wow, memory is an amazing thing. its unfathomable how many things get stored up in our brains, how many new experiences, new feelings, new faces become hardwired into our memories. i can still remember small things... like going to get gyros on the street near my dorm in greece, waiting for the bus to take us to our campus, and lying on the beach in santorini listening to harry potter on audiobook. and i can still remember the feeling of reaching the top of a mountain in korea, of greeting my students when i walk into class, of leaving taekwondo energized from a workout.
i hope i never forget these feelings. i want to go out and make more memories, but im afraid of falling in love with traveling again that i get depressed when i have to return. but every new frontier is like a challenge to me, beckoning me to greet it head on.
traveling is like getting a tattoo.... once you get started, it becomes addicting. you start planning your next one. and the one after that. i have so many plans in my head that i've forgotten that i have other plans in place. but it's exciting all the same. i dont want to feel tied down in one place. i will always and forever love new york, and there is no doubt in my mind that i want to live here for the rest of my life. traveling as helped me confirm this decision. but now my home isn't confined to just one place. if home is where the heart is, then i have homes all over the world.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
frustrations
the next time i get angry or frustrated about something that doesn't go my way, or someone who is annoying me, or small things that seem to tick me off, i'm going to think to myself: "somewhere out there, there is someone whose day has been far worse than mine, who has had to suffer hardships i can't even imagine... and at the end of the day they're going to get into bed, and there will be no bitching, or complaining, or whining." by doing this i hope to put things in perspective, and try not to sweat the little things.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
a final reflection
"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."
This past year has not been simply a page in my life, but an entire chapter. As I mentally and physically prepare myself for returning to a place which I call home and yet, feels slightly unfamiliar to me, I have to stop and think about how my life has changed and the people who have had a hand in changing it.
I have been lucky in my life to have had many opportunities to travel the world, and to have parents who understand and nurture my desire to explore and experience. Every time I see a new country, however short or long the period, when I leave that place I feel like I leave a piece of myself behind. And now South Korea, a country which, a year ago I knew nothing about and would probably only give a passing thought, holds the biggest piece of my heart.
“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.”
First, I am extremely grateful for my EPIK friends. Without you, with whom I was able to share observations, fears, and concerns, I cannot imagine adjusting to a new country as well as I did. You were my support network, and you allowed me to really embrace a culture I had no prior tie to. We shared stories, adventures, and passing moments. We also had a lot of fun together, didn't we? ^_^
Once arriving in Korea, I did everything I could to expose myself to the new culture, to keep busy, to make friends. I took Korean lessons, learned salsa, practiced yoga, and even learned Tae Kwon Do. Through these experiences I made such wonderful memories and met such wonderful people, that I wish I could walk up to each and every one of them and tell them how glad I am to have had them in my life. The friends I've made in Korea - who have been so patient with me and our language barrier, who have always made me feel welcome - will be extremely missed.
The reason why I had a smile on my face at work every day for an entire year? My students. Kids whose names I may not remember, or can't even pronounce. Kids who touched my heart with every little effort they made. Their enthusiasm gave me enthusiasm. Even the mischievous ones are special to me, maybe even more so! I wish I could have fully expressed to them how much I am going to miss them, and how much I hope for their futures to be bright and happy. My co-teachers too, who were always so patient with me no matter how hectic their schedules were. These were the people I saw day in and day out, without fail. I can't imagine not seeing them like this again.
I am SO excited to go home, and seeing friends and family. But I am equally sad about leaving this life behind. I was afraid when I began, afraid of unforeseen challenges, afraid that I would hate it. I should've been afraid of leaving.
To the people I am returning to: be patient with me, please. I will probably talk about my experience a lot. This should be natural, as it has been my life for an entire year. I cannot pretend it didn't happen. I only wish that I could've shared it with you.
"I am not the only man to seek his fortune far from home, and certainly I am not the first. Still, there are times I am bewildered by each mile I have traveled, each meal I have eaten, each person I have known, each room in which I have slept. As ordinary as it all appears, there are times when it is beyond my imagination."
All that's left to say is: Thank you.
Monday, August 9, 2010
unsolved mysteries?
when i studied abroad in greece, on a trip to prague, i bought my mother a set of crystal wine glasses. they were really beautiful, with green (or was it blue?) crystal decorations on the glass. i was so worried about this gift, that i had my friend bring it back to thessaloniki to keep it safe while i continued on my travels.
while i was in athens, i also bought a silver bracelet. it was one of a few things that i bought solely for myself, a guilty pleasure. i loved that bracelet, when i saw it i knew immediately that i wanted it. it had no clip, the metal just wrapped around your wrist in a winding, grecian pattern.
i've lost both these items since then. however, lost may not be the correct word. i don't think ive ever had anything purposely stolen from me before, but i've always had the nagging feeling that these were stolen. i literally had them in my possession one day, and the next day they were gone. even two years later i have my suspicions.
really random that i thought about this now. but these two items were important to me. i dont think of myself as a materialistic person, but there are some things i own that i place a lot of meaning on. those wine glasses were a beautiful gift that i wanted to present to my mother. that bracelet was going to be my one souvenir of my experience in greece. it's one thing to lose these things, but to have them taken from you feels much worse.
while i was in athens, i also bought a silver bracelet. it was one of a few things that i bought solely for myself, a guilty pleasure. i loved that bracelet, when i saw it i knew immediately that i wanted it. it had no clip, the metal just wrapped around your wrist in a winding, grecian pattern.
i've lost both these items since then. however, lost may not be the correct word. i don't think ive ever had anything purposely stolen from me before, but i've always had the nagging feeling that these were stolen. i literally had them in my possession one day, and the next day they were gone. even two years later i have my suspicions.
really random that i thought about this now. but these two items were important to me. i dont think of myself as a materialistic person, but there are some things i own that i place a lot of meaning on. those wine glasses were a beautiful gift that i wanted to present to my mother. that bracelet was going to be my one souvenir of my experience in greece. it's one thing to lose these things, but to have them taken from you feels much worse.
