...and that lonely feeling that followed me around all week has now disappointed, its amazing what time can do. I'm back!
After spending the past few months figuring out how to teach, I think I have finally grasped part of it. I am doing a great project with my classes this month, one that doesn't have me talking for 35 minutes and one that has them interested...it is an amazing concept.
Today I woke up far too early for a Saturday and met one of my students for a little bit of sightseeing. He brought me to a beautiful restaurant that overlooks the ocean in Yesou. I then went ice skating with 9 of my students...madness I tell you madness. The ice skates them selves are totally different from those which I am used to. The boot is a ski boot like apparatus that is not the slightest bit flexible so you leave with cuts in your legs. The blades of the skates have no grooved tip, therefor I had to learn to skate all over again. They cram 200 kids on to a small rink with 5 large polls in the middle. There are children falling all over the place, other children then falling over them. I lasted 10 minutes and then had to remove my self from the madness. I tired to take some pictures but my batteries were dead. Gav later informed me that he had replaced my batteries with his dead ones...thanks love.
Out with Tony tonight and then to dinner with Gav and Trev tomorrow....then its Monday all over again. Id give anything to erase Monday from calender!
1.26.2007
1.24.2007
I really don't know much of anything at all...
I have spent most of today reflecting on the ever evolving time I have spent here trying to figure out when things change exactly, when it went from being excited to being a new life, to actually living that life. When it went from everything being so new and my time here seeming unending, to beginning to wonder where I will store my stuff, how will I ever get everything home. It is five months away but over the past week I have realized it is haunting me on a day to day basis and now I am determined to find a cure for this anxious feeling that it is giving me.
I think a lot of it has to do with this kind of standstill I am finding myself in this week, the odd feelings that come with returning from any vacation, when you don't know if you can actually return to work, when you don't really want to be around anyone and when you really don't know much of anything at all. I give myself until Monday.
This week has actually been an enlightening one. I have realized that I love editing, I love the complexity of the English language, and although the word Grammar is gross, I love it. I love making proper sentences out of garbled ones and I love taking a simple sentence and making it complex using nothing other than words and punctuation. I know, this is all crazy talk, however, this is why I am coming to realize that I love editing. I looked at one of my students today, who, for the first time wrote a complete sentence (in terms of a six year old who is learning a second language). "Because I was sick I did not go to school." My first reaction, edit edit edit....I was sick today so I did not go to school. I began to let the words "you never begin a sentence with because" escape my mouth and remembered....NO.....it is OK. I am struggling with abandoning all that was drilled into my head growing up regarding sentence structure and word placement, not beginning with and, and certainly, in most cases, never, when listing things, put a comma after or before the and, i.e. I carried my bag, books, pencil, and shoes to school. It makes me cringe, but, I am learning to forget until it matters. Teaching a seven year old how to properly list things when they are struggling with "my name is chaley" and yes his teacher has taught him to spell it that way, just isn't fair.
And so...today I decided a few things: I would love to be a chef- this coming from reading a Time Magazine article on Julia Child's and her fabulous and interesting life. I would love to be an editor- this coming from my love of editing- obviously. My desire to write for a travel magazine- why not combine my two favorite things, writing and traveling. I miss the restaurant industry- I think I long to eat out simply to be in the environment- even though it is so different here. And what did I do with all of these thoughts and desires? Well, I applied for a teaching job in Korea for next year- I can write, freelance for a travel magazine on my holidays, read some good cooking magazines and decide if that is for me, while finding fabulous things and places where ever I am.
Another garbled mess!
I think a lot of it has to do with this kind of standstill I am finding myself in this week, the odd feelings that come with returning from any vacation, when you don't know if you can actually return to work, when you don't really want to be around anyone and when you really don't know much of anything at all. I give myself until Monday.
