japan. (I find it so amazing that a 2-2.5 hour flight can take me to Japan or China, other countries! A 2-2.5 hour flight in central Texas usually meant I’d still be in Texas when I landed.) After going through customs and retrieving our bag, we went off to find the metro into Tokyo. I need to mention that neither of us had a clear idea as to the exchange rate between US dollars and Japanese yen, and that I didn’t have a map printed out for our Tokyo hotel. We bought a 2 Day Metro Pass and 1-Way Ticket on the Keisei Skyliner before going to figure out our train tickets to Kyoto. The man who helped us purchase and organize our Kyoto tickets was the best person we encountered in Japan. Not only did he secure our tickets to and from Kyoto, he made sure we would have plenty of time before our flight left and ensured us seats on an express airport train we would not have known to take otherwise. He was great.

We transferred a couple of times to a metro station I mistakenly believed was near our hotel. After some time trying to adjust to our new surroundings, asking at least three people and a cop how to find our hotel, and walking several blocks, we checked in to find that “in-flight meals are more spacious” than our room. It was amusing to say the least.

First on our to-do list was make our way to Odaiba for the life-size (59′) Gundam. What can I say, I’m a fangirl! Figuring out the Tokyo metro wasn’t nearly as discouraging or overwhelming as I thought I would be. It is a bit frustrating that not all the lines are represented on one map, but purchasing tickets for private lines was pretty straight-forward. Rolling into Odaiba over the Rainbow Bridge, I spotted a building that I recognized from my childhood.

Dream come true.

How is that possible? I watched a ton of anime as a kid, and this particular building featured in the first season of Digimon. Cue the beginning of fangirl glee. We stopped for lunch at a burger joint and then walked around the park hoping to find the gundam. When we eventually did find it, I’m pretty sure I squealed with delight. And then it MOVED. Talk about a dream come true.

Our next stop was Tokyo Tower, and again, this was purely for the anime I had watched growing up. I had no interest in actually going up the tower. It’s modeled after the Eiffel in Paris, which I have already done, so really, no thanks. I was quite taken by the red color, though. Zoji temple was nearby, and since we weren’t planning on going to Sensoji, we decided this would be the next best thing. Apparently it was some kind of summer festival because we couldn’t go anywhere without seeing several women in kimonos. It was quite beautiful. Everyone was attending the festival at the temple. People were dancing traditional dances, children were running around, food was being served, and music was playing. It was definitely a fantastic cultural experience to witness.

Zoji Temple and Tokyo Tower

Last year, I watched the movie Lost in Translation, which takes place in Tokyo. (Yes, I do recommend it.) Jess and Meagan had gone to the hotel bar prominently featured in the movie, so we decided to make an appearance there as well. As it turns out, we chose the wrong hotel. Seeing as it was time for dinner, that didn’t cause too much of a bother since we ate in one of the hotel restaurants. The food was delicious!. We returned to our hotel and watched some of the Olympics before calling it a day.

Here are some more pictures of our day in Tokyo:

The digimon building!

Is Odaiba the new New York?

My heart!

Tokyo Tower

Tokyo Tower at Night

Mini Kimonos

At Zoji Temple

Goodbye, Mike Teacher.

Street food in Myeongdong.

First haircut in Korea, with a double blow dry!

I love me some Spidey.

Sunday I discovered I had some tooth discoloration on a back molar. I don’t usually get cavities, but this looked pretty major. After questioning if it was a filling, I had my mom double check with my dentist in CA, who said I had no fillings on my upper, left side. Oh great. I don’t usually have a problem going to the dentist at home, just when I have to find someone new on my own and I have no idea if they’re going to royally screw up my mouth. Lo and behold, my manager, Jason, said there was a dentist’s office on the floor below SLP. The day I told him, he took me downstairs and we were able to get in and out of there within half an hour. Three fillings and 11,200 Won later, I was pretty stoked I was living and working in Korea.

My oh so very glitterful patriotic contribution of the day.

