China has come and gone; it was a quick trip but very enjoyable. We started things off a little rocky with a 2 hour delay, but once we got to Beijing it was fantastic. Our tour guide met us at the airport and from there we started with sight seeing right away. First on the list was Tiananmen Square. This is the largest city square in the world, and hosts many Chinese historic events. Across the street we went to the Forbidden City which was the house for the Emperor in the Ming Dynasty. No members from the public were allowed access to this huge area until 1925. Only the Emperor, and Empress had access to the 980 buildings and 8707 rooms. Now the "Forbidden City" is called the Palace Museum since it is no longer forbidden to the public. By the time dinner came were exhausted, but we enjoyed a few Chinese style dishes before going to the acrobat show. I will say it was a bit dissppointing. China produces some of the best gymnast in the world, but this show did not show their potential level of talent.
The next day we did the Jade market, Ming Tombs, and the Great Wall. The Great Wall was defiantly the highlight of my trip. It was extremely cold and windy, but its was amazing. The section which we climbed was very steep, but from the top you were able to see a large section of the wall to really appreciate the size of it. Following the Great Wall we went to the Summer Palace, which was built as a summer resort for the Empress. It is completely man made, but it really is beautiful. Since it was winter, it was hard to get the true sense of beauty, but in summer or spring with trees and flowers I imagine it would be gorgeous . We also went to a pearl market, where they let us see how to extract pearls and taught us how to tell if they are real. Last on the agenda was a tea ceremony. Tea for me is a stereotypical "China" thing, but to see how different tea should be prepared was interesting. They also believe that different tea is good for different functions, so they to try them and learn about it was interesting.
The last day of our tour we did the Temple of Heaven, silk market, and a Chinese duck meal. The Temple of Heaven is now a big city park which is open to the public and there were hundreds of people there exercising, but it is still very peaceful. The silk market was also very interesting to see the steps in making silk.
Our final day in China we spent shopping. We went to a big market which had everything. pearls, silk, makeup, electronics, souvenirs, shoes, and purses. If you are good at bargaining you and practically buy things for nothing here. Most of the vendors sell the same products so if you name a price, its hard for them to say no.
After hearing some negative things about China and Beijing, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. It was probably my favorite Asian destination to date, I didn't find it to be dirty, or crowded with people. The tour which we did was also perfect. We were the only two on the tour, so we had a guide and a driver and they really catered to our interests. They would pick us up, drop us off, and let us do our thing which was exactly what I wanted. I would defiantly recommend a tour package for people wanting to see the most of Beijing in the least amount of time. We were able to see everything we wanted and more in 4 days, and it didn't feel rushed at all. As for going in winter, it probably wasn't the best time of year. In the fall or spring I feel would be ideal. One bonus about going during winter months, there weren't as many people around at the sights.
This week was the first snowfall, it made things feel more like Christmas. Snow never lasts very long around here, but it was nice to wake up and see big white flakes falling. The kids are much more excited about snow, then Christmas. A lot of my kids said they are "too old for Christmas." None of my kids believe in Santa, which I find very sad. I had a 6 year old kid tell me that the thought of a fat man coming down a chimney was crazy. Makes the holiday season much less exciting around here. There are a few stores and office buildings decorated for Christmas, but no houses have lights. It is not recognized as a major holiday like back home.
December in Korea has brought lots of goodbyes. They are starting to slow down now, but its sad to see people who you have spend the past year with go home. It has also brought changes to Moon Kkang. At my school we have a new Korean teacher, new manager, and soon will have a new foreign teacher. Starting in January there will be changes to the curriculum as well. As much as I am in a routine now, changes make the time go by quickly. I will be saying my farewell in less than 100 days now. Scary how fast the time has gone.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
This week has been eventful with another attack from North Korea. It is sad that it is a fairly common thing around here, most Koreans don't even flinch when things like this happen. Living in a country and having a hostile neighbor for 50+ years gives you time to adjust to acts of war. When I first got here I thought the monthly invasion drills, amount of military, and sirens were a bit ridiculous, but after this event I guess they are all necessary precautions. When we first got here we asked a lot of questions, but my co teachers insisted it was fine. We would often say "This is strange for us because no one really hates Canada. That is why tourist sew Canadian flags on backpacks even if they aren't from Canada." Living abroad has made me thankful, and proud to be Canadian.
