Lunar New Year in Japan

Megan & I took a very odd trip to Japan. We went during our break for Lunar New Year (Jan 23-27). We flew in to Osaka, didn't really see much there though. We spent our first day in Kyoto which ended up being awesome! We totally loved Kyoto. We read that you may be able to see geishas there but didn't know if we actually would. We were just strolling down random streets and found this one where many people were standing around with video cameras, etc. We asked some foreigners what they were waiting for & they didn't know either. So we decided to stay & check it out. Glad we did because we saw several geisha walking to their 'appointments.' It was kinda sad though because it was so crowded with paparatzi type people. (wonder if that's due to Memoirs of a Geisha)? Anyway, we had time to kill because we were taking the midnight bus from Osaka to Tokyo. So we arrived in Tokyo early the next morning, totally exhausted. I had started getting sick right before leaving for Japan & it started to settle in. I started feeling really bad, had zero energy.
We checked in to our hostel & headed to Odaiba. It was a beautiful way to see the Tokyo looking over the harbour by going on the Rainbow Bridge. Then we went to our hostel, took a nap, woke up & went to Roppongi that night. We ended up meeting this guy on the subway that tried to take us to the final day of the National Sumo Wrestling Competition, but the tickets were sold out. But we did end up taking a picture next to a sumo dude. We were utterly exhausted by that time so we went back to our hostel & took a nap. We woke up & went to Roppongi & saw the Tokyo Tower.
We woke up super early the next day to go to the world's largest fish market. It was crazy! They just reopened it to foreigners b/c it had been closed due to people getting in the way, etc. There were some crazy fish, etc there! Still alive & moving around & fish I had NEVER seen before! We went to a temple that was in our area, close to our hostel. We got did this fortune thing & Megan got the worst fortune ever! Seriously, it was kinda freaky. Little did we know it was a forshadow of what was to come.
After that we wanted to see some Japanese Fashion! So we went to Shibuya & other surrounding areas. Lots of people out & about. Fun to people watch! There was defintely some crazy fashion, but I don't think quite as much as I was expecting. They had some weird hairdos. Oh yeah, we ate sushi like 4 times that day. SO GOOD!!! We stopped by Yoyogi park but wasn't much going on. It's suppose to be really interesting on the on the weekend but it was a Monday. It ususally has alot of outdoor activities like people playing in their bands, music instructions, dancing, sports, parading gothic fashion etc.
So here's were things get 'interesting.' We went back to our hostel to get our things to head to the train station where we were suppose to catch the 'midnight' bus back to Osaka where we were flying out of. Well, we went to the train station, went to check out where we were supppose to catch the bus (just to see where it was), then went back inside to get changed for the night, etc. We were just killing time. Well, the 'midnight' bus left at 11:20pm!!!!!!!!!! We MISSED IT! And there were no other buses or trains leaving for Osaka that night! SO we would have to buy an expensive bullet train ticket the following morning. A pain to spend that money, but that was the least of our problems. Everything around the train station was CLOSED!!! The station was closing & didn't open back up till 4:30am. We thought about getting a taxi back to our hostel but it would have been incredibly expensive. So, we decided to go back to the restroom we changed in & sleep for a couple of hours where it was warm. Well, we got kicked out of there. We were left homeless for the night. So we started walking around, trying to find any place that was open. It was COLD out! Nothing, abosultely nothing. So, we started getting desperate & were going to settle for sitting on some steps going underground, etc. But everytime we tried a place it was 'taken' by homeless people. We didn't understand how the most densely populated city in the world could totally close down! Seoul has 24 hour places all over. Afer walking for hours in the freezing cold, we sat down next to a building & huddled together to keep warm. We couldn't take it anymore & finally found a Kinko's that was open. So we had to pay to use their internet, at least we were warm! It was finally time to head back to the station. We bought bullet train tickets & headed to Osaka. It was a relief to get on the plane! We made it!
The trip was exhausting both mentally & physically! But we both agreed we had a really good time & loved Japan! The food was awesome! THe people were friendly. It was incredible clean there! The subway system was horrible, so confusing! I was greatful to return to Seoul's easy subway system! I want to return to Japan & go to Hiroshima. We liked Tokyo but wasn't our favorite. Megan & I traveling together....I don't know what happens, but something inevitably goes wrong. Even in Seoul, it's weird. We either miss our stop, go the wrong way, miss our bus, etc. I guess it keeps things interesting though. She's awesome & I hope we can take another trip together somewhere!!

