tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61643293784982438922024-02-07T04:56:12.774-05:00The Happy TravelerLife with insatiable wanderlust. Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144130336667577490noreply@blogger.comBlogger107125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164329378498243892.post-11477956826951500802015-03-11T23:08:00.000-04:002015-03-11T23:08:25.324-04:00A Little Career ChangeA few of you now know that I've decided to make a bit of a move in my working life. The last time I quit a job on this continent was to move to the other side of the world; that's not happening this time around and probably to the delight of my family.<br />
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I was in the United States for a visit from Korea exactly 2 years ago. While I was here, I did a little bit of a job search around Nashville just to get an idea of the kinds of jobs that could be available when Al and I moved back a year later. I ran across a posting for an International Student Advisor for ELS Education Services at Middle Tennessee State University. It sounded right up my alley but of course I couldn't apply because I had a one-way ticket back to Korea for another year. I bookmarked it and forgot about it.<br />
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Once we moved back last May and I was on a very serious job search, I pulled up that bookmark to see if it was open; it wasn't. I vowed to keep an eye on it.<br />
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If you aren't familiar with what I do currently, I work in wholesale group travel. I'm the travel agent's travel agent. Say you go to a travel agent for your destination wedding, that travel agent calls me to get wholesale rates and book with me. I then do every single thing for that agent at their beck and call. And I mean "call" literally. I sit and stare at a computer screen and answer phones <i>all day long.</i> And groups are a different ballgame all together. They are always changing. A file could sit on my desk for a year with the agent calling twice a week the entire year changing dates, adding rooms, reducing rooms, "Mr. Smith wants the Ocean View now". I don't just change those wham bam in a system either. Every single change requires contacting the hotel or airline and waiting on responses and <i>then</i> updating systems and invoices and a myriad of other things. Now multiply that file many times over. Right now I have about 20 files like that. The other part of my job is Sales. It's technically a sales position, only I'm selling fun stuff like travel. Part (or most) of a sales job is meeting numbers. So on top of all the daily, endless, tiresome, maintenance that comes with my files, I have to meet sales targets. It's a bit stressful.<br />
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If you know me at all, you might've guessed this doesn't exactly sound like "me". The travel industry itself, sure, but I'm more of a people person, not a stare-at-a-computer person. Honestly, I LOVE the travel industry. I love being in it, I love everything about it. I love my company, it's a riot. But I just got to a point to where I couldn't picture myself in this role long term. I feel like I would kill it as a regular agent, actually meeting with the travellers and booking their trips, but wholesale is just very hard and quite frankly, ungratifying to me. I'm sure there are tons of people who love to watch their sales numbers rise and it seriously turns their crank to hit targets and all that, but I don't think I'm one of them. I want to actually help people and be involved. Which finally brings me to my new job...<br />
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I've been keeping a much closer eye on this International Student Advisor position within the last few months, checking it periodically. Two weekends ago, I checked as I normally do not expecting it to be open and <i>there it was. </i>I knew I had to apply and I did. I got an immediate interview and an offer within the week. I am so excited!!<br />
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My last day with GOGO is next week and I start at ELS the week after. I can't express how excited I am to make this move into a position where I feel like I'll matter and be a help to someone. I will be helping the students with their housing, directing them to lawyers and doctors, planning events and mixers to get them interacting with the American students and even accompanying them on occasional trips to nearby cities. Did I mentioned I'm excited? I'm scared to death too, but only because it's new and unknown, just like like with anything.<br />
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I'm really sad to be leaving the travel business, but not sad to be leaving my actual position. I've thought about signing up with an agency and doing travel part time once I get settled in here. I like the perks that come along with being an agent and it's really hard to give up. Not to mention my convention in Cancun next month. Bummer.<br />
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That was quite a long drawn out update on my life, but I haven't written on here in so long I got carried away. My bad!<br />
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<br />Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144130336667577490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164329378498243892.post-88436903529732423882014-11-22T00:10:00.001-05:002016-12-02T17:03:05.965-05:00Dominican Republic, I'm Not SoldI wish you all knew how exciting this is to write another post. After many, many years of traveling and writing, putting my blog on hiatus was really difficult. The right decision, obviously, considering I'm not traveling or living overseas anymore, but a bummer nonetheless.<br />
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This past weekend, my company hosted our conference in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. I had many reactions to the news of the location, including but not limited to: "Warm weather!" "But I don't care about the Caribbean!" "New stamp in my passport!" "But I don't care about the Caribbean!" "I don't have to pay a dime for this!" <i>"But I don't care about the Caribbean!"</i><br />
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My idea of a good vacation is vastly different than 90% of the average American. To say that I think (thought?) the Caribbean is a little "common" might sound a bit snobbish, but that's definitely not how I mean it. It's just not my cup of tea. Going to a brand new country and staying within the walls of a colossal all-inclusive isn't exactly how I'd like to spend a week. I'm not saying it's not fun; on the contrary, it's very fun. Just not what I want to spend my money on. I sell the Caribbean. That's my job. My job is to sell an area that I've seen very, very little of and frankly don't have much interest in. But after this trip, I realized there's so much more to these places than just massive resorts.<br />
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Our trip started as many do, awake and bleary eyed at 3:30am to catch that sunrise flight. My coworker Nikki and I were flying together, along with two others from the Individual Reservations office next door. We connected in ATL and from there it was a short 3 1/2 hours to the tropics as I, for what seems like the thousandth time, left US soil (and thankfully the frigid temperatures) behind.<br />
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Our plane pulled up to a thatched-roof terminal and swaying palms. Soon I was trading my boots for flip flops, exiting to the balmy heat and en route to the Melia Caribe Tropical Resort. I love the feeling of laying my eyes on new landscape. The Dominican Republic was spread out before me...and I mean literally spread out as Punta Cana is really flat. What I noticed and thought was really interesting was that it looked a lot India or Malaysia or Thailand. Perhaps all tropical developing nations look similar: lush greenery, hazy air, barefoot children, unfinished infrastructure, straw roofs, unpaved roads and crumbling, shack restaurants with plastic chairs. The smell was a little different here, however. That smell when getting off the plane in Kuala Lumpur can't be beat!<br />
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The energy in our transfer van (with Olympus Tours, our ground operator. I gotta plug 'em because they are truly incredible) was palpable. We're off work! We're in hot weather! Look, a palm tree! Who cares if this is a conference, we're in the Dominican Republic!!<br />
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At first look, the Melia Caribe isn't too bad. The entrance is beautiful with the dark woods and earth tones. But, unfortunately after not much time, we realized that the hotel isn't all that great. It's so enormous, the staff has to lug guests around on golf carts or they have two trains that also take you where you need to go. No, thanks. Our room wasn't fantastic either. It needs a face lift (which it's getting very soon. All the Jr. Suites are getting a much needed overhaul). Nikki and I checked in and went to our room (on a golf cart of course), put our bathing suits on and nearly sprinted to the pool bar. Seeing as how this was technically a work trip, our free time was somewhat limited so we were going to savor every minute we could. We hopped in the pool with our margaritas and pina coladas and took it all in while we watched the clock tick by until we had to be in a boring meeting room.<br />
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The first evening we just had a fast meeting type welcome, then a company beach dinner and then an after party at the pool. If there was ever a company to embrace the "work hard, play hard" motto, it's GOGO. It's basically a company of travelling alcoholics. (and I mean that in the best way possible)<br />
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On our first full day we were stuck in a meeting room from 9-4. Booooooriiiing. But they did give us weird melon snacks decorated as such...<br />
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This first day was one of the highlights of the trip (no, definitely not the conference part). Before we all came down, they told us to bring school supplies to donate to the local communities. Little did I know we got to go deliver them ourselves! They took a few different groups to separate areas to visit the children. Our group visited a nearby school in one of the commonly destitute areas a few miles away from the main resorts . This wasn't my first rodeo experiencing places like this. I've seen my fair share of the squalor that some parts of the world call home and this was no different. Each time it's just as sad, it's just as unfair, it's just as humbling.<br />
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They sang songs, took some on tours of the very tiny school and laughed and played with us as if we were old family. I used a lot of my fundamental Spanish that I still managed to hang on to from college and the kids seemed to really enjoy that I could have even the most basic conversation with them. There was a lot of <i>como se llama? </i>and <i>cuantos anos tienes? </i>(what is your name and how old are you). But they would answer and they asked how old I was (<i>veinte y ocho!) </i>and a few kids had brothers and sisters there and would introduce me (<i>hermano/hermana</i>). See. Basic. But it seemed to entertain them. I've seen a lot of poverty-stricken villages in many countries but I've never been able to interact with the locals on this level, especially kids! It was remarkable to see how happy they were to see us and play with us when I was nearly close to tears the entire time. I wanted to kidnap all of them.</div>
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After we all decompressed on the bus ride back, we had yet another pre-arranged dinner scheduled at the next door resort, the Paradisus Palma Real, which is fancy shmancy and SO much better than the one we were staying at. I would recommend it way over the Melia! </div>
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The next day was a lot of trudging through the unforgiving heat from hotel to hotel for site inspections. Don't get me wrong, I was pretty happy to see some of those resorts because I sell them all the time, but would I have rather been at the beach? Of course. (Tip: Don't stay the Be Live)</div>
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Once we were back and done with the inspections at 4:00, we were completely free until we had to go to the airport the next afternoon. I ran straight to the room for my bathing suit and beelined for the beach. The water here is just meh. It's kind of a nice color of the sun hits it just right, but it's milky turquoise and quite a bit seaweedy. Not too impressed with the water. I did love all the palms that fringe the coastline, however. And these are like 40 feet tall Fiji-style palms too, none of that Florida palms nonsense.</div>
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I met some friends back at the pool once the sun went down and we decided to eat at the fancy adults only restaurant that night. A lot of other people had actually already left because they were extending their stay and went to other hotels, so maybe only 10 of us went to eat and the VP joined us because that's the kind of guy he is. </div>
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Our transfer to the airport was picking us up at 11:30AM, so I wanted to wake up early and actually enjoy my day. A few others kept the night going but, being lame and wanting to not be miserable the next day, I went on to bed. I got a glorious 8 hours of sleep and therefore was refreshed and ready to hit the sand at 8am. Nikki, however, met me out there about 9:30. We had a nice swim in the ocean then had some breakfast (which was not spectacular) and went back to play on the beach for just a little bit longer. About the time we should have actually been checking out, we unwillingly made our way back to the room to pack up our last little bit and go to the lobby. Boo. Trip over. What's crazy is that I quote and book groups for just 3 nights ALL the time. That's how long I was there and it's so not worth going all the way down there for such a short amount of time, those people are crazy. </div>
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Overall, as a country, it was just alright. I don't know if I've seen enough of it to be making a fair judgement, but I don't think I'd go back. I just wasn't that impressed with the things I need to be impressed by in order to want to return. The beaches aren't great and the scenery is nothing memorable. Perhaps I wasn't on a great beach, I'm not sure, but if I have turquoise water, I want it pool-clear and seaweed-free, which it most certainly was not. If you've had a better experience in the DR, please let me know and sell me on it, because DR, I'm not sold on you! I'm a bit more open to seeing more of the Caribbean, but I'm still not big on resorts. I'd rather visit a cute bungalow in Bonaire or some hut in the Exumas if I'm doing the Caribbean. But Dominican Republic? Been there, done that. </div>
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(But it was free, so who's complaining!??!) </div>
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Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144130336667577490noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164329378498243892.post-20356647943374232902014-06-23T23:42:00.001-04:002014-06-24T18:00:02.208-04:00Thanks For Reading Through the YearsIt's come a time to put this blog on indefinite hiatus. It wasn't that hard of a decision; it's a travel/life abroad blog and I am no longer traveling nor living abroad. I won't be bringing frequent updates on my exotic (ha) Asian life, however when I <i>do</i> travel, I will write a post. I love writing and I love this blog, I just have the same life as every other American now and truly nothing worthy of writing about is going on at the moment. No crazy Korean children, no fireworks festivals, no trips to Seoul.<br />
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Sure, I'd like to be writing about my new job and first days there and I'll be going to training in NJ for two weeks then to DC for the company USA Ball all next month...but that's a different blog entirely. I made this blog for travel, so travel is shall remain (however infrequent). </div>
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Thank you guys for sticking with me and reading my posts over the past four years. You're the reason I have over 14,000 views. That's not much when you think about how long I've had this thing going, but it's a lot to me and I've gotten excited over each and every hit. If there are any last things to say for a while, it's that you, YOU reading this, get out there! Go! Travel! Adventure! On your deathbed, you will never regret taking that trip to Argentina or Paris or Bali, but you may perhaps regret <i>not</i> taking it. Don't live on the "someday"!</div>
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I love all of you. Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading this blog. </div>
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xxxx</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Vik, Iceland</span></td></tr>
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Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144130336667577490noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164329378498243892.post-79953617000008423082014-06-09T00:36:00.003-04:002014-06-09T00:36:48.947-04:00The Planet of IcelandIt seems impossible that Iceland is a part of Earth. Just for some quick information, Iceland is one of the most geologically active countries on the planet with hundreds of volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. This very aesthetically strange country boasts many geysers, waterfalls, geothermal pools and glaciers...and some can seen from the main road! There aren't many people; only about 300,000 in the entire country. Because of it's geological activity, the landscape is rough and wild giving it a kind of Mars-like appearance.<br />
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We arrived to cloudy and cold, much of what I was expecting, even in May. I think the high temperatures in the middle of summer only reach about 60 degrees. The highest temperature ever recorded in the capital is only 79 degrees! It was in the 40s during our stay, so not <i>too</i> bad. The bus from the airport into Reykjavik (RAKE-ya-vik) takes about 30 minutes of driving through nothing but lava fields. (Fun fact: Reykjavik is the Northernmost capital in the world.) My first thought looking out those bus windows: <i>I'm not on Earth. </i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flying in. Nothingness</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving the airport</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vast lava fields with a road through them</td></tr>
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We only had a few days there, but had a plan in place. We were spending the first afternoon we arrived and the following full day and night in Reykjavik and then renting a car and driving the Southern co<span style="font-family: inherit;">ast to </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16.1200008392334px;">Jokülsárlón for one night before driving back to Reykjavik to catch our flight out. We checked into our guesthouse and then went to explore the city. Iceland is expensive!!! Beautiful, but by far the most expensive place I've ever visited. For example, a plate of pasta at a restaurant was about $30, a cheeseburger was about $20, fish and other local foods ran about $30-40, a can of pop was $3-4, a bag of chips or other snacks was $6 or so. The place we stayed was really nice but just a guesthouse and it was one of the cheapest rooms in the city at about $110 a night...and that's without a private bathroom! Only shared. </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 16.1200008392334px;">We walked downtown and explored a bit, popping in and out of shops until things started closing down. It was still pretty bright out and the sun had clearly not set yet, so I was confused on why things closed so early...until I looked at the time and it was 9:30pm. I looked at the sky. I looked at the time. I looked at the sky. <i>Whoa. Cool. </i>It didn't get truly dark and black outside until around 11pm! Iceland sits just below the Arctic Circle, so it enjoys 24 hour days in the summer and it's pitch black all winter. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 16.1200008392334px;">Reykjavik is full of colorful houses and rooftops all sitting on the ocean with snow-capped peaks behind it. Perfectly picturesque. (But so are the people, Icelanders are gorgeous!)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Try and pronounce the street names. Icelandic is nearly impossible. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They have to stay warm somehow</td></tr>
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The second day we had a full day, so we went to the world-famous Blue Lagoon. If you've ever seen any travel pictures of a milky blue pond surrounded by rocks, that's what it is.<br />
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The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal pool. As pretty as it looks, the story of how it got there isn't as pretty since it's actually man-made. Most everyone in Iceland uses geothermal power and in the 1970s a geothermal power plant was built right in the middle of, what else, a lava field. Water run off from the plant formed a huge pool rich in minerals like silica and the lava flow under the ground heats it to around 100 degrees. People started bathing in the water saying it did wonders for their skin and <i>voila</i>, a spa was born. They use the minerals in the water to make all kinds of (expensive) skin products and while bathing in it, you can slather your face and body with the white silica mud found in it. So basically everyone is swimming around in this lava-heated lagoon covered in white paste. It's a good time. I have to say, the mud did make my face feel nice, it's quite an exfoliate. We paid a little extra for a more premium package instead of the just the entrance fee and got bathrobes, towels, free face products and a free drink from the Caribbean-style swim-up bar in the lagoon. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the viewpoint</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Surroundings. Mars?</td></tr>
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We spent most of the afternoon at the Lagoon, then we went back into the city to spend the evening and found a cool Viking boat metal sculpture. </div>
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The next morning, we picked up our rental and got on Highway 1, the "ring road" around Iceland. Iceland is very, very sparse and so there is basically one road around the entire island. I'm going to go back one day and do the entire loop for sure. We were driving all day due East and stopping at all the sites along the way until we reached <span style="line-height: 16.1200008392334px;">Jokülsárlón, the glacier/iceberg lagoon. Along the drive we saw waterfalls...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrvN5ZSBxHv19ZAejyPvXeU8Ti8vIJ9YCXoc4b_4V4-pSoAeyKXUqNHUd75vLO8XrEV-145NcoM4n2rO0YLqFSa0BHjEIIIL8l7HYhA8_nIB7-j-AiDOR5_ekwrAsd6pPSPYlmSpP1Ds0/s1600/P1050823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrvN5ZSBxHv19ZAejyPvXeU8Ti8vIJ9YCXoc4b_4V4-pSoAeyKXUqNHUd75vLO8XrEV-145NcoM4n2rO0YLqFSa0BHjEIIIL8l7HYhA8_nIB7-j-AiDOR5_ekwrAsd6pPSPYlmSpP1Ds0/s1600/P1050823.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSBkMALcjJJxVjlmF7WWfq9Oj63uozAqGwi_xsUa_y7uRUpaYz9Zl7JjD83h6FCH9hqCu-VCVghOPlqOwJQHRDZXe7RboKE8TQaM9E5SgZshW-hDCLjXjPTC1_eb57-9X8BAJBNnsFWE/s1600/P1050797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSBkMALcjJJxVjlmF7WWfq9Oj63uozAqGwi_xsUa_y7uRUpaYz9Zl7JjD83h6FCH9hqCu-VCVghOPlqOwJQHRDZXe7RboKE8TQaM9E5SgZshW-hDCLjXjPTC1_eb57-9X8BAJBNnsFWE/s1600/P1050797.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We could go behind this one!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCAf6p6oPQUSMMIlJR25_fmA_YEjgzKx-nZxrM7EljpEToGUzvSit1qqZC6eNrdi2FV0mW6Ved-d6Q7goMF3AoRYm08RkyT4-HvLZzDuETMNMO-B4It1mFaUQ4OfBYSbZU1wNqg-ICAaU/s1600/P1050814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCAf6p6oPQUSMMIlJR25_fmA_YEjgzKx-nZxrM7EljpEToGUzvSit1qqZC6eNrdi2FV0mW6Ved-d6Q7goMF3AoRYm08RkyT4-HvLZzDuETMNMO-B4It1mFaUQ4OfBYSbZU1wNqg-ICAaU/s1600/P1050814.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimv9bYEmjZ0gQ138ZXiRYRcmr_TZ9hLyF7bEqzVef0p6FD6xYehqfX_1bvuT0z8RHCHOpem4fKvWkxDNuuIvXYwODbr524mIAq3iW2XfoweZ5qW60Wwhj-N9nDCf4qoy3q11u5oeqsGko/s1600/P1050845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimv9bYEmjZ0gQ138ZXiRYRcmr_TZ9hLyF7bEqzVef0p6FD6xYehqfX_1bvuT0z8RHCHOpem4fKvWkxDNuuIvXYwODbr524mIAq3iW2XfoweZ5qW60Wwhj-N9nDCf4qoy3q11u5oeqsGko/s1600/P1050845.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one was enormous!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMDHDZrfzi5FBa1bTqRbPOpbu6_6secccpjSsqcBFXnCX8bEuSn3SF5ra-yqMletFQN8WkxCP8jfBvr8IPAX1eiD3HI97kzdRHDVOLypj3yNWVzaIAk22rhWaWXijK4WZKghWn-mvCLJk/s1600/P1050848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMDHDZrfzi5FBa1bTqRbPOpbu6_6secccpjSsqcBFXnCX8bEuSn3SF5ra-yqMletFQN8WkxCP8jfBvr8IPAX1eiD3HI97kzdRHDVOLypj3yNWVzaIAk22rhWaWXijK4WZKghWn-mvCLJk/s1600/P1050848.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And you could walk right up to it</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilL85CTQqSwtExt4AKrZi6uM3WVGzMBQttCDwv2N-zgILPs4tsE-LcUuEEOk7ekemleRUMyLzWB1qYE9Q7MoJEbojuScSJrAUvgEc6dLSZA0W0kHYCg-V17mdFUB8qZDYEi10i60wZt9Y/s1600/P1050859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilL85CTQqSwtExt4AKrZi6uM3WVGzMBQttCDwv2N-zgILPs4tsE-LcUuEEOk7ekemleRUMyLzWB1qYE9Q7MoJEbojuScSJrAUvgEc6dLSZA0W0kHYCg-V17mdFUB8qZDYEi10i60wZt9Y/s1600/P1050859.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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We saw glaciers...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw0TjkaVk0pmWuX59sj6k-jsXrkCZSTmmfgUfe4nbeBWtEhg45ZUmzEquM9pxlQkiPgANnC6D2nfegZsHh-lUFtspMAz5apouq82zGbUte1vbKUw5GMm9fkqT2RebzwYQ3hUDNmiHHZsY/s1600/P1050863.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw0TjkaVk0pmWuX59sj6k-jsXrkCZSTmmfgUfe4nbeBWtEhg45ZUmzEquM9pxlQkiPgANnC6D2nfegZsHh-lUFtspMAz5apouq82zGbUte1vbKUw5GMm9fkqT2RebzwYQ3hUDNmiHHZsY/s1600/P1050863.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well, this is what a glacier looks like </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii9C3oI4LHAHSmxRLZk5kf80FRcJaAKpJOUgeEEEABsBCodenhSCydSNkxKDvkPhYh4wVgZZsBg6iUvIXsS7LazCyuHwEdP1r6PYnYxCeuPj2qw8gP6_1_5T-QGWEBCQfqqSIrsJH7MDA/s1600/P1050865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii9C3oI4LHAHSmxRLZk5kf80FRcJaAKpJOUgeEEEABsBCodenhSCydSNkxKDvkPhYh4wVgZZsBg6iUvIXsS7LazCyuHwEdP1r6PYnYxCeuPj2qw8gP6_1_5T-QGWEBCQfqqSIrsJH7MDA/s1600/P1050865.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More up close. (the black is ash from volcanoes)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGv3kdieQktUtzs3rQU9sBUuB84rrrWqn6Rfg6XVOiuh5yxaNV1XYF132jBZzWto_IX34tRm9MD55-GQfyjAJ9FS3S_Tb3wblotxluw8hsuBHDYuKv46J3chkM-aD1hTJ2UKAmbZV4mXM/s1600/P1050867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGv3kdieQktUtzs3rQU9sBUuB84rrrWqn6Rfg6XVOiuh5yxaNV1XYF132jBZzWto_IX34tRm9MD55-GQfyjAJ9FS3S_Tb3wblotxluw8hsuBHDYuKv46J3chkM-aD1hTJ2UKAmbZV4mXM/s1600/P1050867.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Way up close</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBqhpWwEwDsckRArduqYz1va_kMh4dSQFN7wA7e_Tt4G70Hah2CSxcuBb_ZPFM7_JzfDbNMMNc_y-osPJtARsvmEWLReMmM-cmWnbZBpni6znjilUR2_BDUP9J6fINK0TwwNuo-3pKIrs/s1600/P1050869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBqhpWwEwDsckRArduqYz1va_kMh4dSQFN7wA7e_Tt4G70Hah2CSxcuBb_ZPFM7_JzfDbNMMNc_y-osPJtARsvmEWLReMmM-cmWnbZBpni6znjilUR2_BDUP9J6fINK0TwwNuo-3pKIrs/s1600/P1050869.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZgswrbzfEqWgpU6W7h52h9myv3AxAsVlAvzycewxKUdEPGj_znQqPDeN_-8nTPo-cUNz6tCKiZdwFgR7hy2izH-jZzy1iyva1vtDTdPHi99_iUoTPVUn0qgISXigMtgm6nUJ7pEuJO0/s1600/P1050871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZgswrbzfEqWgpU6W7h52h9myv3AxAsVlAvzycewxKUdEPGj_znQqPDeN_-8nTPo-cUNz6tCKiZdwFgR7hy2izH-jZzy1iyva1vtDTdPHi99_iUoTPVUn0qgISXigMtgm6nUJ7pEuJO0/s1600/P1050871.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holdin' some glacier</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtfAWavNKyWMhaDnD0cCtV1a3pX0SK2X7MKUgh0z_BKsUZHT6e-3uv2C4RioXhoSiolzah4jZDnVtxM35C1NYs-iQEe419TMFbwoCJnUPsUDVpUZoLE59muNFy-pVqq9PhGOe0Ac4QpWs/s1600/P1050923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtfAWavNKyWMhaDnD0cCtV1a3pX0SK2X7MKUgh0z_BKsUZHT6e-3uv2C4RioXhoSiolzah4jZDnVtxM35C1NYs-iQEe419TMFbwoCJnUPsUDVpUZoLE59muNFy-pVqq9PhGOe0Ac4QpWs/s1600/P1050923.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glaciers just hanging out by the road</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPhA6vGZajuAC1ovjiB09tDuoeiFsu6i-62CzNrLRbRD3FwWl2wNPFvQvP11-gGJks6-lDEgRbJ_T1OGv27w1kippRiM192cR3B5uDhtCiO1ZUYd9pms-Y6rwSwLD3Clq4jy05Ff_xcbQ/s1600/P1050973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPhA6vGZajuAC1ovjiB09tDuoeiFsu6i-62CzNrLRbRD3FwWl2wNPFvQvP11-gGJks6-lDEgRbJ_T1OGv27w1kippRiM192cR3B5uDhtCiO1ZUYd9pms-Y6rwSwLD3Clq4jy05Ff_xcbQ/s1600/P1050973.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another one just chillin by the road</td></tr>