We knew our hagwon crew would be going out to dinner for the night to celebrate, and we ended up at a samgyeopsal place. Just think of it as having bacon for dinner, along with the typical Korean side dishes. Later we decided it was time to shoot off the fireworks Mike had bought at E-mart. We set off a few and called it a night. In any case, happy 4th of July to all the folks back home and all the other expats on the globe!

Samgyeopsal and good company.

4th of July Fireworks – Korea Style

Fireworks Finale

Random Observation: The number pad I used at the ATM machine had its numbers flipped. Typing in any numerical information was a strange kind of challenge.

I had no intention of making a vigorous trip out into the neighborhood, but walking anywhere in Beijing will leave you sweating from the humidity. I should also mention that no matter where you go in the city, somehow you always end up covered in a layer of dirt and grime. You can literally feel it when you rub your hands together. On one level I find that disgusting, but on another (my archaeological side) I find that oddly exciting. In some way, in my mind it scream, “I LIVED TODAY!” It’s the kind of living that keeps you close to the earth and its people, a great kind of dirty.

Tiananmen Square

Scam Alert: All around Tiananmen Square, especially right in front of the Forbidden City, there are people, mostly women, who will say, “Hello! Where are you from?” They’re not just friendly people from Beijing, they’re talented scam artists. These ladies will do almost anything to strike up a conversation with you. They’ll suggest going to get coffee or some other drink and practice their English with you. They’ll go to the bathroom and never return. You’ll be stuck with an outrageous bill that covers more than just your drinks.

Since I’m blonde, it’s pretty easy to make the assumption that I speak English. I can’t count the number of times I was pestered about speaking English with people. Ignoring them and frowning does little to dissuade their pursuit. I was in the middle of taking some pictures when two women came up to me, one saying the required, “Hello. Where are you from?” Ignore. Ignore. Ignore. “How long have you been in Beijing?” I finally retorted with, “Je ne parle pas Anglais.” Her friend was apparently a translator and relayed what I had said in French to the other girl in English. The original speaker, “Oh! You speak so well, would you like to go for coffee?” I pretty much just gave up on the photography and walked away.

A Cultural Music Fest… or something.

I spent an hour or so walking around Tiananmen before heading back to the hostel. I spotted a glorious Subway on the way back and decided to break one of my 100 Yuans there. A bag full of trusted food and bottled water later, I was sitting in bed watching communist tv. I think some of the most cultural exposure I encountered on my trip was through that little box and its music festival channel. That’s probably one of the reasons I kind of fell in love with China while I was there.

The following day proved to be a pretty epic one. I was supposed to meet Rachel, a friend I met studying abroad in Wales back in 2007, and her family at their hotel and spend the day with them. The meet-up time was at noon. I woke up at a decent hour, had breakfast at my hostel (and unexpectedly had to pay for it), checked the city map in the internet room, and headed out. I thought I might as well go and check out the Temple of Heaven complex before meeting up with Rachel. Let me just start out by saying it was a longer walk than I had been anticipating. That’s generally the story of my solo-travel life.

Temple of Heaven

When I go to a new city, I tend not to use public transportation because I want to explore everything on foot. Plus, it’s free. Of course, any map I had seen while in Beijing was never very accurate or helpful. I ended up turning too soon (think a couple of miles too soon) for the Temple of Heaven and ended up walking by an open air market. That was quaint. I kept walking. Somehow I ended up in part of the slums of Beijing. This always happens to me. It happened in London, Paris, and San Francisco, pretty much any city I go to by myself. Thank goodness I have a decent sense of direction during the day and was able to maneuver my way out of the area fairly quickly. I spotted Rachel’s hotel after walking another block, had an interesting time crossing a number of streets, was parched from the heat and decided to try the subway. I was literally one stop away from the Temple of Heaven. A helpful British couple pointed me to the correct exit and off I went. Not realizing the Eastern entrance was right behind me, I walked a quarter of the circumference to the main entrance and paid my 35 RMB entry fee. Judging by the lamp post shadows, I had about an hour left until I needed to meet up with Rachel.

