DMZ Trip

This weekend me and Si took another trip with Adventure Korea. We went to the DMZ, which is the demilitarized zone on the North/South Korean border. It was a really great experience because my dad served in the Vietnam War at this exact spot and I got to see many of the things he saw while there. We left early in the morning and it was a long day, as we stopped to see several areas aroung the border.

The first stop we made was at Imjin Gak, which is as far as civilians can go to the North by themselves without permission. Imjingak was built to console those who had to leave their homes in the North. It has Manngbaedan, an altar where those who cannot go back to their homes get together and pray for their ancestors on the New year's day or Chusok, which is the Korean Thanksgiving. There is also a peace bell that was put up in 2000, wishing for peace and unification between two Koreas in the new millenium. Imjin Gak is also the site of the Freedom Bridge, which is a bridge my dad actually patrolled during his time in Korea. It is a discontinued train line, and there is a sign that says, “The train wants to run." The Freedom Bridge was also used to exchange prisoners after the Korean War, which is why it was given the name "Freedom Bridge."

Next on our trip, we went to the 3rd infiltration tunnel, which was first discovered in 1978, and was dug by North Korea in attempt to infiltrate into the south. It is 2m in width and 2m in height, so we had to wear hard hats because we continuously hit our heads on the top of the tunnel. It was funny, everyone was walking through the tunnel and all of assuden you'd hear a huge clunk, then someone laughing or swearing. We were only allowed to go 300 meters down into the tunnel, but it was a huge hike back up! The walls of the tunnel are covered with charcoal, which was applied by the North Koreans in order to give some possibility to the North Korean claim that the tunnel was part of an abandoned mine, rather than an infiltration tunnel. This tunnel would allow about 10,000 armed or 30,000 unarmed soldiers to invade Seoul within one hour. Scary thought!

After the tunnel, we went to the Dora Observatory, which has binnoculars you can look through, and see both of the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) and Kesung city, which is the second largest city in North Korea. You can also see a "Propaganda village" called Kijongdong, which was designed to give visitors the impression the North Korea is a prosperous nation. We could also see Daesungdong, the freedom village of South Korea. The village has many benefits from the government, such as no taxes and an exemption from military service. It was an amazing view, but you couldn't take pictures and there were armed guards making sure everyone followed the rules.

Finally we went to Dorasan Train Station, which is the station furthest to the north, but still in South Korea. There are hopes that this station will be active and act as unification between the two Koreas. It has special meaning, and there have been many meetings here between important people, such as the North and South Korean Presidents. Bush also visited and signed his name to support unification.

We learned so much on the trip and it was really interesting to see some of North Korea. A few things I didn't mention were how strict they were with rules and laws. The border is heavily protected, and armed guards even came on our bus to check passports and registration cards. Hopefully I'll have lots more to write about soon!

Funny things I've learned about Korea

As expected, Korean culture is very different from America. Since i've been here, I've seen and learned some of the differences. Some of them are funny, and others just odd. I thought I'd share some of them with you!

1. If a Korean’s glass is empty they pass the bottle to the person sitting with them. (In Korean culture it is frowned upon to pour yourself a glass; the proper etiquette is pouring for each other.)

2. Koreans are already putting the next bite of food in their mouths before they finished chewing the last bit.

3. If a Koreans suffer indigestion after meals, or even an upset stomach, they treat it by pricking their fingers with needles. (They think this cures upset stomachs...I just look at them and think they are diabetic...or crazy!)

4. Korean women who smoke are seen as women of loose morals (if you get my meaning). It's not uncommon for older Koreans to walk up to girls and rip cigarettes out of their hands, or yell at them and cut them down.

5. Hitting seems to be a sign of affection in Korea. It's not uncommon if you say something funny or are talking with someone, for them to whack you upside the head...all in the name of love!

6. Business men are often taken out after work by their employers to bars where they get completely drunk, and even to Men's Rooms, or prostitutes. Not my husband!

7. Koreans spit in the street. They don’t blow their noses in public because they think it’s gross, but it’s perfectly ok to spit in the street. You even hear old ladies hocking up their lungs and spitting.

8. Urinating in public is a fact of life. You see men in allyways, parents helping their children pop a squat on the side of the street...it's just normal! I guess if you gotta go, you gotta go!

