I came out of the library just now and walked through the park bathed in spring-tree-smells ... if I knew anything about botany I'd be able to say things like the lush musk of rosewood, the rich stink of cherry ... let's pretend it was just like all that. Anyway, heady and gorgeous. Ran into some of my third graders, confident and shining from their basketball game and smiling all sort of English greetings my way. And genuinely really happy to see me - that never, ever gets old. It's only a two minute walk from the library to my homestay, but it was definitely the best two minutes of my entire week. :)

Some other life-snippits:

One of my dogs, the little one named Jeong, has recently started sneezing compulsively whenever I come back home, and only for maybe the first ten minutes of seeing me.

I can't believe it's taken me this long to read Dharma Bums (thanks to Forest for the loan).

I'm hungry now, so I'm gonna go reheat some of that whole baby octopus and beef stir fry in the fridge. Mmmm! ;)

Well, a lot of things have happened in the last week or so, but I haven't done much bloggin'. ;) The weather's been beautiful, and I've been outside every day playing jumprope with the girls (and getting laughed at), running around with the boys (and getting laughed at), and teaching class (... yes, and getting laughed at). ;)

Last weekend JiHyoung and I went to the cherry blossom festival in Jeju City.



I am now of course fully Korean and feel the need to make this pose whenever possible:





Later we visited Ham-deok beach, played some frisbee, and just chilled out. Then we climbed a little oreum (small mountain - okay, small hill) which was in fact another crater. We found this little guy living among the magma:



Then it was out for traditional Korean rice wine (macoli) and some earnest pub-atmosphere-inspired contemplations:





Perfect day? Yes.

In other news, I heard yesterday that my school, Daesin Middle School, has been recognized as having the best English program in ... all of KOREA!! We were also told that some government officials would be coming down to videotape my class, some of my extra programs like the advanced class and my lunchtime program, and some of the other English classes. And that this tape would be shown to the ... president of Korea?? I don't know how much of this is just Daesin propaganda, but ... !! :) Amazing, just amazing. I definitely never thought I'd have school pride, but now I've got it bad. The English department is next to mad with preparations. As for me, this weekend will be devoted to relearning to tie my tie again. I think routinely forgetting it is my last shred of punk-music-teenage-rebellion holding on for dear life. ;) Hello, real world?

SIGHTSEEING, VOLCANO RIMS, AND PROBABLY ILLEGAL FARM-RELATED MANUEVERINGS

For its size, Jeju Island is relatively dense in the sight-seeing and awe-inspiring activities. My friend Lindsay's fellow English teacher, Mr. Kim, has been kind enough to take us around to some of the more out-of-the-way locales.



Buddhas leading the way into Kwanumsa, a temple near Jeju City. We caught the end of a chanting session and bowing session in one of the main temple buildings.



This little hollowed out cave had some candles and a Buddha image in it ... and most probably belonged to a hobbit.



Stone statues of Buddhist nuns gather in the ampitheatre for the annual Buddha vs. Jesus gladitorial games. Yeah, I have no idea what all this symbolizes, neither did our guide.



We next went to a rock and tree sculpture park which was, well - spectacular, seriously. I hadn't expected it to be, and I feel like a granny for getting excited about it. But man, Jeju rocks and trees can be damn pretty. This one's entitled "Walking Virgin Forest" (Treebeard's daughter perhaps??).



Our guide Mr. Kim routinely brings his "lady-friend" (or LF, in the parlance of our times) with us on these little excursions. She doesn't speak English and is quite shy but is prone to short-lived bursts of absolutely ridiculous energy sometimes. Here she demonstrates what was explained to us as on old Korean bath ... rock. When you take a bath, you're supposed to make that face, aids in pore cleansing.



The next day, my friend JiHyoung, her roommate and I went on a trip to Mara-do, a small island of 90 people off the southwest coast of Jeju-do. It's basically a plateau maybe the size of a football stadium or a little bigger. This pic reminds me a little of the Cliffs of Moher ...



Bikers and the windy grassy plain of Mara-do.



Back on Jeju, the plot thickens as JiHyoung and I discover that the volcano rim we wanted to explore seems to be in the middle of privately owned farmland and horse fields. The solution - law-breaking! ;) Mere barbed wire fences are no match for JiHyoung's wily powers.