This Is Andong!!
This is what happens when you accidentally piss off a South Korean Spartan.Wait, rewind...
So one Friday night, Hyolee, her boyfriend Lloyd and I took a late bus to her town, and stayed at her mother's house. Meeting Hyolee's mother was a blast. She was very eccentric in her mannerisms, upon first impressions see seemed to be unapproachable, even scary; but once she warmed up to you, she was extremely warm-hearted and nice. She was especially fond of Lloyd, Hyolee's Australian boyfriend, and upon our arrival, the first thing Hyolee's mom did was to call Lloyd over so she could greet him, and didn't even bother to greet her daughter first!
Hyolee's mother operated a restaurant in the middle of a traditional market, so the next day we went to visit her there. The city of Andong is a small enough place that once Hyolee took me out on the street and pointed out the direction to the market, her house, the bus station and downtown, I basically knew where I was and how to get places. At the market we checked out a lot of seafood on display, including some exceptionally large octopuses (!) and also stumbled upon a street dedicated to bosintang, Korean dog stew! On the street they had buckets of dog meat... and dog skins. It was extremely mortifying to see at first, and hard to walk through. But there was a lady at one shop who was in the middle of chopping some meat... and she let us take pictures. And although I can never imagine myself eating this soup, I understand that the practice has been in the Korean culture for centuries, and lately its mostly the older generations who continue to eat it.
After visiting her mother, Hyolee, Lloyd and I made our way to the bus station to catch a bus to Hahoe Village. On the way we ran into Lloyd's friend Dave and his group, who we had heard were visiting Andong at the same time. Due to this chance meeting, we made our way to Hahoe Village together and spent most of the day together.
No, this isn't Bosintang... it's our lunch, Andong Jimtak aka chicken!!At Hahoe Village, we saw a traditional mask performance. The performances were broken up into parts, and since it was all in Korean, a lot of it went over my head. However, one memorable performance was one of the butcher and his cow, where during the performance, the bucher chopped off the cow's abnormally large testicles and tried to sell it to the audience! hahaha
After this performance we wandered a bit through the village. The village itself is relatively small but it is easy to get lost wandering through... it's also surrounded by Nakdong River, which winds around it in an "S" shape, creating a yin/yang symbol effect. On the east side of the village a boat takes you across the river to a cliff, and after a short 10 minute hike, you are granted an insanely beautiful view of the whole village.
After some relaxing frolicking time and a visit to an old fertility tree (which may have inadvertently knocked me up...^^), we made our way back to Andong. Our new (and some old) friends were in Andong for a birthday, and had plans that night to stay at a boathouse so they could go wake boarding the next day. Lloyd and I decided to meet with them that night and crash their party. We had a pretty good night, and spent the night on the boat as well.
All in all, my visit to Andong was extremely fun, memorable, and relaxing! And what's more, Hahoe Village was recently designated a UNESCO World Heritage site!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
a girl, a backpack, and an island
So, my trip to Jeju Island was, in one word: awesome!
At first, I was slightly anxious at the thought of traveling on my own. Traveling wasn't new to me: figuring out bus schedules, seeing sights, meeting people at hostels/guesthouses... but traveling alone was a new challenge. I viewed it as another way to push myself, to see what I was capable of.
The week leading up to it, I sort of kept "forgetting" about my upcoming trip. But soon, Thursday rolled around, and after getting the okay to leave work early after the kids took their finals, I headed home, finished packing, and went to the airport via express bus. My flight was delayed by half and hour, and after a cute text from Hyo Lee checking on whether I got to the airport okay (she's my Korean mom/travel agent) and a 45-minute flight, I landed in Jeju.
Jeju-si and Hallasan
Thursday night I stayed in Jeju city, which was about a 10-minute bus ride from the airport. Yeha Guesthouse was minutes away from the bus terminal (very convenient) and one of the best hostels I've ever stayed at. Everything was so clean and nice (showers were big/private, rooms were well equipped), and there was a living room/kitchen area, and free breakfast (with eggs!!). Before I even left the check-in counter, I had met a Chinese-British guy named Will who was looking for someone to eat Heoktweiji (흑돼지) with, which was a black pork, a Jeju specialty. Basically it was served Samgyepsal-style, but the black pigs were native to Jeju. At the guesthouse I also met two other Chinese people: Karen, who was visiting from Hong Kong, and Yi Yeom, who was a civil servant in China on some sort of exchange program in Korea. Yi Yeom spoke Mandarin, but Will and Karen spoke Cantonese so it was really interesting to hear so much Chinese!! The funny thing was that Yi Yeom and I didn't understand each other, so instead we communicated in Korean!
