Mr. Ray

Oh my students.

For the most part, my students really try. Some have better skills than others. In every class, there are a few students I rely on to explain something if the others don't understand. And, in every class there are some students who do not have the best grammar or the widest vocabulary, but they try so, so, so hard to express themselves in English... and I end up feeling a little like this.

Having learned a second language myself, I know how annoying, frustrating and disheartening it is to have ideas in your head and be unable to find the words you need to express them.

So students, I commend you. You go school for what seems to me like 12 hours a day, and then you take music lessons and/ or sports practice, and then you go home and do more homework, and then you sleep and do it again the next day, even if that day is Saturday, and (most of) you are still able to be energetic and personable in my (sometimes boring... I know- I'm working on it) class. And as Mr. Ray said, really- don't hurt yourself, because you, my friends, are doin' just fine.

Let's Go on a Walk!

So the end of Thai recaps are coming- I promise. But for some reason they are not flowing as freely as I would like- so I decided to change tracks and try a 'day in the life' type thang. Here we go.

Most normal days, my world revolves around the 5 minute radius that is my apartment, work, and the dumpling man. So, here is what I see on my walk to work in the morning:

Right outside the door to my building

The extremely picturesque dump I pass. Jealous?

Seafood with the cooler outside that holds the live fish-
 here, some sort of shellfish

Then, I turn a corner

Then, the pedestrian walkway lined, mostly, with restaurants

Then, I cross the street and I've made it!
The building on the left with the green stripe?
Home sweet work.

When I get to work, I always have something to do- grade review tests, speaking homework, writing homework, and usually- all of the above. I sit at my (newly organized) desk and look at the tissue cover I have just purchased (now I have girl tissues) and then make the difficult decision of what color I want to correct in that day. Sometimes green, sometimes blue, if I am feeling super cool- I go for orange.

Then, it's time for lunch, and, more often than not, I make a pilgrimage to the dumpling man.

The dumplings are called mandu and they only cost 1,000 won (so less than 1 dollar) and they are one of the best things ever.

I go back to work, eat my dumpling, and then the kiddos start to arrive. 

When classes are done, I spend some more time putting grades into the computer and chatting with with coworkers, and then I make my way home.

A constant reminder of many of the places still on the list

This was put in just recently, but the smoked meat smells SO good- it's on
the list to try

Dog friend I pass every morning, and every evening. 

And there you have it. A day in the life!

The Elephant Day

Tuesday was a day to remember. It started with a guided trip to a local market.

Then, we moved on to the ox driven carriage ride.

Also, please be impressed that I successfully managed to get this video in here, but do not be mad that this video is boring.

After the carriage ride, we went for a walk in a national park a few hours north (I think) of Bangkok- Khao Yai National Park. We were walking to see a very, very beautiful waterfall, however it required climbing down the steepest stairs I have ever seen.

The waterfall really was magnificent.

But then... I had to climb back up the stairs. That was hard.

After my legs no longer felt like jello- we moved onto lunch. It was a DELICIOUS chicken soup with coconut milk, and dragon fruit for desert. It was perfect.

Then- we got a peek of the best, best part.

I rode on an elephant and it was fantastic. We made friends. He splashed us with water, it was AMAZING. Certainly, a day to remember.

Hello friend. It sure was nice to meet you.

Palaces, Smoothies and Silk- Oh my!

I woke up Monday morning refreshed and ready to see the sights. First on the list? The Grand Palace in Bangkok. This palace was the home to centuries of Thai royalty. Even today, even though the modern kings don't live there, on coronation night, the new king spends one night in the palace to symbolize taking on the same duties as the kings of the past.

Attached to the Palace is the, perhaps even more spectacular, Wat Phra Kaew- The Temple of the Emerald Buddha. This is still a working Buddhist temple and OH MY GOSH. I have never seen anything like this place. I don't even know how to describe it- but here are some adjectives: amazing, ornate, gilded, intricate, impressive, unbelievable, expensive.