It is sad how much knowledge Korean kids have of war, military, and weapons. This week in class while discussing the North Korea attack with a group of 10 year olds; I had a child explain to me the chemicals used to make a nuclear bomb. Since military is mandatory here for males when they reach their twenties, a lot of my students also pray to be from another country so they don't have to do service. When I asked some middle school kids how they felt about it, they would answer "It is so terrible, I don't want to be a solider I want to play soccer and computer games." For now life goes on as usual, and I am glad I don't live near the boarder.
Farewells are still happening weekly here. This weekend there are 7 foreigners who will say goodbye. My co-teacher has also left my school, so there are a lot of changes happening soon. I am heading to China this week, so I am really looking forward to that. Caitlin and I have booked a tour and are going to hit up all the major tourist attraction in Beijing before she heads home to South Africa. I will be sure to update when I get back!
It is sad how much knowledge Korean kids have of war, military, and weapons. This week in class while discussing the North Korea attack with a group of 10 year olds; I had a child explain to me the chemicals used to make a nuclear bomb. Since military is mandatory here for males when they reach their twenties, a lot of my students also pray to be from another country so they don't have to do service. When I asked some middle school kids how they felt about it, they would answer "It is so terrible, I don't want to be a solider I want to play soccer and computer games." For now life goes on as usual, and I am glad I don't live near the boarder.
Farewells are still happening weekly here. This weekend there are 7 foreigners who will say goodbye. My co-teacher has also left my school, so there are a lot of changes happening soon. I am heading to China this week, so I am really looking forward to that. Caitlin and I have booked a tour and are going to hit up all the major tourist attraction in Beijing before she heads home to South Africa. I will be sure to update when I get back!
Monday, November 1, 2010
To keep busy I have started to plan a trip to Beijing. I feel while in Asia I have to see the Great Wall, so I have taken some time off to check that out in December. It will be a short 5 day trip, but I plan to hit up the major sights in Beijing and do some shopping as well. I thought Thailand would be my last vacation while here, but now that I am staying I will get to see China, Japan and possibly a couple days in Hong Kong on my way home.
After being here for 10+ months my goodbyes to friends have officially started. Since most people sign a year contract, many of the great people I have met are now leaving to go home. For the next month it will be pretty consistent with one goodbye a week. I have decided to extend my contract for 3 months, so my goodbye wont be until the end of March; but it is still hard to see good friends leaving. The people I have met here are from all over the world. It has been a wonderful experience with a wide variety of people. I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to meet everyone I have crossed paths with here.
After being here for 10+ months my goodbyes to friends have officially started. Since most people sign a year contract, many of the great people I have met are now leaving to go home. For the next month it will be pretty consistent with one goodbye a week. I have decided to extend my contract for 3 months, so my goodbye wont be until the end of March; but it is still hard to see good friends leaving. The people I have met here are from all over the world. It has been a wonderful experience with a wide variety of people. I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to meet everyone I have crossed paths with here.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Things since Thailand have been fairly relaxed. A lot of people who I have met here are soon leaving, so we are just preparing for their departures and crossing more things off the Bucket List. My next big adventure will be in December where I plan to go to China and see the Great Wall.
Last weekend we crossed the "Konglish" party off the list. Many shirts, signs, etc make no sense and have multiple spelling mistakes. Some of the shirts the kids wear to school are ridiculous both in meaning and non meaning. We had everyone over for a potluck event and we all wore a "Konglish" shirt. It was nice to have everyone over for drinks and potluck before we made our way to Waegook.