9. Korean girls are obsessed with appearance. One issue is, the whiter the face, the prettier you are. They believe silly things like if you drink milk while you're pregnant, your baby will have whiter skin, and if you drink coke, your skin will become darker and uglier.

10. Fan Death...almost all Koreans actually believe this is real. They think if you sleep in the room with a fan on, and all doors and windows are closed, you will die. They swear, even doctors, that the fans suck out the air you need to breathe. For this reason you don't see many fans in Korea!

There are just a few...I'll be back later with more crazy Korean customs!

More About Teaching at Duksung

I just finished my first official semester teaching at Duksung University and it was really good for the most part. As I wrote in my last blog, for the first half of the semester I taught morning classes, which consisted of older students and community members. However, the second half of the semester, less students enrolled for those classes so I changed over and taught the freshmen dormitory English classes, where students came and stayed in the dorm for an intensive 3 week program. We taught three different classes, every night from 6:30 to 9:30.

The students were a lot of fun and we got to know them a lot better than other students. The first two classes, each an hour long, focused on listening and conversation, and the last class, our homeroom class, was more writing and fun things. The third week, or the last week of each session, there is a pop song contest, where each homeroom class prepares song and dance to an English pop song. My first group of students sang Skater Boy and my second group of students sang Wannabe by the Spice Girls. Without bragging, I have to say that my class WON both times! I actually got up on stage and sang with them...and sang a solo rap in one of the songs. The pop song contest is so much fun and all of the students enjoy it too.

I've gotten used to living in the dorm, and everything you need is right there. Work, meals, sleeping...you never have to leave! We have named our building the Space Station for this reason. I've made friends with a lot of the teachers, and everyone is really nice. Now I have almost two weeks off, then we will begin our summer schedule, which is different than what we've done before. They offer summer camps for middle school students, so I'll get to teach a different age group. We'll see how that goes!

I'm coming home in the next couple months so i've begun my job search. Not too easy to do from abroad! I miss things at home, and it's been over a year since i've been here. Me and Si are trying to decide what we want to do as far as work and family. We have some big decision to make, but I miss you all and can't wait to catch up with everyone when I get home!

Cruise to Geomundo and Baekdo Islands

Last weekend me and Si went on a trip with Adventure Korea, a travel group run by Koreans that takes different types of trips made for foreigners. The trip we went on was a cruise to islands at the south of Korea. We had Friday off for Korean Memorial Day, so we left late Thursday night on a bus. The bus trip was about 6 hours and we travelled overnight, so were able to sleep on the bus. We got to the very South of Korea and rode a ferry for about two hours, and finally got to Geomundo Island at about 10 AM. Geomundo Island wasn't exactly what we expected.

It was like a small fishing village, so different from mainland Korea! This is the main island where we slept and spent most of our time. We took our things to our hotel and met for lunch at a local restaurant. Since it was a fishing village, we all expected great seafood, but were a little disappointed that we were served small meals of rice and Korean side dishes. Most of the time we all went out for Pizza or snacks after our so called "meals!"

After lunch on the first day, we had a 3 hour cruise around Baekdo Islands, which means the 100 islands. As we learned on our trip, the small islands are almost like rocks protruding from the middle of the ocean, and come in a variety of strange shapes. It was like nothing I have ever seen, and absolutely beautiful.

When we got back from the cruise, we had several hours of free time to enjoy the beach or tour the Geomundo Island. Most of the people on the trip headed straight for the beach, and so did we! The beach was really unique. It had a really rocky coastline, with huge stone stairs that almost looked like ruins. Luckily it was low tide, so there was space on the beach to lay out and enjoy the scenery. By the time we got to the beach it was late afternoon and had started to cool down. Some people played cricket on the beach, a game I am quickly learning the rules to, but me and Si decided to take a hike up a mountain nearby to see the famous Lion Rock. On our hike, there were amazing views of the island, and when we finally made it to Lion Rock, we climbed on surrounding stones and took some great pictures.

We all headed back to our hotels to change and get ready for dinner, which was the same small side dishes again! One unique thing about Korea, is that convenient stores have tables and chairs outside where people commonly buy beer or soju and snacks, and sit outside hanging out and playing games. This is what we did our first night on the island, and we met some really cool people that were also travelling with Adventure Korea.