I had planned on hiking Hallasan (Mt. Halla - the tallest mountain in Korea) the next day, and Yi Yeom and her friend were considering going. However, it didn't work out (not only was the hike 8 hours long, but we had to get up super early for it), so instead I went with a Korean girl named Sohee (서희). We got up at 5:30am, caught a bus from the terminal, and began our trek at 7:30am at Seongpanak Trail, which was 9.6 kilometers long!! We stopped briefly for Kimbap and Ramen at a shelter, and arrived at Baengnokdam Peak (1,950m!!) before noon. On the way up we got to see some roe deer, and the view at the top was breathtaking. Currently it's monsoon season, so I didn't really see much blue sky the whole trip, but being up on the mountain with the clouds surrounding you with mist really made me feel like I was on another world. However, I didn't forget that I was in Korea, and in Korea cell phone service is everywhere, so I actually video called Hyo Lee from the top!!
Sohee and I at Baengnokdam, a crater lake at the top of Hallasan
To get back down, we hiked the Gwaneumsa Trail (8.7km) which took about another 4 hours. This trail had never-ending stairs, which made me glad I didn't hike this way UP. However, the view on this trail was definitely better than Seongpanak, we saw a ton of ridges and valleys and there were also some cool bridges along the way.
We finally arrived at the bottom at around 3:30pm... which meant we had hiked 18.3km in 8 hours that day. Pretty successful, I'd say! Ever since Jirisan it had been a goal of mine to hike the top three mountains in Korea, and so far, I've gotten to the peak of the top two! On the walk down, Sohee and I kept passing the same people, and one of the guys gave us and another hiker a ride back to Jeju-si. After splitting with Sohee I took a bus headed east to Seongsan-ri, to my next motel.
Seongsan Ilchulbong, Manjanggul, and Seogwipo
My motel was right at the bottom of Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak), which was one of the top sights in Jeju. However, when I got to the motel, it was nowhere to be found. There was so much FOG that I literally could not see it! If the guy at the front desk hadn't told me my room had a view, I wouldn't have known. Because of this, I wasn't anticipating much. I was also planning to hike at sunrise, since that was the popular thing to do, but the man had convinced me that I wouldn't be able to see a thing. So I slept in a little bit (much needed, after Hallasan), and didn't head out until 10am the next day. The crazy thing was, around 9am, I looked out the window, and there it was!! It was like freezing water in my face, such a shock how big it was, how cool it looked, especially considering the blanket of fog the night before! The hike was a short 20 minutes, and at the top was another crater. It was definitely harder to see than Hallasan, but I was glad I was there. Too bad it was so cloudy so I couldn't see the backdrop of blue sky and ocean.
The view of Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak) from my room.
Another view of Seongsan Ilchulbong
A note on the weather: because it's currently monsoon season in Korea, and Jeju gets a TON of rain, it was supposed to rain the entire weekend. Luckily, outside of a few drops here and there, it wasn't so bad, and everything still looked beautiful to me. Some people mentioned what a pity it was that I was there during the rainy season, but honestly, this added to its charm. Yes, blue skies would've made for better photos, but the mist and fog was just a part of Jeju, it gave everything a sort of mysteriousness and other-worldliness that really made me feel I was somewhere else.
After Seongsan Ilchulbong, I hopped on a bus headed back west, toward Manjang Cave, which was part of the Geomun Oreum Lava Tube System - the longest lava tube system in the world. (If you haven't guessed, Jeju is a volcanic island, Hallasan is a volcano...) On the bus I met another solo Korean woman headed there so we went together. Her name was Jung Eun (정은) and she was from Seoul. Jung Eun's English wasn't so good so we conversed in Korean... by this time I was really enjoying meeting random people and finding out about their life/where they were from, etc. Manjanggul was really impressive, the entrance to the cave looked so small; halfway down the steps there is a HUGE temperature drop and once you get inside you realize how big the cave is. We were only allowed to go 1km into the cave, and at the end there was a 7.6m high lava column, apparently the largest in the world (I really like visiting things that have some sort of status as something-in the world...) Overall I was pretty impressed by how big and scary the cave was (there was really little lighting), and I could only imagine how much scarier it would be without the lights.
Entrance to Manjanggul (Manjang Cave)
After Manjanggul, Jung Eun and I headed back toward Jeju city - she was heading back to Seoul and my destination was Seogwipo, a city on the south coast of the island (Jeju city is on the north coast). Jung Eun and I split, and at Seogwipo, with walking instructions from Erica, a fellow EPIKer living in Jeju, I made my way to Jeongbang Waterfall.
Jeongbang was by far, my favorite part of Jeju. It was the only waterfall in Asia that went directly into the ocean, and after all the walking I had done so far, I took off my hiking boots and soaked my feet in the ocean water. It was sooo refreshing, and the waterfall was so beautiful. If I lived in Jeju I would go there SO often, just to enjoy the view.
Jeongbang Waterfall
After Jeongbang I was sort of short on time... I had the option of checking out another waterfall - Cheonjiyeon, and/or going to see the Oedolgae Rock. Since I'm actually returning to Jeju in a few weeks with my Taekwon dojang, and Cheonjiyeon was on the itinerary, I decided to check out Oedolgae. At Oedolgae I met a Korean family who was on vacation in Jeju, one woman and her son actually lived in Houston, and her son was born there. Oedolgae was pretty cool, except again, I couldn't see the view behind it, which was too bad. Oedolgae has a lot of stories associated with it, one about a general dressing it up to scare away invaders, one about it being an old woman..
