Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

The second stop on the Vietnam trip was more of a day trip to Ha Long Bay. It is said to be one of the newer Natural Wonders of the World. We booked a trip through our hotel for about $23. It included transportation to and from, boat ride, lunch, and caves.

It took 3 1/2 hours on the bus each way. It was the longest bus ride that I had been on in quite a while. We only got to stop for once. The place that we did stop at had restrooms but nothing to eat. There was plenty of souvenirs to buy. Most people bought candy just to have something to eat!

Once we got to the Bay and boarded our ship, it was nothing short of amazing. Most of the ships all headed out at the same time. So you look around and you are surrounded by other boats. Then everyone sort of disburses all over the Bay. The weather was perfect. It was a bright sunny day. Perfect jeans and a t-shirt temperature.

The Bay was gorgeous. All the wonderful rock formations in the middle of the Bay were really neat to see. Our boat tour stopped at a fisherman's dock. We got off the boat and looked into his nets that had what he had caught that day. I am not sure that we ever met the fisherman as he was busy drinking and playing cards at that point in the day! After the visit to the docks, we had lunch. It was quite the lunch of all sorts of seafood and veggies.

The rest of the day was spent sailing around the bay and soaking up the sun. We paid $5 more to get to go on a smaller boat that took us into some "caves". They were not caves at all more like lagoons. The openings into the "caves" we pretty cave-like, and we did need to be in the small boat in order to get through. The boat also docked and we got off to see an actual cave. This is a newly found cave that just started to become a tourist site in 1999. It was pretty interesting to see all the special lighting that they had done in the cave to make certain formations stick out.

We also saw the one school that is located out on the Bay. It is a one room school house where all the children that live on the fishing boats attend school. I included a picture of it (blue building). The school is actually funded by the USA. I thought that was amazing that the US is involved.

The ride home was another 3 1/2 hours. It felt a lot longer going back to Ha Noi, even though the distance was the same as the morning ride. I think it was because we were all ready to get back and enjoy the water puppet show.

Ha Long Bay was definitely one of the best things on my Vietnam trip. It was one of the most beautiful places I have seen in my life thus far.

Ha Noi, Vietnam

As most of you know, I recently went to Vietnam. It is still considered a third world country. I went with a core group of about 5 people. My friend Anna decided to give us the nickname of "Team Awesome"! Ha ha ha. Everywhere we went we referred to ourselves as Team Awesome! There was another couple that joined us off and on throughout the trip and I also knew two other people that we randomly ran into. We decided to fly into Ha Noi (which is in the north) and work our way down the country and fly out from the southern part. I have so much to say about each place that I thought it would be best to start blogging about each city. First up... Ha Noi.

Ha Noi is the second largest city in Vietnam. It is in the north. When we first arrived at the airport, we decided to take a taxi van into the city to our hotel. We were stuffed into a van with quite a few other Vietnamese people. It was the most cramped hour of my life thus far! It is all about the experience though!

The city was full of scooters. I have never seen so many scooters/motor bikes in my life. Minda you Venice, Italy had quite a few, but nothing compared to Ha Noi. Not only were there scooters everywhere, but there was hardly ever just one person riding on a scooter. Most scooters had 2-4 people. I couldn't believe that 4 people could fit on a scooter but Vietnamese people are tiny so it works. It was like the scooters were the family vans/SUVs that we would have in the US to tote our families around. The kids were squeezed between the two parents. One kid would usually be in the front standing and holding onto the handles, then the dad, another kinda and a mom. Sometimes there would be a kid behind the mom and sort of strapped to her. It was crazy! everyone but the children are required to wear helmets. I am not sure that they even make helmets small enough for the tiny kids.