This week has actually been an enlightening one. I have realized that I love editing, I love the complexity of the English language, and although the word Grammar is gross, I love it. I love making proper sentences out of garbled ones and I love taking a simple sentence and making it complex using nothing other than words and punctuation. I know, this is all crazy talk, however, this is why I am coming to realize that I love editing. I looked at one of my students today, who, for the first time wrote a complete sentence (in terms of a six year old who is learning a second language). "Because I was sick I did not go to school." My first reaction, edit edit edit....I was sick today so I did not go to school. I began to let the words "you never begin a sentence with because" escape my mouth and remembered....NO.....it is OK. I am struggling with abandoning all that was drilled into my head growing up regarding sentence structure and word placement, not beginning with and, and certainly, in most cases, never, when listing things, put a comma after or before the and, i.e. I carried my bag, books, pencil, and shoes to school. It makes me cringe, but, I am learning to forget until it matters. Teaching a seven year old how to properly list things when they are struggling with "my name is chaley" and yes his teacher has taught him to spell it that way, just isn't fair.
And so...today I decided a few things: I would love to be a chef- this coming from reading a Time Magazine article on Julia Child's and her fabulous and interesting life. I would love to be an editor- this coming from my love of editing- obviously. My desire to write for a travel magazine- why not combine my two favorite things, writing and traveling. I miss the restaurant industry- I think I long to eat out simply to be in the environment- even though it is so different here. And what did I do with all of these thoughts and desires? Well, I applied for a teaching job in Korea for next year- I can write, freelance for a travel magazine on my holidays, read some good cooking magazines and decide if that is for me, while finding fabulous things and places where ever I am.
Another garbled mess!
1.21.2007
And it is back to work
Getting back to town a day early was what we thought would be the perfect fix for our boggled minds. Most of the week was relaxing, however, the last two days in Seoul really sent us spinning.
Friday, Gav, Trevor, Tony and I had a blast stopping off at some new places around town, now that we have a better sense of our surroundings and more confidence in our Korean we feel a little less apprehensive about going outside our box.I met a very kind Korean man with whom I am scheduled to have a date, should be interesting, the extent of his English is "I like Bushie no"- I'm thinking I will skip it.
Saturday night Trev and I ventured out to our favorite spot, The Fish and Grill. A college bar atmosphere with our favorite cheap soju.
Today found me finishing up the pictures from last week, what a feet. Although I love Kodak, it is a pain to try and re-organize everything and now, only 3 days later, I am sick of seeing the pictures. I also spent a good part of the day working on my ever changing resume. When I think of all the resumes I have made directed at the different career paths I have chosen: publishing:editing, writing, publicity; corporate America of any sort with staffing agencies; the restaurant business:serving, managing, events it is unreal. I should start a business, this will be the last one for a while because it is looking like I will be in Korea for another year. There is still plenty of time to decide but it is here or Japan, and the money is better here regardless of how greener the grass is there.
Tomorrow its back to work... I have been dreading it all week but now that it is almost here I am realizing how much I miss my students!
Friday, Gav, Trevor, Tony and I had a blast stopping off at some new places around town, now that we have a better sense of our surroundings and more confidence in our Korean we feel a little less apprehensive about going outside our box.I met a very kind Korean man with whom I am scheduled to have a date, should be interesting, the extent of his English is "I like Bushie no"- I'm thinking I will skip it.
Saturday night Trev and I ventured out to our favorite spot, The Fish and Grill. A college bar atmosphere with our favorite cheap soju.
Today found me finishing up the pictures from last week, what a feet. Although I love Kodak, it is a pain to try and re-organize everything and now, only 3 days later, I am sick of seeing the pictures. I also spent a good part of the day working on my ever changing resume. When I think of all the resumes I have made directed at the different career paths I have chosen: publishing:editing, writing, publicity; corporate America of any sort with staffing agencies; the restaurant business:serving, managing, events it is unreal. I should start a business, this will be the last one for a while because it is looking like I will be in Korea for another year. There is still plenty of time to decide but it is here or Japan, and the money is better here regardless of how greener the grass is there.
Tomorrow its back to work... I have been dreading it all week but now that it is almost here I am realizing how much I miss my students!
1.18.2007
13 cities, 26 hours of traveling and we are home safe
The journey home was the longest possible route between Seoul and Suncheon that two people could possibly ever take. We were going to stay in Seoul for the night and decided on our way back to the hotel that we were ready to get out of the city and that we should head somewhere to digress. What better a place then Boreyoung, home of the mud festival, a place where you can get a full body mud treatment for 30,000won and sit on the beach. We also made a promise to one another, what ever came our way, bumps in the road, long layovers, wrong buses, we wouldn't let it get the best of us and would remain in good spirits.