Me and a horse on the way up the forbidden volcano.



As they say in Korea, "Assah!!" (Aww yea!) We made it to the top of the volcano, feeling at this point much like Frodo and Sam (wow, three LOTR references in one post! definitely a good weekend). With our hairy hobbit feet tumbling red volcanic rock into the crater, we scrambled around the rim and found a much easier path back, which incidentally led right to the tourist road. But ... it was fun to at least pretend and believe we were criminals for a time. ;) All in all, a perfect sunny Sunday, with only warm weather to come ... Jeju, gimme a kiss! You're swell!

A GLIMPSE INTO KOREAN MEDICINE

Well I've been sick for the past couple of days. Some of you know I loathe doctors more than -- well, I loathe them. Not personally of course. Categorically. A trip to the doctors' in the States usually requires a complete barfing-up of your entire medical history, that of your parents, grandparents, cousins, and known ancestors - in fact, a family tree is probably the best thing to take along. I don't know if this is the same with everyone, but doctors' offices in my mind carry with them that "oh-god-there-goes-the-afternoon" feeling.

So after sniffing and coughing my way into several classes and teachers' offices, it was the general opinion that I needed to go to the "hospital", as its said here in English. Oh god. So after stalling a few days I finally acquiesce. The first "hospital" (they're really just storefront clinics) is filled with maybe 20 elementary schoolers and their parents, though I did get a glimpse of a side room that looked a little like the oxygen bar I went to in the Bangkok airport. I was intrigued, but we moved on.

The second place was a lot less crowded and my coteacher and I went up to the desk. The woman got our name and the name of our middle school, and then told us to sit down in the waiting room. As it turns out, the "waiting room" and the "examining room" were the same thing. We sat down on a long bench next to a young army officer on one side and an ajjuma (middle aged Korean woman) with her son on the other. Right next to the army officer were beakers (yes, 10th grade chemistry class beakers with little spouts for your mouth and condensation on the inside. I think this is what the kids were using in the "oxygen bar" in the last place. My coteacher said they are a "form of treatment". Ahhh. Another apparent "form of treatment" are headphones placed all around the room with tiny stools (the chair variety) next to them. One guy was using a pair (of headphones that is), with his eyes closed, possibly hearing the soothing sounds of the sea, wind through a pine forest, or perhaps getting the wax sonically blown out of his eardrums. Or maybe previewing a CD before purchase? I'll never know. All around the room, apparently controlling nothing, were dials and pressure readers that looked like they belonged to a defense network supercomputer circa 1959. The dials were most concentrated near the Chair in the center of the room. The procedure went a little something like this: the doctor called a new name, the patient sat in the chair, got a little tongue depressing, a little nostril and mouth prodding, two puffs of Something in each nostril, a prescription note passed to the nurse, and pat on the head (one little boy did actually!) - of course while being oggled by the rest of the room. Turnaround time: approx. 50 seconds. I was about 4th in line. The doctor was a gentle man, spoke a little English, and with that and my coteacher's translations we explained my symptoms. One of the prodders turned out to be a nasal camera, and with it the doctor showed me, in at least 32 bit color, the inner workings of my nose. No pat on the head, but the whole thing cost me $12, and about 15 minutes. Honestly, it was almost worth it to be sick, just for the experience. ;)

I guess there's been a lack of posting lately, but I guess that's because I've just settled into a busy school routine. I'm teaching more classes this semester - doing an advanced class in the mornings at 8:00 three days a week, and I've been putting more time and thought into my lesson plans. My days look pretty much like regular working days. This week has had its highlights though. I had my butt poked by frisky first grade boys (it's a thing here, apparently). I explained, in a moment of good-humored and mutual understanding, the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster to a pair of wandering Mormons in Seogwipo. I've driven my scooter through the rain and loved every minute.

In other news, I went to a soccer game last week! I live right across the street - literally - from the Jeju World Cup Stadium, which has been in disuse since the World Cup games were played there in 2002. Last week marked the first game of the new Jeju United team, which competes with other teams around Korea. It was my first *real* soccer game, and though nobody scored, everyone was a winner. Awwww. Especially these kids who collected all the toilet paper they could find and paraded around with it:



and a taste of the game itself, in the fabulous stadium:

A lot of you have asked me what a normal day in Korea might be like. Well, kinda like this:



Welcome to my world! ;)

THE REFORMAT

An hour or so hence, I shall reformat my computer. I like to think of this as a new beginning - a squeakier, cleaner beginning.

