The Yellow Brick Road

Malaysia to Laos

2012-01-28T03:25:00.000-08:00

Jan 11

Laziness at its supreme. Nothing but lounging, napping, blogging and reading are on the itinerary for today. Oh yea, and flying to Kuala Lumpur. We have a flight out in the morning from Kuala Lumpur to Laos so we’ve decided to stay at the airport to save money.

Jan 12

11 am: Whoever thought it was a good idea to stay at the airport instead of get a hotel room should be strung up by their toes. Originally, it didn’t seem like too bad of a set up. Kyle, the expert hobo, and commandeered cardboard boxes, and after setting up our airport fort, we had just laid down to sleep when we were informed the airport was closing for a few hours and we’d be allowed back in then. We, and the rest of the Malaysia who all seemed to have the exact same idea as us were herded outside. (Seriously, there were hundreds of people)

Another hobo camp was set up, not as comfortable but doable. That is until the coughing started. It was a tickle in my throat, and a slight stinging in my eyes. But I was NOT the only one. We all started coughing. It was a chorus, a concert conducted by an invisible hand. When the coughing fits increased, and the crowd began dispersing from their temporary encampments, we too moved.

I’m exhausted now. I haven’t gotten any sleep, and I can hardly keep my eyes open, but we’ve arrived in Vientiane, with only a slight bump at the immigration office. Kyle needs more pages in his passport. He got reprimanded, and we are to find the US embassy soon. But for now we are just glad to have found a soft bed in a clean guest house.

Our neighbor

Malaysia 2 (Langkawi)

2012-01-26T03:22:00.000-08:00

Jan 8

Once again, we’re awake too early than is reasonable for a non-nocturnal being. After piling into a van, we make our way down the windy mountain side at a much quicker speed than our bus two days earlier. I can’t sleep. The constant twisting along the mountain might turn my stomach into a curdling mush.

The ferry is our next mode of transportation. Below the deck, rows of chairs are nearly stacked one on top of the other. Airplanes are sometimes jokingly called airbuses because of the tight quarters. They might as well vacuum seal us into the ferry we’re so tightly squeezed.

Our taxi pulls into the parking lot of a coral pink grandiose hotel with white columns. Gaudy only begins to scratch the surface. If “white trash” married into money, this hotel would be its equivalent in buildings; over the top and missing the mark in fashion. This hotel was a gift to ourselves. Because we’re traveling in a group of four, we’ve figured out that booking a double room will cost us each under $20 a night. It’s a bit of a fortune to backpackers like us, but it’s the one “nice” place we’ve allowed ourselves. The website promises not only a pool, but the equivalent to a water-park with a wave pool, three water slides, and multiple pools.

My mosquito bite which expanded across my thigh about six inches across.

Jan 9 Langkawi

The hotel is run by monkeys. No, I’m not calling the Malaysian workers that are employed here monkeys; lazy and clueless yes, but they are people non-the-less. No, we say this hotel is run by the monkeys who habitat outside the hotel, sneaking into guests rooms to thieve when they can, because no one seems to be in charge. Everything in this place is either falling apart or on the verge. It’s long overdue for a paint job; the wave pool ripples pathetically, and no one seems to know whats going on. When we arrived to the hotel one of our first questions was, how can we get back to Kuala Lumpur from here? “Uhhhh… there is an airport…” Was her answer. There are trains, ferries and buses. How can they not know? Many other questions were asked with similar answers. The monkeys, they are in charge, I know it.

I like Malaysians for the most part. They seem to be a kind people, not pushy in the least. If I smile at someone, I don’t feel that they will take it as an invitation to sell me something, but instead, they offer a genuine smile in return. But I have to say, as a people, they aren’t very ambitious. In fact, I might even call them ambivalent, and the opposite of hard-working.

“Do you have happy hour?” I asked one waiter at a restaurant.

“I don’t know.” He answered, and then smiled obviously not intending to find out the answer.

Jan 10 Langkawi

We’ve spent the past few days lounging; Lounging at the pool, lounging on the beach. I haven’t read this much in I don’t know how long. I’m actually almost finished with a book I only started this week. It’s amazing. This morning we’re going on a tour. Last night, we arrived too late to book at the designated booking desk, so the front desk made a booking for us. This morning, however, no one seems to know anything about it, or what we should do.

“We put a deposit down, should we pay you the rest?”

“You put a deposit down?”

“yes”

“Oh” Frantic looking around

“Just wait in front.”

“Okay so who do we pay?”

“Them.”

“Why does everyone else have stickers? Do we need stickers?”

“Stickers?” More frantic looking, “No, don’t worry”

Monkeys run this hotel I’m telling you. Monkeys.

Van after van drive by picking up properly stickered passengers. After thirty minutes of waiting, we start to get worried.

A beat up jeep drives up and I joke, “That’s going to be our ride.”

Turns out, it was our ride.

We’re taken to a dock, board a small speed boat with three Indian looking fellows and away we go. At first I think the speed is exhilarating, but as our boat begins to break the sound barrio, flying through the air like a wingless eagle, crashing into the waves hard enough to split the boat in half, our laughter turns maniacal. We sound like cackling witches brewing over a caldron. There’s nothing to do but laugh insanely, pray, and hold on for dear life. Our tour has three destinations: A monkey island, Eagle feeding, and an island beach.

Monkey Island: Our tour guide doesn’t speak English so when we arrive, we don’t know where we are. The first thing we see is a monkey sitting on a trashcan. Beside him is a monkey attempting to open a beer can. Signs inform the tourists not to take out food. We soon learn why. The large man walking behind us is being chased by a monkey who see his food. Sling shots are sold to use in defense if necessary. Down the stairs we come to an inland lake. It’s called the Pregnant Maiden’s Lake and comes with an entire folk story.

Eagle feeding was disappointing. I guess because we got the CHEAP tour, we just watch the other boats feed. I dread the start of the speed boat. It doesn’t get easier with time.

Beach Island: It’s a lovely little beach. We lie in the sun, splash in the water, and relish this freedom.

When we arrive back to the dock, I’m just happy to be alive, and glad that I didn’t sever Kyle’s arm off with my nails as we drove purposely into someone else’s wake and actually nearly capsized.

after the terrifying boat ride

the inland lake on the island

running away from a growling monkey

dinner on the beach

Hawaii part 3

2012-01-19T22:44:00.000-08:00

And the final post of the VERY BELATED Hawaii posts. At last!

The last couple of days, we spent whale watching, going to the aquarium, shopping, a luau, and one last trip to the beach before heading home. Let me just say that if your going to do a luau, book it before you go. And book the "Old Lahaina" because the next highly rated one was NOT worth $100. The food was okay, and the show was entertaining, but not spectacular. I didn't think it was worth it, and got sick later in the night from either the cheap liquor which I couldn't drink very much of or the less than spectacular food.

The aquarium was a fun trip.

Whale watching was probably the highlight, although we didn't get as close to any of the whales as we had when we whale watched in Equador. Each whale watching trip is different though and the captains of the boats cannot force the whales to do anything they don't want to do, including get close to the boats.

This little fella gave us a nice show though.

We also went to a dinner show, it was a Christmas show by a musician by the name of Willie K. This was way better than the luau and I would recommend one of his shows.

Shopping in Old Lahaina was a great day trip for the whole family.

At the Banyan Tree Square, a banyan tree first planted in 1873 to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the missionaries' arrival, has grown 12 new trunks and stretches over an area of 200 feet (61 m).

We had a fun time at the Luau despite it not being worth the money, in my opinion.

Our last day at the beach, the surf was rough. Kyle loves to snorkle, so we used the snorkle gear from our hotel, including flippers, and snorkeled away.

Our plane ride home was dissappointing. Although we had a "window seat" there was no window. And we had our Christmas Eve dinner in an airport, but it wasn't too bad. We were home for Christmas Day.

Overall, Hawaii was a VERY FUN trip. It wouldn't be my first choice in destinations, mostly because I've now visited many BEAUTIFUL beaches, and most were less expensive than Hawaii's. But all in all, it wasn't too shabby and it was fabulous to get to spend so much time with our family.

Hawaii 2

2012-01-18T06:23:00.000-08:00

We went to Hawaii nearly a year ago. I found this half finished post waiting in my drafts and decided it was time to finish this post once and for all. I find it a difficult task to write about trips. I put it off and by the time that I actually start to work on it, I forget what we did. So I'm going to post some pictures of our family vacation. I'll make a few comments, but the details, well, they can be left to your imaginations.

Kyle found a coconut, and broke it apart to prove his manliness

It was suggested that we stop at a roadside to eat some of the local banana bread and snow cones. Both delicious.

He made grass stuff. It was pretty cool.

A cool black beach with a pressure cave where surf would force all the trapped air and water up through the geyser hole.

a neat cave my mom and I explored

Cat Cafe in Hongdae

2012-01-16T23:19:00.000-08:00

Cat café

If dogs are a man’s best friend, cats, at least in their mind, are man’s imperial ruler. The cat café in Hongdae, although the same concept as the dog café, is as similar to the dog cafe as inch worms are to noodles. They look the same on the outside, but anatomically are entirely different. Walking into the dog café, we were greeted at the door by several dogs sniffing our bags and shoes for smells and goodies from the outside. The cats, on the other hand, made no acknowledgement that we’d even entered the room. Servants are not worthy of acknowledgment.

The cat café was relaxing, the atmosphere, and mood reminiscent of a spa. Soft tunes hummed over the speakers, and slow movements part of the vibe.

Cats lounged around anywhere they felt drawn. A cat walk above was home to at least five cats, their tails and legs hanging off at awkward angles. Korean ladies and girls sat comfortably on the floor with blankets with happily sleeping cats curled nicely in a ball across their laps. Only a handful of men had come today. Sitting at the table, the cats, in usual fashion ignored us. So I moved us to the floor, where the cats paid us no more attention than at our table. We soon discovered the secret to luring the cats in to our laps was not our calls, or willingly petting hands, but a cat treat of dried fish. The felines, once apathetic to our advances, were now wide-eyed and willing to climb into any lap, even an arch enemy’s lap, given that the treat was shared

We spent a little over an hour playing the luring game with cats, even persuading a few to sleep in our laps for a short time.

Kyle says he preferred the dog café, he is afterall, a dog person. I’d have to agree, I enjoyed the dog café more, but the cat café was pleasurable on its on merits.

8,000 won at the door, and a free drink is included in the fee.

Used to be named Giocat but I think it changed its name...can be reached from Hongik University Station, line No. 2, exit 5; Hapjeong Station, line No. 2 or 5, exit 3; or Sangsu Station, line No. 6, exit 2. It’s close to the playground (by where the artist sell their wares) near Hongik University’s main gate..

Its on the fourth floor in a building near the Ho bar.

They even have a hairless kitty

Snowman cupcakes

2012-01-15T16:00:00.000-08:00

This snowman looks a bit like he's melting... I had them make two extra for their parents but I'm pretty sure they were eaten on the bus home.

A creative snowman

What we made for the Christmas dinner

Yet another Pinterest project! I decided to make a class out of these clever cupcakes. Not with my three and four year old tots but with an older afternoon class of all boys. They didn't enjoy it as much as I did. They did enjoy eating the candy that they were supposed to be using for decoration however.

Christmas Eve, before our Christmas movie marathon with the Irish, we sat in the kitchen, watching Kyle's favorite Christmas movie, " A Christmas Story" and decorated these snowmen. I forgot to use the coconut I'd saved for these adorable, edible snacks. Alas, I'll just have to make them again another year.

The recipe came from Paula Dean, a chef featured on Food network who is well known for her southern cooking style and decadence, aka: indulgent fatty and yet delicious foods.

Ingredients

12 prepared cupcakes from one white cake mix
2 cans Prepared white frosting
12 Large Marshmallows
2 cups coconut

Candy for decorating:
Hershey kisses for a beret
candy corn for a carrot nose
mini chocolate chips for eyes and buttons
Fruit strips, cut in two for a colorful scarf

Directions

PreHeat - 350°

Frost cupcakes with a rounded mound of of the frosting. Place the coconut in a bowl and dip the frosted cupcakes in the coconut. Place dipped cupcakes on a baking sheet and put tray in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes. Remove from the refrigerator and using the remaining frosting as glue for the snowman’s clothing, eyes and nose. Place in the refrigerator when finished. Have fun! Use whatever candy you like. Make it your own.