Xmas Break in China, Hong Kong & Macau

I must be one of the worst bloggers since I very rarely update it. So much has been going on. I'll do my best to fill you in. Let's see. I've been in Seoul 2 months now, almost to the day. But I feel like I've been here a lot longer!! It's been great so far! I've met some really cool people. My school is just 'okay'. But I'll survive. Good news!!! Something I've been praying about!! Reuben & I found an amazing english speaking church today!!! I'm so excited! It's very missions focused with a global vision!!
This was my first Christmas to EVER be away from family. So on Christmas Day, it was sad. But it was still a great Christmas! We opened presents at Dianne's. Over the xmas break Christina & I went to China, Hong Kong & Macau. I could TOTALLY LIVE IN HONG KONG!! I LOVED IT SO MUCH!!!
Our journey started off in Beijing. We left Seoul on Christmas Day. Oh, Dianne had a Christmas Eve Party/Christina's birthday at her house, was fun.
So we flew in to Beijing.
We stayed at the same hostel as my friend Megan & another Christina. We went to the Forbidden City (was cool, but really big!!). It was a city that was closed to the public, only royalty was allowed in. That's where the Dynastys & Emperors lived. That night we went to an incredible acrabatic show with the 2 Megans & 2 Christinas. The show was mainly kids & teenagers, some adults. They would get in the most unnatural positions. So talented!!
But it was kinda sad, that some of them were so young! There's no child labor laws in China.
Next day was pretty interesting. We decided instead of going on a tour to The Great Wall, that we would find our own way there. Uh-oh, we should have known better. But it turned out to be an unforgetable experience. So, we read that we're suppose to take Tourist Bus #2 to get to the wall. We went to Beijing Central Railway Station like it said & looked ALL around! Couldn't find the bus anywhere. And no one spoke a word of english. Time was of the essence because we had already booked an overnight train to Shanghai for that evening. I was determined to go the the wall, christina didn't care all that much. SO I decided to ask a taxi driver how much it would cost & how long it would take (if we could make it back in time for our train). He said it would take 6 hours & that was out of the question for us. Feeling defeated I turned away & we started to think of how we would spend the rest of our hours in Beijing. I was really bummbed, I mean, that was the main reason for going to Beijing!! This guy came up to us & said he could take us & it would take 2 hours round trip....totally doable!! Christina made it very clear that she thought it was a horrible idea! But, if you know my stubborn way of traveling & how I can be a bit nieve when it comes to traveling & trusting people, we went for it! The guy took us to his car (that's right, not a taxi driver, just his car). But it was totally understandable to me, he wanted to make some money. So it took about 1.5 hours to get there. We got out, found a toilet, walked up some stairs, saw a very brief view of the wall. But even though it was a fainting glance, it was TOTALLY worth it! The wall is incredible!! I would love to spend HOURS there! If only we had had more time. But, at least we got to go & see it & walk around a bit.
Next, we took an overnight train ride to Shanghai. The train was one of Christina's highlights from the trip. We shared our cabin with 2 older chinese guys. You should have seen the look on their faces when they opened the door & saw 2 white females...they look scared to death. So funny!
We arrived early the next morning in rainy Shanghai. The area we were in seemed a bit dodgey. We had already decided to just spend the day in Shanghai & to go ahead & book a train that night to Hong Kong (so we could spend more time in warm weather!). So we went immediately to buy our tickets. Turned out they were sold out till Dec 31, which gave us NO time to spend in HK since we were leaving the night of the 1st to go back to Korea. We were bummed. So we spent the next few hours deciding what to do. We ended up booking a flight that day to Hong Kong. A bit out of our budget but turned out to be worth it!! I'd like to go back to Shanghai sometime, i'm sure it's a cool city.
So we got to Hong Kong that night & immediately were happy with our decision. Warm humid weather, just the way we like it!! I instantly liked HK! SO INTERNATIONAL!!! Everyone spoke English! We got to our hostel, a rough area! People were from ALL OVER THE WORLD in our area! The next day we went to a ton of markets! They had really good cheap shopping! That night we met 2 guys that we hung out with the whole time. Dan, from Miami, who is a chef in HK. And Adrian, who is from HK but lived in Canada for most of his life. They showed us all around & were extremely hospitable.
On New Year's Eve we took a ferry to the island of Macau (a former Portugese colony). We just went for the day. I loved Macau! I felt like I was in Europe, surrounded by a bunch of asian tourists! It had cobble-stone streets, colonial architecture, plazas, and the twist....tons of Casinos! You would see a dilapitated building with a huge shiny casino behind it. We went to St. Paul's Cathedral, which was amazing!, walked around, ate some portugese food for lunch, & headed back on the ferry to spend New's Year's Eve in HK!! We got ready at Dan's place & were going to meet up with him & Adrian when they got off work. We realized it was almost midnight! We looked out the window at the fireworks & saw the neighbors (who we had heard, sounded like a fun party!). They motioned for us to come next door. We ran over & made it there just in time for the countdown! So we got to welcome in the new year with new friends! They were so cool! We stayed & chatted with them for awhile. They ALL spoke amazing english, they studied in Vancouver.
Then we headed to meet up with our friends. We went to this dodgey area where we ended up meeting these 2 Swiss-Australian brothers. They were a lot of fun. We went to this outdoor area where everyone was celebrating the new year. So much fun! We went to get some food & when we were finished & walked outside we were amazed to see that the sun was coming up! We pulled an all nighter, not intentionally! I guess it's true, time really does fly when you're having fun.
That day we took a much needed nap & packed for our overnight flight back to Seoul. Trip recap, 2 nights in Beijing, 1 night overnight train to Shanghai, 3 nights in Hong Kong, 1 day trip to Macau.....life time of fun memories!!
As far as Korea goes, let's see. I started taking Yoga & Korean Language lessons. I can read Hangal! Very exciting! Lunar New Year is coming up & Megan & I are going to Japan! I'm really pumped for that!

