Saturday, August 20, 2011
Summer Vacation
For my second week of vacation this summer I went to Taipei, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Although there was a lot that I did on my vacation, I will only touch on best parts of my trip.
Taipei
I loved Taiwan! I wish I would have had more time to explore the rest of the country. The people where so nice and locals would come up to me and have conversations. The country was also so beautiful, and lets not forget about the food! One of the main reasons I wanted to visit Taiwan was the food and SNOWY ICE! Taipei did not disappoint! I was on a mission to try as much delicious food as possible and this was easily done in the night markets. The night markets are markets that are only open at night and there are several street vendors that fill the streets.
Some food vendors were making dumplings and cooking them right there on the streets.
There where also teppanyaki grill, small restaurants that allowed you to sit at a tabled, and a lot of juice and fruit smoothie places. I had fruit that I didn't think I would have for another year like mango, papaya, and pineapple!
Oh yes and snowy ice! unfortunately I only found it once at Shilin night market, the largest night market in Taipei. For those of you who have never tried it, it's simply amazing. It's sort of like shaved ice but the ice is shaved with a special machine that makes the ice into snow like consistency that melts in your mouth how I imagine snow would.
I decided to stick to the one that I love back at home which is the mango jam (I think I pointed to a picture instead of using the menu)
It tasted the same except they where very generous with the condensed milk and mango syrup!
I also enjoyed going to Maokong. I took a cable car to the top of the mountain and enjoyed tea at the top.
I also went on a short hike to look at the potholes.
The hot springs were also fun. A local recommended I go to Beitou Park and use the public hot springs there because it would be a lot cheaper then going to a hotel. It cost under $2 for 2 hours! There were three pools and each pool had a different temperature. I think the hottest pool was at 107 degrees and I felt like I was cooking in it! I don't understand how people (although only a few) where just sitting in them.
Hong Kong
I was honestly not that impressed with Hong Kong. The city seemed very touristic and I found it hard to find traditional cantonese food. I did find it interesting how many foreigners lived in the city.
Here is the view of Hong Kong from the Peak
I enjoyed the Bird Park. It was a place that sold birds and everything that you needed for a bird. It also had birds in cages all around the park. It seemed like a place my dad would really enjoy to hang out.
I went to the Ladies Market, which sold clothing, purses, souvenirs, and stuff for IPads. Here I got chance to haggle over the price of a knockoff purse.
The Jade Market was also interesting. I have a feeling I got ripped off though. I purchased a jade bracelet for $35 but then latter another lady sold me another one for $20. The thing about the bracelets is that they are difficult to put on and take off. So when I wanted to run away I had no choice but to stay because I had the stupid bracelet stuck on me!
Now although I didn't love Hong Kong, I do wish I had an extra day to spend on a island or beach in Sai Kung. I did go to Sai Kung village but did not have time to spend the day there and there was also a high chance for showers so I decided to stick to my original plans. Here is the beautiful view:
Overall it was a great trip! I got home feeling like I was away for a really long time. I can't wait for my next vacation, which is in winter. I do hope that next time I will be able to have my two weeks off consecutively. I am planning to go to Thailand and Indonesia because I think it will be a nice break from the cold korean winter I will be experiancing.
Taipei
I loved Taiwan! I wish I would have had more time to explore the rest of the country. The people where so nice and locals would come up to me and have conversations. The country was also so beautiful, and lets not forget about the food! One of the main reasons I wanted to visit Taiwan was the food and SNOWY ICE! Taipei did not disappoint! I was on a mission to try as much delicious food as possible and this was easily done in the night markets. The night markets are markets that are only open at night and there are several street vendors that fill the streets.
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| Linjiang Street Night Market |
There where also teppanyaki grill, small restaurants that allowed you to sit at a tabled, and a lot of juice and fruit smoothie places. I had fruit that I didn't think I would have for another year like mango, papaya, and pineapple!
