The Grand Ole’ Mosque
Posted on February 22, 2011 Leave a Comment
I have come across a great deal of peculiar and remarkable sites during my travels: Cock-fighting stadiums filled with screaming fans in the Philippines, the schnee laufen team practicing with ski poles down cobblestone streets in Lucerne, Saki bombs and marriage proposals on top of Mount Fuji, and hands-down the best party I have ever crashed at the Grace Hotel during gay pride week in New York. But far and away the most breathtaking, happen upon site I have wandered upon is the Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi UAE. Now you would think that I had done my homework and realized that the Sheik Zayed mosque is the number one tourist site in the United Arab Emirates, but I tend to forgo research when I am going to be living somewhere for any extended period of time because a girl’s got to have a few surprises, right? So you can imagine the delight of walking up upon this pure, white marble, piece of religious and cultural significance. It was Friday, a holy day so I thought I would just snap a few photos and keep walking because surely it was not open to the public…once again, I hadn’t done my homework, it was open!
Built recently in 2007 the grand mosque stands as the largest in the UAE and the eighth largest in the world at 22,412 square meters, boasting twenty-eight different types of marble from various countries. The marble’s stark color is even more evident as the backdrop to a sea of tourists and worshipers wearing the traditional black abaya and headscarf provided to all female visitors. Remarkably in a setting made of a notoriously echo producing material, the marble clad grand mosque remains a peaceful, silent space inside Abu Dhabi’s bustling metropolis.
I began this holy Friday staring at the small sign on my hotel ceiling that points to the direction of mecca. Waking to my alarm, the call to prayer at 5am, wondering how the religious history of a culture can be woven through an urban landscape with so much noise, pollution, and hurry. The grand mosque, and every mosque I have visited in my few short weeks here has proved that meditation, prayer, peace, are possible even in a bustling environment, especially when your religion is as old and rooted in tradition as Islam. On the way back to my sleepy desert town from Abu Dhabi, our bus driver had to make a stop. He pulled over unexpectedly, told us he would be “back in a few!” and went to a roadside mosque to pray. I’ve seen a New York minute, British tea time and an afternoon siesta, but this is my first run in with a culture that makes a habit of taking time to pray. Stumbling upon the grand mosque amidst Abu Dhabi’s high rises and sheesha haze has presented one of those “Aha!” moments, where I think I may be beginning to understand a culture. Then again, I still couldn’t tell you which way to Mecca without the pointer on my ceiling.
Blind Date with the UAE: First Impressions of My New Home
Posted on February 13, 2011 1 Comment
Surprise…or maybe not a surprise to some, I am off again! After accepting teaching positions with SABIS in the Western region of the United Arab Emirates, Matt and I now find ourselves in a familiar setting…an immigration office wondering “what the hell are we doing?” I have come to think of these moments just before I lay myself at the mercy of a new culture as similar to the feeling of walking into a blind date, and truth be told, I have been to more countries at this point than on blind dates and certainly had more success with the former. But with Valentine’s day upon us I thought I would take this moment to look at this unique culture as a potential love affair, one that I plan to flirt a bit with first, before opening a bottle of bubbly.
So here is what I know so far: Located on the Arabian peninsula, the UAE is comprised of 7 emirates united under one president (Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan of Abu Dhabi) but each sovereign and ruled by an autonomous Sheikh. The UAE is an Islamic nation whose muslim locals make up a mere 20% of the population, the remaining 80% comprised of Expats ranging from Pakistanis to Europeans. Dubai has in the last decade soared to overwhelming wealth and development now boasting Burj Khalifa the world’s tallest building, as well as an indoor ski slope. The UAE has grown in recent years from oil funds while they sit on 10% of the world’s oil…not bad for a country less than half the size of Washington state!
