Tales from Thailand- Part one- The Islands

Last week I took my week vacation and went to Thailand to escape the cold Korea winter and get some much needed rest and rejuvenation. I have not had anything more than a 4 day weekend in the past 7 months so this week off was such a treat.



Friday night after work I pulled an allnighter. I had to catch the bus at 5 am to go to the airport, so I decided it was not worth it to try to sleep. I had a 7 hour flight to Malaysia a 6 hours layover ( not so much fun) and then a 2 hour flight to Phuket in the south of Thailand. Once I arrived in Phuket I took a cab to my hotel and grabbed some dinner. I’m obsessed with pad-thai, so of course that’s what I had for dinner.




The next morning I got up and took the first ferry of the day to Phi Phi Island. This island was made famous by the Leo DiCaprio movie, The Beach and also was one of the hardest hit islands in the tsunami. You would never be able to tell that it was hit because of how well they have rebuilt.

The ferry ride was breathtaking. I sat at the back of the boat and took in the view. Check out the wild dolphins I shot surfing behind the ferry.








When I arrived at Phi Phi I meet up with Jen and Kate. I worked with both of them for the past 6 months. Now they are finished working in Korea and they traveling in SE Asia. I was so happy to get to hang out with them.

Day one was spent at the beach and in the pool. Going to college in Florida I fell in love with the beach and I have missed it so much. I was so happy to get to spend some time in the sun.

Oh- and get this- we stayed in a TREE HOUSE! ligit- right? It was the dream . I could not picture anything better.







We ate lots of wonderful Thai and western food. I had a least 1 fruit smoothie a day (usually it ended up being 2) =). I ate more fruit in 5 days than I have in the past 6 months all together. And every night I had a different fruity- beachy- cocktail. My belly was very happy.









One day we took a half day snorkeling trip (btw it was less than 10$). We went to monkey beach, stopped for a swim, snorkeled, played at a beach, and just enjoyed island life.







We also went SCUBA diving one day. By far one of the coolest things I have done ever. The experience was like a dream. It was so peaceful along the reef. The fish, creatures and the coral were so beautiful. Everything was so colorful and bright. We even saw 3 SEA TURTLES. They came right up to us, I could have kissed him if I wanted =) I was hooked right away. Now I need to get certified =)




At night we went to the beach bars and watched the fire shows. It was so cool to meet people who are traveling. Most young people we meet were not just on vacation, most were traveling for 3-6 months! So cool- no idea how they get the money to travel for so long, but it was just really exciting to hear their stories of their adventures. They really inspired me to travel SE Asia- that will probably have to wait until the summer after my first year of teaching in the states. But regardless, I’m going to do it.






My 5 days in the south were amazing. Just what I needed at this point in my contract. After my time at the beach I hopped on a plane to Bangkok to see my brother and sister-in-law. I’ll make that a separate post in a few days =)

I miss...

I miss

My momma
My baby brother
Basically my whole family
My wonderful friends from Orlando that became more like family
Lazy weekends cuddling my dog on the couch watching the BIG TV
Lazy days on the beach in the Florida sunshine
Driving- jamin out when I’m alone in my car
Living with roommates
Sunday mornings playing with babies at FUMC Winter Park
Naps at the reflection pond
My kitchen- mostly my oven
BAKING
Being able to converse with the locals
Summit at 6pm on Sundays
Bonfires
Stargazing
Cowboys
Cigar nights
Cooking amazing dinners with my friends
Pool time
Running outside
BBQ
Walking around Winter Park
Being 45 mins away from my Dad’s
Trips to Disney

That being said, living over here in S. Korea is really hard but I have so much to be thankful for here, like....

