Happy New Year!

So this weary traveler probably wont 'be up for too much longer, but I did want to get a solid post in before nap time!
This year was easily the best yet, and I should have known that by how it started. Stumbling, or should I say slipping through Toronto as the Team '09 superunit. Playing my last UC game in the ROgers center. Then the blur that was spring semster, between parties and studying there was really just a whole lot of fun, with house and Bidwell nights. Then there was graduation and all the ruckus that came with it. Bonfires and the like, all right.
After graduation was one of the funnest times of my life, New Zealand, and where I decided I wanted to travel and NOT work at UHC. There I went bungy jumping, white water rafting, zorbing, drinking, and all sorts of really awesome stuff. Over the summer I got pretty tight with my cousin and worked UHC before deciding to move to Korea, one of the biggest decisions of my life. In Korea I've learned so much about myself, seen so much and done so much that was different and exciting. I'm not the biggest fan of Korea, but I do love living abroad. I've met so many solid people who I adore! This year ended with a bang, after touring through Cambodia, seeing the amazing temples at angkor, leanring about what people can do to eachother at S-21 and ending it at a beach with my Korean friends, with thousands of fireworks and heaps of cheap booze, this year proves its going to be so much better than the last :)
Love you all!

On the next edition of EP's heart in seoul: Ep's Heart in Cambodia!

Merry Christmas!

If you told me this time last year that my next Christmas would be spent organizing 11 5 year olds, then at a local favorite Korean resaurant, then watching a charlie brown christmas bymyself and NOT at church, then my Uncles', I would have been been sceptical. But that seems to be the case.
Christmas here isn't a big deal. I mean, the cakes are. They're obsessed with cakes. But it doens't feel like christmas, and it shouldn't. Theres no snow, its not even that cold. THeres really no presents, not the way I used to buy them. I'm in my lonely flat and not with my friends and family. It easily the most depressing thing.
I guess it just makes me appreciate traditions and my family that much more.

Merry Christmas to all!!
Happy New Year.

See you in January! (January 4th to be exact :) )

I'm slightly excited for my first warm christmas! :)

<3 you all
Patience and Faith,
ErinJ

Seodaemun Prison

This is back logged about a week.

A few weekends ago Angela and I went on a merry adventure to the seodaemun prison museum in North Seoul. It was a bitterly cold day to be lurking a spooky, fairly deserted old prison. This prison was opened by the Japanese to throw the independence fighters in. you walk though a series of old torture rooms and all sorts of things, some with mannequins and some without. Each one was gorier and more creepy than the last. By the last room Angela nad I were clutching eachother with our eyes closed. The next building was the "jail experience" building. in one room you looked into little boxes to see gory scenes (we declined). you then could walk into a room which set of people who start screaming at oyu in Korean. you could even sit on a box that would start an execution scene, where the box dropped down next to a noose. Did I throw my bag on it to start it, and run away? You bet I did. this place was Creeeepy. Like, outlandishly. You could step behind a wall, and thats where exectuions took place. You weren't allowed to take pictures, but you were allowed to feel creeped out.
The Tunnel which the japanese dragged the dead out of.

Finally we saw the underground prison cells, where one of the most famous prisoners, a student, was held. It was depressing.
This isn't on a major tourist circut, but if you really want to get a feel for how terrible the Japanese were to the Koreans, and really understand what was going on here that everybody seems to forget about, this is the place to do it. I'm glad a saw it, and haven't been that disturbed in quite some time.

Something to look forward to: Great Subway Adventures, everyday life, and teaching 5 years olds how to sing and dance in time. Its nothin' but a good time.

Patience and faith,
ErinJ

Don't lock me up!

Some observations!