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And even some volcanoes...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0xP_N-eJgfzCdul0Bjvws7ovlkge_GmgmPQFDa6bZTH4F2Xn0MVxL_KhEIIP4rjPbBRe0y4eRnQUMzXNvHWo0Wb674qqFT1-ZAhH3kkt3MWA_dmHfkCXr36s8fYn-9gcN7eTnoqUq4Kk/s1600/P1050843.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0xP_N-eJgfzCdul0Bjvws7ovlkge_GmgmPQFDa6bZTH4F2Xn0MVxL_KhEIIP4rjPbBRe0y4eRnQUMzXNvHWo0Wb674qqFT1-ZAhH3kkt3MWA_dmHfkCXr36s8fYn-9gcN7eTnoqUq4Kk/s1600/P1050843.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Behind that farm is the famo<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">us <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16.1200008392334px; text-align: left;">Eyjafjallajökul (AY-uh-fyat-luh-YOE-kuult-uh) volcano. The one that pretty much<br /> disrupted all of Europe air travel a few years ago. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16.1200008392334px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></td></tr>
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Along with some of the most beautiful and other-worldly scenery I've ever seen...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvCkcA8vKZplWruq_X-Om0K6RyfQS5jQ_7bTlLRtjOOLguMn7QBQsTql7ebvmS9cYh5xfX4_HJtgpc-gik2t0GFc1fkyoQHUJC18P5U0Eo5O9O_vKXFMILM8UqSW5m-a-ImYw18o_YiVM/s1600/P1050790.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvCkcA8vKZplWruq_X-Om0K6RyfQS5jQ_7bTlLRtjOOLguMn7QBQsTql7ebvmS9cYh5xfX4_HJtgpc-gik2t0GFc1fkyoQHUJC18P5U0Eo5O9O_vKXFMILM8UqSW5m-a-ImYw18o_YiVM/s1600/P1050790.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild horses are everywhere</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAND9eqHuXLVyMrnE89DZ8kLWGn8ZT5oW_tNGH13tVmqYZSBdN0MTJlQr42Nsf3QpgKSrdgYETVy5PG9FJOus3U9iMOhI41oxnyzjWtuwwXKizlI1KOMuVm2LJ0P7nopTVv2DHwLle8sI/s1600/P1050815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAND9eqHuXLVyMrnE89DZ8kLWGn8ZT5oW_tNGH13tVmqYZSBdN0MTJlQr42Nsf3QpgKSrdgYETVy5PG9FJOus3U9iMOhI41oxnyzjWtuwwXKizlI1KOMuVm2LJ0P7nopTVv2DHwLle8sI/s1600/P1050815.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iceland is a lot of vast nothingness</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAkesaAMTanhXs2yPbcJDewiwF9Qezdyow0SadfQWqVz2lgH59FHiKL7R4VdMAiBBKko6bF4X3SP9NACpgvDMtwnogMJjLuYMBrucR-Zswe19P0BsAsSxIiCT9_SrVWJX0AQb0qQtnz58/s1600/P1050833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAkesaAMTanhXs2yPbcJDewiwF9Qezdyow0SadfQWqVz2lgH59FHiKL7R4VdMAiBBKko6bF4X3SP9NACpgvDMtwnogMJjLuYMBrucR-Zswe19P0BsAsSxIiCT9_SrVWJX0AQb0qQtnz58/s1600/P1050833.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't think I'd want to live right there</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlM5bStqe2-t_9hvIxXU2frIvxZVLfPubwQUGVQ5-Vv1f6lWjMfCwxk1Qu2QrHINig2baWNbV8ZTJUhAcXFqJjsq2XHG-njo6WkR0gZLYs1Lio7G6ChUtE-NTCeEBlKCAwalZEZ20LjY/s1600/P1050886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlM5bStqe2-t_9hvIxXU2frIvxZVLfPubwQUGVQ5-Vv1f6lWjMfCwxk1Qu2QrHINig2baWNbV8ZTJUhAcXFqJjsq2XHG-njo6WkR0gZLYs1Lio7G6ChUtE-NTCeEBlKCAwalZEZ20LjY/s1600/P1050886.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The black sand ash beaches of Vik</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjN4FLSudwtAVWNRvqgxfI4h97PROPNWDz-pIXBgPsMZlOuon8jP___VINSfRZ4_7l-gaMFAv82ybN0IqoHO4j_42nao7cO4FeVQ2B-HXLONIXE3K4YztHTt3m0UfjCtPV3v-9nb5xj4o/s1600/P1050884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjN4FLSudwtAVWNRvqgxfI4h97PROPNWDz-pIXBgPsMZlOuon8jP___VINSfRZ4_7l-gaMFAv82ybN0IqoHO4j_42nao7cO4FeVQ2B-HXLONIXE3K4YztHTt3m0UfjCtPV3v-9nb5xj4o/s1600/P1050884.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6xUFlTorckur95U1lQjHZjobCTiyUNkhziujXsBhYWr6_psThfqDQLbR4VT1Kxes11uJ2sj8QiV3hBZM6kTpeZUQ516JRYkFI5ufi5eV8oAo9CDGxgtDuTPqkQHn2pVOGsXdpoB56Uw/s1600/P1050893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6xUFlTorckur95U1lQjHZjobCTiyUNkhziujXsBhYWr6_psThfqDQLbR4VT1Kxes11uJ2sj8QiV3hBZM6kTpeZUQ516JRYkFI5ufi5eV8oAo9CDGxgtDuTPqkQHn2pVOGsXdpoB56Uw/s1600/P1050893.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGddu420bL5YUZt484KT2WwhgI-vPAWXUGsbO5_UmZEDTUdLkcTJ59ri-wd42_wBY9xQiBrWYPuOa80loihpezGgH3RYSWLY1ojWAlUE7AW3QVpfTdZUj0qxBhV3TB_EOCulUa-evOLdQ/s1600/P1050898.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGddu420bL5YUZt484KT2WwhgI-vPAWXUGsbO5_UmZEDTUdLkcTJ59ri-wd42_wBY9xQiBrWYPuOa80loihpezGgH3RYSWLY1ojWAlUE7AW3QVpfTdZUj0qxBhV3TB_EOCulUa-evOLdQ/s1600/P1050898.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lone church</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT7A8mgm7naSyUtWib6rFell-VQO8nA4QrYrbJbDx6f-wAwgUBRwksKCopGBHKe2pYLvULimSUUNpBcLjwsekd3deGdXrLYa6wOEZp0M9iIaPhKJg3OQni9wunyCEqEtfsO1OHX5sCVdU/s1600/P1050906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT7A8mgm7naSyUtWib6rFell-VQO8nA4QrYrbJbDx6f-wAwgUBRwksKCopGBHKe2pYLvULimSUUNpBcLjwsekd3deGdXrLYa6wOEZp0M9iIaPhKJg3OQni9wunyCEqEtfsO1OHX5sCVdU/s1600/P1050906.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">People stop and pile these rocks like this for good luck around the area of a farm that got destroyed hundreds of years ago by the volcano, Katla. </td></tr>
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The end of our journey eastward was the <span style="line-height: 16.1200008392334px;">Jokülsárlón (yo-khuls-AR-lon) Glacier Lagoon. These huge icebergs break off of a large glacier into the lake that sits at the foot of it. This lake sits directly inland from the ocean </span>and we sat on the edge of the water watching these behemoth chunks of white-blue ice drift lazily out to sea. Occasionally they would run into one another and break apart or larger chunks would break from the tops and fall into the water. It's so loud when this happens! The <i>crack</i> sound would echo across all the Icelandic nothingness. It was almost haunting. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks a bit like what I imagine Antarctica would look like.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUPJSgaDU7jhCczGvfnIIvtgRINHQ3Lvw4JQWaGqwfFKHLUjAzYXk1k4Q4k1daSCNkOR9wIWD6byy6oFfiB-IaAn-7DastE5xdz9Lw-VazuIuMEK59w1ENEn2Ft_8qzPOQAAAqt_ayuA/s1600/P1050930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUPJSgaDU7jhCczGvfnIIvtgRINHQ3Lvw4JQWaGqwfFKHLUjAzYXk1k4Q4k1daSCNkOR9wIWD6byy6oFfiB-IaAn-7DastE5xdz9Lw-VazuIuMEK59w1ENEn2Ft_8qzPOQAAAqt_ayuA/s1600/P1050930.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJsj1VgUZHzWCqpjNbcOCroFFeDWbyB7_vB-nkBD5cD4UpKOdW2pG5tIDRpTSnxJlTfxQPsCUuwoy-DyVFEqek3Klb_Sd_W-F1iBQPukP__6Y6twIa0GmUlGolzDZ5GUEIrg48cJYevI/s1600/P1050939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJsj1VgUZHzWCqpjNbcOCroFFeDWbyB7_vB-nkBD5cD4UpKOdW2pG5tIDRpTSnxJlTfxQPsCUuwoy-DyVFEqek3Klb_Sd_W-F1iBQPukP__6Y6twIa0GmUlGolzDZ5GUEIrg48cJYevI/s1600/P1050939.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Between the iceberg lake and the ocean was another black sand beach. What made this beach unique were the hunks of ice that washed up onto the shore. I'm not sure how, but I'm guessing that once the icebergs from the lagoon make their way out to sea, they end up breaking up and somehow make it back to this beach. Or perhaps I'm way off. Either way, the contrast of the black sand and the ice was just ridiculous! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1F_YWHE1uv7gg-P-ywb5papc_2Dxg3-TG4gWV5yYGLh6chQzNCdWXvzhHITvMcljtvNxRN-_wZQ-yKvtsk6jZMe1VIR9cAfjXLtDskxfUZRyn0XoXK8LlmnqrjKVld3QcE8xzbh2254/s1600/P1050945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1F_YWHE1uv7gg-P-ywb5papc_2Dxg3-TG4gWV5yYGLh6chQzNCdWXvzhHITvMcljtvNxRN-_wZQ-yKvtsk6jZMe1VIR9cAfjXLtDskxfUZRyn0XoXK8LlmnqrjKVld3QcE8xzbh2254/s1600/P1050945.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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We were spending the night in a B&B farm (pretty much the only dwelling for miles and miles) near the town <span style="font-family: inherit;">of </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16.1200008392334px;">Höfn. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16.1200008392334px;">We drove into the little town for some dinner and found some pretty fishing boats. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh15OckgDiseE0icQo3BzM3CbvlR70IpEIgBkg_qpBYil6mecNT6of38hyphenhyphenGwnnq2boM8xRGsC_-9cxoYA_CrLjJmy7F8nAwofSnhqs-IULlihCcJztdpI_u3oD7BSybkVJ_v4vQdsvNz8E/s1600/P1050961.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh15OckgDiseE0icQo3BzM3CbvlR70IpEIgBkg_qpBYil6mecNT6of38hyphenhyphenGwnnq2boM8xRGsC_-9cxoYA_CrLjJmy7F8nAwofSnhqs-IULlihCcJztdpI_u3oD7BSybkVJ_v4vQdsvNz8E/s1600/P1050961.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Our flight was the next day at 5:00pm, so we got an early start to drive the 5 or 6 hours back to Reykjavik to catch our evening plane. We woke up at 4:30am, and this is what it looked like outside when we left! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken around 4:45am from our B&B</td></tr>
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<br />We had plenty of time to kill when we got back to the city. We dropped off our rental car and the guy offered to drop us off back in town. He was about our age and told us all about growing up and living in Iceland. It was fascinating! He said that everyone in Iceland learns English and Danish as a second and third language, and once students reach (I think) high school, they have to pick a fourth language to study. As far as food goes, he said at traditional meals his mom would put full animal heads (sheep I think) on the table and everyone would dig in. He said his father's favorite was the brain and ears. Nothing is left of it but bone when it's finished, I guess. </div>
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Al and I were actually on our way to the flea ma<span style="font-family: inherit;">rket to try some strange food ourselves. We had heard tale of this delicacy called Hak<span style="line-height: 16.1200008392334px;">árl and wanted to try it. Basically, it's rotted, fermented shark. I guess the Icelanders get a real kick out of tourists coming in and trying it and give it as samples at this market. It's one of those things that you have to check off on a list of things you did while in Iceland, so we weren't going to be left out. Some of those famous food guys on TV have gone to Iceland to try it and Anthony Bourdain said it was the "single worst, most disgusting and terrible tasting thing" he's ever eaten. He wasn't wrong. A news crew spotted us getting ready to try it and rushed over to film it. They found it hilarious. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready to film Al eating it</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was scared</td></tr>
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<br />The ammonia content is really high, so it felt like my mouth was burning off and then it burned the entire way to my stomach. To describe it perfectly, imagine, if you will, the foulest, strongest fish flavor imaginable and then mix that with rubbing alcohol. Got the flavor? Now turn that solid and make it really rubbery and nearly impossible to swallow. That's Hak<span style="line-height: 16.1200008392334px;">árl, an Icelandic favorite. </span><br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRTlNQ9vorhUqR913KjPVYSYqC-7mKnOOgXdYmFxMj1IHei0Y2QwuODubHox6tUITzeHirU0P7WybZgl_Lh1P6By5GmWCNfSWCfI8wADeJdTCaIM-NR8J_hdxRQLrXOuhcGQuFw_W8_w/s1600/P1050981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRTlNQ9vorhUqR913KjPVYSYqC-7mKnOOgXdYmFxMj1IHei0Y2QwuODubHox6tUITzeHirU0P7WybZgl_Lh1P6By5GmWCNfSWCfI8wADeJdTCaIM-NR8J_hdxRQLrXOuhcGQuFw_W8_w/s1600/P1050981.JPG" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Locals buying some meat (?) at the market</td></tr>
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<br />We walked back to the bus station (Reykjavik is not very big despite being the capital) where we'd get our ride to the airport. Our three days wasn't even close to being enough. I'd love to go back in the middle of each summer and winter. I'd love to experience 24 hours of daylight and in the winter is the best time to catch the Northern Lights. Luckily, Iceland Air is impossibly cheap so I'm sure I'll go back again. </div>
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I've been to a lot of different kinds of places, but Iceland is for sure at the top of my list of favorites, partly because it's so unknown to travelers. I've now been to a place that very few people get to see in their lifetime and that gives me a huge thrill. It's also so unique and truly one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. I just wish we would've had more time! <br /><br /><br /><span id="goog_1067392288"></span><br />
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Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144130336667577490noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164329378498243892.post-30350698225641431492014-05-18T18:09:00.001-04:002017-02-16T17:48:11.932-05:00There and Back Again: Paris to Rome to Paris I'm (finally?) back in old America and settling into Nashville. Since we had a nice buffer zone of Europe before landing here, the culture shock hasn't been as bad as every other time I've come here straight from Asia. Things have been easier; the English surrounding me hasn't been as annoying as it has been on previous occasions and I don't find myself the usual hot mess of awkwardness that generally comes from reverse culture shock. Overall, it's been pleasant, although I do sometimes find myself getting shocked at seeing a "foreigner" until I realize that, <i>oh yeah, everyone looks like me. </i>But, of course, I'm already wishing I was still sipping my coffee in a Parisian cafe or Swimming in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland. Though I couldn't afford it anymore. This vacation took quite a hit on the ol' bank account so really, I've not been able to enjoy Nashville as much as I'd like (nor have I been able to shop my face off at F21, unfortunately). Hire me, please.<br />
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After our brief four days in Paris, we picked up our rental car there at the airport and prepared for our nearly three week road trip through France and Italy. Goal #1: Get out of Paris. This is much easier said than done. I think we made four loops around the airport before even getting on the highways, and then somehow ended up in an underground parking lot to a shopping center that we had to pay 4 euros to get out of before finally getting to some open road. Once bypassing Paris, it was smooth sailing to our first stop, the Loire Valley.<br />
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The drive south was beautiful and the landscape was spotted with massive fields of yellow flowers. I found out later that they are canola oil plants. Weird.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nearly the whole drive through France looks like this.</td></tr>
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The Loire is an area of France known for castles. Like, <i>castle </i>castles. Big ones. Ones that have been around since, like, the 11th century. I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the sheer oldness (is oldness a word?) of some of the structures in Europe. We only had a day and 1/2 in this area so had to pick and choose which castles to see. We wanted to see three, but only made it to two: Chambord and Villandry. Chambord is impossibly huge. Villandry is known for its gardens and has quite a <i>Beauty and the Beast </i>facade.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This "little" guy was just sitting in the middle of a town. No big deal. #europe</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Castles have gift shops</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The outside of Chambord Castle</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feelin' regal</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBEsb9iJKrJ52y5RTyd8TZX-Lpewsotp6omysmv3q5_zfoRCoPYnpslxAr8iype3lIZJBFsuka3XuSypF6Rhw26970y08Hfn-cXAj2ArPFe7zLyxpRKpA_ZEOE0FtsPZYoH-MhLgtZ3H4/s1600/IMG_2254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBEsb9iJKrJ52y5RTyd8TZX-Lpewsotp6omysmv3q5_zfoRCoPYnpslxAr8iype3lIZJBFsuka3XuSypF6Rhw26970y08Hfn-cXAj2ArPFe7zLyxpRKpA_ZEOE0FtsPZYoH-MhLgtZ3H4/s1600/IMG_2254.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Told ya it was big</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQVvvU1VbowDe5Jh7PiooNyHzMblZtlHLU_nD3It0XHcOWRO05JuiIMFoyqumCXt8l4x3At7NTPGfKc9jbduB2LSMriQyuONW7qQqbJNj1f4z2IfTKmOP-sIMUXQQwOJaMDNDVjmLF-08/s1600/IMG_2264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQVvvU1VbowDe5Jh7PiooNyHzMblZtlHLU_nD3It0XHcOWRO05JuiIMFoyqumCXt8l4x3At7NTPGfKc9jbduB2LSMriQyuONW7qQqbJNj1f4z2IfTKmOP-sIMUXQQwOJaMDNDVjmLF-08/s1600/IMG_2264.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Naw (they were doing restoration there on the top boo)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Villandry Castle</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqk0Q9faUbBAmeyacUCG7eko1LRLNCPbNnddTT0f51F4ciJ7kqXegU5dUIdexQaeVgRXMmjl3wMiPrqe_FCGcnpQK2c5Pkkfda8WRIjx6bnujXtQ3valUmswfmNemgjJhmae10r4-74c4/s1600/IMG_2279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 13px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqk0Q9faUbBAmeyacUCG7eko1LRLNCPbNnddTT0f51F4ciJ7kqXegU5dUIdexQaeVgRXMmjl3wMiPrqe_FCGcnpQK2c5Pkkfda8WRIjx6bnujXtQ3valUmswfmNemgjJhmae10r4-74c4/s1600/IMG_2279.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See? Very Beauty and the Beast</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vast gardens</td></tr>
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After leaving the Loire, we didn't have any reservations for a hotel room until we reached Rome, so each day was freedom and stopping wherever and whenever we wanted. We had five days to make it to Rome before Easter weekend, but we were making a stop in Milan to see our friends Jared and Rachel (we met them in Japan many moons ago) and they were hitching a ride to Rome with us. Our next stop was Arles, a small town in the South of France.</div>
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I was desperate to see this place because it's full of Van Gogh history. He spent a lot of time here painting. As a matter of fact, the biggest draw here for me was that he painted my favorite work of his, <i>Cafe Terrace</i>, right there in a square in the middle of town. The cafe he painted is still there and I wanted to see it!</div>
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See!?! I once again had watery eyes gazing upon something art related. Go Van Gogh! Our GPS didn't realize that some of the roads it was trying to take us on were put there long before cars were ever thought of, so they were hardly wider than a sidewalk. Arles is one of those towns (like most in Europe) that has been there for hundreds and hundreds of years and cars really have no business being down some of these streets. Yet, the GPS attempted to get us to the center. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Try getting your car down there (they do, honestly)</td></tr>
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We wandered around this little town for a while and I admired how European-y everything looks. I wanted to go down every single teensy alleyway and take pictures of the ancient windows and doors. </div>
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From Arles we drove on along the coast, where I got my first ever glimpse of the Mediterranean Sea. It's <i>so blue. </i>The perfect cerulean, sapphire blue, perhaps. We hit the major towns along the South like Marseilles, Cannes and Nice. I've always thought "the South of France" had a bit of glam to it, and I'm thinking that might be the case if you're out on the water in a yacht, because from what I saw, it's not very glamorous. Cannes, where celebrities flock in droves every year for the most famous film festival in the world, seemed a bit like the Myrtle Beach of France. Palm trees everywhere and just a hint of tackiness to everything. Sure I saw some luxury hotels, yachts and truthfully, every other car was a Benz or Maserati, but the aesthetics of this part of the country didn't do much for me. But like I said, I bet it's an entirely different experience from out on the water or even possibly up in the mountains that graze the coast. Between the big towns was beautiful, though. The Mediterranean area looks a bit like rocky desert meets tropical island. There are rocky hills and outcrops dotted with houses with red roofs and a little greenery here and there, all looking out over the sea. Needless to say, it was a nice drive...that is until we reached the next somewhat inelegant town...then it was nice again. (other than Marseilles; Marseilles was nice.)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If I'm going to be in traffic, this view is okay with me. </td></tr>
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We spent the night in Nice and the next day drove into Monaco. Yes, Monaco is it's own independent country, but it's basically the size of Jane Lew. Monaco (capital Monte Carlo) is a playground for the rich. For a country so small, it is overflowing with wealth and affluence. Everywhere I look are $100,000 cars, upscale shopping and the marina has nothing but yachts floating in the water. We circled the entire country a few times (literally, haha) looking for a place to park and walk around, but it turns out the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters tennis tournament was going on. I could actually hear the grunts from the players as we drove by the courts. Perhaps it was Rafael Nadal I heard. Al saw Novak Djokovic riding on his bike but was too afraid to say anything to him. (Don't worry, I didn't know who he was either. Apparently he's the #1 tennis player in the world. Hm.) He saw him and looked at me and was like, "That was Novak Djokovic!!!" and I'm all....<i>who???</i> But he was super excited about it, so I'm happy he saw him!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is basically the only picture I got of Monaco. I was so busy gawking at everything. </td></tr>
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We crossed into Italy a few miles after leaving Monaco. No border control here! I was bummed, I wanted an Italian stamp in my passport. As soon as we crossed over, the landscape stayed the same, but the style of the buildings and the language on them (obviously) changed immediately. I found most French architecture was <i>rustic</i> while Italian was <i>pretty</i>. Each, of course, is beautiful and also pretty and rustic in their own way, just different. We had some beautiful sights on the way to Romano di Lombardia, outside Milan (Jared and Rachel's house) our first overnight stop in Italy. </div>
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We got the screaming and shouting and all the <i>it's so good to see you!</i>s out of the way, grabbed some bottles of wine and sat on a balcony with friends we've not seen in many years. Teaching abroad allows people to meet friends from every corner of the planet, so there's a good chance that you will know someone in a desirable vacation destination. This time: meet friends outside Milan, go to Rome together. </div>
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My camera, my nice new camera that I got specifically for this trip, broke (it's actually still a mystery how exactly) right when we got to Jared and Rachel's. It was working one minute and the next the lens was stuck and couldn't be repaired. The previous picture was the last one taken with my good camera. Luckily, Jared had an extra camera and let me borrow it for the remainder of our vacation, then mail it to his mom in Wisconsin when we got back to the US. Although it was just a basic point-and-shoot and I missed the power and quality of mine, it was the nicest thing someone could've done and I was beyond grateful. I don't know what I would've done had he not been so generous...used my phone I suppose! </div>
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We all went to Milan the next day. I'll say this about Milan: I wasn't impressed. Yeah, it's <i>Milan</i> but it just wasn't a beautiful city at all. Of course there were some beautiful things to see, and the <i>Duomo</i> was actually one of the most beautiful churches I saw on my entire vacation, but the city itself just isn't a pretty one. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr6a6ESUzkR-iQdiDF3Vy0BnNi-zMziR7wKou47PKoMvSaLeYxnnaDEDoY8-S9wNK0ZdiN81eDWMOu6t8fyv605W2S6jAbhNk9igEk9Su_cAffrcYQibKr5CcWMYWbRSa4oC1ea39reK8/s1600/milan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr6a6ESUzkR-iQdiDF3Vy0BnNi-zMziR7wKou47PKoMvSaLeYxnnaDEDoY8-S9wNK0ZdiN81eDWMOu6t8fyv605W2S6jAbhNk9igEk9Su_cAffrcYQibKr5CcWMYWbRSa4oC1ea39reK8/s1600/milan.jpg" width="400" /></a> </td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duomo. Insane right?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shopping</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A castle in the city</td></tr>
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Everyone knows "gelato". Everyone knows it's associated with Italy. I wasn't exactly sure what "gelato" was, other than Italian style ice cream, but it turns out...that's all it is. A fancy word for ice cream. BUT...it's the greatest ice cream I've ever eaten in my entire life. Throughout the entire vacation, I ate great food and saw amazing things, but sometimes because one is on vacation, the environment can make food taste better. I'm not negative, but I don't think that that cup of coffee I had at a cute cafe in Paris <i>actually tasted</i> better than other coffee I've had, but my surroundings made it seem so. So when I went in to taste my first scoop of gelato, I wasn't really sure what to expect, other than just some good ice cream. Well, results are in and gelato is like ice cream on crack. It isn't just the environment that makes it taste fantastic; it actually <i>is</i> fantastic. It's really, really dense, yet extremely soft and creamy at the same time. The flavors are so full and rich. It's simply very, very high quality ice cream. My favorite was coconut. I also had banana, mint, tiramisu, more coconut...some others. A lot of others, as a matter of fact. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Gelato!</td></tr>
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On the fashion side, truthfully, people in France are much more fashionable than Italians. I know it's like a war of labels, French vs. Italian, but I just found that French people were a bit more chic. And Italian men seemed to still be stuck in 2005. Popped collars, Ed Hardy-esque shirts, shield sunglasses and wet head all around. It was really strange, actually, because I was expecting sleek suits and next level fashion. I saw well dressed people, of course, it just seemed to not be the norm, especially among younger men. Although I'm really glad I got to see Milan, I probably won't be going back anytime soon. </div>
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The next day was a long one of driving to Rome. Since it was Easter weekend and millions of people also had the same idea, we decided to pay to use the highways instead of the free side roads. Using the faster roads cut a probably 9 hour drive into a 6 hour one. The four of us piled into our tiny rental and headed south to visit one of the holiest cities on Earth on one of the holiest holidays of the year.</div>
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As much as I didn't like Milan, I really liked Rome! You want <i>old?</i> Go to Rome. Now THAT place is OLD! It was really busy because of the holiday weekend, but honestly not nearly as bad as what I was expecting. Our first Roman stop: St. Peter's Square and the Vatican Museums. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sistine Chapel ceiling. Extraordinary! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michelangelo was a boss. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmcvWrH9_47vaBcTavSnntWgkKais72cAWuEjYW2QxdLnVI2_YwlvYZkj-MK3RAVzsIQP9eB2abm_JiAJMzt8bBUTH5LUs4F6m3wjiachkLrbO4WCDK6XLa0SChx_YqaEYSUudleTVHfk/s1600/P1050077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmcvWrH9_47vaBcTavSnntWgkKais72cAWuEjYW2QxdLnVI2_YwlvYZkj-MK3RAVzsIQP9eB2abm_JiAJMzt8bBUTH5LUs4F6m3wjiachkLrbO4WCDK6XLa0SChx_YqaEYSUudleTVHfk/s1600/P1050077.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Famous main staircase in the museum</td></tr>
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The line to get into the museum wrapped clear around the walls of the Vatican and then some and we barely made it inside in time. We ended up having to pay many Euros extra to get a tour because we wouldn't have made it just waiting in the line. And it was raining.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">I found some Cardinals or something!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">St. Peter's Square</td></tr>