Oedolgae
Jungmun and Sai Guesthouse
By now it was getting pretty late and I still hadn't met up with Erica, who was in the area. I caught a cab to my last guesthouse, called Sai Guesthouse, on the Southwest coast of Jeju. It was sort of in the middle of nowhere, but on an Olle Trail, which are scenic coastal walking trails that Jeju is famous for. The people at this guesthouse were so nice and friendly. Apparently they don't get a lot of foreigners, and since Hyo Lee booked it for me, she had called ahead and given them the heads up. So they were actually nervous about my arrival. When I got there, even the guests knew who I was, cause I guess the staff were talking about the foreigner who was coming that day!! They seemed a little relieved that I spoke Korean, and also I think not actually looking like a foreigner (aka blond hair, blue eyes) made them more comfortable.
Sai (사이) Gueshouse
Book cafe on the 2nd floor, Barista making coffee
I couldn't have dinner at the guesthouse because I had plans to meet Erica, so the manager of the guesthouse, Sang Sik, drove me all the way to Jungmun Beach (which was a good 10 min ride) where I met Erica, her Jeju friends, and we headed to a beach party for a surfing competition that was going on that weekend. The beach party ended almost immediately after we got there however, and so we got some fireworks and just lit them on the beach. One really funny/traumatizing thing was watching Erica with the fireworks!! She was having too much fun, haha, and played with them like she was Harry Potter. Soooo instead of pointing the stick up, she pointed it out, and almost set a tent and a car on fire in the process!!! We were laughing so much my sides began to hurt.
Unfortunately, I had to leave pretty early since I didn't know if the guesthouse had a curfew. Back at the guesthouse, I drank a bit and chatted with the people who were staying there. This is my favorite part about traveling in Korea: meeting people. Its an awesome opportunity for me to practice my Korean, which was why I preferred staying in Korean guesthouses as opposed to ones that were meant for foreigners. The people there were so nice and friendly. With almost everyone I met that weekend we exchanged e-mails or phone numbers.
The last thing I did in Jeju was head to Hyeopjae Beach Sunday morning. It was way too foggy to see anything, but it was nice and relaxing to walk around. I went there with another guest from Sai, who wanted to introduce me to his cousin in Seoul, haha.
Before I began this trip, I wondered if I was going to get bored or lonely. While there were a few times where I was bored, it was surprising to see that I never really felt lonely. It was really fun wandering around alone, with just your backpack, and interacting with strangers. I had also never packed so LITTLE for a trip before!! I think I really enjoyed the life of a simple backpacker. I didn't want to leave Jeju by the end, I just wanted to keep going, see what else there was to explore! It was a sad wake-up call to remember that I had a life to get back to. The weekend truly felt like a dream, like I was in another country completely. While I was sad to be leaving, I have the trip with my Taekwon dojang to look forward to, and I'm so glad I'll get another chance to go back.
Backpacker Kat? Haha
At first, I was slightly anxious at the thought of traveling on my own. Traveling wasn't new to me: figuring out bus schedules, seeing sights, meeting people at hostels/guesthouses... but traveling alone was a new challenge. I viewed it as another way to push myself, to see what I was capable of.
The week leading up to it, I sort of kept "forgetting" about my upcoming trip. But soon, Thursday rolled around, and after getting the okay to leave work early after the kids took their finals, I headed home, finished packing, and went to the airport via express bus. My flight was delayed by half and hour, and after a cute text from Hyo Lee checking on whether I got to the airport okay (she's my Korean mom/travel agent) and a 45-minute flight, I landed in Jeju.
Jeju-si and Hallasan
Thursday night I stayed in Jeju city, which was about a 10-minute bus ride from the airport. Yeha Guesthouse was minutes away from the bus terminal (very convenient) and one of the best hostels I've ever stayed at. Everything was so clean and nice (showers were big/private, rooms were well equipped), and there was a living room/kitchen area, and free breakfast (with eggs!!). Before I even left the check-in counter, I had met a Chinese-British guy named Will who was looking for someone to eat Heoktweiji (흑돼지) with, which was a black pork, a Jeju specialty. Basically it was served Samgyepsal-style, but the black pigs were native to Jeju. At the guesthouse I also met two other Chinese people: Karen, who was visiting from Hong Kong, and Yi Yeom, who was a civil servant in China on some sort of exchange program in Korea. Yi Yeom spoke Mandarin, but Will and Karen spoke Cantonese so it was really interesting to hear so much Chinese!! The funny thing was that Yi Yeom and I didn't understand each other, so instead we communicated in Korean!
I had planned on hiking Hallasan (Mt. Halla - the tallest mountain in Korea) the next day, and Yi Yeom and her friend were considering going. However, it didn't work out (not only was the hike 8 hours long, but we had to get up super early for it), so instead I went with a Korean girl named Sohee (서희). We got up at 5:30am, caught a bus from the terminal, and began our trek at 7:30am at Seongpanak Trail, which was 9.6 kilometers long!! We stopped briefly for Kimbap and Ramen at a shelter, and arrived at Baengnokdam Peak (1,950m!!) before noon. On the way up we got to see some roe deer, and the view at the top was breathtaking. Currently it's monsoon season, so I didn't really see much blue sky the whole trip, but being up on the mountain with the clouds surrounding you with mist really made me feel like I was on another world. However, I didn't forget that I was in Korea, and in Korea cell phone service is everywhere, so I actually video called Hyo Lee from the top!!
Sohee and I at Baengnokdam, a crater lake at the top of HallasanTo get back down, we hiked the Gwaneumsa Trail (8.7km) which took about another 4 hours. This trail had never-ending stairs, which made me glad I didn't hike this way UP. However, the view on this trail was definitely better than Seongpanak, we saw a ton of ridges and valleys and there were also some cool bridges along the way.