At this point my first impressions, despite being warned about Matt and I holding hands in public, showing too much ankle and having to acquire a “drinking licence” are optimistic. Located within reach of countries that have been on my travel wish list longer than I have been “borrowing” airplane blankets, and boasting cuisine that has been salivated over by the likes of Anthony Bourdain and James Martin, I jumped at this dream date. How could I not be intrigued by a culture so widely rumored about through media sources, and yet mysterious to the Western world? I am putting my “to-do” list on hold, rolling down my pant cuffs and borrowing a tip from an admired adventurist: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow mindedness.” ~Mark Twain. Hopefully my love affair with the UAE is sparked at first sight, but like most true romances, it will be a labor of patience, time and magic carpet rides 🙂 And I don’t think I will have too hard a time holding off on the bubbly this dry Valentine’s….it’s prophet Muhhamed‘s birthday.
A Northwest New Year
Posted on January 4, 2011 1 Comment
What do frozen ponds, dreadlocked runners, organic champagne and Improv have in common? A new year, Pacific Northwest style! I am home to my little haven that is the Northwest corner of Washington state, complete with hip alternatives to everything from Aromatherapy to Zen gardening and more resolutions for cleaner, healthier more conscious living than most other towns I have visited world-wide. I decided that before I spend anymore time exploring, internalizing and trying to verbalize my discoveries within another culture, I would introduce you to oh little town of Bellingham, and no, Jesus was not born here.
With just over 80,000 Bellingham has now reached a size where tranquility is possible, and miraculously enough, so is thriving community! I pop into my favorite coffee spot Avellino, open the Cascadia Weekly, turn to the upcoming events page and Presto! More action packed fun than I could wave a honey stick at! Because I have just returned from over a year away from the town I call home, I have the urge to do and see everything Bellingham has to offer. So the big question is: what to do for New Years???! Enjoy an evening of improv at the Upfront Theater, take in the lyrical musings of The Bad Tenants, brave one of the many ruckus house parties spanning High Street (voted in 1987 as home to one of America’s top party schools by Playboy Magazine…), take a plunge in icy Puget sound waters or sip some prosecco at the newly re-opened Chuckanut Ridge Wine Company??? I try to make every year-end with a bang and the next begin with a ball or at least some bubbly. So here it is, a run-down of my new year ring in, Northwest style.
Dec. 31, 6am: Wake to a frosty morning wondering why I have chosen running as a hobby, lace up my Fairhaven runner kicks and hightail it to Bellingham’s “Last Chance Marathon.” The route out to Clayton beach and back reminded me of how fortunate Bellinghamster’s are with such an extensive greenway trail system, as well as a new year’s resolution to not let myself get this out-of-shape again, regardless of how much plane travel I am doing!!!
Dec. 31, Noon: With a runner’s high to trump any other high that the Pacific Northwest is perhaps known for, I grab an infamous potato burrito from the establishment that sees Baker bums and Western students through dreary winter months, Casa Que Pasa. Limping back to my Volvo (13 miles, give me a break!) I pop in to Everyday Music to pick up a Boy and Bear album, getting a taste of B’ham street talent on railroad avenue on my way out the door.
Dec. 31, 4pm: I swing into the community food co-op for some local produce, organic mozzarella and vino for tonight’s new year’s eve Italian feast. Between April and December the Farmer’s market has everything from Bavarian pretzels to world-class hula-hooping as well as all the ingredients for any of my culinary endeavors, but in winter months the food co-op fills my basket with goods.
Dec. 31, 8pm: After having fed much of the Chuckanut Bay Rugby team, and emptied a few bottles of cava I’m ready to throw on my party pants and ring in the New Year. First stop is a house party with impeccable rock covers by The Listers warming up frozen campus streets…..10pm: I forgot the taxi situation in the “Ham.” With a small number of cabs in this city, there are some creative options for getting around town on nights such as this one. The Sober Rovers for instance will come to your tipsy rescue, pack their Go-Ped scooter in your trunk and drive your vehicle home. But considering it’s chilly, nearing midnight and the music is hopping, I decided to stay put for the count-down.
