Cheers to 2014

Let's catch up....

Fall Festival - Andong Volunteer Association (AVA) held a festival for the children of Gyeongan Sinyuk Orphanage. The children played a number of games, bobbed for apples, had their face painted and even made their own little painted creations. Before eating pizza they participated in a candy hunt, which was actually very entertaining to watch all of the kids run to find as many pieces of candy as possible. I usually volunteer at the face painting booth, but this year was responsible for the bobbing for apples booth. I'm so happy I was able to see these kids try so hard to bite the apples! Literally. Made. My. Day.

Thanksgiving - I was a little homesick, but it was good.

Random adventures with friends - Spent the weekend in Seoul watching the musical Mamma Mia, eating delicious food at Braai Republic and of course spending the night out with wonderful friends!

Christmas - A very nice Christmas with great food & company!

New Years - In flight on my way to Hong Kong. As you can imagine...uneventful.

Favorite Kpop song of 2013:

2014 - I can't believe another year has passed. 2014 is here and I have a feeling this year will be a great one. Not only have I finally paid off AND sold my money guzzling waste of time piece of crap car, but I'm so close to almost paying off my largest loan. In three months time I will be free! Not from all loans. Let's be realistic, I went to school for a total of five years and also studied abroad; I have racked up some debt. But I will be free from the loan that has given me the most anxiety, stress, sleepless nights and has been the dark cloud following me for years showering me with a hail size rainstorm. A good start to a new year if you ask me!

It's winter vacation and I don't have class again until February 3rd. With a short vacation to keep me occupied for a while, I'm back to desk warming. Today I'm on day 6 out of 12 and I'm so bored! I have a few projects to keep my mind busy, but it's not looking promising.

Hong Kong - I spent five days in Hong Kong and it was a great city to visit. Outside of Korea, I've only traveled to one other Asian country. So it was very refreshing to see how different HK was from Korea and even the Philippines. A very diverse full of energy city. Plus everyone was super friendly!

Victoria's Peak - We first arrived ready to take the tram up to Victoria's Peak only to find it was an hour and a half wait. Not wanting to waste time, we quickly ate lunch and decided to take a taxi. As we climbed higher it was a fast ten minute drive with an amazing view of the city. And it only cost HK$ 50.8 which was split four ways making it cheaper than the HK $28/person tram ride up. However, since the wait to take the tram back down to the city was only 15-20 minutes we decided to do this. The tram ride is worth a 15-20 minute wait, but definitely NOT an hour wait. It's only a ten minute ride (maybe) and the view wasn't as great as the view we had while in the taxi. So if you're traveling in a group and the wait for the tram is too long think about taking a taxi. Definitely worth it! Also, we didn't realize this while there, but there are different walking paths. So if you have time, you may want to explore.

10,000 Buddhas Monastery - I really enjoyed this monastery and suggest going if you have time. It is free, but the top section closes at 5pm which we were completely unaware of. I do suggest giving yourself enough time to visit all parts of the monastery. After looking at pictures online I really wish we had gone earlier.

Story: As we're climbing the stairs taking in the view a random boy carrying a few plastic bags walks by. As he passes one of his bags break and fireworks fall out spilling onto the stairs. We obviously go and help, but as we're trying to make small talk he says nothing and only looks down. We assume since we're foreigners we are overwhelming him and making him nervous. Once we're finished he grabs his bags and continues to quickly walk down the stairs. As we giggle and turn to continue up an elderly woman is now standing in front of us speaking in what I assume is Cantonese. We clearly don't understand what she's saying. Maybe because of this she becomes frustrated and literally starts yelling and pointing her finger at Ashley. Not knowing what she's saying or why she's yelling at us we give each other the look. Ashely and I have lived in Asia for some time and have experienced being yelled out by elders on numerous occasions. For what? I never know, but if the look is given all parties involve automatically know it's time to walk away. Before we can even confirm the look and start to walk away we hear a little boy screaming in perfect English, "SHE'S CRAZY!!!!!" We turn to see the young boy we helped now standing at the very bottom waving his hand in the air as if to say, "it's not worth it, just keep walking".  And so we do. 

Harbor Show, Market & Fortune Tellers

The Big Buddha and Tai O Fishing Village - I never would have thought to go and explore Tai O village, but I'm definitely glad we did. It was nice to see the more traditional older Hong Kong. We bought a package deal that included a one way cable car ride to The Big Buddha, a bus ride to Tai O, a boat ride around the fishing village and a bus ride back. All was HK$ 175. We realized if we bought all of the tickets separately it would have been around HK$ 150. But it was nice to already have all tickets. 