Gobble Gobble Turkey craft

2012-01-14T15:56:00.000-08:00

A little late, but as my perpetually tardy family always says, "better late than never." We never send birthday cards on time. Its a miracle every year if all the gifts are under the tree by Christmas Eve.

We made a turkey craft this year with my little preschoolers. It looks like it would be INCREDIBLY messy, but because my co-teacher and I controlled the paint brushes, it was actually surprisingly neat. We put the cut up construction paper on their table and let them decorate the border as they wished. They then took turns coming to us to have their hands painted. We pressed their little hand onto their paper plate. They then took the beak, legs and feet and glued them on themselves. I think their little turkey's turned out almost as adorable as the kids themselves, not quite though.

Soft molasses cookies

2012-01-12T22:49:00.000-08:00

This Christmas, I found a cookie recipe that is worthy of Christmas. It is sweet, soft, and rich in flavor. When teachers leave Korea, generally they sell what they have, or they give it away. One day, while scavenging in the office, I found that someone had left molasses. And although I only had a few more weeks left in Korea, I thought to myself, tis the season for cookie making. I plan to make these again. They were so delicious I couldn't stop eating them. My little ones (my preschoolers) didn't like them as much because I think the molasses is too rich for them, but everyone else devoured them.

Soft Molasses Cookies (link to recipe)

3/4 cup shortening (3/4 cup correct amount) (I substituted butter)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt (see note below)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

1
Cream together shortening and brown sugar.

Stir in egg and molasses and mix well.

Fold in dry ingredients and stir.

Cover and chill till firm (1-2 hours).

Preheat oven to 350°.

Roll dough into small balls and roll in white sugar.

Place on lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350° for 9-10 minutes.

Leave on sheet one minute until set.

I changed the amount of salt in here. My original recipe calls for 1 tsp of salt but that may be too much for some. A few people have made it as is (the majority) with no complaints on salt, however a few commented it was too much. I think 1/2 tsp can be used with no alterations to the recipe. I will leave it up to you either way you still WIN !

Malaysia (in Journal form)

2012-01-11T22:37:00.000-08:00

Journal for Malaysia:

Jan 5

We’ve arrived. The heat envelops me like an overheated electric blanket as we walk outside in the airport bay towards the air conditioned building. It’s a welcome change to the icy grasp of the fridgid Korean winter. We’re nearly running. Immigration lines are long, and I’m not known for my patience. I’m neither excited, nor apprehensive. In fact, it seems that all of my emotions have gone on their own travels. Somehow, standing in this line, with unfamiliar looking dress, and nationalities feels like an everyday activity. Maybe I’m just in shock that we’ve actually left. It all kind of feels like a dream rather than reality.

The smell of the city matched the piles of trash littered around. Although my eyes were focused for our hostel the cars and motorbikes whizzing by with their black smoke exhausts sputtering out frighten me. I’m an adventurous person by some standards, but often when I’m first transported to a new place, especially one as dirty and poor as China town in Kuala Lumpur, I automatically find myself thinking, “What am I doing here? I want to go home where everything is familiar.” I’m having those thoughts now. They will pass with time.

The Irish ( Dee and Lisa) met us at our hostel, and we tweeted like happy birds until we’d caught up on their travels through Singapore. Some of my emotions are seeping back into my nervous system. Perhaps they tired of their travel already.

Jan. 6

Today is a travel day. We arrive at the bus station to find that either the 10:30 bus doesn’t exist or we’ve missed it. We have to get the 1:00 bus instead.

Malaysia has some impressive busses. I’m reminded of our Equadorian bus experiences and I’m thankful that this is not a dirt splattered school bus with cracked plastic chairs, but oversized plush and exceedingly comfortable chairs. This four hour ride might not be too bad.

The ride is pretty uneventful until the last hour when the bus begins to make it ascent up into the Cameron Highlands. The view is gorgeous, but the constant twisting around the mountain is making me motion sick.

Jan 7

We’ve signed up for a tour starting at 8:30 am. So far, I haven’t gotten to sleep in once on my vacation. Although I’m grateful to be in this beautiful lush and green countryside, surrounded by jungles and the largest tea plantation in the entire world, I’m really looking forward to the beach, and chillaxing for a few days.

The tour includes:

A muddy trek through the jungles, over the scariest bridge I’ve ever seen, let alone crossed. It was made of bamboo, but half of it was inoperable as the other bamboos had fallen loose, and only one side still had a hand rail.

Rafflesia which looks like a giant flower, but is really just a giant form of fungi.

A milky tea colored waterfall.

A blow dart demonstration by the aborigines, and a caged monkey the village was keeping as a pet until he grew large enough to eat.

A strawberry farm

A massive tea plantation. Just amazing.

An insect exhibit of some of the most gianormous bugs I’ve ever seen/held.

girls from the village. They said on average the families have 9-11 children in each tiny house.

Tea plantation, owned by a Scottish family

horned beatle

A leaf like praying mantis

Yes, we are holding GIANT scorpions.

Jan 8

We wake up for our 7am pick up. Langawi, the island we’re going to next is not close. We’ll be traveling a long time today. And not one of us is chipper. I think this beach fix will be much needed. Lisa just asked if we can go on a banana boat.

Christmas breakfast

2012-01-10T23:09:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve, our Irish friends came over. The plan was to watch Christmas movies, have a sleepover, and then eat breakfast together and spend Christmas day lounging before Christmas dinner. It was an awesome plan. Kyle and I especially loved waking up the girls by jumping on them like terminally happy puppies when morning came and yelling out, "It's Christmas!" We also tried two new breakfast casseroles, and they were DELISH!

Overnight French Toast

Ingredients

1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) butter, melted
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 loaf brioche or challah (French toast can also be sliced 1 1/2 inches thick)
8 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup whole milk
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup pecans, measured then chopped
1/8 teaspoon salt
(optional) maple syrup and powdered sugar for topping

Directions

1In a small bowl combine brown sugar and melted butter and pour on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
2Arrange slices of bread in the baking dish overlapping if necessary.
3Combine milk, eggs, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a bowl and pour evenly over bread slices.
4Sprinkle chopped pecans over bread slices.
5Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 4-12 hours.
6In the morning, take the casserole out of the fridge for at least 10 minutes while you are preheating your oven to 350 degrees.
7Bake casserole for 30-35 minutes. If top starts browning too quickly place a foil loosely over the top of the casserole for the last 10 minutes or so. You want it to cook long enough to make sure the bottom part is cooked but don't dry it out completely.
8Remove casserole from oven and let it cool slightly before serving. Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar and a drizzle of maple syrup.
9Adapted from www.ezrapoundcake.com

Egg, potato, and bacon breakfast casserole.

Ingredients

6 baking potatoes
1 pound ground pork sausage
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, sliced
2 teaspoons seasoning salt
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
12 eggs, lightly beaten
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.
Prick potatoes with a fork, place on a medium baking sheet, and bake 30 minutes, or until tender but firm. Remove from heat, cool, peel, and cube.
Cook and stir sausage in a medium saucepan over medium heat until evenly browned; drain.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir potatoes and onion into saucepan, and cook until potatoes are browned and onion is tender, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with seasoning salt. Place potato mixture in the prepared baking dish. Cover with sausage. Sprinkle with cheese, top with eggs, and season with salt and pepper.
Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until eggs are fully cooked.

A new Adventure Begins!

2012-01-07T06:25:00.000-08:00

(This one was written a few days ago. Couldn't post it because we didn't have internet at the time.)

We’re currently sitting in the airport “spa” which is really just a fancy jimjilbang (sauna and communal sleeping room). It’s a convienent service, being able to sleep at the airport, but also costly, nearly $20 a person. Our flight to Malaysia is at 8:45 am. I’m a mess. My stomach is in knots. The whole packing process has been trying, to say the least. We’ve lived together in Korea for two years, and packing up our lives here was much more difficult than I imagined it would be. We are both ecstatic to be going on this three and a half month trip, but I don’t think I’ll breath easy until we make it to our hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

Our basic itinerary looks something like this:

1 week malaysia

1.5 weeks laos

2 weeks vietnam

2 weeks cambodia

2-3 weeks Thailand

3 weeks in malaysia and indonesia

Early April Fly to England.

1 week in England (visiting friends)

1 week in Ireland (visiting other friends)

4 days NYC (visiting bff)

And then April 22 or 23 (I can’t remember) HOME!

(Any suggestions from fellow travelers would be welcome and appreciated)

So much has passed since our last post; Christmas, the preschool talent show, New Years, pakcing up our lives, an apartment sale, saying goodbye to wonderful friends and students. Many of the posts following this one will mostly likely be catch up. While we’re on the road, my guess is that our posts will be much more sporadic, and probably shorter. We will try to keep you updated on our whereabouts and our welfare but internet is not always guaranteed, and indeed in some countries even government controlled. Stay tuned for more to come!

Salamat Everyone!

2012-01-06T06:14:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Malaysia!

A quick update of our current travels;

We had a lovely first night in Kuala Lumpur at the Reggae Mansion. Extremely helpful staff and lovely large rooms with big beds helped set our next adventure off on a good start. The trip to the Cameron Highlands started off a bit slow but now that we have arrived, it's shaping up to be a lovely trip indeed.

Tonight we had our first authentic Malay dish; A fish soup in a spicy and sour broth with lots of herbs and spices and big chewy noodles. Delicious!

Tomorrow will be an early start on a trek into the rain forest. We're hoping to see the worlds largest flower and if the rain holds off long enough, we should get a trip to a waterfall or two.

Many more pics to come!

Insects again

2011-12-17T19:39:00.000-08:00

Last year in the summer, I posted about crazy insects. I'm adding two more. Wow, Korea has some insane looking insects!

creepy looking spider

Oriental long-headed locuts, are in the grasshopper family.

Hallasan mountain

2011-12-16T13:22:00.000-08:00

Our last day in Jeju, we decided to hike the highest mountain/volcano in Korea. We had to wake up super early in order to both hike the entire mountain and make our plane. We didn't take our time as we were a little concerned about our timing.
The whole thing took us around 7 hours. The hardest part was coming down, at least for me. It killed our knees. Going up wasn't a cinch, but I'm always afraid of falling on my way down, and I generally walk like a grandma. Heres the video. It was a fun, challenging experience, but I'm glad its over.

Hallasan video

The Dog Cafe in Myeogndong

2011-12-15T15:50:00.000-08:00

Its not what your thinking... We didn't eat dog. In fact a dog cafe is quite the opposite from eating dog.

A couple years ago, I posted about a bird cafe in Insadong (the traditional area of Seoul). And only a few months ago, I posted about a "Dr. Fish cafe." Korea is funny like that. They're not an animal society. That is, that traditionally, they haven't had domestic animals in their tiny apartments. So to compensate, Korea has created "cafes" for people to socialize with animals. There are bird cafes, fish cafes, dog cafes and cat cafes. There may be others, but I haven't heard of them.

We recently made our way into Seoul, Myeongdong, to be exact, just for the chance to play with some doggies. We seriously have doggie fever. We miss having animals around so much, I sometimes throw a sock across the room just to see if Kyle will go fetch it. If I promise to pet his hair, he'll pretty much do anything I ask. :)

Entering into the dog cafe, the fee is 8,000 won (about 8 bucks) but it comes with a free drink of your choice. We sat our stuff down at a half eaten bench, but realized that the dogs didn't always come to you. So we made our way to sitting on the floor. I made the mistake of taking my green tea latte with me. Some of the doggies found it and began enjoying my drink too.

After which, Kyle's boot was peed on. Obviously he was desirable territory needing to be marked.

When we sat on the floor, many of the dogs jumped straight into our laps wanting attention. Many of the dogs however, were quite content taking a nap in their corner, or playing pull the other dogs tail with their friends.

The whole experience was surreal. There were at least 15 dogs out and about playing. A few of them, including an English bulldog became our favorite. This English bulldog, probably my same weight wanted with every fiber of his being to be a lap dog. And he didn't let his size put him off this goal. He moved from person to person any time we kicked him off because our legs had fallen asleep with the weight of him. He was quite a lovable giant.

We spent a good two hours in the cafe playing, laughing, and having our spirits lifted by the loveliness of the doggies. It was wonderful therapy, something I wish we'd discovered much sooner.

Directions:
From the Myeongdong subway station walk down the main street.
At the first intersection turn left, toward Uniglo.
Either the first or the second right, turn right. Just as your turn right you'll see the picture with the doggy on it (on the right handside). (And happy feet behind it)

Baked Meatballs = AWESOME!