Jan. 1, 2am: Late night food is lucrative business in a college town that likes to stay out until the sun comes up. My favorite early morning snack stop is the Russian Pierogi joint Pel Meni, where you can paw through a decent collection of records, chat up some unlikely characters or if you are lucky spot local celeb Betty Desire chowing down some dumplings.
Jan. 1, 11am: Because running a half marathon the day before didn’t produce quite enough endorphins to sustain my new year’s ring in, I decide to participate in the Lake Padden Resolution Run and Swim along with a gaggle of other motivated and frosty toed locals. After a lap around the Lake’s 2.7 mile trail participants plunge into icy waters, washing away the old year and emerge refreshed and eager to take in the new, as well as hop into the park’s warm showers!
Jan. 1, 1pm: I re-fuel with old friends at a Northwest establishment known to locals as “The Shoe,” and formerly “The Horseshoe Cafe,” the oldest continuously run restaurant West of the Mississippi! 24 hours a day this joint is THE PLACE to go for cheezy fries at midnight, a bloody marry at noon and some of the world’s best people watching.
After hitting golf balls off Eldridge Avenue into one of those unbeatable sunsets the Pacific Northwest has a corner market on, I feel that my love affair with Bellingham has been renewed into the new year. Home to street art, the Dream Science Circus, Ryan Stiles, ice cream worth standing in line for, alley concerts, sunset drum circles, a tree hugging club, the Ski to Sea, an alternative library, bike lane traffic jams, the bacon maple bar, and the world’s largest octopus swimming through Puget sound waters. Small but mighty, the City if Subdued Excitement has enough to make this traveling heart go “pitter-patter.”
Coming Home
Posted on December 3, 2010 Leave a Comment
Photo credit: Elisa Weiss
It is perhaps the one thing in a traveler’s life that is both miraculously comforting and heart-wrenching: coming home. I have been gone from my home town for over a year, and now I am in a place that feels at once familiar and more foreign than a Korean bath house. Not only am I incapable of answering the age-old question “How was your trip?” but I can’t seem to make any of the right decisions as to how I should proceed in the business of coming home. Three weeks ago I was bubbling over with insights into the world I was seeing around me, brave, independent, on-fire with passion for new cuisine, photography, blogging and the great outdoors. And here I am, trying to pick the cob-webs from my poor neglected blog, searching for some way to move through this transition from traveler, to traveled.
Last Day in Australia
I thought that this is what seventeen hour flights were for, to give you time to wrap your head around the fact that where you are coming from is behind you and prepare you for where you are heading, but I see now that nothing can prepare you for coming home. I took my shoes off in a mexican restaurant last week and set them on a nearby shelf while I searched for a spot to sit on the floor…If I try to get into a vehicle on the “wrong side” one more time I think I am going to have to start taking the bus. My body has rejected dairy products and anything but rice for that matter and I can’t seem to comprehend why the whole of America is tweeting their thumbs into a carpal tunneled frenzy??? Has the rest of the world evolved while I have been in a time warped backpacker’s utopia???
A very special airport pick-up
So what is REALLY the best option: See the world, running the risk of feeling out of place in a sort of ephemeral haze…length of this phenomenon still unknown? OR staying put, pondering all of the “other” in the world, satisfied in knowing that they exist, because after all, there are always travel bloggers who will pave the way and write, photograph and share with you their tales of the deep…? At the moment I am leaning towards the latter because assimilating is proving to be futile. I was homesick when I started this blog a year ago, I thought that by writing I could feel more connected to everything that was still happening in the world outside of the exotic one I was functioning in, and I did feel better. So how is it that I am home, and more homesick than I have ever felt, so completely lost, doubtful of every turn, unrecognizable as I see myself operating in a place I not so long ago was at home in?