This weekend I crossed off the babies 1st birthday event. Hyun who takes care of all the odds and ends for us in Gumi invited us to his daughters 1st birthday. I have to say it was a bit over the top, but the first birthday in Korea is a big deal. Long ago many babies died before their first birthday due to malnutrition, so now they have a very elaborate party to show friends and family their healthy baby. For GaIn's party they rented a wedding hall, had buffet style dinner, and free alcohol, for 100+ guest. The family was dressed in matching outfits. There was a hired photographer with photo booths set up. There was a movie made for GaIn and her life up till now along with games, and prizes. They also are very superstitions here so one of the games they play is showing the baby a tray of items. On the tray is money, a ball, a pencil, string, stethoscope, and a few other items. Each item is a symbol for something (i.e.: string= long life, stethoscope= doctor). Which ever item the baby chooses will be his or her future aspiration. GaIn choose the ball and the pencil which means she will be athletic and academic. I have to say, I felt like I was watching an episode of my Sweet 16, except it was for a 1 year old. GaIn will not remember it, but there was lots of pictures for her to look at when shes older. It was nice as a foreigner to see another part of their culture...even if it made me say "Ohhhh Korea"
Last weekend we crossed the "Konglish" party off the list. Many shirts, signs, etc make no sense and have multiple spelling mistakes. Some of the shirts the kids wear to school are ridiculous both in meaning and non meaning. We had everyone over for a potluck event and we all wore a "Konglish" shirt. It was nice to have everyone over for drinks and potluck before we made our way to Waegook.
This weekend I crossed off the babies 1st birthday event. Hyun who takes care of all the odds and ends for us in Gumi invited us to his daughters 1st birthday. I have to say it was a bit over the top, but the first birthday in Korea is a big deal. Long ago many babies died before their first birthday due to malnutrition, so now they have a very elaborate party to show friends and family their healthy baby. For GaIn's party they rented a wedding hall, had buffet style dinner, and free alcohol, for 100+ guest. The family was dressed in matching outfits. There was a hired photographer with photo booths set up. There was a movie made for GaIn and her life up till now along with games, and prizes. They also are very superstitions here so one of the games they play is showing the baby a tray of items. On the tray is money, a ball, a pencil, string, stethoscope, and a few other items. Each item is a symbol for something (i.e.: string= long life, stethoscope= doctor). Which ever item the baby chooses will be his or her future aspiration. GaIn choose the ball and the pencil which means she will be athletic and academic. I have to say, I felt like I was watching an episode of my Sweet 16, except it was for a 1 year old. GaIn will not remember it, but there was lots of pictures for her to look at when shes older. It was nice as a foreigner to see another part of their culture...even if it made me say "Ohhhh Korea"
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Now that Thailand and Chuseok are over and everyone is back in Korea the Bucket List is continuing. This weekend we crossed temple stay off the list.
On Saturday afternoon we made our way to Gyeongju to the Golgul Temple. It was probably the most exhausting 24 hours I have ever willing been through, but defiantly work the experience. When we arrived we changed into our very faltering Monk wear and headed to archery practice. The routine of a Buddhist Monk is VERY structured so all day it was one thing after the next. Following the archery we were sent for community work. Here the women had to sweep the walkway and the men had to clean windows. All things are very simple and they believe in simple living, so the brooms we used were made of bamboo and straw, while the boys washed the windows using a newspaper rag. Dinner was next thing on the schedule. Monks do not waste anything, so when eating your meals you MUST clean everything off your plate. Dinner is also very simple and light. Most meals consist of white rice, vegetables, soup, and sometimes tofu. They believe that eating light meals helps the body maintain energy. After Dinner we went to evening chanting which is similar to a pray session along with many bows. After chant we started our Sunmudo training. This is a Korean form of a Zen Martial Art which is suppose to harmonize the mind, body and breath. The training is a mix between yoga, gymnastics, and taekwondo. It was probably one of the hardest things I have done. All the monks make it look fairly easy, but the positions and moves are very tough. After training it was bed time (10pm), where we headed back to the room and slept on the floor.