2011-12-13T20:50:00.000-08:00

We recently had a hankerin for some spaghetti and meatballs. Being in a country that isn't known for it's variety of culinary tastes, we weren't sure if we would be able to pull this one off. However, a super easy recipe and a bit of ingenious "wingin it" and we managed to whip up a lovely dish. Here's the original recipe first;

1/2 lb. ground pork
1/2 lb. ground lamb
1/2 lb. ground round (beef)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan, or if you want to go all fancy, Pecorino Romano
5 oz. of frozen Spinach
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. Basil
1 1/2 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Mix everything but 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs
Roll into golfball sized balls and roll the balls in the bread crumbs.
Bake in 400 F preheated oven for 20 min or until slightly browned.

Here's the modifications I made;

1 1/2 lbs. ground pork. Everything else is too freakin expensive in Korea.
1/2 cup of the cheap green bottle Parmesan
1 stock of leeks chopped and saute'd with 1 tsp of fresh garlic in olive oil with 1 1/2 tsp Basil and 1 1/2 tsp Oregano (I hate parsley)
Skipped the garlic powder
Kept everything else about the same.
Best meatballs I've ever had and soooo simple!

Jeju part 2

2011-12-12T20:50:00.000-08:00

DAY 3
Another touring day, this time with clear skies.
Oedolgae Rock - Cool rock with a funny story. According to the giant plaque next to the observation deck, the rock was once disguised as a War General to scare off some would be invaders. The Invaders were so scared by the statue that they turned around and all committed suicide. True story (according to the Koreans)!

Jusangjeolli Cliffs

These crazy looking rocks were formed when liquid hot magma was forced up through tubes underwater. Purty neat we thought and stunningly beautiful! Some Ajimas were selling pineapple on a stick near by. It was so delicious we had to buy 2!

Sanbangsan Mountain

This was a beautiful mountain with a Buddhist Temple at the top inside a cave with a dripping spring coming down the middle. The water was said to have healing powers. It tasted quite good too!

Next we headed off to the world famous LOVE LAND! This place is carazy! Not a place to bring the kids to. It's crude, it's crass and not the kind of thing you would expect to see in a conservative country like Korea. Perhaps the juxtaposition adds to the entertainment value. If you're open minded enough, there's actually a bit of artistry to the place and even those who don't care much for the "in your faceness" can't help but admire the creativity of some of the sculptures. I would say it's a must see for those with a good enough sense of humor and a high tolerance for deviousness.

For dinner, we headed downtown. There are several restaurants in the downtown area that are listed in all of the guidebooks. The Mexican restaurant comes highly recommended. For those who have been in Korea, it's pretty much a Dos Tacos with a slight price hike. It is Jeju after all. The place is quite small so expect a wait but the enchiladas were worth it.

Here is the link to my pictures which is all of the CRAZINESS that is Loveland.

DAY 4

This was our "chill by the beach" day. The beach outside of our hotel was very pleasant. Small and a bit crowded by midday but what place isn't in Korea? In the evening we rented a Kayak and cruised around the bay a bit. The water was lovely and the sunset was beautiful.

DAY 5

This was our big adventure day. The tour group had left and we were on our own to make our way to the other hot spots we hadn't hit on the tour. For those ignorant, lazy travelers such as us who stubbornly haven't learned the language, the bus system on Jeju is not Foreigner Friendly just yet. But with my awesome navigational skills and a bit of luck we got going in the right direction.

Our first stop was Jeongbang Waterfall. It's big, it's beautiful and it was a lovely first stop to our adventure day. The trek getting there took a lot out of us though and since there wasn't much left that we hadn't already seen, we decided to hit the beach one last time.

We tried to sort out how to catch the bus over to Jungmoon beach. We knew we were close and that there were buses that would take us there. We found the bus stop sign about half a mile down the road and waited a good 45 minutes watching several buses go by on the other street of the intersection but never having one stop at the actual bus stop. You would think someone would have moved the sign. You would think that the bus driver would have thought, "hey, maybe those people standing out in the blazing hot sun are waiting for this bus I'm driving that's supposed to be stopping at that bus stop." You'd be wrong. We finally got fed up with being passed by so the next bus we saw, we chased that sucker down! I had to remind myself that yelling at him wouldn't do any of us a bit of good.

Alas, we made it there eventually and got dropped off at the Hyatt Regency. One of the nicest, and most expensive hotels on Jeju. It looked absolutely lovely inside however and the pool looked ever so inviting. We seriously considered stealing in for a dip but decided to hit the beach first. The beach was super crowded, surprise surprise and the waves were quite rough at the not so crowded end. But we lounged and had a dip and took a lovely stroll then headed back up to the Hyatt. We walked in like we belonged there and commandeered a few fluffy spa towels to dry off with and changed clothes in the lovely bathrooms. From there we headed back into town for dinner.

The Baghdad Cafe offers some lovely Indian food. Again, a bit pricey but it's Jeju so it's expected and the ambiance was very nice. Be sure to try the desert. Melts in your mouth!

DAY 6

Halasan, nearly the death of us. This one deserved a post unto itself. Stay tuned.

Jeju Trip Part 1

2011-12-10T22:21:00.000-08:00

(Written by Mr. Rogers)

Our trip to Jeju began with a bus ride. Buses are funny things. You find them in almost every country in the world and they can be as different as the people that occupy them. Sometimes dirty, sometimes smelly, sometimes your not sure how it's still alive. But sometimes they're quite pleasant, comfortable even and having to spend the better part of a day with them doesn't seem so bad. Such is the case here in Korea usually. Then sometimes, the more time you spend with them, the more you start to see the side of them that wasn't so apparent at the beginning.
Enough silliness. The bus was long, and the driver was an AC Nazi as in he only turned it on for a minute at a time. Incredibly uncomfortable by the end.

Arriving in Mokpo, we stayed at a Love Motel for the night, then made our way to the ferry. The "ferry" was one of those old cruise ships from the 80's that at one time may have been luxurious by someone's standards. Our Meet Up crew was comprised of nearly 100 foreigners, the majority of which had spent the entire night drinking themselves silly. Many of them decided that the 4 hour ferry ride was a good time to go for a round 2. Van and I spent the majority of the time trying to find some sober people to socialize with. Not much luck.

When we finally arrived on Jeju, the weather was starting to turn. We had been forewarned that foul weather was on the way so we weren't too disappointed. We wandered around for a bit, then made our way to our first restaurant on the island to have the famous "black pig BBQ" of Jeju. Think super thick, super fatty bacon. Pretty yummy but not really any different from the traditional Samgibsal we've had a million times before. From the restaurant we had a good view of the ocean out the back though and as the night progressed, a fantastic lightning show gave us quite a bit of entertainment.

DAY 2
Our first stop on our official tour was to some Lava Tube caves. The rain had gone and blown itself up into a full on typhoon. As we made our way through the river in the parking lot, we were looking forward to being deep inside the nice dry caves. Funny thing about underground caves though. They leak. They leak a lot. In fact, at certain points, it didn't seem much different from being outside. The underground waterfalls were quite a sight however but man was it cold. On the way out, the storm was getting particularly strong and just as we were leaving the cave a HUGE bolt struck right next to where we were and I got zapped through our umbrella leaving my thumb numb for about half an hour!

So with the weather being what it was, our guides decided to rearrange the schedule a bit, so our next stop was to a trick art museum. We had seen some of this before at an exhibition a while back so we weren't thrilled about it but it was pretty fun and we got some good pics. Our new friends Kayla and Autumn helped make it even more enjoyable. By the time we left, the skies were finally starting to clear.

Our next stop was a quick ferry ride over to Udo island. The plan was for us to rent ATV's to tour the island with. Having been on one before with little success, I was apprehensive about getting one and thought that the Golf Carts might be a safer, more pleasant alternative seeing as how it was still raining a bit. After being duly ridiculed, Grandpa Kyle gave in to the peer pressure and agreed to go with the ATV. Turns out, they were all set to 2nd gear anyways, so not having to shift made it super easy and very, VERY fun! We took a lunch break at a Pirate themed cafe, that was a bit hidden off the main road. The Bibimbop there was exceptional and the owner and his wife? were quite the characters. Again, Kayla and Autumn putting around with us made the day exceptionally good! We ended the Udo trip with a visit to a black stone beach that was quite beautiful. Kayla fell and we all laughed. Good times!

After Udo, our next stop was to Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak, a giant crater that is known as being the best place to watch the sunrise and sunset from. We were a bit behind schedule so we had to book it to the top but the view was well worth the effort. Amazing end to a fantastic day!

For dinner, we went to a restaurant right around the corner from our hotel that's known for their "giant herb burgers." They were certainly giant and not half bad.

Orange candle

2011-12-09T15:14:00.000-08:00

And yet another pinterest idea come to life is the orange candle. In Korea, clementines are very popular during the winter season. I thought oranges were in season in the summer in the states, but what do I know about growing produce; squat.
In the preschool, these tangerines are given often as gifts. They're a delightful snack, but I've found a new use for them in addition to a healthy treat, a candle.

I'm gonna give you the rundown without a picture tutorial, but if you'd like a picture tutorial, you can visit this site.

Cut the orange in half (hamburger wise)
Gently work your finger inbetween the skin and the pulp.
Pull the skin away from the fruit, being careful not to tear the skin.
One of the ends will have the wick (the white skin that goes in the middle of the orange)
BE VERY CAREFUL not to break this wick.
You should have two orange cups now.
In the cup with the "wick" pour olive oil, careful not to wet the entire wick.
Cut a hole into the top of the second orange cup.
Light the "wick" (this takes patience, but as long as the olive oil isn't too high or the wick didn't get wet, it will light within a few times) A lighter is better, but if all you have is matches, plan on using at least three.
Put the orange cup with a hole on top and enjoy your natural candle. It smells delightful and will last a couple of hours.

*Note: Don't leave completely unattended. This only has happened once but the top of my orange caught on fire (a slow fire) after three hours of burning.

Snowman fridge

2011-12-08T05:53:00.000-08:00

As I said before, I've become a little obsessed over Pinterest. Its not necessarily a "time waster" because its an idea trove, and in general the creative process takes time. Cultivating creativity isn't as simple as waving a wand. Rather it requires tender loving care, sunshine, unpleasant climate and time. (Unpleasant climate because if I have to stay inside, I have to get creative)

(follow me)

Because of pinterest, I've been busy trying out new things. One of my most recent projects was the snowman fridge. I saw a picture of it on pinterest and FELL IN LOVE. So I decided to try it out on the preschool mini-fridge first. I was so proud of it, I had Kyle make his way over to gawk and applaud me. Because my husband is very creative, I asked for his input. "A hat, he needs a hat." he said, and went to work making him a top hat.

We then took the idea to our own home. Everytime I walk into the room, I'm surprised. Truly, I yelp with delight. We don't have a tree this year, but this snowman makes up for it. He seriously makes my day every time I see him. I want to do this at other times of year with other animals. Wouldn't that be fun? Or is it just me?

Fancy Grilled Cheese with Spicy Tomato Soup

2011-12-06T14:34:00.000-08:00

I never like tomato soup with my grilled cheese as a kid. It was GROSS in my opinion. In fact, I never liked it until I tried an Italian recipe for tomato soup with chopped toasted almonds and no sugar. It was the sugar in the soup that I disagreed with I realized not the soup. I don't remember the exact recipe, but at this point in my cooking life, I feel comfortable winging things so here it is:

Spicy Tomato soup

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes (Italian seasoning)
1 small onion, coarsely chopped (2 1/4 cups)
1 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh jalapeño chile including seeds
1 teaspoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 small serving of yogurt (85g)
1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1/4 chopped toasted almonds

Directions: If almonds aren't toasted stick them in the oven on broil until brown.
Olive oil in the pan, saute onions, jalapenos, garlic and ginger until caramelized md. heat. Add the seasonings stir for a few seconds. Add tomatoes, broth. Cook until warm. Add almonds and yogurt and serve. So simple and so delicious.

And tomato soup isn't complete without grilled cheese. And my husband, well, he might be simple in some aspects in his life, but when it comes to food, he's NO simpleton. Even a grilled cheese sandwich has to be COMPLICATED! So here is his FANCY SCHMANCY grilled cheese:

Fancy Schmancy Grilled Cheese

bread
butter
cheeses (of your choice) we like munster cheese and pepper jack
1/4 of an onion
jalepeno to taste
pinch of garlic, cumin, chili powder
deli slice of turkey

Sauteed onion, garlic, candied jalapenos, pinch of cumin, chili powder in skillet. Remove and set aside.
On the skillet heat the turkey deli. Remove and set aside.
Buttered bread toasted on both sides a little and add sauteed goodies, add the Munster cheese and possible other cheeses of your choice on top of that so that it will melt on top of all the goodies. The turkey slice comes next, followed by the bread.

