A wee update with 46 days of Korea to go....

Coming back from Beijing was a reality check. I am really close to being done in Korea. Not that pretend close I have been coaching myself with for the last few months, but truly 46 days away! I was staying in a hostel and when meeting people I was constantly explaining to people that was I at the end of my contract in Korea and planned to travel when I was done......I am 46 days away from no job and no 3:59 rush to clock in for fear of the 4:01 tardy email. I am more excited than I can say. I am booked on a flight from Korea on Nov. 28th and after a day in Kuala Lumpur will land in Chengdu, China to as one of the blogs I read today said, "hug the shit of this panda" look here. I will then head into Vietnam and start Southeast Asia in the Northern town of Sapa, where there is a collection of ethnic minority tribes. After that I have to be in Kuala Lumpur on Mar. 1st to fly back to Korea and pick up my stuff.

I have an idea of where I want to go and what I want to see. It's all in the air and thats exciting to me right now after the monotony hat has been Korea these past few months for me. I have started telling a few of my kids that I am out of here on at the end of the term, something one of them had guessed at the sight of the calendar in my classroom having an X marking each passed day. One thing I have learned in teaching is that kids can see through the bullshit, so you might as well level with them when you can. We then spent a good twenty minutes talking about not my vacation, as one student put it my "journey"...

Beijing - The Great Wall of China

On my last full day in Beijing I signed up to take a tour of the Great Wall of China. I have a few friends that loved, loved, LOVED the tour they took with the Hostel I was staying at. The "Secret Wall" tour is a day long trek up and around the great wall to a section that isn't fully renovated, if fixed up at all. I thought it would be a bit of a challenge, but damn it was more a hike then I thought it was going to be and I am so glad I changed out of the jeans I thought about wearing.

We arrived with this small Chinese man who knew no English at all to the base of a mountain and began following him up the mountain to the wall. There were all sorts of people on the tour and it was interesting to get to talk to people as we stumbled and tripped our way up the the path (maybe that was just me). After about an hour of hiking we reached the top and the view was beautiful!

We then walked around along the wall and down to a village for lunch. At first I thought we were the only ones to use this path, but then I saw a discretely set up souvenir shop.....I guess we were one of the many in on the secret. Here are some of the bajillion pictures I took!


A little self photography on the wall


I think this picture was taken about halfway through the "up hike" during our rest.






Inside one of the watch towers.








Cool walkway at the place we had lunch. I don't know if it was really a restaurant. It seemed to be more of a family compound with a room for serving.....Idk but the food was delish and the atmosphere was pretty cool.

Beijing - Wan Fu Jing Night Market

At night we ventured to the night markets at the recommendation of one of my students who went to international school in Beijing. He told me that they had the strangest food there and it was something I must see. Sad thing is that because of the Swine Flu situation we aren't really supposed to leave the country and our way around that is to just not tell anyone we did it. So, I have to covertly tell Jon that I saw the seahorses and pig blood soup.

There were all sorts of crazy delights for sale at the market. The only thing I was willing to eat was the grape stick covered in a sugar coating. I am not much of an adventure eater, but that didn't stop me from taking pictures.....


Most of my night shots suck so I think this one passes with a little photoshoping...


My fruit man


Silk Worms


Octopus


Scorpian


Snake


Seahorses that were still moving.....


Frog legs

Beijing -Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City

Last weekend I took a much needed vacation from life and ran away to Beijing to get some of my traveling must sees crossed off the list. It was a surprisingly hectic week in Korea before I took off which in hindsight could have been avoided, but I guess that is what makes it more fun, right? I had one extra day off from work because of the lunar holiday and needed it! I couldn't imagine doing the two day visit to this crazy city we considered last summer. It would have been impossible.

I was lucky enough to meet up with some fellow English teachers from Korea at the airport. We traveled into the city together and hung out for the weekend. Our first night we found our accommodations and got some dinner. I thought it was challenging in Korea to get food that is somewhat identifiable and sanitary, China, you are much, bigger challenge.

We woke up early the next day to fight the 60th Anniversary of Communism crowds that were expected around Tiananmen Square that weekend. Maybe I should have checked the holiday situation in China too, just a thought.. We were herded with about a zillion other tourists to the square. In the middle of the infamous square some of the floats from the parade were parked. I read somewhere that they locked up all the city's pigeons...you know I kept looking around for one after hearing this and didn't catch a glimpse of one all day.I wonder what happened to them?!?