On Sunday we had a 4am wake up. You are woken by a junior monk who is beating a wooden bell. Between 2-6am is said to be the best time to meditate so they wake up early to hike the mountain where at the top is a meditation cave. 4:30am you must be at the cave to start chants and meditation, if you miss this activity your punishment is 3000 bows, which takes 8-10 hours to complete. 6am we left mediation for breakfast. Breakfast was a Buddhist ceremonial meal called Barugongyang. It is a meal where you eat and clean together with all the monks, junior monks and other guest at the temple. During the meal you are give 4 bowls. One for each: rice, vegetables, soup, and water. The water bowl is to remain untouched until the end of the meal where you use the water to clean your other bowls. You pour the water from bowl to bowl until they are cleaned then you drink the water so you do not waste anything. Following breakfast we were given a chance to enjoy tea while asking about life in a temple as a monk. It gave us an eye opening look at just how much dedication is required. Everyday they have the same schedule full of chanting, meditation, and exercise, it sounds peaceful but it is challenging. The last thing on the list was to complete the 108 bows. Not just a small fold at the hips, but a full bow from standing to bending touching your forehead on the floor.
After my 24 hour Temple Stay I know I could never live the life of a Buddhist Monk. Little sleep, little food, and little talking is they norm way of life for them and that takes a lot of discipline and dedication. It was a great experience to live the life for a day, but I was very glad to sleep in my bed, and enjoy a nice dinner when I returned home.
On Saturday afternoon we made our way to Gyeongju to the Golgul Temple. It was probably the most exhausting 24 hours I have ever willing been through, but defiantly work the experience. When we arrived we changed into our very faltering Monk wear and headed to archery practice. The routine of a Buddhist Monk is VERY structured so all day it was one thing after the next. Following the archery we were sent for community work. Here the women had to sweep the walkway and the men had to clean windows. All things are very simple and they believe in simple living, so the brooms we used were made of bamboo and straw, while the boys washed the windows using a newspaper rag. Dinner was next thing on the schedule. Monks do not waste anything, so when eating your meals you MUST clean everything off your plate. Dinner is also very simple and light. Most meals consist of white rice, vegetables, soup, and sometimes tofu. They believe that eating light meals helps the body maintain energy. After Dinner we went to evening chanting which is similar to a pray session along with many bows. After chant we started our Sunmudo training. This is a Korean form of a Zen Martial Art which is suppose to harmonize the mind, body and breath. The training is a mix between yoga, gymnastics, and taekwondo. It was probably one of the hardest things I have done. All the monks make it look fairly easy, but the positions and moves are very tough. After training it was bed time (10pm), where we headed back to the room and slept on the floor.
On Sunday we had a 4am wake up. You are woken by a junior monk who is beating a wooden bell. Between 2-6am is said to be the best time to meditate so they wake up early to hike the mountain where at the top is a meditation cave. 4:30am you must be at the cave to start chants and meditation, if you miss this activity your punishment is 3000 bows, which takes 8-10 hours to complete. 6am we left mediation for breakfast. Breakfast was a Buddhist ceremonial meal called Barugongyang. It is a meal where you eat and clean together with all the monks, junior monks and other guest at the temple. During the meal you are give 4 bowls. One for each: rice, vegetables, soup, and water. The water bowl is to remain untouched until the end of the meal where you use the water to clean your other bowls. You pour the water from bowl to bowl until they are cleaned then you drink the water so you do not waste anything. Following breakfast we were given a chance to enjoy tea while asking about life in a temple as a monk. It gave us an eye opening look at just how much dedication is required. Everyday they have the same schedule full of chanting, meditation, and exercise, it sounds peaceful but it is challenging. The last thing on the list was to complete the 108 bows. Not just a small fold at the hips, but a full bow from standing to bending touching your forehead on the floor.