This Christmas

2011-12-05T17:34:00.000-08:00

we're traveling... (Yay!! I'm so excited)
and although by no means is it necessary to buy us presents, if you WISH to buy us presents; if you just can't help yourself, we would LOVE IT if you donated to a cause of your choice in our name.

Some of our favorite groups include:

Unicef- an organization which attempts the prevention of malnutrition of children. They have lots of ways of giving. You can buy gifts, Christmas cards, birthday cards, art work, etc. There are LOTS of options.

Humane society- work to reduce suffering and improve the lives of all animals by advocating for better laws; investigating animal cruelty etc.

Heifer international- I LOVE what this group does. Heifer's approach to providing global assistance to struggling countries has been characterized by long-term development, rather than short-term relief. Every family and community that receives assistance promises to repay their living loan by donating one or more of their animal's offspring to another family in need. This practice of "Passing on the Gift" ensures project sustainability, develops community and enhances self-esteem by allowing project partners to become donors.

NRDC Green gifts-

NPR-and PBS
Are by far the best radio and television news channel in the USA. It has in depth coverage and doesn't focus on fluff as so many other news channels do. If your a fan, donate to your public news station today.

2011-12-03T18:29:00.000-08:00

"Pin What?" That's what I said. What is this strange sounding word all these peeps are buzzing about that I can't even pronounce? I don't get it.

Because I'm a curious creature, I followed my nose, and sniffed it out. What did I discover, but a treasure trove of ideas, recipes, decoration tips, susie homemaker advice and an all out ADDICTION! Ahhhhh... Beware all you creative types out there, Pinterest is for you, but tred cautiously my friends for it sucks you in with the force of the inhalation of a blue whale about to sneeze. In the words of my two year old student Jearom, "Its danger."

Be warned all ye who wish to dive into the depths of the foreign land known as Pinterest.
Welcome to the world pinterst
Such a lovely place
Such a lovely face
You can check out anytime you like
But you can never leave.

So what is Pinterest? Its basically a virtual pinboard like one of those cork boards you might have in your house of magazine cutouts of pictures you like or goals your striving for and such. Except because its virtual, its so much better.
Your first step is to create boards. So as an example some of my boards are:

Recipes
Decorating
Nifty ideas
crafts
teaching

And then as I look through others boards or look at websites, I pin the picture I find inspiring to my board. That picture is a link to the website from whence it came giving more detailed info. Get it?

No, you wont get it until you try it! If you'd like to try it send me an email or a comment and I can send you an invite. Don't forget to follow me. When you follow others you can share ideas with each other which is the whole idea!

Did I mention the ladies?

2011-12-02T03:38:00.000-08:00

I totally forgot to tell you about the ladies. They wanted to be involved too... but unfortunately or fortunately depending on your perspective, they couldn't grow facial hair to support movember. So they did the next best thing. They made their own mustaches and then posed for pictures. They didn't have ANY students this week... they had a LOT of time on their hands and this is what they came up with. Cute, cute, cute! Too bad I couldn't play too... but alas, I have tiny tots to chase all day.

Movember

2011-11-30T16:31:00.000-08:00

Interview
Vanessa: Ummm... what's that above your lip?
Kyle: What? What do you mean?
Vanessa: It looks like you have a caterpillar crawling on your face. Hold still, let me just..
Kyle: HEY! That hurts!
Vanessa: Wow, it's really attached on there.
Kyle: Let go, its not a caterpillar.
Vanessa: Hold the phone. Your growing a mustache? Did you develop an unhealthy obsession with Tom Selleck?.
Kyle: No, but Tom Selleck is pretty bad ass. This is Movember.
Vanessa: Wow, you've been in Korea way too long. The month is called November, not Movember.
Kyle: Movember is the month of mustaches.
Vanessa: Does this having something to do with video games?
Kyle: No, but speaking of video games, have you seen the new video game that I can't stop thinking about. It's called Skyrim and it is the most...
Vanessa: Can you stay on track please?
Kyle: Its just that Skyrim is like my dream come true, it's got dragons and swords and...
Vanessa: Kyle! Movember!
Kyle: Movember (The month formerly known as November) is a mustache growing charity event held during November each year that raises funds and awareness for men's health issues such as prostrate and testicular cancer.
Vanessa: I see... so that caterpillar on your upper lip is there to stay?
Kyle: Yep. I look mighty sexy don't you think?
Vanessa: Its coming off the first of December right?
Kyle: You didn't answer my question?
Vanessa: ummm... yes I did.
Kyle: So you think its sexy?
Vanessa: Its coming off in December right?

Movember is now officially over. They raised four hundred dollars and the school nearly matched it. This year however instead of donating it to the movember website, the boys decided the school (the Korean staff) would be more involved if they donated it to a local charity. They donated the money to "Angel house" one of the schools for disabled and mentally challenged children.

Hummingbird moth

2011-11-29T16:39:00.000-08:00

When my co-teacher told me about this, I almost didn't believe. Maybe there was something lost in translation, I thought.
"There is a moth that looks like a hummingbird." she said excitedly. She loves anything about animals. We share this love of animals.
"Really?" I said incredulously.

So I looked it up on the internet...and low and behold, she knew what she was talking about.
They are medium to large moths witch mimic hummingbird behavior. They fly about, wings beating quickly, sipping nectar from the vibrant flowers of gardens nearly as elegantly as the birds they mimic. But they are not birds. Not at all. They are in fact MOTHS!

I had the pleasure of seeing one the other day. Had I not been aware of its existence previously, I might have mistaken it for a hummingbird, but upon closer inspection, I saw that it was indeed a moth. The same moth I had gawked at on the internet was flying around me. It was exhilarating being near such a strange creature. Had I had my camera I would have caught footage, but alas, I was without. So you will have to do with others photos. I am astounded by nature everyday. Its just so amazing.

heres the video (I didn't take it)

Crazy Hair Day

2011-11-19T21:52:00.000-08:00

Every Friday is Theme day at our Preschool. A few days back, we had "Crazy Hair Day" We spent most of the morning doing our hair in crazy dos and helping those students whom hadn't done their hair already, fancy it up. It was an exciting day in the preschool. Many parents went all out, putting flowers, rice, ribbons, color spray and pipe cleaners to adorn their children's hair. Most of the kids had a blast. Top on the other hand was non to thrilled too be participating in this childish endeavor. I swear he is like a grandpa in a four year old's body. "Why are you doing this to me?" Is what he's thinking right now. "Play your silly games if you must, but don't expect me to enjoy myself!"

Mudfest 2011 in pictures

2011-11-18T23:58:00.000-08:00

Mud Fest 2011 was fantastic, it was also MONTHS ago, as in at the BEGINNING of the summer. But I found this in my drafts and although I put up the Mudfest video post I didn't put up pictures!! Oops! Well... no worries, picnik is here to save the day once more.

Trip to Dague

2011-11-17T18:52:00.000-08:00

We went to Daegu, another large city in Korea for an impulsive, unplanned getaway for a weekend. It was a fun trip, but ended up costing us way more than we expected to originally pay. Ce la vie.

First, we, the ladies, sat in a cafe, while the boys went to find us a roach motel. And a roach motel they did find. The pictures of this LOVELY suite can be found in our youtube video about "love motels." Its the peptobismal pink one with the plastic flooring coming off. While they searched long and hard, we took silly photos...

We then found a cultural event which was happening near the medicine market. daegu is known for its natural medicine remedies, but also its plastic surgery.

We played dress up
dipped our feet in the medicine fountain
crushed some type of medicine
played some traditional games
gawked at old men playing some board games
watched some random parade drive by
watched a drum and sword performance.

It was quite a cultural day for us.

The second day we went ice skating before heading home. We realized once on the ice however, that ice skating is quite dangerous without proper protection, such as pants... Because it was early September, it was still quite warm, therefore leaving us vulnerable to the sharp, gritting teeth of the ice below. Luckily non of us fell, although Sam tried when he decided to do some type of fancy jump on the ice.

random guy out at midnight with his dog wearing sunglasses.

Two barber poles signifies not just a barber shop, but a special place with "special" services. Don't know what THREE poles mean...

sam jumping, and miraculously not killing himself.

Moother goose

2011-11-15T18:42:00.000-08:00

Somedays I feel like mothergoose with little duckling following behind me. Not sure why??

Remember those "tickets?"

2011-11-13T00:47:00.000-08:00

It was 9 am. My co-worker came in to my classroom and sat down as she often did to have a chat first thing in the morning, but this morning a worried expression was inked onto her pretty Irish face.
"Who was that travel agent you told me you used?" she asked
"Zenith tours" I replied
"I just read an article... it said that he's had a lot of complaints lately."
"Hmmm..."
"You might just want to call the airlines to make sure your flight reservations weren't canceled."
"I'm not too worried. Kate and Shelly are in Thailand right now using his flights and Jacob is currently flying using tickets he purchased from him as well. Jacob has used this guy for years and never had problems. I'm not too worried"
She nodded.
"Those tickets"

I did call the airlines though. I mostly had just said those things to reassure myself. My heart had been beating like a bird flying rashly into a clear window pane over and over again.

Our tickets were through several different airlines. It took us a few days to get a hold of all the airlines, but once we did that bird within my chest hit the window pane for the last time, and sank to the cold concrete floor stunned, unable to move. Our travel agent, to whom we had sent over $3000, had not yet paid our tickets. He'd made reservations, but he hadn't paid the airlines.

We emailed, we called... no answer

The next day, Kyle came to my classroom. Its rare that Kyle comes to my classroom. My heart which had not taken the events well shuddered at the site of him. Not because I don't like seeing my husband during the day, but because I knew he was there because something had happened.

"He's in jail." Kyle told me
"What!" I exclaimed
"They've arrested him. He's in jail."

He's out of jail now on the condition that he keeps in touch with the law, and liquidates his assets to pay the 40 something customers he cheated.

Kyle filed a police report, and entered a class law suit, but currently the police think that he's skipped town because he hasn't responded and they haven't been able to find him.

So Kyle and began the search for our tickets again. We are hopeful that EVENTUALLY we will be refunded, but there are concerns. By the time the law suit is over, we will not be in Korea which will make things difficult. And, the guy owes hundreds of thousands of dollars.... he convinced the judge that his real estate was worth what he owed...I don't know if it is... So only time shall tell...

If we don't get it back, its a lot of money that we're out, but in the end, we have each other, we have our friends and family and really that's whats important in life.

I'm a yogini

2011-11-12T21:55:00.000-08:00

"Can you teach yoga?" my manager asked me one day.

"uhhh," I stuttered

"I want the kids to learn yoga, and the president wont pay for a yoga instructor." she said

"I guess." I acquiesced.

I actually do yoga videos about once a week along with my other work outs. So I'm quite familiar with the moves. But I started looking up kids yoga, and its quite different to the calm and peaceful yoga that is ususally taught to kids. Basically, all of the moves are active rather than static, and many of the positions are given animal names. I also have the kids make the nosies of the animals as they follow along. They LOVE yoga because basically, they love pretending to be animals. Its very cute.

Happy Peperro Day

2011-11-11T22:20:00.000-08:00

Otherwise known as November 11. There are folks in the states that complain loudly about holidays being taken over by commercialism, but seriously, its nothing in comparison to Korea's National Holiday of Peperro Day. This "holiday" is celebrated every year on 11/11 by the giving of these chocolate covered sticks to friends, romantic partners, and teachers. The claim is that Peperro sticks resemble the number one, so the holiday makes sense. Seriously- its just an excuse for another company to sell something, and a specific brand at that.

But this year is even MORE special- because not only is it November 11, but the year is 2011 giving advertisers a new gimmick- "once in a thousand years" Millennium Peperro day.

Watch the peperro video here.
According to my Korean co-worker here are some statistics from this years peperro holiday.

500,000,000won= $500,000 for t.v. advertisement for November.
850,000,000won = $850,000 profit for whole year
70,000,000won= $70,000 higher profit than last year

Here are the candies that came our way this year. Now all of this was not for me alone, but for our studnets and co-teacher as well. But that's a lot of candy for our class of 9.