We finally arrived at the bottom at around 3:30pm... which meant we had hiked 18.3km in 8 hours that day. Pretty successful, I'd say! Ever since Jirisan it had been a goal of mine to hike the top three mountains in Korea, and so far, I've gotten to the peak of the top two! On the walk down, Sohee and I kept passing the same people, and one of the guys gave us and another hiker a ride back to Jeju-si. After splitting with Sohee I took a bus headed east to Seongsan-ri, to my next motel.
Seongsan Ilchulbong, Manjanggul, and Seogwipo
My motel was right at the bottom of Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak), which was one of the top sights in Jeju. However, when I got to the motel, it was nowhere to be found. There was so much FOG that I literally could not see it! If the guy at the front desk hadn't told me my room had a view, I wouldn't have known. Because of this, I wasn't anticipating much. I was also planning to hike at sunrise, since that was the popular thing to do, but the man had convinced me that I wouldn't be able to see a thing. So I slept in a little bit (much needed, after Hallasan), and didn't head out until 10am the next day. The crazy thing was, around 9am, I looked out the window, and there it was!! It was like freezing water in my face, such a shock how big it was, how cool it looked, especially considering the blanket of fog the night before! The hike was a short 20 minutes, and at the top was another crater. It was definitely harder to see than Hallasan, but I was glad I was there. Too bad it was so cloudy so I couldn't see the backdrop of blue sky and ocean.
The view of Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak) from my room.
Another view of Seongsan IlchulbongA note on the weather: because it's currently monsoon season in Korea, and Jeju gets a TON of rain, it was supposed to rain the entire weekend. Luckily, outside of a few drops here and there, it wasn't so bad, and everything still looked beautiful to me. Some people mentioned what a pity it was that I was there during the rainy season, but honestly, this added to its charm. Yes, blue skies would've made for better photos, but the mist and fog was just a part of Jeju, it gave everything a sort of mysteriousness and other-worldliness that really made me feel I was somewhere else.
After Seongsan Ilchulbong, I hopped on a bus headed back west, toward Manjang Cave, which was part of the Geomun Oreum Lava Tube System - the longest lava tube system in the world. (If you haven't guessed, Jeju is a volcanic island, Hallasan is a volcano...) On the bus I met another solo Korean woman headed there so we went together. Her name was Jung Eun (정은) and she was from Seoul. Jung Eun's English wasn't so good so we conversed in Korean... by this time I was really enjoying meeting random people and finding out about their life/where they were from, etc. Manjanggul was really impressive, the entrance to the cave looked so small; halfway down the steps there is a HUGE temperature drop and once you get inside you realize how big the cave is. We were only allowed to go 1km into the cave, and at the end there was a 7.6m high lava column, apparently the largest in the world (I really like visiting things that have some sort of status as something-in the world...) Overall I was pretty impressed by how big and scary the cave was (there was really little lighting), and I could only imagine how much scarier it would be without the lights.
Entrance to Manjanggul (Manjang Cave)After Manjanggul, Jung Eun and I headed back toward Jeju city - she was heading back to Seoul and my destination was Seogwipo, a city on the south coast of the island (Jeju city is on the north coast). Jung Eun and I split, and at Seogwipo, with walking instructions from Erica, a fellow EPIKer living in Jeju, I made my way to Jeongbang Waterfall.
Jeongbang was by far, my favorite part of Jeju. It was the only waterfall in Asia that went directly into the ocean, and after all the walking I had done so far, I took off my hiking boots and soaked my feet in the ocean water. It was sooo refreshing, and the waterfall was so beautiful. If I lived in Jeju I would go there SO often, just to enjoy the view.
Jeongbang WaterfallAfter Jeongbang I was sort of short on time... I had the option of checking out another waterfall - Cheonjiyeon, and/or going to see the Oedolgae Rock. Since I'm actually returning to Jeju in a few weeks with my Taekwon dojang, and Cheonjiyeon was on the itinerary, I decided to check out Oedolgae. At Oedolgae I met a Korean family who was on vacation in Jeju, one woman and her son actually lived in Houston, and her son was born there. Oedolgae was pretty cool, except again, I couldn't see the view behind it, which was too bad. Oedolgae has a lot of stories associated with it, one about a general dressing it up to scare away invaders, one about it being an old woman..
OedolgaeJungmun and Sai Guesthouse
By now it was getting pretty late and I still hadn't met up with Erica, who was in the area. I caught a cab to my last guesthouse, called Sai Guesthouse, on the Southwest coast of Jeju. It was sort of in the middle of nowhere, but on an Olle Trail, which are scenic coastal walking trails that Jeju is famous for. The people at this guesthouse were so nice and friendly. Apparently they don't get a lot of foreigners, and since Hyo Lee booked it for me, she had called ahead and given them the heads up. So they were actually nervous about my arrival. When I got there, even the guests knew who I was, cause I guess the staff were talking about the foreigner who was coming that day!! They seemed a little relieved that I spoke Korean, and also I think not actually looking like a foreigner (aka blond hair, blue eyes) made them more comfortable.
Sai (사이) Gueshouse
Book cafe on the 2nd floor, Barista making coffeeI couldn't have dinner at the guesthouse because I had plans to meet Erica, so the manager of the guesthouse, Sang Sik, drove me all the way to Jungmun Beach (which was a good 10 min ride) where I met Erica, her Jeju friends, and we headed to a beach party for a surfing competition that was going on that weekend. The beach party ended almost immediately after we got there however, and so we got some fireworks and just lit them on the beach. One really funny/traumatizing thing was watching Erica with the fireworks!! She was having too much fun, haha, and played with them like she was Harry Potter. Soooo instead of pointing the stick up, she pointed it out, and almost set a tent and a car on fire in the process!!! We were laughing so much my sides began to hurt.