The gardens were beautiful, and there were so many people just leisurely playing instruments, dancing, or painting. Almost anything you could name, people were doing it. I ended up shelling out another 20 RMB for what I realized later was a duplicate of my first ticket. Oh well, live and learn and break those 100s. I could have easily spent a couple hours there, but that’s more for next time I suppose. I took the subway to the Novotel hotel and walked in right as Rachel’s group was checking in. Perfect timing for meeting them and for the air conditioning that followed!

She’s such a good sport. Lunching with Rachel at Mr. Lee’s.

We set off for the Forbidden City after lunch, in a chauffeured and air conditioned van! Honestly, it just made the day so much better being able to sit down and be taken to the places we wanted to go. “Oh it’s a ten to fifteen minute walk in that direction,” became a less than a five minute ride by a driving master who knew the roads. I was so incredibly thankful for her family’s generosity and good natured company. Honestly, they made my last day in Beijing amazing. We checked out the gate portion with Mao’s portrait hanging on the front. I wasn’t that impressed, but that may be because there weren’t any English translations of all the images and history. At least it had a nice breeze.

Mao and his gate.

Tourist Shot!

Once our rounds of the city were complete, the driver picked us up and took us to Beihai park. The willow trees were beautiful and clambering about the park was both fun and relaxing. I loved it. I did notice that if you wanted to do anything there it was going to cost you. It wasn’t going to cost very much, but it was still something. I was optimistic about the cave walk, but it was lame, rather pointless, and filled with creepy statues. Though, I did run across a sign that said, “Tish way, please.” Priceless.

Once we left Beihai it was time for the grand finale, Peking Duck. I cannot accurately describe the glorious deliciousness that dinner was. It’s pretty much impossible, and safe to say that just thinking about it makes my mouth water. While it wasn’t nearly as spicy as what I’m used to eating in Korea, it was incredibly tasty. After dinner, they were nice enough to lend me their driver to take me back to my hostel. Once again, I just want to express my sincere and deepest gratitude for making my last day in Beijing so amazing. Thank you Boeke Family! I’m so glad Rachel and I were able to reconnect after not having seen each other for four years. Of all places, we met in Wales, visited in Iowa, and reunited in China! It’s definitely a small world.

Beihai Park

One last thing before I take you through my Beijing adventure; I love the Incheon airport. LOVE IT. Security is a breeze, it’s ridiculously clean and shiny, free wifi with available computers and free printing (life saver right there), and just a very nice place. I think the last time I had any strong, positive feelings about an airport was when I was a child. I had this love affair with the Frankfurt airport because of the McDonald’s playground in one of the terminals.

My first view of China.

As soon as you enter the Beijing airport, you’re body temperature is scanned in case you’re fighting off anything infectious. Aside from that, I was surprised how easy it was to get through customs. There were no pat downs, no baggage x-rays, no intimidating questions in a darkened room. (Yes, my impression of communist China was very skewed.) All you needed was an up to date visa and passport.

Scam Alert: There are “taxi drivers” patrolling the terminal looking for bewildered and unsuspecting visitors. I ended up being one of those. He asked if I was looking for a taxi. I raised an eyebrow and said yes. “Follow me”. He takes my bag and I follow him past the legit queue line for taxis into the parking garage. I know, this sounds horrendously sketchy. It felt the same way, but in my mind, I kept saying, “It’ll make a GREAT story!” So I went with it. The guy didn’t have a meter, but he worked for a company that offered a flat rate for customers going into the city. (It was drastically over priced, obviously.) He said he knew where my hostel was. He didn’t. The entire ride to the city I was thinking two things:

1. He’s going to take me to an abandoned warehouse or factory and try to ransom me or worse!
2. He’ll take me to my hostel.

Things turned out fine compared to how they could have. We ended up finding my hostel, in a back alley that was also sketchy, just not advertised that way. I gave him 500 Yuan ($78) for the 480 ride and he didn’t even give me change. Fine. Whatever. It’ll be a good story.

