Smell the Roses

It's easy sometimes to let the small details of this incredible life pass us by.  If not for the reason that modern day society pushes up down the fast lane, instead of encouraging us to take our time on a road less traveled, then, in part, due to our own inability to slow down and appreciate our surroundings.  As the old saying goes, "take the time to stop and smell the roses." This phrase has been around for as long as I can remember, probably as long as my grandmother can remember, and her grandmother can remember.  Yet, we all must still be reminded.  Listening skills= KURPLUT. It's true for all of us though, is it not?  We almost need to be reminded, just as an eight year old needs to be reminded not to sit too close to the television screen (you will go cross eyed.. just like your mother always told you). We are always looking forward to what comes next, planning, contemplating (myself, a number one offender of this).  Sometimes, in doing so, we forget to appreciate the here and now.

With that said, I came to Korea with the understanding that I would only be here for a year.  One year of my entire life seems like such an incredibly tiny chunk of time in the grand scheme of things.  Naturally, I want to jam pack this year with as many minuscule or extravagant experiences and memories as possible. With this in mind, I seem to be constantly looking ahead, thinking about how I can make the most of my time here. I'm continuously looking towards the weekend when the week begins. What can I do with my free time to make sure that it will be memorable?  Sometimes, I forget that just living daily life abroad can be satisfying enough. When summer vacation was approaching- my mind was warped with ideas and thoughts about what I should spend my time doing.  How would I make the most of a two week break? Did I have the opportunity to take a trip? NOPE. Broke. Could I fly home? Not an option. Spend time with my friends? Many of them were going away.  Meet new people? Eh, too much effort. Never once did I think, "take your time," until, I did.

It dawned on me. I don't need an extravagant plan, a fortifying experience, or something sketched in stone in order to solidify a two week vacation.  I realized, I have been in Korea for six full months.  How much of the city had I really seen in that time? Had I really taken the time to appreciate Seoul for what it is [one of the largest cities in the world]?  I'd like to say that I had, because, as stated in a previous entry, senseless journeys, days of wander with no destination, and midday or midnight strolls have brought me to really appreciate this monstrous city.  However, I realized, that due to the size of Seoul, and the size of me, and although I'd felt like I'd seen a lot, when I mapped it out, I had actually not been to a lot of areas in Seoul. This understanding brought me to the conclusion that I would use my vacation as more of a "stay-cation," and I would take the time to take my time wandering through and around the city.

My two weeks consisted of me cruising down roads & city sidewalks, between buildings, up mountains, and places in between, with nothing more than a pair of walking shoes, my wallet, and a camera hanging at my neck. I did get the opportunity to spend a lot of time with some friends as well, where we too, wandered around together.  Sometimes it ended with some photos of new and interesting findings, and other times it ended with a group of foreigners wandering home slightly tipsy on a week night (when in Korea, you don't say no to soju!).  Either way, there were always some good shots involved (pun intended).

Here is a quick recap of the places I went in Seoul and the things I saw, some memories recapped, and of course, some pictures! Here's my list that I dedicate to smelling the roses!...

1. Hyewa: One evening, I made it a point to find my way back to Hyewa, where orientation was held.  I climbed the treacherous steps we had once discovered there, and waited around on a wall that I like to call "The Great Wall of Hyewa," so that I could capture a beautiful sunset sky draped over the city's sky scrappers. One of the things that I love about this spot is that it shows the city and the mountains as one.

2. Gwanghwamun Square- Considered to be the "times square" of Seoul.  Here you can see the famous statue of King Sejong, Admiral Yi Sun-Shin, a beautiful backdrop of Gyeongbokgong Palace, and Bukaksan mountain in the distance. This was perhaps one of my favorite wandering points during my two weeks off.  The day was incredible with blue painted skies.  It was so incredibly hot that they had the fountains shooting up from the ground in front of the admiral's statue. There crowds of children laughed and splashed while parents watched with joyous smiles. What a wonderful day.

a look at the square from afar

 King Sejong, Gyeongbokgong Palace, Bukaksan Mountain

 King Sejong

 Gyeongbokgong Palace

 the square, facing the opposite way

 Admiral Sun-Shin watching over the children playing

3. Dongdaemun & Namdaemun traditional markets- So they say, if you can't find it at Namdaemun market, it doesn't exist.  Namdaemun market is the largest traditional market area in Seoul.  While walking along these markets you will find everything from sumbrellas, to sports clothing, street food, shoes, books, pig's feet, oriental medicine, dried squid, and everything in between.