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That evening, we went and had a thing called "aperitivo". I guess it varies from restaurant to restaurant, but basically you buy a drink at about 6 euros and then you get lots of free food along with it. Usually it's chips, fries, mini sandwiches, olives and even little pizzas, poppers and other finger foods. Pretty good deal! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aperitivo</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poured the rain at our outside dinner!</td></tr>
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Happy Easter! We weren't coming all the way to Rome on Easter and not pushing and shoving our way to St. Peter's Square on Sunday to get a glimpse of the Holy Man himself, the Pope. We were packed in as tightly as sardines and the Pope was merely a small white spec on his balcony, but we got to hear his (Italian) speech and got the experience overall. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little tight</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's the Pope! The little guy on the balcony!</td></tr>
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We found a cute restaurant and got some pizzas for lunch. Italian pizza is, of course, delicious. I find that I'm sure I could get just as good of pizza around America somewhere, but American style is much different. Italian pizza is thin, not too crispy and very flavorful.<br />
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The rest of the day was spent hitting all the Roma hotspots like the Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum. Because millions of others all wanted to do the same thing, the Trevi Fountain was <i>smothering.</i> I don't know if it's always like that, but I imagine not since this was such a big holiday weekend. No matter, it's easy to block out all the people for a few minutes and just appreciate the beauty of this fountain. </div>
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The Colosseum was one of the highlights of my entire month. It was everything I wanted it to be and more. A lot of famous monuments or attractions in Europe have had modernism build up around them, but the area around the Colosseum is (I think) the oldest area of Rome, and the surrounding locale and buildings reflect that. Despite all the tourists, I felt like I had stepped back in time walking toward this behemoth. I stepped into its shadows and reflected on the history and what went on behind its walls and I immediately felt very small. I felt I was in a very powerful place, even though now it's nothing more than stone structure. So many people died in that arena, and I'm just staring down at it taking pictures. </div>
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Jared and Rachel accompanied us to our next Italian destination, San Quirico, smack dab in the middle of the Tuscan countryside, before they caught the train north back to their town. </div>
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We had a really nice drive out of Rome on Monday morning. We found a lake on the way! Just happened across it. </div>
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Al and I wanted a little R&R after all the go, go, go<i>, </i>so we were staying three nights at our <i>agriturismo. </i>An agriturismo is a working farm, usually olives, olive oil, wine, etc. that also functions as a bed & breakfast. They seem to be a dime a dozen in Italy, it all came down to just choosing one. They range from super luxurious, large industrial type farms to small and basic. I think they are all family owned. My stipulations in choosing ours were that they produced wine, it had a lot of cypress trees, and that it was super cute. I got all my wishes plus one; ours also produced olive oil. It was called Bagnaia and I couldn't have asked for anything more adorable. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our room was the door on the right edge of the picture</td></tr>
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Like all little towns (villages?) around Italy, San Quirico is walled. Our agriturismo was just outside the walls across a bridge, so we'd go into town to get food and walk around once we tired of looking at the vineyard.<br />
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And then we went on a drive and just lost ourselves down some gravel roads because <i>why not. </i></div>
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At one restaurant, I ate some kind of goat cheese and pear ravioli in a butter/olive oil sauce topped with pecans. It seems a weird combo, but it was incredible. We stuffed ourselves with bread, cheese, pasta and wine for nearly four days, then unfortunately it was time to leave and get on the road to our next destination, Pisa! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Church next to the tower</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the church. Nuts. </td></tr>
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Pisa itself was a pretty town, just not much to do other than the tower. It was only a few hours drive from San Quirico so we only stopped for a little bit and got back on the road. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pisa on the river</td></tr>
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A few more hours of driving and we arrived in Cinque Terre! It means "five lands" and it's fitting because there are five small towns perched on cliffs along this area of the Mediterranean. It was a place I was looking forward to most, a place that I had only heard about from a friend in Korea maybe three months before departing. He showed me pictures and I was sold, so we added it to the itinerary deciding on the first town, Riomaggiore.<br />
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There are no cars. Everyone has to park at the top and then the town itself is pedestrian only. The road getting there winded along the side of a mountain hugging the sea. We soon discovered the labyrinth that is Riomaggiore. There is one main "street" up the middle from the water. Other than that, every other route throughout the entire town looks like this:</div>
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Claustrophobics: beware! Up and down ancient, death trap staircases and narrow alleyways are the only ways to get from place to place and building to building. We had only planned on one night there, but after laying eyes on it, we decided to stay another. I mean, look at this place!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDZdT2PL1KQ6zzT9RLOALQWeSTT16omKtGO9C0D3inQoFmOQEcjA_mW30Htk0Rhovp2GVmOwQS6qWSA4llsPKHwZQnW0oZU4b9ctuhx83muwQMV3fm-hEdKn06X457yOVLDw-Yq2lX60/s1600/P1050443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDZdT2PL1KQ6zzT9RLOALQWeSTT16omKtGO9C0D3inQoFmOQEcjA_mW30Htk0Rhovp2GVmOwQS6qWSA4llsPKHwZQnW0oZU4b9ctuhx83muwQMV3fm-hEdKn06X457yOVLDw-Yq2lX60/s1600/P1050443.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main street with shopping and restaurants</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Told ya it's blue! The pathway that you see along the cliff is how you walk to and from each of the five towns</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the top where the cars are parked. You walk from here!</td></tr>
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I learned that this place was built here in the early 13th century. <i>Insane.</i> This was our last official and planned stop before heading back to Paris. We had four days to get there before turning the car back in...where should we stop next? Al has a weird obsession with checking "Olympic cities" off his list, so we chose Turin as our next stop. I found the cutest little bed and breakfast up in the hills outside Turin for only 35 euros a night. Win!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our place</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Balcony!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It rained the night before so we woke up to this foggy insanity</td></tr>
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Another morning, another decision on how far we should go and where we should stay. We looked at the GPS and decided that the road going through some mountains wouldn't be so bad. We were crossing back into France today and it looked like the most straightforward route without going on the paid toll highways. (1. Paid toll roads are really expensive 2. The side roads are slower, but where the scenery is. We only used highways if we absolutely had to.) We had our last Italian coffee and breakfast and hit the road again.</div>
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We only had the GPS screen for a visual of what our route looks like, so we had no idea what was actually waiting for us. The previous day as we were approaching Turin, there were snow-capped mountains in the far distance. I've never seen mountains like that before! I have never been to Colorado or out west at all (other than California), so this was the first time I've seen rocky, pointy, snowy mountains. I feverishly snapped pictures, thinking it was as close as I'd get to them. <i>Wrong. </i></div>
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As the GPS took us closer to the "bumpy" area of the screen that I guessed were mountains, little did I know then that we were headed straight for those huge snow-capped peaks in the distance. <i>The Alps. </i></div>
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The further we ascended, the quicker the temperature dropped and the more the buildings and towns looked like ski lodges rather than typical Italian dwellings. </div>
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The mountains were also getting closer.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRplwhAvXgEZm7eCajFTTsFq0JUTWcuzGaMDW8EAmLUYnVQHbtD3MUYzA3qqOaRUJM8Iiy30UVaAIimWsZKmwT5-ckHTtZkf0g9IZn8H6RO1c2S7gf3sOFL3cOFq9Sh2dYGYbXyBErhDY/s1600/P1050600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRplwhAvXgEZm7eCajFTTsFq0JUTWcuzGaMDW8EAmLUYnVQHbtD3MUYzA3qqOaRUJM8Iiy30UVaAIimWsZKmwT5-ckHTtZkf0g9IZn8H6RO1c2S7gf3sOFL3cOFq9Sh2dYGYbXyBErhDY/s1600/P1050600.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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We passed what what we thought was a castle, but turns out it's called "Fort of Exiles" and it's where the Man in the Iron Mask was imprisoned. It was super creepy. Nothing else really around but the fortress and a small village in its shadows. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRplwhAvXgEZm7eCajFTTsFq0JUTWcuzGaMDW8EAmLUYnVQHbtD3MUYzA3qqOaRUJM8Iiy30UVaAIimWsZKmwT5-ckHTtZkf0g9IZn8H6RO1c2S7gf3sOFL3cOFq9Sh2dYGYbXyBErhDY/s1600/P1050600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0P6biyy9xoE1EUORek-qRMPU1aTdkQIUPyQzj7vov6GWiGPEEp6fo0qv8anmrihpfxY49yWQf66yp8yrHSI4JH2M5kyIL5RbaOilUE_W260id2UTEcVSCFvtr4RSRMi-Qay0uIk-5l5o/s1600/P1050583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0P6biyy9xoE1EUORek-qRMPU1aTdkQIUPyQzj7vov6GWiGPEEp6fo0qv8anmrihpfxY49yWQf66yp8yrHSI4JH2M5kyIL5RbaOilUE_W260id2UTEcVSCFvtr4RSRMi-Qay0uIk-5l5o/s1600/P1050583.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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It was getting colder and snowier. The mountains were covered and we were soon officially "in the Alps". </div>
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We left Turin and it was about 70 degrees, and soon it looked like this:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flip flops. Def weren't expecting snow! </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8gVAjrpt0YCEAK6VwbqvZqNTxDCeegeS61xSRazbWm5U9-9hoSkFZjwGMaezTnH1-0klmxv1qteoA4xflEzoM72vVRIEEzQrV2PS5rzPtQxM0swJLutMW2SnKouA4ymB6xQzbPC5GMTg/s1600/P1050631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8gVAjrpt0YCEAK6VwbqvZqNTxDCeegeS61xSRazbWm5U9-9hoSkFZjwGMaezTnH1-0klmxv1qteoA4xflEzoM72vVRIEEzQrV2PS5rzPtQxM0swJLutMW2SnKouA4ymB6xQzbPC5GMTg/s1600/P1050631.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A nice place to end up on accident!</td></tr>
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We eventually weaved back and forth down the mountains and escaped the snow. We wanted some food so stopped at the first cute French town we ran across. I think we were outside Lyon. It's all kind of a blur now!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgct_sCmE2i9L3U3JkWFTbrBQ8CAbI5XTXU7HhTh8VsJW1cD3FHizBoX6JJrvC3OxoS3FH29r-f7R-Ua5SyktZiyj9zda6cyl0_9eG_94T9lK3UvobE1YYNixuIVW_JzOnGn-5o4slAeI/s1600/P1050653.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgct_sCmE2i9L3U3JkWFTbrBQ8CAbI5XTXU7HhTh8VsJW1cD3FHizBoX6JJrvC3OxoS3FH29r-f7R-Ua5SyktZiyj9zda6cyl0_9eG_94T9lK3UvobE1YYNixuIVW_JzOnGn-5o4slAeI/s1600/P1050653.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Churches churches everywhere</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty French rooftops</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9cruBYW0QgnhctI8wL-QlHTCzfaWqcjbcLGInE6BX-63Zyg4BYYKX9y3XJDdkn20NcSk8O2Z46NryOd9ZfAe-J6LEklMyP9eTeTWQR02lLl-9DceL0q56Uo8qkOzCzk-RZbJheWvHXA/s1600/P1050658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9cruBYW0QgnhctI8wL-QlHTCzfaWqcjbcLGInE6BX-63Zyg4BYYKX9y3XJDdkn20NcSk8O2Z46NryOd9ZfAe-J6LEklMyP9eTeTWQR02lLl-9DceL0q56Uo8qkOzCzk-RZbJheWvHXA/s1600/P1050658.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Next overnight stop: Dijon. I thought it would be nice to stop in the land of mustard, even though mustard completely grosses me out. I hate the word, even. But Dijon mustard from Dijon would be a good souvenir for people back home, so stop there we did. We stayed a little outside the center, but naturally, everything was beautiful. </div>
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It was time to get our butts back to the airport and drop off the car. We arrived early in the morning so we'd have extra time in Paris. (Our flight wasn't until the following day.) We checked into our hotel near Gare du Nord (the main train station) and enjoyed Paris again and for the last time. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sipping coffee at a Parisian cafe is one of the most sexy things in the world, I think.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTBhGQCkVcTpKjVHwrEFU423bRUsnNukhR5qc06U7baR7ZUr_wggZ8gE1TDHOC8pDee7uzi69JAnTrMpC0MseGRDZelcwPo3jQCu9uf6eY7liRpZba9F2S-uIQ1mKly_A52ZseDFDyBhY/s1600/P1050671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTBhGQCkVcTpKjVHwrEFU423bRUsnNukhR5qc06U7baR7ZUr_wggZ8gE1TDHOC8pDee7uzi69JAnTrMpC0MseGRDZelcwPo3jQCu9uf6eY7liRpZba9F2S-uIQ1mKly_A52ZseDFDyBhY/s1600/P1050671.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unfortunately our last day in France was a rainy one.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my favorite pictures. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our room the morning we left. Not a shabby way to wake up!</td></tr>
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I wa<span style="font-family: inherit;">s<i> <span style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">très, </span></i></span><i style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">très </i><span style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">sad to leave Paris. I feel like I didn't get to spend nearly enough time there. There is so much beauty to explore and see! And as far as the "Paris snob" thing goes, it's not too bad. I tried to speak in French as much as I could and always said "bonjour" and "merci" and "s'il vous plait". I'm sure it helped that I have a French husband, but he said he even felt slightly discriminated against occasionally simply because they knew he was a tourist, speaking to them in their own language or not. But overall, everyone was nice and helpful enough. </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">Next destination: ICELAND! I left mainland Europe heading straight for the Arctic Circle in a flurry of excitement. It was the portion of the trip I was looking forward to most. Onward!</span><br />
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Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144130336667577490noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164329378498243892.post-82766616101866648282014-04-13T16:06:00.001-04:002014-04-23T16:36:38.546-04:00Paris Is Always A Good Idea<p dir=ltr>Over a week ago I wrote a huge post about my time in Paris...then lost it. Somehow it all got deleted. I got mad and haven't tried to write it again until now. So let's try this again. </p>
<p dir=ltr>PARIS IS BEAUTIFUL. Also, the subways are super ghetto and really do smell like pee, just like I was warned. But it doesn't take too much away from the magic of the city. </p>
<p dir=ltr>We arrived before dark, giving me my first glimpses of the gated windows in the evening light. My insides were screaming with anticipation as we zipped through the city on the train to our stop. My eyes couldn't take in enough. Everywhere one looks in Paris is something beautiful. <i>Everywhere</i><i>. </i></p>
<p dir=ltr>After getting settled into our tiny apartment, we decided to walk the 10 minutes to the Eiffel Tower (!!!) to watch the sunset and the show of sparkling lights the Tower puts on every hour after dark. After dreaming of seeing this icon of Paris my entire life, actually sitting in front of it is overwhelming. It's enormous! It's so much bigger than I thought. Its weird looking at it though because it really is nothing more than a big iron tower thing. But because of what it's associated with is what makes it <u>so</u> special. </p>
<p dir=ltr>The next morning, we found a little market and got bread, cheese, salad and wine (typical and cliché) and had our lunch there on the grounds of the Tower. I tell you what, there are few things more satisfying than having a glass of wine IN Paris IN FRONT OF the Eiffel Tower. It's just like the movies, honestly. We walked to the other side of the river to get a different view of it and then went to the Orsay Museum. I was really looking forward to this museum because it has everything I love: Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Renoir, Matisse, Gauguin, Seurat, Cezanne...magical. It didn't disappoint. I have been nerdily overcome with emotion over the art I've seen on this trip. I have literally been brought to tears over the first Picasso I had ever seen in my life, and I also cried over seeing the Globe Theater in London. I mean, Shakespeare was there! Right there! Directing plays! What's not to cry about!? So the Orsay was definitely a highlight. Art is the best. </p>
<p dir=ltr>We also saw the Notre Dame that first day. Talk about awesome. These iconic things that we all know by sight are all of a sudden in front of my face. It's just insane. Al has been lighting candles for his grandma in all the Catholic Churches we've gone to so of course the Notre Dame was a big one. It's magnificent inside. One of the most detailed and ornate churches I've ever seen. The stained glass...whoa! And these places in Europe, the buildings and churches and monuments...are old! I mean old old. Like hundreds or even thousands of years old. Back home in america we flip if something is 1700s old. </p>
<p dir=ltr>The next day we went to the Louvre. They have things in there from ancient Egyptian times that were dated to like 5000 years ago. Its hard to even wrap my head around! I also, of course, saw the good old Mona Lisa. Seeing <i>that</i><i> </i>with my own eyes was nuts. I know da Vinci was brilliant and everything, but for the life of me I just don't understand why it's so much more famous than other works. It's lovely and I understand the mystery behind it, but there are much grander and better works in that museum. Oh well. </p>
<p dir=ltr>Our second day we meandered around Montmartre and saw the Moulin Rouge and the Sacre Coeur before the Louvre, then wandered up the river to enjoy the evening. After getting back to our place, I realized I had somehow lost my new favorite hat I bought at topshop. I don't lose things and I'm still pretty mad about it. There is no topshop here in Italy, but there is one in Iceland so I think I'm going to get another one there. Sad face. </p>
<p dir=ltr>After hitting some big cities...London, Paris, Milan and Rome, Paris is my favorite. Just like any metropolis, there is graffiti ruining beautiful things and slummy areas and bums...but the magic is underneath. It's downright gorgeous and just as fabulous as you imagine. The little cafes with the tables outside and flowers in windows are everywhere, reminding you of where you are in the world. </p>
<p dir=ltr>Parisian people aren't too snobby, but that could be because I have a French husband. The women are very plain, pretty, but plain. The fashion is very simple. The opposite from London! I prefer London's style: more funky and colorful. I dig the classy black of Paris, but I'm feeling London more when it comes to fashion. (And the weather)</p>
<p dir=ltr>The next day we packed up and got our rental car and headed south to the Loire Valley...castle central. </p>
<p dir=ltr>Onward...<br><br><br><br></p>
<p dir=ltr>(After re-reading this I realize how choppy and not great the writing was. I apologize. I do find it hard gathering thoughts and writing creatively on this dumb phone. Bear with me. Once I'm home with a keyboard hopefully my story telling will improve). <br><br></p>
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text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnjLv93mFNlKp061zLIEKgid6FjNYSvfI9izZNjpVXYb-MkKK3RMjpvLn6bsoH1sGph080AlA4HOD4dp6xbbz6QwqTLgzRit1iIQUTLOPmcMWn1jXmUU4wmfIGNVQSUj2S-PzKbaughsU/s1600/20140411_095356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnjLv93mFNlKp061zLIEKgid6FjNYSvfI9izZNjpVXYb-MkKK3RMjpvLn6bsoH1sGph080AlA4HOD4dp6xbbz6QwqTLgzRit1iIQUTLOPmcMWn1jXmUU4wmfIGNVQSUj2S-PzKbaughsU/s640/20140411_095356.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvnzWYcEsNuHH7duLZnS_CisIhZU5AEfJI2iik0H7zr3-T_QhCbC7Mu8vZ7LyxysTYNrUTbLa6YOkyMDsGRQ95dVBAKJqC7AEM_UOb8-NOF3zhQ3AEu0uwB8xfHN_4eMlFz0Gz9TikCM/s1600/20140410_072852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvnzWYcEsNuHH7duLZnS_CisIhZU5AEfJI2iik0H7zr3-T_QhCbC7Mu8vZ7LyxysTYNrUTbLa6YOkyMDsGRQ95dVBAKJqC7AEM_UOb8-NOF3zhQ3AEu0uwB8xfHN_4eMlFz0Gz9TikCM/s640/20140410_072852.jpg"> </a> </div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144130336667577490noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164329378498243892.post-43425032992964022382014-04-08T14:32:00.000-04:002014-04-09T04:22:43.625-04:00England! You're Rainy.<div>First let me say that I will be writing these blogs on a phone so the writing and pictures won't be in the same sort of format that I usually do I don't think. I'm still playing around with it and it's way more difficult to gather thoughts and insert pictures when I'm on this thing...so forgive mistakes and weird picture placements or whatever! </div><div><br></div>So...here I am, in England. My first impressions of this new continent aren't much different than being in New York City, if I'm being honest, but really, how different are all big English-speaking cities anyway? The big Asian ones (Tokyo, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei...) they all do feel really really different from the western world, but apart from the landmarks that obviously give it away as <em>London</em>, it doesn't feel any different. And that's ok!<br>
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It's been a very nice change to come to a place that feels like home after so long away from the familiar. We went into a supermarket called ASDA and I nearly squealed with delight because it was a REAL (to me) grocery store! With actual choices and variety! And everyone understands me! We've pretty much been nonstop since arriving and the first thing I'll say is that three full days is not enough time for this city. One more would be ideal, two more a bit much. <br>
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Everything does seem a bit more posh when everyone has a British accent. And all the royal stuff around...fabulous. We went to the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. I'm not sure how much of it is true to tradition and how much is put on for the tourists...though I'm pretty sure the bit where the royal marching band played Michael Jackson probably wasn't going on hundreds of years ago. <br>
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Seeing all these things with my own eyes just blows me away. People are way more familiar with Europe and its landmarks and culture than Asia, so that's probably why I have over a hundred likes on my picture with Big Ben. It's also why I'm really excited to share these photos with people because they are so recognizable. I've been putting myself in European daydreams for as long as I can remember, so finally experiencing it is outrageous. <div><br></div><div>We went on a tour of the Harry Potter studios. IT WAS AWESOME. By far the best tour of something I've ever been on. It is the very Warner Brothers studios where Dan, Rupert and Emma went every day for 10 years. All the sets are there and there are thousands of props. Seeing the details on all the props that don't even get shown in the movies is insane. Outside in the backlot you could buy butterbeer and see Privet Drive and they even had Hedwig there! As an extreme HP fan, this was my highlight in London. </div><div><br>
Here are some observations I've made about England so far:<br>
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-It's cold and rainy.<br>
<br></div><div>-I've been to a lot of big cities around the world but I don't think I've ever experienced such a variety of people from every walk of life. I'm not just surrounded by British accents but by every language imaginable. It's truly a melting pot. </div><div><br></div><div>-It's really expensive. Really, really expensive. </div><div>
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-Afternoon tea is a real thing. You get little cakes and sandwiches and a pot of tea and it's adorable.<br>
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-The shopping is unbelievable. Oxford street about blew my mind away. In the US, we have only a few lower-end cost shops like H&M and Forever21. There are SO MANY MORE here just like it. The fashion and shopping is insane and I'd kill to have a buttload of ££££££ to spend.<br>
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-The public transportation system is colossal. Between the overground and underground and buses it can get a bit confusing at times. Luckily we are familiar with how subways and things work, but I couldn't imagine this being the first time for someone using public transit.<br>
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-the money is super annoying. They have coins for 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 pence (cents) along with a £1 and £2 coins as well. The paper money doesn't even start until £5. My wallet weighs about a million tons.<br>
<br><div>-Everyone is dressed so well!! Coming from Korea where 80% of the women looked sloppy in tennis shoes, leggings and a big T-shirt all the time, this was a breath of fresh air. Men and women alike just seem to be way more put together and fashionable than in Korea. </div><div><br></div><div>-The mix of the old and new is crazy. There will be a BP next door to a 400 year old church. The contrast is shocking. </div><div><br></div><div>
We are in Liverpool now and are headed to Paris this afternoon!! We came up here so Al could see all the Beatles things. Liverpool is nice! The architecture is really beautiful. But it's so cold!! Maybe being right on a body of water has something to do with it. And Liverpool accents are really difficult to understand even though it's English. I've had to hang on their every word. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>It's time to get ready for the train to Paris so here are a few pictures...</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br>
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text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PTgd_N8lEi5iwJ_6UycVqHjQrGRkYKxCDd4FvoG6087U0vR0bRswqNGEQkGgNW1qanPtmYTgT3xJ5T9HnuADaOwyGheioOlKfHjNdbyARCL9UufACL7N0ENbzs3Ml0LGA1SOvc-YDjo/s1600/20140407_104359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PTgd_N8lEi5iwJ_6UycVqHjQrGRkYKxCDd4FvoG6087U0vR0bRswqNGEQkGgNW1qanPtmYTgT3xJ5T9HnuADaOwyGheioOlKfHjNdbyARCL9UufACL7N0ENbzs3Ml0LGA1SOvc-YDjo/s640/20140407_104359.jpg"> </a> </div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144130336667577490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164329378498243892.post-67280766885871573432014-04-01T12:47:00.003-04:002014-04-01T12:47:49.134-04:00Last Days and Thailand & Malaysia: Round 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: left;">As most of you know, we managed to wrangle about 80-90% of our owed money from our school. Between finishing early, his reluctance to pay total amounts and months of unpaid pension (he decided to report to the government that we finished working for him in </span><i style="text-align: left;">September</i><span style="text-align: left;"> so he didn't have to pay the remaining of our pension) we are out thousands of dollars, but there was/is nothing more that could have been done. </span></div>