Chinese RMB or Yuan.

I had booked Beijing Jade International Youth Hostel through my Great Wall hiking tour. I’m going to warn you now, do not book with them. I have stayed at several YHA hostels throughout my travels, and I’ve come to identify the company with a particular cleanliness and professional quality. Do not expect  YHA quality from this hostel. Suffice to say my main complaints were that the staff were uninformative and rude, there were no towels or an alarm clock in my room, and the hostel was generally not how it had been advertised. It does sit next to the Forbidden City, but it does not mention you need to walk 20-30 minutes to get to the actual entrance. I was not offered or given an accurate map of the city, so I spent my first evening walking around the block to familiarize myself with the area.

My Great Wall hiking trip would begin bright and early the following day, so I made sure to let the desk know. The attendant didn’t know what to do with my information, or didn’t care, so I emailed my tour correspondent my room number in case she needed to call me. I asked for a wake up call and tried to get some sleep. Since I didn’t have an alarm clock, I spent the whole night fretting about missing my tour, which had me awake at 5:00 in the morning to wait for the pick-up.

When traveling solo, I tend to not go out and explore my food options. I’m not brave enough to sit with the locals, point to something I can’t pronounce, and eat it. I also tend to be fine without usual amenities. I’m responsible for myself, so I’m not as much of a “mother bear” as when I’m traveling with others. This means I didn’t eat dinner my first night in Beijing, and since breakfast began at 7:00 and my tour departed at 7:00, well, no breakfast either. That’s why I believe in packing snacks. Also, I am pretty proud of the fact that I managed Beijing without a working phone, watch, or map. Had I been with someone else, I probably wouldn’t have been as adventurous, or perhaps stupid depending on your point of view.

Lip gloss, wine, gift certificates, and a key chain from Guam.

My lips will be properly cared for during the rest of my time in Korea.

From my nuzzler! She told me she wanted to take me home with her.

The last week or so has been pretty eventful. My aunt, who is a teacher in North Carolina, came up with the idea of starting an international correspondence with our classes. My IP Alligator class was super excited about hearing from kids in America and writing to them. Our letters and cards will be sent out this week, hopefully they’ll get there before the end of the school year. It would be great to see this take off and expand into the next American academic year.

IP Alligator with notes from North Carolina.

I have also booked my tickets to Japan with Guy in July, paid off a student loan from my sophomore year at Trinity, written every single day for a week, going strong on my no chocolate mega challenge, and feeling great all around. I’ve been making a real effort to eat better while I’m here and on my new budget. I go through a bunch of bananas every week, eat broccoli and carrots whenever I can at home, and drink apple juice all the time. Considering I haven’t been good about eating my veggies since I came to Korea, this has been really important. I was able to catch up with my mom via Skype for about two hours this weekend, which was great since I hadn’t talked with her for about two weeks. I also managed to have a long girl chat with Lisa, which was sorely needed. Guy had last week off, and it was fantastic to be able to come home and catch him online. Also, I’m becoming a pro at homemade potato soup, at least with the ingredients I have at my disposal. It’s seriously one of my favorite things to make now, excluding the dicing of potatoes and washing of dishes.

My reading has been lax as of late, as I have been trying to finish a book by the Dalai Lama. Of course, when it takes me a long time to finish a book, I just buy other books to read later. Thank you kindle for making my life easier. Speaking of, when September/October rolls around check out these books: In Between Days and The Mark of Athena. They’re both on my to-read list. The first, because Andrew Porter has to be one of the best writing mentors I’ve ever had, and I will always promote his work. The second is the third book of the Heroes of Olympus series, picking up where Percy Jackson left off.

What else is on my reading list? In no particular order:

• The Book Thief
• On the Road
• Imagine – How Creativity Works
•  The Last Lecture
• A Feast for Crows
• The Druids
• The Hobbit
• Witching Culture
• Dragon Age: The Calling
• The Fault in Our Stars
• The Art of Fielding
• The Emerald Atlas
• The Book of Deacon
• A Dance with Dragons
• The Magicians
• The Book of Three

Time for a scratch off!