We spent the next day exploring the city. There is a walking tour that is outlined in the "Lonely Planet" (the guide book of all guide books). It was nice to be able to go at our own pace. There were so many shops with cheap clothes and shoes. In fact there is an entire street that is lined on both sides with shoes stores. It was on the walking tour! I ended up buying some really cheap sandals ($2) to wear for the rest of the vacation. We walked through an enormous market where they did sell roasted dog (put a picture of it). I did not try it as it is not a meat that I am curious to try. I also was able to eat one of my favorite fruits called Rambutans. They are red, orange and yellow spiky balls. They are delicious! I was excited to see that Vietnam had them the time of year I was there!

The day after we left early to head to Ha Long Bay (Blog post to follow). After we got back from an all day trip on the Bay, we headed to the water puppet show. This is an ancient Vietnamese art form. It is a show with traditional live Vietnamese music that has marionette puppets on the water. At first I thought it was going to be really cheesy. I was shocked by the movement of these puppets. There also lots of special effects like fireworks and colored smoke. There were about 10 short stories. The entire performance lasted one hour and cost us $3. It was really neat and now I know why everyone that has been to Vietnam told us that we had to go see this show. There was only one theatre and we had to purchase the tickets one day in advance!

Next stop on the Vietnam trip....Ha Long Bay

We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

"We Wish You a Merry Christmas" seemed to be the theme for this year's Christmas at my schools. All the students loved learning that song.

My Christmas was actually not that great. I got sick a few days before Christmas and it lasted until a few days after. Not to worry I am well now. I am just glad that the holidays are over. It was really difficult to be away from my friends and family over the holidays. I knew it would be hard but I had no idea it would be as hard as it was. I was lucky enough to get to talk to both sides of my family on their Christmas day! It was through the great video technology of Skype that I saw all of the family that was gathered on my mom's side. Thank goodness for Skype!

My students wanted to sing for my family and friends. So I have posted two videos with this post. One video is a second grade class. They actually sing the verses in Korean but the chorus in English. The other video is three of my third grade girls. We spent a few days practicing the words so that they could sing the entire song in English! Enjoy and I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

36 Hours in Gwangju and Gwangyang

At the beginning of November, a few of my crazy futbol (soccer) friends and I jumped on a plane and flew to Gwangju, South Korea. It is a southern city in South Korea. In fact it is the 6th largest city in the country. Once we arrived (25 minute flight), we got on the subway and headed into the city. We spent a while walking around trying to pick the best area to find a hotel. We were lucky enough o have a Lonely Planet with us (one of the best guide books ever). The guide book directed us to the art area of the city. It was said to have the best shopping and night life as well. For a group of 20 something year olds, these things are important! Our hotel ended up being smack dab in the middle of the chaos of the city. There were shops, restaurants, bars, and clubs all within walking distance! We were set.

The rest of the day was spent looking at art exhibits and one city temple. They were doing mosaics on the walls lining the streets. It was so interesting to see the artists actually putting them together and creating the art. We walked into what is typically an everyday market but for the month it was turned into an art gallery! This event occurs every two years in Gwangju. All of the booths had artists selling and displaying their work. The artists varied in style and ages. I was surprised by how many young artists there were. Some were even elementary school students trying to sell their art! Like most art galleries, the prices were a little steep for me. I went home empty handed but had a great time soaking it all in. I also stepped into a shop where these older women were making fresh kimchi. **

** For those of you that do not know what kimchi is, it is a spicy fermented cabbage. Google it :)

The kimchi looked really good and I had never had it in this form before. So my friend Tim and I decided to have a try (See picture). It was by far the spiciest kimchi I have ever had! Time loves spicy kimichi but even this was too hot for his taste buds! I think that our mouths were on fire for the next 20-30 minutes! ha ha ha. That is what we get!

We ventured to the Memorial Park of Gwangju's Student's Independence Movement. This park is a remembrance of the movement that began in 1929 where students boycotted classes under Japanese rule because there was discriminatory education. This eventually led to the independence movement in which many of the students participated. During this time there were many riots and hundreds almost a thousand people were killed in the on going of these riots. There is a memorial cemetery as well, but we were not able to make it there.