Another similar holiday in Korea is Chupa chups day on September 9. This also makes "sense" because the candy resemble the number 9. Bouquet of these suckers are often given to friends and romantic partners.

This year, I didn't receive any of these suckers because we were all on vacation....

Pre-school clips

2011-11-09T16:02:00.000-08:00

A while a go our preschool was videoed for an advertisement for the website. This is that preschool video. It's adorable. The first class is mine. I'm super proud of my kids, but not of my hair in this video. Don't look at it! Hope you enjoy!

Operation Cheesy Romance

2011-11-06T01:50:00.000-07:00

There are some who might say I'm not a very good planner. Evidence certainly supports that assessment however as of a few weeks ago, that table is beginning to turn! Sept. 2nd marked the big 5 year for us and I wanted our celebratory date to be especially special this year. I think I pulled it off.

I spent almost all of August trying to come up with something, and let me tell you, it ain't easy in a foreign country. I knew of a very romantic restaurant that I had been to once before that was right on the river, not too far from where we live that had excellent duck. When I asked around about where it was however, no one seemed to know. Frustrating. So then I realized, I don't need to get fancy, just creative. Here's how it went;

First I told Vanessa that I would be taking her out on a date Thursday night and that I had arranged to have our friend drive us there. I had a lot of secret planning and cooking to do though so I also crafted up a cover story that our International school Kapa would be shooting a commercial that evening and that I had been asked to help. I was going to help them as much as I could and then come home around 7:30 to get ready for our date at 8.

I let some of my coworkers in on the plan about a week in advance so that I could enlist their help, so at 6:30 we met at the designated rendezvous and got to work. The menu for the evening was Filet Mignon with a home made mushroom, onion and redwine burgundy sauce. I whipped up some garlic mashed potatoes on the side and a stir fried Jambolaya/ dirty rice dish I winged a bit with coconut lime shrimp. I found an excellent wine from Montepulciano, not far from where we studied abroad in Italy and desert was "homemade heheh" brownies with strawberries and dark chocolate truffle shavings smothered in chocolate sauce. It took me about an hour and a half to get everything cooked up and ready and even then, if it wasn't for Sam Cooper and Kelly Middleton, I never would have finished in time! You guys were life savers!

So while I was cooking away, I had our friends Linda and the Irish Gals help arrange the setting. Our village has a beautiful mini outdoor theater that now has a giant chess board in the middle of it with a huge white tent covering it on the top of a hill that overlooks our village. Earlier in the day I had a few of the guys help me string up some Christmas lights and put a table and chairs in the middle of the giant chess pieces. Our buddy Mark had a brilliant idea and took the heater off his bathroom wall and stuck in under the table. Perfect touch! The girls then arranged about a hundred tea cup candles all over the tent and string up some lanterns. To put the finishing touches on, they even decorated the table with a beautiful centerpiece that rounded the whole thing off. Nice touch girls! Half the damn candles blew out but what can ya do and it was still incredibly beautiful.

So I rushed back to the apartment at 7:30ish and told Van that I had pushed the reservations back to 8:15 and that Jay, our chauffeur, would be picking us up at 8. I quickly shaved off my scruffy beard and threw on a nice shirt and pants and we loaded up into our "limo." Jay took us around the village and up the hill, to our "fancy restaurant that came highly recommended." The place looked fantastic! Van was very surprised indeed.

I had also arranged to have a few of the high school students from Kapa there to play some super cheesy romance music for us. They were perfect! Beauty and the Beast, Moon River and a beautiful guitar solo that I didn't recognize but was excellently done. Sam Cooper, I mean "Pierre" was our waiter for the evening and was hands down the best waiter we have ever had, except for that fact that he kept making passes at my wife. Sigh, the French. Anyways, the cheese and olive apertif plate was beautifully arranged in a flower shape and the wine was eloquently served. And if we needed anything we just needed to call. What more can you possibly ask for in a restaurant?

To top it all of, we had an excellently executed fireworks display that added just the right amount of over the topness to make the evening one for the record books. V says it was the most romantic thing I've ever done and all the guys in the Village now hate me for raising the bar so high. I hate to gloat but I'm quite proud of myself for pulling this one off, even if it was 5 years and 1 month over due!

A special thanks goes out to Linda, Lisa, Helena, D, Mark, Sean, Jovan and especially Kelly and Sam. You guys were awesome and I couldn't have pulled it off without yall!

Scary movie marathon

2011-11-04T22:56:00.000-07:00

I love Halloween. I wouldn't go so far as to say its my favorite holiday, but there is a lot I love about it. I love dressing up, I love the candy, carving jack-o-lanterns, dressing up, and the general spirit of scaring each other for fun. I love the tradition of trick-o-treating, that for one night a week, neighborhoods open to their doors to complete strangers and give to one another. I love the community spirit of it all.

This year, Kyle and I were lazy. We didn't organize anything. Last year we had a Halloween party, but I couldn't bring myself to plan it this year. Our laziness spread so deep Halloween weekend, that I'm almost embarrassed to tell you what I'd planed on writing about; our Halloween movie marathon. Yes, it was a marathon. Its not the scary movies that I'm embarrassed about, maybe some of them I should be, but rather the AMOUNT of movies we watched in 48 hours.

We watched 6 movies. Four on Saturday, two on Sunday. Our butt imprints are permanently ingrained on our couch. We hardly moved all weekend. We were sloths. We got up long enough to make a meal, go to the bathroom, but I'm not sure I left the apartment. And whats worse- is that I LOVED IT! Whats wrong with me. Where did this lazy gene come from?

Hocus Pocus- Its a classic. It's funny, entertaining, and just plain FUN to watch! It came out 18 years ago, and its still fantastic.

From Dusk till Dawn- I'm not going to give anything away. But I will say that half way through the movie all of sudden the genre changes. Its animatronics remind me of Indiana Jones, which make it kinda funny in parts it might not meant to be funny, but I liked it overall.

Severance- A british "comedy." They have a sick sense of what a "comedy" is. It was good, it had humorous moments, but by no means would I call this a COMEDY. It was a slasher/horror. Not too much of a slasher, but there was some definite slashing. I liked it.

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil- HILARIOUS!! SEE IT! Really, SOOO FUNNY!
Three Extremes- Weird. Asian movies are WEIRD and DISTURBING. Seriously, I'm concerned for their cultures. Every horror movie from the Asian continent I've ever seen has just been seriously disturbing. This one is actually three short movies all together. In fact, the first one takes place in China, the second in Korea, and the third in Japan (I think). The directors are all experts and well respected in their fields. Watch it if you like being disturbed.

The Mist- better than I expected. It wasn't one where you jumped or screamed a lot. But I thought the story was good, new and interesting. It definitely has a Stephen King feel to it.

Vampires, Zombies and Ghouls Oh my!

2011-11-03T16:46:00.000-07:00

I had fun making my friends here in Korea look like zombies, ghouls and vampires using picnik.com which is a photo editing internet program. There are many free options. I subscribe so that I have more options. As you can see, I had LOTS of fun ghouling up my friends.

Preparing

2011-10-30T19:53:00.000-07:00

A while a go, my husband who LOVES shopping, and also LOVES outdoor gear, put an airsoft gun to my head, and forced me to buy some chacos. Secretly, I think he just wanted us to have matching shoes. For all of you non-chaco peeps, chacos are a type of outdoor shoe for hiking, getting wet, and pretty much anything else one does outdoors. My chacos are some of the cutest I've ever seen. Their much girly-er than many of the styles that are typically sold.

BUT they sometimes give me blisters. I have super sensitive feet though. Its not normal for chacos to give blisters. So I was concerned about having them as my MAIN shoes while traveling. If I get blisters then I'd pretty much be up a creek barefoot.

So I started looking at other outdoor shoes to compliment my chacos. And on a random day out and about, I found these: Merrell Hiking shoes. Not only are they ADORABLE outdoor shoes, but they also are closed toe, waterproof, breathable and extremely comfortable. I payed WAY more than I wanted to. The pain is even more acute and sharp because I paid more than the retail price in the states (because of import tax). I hate buying expensive things, but sometimes you just have to break down. I almost always look for sales, but I wasn't sure I was going to find a sale before we left for traveling, and its getting cold. I don't like shopping in the cold. So I just bought them. I'm very happy with them so far, although I haven't gotten to wear them much because fall has abandoned us to the harsh grasp of winter, but every time I slip them on, they feel like walking on clouds.

New toys

2011-10-29T16:41:00.000-07:00

The one on the left with the hood is the zoomy lens and the other is the wide angle lens.

This shot, taken hastily in the morning, which has a smudge, is to show you the bulb in the center of the lens. This is what give is the wide angle.

for those camera people, this is a 28mm-105mm. 3.5f, In the camera world, amongst the pros and Koreans who must have everything top of the line or else they die, it isn't the best, but I think it will suit our purposes.

We've been preparing for our travels. Basically, everyday, Kyle and I wake up and say, "do we have to go to work, can't we just go on our travels today?" in the whiniest voice ever. In the end, we decide to go to work, begrudgingly.

And in preparing for our travels, Kyle and I decided that if we were ever to invest in good lenses, now was the time. So we made our way to Yongsan, where one goes to buy electronics, and made our planned purchase, a lens with a more enhanced zoom capacity. Its not really a ZOOM lens, but it has a more zoominess than did our previous.

Our camera came with two lenses, the kit lens and a mega zoom lens. The mega zoom lens couldn't take clear photos without a tripod, and as we only carry a tiny tripod with us, it just didn't ever get any use. We sold both lenses even though the guy laughed at the "poor" quality of my kit lens.

We then however made an impulse buy, one that I so far have no regrets about, a wide angle lens. I've wanted a wide angle lens for a LONG time. Wide angle lenses are responsible for those AMAZING sky shots that are often seen in magazines. But wide angle lenses are SUPER expensive. Like $600 and higher sometimes. But a new lens came out which is much cheaper, and not AS cool, but still pretty cool, and on impulse we bought it. We called a friend quickly to do a price check and a review check previous to making the decision, and in the end, we thought, we couldn't live without. Or we could, but it would be REALLY fun to have.

So here are some examples of what are new lenses can do:

50 mm is a close up lens, this shot is just meant to give perspective.

Wide angle lens. Do see how much of the background you can see?

Normal shot

wide angle lens

Normal shot

wide angle lens

I'm so excited to have these new toys! Hopefully our pictures will reflect this, and everyone can ooohh and awwww over our AMAZING new photos.

Normal lens


zoomier lens

The trouble with public transportation

2011-10-26T16:41:00.000-07:00

One of the things I LOVE about Korea is its public transportation. Not only is it pretty efficient, but it's also incredibly cheap. Its a Godsend to any expat trying to save money. Subways, trains, buses are such a blessing. Not only do I not pay car insurance, gas or the added expenses when my car breaks down, it helps to cut down on emissions which just happen to be choking our world to death. Public transportation gets me just about anywhere I want to go and as an added bonus, I don't have to worry about parking. I wish it were something that Texas would invest in.

But, sadly, its not all smiles and butterflies. Public transportation has its pitfalls as well. For example, I can't get EVERYWHERE I want to go. Exploring unknown territory is pretty much impossible. We have a friend with a car here at English Village, and a couple of times he's taken us around Yongmun in his car. We saw areas of Yongmun, we would have NEVER seen if it hadn't been for his car. I can't just jump in a taxi and say, "just drive, just explore for a while" like you can when you own a car.

Public transportation has limits including it's timetables. The subways in Seoul stop running at 12ish on a Saturday night. Which doesn't sound too late, but that means that I have to be on a subway by 10:30pm if I want to get home at all on Saturday night, which pretty much puts a damper on going out on the town. ( I live 1 hr and a half from Seoul)

For example, this past weekend, I was going out to dinner with a dear friend for her last weekend before she heads off to Thailand. She was late to dinner, so we were paying the bill at 10:00pm. We had also told some friends that we'd meet them in the foreigner area called Itaewon at a pub. I didn't want to make it an all-nighter. I wanted to make it a shorter night in fact, but I also wanted to spend time with my friend who I might never see again. And here in lies the rub. If I choose not to go home by 10:30pm, I cannot go home AT ALL until the morning. Jimjilbangs (bathhouses) provide floor mats to sleep on in communal rooms for under $10 a night which is an option, or a hotel for $40. This past weekend however, I really wanted to sleep in my own bed, so instead of getting a hotel or jimjilbang, I decided to wait up for the first subway at 6am.