I spent some time with Buddhism back in undergrad going through my “Contemporary Religious Thought” and “Asian Religions” classes. I feel a strong attraction to Buddhist thought and teachings. Though I was raised Catholic, and have since come to identify myself as Pagan, I’d like to say that Buddhism is like my next door neighbor. I have always found it very calming with the ability to center my thoughts and put things in a greater perspective.

From Suji to Gimje area.

The weather was not exactly what I would call favorable that weekend. It was raining almost constantly, and in the mountains it was cold and windy. Still, the cherry blossoms were beautiful and seeing the greenery along the hillsides was refreshing after my months in the “city”. Upon our arrival, we received our dharma clothing and room assignments. Lynn, our interpreter, was very kind and accommodating. Our weekend monk was all smiles and laughter, not to mention being exceptionally wired for living in the middle of nowhere. (He has a twitter, a facebook, two cell phones, and a tablet.)

Cherry blossoms at Geumsansa

Ashley and I in our dharma gear.

After experiencing our dinner, it was time to begin the evening ceremony. The whole group walked across the main complex of Geumsansa to where the giant bell rests. Our monk explained that there were four instruments used to ward off evil and banish the troubles of the world and its creatures.

Ringing the bell at Geumsansa.

We braved the wind and the rain to experience the evening’s service in the main Buddha hall with other monks. It was difficult to focus with the people near me snapping pictures when they should have been prostrating themselves. For me, I found it frustrating that people were more interested in being tourists at a time of meditation and reflection, rather than participants in the cultural practice. I would have liked to stay longer, but it was then time for the Q&A with our monk. Most of the questions revolved around reincarnation and enlightenment. We were served delicious rice cakes and tea before head to our futons on the floor of our rooms.

Ash and I considered waking up for the optional 3:00 am morning service, but once her alarm went off, we nixed the idea. Rolling out of bed around 4:30, we headed over for morning meditation and then monastic style breakfast. Since the weather wasn’t favorable we all got out of doing chore work and opted for naps instead. I can honestly say that was the best nap I’ve ever had. We were able to do our walking meditation, though really it was more of just walking to the woods to see a unique set of trees and take pictures with our monk.

Monastic Meal - only take what you will eat.

Our living quarters.

Then it was time to make our Buddhist beads, or rather a necklace of 108 wooden beads. We were instructed to go to any temple on the grounds and meditate while making our necklaces. Each bead represents one wish made by the person stringing them. After each wish, you must bow or prostrate yourself to, in essence, eradicate your misdeeds. It was definitely a moving experience, and easily my favorite part of the trip.

My Buddhist beads consisting of 108 wishes.

I have included a video of my weekend at Geumsansa, as well as more in-depth commentary about what we experienced there. The particulars about the monastic meal, some rules and behaviors we were expected to follow, and more information about the special trees we visited. I apologize for the quality; it was fine on my computer, but seems to not have transferred well.

To be honest, I was underwhelmed. Many of the trees had lost their blossoms, while others had not bloomed yet. There were probably five great cherry blossom trees in the whole park. It was nearing sundown so I didn’t have the best lighting, but here are a few of my favorite pictures…

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As for the IP song concert, it went very well. My first time MC’ing wasn’t terrible and everyone had a lot of fun. I am dedicating “Hakuna Matata” to my Uncle Larry, because I’m just that cheeky. Enjoy.

Spring is finally here. All the magnolia trees are blooming on the way to work. The azaleas are next.

I’m behind on my VEDAp vlogs, but pairing two days in one video seems to be working alright with me. I haven’t been taking a picture every single day, because in all honesty, my life isn’t that exciting with going to work, coming home, sleeping, and doing it all over again. I’m not going to be making a video of our field trip, because it wasn’t all that interesting aside from the kids getting a chance to hold the water hose. I’m bonding with the majority of my little bears, which I am ecstatic about. I’ve cut back on my reading since I have plenty of time and am again past the halfway mark of my goal. (I had to increase the number of books I was going to read from 12 to 20 once I read six before mid-March.) I was not impressed with my writing from last month, and I have decided to work on a different story as opposed to hitting my head against the wall with another.

