summer camp is officially over. we have to go into school tomorrow to clean up some last materials, but other than that, we're done! it feels good to have done it, but even better to be finished with it. though i think i did a fine job working with them, i really don't like kids very much. i gave the job all of my energy and attention, and it was rewarding in a lot of ways, but teaching is not my calling. so it goes.
besides work, not much has been happening. i can't believe august flew by so quickly! a couple of highlights: we got a fun group of friends together for morgan's birthday. i think he had a good time, and definitely had his fill of soju, the traditional korean liquor. early the next morning i went to busan for a beach ultimate tournament. we had great weather, and my team made it to the semi-finals. last weekend, jasmine, morgan, and i went to the beach for a fun get-together called morave. it was basically a music festival visited by all of the hippies in korea. it was great to see some non-conformist people in this country. i'm pretty sure that everyone with dreadlocks was there. i really appreciated getting out of the city.
being in seoul has been pretty challenging for me, which is what i anticipated so i'm not too surprised. i think i've worked really hard to appreciate the fun things we've been doing, but it hasn't been easy. i truly don't mean to whine, but i don't like it here. seoul is a big city, full of people who are very image-conscious. i don't fit in to the culture on so many levels. i miss things like trees and vegetarian dishes. and work was, well, work. i'm really excited to be moving on soon. though it was nice to have someplace to settle and unpack for a short while, i'm ready to return to the travel circuit.
this coming week will take us to jeju island for a few days of relaxation. then we're off to china... if we can get a visa. apparently the government has been severly restricting visas due to some newly implemented tourism rules. we're hoping that post-olympics we'll have an easier time, but we've heard from many people recently that their applications were denied. not sure exactly what we'll do if that is the case for us.
i guess we'll just figure out a plan b. flexibility is one of the things i'm learning to embrace.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
seoul: land of 10 million people
it's hard to believe, but i've been in seoul for almost a month. i haven't blogged yet, so here's a summary. i'd just like to say that this entry was inspired by my impressively tech-savvy grandparents who wondered when i would post again. so, here goes:
it was strange to return to work after traveling. good strange, i guess. but also exhausting. we're at sullivan school, where morgan and jasmine worked before we all started this adventure. for the first 2 weeks, we were creating standardized (sort of) tests for the 3 levels of kindergarteners here. that was quite a process. and that was just midterms... we still have the final exam to do. we've also been responsible for updating and refilling the "theme boxes." every week there is a different theme (summer, community helpers, ocean life, etc.) off of which the teachers base their lesson plans. i know more about elementary education resources than i ever thought i would. it gives me such appreciation for how hard my teachers had to work to keep us entertained and enriched for all of those years.
now we're preparing for summer camp, which is not as carefree as it sounds. we will have a good amount of time built in for art and games and songs, but that's smattered (not really a word apparently) between intensive academic classes, complete with workbooks and assessments. seems to me these kids are too young to be pushed so hard, especially during their vacation, but i only have so much control over the structure and syllabus. so we've got some great things planned for the times when fun is the main objective.
we're living in a nice apartment near a bus line that takes us to and from work. i've gotten pretty good at the bus and subway systems. it's good to be able to get around. i'm not as confident as morgan, though--he's spent so much time here getting to know different areas of the city. and he can read korean, so that's a big help. i have him around most of the time, so that's nice. i have been venturing out on my own on sundays to play ultimate frisbee. that's been a highlight of my time here so far. there's a great community made up of half koreans and half westerners playing weekly. next weekend, i'm planning on taking a trip to busan, a city on the south-east coast, for a beach tournament. i hope the weather cooperates, but since it's currently rainy season, i'm not going to hold my breath. besides, disc in the rain is fun, as long as it's not lightning.... i've been taking a yoga class once a week as well. that's not weather dependent, so that's good.
the hardest thing so far has been eating vegetarian. EVERYTHING has meat in it. i have a feeling i will get really sick of the one dish i've found: bipbimbop. (and even that isn't consistently vegetarian--i have to show the server a note requesting it be made without meat, just in case.) but for now it's a staple of my diet. and it's not like i'm starving; there's always rice to eat, not to mention western food.
speaking of food, i'm off to the corner store for a snack. love to all.