From there we pushed our way through the square and into the Forbidden city. Wow, that thing is massive. I wandered around for awhile and took lots of pictures. I wish I would have caught more of the history, but it was just surreal to walk around know ing that this place had been kept secret for so long. A massive collection of exordinant buildings in the middle of a major city, then capital of a large country... wouldn't fly in most countries.


The bajillion Chinese people I got cozy with on the way to the sights


Soldiers were out in force this weekend all over the city


Soldier biking it.


The man himself, Mao, and his admirers


One of the popular parade floats in the Hall of the People


A building near the center, I prettied it up a tad.


Me in the city


I love the colors and patterns on palaces....I took about a zillion of these pics


Cool room


Roooarr.


The Forbidden City entrance

The Beginning of The End!!!

Monday marks the beginning of my seventh and final term at Chungdahm Learning! The only words that would be sweeter to type at this point would be, tomorrow is the last and final day of my final term, but that will get here. It isn't a secret that I am ready to move on. I am more surprised than anyone that I am still here at the same school with the same work situation, but it will pay for my next step. And that is what it is. I am ready to see the world and take this trip I have been putting together!

As for an update...hmmmm. There isn't much in the way of new happenings in my life. I have said some goodbyes as friends and co-workers have left, never the ones I want, but I guess that's not my choice. I am 95% sure that I am heading back to Seattle when everything is said and done. It feels like home and I love that city! So, that makes it easier to look forward to the future than to dread making decisions.....

The start of the term was a bit of a bummer. I had some really great classes last term and it is sad to think that I will not teach any of these students again. While I won't miss much about working at CDI, I think some of the kids I have taught are just adorable. I am just hoping that the classes I have for my final term are at least tolerable.

The main focus of my extra time is trying to figure out where and what I want to see on my travels. I don't have much in the way of a planned agenda and I like it! However, I do need at least a loose idea of where and how I am getting around. So far I have a ticket booked to Malaysia for November 29 and I am deciding whether to pay the ridiculous visa fee to go into China and see some pandas, or just begin in Hanoi, Vietnam. I am leaning towards the pandas. It is biggest panda reserve in the world and I have wanted to visit it since I saw it in National Geographic, but again fourteen weeks sounds like a long time right now, but will definitely fly by. Then I will end in Kuala Lumpur at the end of February and take a quick stop in Hong Kong before picking up my bags in Korea. This puts me in Minnesota in the first week of March! Wooohoooo!I will be in America for most of March before heading out to Europe. I haven't decided If I will be out to Seattle yet during that month, mostly because of money and the fact that it could take a big chunk out of my travel fund, but after two years it may be too tempting to pass up!

I miss everyone and the oddest things that you take for granted when you live in the states. So, wish me patience during my last 83 days. I am hoping it flies by and my sanity is not lost in the process!

Swine Flu and CDI!

Hahaha. I just have to start this whole story by laughing, because in Korea, it is all you can do sometimes to keep sane!

One of the teachers that was recruited by CDI had Swine Flu when they boarded their flight and exposed all of the new teachers at training. This caused over 100 foreigners to be quarantined and the the school management to decide what to do with limited staffing and a PR catastrophe.

That Monday I came to school early for our start of term staff meeting all of the teachers we were told to go home. All 100+ CDIs in Korea were to close until June 2nd! Now it's not a 100% confirmed that I will get paid. From reading my contract we should get paid the minimum of 24 hours a week, but having been in Korea long enough to know you don't know you will get it, until you got it, June 10th will be the day of reckoning on that front.

Now we were directed to buy thermometers and stay out of the public eye as much as possible. In addition to isolation, we were also asked to report our temperatures two times a day, as a rise in body temperature is the first sign of symptoms. Our branch having no contact with those that were infected, took this as more a vacation than a lock up. Nate, Lisa and I decided to head to the coast and take some time to relax in Busan.