After 2.5 hours on the bus we got to Boreyoung and realized we just wanted to go home, why not just get a bus to Suncheon. Sorry, you must go to Gunsan for that.
Arriving in Gunsan we met our biggest traveling challenge, ticket vending machines. The man at the door grunted, spit and spewed some information we didn't understand and sent us on a bus to Gwangju- 2 ho
urs. It was also in Gunsan that I ended my trip through the disgusting bathrooms of Korea with the worst of them all. As you walk into the doorless bathroom with a wet sluddgy floor, to your immediate left is a toilet standing alone, in the middle of the room, with no walls or toilet paper is a toilet, small enough for a five year old. Thankfully I noticed that there was one stall in the far end, which was a basin- overflowing. I opted to hold it for this leg of the journey and walked out of the bathroom, camera in hand to show Gavin my findings.Once in Gwangju we were on our home stretch to Suncheon, one more hour. All in all, a four hour journey turned into a seven and a half hour journey, but we kept our promise.
1.12.07- Suncheon to
Pusan...1.13.07- Pusan to Yeongju...1.13.07- Yeongju to Danyang
1.14.07- Danyang to Guinsa...1.14.07- Guinsa to Yangwol...1.14.07- Yangwol to Taebek
1.14.07- Taebek to Samcheok...1.15.07- Samcheok to Sinnam...1.15.07- Samcheok to Seoul
1.17.07- Seoul to DMZ...1.17.07- Seoul to Boreyong...
1.17.07- Boreyong to Gunsan
1.17.07- Gunsan to Gwangju...1.17.07- Gwangju to Suncheon
I have realized that Korea proudly provided the dirtiest bathroom facilities on the planet. Often times the toilets do not have toilet paper let alone walls.
And so, 2 countries, 13 cities, 26 hours of traveling the buses of Korea, 300,000 won, chicken chicken and more chicken and five motels later we arrived back home safe and sound. I feel like my time here in
Korea, whether I experience nothing else for the remainder of the time I am here, has been well spent. I have seen more of this beautiful country then I have of my own.We went from solitude to bustling cities, from the mountains to the open fields, from a free prospering country to a communist suffering one. I have been enlightened into the lives of the people of Korea, the struggles and the celebrations, the art and the lack there of, the hospitality and friendliness they show and the anger and frustrations they hold inside.
Freedom at a price
Oversleeping a bit, we woke in a bit of a rush to make it to our tour in time. We got dressed in our business casual attire that was wrinkled from being in the bottom of our bags for the entire week and head to the Sofitel ambassador hotel. We were give strict instructions on how to dress and act. No jeans, open toed sandals, drinking, pointing or waving. We would be video taped for most of the trip and so we must be on our best behavior.
This swank hotel was the home of our tour group and the most expensive bakery in the world. For 23,000 won we got 2 coffees, 2 sandwhiches (basic crust less ham and cheese) and a bagel. We boarded our bus and headed for the north.
The tour was made up of about 10 English Speaking people and 30 Japanese tourists and for this reason we had two translators with us. The 50 minute bus ride was split in two parts, the first part being the Japanese translator providing the Japanese with a brief history and some more guidelines and then the English translator doing the same. Our translator, or tour guide, was a Korean man of about 60, who spoke good English and had a wicked sense of humor. It was very cold and cloudy which made it hard to see many things throughout the tour but also gave us a sense of what the cold war is all about...dreariness.
