Notice!

Signs can be funny while also informing. Sometimes they are misinformingly hilarious. Either way, I like signs while traveling.

This is a sign posted on the inside of our elevator in our apartment building. I'm pretty sure it says, "Don't lean on the elevator doors or they will magically open and you will fall in the elevator shaft." Really people, pictures are louder than words.

This one is pretty self-explanatory. I just love that it was in an expat bar. Those foreign boys are frisky!

The Calm Cool Collected Chaos of Crossing the Street

In the United States it’s simple: Wait for the green "walking man" to flash and then cross while all the cars are stopped. In our first few weeks in Korea, we have learned that things on the street work a little differently. There is a great understanding and flow in the driver/walker relationship. Some of the major intersections do have the rotating “walk/don’t walk” flashing signs, but the rest of them just leave it to the people to decide when to go forth. And it works! If cars have an open intersection, they go for it. If people crossing have an open moment to cross, they take it. What is really interesting is the fact that there is little (if any) hesitation between people in the cars and people on the streets. If you start to cross just as a car approaches the intersection, they may not stop, but rather slow down and make a turn while you breeze past the side of them. They sense that you are crossing so they make a wide turn and you see them turning so you take an extra step to the left which allows you to brush by within inches of their car. Swoosh! It all happens in a split second; You go with your gut instinct and just cross. And it always seems to work out. It may sometimes seem like a crossing car just misses you by a few feet, but no matter how chaotic and fast the traffic is moving, you rarely feel any danger. We have yet to witness any kind of traffic accident or even a close call, and there is noticeably less road rage (at least from our point of view as pedestrians).

So the next time you are stuck trying to walk across that darn intersection with the authoritatively demanding red hand telling you "NOT SO FAST, BUD", take a moment and think about Korea. And while you are stopped thinking about it, we will already be across the street and halfway home, because that is just the way things flow here. Just another day on the calmly chaotic streets of Suncheon.

Right Outside Our Door

It's so nice to see a bit of green every time we walk out our front door!

High Rise Moving Day

High Rise Moving Day

Living in a high rise apartment building is pretty standard in Suncheon, South Korea. In the week and a half we've been here, I've counted about 25 of these huge living boxes and I'm sure there are more. With so many people living in high rises, it's no wonder they have come up with such a streamlined way to move.

When moving into a high rise, South Koreans have it down. This machine is a platform on a huge ladder-like lift. They simply move everything onto the platform and then send it up! It's genius! The platform rises pretty quickly, definitely more quickly than I thought it would go. Wouldn't this be great in New York, Paris, or Hong Kong? Moving would be a snap!

I love seeing new ways of doing ordinary things. It's one of my favorite parts about travel! Have you ever noticed something you thought was ordinary transformed into something extraordinary on your travels?

Transitioning to Suncheon, South Korea

We arrived in our new home, Suncheon, at 11pm on Tuesday, June 28th. We left San Francisco International Airport at 1pm the day before. We were excited, sleep deprived, and smelly. 

our motel in between the Lexus Motel and the OK Motel, hehehe

The director of our school, Mrs. Hur picked us up from the bus station and took us to our motel, Sky Motel. The name "Sky Motel" was written on the towels, the pillow cases, the "blanket," and the mirror in the bathroom, just in case we forgot where we were, or something. I don't know. We had a tiny but neat room with lots of perks such as, normal sized toothpaste, big bottles of shampoo/conditioner/body wash, hair gel, brush/comb, q-tips, internet, tea, water cooler, lotion, mini-fridge, orange juice...as you can see, MUCH more than you would ever find in a western motel room. We didn't really use any of it but it was cool. The bed was extremely hard, as are all the beds in Korea, apparently. Not too happy about that but whatevs, I'll get over it....and eventually beg my mom to send me some memory foam if I don't. 

major intersection in Suncheon on the way to school

The next day, we went to our school, Wonderland, in the afternoon to start learning about the school and how to teach English. We are taking over Mark and Gillian's classes while they visit home for a month in Scotland. When they get back, Kurt and Carrie are leaving to go home and then we will take over their classes. So, for the next month we will have one set of classes and then the next month, we will have all new classes again! 

Wonderland; it's a castle!

While watching Gillian teach her (soon to be my) classes on that first day, I remember thinking, "Oh no, this looks so hard. How am I going to remember all these (there are eight) different books? What if I can't control the children? What if I say something wrong? What if I can't do this??" I panicked a little but was too jet lagged to run.

Spencer in his classroom

We had one more day to shadow Mark and Gillian and that day was way better. They were giving us so much information about how they teach and it was very overwhelming but I figured, "hey, I speak English and graduated from college. I can totally do this!" I think confidence came with the 10 hours of sleep I had gotten the night before.

my classroom

Our first day teaching on our own was a Friday. Honestly, I have no idea why I fretted for even a second. It was easy and FUN! I have a wide range of ages in my classes and it's nice to be able to act silly with the tiny kids and watch the older kids really understand what I'm talking about. Also, Korean kids are adorable! It's so fun to see all their cute hair clips and interesting clothing choices. On Friday, I saw a boy wearing (and actually pulling off!) yellow skinny jeans! It was awesome! 