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The last day in our apartment was a sad one. We had everything but our bags and a few boxes packed up and sent home or given away and Mr. Snakeface boss came to check the place before handing over our cash. He decides when he got there that all the furniture had to be moved out (furniture that was there when we moved in) and WE had to pay to dump it. There was a lot of arguing and back and forth over the furniture nonsense but we got it sorted and spent the rest of the day with him and two other Korean dudes moving every last thing in that apartment up and down 19 floors to the basement dump. After it was all said and done and it was time to lock our door one last time, I had a nice cry looking out at our amazing view over this city that in a very short time would no longer be my home. We reminisced about all the parties and good times that were had over the past few years, took one last look at this empty space that was our home for 2 1/2 years and locked the door.<br />
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We spent a few days on friends' couches and then were finally off on our much needed vacation. We flew to Langkawi, Malaysia (northern west coast of Malaysia) for one night, then caught the ferry to Koh Lipe, Thailand (southern west coast of Thailand) the following day to spent 11 days lounging on one of those beaches you see only on postcards or calendars. Immigration was a concrete building with a palm-thatched roof and getting stamped and through basically took place right there on the sand. The entire island is walkable so we just walked to the other side where our bungalow was waiting for us. It was basic, stifling hot, had no air conditioning or hot water...but it did have a hammock and was about 15 steps from the most turquoise water I've ever seen.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd85diGc7gZh3hLkk4y4z8qiNogeDyUkRcAFURvIAObn-fR-tMQtOhTUVWw7jNaZtflifW7M8H1RsbDWRCF2GaDaB2LD8XaG151L4luZMWObBCqvzwIolEZqQXYuavXpG1QR3UC1IqyC4/s1600/IMG_0783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd85diGc7gZh3hLkk4y4z8qiNogeDyUkRcAFURvIAObn-fR-tMQtOhTUVWw7jNaZtflifW7M8H1RsbDWRCF2GaDaB2LD8XaG151L4luZMWObBCqvzwIolEZqQXYuavXpG1QR3UC1IqyC4/s1600/IMG_0783.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiidtmSPFnLdB59s3Ws00B4vohFSzaTdW6ZWaH46uO4Zae6KlhRM_oEGIdaXi9fI0PUQb1roCkmSjnsG52PYjeT0EKdf0tnNLCEdJ6T8jVKldu9BlFD_dEBzRTcLk9X46vG3af3OZau6Ew/s1600/IMG_0609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiidtmSPFnLdB59s3Ws00B4vohFSzaTdW6ZWaH46uO4Zae6KlhRM_oEGIdaXi9fI0PUQb1roCkmSjnsG52PYjeT0EKdf0tnNLCEdJ6T8jVKldu9BlFD_dEBzRTcLk9X46vG3af3OZau6Ew/s1600/IMG_0609.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Al under the mosquito net</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpdt73NcV4yB5oGDPOJOdqWMKlplH8vZy-xRKumqY_vJ7H8rgrGdbaYsLxQqh2g0ugYrSSP4DR9aSvsDUGW_5iy0rZGkTRaqoTM1h7FdZDIrWv1HNh2m3qmYI81jp7Epi27MPr3fV71q0/s1600/IMG_0610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpdt73NcV4yB5oGDPOJOdqWMKlplH8vZy-xRKumqY_vJ7H8rgrGdbaYsLxQqh2g0ugYrSSP4DR9aSvsDUGW_5iy0rZGkTRaqoTM1h7FdZDIrWv1HNh2m3qmYI81jp7Epi27MPr3fV71q0/s1600/IMG_0610.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It looks much dingier than it actually was. It was squeaky clean.</td></tr>
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<br />We soon got into the routine of doing absolutely nothing. Wake up, coffee (for Al) and tea (for me), beach, lunch, hammock book reading, beach, dinner, sleep. Not always in that order, but mostly what the days consisted of. Once we took a walk up into the jungly mountain part, where some of the local people live and on the way was a temple:<div>
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We then saw some roosters and then a few baby chickens squaring off and fighting:</div>
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And then saw a bit of the local scenery up in the hills:</div>
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Another day we hired a longtail boat and some captains to take us on a snorkeling trip. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAnMHe7jXAiPvwVidAJX2h1K36VAxVa6RD1abIngx3XHR_dpifM17Qj_bCRQWLY6DOKs194FLXeZzik_xBSS8gp-og0qikKTHLvABBRdybXGBRlzFAFzMQZamkkdcTd2xYtCSnQ7r_xdc/s1600/IMG_0885.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAnMHe7jXAiPvwVidAJX2h1K36VAxVa6RD1abIngx3XHR_dpifM17Qj_bCRQWLY6DOKs194FLXeZzik_xBSS8gp-og0qikKTHLvABBRdybXGBRlzFAFzMQZamkkdcTd2xYtCSnQ7r_xdc/s1600/IMG_0885.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I. Love. Snorkeling. There's so much going on under there.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVl_nZouTG8lu4bfNktd2RhIxfQbcfueP7LTC9u8d4ikbHE4wcJUumjuKR5nW6L3WRTyPNW1qee3KX1WSzOxZxVsQ4jdQCSqubYVuX2BoJPIgCcjIpqVzTBa6bIJv88bu2lhiWXJfR7wA/s1600/IMG_20140325_113333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVl_nZouTG8lu4bfNktd2RhIxfQbcfueP7LTC9u8d4ikbHE4wcJUumjuKR5nW6L3WRTyPNW1qee3KX1WSzOxZxVsQ4jdQCSqubYVuX2BoJPIgCcjIpqVzTBa6bIJv88bu2lhiWXJfR7wA/s1600/IMG_20140325_113333.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGxQUcWLgcegh5uuW6mADZewL24Uxx87Pp2gDSO1xaKrS3-HaXP12Khyphenhyphenjvgxq0ZfLwRsiAEd3ZfJs_A7D-6qsqkRHalPkIAuS8KsFqZGCmt-m6k-RfsjB8z1d9sDRZu10w6LU6y_diFg/s1600/IMG_20140325_133407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGxQUcWLgcegh5uuW6mADZewL24Uxx87Pp2gDSO1xaKrS3-HaXP12Khyphenhyphenjvgxq0ZfLwRsiAEd3ZfJs_A7D-6qsqkRHalPkIAuS8KsFqZGCmt-m6k-RfsjB8z1d9sDRZu10w6LU6y_diFg/s1600/IMG_20140325_133407.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sup Nemo</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6Co9j4zNwbMQ-5hd6qjXmnX3JL6snBl-yAXYVW1GZFqoEeCYK-9t6ysPZkGkkFS4B1hyphenhyphen77dAMZZ9LwmxmGQmQF4h6WdZMWWHY4NgTQXbhF9AOcT7u_8FpcJYHc-ZGrNQ2MzBty0mXNE/s1600/IMG_20140325_141741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6Co9j4zNwbMQ-5hd6qjXmnX3JL6snBl-yAXYVW1GZFqoEeCYK-9t6ysPZkGkkFS4B1hyphenhyphen77dAMZZ9LwmxmGQmQF4h6WdZMWWHY4NgTQXbhF9AOcT7u_8FpcJYHc-ZGrNQ2MzBty0mXNE/s1600/IMG_20140325_141741.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6yKdXqXiczCP6oGMzcNobZ4tosnnCzixOtO5zatdV3Zgo-S6jJ3K4l5m2nbslKgoPUDTC-WrDBnu_SBeQlyRXqb5xiTmgRhhWXADctXt3N9tvQ4p0zrWsFwzL7ciRfgoZO6vxUEKOq4/s1600/IMG_20140325_140544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6yKdXqXiczCP6oGMzcNobZ4tosnnCzixOtO5zatdV3Zgo-S6jJ3K4l5m2nbslKgoPUDTC-WrDBnu_SBeQlyRXqb5xiTmgRhhWXADctXt3N9tvQ4p0zrWsFwzL7ciRfgoZO6vxUEKOq4/s1600/IMG_20140325_140544.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI6nSQw27BHsU3LgBoPdqEZvSGu-ZiXvf1xe7hIzPmpNIhocOEmS3vN2V7rb_rBd_7sz6afZYq1fF9MFxjSil3wmHv9RjyBjI0hAMJ9B2x-_jULGa4InGyY2kvKuHc6XdivsmEpXmMARQ/s1600/IMG_0901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI6nSQw27BHsU3LgBoPdqEZvSGu-ZiXvf1xe7hIzPmpNIhocOEmS3vN2V7rb_rBd_7sz6afZYq1fF9MFxjSil3wmHv9RjyBjI0hAMJ9B2x-_jULGa4InGyY2kvKuHc6XdivsmEpXmMARQ/s1600/IMG_0901.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parked on this beach to have our lunch</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLB6GQWlTpDlcq5ptDJ9QW6ZNYw7t70f9xQl94spE3HB2YUOD5JSZPOCCcxwrEhp_WMDFPses9hLQZ1Kg1tSyDdzCBDPtyNngMciliwpDhk_4dJaxLKNmBjvXhKTJYpOXUo2wEayGjhXw/s1600/IMG_0925.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLB6GQWlTpDlcq5ptDJ9QW6ZNYw7t70f9xQl94spE3HB2YUOD5JSZPOCCcxwrEhp_WMDFPses9hLQZ1Kg1tSyDdzCBDPtyNngMciliwpDhk_4dJaxLKNmBjvXhKTJYpOXUo2wEayGjhXw/s1600/IMG_0925.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That water is about 6 feet deep there</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTpF5YlcEaKL_MRhg-6qUfPRf7R_e3FMwsAQqYRkqD2akiN1DZUfP1cWsO1ZgeLn3vVl7B0QpD00xYCwzoiNEjD3WizrggVzetORpDPs2Fb0c7YMuwF55BoKl0s7EMO0SGoZ0C-ADUR_o/s1600/IMG_0927.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTpF5YlcEaKL_MRhg-6qUfPRf7R_e3FMwsAQqYRkqD2akiN1DZUfP1cWsO1ZgeLn3vVl7B0QpD00xYCwzoiNEjD3WizrggVzetORpDPs2Fb0c7YMuwF55BoKl0s7EMO0SGoZ0C-ADUR_o/s1600/IMG_0927.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of our boat drivers</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuUvb6UNAxdWNJ8OgEM_bslGFHAfHDHrgzA3hYn8BFUE2IC6dsGwGUQSAiarBx123EZgLQDgSaTbiuMLJR2v1psjaopPk244hH2RNOrUSF4p_4jZTMp1JBXV_sH-MXgsP0c7QELmU4e3A/s1600/IMG_0945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuUvb6UNAxdWNJ8OgEM_bslGFHAfHDHrgzA3hYn8BFUE2IC6dsGwGUQSAiarBx123EZgLQDgSaTbiuMLJR2v1psjaopPk244hH2RNOrUSF4p_4jZTMp1JBXV_sH-MXgsP0c7QELmU4e3A/s1600/IMG_0945.JPG" height="280" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHfVATcRC5SzIXb72xl5iolvI90dY6UTB82Id6QcA3cbSXHYmNoiKyCUQjHgNh6kSCGu5t-RfykLtDOPGR90mafgc4LX_54VmWG5p9WrfNxbxQR-JYLXwSLbFn_PzD1tgUQzhr4QiX8Y/s1600/IMG_0985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHfVATcRC5SzIXb72xl5iolvI90dY6UTB82Id6QcA3cbSXHYmNoiKyCUQjHgNh6kSCGu5t-RfykLtDOPGR90mafgc4LX_54VmWG5p9WrfNxbxQR-JYLXwSLbFn_PzD1tgUQzhr4QiX8Y/s1600/IMG_0985.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stopped at a different island that had swings all over the place...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2sPNsbYCcMfbBR1khqRHCTC5OcQtxAlUWggpQNwq6vYb8jVfaS52YqckeiOdLWrTx3Q7XozZAsBAQ8Nop2TBpkkGYbOLc0CfCPARm7e0GE8Wtq4aZmPfIAdEGkbaw7w7JQOFmbruK44k/s1600/IMG_0998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2sPNsbYCcMfbBR1khqRHCTC5OcQtxAlUWggpQNwq6vYb8jVfaS52YqckeiOdLWrTx3Q7XozZAsBAQ8Nop2TBpkkGYbOLc0CfCPARm7e0GE8Wtq4aZmPfIAdEGkbaw7w7JQOFmbruK44k/s1600/IMG_0998.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...And tree limbs...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79H2t9du8r1lguiw2qhPFvAztD8hxjN2_uNGJpscAqM35UaST-r-AQJA90GGGGHCb0tt_lNi8kvVDX-F3c9qoSAh5SrgiVghhdstKoNumPYEDHINEbu656HgSFfaD4JhJEAOHyqB8j9A/s1600/IMG_1017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79H2t9du8r1lguiw2qhPFvAztD8hxjN2_uNGJpscAqM35UaST-r-AQJA90GGGGHCb0tt_lNi8kvVDX-F3c9qoSAh5SrgiVghhdstKoNumPYEDHINEbu656HgSFfaD4JhJEAOHyqB8j9A/s1600/IMG_1017.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...that someone had put pretty corals on.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9CKQgVBtLg4q-rsxZMaTphHPsGavviL41tDaZCalUcZ4tIzw2zVpoRB2rjWualjBvn7sKLrd2DFy0mJmEV3i6G_Fas0AADIVlUjOChJhHF_td1bK04AIP0ZzXoDlngu6Q-btgt8QtsFQ/s1600/IMG_1069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9CKQgVBtLg4q-rsxZMaTphHPsGavviL41tDaZCalUcZ4tIzw2zVpoRB2rjWualjBvn7sKLrd2DFy0mJmEV3i6G_Fas0AADIVlUjOChJhHF_td1bK04AIP0ZzXoDlngu6Q-btgt8QtsFQ/s1600/IMG_1069.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><br />One evening, I saw the sickest sunset I've ever seen in my life. Never, ever, ever have I seen anything like it. So Lion King. <div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgayc_9UqWn1lKs9m9a90gZGZUPOOZo5kkQTILoVwGmyUz8kYNNJLHmPB-BZfBspg3Hu45XWb-ia2G6E74_ClJI1AQ9wsnsRlD3qYfthyphenhyphengMFYVX-QkCpqaFyt-qPVOvt7YYJVf9POpw0G0/s1600/IMG_0858.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgayc_9UqWn1lKs9m9a90gZGZUPOOZo5kkQTILoVwGmyUz8kYNNJLHmPB-BZfBspg3Hu45XWb-ia2G6E74_ClJI1AQ9wsnsRlD3qYfthyphenhyphengMFYVX-QkCpqaFyt-qPVOvt7YYJVf9POpw0G0/s1600/IMG_0858.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We arrived at the sunset beach and I was like <i>so pretty!</i> Little did I know what was coming.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdG2XuuJ9x-Vkfz66ueBshgzWPJ6SY09qZJnqxJS-CK7GfuKJTJ8MdmWARyiA2wfkmh-RZXLCPMTw02lDwLKR62TW-4vbpmCGC05BlNrqf0rFnbcdnczZOHPqyLezPvRHmRdkuMwQpsg/s1600/IMG_0861.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdG2XuuJ9x-Vkfz66ueBshgzWPJ6SY09qZJnqxJS-CK7GfuKJTJ8MdmWARyiA2wfkmh-RZXLCPMTw02lDwLKR62TW-4vbpmCGC05BlNrqf0rFnbcdnczZOHPqyLezPvRHmRdkuMwQpsg/s1600/IMG_0861.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starts peeking under the clouds...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiu1Dg9x0Ncp9k0w4gD-6wCx4QGEByadRISC-msnoRlq8QZTNRxudC00Iqyu8pEk8F4Xhiv2CXx1Vb0sUf0MHGGU-XzLQF8Fsohi8E8EcaevbwarxaqU34jLXJpkKY8zkQeyvtstIAgos/s1600/IMG_0865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiu1Dg9x0Ncp9k0w4gD-6wCx4QGEByadRISC-msnoRlq8QZTNRxudC00Iqyu8pEk8F4Xhiv2CXx1Vb0sUf0MHGGU-XzLQF8Fsohi8E8EcaevbwarxaqU34jLXJpkKY8zkQeyvtstIAgos/s1600/IMG_0865.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">omg...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgru7qtwc8_rGRAljZPDhFQRaUZ9_6y9NwRplpvjwn_K5vWH4iIUHidXw0UWK1Hltq_4rnw4ppE9Ek81rQUlDI9ZtLE239bfWLhRcicnURfuSviLpUetU6vliLI8c2Oj7dWVQnVzk0gvmA/s1600/IMG_0867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgru7qtwc8_rGRAljZPDhFQRaUZ9_6y9NwRplpvjwn_K5vWH4iIUHidXw0UWK1Hltq_4rnw4ppE9Ek81rQUlDI9ZtLE239bfWLhRcicnURfuSviLpUetU6vliLI8c2Oj7dWVQnVzk0gvmA/s1600/IMG_0867.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OMG!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9tPBehKLWIcUdpamgYRGLF8kKEDIlaGR3W65wlbwW1QHiLnWV_WtzY4_Ho9bccC5X0Tw5qvSYVCIPlLLKSsw27KAYPGd8ByHpzEH-aHT0h6J2Fn7pgw5m7cwdlw9S8H-9c2P_qa2qY1A/s1600/IMG_0869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9tPBehKLWIcUdpamgYRGLF8kKEDIlaGR3W65wlbwW1QHiLnWV_WtzY4_Ho9bccC5X0Tw5qvSYVCIPlLLKSsw27KAYPGd8ByHpzEH-aHT0h6J2Fn7pgw5m7cwdlw9S8H-9c2P_qa2qY1A/s1600/IMG_0869.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is not real.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5CBnh0mzZEj5G46jplu4excK1JUA-ltRF7LKJolgYMSI_wzRSJJu-R2k-bDoFjJfULwP_WzpksT87mrdIzmr5TAs-C8WMyX4GicyFgy9Rf8orcnTg8Tw7o4N6ft0zEBILLr6XC7x8GNs/s1600/IMG_0872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5CBnh0mzZEj5G46jplu4excK1JUA-ltRF7LKJolgYMSI_wzRSJJu-R2k-bDoFjJfULwP_WzpksT87mrdIzmr5TAs-C8WMyX4GicyFgy9Rf8orcnTg8Tw7o4N6ft0zEBILLr6XC7x8GNs/s1600/IMG_0872.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">:-O</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHTxDd9DVdHVt3HBeuZjFINUg8eGqLKy2DwZEOJB8Qep7-Qeq7X_CN2g18SuNi5Vwgx6kkwBXhGkgeS-vTfjjxwqdpsndD1TIk6RIR0p5BL3UsPNSMIx96Y8T5vqXBy-_Z4I_K8Ld1GyY/s1600/IMG_0874.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHTxDd9DVdHVt3HBeuZjFINUg8eGqLKy2DwZEOJB8Qep7-Qeq7X_CN2g18SuNi5Vwgx6kkwBXhGkgeS-vTfjjxwqdpsndD1TIk6RIR0p5BL3UsPNSMIx96Y8T5vqXBy-_Z4I_K8Ld1GyY/s1600/IMG_0874.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NAAAAAAAASOWHENYAAAAAHHH<br /> MAMABEATSEBABAAAAHH</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC5ANmYWxEy0xNubjsW9AMOwKM37D4bcO0J5RKoiF9BgXUT88UdmGkaf3QADR489g92oUmF3J6lVBZHozH8VPfnPmvtayLNOlxq_2DBm3n2uXgIlBLH0dVrNmeQLu_VOotarudyN7saEw/s1600/IMG_20140324_182543~2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC5ANmYWxEy0xNubjsW9AMOwKM37D4bcO0J5RKoiF9BgXUT88UdmGkaf3QADR489g92oUmF3J6lVBZHozH8VPfnPmvtayLNOlxq_2DBm3n2uXgIlBLH0dVrNmeQLu_VOotarudyN7saEw/s1600/IMG_20140324_182543~2.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture of me taking a picture</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><br /><div>
We ate some good food...</div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZr70eDJ7hruH5upfMrvl0dWik53y2u1WeYt7ZSY1wpvwEoVMqGaw_4w3sGTo_9D95TG6QNZ0EzziD1aqJ5qOpN_efNSN8edwQ52iCnboB_3CeIQ4tR8Vyzjfbczwn5S94KSu33LZ3IYQ/s1600/IMG_20140326_170128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZr70eDJ7hruH5upfMrvl0dWik53y2u1WeYt7ZSY1wpvwEoVMqGaw_4w3sGTo_9D95TG6QNZ0EzziD1aqJ5qOpN_efNSN8edwQ52iCnboB_3CeIQ4tR8Vyzjfbczwn5S94KSu33LZ3IYQ/s1600/IMG_20140326_170128.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coconut banana pancake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRhi3j6y8WYUwofa_NcAiZ1-jNZRTZ17QpCOUXsYFvEcUN0axPv-IznHhWohRHdVM0yvGce2jaZ28Ho67zrxKWDDWQUwPpn6u7DHscQmxlLUxsh1IjpSmjYm_WEVpciSiaiOj-roJU0GE/s1600/IMG_1106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRhi3j6y8WYUwofa_NcAiZ1-jNZRTZ17QpCOUXsYFvEcUN0axPv-IznHhWohRHdVM0yvGce2jaZ28Ho67zrxKWDDWQUwPpn6u7DHscQmxlLUxsh1IjpSmjYm_WEVpciSiaiOj-roJU0GE/s1600/IMG_1106.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coffee, Thai milk tea and fruit (obviously)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpoEPnuNAajwcYoSPx25CcOaa9vO1-gN2gUtWdeV2OcuwciKgCo0lTD8JczbUF2XwXMBUEbpMhhxabAq66v5niIfys4ecjCv31FyasHmYRWU6aYXgpaiO0I0XzPHyjryny5L1OkKKCIk/s1600/IMG_20140320_093328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpoEPnuNAajwcYoSPx25CcOaa9vO1-gN2gUtWdeV2OcuwciKgCo0lTD8JczbUF2XwXMBUEbpMhhxabAq66v5niIfys4ecjCv31FyasHmYRWU6aYXgpaiO0I0XzPHyjryny5L1OkKKCIk/s1600/IMG_20140320_093328.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh25ArGJmTbmQNDC6wTxBSOErjFVtcCLrl6mX5IDsiqTKi614jZy4O6mUfUwobF7EDadz3PrHQzrdasBgG_UR9ogaybwfnElvaBP1QLJCEU5JkLUoSRH1wT498FZLGjCrB83RsYWJBlJyw/s1600/IMG_0628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh25ArGJmTbmQNDC6wTxBSOErjFVtcCLrl6mX5IDsiqTKi614jZy4O6mUfUwobF7EDadz3PrHQzrdasBgG_UR9ogaybwfnElvaBP1QLJCEU5JkLUoSRH1wT498FZLGjCrB83RsYWJBlJyw/s1600/IMG_0628.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom Kha. Kind of like a coconut lemongrass soup with lime leaves, bamboo shoots, chicken and veggies.<br /></td></tr>
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We even found some kitties! The path from our bungalow to the main walking street had a dump pile of roof metal and one night we walked by and there were kittens in it! So each night we would look for them on our way to dinner and play with them. <div>
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I got a few $9 massages, but other than that it was mostly just laying around on the beach or meandering down to the walking street. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIc9xp5pY2yUqS__1vjMI2OAu-Mk7lRGnybJzfHbV3h_vFcHwXmwPD-MmEG1kcUmbECBfbE-S7_2ZRhZ0xCKPHY3ue2w8uw2Leq2KB-kB56QOk4IZ-aXsANf2Im-BGsIXJ7LaMiflyDwA/s1600/IMG_20140320_095149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIc9xp5pY2yUqS__1vjMI2OAu-Mk7lRGnybJzfHbV3h_vFcHwXmwPD-MmEG1kcUmbECBfbE-S7_2ZRhZ0xCKPHY3ue2w8uw2Leq2KB-kB56QOk4IZ-aXsANf2Im-BGsIXJ7LaMiflyDwA/s1600/IMG_20140320_095149.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every restaurant or store is open air</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1kwUfh08oFYWLVpSkQBAmEAGXwJ92jpivOm07oBBZpXkjujYLoBIDSvnIi0rvGd1BQ4s00yKkPeCWN8m72iQwNBmEg5EuRr-imnRthY0HYK23W2fxE9kPANKTK6l3OEmn6U5SVcwyU8/s1600/IMG_20140320_134552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1kwUfh08oFYWLVpSkQBAmEAGXwJ92jpivOm07oBBZpXkjujYLoBIDSvnIi0rvGd1BQ4s00yKkPeCWN8m72iQwNBmEg5EuRr-imnRthY0HYK23W2fxE9kPANKTK6l3OEmn6U5SVcwyU8/s1600/IMG_20140320_134552.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was a sand spit on one end of the beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-qmuFxFwlA0c3Z2DL_KRol10Wz8W4hEaqdSP7T3KX8OGpx1NOG94fe7ht5qPyVUIKXCd75jF9tMJ0sjcmo0n9qENUhYAbY6qxW4opvFB9XX9zmfU77R0IfMmmx3Th5vP1sQ5_unZxEpI/s1600/IMG_20140320_140832.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-qmuFxFwlA0c3Z2DL_KRol10Wz8W4hEaqdSP7T3KX8OGpx1NOG94fe7ht5qPyVUIKXCd75jF9tMJ0sjcmo0n9qENUhYAbY6qxW4opvFB9XX9zmfU77R0IfMmmx3Th5vP1sQ5_unZxEpI/s1600/IMG_20140320_140832.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the most serene, (undoctored) pictures I took</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7VujfST241rKYl5j9dZmBOY-BWEDW5wzlvIHz71YYKs7EJnXG6hxgeRlgjeeERcxBuSDyuqe1QfDbr-eejg0GbnMf3U9ao0jl-7bs-lxKJipHQO1tIyKKC052H1XD5zSe7HATkQtGwOE/s1600/IMG_20140321_102430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7VujfST241rKYl5j9dZmBOY-BWEDW5wzlvIHz71YYKs7EJnXG6hxgeRlgjeeERcxBuSDyuqe1QfDbr-eejg0GbnMf3U9ao0jl-7bs-lxKJipHQO1tIyKKC052H1XD5zSe7HATkQtGwOE/s1600/IMG_20140321_102430.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seems legit</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RqVdhsrFjQr31OYcbStKPZpBr85K-4s33ORfHnyOJVR6cEhVIyTkJbLAXTKmQM2RrXkKrvvwx9J5sXL1Cl-t_oA-eCOFFlQ8ASvTvj8USBhi6mgWUVapuV3KvtY0IdWEugBQ7tN3sqs/s1600/IMG_20140321_154750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RqVdhsrFjQr31OYcbStKPZpBr85K-4s33ORfHnyOJVR6cEhVIyTkJbLAXTKmQM2RrXkKrvvwx9J5sXL1Cl-t_oA-eCOFFlQ8ASvTvj8USBhi6mgWUVapuV3KvtY0IdWEugBQ7tN3sqs/s1600/IMG_20140321_154750.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This little kid stopped outside our bungalow and just played with the plants</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9kM0tErLJjRZTiHTlz2qMMBVicn-U5qS56EhL970EBYX8nprtwCzPpPwgIjh4GqvPmWNI7qhm8Moh9XVurQaYTcXcJ9jombdK6qUlKp53RSe-KfCB0cAUaOp1qfKL-NdiXakZg0Z3ejk/s1600/IMG_0613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9kM0tErLJjRZTiHTlz2qMMBVicn-U5qS56EhL970EBYX8nprtwCzPpPwgIjh4GqvPmWNI7qhm8Moh9XVurQaYTcXcJ9jombdK6qUlKp53RSe-KfCB0cAUaOp1qfKL-NdiXakZg0Z3ejk/s1600/IMG_0613.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When I get the settings right, my camera is capable of amazing things!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main walking street...before I got a tan</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tide went down really low one night</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nuts.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love this picture</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5W29MDzwvSpszRREDdxQ-S8BLPLiWvGJmw2CnRZQWnbv-K0KAipEas1grOXYo4WspouyAlvBR185Q2KyE8DQUEekdQIEIDBa0GZEn0MZP36YkdBxX9z-UJW2Hc-FD1W6pfKmHZMGId7k/s1600/IMG_0883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5W29MDzwvSpszRREDdxQ-S8BLPLiWvGJmw2CnRZQWnbv-K0KAipEas1grOXYo4WspouyAlvBR185Q2KyE8DQUEekdQIEIDBa0GZEn0MZP36YkdBxX9z-UJW2Hc-FD1W6pfKmHZMGId7k/s1600/IMG_0883.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6fUIGBlexSyhHNOnJdSnM4eNT09jmEfGem3vuCU8dOjN6rzyICjpgsaZg4IcTuoj0khCGDjn8l7fFMYatJ13hVlUEWU1wD1k1h6PyWbqFUwWo0NCN211EUrcrA7XdYaxMDwJjp53MGQ/s1600/IMG_1121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6fUIGBlexSyhHNOnJdSnM4eNT09jmEfGem3vuCU8dOjN6rzyICjpgsaZg4IcTuoj0khCGDjn8l7fFMYatJ13hVlUEWU1wD1k1h6PyWbqFUwWo0NCN211EUrcrA7XdYaxMDwJjp53MGQ/s1600/IMG_1121.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was about as crowded as the water got with people swimming</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shake and pancake stand</td></tr>
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<br />As our week and a half was coming to a close, we decided to use our last night for a movie. SE Asia is famous for "TV bars" I guess you could call them. They have TVs and cushions and pillows all over and they play movies and shows all day and night. We got some fries, picked some pillows and watched "Get Him to the Greek."<div>
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The last day we took the 4pm ferry back to Langkawi to catch our 10pm flight to Kuala Lumpur where we would spend two nights. Al isn't a big fan of Malaysia, but I don't mind it so I was pretty excited to spend a whole day in a new city. </div>
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We spent the afternoon in the markets and then went a little outside the city to the Batu Caves, a Hindu temple of sorts set in and around massive limestone caves...complete with an enormous golden god statue. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside our hotel</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Batu Caves</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was a loooong way up</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So many layers of paint</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indian ladies visiting the caves. Saris are some of the world's most beautiful clothing.</td></tr>
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We decided we wanted to go see the Petronas Towers at night, so we relaxed at the hotel for a bit....then it started pouring the rain. And I mean <i>pouring. </i>Thunder, lightening, the whole shebang. It was really nice, actually, because I haven't heard a thunderstorm in so long, but there went our chances to see Kuala Lumpur's most famous landmark. Oh well! The rain let up a bit so we crossed the street to the market food court, ghetto in the daytime, even more ghetto at night. I got a "sesame chicken and rice" from one of the vendors, sounds safe enough, yes? No. It came looking like it was covered in blood, clotted blood, and I still have no idea what kind of sauce that was. I didn't eat much of the chicken, though the rice was steamed with coconut so I ate that instead. Al had some weird Chinese noodle dish. We had a good laugh about our gross last ever dinner in Southeast Asia and headed back to our air-conditioned hotel room, leaving for Busan very early the next morning. <div>
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It's 1:32am as I type this which means I have exactly one full day left in South Korea. We fly out at 4pm on Thursday to Tokyo, giving me only tomorrow and maybe Thursday morning to finish the millions of things still left to be done. </div>
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Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144130336667577490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164329378498243892.post-24316282587012494972014-03-03T07:37:00.003-05:002014-03-03T07:37:57.769-05:00My Love/Hate Korea ListI'm now approaching the T-minus two weeks mark upon leaving this country for the beaches of Thailand and I couldn't be more excited about it. But I also couldn't be more sad about it. When I move to a new country, I'm all wide-eyed in the beginning and everything is wonderful and different. But then slowly, very slowly, things start to become irritating and every day there is <i>something</i> to make me facepalm and go "whyyyyyy!??!?!" Perhaps I'm jaded. Actually, I know I am. But don't get me wrong, I like to think of myself as a very open minded person and I'm more than willing to accept and embrace differences in other cultures outside my own. One <i>has to</i> in order to do what I do. But at the end of every year, I find myself focusing on the negative things instead of the positive because I'm itching so badly to escape. I'm somewhat of a vagabond and thoroughly enjoy moving from place to place, but I'm not one of those who could permanently desert the comforts that the United States offers. I've done this for a long time, and I'm ready for some cushy living for a while. After living in South Korea for two years and three months, I think I have a pretty good grasp on how things work and what I (and most other expats) love and hate about this...interesting...piece of earth.<br />
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So here for you, I've compiled a list of things that I will miss and things that I will most definitely not miss about this place I've called home for so long. In no particular order...<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Things I will miss</b></span><br />
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<u>Public Transportation:</u> Something that America <i>seriously</i> lacks and needs to get with the rest of the world on is public transit. I understand that America is incomprehensibly vast, but something needs to be done. The subway system is cheap, efficient, and easily gets me wherever I need to go. And taxis, oh taxis! I have a love/hate relationship with taxis. They are really cheap here and probably every 3rd car driving down the street is one so there is never a problem of hailing it and getting where you need to go. However, I have no idea how anyone in this country obtained a driver's license and taxi drivers can be exceedingly dangerous along with everyone else on the road. I've had drunk ones, ones that are falling asleep, most run red lights and speed as though they are being chased by a T-Rex. But, on the other hand, it's reliable and there is never the question, "Alright, who's DDing tonight?"<br />
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<u>Paris Baguette and other various bakeries:</u> There is some kind of delicious pastry heaven on every block. Paris Baguette is the biggest chain around here and there are numerous other brands along with the mom and pop ones. They sell sandwiches and cakes and cinnamon buns and cream puffs in these carb utopias and it's a constant struggle to resist gorging myself daily.<br />
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<u>The "Bing Bong" buttons:</u> At most restaurants around here, the customer service is mediocre at best because there is no tipping. They don't need to be nice or overly friendly so they just aren't. So instead of coming to your table periodically to see if you are in need of anything, there is a small button at the end of the table that you press if you do need something. It makes a "bing bong" sound and the waitstaff comes running. GENIUS. No waiters or waitresses coming to your table when you have a mouthful of food asking if you'd like more coke. If you want more coke, you BING BONG. Though I imagine it gets pretty annoying...<br />
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<u>THE BEACH:</u> Busan summers are one thing I am going to ache for. Starting in April we usually start making our way down to the sand occasionally for springtime gatherings by the water, and by the end of May it's full blown beach season (for the foreigners anyway). From June to October there is a group of our friends at the beach nearly every single weekend. The only time at least a few don't show up is if they are out of town. Living by the sea has yet to get old and it's something I'm going to greatly miss moving to a landlocked state. No more will I constantly be sweeping sand out of my apartment all summer. Gwangalli beach might get pretty filthy and gross by mid-summer, but the memories I have of spending my time there are probably the most fond ones I have.<br />