Oh yes and snowy ice! unfortunately I only found it once at Shilin night market, the largest night market in Taipei. For those of you who have never tried it, it's simply amazing. It's sort of like shaved ice but the ice is shaved with a special machine that makes the ice into snow like consistency that melts in your mouth how I imagine snow would.
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| The ice is then topped with fruit, mochi, beans, and condensed milk! Here is the menu for the snowy ice: |
I also enjoyed going to Maokong. I took a cable car to the top of the mountain and enjoyed tea at the top.
I was honestly not that impressed with Hong Kong. The city seemed very touristic and I found it hard to find traditional cantonese food. I did find it interesting how many foreigners lived in the city.
Here is the view of Hong Kong from the Peak
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Weekend Spent on a Farm
Brooke and I where invited to spend a weekend at the dance teacher’s mothers home near Yesan. The dance teacher and her husband picked us up at 10:00 am. Our first stop was Sudeoksa Temple. There we met with her sister and brother in law. Outside the temple were many shops and restaurants. We had lunch at one of the restaurants, which consisted on bibimbap, soup, and some kind of root. I also got to try Makgeolli, which is a traditional sweet rice wine.
After lunch we walked through the temple and a museum. Then we began our hike, which was the real reason we where there. This was the first hike I have been on since I’ve been in Korea. The trail was well defined and most of the path was paved in stone steps and was the step master from hell! In addition to the steps, it was one of the hottest days I have experience in Korea. For half of the hike we followed a stream and most of the hike was covered with shade from the trees. We hiked for what seemed forever and got pretty far up, even though it was only a half of mile that we traveled. The reason we got so much distance is that we went straight up. The trails back at home are longer but there are switch backs to get us to the top.
Coming down was scary because the steps where to small for my whole foot to fit on the step and some of the stones where loose.
After our hike we went stopped to have ice tea. This tea house was on the edge of the mountain and had a wonderful view. Then we went another museum by the temple, which had artwork on display.
We then went to the “farm”. The farm was not really a farm, it was a house by a lake and they had a huge garden on the side. The place was beautiful and had a calming feeling. When we got there the dance teacher’s whole family was there! Uncles, cousins, and siblings, but soon after everyone left except her sister who when went hiking with, her mother and brother all who live at the house. We where shown to our rooms and we took a well deserved shower. We then got ready for the BBQ party as the dance teacher called it. We got to help out by picking sesame leaves from the garden. Beef and pork was barbequed and we had fresh kimchi with our meal. The cabbage from the kimchi was crunchy and the kimchi flavor was not as potent as the kimchi I have had.
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| picking sesame leaves from the garden |
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| Family Dinner |
After dinner we played a stick game and I won all three rounds! We then watched TV with the family and when to bed by 11:00 pm. The hike must have worned us out because we where the first to go to bead aka party poopers! The next morning we had breakfast, which consisted of soup, kimchi, rice, eggplant, fried squash. A little bit after breakfast we had some fresh watermelon. By 11:00 am we where getting ready to leave, but before we left we where given a watermelon soup. The soup was given in small glass bowls and had cubed watermelon, ice cubes, and water that was slightly sweeten by some liquid and powdered stuff I could see by the pot the soup came out of. The dance teacher’s mother gave me steamed corn and a box of cookies for the road before I left.
This experience left me feeling relaxed and calm it was such a nice break from Pyeongteak. I am so fortunate to have taken part in such a special experience of being taken in by a Korean family who was so warm and kind.
Monday, August 1, 2011
I've Been Here 2 Months!
I have been living in South Korea for two months today. I am becoming comfortable with my life out here and have even been calling it home. I was thinking the other day how different my life was before. Prior to my move, my life was consumed with work and school, and I was a stress mess. Now whenever I encounter any stressful situations I feel more stress then I should because I am no longer accustomed to dealing with high levels of stress on a daily basis. I must say, my life for the last two months have gone by fairly quick and has been very relaxed, and my life prior to Korea almost seems like it happened in a different life time.
