Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Odds and Ends - Seoul
Two things that have gotten me to look like a rambling lunatic in Korea: teaching and Spanish. The former happened when, lo and behold, every Westerner I have met has been a teacher. I had fully intended to leave teaching behind on this trip, to shake it off and refresh myself before September. Believe me, I did. But then Jake's friend, John, started asking about TFA, and here I go, one soju too many, yammering to him at 6 o'clock in the morning about the freaking workshop model. Next thing I know it's 7 a.m. and he is excusing himself to the balcony, where Jake finally got a word in edgewise. Ay.
The other time - also soju-influenced - happened when I met a manfrom Peru. I don't think I've mentioned this before, but we have met no one in Korea who speaks English, at least not outside of Seoul. By the time I met my Peruvian friend, I had gone at least three days only speaking fluently to Jake and Audrey, so even speaking the semblance of something fluent to this street vendor was just too delightful. I started off by asking him normal things: How much are these earrings? I speak a little Spanish. Where are you from? and ended the night by looping around to see this guy twice, using my ever-increasingly-sparse Spanish vocabulary to bombard him with what were most likely unrelated phrases and questions.
We're in Seoul now, a city I really like, staying at a hostel that feels more like a coop. Last night we went out with everyone in the hostel, plus met up with John, and Charity is with us, too. Today Meris arrives!
I want to add pictures and will try, but I have to buy the right cord and also load pictures on to computers that do now belong to me. I tried to explain to a man at an electronics store that I wanted a USB cord, miming the question by pointing to my camera. Things looked promising when his eyes lit up and he scurried away, but he only returned with the phone number for Seoul's Nikon store.
The other time - also soju-influenced - happened when I met a manfrom Peru. I don't think I've mentioned this before, but we have met no one in Korea who speaks English, at least not outside of Seoul. By the time I met my Peruvian friend, I had gone at least three days only speaking fluently to Jake and Audrey, so even speaking the semblance of something fluent to this street vendor was just too delightful. I started off by asking him normal things: How much are these earrings? I speak a little Spanish. Where are you from? and ended the night by looping around to see this guy twice, using my ever-increasingly-sparse Spanish vocabulary to bombard him with what were most likely unrelated phrases and questions.
We're in Seoul now, a city I really like, staying at a hostel that feels more like a coop. Last night we went out with everyone in the hostel, plus met up with John, and Charity is with us, too. Today Meris arrives!
I want to add pictures and will try, but I have to buy the right cord and also load pictures on to computers that do now belong to me. I tried to explain to a man at an electronics store that I wanted a USB cord, miming the question by pointing to my camera. Things looked promising when his eyes lit up and he scurried away, but he only returned with the phone number for Seoul's Nikon store.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
First Days in Korea
To the extent that Bangkok was the dirtiest place I have ever been, Seoul is the easiest. Subways cast a web over the city, leaving no area untouched, and trains or buses depart to all areas of the country at least a few times a day.
Greetings from South Korea! When Jake and I first arrived, feeling surprisingly fresh for two people who had just spent 42 hours traveling, we saw Audrey within a few minutes, and the three of us spent the first night getting oriented. We rented cell phones, since Korea does not use the sim card system, and phones won't be usable in other countries we travel to, then we found our hostel, ate some porridge, and went to sleep at about 9:30 p.m., with the hopes that we would be minimizing our jetlag. It pretty much worked.
The next day we spent in Seoul, visiting the Indian Embassy and attempting to explore the palace in our neighborhood. Apparently, Mondays are holidays in South Korea, and everything was closed. Next we headed south, to Audrey's hometown of Jecheon, where we stayed in a "love motel." I expected, as per the name, a seedy sort of place, but it was actually very clean. The walls were covered in stunningly floral wallpaper - each wall a different color - and we were provided with... er... "love" accessories, including lube. All three of us slept on the floor, on thick mats. We were told this is how traditional Korean households sleep - things called minbaks - but we keep getting conflicting information.