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<u>McDelivery:</u> McDonald's has a delivery service here. Enough said.<br />
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<u>Hana Kimbap:</u> A local restaurant next to Al's school is called Hana Kimbap and the lady who owns it is just the sweetest. We eat there a lot. She knows our names and is always winking at us and refilling our sides and attempting conversation in her broken English and knows exactly what I want when I walk in there. Bulgogi dupbap is my favorite Korean food (sort of beef/rice/vegetable thing) and you can't get better than at Hana. I decided a long time ago that Hana is probably going to be my last Korean meal and I'll probably get her a card or something.<br />
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<u>Walking:</u> Busan is a walking city. Yeah it's congested with cars, but because it's a tightly packed metropolis, if you don't need to go far, you walk. The sidewalks are always packed with people going about their day to day business, just like New York City. I walk about 20-25 minutes to work and back every single day, and I've done that every single day for two years. When I went home for a visit last year I had forgotten what sedentary lives Americans lead. But in America, there is no opportunity to walk from place to place because you <i>have </i>to have a car. Everything is too far apart. Here, anything you could ever need is within walking distance. In the US, unless you live in a "walkable" city, which are few and far between, you don't want to be seen walking anywhere anyway. Do you think I want to be seen walking down West 2nd street in Weston or something? Nope. But it's something I'm really going to miss. Every time I leave the house having to get in a car and drive somewhere just to get something small is going to get old fast. I'm sure I'll have moments of "ugggghhh I wish I could just walk there and get it".<br />
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<u>Healthcare:</u> Oh, universal healthcare, how I love thee. I don't know how healthcare works in Japan and Korea, but it's something fantastic and magical. The taxes stay low, yet everyone has access to dirt cheap quality care. I've been to the doctor about three separate times here and each time it has cost me about $4 for the visit and usually around $1.70 for the Rx. Someone told me once that if you forget your insurance card and so don't "have insurance" it will cost $10 instead of $4. I'm not visiting a doctor in some hut either, it's a normal hospital like anywhere else. I will say that Asian Rx aren't as strong as those back home (a complaint of many expats), but they seem to get the job done alright, if anything alleviate symptoms somewhat. Koreans go to the hospital for anything and everything though like the wimps they mostly are, which is kind of irritating. Runny nose? Hospital for a shot. Headache? Hospital for some meds. Hungover? Hospital for an IV. In America, if you aren't dying, you man up and go to Target for some OTC meds and get over it. So anytime I've had a small cold, I'm not going to the hospital, it's a waste of time. But bronchitis? Yeah, I'll go...I guess that's worth my five bucks for a diagnosis and a weeks worth of pills. Get on board, America! I won't be able to afford it once I get back!<br />
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<u>Nightlife:</u> Would you like to party until sunrise? Well, ya can. Bars and the like don't close. If there is someone there, they stay open. Things closing at 2am is going to be a real downer; that's usually when we really get started here. And good heavens, the <i>noraebang</i>, or karaoke. Noraebang is my life on the weekends. It's not karaoke as you know it, either. You pay for a private room and it has screens and microphones and strobe lights and you and your private group sing until daylight. I think Nashville is going to have a pretty good nightlife scene but I don't see how it's going to compare to here.<br />
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<b style="font-size: x-large;">Things I will absolutely not miss</b><br />
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<u>The overall uncleanliness:</u> Everywhere I look, there is litter. Korea is known for a lot of things, but being a <i>clean</i> country is not one of them. You probably don't remember, but I wrote a post living in Japan on how there are no garbage cans in any public place. The same goes for here, but for some reason Japan is squeaky clean and Korea is the exact opposite. Korean people don't seem to take pride in their city/country enough to not throw their garbage on the ground outside. And don't get me started on the spitting. Men and women alike hawk loogies all over the sidewalks. Literally, there are chucks of green and yellow constantly adorning the sidewalks. The spitting doesn't stop outdoors, however. It's also in elevators, building foyers and the subway station. I wish I were joking.<br />
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<u>Lack of variety:</u> When it comes to shopping, grocery shopping in particular, there is just not much variety in items. Coming from America where everything is bigger and a Super Walmart is something to behold, grocery shopping can get a bit dull. It's just the same old things. Frozen pizza? Maybe two brands to choose from. Soups? Perhaps three or four. Canned vegetables? Only about six or seven to choose from and only one brand. Even local native things like kimchi or bean sprouts has only a few to choose from. I mean, a grocery store back home has an entire aisle simply dedicated to salad dressings. I believe the only thing I've seen a great variety of is Ramen...there's probably about 25 different kinds. And thinking of variety...<br />
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<u>Seasonal produce:</u> I know living in the US has spoiled me some when it comes to produce. I can go into any supermarket at any time of the year and get any fruit or vegetable I desire. Things vary in price slightly depending on the time of the year, but things here come and go with the seasons. Would you like some watermelon in November? Nectarines in March? Good luck. I can't afford fruit here anyway. It's outrageously expensive. A bag of 5 apples will set me back about $6, a pack of strawberries about $12 and avocados run about $3-4 <i>each. </i><br />
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<u>The laundry situation:</u> No one in Asia has a proper washer or dryer. No one has a dryer anyway. I'm SO TIRED of air drying my clothes on these metal racks that take up half my apartment. My washer takes about 45 minutes for one load and it's super small, it's in my kitchen and fits under the counter. Then I have to air dry everything which means it's all stiff and crunchy. I can't remember the last time I got to dry off with a soft fluffy towel.<br />
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<u>Recycling:</u> Call me an earth-hater, but I hate recycling. I would probably do it back home if I had proper cans for everything and on trash day I can just take it outside for someone else to deal with it. But I don't want to go out of my way just to recycle. I have to lug all my garbage 20 floors down and then separate it all in the garbage area of the basement which has the most foul odor ever. There is no such thing as a regular old Hefty trash bag. Doesn't exist. They have special trash bags that are kind of free-for-all you can throw anything in them, so that's what I use. But they are $13 for 10 of them. Bottles I'll separate just because I don't want to take up room in my very expensive trash bags, but other than that, anything and everything goes in those suckers because where I throw my trash isn't something on which I wish to waste my brainpower.<br /><br /><u>Nothing is customizable:</u> Koreans, and really Asia, like things a certain way. If one tries to mess with that, they get antsy and don't really know what to do. Nothing can be changed around in restaurants, no substitutes or no "Have It Your Way" at Burger King. If you ask for no tomato on your burger, you're just asking for a blank stare. I'm pretty stoked to get back home and the made-to-order way of food ordering.<br />
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<u>Someone is always in my way:</u> This one is hard to explain to someone who's never been here, but Koreans (in general) unquestionably have no sense of awareness of their surroundings. I think I've mentioned this before on this blog, but they all walk inside a bubble that has roughly a 6 inch radius around their body. Anything that goes on outside that 6 inches they are blissfully unaware of. It's actually a remarkable thing to watch. Walking down the street, they seem to not be able to sense there are others around them, so they block you. In the grocery store, this is no joke, they will park their buggies right in the middle of the aisles while looking at shelf items, and I can actually stand there with my own buggy right in front of them and they have <i>no idea</i> that I am there to let me pass. I find a lot of it is just a completely lack of courtesy for anyone but themselves. It's a strange thing to witness, because for the most part they aren't mean, hateful people, they just truly are not conscious of others. The same goes for the driving. Imagine, if you will, this scenario, but in vehicles. It's a dangerous, dangerous thing and I'll be glad to get back to the safety of American roads.<br />
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<u>It's cold or hot all the time:</u> Yeah, yeah, I complain about the heat and the cold <i>a lot. </i>But it's one of those things that really has made my life more difficult over the years. The lack of insulation and their extreme nutcase attitude towards energy saving means that the summer heat nor the winter cold can ever truly be escaped. In winter, everywhere, even in some nicer restaurants, the bathrooms aren't heated and in some case the indoor areas themselves. Summer, I'm sweating trying to teach my kids the ABCs because no one will let me turn the air down below 77. Being comfortable, temperature wise, is one thing I am most looking forward to coming home.<br />
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I could list things for days, but I think this about covers the big things in my life. I finished working today and now have two weeks of packing up this apartment and really just enjoying my last bit of time here. Next stop: Koh Lipe, Thailand! Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144130336667577490noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164329378498243892.post-72374988327826366872014-02-19T20:42:00.000-05:002014-02-19T20:42:07.709-05:00Korean School Owners Are...Dicks.<br />
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There are a handful of you out there who know what a rather restless and depressing last few weeks it's been around these parts. For those who don't, here's the scoop: Korean academy owners (and business owners in general) are greedy, money hungry mongrels who try and get as much work as possible out of their employees for the littlest in return to those employees (teachers). Before we even came over here, our recruiter told us, verbatim, "contracts don't mean much to Korean people". Once we arrived, and over the last two years, we have heard countless stories of friends and friends of friends who have been screwed over in some way by their school owner i.e. not getting paid on time, not getting paid at all, too many hours, weekend working, no holidays, schools closing with no warning, firing at the 11th month of the yearly contracts to avoid paying the large lump sum at the end...the list goes on and on.<br />
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Al and I have had zero problems with our school for over two years now. If you might remember, we actually arrived here in December 2011. We've always known that our owner isn't exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer, but we have never once not gotten paid, not gotten our holidays, never had problems with time off, nothing. We've never had a warning or complaint from either of our schools. I've never been a second late in two years, nor has Al. All in all, it's been a pretty quiet two years when it comes to major things that could disrupt our lives. (me relentlessly complaining about the cooling/heating at my school doesn't count, that's just super annoying.)<br />
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Well, well, well, here it was, a few weeks ago, Al and I were happily counting down our days left here and our days left until vacation, when <i>WHAM BAM, </i>we were hit with the news that our owner has decided that we're the worst teachers at the schools and wants us out and gone <i>at 11 months. </i>Oh yeah, could this have something to do with the fact that the month we finish our contracts he owes us nearly TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS!? With our last two paychecks, two bonuses (severance), and two flights (a grand each they give us for flights), it tops out at nearly 10 Gs. That's not even counting two years of pension we've had accruing. Needless to say, when teachers leave Korea, they count on a very large sum of money coming to them...hence the reasoning behind the "11th month firing". It's a pretty common thing to happen, so maybe we're idiots in thinking that just because we've had a smooth two years that it wouldn't happen to us.<br />
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A little back story on MY school: It's an elementary school. The Korean school year runs March 1-March 1 (year round schooling...yay...), so that's how my semesters fall, but my contract ends askew from my school's semesters. Every March, my school would give the company I work for the run around saying that they didn't want to renew the contract with them and yadda yadda...but they always did renew. This year was no different. About a month ago, I started hearing the usual chirping around the office about them not wanting to renew. Well, if they didn't renew, my last day would be February 28, but my contract doesn't end until March 31...would I work at the main office with Al? Get a temporary job? If they did renew, will I still be able to work that last month? Lots of questions, no answers.<br />
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Nobody from the main office tells the Koreans at my school anything, and then they don't tell me anything. For weeks I questioned the situation but to no avail. Finally, a few weeks ago, I went to the main office and got my answer: That they wanted us OUT and weren't going to pay us ANYTHING! As I was "talking" to the owner (through a translator) and waiting for Al to get out of class, he was saying things like...I left class to go make copies once? So apparently..."Samanda! Teacher! Bad!" And using the excuse about my semesters not falling right and that they want a new teacher in there to start with the new school year on March 1 and loads of other nonsense.<i> So it's gonna be like that is it?</i> Our owner would grunt out a bunch of Korean and then translator would say, "He's just making excuses, but he said..." and then list a bunch of asinine things that Al and I supposedly did (I guess Al drank too much water or something?) which was his reasoning for ending us early. Mmmhmmmmm. How stupid do you think we are, pal? So when Al got out of class, he flipped his lid, as I knew he would, and I was on the verge of a full on panic attack. I mean, we have an entire month in Europe already booked, most nonrefundable, and here we are on the cusp of possibly getting no money to pay for it, so we may have to cancel. Great.<br />
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I also learned (from the translator guy, who is our age and Korean-American) that my Korean teachers have come to the main office on multiple occasions and verbally bashed me to a pulp. I am honestly not sure I want to know the details or exactly what they said, but he mentioned something about them telling the owner I'm "late all the time" and a myriad of other things that can't possibly be true because, well, I've never stepped a toe out of line.<br />
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We immediately employed my Korean bff Sophie to go with us to the labor board...with little result. They looked over our contracts and she told them the situation but apparently there was nothing in our contracts protecting us if something like this happened. I read it thoroughly and it seemed pretty solid, but the labor board said otherwise. Soph said that the best thing to do now was to just try and negotiate as much as possible out of him. That was two weeks ago.<br />
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We then had a meeting with him, he was trying to do this and pay this much and we wanted this much and back and forth and back and forth. He then said he needed to think things over and pushed us to the following Thursday when we would get our yes or no and get it settled. Thursday came, he went to Seoul. Moved to Friday. Not back from Seoul. Moved to Monday. (I didn't sleep well). Monday came, Al said it was best if he handled it alone because our owner always gets really titchy when I'm around (he is always telling me how beautiful I am, creepola, perhaps I make him uncomfortably horny).<br />
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I was on pins and needles and Al walks in the house at about 10:30 with mostly good news. Here's the sitch: We will be getting roughly 90% of our money. My last day of work is NEXT FRIDAY. Al's is March 14th. We will get both our flights and a pro-rated severance, which will cut off only like a hundred bucks for Al and a few hundred for me. Obviously we'll get our last two paychecks, plus Al will get 14 days worth of pay in March.<br />
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The Europe trip is saved! Although, we might cut a bit off the end and just not go for as long as we planned. A shame, but something that might have to be done. Also, we have to be out of our apartment three weeks before our flight out of Korea. So we're looking into getting a flight to Thailand or somewhere down there for a few weeks because 1. We'd have to sleep on a friend's couch for three weeks because we're homeless 2. We'd be bored out of our minds 3. We'd be spending money left and right keeping ourselves entertained 4. It's wayyyyyy cheaper to live down there day to day than it is here 5. Our sanity would be tested. We wouldn't be able to stay in the same place with one another; apartments here are the size of your bathroom at home and I don't want to sleep on a couch and impose on people for three weeks. To give you an idea of how cheap Southeast Asia is, it will actually probably be cheaper to buy a flight down to the beaches of Thailand for a few weeks rather than stay around here. Still not sure yet, we're gonna figure it out in the next few days.<br />
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Things at my school are tense. Seriously, seriously <i>tense. </i>I know that they bad mouthed and lied about me to the owner, but they don't know that I know. I am very, very cold to them and frankly, I don't care. They're the ones who are late all the time anyway (really, always). Because there's no one there to unlock the door when I arrive, I've had to crawl through the office window more than a few times or sit outside in the frigid hallway until someone finally arrives. It's getting hard to keep my mouth shut, but now is the time to mind my Ps and Qs; I have a lot of money on the line.<br />
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The kids have a short week and a half "vacation" from now until the new school year on March 1 which means my hours are back to the morning ones. It's not so bad I guess, just still really cold. I haven't had time at all to mentally prepare myself to leave this job I've had for so long. I mean, this is my <i>work </i>and my <i>home. </i>Since I had the idea that I would be finishing March 31 for so long, the news that I had a very short time left has kinda taken me be surprise. I love those kids (most of them) and I can't believe I'm done next Friday. I'm really gonna need to try and find some subbing work or something until Al is done. Blah.<br />
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So...that was pretty long winded! But, now you know!<br />
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<i><br /></i>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144130336667577490noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164329378498243892.post-49412938909892523792014-02-03T20:38:00.000-05:002014-02-03T20:38:40.781-05:00Happy Lunar New Year...or Chinese New Year...Whatever! Happy 4 Day Weekend! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Because the Asians like to celebrate an additional New Year that the moon dictates instead of the one that the earth and sun dictate, we got a four day weekend. Known as "Sollal" here in K-Land, it's one of the biggest holidays of the year where all the families get together and eat lots of food and do traditional things a.k.a. a living hell for most of them. My lady coworkers are nearly in tears every "family" holiday because there is so much expected of them from their mother-in-laws (cooking, cleaning, getting yelled at...) while the single Korean ladies have to endure endless questioning on just <i>why oh why</i> they aren't married yet. One of my single coworkers actually skips every holiday with her family for the SOLE reason that she doesn't want to be questioned relentlessly about her marriage status despite the fact that she's *gasp* 30. </div>
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We expats, however, get a relaxing holiday, and this one was filled with four days of unusual 60+ degree weather. Thursday and Friday Al and I just chilled and Saturday we all had a BEACH DAY! The last time we were all at the beach was probably October, so this was fantastic. We brought our beach blankets (and extra blankets to stay warm) and the boys played football all day. Fabulous.<br />
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Sunday, Al and I decided to head down to the southern part of the city along the coast to Chinatown, because we've never been there. Turns out "Chinatown" is more of a long street that should be more appropriately named "Russiatown". Not only was there very little Chinese anything there, it was basically a big sign that said "Chinatown" and then a bunch of shops and restaurants with Russian names. If someone knows the story behind it, please, let me in, because I don't get it. Mostly everything was closed anyway, so that was unfortunately somewhat uneventful. </div>
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We took the subway two more stops to Nampo, a favorite area of ours. It's a trek and a half to get there from our house, like 40 minutes or more on the subway, but we like to go. There's a very long, wide street with semi-upscale shopping, where at the end you turn right down a dirty alleyway and come out in knock-off central. This tightly packed, mile long extravaganza has anything and everything, but mostly fakes of every shape and size. Now, don't get me wrong, if you know me well you know that I believe that knock-offs should be banned from earth, but that's mostly towards bags, jewelry, shoes...the big items. Do I have a Lacoste hoodie from there because I'd rather pay $50 than $150 for pretty much the same exact quality? Yeah. But if I can't afford $1,300 for a genuine Chanel quilt bag, then I'm not going to spent $150 on one in Nampo to carry around like I'm better than everyone. Gross. </div>
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Once we got to the end of the nice shopping area, we decided to turn left because, well, we've never turned left down that way. We ended up discovering an entirely new area of Nampo that we've never been because, really, we just stick to the same old same old. Al and I...we don't generally go to new places around Busan. I'm not sure why. We've just not gone out and "discovered", so Sunday was a real treat. We found new streets, new restaurants and Lord Almighty, the Jagalchi Fish Market. The Jagalchi Fish Market is a seafood spectacle unlike any other. It's a huge building that looks like this inside... </div>
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...With every type of sea creature imaginable available for purchase. As you can see...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTFQDh3HnPzsTHDOkYK0boBeaUipiVoM8Ay2-88s0-3kfQaaaCaqdIEXwosiIR-wacFL0crLHNvDlJU_UbYKZAoa4O-cYm43fYO22Er9kWP5kVezxxY_YXeEc6lkD8JgOvdpZltRhUx0/s1600/IMG_0449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTFQDh3HnPzsTHDOkYK0boBeaUipiVoM8Ay2-88s0-3kfQaaaCaqdIEXwosiIR-wacFL0crLHNvDlJU_UbYKZAoa4O-cYm43fYO22Er9kWP5kVezxxY_YXeEc6lkD8JgOvdpZltRhUx0/s1600/IMG_0449.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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I had no idea what most of it even was, let alone how to eat it. This place is quite a knock on the senses, especially the nose. I saw a woman skinning eels alive in one quick stroke; they were still bloodily slithering around afterward. I immediately wished I hadn't witnessed such a traumatizing event as I very much like eel sushi. It's all I'll be thinking about next time I'm in a sushi joint and order my regular <i>unagi. </i></div>
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After we finished roaming the smelly building we went outside to a deck, which overlooks the water and what I assumed to be a fishing boat marina. There were lots of people out and about because of the nice weather, kids feeding seagulls, a band was playing...and two homeless men fighting each other. As soon as he spotted it, Al yells, "bum fight!" and then one of them gets knocked out and falls backwards down some steps. Someone was attempting to break it up, but it was clear they were sloshed and were having none of it. Since I brought my camera along with me, I spent a lot of the time still testing out settings and trying to get some good pictures of the marina...and some I did!!</div>
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We decided to lose ourselves down some more side streets we've never seen as we worked our way back to the Nampo subway station. We found another great shopping/food street that I for sure want to come back to.</div>
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Once we were back to the main shopping street and were walking back towards the station, we passed a clothing store that people were running out of and was quickly filling with smoke. <i>A fire! </i>It had apparently just started as the shopkeepers were running in and out with their phones calling the firemen. The whole area was soon filled with black smoke as it was rolling out of the front door. Of course we, along with tons of others, stopped to watch it all unfold. The fire trucks showed up not 5 minutes later (7 of them, by the way) and began to put it out. I never saw any flames, though, just billows of smoke. We happened to be in the right place at the right time for all the action today! First a bum fight, then a fire. </div>
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Instead of going home, we went into the big Lotte department store across the street to look for some food. The way department stores here are set up is that usually on the first floor there are tons of food counters. They cook in the middle and there is counter seating all around it. We found a Japanese ramen one, in my top 5 favorite foods ever, and it hit the spot. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tonkatsu Gyoza Ramen. Heeeeeaveeeennnn</td></tr>
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After a long day adventuring to new places, we headed home and fell asleep at 9:30. The next day, Monday, was the first day for the kids back from vacation, which means my hours changed back to the normal 1-6:30. I hate, hate, hate waking up early in the morning, but getting off work at around 2 every day was great. As much as I detest waking up early, I'm still a person who would rather just get in and get out. I always hated in college when I had evening classes, because I just have to wait around all day knowing I have an obligation later in the day. Sucks. But now, I get to sleep in as late as I want again, but I get off at 6:30...which really isn't bad. It was God awful having to take my morning coffee poo at school instead of home, anyway. Onward to March 31! </div>
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<br />Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144130336667577490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164329378498243892.post-87518081709744843972014-01-21T05:25:00.000-05:002014-01-21T05:25:47.394-05:00If You Are Even Slightly Interested In My European Plans...You might all be thinking...<div>
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<i>We get it, Sam, you're going to Europe.</i></div>