Yesterday was the perfect type of cold. My fellow New Englanders (Who I assume make up over 98% of the total reader population) can attest. It was one of those beautiful clear sky type of days where you bundle up in your cute hat, warmest mittens, and chunky scarf before you go out into the cold. SOmething about it is refreshing. Yeah, its cold, but its a reassurring, yes, Its winter type of cold. Its a type of cold before it gets gray, where you're happy to be alive, before you get jaded against it. Maybe its because I grew up in an area where we knew cold was coming that theres a familiarity in it, and I guess in such a far off land, you take any thing familiar you can get.

Also: Kids are growing on me. (This goes for prek, not necessarily for my elementary) Thats not to say, that I love kids. I've never really liked kids, although I've always worked with them. BUt my kids love me all the time. When I'm sick, and look desheveled, they love me. When I go out of my way to look adorable, they say "Pretty teacher" but still love me. When I holler at them for really messing up, they're upset for a hot second, then move on with their day and love me 10 minutes later. Its kind of nice, even though they're five, that theres always somebody excited to see me. Its humbling and endearing. I'm okay with it.

Those are just a few things that I've been thinking about.
Big shout out to Oma, for her package! Her gifts keep my mother's company underneath mini tree! Thanks for the package! Getting boxes really brighten my day, especially since I'm bumming hard about not being home for the holidays (Its pathetic, another post for another day!)

Look forward to a post about a prison museum I visted this weekend!
3 weeks till christmas, THankfully!

Patience and Faith,
ErinJ

Thanksgiving in Kimchiland

I'm not going to lie, this time of the year is my absoulte favorite. Sometime between when it starts getting chilly around October, and till right after the new year is clutch (after that is rubbish).
Something about knowing that everybodys going to be curled up on their couch, watching the Macy's day parade, eating stuffing and laughing with their families makes teaching grammar tomorrow kind of bum me out.
I don't usually get homesick, but I guess if you spend 21 years of your life doing something, and if a holiday is so important in your culture, spending the 22nd year eating Kraft and watching Korean cable is just not appealing.
I'm okay with it. I knew I'd miss out on things, and its not like we're not doing anything (But dinner is postponed until Saturday since we have to work till 8 tomorrow night.) I'll be with some of my friends here, and It'll work out, but still. Holidays are Holidays and if the country your in doesn't even recognize it, its downer.

BUT, I do have SO SO SO much to be Thankful for!!!
Not everybody gets the AMAZING opportunites I have been so BLESSED To have:

Since Thankgiving, I got close with the most amazing roomates; who helped me though senior year, so I am thankful for Digs, Kirface, Hollyyyy, and Johosophat!

Where would I be without '09? WHo knows?

I graduated a great univeristy with a respectable GPA thanks to my parents, so for that, I'm thankful!

I had a great summer with my family, so I'm always thankful for them! Including (but not limited to) Elena, my amazing uncles, and my grandmother; seeing as my summer was spent between Bozrah and New London!

I spent time in the most beautiful country on Earth, meeting amazing amazing people!

Not everybody gets the opportunity to leave their life and travel for a while, so for that, I'm uber thankful!

So Happy Thanksgiving States!

Patience and Faith
ErinJ

This tour needs more Mounds!!

Spidey's ready to tell you of the Gyeongju adventure!

So this weekend I went on my first Adventure Korea trip to Gyeongju (Kyeongju if your feeling frisky) Adventure Korea brings foreigners (mostly teachers) to different places around Korea which are hard to get to without a car. Although they weren't as informative as I would have liked, they got the job done, and I met some really cool people.
So the tour started early in the a.m. with a 4-5 hour bus drive to Gyeongju. We finally got to the site of old tombs where various kings from the Silla dynasty were buried. Silla was one of the three dynasties of Korea, if interested, wikipedia. It was a pretty park with lots of mounds, that was good for a walk, but boring.
The tombs!

