In the end, all you take with you is your story.

-Australia-

2.24.2010

Love

A few things I love about Korea:

  • The health care system because going to the doctor here requires no appointment and very little wait. Also you receive your prescription in minutes. All this at a very minimal cost. (We're talking like 8 dollars for a doctor's visit and 3 dollars for medicine.)
  • Fresh produce stands on every corner because you can get delicious fresh fruits all year round. The strawberries here are to die for!
  • Free "service" because well, it's free, duh! Sometimes at restaurants or stores they give you something for free and call it "service". Today I bought two big waters at my local GS convenience store and she threw in a third for free. Service with a smile.
  • Shopping in the subway. You can find the best accessories for super cheap and it is kinda fun shopping underground.

Namaste

2.22.2010

Mom Visits Korea

I was fortunate enough to have a visitor in Korea this past week. My mom flew the 6,000 miles each way to set foot on Asian soil for her first time and see me after 5 months of conversations through a computer screen. We had an absolutely wonderful week.

Our fun filled, busy week included some of the following highlights:

Korean Folk Village: The Korean Folk Village outside of Yongsin City was somewhere that I had been wanting to visit since I first read about Korea prior to my arrival. Sam, my mom, and I decided to visit the village on Monday for the Lunar New Year holiday. It was a cold, muddy, but clear day. I really had a great time walking around, exploring traditional Korean homes, watching live entertainment of various sorts, eating yummy Korean snacks, and being outdoors away from the city in the fresh air. We listened to traditional Korean musicians play and march and dance. We watched a tight rope walker who must have been at least 65 years old bounce up and down on a tight rope. We experienced a reenactment of a traditional Korean wedding ceremony complete with procession and all. We marveled at equestrian acrobats as they balanced and hung from horses galloping around an arena. My mom had her second taste of Korean food for lunch; kimchi pancake and bibimbap. (Sam and I thought it best to go easy.) We left the village with muddy shoes, souvenirs, and a better idea of what life was like many many years ago in Korea.

Insadong: I knew that I had to take my mom to Insadong during her visit because she is crazy for hand-made crafts. This little neighborhood in Seoul is a traditional neighborhood that has become a huge tourist attraction. There are many little streets filled with restaurants, tea houses, shops, antiques, crafts, jewelry, pottery, you name it. Our first trip was successful and both my mom and I made some purchases. She liked Insadong so much that we even went back a second time later in the week.

Myeong-dong: I took my mom to one of my favorite shopping meccas in Korea, Myeong-dong. We really had fun checking out some of the Korean fashion and we even hit up some of the high-end stores in the famous Lotte Department Store.

Dr. Fish: I have written about Dr. Fish cafe before and knew I wanted to take my mom there when she visited. We tried both pools this time, one with little fish, and one with 'big' fish. My mom hated the big fish and reluctantly placed her feet in with the small fish for her pedicure.

Seoul Museum of Art: After telling my mom about the Andy Warhol exhibit at the Seoul Museum of Art she wanted to see it for herself. I went back for a second time and enjoyed just as much as the first.

Deoksugung Palace: This palace in downtown Seoul was built in the 1400's and now stands among sky-scrapers and modern architecture in the middle of this huge city. It is known as the "Palace of Virtue and Longevity". Most of the buildings in the palace compound were destroyed, so less than half the original size of the compound remains. My mom and I lucked out and were able to catch the changing of the guards ceremony outside the main gate just as we arrived. We snapped lots of photos and enjoyed walking around the palace grounds.

Namsan Tower: We woke up early one morning and caught a cab up to the cable car at the base of the mountain which Namsan Tower was built. We then took the cable car up to the top, climbed a few stairs, and we were at the base of the tower. After walking around outside we took the elevator inside the tower to the observation room. The 360 degree view of Seoul is fantastic and it was a really bright and clear day so we were able to see quite a ways in each direction. My mom raved about her visit to the tower and thinks everyone who comes to Korea should experience it.

Dongdaemun Market: I figured my mom would appreciate this large market which has a special section for fabrics, yarn, etc. We meandered through the stalls in the fabrics mall and checked out some of the clothing malls too.

Gangnam: Being one of my favorite areas in Seoul, I took my mom to Gangnam a few times. We ate dinner at an Italian restaurant there, shopped in the subway, went to Dr. Fish cafe, and met friends for drinks at Ice Bar.