Coworkers that have become wonderful friends
A great job and the kids I get to teach/watch grow up everyday
New Harvest and the fabulous people I have gotten to know there
My SG at NHM
Time in the morning to hangout
Living in a country covered in mountains
Getting in 5 days of skiing this winter
Seeing the seasons change
Hannah (Phi Lamb sister) being here with me
Grand Ol’ Opera where I can get my line dance fix
Delicious Korean food every day
8 days of VACATION in Thailand next week
The Mountain in my backyard


I’m at 6 months now. This is the longest I have ever been away from my family. Before coming here I told my self it would be easy. I spent 3 years overseas as a kid when I lived in France as little girl, but that was different, my whole family was with me. I never really remember having the desire to go back to the states, but I was only 7 when I arrived and I feel like kids are super adaptable.

I miss so much about home but the past 6 months have been so wonderful. I know I will be talking about “that time I lived in Korea” for the rest of my life. I’m so thankful I made the choice to come here and life this exciting life. I has been worth every little thing I have gone without.

I'm so thankful I get to live this cool life =)

Vacation- All I Ever Wanted

Hello World!

Here is a LONG over due blog about my Lunar New Year Holiday.

For 4 years in college EVERY weekend was a 4 day weekend.

Nice life- right?

Well now I have a big girl job and I live in a country/ work in an industry that does not value vacation time. I have not had a day off since September- not even for Christmas. So when I saw that we got Monday and Tuesday off for Lunar New Year I knew I wanted to get away from the city and have a good time for 4 days.

So 5 coworkers and I headed to Phoenix Park for 2 days of skiing and snowboarding. I have been on skis since the first grade and if you know anything about me you know I LOVE skiing oh so much, but I decided I needed to branch out and try something new- so on Saturday I gave snowboarding a go.




After I strapped my board on for the fist time I was sure I would never be able to stand up- but sure enough I was successful. In college I had a long board skateboard and I would go skate the ramps in the parking garages. I had experience on a board carving, and that was really helpful. I still fell A LOT, but I was very surprised with my self that I was able to make it down the mountain on green and a little bit of blue hills. My last 2 runs were fall free =) I was very happy with myself, but this girl is a skier. So I traded in my board for skis the next day.



Skiing the next day was great. It snowed during the day so we had nice powder to ski on. I was not very fast on the snowboard, so it was nice to get some speed on my skis and get off the bunny hill and on to the black diamonds. We skied from 8:30- 4:30 with only a short break for lunch.






We were really tired and VERY SORE at the end of the night so we went to the spa and soaked in the hot tubs for a while. We had a great western dinner- PASTA- oh how I had missed going out for pasta. It was a perfect day.





Monday morning we headed to Hwacheon for the ice fishing festival. Sounds lame, I know, but it might have actually been the highlight. We started by doing the traditional ice fishing. and then we did barehand fishing. We put on shorts and t-shirts and jumped in ICE cold water and tried to catch fish with our bare hands. It was the coldest thing I might ever experience. It was SO cold. I was trying really hard to catch fish, but it got to the point where I could not move my hands so I got out.


I will NEVER forget this experience, that’s for sure.




We cooked the fish we caught- 23 of them and devoured them all.

We ended our time at the festival with some ice sledding =)



We drove into the mountains to get to our pension were we spent our last night. It was in the boonies. I really did not think Korea had such a thing, but it was a wonderful change of pace. I know for a fact that I more of a country girl than I am a city girl.

We had a wonderful bbq dinner and a BONFIRE. I love bonfires and miss them so much- so this was a real treat. We hung out for a long time and the group dwindled down to about 15 of us. One of the Irish guys really wanted everyone to sing their country's national anthems. It was so cool. I love that I get to live my life with people from all over the world.

The last morning Reuel and I were brave and went on the most intense hike ever. basically there was no path, and a good part of the hike we spent sliding down the hill, on our butts. I was wearing ugg-like boots mind you- yeah- I know bad idea. We made it though =)






We headed to an ice sculpture festival right after the hike. It was really cool- and they had bunnies that you could catch and play with- so fun =)






It was soooooo nice to have a little vacation after nearly 5 months of working 40 hours a week w/o a break. I was so tired and sore from all the activity- but my soul was refreshed.