I might not have the internet on this one for a while. Sure, I can go across the hall and use the homestay family computer. Or I could use the one in my office - or my classroom! Or go to the PC cafe right up the street. But - owning your own computer is like owning your own puppy. Sure, you can love someone else's puppy, but when you know those little yips and yaps and beeps and bytes are really for YOU, and and you alone, there's something special in that knowledge. You know that you don't really own the puppy-computer, it owns YOU. Your soul, I mean, and the attention of your every waking moment. I digress.

In the meantime, I took these pictures yesterday in Jeju City, there is literally no end to chuckle-able Korean signage.





The rest of the pictures from Thailand and Cambodia are also (finally!) up. They're not in sets yet, and the rotation thingy in Flickr has been slow lately, so you might have to muddle through them a bit. Enjoy!

SHAMANISM!

Today I woke up at 6:30 (AM, yes.) and took the bus into Jeju City. My destination was Soohyup fish market. Tucked away in a warehouse next to a large industrial ice machine and behind tanks and tanks of fish bigger than me ... I witnessed a sacred event. Today marks the arrival of the gods to Jeju - apparently the gods are still low-level employees and don't have that many vacation days, so they return to where-ever they came from during a similar ceremony on March 13th. Below you can see the ajjumas setting up the scene and the shaman in the corner getting dressed, apparently the colored bits of art are to attract the gods - like god flypaper?



The first male shaman then read the names of all the fishing ships and of the haenyo (fisherwoman divers ... they catch all kinds of mollusks and shells for the restaurants), to put them in good favor with the gods.



Of course, the gods are only appeased with a good stick raise,



and a stick twirl.



Another shaman gives a rousing talk in Korean, with the most excellent hat I've ever seen.



The "Legitimate Businessmen's Club" of Jeju City (actually, the Fisheries Bank senior staff) get the gods' fishy blessings for a new year.



Members of a shaman dancing troupe onstage for a traditional dance.



A female shaman (wearing brown) lets out a delighted bellow as the dance goes on.



The ritual ended with a free-for-all of bowing, dancing, and even a belligerent drunken fisherman who staggered on-stage, arms outstretched. Who knows, perhaps the gods come in strange forms?

These pictures seem a bit whimsical, but seriously ... they don't really capture the scene. I have some great video clips and when I get a clips site up and running (hopefully soon) I'll be linking to it ... the crescendoes with the traditional drumming got both the shaman and the crowd's hearts pounding, like the climax of a good techno song. I caught myself gasping a few times. There was something sacred happening today -- even if it did smell like fish. ;)

PARTNERS IN CRIME

So my homestay brother Kyeong-Hwan comes into my room today with a big grin on his face and his finger to his lips. "Shhh" he says. "My mother wants me to study. I hide here?" Who am I to stand in the way of mischief?? My host sister pokes her head in my room a few minutes later and seeing no brother, goes away - and lucky for the little bugger, doesn't hear him snickering under my desk, hidden by my chair and big coat. Classic. I don't think he did any homework that night. ;)

I realize I haven't posted in quite a while. It's one of those things - there's so much to post about that I'm worried I couldn't possibly cover it all, and so I don't post at all. So here we go - after Chiang Mai I hopped to Bangkok and then Siem Reap and spent about 5 days in the ruins Angkor Wat, an amazingly well-preserved Hindu and Buddhist temple complex that had been hidden in the jungle for centuries. Pictures to come. For now, I'm settling back into my homestay in Jeju, teaching a small winter break class of advanced students. I've developed an almost unholy urge to make fruit smoothies after having them for breakfast every day in Southeast Asia ... I believe I've cleaned the blender maybe 5 times in the last two days? Current favorite: too-yoo (soy milk), protein powder, and fresh strawberries. Still on target with the book goals: just finished Peter Matthiessen's The Snow Leopard and I'm starting In Search of Duende by Lorca at the recommendation of Miss Ariana Balayan (I'm entranced). :) More on those ... maybe I'll start a book review section of this site? In this creepy post-college world, yes - giving myself homework sends oh-goody shivers down my spine.