Now what? More wandering. It is sometimes the best way to find things. You never know what you will com across on these types of adventures. We walked down to the river. There was actually a running/walking track that followed the river. It was really neat. Then we walked to this huge arch that led us to this hill. The trees were all bright fall colors and beautiful. I just had to know what was at the top of this enormous hill. So Tim, Stu and I hiked to the top! Low and behold it was an amazing park. There were all these hand made benches and statues. Even a small cemetery. The park was high up enough that it had a decent view of parts of the city below. It was truly beautiful. We sat in a pavilion and ate fresh oranges that I had bough with me from Jeju. **Note** Jeju is said to have some of the best oranges int he WORLD!!**

After all that art and culture, it was time for a break. What better of a place for a break then Starbucks! Ha ha ha. My friends that I travel with now have this on going joke that no matter what city we go to, if there is a Starbucks, I will somehow find it and work it into our travel plans to make a pit stop. Well I indeed found the bright green Mermaid Sign :) We sat and had a coffee. This Starbucks had an enclosed patio that was on the third floor and we could sit out there and watch the hustle and bustle of the street traffic below. It was a perfect resting spot to catch our second wind before dinner at an Outback Steakhouse and a night on the town!

The next morning we were up early. Some of us, including me, had maybe 2-3 hours of sleep. But hey we are young right? I cannot do this forever so I take advantage of it while I can! Luckily we were able to grab Starbucks and even a Krispy Creme doughnut before heading on the bus! We had an hour and a half bus ride to take us to watch the Jeju United Soccer team play their final match of the season in Gwangyang. We had special shirts made for this trip and everything (see Picture). The front of the shirts say "Highting" in Korean which is actually a mixed word that means fighting but they pronounce it "Highting". I have no idea why.

"We Are Jeju" was our most often used chant! Being the cheerleader at heart, I had no voice by the end of the game. We were actually the only people that came from Jeju to watch the match. Lucky for us, we had our loudest cheerleaders there. So I am pretty sure we were still heard! The game was a draw 0-0. Oh well there is always next season!

After the game we took an hour taxi ride to the smallest airport I have ever been to. There was one gate!! The flight was still only 30 minutes, and then back to Jeju. Home sweet home. I have been here long enough that when i get back from a trip somewhere and return to the island, I have that "at home feeling". I always take a deep breath of fresh air and say "It's good to be home!" I think that we do have the cleanest air in South Korea!

Tim, Stu and I went for dinner after the flight. Stu always likes to go to dinner when we get back from a trip to wrap up the weekend and talk about the memories that we made. Funny stories, I can't believe you did that things, etc! It was a short but sweet trip!

More pictures from PIFF

Pusan International Film Festival

In October, I went back to Pusan (pronounced Busan). It was the International Film Festival. Many of my friends decided to take the trip as well. Some of them took the ferry over, but I was not doing that because it was an 11 hour ferry! I have never been on a boat that long as was a bit afraid that I might become sea sick. I flew over with my friend Stu. He is a private teacher here that is from Scotland. We both stayed at Josh's house for the weekend.

We arrived early Friday morning (October 3rd). The first place we went to is an area called Seomyeon. It is where the giant fish market and shopping area is. Giant is an understatement of how large this place was. There were markets that went on in every direction. At one point we were so turned around that we had to find a main street and gather our barrings again! The fish market was awesome. Along the bay there are these tents with tables in them so you can sit and have fresh fish that they are bringing in off the boats. At the market we saw this huge chunk of meat that still had a spine in it,so I asked the woman what it was and she said "Shark"! WOW.

We also went to PIFF (Pusan International Film Festival) Square. There was a stage and booths set up for the festival. The square was packed with people watching performances on the stage and waiting in line for films. We tried to get tickets for Saturday but that was not going to happen because we are not Korean. They tend to make things really difficult for people that are not Korean, and then wonder why no other cultures attend these things! Gee, I wonder! Ha ha ha ha ha. So we decided to just wait until Saturday and go to a box office and buy tickets.