Which leads me to my next point about the weakness of public transportation; subways and most buses don't have bathrooms. Picture if you will three sleep-deprived English teachers curled up on a cold bench waiting for the subway. Kyle, Lisa (our friend/co-worker) and myself are those characters snoring away. I wake up at 5:52 and realize that I should go to the bathroom before the subway comes. However, I don't think I'll make it before the it comes. The bell rings, the subway swishes in and I hesitantly step inside. My bladder is full and there isn't a bathroom on the subway. If I get off the subway, I'll have to wait another 40 minutes before the next one comes, and all I really want is my bed.

Luckily, I fell asleep, but there were moments I was sure I wouldn't make it. I had nightmares about peeing on myself on the subway because I was too stubborn to get off. I clenched my teeth and willed the pee to remain in my bladder. The cost of peeing was 40 more minutes I wouldn't be in my bed and the price was just too high.

As soon as the subway slid into the station, I yanked off my high heel boots (which I no longer could effectively walk in, only hobble like a distorted walking dead creature) and ran to the bathroom. It was glorious. I had made it. But the journey had been incredibly painful. There are aspects of public transportation I'll miss, but there are definitely others I'll be glad to be rid of.

Did I mention: We've got TICKETS HOME!

2011-10-26T04:14:00.000-07:00

A few posts back, I mentioned that Kyle and I have officially purchased our tickets. And these plane tickets are just direct plane tickets home, OH NO, they have five stops. And Oh yes, did I get an amazing deal on them. We're paying just $450 more than a direct flight. Yippie Yie Yay!! Seriously, I am a serious scavenger for all things cheap, and we got the motherload on this deal.

So here is the basic Itinerary:

Last work day: Jan. 1

Fly to Bangkok, Thailand- a few days later (after SERIOUS packing) and I mean serious! Oh dear Lord, I don't want to pack.

We spend THREE MONTHS backpacking Southeast Asia!! When I was planning this out, I thought, "three months- thats a LONG time." Now that I'm looking at what we are going to do, I keep thinking- we don't have ENOUGH time. (I really like the caps locks tonight)
Countries we're going to visit:
Malaysia
Indonesia
Laos
Cambodia
Vietnam
Thailand

But we're not flying home from Bangkok. Nope, we're going to go visit our friends we've made here in ENGLAND and IRELAND, for two weeks.

And then to NYC to visit Jen. G. my bestest friend! For a few days.

And then HOME to TEXAS late April, after my birthday. My birthday will be spent in Ireland. Kyle's birthday in March, we're not sure where we'll be yet.

So heres the run down:
3 months- Southeast Asia
2 weeks- England, Ireland
1 week (roughly) NYC
___________________
4 months of traveling

At least a year, probably more -TEXAS

Who's excited!!??

Halloween video #2

2011-10-23T17:45:00.001-07:00

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/i5jNDKlzZbylotmJ?cmpid=hw_fb_self

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Fun Halloween videos!

2011-10-23T17:41:00.000-07:00

I made these two Jibjab Halloween videos for some of our friends here at the Village. Here is the first one...

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/KVdKZewcwQ4Vag9h?cmpid=hw_fb_self

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Take more pictures

2011-10-17T22:04:00.000-07:00

Part of being a teacher at our preschool is being a photographer. The children need their pictures taken regularly as proof that their being taught. So on each field trip, I take my camera and dutifully take as many pictures of the kids as I can while still trying to answer their questions, hold their hands, and take them to the bathroom. Recently we were told, that we don't take enough pictures. Not in quantity really, but that we also needed to take pictures during the week of the kids doing mundane things like studying etc.
"Are you serious?" I asked my co-teacher. "I have just uploaded 2000 photos to my kodak file. Seriously, how many pictures do the parents need?"

So one day as we were playing outside under the bridge, the kids and I engaged in a funny game. Take pictures wearing teacher Vanessa's sunglasses. One of the kids wanted to wear my sunglasses, and we thought it was so funny we took their pictures. They all started yelling out at that point, "I want to, I want to..." So we had them line up for their picture with my sunglasses. They were so cute with my movie-star sunglasses on their tiny faces.

Ocean World

2011-10-14T22:21:00.000-07:00

Here are many of the Korean teachers in not only their swimsuits but their swimming clothes.

In the previous post, I discussed Korean culture with water. They don't know how to swim, and therefore have a different relationship to water than do westerners. After summer camp, our school often does something nice for its overworked teachers. This year, they chose to send us to OceanWorld. Because Korea is an overpopulated country, it is a guarantee that on any given day, nearly any tourist destination will be packed to the brim with people.

As is typical in Korean culture, caps and life vests were required. For those of us who know how to swim, the life vests were cumbersome and annoying in all but one attraction, the wave pool. I've never used a life vest in a wave pool, and don't plan to once back in the states, however in Korea, I was glad I had it. Because the water was so entirely packed with people that if I moved an arm or a leg, I arbitrarily kicked or hit another person. And when the waves came, if it hadn't been for the life vests, I might have been clobbered and drowned by a piling of others on top of me. I sometimes felt like a tackled football player at the bottom of a pile up. Despite the excess number of bodies, the wave pool was quite fun.

However, in the "rapid river" which was like a lazy river except with bursts of waves, we were required to not only have on a life vest but also a tube. And not sitting lazinly on top of the tube but inside the doughnut hole. It pushed the life vest uncomfortable up my neck making the experience less fun than other "river rides" I've been on. The boys had fun playing bumper tubes, attacking each other mercilessly with their yellow tubes like sumo wrestlers in the water.

All in all, though, the day was thrilling. Ocean World had better rides than I expected. Non of them were AMAZING, but they were fun. The day was then followed by a free buffet in at nice hotel with sushi, salad, and other goodies. It was quite a memorable day. Below is the footage from the day.

Here's the Ocean world video.

Koreans and swimming

2011-10-13T21:08:00.000-07:00

Koreans don't like water. Well, it's not that they don't like water or it's properties, but they're afraid of it. Their afraid of emerging their bodies in it and then drowning. It is a peninsula country, a country nearly entirely surrounded by water, and its citizens are petrified of swimming. How a water-locked country does not value swimming is beyond me.

Before I came to Korea, I took my ability to swim for granted. I don't think I'd even ever been asked if I could swim before I arrived in Korea. From a young age, Americans are coaxed into the water. As toddlers, even as babes, parents teach their children the basics of swimming. I am by no means Michael Phelps, and by no means, an excellent swimmer, but I can do all four main strokes, and I can get myself from here to there without drowning. Whenever I think of my swimming abilities, I'm always reminded of an embarrassing moment in my swim team years. One where in the midst of a competition, I, who incidentally wore no goggles, mistakenly swam under and across all four lanes only to end up beneath another competitor in the wrong lane, oh so very far from my own lane. So engrossed was I in the race, I had no idea of this embarrassing mistake I'd made until I came up for air and found a person above me.

There is only a short summer in Korea, few pools, and fewer swimming lessons. Korea is a modest society, one in which being half naked is not smiled upon. Swimming is a large part of American culture. If you say you can swim in a conversation, people don't generally gush over your amazing talents. It's pretty much assumed. In Korea, saying you can swim is akin to having super human powers. No one knows how to swim. That's an exaggeration; a minority of Koreans can swim.

All swimming pools require swimming caps. If you don't have a swimming cap, a hat is acceptable. I'd never worn a swimming cap before coming to Korea. The idea of swimming caps isn't inherently a bad one, but the way in which Koreans wear their caps, completely defeats the purpose of keeping the hair out of the drains of the pools. Hats do nothing to keep hair from floating its way to clogging the pool, and often caps are only worn on the top of the head allowing the hair to freely languor in the water. But the rule is never-the-less strictly enforced.

It should also be noted that Koreans do wear swimsuits, but never by itself. It is always accompanied with baggy clothing. Why, I do not know. Because it is a modest country, because it is their way, because that is how it has always been done.

Korea's culture is a baffling one, but it's swimming culture really threw me through a loop. It's moments like these that I'm grateful fro my citizenry in America. I'm grateful I'm an adult who not only knows how to swim but can enjoys a dip in a pool without fear of drowning.

I have a new pet

2011-10-11T16:44:00.000-07:00

One of the field trips we took with the kids recently was described to us as "about bugs."

"Okay" I thought, "this is going to be boring."

It was anything but boring. And one of the treasures the kids, along with the teachers were given to take home as a pet was a caterpillar. However, this caterpillar, if he can be called that, will not transform into a beautiful butterfly. Oh, no! Not this guy. This guy will certainly make a cocoon, but his metamorphosis will be into entirely different; a Japanese rhinoceros beetle. Well, at least I think it's that beetle. No one knows for sure. In Korean it's called the "stag beetle" but we can't seem to find a proper translation. Basically this beetle will be HUGE; 35-90 mm, around the length of a man's index finger.

The kids were sent home with these beetle larva as well, except without any instructions other than verbal instructions. Can you imagine being a parent, and having your kid walking through the doorway with a jar filled with soil and a larva as large as your child's fist?? My mom would have had a heart attack. Why would they not send home written instructions to the parents. Do they actually expect 3-6 year olds to remember what they were told to do with the creatures. And when they grow into full sized beetles, they're completely equipped with wings. They will fly, oh yes they will.

I've named him George Harrison after the Beatle (from the band) who is the "forgotten Beatle." He currently resides in his jar tucked away in our cabinet as we were told that he prefers the darkness. He requires no care. If his soil drys up, we are to spray it lightly with water, other than that, leave him to his business of eating, growing, cocooning and growing into a humongous beetle. I can't wait to see him progress! Maybe I'll even send him home to my family as a gift :)

Introducing love motels

2011-10-10T13:24:00.000-07:00

When we travel on our own, as opposed to in an organized trip with "meet up" we often have the pleasure, or displeasure of using "love motels." Love motels are primarily a result of young people living with their parents until they are married, but also, the extramarital activities that are common within Korean culture. Love motels can be very nice, or they can be as close to a roach motel I've ever experienced and hope to experience. To give you a closer look into "love motels," we've created a little video.

Enjoy!

Vampire deer

2011-10-08T20:29:00.000-07:00

The DMZ, (Demilitarized Zone) is the area between North and South Korea that is used as a buffer zone between the two countries. The Korean war, although not actually actively at war, has never fully ended. They are in a limbo between war and peace. Fifty-five years ago, for better or worse, the countries came to an agreement, "we agree not to agree, but also not to war." What is left is a highly unstable North Korea, and the most highly protected border in the entire world, the DMZ. The DMZ for all intensive purposes cuts the two contesting countries in half on the 38th parallel. It is about 2.5 miles wide and 160 miles long.

One unexpected benefit arising from this fifty-five year hiatus of human-less land has created a Godsend for many of the nearly extinct animals of the Korean peninsula. Because this area of land has been untouched by humans, flora, fauna and wildlife have flourished into a conservationists dream. Fifty animal species, and nearly 200 types of flora and fauna, have found a home in this highly contest strip of land.

One of these animals, the musk deer, is one of the rarities to emerge from the DMZ. Known for it's vampire like fangs, this animals is often called "a vampire deer." The canine teeth have extended to form a kind of tusk. It's almost fantastical and many do not believe it until they see it. On a field trip not too long ago, I had the privilege of seeing one of these rare vampire deer up close, behind a fence enclosure. Here are the pictures from that experience.

I have Senioritis

2011-10-05T17:55:00.000-07:00

Its true. I have senioritis. I don't know any other way of putting it. I was thinking on it the other day while I was sitting in my classroom supposed to be working, but instead, trying to put a finger on what exactly was going on within the cobwebs of my mind. My symptoms are as follows: listlessness, apathy, laziness, half-hearted effort at work, day dreaming of laying on beaches in Thailand, day dreaming of anything besides working.

This senioritis has slowly been creeping in like the creaks in arthritic bones when a thunderstorm is approaching. I could feel it tingling within, distracting me from what was present around me before our vacation to Jeju. But what perpetuated the surge of dispassion was the purchasing of our tickets home. That's right, you read that right. We've purchased tickets home. It makes me want to scream with delight. The thought of not spending another full winter here in the frozen Korea tundra makes me want to do cartwheels through our village. It makes me want to sing joyous songs while dancing the tango. Basically I want to do anything but work. Its like being a senior in high school again approaching the finish line and actually being able to see it in the distance. The work placed in front of us might as well have been arabic. Books were unreadable, and work couldn't hold our attention long enough to merit grading. We'd checked out. It was almost over; the torture of school.