I can’t believe this semester is almost over- only 3 weeks left! I feel like it just started- In 2 weeks we will will be meeting our 4 new teachers that will be replacing the 4 who are finishing their contracts at the end of the month. We have not gotten any new teachers since I got here- so I don't really know how to deal with this change. The foreign teachers now all have a really good relationship. We hang out often and get along really well. I’m gonna miss the old teachers, and I hope the new teachers are cool ;)

A day in the life of an Academy Teacher in Korea

Teaching at an academy in Korea is different for any other job. It is a teaching job, but so much different than a teaching job in the states.

Right now it is winter vacation for the students. Normally they go to school and then come to the academy after school. This means our hours are usually 1:30- 9:30. But because they dont go to their public schools they come earlier and we offer extra intensive courses. So here is what my day is like Monday through Friday.

7:30- Wake up and head to the gym. I joined the community gym in my neighborhood and it’s about a 3 minute walk from my apt. I usually run on the treadmill and watch CNN (one of the few English channels). Knowing that I get to watch TV gets me there. I don't have cable, so it’s a real treat =)

9:00- Get home from the gym. Shower and get ready for work. I usually have a slice of toast with cheese and an egg for breakfast before running out the door to get to work on time.

9:50- leave for work- I’m so lucky to live a 5 minute walk away.

10:00- Clock in using fingerprint. High-tech, I know =)

10:00- 10:45- Prep books for the day- maybe have a short meeting with the foreign teachers.

10:45-11:35- First class- Intermediate speaking level 3rd graders. 7 crazy boys and 1 sweet girl. I love them- we always laugh a lot in this class.

11:40-12:30- Second class- Beginner speaking level 2nd & 3rd graders. 12 crazy boys and 4 so smart girls. This is a hard class. It’s my biggest, there are some students with ADD and they just LOVE to talk...in Korean, because their English is not very good. But I love them and they are so cute.

12:35- 1:10- I have the same students from my second class for book club. We are reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory right now. This book is really hard for them. They are third graders and very low level- I think American 3rd graders would have a hard time with this book, but we read the book in class and watch clips from the movie. They really love the movie part =).

1:15- Lunch break- usually a few of us will go downstairs and grab lunch together. Normally I get

Bibimbop





Sushi

only 40 cents a piece- so good =)

Kimbop



Spicy Octopus


Mondu (dumplings)


The food here is good =) really good =)

2:30-3:30 Diary of a Wimpy Kid class. This is a special additional class I created for winter intensives. We read the book, watch movie clips, do activities, and the kids make their own journal. These kids don't get a lot of chances to do creative writing- so it been really fun for them to write their own stories.

3:45- 4:55 Last Class. This is a GA level class- Which is the second highest level at my school. These kids amaze me with how smart they are. Some of them have lived in the US or Canada, so I can talk to them like I would a native speaker. It’s a nice change of pace. Monday and Friday We do reading and writing and Wednesday we do Times For Kids. I really love reading through Time For Kids with them. These kids can school me on current events any day. They have opinions and can express them. They think about the world problems and we talk about what changes need to be made. Pretty impressive for 4th and 5th graders speaking their second language.

I have a break for the last hour. I get on the computer and put their grades and attendance into the system. Some times I run to the store if I need to pick up stuff for dinner. I sometimes just sit at my desk and read or catch up on blogs.

I clock out around 6:15 and head home. Sometimes the other teacher’s and I will go out for dinner. Every Friday we all go for Chicken BBQ- it’s so good, and I love that it’s our little tradition. When I get home I usually read, drink tea, watch movies, call home, have skype dates, and just relax.

I have a really wonderful life here. I miss home like crazy, but I’m so thankful that I’ve been given this opportunity to live here and teach these kids.

Joy to the WORLD!

I can’t believe it has already come and gone.

Christmas this year exceeded my expiation's by leaps and bounds.