We were exhausted and got a good nights sleep...surprising after we found a roach in our room! Guess you can't expect luxury and good prices! On the second day there was a scheduled hike for about three hours. Since me and Si hiked the previous day, we decided to skip the hike and go to the beach! It was a lot warmer, so we decided to go snorkling. The water was crystal clear, but absolutely FREEZING! It was a shock to my system just stepping in the water! We finally braved the cold and swam around the rocks and coastline. We saw some really cool fish and plants, like blowfish, flounder, nasty sea snails, shellfish, and seaweed of all colors and shapes. It took about an hour to thaw out after being in the water, but we enjoyed the beach and free time.

When the tide comes in, it almost covers the rocks, then goes back out. Unfortunately, things get washed up on the rocks, and we actually saw a beached baby whale what was already dead...so sad! We found some amazing conch shells, but had to make sure they were empty and not filled with critters before we took them in! We put our shells in a plastic bag to take homw with us. That night as we were trying to go to sleep, I kept hearing a scurrying noise and was freaked out that there were more roaches in our room. Finally after about 30 minutes I realized the noise was coming from our back of shells. I dumped it out and there was a small crab crawling all around, that had obviously been in one of the shells we collected...oops!

Overall, the trip was wonderful and we met some great people. It is an area of Korea that not many people get the chance to visit as it is a small fishing island, mostly filled with locals. The islands are famous in Korea for their breathtaking scenery and friendly people, all of which we experienced on our trip!

Our trip to Shanghai

Last weekend me and Si went to Shanghai for 3 days. It's only an hour and a half flight so we had plenty of time for the trip. We got there early on Saturday morning and got to ride the Maglev Train across the city to our hostel. The Maglev train is the fastest in the world. It is run by magnets, and gets up to 450 km per hour. The trip across the city only took 8 minutes! We then had to figure out the Shanghai subway system, and walk around People's Square, another touristy area, until we found our hostel. There were people selling this everywhere. Some had things laid out on the ground and others were carrying around bags of knock off watches and things. A man came up to Si and squirted white gunk on his shoe, proceding to give him a shoe shine. Si kept insisting he didn't need the shine but the man would not go away! He kept saying, "Very good, very good, no money, no money," but of course after he finished assulting Si's shoes he expected money. I will never forget the look on Si's face when this man kept squirting his shoes with white gunk and rubbing them clean. Haha!

We finally found and checked into our hostel, then set out to see the city. One of the most well known attractions in Shanghai is the Pearl Tower, so we went there first. We went all the way to the top after waiting in a million lines, but it was worth it because you could see an amazing view of the city! We have tons of pictures of the Pearl Tower, so if you've looked at my pictures i'm sure you've seen it! Next we walked around the city for awhile, and headed back to the hostel to rest. It was such a long day! That night we went to a jazz bar with live music which was really good. I met people who spoke Spanish at the bar, so of course I had to practice my skills! We also met a nice older couple from Turkey who let us share their table and bought all of our drinks, can't beat that!

On our second day I was determined to shop until I dropped! China is sooooo cheap and you bargain until you get the prices way down, so it's fun to do! We went to Yu Gardens, which is the oldest city in Shanghai, and also a huge shopping district. We spent most of the day there, looking at the buildings and shopping of course! There were random people walking around secretly asking you if you wanted name brand bags, watches, shirts etc. We were weary at first, but finally gave in to see what they were all about. They led us down allies and through secret doors into their little shops where they had all the knock off merchandise you can imagine! This is where I did most of my damage, on purses and watches etc. But hey, you only live once! I'm not sure why this area is called Yu Gardens because there are absolutely no gardens...but we went with it.

Shopping and haggling prices is tiring! That night we hung out with other travelers at our hostel. They had a bar and a pool table so it was pretty fun. Staying in hostels isn't quite as nice as staying in hotels, but you always get to meet really cool people from all over the world.

Our last day was spent doing more site seeing and more shopping! We went to the Bund, which is another older area of the city on the water. You could see the city skyline accross the water, which are newer buildings, and the old buildings at the Bund. It was interesting how the city was split like that...new and old. There were also people selling things at the Bund, like everywhere else in the city. We had heard about a tunnel you could ride through with neon lights and scary noises. We read that it was so tacky you had to do it...so of course we did! It lived up to all of our expectations...tacky to say the least, but fun none the less.