My Little Bungalow

So I've been in Korea about a month now. I'm feeling pretty settled in. Getting to know my way around Seoul a bit more. I feel like I've been here a lot longer than a month. The weeks absolutely fly by! Before I know it, it's another weekend. The weekends are great.

We usually go to different areas of Seoul, walk around exploring, eat out, go hiking (they are fanatics about hiking here, I'll post a video later, hilarious. It's their 'unofficial' sport here. You can buy $2 DVDs here so I've been watching a ton of movies...heaven to me:)
Dianne has been so helpful to me! She's showed me all around, told me some tips on Korean etiquette & manners, & really helped me get settled in. She's so much fun, oh & she's been my running buddy.



Here's my little bungalow.

My apartment is small but cute. Extremely small, but it's cozy. I'll only be in it another month & then I'm moving in to Christina's apartment which is much bigger. But it's cute right??

Christina's has a big bed & even a couch that folds out to a bed (so you can come & visit me!!!).


Take a look at my horrible Christmas tree, it's so lanky. But I had to have one, it was only $2!



This is my Gemini class, aren't they cute? Luke is super cute, but he's a stinker!!



Their english is pretty good. I love them though!! We have 2 Finish kids, Frans & Olivia.



This is my Taures class. Michelle is my favorite, she's the short hair on the left. SO cute!! Oh & I LOVE Dawn (next to her).







Here's my Aires class, they speak english very well! They are a lot of fun!



We had Indian food this night. Some of the best indian food I've ever had! So good!


















These are 2 of my co-teachers. Serene is Korean, she has lived in Canada & Australia. She's so much fun!





And Christina has been in Seoul almost a year & will be returning home to Pitsburgh soon.







These pictures were taken from the TX/Arkansas football game in Austin a couple of months ago.

I went to the game with Courtney & her brother, Blake. Was a fun weekend, but Courtney wasn't feeling too well. Austin is always fun to visit though:) That girl cracks me up! I LOVE being around her!

K, well that's about it from me. I just got back from walking all over Seoul. My friend, Emily from MN, has a friend Christina, who I ran a race with a few months ago, has a brother that just moved here. He's only been here a couple of days so we hung out. We going to church tomorrow, Itaewon International Church. Hope we like it! I would LOVE to get involved with a church here!
Oh yeah, one of my friends & I booked a flight to China during Christmas break!! Can't wait! We're flying in to Beijing, then we're taking a train to Shanghai & then all the way down to Hong Kong! We'll be in Hong Kong for New Year's!! I can't wait! We'll get to see a lot of the east coast! It's like 1000 mile train ride!
I finally got a cell phone! And I got it connected with skype so now people in the states can call me free of charge & it will forward to my Korean cell phone! I got to talk to family last night & it was amazing! Felt so good! So, let me know if you need my number & you can give me a ring! Would love to hear from you! MANY BLESSINGS TO YOU!