So I have only had a few situations, which has only been recently that have left me feeling frustrated. Last week I finally received my ARC card. Apparently I could have received my card on July 7th but I put my phone number on the mailing slip. I don't know why I did that fully knowing that I don't speak Korean, so they had called and sent me a few texts requesting I contact them so that they could deliver my package. In my defense I do receive a lot of spam texts and there was no way I would have been able to read the text, and for the phone calls well everyone who knows me knows that I am not the best at picking up the phone, also there is no voicemail, and how the heck would they been able to talk to me.
Anyways, like I said, I got my ARC card, which meant I could finally get internet. After I got my new bank account, my new co-teacher called the internet company and provided all my information and everything seemed like a go until they found out I didn't have a subscription cell phone (it's pre-paid) and said that they could not identify me without my cell phone. Then what the heck is my ARC card for! My co-teacher called several other companies but they all said the same. After school, my co-teacher and I went to the internet/cell phone store and they check my ID/ARC card and they informed me I could get internet for $200 in addition to the $30 monthly payment! I asked how much there phones where, and they said that it was $100 dollars for a phone, $30 for installation, and $12 a month for service. When I asked if they had anything cheaper for a phone the salesperson just gave me a blank stare. I really don't want a new phone since I really don't use my phone now, and I pay $10 a month and that is for 40 outgoing minuets or 40 outgoing texts, which last me a month. After some hesitation, my co-teacher offered to put the internet under his name, so thats how now I got Internet. By the way, I couldn't get WiFi because that would require a 3 year contract!
The most frustrating thing was that I had to depend on someone to do all this for me, and because of the language barrier I am not sure if I understood everything because it just seems so ridicules. My plan is to look for a new phone and transfer the internet under my name because I just feel comfortable with it being under my co-teachers name. But again I will need his help to get all this accomplished.
School has been great, and I am defiantly getting better at teaching by developing new skills. I am now teaching summer camp and I have 2 more weeks left. Here is a short video I made today of my school.
So I have only had a few situations, which has only been recently that have left me feeling frustrated. Last week I finally received my ARC card. Apparently I could have received my card on July 7th but I put my phone number on the mailing slip. I don't know why I did that fully knowing that I don't speak Korean, so they had called and sent me a few texts requesting I contact them so that they could deliver my package. In my defense I do receive a lot of spam texts and there was no way I would have been able to read the text, and for the phone calls well everyone who knows me knows that I am not the best at picking up the phone, also there is no voicemail, and how the heck would they been able to talk to me.
Anyways, like I said, I got my ARC card, which meant I could finally get internet. After I got my new bank account, my new co-teacher called the internet company and provided all my information and everything seemed like a go until they found out I didn't have a subscription cell phone (it's pre-paid) and said that they could not identify me without my cell phone. Then what the heck is my ARC card for! My co-teacher called several other companies but they all said the same. After school, my co-teacher and I went to the internet/cell phone store and they check my ID/ARC card and they informed me I could get internet for $200 in addition to the $30 monthly payment! I asked how much there phones where, and they said that it was $100 dollars for a phone, $30 for installation, and $12 a month for service. When I asked if they had anything cheaper for a phone the salesperson just gave me a blank stare. I really don't want a new phone since I really don't use my phone now, and I pay $10 a month and that is for 40 outgoing minuets or 40 outgoing texts, which last me a month. After some hesitation, my co-teacher offered to put the internet under his name, so thats how now I got Internet. By the way, I couldn't get WiFi because that would require a 3 year contract!
The most frustrating thing was that I had to depend on someone to do all this for me, and because of the language barrier I am not sure if I understood everything because it just seems so ridicules. My plan is to look for a new phone and transfer the internet under my name because I just feel comfortable with it being under my co-teachers name. But again I will need his help to get all this accomplished.
School has been great, and I am defiantly getting better at teaching by developing new skills. I am now teaching summer camp and I have 2 more weeks left. Here is a short video I made today of my school.
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