I really pictured Christmas as being one of the most depressing times while I’m living in S. Korea, but it was anything but. And I am Oh- sooooo thankful for that.

We don’t get any days off for Christmas here. Basically the holiday is not that big of a deal.
But I work with some of the most wonderful people who helped bring the Christmas spirit.

We had a secret Santa on Thursday night at our head teacher’s apartment with the 10 of us foreign teachers. It was so fun and everyone got really thoughtful gifts for each other. I just really love these people. I love that we all get along and hang out. I love everyone’s personalities. So thankful for them.




I even tried to “bake”. They are no bake oreo truffles made with cream cheese, oreos, and white chocolate. They were a hit- thank you pintrest =)



Friday we did a secret Santa with the whole office- It was really fun and once again everyone got really great gifts- it was nice to give and get presents two days in a row =)

But the BEST part of Friday was when we walked out of work and it was snowing BUCKETS of snow. We all squealed like little kids and went out and took pictures in the snow. After our traditional Friday night chicken BBQ we went to the Christmas party at the neighborhood bar where a lot of foreigners hangout There were SOOOO many foreigners there. I really did not realized how many “waygooks”, as the Koreans say, live in my neighborhood. It was really fun- but I headed home early- because I had to get up at 6:00 Saturday to go skiing!!!

So two girls I work with, Reuel and Jen, and I got up early Saturday and went to the bus terminal in Seoul to catch the bus to Phoenix Park. After a nap during the 3 hour bus ride we picked up our rentals and hit the slopes.



It was so beautiful- I could not get over the views. It was mountains as far as the eye could see covered with fresh snow. The beginner hills were busy- so we mostly stayed on blues and blacks where we had the place to ourselves. It was a great resort with lots of fun runs. and the COOLEST part- the 2018 Winter Olympics will be held there. We skied the same slopes where they will hold Olympic races. So cool.









We spent the evening of Christmas Eve at the spa and water park. Rough life I know ;) It was perfect- we were cold and sore for a long day on the slopes so a few hours soaking in hot tubs was wonderful.

On our way back to our room we bought some fun snacks- like a bottle of Muscato, chocolate, crackers, cheese, chips- all the fixing for a Christmas eve feast =) We watched Elf and exchanged small gifts. It was not the Christmas Eve I’m use to- but it was wonderful.



Christmas morning was spent on the slopes. It was EMPTY- this was a shocker. I pictured it being packed- but we had the place to ourselves. It was FREEZING but we sucked it up and enjoyed every second. I have never skied on Christmas day until now. And also now I have skied on 3 continents- pretty cool =)



That afternoon we took the bus back to Seoul and headed home to have our Christmas dinner with some of the girls who live in our neighborhood. One of the Irish girls works at a preschool and was able to use the oven- this is a big deal! Everyone worked really hard to make the meal wonderful. We had shrimp and smoked salmon for starters, chicken, 2 types of potatoes, so many veggies, wine, the list goes on and on.







It was such a lovely dinner. I’m so blessed to have such wonderful community here. I’m so thankful for the people I get to live my life with here.

After dinner I went home and skyped with my mom. We opened eachother’s presents. It was so fun. I got my mom a lot of cloths and she really liked everything I got her =) I was very happy to open my gifts from her. She sent me a lot of great goodies that I can never get here like sparkly Toms and PINK brand undies. She is wonderful and I just love her so much!





Then I was skyped into Christmas tree time at my Dad’s. It was fun to see my brothers open their gifts and I really loved seeing them get their gifts from me. It might sound silly, but I really felt like I was there. I love and miss them so much! I can’t wait to go home and give them the biggest hugs of their lives!

Christmas was so wonderful and not depressing at all. I’m oh so thankful for this. I have so much to be thankful for and I have been given so many gifts in this past year =)

Koreans don’t believe in vacation, so we were back to work Monday- but that’s ok =)

Happy Birthday Jesus!

enjoy this video of some of my very shy students singing =)