Macau - We were in Hong Kong for five full days so we decided to spend one day in Macau. If you have time I do highly suggest going here and spending a day. It's super easy to travel to and worth the visit. With the more British influence in Hong Kong and a Portuguese influence in Macau it's interesting to see the contrast between the two special administrative regions of China. Also, Macau's Portuguese egg tarts were amazing!! As for taking the ferry from HK to Macau make sure you know what terminal you wish to arrive at. There are two. One goes to the city and the other to the rural areas of Macau. As for tickets, they shouldn't cost more than HK$ 150. Each company will sell them for different prices, but look around and make sure you're buying them for a fair price. On your way back tickets increase after 5:30pm. We didn't realize this and had to pay HK$ 175. 

This wasn't a life changing trip, but I'm fortunate enough to have the opportunity to travel and Hong Kong/Macau was a nice break from Korea. Plus they had a ton of foreign/a variety of food. Normally I would rather only eat local food, but since I've been without for so long it was nice to eat more familiar foods while also eating food native to Hong Kong.

The only downfall of this trip.....they didn't stamp my passport.

The past two months

Chuseok
This Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) was spent down south in Mokpo, a day on Bigeum-do and a short lunch break in Gwangju. Besides the small hiccup with ferry times combined with little sleep, someone whispering throughout the night (you know who you are) and an uncontrollable aircon, the trip was great!

Sports Day

Every year most schools host a Sports Day, which is a fun day filled with friendly competition and activities for all students, staff, teachers and even family members. Before starting any physical activity I was given a pregame snack - peanuts and sweet potatoes. The days events included tug of war and various kinds of races such as relay races, barrel pushing and even a scavenger hunt race where each student read a piece of paper and followed the directions given. For example, "Find your grandfather and run with them to the finish line." So, yes I saw a few grandparents, parents and even our principle and vice principle running as fast as they could to the finish line. It was hysterical! Even I had to run a few laps. And I really dislike running. But all in all, it was a lot of fun and a nice change from the typical school day!

Cutest field trip ever!

I don't remember when this was, but I traveled to Danyang Ondal Cave with my 4th graders; it literally was the cutest field trip ever. The weather was pretty crappy, but because of this all of my students had massive umbrellas which made them look tiny and so cute! They also wore hard hats while in the cave and that cuteness almost sent me over the edge. It was raining, but with the clouds surrounding the mountains it still was a beautiful day.

Halloween

It's no secret that Halloween is my favorite holiday. I just love it! And because of this love I make sure I have a fabulous Halloween lesson every year. This year was no different. My 4th graders had a costume party. I really wanted them to focus more on creativity and not just buy a costume from the store, which they did! Since it's my 3rd graders first year learning about Halloween (at least with me) I wanted to do a craft and game to introduce the holiday. If you've ever been to my apartment you know I've had a large bag of toilet paper rolls hanging in my entryway. I've been saving them with the idea of doing/making something; I finally found something to make, Halloween candy bags! I was so busy during this lesson I didn't have time to take any pictures, but they all came out really cute. Hopefully my students had fun! Also, thanks to everyone who contributed and added on to my collection. Leo + Grace Hillers, thanks a ton!

That Saturday I was able to celebrate Halloween with other adults which not only equals no yelling and threatening to take away stickers, but also...BEER. It was an 80's Class Reunion Murder Mystery party.

Five Random Confessions

For now on if I happen to write a post on a Friday I will include (if I remember) this new part of my blog. Five random confessions of the week. I'm not sure if this is going to be a good thing, but I have a feeling a lot of these will either do with food or make me look like a psycho.

1. This little 1st grader has been coming to my desk almost everyday for weeks just to say hi. Since she's so young, I actually don't teach her, but for whatever reason we're definitely friends now. My confession - Every time I see her I fight the urge to pinch her cheeks. They're just so chubby and adorable and I want to pinch them away!! But don't worry, I don't. I stick with high fives...for now.

2. It's getting cold. I've had to wear at least three layers of clothing everyday this week and I'm still shivering until I leave at 4:30. I may have to start wearing two pairs of socks next week.

3. I've had dirty dishes in my sink for almost two weeks. 

4. The backpack I use for school is literally falling apart, but I don't care. I really don't want to buy a new one when I will probably stop riding my bike to school in a few weeks.

5. I've had new bras since possibly June or July and have yet thrown out the old ones. Why? Because for some reason I think I can reuse/make something. I have yet to come across a DIY project using old bras.

Summer Vacation - Jeju

Where has the past two months gone? Now looking back I've been insanely busy with vacation, school, field trips/Sports Day, English speech contest, Chuseok, catching up on Castle (finally on season 5), hosting backpackers and of course trying to maintain as much of a social life as possible. We're well into fall and I'm just now writing about my fabulous solo trip to South Korea's most beautiful island, Jeju-do. I've lived in Korea for 2 1/2 years and I finally made my way south to the largest Korean island. Because I had a small traveling budget, but still very much wanted beach time and just a vacation away from the usual Korea, Jeju was the perfect place! After living here for so long I'm no stranger to Koreans going on and on about how things are great for your health and also how "Jeju is the most beautiful place in Korea." I can only try so many fermented vegetables or ginseng food items before I start wondering...is this really good for your health? But after vacationing in Jeju for the first time I totally agree; Jeju is the most beautiful place in Korea.