Jogyesa Temple: On our way to Insadong, we stopped by the temple and I showed my mom around the temple grounds. We snapped some photos and even took a peek inside the temple. There was a service going on and there were many people worshipping. My mom pointed out that it was mostly women we saw there praying. She was impressed with their sense of devotion and the overall peacefulness of the temple grounds.

Dragon Hill Spa: My mom had read about the Korean spas before she came to Korea and wanted to check one out. Spas, or jjimjilbangs, are basically public baths with other pampering services available. We went to Dragon Hill Spa, the largest in Seoul, with seven floors of sport and relaxation. The floors are separate for males and females and spa etiquette requires you to be naked to enter the public baths and saunas. (I tried to enter the sauna with my shorts and tee shirt, but was told an explicate "no" by the woman working there.) I was not comfortable at all getting naked in front of anyone at the spa, so I hung out upstairs while my mom enjoyed the baths downstairs. I just couldn't do it. Maybe it was my embarrassment. Maybe it was my near-impossibility to enjoy spa-type relaxation. Call me a prude, call me lame, call me chicken, I don't care. Hanging out in a room full of naked Korean women nearly scrubbing their skin off while sitting spread eagle looking at themselves in the mirror and little naked Korean kids running around splashing in and out of baths is not my ideal way to spend an afternoon. I can find some other ways to relax; alcohol, for example, always does the trick.


standing in front of some Korean pottery in the Korean Folk Village


playing dress up


mom with a solider outside of Deoksugung Palace


changing of the guard at Deoksugung Palace


our heart at Namsan Tower


mom and I at Namsan Tower


fortress wall at Namsan Tower


takin the bus into Seoul


mom at the Buddhist temple bell tower


having tea in a tea house in Insadong


funky glasses


mom enjoying some shabu shabu

Check out the rest of the photos from our week together here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2772895&id=6804238&ref=mf

It was so so good to see my mom. We were really fortunate to get to do and see all we did in one week's time. I feel really blessed that she made the long trip to visit. It was hard to say goodbye when Sunday came.


Namaste

2.13.2010

Gun Bae Means Cheers!

The sixth grade students had their graduation ceremony at school on Thursday. You would have thought it was high school graduation or something by the amount of parents, grandparents, siblings, and flowers that were stuffed into the gym, hallways, and classrooms of the 5th floor. Each child received a 'diploma' and as they came across the stage to shake hands with the principal a large professional photo was displayed in the background. Education is extremely important to Korean parents. They will spend exuberant amounts of money on private schools, tutors, etc. to help their children achieve. I have noticed how proud Korean parents are of their children's accomplishments and it is nice to see parents who show up for school events, which unfortunately isn't always the case back home in the US.

Just when I thought spring was about to show it's face, winter staked it's claim on February and we were hit with more snow Wednesday night/Thursday morning. It wasn't the nice fluffy kind of snow, either, this was the slushy, mushy, wet kind. I trudged to school not looking forward to a long day ahead.

The vice principals planned a teacher's outing or 'field trip' as I called it for the afternoon. We were supposed to visit Muuido Island to see the beach there. All the teachers loaded two buses which took us to Incheon, about an hour and a half to the west of Seoul. The bus was stocked with food, drinks, etc. and we were served lunch on the bus too. There was even maekju (beer)! When we arrived at our destination the police flagged us down and told the bus drivers the roads were too slick to board the ferry, so we had to turn around. We ended up driving to another beach nearby. I have never seen my co-workers or any adults for that matter behave this way in the snow. It was as if they were small children playing in the first snow of the season. Everyone was goofing around in the snow, taking pictures, and throwing snow balls at unsuspecting victims. It was actually a lot of fun to let loose and even though my feet were soaking wet from running through the snow, I actually had a pretty good time.


Korean 'box' lunch


snack on the bus- rice cakes and chicken stuffed peppers wrapped in egg


don't forget your umbrella!