CHIANG MAI, THAILAND

Let me say right off - I can't tell you how much I love this city. Chiang Mai is in the north of Thailand, near the Lao / Burma border (the "Golden Triangle") and is surrounded by jungles, hill tribes, and no doubt all kinds of adventure. Tomorrow Jennifer and I are heading out on a trekking tour - ours includes hiking and visiting 2 different hill tribe villages (the "long necks" and the "big ears" - political correctness not being a big priority with our travel agency, I guess), riding elephants, and ... white water rafting!

For farang (foreigners) Chiang Mai is something of a hippie, outdoorsy enclave. A lot of expats here own bars, restaurants, hostels and travel companies and the city has become a mecca for Thai massage lessons, cooking classes, yoga, vegetarianism, eco tourism, jewelry making, alternative bookstores on every corner, and of course the purchasing of elephant print handbags in all shapes and colors. For those of you from MA, it's like someone airlifted Northampton and plopped it in the middle of Thailand and let it sit for a few years to soak up a distinctive Thai flavor. Jennifer and I actually took a cooking class our first night here with disastrous results. The food was amazing - tom yum soup, pad thai, stir fry, and banana spring rolls ... mmmmm. But about an hour later, I started to feel a little queasy and we headed back to the hostel. I puked every single hour all night, for about 10 hours straight. Have you ever puked out of your nose? I have! :) So we're taking it easy for a couple of days. And later this week we're signed up for massage classes! I think Jennifer's out on the city getting a massage right now ...

So good news, people. Right before we left Bangkok, I found a place that read Sony cards and got my pictures on CD! The Flickr web upload is super slow but here's a sneak preview of what I've been up to lately (with big and I think understandable focus on da beach) ;)


Gorgeous bridge to the Andong Folk Village ... yes. This is what all of Asia looks like. We also have flying swordmasters. ;)


Jennifer tries a forbidden door ...


Me, on a Buddha in Gyeongju. We actually ate lunch up there, on Buddha's head. :)


A man sketches a cliffside Buddha image, across the valley from the peak we're ascending.


Me on the beach in Koh Chang. I usually find it quite hard to do a genuine smile for the camera -- not that day. :)


My hammock on the beach, at sunset. I fell asleep in the late afternoon and woke up with this ...


Our bungalows on Koh Chang. Beyond the trees, monkeys. Turn around to see the sea. :D

I realize this post is painfully out of date. Well, it's now Thursday the 8th of February, and I'll be beginning my flights home tomorrow - and in Jeju by mid-afternoon on Sunday. Much more on my travels next week, I have so much to write about! :) Can't wait to share it ... missing you all !

PATHOM ASOKE (part 1)

Yes, this is going to have to be in installments. ;) So much has happened in the last few days that merely looking at this blank little blogger posting box makes my head swim. When are we gonna get those Matrix brain-download interfaces?

Well first, the run-down:
Pathom Asoke is a sustainable Buddhist organic farming community about an hour outside of Bangkok. Like Thailand generally, the flavor of Buddhism in Pathom Asoke is Theravada, but the monks there are actually considered a controversial sect which was effectively ex-communicated from the mainstream for its lifestyle and beliefs. The Asoke community takes the Buddhist precepts (similar to the Commandments of Christianity) very seriously, and as a result life a very simple, frugal, vegetarian lifestyle close to the land. They also participate in protests and political activism and actually have their own political party with delegates currently in government and one very powerful ally as the ex-governor of Bangkok. I was initially attracted to them because their lifestyle and activism (both environmental and social) is directly inspired by Buddhist values. They certainly didn't disappoint! Best parts of the trip were: an amazing interview with one of the original lay members of the community who spoke great English and reminded me of my 12th grade English teacher (awww), waking up with the sunrise, hanging out with the kids who live there at the community, teaching an impromptu English class one night~! (pictionary and hang-man bridge any language gap), and hunting for elusive herbs in the garden for our morning breakfast. Within 4 days, I felt like a member of the community. I'll never forget it.