Jecheon was bigger than expected. I wish we had known where Audrey was born - whether it was in the countryside or to a family who inhabits the apartments in the city. It was hard, but pleasing, to imagine her as an infant, taking her first breath in this city. The town itself seemed average in terms of size and liveliness, but it was surrounded by three national parks. In the train on the way to the city, we passed what I have always thought Japan would look like - rolling hills set among a thick fog.
In Jecheon we saw a political protest, the aim of which seemed to be generally against North Korea. A crowd of about 300 sat in front of an outdoor stage, where fiery male speakers urged the crowd to wave their flags, and we heard music from a marching band of sorts (sans the marching), composed of all elderly women. Leafing through a cartoon book describing North and South Korea's histories, I realize how much of a threat South Korea still feels by North Korea.
Now we are in Mokpo, a coastal city in the Southwest. This is the liveliest city we have been to so far, with a shopping area to rival Hong Kong and tons of people out on the streets, enjoying meals, going to bars, etc. We had the best meal of the whole trip on our first night here, Korean barbecue pork chops and some kind of intestine. In South Korea, meals are an event. With every entree you are served at least half a dozen other components: kimchi (pickled cabbage... mmmmmm!!), rice, seaweed, eggs, chili sauce and a few other sides we have yet to figure out. Everything comes out in these individual plates, so you are left feeling like your meal is a true feast, all the parts complementing the others so nicely. That night we also loaded up on soju, the standard Korean drink. It is similar to sake: more potent than wine, but less so than vodka.
Today we plan to spend our third and last day in Mokpo before we head to Gimpo tonight to visit Jake's friend from home.
Greetings from South Korea! When Jake and I first arrived, feeling surprisingly fresh for two people who had just spent 42 hours traveling, we saw Audrey within a few minutes, and the three of us spent the first night getting oriented. We rented cell phones, since Korea does not use the sim card system, and phones won't be usable in other countries we travel to, then we found our hostel, ate some porridge, and went to sleep at about 9:30 p.m., with the hopes that we would be minimizing our jetlag. It pretty much worked.
The next day we spent in Seoul, visiting the Indian Embassy and attempting to explore the palace in our neighborhood. Apparently, Mondays are holidays in South Korea, and everything was closed. Next we headed south, to Audrey's hometown of Jecheon, where we stayed in a "love motel." I expected, as per the name, a seedy sort of place, but it was actually very clean. The walls were covered in stunningly floral wallpaper - each wall a different color - and we were provided with... er... "love" accessories, including lube. All three of us slept on the floor, on thick mats. We were told this is how traditional Korean households sleep - things called minbaks - but we keep getting conflicting information.
Jecheon was bigger than expected. I wish we had known where Audrey was born - whether it was in the countryside or to a family who inhabits the apartments in the city. It was hard, but pleasing, to imagine her as an infant, taking her first breath in this city. The town itself seemed average in terms of size and liveliness, but it was surrounded by three national parks. In the train on the way to the city, we passed what I have always thought Japan would look like - rolling hills set among a thick fog.
In Jecheon we saw a political protest, the aim of which seemed to be generally against North Korea. A crowd of about 300 sat in front of an outdoor stage, where fiery male speakers urged the crowd to wave their flags, and we heard music from a marching band of sorts (sans the marching), composed of all elderly women. Leafing through a cartoon book describing North and South Korea's histories, I realize how much of a threat South Korea still feels by North Korea.
Now we are in Mokpo, a coastal city in the Southwest. This is the liveliest city we have been to so far, with a shopping area to rival Hong Kong and tons of people out on the streets, enjoying meals, going to bars, etc. We had the best meal of the whole trip on our first night here, Korean barbecue pork chops and some kind of intestine. In South Korea, meals are an event. With every entree you are served at least half a dozen other components: kimchi (pickled cabbage... mmmmmm!!), rice, seaweed, eggs, chili sauce and a few other sides we have yet to figure out. Everything comes out in these individual plates, so you are left feeling like your meal is a true feast, all the parts complementing the others so nicely. That night we also loaded up on soju, the standard Korean drink. It is similar to sake: more potent than wine, but less so than vodka.