it was strange to return to work after traveling. good strange, i guess. but also exhausting. we're at sullivan school, where morgan and jasmine worked before we all started this adventure. for the first 2 weeks, we were creating standardized (sort of) tests for the 3 levels of kindergarteners here. that was quite a process. and that was just midterms... we still have the final exam to do. we've also been responsible for updating and refilling the "theme boxes." every week there is a different theme (summer, community helpers, ocean life, etc.) off of which the teachers base their lesson plans. i know more about elementary education resources than i ever thought i would. it gives me such appreciation for how hard my teachers had to work to keep us entertained and enriched for all of those years.
now we're preparing for summer camp, which is not as carefree as it sounds. we will have a good amount of time built in for art and games and songs, but that's smattered (not really a word apparently) between intensive academic classes, complete with workbooks and assessments. seems to me these kids are too young to be pushed so hard, especially during their vacation, but i only have so much control over the structure and syllabus. so we've got some great things planned for the times when fun is the main objective.
we're living in a nice apartment near a bus line that takes us to and from work. i've gotten pretty good at the bus and subway systems. it's good to be able to get around. i'm not as confident as morgan, though--he's spent so much time here getting to know different areas of the city. and he can read korean, so that's a big help. i have him around most of the time, so that's nice. i have been venturing out on my own on sundays to play ultimate frisbee. that's been a highlight of my time here so far. there's a great community made up of half koreans and half westerners playing weekly. next weekend, i'm planning on taking a trip to busan, a city on the south-east coast, for a beach tournament. i hope the weather cooperates, but since it's currently rainy season, i'm not going to hold my breath. besides, disc in the rain is fun, as long as it's not lightning.... i've been taking a yoga class once a week as well. that's not weather dependent, so that's good.
the hardest thing so far has been eating vegetarian. EVERYTHING has meat in it. i have a feeling i will get really sick of the one dish i've found: bipbimbop. (and even that isn't consistently vegetarian--i have to show the server a note requesting it be made without meat, just in case.) but for now it's a staple of my diet. and it's not like i'm starving; there's always rice to eat, not to mention western food.
speaking of food, i'm off to the corner store for a snack. love to all.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
where in the world?
here's an updated, but still very tentative, itinerary:
july & august- south korea
september- china & tibet
october- nepal (& maybe bhutan?)
november & december & january- india
february- malaysia & singapore
march- indonesia & new zealand
then returning to the u.s.? seems so far away, but the last 3+ months have flown by. perhaps we won't spend 3 months in india, but it's such a big country, and someplace i've wanted to visit for a while now. and spending 2 months in korea isn't quite traveling, so maybe our trip will take longer than anticipated? i can hear my mom freaking out from across the world... so much can change that it has seemed completely useless to speculate about "returning." for example, i don't know where i'll return to. much less what i'll do when i get there. this is a crazy place to be. fun and terrifying. and probably good for me to experience.
july & august- south korea
september- china & tibet
october- nepal (& maybe bhutan?)
november & december & january- india
february- malaysia & singapore
march- indonesia & new zealand
then returning to the u.s.? seems so far away, but the last 3+ months have flown by. perhaps we won't spend 3 months in india, but it's such a big country, and someplace i've wanted to visit for a while now. and spending 2 months in korea isn't quite traveling, so maybe our trip will take longer than anticipated? i can hear my mom freaking out from across the world... so much can change that it has seemed completely useless to speculate about "returning." for example, i don't know where i'll return to. much less what i'll do when i get there. this is a crazy place to be. fun and terrifying. and probably good for me to experience.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
full circle
after vietnam, we had 2 weeks to spare before the next scheduled part of this adventure. on june 25, we fly out of bangkok to seoul, korea, to run a summer program at the school where morgan taught for the last 1.5 years. more on that in a minute...
with 2 weeks to do anything, jasmine opted for the beach where we started for some sun (only partly successful since it's rainy season here), and morgan and i decided to return to tacomepai, the organic farm in northern thailand. so much fun! we didn't tell sandot we were coming, so it was a good surprise. it felt like a homecoming. i knew it would to some extent, but i was unprepared for the calm that immediately washed over me. it's just one of those places; once you've stayed there you're family. so to that extent it's the same, and in other ways it's completely different. the farm work that we did before is done or out of season, so we've learned different planting techniques on the new piece of land that was purchased right after we left last time. and different people are there to help out, so that changes the atmosphere a lot. but this group is just as great as the last one. and--here's a big one--morgan and i are running the farm for the next few days as sandot teaches a permaculture course at a conference in southern thailand. no pressure, right? we're not responsible for *everything* because other people work there, but we'll be the point people for new arrivals and for the daily work. crazy!