These past few days have been like stepping in and out of a The Village sort of utopia. Without the lies of course, but everything on the outside just seems sort of surreal. Getting there was quite an adventure. After snaking through stalls of pirated CDs and Louis Vuitton knockoff purses we finally made it to the bus ... which was more like a death cab. Imagine a Greyhound barreling down a four lane highway, its driver LITERALLY honking the horn every ten seconds at every moped and little car in its way. We'd weave across three lanes just to get around a little spot of traffic, straddle two lanes block a car trying to pass - and the best part was this guy who stood next to the door, yelling at people on the street (presumably to get them on the bus) and who sometimes, for no apparent reason, left the bus entirely and tore off down the street, only to jump back onto the bus in the nick of time as it was rolling out. The bus deposited us in the center of Nakkhom Pathom, with only the name of our little community to guide us there. Not a problem. :)

After a short time we met a couple of moped drivers who offered to take us there for 70 baht on the back of their bikes. We arrived, hanging onto the back of those bikes for dear life and grinning. After a bit of humbly walking around huge open-to-the-sky temple areas and thatched huts that looked eerie in the growing dark, we mumbled a hello to someone who immediately got us settled into our sleeping spaces. No questions, just welcomes. The girls and guys sleep on separate sides of the community, so Jennifer and I waved goodbye and went off. My spot was on a roofed top deck of a building, on a tiled floor. That night I used absolutely all of my clothes as blankets, bed pallets and pillows. And although I had been warned that nobody at the community spoke English, I was delighted to make a friend immediately with one of the lay people there named Chalampon who blessedly helped me say a little more than "hello" and "thank you" in Thai.

And who should be sharing my deck but ... Gob from Arrested Development's twin brother from England!! Okay not really, but I mean, SPITTING image. This guy though was a trip, waking up and doing his karate KEEOOP yells next to my bedroll and explaining to me with large earnest eyes why he legally changed his name from Hyram Fairbanks to Towa Free-Spirit Fairbanks (yes, too funny to be true??). On top of all that he is currently dragging a half-deaf, illiterate 50 year old Portugese man with a speech impediment who doesn't know English -- to China. We did however have some great conversations about life, philosophy, travelling, and Buddhism over shelling garlic cloves and sweeping the grounds and whatnot.

Okay well that's all for tonight. Part two to come soon. We're still on farm-schedule and 9:30 is way past our bedtime. Yes, there were roosters and yes they woke me up at 5:30 on the dot. Hey - farm, right? Goodnight, send me emails and love? Miss you all.

(Giggling to Jennifer in the internet cafe: "this trip is just one long poop metaphor". I won't explain that statement. Okay, I will. Any of you other bloggers out there feel a post-poop satisfaction when you hit the publish button? Am I alone here?)

Koh Chang, Thailand (paradise)

Well, whatever strange sickness I may or may not have had in Seoul, the warm tropical airs of Thailand have worked wonders. :) All I could think of coming over here is that scene from Ocean's 11 when the Bernie Mac character puts in a change for "warmer climates" and then it cuts to him in the back of a taxi, riding over the Nevada state line, grinning like a champ. That's pretty much the grin I had coming over here on the plane. Thailand! Well, we arrived in Bangkok at two in the morning. Before we got out of the airport terminal, we saw a rat running around, probably waiting for a plane. Maybe rats are good luck? They're in the Chinese zodiac, they can't be half bad. Took a rather overpriced cab into the city center to Koh San Road, which is probably one of the sketchiest parts of the city, but by all logic the only one that would be open when we arrived. It was three when we got there, and although the street was mostly deserted the expats and a fair amount of Thai locals were all lounging about in this one bar. So that being the thing to do, in we went. :) Ended up having a few drinks, I played pool with some sassy Thai girls who ran the table like no-one's business, we tried to understand the drunken mumblings of a demented one-sandaled, no-shirtted Scotsman who had just come back from the Full Moon Party in Koh Phanagan and hadn't slept in 4 days - and who also had about 20 baht and change (the equivalent of about 60 cents) to his name, which he continually shoved in our faces, although we assured him that we'd be buying his drinks and he needn't worry about it. Sometime in the night he threw it out the window. We ended up picking up this guy named Sam, a 29 year old English teacher in Korea on holiday, and we all headed out to the bus station at 8 in the morning to catch our bus to the ferry point down the Thai coast.