Making an attempt to get over writer’s block.

My first parent-teacher meeting was Tuesday. I wasn’t nearly as intimidated as I thought I was going to be. All in all, it was rather awkward because my boss worked as the translator. After I had given my general comments and suggestions regarding all the students, and none of the moms had any questions, she spent a good five minutes or so (it felt like eternity) just talking with them in Korean. I just sat there awkwardly, not knowing what to do other than smile every once and a while and pretend I was taking important notes on my paper. After that, my boss said if I didn’t have anything else to add, I could leave. I found this rather strange, but figured it would give the parents a chance to talk with Stephanie about my teaching methods and so forth. Apparently it went well enough because my boss hasn’t mentioned it to me, and she’s usually very good at providing me with feedback from parents.

I, and a couple of the other teachers, have been enlisted to help out the newest foreign teacher with his classroom management skills and activity ideas. During his breaks he will be observing our classes for the rest of the month. He’ll observe two of my classes during the week, and he made an appearance in one of my SR classes yesterday. I feel far more comfortable with people observing my classes now than I ever did when I was in my MAT program. Maybe it’s because I know moms can come whenever they want and watch us on the tv sets without us evening knowing about it. This particular class he observed had three of my former students in it, so they know the routine and help the others catch on quickly. It was a normal day, and they didn’t let his presence hinder them from doing their work. My boss said he had learned a number of things from observing, though I honestly couldn’t tell you what they were.

Next week, I will be hosting the song contest. By hosting, I mean to say I will be announcing the contestants with blue hair and a ridiculous smile. Oh wait, that’s The Hunger Games. (Which was AMAZING by the way.) I’m glad they started me off with that instead of a birthday party. All the IP teachers have to host a birthday party at some point, and that’s a bit intimidating for me. A song contest, I can make that work and make it fun no problem. (Still, maybe you should cross your fingers.)

Without further ado, pictures of the field trip and what’s been happening lately.

I can’t wait to sift through the special features!

These guys are going to sing Hakuna Matata for the song contest.

This is something I wanted a picture of for a long time. This is outside of the restaurant where we ate lamb kebabs a few months ago. I found it hilarious.

The menu at Pizza School.

My little nuzzler.

Yes, headbands in Korea come with stuffed animals attached.

Some little bears get to hold the fire hose.

My little bear class.

One of the many vendors in Myeongdong.

A media wall, capturing images on the street and displaying them on the board.

Insadong

Meagan and Jess at Jogyesa.

Have I mentioned Meagan’s my favorite photo bomber?

Restive

Rooftop sculptures.

Catch ya later!

To realize growth, something has to change. I feel like I’ve grown a great deal in the last two months, and it makes me wonder why on earth I was ever anxious about coming here. I am so glad this is where I am for the year. All these good things couldn’t have happened if I wasn’t willing to risk a little change.

Margarita time!

The evening was pretty tame, with Chad ducking out early and the rest of us girls staying at Exit goofing off and talking. After several awkward attempts from Korean men to pick one or several of us up, we decided it was time to leave and chow down on some McD’s. The other girls didn’t really enjoy their meals, but oh man, were my fries and nuggets tasty. Then off we went, headed for home and a Sunday in Seoul.

Unloading at Myeongdong

Somewhere in Seoul

After trekking from Myeongdong to Insadong, we headed toward Gyeongbokgung Palace. Thankfully, I snagged a brochure so I could properly learn about it and spell it later. It was 3,000 Won to gain entrance to the majority of the complex, but we tend to just say “Three bucks”. It’s a thing we do. I had only walked by the palace gates on my trip to visit Ines in January. The rest of the palace was much more extensive and impressive. Here’s a bit from the brochure:

Gyeongbokgung Palace was the first palace compound to be built by the Joseon founder. … The site is auspicious according to geomantic theory: a plain with a stream immediately to the south and mountains around the other three sides. The main palace halls, used by the king directly, were larger than any other structures of their kind…

The courtyard walls form perfect squares aligned with the four directions, and the gates in the walls directly face north, south, east or west. The careful placement of the buildings reflects the fundamental philosophy of the Joseon rulers, who wished to establish a framework for governance according to Confucian propriety and virtue.

