Less Than 24 Hours

It's here.

I shipped my boxes off today (all 6.5 of them... one is small) and spent hours cleaning the apartment for the new teachers. After I finish packing my tiny suitcase and backpack I'll be just about ready to go. Tonight I'm having my last dinner at Sumo's—my favorite sushi restaurant—and then I'll get on the bus tomorrow morning at 7:20 am and head to the airport.

Once I get to Shanghai I hope to spend a few days updating the blog with pictures and stories of the past few days (parties, goodbyes, school, etc.).

Until China...

5 Days Left

... until I say goodbye to Korea. Perhaps it will only be "see you later," but either way I'm sad. I'm not sure if I am mentally and emotionally prepared, and if you could see the mess in my apartment that I call "packing" you'd know I'm not quite physically ready to depart either. I have one more day of work on Monday and then I have Tuesday and Wednesday to pack up and wallow in my fragile, sentimental state before heading to Shanghai on Thursday.

I am, however, looking forward to my time alone in China to relax and regroup. It's been an intense summer with a lot of ups and downs and I'm excited to take a load off while leisurely touring the Chinese country-side. I hope to update the blog frequently, but I've heard Internet connections with this blog website can be spotty at times so please bear with me.

Back to packing...

Pretty Woman

I really screwed up this year. In an effort to save money and out of sheer laziness, I never visited a hair salon. At some point this spring I convinced Andrea to trim my hair about 1/8" (wasn't sure how great her skills were) and she did a decent job. However, it recently became apparent how bad my split-ends were becoming so I decided to get a cut before leaving on my trip.

I just returned from the best salon experience I've ever had, and the "screwing up" factor is in the realization that I should've been going regularly all year long. It was fantastic. The salon was beautifully decorated and the stylists were perfectly professional. They hung up my purse, massaged my head, and spent endless time on making sure I looked better at the end than when I came into the salon. The stylist's assistant even helped blow-dry and straighten my hair, and with two people simultaneously working on me I couldn't help channeling Pretty Woman... except for the whole hooker thing.

It was a relaxing and indulgent experience that I definitely wish I could have again, and it didn't break the bank—only $16! I love Korea.

Special Visitors

A breath of fresh air arrived on September 4th when my parents landed in Korea for a much-needed visit. It had been just a few weeks shy of a year since I'd last seen them and their timing couldn't have been better. That day at school felt endless as I waited for their phone call to let me know they were in the country. I told each class about their visit and watched as the kids' eyes grew huge with disbelief. "Teacher, your mother and father...Korea?! Wow..." One class commented on how happy I looked as I told them and I could see my excitement rub off on their faces as their smiles widened.

As the last class arrived, I finally received the phone call from my dad. They had made it safely and were sitting in my apartment waiting for me. A 40 minute class couldn't have gone by slower than that one, and when the final bell rang I grabbed my stuff and headed out the door. Without letting my sandals slow me down, I literally ran all the way home and laughed to myself as my own image conjured up thoughts of a sappy movie or commercial. It was worth the run when I busted through the door and saw them standing there—face to face, not on a computer screen.

With only a few short days before they headed to Japan we tried to make the most of our time together. They sampled a few ubiquitous Korean dishes (galbi, bulgolgi, and bibimbap), visited my school, strolled through my neighborhood, indulged in some shopping, met my friends, and experienced one of the largest palaces in Korea—Gyeongbokgung.

Although short, their visit was exactly what I needed to reenergize and refocus myself for the remaining month of school and two months of traveling. I was sad to say goodbye, but excited for the experiences they had yet to have in Japan. Sharing my life in Korea with them is absolutely one of my most cherished memories from this year.

With a stroke of luck, we arrived just in time to see the changing of the guards ceremony at Gyeongbokgung Palace.

A palace bedroom

The painted ceiling of a palace room

A tour guide in traditional Korean dress, hanbok.

The populated palace suddenly opened onto an expansive garden.

For Lee & Nicki

I miss you guys tons!!! Can't wait to see you back in the states.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame... One More Time!

Our last baseball game experience in Seoul was a flop for these reasons:

1. We found out after arriving at the game that we had Unreserved Seat tickets.

2. It was Children's Day, which meant... no school.

3. On Children's Day, kids get into the game for free.

4. Everyone in Seoul is trying to save a buck.

5. There were no Unreserved Seats available...

6. And no standing room available...

7. And no walking room available.

So, in July we decided to try again, but this time with better tickets. We got our tickets, showed up early, and walked right in to our shiny, empty seats. The game was excitingly close and although our team (Doosan) lost by a point, it was the hottest day of the year, AND it rained; we were more than happy with the experience. Go Doosan!

