Sometimes a place isn't just a place. God knows when you MOVE somewhere foreign, you better hope to god you meet SOMEBODY you can talk to. Life gets pretty awkward if you don't have someone to bitch to about your hockey team, or the way Koreans hork (is that a real word?) up a lung on a regular basis in you ear drum, or how every freaking Saturday there is a damn protest about something dire. I found one. And though he has a spoiled a hockey score or two for me, I'll forgive him. He deserves his own entry. SO [View Full Entry]

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It was one of those things I knew I would love without having to experience it...like the movie Amelie, or ice cream (I'm sure). I had wanted to check out "The Ballerina Who Fell In Love with a B Boy" show since I heard about it, and the promotion was running out for us to get 30% off tickets. Originally Erin was the only one who showed any interest, but eventually a few more came around. Five of us girls ended up taking the trek into the big city on Thursday night, and it was worth every bit of energy and [View Full Entry]

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OK, so in reality I know absolutely NOTHING about International soccer. My knowledge, though limited, of sport is pretty much relevant to the NHL, and maybe some little league sports in my home town. But, nonetheless, I am a sports fan all the way. There is something so pure and raw about the passion behind a game. It is powerful and consequential, and yet one can really let it go in the end. WIn or lose, it is not "real life" (and yes, I am a passionately devoted team fan, and I understand this is not COMPLETELY true...but there is always [View Full Entry]

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It's a must see. You need to do it, get the t-shirt, like the pyramids or the Great Wall. It is the thing people ask you if you saw when you go to Korea. So I climbed my sleepy suburban ass out of bed bright and early and took the bus to the big ol' city in a wild pack of teachers, all chomping at the bit for a bit of "fresh air". Everyone said it would be a long day. Uh, yep, they were right. Apparently they needed to tell Jen that staying out all night drinking the night before [View Full Entry]

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What a day. This is the kind of day that makes me think I can handle being here for a long time. This is the kind of day that balances out the homesick, hate the rudeness of pushy Koreans, tired of the crappy air quality, kind of days. Out in the fresh air of the mountain at 6 in the morning with other Koreans, smiling, happy....out in the open air of a park with happy, smiling, laughing kids. I wish everyday could be a picnic day. [View Full Entry]

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For one thing, it is an adventure in and of itself to travel with 12 co-workers, co-inhabiters for a weekend long single room stay. OK, in all fairness, the first night we had two rooms....one housing our Korean administrator, her friend, and 3 female foreign teachers. The other, the rest of us. You learn in a hurry who snores...and if you are reading this, you know who you are. Let's admit it, everyone in Gyeongju knows who you are. But it was all part of the fun, watching the drama unfold as 13 people that already get quite enough of one [View Full Entry]

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OK, so it wasn't the Red Mile. It was Jogno...right smack dab in the middle of Seoul. OK, so there wasn't 15,000 screaming fans pouring down one strip of Calgary downtown roadway, flashing skin and banners and beer bottles. There was actually about 500,000 people, and they were happy, and they were bathed in the warm glow that only thousands and thousands of lotus lanterns can give. It wasn't Calgary, but it was incredible. Besides, if I was at home, I would have only got the hockey game. Here, I got the hockey game....LIVE (thank you Corey and Tyler, from the [View Full Entry]

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Maybe it is a necessary part of travel. Sickness, the kind of sickness that takes over any will to fight, that makes your hair on your head hurt, that makes you feel like you are being twisted inside out, is almost a requirement of long-term travel. It is true that the body is exposed to all kinds of new and exciting diseases, bugs, germs, pollutants, and the like, but what seems more relevant is that the mind and the heart are also exposed to a new kind of outlook. Getting traveling bugs is almost a physical manifestation of “shedding one’s skin”. [View Full Entry]

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The Lotus Lantern Festival is a highly anticipated even every year in Seoul. A buddhist festical, and to commemorate Buddhas birthday, a festival is held surrounding the image of the Lotus Flower. Lotus lanterns are made and lit, an elaborate and illuminated parade prominades down the street of Jogno, near Insadong (a traditional market area of Seoul,lloaded with handicrafts and tea houses, popular with tourists). During the day on the Sunday (this year, April 30th) many buddhist activities are available, including making your own Lotus Lantern, and partaking in the local buddhist cuisine. The [View Full Entry]

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It took me awhile, but I;ve found it. And it is making everything easier. 5:45 am the alarm goes (ususally my body is up anyway, so I just roll out when the beep begins). Gym for a few hours...run on that damn treadmill while I look out over the park across the street from the school, or stare intensely at the tv screen in front of me while I watch a soccer game (I have no idea who these teams are, but I assume from England) or an English movie on the military network. Classes....never the same mind you so the [View Full Entry]

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