Exploring Kyoto

My favorite part about exploring a new city is just walking around. I love feeling like I'm actually exploring a place. If I follow the guidebook to the hotspots, I feel like I didn't really see anything. I miss out on the journey, and we all know, it's the journey that really matters!
 

When we got to Kyoto, I knew Gion was the neighborhood to explore. Kyoto is known as the cultural capital of Japan and Gion is the geisha district filled with temples and tiny alleyways to discover. What is more Japanese-y than that??

We only had one full day in Kyoto so in the morning we woke up, ate breakfast, looked at the map in the lobby of the hostel and took off in the general direction on Gion.

There are maps posted throughout the city which helped us stay in the general area we wanted to be in. If we saw something cool we stopped. If we saw a temple we went in, walked around, made an offering, and bowed. When we hit a major intersection we would look both ways and go where it looked the most promising. We ended up finding tons of great stuff, including a few things I'm sure were not in the guidebook.

fire station

graveyard

sticker street art

It's always good to look around carefully. You never know when a little treasure is hiding down a side street, like this little temple. 

construction bunnies

Japan is a beautiful blend of tradition and innovation. There are modern conveniences next door to temples that are hundreds of years old. It's amazing to me that a country so steeped in tradition can also be modern and fresh. It would be great to live here one day and explore their culture even more.

Back in the Swing of Things

If you read Destination Exploration last month, you know I was having a rough time. I was missing home and all the lovely things I was so accustomed to always having. When I asked my Aunt Deb, who is long-time expat, what the hardest part about living abroad is, she told me it was spending the holidays so far from family. She was right.

So, I brooded for a while. I let myself be sad, wrote those two posts, and then I decided to get over it.

I started by turning our apartment into a winter wonderland complete with paper snowflakes, a homemade Christmas tree made from cardboard, colorful paper chains, paper cranes, homemade stockings, a single strand of hand-me-down twinkle lights, and presents. It was nice to do some crafting. Creating things combined with all the bright colors and numerous holiday songs really lifted my spirits.

Then, Spencer's little sister, Katie came to visit us for Christmas and it was great to spend the holiday with family. We had a great time chatting about life in Korea and the similarities and differences between our jobs. She moved to Seoul in late November and we are happy to have her so near to us.

Next, we went to Japan for a week where we had a really great whirlwind of a time. We explored Kyoto first and then met up with Katie and her friend Jeremy in Tokyo for four days. We brought in the New Year at Zojoji Temple with the famous Tokyo Tower glittering in the background. It was a wonderful vacation and was exactly what I needed.

It rejuvenated me. 

Now, I really feel back on track. I made some resolutions and a plan to accomplish them. I'm feeling very happy to be here in Korea and living the life of my dreams. I know things can be hard to handle sometimes but it's all part of the experience. I've had way more good experiences than bad and I'm looking forward to all that 2012 will bring.  

Oh, the Places You'll Go! - Burning Man Edition

While traveling with the Semester at Sea Program, Oh, the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss was kind of a big deal. Many people got the book as departure gifts. We talked about in class. We discussed how the words connect to our very own "voyage of discovery" on the mighty vessel, the MV Explorer. It was a time of great wonder. A time for exploration of not only the world, but ourselves as well.

The words still have meaning for me. They touch my heart and inspire me to live the life of my dreams. Nearly six years after my Semester at Sea voyage, here I am living in South Korea. :) This life is magical and I could not be more happy with the path I've chosen.

Now for the video, enjoy!

A Very Crafty Christmas

Since moving to Korea every purchase I make, I second guess. I don't want to waste money on random stuff that I won't be able to take with me or ship home when we leave. With this in mind, I just couldn't justify spending money on a fake Christmas tree and loads of decorations. Instead, I vowed to use my crafty skills to spread the Christmas love in our apartment.

Our tree is made out of a cardboard box left over from the teachers we replaced. The star we found in our apartment, the paper chain is made from left over art supplies from school, and we made snowflakes out of white computer paper we had lying around.

I learned how to make paper cranes over the weekend and have made over 50 already! How many do you have to make before you get a wish? Maybe I'll do that... Wishes are fun. :) 

Spencer made us a paper chain to count down the days until Christmas, which is also the days until our winter vacation (woo!). Also, I love the mini snowflakes. They are adorable.

It's been really fun to craft and decorate! I'm feeling very festive. Do you know of any other home made stuff we can make with things we might have lying around??

Things I Miss

If you caught my previous post, you know I am currently in a funk. I'm perking up a bit now that my cold seems to be finally subsiding (yay!) but while I was down I was thinking about all the things I miss most about life in Califonia. I know this is super counter productive and bad for me when I know I can't get any of these things BUT it also helps to just write it out and then let it go.
   
So here it is, the things I miss the most:

• random conversations with strangers - now we have random interactions with strangers which are funny in their own right but not as good as convos
• decent chewing gum - for reals...the flavor lasts about three minutes tops
• Mexican food - especially chips and good salsa, avocados, and street tacos
• being able to read store signs - Imagine walking into your local Target and they changed everything around over night. Then imagine that there are no signs anywhere pointing you in the right direction. How do you find what you need? You walk. Around. EVERYWHERE. It can be very frustrating.
• wall to wall carpeting - It feels so nice! ...but floor heating is pretty cool, too.
  
• magazines - I love glossy paper and I love being able to read the words on it.
  