Check out this video for some spontaneously choreographed stick banging...

Bang–Bang–BangBangBang–BangBangBangBang–DOOSAN!

Hwaseong Fortress

Back in July, some friends and I decided to take a day trip to Suwon, just south of Ansan, to see the impressive Hwaseong Fortress. Built in the late 1700's, Hwaseong Fortress encloses most of Suwon, the provincial capital of Gyeonggi-Do. The extensive fortress was designed by King Jeongjo to honor and house the remains of his father Prince Sado, who was murdered by his own father after disobeying orders to commit suicide. The monstrous wall lent the familiar Korean surroundings a unique atmosphere and created its own lush, green world within its confines.

A chance to reenact the target practice of Kings...

... for an uncomfortable number of people at one time.

After finishing up at the fortress, we stumbled upon a Korean palace and Buddhist temple. The giant shiny Buddha was hard to miss from its perch atop a large hill and led us directly to the site. As usual, the surrounding grounds were beautiful, tranquil, and appropriately zenful.

Inside the shrine

The palace entrance

A 600 year-old "Divine Tree," which was around long before the Hwaseong Fortress was ever built.

Palace games...

are fun for...

...everyone!

Blue Skies

Usually, the sky in Ansan is hazy and overcast. Sometimes we are fortunate enough to see a little color, but on this one particular day the haze momentarily lifted and the resulting blue was magnificent. When you haven't seen a colorful sky in awhile it definitely becomes noteworthy.

As always, the picture doesn't adequately convey the sky's vibrancy but the fact that it looks blue at all makes it worth posting.

19 Days

Wow...

This year has flown by faster than I could've ever imagined and I'm left wondering whether it was the often recited "fun" factor or if there is some sort of special Asian time/space continuum scientific theory that could explain it. Probably both.

As I pack up and send a year of my life home in boxes, random memories flood my mind. I remember my first days at ECC—the kids were still so innocent and extremely interested in their new teacher with yellow hair. I remember Halloween and the crisp fall weather. I remember missing out (for the first time) on Thanksgiving at home, but recreating it with new friends who became my "family" this year. I remember spending Christmas in Beijing and realizing their winters are colder than any I've ever experienced. I remember my January homesickness. I remember my 26th birthday in Seoul where I managed to eat a Korean rendition of lasagna and the always-present slice of birthday cheesecake. I remember Nicole's amazing visit in April and my trip to Jeju Island in June, which was soon followed by monsoon season. July was all about Japan while August brought along many difficult changes and losses. The beginning of this month was significant not only because it's my last, but because my parents came to visit. Showing them around my life in Korea was an unforgettable experience. Now, here it is mid-September and I'm less than 20 days away from leaving another life I've grown to love.

I have a lot to look forward to with 2 months of traveling following my Korean exodus—China, Thailand, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey—and I'll return back to the US on November 25th. Lucky for me, one of my first meals will be Thanksgiving dinner the next day... it seems a little too appropriate. I'm not sure of much after that, but I know my experiences this year have taught me more than I anticipated. I've had great days and difficult days, but I survived the "year abroad" and am coming out on the other end better for it.

As sad as I am to say goodbye to my life here, I look forward to saying hello again to everyone at home and catching up on the things I missed. Who knows where my next journey will take me...

JAPAN: Strange Signs

Throughout Japan I couldn't help noticing various signs and posters on the streets, subways, and in store windows. Some were interesting, some comical, and a few were down-right strange.

"The deer on Miyajima Island are wildlife animals. Please treat them gently and with patience. Please do not get too close to them or touch the deer. To protect its life in nature please do not feed the deer. Thank you for your cooperation."

Of course, people were touching and feeding the deer all over the island...

The do's and don'ts of squatty potties

"Please do NOT sit on the toilet but squat over it facing the hooded end. Thank you!"

The sake of choice for geishas

No bulldogs allowed

A few different takes on Puma.... My favorite is Tuna.

Outside a small store, this sign gets straight to the point.

Kyoto's multi-lingual welcome sign

Korean food! Home sweet home.

"Please do it at the beach.

The Platform edge is dangerous. Please wait behind the white line."

No caption necessary.

Just in case you didn't already know...

Tokyo is in the running for the 2016 Olympics and they're not wasting any time rallying excitement.

"My Identity."

A cute add for Converse shoes.

Everyone has experienced the "Gas Panic" at some point in their life.

Pigeons: Harassing people worldwide.

Pachinko, the Japanese game of choice.

Japan's Most Wanted

I'm sure I don't have to tell you how disgusted I was to see horse meat on the menu...