Beaches
While on Jeju I was able to relax on two different beaches. The first beach (my favorite) is located on the northeast part of the island and is only a short bike ride away from the hostel I stayed at. A secluded beach full of beautiful white sand, clear blue water and Korean men and women sporting their natural free form hair style - dreadlocks. Yes dreadlocks! They were also selling tie dye clothing. It was amazing! The second beach, Jungmun, is about a twenty minute bus ride away from Seogwipo City and well worth the trip. There were definitely more people than the previous beach, but because it's larger there's only a short walk before you find a spot alone away from the masses of people.

Ilchulbong & U-do

When researching places to visit Ilchulbong (also known as Sunrise Peak) and U-do was at the top of my list. I heard amazing things about the two places and wanted to see it for myself. Ilchulbong doesn't take long to climb at all, but because it was insanely humid and hot the day I went I took it slow. As for U-do I was really looking forward to renting ATV's and exploring, but because I don't have an international license I was unable to. However, they do have cheap bus tours available to see the main sites on the island. That was ok, but by the second stop I was over being crammed on a bus. Overall Ichulbong and Udo was good and I'm glad I went, but if I had to do it again I would book accommodation closer to Ilchulbong. For some reason I planned to visit Sunrise Peak and U-do when I was staying in Seogwipo City, which is an hour and twenty minute bus ride to the peak. By the time I made it to U-do I was tired, sweaty, hot and I'll be honest...irritated with everything. And because of this irritation I didn't go to a beach which was originally the plan. However, I was able to eat peanut ice cream. So that was a plus!

Manjunggal Caves & Haenyeo Museum

The Manjunggal Caves weren't amazing, but still a nice break from the sun and humidity. I wasn't originally planning to visit a cave, but it was near my hostel and I thought, why not? Like I said, a great break from the sun and humidity. As for the Haenyeo Museum...I loved it! Unexpectedly, this by far was one of my favorite museums! Observing Korean culture and how women are treated in this country, in my experience, has not always been positive. Women do so much and are rarely recognized let alone appreciated. Haenyeo Museum was the first time I've ever seen women recognized for their contributions to this country. It was nice. And hopefully a step forward.

If you go on Thursdays you can actually see the women dive around 3:30 (possibly 4 pm). I made the mistake of thinking they dive in the water outside the museum, but they don't. They actually dive about a twenty minute bus ride away and by the time I realized this it was too late. So plan accordingly. I was able to see a small presentation a few of the women put on at the museum.

Jeju City

written 8/13/2013
It's the first night in Jeju City and it's been ok. Jeju itself is good, but the city has been boring. It's a pretty small city. This morning at breakfast I met two people who after some convincing are going to Loveland with me. They've already been, but they're going again which is awesome because now I don't have to go by myself. I'm actually waiting for them now at Dunkin' Donuts. Just had my favorite choco honey dipped donut. Delicious! The hostel I'm staying at is really really nice with super friendly staff. The main guy is awesome, but for some reason can't remember his name now.

Today I spent the day at the Jeju National Museum. It was extremely easy to find and FREE! I like free. While there a very nice woman told me about the Folklore and National History Museum and how I could eat Jeju noodles. I was hungry and had nothing else planned so I went. Across from the museum was the noodle restaurant so I first had lunch. I ate 고기국수 which literally means pork (meat) noodles. It was a little bland, but pretty nice. This restaurant also had the spiciest kimchi I've ever eaten! Holy hot! After the Folklore Museum I stumbled upon Samsunghyeol, a shrine of the three founders of Tamna.

Jeongbang Waterfall & Exploring near hostel
If visiting Seogwipo City, Jeongbang Waterfall is a must see! A very quick and easy walk for such a beautiful well worth it view.

Exploring near Hae Oh Reum Hostel.

Museums Museums Museums

Since I was traveling alone and could only tolerate so much sun before it simply became unhealthy to be in the sun for so long, I had the opportunity to visit an embarrassing amount of museums. Not only does Jeju-do have gorgeous beaches and various outdoor attractions, but they're also known for wacky museums. First stop, Ripley's Believe It or Not. I actually really enjoyed this museum! Looking back on the photos, I'm wondering if being alone for so long started to take it's toll. I was having too much fun taking photos posing by myself with the wax figures.