Gyeongbokgung Palace was destroyed during the Japanese invasion (1592-1598), and the site remained vacant for the next 273 years. The compound was rebuilt and expanded greatly during the reign of King Gojong… the government continues to rebuild and restore the halls, gates and bridges of Gyeongbokgung Palace, a precious cultural legacy of the nation.

The entrance to Gyeongbokgung Palace

Gyeonghoe-ru, where King Jeongjo would read.

Geungjeong-jeon, where the king held his court.

We didn’t have much time at the palace considering we arrived roughly an hour before they closed for the day. After wandering around for a bit, we hopped on the subway with our shopping bags and tired feet, and headed to a bus stop near Myeongdong. It would have taken longer to ride the subway all the way back to Suji, so we opted for a comfortable bus ride back home. Since it was Sunday night, that also meant it was open-mic night at Traveler’s Bar and Grill. Sign me up for a cheeseburger! We dropped off our purchases, went to Jukjeon and subbed it to Seohyeon. We were starving when we arrived so I ordered some poutine, better known as British chips and gravy with cheese. I cannot explain the wonder that is horrible food on an empty stomach. Seriously, I just can’t. After that, my burger was subpar, the cheese being more processed than I remembered it last time. The music was good and I managed to snag some books from the “exchange” library they have.

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend. I’m glad to be finally settling in and enjoying myself. Now, since I’m sure you want more pictures, I shall picspam you in my next entry.

Graduation was at a local church where the students’ parents would be arriving to watch the ceremony. The kids were slightly more dressed up than their usual school wear, and we were dressed up as well. (I was finally able to use my dress pants! Holy cow!) Dolphin and Cat’s performance was first, and I’m sure they were nervous, but they did a fine job. Whatever mistakes they made were something to smile at because it ultimately didn’t matter how their performance went. This was their day, and nothing was going to ruin it.

After they sang their songs, it was time to rush them “backstage” and into their graduation outfits. Can we say adorable? I mean, even more so than usual?

Love this kid.

These two are awesome too. ;)

The quiet one.

One of the students from Bear class gave a nice speech, we had intermission when the parents could mingle with the kids and take tons of pictures. I somewhat met the parents of my kids and was given a bouquet of lollipops and soap roses. Everyone sat down again and Stephanie passed out the graduation certificates before all the kids sang “Graduation Tears”.

Me and Alice-Teacher with one of our kids.

Little Graduates

And just in case that isn’t enough for you to enjoy, I’ve also included a video of the whole thing. Don’t worry, it’s been edited for length and maximum “adorbs” as Jess would say. Enjoy!

Everyone had at least a four day weekend last week because Lunar New Year was celebrated on the 23-24th. I spent Saturday and Sunday entombed within A Storm of Swords, because it was just THAT good. Monday afternoon I set out to my local bus stop and caught the 5500 to Seoul so I could meet up with Ines. I haven’t seen that girl for over five years. We had gone to high school together, but after we both went to college, and she ended up in Korea two years ago, well, distance happens. The bus ride was nice since it was during the day and I could see everything as opposed to the night I went to Gangnam. The thing was, I was supposed to count the stops to know when to get off at Jogyesa Temple. There supposedly 19. Not really, at least we didn’t stop 19 times. I was lucky that someone boarded the bus when I needed to get off.