Today we plan to spend our third and last day in Mokpo before we head to Gimpo tonight to visit Jake's friend from home.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Travel Time to Korea: 42 Hours
Jake and I didn't even know where Qatar was until this morning, when on our way to the Dayton, Ohio airport I looked up where out layover would be. We had for some reason thought we would have a layover in Geneva. Boy! were we surprised when we ended up in the Middle East.
Lots of interesting people-watching: men in white robes, women in black burkhas. Some of the women have their faces covered, too, and some even their hands. Others leave their faces exposed and carry designer handbags or wear glitzy jewelry. The female children dress, for the most part, like American children.
We have a six-hour-long layover, about four hours of which is over now. Jake and I wanted to take a cab from the airport to find some local food or, at the suggestion of the flight attendants, smoke some shuka (?), but I was told I wouldn't be allowed into the country with an Israeli stamp in my passport. Thus, we are killing time in the airport, watching the people and playing Rummy.
Next stop Korea!
Lots of interesting people-watching: men in white robes, women in black burkhas. Some of the women have their faces covered, too, and some even their hands. Others leave their faces exposed and carry designer handbags or wear glitzy jewelry. The female children dress, for the most part, like American children.
We have a six-hour-long layover, about four hours of which is over now. Jake and I wanted to take a cab from the airport to find some local food or, at the suggestion of the flight attendants, smoke some shuka (?), but I was told I wouldn't be allowed into the country with an Israeli stamp in my passport. Thus, we are killing time in the airport, watching the people and playing Rummy.
Next stop Korea!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Back Again!
The pictures never materialized, I do realize that. But good news! There will be more to come, because I just got my ticket back to Thailand, this time with a stop in South Korea and India, too.
We'll be visiting Charity, who was the inspiration for the trip, as she currently works there as a teacher (also my occupation - how much has changed in two years!); Meris, who I'm pretty sure still gets the free flights of her choosing; Jake (!) who now lives in Philly also as a teacher... and I'm trying to convince my Korean-born cousin, Audrey, to join the affair.
Sewatdeeka Asia!!
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Seewatdeeka Thailand, My Loves (Pictures coming soon)
Oi, leaving has been one big emotional wreck. I now write to you from Haifa, Israel, but I'll start from the beginning.
Exams went... smoothly. Remember how in my last entry all the libraries were closed during finals? Well, as it turns out, to give Thammasat credit that was a national holiday. That didn't end the strangeness of finals week for me, though. The day I took my three-hour long accounting final (which was, by the way, absurdly difficult) a marching band held practice outside the classroom... the whole time. I think it was orientation week for at least the BE program, and the school was more packed than I had ever seen it. All I have to say is thank goodness I'm not taking these classes for a grade.
For the last week everyone was really good about hanging out as a group, the way things started in the beginning. Wednesday night we had a "Christmas in Thailand" party (which I can't wait to add photos for you to see) as one last official goodbye before people started trickling off. The theme was inspired by Brian, Bruno and Dylan's apartment, which came with a fake Christmas tree. We've joked about it all semester, and for the party we brought it up to the penthouse (more space there) to decorate it with rambuttan fruits and other Thai ornaments. Jake even bought lights to make the tree really look right. We played Christmas music and beer pong (although I didn't because the event was unfortunately scheduled the night before I had a 9 a.m. final) and in all reality the night felt like a very warm Christmas.
The best part of the event was white elephant gift-giving. For those who don't know what white elephant is, it's a game kind of like Secret Santa, in which each person buys a gag gift, usually with a price limit (ours was 200 baht, or $6), and then draws numbers. The lowest number gets to choose a wrapped gift, and the second person gets to choose whether he or she wants to steal that gift or grab a new one. If #2 steals #1's gift then #1 is allowed to draw again, and the whole process continues with the rule that one gift can only be stolen twice. Gifts included:
- a wooden Khao San frog in psychedelic colors (mine)
- a scale
- an ab toner
- a Same Same But Different shirt
- a yellow Rama IX shirt
- a bucket kit
- a stolen Rattanakosin poster
- a Vietnamese boat hat
- fisherman pants
- a back scratcher
...and best of all... a picture of the king!!! I've been telling my friends that this is the one item I had left to buy, and I drew it! It was really the best surprise. I even kind of held it out of sight hoping that no one would steal it.