When we arrived at Camp Bonifas, the American supported Army base we had to present our passports to the Korean officer who boarded our bus, we then presented them a second time upon arriving at our briefing to the American soldier who would serve as our escort for the remainder of the trip. We drove past the Daesung dong Freedom Village, the only village in the DMZ. The residents of this village, 250 from 50 different
families, are exempt from taxes and from the mandatory two year army enlistment.Our next stop was at the MAC building, the only place at which you can walk back and forth between North and South Korea. To get to the MAC building you must pass through the Freedom House, a bitterly cold and icy large building that is completely unoccupied. The South Korean soldiers stand with half of their bodies facing the North and the other half behind the wall for sometimes seven hours at a time. They wear dark aviator glasses to hide their eyes and stand on guard at all times. Gav noticed some bare feet footprints on one of the meticulously shined tables and wondered if after all of the tourists leave they have a little bit of fun. There is a door on one end that leads to the South and one on the other end that leads to the North, this door is protected and you are not allowed behind the soldier. You can however, walked
around the room and take pictures of this historical meeting place.Next we stopped at the scene of the Axe Murder. In the 70's there was a tree that obstructed the view of the soldiers on watch, deciding to cut it down, they walked over with an axe and were attacked by seven North Korean soldiers who murdered them with their own axes. This place stands about 500 feet from The Bridge of No Return, getting its name from the exchange of prisoners that took place during the war, once you got to the other side you could never return. Now flags of various countries sit in a circle on the bridge.
We made a brief stop at the gift shop and then to the Freedom Bridge.
Freedom Bridge is situated beside an amusement park lining the last patch of railroad tracks that lead to the last stop in South Korea 20 minutes away from Camp Bonifas. This bridge is where thousands of prisoners returned home at the end of the war, cheering as they walked across the bridge. There are letters and shrines
set up for the prisoners who never were able to return home, and there are thousands of people still waiting to be reunited with their families.As we were walking to the bus an elderly couple got out of a taxi and walked over to the monument for the soldiers who fought in this war. Seeing the sadness in their eyes, knowing that unlike me they had lived through this, that this wasn't only a tourist attraction but it was a way of life, a split country that effects people daily, this was the hardest part of the tour. The human aspect of it all, the look of this couple, who, at their elderly age, come here to pay respects and reflect on their past.
Our tour ended with lunch at a traditional Korean restaurant, which for once, I enjoyed. Bulgogi is a beef dish that they serve to you raw and you then cook at your table, it is served with all sorts of side dishes that I just steer away from. Our kind bus driver brought us straight to the bus station which is inside this "larney" shopping mall that houses a Krispy Kreme with a cue that could take you a good 40 minutes to make it through.
A hangover and shopping
We awoke to being kicked out of our hotel...check out time is apparently noon in Seoul. With a hell of hangover we headed to the Dongdamun area, planning ahead for our big visit to the DMZ. Unfortunately, our cab driver didn't understand and dropped us in a completely different area of Seoul. Another back track and we were finally there. Carrying our bags that got heavier with every lift, we landed
in the dirtiest motel we had been in yet. Situated in a back alley, they had mirrors lining the bedside, a cheesy poster circa 1980 and the tub drain simply drained on to the floor. Needless to say, we took a nap, a shower and headed out to the mean streets of Seoul.
I had heard a rumor that they sold Western toiletries in the basement of Doota, this amazingly decorated department store. Indeed they do. After enjoying a sandwich on the ninth floor, Gav picked up
some deodorant...something very hard to come by here and we headed to the flea market. North Face fleeces next to dildo's, hammer's next to ties, sewing machines next to cowboy boots, this old soccor stadium had been transformed into a haven of weirdness. Insadong was our next stop, seeking some culture and art.
Walking through the Insadong tube station we saw police officers lining the stairs, Gav thought m
aybe someone important was coming, why they would be arriving by tube...who knows...but for some reason they were lining the steps. This artsy are feels like Newbury Street, it is cobblestone lined and art galleries and fancy shops stand on each side. We were pleasantly surprised to see an Andy Warhol exhibition, blue umbrellas lined the ceiling creating a surreal sight.
Over dinner at a Irish feeling German pub, Kooster, that of course included chicken, I expressed the utter feeling of disgust that I had with returning to our horrible hotel room. As with most things, Gav felt the same. At times it is as if we share a brain, we think the same and often only need the other
to say it making this trip even more enjoyable. Despite my sometimes frustrated hissy fits, they were never that bad, we had a perfect trip, changing course when ever we had the desire and taking our time when needed. And so, we agreed that we decided we needed a nice hotel, something classy with all of the amenities we desired. Motel Mung provided just that. We booked our room and headed back to the slums to gather our things, left the key on the counter and took our 15,000 loss as a wash.