Seoul Livin

Well, here I am. It all happened pretty fast; leaving Minnesota, spending time in Texas, getting everything ready for Korea, & now I'm finally here! Teaching English abroad is something I've always thought about doing, but didn't think there was ever a 'good' time to do it. I'm really hoping to save money while I'm here for grad school at Fuller in California when I get back in 1 year.
So far so good. I really like it! I've been here about 2 weeks now, but it feels like a lot longer. I had a 16 hour flight here!! I didn't sleep at ALL on the plane so I had NO jet lag, thank goodness. When my driver pulled up to my apartment there was a small welcome party!! So sweet! My co-teacher, Dianne, from Pitsburg, is awesome! She's taken me around & really helped me to get adjusted to life in S. Korea. I'd be lost without her! Dianne is on the left in this picture, & Jina, my director is on the right. I'm replacing her friend from home, Christina, who has been here for 1 year. Best of all, I get to have Christina's apartment when she leaves in 1 month!! I'm super excited! My place is nice, but REALLY tiny! The kitchen & bedroom are all the same room! It's a small studio apartment. I guess you could compare it to a shoebox apartment in NYC. But it's new & clean. It took me forever to find the shower. Since there's not many places to look, I thought, oh no, it's a community shower!! But I found out that most showers here are only the shower head placed somewhere in the bathroom. Most people's are behind there door in the bathroom, but mine is above my toilet & sink. So when I shower, EVERYTHING gets wet! I can already tell I can't wait for a bath or a REAL shower!!

Let's see, what have I done so far. Spent a lot of time at work. I can't wait to show you pictures of the kids! ADORABLE!!!! They are anywhere from 2-11ish years old. Age is confusing here in Korea b/c when you are born you turn 1 year old, & you turn another 1 for the New Year. So, when they say they are 4, they may be 2 or 3!! I still don't get it. Today I had a medical exam & they wrote down that I was 29 years old because of the year & month I was born!! I'm 27 thank you very much!!

There's a TON of cheap & not so cheap shopping here. Everyone is SOOOOOO trendy!! I feel like a bum! Everyone is always dressed up & looks very nice! Dianne & I went hiking outside of Seoul this past weekend. People even get ALL decked out to go hiking, in all of the best hiking gear! After we hiked we went to this area where you take off your shoes & walk on rocks. It hurt really bad, I could barely do it. But there were people walking all around like it felt good! During the hike there was this place to rest & there was this lady with the biggest hula-hoop I've ever seen. She was like in the zone hula-hooping! It was the weirdest thing.

The food is REALLY good! I've had a lot of street Korean food, had Indian, Turkish, Thai & just regular Korean. It's spicy! There's lots of little & big markets along the streets that has some of the CRAZIEST things! Stuff that I don't even want to know what it is. But also some REALLY good things! My favorite thing that I've had so far is buns!! I'll take a picture & let you see. They are steamed rice buns with a sweet red bean filling. I got Dianne hooked on them too! But oh my, some things are SUPER expensive. As some of you know, I have to eat oatmeal every morning! Guess how much this oatmeal was??!! $14 USD!! I bought it this time, but probably won't again, ridiculous!

So, back to my school, it's called iSponge. We have 2 Korean teachers, Serene & Cecilia & then 3 foreign teachers. Tomorrow we get a new Korean teacher! It's long hours, 9-6, but we have breaks & the classes are only 40 minutes long. Our director is really laid back & stays out of our way. Basically, we can run our classes however we want. We have a curriculum to follow, but we're on our own.

Oh my gosh, this past weekend, Dianne, Carla, Jessica & I went to a Dr. Fish Cafe. It's this really cool looking coffe shop/cafe. But that's not all....they have these things were you put your feet in water & fish EAT the dead skin off your feet! We TOTALLY freaked at first! It's SUCH a weird feeling! They would attack your feet! Look how many there are in the picture! The fish LOVED Jessica's feet! Carla was crying!! But after a while we finally got used to it! Now I want to do it again!