It was finally time to check out of our hostel and make our way back to the airport. We had to buy a new bag to put all of our purchases in! When we got back to Si's apartment, we covered his queen size bed with every thing we bought...heaven for me of course! Shanghai was amazing and different, like every place i've been able to see in Asia and I can't wait to do more travelling!

Love you and miss you all!

Korean Ajumas

Ajuma is a Korean word that translates to married woman, but is used to describe older women from age 50 upwards. Despite their sweet looks, ajumas are a force to be reconned with and they absolutely continue to surprise me...not in a positive way! I've been meaning to write about the ajumas for awhile. They are all over the place, and one of the first things you notice when you move here.

The weird thing about the ajumas (from a western point of view of course) is that they all look the same. I don't mean this in an i-can't-tell-asians-apart kind of way, but they literally all look the same. They all seem to be about the same size and shape, they wear glasses, and they all have the exact same hair. I had to ask one of my friends if Korean womens' hair turns curly at 45, but apparently they just all have perms. ALL of them. They are also very weary of the sun, and wear huge rimmed hats and carry umbrellas to block the sun. They have absolutely NO style...matching floral prints with swirly designs and stripes. Quite a site to see!

They travel in packs too, and I've noticed that when they're together they dress even more similarly. Three or four ladies in black pants and different pastel colour floral print button-up shirts for instance.

In general there are just a lot more old people out and about working and doing things here in Korea. One thing that ajumas have taught me is that we in the west have not been properly exploiting a valuable source of labour; middle-age to old women. The stuff you'll see these ladies dragging or carrying on their backs is just ridiculous. They're like ants. We gotta start putting ours to work. It would be a huge boost to the economy.

Apart from their looks, ajumas are absolutely terrifying...a far cry from the sweet grandmother image we have for western older ladies. Ajumas are not shy about giving you the once-over. There is nothing like a disapproving stare from an ajuma on the subway to make you feel uncomfortable. They stare at you like you are an absolute discrace and can hear them whispering amongst each other...you are the obvious topic of conversation. No point in trying to win a staring contest...the ajumas always come out victorious!

The first few times I heard an ajuma clear her throat and spit out the biggest luggie i'd ever seen it was funny...now it's just discusting! They have absolutely no shame!

Also, nobody can push, shove and drop elbows like an ajuma. At first you think that tiny woman who just scuttled past you in the subway couldn't possibly have been the source of the elbow you just took in the ribs. It took me awhile to realize that you've just gotta hold your own with an ajuma. Give them an inch and they'll totally sneak past you in line, grab something you were going to buy, or block you out of a subway train. As soon as the subway doors open, they beeline it to the only empty seat and grin at you, feeling triumphant. It doesn't matter if you've been waiting in line at a store or for an elevator for 30 mintues, ajumas think it's completely ok to make their way right past you in line...obviously pushing and shoving on the way.

After being in Korea I have a completely different opinion of little old ladies. They may look innocent but could quite possibly take over the world! For a bit of fun, my friends and I rented out a bar and had an ajuma party. We all dressed like ajumas and picked fun at their actions...it was a blast!

Working at Duksung Unviersity

I have been so bad about keeping my blog updated lately. I've been super busy moving and adjusting to my new job. The good news is, I absolutely love it! I have been there for a little over a month now and it is so different than working with kids in a private english academy. In my last job I was so stressed, working 50 hour weeks with almost no free time. With my new job, I get the same pay but work only 18 hours a week. This leaves plenty of time for school work, teaching private lessons and seeing Seoul. There are both good and bad things about the new job and i'm sure you are all curious to hear about them.

First for the downside. The campus is about an hour and a half by subway from Bundang, where I used to live and work, so I am only able to see Si and my friends on weekends and maybe one night a week. There is a lot of travel time! Also, we live in the building in which we teach, so sometimes it feels like we are always at work! It is a Language Center that was built only 2 years ago, and the teachers have our own floor. We are not mixed with the students which is a little better, but it's hard to escape! The area is beautiful, with mountains and a nice campus, but there isn't much to do around the school, so you have to travel by bus or subway to find things to do. Also, the rooms aren't wired for cable or telephone so we don't have access to those things, which was a big adjustment!