after the farm we head to seoul via bangkok. this will be quite a change from the adventure we've been living so far. the principal of morgan's school invited the three of us (having only met me briefly when i visited korea last april) to run a summer program for the students at her school. it's called a summer camp, but it's really more academic than what i think of when i hear camp. so we've been brainstorming ideas for most of the trip, and have come up with some good plans.
i'm really feeling conflicted about this new phase of our trip. for morgan and jasmine korea is another home. they'll likely view our time there as a break from traveling because they know the place, know people, have lives established there. for me, it's all new. it won't be traveling like we have been doing, because i'll be able to unpack rather than the familiar living out of my backpack and moving along every few days. but it will still be an experience of the unknown. i think it will be a challenge for me. i'm not a fan of big cities (which i think i've mentioned ;), and seoul is definitely a huge city. i'm also really ambivalent about returning to work. on one hand it will be good, as i've been feeling somewhat guilty about this extended vacation. it will be nice to contribute once again and earn money, rather than just travel and spend all the time. on the other hand, work is work. it's been really great to be able to spend so much time taking some very rewarding opportunities. if it weren't for living expenses, i think i could find enough intellectual stimulation without a "real" job. i definitely see the advantages of retirement!
i'll probably only post a few times from korea as i continue to process this new situation. but if i don't update as regularly, that doesn't mean i don't want to be in contact with you! please be in touch, my friends.
with 2 weeks to do anything, jasmine opted for the beach where we started for some sun (only partly successful since it's rainy season here), and morgan and i decided to return to tacomepai, the organic farm in northern thailand. so much fun! we didn't tell sandot we were coming, so it was a good surprise. it felt like a homecoming. i knew it would to some extent, but i was unprepared for the calm that immediately washed over me. it's just one of those places; once you've stayed there you're family. so to that extent it's the same, and in other ways it's completely different. the farm work that we did before is done or out of season, so we've learned different planting techniques on the new piece of land that was purchased right after we left last time. and different people are there to help out, so that changes the atmosphere a lot. but this group is just as great as the last one. and--here's a big one--morgan and i are running the farm for the next few days as sandot teaches a permaculture course at a conference in southern thailand. no pressure, right? we're not responsible for *everything* because other people work there, but we'll be the point people for new arrivals and for the daily work. crazy!
after the farm we head to seoul via bangkok. this will be quite a change from the adventure we've been living so far. the principal of morgan's school invited the three of us (having only met me briefly when i visited korea last april) to run a summer program for the students at her school. it's called a summer camp, but it's really more academic than what i think of when i hear camp. so we've been brainstorming ideas for most of the trip, and have come up with some good plans.
i'm really feeling conflicted about this new phase of our trip. for morgan and jasmine korea is another home. they'll likely view our time there as a break from traveling because they know the place, know people, have lives established there. for me, it's all new. it won't be traveling like we have been doing, because i'll be able to unpack rather than the familiar living out of my backpack and moving along every few days. but it will still be an experience of the unknown. i think it will be a challenge for me. i'm not a fan of big cities (which i think i've mentioned ;), and seoul is definitely a huge city. i'm also really ambivalent about returning to work. on one hand it will be good, as i've been feeling somewhat guilty about this extended vacation. it will be nice to contribute once again and earn money, rather than just travel and spend all the time. on the other hand, work is work. it's been really great to be able to spend so much time taking some very rewarding opportunities. if it weren't for living expenses, i think i could find enough intellectual stimulation without a "real" job. i definitely see the advantages of retirement!
i'll probably only post a few times from korea as i continue to process this new situation. but if i don't update as regularly, that doesn't mean i don't want to be in contact with you! please be in touch, my friends.
chickens in the kitchen, part 2
10. stopsign-less intersections, or if they are there, they're completely ignored
11. cambodian karaoke on long bus rides
12. monks in brilliant orange robes, talking on cell phones
13. not tipping
14. not knowing the date, or even the day of the week
15. sitting on wet toilet seats (from flushing with a bucket of water, not pee)
16. using kleenex as napkins
17. no microwaves
18. understanding the language of honking motos
19. walking into oncoming traffic, slowly, to cross the street (this is especially exciting in big cities, but it's the way to do it... you have to go slow and steady so motos can predict where you'll be when they get there)
20. writing the date "backwards"
21. watching badminton in the park
22. people wandering around with scales (i've lost 17 lbs.)