I have tried all year to make this blog a resource for teachers and travelers, but I’m fresh out of advice on this topic of coming home. The orientation I received at the start of my year teaching overseas would be oh-so helpful now: “How to put down your backpack.” Or “How to re-introduce American food into your diet.” Or “How to briefly tell loved one’s about your experience without starting every single sentence with “When I was in…” ” Or even “How to not feel regretful that you have missed important milestones back home while you were busy seeing the world?” I don’t know the answer to any of these things, I don’t know how to do this? All I can do is publish this little rant and hope coming home will eventually be as easy as pulling apart a fresh, squirming octopus with chopsticks…wait, wasn’t that difficult at one time too?
Blue Mountain Bliss
Posted on September 30, 2010 1 Comment
“May the grace of God be with you always in your heart,
May you know the truth inside you from the start,
May you find the strength to know you are part of something beautiful.”
~ Alexi Murdoch
I attended a Steiner school growing up, an experience that has undoubtedly helped to shape my future educational goals and may be a clue to answering the question nagging my every rucksack weighted step “Why can’t I shake this travel bug???” The permission to be curious about the world around me and to continue to ask questions and search for answers was instilled in my Steiner education from a young age. This curiosity is THE reason I find myself now, typing away perched on a ladder, overlooking the beautiful blue mountains at the KindleHill Steiner school in Wentworth Falls! I have spent a remarkable two weeks here volunteering with the HelpX program to build a new school, and never have I been so far from my home and felt so very much at home in this welcoming and eclectic community.
The KindleHill school is using a unique cobb construction technique that I have been thrilled to be a part of, waking up early to mix materials, shovel cob, climb ladders and render walls. My evenings are spent in the workshop accommodation eating meals lovingly prepared by dedicated parents and translating jokes between the other volunteers representing five different nationalities. On weekends I wander into nearby Katoomba by train for the world’s BEST coffee and pastry from cafe Zuppa, and to chat it up with some colorful locals, before I take off on a bushwalk into some breathtaking territory. Yep, life is pretty sweet at the moment.
My constant struggle with moving from place to place has rung true blue here in that I am constantly saying good-bye to somewhere or someone and I always have that feeling that my heart will never repair itself. But it does regenerate and I am able to hold on to fond memories of all these wonderful places and the people who inhabit them and feel so unbelievably blessed to have been part of their lives for even a short while. Thank you thank you thank you to the KindleHill school for your love, generosity, openness to volunteers from far reaches of the earth and for your dedication to educating this generation in such a meaningful way.
Magnetic Island, A Must.
Posted on September 19, 2010 1 Comment
I thought I would squeeze one more island trip into my tour of the North East coast of Queensland. Just off of Townsville lies the little gem that is magnetic island complete with eucalyptus breeze, baby koala and coconut bowling!? This was definitely the place to combine my attempts to converse with nature and pure mischievous mayhem. If you are looking for either of these in your vacation, then check out the Bungalow Bay Koala Village.
Besides miles of gorgeous beach and a maze of bushwalks to choose from, the Bungalow Bay Koala village has an animal sanctuary worth taking a peek. Bungalow Bay offers a champagne breakfast in the sanctuary followed by a tour of the grounds where you can sip your morning cocktail while holding a cockatoo. I have seen my fair share of cute and cuddly animals but by far the baby Koala takes the cake (or eucalyptus) as THE cutest creature, clinging wide-eyed to the furry back of his very relaxed momma bear. During our tour I had the pleasure of holding a crocodile, wrapping myself in a python, and walking mystified through a forest of butterflies. Unlike the underwater wildlife I had experienced diving in the whitsundays, amongst exotic birds, reptiles and crimson streaked protea, I was free to hold my breath in wonder at this unique land I have stumbled in to.