After my 24 hour Temple Stay I know I could never live the life of a Buddhist Monk. Little sleep, little food, and little talking is they norm way of life for them and that takes a lot of discipline and dedication. It was a great experience to live the life for a day, but I was very glad to sleep in my bed, and enjoy a nice dinner when I returned home.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Thailand was an amazing vacation. Very relaxing, self pampering, and a couple of days of partying. It was hard to come back and get into the routine of things again. Also it is fall weather in Korea now, so to come back from the hot sun in Thailand was a bit depressing.
On Friday we arrived in Bangkok early evening and made our way to Khao San Road. This is a street full of shopping, eating, and partying. It also has a tone of hotels, so we checked into a great spot right on the main street called D&D. It still amazes me when traveling in Asia how cheap accommodations are. For a standard room with a king size bed, bathroom, and free breakfast it only cost 800 baht ($25 Cdn) a night. We were exhausted after the day of traveling, so we made our way to supper where we enjoyed some Pad Thai served by a lady-boy, and back home to sleep. The lady-boys in Thailand are an interesting sight. Some of them you second guess yourself because they are truly beautiful. The give away for most of them are the hands, although some are well manicured its hard to hide. They keep themselves very clean, with their hair and makeup done. They also have very feminine shapes, which most would be jealous of. It is also strange to think that in Thailand they really are accepted as a third gender. After being in Korea and visiting Thailand I know see how narrow minded the culture in Korea really is.
On Saturday we wanted to do some shopping in Bangkok, so we made our way by local bus to MBK which is a shopping district. We didnt have much luck at MBK so we decided to head back to Khao San road for lunch and shopping. While we were eating lunch we met a couple of guys from England who were pretty entertaining, so instead of shopping we spent the afternoon drinking with them. Saturday night we took an over night bus to the ferry pier where we caught the ferry in the morning to Koh Samui. If I were to do it again, I would probably fly to Koh Samui, the 14 hour bus ride was no comfortable and very long. Although we did meet a lot of people who are on traveling adventures, and later spent time with throughout the week it was just a long trip. There were a ton of people from Europe who were in Thailand for a short period before heading to Australia.
When we arrived in Koh Samui we checked into our hotel which was located on Chaweng Beach. The beach and water were beautiful. White sand, and teal blue warm water. We were again exhausted from traveling so we spent most of Sunday napping. Monday - Thursday we stayed in Koh Samui and just spent time relaxing on the beach, enjoying massages, and eating delicious food. We got to meet up with some of Caitlin's friends from home (South Africa) for some drinks. A couple of people we met on the bus were staying in the same area so we spent our evenings having a few drinks and dinner with them. The people you meet while traveling are very interesting. Even just to learn about different cultures and countries was very entertaining. For people we only met a short time ago there ever seemed to be a lull in conversation. Thai food is much better than Korean food, and the variety is massive. I ate on average 4 meals a day, just so I could fit in all the things I wanted to try. Pad Thai is by far my favorite dish, but even the selection of western food excited me.
On Thursday we took the ferry to Koh Phangan. Thursday night was the Full Moon Party which is said to be the world's largest full moon party. It is an all night beach party and it was pretty wild. There were different dance areas, a load of drink vendors, and swarms of forgieners who come for the event. We had planned to stay in Koh Phangan for two nights, but we didn't like the beach or accomadations as much as in Koh Samui so we went back early.
Friday afternoon we made our way back by ferry to Koh Samui, where we relaxed after a wild night of partying. Saturday was our last day on the beach so I laid pool/ beach side while Caitlin did some shopping. Before we left we enjoyed some Thai massages, which is more like a stretching process then a massage. I enjoyed it, to me it felt like yoga without having to put in much effort. We decided we would fly to Bangkok from Koh Samui instead of taking the overnight bus back which was a great plan seeing as we still had a long trip back to Gumi from Bangkok. All in all a very relaxing trip. Thailand is really cheap to eat and sleep. It is a great beach getaway in Asia. Also another successful trip weather wise for me. I seem to go to locations during rain season, but it only seemed to rain at night while we were sleeping so it was perfect.