Unfortunately, I had to leave pretty early since I didn't know if the guesthouse had a curfew. Back at the guesthouse, I drank a bit and chatted with the people who were staying there. This is my favorite part about traveling in Korea: meeting people. Its an awesome opportunity for me to practice my Korean, which was why I preferred staying in Korean guesthouses as opposed to ones that were meant for foreigners. The people there were so nice and friendly. With almost everyone I met that weekend we exchanged e-mails or phone numbers.
The last thing I did in Jeju was head to Hyeopjae Beach Sunday morning. It was way too foggy to see anything, but it was nice and relaxing to walk around. I went there with another guest from Sai, who wanted to introduce me to his cousin in Seoul, haha.
Before I began this trip, I wondered if I was going to get bored or lonely. While there were a few times where I was bored, it was surprising to see that I never really felt lonely. It was really fun wandering around alone, with just your backpack, and interacting with strangers. I had also never packed so LITTLE for a trip before!! I think I really enjoyed the life of a simple backpacker. I didn't want to leave Jeju by the end, I just wanted to keep going, see what else there was to explore! It was a sad wake-up call to remember that I had a life to get back to. The weekend truly felt like a dream, like I was in another country completely. While I was sad to be leaving, I have the trip with my Taekwon dojang to look forward to, and I'm so glad I'll get another chance to go back.
Backpacker Kat? HahaWednesday, June 30, 2010
i couldn't tell you why i haven't been able to keep this blog going. maybe it's because i've been so busy this past year, with teaching, meeting friends, taekwondo, salsa, yoga, hiking. the fact of the matter is that i do have enough time on my hands to write in this blog. so why haven't i?
i've done a lot of reflecting and experienced so many things... some i try to jot down in my private journal, some i bare for all in slightly vague ways through my facebook and twitter accounts. but i haven't done the detailed update, breaking down all the different places i've been and things i've seen. when i was in greece i detailed everything (unfortunately), in both my private journal and my public blog. i think the difference here is that im not so much a traveler... as i am simply, a resident. i'm living and working here, and in the same way that i assume my daily life in boston or new york may not be so interesting, maybe i think that of my daily [korean] life.
however, no matter how mundane a day in my life here can be, ive also done things and challenged myself if ways i've never thought of before. is it possible to be walking down a street in a city you've lived in for over 10 months now, and still be so surprised at where you are that it takes your breath away?
some days i know i'm ready to return home. i miss my family, i miss my friends. but other days i am reminded of how much of this world i have left to see; i think about the people i've met that i'm not yet ready to part with.
tomorrow i will begin an incredible adventure. i'll be traveling to an island off the south coast of korea, alone. no matter how many countries i've been to, how many things i've seen, there hasn't been a time that i've traveled somewhere completely alone (barring a 24 hour trip to macedonia to invalidate my visa). i am half excited, and half scared for this journey. i know it will be incredible, and i'm looking forward to the challenges that will be presented to me as a solo traveler. no doubt i will meet people on my journey, and i even have plans to meet up with a friend. but for most of the trip, it will literally be me, the island, and a backpack. not to mention the tallest mountain in korea..
i've done a lot of reflecting and experienced so many things... some i try to jot down in my private journal, some i bare for all in slightly vague ways through my facebook and twitter accounts. but i haven't done the detailed update, breaking down all the different places i've been and things i've seen. when i was in greece i detailed everything (unfortunately), in both my private journal and my public blog. i think the difference here is that im not so much a traveler... as i am simply, a resident. i'm living and working here, and in the same way that i assume my daily life in boston or new york may not be so interesting, maybe i think that of my daily [korean] life.
however, no matter how mundane a day in my life here can be, ive also done things and challenged myself if ways i've never thought of before. is it possible to be walking down a street in a city you've lived in for over 10 months now, and still be so surprised at where you are that it takes your breath away?
some days i know i'm ready to return home. i miss my family, i miss my friends. but other days i am reminded of how much of this world i have left to see; i think about the people i've met that i'm not yet ready to part with.
tomorrow i will begin an incredible adventure. i'll be traveling to an island off the south coast of korea, alone. no matter how many countries i've been to, how many things i've seen, there hasn't been a time that i've traveled somewhere completely alone (barring a 24 hour trip to macedonia to invalidate my visa). i am half excited, and half scared for this journey. i know it will be incredible, and i'm looking forward to the challenges that will be presented to me as a solo traveler. no doubt i will meet people on my journey, and i even have plans to meet up with a friend. but for most of the trip, it will literally be me, the island, and a backpack. not to mention the tallest mountain in korea..
