I didn’t make it home… April 22, 2009

In my last post, I was getting ready to go home on vacation.   Unfortunately, that didn’t exactly happen.  Well, I shouldn’t say unfortunately because my trip home just got pushed back till the summer.   2 weeks before my flight was scheduled to leave, I saw an ad posted on an ESL website looking for someone to start work in March.   The headline read, “Looking for a kindergarten teacher and you will get 7 weeks of vacation”.    I couldn’t help but reply because the vacation time is simply phenomenal.   Last year, I only got about 2 weeks of vacation with 10 holidays thrown in as well.  So, 7 weeks had me near salavating at the mouth. 

I applied for the job and as they say, the rest is herstory.   I was hired the same day I applied and they asked me to start work on March 4th.   Now, I’m going home during summer vacation in July/August and I can’t wait!  This is the longest time I’ve been out of the USA but I’m not terribly homesick.   Of  course I miss certain things but I can hold out till the summer.

I did manage to go on a mini-vacation to Japan in March.  I had to get a new work visa for my job and did the infamous visa run to Fukuoka.   However, my visa run lasted a bit longer (8 days) than most due to some complications with immigration.  But I got to see Fukuoka, Osaka and Kyoto which was really cool.  Here are some photos of my trip and I’m so happy to know that someone looks in on this blog every once in awhile!

Shinkansen

A row of bikes in Fukuoka

A canal in Kyoto

East meets West

On the way to a temple

Kiyomizudera Temple

 

Pagoda

View from the top

So peaceful. The temple is in Kyoto

Pond view of the pagoda

I love this shot!

Leaving the temple

Next up, the streets of Osaka

I had to run to get this shot!

Dontcha just love the colors

The cutest McDonald's I've ever seen

I went to the mall; isn't this cool?

                                                                                                                

Vacation recap September 1, 2008

I’ve been back from Thailand for almost a month and I still wish I was there.  I don’t know if it’s because I always tend to think cities I am not residing in are better than where I live or if it’s because it’s truly greater.  I’m gonna go with the latter reason on this one because in this case, the grass really was greener on the other side. 

In one word, Thailand was phenomenal.  I loved the people, food and ambience.  It had a very chill vibe and everyone seemed so relaxed.   My friends and I arrived to Bangkok around 10pm and got to our budget accommodation by midnight.  We decided to roam the streets aka bars since we only had 2 nights in the city.  We stayed in a popular tourist area so the streets were very lively and full of people even at 1am.  We sauntered into a random tavern place and drank cheap cocktails.  The entire bar was essentially wasted and the people were quite funny to watch.   Most of the tourists were European (British & German) and one man told me he was impressed to see some Americans traveling there. 

  (I’m on the right)     (Crazy Kim doing the victory sign)   

The next day, we did a boat load of sightseeing and shopping.   The palaces were ostentatious, the Buddha’s were serene and the shopping was overwhelming.  This one mall the locals encouraged us to visit was enormous!  There had to have been at least 10 floors of just about everything you would ever need in a lifetime.   It was quite different from malls back home though.  At this mall, you could still bargain and negotiate prices as if you were buying from an outdoor vendor.   I was surprised how much I was negotiating because I usually never do this sort of thing.  However, people assumed we had exchanged American dollars instead of Korean Won and they were quoting ridiculous overpriced amounts.  I told one vendor, yes I am American but I work in Korea and make money in Won.  He just stared and said, Ahhhhh.  Korean money is not doing all that great right now and although Thailand was still cheap for us, it wasn’t dirt cheap.

  (Riding in a Tuk-tuk)       (Canoe ride at the floating market)

The next morning, we left Bangkok and headed for Koh Chang.  The entire trip took about 6 hours and we got to Koh Chang ready to relax.  The island was so cute and quaint.  We were in desperate need of some R&R and the island was the perfect solution.  In Bangkok, we barely slept since we had such little time there.  In Koh Chang, we caught up on our sleep, got massages, drank fresh fruit juices, ate on the beach, drank many cocktails, shopped a bit, lounged in the pool and ate thai food galore.  It was really a glorious time.  The hotel was perfect and very quiet due to low season.  The crowds of Seoul seemed so far away from the Island and its peacefulness was much enjoyed.

Beach at the hotel

Sunset on the beach

All in all, it was a fabulous trip and worth the 8 year long wait it took me to go on vacation.  I’m already planning my next vacation and this time, it’s barely 8 months away.  Ciao…

Going on Vacation July 22, 2008

To say I have been MIA is an understatement.  It’s not that I didn’t log on to WordPress almost everyday with the intention of writing something savvy about Seoul.  But to be honest, I haven’t been doing anything that exciting or savvy to log on a weekly basis.  I’ve carved a little routine here already.  I go to work Mon thru Fri and then hang out with friends on the weekend.  It sorta mirrors my life in LA.   I pretty much do the same things here that I did there except it’s with new friends set in a different backdrop.   We go out to dinner and go out for drinks.  You know, usual adult stuff.   But now, it’s about to get exciting again.  I am going on vacation next week to THAILAND!!  Woohoo, finally something cool to write about.

I haven’t had a vacation in 8 years.  Sure, I received vacation time from my previous employers and used it to visit my parents.  I always thoroughly enjoyed those restful weeks at home but it never constituted a real vacation.  To me, vacation means exploring a new city; laying on a beach drinking some fruity drink; going to a museum; eating new cuisines etc.  The last time I did this was with my friend S back in 2001.  We went to Jamaica and had a lovely time.   I was 22 and foolishly thought I would be taking new excursions every year with friends.  By the time 23 rolled around, I had acquired a car loan, insurance and expensive rent to pay.  The vacations were sent packing but not anymore. 

Thailand has always been on my list of places to visit so I am excited to mark it off the list.   I keep imagining paradise awakening me every morning.  It will be a much needed break from Seoul.   Living in LA afforded me lots of personal space, clean air( I know it’s crazy saying LA has clean air but it really does compared to Seoul) and to die for weather.  Seoul is grimy, noisy and the weather plain sucks.  I have complained so much about the humidity and the rain that I think my friends are ready to kill me.  It rains for 2 months straight in Seoul (July and August).   I hate the rain, so it’s been a wee bit difficult to adjust too.  I’ve really learned to appreciate simple things much more living out here.  So, I think next week I will just be soaking up all of the goodness and enjoying every minute of it.  Here is a pic of where I am going.  It’s an island called Koh Chang.  

See you when I get back!