Now for the positives...and there are way more! Even though living in the building we teach in can seem clingy, it's nice to be able to go up to your room in between teaching classes, or wake up and go straight down to teach. There is also a cafeteria where we can eat meals for very cheap. The teachers are all great. There are 18 foreign teachers total, and only 4 girls. Not quite surprising that the guys like teaching at an all girls university! I am the youngest teacher there, but it hasn't been bad at all. Most of the teachers teach intensive 3 week sessions to freshmen students from 6:30 to 9:30 at night. The students come live in the Language Center for this time and have class each night. The center also offers classes to upper-classmen and community members. I was oh so luckily chosen to teach these classes which start at 7:30 AM every day. If you know me at all, you know that I am NOT a morning person! It took a little time to adjust but I eventually began to love teaching these older students who are truly there to improve their English and want to learn. The students are great. I have students ranging from college seniors to surgeons and teachers. I learn a lot from them as well. The older students also like to go out with teachers after class, and it is encouraged by the center. It's pretty interesting going out to a bar with your students, but fun all the same. Beginning next month my schedule will change and I will have a chance to teach the freshmen night classes to determine which I like more.

Every Wednesday I teach 4 classes of freshment General English on campus which has a completely different feel than classes at the Language Center. There are about 25 students per class as opposed to 5-10 at the center. They also have a more strict schedule of what to teach etc., and have to take the class so not all of them are as ambitious.

The center works on 7 week intervals. We teach for 7 weeks and always have the 8th week off. This is great and will give me a chance to travel and spend more time with friends. My first week off is coming up soon and I haven't decided what to do, but hopefully something fun!

I'm really enjoying the new job and it is sooooo much more enjoyable and relaxing than my last job. I will do better with updating my blog and keeping everyone informed. Hope all is well on that side of the world. Love and miss you all!

Caving and Ferry Trip

This weekend I went with about 10 friends on a caving a ferry trip with a group called Adventure Korea, who offers weekly trips in and around Korea doing various exciting things. We had to wake up so early, at about 5:30 to meet and get the bus for the trip. We were all exhausted but excited for the day. We boarded the bus at 7:30 and had about a 2 1/2 hour bus ride. We arrived at Chungju Lake for the first part of our trip, which was a ferry ride that lasted about an hour and a half. It was picturesque and absolutely beautiful! There were mountains surrounding us, along with unique rock formations and open land. The mountains reflected off the water and we couldn't seem to get enough pictures! It was definitely one of the prettiest places I have seen in Korea so far. We ate lunch on the ferry and rotated between the top and bottom decks. When the ferry landed, we got back on the bus and headed for the cave.

I've never been caving before so I didn't know quite what to expect, but it was amazing! The name of the cave is Kosu Cave, and is in Danyang-gun, Korea. Kosu cave is 1,300 meters deep, and is well known as one of the most beautiful caves in Korea. I learned that the name Kosu comes from the fact that in the past, the area was filled with thickets of tall grass. Rough stone instruments were excavated at the cave entrance, which revealed that this area was home to prehistoric human life.

Inside Kosu Cave, the temperature remains around 15℃ throughout the year, and when we were there, there was a thermometer that read 11℃. It was cool enough to enjoy the hike through the cave, but climbing a ton of stairs made us all sweat a little! There are reportedly about 25 different kinds of animal life inhabiting the cave. Some of the rocks resemble animals or human figures, such as Lion Rock, Octopus Rock, Eagle Rock, and even the Virgin Mary Rock. I didn't see the resemblance of many of these rock formations, but there was a Turtle Rock that was pretty impressive! About 120 various shapes of stalactites and stalagmites found here are valuable remains to researchers and scholars. Stalactites come up from the ground, and stalagmites come down from the ceiliing of the cave. It was like nothing I've seen before and would love to see other caves in the area!

After caving, we got back on the bus and headed to Dodamsambong Peak. Here, three huge rocks create a large “S” figure that stands tall in the middle of the Namhangang River. Apparently, this is the only place in the world where you can see such large rocks protruding in the middle of a river. There is a legend we were told about the rocks which was pretty interesting, and many people still believe it today. According to the legend, there lived a couple who loved each other, but could not have a child. They found a mistress because they wanted to have a baby, but once she had the baby, she began to mistreat and taunt the wife. The heavens saw them, and turned all of them into stones. The way the rocks stand next to one another reflects this relationship.