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
so far, my time in korea has been wreaking havoc on.... my feet.
in taekwondo class, we practice barefoot. all the "stepping" (bouncing up and down) and kicking we do... i am starting to get calluses!! and in salsa i spend about 2-3 hours dancing in my (slightly tight) salsa shoes doing spins and whatnot. and to top it all off, i have to stuff my poor feet in HEELS on weekends!!! luckily i don't wear heels so much anymore. but lately, my feet are definitely not looking pretty =(
in taekwondo class, we practice barefoot. all the "stepping" (bouncing up and down) and kicking we do... i am starting to get calluses!! and in salsa i spend about 2-3 hours dancing in my (slightly tight) salsa shoes doing spins and whatnot. and to top it all off, i have to stuff my poor feet in HEELS on weekends!!! luckily i don't wear heels so much anymore. but lately, my feet are definitely not looking pretty =(
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
it surprises me sometimes just how happy i am with my job. there are some bad days.. but most of them stem from the work environment, the colleagues, the communication problems, and simply the differences in culture. but one thing has never failed me, and that has been what i feel when i'm with my students. yes, there are the handful of "bad" kids... the ones that give me grief, the ones that are rude, the ones that don't listen, the ones that no matter what, i'll never be able to truly help. even these kids hold a place in my heart. at the end of the day, it is because of these kids that i want to become a teacher.
im somewhere between a "teacher" and a "friend" to these students. they dont see me that often so i dont have to discipline them, i don't have to give them grades, and i don't have to be mean (even though i choose to. i dont like leaving the discipline up to my coteachers). maybe to everyone at this school i am not considered a "real" teacher. maybe not even to myself, at this point. but sometimes it surprises me how attached i get to these kids, whose names i can't pronounce or don't even know. when i think of them my heart fills up, and when i think of the future i wonder what theirs will be. i wonder if they will ever visit america, will they ever think to contact me if they're ever in new york. and i hope deep down that they will. that i won't become a faded memory in their lives as time goes on, because they won't be a faded memory in mine.
i know that kids back in the states wont be the same way. there is an innocence about these students, a lightheartedness, a different type of relationship they have with their teachers that maybe doesn't exist in middle schools in brooklyn. here, teachers give students a ride home after school. they take their homeroom out to a movie on the weekends. students have their numbers and text them freely in the evening. a teacher in korea, means more than what happens inside the school building. the profession is well-respected (and deservedly so). a teacher can even take away a student's cell phone privileges for an entire month. of course there are some things about the school culture i may not understand and may not even agree with. but as a whole, being in this environment, seeing these kids every day, seeing them remember something i told them weeks before, seeing them make the effort to say something to me in english, and watching their eyes light up when they understand something... this is what i get up for every morning.
im somewhere between a "teacher" and a "friend" to these students. they dont see me that often so i dont have to discipline them, i don't have to give them grades, and i don't have to be mean (even though i choose to. i dont like leaving the discipline up to my coteachers). maybe to everyone at this school i am not considered a "real" teacher. maybe not even to myself, at this point. but sometimes it surprises me how attached i get to these kids, whose names i can't pronounce or don't even know. when i think of them my heart fills up, and when i think of the future i wonder what theirs will be. i wonder if they will ever visit america, will they ever think to contact me if they're ever in new york. and i hope deep down that they will. that i won't become a faded memory in their lives as time goes on, because they won't be a faded memory in mine.
i know that kids back in the states wont be the same way. there is an innocence about these students, a lightheartedness, a different type of relationship they have with their teachers that maybe doesn't exist in middle schools in brooklyn. here, teachers give students a ride home after school. they take their homeroom out to a movie on the weekends. students have their numbers and text them freely in the evening. a teacher in korea, means more than what happens inside the school building. the profession is well-respected (and deservedly so). a teacher can even take away a student's cell phone privileges for an entire month. of course there are some things about the school culture i may not understand and may not even agree with. but as a whole, being in this environment, seeing these kids every day, seeing them remember something i told them weeks before, seeing them make the effort to say something to me in english, and watching their eyes light up when they understand something... this is what i get up for every morning.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
being korea
According to Wikipedia (and many other, more reputable sources), there are three phases of culture shock.
Honeymoon Phase. "OMG!! Look at the TREES! KOREAN TREES! WOW, even their toilets are different! Check out all the lights! Noraebang, HELL YES!! This place is AWESOME!!!!!!!"
Negotiation Phase. "Ugh. Why can't my teachers just be upfront instead of speaking so ambiguously? How come no one actually PLANS AHEAD in this school? Why can't these scooters follow the damn traffic signals!"
Adjustment Phase. "Ah, you don't know the difference between annyonghi kaseyo and annyonghi kyeseyo? Tsk, tsk, newbie. You gotta get somewhere? I can tell you exactly how to take the bus, what to tell the taxi driver, and no fewer than three landmarks nearby. Dude, you just squat and pee, that's all there is to it..."
We talked about culture shock before I left for Greece, and we talked about culture shock after I arrived in Korea. Whether or not I truly felt it, I'm not sure. Yes, I've experienced all three emotions, but not at strong levels. When I get annoyed at something, it's not simply because it's different from America, but because it's annoying. If it happened to me in America, I would be just as annoyed.
There are supposedly three outcomes after the adjustment phase:
I don't like to categorize myself or generalize my experience, but I can safely say that I am neither a rejector nor an adopter. I am not yet sure if I am a cosmopolitan. However, one thing I've noticed about my relationship with Korea, is that I am extremely patient with it. Where some native teachers would complain about bureaucracy and the constant changes in our contracts, I passively wait for them to sort it out, and go from there. I'll say it again, I passively wait. I don't remember being this passive before, ever in my life (Okay, maybe when I was younger, but definitely not when I was in college). Maybe it's because I am strikingly aware that we are guests in this country, that we have no right to demand anything from it, or to declare that we deserve something simply because we are "better." I sympathize with my co-teachers, who have to deal with us, and have so much requested of them from higher authorities; people who don't know what it takes to control a classroom.