The evenings at the Koala village are well-organized by staff with drink and dinner specials and events such as the infamous coconut bowling party where guests represent their home country by hurling a coconut at a line of bowling pins hoping not to launch any into the nearby pool. Of course an American won the whole thing 🙂 putting everyone else to shame, although the Germans did make a comeback after singing the best version of their national anthem. With lazy afternoons spent poolside, crack-up evenings in the open-air hostel bar and morning walks through the bush in search of wild life, magnetic Island really is the full package deal. During my twenty-minute ferry ride back to Townsville I heard that familiar voice I occasionally have when departing a particularly perfect place “Why are you leaving???”
Week One: White Sand, Whales, and the Whitsundays
Posted on September 11, 2010 1 Comment
What do silica rich, white sand beaches, sea turtles, some of the world’s best diving, tall, wind-filled sails and me sipping Australian Shiraz on a boat deck have in common? These things and more can all be found in the paradise that is the Whitsundays. After arriving in rainy Sydney last week (it is after all Spring here) I bee-lined it up the coast to Airlie beach to take in what is rumored to be the most beautiful place in the world, and I think that thus far, I would have to agree.
Photo courtesy of WingsII staff
The whitsundays consist of 74 islands in the heart of the great barrier reef, off the central coast of Queensland. I made my home-base the small town of Airlie Beach, taking 2-4 day trips from this point, trying to see as much of the area and soak in as much sun as I could before having to head South into some unpredictable Spring weather. Airlie is, from a tourist perspective, the place you come while on your way somewhere, making it a great place to book tours, spend jet-lagged hours on the beach or celebrate into the wee hours while you shake off your sea legs after a three-day cruise. I stayed at the waterfront backpackers and was very pleased with this decision. Down the road is the more raucous magnum’s hostel with some affordable dinner options and a good bar scene. Through waterfront backpackers I was able to book my 3 day cruise onto Wings II, a sailboat headed into the whitsundays. For $340 AUS my trip included 3 days, 2 nights on the sail boat, delicious meal after delicious meal, a free night back on shore in the backpackers, snorkeling equipment, and a few other perks like internet use and coffee in the morning. All in all a pretty sweet deal, not to mention, that for someone backpacking alone, I was overjoyed by the group of fun, adventurous travellers aboard Wings II.
photo courtesy of WingsII
I should say first that I usually have some motion sickness when I am…on ANYTHING moving, so the decision to board a relatively small sailboat for three days was a risky one. The pharmacy in Airlie beach is well stocked with ginger tablets and, if need be, drugs strong enough to sedate a crocodile if things get really bad. Despite a few rough hours I felt top-notch the entire trip. That is until I decided to give scuba diving a try…
It really is a wonder I travel at all, considering I am asthmatic, terrified of heights, allergic to anything with fur, dairy or pollen, frequently nauseous, prone to panic attacks, blind as a bat, and downright clumsy. But you are only in the center of the great barrier reef with a private dive instructor on a beautiful sailboat once, right? So I did my first introductory dive, not so smoothly I have to admit but with the help of very patient instructors (I squeezed the dive master’s hand while swimming around the ocean until we were all the way back on the boat) I went diving! Over the next two days I saw a moray eel, neemo fish, a humphead wrasse named George, a turtle, a mother humpback with a brand new baby and the best sunsets I have seen since I left the Pacific Northwest over a year ago.
The whitsundays are an absolute must on any East coast Australian itinerary, and well worth extending a visa for an extra few weeks in ( I promise I will come home someday Mom!) I am off to Townsville and Magnetic island next to check out the Koala sanctuary and a rumored coconut bowling party that sounds sweet-as 🙂 (in the process of learning to speak Australian…and I thought Korean was tricky!)