The night illustrated how cohesive our group of friends is. Though we are a hodge podge of Americans, Canadians, Europeans, Australians and Thais, we get along so well, especially that night when we were all so merry.
After that the goodbyes just got hard. I said goodbye to Jake first, since even though he's staying the summer, he and Brian left for Laos and Cambodia Friday afternoon. I felt like a mess when he left, and was so thankful to get back to my apartment only to immediately receive a call from Brad, who wanted to know if I was okay. He and Jon came up to comfort me and we just hung out, all bummed and unable to think about anything except leaving.
I left last night, and had a really touching goodbye. I spent the day consuming all the street food I knew I would miss, then topping everything off by going to Chote Chitr for dinner. Eleven of us went, and everyone kept calling it the last supper, as we gorged on family-style curries, soups, and fish, then ended our meal in the street with the famous buttered-bread-with-bananas-and-chocolate dessert I love so much.
Everyone came over to the apartment while I finished packing, since I was the first of the night to go, and we watched Charity's wonderful dvd. She's been taking short movies on her camera all semester, and put a ton of time into making a 20-minute long compilation of the videos mixed in with pictures of us, all edited in iMovie. It's an awesome video, because it captures so much of what I've already forgotten. It's also amazing what video can do to capture our interactions that still film just can't. My plan is to show it to everyone back at home to brag to them about the friends I made in Thailand.
Just before I left I gave everyone printed pictures I've taken with them or of them all semester, and tried to decorate the frames according to each person's personality. I'm going to miss everyone so much. :)
Then off to the airport, everyone walked me downstairs. Jon and Brad gave me a gag gift just before the cab came, which of course made me start crying. This made Meris, Charity, Sophie, even Bee and Brad cry, too. We're all messes! Brad, in his loyal fashion, drove with me to the airport, which is no small feat since it's a 45-minute drive. I was really thankful that he offered to do that, because it would have been a lonely drive otherwise. He's been such a good friend to me this semester.
Once I was off to Israel I started sobbing, which made the man sitting next to me pretty uncomfortable. Soon enough, though, I fell asleep, only to wake up every so often to a meal placed on the tray in front of me.
Even though my flight was 45 minutes late, Elana was waiting for me at the Tel Aviv airport, and I found her with no trouble. What a comforting face to see! I missed her so much. I've had no trouble with luggage or customs thus far, and I'm now in Haifa, in the northern region of the country. The only thing that has popped out at me has been the hoards of soldiers, the most conspicuous of which to me are the females. Elana pointed out their giant guns (which I was somehow oblivious to) but told me they're not loaded. (Then why...?) Now I'm just settling in and eating falafel and a wonderful chocolate with Pop Rocks in it, and we're going to visit the Ba'hai Gardens this afternoon. Her boyfriend came over to meet me and brought along with him olives and cheese for snacks. He's a very bubbly person, and tomorrow he's going to spend the day with me and Elana (he's in the army and only gets one day off a week). He tells me he's going to lecture me with all sorts of information about the country.
I already miss Thailand, and more than that I miss the people I became friends with there. It's cool to have friends all over the country and the world now, and I'm looking forward to Andy's birthday, four weeks from now in Las Vegas. This won't be the end of my blog, but Seewatdeeka Thailand!
Love,
Abby
p.s. I got my hair cut really short. Think Carrie from Season five of Sex and the City.
Exams went... smoothly. Remember how in my last entry all the libraries were closed during finals? Well, as it turns out, to give Thammasat credit that was a national holiday. That didn't end the strangeness of finals week for me, though. The day I took my three-hour long accounting final (which was, by the way, absurdly difficult) a marching band held practice outside the classroom... the whole time. I think it was orientation week for at least the BE program, and the school was more packed than I had ever seen it. All I have to say is thank goodness I'm not taking these classes for a grade.