Near the rocks, we began to hike up stairs on the side of the mountain. It was about 300 meters up but we were all gasping for air and it felt like eternity. Half way up, there is a small pavilion called lhoyangjeong. Our guide told us that it was built to comfort the locals who lost their homes due to the flooding caused by the Chungju Dam. When you look down from the pavilion, the view is gorgeous. You can see all of Dodamsambong at once. We continued up the mountain...more stairs, ahhhhhh! We finally reached our destination which was a large stone gate. It was a huge rock with a hole in the middle so it resembled a gate and looked like it could of been man made but is actually a natural formation. We spent time taking pictures and then hiked back down, which I must say was much easier than hiking up!

We were exhausted and had a change to rest on our bus trip back to Seoul. It was an amazing day and we all want to do more with Adventure Korea soon!

Taipei, Taiwan

For the past few months i've kinda just been hanging out. I keep pretty busy with grad school and I've subbed some at schools in the area. My job at the Duksung University starts on March 3 which is coming up quickly! In order to work in another country you have to have a special workers VISA which requires you to leave the country in order to get it. After my job at my last school ended, my VISA was cancelled so last week I went to Taipei in Taiwan to get a new one. Taipei was one of the cheapest cities to fly to and I was pretty excited about going to Taiwan. I stayed in a hostel which is like a small hotel for young travellers so I met some cool people who were travelling or waiting to teach in other countries. There were several people from South Korea in my hostel, and it was really cool to be able to talk about Seoul and have so many things in common! There were actually people from all over the world at the hostel, from China, Canada, and Afghanastan just to name a few. Everyone obviously spoke different languages but when we all hung out, English was the common ground. It really is the universal language!

My first day in Taipei, I had to go to the South Korean Embassy to drop off my paper work for my VISA. It was pretty interesting that first day, trying to figure out the subway and taxi's. Luckily I had someone at the hostel write down the address in Mandarin (a dialect of Chinese that is spoken in Taiwan), because not as many people spoke English as I had expected on the streets. I made it there and then walked around the city for awhile. My first sight seeing stop was the 101 Building, which is the tallest building in the world, and also has the fastest elevators in the world. They went up at about 340 miles an hour and made your ears pop worse than airplanes, it was amazing! We were up to the 98th floor in a matter of seconds. There was an observatory where you could see almost all of the city and it had amazing views! I walked around for awhile longer, but had a hard time finding food and the main sites in the city. So...I headed back to the hostel to get advice from the owner and others staying there.

Taipei is known for its temples and night markets. The city really comes alive at about 7 PM when the night markets open, and they stay open until about midnight. The night markets had a lot of shopping where you could bargain, food stands and games. It was interesting to see all the food...which I must say scared me just a little! The animal of choice there was pig, and I can assure you they don't stick to simple pork chops. They eat EVERY part of the pig, the favorites being the ears, feet, stomachs, brains and intestines. Gross!!! Another well known dish is actually called stinky tofu. If the name alone isn't enough to scare you away, all it takes is one wiff...oh my gosh! It smelled like horrible BO mixed with vomit...it's the first time I played it safe with the foods I chose to consume. I saw some things, if you can call them that, being ingested that I will not soon forget!

The next day I had the hostel owner show me where to go on a map, so I was fully prepared! Unfortunately the weather was a cloudy with rain off and on, but it was in the 50s or 60s so that was a nice change from the cold Korean weather. It was so funny to see the Taiwanese people walking around the streets in 50 degree weather, wrapped up in heavy coats, scarves, hats and gloves. It's their winter season and almost the coldest it gets so they take advantage of this in order to bust out their winter gear. Meanwhile, I was wearing a lighweight jacket, and walking around sweating! I would hate to see them last an hour in South Korea right now where even the days get down to -10 Celcius.

I went to the Gondola, which was built in the last view years. If you don't know, a gondola is like an inclosed ski lift that you ride up a mountain to enjoy the view. I got off at the top and walked for about 3 miles to one of the most famous temples in Taiwan. At this point, the temples and architecture I saw was exciting. After the gondola I took out my map and went to a few of the other places the hostel owner had marked. And guess what...they were all temples! They were beautiful to see, but I must say, I've seen enough temples to last me awhile. I went back to the night market on my last night and shopped and ate a little, then picked up my VISA the next morning and headed home.