There are so many different areas to go to! I live 5 minutes walking from my school. We have a good location b/c we're close to the green line subway & it goes all around Seoul. Seoul is really a city that never sleeps. People are always out REALLY late & up really early! All hours of the night! When so these people sleep?? I'm already starting a movie collection. You can buy 4 DVD's for $10!! We're making plans to go skiing/snowboarding, DMZ North Korea Tour, Temple Stay, Korean Language Lessons, Taekwondo lessons & other adventures! For Christmas break I'm hopefully going to China! It's cheap to fly there! I have some friends going to Thailand & Cambodia but I want to go & travel all around Southeast Asia after my year is up in Korea & spend like a month traveling around! Can't wait! It's starting to get pretty cold here! There is a cold wind that comes from Siberia! Oh my, our plane flew over Siberia....it was the weirdest thing...so much snow & ice, like nothing I've ever seen.

There is so much to learn about the Korean culture! It's different than anything I've experienced before! I'm sure the year will fly by! The time difference is crazy! Korea is 15 hours ahead of Texas! Anyway, I miss you all! I don't have intenet at my place yet, but I will in 1 month. So I'll be able to call you with my skype account! You are MORE than welcome to come & stay with me anytime! Let me know how you're doing! LOVE YOU!

Texas Time

Before heading to S. Korea I spent a couple months in Texas. Was SOOOOO nice! Got to spend tons of time with my family, mostly my mom, relaxing, hanging out with friends, getting ready for Korea, road trip to Austin & Houston, sleeping in, staying up super late (2am) because I would have interviews almost every night for a month with people in Korea (was exhausting), running/biking, watching TV shows, etc. I had so much free time & not even once did I get bored. Loved it!!! But as they say, "idle time is the devil's playground." I can see that. Because I had so much free time, but it made me kinda lazy. Waited till the last minute to get most of my stuff done.
I went with Courtney & her brother Blake to Austin for the TX/Arkansas game. It was so fun! I got to hang out with Adrian & check out how much Austin has changed since I went to school there. And Courtney, if you're reading this, I'm still waiting on you to send those picts from that weekend so I can post them!!;) Adrian also came to Dallas TX/OU Weekend so it was great to see him!!
I had to go to the nearest Korean Consulate to get my visa & the closest was in Houston. Good excuse to go & visit BJ. My mom & I drove down there & stayed a couple of nights. I got to see Willard (aka Jill) & catch with everything going on with her. And spend time w/ my 'brah.'
He had a nasty raw oyster shooter...looked disgusting but he seemed to enjoy it.
We went the the holocaust musuem, ate at some awesome restaurants, had dinner w/ Lyn & KD, toured around H-town.
My mom & I hung out a ton. Went to White Rock Lake, had pinics, went roller-blading & biking, movies, etc. We have such a good time together, she's my best friend. But I think that since we
knew I was leaving for a year, it made our time together that much sweeter. I really hope she can come & visit me in Korea!
We had a family going away party & one with some of the girls (Hayley, Sandi & Jordan). I already miss everyone so much! Remember, if anyone wants to come & visit, you are MORE than welcome! Bri is planning on it, my mom & maybe my nana, & Jordan. I would come after the winter b/c it gets pretty cold. Thanks so much for your prayers. Anyway, LOVE & MISS YOU! Let me know how you are!

From North to South....on I35

So I'm back in Texas, temporarily. Next destination...S. Korea!! Yep, my bro & I plan on leaving early to mid October. I'm super excited! I spent a couple weeks in MN after spending the summer in Jamaica. It was a crazy time, so much going on. But it was also good to see everyone, catch up, & then say goodbye for the final time. It was a lot harder telling PPM that I was quitting than I thought it would be. They have been my family over the past 2.5 years. I have so many wonderful memories & have built life long friendships. But I still know in my heart that it's time to move on.
I spent my birthday there & then my mom came the next day. We went to the Republican National Convention to check things out. It was crazy there were so many policement in full body armor. Then we headed up north to the Boundary Waters.
Something I've wanted to do since I moved to MN & figured I may not get the chance again. The drive alone was gorgeous, along the North Shore, through Two Harbors. We decided to totally wing it & find a place when we got there. We decided on staying right outside of Ely. We stayed in a beautiful cabin right now the lake & went canoing, hiking, cooked out. We were completely surrounded by nature. Was so quiet & peaceful. Much needed after all of the craziness these past few weeks.
Then we headed on our long drive, 1200 miles to be exact, south on I35. We drove the entire day & stayed the night at my dad's house in Enid, OK. Now...back in Texas for a bit. Have lots to get done before we head to the far east. I plan on going to Austin this weekend for Courtney & Paul's birthday & then to Houston because my bro & I have to get our Korean visas from the consulate there.