Motel Mung was amazing. As you walked through the car wash like fabric lined garage, they do this so the public cant see who is entering
g as most of these places are rented primarily by the hour, you were greeted by a large door leading into a marble floored golden paradise. The elevator was lined in gold, with a chaise lounge to sit on if you had to take a rest. For a mere 80,000 won our room was spectacular, complete with a glass walled bathroom, sauna, jacuzzi, Internet access and a large plasma that we could project our photos from the Internet on. And so, for the last night of our road trip we lived like a king and queen, we sat and reflected on our week and anticipated our trip to the DMZ the following morning.
in the dirtiest motel we had been in yet. Situated in a back alley, they had mirrors lining the bedside, a cheesy poster circa 1980 and the tub drain simply drained on to the floor. Needless to say, we took a nap, a shower and headed out to the mean streets of Seoul.I had heard a rumor that they sold Western toiletries in the basement of Doota, this amazingly decorated department store. Indeed they do. After enjoying a sandwich on the ninth floor, Gav picked up
some deodorant...something very hard to come by here and we headed to the flea market. North Face fleeces next to dildo's, hammer's next to ties, sewing machines next to cowboy boots, this old soccor stadium had been transformed into a haven of weirdness. Insadong was our next stop, seeking some culture and art.Walking through the Insadong tube station we saw police officers lining the stairs, Gav thought m
aybe someone important was coming, why they would be arriving by tube...who knows...but for some reason they were lining the steps. This artsy are feels like Newbury Street, it is cobblestone lined and art galleries and fancy shops stand on each side. We were pleasantly surprised to see an Andy Warhol exhibition, blue umbrellas lined the ceiling creating a surreal sight.Over dinner at a Irish feeling German pub, Kooster, that of course included chicken, I expressed the utter feeling of disgust that I had with returning to our horrible hotel room. As with most things, Gav felt the same. At times it is as if we share a brain, we think the same and often only need the other
to say it making this trip even more enjoyable. Despite my sometimes frustrated hissy fits, they were never that bad, we had a perfect trip, changing course when ever we had the desire and taking our time when needed. And so, we agreed that we decided we needed a nice hotel, something classy with all of the amenities we desired. Motel Mung provided just that. We booked our room and headed back to the slums to gather our things, left the key on the counter and took our 15,000 loss as a wash.Motel Mung was amazing. As you walked through the car wash like fabric lined garage, they do this so the public cant see who is entering
g as most of these places are rented primarily by the hour, you were greeted by a large door leading into a marble floored golden paradise. The elevator was lined in gold, with a chaise lounge to sit on if you had to take a rest. For a mere 80,000 won our room was spectacular, complete with a glass walled bathroom, sauna, jacuzzi, Internet access and a large plasma that we could project our photos from the Internet on. And so, for the last night of our road trip we lived like a king and queen, we sat and reflected on our week and anticipated our trip to the DMZ the following morning.
losing our souls in seoul
And so...Mr. Bar kindly let us off back at the Moon Motel. We gathered our things and headed to the bus station. Next stop...Seoul.
The four hour bus journey found us traveling through the middle of the country, something we hadn't s
een to much of. It is breathtaking, the mountains of Korea jump out at you second after being in the middle of farm country. Cities filled with tall apart buildings stand next to small traditional houses.
We arrived in Seoul eager to find our room and head over to the Seoul Tower and get a glimpse of the Seoul skyline, the Lonely Planet names the Seoul Tower as one of the most breathtaking and romantic spots in Korea.
We wandered through Itaewon, down scary dark alleys seeking a room. To our dismay, Itaewon is a nasty nasty area that I will never stay in again. We settled on the Seoul Motel.
Off to the Seoul Tower. Planning most of this trip with the help of the Lonely Planet we relied on the information provided heavily. It is a challenge to call a site and get an English speaking person, therefor, the hours of operation, location and main attraction are all things which we used to plan our trip and time accordingly. Although for the most part, the Lonely Planet provided us with reliable information, at the Seoul Tower....not so much.