I walked around, completely in awe, for a few hours- all in the hot sun. (I got pretty sunburned- totally by accident) But then, right when I thought I might pass out from the heat- I happened upon the a cafe and Thailand's best Hagen Daaz smoothie mixer. I didn't think to take a picture of it of the time because it was too delicious, but let me just say that it was orange juice, mango sorbet, and ice blended into a heavenly drink. If I had the same thing right now, I don't know if I would feel the same, but it was the perfect thing for that moment. 

After my smoothie, I walked around the outside of the palace for a while. I perused the souvenirs, and found a nice spot by the river to sit and rest a while.

Next, I went to tour the Jim Thompson House. Jim Thompson was an American man who fell in love with Thailand while stationed there with the Army. After he got out, he made Bangkok his home and completely revolutionized the Thai Silk industry. He built a traditional Thai home, and lived there for many years until he mysteriously disappeared in the Jungles of Malaysia in the early 60's.

The home is absolutely beautiful- a complete oasis. There are trees all around, flowers, and a fish pond. The house is all made of that dark red wood and has such a serene atmosphere. I wonder how much the rent is....

So after that, I was completely wiped and made my way back to the hotel for an evening swim and some street pad thai. It was a lovely first day exploring my vacationland!

I promise that I will pick up the pace on these recaps! Still have lots of fun to go:)

การผจญภัยในประเทศไทย- A Thai Adventure!

Sometimes, living in the Korea, it is easy to forget just how far away from home I am. Everything is so modern and built up, that most streets in Bucheon or Seoul could just as easily be a street in Boston or Hartford.

The street outside my apartment

However, as soon as you step off the plane in Bangkok, you know you are somewhere new and different. The heat was the first thing that hit me. During the summer, 90-degree days are nothing special, but after months of heavy coats, scarves and mittens, it is easy to forget what heat and humidity feel like. But, oh how quickly you are reminded!

Everything in Bangkok is different: the food, the people, the weather, the buildings- EVERYTHING. On the cab ride to my hotel, I caught my first glimpse of the spectacles to come.

On my first night, I arrived just in time to get to my hotel, take a look around and have some amazing Thai street food. I had Pad Thai and a spring roll. It cost me just under 1.50 USD and it was amazing! (Full disclosure- I had this for dinner every night)

I ate my dinner walking up and down Khaosan Rd, which is the local backpacker hotspot. My hotel was on this street, and while usually I try to stay away from night life when I am traveling alone- in hindsight I am glad I chose this location because it is very well known centrally located, making it a good spot to call home base.

Khaosan Road at Dusk

Stay tuned for the recap of the rest of the trip!

Tourist Saturday: A Trip to the North..Almost

When one is in South Korea, one of the (many) interesting things to do is take a trip to the border between North and South Korea for a tour of the DeMilitarized Zone or, as most people call it, the DMZ. 


It just so happened that a group of people was heading up north on Saturday- so it was the perfect opportunity to get my butt out of my apartment and see the most heavily militarized border in the world. 

Lunch

 After lunch, the tour began, and we started with a trip into the 3rd tunnel. No photos were allowed inside, but I can tell you- it was interesting and unsettling. So far, the South has found 4 tunnels that the North has built as possible attack routes South. Each tunnel leads straight to Seoul and are large enough for about 100,000 troops to go through in an hour. And, in addition to the 4 tunnels already found, the South thinks there might be as many as 15 tunnels that have not been discovered yet. Like I said, interesting and unsettling.

The best picture of North Korea I could get

After the 3rd tunnel, we watched a documentary, and looked at through a brief museum about the DMZ and the probable construction of the tunnels, and then we headed to the observatory. Just beyond those viewers is North Korea. You can see the North Korean flag flying high (literally, it is very high- the flag pole was purposely built so the flag would fly higher than the South Korean flag that is adjacent) and at the base of the pole is a little town. However, it is not really a town- we were told that the buildings we can see from the south side are all vacant- built to portray the image of a thriving and growing population. Not so.