This was the first trip I've taken entirely on my own and I think I'll do more research next time! It wasn't one of my favorite places i've travelled, but I'm glad I went and had the experience. I learned a lot about Taiwan that I didn't know, like the people speak Mandarin/Chinese...and the Taiwanese language is being faded out.

I start work soon so pray for me and I love and miss you all!

Hwacheon Ice Festival

Last weekend I went to an ice festival in Hwacheon, which is a town in South Korea about an hour and a half from Seoul. There were a group of 13 of us who went for the weekend and it was a blast! North Carolina doesn't get much snow or ice, so it was pretty exciting. A huge river was frozen and there were a lot of different things to do. There was a big area to go ice fishing, where there are holes drilled in the ice and you sit with a ice fishing rod hoping for a bite. There were also huge hills and slides to sled down, ice skating, ATVs on the ice, and a huge sculpture made out of snow and ice that you could actually walk inside. I knew some of the people who went but met a lot of new people as well. It's always fun to get out of Seoul for the weekend and the Ice Festival was a great weekend. We stayed in a pretty nice hotel about thirty minutes from the festival and took a cab back and forth.

Our first night in Hwacheon we all went to a typical Korean restaurant/bar, where you sit on the floor around a table and order Korean dishes and alcohol. I tasted some things I haven't had before, like vegetable pancakes and a spicy soup with tofu and vegetables. We hung out and talked forever. The owner of the restaurant brought our her two dogs for us to see, and like typical Korean style, their hair was dyed bright colors like yellow and orange...what a sight!

The next morning we got up at a decent hour and headed to the ice fesival. We walked around all day, went sledding, rode the ATVs and also used these small wooden boards with ice skate blades on the bottom. It was fun but different! You sit on the board and push yourself around on the ice using wooden sticks with picks on the ends. We all felt like kids again! It proved pretty difficult to walk on ice steadily and I slipped several times. Fortunately I avoided busting completely!

There was also a huge street filled with food vendors. The festival was kind of in the middle of nowhere, and the foods were a little different than dishes we were used to. Quail was really popular, but I wasn't brave enough to try it by looks alone. They looked like little birds, which they are, with their heads and feet still attached. A lot of people were roasting big hunks of pork that smelled so good, so that's what we went with and it was excellent. Overall we had a great time and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to go!

address

Several people have asked for my address. Here it is. It looks funny, but if you just copy it exactly like this, whatever you send will get to me!

Christi Russell
703 ho, Chunggu Blu Vill
11-1 Sunae-1 Dong, Bundang-Gu
SeongNam City, Kyunggi-Dom
South Korea 463-825

Love hearing from you!

New Years Eve

Wow, it was so hard leaving Thailand and getting back to Korea. As I'm sure you know, I absolutely loved Thailand. It was 95 degrees and gorgeous. Getting off the plane in Seoul, where it's been -10 degrees Celcius (still haven't learned the conversion) was a huge shock to the system! Although here, it felt more like the Christmas holiday with the cold weather and decorations. We settled back into things quickly and had a few days to rest before Si had to be back at work.

For New Years Eve we decided to take it easy and go to our favorite local hangout, Dublins. A lot of our friends were there as well, so it was low key but fun. They put up a huge projection screen to show down town Seoul, which looked at packed as Times Square! They did the whole countdown thing and we rang in the New Year with friends. If we would have known how big New Years Eve would have been in Seoul, we would have tried to make it there, but we were still tired from our trip and had a good time regardless.

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and I miss you all!

Christmas in Thailand!

For our Christmas break, me and Si went to an island in Thailand called Samui. After spending a week there, I have to say it is my favorite place I have ever travelled, which is saying a lot! It was absolutely gorgeous and different than anywhere i've ever been.

We arrived on the island pretty late on Christmas Eve and didn't have a place to stay, but luckily the airport had a help desk that found us a room. The first place we stayed was only 5 days old, and they were still working on building more bungalos. It was so nice, but not right on the beach. The first night there, there was a full moon party on a near by island. We had read a lot about these full moon parties and they are supposed to be huge so we were excited to go. We took a speed boat taxi to the island, and the party consisted of about 15,000 people on the beach having a great time. There were fire dancers, glow in the dark body paint and so many more crazy things! It was definitely an experience I won't forget.