 

Moving to South Korea in ONE week!

Suncheon, South Korea - our new home

In six days we will be in a plane, over the Pacific Ocean, flying to South Korea to live for an entire year. 

I have never been to Korea. 

I have never taught English to anyone, let alone little kids. 

I have never lived abroad, in one place, for more than a month. 

I have never sold (almost) everything I own. 

I have never dwindled my wardrobe down to so few pieces of clothing. 

I've never had less shoes. 

I have never been so scared in all my life.

I've never been so excited in all my life. 

All these things are constantly running through my head. These things, plus things we need to do this week: cancel cell phones, get storage unit, cancel internet service, and see everyone we love one last time--just to name a few. There is no doubt that things are hectic, but I am quite calm at the moment. For one thing, I'm a procrastinator. I would rather relax and enjoy the next couple of days and then frantically do everything on Thursday and Friday. (We're leaving home on Friday to go visit some lovely people in the bay area before we depart.) Also, I don't think it's really hit me all the way yet. It feels weird not having any furniture in the house but I moved so much in college, it feels almost normal to have a half empty house for a week once a year. I was really sad when we sold Spencer's car last week. I definitely thought, "wow, we're really doing this...this is really happening!" However, we still have my car so things feel normal enough.

I think it will really hit me once we land and are in a sea of people who look nothing like us, don't speak our language, and have no problem with invading our personal space. I might freak out a little once that happens, but until then, I am going to try to enjoy every last second in beautiful California by eating as much Mexican food as my body will allow and spending time with all the wonderful people I call my family and friends.

Have you ever moved away from home for an extended period of time? If so, do you have any advice for us??? We would love to hear from you!

Our Raggamuffin Sailboat Adventure in Belize

We pulled into Placencia smelling of fish and rum punch. Looking like lobsters with peeling sunburns up and down our bodies. Dirty, salty, and most definitely needing a shower. But none of that mattered. All we could do was smile and reflect upon what an amazing time we had during the last few days.

Maggie and I had just completed an island hopping adventure called Raggamuffin Tours. It is a three day/two night sailing journey that departs from the island of Caye Caulker and arrives in Placencia, a small peninsula on the southern coast of Belize.

There were 17 people on the boat -- 3 crew members and 14 vacationers. We met some amazing people from all over the world. England, Ireland, Canada, South Africa, and Australia were all represented. As it turned out, we were the only ones from the United States on the ship.

The trip was a non-stop adventure! We sailed the 50 foot boat, the "Ragga Queen", through the clear blue waters of the Caribbean Sea. We anchored several times a day and were able to swim and snorkel some of the best patches of barrier reef in Belize. Having never snorkeled a reef of any kind in my life, I was absolutely amazed at the abundance of colorful tropical fish and plant life around the reef.

Sailing and snorkeling were just the beginning. We also had the opportunity to fish off the back of the boat. Anything we caught would be dinner for that night -- easily the freshest seafood I have ever eaten. Ever.

Another great experience was getting to explore the tiny remote islands off the coast of Belize. Each day we arrived at a different island and camped out for the night. The first island, Rendezvous Caye, was an experience unlike any other we have been through. The island was unbelievably small, probably not much bigger than the size of a basketball court. Just big enough for about 7 tents and a few palm trees. Waking up to the sun rising and the water only 10 feet from where I was sleeping was an image that will forever be engraved in my memory.

The second night was spent on Tobacco Caye. This island was a little larger then the first, and even had a bar serving cold drinks and proper flushing toilets. We were even able to rinse off using their rainwater showers, which felt amazing after two days out at sea. Dinner for the night was fresh caught barracuda and shrimp curry, which was so tasty. To top it off, we learned a few new drinking games using the crew's homemade rum punch, which turned out to be more like rum with a hint of punch.

One thing we didn't expect was how windy it could get on the islands. Once the sun goes down, the wind comes alive! Luckily our tents were staked to the ground and the only casualties during the trip were a broken pair of sunglasses and some gnarly sunburns on our legs and feet. Totally worth it.

Our third and final day had us sailing into Placencia around 4pm. About an hour before we arrived, our ship was greeted by a few surprising friends - three dolphins! They swam right up next to the front of the boat and joined us for a few minutes. It was truly stunning how friendly and interesting these animals can be. They just popped in and out of the water, literally feet from the side of the boat! It was a prefect way to end such a fantastic adventure.

The best part about Raggamuffin was how incredibly laid back everyone was on the boat, the crew included. From the very beginning it was nothing but good vibes, welcoming smiles, and some of the kindest people I have ever met. The boat always had such positive energy. Reggae music pulsed trough the boat's speakers and the crew were always game to share a smile and a story. Everyone on board helped us have an experience that will be remembered for the rest of our lives. Thanks Raggamuffin!

Click here to see the rest of the Raggamuffin photos
Go here for all our honeymoon photos

Check out Raggamuffin Tours website at www.raggamuffintours.com