For the last week everyone was really good about hanging out as a group, the way things started in the beginning. Wednesday night we had a "Christmas in Thailand" party (which I can't wait to add photos for you to see) as one last official goodbye before people started trickling off. The theme was inspired by Brian, Bruno and Dylan's apartment, which came with a fake Christmas tree. We've joked about it all semester, and for the party we brought it up to the penthouse (more space there) to decorate it with rambuttan fruits and other Thai ornaments. Jake even bought lights to make the tree really look right. We played Christmas music and beer pong (although I didn't because the event was unfortunately scheduled the night before I had a 9 a.m. final) and in all reality the night felt like a very warm Christmas.
The best part of the event was white elephant gift-giving. For those who don't know what white elephant is, it's a game kind of like Secret Santa, in which each person buys a gag gift, usually with a price limit (ours was 200 baht, or $6), and then draws numbers. The lowest number gets to choose a wrapped gift, and the second person gets to choose whether he or she wants to steal that gift or grab a new one. If #2 steals #1's gift then #1 is allowed to draw again, and the whole process continues with the rule that one gift can only be stolen twice. Gifts included:
- a wooden Khao San frog in psychedelic colors (mine)
- a scale
- an ab toner
- a Same Same But Different shirt
- a yellow Rama IX shirt
- a bucket kit
- a stolen Rattanakosin poster
- a Vietnamese boat hat
- fisherman pants
- a back scratcher
...and best of all... a picture of the king!!! I've been telling my friends that this is the one item I had left to buy, and I drew it! It was really the best surprise. I even kind of held it out of sight hoping that no one would steal it.
The night illustrated how cohesive our group of friends is. Though we are a hodge podge of Americans, Canadians, Europeans, Australians and Thais, we get along so well, especially that night when we were all so merry.
After that the goodbyes just got hard. I said goodbye to Jake first, since even though he's staying the summer, he and Brian left for Laos and Cambodia Friday afternoon. I felt like a mess when he left, and was so thankful to get back to my apartment only to immediately receive a call from Brad, who wanted to know if I was okay. He and Jon came up to comfort me and we just hung out, all bummed and unable to think about anything except leaving.
I left last night, and had a really touching goodbye. I spent the day consuming all the street food I knew I would miss, then topping everything off by going to Chote Chitr for dinner. Eleven of us went, and everyone kept calling it the last supper, as we gorged on family-style curries, soups, and fish, then ended our meal in the street with the famous buttered-bread-with-bananas-and-chocolate dessert I love so much.
Everyone came over to the apartment while I finished packing, since I was the first of the night to go, and we watched Charity's wonderful dvd. She's been taking short movies on her camera all semester, and put a ton of time into making a 20-minute long compilation of the videos mixed in with pictures of us, all edited in iMovie. It's an awesome video, because it captures so much of what I've already forgotten. It's also amazing what video can do to capture our interactions that still film just can't. My plan is to show it to everyone back at home to brag to them about the friends I made in Thailand.
Just before I left I gave everyone printed pictures I've taken with them or of them all semester, and tried to decorate the frames according to each person's personality. I'm going to miss everyone so much. :)
Then off to the airport, everyone walked me downstairs. Jon and Brad gave me a gag gift just before the cab came, which of course made me start crying. This made Meris, Charity, Sophie, even Bee and Brad cry, too. We're all messes! Brad, in his loyal fashion, drove with me to the airport, which is no small feat since it's a 45-minute drive. I was really thankful that he offered to do that, because it would have been a lonely drive otherwise. He's been such a good friend to me this semester.
Once I was off to Israel I started sobbing, which made the man sitting next to me pretty uncomfortable. Soon enough, though, I fell asleep, only to wake up every so often to a meal placed on the tray in front of me.
Even though my flight was 45 minutes late, Elana was waiting for me at the Tel Aviv airport, and I found her with no trouble. What a comforting face to see! I missed her so much. I've had no trouble with luggage or customs thus far, and I'm now in Haifa, in the northern region of the country. The only thing that has popped out at me has been the hoards of soldiers, the most conspicuous of which to me are the females. Elana pointed out their giant guns (which I was somehow oblivious to) but told me they're not loaded. (Then why...?) Now I'm just settling in and eating falafel and a wonderful chocolate with Pop Rocks in it, and we're going to visit the Ba'hai Gardens this afternoon. Her boyfriend came over to meet me and brought along with him olives and cheese for snacks. He's a very bubbly person, and tomorrow he's going to spend the day with me and Elana (he's in the army and only gets one day off a week). He tells me he's going to lecture me with all sorts of information about the country.