Not that I don't still get annoyed, which I do. But I am actively trying to find a compromise. Instead of bitching and moaning about something, I try to find a way to move forward and still be happy.
When people complain about something authentically "Korean," I think, "this is the way it is, there's no point in arguing about it." Life is life no matter what country you live in, and just because you're "Western" and feel worshipped by your school and the government, doesn't mean that you have the right to say what should and shouldn't happen in a country that's not yours.
Do these opinions make me an adopter? or a cosmopolitan? Either way, I am continuing to feel lucky for this opportunity to immerse myself in a country that is not my own, to see that while some things change from culture to culture, other things are true no matter where you are. Let's revel in our differences, be happy that they exist, and try to value each other for it.
Honeymoon Phase. "OMG!! Look at the TREES! KOREAN TREES! WOW, even their toilets are different! Check out all the lights! Noraebang, HELL YES!! This place is AWESOME!!!!!!!"
Negotiation Phase. "Ugh. Why can't my teachers just be upfront instead of speaking so ambiguously? How come no one actually PLANS AHEAD in this school? Why can't these scooters follow the damn traffic signals!"
Adjustment Phase. "Ah, you don't know the difference between annyonghi kaseyo and annyonghi kyeseyo? Tsk, tsk, newbie. You gotta get somewhere? I can tell you exactly how to take the bus, what to tell the taxi driver, and no fewer than three landmarks nearby. Dude, you just squat and pee, that's all there is to it..."
We talked about culture shock before I left for Greece, and we talked about culture shock after I arrived in Korea. Whether or not I truly felt it, I'm not sure. Yes, I've experienced all three emotions, but not at strong levels. When I get annoyed at something, it's not simply because it's different from America, but because it's annoying. If it happened to me in America, I would be just as annoyed.
There are supposedly three outcomes after the adjustment phase:
- "Some people find it impossible to accept the foreign culture and integrate. They isolate themselves from the host country's environment, which they come to perceive as hostile, withdraw into a ghetto and see return to their own culture as the only way out. These Rejectors also have the greatest problems re-integrating back home after return. Approximately 60% of expatriates behave in this way."
- "Some people integrate fully and take on all parts of the host culture while losing their original identity. They normally remain in the host country forever. Approximately 10% of expatriates belong to this group of Adopters."
- "Some people manage to adapt the aspects of the host culture they see as positive, while keeping some of their own and creating their unique blend. They have no major problems returning home or relocating elsewhere. Approximately 30% of expatriates are these so-called Cosmopolitans."
I don't like to categorize myself or generalize my experience, but I can safely say that I am neither a rejector nor an adopter. I am not yet sure if I am a cosmopolitan. However, one thing I've noticed about my relationship with Korea, is that I am extremely patient with it. Where some native teachers would complain about bureaucracy and the constant changes in our contracts, I passively wait for them to sort it out, and go from there. I'll say it again, I passively wait. I don't remember being this passive before, ever in my life (Okay, maybe when I was younger, but definitely not when I was in college). Maybe it's because I am strikingly aware that we are guests in this country, that we have no right to demand anything from it, or to declare that we deserve something simply because we are "better." I sympathize with my co-teachers, who have to deal with us, and have so much requested of them from higher authorities; people who don't know what it takes to control a classroom.
Not that I don't still get annoyed, which I do. But I am actively trying to find a compromise. Instead of bitching and moaning about something, I try to find a way to move forward and still be happy.
When people complain about something authentically "Korean," I think, "this is the way it is, there's no point in arguing about it." Life is life no matter what country you live in, and just because you're "Western" and feel worshipped by your school and the government, doesn't mean that you have the right to say what should and shouldn't happen in a country that's not yours.
Do these opinions make me an adopter? or a cosmopolitan? Either way, I am continuing to feel lucky for this opportunity to immerse myself in a country that is not my own, to see that while some things change from culture to culture, other things are true no matter where you are. Let's revel in our differences, be happy that they exist, and try to value each other for it.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
vacation
Currently, school's out for winter vacation. The first few weeks of this vacation I will be required to come to school - even teach a class - and desk-warm for the whole day. I don't mind this because I'm getting paid for this time, it's in my contract, and it also gives me a chance to catch up on my work and lesson planning.
What's fun about this vacation is the opportunity it gives me to really interact with my students. There are only six students in my class (three of which I've never taught before), which makes it easier for me to actually remember names. I've been really enjoying my Taekwondo classes because the students there are fun and friendly (again, some I have never spent time with in a classroom). They invite me to church, or to lunch at their house. Last week I took my class on a scavenger hunt at the science museum and we went out to get Kimbap afterwards. Sunday I went snowboarding with my Taekwondo instructor and another student. It sucks that I have to work on vacation but these little things make up for it!!
On another note, it's so dry and cold here that the skin on my hands are actually cracking and starting to bleed in some places. It hurts!! =(
What's fun about this vacation is the opportunity it gives me to really interact with my students. There are only six students in my class (three of which I've never taught before), which makes it easier for me to actually remember names. I've been really enjoying my Taekwondo classes because the students there are fun and friendly (again, some I have never spent time with in a classroom). They invite me to church, or to lunch at their house. Last week I took my class on a scavenger hunt at the science museum and we went out to get Kimbap afterwards. Sunday I went snowboarding with my Taekwondo instructor and another student. It sucks that I have to work on vacation but these little things make up for it!!
On another note, it's so dry and cold here that the skin on my hands are actually cracking and starting to bleed in some places. It hurts!! =(
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