 Dongdaemun Gate

 Dongdaemun market

 Yes, in Korean, women carry things on their heads... usually with no hands.

 Dongdaemun Bridge

 Second hand book stores like this one lined this entire street. It was beautiful.

Namdaemun Market

4. Ttuksom Resort: Jill and I decided to adventure here one day, mostly just so we could get pictures of the cool spaceship looking architecture, while dipping our feet in the Han River. It was a beautiful day, followed by incessant eating and drinks at Sam Ryan's in Itaewon.

 Han River

 View of the city and the Han from Ttuksom

 Sitting with our feet in the Han

 Jill enjoying the day!

 Ttuksom Spaceship Shots

 Fountain wall at Ttuksom

 The Korean perception of aliens seems to differ from the American perception.

 This was just weird.

" What exactly is going on here? Not sure, let's get a picture." 

5. Soyosan Mountain: Due to the fact that the heat throughout our two week vacation was scorching and ridiculously humid, I could not find anyone to man up and take a hike with me.  Being determined Rachel, I decided to go about this journey alone.  Soyosan is the northern most part of Seoul, (closest to North Korea.. dun dun dun).  During my soyosan hike, I built some prayer rock piles, found a secluded Buddhist temple in the mountains, and sat next to some small waterfalls while taking in the scenery.

 Soyosan

 A small Buddhist shrine nestled in a small cave where people stop to pray.

 Prayer rock piles, one of my favorite Korean traditions.

 Prayer rock pile in front of a waterfall

 Archway where you ring a bell as your pass through.

 View at Mt. Soyosan

 I spy a pathway to a hidden temple!

 Buddhist temple burrowed in the moutains

 Buddha figurines left behind for prayer purposes.

 Cute elderly couple sleeping on some rocks in a naked river bed.

 Background on this picture: I originally stopped to get a picture of the man sleeping in between rocks, then found that behind him, there was a lively old woman going to town dancing alone. She can be spotted in the back left hand corner in a blue scarf.

 Korean style... this was quite interesting to observe. The stream ran down the entire length of the mountain and there was not one spot where people were not sprawled out either sleeping, sitting in the water, bathing, playing games, or eating.

6. Suwon: The clan, that I like to call my friends, decided to actually go and do something cultural one day during vacation. On the train, we ventured an entire hour and a half to Suwon, which is on the Seoul subway line but is technically just outside of Seoul.  We chose this destination because there are supposed to be some nice temples and historic sites.  Of course, due to the fact that we arrived hungry, we decided to eat barbecue first, which then also led to drinking flavored soju and makgoli. It was mostly all downhill from there. After eating and drinking, we managed our way up a massive hill, where we thought we would find some sight seeing.  Instead, we ended up lost, laying in the road while sweating, and exhausted.  Instead of venturing on, we decided that drinking in Suwon sounded like a much better idea.  We figured by subway it only cost us 3,000 won round trip, what's another trip in the future? Maybe next time we will actually do something productive.  However, this time ended with us going to barbecue, to hill from hell, to rainbow cafe, to a GS 25 where a Korean man so kindly purchased a bottle of whiskey for us (cheers to people who like foreigners).  The rest is history.

 Kim & I on the subway, destination: Suwon.

 A beautiful day in Suwon

 Holly the Makgoli Master

 Korean barbecue, flavored makgoli, & flavored soju

 Kimberly & I at barbecue.. strawberry makgoli/pineapple soju!

 Mehdi says, "We need more soju with our flavored soju."

 Cheers to summer vacation!

 Kiwi soju= delicious heaven in a pitcher.

 Holly, Chris, Mehdi, James, and Conor! 

 Suwon!

 Holly has had about enough of sun, hills, and sight seeing.

 The boys in Suwon

 Conor & Chris

A small bottle of whiskey to end the night.. thanks to a generous Korean man!

Stay-cation proved to be a success. I had some relaxing me time, some good times with friends, and some good times with the city.  I have been back to school for two weeks now and I have actually done much more over these past two weeks worth mentioning, however, I will save that for another post! :)

Making it to the Middle

As I sit in Mr. Breeze's coffee cafe, listening to Busca Busca, and sipping on a smoothie that taste like a mix between citric acid and bleach, it has dawned on me... today marks a significant day for me in Korea.  It is August 3, the last day of my two week summer camp, and the beginning of my two week summer vacation.  My first semester as "Rachel Teachaaaa" at Yeon Ji Elementary has come to a close. "Incredible," I think to myself as I sit here reflecting back on the past six months.  Six months? Really... six months? I have taught an entire semester and in two weeks, I'll have lived in Korea for six months. Time really does fly by.  It's almost unbelievable that I'm halfway through and as I sit here, a mixture of emotions leaves me unsure of whether I feel happy, robbed, nervous, anxious, or disheartened. I feel happy to be closer to seeing my family and friends at home, robbed of a my time, nervous about being home in six months, anxious to be home in six months, anxious to see what the next six months will bring, and disheartened that six amazing months have come and gone so fast... here's to hoping the the next six will linger!