Leaving Korea: My Top 10 Experiences
Posted on August 31, 2010 7 Comments
It has been 365 days since I arrived from my home in the Pacific Northwest to South Korea. In this year I have seen and experienced more than I could have hoped for in a lifetime. Living abroad is one of the greatest challenges we can face, and one of the most rewarding experiences. I have, at one time or another felt stripped of my culture, my language, my family, my religion and my personal comforts. But I have also gained a Korean family, friends, a new understanding and appreciation for religion, language, and the comfort of knowing I can meet many of the challenges that have plagued me in the past, head on. With so much gained this year, Matt has helped me to narrow down our top ten Korean experiences. Here they are! :
10. Jim Jil-Bang
Kicking off with number ten is the Jim Jil-Bang. Throughout the year we have spent hours on buses fitting our favorite Korean style bath house to the tune of “YMCA” as an expression of our deep love of the one stop scrub spot. The Jim Jil-Bang is above all else a bath house, where men, women and families go to clean up and relax in soaking tubs, but it also holds another purpose as a 24 hour place to get some shut-eye. We have, on a few occasions slept in one of the 24 hour Jim Jil-Bangs when it is just too late for a motel, and the experience is a truly memorable one. With dozens of Koreans piled on the spa floor, all dressed in jammies provided at the front desk, we always crack up as we step over snoring (and at times, flatulating) snoozers, trying to find a place to lay down and join in. The first time I had my back scrubbed by an unsuspecting adgima, I knew that this experience had to make my year’s top ten.
9. Scooters
Our first day in Korea I thought Matt and I might buy bedding or maybe groceries, but in fact our first outing was to the scooter shop to pick up some wheels for the year. Our scooter has truly become part of our lifestyle here as we rode it through rain and snow this winter and formed a “scooter gang” with friends for long road trips to temples, waterfalls and the beach. I finally got brave the second half of the year and started taking our retro bike on my own and if you have ever stepped into most of Asia you will understand my apprehension. Scooters follow little to none of the road laws present in most countries. In Korea you can witness scooters on sidewalks, parked inside buildings, and zipping around corners at top speed. Delivery drivers balance coolers of bibimbap as they fly between cars and through red lights, making the scooter a unique part of the Korean experience.
8. Sporting Events
You followed along as we cheered Ulsan Mobis basketball team to victory this past March and you mourned the loss of Korea’s defeat in the 2010 world cup. Between baseball games, school sports day and trips to the swimming pool, we have seen another side of Korea, filled with national pride as they support their athletes. Koreans know work ethic like no other culture I have ever seen, and this rings true on the soccer field and basketball court. Americans may be larger than the average Korean, but I guarantee a Korean will spend the night in a lap pool perfecting his stroke long after the western athlete has gone to bed. The athletes are not the only one’s dedicated to their national pride either. To this day I have never experienced a crowd of fans quite like the Korean crowd. There is no “if you can’t beat em’ join em’ ” option here, you either join in or you might as well go home!
7. Nore-Bang
I have been invited out with my principal, several of Matt’s superiors and numerous friends throughout the year to partake in norebang or “singing room” and the experience is never short of amazing. Imagine a karaoke scene, minus the stage, the dive bar backdrop or the hundreds of people whom you have never met booing your version of “Sweet Caroline.” The norebang is for private groups where you and your posse can sing until the wee hours with all the comforts from home, comfy couches, popcorn, beer and a big screen tv flashing some interesting and at times provocative clips. The image of my vice principal getting down to “Hey Jude” still puts a smile on my face, making the norebang experience a highlight to my year in Korea.