Grace, me, Heeson, and Ms. Kim


Uggs in sand, never thought I'd see the day


group shot on the beach

After our playtime, we boarded the buses again and headed to our dinner location. We crossed the longest bridge in Korea, 5th longest in the world, on the way to the restaurant. This bridge connects Incheon Airport to Seoul. Dinner was not exactly my first choice as far as appetizing food. We had raw seafood; fish, clams, shrimp, octopus, eel, etc. You name it, it was probably on the table in cold, gushy form. I gulped down a few bites, but mostly stuck to things I could recognize like salad and noodles. Korean meals are always accompanied by alcohol. It is like a law here, especially when you are eating meat or seafood. As soon as we were all seated the bottles of soju and beer began flowing like water. I had a few shots of soju and my co-workers were impressed that I could do 'one shot' as they like to call it. It really isn't that impressive as soju is not nearly as potent tasting as vodka or whiskey. My male vice-principal was going around to all the tables pouring shots and making everyone do one with him. When he got to our table he quickly discovered that I was a 'good drinker' and we may or may not have begun a soju challenge.... Needless to say I let him win, but told him "bali bali" (hurry up!) as we downed shots which brought on a riot of laughter from my other co-workers at the table. I proceeded to do lots of soju shots and finally stopped myself before getting drunk. We hopped back on the buses after having a great time at dinner and in true Korean fashion our bus turned into a noraebang complete with TV monitor, microphone, and song selection book. I busted out the Beatles, "Brown Eyed Girl", and some Brittany Spears. My Korean co-workers loved it and were cheering me on and telling me I had a great voice. (Which those of you who have heard me sing know is NOT the case at all!)


dinner


Grace singing on the noraebang bus

What began as a day I was kind of dreading turned into a really fun trip. I think I even earned a little respect from my vice-principal and co-workers. Can't wait for our field trip next semester!


Namaste

2.10.2010

Chingu Means Friend

Sometimes things like holidays and birthdays can be bittersweet spent in a land far away from home without family and close friends there by your side, but cards and packages from home, skype conversations, and of course chocolate cake make things like birthdays and holidays spent far away from home seem more normal.


thanks for the hat, mom! love it!

I am blessed to have found some really amazing people here in Korea that I feel fortunate to call chingus. My birthday celebrations last weekend were really special thanks to everyone who came out. Friday was a night spent with the ladies. First, some girlfriends and I ate at a classy little Italian restaurant for dinner. There was candle light, white table cloths, pasta, wine, and good conversation. We then headed out for some hookah and drinks. Next we hit a dance club and finally, before I knew it I was climbing into bed at 5AM.


my Bundang ladies at dinner

Saturday my girlfriends came over to my apartment to spend some time together before we headed out for the night. It was my friend Aly's birthday last week too, so we decided to have a double celebration.


birthday girls, Aly and Jackie


our adorable cake

After getting all done up, it was time to head to the docks and board a boat on the Han River for a booze cruise. We then grabbed a cab to one of Hongdae's clubs, M2, to continue dancing the night away.


the ladies on the boat


the boys


"I get by with a little help from my friends"

Last night Sean took me to dinner at a very upscale restaurant in Seoul. The restaurant was located on the 59th floor of the 63 Building, a building that was at one time the tallest in Korea. The view was great, even though mother nature decided to rain on us. We enjoyed a fabulous 5 course dinner and the service was some of the best I've ever had. Each time one of the wait staff left our table they stood at the end of it and bowed to us. When we finished our main course they brought me the craziest birthday cake I have ever seen in my life. It had this plastic thing on the top of the cake and when the man lit the candles it opened up, sparklers started going off, and it actually played the tune of "Happy Birthday". Wish I would have gotten a video. Anyways, it was an amazing night.


Sean and I at dinner
(can't see the view out the window because of the flash)

Thank you to all my family and friends for making it a birthday to remember.


Namaste

2.08.2010

Always Remember

"It's something unpredictable,
but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life."

-Green Day, Time of Your Life


Keep smiling down on us, Kellen.


Namaste

2.06.2010

Quarter Century

In lieu of my 25th birthday, I have been doing a lot of thinking and reflecting on the quarter century of my life that has passed by in the blink of an eye. 25 seems significant for some reason. There are a lot of ways I can look at my life. I can’t help but to let my mind ponder all the things my life is not. I am not a mother, wife, wounded soul, rooted tree. I would say my life is not 'typical' for my culture, race, gender, or age. While I watch friends buy homes, cars, get engaged and married, sit in front of a computer at a desk job, and build futures for themselves somewhere, I am still trying to "figure it all out". I have taken a different path. I have come up with a list of places I have seen and things I have been able to do because of my difference in life choices sort of as a way for me to help sort out all of these thoughts that have been running through my head and clouding my vision due to the approach of this two digit number. So here goes...

I've overlooked the Grand Canyon in Arizona at sunset and experienced one of the natural wonders of the world.