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Or maybe...</div>
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<i>Shut up about it already.</i></div>
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But you clicking on my blog link means you're at least vaguely interested, so I got that going for me, which is nice. We have a lot of our plans solidly nailed down and only extreme extraneous circumstances could alter what we have planned and booked, so I thought I'd share what I'll be doing for the month of April.</div>
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March 31 will be the last day ever of teaching abroad. We are gonna hang around for a few days, get the last remaining things in order and then hightail it to Tokyo on April 3. I've never been to Tokyo. I lived in Japan for an entire year and have gone back for two subsequent vacations and yet, no Tokyo. I'm pretty excited to hang around that city for the evening/night and see our friend Vivian. (It's nice having friends all over the planet.) Plus, I love Japan. I'm really, <i>really</i> glad to be getting to stop back there one last time and have some delicious food (and milk tea) before returning to the Western World. </div>
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We depart the Asian continent for good the following morning, April 4, at 11am, with a nonstop flight to London. I have a feeling that my excitement will not be contained easily. This flight is 13-14 hours, and like the five other planet-crossing flights I've taken, this one will be no different: <i>GET ME OFF THIS GOD FORSAKEN AIRPLANE.</i> </div>
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We will be in London April 4-8. I'll be spending my birthday there! That's quite the birthday gift, I'll take it. We'll be doing a lot of AirBNB, which I'm pretty excited about. </div>
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Here's our place in Prince Harry Land: <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/294177" target="_blank">https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/294177</a> </div>
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We have to stay pretty far out of the city center, in Zone 4, so that's slightly a bummer but Al and I are not hostel people, so my main goal was to just find the nicest, cheapest place in an area where we won't get mugged. Zone 4 was the closest we could even afford to the center, but that's alright. We also want places with a kitchen (hence using AirBNB a lot) so we don't have to eat out every meal. We are trying to do this budget (a word that is NOT synonymous with <i>Europe</i>), not exactly on a shoestring, but saving some cash by cooking a few of our own meals is a smart way to go, I think. </div>
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April 8 we're taking the bus up to Liverpool so Al can see all the Beatles stuff. I'm sure it will be a nice thing to see, but that's more his thing. The Beatles have cool history and are respectable for sure, but just not something I'm whole-heartedly interested in. He's pretty excited. Everyone told him that the sights are easily done in a day, so we're just spending the day and night there. </div>
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The following morning (the 9th) we're catching the train from Liverpool down to Paris! I can't believe in just a few short months I get to see the Eiffel Tower with my own eyeballs. Sure, most Parisians consider it an eyesore of the city, but whatevaaaaa. I'm going to do everything cheesy and cliche (wine and cheese picnic on the lawn, a kissy romantic picture in front of it...) and NOBODY CAN STOP ME!!! </div>
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Here is where we're staying: <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/132533" target="_blank">https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/132533</a> </div>
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It's not exactly a cute Parisian apartment with the pretty gates on the windows and parquet floors or whatever, but you can't beat the price. And for Heaven's sake I'm in Paris, I'm <i>not </i>going to be in my room. </div>
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On the 12th, we're taking the trek to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris to pick up our rental car and begin our France/Italy road trip, the bulk of our vacation! The amusing part is, the first time Al will be behind the wheel of a vehicle in over two years he will be trying to navigate himself out of CDG airport. Good luck, Al. We're getting an early start and making our way about 3 hours south of Paris to the Loire Valley, our first stop. This area of France is known for its castles and wineries. (Castles and wineries! <i>Swoon</i>.) Check out these cool castles we're going to see:</div>
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<br />Here is where we're staying in this area: <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1395494" target="_blank">https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1395494</a> <div>
We'll be hanging around here April 12-14, then early on the 14th we're going to start driving south (to the "South of France", dur), stopping wherever our hearts desire. I for sure want to stop in Arles (so much Van Gogh history!), and then Aix-en-Provence and possibly Marseilles, Nice or Cannes, but it's all about time and prioritizing. We will drive east along the Mediterranean, cross into Italy and continue down the coast until we reach Rome. A few months ago Al had the insane idea to go to Rome (Vatican) for Easter. I mean, being in one of the most holy cities on earth on one of the most holy holidays of the year? AND get to see the freaking Pope? Sign me up! So that's what we're doing (along with millions of other people making the pilgrimage for the exact same reason). Easter is super late this year, so we'll be in Rome April 18-21, that's giving us 5 days to drive from the Loire Valley to lovely Roma, in which we are staying here: <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1314143" target="_blank">https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1314143</a>. We have to stay pretty far outside the city because we'll have a car, and it's basically impossible to drive in the center. We'll park it for a few days and take public transport into the center and The Vatican. </div>
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We will fight the Easter crowds in Rome (I am going to sob when I see the ceilings in the Sistine Chapel, just sob) and then get an early start the morning of the 21st and head back up north, where we are going to relax in Tuscany for a few days. I realize "Tuscany" is a very large area, I just haven't narrowed down where exactly yet. I know we're going to go the farmhouse route and stay among wineries and olive groves (It's a B&B! It's a farm! They have wine and chickens and Italian cooking classes and cypress trees! Heaven!). It seems they are a dime a dozen though; it all just comes down to picking one I guess. </div>
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On the 24th, we are going to start our journey back north, back to Paris. The only stops I know for sure we're making on this leg of the trip is Pisa (no I refuse to do the stupid picture of "holding up" the leaning tower) and the Cinque Terre region. Check this out: </div>
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No, you're eyes aren't deceiving you, this place <i>actually</i> exists, it's not some Photoshop miracle. I just found out about it a few months ago and immediately added it to our stop list. There are five little towns along the cliffs that all look like that, and it's called Cinque Terre. I know enough Spanish and French to know that translates into Italian as "five lands". Stoked. We will continue driving up to Paris until the 28th or 29th. I'd like to spend our last day or two in Paris again to relax a bit after all the driving. </div>
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On April 30th, we catch our flight from mainland Europe up to the Arctic to go to mofo <i>ICELAND</i>. This, above everything else, is what I'm looking forward to the most. I mean, <i>who goes to Iceland!?</i> Me, suckas, ME. I've always, always wanted to go. Iceland Air is hella cheap with a free stopover there, so of course we're going. We only planned on two nights and one full day as kind of long layover before heading to the US, but after watching "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (a must-see) we decided to add an extra day. We land in the afternoon, so we'll spend that day and the next full day in the capital, Reykjavik (it's the northernmost capital city in the world!), and then early the next morning we're renting a car and making the drive along the southern coast to Jokulsarlon, the iceberg lagoon. There are tons of spectacular sights along the way, and I'm also hoping we're not too late in the year to see the northern lights. We'll stay the night somewhere in SE Iceland, then make the 500 km drive back to Reykjavik where we catch a flight home at 5pm. </div>
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The flight from Reykjavik to Newark is about 6 hours, getting us there in the evening, too late to catch any flights out...meaning we have to spend the night in Newark. Gag. Oh well, we fly to Nashville the next morning, arriving early afternoon. </div>
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So, that's the plan. I like it! I can't wait to see all the amazing things we'll add to it along the way! </div>
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Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144130336667577490noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164329378498243892.post-42469704463654675992014-01-10T21:36:00.003-05:002014-01-10T21:37:29.871-05:00I Know I Can't Really Complain, But...It's cold here. Since this is my third winter here, I'm sure this is the third blog post I've written saying similar things, but Busan winters can blow me. I know y'all back home have been enduring much, <i>much</i> worse weather and temperatures than I can even imagine, but it's all relative, right?<br />
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But, now that most of your weather back in the homeland is pretty much back to normal, we're again on par. The average winter temperatures here and the temperatures in West Virginia are roughly the same, except here it's sunny and clear every single day, coupled with very windy conditions from being on the coast, making it <i>feel</i> about 20 degrees colder than it actually says. Plus I have a 20-25 minute walk to work, which makes for a very unpleasant portion of my day. Americans live a very sedentary lifestyle, walking only from your house door to your car door to your work door. If I have to go anywhere within a 1-2 km radius, I walk; which is nice, except in the winter. I'm very jealous of the fact that you guys only have to be out in the cold for very brief periods of time. And once I'm at school, the cold doesn't stop there. The hallways and bathrooms are not heated, and the classrooms and offices only mildly so (along with children who are allergic to keeping doors shut), leaving me in a constant state of shivering from December to March.<br />
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So, yes, most of the United States was buried under snow and arctic winds were ravaging the country for a week or so, but generally speaking, you weren't really out in it for very long. You had warm houses and cars (and hallways and bathrooms) to at least shelter you from the frigidness. I am in no way minimizing your suffering. Trust me, I know it was really serious and I'm glad I wasn't there to experience it. Just saying, be glad it was only a week of extreme cold and not nearly four months of dressing like Randy from <i>A Christmas Story</i> to walk to work, then swaddling yourself in a blanket in your office huddled around your coffee cup refusing to go pee because the bathroom is an igloo. I am very, <i>very</i> glad this will be my last winter in this city. Unless, for some unknown reason, we move to St. Paul, I'm sticking to the southern half of the US forever so I don't have to deal with a long winter season ever again.<br />
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Here's a nice picture of some clear water in a warm, remote, tropical locale to take your mind off winter.<br />
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<br />Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144130336667577490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164329378498243892.post-25347880217619731572014-01-02T22:52:00.000-05:002014-01-02T22:52:48.410-05:00Resolutions Are Nonsense: Happy 2014Call me a sourpuss or something, but I don't buy into that whole "new year, new me" bullshizz. I think that making resolutions is a surefire way to set yourself up for disappointment. Statistically, only 5-10% of people actually stick to their resolutions. Are you going to be one in that small percentage? Probably not. If you aren't willing set goals to lose 50 pounds, quit smoking and volunteer more in August, why do you think you would on January 1st? Yeah, the calendar changed, but you probably won't.<br />
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Now before you point the cross hairs in my direction and send out a witch hunt for my head, understand that I very much like the <i>idea</i> of the New Year and making an attempt to do good, just like I like the <i>idea</i> of Valentine's Day; both are stupid, so indulging without seriousness is A-OK. Valentine's Day is corny and tacky, but is it fun getting flowers from Al and reveling in all the pink and fluff? Sure! Just like it's nice to <i>think</i> about changing your ways, even though, more than likely, you will not. Not to say that resolutions are tacky, but they shouldn't have much stock put into them, just like Valentine's Day. </div>
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I don't think I've ever made a resolution, ever, and as it turns out, come Feburary 7th, I'm not wallowing in guilt because I haven't stuck to something I told myself I would or wouldn't do. Just like everyone else, I like the fresh start that the new year brings. For some reason, in my head I don't see years or calendars as linear, I see them as sort of a long oval, where December 31 is at the top and then January 1 drops back down to the bottom, allowing us to work our way back up to the top again. And starting from the bottom isn't bad, especially when it comes to the New Year; it's that clean beginning we all love. I just don't think we should make promises to ourselves, serious ones at least, that we will more than likely never fulfill. I'm all about trying to get to the gym about a month before we leave here and bust my rear so that I'll look great in our vacation photos. New Year's resolution? Nah, just something I want to (maybe) accomplish. </div>
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2014 actually scares the bejeezus out of me. It's the year of uncertainty. In 91 days, Al and I will be finishing our teaching abroad life and heading into the (as of right now) American Unknown. Between today and April 3, we still have to acquire a Green Card and a couple of jobs. (The Green Card is a necessity, the jobs would be a plus). We will be setting out to Europe with a month itinerary of amazing places to see and then we land in the old USA with a somewhat shoddy plan of attempting to start our lives there. What scares me the most is that in the past 2 1/2 years that I will have been here in Korea, out of all the dozens of people I've known best, only <i>three</i> have not yet returned after they finished and went to their respective homelands. Every single person (except the three) that I've gotten close to, who has left at one point, has come back here because of the debilitating job situations in the Western World. We've had quite a few return in the past few months and three more will be arriving in the next month or so. I <i>do not</i>, under any circumstances, want that to become us. I am DONE teaching and I <i>do not</i> want to come back here. I'd rather work at Walgreens and live with my mother forever. </div>
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I already know, and am preparing myself for it, there will come a time during this coming year that I will be aching for this life and this place. Possibly Al more than I because in some ways (the partying kind) he is much more of a child than myself. Not to say that him liking to go out every weekend is bad, but the bars not closing and staying out until sunrise <i>every weekend </i>is something that is just not done in the US unless one is 22 years old in Panama City on Spring Break (or a student at WVU), and I'm sure he will miss that aspect more than I will. I will be aching for the freedom we have. I've said it a million times, but we have very little responsibility and can basically do whatever we want whenever we want. Once back home, that's life, and something I'm 50/50 on. But, Al is almost 30, I'm almost 28, we have to start somewhere, sometime, and I know this is the time. I don't want to be 30 years old and come back here. I refuse. Life is calling! Because I know that there will probably be more than a few occasions of intense questioning and wanting to come back, I think I'll be better prepared for it. Something like the grass is always greener and people want what they can't have, right?<br />
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New Year's Eve was eventful yet again, although a little less lackluster than last year, I think. My outfit was fab, but nothing really screamed "New Year's Eve" this year other than my hat with the giveaway "Happy New Year" and the somewhat ho-hum countdown that occured in the very packed venue where we were located. With about 5 minutes left to midnight, the band left the stage saying they'd be back for the countdown, but with about 30 seconds left, a group next to us decided to take it upon themselves to start counting from 10. No one was into it, so they stopped. About 20 seconds later, they started it again, this time everyone else halfheartedly chimed in and...that was our countdown. No music, nothing on over the speakers. I found out a short while later that it was actually a friend of ours (whom I like very much) who started the whole thing, so it's hard to be mad. I just put too much store into big events. I'm exactly like that scene in <em>Christmas Vacation</em> when Ellen says to Clark, "You set standards that no family event could ever live up to...parties, weddings, graduations..." Yep. That's me. I always have such high hopes for big events that I feel extremely let down when they don't live up to the hype I have in my head. Despite it not really <em>feeling</em> like NYE, we still had a blast out and ended up at karaoke (where else) until about 6. Not a bad night. <br />
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In Korea, they believe that what you do on January 1st sets you up for the entire year and is sort of a prediction of how one's year will be. (Al swears it's just the country putting that in their heads to keep them productive, working and un-lazy even on a holiday.) If that's the case, my year will be obese and nearly comotose, as my January 1st was spent ordering McDonald's and moving only from the computer to the bed. I don't know if I agree with Al, I think it's a nice idea, superstition, tradition, whatever it is...although knowing this country like I do, he might have a slight point. <br />
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Let the anxiety about 2014 begin!<br />
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Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144130336667577490noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164329378498243892.post-53857471119468229632013-12-30T06:49:00.000-05:002013-12-30T06:49:28.613-05:00You Serious, Clark?Christmas has yet again come and gone, this one being, I believe, my fourth away from home. I'm already looking forward to next year when it will actually feel like Christmas and I can easily get the things I want (turkey, proper wrapping paper...) and be able to <i>be with my family.</i><br />
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Christmas is only somewhat of a holiday here. It's been catching on over the past few years so there are decorations on store windows and music playing and trees up in the department stores and a big display of Christmas lights in the Nampo area that people flock to see, so there is a bit of holiday spirit in the air...it's just not, you know, <i>home.</i> It's just not the same and not done to the magnitude that a Westerner is accustomed, so there is a little bit to be desired. Christmas Eve is a working day here, so I spent my day at school making construction paper Christmas trees with the kids.<br />
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My mom mailed our box of Christmas gifts and it arrived right on time, so Al and I woke up Christmas morning, put on the Elvis Christmas album (it's what my family always played on Christmas) and opened gifts. I don't care how old I am really, one never tires of opening dozens of Christmas presents. </div>
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I got a new camera, which I'm <i>super</i> stoked about, I just need to figure out how to use it. I wanted a nicer one than what I have so I can get some good pictures on our European vacay, so that was my big gift from my mother. I can set things manually, which I think will allow me to take some much better pictures, I just don't know what I'm doing yet. Help!</div>
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We cleaned up all the paper and moved all the furniture around because all of our friends were coming over for Christmas that night. We decided that since we had the room and a good setup for Thanksgiving that we'd also just go ahead and do Christmas. A few weeks prior we had done a Secret Santa drawing, so more presents were to be unwrapped! </div>
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Everyone I love here came and the mood was jolly. We had delicious food (everyone was in agreement it was even better than Thanksgiving) and I made a pumpkin cheesecake that was a huge hit. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He wanted old man glasses to go with his outfit</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Secret Santa!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom was Santa and added gift opening commentary</td></tr>
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<br />Everyone left about 2am and we had to work at 9 the next morning, which was the start of the kids' winter "vacation", meaning my hours now shift to morning. Which is fine, get in early, get out early. I finish at 2:35 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and 1:45 on Thursday Friday. Not a bad day. I won't be taking it for granted; it's my last semester. <div>
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It's Monday and I'm off today, tomorrow and the 1st. Not much of a vacation considering I had 7 days straight off last year, but I'll take what I can get. Onward to 2014!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144130336667577490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164329378498243892.post-9485794666887661842013-12-09T06:16:00.001-05:002013-12-09T06:16:25.837-05:00Another Holiday AwayThanksgiving came and went with about as much excitement as it does back home, just perhaps with a little less cranberry sauce and a lot less family. On Thanksgiving Day, I wasn't about to do any studying at school just for the principal that it was a holiday <i>to me. </i>Al was there at school with me so we got some brown, red and yellow paper and made hand turkeys with our classes, to much delight of the students who neither know nor care that it's Thanksgiving, as long as they don't have to study. The older kids know of Thanksgiving, so they were also just as delighted to do a Thanksgiving crossword puzzle while I sat on the computer and scrolled through Pinterest. Not much of a Thanksgiving Day, but hey! Hand turkeys are better than nothing.<br />
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The Sunday after Thanksgiving was the big feast hoorah at our apartment. We squeezed over 30 bodies in our minuscule apartment, though much more comfortably than we imagined. We got three fully-cooked turkey breasts at Costco, I made enough mashed potatoes to feed an army, two pumpkin pies and our friend Jess, who has recently returned, brought stuffing back from America. That covers the basics, plus we had a dish or contribution from every person, including but not limited to: broccoli casserole, curried carrots, sweet potatoes, artichoke dip and some bacon-wrapped rice concoction which Sophie brought that I believe people are now clambering over themselves trying to get the recipe. Everyone had a great time, even though Americans make up maybe only 60% of our group of friends. But who doesn't love getting together and eating, despite the celebration?</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boys peeling potatoes</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Full to the brim!</td></tr>
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After Thanksgiving is the only appropriate time to put up the Christmas tree if you ask me, so that's what Al and I did Tuesday night. It's the same tree and decorations as last year, but it's cute nonetheless! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at him flexing for the picture</td></tr>
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Our friend Will decided on a whim not even a month ago that he was over Korea and wanted to move to Shanghai with some other friends we have there. Get a new start. So that's exactly what he did. Will has been a constant in our lives for nearly two years, so it's really strange that he's not here. I miss him terribly, and I can say it a million times, but it's the worst part of this job. Wednesday night was the last time we saw him and really have no idea when we will ever again. We miss you so much, Will! </div>
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Getting pretty excited for Christmas! My last one in another country. I can't even remember the last Christmas I had with my family in America. Many, many years ago. Well, here's to my last set of holidays abroad! </div>
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<br />Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144130336667577490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164329378498243892.post-64233462775865631142013-11-27T21:33:00.000-05:002013-11-27T21:33:38.110-05:00Apparently I Look Like A Russian HookerI can't believe I didn't write about this sooner, but I might have just been just too shaken up (slightly) over it. I was also probably so busy telling everyone here about it because they would understand what happened slightly better than an outsider...and then I forgot to write about it.<br />
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Before telling you my tale, I'll let you in on a little information about old Korean men, also known as an "ahjussi". An ahjussi is, in nice terms, a way to refer to a Korean man who is much older than you. In more negative (yet accurate) terms, it's a skeezy, drunk old Korean dude reeking of cigs and kimchi. (Or as Al so lovingly says...."they're f*ck heads".)<br />
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These guys prowl the streets of Korea all hours of the day, wasted, stumbling around causing ruckus and offending many people along the way. The problem with Korean society is that if someone is older than you, you cannot, under any circumstances, question or challenge them. It does not matter if they say the sky is green, you must just smile, agree and move on. In businesses (and schools), you can never question authority. If someone is older, in a higher position of power, or both, it is a major no-no to debate them. So, because of this unfortunate hierarchy of a belief system they have over here, old people run about like they own the place and can do whatever they want, whenever they want without consequence. (Being drunk here is almost always an actual, <i>legal</i> way to get out of most things...even rape. It's excusable if you had one too many soju shots). For example, a drunk ahjussi (those two words tend to just belong together) would <i>not</i> leave Al and two friends alone one night when they were sitting outside on the patio of our local Family Mart. He was just belligerent and harassing them and, no joke, kept trying to grab Al's friend's crotch. They got tired of it asked a girl our age at the next table if she spoke English, she said yes, so he asked if she could kindly ask him to piss off. She then apologized and said there's no way she can tell him to leave simply because <i>he's older than her. </i>I wish I were joking. I'm all for respecting elders, but it's on a completely different level here.<br />