Our taxi brought us up to the gate, had a brief conversation with the guard and passed through. When he let us off we began our climb up the icy road passing visitors coming down the mountain, we were the only people going up. When we got to the top we realized, the Seoul Tower was indeed closed and was not open until 1am as the Lonely Planet had promised. The Namsan Cable Car which we had planned on taking down-closed. The restaurant we ventured into to enjoy the view out of the cold- closed. We took in the amazing view for a moment and scared we would find ourselves stranded for the second time in one day, knowing there would be no Mr. Bar to bail us out this time, we headed back down the icy slop catching the bus just in time.
Starving we ventured out for dinner. Because Koreans are out at all hours of the night it is very easy to lose track of time, you forget that sometimes a restaurant may close their kitchen before midnight because the
bustling streets are always filled with bright lights. Unfortunately for us, each restaurant we walked into gave us the same explanation...time is over...no food. Again, chicken. I have never in my life eaten as much chicken as I ate last week, in each city we visited we had chicken, BBQ chicken in Seoul, fried chicken in Yeongju, chicken salad in Suncheon, Chicken Salad in Insadong, Chicken in Samcheok...chicken chicken chicken.
Our next stop was the Seoul Pub. A nice little pub on the main drag, one which, if I was to relocate to Seoul, I would frequent often. The staff was friendly and the decor was interesting, displaying both worldly souvenirs and pictures of foreigners from years past.
A few Long Island Ice Teas later we found our selves engaged in a die game with Junior the owner, "dan dan dan Let's Go" something like that. Needless to say it was a great game, the main purpose, bringing revenue into the bar, the loser buys shots! And of course, I got sick and went to bed, Gav stayed up in to the wee hour of morning snapping these pictures......
The four hour bus journey found us traveling through the middle of the country, something we hadn't s
een to much of. It is breathtaking, the mountains of Korea jump out at you second after being in the middle of farm country. Cities filled with tall apart buildings stand next to small traditional houses.We arrived in Seoul eager to find our room and head over to the Seoul Tower and get a glimpse of the Seoul skyline, the Lonely Planet names the Seoul Tower as one of the most breathtaking and romantic spots in Korea.
We wandered through Itaewon, down scary dark alleys seeking a room. To our dismay, Itaewon is a nasty nasty area that I will never stay in again. We settled on the Seoul Motel.
Off to the Seoul Tower. Planning most of this trip with the help of the Lonely Planet we relied on the information provided heavily. It is a challenge to call a site and get an English speaking person, therefor, the hours of operation, location and main attraction are all things which we used to plan our trip and time accordingly. Although for the most part, the Lonely Planet provided us with reliable information, at the Seoul Tower....not so much.
Our taxi brought us up to the gate, had a brief conversation with the guard and passed through. When he let us off we began our climb up the icy road passing visitors coming down the mountain, we were the only people going up. When we got to the top we realized, the Seoul Tower was indeed closed and was not open until 1am as the Lonely Planet had promised. The Namsan Cable Car which we had planned on taking down-closed. The restaurant we ventured into to enjoy the view out of the cold- closed. We took in the amazing view for a moment and scared we would find ourselves stranded for the second time in one day, knowing there would be no Mr. Bar to bail us out this time, we headed back down the icy slop catching the bus just in time.
Starving we ventured out for dinner. Because Koreans are out at all hours of the night it is very easy to lose track of time, you forget that sometimes a restaurant may close their kitchen before midnight because the
bustling streets are always filled with bright lights. Unfortunately for us, each restaurant we walked into gave us the same explanation...time is over...no food. Again, chicken. I have never in my life eaten as much chicken as I ate last week, in each city we visited we had chicken, BBQ chicken in Seoul, fried chicken in Yeongju, chicken salad in Suncheon, Chicken Salad in Insadong, Chicken in Samcheok...chicken chicken chicken.
Our next stop was the Seoul Pub. A nice little pub on the main drag, one which, if I was to relocate to Seoul, I would frequent often. The staff was friendly and the decor was interesting, displaying both worldly souvenirs and pictures of foreigners from years past.
A few Long Island Ice Teas later we found our selves engaged in a die game with Junior the owner, "dan dan dan Let's Go" something like that. Needless to say it was a great game, the main purpose, bringing revenue into the bar, the loser buys shots! And of course, I got sick and went to bed, Gav stayed up in to the wee hour of morning snapping these pictures......
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