The entrance to Jogeysa Temple

It was cold! I had packed extra layers for our Tuesday adventure, but didn’t think about wearing them to Seoul. I wandered a bit around Insadong while waiting for Ines. When she arrived she took me to one of her favorite restaurants that was the equivalent of homestyle Korean food. It was good, though naturally, I didn’t touch many of the sides. The soups, bulgogi and rice were good enough for me. It was dark, cold, and moderately late so we didn’t bother wandering around the shops (Lunar New Year, everything’s closed anyway, duh.). We headed off to her apartment on foot, which might have been a mistake considering I felt like my fingers and toes were falling off, not to mention the constant running of my nose. We walked by a pretty massive complex that was closed for the evening. I can’t remember if she said it was another shrine or if it was a palace; I wasn’t particularly focused on absorbing the culture when my body was freezing.

Big gates are big.

We spent our sleepover night making brownies and watching Harry Potter. It was pretty awesome and the brownies were DELICIOUS. We stayed up talking into the wee hours of the morning, and we needed an early start for our next adventure. To her delight, and mine, I made pancakes the following morning before we left all bundled up. Her man accompanied us for the day. We took a cab to the subway station where we’d be meeting our friend Kat. The ride just proved to me all over again I shouldn’t sit in the backseat of cabs, especially when they drive fast. We met up with Kat and her friend Shannon about half an hour later and were off to Chuncheon to catch a cab or bus to Hwacheon.

Connect the dots.

Kat, me, and Ines

An empty subway car on the way to Chuncheon.

The cab ride to Hwacheon.

Our cabbie was very insistent when we made it to Chuncheon. The bus only came every half hour, and he said he would not only drive all five of us there, but give us a discount too. We hopped in and I wisely chose the front seat. He popped in some Michael Jackson and off we went! We ended up driving through Hwacheon and being dropped off at the end of town. We were rather confused since we didn’t see any people, but we walked on and soon found ourselves right where we needed to be. We registered as foreigners (yay discounts!), picked up our fishing bag and went out to find our fishing poles by the foreigner area. We stayed on the ice for what was probably an hour and a half. I switched holes several times without catching anything, which was fine considering I had not intention of eating the fish anyway. Ines caught a total of 7 that day and she had never been fishing before. I took a break to warm up and walked around town.

I have my fishing bag and my festival money!

Ines makes another catch.

So what is this Sancheoneo Festival all about? For one thing, fish, a kind of mountain trout. I believe there’s also something related to happiness and prosperity somewhere in there too. Taken directly from the brochure:

The whole town of Hwacheon will face the icy heat from January 7 – January 29, 2012. Programs as variegated as Sancheoneo Ice, Lure Fishing, Ice Lights Plaza, Winter Cities Plaza, Experience Snow & Ice, Build Your Sled Contest, Winter Farm Village, Warmhearted Farm Village – Sarangbangmasil, and so on are waiting for your participation. Travel frugal and be home full of memories.

The fish belongs to salmon order and salmon family, a cold-water fish that lives in Class-1 clean water of low-temperature valleys. With its unique and beautiful parr marks, Sancheoneo is often dubbed the Queen of the Valley.

—-

It ended up being a long day, but it was fun. I saw some old friends and made some new ones. The journey home was a lot longer than I remembered it being on the way there. We ended up sitting on the floor of the bus back to Chuncheon. (Motion sickness again, ugh.) Took a much fuller subway back to Seoul area and went our separate ways. It was nice to get out of Suji to see the open air and mountains. From the brief introduction I had with Seoul, I kind of wish I had found somewhere closer in that vicinity to teach. I’ll do more exploring there in a few weekends. From Hwacheon, it took me roughly 4.5 hours to make it back home via subway. I was so grateful to find my bed and for the three day week to come and go.

For now, I leave you with hope for the new year to be full of wonder, discovery and happiness for everyone.

A Sancheoneo hope postcard and atelier (hope light).

Grading Grammar Books

Grading Writing

The canal in Suji. It's less than five minutes from SLP.

Some kind of refinery or elemental processing plant. The sun was setting and I thought it would be a perfect picture.

Gym equipment out in the middle of no where. Koreans are hardcore.

Cue cliche urban photo title.

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This particular video was taken late Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning. I have to thank Ines for providing such comedic gold… THIS is what she had in her apartment.