On Friday we arrived in Bangkok early evening and made our way to Khao San Road. This is a street full of shopping, eating, and partying. It also has a tone of hotels, so we checked into a great spot right on the main street called D&D. It still amazes me when traveling in Asia how cheap accommodations are. For a standard room with a king size bed, bathroom, and free breakfast it only cost 800 baht ($25 Cdn) a night. We were exhausted after the day of traveling, so we made our way to supper where we enjoyed some Pad Thai served by a lady-boy, and back home to sleep. The lady-boys in Thailand are an interesting sight. Some of them you second guess yourself because they are truly beautiful. The give away for most of them are the hands, although some are well manicured its hard to hide. They keep themselves very clean, with their hair and makeup done. They also have very feminine shapes, which most would be jealous of. It is also strange to think that in Thailand they really are accepted as a third gender. After being in Korea and visiting Thailand I know see how narrow minded the culture in Korea really is.
On Saturday we wanted to do some shopping in Bangkok, so we made our way by local bus to MBK which is a shopping district. We didnt have much luck at MBK so we decided to head back to Khao San road for lunch and shopping. While we were eating lunch we met a couple of guys from England who were pretty entertaining, so instead of shopping we spent the afternoon drinking with them. Saturday night we took an over night bus to the ferry pier where we caught the ferry in the morning to Koh Samui. If I were to do it again, I would probably fly to Koh Samui, the 14 hour bus ride was no comfortable and very long. Although we did meet a lot of people who are on traveling adventures, and later spent time with throughout the week it was just a long trip. There were a ton of people from Europe who were in Thailand for a short period before heading to Australia.
When we arrived in Koh Samui we checked into our hotel which was located on Chaweng Beach. The beach and water were beautiful. White sand, and teal blue warm water. We were again exhausted from traveling so we spent most of Sunday napping. Monday - Thursday we stayed in Koh Samui and just spent time relaxing on the beach, enjoying massages, and eating delicious food. We got to meet up with some of Caitlin's friends from home (South Africa) for some drinks. A couple of people we met on the bus were staying in the same area so we spent our evenings having a few drinks and dinner with them. The people you meet while traveling are very interesting. Even just to learn about different cultures and countries was very entertaining. For people we only met a short time ago there ever seemed to be a lull in conversation. Thai food is much better than Korean food, and the variety is massive. I ate on average 4 meals a day, just so I could fit in all the things I wanted to try. Pad Thai is by far my favorite dish, but even the selection of western food excited me.
On Thursday we took the ferry to Koh Phangan. Thursday night was the Full Moon Party which is said to be the world's largest full moon party. It is an all night beach party and it was pretty wild. There were different dance areas, a load of drink vendors, and swarms of forgieners who come for the event. We had planned to stay in Koh Phangan for two nights, but we didn't like the beach or accomadations as much as in Koh Samui so we went back early.
Friday afternoon we made our way back by ferry to Koh Samui, where we relaxed after a wild night of partying. Saturday was our last day on the beach so I laid pool/ beach side while Caitlin did some shopping. Before we left we enjoyed some Thai massages, which is more like a stretching process then a massage. I enjoyed it, to me it felt like yoga without having to put in much effort. We decided we would fly to Bangkok from Koh Samui instead of taking the overnight bus back which was a great plan seeing as we still had a long trip back to Gumi from Bangkok. All in all a very relaxing trip. Thailand is really cheap to eat and sleep. It is a great beach getaway in Asia. Also another successful trip weather wise for me. I seem to go to locations during rain season, but it only seemed to rain at night while we were sleeping so it was perfect.
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