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All that was to tell you of my encounter with my own ahjussi a few months ago. I was walking home from work, which is about a mile one way, and I could sense there was someone walking behind me, keeping pace. My route is on a busy, well lit street so I wasn't too bothered by it. All of a sudden, I felt a person grab my hand. I whipped around and it's a gross man, probably 50 years old. I yanked my hand away, gave him a look like <i>wtf</i> and sped up my walking. He continued to walk next to me and grab my hand several times all while I'm yelling<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">아니요!</span>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;"> </span>(no!) and giving him dirty looks. I walked much faster thinking I lost the guy when he was back <i>again</i> this time grabbing my arm trying to get me to go with him somewhere. He was patting his heart, pointing down the street somewhere, rambling in Korean. He grabbed my arm again, I shouted in his face, and lucky I was close to Al's school so I went there pronto. By the way, as all this was happening there were many onlookers refusing to help me. This is common here, no one wants to get involved because it's inconvenient for them, so they don't help. They merely watch as if it's some entertaining, ridiculous K-Drama on television. I made it to Al's school just fine, albeit slightly peeved at the whole thing. Al walked me home, of course hoping to run into the guy so he could...I dunno, punch him or something?<br />
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Over the next few days, I regaled my story to some friends, one of whom said (like it was the most obvious thing in the world), "He probably thought you were a prostitute."<br />
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<i>Bingo.</i><br />
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Why didn't I come to this realization myself? Korean men love hookers. Korea (and Japan) is a country of Love Motels a.k.a. "by the hour" motels. There is one on every block seemingly encouraging this behavior. Guys on motorcycles drive by and throw little cards all over the sidewalks, adorned with pictures of naked women and a phone number, where anyone who walks by can see and pick them up, children included of course. A friend is even collecting them to make some kind of hilarious art piece out of them. Korean men are the <a href="http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2013/01/116_129743.html">#1 customers</a> in Southeast Asia for the sex industry down there. One thing that we foreigners hear a lot about are the "Russians" around these parts. The "Russians" are mostly blonde young women who come down here from like Vladivostok (or other parts of Eastern Europe) or something to make some cash in a society that's more than willing to pay.<br />
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As soon as my friend said that, I knew exactly that's what the old guy thought. I get stared at a lot buy old Korean men and it's slightly unnerving, but generally they keep their distance. I've gotten asked before on more than one occasion if I was Russian, knowing exactly what they were implying, but I immediately say I'm American and they don't probe further, unlike that dude.<br />
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Here's an interview with a girl here about the situation and her also being thought of as a prostitute all the time, it's a good read! <a href="http://www.mappingwords.com/2012/12/12/are-you-russian/">http://www.mappingwords.com/2012/12/12/are-you-russian/</a><br />
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Four more months and I'm ouutttaaa here!<br />
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<br />Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144130336667577490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164329378498243892.post-73185681724459019822013-11-11T07:19:00.001-05:002013-11-11T07:19:41.709-05:00Spa Land WHAAAAAT?!In the World's Largest Department Store just down the road, there is an incredible place called Spa Land. It's basically just what it sounds like.<br />
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In Asia there are numerous public baths. You go in, pay a few bucks, get a key, strip down and enjoy all the different jacuzzis in all your naked glory. It may sound strange to a westerner, but it's perfectly normal to the locals and it's even a past time enjoyed by families who come together. There are old ladies and mothers and teenagers and little girls running all about the place. These places are squeaky clean, beyond relaxing and surprisingly cheap. I went all the time in Japan (where they are called onsens) but I've only been once here in Korea (where they are called jimjilbangs). Our friend's Steph and Andre are leaving in a few weeks so what better way to spend some quality time with a friend than bathing together?<br />
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We paid our $14 and walked through the fancy corridors to the men/women's entrance and Al and Andre went one way and Steph and I went the other. They give you an outfit that resembles scrubs to wear in the co-ed areas, so we put that on first and went up to the restaurant to meet the boys and eat. Steph and I made an appointment for a body scrub so after dinner we went back down to the baths area, got naked, and the lady called us in.<br />
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There are three Korean women who were working this body scrub/massage area. Their "uniform" was, no joke, a black bra and panties set. I walk into a room that looked like nothing more than a large utility closet, complete with rolling metal shelves and buckets. She instructed I lay down on a pink plastic table and she went to work. She took one of those buckets I saw and doused me in hot water, put some oily stuff on what looked like yellow oven mitts and started scrubbing. She scrubbed every single inch of my body until I was literally laying there in mounds of my own zombie-colored dead skin. It was <i>vile. </i>I was first on my back while she buffed my stomach and boobs and all other parts facing up. She then had me turn on my side where she indicated I spread eagle myself while she got the insides of my legs. I finally got on my stomach so she could do all the back parts, including my buttcrack. I had to turn over once more while she got parts she may have missed, such as my bellybutton and armpits and finally it was over. She threw some more hot water all over to rid me of all the loose dead skin that was now sticking everywhere, rubbed me with some more oil and it was over. After all was said and done, I looked like I had an intense sunburn. I was SO red! Here 24 hours later my skin still feels like a baby, but my hands are having a hard time holding moisture for some reason. Perhaps scrubbing them to death did something? Either way I feel like I can't keep enough lotion on them.<br />
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We next went to the outside baths. It has many hot, shallow rock pools and it has a pretty wooden roof while the upper part of the walls are open to the outside. We sat in the foot and a half of hot water and talked while I felt like there needed to be koi fish swimming around me because of the surroundings. Now, perhaps it's my generation, but I don't see how all these women my age can have such hairy hoohas. I get it's more of a western thing, really, but some of these I saw are just <i>out of control. </i>And whoever thinks that Asians have small boobs, it's really not the case. There were lots of old ladies with them hanging past their belly buttons just like your own grandma's.<br />
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After we were done with the rock pools, we put back on our scrubs/taekwondo outfits, met the boys and decided to check out all the "rooms". It's somewhat like a hallway of saunas, each one with different healing or relaxation properties and different temperatures. Some scorching hot, some dry and comfortable, some humid, some frigid, some with special hot stones, some shaped like pyramids...take your pick. We sampled a few and then went to the top floor where there are recliners with TVs attached where you can relax or read magazines. I watched a bit of the Nat Geo channel and then Al and I called it a night. I went back to the women's part, got back in one of the tubs one last time and then regretfully put my jeans and coat back on.<br />
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Why have I not yet been to Spa Land in two years? There are jimjilbangs <i>everywhere</i> but nothing like this place. I will be back!Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144130336667577490noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164329378498243892.post-42786301852751964162013-11-07T20:19:00.000-05:002013-11-07T20:19:41.065-05:00The Kids Are Dropping Like FliesThere have been some recent changes at Nammun Elementary school. As some of you may know, I work for an after school program through a company called Avalon. Korean academies are all various shades of sketchy, and as it turns out, mine is no different. Our Avalon branch owner, let's call him Mr. S, has been getting in loads of trouble lately. Al and I decided on a whim to go check the status of our pension a few months ago and whaddya know, old Mr. S hadn't paid it in three months. It took five unpaid months and a call from the pension office threatening him with the Labor Board to get him to pay it. Over these last few months at the main office where Al works, he hasn't replaced teachers that have finished their contracts, closed down the third floor, and asked the Korean staff to take a pay cut, among other things. Al and I were slightly sweating with worry over what was going on with our school because teachers being thrown out on their rear with no money because their school closed isn't <i>that</i> unusual around here. It turns out, wait for it, that Mr. S is getting sued by Avalon because he was operating under the Avalon name without actually paying for the franchise. To be honest, I'm not that surprised. I'm still unsure whether it was the main office where Al works or only Nammun that was illegal, either way he now has to change everything and will now not be a name-brand academy.<br />
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The good news is nothing will change with our job situation. They will continue to stay open and have even talked to another teacher who finishes in January about a replacement for him for a year contract after that, so we're cool in our heels. </div>
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The bad news is the kids are quitting left and right. The thing you have to understand about Korea is that BRAND matters above <i>everything </i>else. Counterfeit is rampant here because they have to be seen with the logo. I constantly see Prada and Hermes shopping bags with groceries in them because they just want to <i>be seen carrying it. </i>If one kid at school buys a $150 special kind of backpack and then all the kids start buying those, the social implications of you as a parent <i>not</i> buying that bag for your child means you could be talked about in social situations or pegged as poor. Good old Mr. S has a Mercedes. The lowest class, cheapest Mercedes. That means that among the rich, Mercedes owning social circles of Busan, he's poor and has the crap Mercedes. So what did Mr. S do? He actually <i>scraped </i>the model code off the back of his car so no one knows that he has the low end car. And that's not even surprising to me anymore. They are constantly trying to one-up the other and it starts as children. The fierce educational competition they are put through for the duration of their schooling carries over into adulthood where they are still just trying to get ahead of the next person. One way they do this through <i>branding.</i> They need to show everyone that they are rich (even though they aren't) by putting on a front. That front is carrying a knockoff Louis, making sure you have what everyone else has despite the fact you can't afford it and yes, even sending your kid to a <i>brand name academy. </i></div>
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Because we will no longer be associated with a nationwide name, parents are pulling their kids out because they can't tell so-and-so that little Jimmy goes to Avalon. My two favorite girls, whom I've been teaching for two years now, have quit. I actually cried. They said they wanted to stay but their mothers are making them quit. I am 99.9% sure that the sudden drop in our kids this semester is attributed to the recent change and it beyond irks me. I loved those girls. A bunch of others at Nammun and at Al's office will never be seen again all because mommy can't brag to her friends anymore. </div>
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The semester changed this week at Nammun. New books, new classes. Well, the classes get rearranged as the kids level up or down. Their school year starts in March and we get a slew of new kids then, and slowly throughout the year the classes get combined as they all move up or quit and eventually by winter I have a lot of free gaps in my day. I now teach no more than 4 hours on any given day. Mondays and Thursdays I only teach 3 hours and Fridays even less as I go in at 2:00 and leave at 5:45, with only 2 1/2 of that actually in a classroom. Just straight luck. I'm getting paid the same amount as Al who has to be at school 2-10 every day with significantly more class hours. That's just how it works here. </div>
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I had some fun with my little kids the other day and snapped a bunch of pictures, enjoy!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My lesson before we got silly. There's no picture to draw for "brown"...</td></tr>
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Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144130336667577490noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164329378498243892.post-13367779756766904542013-11-01T07:09:00.000-04:002013-11-01T07:09:40.407-04:00A Nammun Elementary HalloweenI always like special days at school when we can get away from the mundane daily task of teaching and learning. These kids have no free time whatsoever so any chance I get to have fun with them, I take. Halloween is a holiday <i>made</i> for kids. Adults love it, but kids L-O-V-E it. Asia, on the other hand, sucks at Halloween. It has just not really caught on here and it's nothing like in the US and Canada. There aren't any costume shops per se, nor are there many places to even buy anything Halloween related. Toys R Us and a few of the department stores have a small selection of things like witch hats, swords and fairy wings. I saw a few Iron Man costumes and some other doctor/fireman/police officer pajama like things for boys, but that's really about it. There's definitely no trick-or-treating, it's just more or less a reason to put on a hat or mask and get candy from your teacher at school.<br />
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...That's where we come in! I went above and beyond and made tons of decorations and thought of games for the kids because the Korean teachers are useless when it comes to things like that. At the end of every semester (every two months) we have "coupon day" where the kids redeem the coupons they receive from accumulated stamps and stickers for homework and good behavior throughout those two months. Usually it's snacks, pens, notebooks and a movie during class but this coupon day fell on Halloween, so we made it special for them by giving out candy also. I cringed watching the kids who never do homework and therefore have no coupons be handed gobs of candy, but, it's a special day I suppose. Al teaches with me on Thursdays at Nammun so this year, he was there with me and made it much more fun! Despite them not getting a real Halloween experience, we all had buttloads of fun. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Didn't get too creative, but Al wore his onesie and called himself a bunny</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Wayne and Kevin the Mummy</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toilet paper mummy game</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anna looks unimpressed to be swaddled in TP</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Al and I had a teacher race. I WON</td></tr>
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<br />Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144130336667577490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164329378498243892.post-44152883794641681662013-10-29T07:30:00.000-04:002013-10-29T07:30:38.266-04:00Some Fireworks & A Little Game of ThronesThere isn't much I can say about the Busan Fireworks Festival other than it's the greatest fireworks spectacle I've ever witnessed. I've been waiting months to see again after my first round last year. It's an hour of fireworks of gargantuan proportions all timed and set to music, leaving you wondering <i>hooooow!??! </i>(Al's answer: Computers. Way to ruin the magic, AL!) This year they had some Celine Dion, Adele and Coldplay thrown in there, much to the delight of the foreigners. Something like two million people watch them with, I swear, a million of those packed on Gwangalli beach like sardines. Al and I went down at 3:00 to lay claim to an area of sand. It's entirely necessary to go that early or you won't get a spot; some people even camped out the night before! They start lighting up the sky at 8:00 sharp, and once past a certain time, around 7:30, you cannot move anywhere. Literally. If you are on the beach you are in the best position because people can only sit so close, but if you're stuck standing out on the street you won't be able to go anywhere until they are finished. You are skin to skin in every direction. Gina, bless her, was late as usual and didn't make it onto the beach so she was stuck out on the street squished on all sides by Koreans, and the one behind her, in her words, "had his hand up my crack for fifty minutes".<br />
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Al and I laid down three blankets and hung out until everyone showed up, all of them with much thanks for saving spots on the beach for them. I was happy to do it, the fireworks are worth it! I actually got much better pictures last year, my phone was low on battery and then eventually died in the middle of it this time. Bummer. But for the full effect, watch the videos at the bottom!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTbODjxlDMYIyFzinpq1gQsdhYjsmcxFGlxOEYo-shLsqqtzBKzkis2Z9QsCGWgsHim0Slws9Fvl3hsa4xG5iPXhitg90G_HZQALAf0-tH0dAbTOu6thZInG87nI7heLWtyJJNs5gYzOg/s1600/IMG_6071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTbODjxlDMYIyFzinpq1gQsdhYjsmcxFGlxOEYo-shLsqqtzBKzkis2Z9QsCGWgsHim0Slws9Fvl3hsa4xG5iPXhitg90G_HZQALAf0-tH0dAbTOu6thZInG87nI7heLWtyJJNs5gYzOg/s400/IMG_6071.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every millimeter of this sand is packed with people</td></tr>
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After we all oohed and ahhed and marveled at how they manage to put on such a great show, we all parted ways for a few hours and Al and I went to Landon and Gina's to all get ready for HALLOWEEN!!!!</div>
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I love, love, love Halloween. Perhaps it was my religious upbringing that prevented me from trick-or-treating as a child that makes me so fond of if now as an adult. Whatever the reasoning, I think it rivals Christmas as one of the greatest holidays of the year. In recent years, it's becoming <a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/miley-cyrus-tops-halloween-costume-charts-2013-10-11">more and more of an adult holiday</a> as well which means that I still have lots of years of being able to dress up as whomever I please and look like a total idiot or a total slut once a year. </div>
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This year, Al and I decided to go as Khal Drogo and Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones. If you haven't heard of it then you possibly have been living on another planet. It's a book series turned HBO smash. Early last week I went to the fabric market with a friend and got all my supplies to make Al's costume. I ordered my dress and Al's wig and beard online and my mom shipped it here right on time. Other than that, Al's is <i>all</i> handmade by yours truly. We walked down to the parties area of KSU and immediately Al was garnering lots of attention. I helped it along but he was the star. He took millions of pictures with strangers and everyone had something to say about our costumes. We entered the contest, I hope we win something! We'll find out later this week. Enjoy!</div>
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Happy Halloween!<br />
<br />Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144130336667577490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164329378498243892.post-42435542944874266872013-10-13T02:13:00.003-04:002013-10-13T02:13:39.424-04:00Gonna Be A Long 10 WeeksThe past few weeks have been chock-full of holidays. In the last four weeks, I've had one five-day weekend, one four-day weekend, a Wednesday holiday off and a Typhoon Tuesday where I was sent home as soon as I arrived (what a waste of makeup). That's all lovely, but starting tomorrow we have an arduous stretch of TEN weeks with zero days off of school. I remember it last year and it's <i>painful. </i>The weather starts to suck and you have nothing to look forward to for two months. I feel like once we finally get on the other side of the new year I can really start counting down my time here.<br />
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The gradual cool down has begun. It's fabulous every day. The sun is hot, the shade is cool and it hangs around in the 70s. Beautiful! All the trees are still green; I've only seen one or two here and there that have only just started changing colors. You'd have to venture into the country or go hiking (gag) to fully see and appreciate the color changes so I'll just enjoy the few I see on my walk to work.<br />
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This past weekend was spent doing a whole lot of nothing, which I like. Last night I did go out for a bit to support a friend in her DJing venture, but I sneaked out early because I was feeling a bit blah. And my friend Gina (with whom I went to India and Japan) is in Paris this week. Al and her boyfriend Landon were out on a bender and I just wasn't feeling it. PJs it is! I'm sitting here on a gorgeous Sunday while Al naps away and I have yet to unpack from my Japan trip. Better get on it.<br />
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PS, we're slowly narrowing down our European itinerary! Stay tuned for when Al's new passport finally arrives and we can actually book our tickets.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144130336667577490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164329378498243892.post-29887472348262628202013-10-10T21:27:00.000-04:002013-10-10T21:27:02.678-04:00Japan, You Are Make Me HappinessGoing to Japan is always a breath of fresh air. Apart from the year I lived there, I've gone back for short visits twice and each time I'm reminded how much I ache for it. Perhaps it's because people always want what they don't/can't have, but I really miss everything (mostly) about that place and in some ways it feels more like home than Korea.<br />
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Because I'm pretty lucky when it comes to my job, I had a four day weekend when everyone else only had Thursday off. Gina played hookie Friday and we had four days to spend in one of the greatest, weirdest, cutesy-est countries in the world. Our flight left at 2:30 Thursday afternoon and as per her usual standards, she waltzed in at about 1:45. Luckily, the airport was dead empty and there were no lines anywhere, so we breezed on through. We flew to Osaka with Peach Airways, which is a new (?), fuchsia hued, budget airline over here...which is why we went to Japan in the first place: CHEAP.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shuttle bus photo time</td></tr>
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My excitement was subdued slightly during the bumpiest one hour flight of my life (Samantha factoid of the day: I hate flying) and as we were touching down the only thing running through my mind was <i>I'm not safe until the plane slows down thanks a lot Korean Air. </i>I really only had a few objectives for the next four days:<br />
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Goal #1: Arrive safely<br />
Goal #2: Locate Lawson in KIX Arrivals Terminal to obtain a carton of Lipton Milk Tea.<br />
Goal #3: Continue obtaining Lipton Milk Teas for the duration of the weekend<br />
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(I love Lipton Milk Teas. I think I have a few blog posts dedicated to them)<br />
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We got tickets for the express train to Namba and I was already feeling at ease. The sights, the smells, the <i>cleanliness...</i>all of it made me pine for this place that I once called home. Gina mused that maybe I feel so much affection for Japan because it was the first place I lived when I moved across the earth so it's sentimental in a way...but I don't think that's it. I really think it's because I feel like Japan is so much more superior to Korea in many, many ways, and those ways are what made me like it so much in the first place.<br />
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Our arrival to Namba station was met with major confusion, the first of many to come. First, Namba station is huge. Second, the exits aren't signposted very well. Third, HOW DO WE GET OUT OF THIS STATION!? We wandered around for probably 15 minutes before we found our way above ground and even then we had to turn on Gina's data so we could get a map for our hotel. Looking at the map and hotel location looked easy peasy until we were stuck underground and just had to pick an exit, not knowing exactly where it would lead. I've actually been to Osaka before, it all seemed vaguely familiar, just not familiar enough to get us where we needed to go in good time.<br />
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We eventually got our bearings, checked into our hotel and went exploring around Dotonbori (spending lots of time at Forever 21) where had our first Japanese meal of the trip. I also had forgotten my flat iron (ugh!) so we headed to Don Quixote<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">(ドン・キホーテ) </span>a store unlike any other. Gina so accurately described it as "the lovechild between a carnie fun house and Spencer's". It's like seven floors of anything and everything you could ever need in your life; I have no idea how inventory is done. It's all crammed into tiny spaces that you can barely get through. Alcohol? Pajamas? Cough drops? Soy sauce? Vibrator? Costumes? Cell phone cover? Milk? Jeans? Sheets? Lava lamp? <i>Flat iron? </i>It's there. One could easily get lost just sifting through it all.<br />
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The rest of the night was just meandering around Namba.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner time! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Udon and cucumber and eel rolls</td></tr>
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The next day we ventured to Osaka Castle (not without needing a map of the train station just to navigate it. Lost again!), a place I've always wanted to see and one of the most famous castles in Japan. It's enormous and magnificent. It happened to be field trip day for a variety of elementary schools when we went and therefore were surrounded by adorable children, some in the famous yellow hats worn by kids that Al and I would refer to as "ducky hats".<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These kids were so good in english and so sweet!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love that some are sneaking the peace sign because they knew I was taking their picture</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japan castles > Korea ones</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPFOmyykd3oIv9A96UCmtK4Vzg-MO5Co54ooa2k2cICl0XKxBkXAbNJNou08VM_JHfWWwe35hU5lh77oxhkRLT6F8Qv1YDwpQ8WYprAlKnt9uni6i2aIQhUQNGf3Hu3NvB4bHE8h95FhQ/s1600/IMG_5876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPFOmyykd3oIv9A96UCmtK4Vzg-MO5Co54ooa2k2cICl0XKxBkXAbNJNou08VM_JHfWWwe35hU5lh77oxhkRLT6F8Qv1YDwpQ8WYprAlKnt9uni6i2aIQhUQNGf3Hu3NvB4bHE8h95FhQ/s400/IMG_5876.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They are much better behaved than Korean kids, I've said this from the beginning!</td></tr>