And it has come again, that illness of apathy. It has shaken me to my very core, but probably worse this time than in high school. I enjoyed high school, but it was all I'd ever known. I was apprehensive about leaving my boyfriend (now husband) behind, and all of my friends. At this point in my nomadic life, I've come to terms with saying goodbye to friends, it's a part of package of the vagabond life. However, I feel a little guilty, not only because I feel like I'm doing a disservice to my kids by being absent in my mind, but because this job is not that hard. For all that we complain about how the administration is out to get us, this is not difficult work. It's not as if we are slaving away out in the blazing sun working for pennies. This is simple work, rewarding even and I can't wait to leave. There are a lot of factors involved, two of witch are that I'm so ready to travel, that I confuse my day dreams with reality and as great as Korea as been to us, its time to leave for our home country.

With the onset of senoritis, it's difficult to say the least, to stay in the present, but with our approaching preschool talent show, it'll be vital to my ability to direct three and four years old to perform not only a play but songs and dances as well. I'm not sure there is a cure to senioritis, but as we still have nearly three full months of work, I'm going to have to find a way to get my head screwed on right.

Mudfest 2011 video

2011-09-26T19:37:00.000-07:00

We went to mudfest AGAIN this year! Last year, albeit, had more activities for some reason, but because we went with a group of friends this year, it made our time, that much more fun. And although the fireworks show wasn't caught on video, it was spectacular again.
Here is the video I remade for the US viewers.

This was the first video I made but it can only be watched by people who are outside of the US or Germany because Bob Marley is protected on youtube. If you change at the bottom of your page on the youtube page what country your in, you can watch it.
Here is the original video of this years event.

Russian restaurant in Dongdamun

2011-09-25T19:33:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, the plans Kyle designed for our anniversary date were kicked into the gutters. It wasn't fully explained to me, but we were left with having to search for something last minute. Our British friends suggested wandering around Dongdamun for the evening to see what we could find. I agreed with the location, but instead of wandering frustratingly around an area hungrily looking for a decent restaurant, only to be disappointed, I took it upon myself to find a glittering gem in the stacks of concrete buildings which is Seoul. You see, I'm adventurous to an extent. I enjoy discovering new places, foods and I'm not afraid to try things that might be considered bizarre by others, but I'm not much into wandering. I don't care for the search. If I'm in the rarely patient mood, I can appreciate the searching aspect, but generally searches come up dry too many times, and I'm left hungry, dissatisfied and disgruntled. In this way, I'm not your average traveler. I like to know what I'm getting into. So instead of just maundering, I scanned the internet and came across this foodie blog which described a Russian restaurant in Dongdamun. Ecstatic to find something other than Korean food, we set out in search of this mysterious restaurant.

A pickled herring salad. Very strange, but most of the table enjoyed it.

This beer was awesome. Even I liked it, and I HATE beer.

Cabbage stuffed with pork- amazing- get this.

I don't remember what this was called, but it was like grapevine leaves wrapped around a rice meat mixture. It was great.

the salmon dish, it was delicious.

Restaurant Kazakhstan
Address: Kyungsung Bldg, 4F, 76-2 Kwanghee-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul
Telephone: 02- 2269-7505
Directions: Line 2, 5, and 4 Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station (formerly Dongdaemun Stadium) exit 7 make an immediate right onto the small alley. You need to merge left a bit to keep going straight on the road. Restaurant Kazakhstan will be ahead on the 4th floor.

These directions were provided from the blog mentioned before, but what they didn't mention was that you had to walk blocks underground in the newly built subway addition. The steamy air beneath stuck to our sweating skin like a fly on fly paper, and the design of the subway was reminiscent of a star-trek film. Walking through the station, we all felt a sense of science fiction surrealism. We walked so long underground, I began to wonder whether we'd ever reach the surface and if we did surface, if it would we still be on planet Earth. Once we did reach the surface however, we found ourselves in the Russian part of town, in a strange alley. The restaurant was located, oddly enough, in an apartment building. Entering what looked like a renovated apartment, we sat down at the glass table observing our surroundings. The decorations were a mixture of grandma's house, and modern art. A t.v. in the corner played entertaining Russian music videos as we scanned the extensive menu.

There was an added concern in our search, one of our friends was a vegetarian, and Russian foods are not well known for their vegetarian options. However, this restaurant offered several fish options, including a lovely salmon dish. The boys bought imported Russian beers, and we all split a bottle of wine for only 25,000 won. Not only were all the dishes reasonably priced, but they were absolutely delicious. Instead of purchasing a dish for each person, we ate family style, sharing each dish, which I highly recommend. If you are an expat in Seoul and looking for a new restaurant to visit, try Restaurant Kazakhstan, you wont regret it! It was a perfect anniversary evening with fantastic friends and delicious food.

Someone's a rap rap rapping at our door

2011-09-23T18:23:00.000-07:00

It comes so quickly, the changing of temperature. Summer's humid yet warm and embracing span is so brief it almost feels like a dream. Fall is a beautiful season in Korea, unlike in San Antonio. The colors of the trees change from green to bright vibrant autumn reds, oranges and yellows irradiating the blue sky with licks of fiery colors. It's energizing, and foreboding in the same breath. At home, I cherished fall, the reprieve from the suffocating heat. But in Korea, fall is an omen of the strangulating cold that is sure to smother all that lives into an icy submission. Instead of loving fall in Korea, as I feel I ought to, I shiver at the prospects of the coming winter. Winter is by far, at least in my Texas eyes, the longest of seasons. Its hold grips tightly from October through April, only allowing Spring, Fall and Summer 6 months to share between them. This year, I'm happy not to have to endure the full extent of the Korean winter, but even the spirited breeze whipping around my bare calves this morning was enough to make me run to my classroom and its only September. I do look forward to taking pictures of the changing leaves, and runs outside without heatstroke, but other than that, there is only apprehension of the wind changing. Winter is coming, and not far behind, my hibernation.

Dr.fish

2011-09-20T17:47:00.000-07:00

I'd heard about Dr. Fish, but didn't know much about them. Basically Dr. Fish refers to a type of fish who feed on dead skin. What happens is the patients stick their feet into a tank of these fishies, and these fishes go to work feeding on the dead skin, allowing the new skin to grow. It has its critics as I found out later, but I'm glad we went for the experience.

After finding the coffee cafe, we paid 6,000 won (around $6) for our smoothies and drinks- one per person, and an added $2000 for the Dr. Fish experience. I'd been expecting a spa, or beauty clinic, but instead it was located in a normal, slightly extravagantly priced cafe. We waited for our turn patiently. Once beckoned, our feet were cleaned and rinsed, and were directed to the tank of fish in the ground. The feet swarmed around our feet, softly gnawing at our dead skin. It felt like tiny suction cups, and made us all scream from the tickling sensations. Once we found the courage, we made our way to the larger fish tank, where the two inch fish with much larger mouths went to work on our evidently gnarly feet. These fishies mouths felt more like sandpaper than the smaller guys, and like in the smaller fish tank, we had to work hard not to kick our feet in reaction which greatly disturb the fish. Kyle was especially funny to watch, as he squealed like a little girl being tickled. It was great fun, and a strikingly new experience. I'm not sure how much good they actually did, or if the health benefits are actually what are touted, but I fully enjoyed the experience. There are many places around not only South Korea, but the world which provide these services, but I've listed below the directions to the specific one we visited for those interested in following in our footsteps.

Gangnam’s Dr. Fish Cafe: 02-599-1210

To get to the Dr. Fish Cafe in Gangnam, go to Gangnam station, exit 6. Walk a few blocks and it is in the building next to Krispy Kreme on the 2nd floor.

Scavenger hunt

2011-09-18T21:48:00.000-07:00

For Kyle's anniversary present, I didn't just hand him his gift of a music video. I was concerned that because it was a virtual gift, it would be lackluster in its presentation. So I devised a plan, a scavenger hunt. Our anniversary was on a Friday, which meant he was meant to be working, but as anniversaries are much more important than complaining middle school children, he searched for his gift instead. This scavenger hunt included riddles, secret codes, and picture clues which led him across the campus, and eventually back to his computer where the video lay hidden in files. Armed with a video camera, this is Kyle's search for his present.
Here's the video on YOUTUBE

The mystery of the missing marriage license: Happy 5 years.

2011-09-17T17:46:00.000-07:00

Please ignore the fact that I'm woefully behind in our posts, and that our anniversary actually occurred at the beginning of the month rather than midway through September.

In keeping with the spirit of marital bliss, I'd like to relay a story which jump started this wacky journey into what is our marriage today. About three days before our wedding, Kyle and I made the obligatory trip downtown to receive permission from the state to wed. And by receive permission, I mean apply for our marriage license. Holding hands, we sat in the overly air conditioned government office in uncomfortable metal chairs, and answered the mundane questions of our applicant processor. When it was all said and done, we were handed a beautifully decorated marriage license to take home only to return with the appropriate signatures after the wedding date.

Fast forward three days. On the day of our wedding, there were many loose ends needing re-arranging, and knotting as is often the case on a wedding day. Boxes were full of miscellaneous nic nacs such as photos of our parents, and grandparents on their wedding day, a photo guest book, the wedding leash and other such trinkets. These boxes fraught with wedding delights were to be taken to "The Vineyard," our wedding location. One of these boxes, also included the marriage license that we were supposed to have signed by our officiant, Kyle's uncle, a baptist preacher. However, on the day of the wedding, the marriage license mysteriously disappeared. There were witnesses, numerous witnesses, placing the license in one of the boxes only moments before its departure to the vineyard. Whether it was stolen by a saboteur secretly trying to steal away the bride, or eaten by hungry Texas fire ants looking for their next meal, or it simply grew wings and flew into the humid, pinkish dusk, we will never know. Because despite desperate searching by family and friends, the certificate never again was to show its face. The mystery of the missing marriage license may forever continue to remain an X-file.

We're quite blessed however, that Kyle's uncle was quite understanding of the mishap. Previous to our wedding ceremony, I had no idea of the importance of that little paper. Kyle's uncle Keith although confused as to why we didn't have the license did not make a big deal of the matter. However, once I tried to ratify the situation by calling the downtown offices I was met with disbelief.
"Our marriage license has been lost, how can I get a new one?"
"Was it signed?"
"No, it was lost on the day of the wedding?"
"How did you get married?"
"I don't understand, we just got married."
"That's impossible."
"Well, it happened, we're married."
'You couldn't have gotten married without the license."
"We both said 'I do.' I'm pretty sure it happened."

Our exchange went on like this for sometime. There was a twinge of fear growing that our ceremony wouldn't actually count. The woman even stated that we'd have to state another date than the one that the ceremony had occurred on. However, with a little finagling, and much stubbornness on my part, it was all sorted out. In fact, it was as simple as reprinting the license with the word "copy" inconspicuously placed and as it turned out, we had been married after all.

Five years later, miraculously I still love Kyle Rogers with all my heart, and for reasons unbeknownst to me, he still loves me as well. Our marriage, like most relationships, as not been all cotton candy and smiles, but it has been an exciting ride, and one that I think I'll stick with for at least another five years :)

"Lucky" anniversary video

2011-09-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

Starting in April, I began to think about what I could do to give Kyle as a special anniversary present. What I came up with was a homemade music video. I thought it'd be fun to put together a video of Kyle and me as a loving couple put to a LOVE song. I interrogated Kyle on what he thought "our song" was, but each song he listed was.... well... they didn't work, for one reason or another. Eventually I decided upon "Lucky" by Colbie Caillat and Jason Mraz. I felt the song was an accurate portrait of our relationship. I then gave the video camera to friends, explaining in secret what I was up to, and set them to work on capturing us at our most gushy moments. At one point, Kyle catches on that every time the camera is running, I make attempts at being especially loving. This can be heard at the very end of the video. If you have trouble viewing the video, please alert me.