6. K-Pop
Back in the Fall we learned that MTV’s “Biggest Bad-ass Star” was a Korean by the name of Rain. With curiosity seriously peaked, we made the weekend trip to Seoul to see for ourselves if this sexy Korean, dancing machine could really deliver. Not only was the “Rainism” concert one of the most entertaining shows I have seen in ANY country, but this experience opened the door to a whole world of K-pop that I didn’t even know existed. Since then I have memorized Korean pop songs, screamed along with my middle school students when Shinee, 2ne1 or Big Bang are mentioned and even joined a K-pop dance class so I could follow along to the music video. With no other popular music genre option in Korea, K-pop stands alone as the dominant music source, and it seems that a new teen heart-throb group pops up weekly. It’s so hard to keep track of all the new talent I have been forced into buying a new pair of K-pop socks to wear on my slipped feet every time an album drops. And sure enough, just as quickly as Wonder Girls or 2PM popped up, they were gone, like magic, magic magic, it’s magic…oma oma oma…
5. Temples
Korea’s temples lie outside of any history or culture I had seen before this year. Standing proudly at the top of most mountains, walking into a temple is a must when visiting Korea. Our hike in Jirisan national park on Buddha’s birthday was the most memorable temple visit this year in Korea, with monks serving bibimbap to hikers at the top and the constant sound of chanting up and down the steep mountain. We stepped into the secret gardens inside Biwon and walked along paths that kings treaded in the 15th century. We visited what is claimed to be the largest central hall in Asia at Yakcheonsa on Jeju island. We ate temple lunch with monks after the lunar new year at Munsu temple and spent an afternoon with the female monks at the all women’s temple Songnamsa at the base of Gagisan mountain. The temple experience has been a highlight of our year in Korea and brought us not only a better understanding of the Korean culture but an appreciation for the preservation of ancient history throughout the world.
4. Korean Food
If there is one thing I will miss about Korea, it will be the food. From kalbi to live octopus we have spent the year putting daring, squirming, delicious food into our mouths and loving almost every morsel. Learning hangul was crucial to ordering food in a restaurant or at the market and we quickly recited our favorite dishes. In the winter we dined on samgye-tan stuffed chicken submerged in a hearty soup. In the spring we feasted on live octopus and fresh catches from the raw seafood market. The family style in which we have eaten this year has brought us close to our friends in Korea and even Matt can now sit comfortably cross-legged on the floor of a Korean restaurant.
3. Hiking
Coming from the Pacific Northwest we have grown-up with green mountains as a backdrop and Korea has certainly not dissapointed us on any of our vertical wanderings this year. We have hiked the tallest mountian in South Korea, picniced on the lip of a volcanic crator and finished up our year of hiking with a trip to neighboring Mt. Fuji in Japan. At the top of every mountian in Korea, your ascent is celebrated with a kimchi feast, toasting other hikers and enjoying a miraculous view. Seeing Korea from the top of dozens of mountains this year has made me appreciate our amazing earth much more and continued to instill a sense of adventure in my travels.
2. The DMZ
With the world’s most secretive country less than six hours away from our home on Korea’s southern coast, Matt and I have been eager to learn more about the relationship between North and South Korea since we arrived last August. In the year we have been here, the ceasefire treaty signed in post war Korea has been claimed not valid by the North, a South Korean warship has been sunk, and as of just recently North Korean leader Kim Jung Il has up and left during a visit by former US president Jimmy Carter. You would think that living in the midst of all this talk of possible war outbreak that we would be better informed than the rest of the world as to what was going on in our backyards…but we are not. Our visit to the demilitarized zone did very little to better understand the continued feud between North and South, but it did cast a hopeful light on future peace talks. We were able to visit and enter the 44km long third tunnel as well as Dorasan train station, the last stop on the rail line before passing over the North Korean border. The train station exists as a hopeful sign that peace will one day be acheived and that backpackers like myself will be able to make the trip of a lifetime by land.
1. Teaching
Ringing in at number one may be a surprise to many. I have spent the last 20 years being educated by teachers that I respect and admire and I was eager to take my place as one of these influential figures to my students in Korea this year. And then I got assigned to my position teaching fifteen year old boys… With class sizes averaging forty-five students I felt completely helpless trying to control, let alone teach English to ESL students. I have struggled and doubted myself more this year than ever before, nearly given up on several occasions and asked “why me?” Truth be told, on the other end this experience has helped me grow as a traveler more than any of the other nine on this list. The confidence I have acquired leading a class has made walking into a hostel and making friends elsewhere a breeze. The acceptance and realization that not all education systems are the same and flaws appear everywhere has helped me to appreciate the uniqueness of culture. The support and encouragement from fellow teachers has helped me remember that even when travelling through barren outback I am never alone. At the end of this year my students brought me more joy, understanding of Korean culture, and unforgettable stories than any other experience. Teaching is the hardest thing I have ever done, but certainly the most rewarding.