When I first got to Korea, I felt like time was going by so fast, and then suddenly, when I began to miss my family, it seemed to be passing slowly.  Now, I just feel like it's moving in intervals... some weeks go by fast and others drag.   Looking back on my past six months, I have made so many good memories in the short time that I have been here. I have met some really incredible people, made good friends, gotten to know people completely different from myself, lived in a city,  ran into an ocean fully clothed, developed a new scar,  tried incredibly strange foods, climbed to the top of the highest mountains, learned a decent amount of a new language, and formed good relationships in my school with both my coworkers and my students.  I feel as though the past six months have been a real success for me.  Coming to Korea was a journey of self discovery for me... a way to stand on my own. I have surely learned how to be on my own, how to be myself, how to be patient, how to take risks, and live a bit more spontaneously.  Every day is an adventure for me, and whether the day is good or bad, I seem to learn something regardless.  I appreciate the differences across humanity more now, and almost crave more interactions with people completely different from myself.  I have come to realize how the people of the world are so different yet so alike in many ways.  We all give and receive love the same way.  Our cores are built from the same thing, as we all have the same basic needs, but we flourish differently due to our surroundings.  It really is a beautiful thing when I think about it.

The last two weeks I conducted the Yeon Ji Summer English camp, with one of my coworkers, Eunhee.  Our theme was "Around the World in Ten Days." Our students created passports with their pictures and information inside.  Every day we "visited" a new country by learning about the culture and making something, singing, dancing, or eating. We taught them key expressions that they would need while traveling.   We made hot dogs, learned the macarena, made pinatas and broke them open on the last day, built the Eiffel Tower from popsicle sticks, watched videos about the Great Barrier Reef/Serengeti/Spanish bull fighting, had mini Olympic games, and created a country of our own. I had an absolute blast! I feel like I learned just as much as my students did.  Today, as they left my classroom, I felt relieved to have no more planning for two weeks but also unsure of what to do with myself without them!

Playing with balloons before our mini Olympic games.

 My sixth graders with their Sydney Opera House models.

The cutest little creatureeee ever! He was creating a flag for his country!

 Benedict... one of my sixth grade twins, rocking his hat like no one's business!

 James coloring the European flags... one of my best sixth graders, so intelligent and hard working!

 My goofy sixth grade boys! Gotta love them!

 Chris, ONE of my class clowns.

 My sixth grade boys, and Rebecca, the lone girl in the back!

 Ria making her pinata! Love that smile :)

Making pinatas

Working together to build the Eiffel Tower

For the two weeks ahead, I have no big plans.  I plan on relaxing, getting back into a exercise routine, and visiting different parts of the city each day that I have yet to experience.  There's a good chance my camera will be worn out by the time school starts again.  As for today, my plan is to finish this God awful smoothie, go home, clean, and start off vacation the right way... girls night in the city! :) Until next time... cheers to half a year!

Here are some photo updates from the past few weeks...

 A small cafe that we came across during a night time adventure... couldn't resist the picture! Perfect!

 The Makgoli Man! Makgoli is rice wine... this guy cruises the streets of hongdae selling big bottles for 3,000 won out of his rickshaw... the only English he know is " I LOVEEEUHHH YOU!!!"

 SUCCESS... won a teddy bear on the street in Hongdae! Aggie Gome!

 Kimberly and I decided to have a nice girl date one night... we took ourselves to this awesome (and reasonably priced) restaurant... the floor was hot pink light up... we order a bottle of wine, had steak, pasta, and good converstation... a nice change for a Friday night!

 Also, chopped my hair off! Here is a picture of me from me and Kim's date night!

 After dinner we went to a newly openned bar where we sat at a high top window seat and ordered martinis on an IPAD! LEGIT.... with an AWESOME view!

 Me and Kimber at Virgine Bar :)

 Kim and I also went to our first Korean baseball game! Doosan Bears are a Seoul team! We also saw the Olympic Stadium there! GO DOOSAN!

 Olympic Stadium

 Jamsil Sports Complex

Korean baseball games are SO MUCH fun.... way more spirit than at home in the states!