5 hours of questionable sleep later, Sam wakes up a little shocked and disoriented - turns out he didn't FULLY remember us from last night, though we didn't drink so much it seemed everyone else had, given that they had quite a few hours of partying on us before we had arrived. Luckily for all of his, he turned out to be an amazing guy drunk or sober, and he ended up staying with us on the island for the last 4 days, just leaving today for Pattaya. We also met a couple of cool cats named Kevin and Caroline on the ferry over, and the five of us have been having a pretty amazing week together. We got a hut up on a cliff overlooking the water, a literal stone's throw from the beach (I know, I know, pics coming soon...). The huts are amazing, raised on wooden stilts and nailed together Swiss Family Robinson style. There's a family of monkeys living in the jungle right behind us, we saw them one morning and we call them the "uh-oh" monkeys, cause that's what théir uhh... mating call? ... sounds like.

There's so much to do on the island, we haven't really covered half of it yet. All sorts of great dishes at the restaurants - every conceivable variety of Pad Thai, yellow green and red curries, fresh milk from coconuts hacked up and fitted with a straw as you watch, lassies and smoothies, and my personal favorite - the fabulous banana pancakes. We went to the markets yesterday and saw among other things: grilled toad, chicken feet, fish (the whole fish, anguished straight-outta-hell open-mouthed expression and all) on a stick, and what I ended up getting - two baby octopuses on a stick. Another bit of wildlife that's really omnipresent here has been ... GECKOS! My friends here have learned to groan as I gush over every gecko I see, and man are they everywhere. They mostly come out at night, and they crawl around the roofs and pillars of buildings, so they usually join us while we're eating. Dogs and cats run around free here, and we usually end up having an unexpected friend for dinner. :)

Yesterday we rented scooters and motored around the island for a bit, and stopped off at a waterfall toward the center of the island. I've never swam in a waterfall before, and this one was so nice and cold. Some of the Thai teenagers were climbing up on this ledge above the waterfall pool and jumping off, so Kevin Sam and I went up and jumped too! Jennifer, bless her heart, took a movie with my camera. :) So, I can cross off jumping into a waterfall off my list, ehh? ;)

Man, this is turning into a monster post. Okay, wrapping it up. Swimming's been amazing - the water is divine, and our beach is on the west coast and we watch the sunset every night. Bought a hammock and strung it up between two trees and yesterday fell asleep in the afternoon to wake up to purple and orange light over the water. I've never before been so soaked and saturated in natural beauty. :) There aren't really words for it. We'll be here until maybe Monday at which point we'll be heading back to Bangkok for a night and then over to the organic farm. We're thinking about renting a kayak for the afternoon and boating to one of the smaller islands for a nice secluded beach ... I'm having the time of my life. :) Love and miss you all ...

Seoul, South Korea

I'm sitting in a wonderful motel overlooking the art street of Insadong in Seoul - our own computer and my little mp3 player connected to the laptop speakers. It actually, feels like a dorm room. :)
In all honesty, I've been sick as a dog for the past week. It's coolldd out here, and running about all crazy-like hasn't given much rest time. I know, I know, it's my fault - and yeah, it probably is. But the good news is that I'm getting better now, and Jennifer and I are in the "oh-my-god-its-really-going-to-happen-like-tomorrow" stage of planning our trip to Thailand, and more specifically Thailand's little island of Koh Chang, which we hope will look something like that paradise in The Beach.

I'd like to talk a little bit more about the hiking around Namsan. There are paths that lead up and down and around the mountain range from all directions, side paths and unmarked paths and all sorts of ways to wander. We followed tiny sides with names like "Sitting Buddha of Yongsil" to find Buddhas hewn out of solid cliffsides bigger than we were, or motifs of the Buddha and bodhisattvas carved as line drawings in rocks. As I said before, one of the cliffs had a path up and we ate lunch on Buddha's head - accompanied by a skull !! Looked like a dog maybe, it was dog sized. At the "Grand Buddha" we met a couple of older Korean men sketching the Buddha carving, sitting on rocks on the edge of the mountain, rolling mountainsides with mist and trees behind them ... This, and my experience at Mt. Songnisan back in the summer with Fulbright - definitely two of the best days in Korea.

Today Jennifer and I did some wandering around Insadong, stopping in at a great restaurant for bulgogi, writing postcards over hot cups of tea, and walking around art galleries. I've been trying to get to a place with a card reader for my camera, or maybe even a photo shop to get the pictures onto CD. They might be easier to find in Thailand. At any rate, sorry for the lack of pictures.