I've stood in Times Square and marveled at the amount of people and advertisements crammed into one square block in New York City.

I've ridden a bike over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California.

I've celebrated Saint Patrick's Day over a green river with a Guinness in hand in Chicago, Illinois.

I've ridden on a camel's back through the white sands along the clear turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean in Mombasa, Kenya.

I've lived in a mud hut with no electricity or running water in Kabula, Kenya, a town that cannot even be found on a map.

I've stared into the face of a lion in Masai Mara National Park in Kenya.

I've stood in the lobby of the actual Hotel Rwanda in Kigali, Rwanda and seen first hand the haunting effects of a nation torn apart by a brutal genocide.

I've survived the White Niles' class 5 rapids in Jinja, Uganda with nothing more than a helmet, life jacket, and paddle.

I've been one of only three white people to ever stay in the tiny village of Kiyumba, Uganda.

I've discovered the wonders of the old world on the streets of Stone Town on the island of Zanzibar, Tanzania.

I've been soaked from head to toe with mist standing in front of the world's largest waterfall, Victoria Falls, in Livingstone, Zambia.

I've jumped off a 111 meter bridge over the Zambezi River while standing half way between Zambia and Zimbabwe.

I've basked in the sun and jumped off cliffs into one of the world's most breathtaking lakes in Nkata Bay, Malawi.

I've seen the home of one of the world's most influential leaders, Nelson Mandela, in Johannesburg, South Africa.

I've experienced the provocative nightlife of Amsterdam's red light district in the Netherlands.

I've stood in front of some of the most extravagant and famous jewelry at the Tower of London in England.

I've danced the night away in one of the best clubs in the world in Mexico's Acapulco Bay and seen the devil.

I've seen trees that bend sideways from a constant breeze in Aruba's scruffy landscape.

I've counted down from 10 on New Year's Eve with thousands of people in one of the world's largest cities, Seoul, South Korea.

I've experienced so much in my life. I realize that my life is far from ordinary. I hope and pray every day that my life choices will continue to allow me to add to that list. I am so blessed.

“two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”

The Road Not Taken

-Robert Frost-


Namaste

2.01.2010

I Love February

The other week Sam and I had the pleasure of hosting a visitor from the states. Our friend Eric made his way to Asia and stopped in Korea first before heading to China. Eric spent some time with Sam in Seosan and then the two of them made their way to Bundang to stay with me and check out Seoul. Eric, Sam, and I met in Kenya (the first round) while student teaching. Like me, Eric resigned from his teaching job with Valpo this year to pursue his passion of starting a non-profit business in Kenya helping street boys. Check out what he has accomplished: http://www.simiyuhouse.com/kenya/ It was kinda nuts to find ourselves in Asia all together again. We visited Dr. Fish, explored Gangnam, ate some shabu shabu, and ended the night with some soju and noraebang.


Sam, Eric, and I at Dr. Fish


crazy street in Seoul


Eric and Becca in front of our 'meter' of beer


Eric and Sam bustin' it out at noraebang


we are practically Asian


first taste of sushi in 4 months... delicious Charlie Brown roll at Raw in Gangnam

This past weekend was wonderful. I did absolutely nothing exhausting and did not consume one drop of alcohol. (Something I have not done in the past 18 weekends since setting foot on this continent.) Most of last week was spent lying in my bed sick, so I wanted to rest up and get myself healthy.


Seoul Arts Center


at the Renaissance fresco exhibit


Dos Tacos in Gangnam

Korean BBQ. Watching movies in my warm apartment. Hiding from the cold. American-style brunch. New gadgets for my apartment. Relaxation. Waking up without an alarm clock. Catching up with friends. Renaissance art fix. Coffee and conversation. Avocado burrito. Subway rides. Shopping. New Marc purchase. Companionship. These ingredients cooked up a deliciously rejuvenating weekend.

And then February blew in like a breath of fresh air...

I love February. Not just because it is the month of my birth, ok, let's be honest, mostly for that reason, but also because it always seems to be a trivial month for me. 2010 is no exception. Winter camp is over. I kicked my nasty cold that took over my immune system for the past week. Only 2 more weeks left this school year. Birthday celebrations this weekend and my birthday next week. Mom visits Korea in 2 weeks. Backstreet Boys concert in 3 weeks? Jeju-do trip in 4? ^ ^ (Korean version of the smiley face.)

Happy February!


Namaste