Do you hear me? I'm talking to you
Across the water across the deep blue ocean
Under the open sky, oh my, baby I'm trying

Boy I hear you in my dreams
I feel your whisper across the sea
I keep you with me in my heart
You make it easier when life gets hard

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again
Ooh ooh ooh

They don't know how long it takes
Waiting for a love like this
Every time we say goodbye
I wish we had one more kiss
I'll wait for you I promise you, I will

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again

Lucky we're in love in every way
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed
Lucky to be coming home someday

And so I'm sailing through the sea
To an island where we'll meet
You'll hear the music fill the air
I'll put a flower in your hair

Though the breezes through trees
Move so pretty you're all I see
As the world keeps spinning 'round
You hold me right here, right now

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again

I'm lucky we're in love in every way
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed
Lucky to be coming home someday

Ooh ooh ooh
Ooh ooh ooh, ooh
Here's the video

We're back

2011-09-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

We had a fabulous vacation on Jeju island, a small volcanic island south of Korea. It's considered the jewel of Korea, and the Hawaii of Asia. And we were both pleasantly surprised. Maybe this is the jaded Vanessa speaking, but I'm used to disappointment at finding that Korea has once again extravagantly exaggerated the beauty or magnificence of her national treasures. Like many countries, Korea is a proud nation, and there is a lot to be proud of, but sometimes, and this is probably true of many places, exaggeration, and puffed up pride, plays a larger role than the thing being touted deserves credit for. And maybe its because I had low expectations going in, I wasn't expecting the Philippines, or the Mediterranean, but Jeju held its own. It truly was a lovely island, and had much more natural beauty than I'd expected which is often what I find lacking here in Korea.

We're spending today relaxing, and resting up from our vacation. Why is it that we always need a vacation from our vacations?

So this post is not going to be a long post. Just a short note to explain that we are indeed alive, sun tanned, and resting our sore hiking worn legs this weekend. I do plan on posting real posts soon. There is oh so much to post, I feel a little overwhelmed, or more like A LOT overwhelmed, and I will try my best to catch up.

It might be a while

2011-09-07T17:29:00.000-07:00

before you get to read a real post... I have several posts in the works, but I've been preoccupied. The other night, I spent nearly 4 hours in the kitchen making three different kinds of banana breads and zucchini chocolate cake- yummy! We had our five year anniversary, but this next week is Korean Thanksgiving so we're planning on really celebrating in JEJU (the Asian Hawaii) although, we've heard that its not as great as Koreans make it out to be. Although to be honest, Hawaii wasn't as great as I thought Americans make it out to be. Also, I'm quite concerned about Texas and the fires. Please stay safe my Texas friends. I've heard that almost all of Bastrop National Park as been ravaged by the fires. So to sum up, We're keeping Texas in our prayers, and I'm sorry for the lack of posts. Hopefully when I return, I will be able to catch up and you will be barraged with interesting and intriguing posts.

In case you want the recipe for the zucchini cake-

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup baking cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in oil and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Fold in zucchini and walnuts if desired.
Spread into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

It's been fixed!!

2011-09-05T17:03:00.000-07:00

After I wrote the post- Guess what we made- someone wrote a comment that our button, that I'd presented with such pride, wasn't actually working! So the fiddling began, and continued, and endured, and yet, no progress was made. I used website after website, code after code, and no button would come into being at my hand. Finally, after a section of my head, had gone completely bald from the excessive anxiety hair pulling I engaged in, I called in help; my cousin. HTML is NOT my thing. It is, however, his thing. And I'm sure, he was able to create it entirely without any hair pulling, in my world- a miracle in itself. So once again, I present to you OUR BUTTON! Hopefully, this button works. Please let me know if it doesn't.

Crab cakes with spicy avocado sauce

2011-09-01T23:37:00.001-07:00

We often tweak our recipes, so we didn't stick to this recipe exactly. This is the original recipe here.

For sauce

1/2 ripe medium California avocado, pitted and peeled
1 tablespoon low-fat yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 fresh jalapeño or serrano chile (including seeds), stemmed and quartered lengthwise
1/4 cup fat-free (skim) milk

For crab cakes

1 pound imitation crabmeat,
3 tablespoons low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup minced fresh chives
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup half crumbled crackers and oats with various spices
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
half an onion, diced
a full bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup corn
cajun seasoning, cayenne, chilli powder and cumin- to taste

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil.

Make sauce:
Pulse avocado with mayonnaise, lime juice, salt, sugar, and one fourth of chile in a food processor until chile is finely chopped. Add milk and purée until smooth. Add more chile if desired, processing until smooth. Transfer sauce to a bowl and chill, covered.

Make crab cakes:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil.

Melt butter in a medium nonstick skillet over moderate heat, then cook garlic, stirring, until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer crumbs to a plate to cool.

Divide crabmeat mixture into handfulls. Form into a patties. Transfer to a baking sheet and repeat. Bake until heated through, about 15 minutes. Serve crab cakes with sauce.

Stir every thing together in a large bowl until blended well, then chill, covered.

Freezes well...

The mixture

We made double so we could freeze a batch. We forgot to take pictures after the original making of them.

They freeze well in balls, but look better as patties.

Guess what we made!!

2011-08-31T20:23:00.000-07:00

We made a button. All by ourselves. Well, not completely by ourselves. We used the internet to figure out how to do it. This blog helped a lot. But the really difficult part was designing the button. When we purchased Kyle's computer, we were really excited because it had photoshop. But I'm photoshop illiterate, and I'm not good at teaching myself stuff. I mean, I can, but it takes so long, and requires so much practice, and lets face it, I'm impatient. But, one evening, after watching The Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which was a pretty great film, mostly out of boredom, we decided to try. Well, Kyle, wasn't as excited as I was, but he was more than willing to indulge me. So we thought of an idea. I found a picture, and he found the yellow brick road image. And then, an hour and some change later, we figured out how to merge the two into an image, well, Kyle did. It was a very exciting moment for the two of us. And then, we had to learn how to do the HTML code, which is very very specific, and if you mess even a tiny piece of it up, it can screw up the entire image. This took a while as well because we did mess up pieces of the code. But close to three hours later, we had our button.

What is a button? It's basically a fancy link. It's a way to brand your blog. If another blogger follows my blog for example, they can take the button, and put it on the side of their blog, as a quick, and colorful way of advertising the blogs that they read. I have a few on the side of my blog, you might have noticed.

And since we worked so hard on this button, we'd LOVE (with a capitol L) if you'd display our button on your sidebar!!!

(The button code has been fixed since the last time- try it out and let me know)

How to grab the button?
copy the HTML on the side under the heading "Grab a button". Make a text widget on your sidebar, and paste it in. The end.

Bloopers Reel

2011-08-21T12:53:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the year, when I was still in the Education department (not in preschool) I was asked to make a culture class. I searched the internet for hours for a video about gestures that ESL students would understand. Coming up empty handed, I decided to try and make my own. An easy enough endeavor, I thought to myself. WRONG!! I spent over 20 hours putting that little seven minute film together. The wonderful thing about that video, is that its not used at our school. The cultural class, I was specifically requested to design was not employed. Hours upon hours, seriously, I spent weeks on this powerpoint that currently just sits on the Intranet drive taking up space. Maybe one day, it will be put to good use, but honestly, I'm not optimistic.

After my eyes regained their ability to look beyond a computer screen, I promised to those involved, that I'd make a bloopers reel. We had a lot of fun in the filming process of this video, as you can clearly see from the video. Hope you enjoy it!

Link for the Bloopers REEL

"This is my home"

2011-08-20T10:49:00.000-07:00

This week, our class size has grown from 9 to 11 students. Two may seem like a small number, but I can definitely feel a difference. We're struggling to integrate everyone into the routine. However before this addition, our newest student was "four year old" Aden. Aden came to us about three months late. It was obvious from the start that Aden had NEVER been to preschool. He was a wild child, often hitting other students, playing during circle time, and never helping to clean up during "clean up time." Aden was by far our most difficult child. He didn't ever do his work unless one of us sat with him the entire time coaching him step by step, which makes helping the rest of the children do with their work extremely trying. His focus lasted as long as a gold fish's memory; two seconds.

His adorable face with two deep dimples was quite endearing however. And although he often hit other classmates, he'd always freely admit to it, and would apologize with such candor and empathy in his eyes, even reaching out to touch the other student. It made my heart melt the first few times I saw it. Now, I'm just tired of the words, "Aden hit me!"

But today, Aden did something else to tug at those heart strings; he cried when it was time to go home. His aunt told us that he's been doing it nearly every day. He insisted that he wanted to stay at preschool. When teacher Cindy said, "But Aden, it's time to go home now." he exclaimed adamantly in Korean, "This is my home!"

I'd like to take all the credit for this outburst, but I realize that it most likely has more to do with there being other children to play with than with my marvelous teaching ability. But I'd like to think at least, that I create a fun and safe environment for the children to learn and play in. And that's enough to make my day. That one of my students, despite, how much we scold him, still wants to be at school with us. These kids just might make leaving Korea more difficult than I bargained for.

Swing birth

2011-08-18T20:05:00.000-07:00

The conversation began simple enough, about children's innate ability to swim. It was swimming day. All of our children came completely prepared with life vests and tubes for all. No one would EVER drown on our swim days there are so many floating devices. One of my coworkers said she'd heard that if you threw a new born in a water, that because of so much time spent in liquid in the womb, they naturally know how to swim. This led the discussion into births in bathtubs and how it was becoming more popular with the home-birth movement. I'd also recently heard a talk on NPR about home births, and why it's popularity was rising. "My friend from Holland says that everyone has home-births in her country." added my co-worker. "When we found out she wasn't going to the hospital, we were shocked, but she said, no one goes to the hospital unless there's an emergency."
"Cindy, what happens in Korea?" I asked, "Are home births common?"
She explained that they were not common, but did occur. She'd recently heard of this thing she described as a swing for birthing.
"A swing?" we asked
"Yes, you swing while you give birth." she continued.

A quick google search came up with zilch. So she typed in Korean, and through the miracle of a google translator we discovered, THE ROMA BIRTH WHEEL.
Yes, this thing is real, and is not a hoax, as far as I can tell. Has anyone ever heard of this or seen this in use before? Very interesting....

Beautiful Seoul Project

2011-08-17T14:14:00.000-07:00

This Seoul video is amazingly done. It gives one a peek into the beautiful side of this rectangular, and often ugly and uninteresting (in the way of looks) city. Check it out.
Seoul Time Lapse 2011 from Oh Choong Young on Vimeo.

I've discovered the secret

2011-08-15T18:05:00.000-07:00

To cutting onions...

yep, I'm wearing googles, cuz I'm cool like that!

No more tears boys and girls. No more tears!

Strange markings

2011-08-14T23:26:00.000-07:00

It began at the start of summer, when the layers of clothing began to shed. When we moved from five layers to four, to three to two, and now, at the height of summer, the lightest material passable for appropriate for work clothing. I noticed one of my students had strange markings on her shoulder. I began counting, one dot, two, three. There were 18 dots in total. Two square boxes of 9 dots a piece. I began to inspect all of my children. Almost everyone of them had it.
"What are these markings?" I asked my Korean co-workers.
It was explained, that these markings were a new form of a vaccination. Previous to this currently used vaccination, the out-dated one, left a scar on the shoulder. This newer vaccination was created to avoid that permanent scarring. It is said, that the markings will fade with years.
Now, I was even more confused. Where was my scar I wondered? I'd had all my shots as a child, and even more shots before I left for traveling the world. My family were not one of the anti-vaccine families, so why was it that all of my international friends had scars on their arms, and I didn't nor did any of my American friends. But no one could tell me even what vaccine it was, that is until recently. I follow a blog called, Ask a Korean.
Basically, people write him their questions and he answers them. Very useful site for questions regarding Korean culture. He explained, that this vaccine is the BCG vaccine, and for some reason Americans do not receive it.
Evidently, we are one out of two countries in the world that do not recommend it for children. (The Netherlands is the other) Tuberculosis (TB) kills more people in the world than any other infection. Currently, it infects 1.6 billion people, about one-third of the world's population. But the vaccine, that is used, does not protect against the kind that is the true killer, which is the millary TB. The TB vaccine is good at protecting against the severe form of disease found in young children (called "miliary" TB), but not as good at protecting against the lung infection commonly found in adolescents and adults. Because miliary TB is very uncommon in the United States, we do not use the TB vaccine. (Info found here)

So, my question has been answered. And now, if you made it to the end of this spiel, you are more educated, that when you clicked open my page. Aren't you glad you visited today?

I've joined

2011-08-13T23:17:00.000-07:00

I've joined a new blog. This blog is a photo blog called Soaring through the World in Pictures. So hopefully it wont take up too much of my time. And, if your interested in photography at all, there are still some spots open. Its a brilliant idea. Basically, its a collection of folks around the world sharing photography from their end of the world. Each week there is a new theme, and whomever has something to contribute, contributes. Clever hey? Take a peek. Come and visit!