• NPR on my car radio every morning - NPR is awesome. Sometimes I stream it online but listening every morning on the way to work really kept me in the loop on global events.
• bookstores where I can read the merchandise - I love bookstores. The smell alone makes me want to spend hours in there. Of course, I can't spend hours in there if I can't read any of the books. Well, I could but I totally would never do that.
• diversity - This is kinda funny, but whenever I see someone who is not Korean, I am surprised.
• driving to San Francisco to visit friends - I miss SF, my friends that live there, and all the glorious things we can do together. It's a great city.
• yoga class - I'm not very good at keeping up a regular home practice but I love to take classes. I know there are some yoga classes available in Suncheon but I've been reluctant to go. Mostly because what really makes a good class is the teacher and what they're saying and how they say it. I do want to try and take a class though because I'm curious to see the Korean approach to yoga. 
• online shopping- Online shopping is brilliant. I used to shop online allll the time back at home. I think it's so great because you get that happy I-just-bought-something-new-and-beautiful feeling not once, but TWO times: when you first purchase it and when it comes in the mail. It's so much fun. (p.s. practically no one ships to Korea.)
• Target - I miss the familiarity of it. I miss knowing all the brands and which ones I like. I miss the cheap clothes and the cute home decor.
• soft beds - A lot of Koreans sleep on the floor so I should be happy I even have a bed! Still, my bed at home was a pillow top mattress with memory foam and my bed here is like sleeping on the floor with three sleeping bags underneath. Not really hard, but hard enough.
• comet (the cleaning product) - I used to clean with it a lot back home and can't find anything like it here. Now, I use bleach with water and I miss the green foam.
• having an oven - I was so spoiled before; I had a toaster oven AND a big oven! Now, I have none. We are planning on buying a toaster oven.
• turkey sandwiches - My BFF told me I would miss them and she was totally right. Turkey sandwiches are delicious and sorely missed.

Just a wee note: these are all the things I miss from home. There are also many people I miss from home and I'm sure you know who you are! Love you guys! <3

What do you miss most from home when you travel??

I'm in a Funk

I'm not feeling so hot right now. I'm feeling very worn down, tired, sick, and miserable. The novelty of living in Korea has worn off and everything is pretty normal now. We go to the grocery store, we make dinner, we eat popcorn, we do laundry, we teach and teach and teach all day long and repeat, repeat, repeat.

I've settled into a routine but it's feeling more like a rut. Maybe it's the onset of winter or maybe it's the fact that we haven't gone anywhere the past two weekends. Whatever it is, I don't like it and I can't have it. We still have seven months on our contract and there's no way we're leaving before it ends.

When we first arrived, everything was new, exciting, and sometimes even mind boggling. My head was spinning in every direction so I could see everything and contemplate why the locals do what they do. I was constantly tripping over my feet or running into things because my eyes were never on the ground. I was too busy peeking inside all the shops as we passed, people watching, or staring at all the bright flashing signs at night. Everything was so enthralling. Everything was interesting. Everything was an adventure. Even going to the grocery store was a fun outing!

Unfortunately, now that "honeymoon" phase is over. Every day life seeps in and ruins your mindset. No longer does it feel like you are exploring every day. Everything is not an adventure anymore and I've been trying think of ways to snap out of it. Here are what I've come up with so far.

• Remembering why I came here in the first place. When I think it's too early to be getting up, I'm trying to think about how a year ago, I would be getting up over an hour earlier and then head on to a cubicle. Now, I spend my working hours in a classroom designed to look like a kitchen with hoards of kids running in and out every forty minutes. It's become routine now, but it's a helluva lot better than what I was doing before coming to Korea. 
• Accept the differences, don't fight them. I'd gotten to the point where little things would piss me off. One day, I got so angry that I had to take my shoes off at school and put on indoor shoes. Spencer couldn't believe it. "Really?" he said to me, "It's really that big of deal?" At the time, I shouted "YES!" but really, no, it's not. It's not worth feeling badly over and it's definitely not worth fighting because there is no way I will ever win that fight with Koreans. Let it go and move on.
• Take a day trip. Go exploring! I came here primarily to travel and experience living as an expat. Go talk to people, ride buses, and see things. Don't stay cooped up in the apartment all weekend long for any reason...well, unless it's raining the whole time and then you're okay. 
• Share your feeling with a friend or lover. I think it's good to talk (or write!) about things. It helps just to get it out there in the universe and not festering inside of you. Thankfully, I have Spencer here to listen to me bitch talk things out. I also have friends who have been in this exact situation and can help me through the rough patches.
• Look with new eyes. Open your mind and start looking at what's around you again. Analyze the things and people you see, just like in the beginning. Explore new places, take in all you can, and practice walking meditation. Do anything to get you interested in your surroundings.  

I've never been an expat before so I'm not sure if my methods will even work but all I can do is try. Are you or have you been an expat? Do you have any tips to give? I would love to hear your advice. 

Soju and Beer

Mixing beer and soju is a popular way to get hammered in South Korea. Soju is native to Korea and is a liquor made from rice that tastes similar to vodka but with less alcohol content. The mix of soju and beer is called somaek and is humorously thought of as a science. Many people have their own special mixing strategies to create the "best" somaek!

Last week, we went to a restaurant with some friends and upon ordering soju and beer, received these clever glasses. Want to be super happy?? Two parts soju and 8 parts beer. Want to get so drunk your eyes are rolling and you feel ill? Then 5:5 it is! These glasses were so fun to play/drink with! :)


Have you ever tried soju and beer? What did you think? Good, bad, or dangerous??