Anyway, the reason you can't see all this in the picture is because visitors are not allowed to take pictures any closer to the edge than this one is. The southern military is afraid that some defense secrets will get captured on film and all will be lost, so no one can take photos where you can actually see anything. However, I am an American tourist, so naturally, I tried to take a picture where we weren't supposed to. There was only one guard watching us, so I thought it would be easy! I waited until he turned around, snapped my picture, and thought all was well. But, when I turned around, there he was! He took my camera, deleted my picture, and handed it back to me. Rats. I swear the man had eyes in the back of his head. 

I told you- I'm a tourist. It's fine.

Next stop: North Korea

All in all, it was a very interesting trip. Although, there is another tour you can pay for that takes you deeper into the DMZ- to the Joint Security Area, or JSA. This is where the actual border is, and there are buildings used for inter nation talks that are technically on both North and South Korean soil. This tour is more expensive, but it's on the list nonetheless.

Now, I must retire as I have a flight to BANGKOK in the morning. I live a tough life. Don't feel too sorry for me.

Kristmas in Korea

So, I was actually trying to stay away from the Christmas spirit a little bit this year. Don’t get me wrong- I love me some good carols and a well decked hall, but being so far away from home and traditions and a crackling fire was making me a little bit blue.  Korea is not nearly as Christmas Crazy as the states, so it was actually pretty easy to avoid the Christmas countdown and focus on getting acclimated to my new surroundings. However, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day just happened to fall on the weekend this year, so I turned Christmas Day into a tourist Sunday/ make new friends day/ help those who go without day (read: my new friend planned the whole day and I followed her around).

I started the day by taking the train into Seoul to go ice-skating in Seoul Square. The square happens to be right next to one of the palaces, and again, when I got off the train, I was treated to a guard changing ceremony! Except this time I saw the whole thing, not just the end. 

I watched while I waited, and then the skating began! It was great to get these feet into skates again, I even did a twirl or two. (My friend has also worked at a special needs summer camp- so I was only able to fit the twirls in when I was not gabbing my mouth off about Camp Huntington. Sorry friend! When I get going I just can’t stop…)

Then we ventured to a place called Myeongdong, which is a big shopping area in Seoul (complete with a Forever 21, Gap, and Uniqlo). Let me tell you, if you ever have a desire to feel like part of a herd of cattle, go to Myeongdong on Christmas day. Christams is something of a couple’s holiday here in Korea, and it seems that  Myeongdong is THE PLACE to take your significant other. I don’t know why, but its what happens. It was very, very crowded, but still fun since we had a great meal and did some great people watching (and people pushing).

Then we headed to the main event: giving back to those who go without. My friend is active in a local volunteer group and was nice enough to invite me along to help spread the cheer. We worked with a local church, going door-to-door to pass out boxes of food and toiletries to people living in the flop houses of Seoul. The buildings consist of dozens of 3 meter by 3 meter rooms, each inhabited by one person. There is a communal bathroom, and very little heat or ventilation.  That being said, the people that we saw all were all in high spirits and seemed to be glad to get a knock on the door. We went around in small groups, and in my group there was one other American girl and two Koreans (handy for translation purposes).

From elderly couples to young professionals, middle-aged housewives and even young children- people from all walks of life came out to deliver the merriment. Everyone was great- but the kids were amazing! The houses we were visiting were not nice, and I thought that some of the people we met looked a little scary (poor hygiene so bad teeth etc) but these kids had no fear! They walked up to each door and delivered the packages like champions. If they are our future leaders, then I say things are looking up.

So, all in all, I had a great Kristmas. A little bit of winter, a great meal, remembering the important things in life, and of course, continuing to spread my wings and explore in this little place called South Korea.