I've been paring down my packing now that I don't have to lug around warm clothes, and I decided to actually use my smaller backpack, the hefty day bag, for the next month around SEAsia. I've started growing a bit of a beard, and I'm mailing my razor to Jeju along with my extra t-shirt, books I've read, and other miscellaneous junk I haven't really been using. Just got word back from the professor that I've been in touch with that the monks know we're coming to the community to volunteer. But of course - beach first. Thailand, baby. Oh my god. :)

Gyeongju, South Korea

I'm here in the ancient Shilla capital, taking in some Buddhist history. Wish I could relate everything here, but here are some highlights. :)

-conversations about Buddhist philosophy over tea and vegetarian Korean food with the friendliest businessman on Earth named Mr. Lee
-drinking tea in a shop in Insadong and wishing there was time enough in the world to see every place just like this
-eating Reese's and cheese (not together though, gross) at the army base in Seoul, and partying to Bob Dylan and Rock and Roll Circus on a tiny DVD player
-listening to music and staring out of the windows of trains at rural Korean countryside
-receiving a calligraphy scroll from a smiling Confucian man at the Andong Folk Village museum
-wandering around Mt. Namsan, finding hidden Buddhist relics on nearly every cliff-face, lighting incense in front of Buddhas carved out of rock on the mountainside, and eating lunch on one Buddha's head :)
-lunchtime and dinnertime conversations with Jennifer about travelling, who we are, what we experience, and uhh ... mystery science theatre.

I hope that's a healthy cross-section. :) Gotta run, catching an early morning train back to Seoul! Temple stay this weekend ...

Seoul, South Korea

I'm writing this from QUITE posh little motel room in Seoul ... with it's own internet! It's bitter cold outside and Jennifer and I are huddled in here, playing cards and listening to music and chilling out. It's been a crazy couple of days. Made it out to the airport to pick up our young intrepid traveller from America - only to find only her, and not her luggage. We still haven't found it. But we haven't let that ruin anything. :) It's been wonderful to look at Korea through the eyes of someone who hasn't experienced anything yet - my weeks at orientation in Chuncheon were like that, constant wonder and amazement at the smallest things. Eels in tanks on the side of the road, old men hand wheeling carts of cardboard, cell phones from what could only be the near future ... I love getting a bit of that amazement back, just watching her. And of course, feeding her all sorts of Korean surprises. :) We had galbi and samgyapsal, bibimbap, mandu, and kimbap already ... and I think we might just be brave enough to eat the live octopus when we make it down south to Mokpo.

So today marks the first of probably many days in which I will wash my clothes in the sink. I ... only brought one pair of pants. Yep. Two tshirts, a few layers, but not much. After hauling pounds and pounds of all sorts of business I didn't need around Europe, I decided - never again. This month will be a meditation of glorious minimalism. And the soft drippy drippy of all our clothes will lull us to sleep in these cold night hours. :) Tomorrow we're heading right to the shopping district, and buying big wool coats. Like whoa. Living on Jeju has made me real soft against this thing called "winter" ...

I hear they don't have it down in Thailand. ;)

the HAPPY NEW YEAR post !!
(and probably the last one before my trip)

Ahoy, 2006! It's here and I'm happy. :) 2005 was spectacular, and I can't wait to see what 2006 may bring ...


The homestizzles pose before we all head out to the Hyatt.

Yes that's right, I spent New Year's Eve at the Hyatt on Jeju Island. It was sort of a free dancing / singing / variety show for the community. Posh though.


The elevators, and the interior of the Hotel. It's like a donut, with a big pond and stage in a covered courtyard center. Architecturally droolworthy.


Traditional Korean ... belly dancers?


Kyeong-Hwan and Won-Hee visit the fortune teller. She told me (the kids translated) that my students would respect me next spring. Huzzah!


Happy New Year!!