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We headed back to Namba/Shinsaibashi to do some damage to our Yen, of which I didn't have much to begin with. We wandered down the machi (covered shopping streets) popping in and out of stores, then ended up back at Forever 21 to make sure we didn't miss anything. We went back to the hotel, gathered our bags (now much heavier with F21 merch) and went to catch our evening train to Kyoto. Since we were staying in a hostel there, the latest check in time was 10pm so we left Namba accordingly to ensure we arrived on time. It seems either Gina and I are at a loss as to how train/subway stations work or Osaka's railway system is just so complicated that it takes a MENSA genius to figure it out. The train map is easy enough and hyperdia.com (Japan-wide train timetable) is accurate, so why oh why is it so hard to execute?<br />
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We went to the supposed station, made it to Osaka station with enough ease to then be told we needed to be on a different train line than what hyperdia told me because I don't know why. She gave us directions to the other line which had all of one sign directing the way, so we were going down flights of stairs that lead us nowhere and through tunnels and around corners until we finally made our way. Once there, we stared at the map above the ticket machines trying to decide even which machine to use because they were different colors. I guess we looked perplexed enough because a wonderfully helpful woman with a cute kid came to our rescue and told us which way to go in her near perfect English. We get on the train with two hours until our window of check in time closes. Not too shabby, sure, we'll make it! All the cool kids sit in the booths so I made sure we were first in line to grab one and off we went.<br />
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The directions to the hostel are in my email <i>and</i> I have screen shots of multiple maps and this leads us into a false sense of security...because we get lost again in Kyoto. Unlike Osaka, we actually get out of the station fine after asking which bus we need to take. It drops us off and I check the directions: "Go back the way the bus came, turn right at first corner and walk straight 5 minutes." Sounds easy, yes? Well we did that but there was no sign of a guesthouse or even much civilization as far as I could tell. We eventually figured out that we took the bus coming from the opposite direction as we needed, so we crossed the road to the <i>other</i> bus stop and did the directions from there. Lost again. By this time it was past 10pm and we were getting worried. We took that "first corner" as indicated even though it was a weird switch-back kind of corner. Walked down a quiet street with a bunch of houses and along comes a woman with, again, perfect English asking if she could help. She directed us to a general area where we needed to go and after a stop at another hostel where a very nice Scottish man let us use the in-house computer to find a map, we arrived at Gojo Guesthouse at approximately 10:30 with the owners still up waiting for us, thank God.<br />
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That was my first and last stay at a hostel. I appreciate them and everything, but never again. For some reason, the other girls in our room were already in bed in the dark (booooring) so I had to use my phone flashlight to make my futon and whisper quietly. That's the only bad part about them I guess. If we had a private room I might have a better view on them, but having to be quiet and respect the other people staying in the same room as you is no fun whatsoever. We realized that the only food we had had all day was a coffee and egg pastry thing from Starbucks earlier in the day so we went on a food finding adventure, leading us to a 7/11 where I got a rice ball (omg, how I miss convenience store rice balls. It's like fried rice rolled up sticky so it's hand held. Hellooooo deliciousness), a custard cream bread and a chu-hi. Lovely dinner.<br />
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We had exactly one day in Kyoto and we wanted to do it right and hit the major attractions. We started by walking up to the area Gion, which is traditional and there's a lot going on. You can tell there's a lot put on for the tourists but it's still really nice. We went into some shops and set out to find some ramen for lunch, one of my top five favorite foods. Usually ramen joints are found down smaller back roads and this main tourism route was providing us with squat, so we settled for some kind of okonomiyaki saucy omelet (sort of) dish filled with god knows what. Gion was pretty nice, but nighttime is when it really comes alive with geishas so we will head back that night.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2AVc6JBpKk-Cb6rMuomkK9HwwV3gI2gr2_DPpzgSbOg9MjsLKizgT08eXdj6QtqoD7qfgnbAPibEEaj79mRxNNLZbmkVxSzzS_G67VVqDU9d636TcLRPBqlVTAj_geO7FOZKOD2DJUc/s1600/DSCN3879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2AVc6JBpKk-Cb6rMuomkK9HwwV3gI2gr2_DPpzgSbOg9MjsLKizgT08eXdj6QtqoD7qfgnbAPibEEaj79mRxNNLZbmkVxSzzS_G67VVqDU9d636TcLRPBqlVTAj_geO7FOZKOD2DJUc/s400/DSCN3879.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gion street</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy12l6Fvnh4Jd_YZATo_01AMMINjReAtVotuk8tBc0Oz_Zu44HPUGjqOCGCuVbtGV80y5poQMpeQRkhBJGjbELJn5UD0m-tsbS55PzQ3eSLqehOKAoMS0JKX1mAsJflPlCkKNe-isk6sM/s1600/DSCN3880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy12l6Fvnh4Jd_YZATo_01AMMINjReAtVotuk8tBc0Oz_Zu44HPUGjqOCGCuVbtGV80y5poQMpeQRkhBJGjbELJn5UD0m-tsbS55PzQ3eSLqehOKAoMS0JKX1mAsJflPlCkKNe-isk6sM/s400/DSCN3880.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinese girls in the traditional geisha dress</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM4q4wmRQGXzFWQQKYn88vzw7C4LHcFD09sqVmEnOLXr0BbfMNQPmEwefLe02REPKSTqFMhpapqAYEhBHQU_-xvrw-0nN7pg07ckV6dJvIBJPX-hL6stYpYFqQGDfSxXjlTREO5blNnro/s1600/DSCN3895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM4q4wmRQGXzFWQQKYn88vzw7C4LHcFD09sqVmEnOLXr0BbfMNQPmEwefLe02REPKSTqFMhpapqAYEhBHQU_-xvrw-0nN7pg07ckV6dJvIBJPX-hL6stYpYFqQGDfSxXjlTREO5blNnro/s400/DSCN3895.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main shopping street area...this one's for the tourists</td></tr>
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We headed next to Fushimi Inari, one of the most recognizable areas/shrines of Kyoto and probably Japan. This was Gina's #1 and mine was the bamboo forest so we made those two the priority. The subway here was easy to navigate and the shrine was simple to find, to much relief.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhel5xvHyBqWqUPFZjiIydItpSPasM6hvdPAOrgiN70JDtE77DIMpQCUYQJ72D0b6oj7yDJc1NJP1CRyifYIIHsFq-CJGV2lVVoPNa78yUt32XvirJyiGcXQKKQj8zTYQzkxBm2VBItmAM/s1600/DSCN3917.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhel5xvHyBqWqUPFZjiIydItpSPasM6hvdPAOrgiN70JDtE77DIMpQCUYQJ72D0b6oj7yDJc1NJP1CRyifYIIHsFq-CJGV2lVVoPNa78yUt32XvirJyiGcXQKKQj8zTYQzkxBm2VBItmAM/s400/DSCN3917.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These paper chains are a symbol of Japan. The cranes were started by a little girl who was a victim of Hiroshima</td></tr>
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It was starting to wear into the evening so we got the train to the other side of Kyoto, switching in Kyoto Station and getting slightly lost because things aren't signposted well. We made to the area of Arashiyama where the bamboo forest awaits us. It's a vast sprawling of nothing but bamboo, some several stories high, with a pathway through it. I think it's some kind of park. (Gina has much better pictures that I do. I don't have copies yet)<br />
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It was getting too dark in that bamboo labyrinth to keep going so we found a way out and went back to Gion to have some dinner and find some geishas. We finally found a ramen joint, something I was looking forward to ever since I booked the tickets. Heaven.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the greatest meals in the world</td></tr>
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Next on the itinerary: Geisha Hunting. We turned down one of the traditional streets and found a gaggle of people waiting outside of what looked like a restaurant. There was an expectant taxi cab running with the trunk open. We asked a few people and no one seemed to know what we were all standing there for other than, "we heard there might be geishas in there". As Al says, "nothing draws a crowd like a crowd". We joined in the waiting and I decided that after all this anticipation, I was going to be greatly disappointed if this turns out to be anything other than geishas or Justin Bieber. The restaurant man kept coming out and waving everyone off but the mob only continued to grow. We weren't let down! It wasn't Biebs, unfortunately (even though he <i>was </i>in Japan at the time), but a group of women in kimonos came out and paparazzi lights went off. Boring. But then, lo and behold, a few geishas scurried quickly out of the restaurant! People snapped a few pictures and off they went. After the horde dispersed, Gina and I decided to wait around. Again, a few more dashed around the corner and like the horrible people we are, we chased them down like a Lion on an antelope. My pictures and videos turned out horrible because 1. My camera sucks 2. I was running 3. It was dark.<br />
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After all the excitement and invading the geishas' privacy, we decided to grab some chu-his and Kirin and sit by the river. Apart from the families or older couples, I realized I rarely saw any foreigners, especially those our age. Because of this, I'm guessing, we were automatic magnets for Japanese men's attention. We weren't sitting down 15 minutes when two of them came and started with the usual, "Hello. Where are you from?" Internally rolling my eyes, we answered their questions and politely turned them down multiple times for going to get drinks. Then, because a lot of Asians have a hard time catching onto social cues, they persisted asking us questions even though the air was extremely awkward. The more talkative one had these things to say: "I love American girls" "My girlfriend is not like American girls" "Have you cheated before?" "When I go Los Angeles, I go strip club, I love it" "All American girls shave down, do you?" "American girls are aggressive when they have f*ck, I like this, my girlfriend does not do this". And on and on the awkwardness continued until they eventually left.<br />
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The second group to approach us was a gaggle of five, one of whom lived in Boston for three years so his English was near perfect. He would do the translating for the others, wanting us to go get drinks (always on them) and again, we politely turned them down. But the strange thing is, as I mentioned before, Asians sometimes (usually?) have a hard time catching on social cues. I'm not exactly sure why. But Boston guy immediately could sense that we did not want to go with them and stayed for short chit chat for only five minutes or so. Then with a smile and a <i>nice meeting you</i>, they were off. I know because he's spent significant time outside of Japan, learning about how foreigners deal with social situations, he's caught on to things like girls saying "no thanks" and moving on, unlike the others who can't grasp the hint that we desperately want them stop asking about our shaving habits and to kindly leave us be. Asian guys love cute, girlish girls with silly laughs and Hello Kitty adorned cell phones because that's the media over here. Anything <i>cute. </i>So as Gina and I are laughing out of extreme embarrassment when Guy #1 was talking about strip clubs and his girlfriend's hairy nether regions, he probably took it as us being cute and laughing with him because apparently talking about such things with strangers is perfectly acceptable here. Moving on.<br />
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Our third suitor was alone and smashed. Beyond smashed. And knew ten words of English. He <i>really</i> wouldn't leave and kept up his string of three sentences over and over and over and over for roughly 30 minutes. "You like Japanese?" "I am happiness!" My personal favorite: "Where you live?" "Korea" "Oh, I no like Korea!!" Gina and I were the ones to finally leave this time. Nightly night, strange men, we're off to bed.<br />
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After a brief stop at a playground to play on the swings, we headed back to the hostel to get our last night's sleep in before we left for the airport the following morning. Again, all the girls were already asleep, so we quietly crawled into the futons.<br />
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The next morning, we asked the front desk lady which bus to take to get to Kyoto Station. She gave us simple directions and sent us on our way. HA! She also failed to mention which side of the road to be on, so we got on the wrong bus headed in the opposite direction. Our minutes counting down to boarding time were ticking away fast. We eventually got on the right bus, got to Kyoto Station and bought tickets for the express bus to the airport with no more than six minutes to spare to run to the train before it leaves us behind. It was maybe an hour and a half to KIX, but then we had to take a shuttle to Terminal 2. After checking in later than we wanted, there was an announcement saying that the check in counters would be closing in 10 minutes for the Busan flight. If we would have missed that train in Kyoto, which we nearly did, we would have missed our flight. :::sweating:::<br />
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I don't know why I feel like Japan is so much more superior to Korea, but there were a lot of things I encountered or remembered about it that, in my mind, makes it a much better place. One example, people are much more patient. Koreans are constantly in a hurry to go <i>nowhere.</i> Always honking, always shoving each other to get in and out of the subway, it's chaos. In Japan, I was shocked to see that everyone actually waited for each person to come out of the train before attempting to enter. I don't think I heard a car horn for the entire four days. They don't drive like maniacs. Koreans also seem to have a very strange walking pattern that is always getting in the way of your own. You try to pass, they absentmindedly block you, you go the other way, same thing happens. No one was ever in my way there. Walking was easy and leisurely. A friend once said about Korea, "You'd think the way people walk would be universal." Not the case.<br />
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I also much prefer Japanese food. Everything Koreans eat is pickled or smothered in some kind of spicy sauce. It's all sooo sweet, even garlic bread is sweet. I'm sure they would find Japanese food more bland because it lacks fire and/or sugar, but that's what I love about it. Noodles and rice dishes are to die for.<br />
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Everything, and I mean everything, is <i>much</i> more beautiful. Even in the huge city centers, it's aesthetically pleasing. It's so clean! Korea is full of nothing but squared concrete buildings with no character and garbage absolutely everywhere you turn. It's not Korea's fault it had to build and build fast because they were brought into modernism so quickly, but it proves to be a stain in my vision because of it. Not to say that there aren't beautiful places in Korea, there are, they just have to be hunted down. Japan has a shrine/temple/castle everywhere you look, and if there are free space between buildings there seems to be smaller shrines which seem to simply brighten up the city. The big cities are also more than just ugly apartment buildings. Korea seems to have all these "skyscrapers" but then at second look they are just apartment building conglomerates. Japan at least has retained it's culture and history in it's architecture and that makes it all that much more beautiful to look at.<br />
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Japanese people are so much more fashionable than Koreans! There is like 30% of Korean women that wear something other than leggings and giant t-shirts and yes, that small percent looks nice. But every single Japanese man and woman looks fabulous. Their fashion is farther advanced than the rest of the world in their own weird little way and I <i>love</i> it. All the guys have weird haircuts and all the women are wearing something that makes you go <i>wtf?</i> They also have a strange obsession with false eyelashes that I had forgotten about.<br />
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Japan as a whole is much more uptight than Korea, though, which is probably the reason for their outlandish appearances. Korean culture gives people just enough freedom and leeway to where they don't feel the need to dye their hair multiple colors and wear combat boots with tutus. Japan keeps people so tightly controlled that during non-work hours people go crazy because individuality is reeled in there.<br />
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All this isn't to say that there aren't nice things about Korea, I just much, much prefer Japan.<br />
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Japan, I love you. You have a special place in my heart and I still can't really pinpoint why other than I could eat ramen every day for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy. Here's a photo tour of all things pretty and Japanese.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0PiH20jHfjAtqZn9mumNLeQHdLa-7jAlBTjGItkKFwRDHjnU5GyzFpG9vUTH9RKNechSOzM344xpwbY5mqZq6jLyZT-US5bbhfSw_Cofx4xE-D0-Ib4NvFZqhb8WxEmsAEvk3OmD5a4/s1600/DSCN3806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0PiH20jHfjAtqZn9mumNLeQHdLa-7jAlBTjGItkKFwRDHjnU5GyzFpG9vUTH9RKNechSOzM344xpwbY5mqZq6jLyZT-US5bbhfSw_Cofx4xE-D0-Ib4NvFZqhb8WxEmsAEvk3OmD5a4/s400/DSCN3806.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alleyway </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a regular old building</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are the smaller shrine things that are around every corner</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walkway to a train station. I'm guessing they exist for no other reason than to just be pretty. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEfmVo1WWU0xq0PUTu3yrsHn6f8Xua4dUkFqMx5WRMNRzBpKllnwAeJkgpd6kzBHFmvwCQbBMx-SBIsnV50X0miQoXPETDU3tsvH0dDOV2rkCeRWkDQij9T13D-N2Ue8YFL7-CCBj4yw/s1600/DSCN3993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEfmVo1WWU0xq0PUTu3yrsHn6f8Xua4dUkFqMx5WRMNRzBpKllnwAeJkgpd6kzBHFmvwCQbBMx-SBIsnV50X0miQoXPETDU3tsvH0dDOV2rkCeRWkDQij9T13D-N2Ue8YFL7-CCBj4yw/s400/DSCN3993.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vending machines every 10 feet...I miss these as much as the food. </td></tr>
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That was probably my last trip to Japan, maybe ever. Unless Al and I have a layover there on our way out of here I don't know if we'll ever be back. I'm glad I got one last hoorah.<br />
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<br />Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144130336667577490noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164329378498243892.post-69016036543988211812013-09-30T07:34:00.000-04:002013-09-30T07:34:59.753-04:00Halloween & A Trip to the HospitalLast week Al and I were informed that we have to go get another medical check done at the hospital. While this may seem routine enough, we know very well simply going to get a medical check is just the tip of the iceberg with a very large and complex story behind it as to why this needs to be done.<br />
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Before teaching here, one must get a medical check to ensure you aren't bringing in some kind of scary foreign disease into their utopia. From what I understand, this only needs to be done annually if working for a public school under the Ministry of Education...not Al and I. Since we did our check when we first arrived nearly two years ago, there is no reason this should be happening.<br />
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Let me sum up working for a Hagwon (Korean private school): Imagine, if you will, the company you work for is untrustworthy, unorganized, ill-prepared for anything, money hungry, uncaring, disrespectful and the boss is constantly doing things that are generally illegal i.e. squandering your pension. Those kinds of companies are rampant in this this lovely country and are better known as Hagwons. Teaching here is just a roll of the dice. You may or may not get a good school and it will probably be some varying degree of shady no matter where you teach.<br />
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With all that being said, after Al told me this had to be done he also told me that about a month after we did our first test, a former Korean coworker told Al that they needed to be redone for some reason. Well, they never were and so it's just now come to the attention of our school owner. I'm guessing someone in immigration caught on to this error just now and told our boss that it needs done <i>pronto.</i> The reasoning they gave Al was that a foreigner in Busan was caught with drugs so now all the schools have to re-test their employees.<br />
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<i>What?</i><br />
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1. We're not stupid. 2. If that was the case there is no need for a full medical check. 3. Why are the other two foreign teachers in the office not coming? 3. Why, oh why, are you in such a rush to get us to the hospital?<br />
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Basically the owner told us this huge lie (that we can see straight through) to cover for <i>his</i> mistake a very, very long time ago. One thing to know about Koreans is that there will never ever be an admission of guilt. They generally refuse to take any responsibility in anything that was obviously their fault, this just being one of the bazillions of cases we've run across while living here. Oh well. We know the <i>real</i> reason, so now...Medical Check #2!<br />
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There are hospitals and clinics <i>all over the place. </i>When you think "hospital" don't imagine the mega hospitals like we have at home. Here, the hospitals are very small but they have all the basic necessities. We go in with a Korean teacher from Al's school and get down to business. Vision and hearing tests, weight (not too shabby) and height, chest x-ray, blood and pee test. The pee test is different and seemingly much more unhygienic than at home. They give me a cup (no paper bag or anything) and send me down the hall. I pee...in a squatter mind you...and then put my hand over the top of the cup because I'm very uncomfortable walking down a hallway with a dixie cup of my own piss. I walk back into the room and they indicate I set it down on a table...a table that has multiple other cups containing various shades of yellow liquid just sitting there. JUST SITTING THERE, out in the open, no lids, just asking to be knocked over.<br />
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As I'm trying not to barf, it's time for my blood test, which is in the same room as the pee cups. The chair I'm sitting in is directly beside the pee cup table. So far this is a fantastic day. She rolls my sleeve up and I'm sweating to death because I hate needles and the pain that comes with getting blood drawn. She sticks me, I whimper and turn my head and wait. Apparently I'm so nervous that nothing is happening so she has to stick me <i>again</i> in my hand to try and get more blood. Great. I come out looking like some kind of heroin addict with all these pricks in my arm.<br />
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The Korean teacher with us pays the probably $10 all that cost with Mr. Song's credit card and off we went. It wasn't the greatest start to a Friday.<br />
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<b>HALLOWEEN IS COMING</b><br />
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I love Halloween! Al and I are usually always people from pop culture and this year is no exception. Yesterday we ordered my costume and some components of his. This year...we will be...DUM DUM DUM...Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo. It's going to turn out pretty rad, I think. I need to find a toy dragon to attach to my shoulder and I'm good to go. We have to make a lot of Al's but we ordered him a wig and a long beard to shape into Drogo's. I wanted to be Robin Thicke and Miley Cyrus but he said no one here would know who we are...bummmmmerrrrrrr. Here's to October 31! Can't wait!Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144130336667577490noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164329378498243892.post-20394047100315085392013-09-24T07:20:00.001-04:002013-09-24T07:20:31.433-04:00It's That Time Of Year AgainAutumn is usually a pretty nice time wherever you are. The temperatures become bearable again! It's time to put a fall wreath on the front door, set some kind of gourd out on the stoop as decoration, hear the crunch of leaves underfoot, throw on a cute scarf and go grab a pumpkin spice latte all while enjoying the wonderful cool smell of the air that accompanies September and October.<br />
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...Wait! What are all these things again?? Oh, right, they don't happen in my neck of the woods. My facebook is overflowing with friends and acquaintances going on and on about how fabulous fall is and building fires and sitting on their porch with a blanket and pictures of them sipping on said pumpkin spice latte. I don't even particularly like pumpkin spice lattes, but to know I <i>could</i> get one if I really wanted one would make the season transition here much more pleasant. (I prefer those whatchamacallits from Starbucks that taste like liquid apple pie.) Living in this somewhat smelly, concrete hole makes me miss good old America even more this time of year. Fall isn't even my favorite season, I'm a summer girl, but for some reason everything about fall just screams...<i>HOME. </i>Everywhere you look there are signs of autumn and the upcoming holidays. Bails of hay here, wagons of pumpkins there, cartoon turkeys hanging in that window...none of that exists here. The only smidgen I get is on my way to work there are a few blocks of trees that turn pretty colors. I suppose I could venture out to the countryside one afternoon, but it's not like I would get the full impact of an American autumn. Here in a few weeks, I'll just sigh and slap on my tights and wait for my mom's annual Thanksgiving-themed box to come so I can get a little bit of a feel for home. But, I keep reminding myself that this is the last time I'll be away for major holidays, so appreciate what time I have left here and next fall? I'll be sitting on a porch in my own blanket watching the leaves change, and that, my friends, is something I'm majorly anticipating.<br />
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This time of year is also the time for colds and I have a doozy as I type this. Early last week I felt that tickle in my throat indicating something was coming on and so a few days later I had a pretty good cold. I felt much better over Chuseok (Korean holiday that gave us a five day weekend this year) and so I decided to go out with everyone on Saturday night. Well, I think I was just very unlucky and picked up something else while my immune system was on the fritz because by Sunday night, I was dead sick and felt 1000x worse than I did just a few days prior with the first cold. Usually a long night out means I'm in constant contact with a large cloud of smoke wherever I am. Not being a smoker, the next morning usually has me hacking and coughing while my poor lungs try and recover from what I involuntarily did to them. This is what I thought was wrong come Sunday afternoon when my chest was on fire, so we went on to the beach anyway and I had a pretty good day despite my feeling sicker by the hour. By the time we left the beach I was going downhill and downhill fast, resulting in another, and worse, full blown cold. After a five day weekend, going to back work very sick Monday morning was not fun and on top of that Mondays are my full, busy days. Today, Tuesday, I'm feeling much better and from now on I plan on basically drowning myself in those Korean vitamin C miracle drinks and trying as hard as possible not to come in close contact with those walking petri dishes known as elementary school children.<br />
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Other than that, things are the same old same old around here. Gina and I are going to Japan next week because...well, because we can...so that will be a nice getaway. Still just enjoying the last bit of warmth before the biting Busan winter air hits!<br />
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xx<br />
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<br />Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04144130336667577490noreply@blogger.com0