2013 is Lookin' Good

Last year at this time, I was on the Pacific Coast of Guatemala, soaking in the sun on the black sand, mite infested beaches, of a surfing bungalow about 45 minutes away from El Salvador.  Despite the bugs, it was an absolute paradise.  The beachfront was abandoned for miles, as no monstrous hotels, resorts, or restaurants had decided to make camp yet.  You could walk along the water for maybe 2 miles without seeing another human being.  It was incredibly peaceful.  At night, everyone at the bungalow came together for family dinner.  We sat around a large, wooden table with benches, and made conversation with people from Europe, South America, the States, and Asia.  The beauty of traveling is meeting people from virtually everywhere.  I remember one woman from Germany was working her way around the world for one year.  She told me that she had been saving money for 10 years to make this trip happen.  She also said that her travels had been so inspiring that it would not be unlikely if she just kept on traveling when her year was up.  I liked her.

However, despite the lovely people and the warm ocean water, the best part of this stay was hands-down, the shower.  The bathroom was an open-air, stone wall enclosed space with beautiful plants and sunshine.  Nothing but cold water ran from either the sink or the shower head, but you really couldn't tell in the 90 degree, 90% humidity that floated through the air, day and night.  The cold water brought a feeling of cleanliness and relaxation that every shower should.  The best showers of my life (so far) happened there.


Although showers like this do not frequent the homes in Minnesota, they most definitely do not exist in Korea.  Instead of feeling sunshine and relaxation, my showers in Korea are always a bit unpleasant.  Maybe it's because 1) there isn't a shower (I basically wash my hair in the sink) 2) the bathroom retains no heat so my feet freeze to the floor when I go in there in the morning 3) sometimes the hot water works and sometimes it just doesn't feel like it 4) sometimes the hot water pipes freeze for 3 days (so, if you want to shower, you actually have to trek through the snow to your friend's house to get clean).  I know you are all really jealous of me right now!  So, apologies for bragging my shower privileges all over this blog :)

But, moral of the story is, thank goodness for the sauna!  The saunas in Korea are pretty popular.  Not only are there steamy hot rooms where you can melt away your troubles, but they are jam packed with pools of water, from icy cold to burning hot.  You basically spend your time rotating between the pools, letting your pores breathe or whatever.  It's 6,000 won to get in, but you leave feeling like a brand new baby, swaddled in the warmest blanket you can imagine.  I think my soul is actually warm and smiling when I leave.  In fact, it makes the average person so happy, that you barely notice all the naked Korean women (mostly older) either sitting in the pool with you or scrubbing down in the showers across from the pools (only awkward if you make it awkward...right??).

In the last month, winter has hit Korea with a bang, probably not unlike the Midwest.  Besides my rants about how freezing I am all the time, there are some definite perks to the winter season.  First, I went skiing for the first time in December at one of the nearby resorts called Hi 1 in Gosan.  The place was jam packed with people wearing ridiculous neon snow outfits, but with more than 50 runs, most were distributed pretty evenly among the slopes.

The end of December also ended the 2012 school year.  It felt good knowing I had survived the last 4 months, despite having no clue what I was doing.  I have been blessed with a good school, most-of-the-time awesome students, and a wonderful support system of foreign teachers in Taebaek.  We are so awesome in fact, that upon the suggestion of taking a professional Christmas photo of the group, we all agreed.

There is now a large, gaudy framed copy of this picture above my kitchen table.  How could I resist?  

We just look too good.  For all occasions really.  Here's Thanksgiving.

Other happenings in the past month and a half included a visit from my sisters!  They arrived on December 22nd and left January 4th.  The first 4 days were spent in Taebaek, celebrating Christmas and showing them around my school and the city.  We then headed to Seoul, exploring palaces, eating Korean food, shopping, and hanging out in cat cafes (Yes, that is real.  You drink coffee and pet cats.).  We also spent 5 days on Jeju-do Island, the southern-most part of Korea, and an hour flight from Seoul.  Jeju is very beautiful and green.  It's probably best to visit during any other time of the year, when it would be more enjoyable spending time hiking and doing the nature-y things the island has to offer.  We made it happen though, and had a good time.  Here are a few pictures from our time together.

On Christmas, we gathered together and had a gift exchange.  Colleen got pretty lucky...

Who wouldn't want a Hi Panda sweatshirt?!  With a tongue!

Above: Hiking to the pagoda in Taebaek.

Below: Trying Bibimbap for the first time.  Despite their smiles, they didn't really like it.

 Yakcheonsa Temple in Jeju

 Jeongbang Waterfall in Jeju

 Just eating some potatoes.

Local women's drumming group at the Seongsan Illchulbong Sunrise Festival. 

 Starting to watch the sunrise at Seongsan Illchulbong in Jeju.  For many Koreans it is very important to see the sunrise on New Year's Day in order to have good luck and happiness in the coming year.  This is the first place the sunlight hits Korea in the morning.  We were lucky to be there.

 The sun is starting to rise...

A view of Seongsan Illchulbong from a nearby beach.

 While doing a maze in Jeju, we found this sign in the middle of it...

 

Our last night in Seoul, eating some dakgalbi. 

(chicken fried in a chili paste with vegetables and rice)

The next two months will be pretty slow at school, as I don't have any classes.  Kids are on winter vacation, but I still have to show up everyday :)  Yes, there is lesson planning, but there is also a lot of time for reading, thinking about next year, giving French lessons to a lovely co-worker of mine, and planning my upcoming trip to Indonesia.  I'm headed to Java and Bali on February 12th and will be there for almost 2 weeks.  My friend Myah from home will be meeting me there.  I CAN'T WAIT!

With so much down time, I promise more posts about my un-adventures in the coming weeks!

I hope your New Year is off to a good start and you know I am thinking about you all the way from Taebaek, South Korea.

2013 is going to bring great things :)

Peace out amigos.