We then went to Cheomseongdae, which is the oldest observation tower in East Asia that survives, making it one of the oldest science labratory on the planet. WOAH. This was also kind of boring, but neat to see, and pretty cool that it still stands 14 centuries later. Good for the Koreans! This is one of the National Treasures (Koreas got heaps, and we saw a lot on this trip!).
Me with the Cheomseongdae!
We walked to to the manmade pond of Anapji, a site of a great palace of the Silla dynasty. Unfortunatly, that palace no longer exists, but over 33,000 artifacts and some foundations. There is another lovely park to saunter around, and a few reconstructions of what they think it looked like, as well as a few neat artifacts.
At least it was pretty

After that we strolled to the Gyeongju National Museum with heaps of artifacts, and a Silla dynasty crown (which I got one blurry stolen picture of), and the 'greatest bell ever made'. It was really cool to see the oldest things in Korea. These things were OLLLLD. There were some pagodas (Reconstructions) and all sorts of things. I wish there was a little more information on the 3 Kingdoms, but theres only so much English you can hope for.
Cave drawings!!

After that we were done site-seeing for the day, so we went back to the hotel where I crashed with some realllly awesome girls. After an adventure with the mediochre-at-best restuarant nad the hunting aujamas (Read:old woman with a power greater than unicorns), we ended up at the norebang (Norebangs are different story for a different day), and drinking in some people's hotel rooms. It was really nice to hang out and meet people.

The next day we woke up early to go to the Seokguram Grotto, with one of the prettiest Buddah's I've ever seen. No pictures were allowed, sorry! But the Buddah was dated to about 750 AD, and was one of the coolest things I've ever seen.

We went to Bulguska Temple, Scenic site number 1 in Korea. It was very large, and very interesting to explore. There were services going on, so not a lot of pictures of the Buddahs. There was also a random warthog, that I didn't understand. There were some neat pagodas (one under renevation, sadday) and may have been my second favorite thing of hte trip. There was a stairway called the blue and white bridge, with 33 steps to represent the 33 steps to enlightenment. This was much more interesting then Bungeusa next to Coex, and gave a better insight into the ancient Buddhist ways.
Me in front of the blue and white bridge and the main gate of the temple.

Finally was Mt. Namsan. This was claimed to be a leisurly stroll, but thats a lie. It was a hike, 500 meters up, but I was one of few that made it and was proud. This mountain had one of the best treasures in Korea, but unfotunatly was under construction, and therefore we couldn't see it, bummer! There were a few Buddah statues that were visible, and from the Silla dynsty, so really cool. Climbing a mountain always makes me feel accomplished.
Summit!

After that it was hometime, so my long weekend, and this book, is over!
Patience and Faith,
ErinJ

Me on top of a Mountain

Seoul Lanten Festival 2009

I love this picture

So yesterday I bundled up New England style to brave the cold and go see some lanterns! Throughout this post they'll be highlights, but check out eptheexpat.smugmug.com for complete footage.
The lanterns were along the stream, and it was croweded and cold, but worth it for the awesomeness that the festival was. In America, lanterns are something you hang from the ceiling that produce lights. IN AsiaLand, that is not the case. This was a unity and peace festival, so there were lanterns from all over the world. (Americas rep was a jackolantern, it was sad).
Close up of the JapOlantern

Along the stream there were all sorts of lanterns. Some were of various landmarks (Big Ben, the Pyramids of Giza, Ankor Wat etc)
Leaning tower of lantern


Some were more Asian, like zodiac signs, or tigers, dragons, cranes and other animals in Korean myths.
I'm Year of the Rabbit!

There was a whole section on technology, space and KOrean heroes.
There was also heaps of shows, including a lantern dance and a drum show.
All in all it was all sorts of cool, and I'm glad I made it out!

Next Time: Adventures of Spidey, Eating:Korea style; and look forward to an excursion this weekend 8)

Also, shout out to my mom! THanks for the care package! Everybody knows that coffee and Kraft make the world go around!!

Patience and Faith,
ErinJ


Me in front of a dragon lantern! A kind Korean man took this for me even though he had trouble with my camera!