After wondering through Ripley's I made my way across the street to visit the Teddy Bear Museum. All I have to say is, it was interesting. After that I wondered down the street to find Chocolate Land. I wouldn't go back. There's really nothing to see and actually a waste of my 3,000 won.

Overall I had a lot of fun. It was my first time traveling alone and I now realize I can do it. It's really not as bad as it sounds. I will always pick traveling to a new place by myself over not traveling at all. If I could go back I would definitely explore more less known beaches and beach towns. 

Random Adventures part 2

Jjimjalbang Experience

 I finally went to a jjimjalbang (a public bathhouse) and it only took 2 1/2 years for me to go! When I first arrived in Korea I thought I'd for sure go...one day. But as time passed and the more awkward experiences I encountered the more I thought...maybe not. Living here has definitely tested my patience with personal space. I've literally experienced random strangers touching my hair, rubbing my arms, grabbing my shoulders  while screaming, "TINA TURNER" and yes even attempting to touch my breasts. Yep. That really happened. So as you can see I started to become a little paranoid about going to a public bathhouse where I would walk around completely nude, bare for everyone to not only look but in my experience, touch. The thought of randoms coming up to me and touching what they pleased scared the crap out of me. I obviously worked through that fear because there I was nude for all to see. I only went for one night and it was completely fine. Some did stare, but honestly I was stared at less in the bathhouse than walking out in the streets completely clothed. That was a plus!

This jjimjalbang was set up so the gender separated showers were on the first floor and the sleeping area was located on the second floor. Like I said the shower part was actually fine, but I really disliked the sleeping area. I had a firm block as my pillow and no blanket. There were mats in some areas, but not many. Since I was traveling and staying at a friends apartment the next night luckily I brought my sleeping bag. Honestly, not having a blanket or a nice pillow wasn't what killed me. It was the heat. It was so stinking hot that I never really slept. I literally stayed up all night. I'm not sure if others are like me, but by living through 3 summers in Asia I know I need aircon when sleeping. I literally laid on the floor cursing whoever under my breath. I'm not really a nice person when I'm hot. They did have separate rooms with different temperatures that varied from hot, hotter and really freaking cold (pictured above). I stayed in the main room with no aircon; that ended up being the most "comfortable," but every few hours I ventured to the really freaking cold room to cool down.

I may go to a jjimjalbang again. We'll see. I am a little curious to know how others are set up. Maybe in the near far future I'll try again.

Geoje Island
A while ago myself and a few friends went to Busan to celebrate Buddha's birthday. Our time was mostly spent eating at delicious restaurants and laying on the beach, but we also made time to go to Geoje Island. We ended up starting our day late so we only spent a few hours on the actual island, but we were able to see the Park of Geoje POW Camp. which was interesting. The information provided was pretty good and for the most part the park was nice. There were a few instances where I felt I was in an amusement park which....in my personal opinion is a little strange.

Here's one example of how I thought the park was being a little insensitive. There weren't a lot of these, but just the mere fact these photo opportunities were available I found it to be a little much.

Overall, it was a good experience. I learned a lot and if you have the opportunity to go I strongly recommend it!

More Summer Camp

Last year I worked the Andong summer camp. Read this and see how "fun" it was. I reread that post and I think I was definitely being nice because camp last year was hell. This summer was wonderful. They changed facilities so we had tables and chairs in each classroom as well as whiteboards. And since this facility was newer we had aircon! YAY!! We also had hot showers, another YAY! I didn't talk about the food in my last post, but it wasn't too great whereas at the new facility it was good AND they gave us bread, jam and cereal for breakfast...I wanted to cry! Korea doesn't have different foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner; it's essentially the same. But being foreign I find it really difficult to eat kimchi, rice and spicy meat at 8:30 am. When they brought out the cereal I believe we all literally screamed. I'm just not sure if they realized how nice the gesture was! It definitely made our mornings!

As for the students, this year they were great. All motivated and just nice great kids so it was a pleasure teaching them. There were a lot of laughs, screaming (just a few times) and great memories the first half of the week. The second part of the week demanded a little more from us teachers. Those students attend elementary schools located in the country so their level of English is lower which made it harder to communicate, teach and entertain them. Again, I still had a great group of students. Overall, this year's camp was enjoyable and well worth the extra pay!

Making the team flag.

Team Crayon (pronounced cray-on)

Team A+, take one...

take two...

Closing ceremony

It's currently midnight and I'm exhausted. So I apologize for the many typos because this lady is just too tired to reread anything. Also, I'm getting up early to leave for JEJU-DO, Korea's largest island!!

I'm traveling alone and it's the first time so I'm actually really nervous. Not because of safety, but because I don't want to be lonely. I'm generally ok with being alone and entertaining myself, but when it comes to traveling I would much rather have someone there...hopefully it goes well!

I'M GOING TO JEJU! Happy summer vacation to me.