I spent four glorious days in Busan for the second time. Seeing some of the same and some different things. I truly enjoyed this little break from the daily grind. However, while I was reading a book while laying in the sand, 70 of my fellow instructors were locked up at a facility in Southern Seoul waiting to show symptoms of the flu. A few of them blogged (http://underquarantine.tumblr.com/) about it and we on the outside read and laughed about it. However, it isn't really that funny. From the sounds of it they were treated well and miserably at the same time. At one point they were going to confine these people to individual rooms without reading materials, internet or any other means of entertainment. Take about extremes. Also, our school is all over the Korean news and while Korea is dirty and lacks soap in bathrooms and common western niceties like covering your mouth when you cough....my kids are practically Mysophobes (fear of germs). So, I tried hard to avoid talking about where I work. It just seemed like a good idea. While we were in Busan it was hard to tell if we were paranoid or more observant, but we felt that we were more than stared at. This could be for many reason and even without swine flu hits out on foreigners by the Korean media, we don't exactly blend into this homogeneous culture....but damn! There wasn't a trip on the subway or meal eaten where we weren't glared at.....

So these are some of the more interesting pictures I have from my vacation. In other news. A beloved ex-Korean President committed suicide by jumping off a mountain last week. He was buried in scandal over his family taking over $6million in kick backs from businessmen......Also, North Korea seems to be getting a little crazy with their bombs again. Who knows what will happen. I updated my information with the embassy and at the moment check the news more than facebook.....which is often! Korea has been a happening place lately, can't say thats a good thing.....


Our first day in Busan we went to a Baseball game. So much different from the states....Koreans bring their own food and alcohol. Big boxes of chicken and soju seemed to be the popular choice! I don't watch too much Baseball at home, but Nate said the level of play equated to the minor league or college ball.


KEG MAN


Beer gone Disco


Part of the bar show at the local foreigner bar. At "western bars" you see a lot of these shows with bottles and fire.....I wonder if they know it isn't the regular thing in the western world....hmmmmmm


THE BARS ON FIRE!


Sand memorial for the former president who committed suicide.


Back at the Jagalchi Fish Market! Octopus anyone?


Not sure what these are, they don't look yummy, but the color was pretty....


While we were walking through the restaurant section a woman threw this alive skinned eel into a bowl and laughed as we freaked out.....poor eel!


I almost bought this cat.......look at those eyes...


May buddha bring me in under par......Buddha hanging out outside a screen golf place.

Kiddos!

So, today is supposed to be the first week of my sixth term at Chungdahm, BUT we have a Swine Flu problem and I am now on a mandatory vacation! Being all ready for work and such, I thought it would be a good time to update this with some pictures from of my kids. We are on mandatory house arrest. Okay, that may be dramatic, but we were asked not to leave and I see that lasting for about 45 more minutes. None of us were directly or even really indirectly in contact with anyone from CDI that contracted the infamous disease, so I am making dinner plans.; At CDI I teach kids from grade 2 through middle school. These are some of my favorite students and/or interesting pictures from my time in Korea so far.



One of my first classes from the lower level and probably still one of my favorites! I am lucky some of these kids are still around and in my classes from time to time.


Doesn't this face just say trouble?? He eventually got kicked out of our academy. That's a hard thing to accomplish at a new private institute that wants his won.


Summertime classes. They didn't want to be there, and most days neither did I, but we had some fun! :)


Bell, who I renamed Bella after screwing up her name about five hundred times was one of my favorites. Each day she brought a HUGE bag of pens to class and every word she wrote was a different color. I found this entertaining and a probable way I would have dealt with being in school all of the time.


During the summer and winter terms we teach morning classes during their school vacations. This is Mike and he was a crazy student who used Chucky as an example in all his stories. I wonder if he knew that he looked a lot like Chucky?


Meet Lauren, she came to school one day after stepping in a mud pit. I found her crying in the bathroom and I had to help her de-mud and borrow her some flip-flops. I had a hard time getting the class to stop laughing, myself included at the sight of her tiny feet in my clown shoes.


My winter little ones were my favorite. Meet Susan, Lily and Jiny. These girls are smarter than smart and hilarious!


Somebody brought a plastic rat to class, so Susan and I had some photo fun with it!


Cherry is one of my favs. She is back in my class this term and hopefully won't be freaked out by the pig flu......


Hard at work, Emma is a new student who lately has been telling some funny stories in class.


Ahhhh, teacher has her camera....what do I do, I will put my head in my bag...

Those are my kids. While sitting in my "quarentined" apartment I wonder how many moms will pull their kids from the pig flu academy? Eh. I think I am getting paid for these 10 days and tomorrow I am off to the one beach in Korea.....whatchyagoingtodo?