As this is the first day in a New Year, it has an almost magical, glowing quality about it. 2006 sure is full of promise. In fact, I can say with confidence the following:

number of drinks: 1 (champagne at the countdown)
number of days in which I forgot to floss: 0
mobile phone minutes used: 0
money spent on frivolity: $0

Isn't it wonderful? I mean, I'm sure all of that will change in due time, but for now ... model citizen. :)

And in the spirit of New Year's Resolutions, which i am almost certainly NOT too cool to ignore, here's mine for the year, inspired by largeheartedboy, a man whom I have never met but respect enormously. 52 weeks, 52 books. Can I do it?? Why not. :) Here's the rules: they can be any book, long or short - so I'll have to choose carefully for when I know I'll more or less time. This week's book, which I started after the party last night, is Stranger in A Strange Land by Robert Heinlein (thanks to Jennifer for sending it all the way out here!) :) Has anyone else read this book? It's AMAZING! I'm taking book recommendations by the way, what do you think for next week's book? And does anyone want in on this project with me? :) I certainly don't read enough - and reading is one of those things that makes you think "man, why don't I do this more OFTEN!" when you're actually doing it, but is rather hard to make the effort to actually DO, at least for me. Reading a book doesn't fit well with our sound-bite-sized bits of information we get in this fast paced world, and to me almost seems unproductive (whatever THAT means) to sit in a chair and read a book for an hour - but then again, I'm sure all this rushing around isn't really doing me much good anyway. :) Anyway, happy new year !! My host family tells me it's the year of the dog, and that can't be bad. Enjoy!

It was a beautiful sunny day today for the first time in ages, so me and Claudette (the scooter) decided to go on a little adventure.


Halla-san on the road from Sinsigagi (my town) to Seogwipo City


The view of Halla-san is amazing from certain parts of Seogwipo, here it is from the main rotary in the center of town (I haven't tried Jesus Day coffee, but I need to) :)


I then just started to drive east along the coast past Seogwipo and ended up climbing an oreum (large hill) that overlooked the sea ...


... and had a really good view of Halla-san


There was a line of squat little traditional houses, surrounded by Jeju rock walls, not 50 feet from the ocean line ...


Went exploring a little on the coast and found this secret cave ...


... and the stairs back up to the adjoining hotel were beautiful. :)

Later tonight my vice-principal and my coteacher Kim Soo-hee took me out for a fabulous dinner at a restaurant with architecture that looked right out of the Choseun dynasty. He's a marvelous man, a devout Protestant who doesn't drink (quite admirable in Korea given the social pressures) and is fond of bursting out in classic English songs - he was an English teacher before he got into administration, and is conversationally nearly flawless. His all-time favorite song is "Perhaps Love", which he requested from the lounge singer when we went out for after-dinner tea at the Hyatt Hotel in Jungmun, the tourist complex on the island. I had Jeju Yoo-Ja Citron tea, which is actually made from the Yoo-Ja citron fruit peels so I suppose its not truly a tea, but it was tasty anyways. :) Definitely not sweetened, which in my opinion was a good thing for this one, the natural taste of the peels on the bottom of the cup wasn't covered up. We then walked over to the Lotte Hotel for a fire and water show outside ... wish I had brought my camera for this one, there were fireballs shooting up into the sky and a mechanical but scary-real looking dragon that came out of the water and breathed fire!

Magnificent day. :D

Merry Christmas, everyone.
It's currently 7:02 here. I'm sitting my pajamas, listening to Christmas on my iTunes and (still) wearing my Santa hat. It's been quite a week.



Without even intending to get much "learning" done, I brought my camera in to school and had the kids take pictures while they made English Christmas cards and snowflakes. I think they know the word "fold" very well now. :)



Their cards were of course heartwarming.





Friday was Daesin's school festival, which is kind of like a recital and a talent show all in one. My homestay sister sang and played the flute, there was a lot of dancing and Korean skits, and some of the "bad boys" in my class strutted around to Korean hip-hop. This was the last time I'd see my kids until March ... and I was a little surprised at how sad I was to leave them. One of the moments I know that teaching was the right decision for me. :)

Last night I stayed up late talking to my family back in America, which was perfect for Christmas eve (but I still miss fireplaces!). My homstay family and I did our gift exchange last night, so today I got to wake up super late. :) I toddled into the living room and my homestay brother and sister were watching Love Actually on TV. I walked in right at the beginning and I didn't move until the end I may or may not have been misty-eyed. Don't tell anyone.

Much love and miss you all ... Merry Christmas everyone!!