A big thanks for following my year in Korea, for your comments and your support, and a very special thanks to Matt for being my one link to home with everything that this has entailed. I am off to Australia for two months to volunteer, swim with sharks, wander through the outback and FINALLY enjoy a bottle of red wine. So stop by and follow this next adventure! Until next time, Anyonghi-kesseyo!
I Saw the Sign.
Posted on August 20, 2010 2 Comments
It is clear to me just how global the English language is, after having been employed fresh from University as an English language teacher in South Korea. Amongst the neon hangul signs that I spend hours on the bus translating, there are just as many English posters and signs catching the attention of foreigners and Koreans alike. And while Korea is making a tremendous effort towards proficiency of the English language, I can’t help but chuckle at grammatical errors, mis-spellings, non-sensical phrases and the occasional, accidental double entendre printed on a t-shirt, a restaurant sign or on the side of a bus. In no particular order, here are some of my favorite “English” signs spotted in Korea this year:
My 36 Views and Thoughts From Mount Fuji
Posted on August 11, 2010 5 Comments
A year of hiking in Korea and a lifetime of vertical wanderings has peaked at the ultimate sunrise ascent to the top of Mount Fuji with my favorite travel partner (no I didn’t carry a bottle of red wine up…not a bad idea though). Matt and I somehow managed to get restless looking around Japan’s fantastic cities after a few days and jumped at a chance to get outa the heat and climb the country’s tallest mountain. Bold move, BIG pay-off!
Fuji is an active volcano standing at 3,776 m. It is recommended for climbers only from July to August as temperatures at the have plunged as low as -38 c. Matt and I were coming from the West which is undoubtedly more of journey that from Tokyo, so we opted with a travel agency to make the trek BEFORE the trek a little more comfortable. Royal Holiday Tours out of Kyoto provided everything we needed for a great experience. Our package included a guide, three meals and accommodation on the mountain to help our bodies acclimatize to the change in altitude, and not to mention we were with a wonderful group of Japanese climbers who made the whole trip memorable.
Matt and I both knew we wanted to climb overnight in order to reach the summit at sunrise. This meant we would be climbing between 8pm and 4am to the top, making a roundtrip from station 5 to the summit roughly 12 hours. At mid-night we stopped at station eight to sleep a few hours in a bed that can only be described by singing “There were ten in the bed and the little one said, roll over, roll over…” I slept snug up against about twenty-five other hikers under one very long blanket for a couple of hours until it was time to try and beat the sunrise to the top of the mountain. As the elevation grew higher, the wind picked up and I thought that my spontaneity in jetting off to Japan and hiking its tallest mountain had finally caught up to me given that I didn’t have a proper winter coat. A man in our group leant me his extra layers making the final 300m possible.
Living on the West coast I have soaked up some of the world’s best sunsets but little do I know of a sunrise, and I really think the bar is unreasonably high after viewing one from the top of mount fuji. At the top were a sea of weary hikers, warming their hands against cups of green tea, and a couple of friends of ours from Korea GETTING ENGAGED!!! Amidst the backdrop of a snowy crater to our left and rising sun on our right I felt at the same time small and extremely powerful to be amongst the adventurous and lucky group that get to claim this view.
Fuji is nestled in my memory between stormy boat rides in Southern Italy and zip-lines through the Costa Rican jungle as an experience so special and unique to a culture that it remains in your arsenal of moments that changed your life forever. My 36 views of Mount Fuji are absolutely priceless.
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