The next day we planned to rent a motor bike and explore Samui. Motor bikes are the cheapest way to get around, and the preferred method of travel on the island. Me and Si shared a motor bike and rode around for about 30 minutes before the inevitable happened...we crashed! We had to turn around in mud and rocks, and our bike just kind of took a spill. Si had to get 7 stitches in his knee at a local hospital, but luckily I got away with a sore hip, and a few bruises and scrapes. Unfortunately for Si, stitches meant no swimming for him, which was horrible because it was our first real day on the island and we had a week of beach time ahead of us! We made the most of our situation and did a lot of site seeing. The lady that owned our bungalow was super nice. She felt bad about the accident and drove us around to show us some well known spots on the island, one of which was Big Buddha. It was a huge, well known statue of Buddha overlooking the beach, and was amazing to see. We also ate at a restaurant right on the beach, and it was our first real taste of Thai food. So good!

It was so wierd being away from family and friends for Christmas, and being in a tropical location in 95 degree weather made it hard to believe it was Christmas. Despite the great time we were having, I missed being home for the holidays and hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

The next day we decided to switch hotels, and found another bungalow right on the beach, and in an area with so much more to do. It wasn't quite as nice as our first place, but was what we expected when we heard about bungalows and places to stay on the island. The bungalows were immersed in tropical gardens and it was a beautiful view! Our third day in Samui was the only day it rained while we were there, so we decided to do a huge tour since we couldn't hang out on the beach. The tour included just about everything we wanted to do. We were picked up from our hotel in a van, and taken to a marine and wildlife park. We saw a crocodile show and an elephant show, then got to ride an elephant on a trek through the park. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and so much fun! Unfortunately it was pouring down rain so we didn't get to take many photos, but it is forever imrinted in our heads! After the elephant trek, we went on a hike up a mountain to a huge waterfall, another beautiful site! Some people in our group went swimming at the base of the waterfall, but me and Si just waded in the water. Next on the tour we went to a rubber plantation with trees that produce a substance that is made into rubber. They showed us the entire process and it was pretty interesting. Next we went to the Magic Gardens, where there were statues and more uniqe plants and carvings. The day finished with a traditional Thai meal at a restaurant overlooking the water. You could also see three or four smaller islands, and mountains in the distance. Despite the rain, it was an amazing day!

The next few days we spent on the beach and shopping. It was so hot, I spent most of my time in the water, and it was so sad that Si couldn't get in! The water was crystal clear and you could go in up to your waist and still see your feet at the bottom. Truly felt like paradise! Thailand has some of the cheapest shopping in Asia and is known for selling knock of items, like clothes, purses, shoes and bags. They are also known for silk, and I had to take advantage of that and get a silk duvet cover for my bed. I did all my Christmas shopping while I was there, and if you know me, you know I was in Heaven! The beach and bargain shopping, can't get much better than that!

Si had to go to the hospital every day to get his knee cleaned and re-bandaged, but we still had time to relax on the beach, get massages and see things around the island. The most unique things we saw were rock formations called "Grandmother and Grandfather Rock." They were naturally formed and are right next to each other. They almost exactly resemble female and male genetalia...and interesting site to see! There's a myth about these rocks, and that they formed because two lovers died together on this area of the beach.

Every night we went out on the beach. A lot of the hotels and bungalows had bars with tables and seats right on the beach. It was so nice to sit out on the beach and watch fire dancers and meet new people. There is an intersting tradition on the island where you light a huge lantern and let it go up into the air for good luck. There were tons of Thai people selling these lanters, and on our last night there, me and Si let one go up into the air. It was so pretty! While you lay on the beach, there are always people walking around selling things, from jewelry to frisbees and clothes. It was fun to see at first, but got a little annoying to have someone come up to you every 5 minutes tryin to sell things.

We had a layover in Bangkok that was supposed to be 15 hours, but luckily found another flight and were able to change our tickets, with only a one hour layover. There are other islands in Thailand that are supposed to be just as beautiful as Samui and I can't wait to go back! Overall, the trip was amazing and a wonderful experience!