23. dogs sleeping in the middle of the road
24. stopping for cow crossing
25. the biggest shock: waking up pre-dawn for various activities (can you believe it?!)
11. cambodian karaoke on long bus rides
12. monks in brilliant orange robes, talking on cell phones
13. not tipping
14. not knowing the date, or even the day of the week
15. sitting on wet toilet seats (from flushing with a bucket of water, not pee)
16. using kleenex as napkins
17. no microwaves
18. understanding the language of honking motos
19. walking into oncoming traffic, slowly, to cross the street (this is especially exciting in big cities, but it's the way to do it... you have to go slow and steady so motos can predict where you'll be when they get there)
20. writing the date "backwards"
21. watching badminton in the park
22. people wandering around with scales (i've lost 17 lbs.)
23. dogs sleeping in the middle of the road
24. stopping for cow crossing
25. the biggest shock: waking up pre-dawn for various activities (can you believe it?!)
Sunday, June 8, 2008
it's been one of those weekends...
where everything goes right. most of the time i don't like booking tours; i'd rather explore on my own than with a big group. right now jasmine, morgan and i are traveling with three other single travelers. it's been great to get some "fresh blood" into the mix. even though there are a few other people in the tour group, we've really had the chance to go off on our own.
yesterday we left hanoi (i hate big cities) for halong bay. it is a magical place where limestone pillars jut out of the ocean. the story goes that a giant dragon returned to the ocean, knocking over mountains with his tail on the way in, leaving these amazing formations. the first thing we did was kayak through and around them. i've been kayaking a few times before, but nothing like this. it was an experience straight out of dreams. after returning to our little ship, called a junk boat, we went for a swim in the ocean. the boat has 3 levels, and we dove off of all of them. very exciting. the evening was so nice that we decided to sleep out on the deck of the top level. while we were lying there, no fewer than 10 shooting stars went past. 2 of them were the kind that you see for several seconds and just can't believe it. they had long purple tails, complete with a split and two tracks. i can't think of words to describe it. it looked like computer animation but more real. at 3:30 it started to sprinkle, so we all returned to our cabins for a few hours of sleep. then this morning we took a great trek overlooking all of the formations in the bay. it was unreal. i don't think uploading photos could ever do it justice, so you'll just have to use your imagination.
yesterday we left hanoi (i hate big cities) for halong bay. it is a magical place where limestone pillars jut out of the ocean. the story goes that a giant dragon returned to the ocean, knocking over mountains with his tail on the way in, leaving these amazing formations. the first thing we did was kayak through and around them. i've been kayaking a few times before, but nothing like this. it was an experience straight out of dreams. after returning to our little ship, called a junk boat, we went for a swim in the ocean. the boat has 3 levels, and we dove off of all of them. very exciting. the evening was so nice that we decided to sleep out on the deck of the top level. while we were lying there, no fewer than 10 shooting stars went past. 2 of them were the kind that you see for several seconds and just can't believe it. they had long purple tails, complete with a split and two tracks. i can't think of words to describe it. it looked like computer animation but more real. at 3:30 it started to sprinkle, so we all returned to our cabins for a few hours of sleep. then this morning we took a great trek overlooking all of the formations in the bay. it was unreal. i don't think uploading photos could ever do it justice, so you'll just have to use your imagination.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
fated to text only?
saigon - riding a cyclo
in the last week, i've tried three times to get photos uploaded, and the most recent attempt resulted in a virus deleting one of morgan's memory cards. many photos were recovered, but it was a pretty stressful day for me. these are a couple that were already online...
easy riders
in the last week, we traveled from dalat to hoi an via motorcycle. it was great to take a route through the mountains rather than along the coast like many people do. along the way we saw some great things:-rice paddies, which are as beautiful and ubiquitous as you might imaging
-an annual rice planting ceremony-- i randomly got to take part in this... photo to come)
-so many memorials from north vietnam commemorating their successful battles, very interesting
-a very happy buddha (another photo to come, as i suddenly can't get anymore to post...)
-hill tribe villages
-pepper plants, rubber trees, silk worm factories, pineapple plantations, and so much more
then we arrived in hoi an, where tailored clothes are the specialty. i blew my budget, but i must say i clean up pretty well in a suit! ;)
now we're in hue, which used to be the capital and is a great little city. we happened upon a festival, so that's fun!
next we'll head up to hanoi and halong bay-- and i'll try to be better about updating more regularly. photos drive me nuts! grrr!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)