I already miss Thailand, and more than that I miss the people I became friends with there. It's cool to have friends all over the country and the world now, and I'm looking forward to Andy's birthday, four weeks from now in Las Vegas. This won't be the end of my blog, but Seewatdeeka Thailand!
Love,
Abby
p.s. I got my hair cut really short. Think Carrie from Season five of Sex and the City.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Finals in Thailand
I love Thailand, and more than that, I love Thammasat. We have finals this week. Back at home this means cramped libraries, 24-hour coffee houses, and a sense of panic erupting from every bleary-eyed student who discovers the school printers are malfunctioning.
I didn't expect the same from Thammasat. That's fair to say. But when Jon and I headed to school today to photocopy our accounting course packs, what I really did not expect was for the campus to be empty. Cafeteria closed. Libraries locked. Lights off. It was a ghost town.
We were in such disbelief we just roamed the dark hallways, laughing to ourselves at the absurdity, and appreciating possibly the greatest cultural difference - at least the most surprising - we've encountered in this country.
I'm close to being done with school. I've finished with two classes and have two more to go. The last one will be the worst - three hours of grueling management essays - but it's the one class I have a very good shot at getting an A in. I got an 82 on the midterm, not great by UT standards, but that was the highest grade in the class! Must be some massive curving going on. In my other classes, since we don't get grades back, I honestly have no idea how I'm doing. That took me a long time to get used to, it really did. Thailand is no place for someone who likes to calculate grades.
With the wrap-up of school also comes the wrap-up of everyone's time here. Alex already left, and Lilly is effectively leaving tonight. (She's actually staying the summer, but tonight was the last time most of us will get to see her, since she's visiting Cambodia in the morning.) I, like Meris and most of us, am getting pretty depressed about leaving. It doesn't help to count down our time, either, which I can't seem to stop myself from doing. "But we only have x amount of days left," seems to be the phrase of the week. I wake up sad and don't know why, and then I think about going back and I remember. It just sucks.
Mai pben rai, I know I'll be back, and hopefully soon enough to experience the same Thailand I did while I was here. In the meantime I should get excited about fusion sushi, Tex-mex, and finally getting to hug my little brother.
I didn't expect the same from Thammasat. That's fair to say. But when Jon and I headed to school today to photocopy our accounting course packs, what I really did not expect was for the campus to be empty. Cafeteria closed. Libraries locked. Lights off. It was a ghost town.
We were in such disbelief we just roamed the dark hallways, laughing to ourselves at the absurdity, and appreciating possibly the greatest cultural difference - at least the most surprising - we've encountered in this country.
I'm close to being done with school. I've finished with two classes and have two more to go. The last one will be the worst - three hours of grueling management essays - but it's the one class I have a very good shot at getting an A in. I got an 82 on the midterm, not great by UT standards, but that was the highest grade in the class! Must be some massive curving going on. In my other classes, since we don't get grades back, I honestly have no idea how I'm doing. That took me a long time to get used to, it really did. Thailand is no place for someone who likes to calculate grades.
With the wrap-up of school also comes the wrap-up of everyone's time here. Alex already left, and Lilly is effectively leaving tonight. (She's actually staying the summer, but tonight was the last time most of us will get to see her, since she's visiting Cambodia in the morning.) I, like Meris and most of us, am getting pretty depressed about leaving. It doesn't help to count down our time, either, which I can't seem to stop myself from doing. "But we only have x amount of days left," seems to be the phrase of the week. I wake up sad and don't know why, and then I think about going back and I remember. It just sucks.
Mai pben rai, I know I'll be back, and hopefully soon enough to experience the same Thailand I did while I was here. In the meantime I should get excited about fusion sushi, Tex-mex, and finally getting to hug my little brother.
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