That night we went to the Casino. Here, Koreans are not allowed to go to the casino. The only people that are there are Chinese and Japanese business men, and of course foreigners. The perk of the casinos are that they serve free alcohol and this one had free food. There was a bar and a dinning area, so you could take a break from gambling and have a meal! It was great.

The next day we headed to Haeundae Beach to scope out the ticket scene. I was really afraid that all of the tickets for the outdoor theatre would be sold out. Once we got to the beach, there were people every where. The beach was lined with booths and vendors. We had to ask a few people how to get tickets before they sent us to another area about a 20 minute walk from the beach. We finally got the the box office and had to buy tickets for 10 people (mind you there were 3 of us) and they instructed us that they can only sell 2 tickets to each person. Luckily, there were some other foreigners eating lunch next door. We kindly asked them to buy extra tickets for us. The agreed and that solved that problem. The tickets were nowhere near sold out. I wasn't surprised because Koreans do everything at the last minute. We bought the tickets about 8 hours before show time!

We had lunch that day at an AMAZING Mexican place. It is a hole in the wall. Literally the place had four stools to sit on inside and a line that went down the street. The owner was from San Diego and made everything to order! It was a long wait but well worth it.

After lunch we went back to the beach to hangout, look at the vendors and meet up with everyone that we bought tickets for! We then figured out that the outdoor theatre was not at the beach we were sitting at. We had to take a taxi about 10 minutes away to another location. The theatre was amazing. We had the Pusan Skyline, ocean, and bridge as a back drop.

The first movie was a Japanese animation. I have never watched a film like this before. It luckily had English sub titles. This film was rather slow and dragged on. People were falling asleep. I payed attention though because I thought it was amazing how they construct these films. There was a malfunction with the projector in the last part of the movie so we had and "intermission" early. It took a while to fix and when the first movie finish it was pretty late. Many of us headed out and didn't stay for the second film.

It was another great weekend in Pusan. I have posted some pictures with this post and I will do another post with more pictures. Enjoy!

Saeseogwi Elementary School

Saeseogwi (Sa-So-Gee) Elementary School is the first school that I was assigned to work at here on Jeju. Last semester I worked here full time as did another Native English teacher named Ali. This semester I split my time between two schools. I am only at Saeseogwi 3 days a week.

The school is comparable to elementary schools in the US. There are 601 total students here. In fact there is a huge chalkboard in the teachers main work room that shows the break down of each grade and each class by gender. We have 317 males and 284 females.

Each grade at this school has three classes. For example: 1-1 means First Grade Class One, 1-2 is First Grade Class Two, and 1-3 is First Grade Class Three. The class sizes are larger. The largest grade is 3rd. It has 40 students in each class.

Third grade is my favorite. I am not sure if it is because I have them the most or because the students are just that great. It must be because I have them the most! Ha ha ha. In two of the sections I feel that I am zoo keeper more than a teacher. I am fortunate enough to have an amazing co-teacher, Mrs. Kim. She really is a great teacher who is excited and dedicated to learning English.

Ali is the other native English teacher at this school. He is now in his second year of teaching. Ali is from Canada. This semester he still works full time at Saeseogwi.

Saeseogwi Elementary has been chosen for the English Pilot program. In a way that makes it a special research school. For me it means more work and preparation at times. We have what are called "open" classes. This is where teachers from our school and other schools come and watch one of our classes. It is on no way a natural class however. My Korean co-teachers practice how the class will go over and over again with the students. It is almost as if it is scripted. I am not a fan of this method at all. It does not represent the struggles of having co-teachers and just teaching a foreign language in general. Plus the kids act like angels during these "open" classes and that is not how they really are either! Ha ha ha.

Next semester I might be moved to another school, but I don't think that I will. The school can keep me if they want and so far they have kept both Ali and I. Enjoy the pictures. The view of the playground, World Cup Stadium, and ocean is from my desk! AMAZING