tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295603042024-02-21T15:52:50.838+09:00South Korean Sojournmy experiences as an English teacher in South Korea. For one year, and then another...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29560304.post-32274381032266249152011-01-07T22:09:00.000+09:002011-01-07T22:56:53.891+09:00Should I go to Korea?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:applybreakingrules/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:usefelayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span lang="EN-GB"> <span style="font-size:130%;">This is a question I have been asked a lot in the last year or so. So I have decided to write up a document which I can send to multiple people to answer some of the usual questions about going to teach English in Korea. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:130%;">So when people think of going to teach in Korea I think it’s generally for two reasons: <b>money</b> and <b>adventure</b>. And you’ll get plenty of both!</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:130%;"> Let me address the <b>money</b> matter first. When we were there we earned around R14 000 a month (tax free for the first two years). It all depends on the exchange rate, but that gives you a rough idea. For example, at the moment an entry-level salary at a provincial public school in Korea is 2 100 000 Won which is around R12 800. If you work for the public school system in Korea (as opposed to private education academies called ‘Hagwon’ in Korea) you are guaranteed a return plane ticket home and accommodation costs will all be fully covered. I will discuss the pros and cons of public vs. private a bit later. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:130%;">If you want to <b>save money</b> you can easily ‘send home’ around half your salary per month. Over the two years I was there I paid off most of my student loan – approximately R120 000 (that works out at around R5000 per month). This was pretty easy, I didn’t have to live an all too frugal life and I had enough money to travel internationally in all my long vacations: I went on budget backpacker trips to the Philippines, Cambodia, China, Mongolia and Russia. In<span style=""> </span>addition we travelled around Korea a lot – we were out of our small town almost every weekend. So you can save a lot of money in Korea. You could save more than I did if you were more careful with spending i.e. eating only local food, not travelling as much etc. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:130%;">Compared to pay in Taiwan and Japan (this is word of mouth), Korea pays best. The cost of living is slightly higher than in SA, but the salary is more than sufficient to cover that. Japan has much higher living expenses and salaries in Taiwan are slightly lower<span style=""> </span>- from what I have heard.<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:130%;">As for <b>adventure</b>, well there’s plenty of it to be had as a teacher in Korea: at times too much. Teaching English in Korea is a huge challenge: you will be <b>frustrated</b> by the way Korean people and Korean beaurocracy do things almost on a daily basis. The Asian approach is incredibly different to the western approach: in almost every aspect of life. You will learn how to cope with this eventually but it is something which all westerners working in Korea struggle with a lot. Be prepared to be very frustrated. The best advice is to ‘go with the flow’ and just accept that things are done differently but that is something that just comes with time. And remember you’re earning good money. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:130%;">Working in Korea is an opportunity to explore and get to know an entirely <b>different culture</b>. It is clichéd, but clichés are usually true: you WILL get to know Korean culture very well: the good and the bad. Koreans are incredibly kind, generous and hospitable people. They are proud of their country and their culture, and many go out of their way to ensure that we have a good time there. You will have an amazing culinary experience too: most Korean food is excellent – some is strange and seems unpalatable but your senses will have a feast! <span style=""> </span>Koreans drink a lot too, so be prepared to be coerced into a lot of soju and beer consumption </span><span style=";font-size:130%;" >:)</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Korean students</span></b></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:130%;"> are generally well-behaved. It takes a while to get used to teaching them – they are intimidated and often scared of foreigners so it takes time to win them over and get them to warm to you. But you will soon find out what makes them laugh and how to get their attention. They are a pleasure to teach – mostly. As in any classroom there are a few ‘rotten eggs’ but the good eggs more than make up for them. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:130%;">I really miss my students so much: they are the sunshine in a sometimes frustrating and exhausting job. It’s for them that I did it and giving to them makes them give back tenfold. If you make an effort to prepare fun, relevant and stimulating materials and activities they will reward you with their special smiles, enthusiasm and love. They are really affectionate and it always amazed me how much warmth and love they had for me despite how very worn-out they were from working so hard. Most Korean students over the age of 12 have a 12-14 hour school day. It is intense, but despite that, after the first 6 months of hit and misses, my classes were almost always fun and the students did their best to participate. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Private or public school</span></b></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:130%;">? This is an important question. I worked for a <b>public school</b> i.e. I was a government employee. Foreign teachers in the public school system are administrated by an organisation called EPIK: English Program in Korea (<a href="http://www.epik.go.kr/">www.epik.go.kr</a>). If you are employed by EPIK you will not have any major hitches. You may have small problems with your school like discrepancies about vacation dates, housing etc. BUT in the greater scheme of things you will not be messed around. You will be paid regularly and correctly, you will be on national health insurance and pay a pension, you will be provided with housing and you will be guaranteed a return air ticket. It’s a sure thing. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:130%;">This is not the same when working for a <b>Hagwon </b>(private education academy run as a business). The horror stories one hears of teachers not being paid, having no health insurance, being fired for no reason etc. etc. are all from the Hagwons (this applied to Korea as well as Japan, Taiwan etc.) Not all Hagwons are bad, in fact the majority of people I knew in Korea working for Hagwons had no problems at all, but there is always the chance that something could go wrong, so I always recommend people to apply for public school jobs with EPIK. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Placing</span></b></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:130%;"> – whether you choose to live in a city or in a rural area is also an important question to consider when applying to teach in Korea. The pay in the provincial i.e. rural areas is slightly higher. I suppose this is an incentive to entice foreigners into rural areas as life in cities is a lot easier for expats. The other advantage of working provincially is that life is generally cheaper – most people I know working in <b>provincial areas</b> can walk/bike to school and that saves on costs. There is a lot less ‘on offer’ provincially for foreigners and so one does end up spending less money. For example if you lived in a city and you craved decent pizza you could easily head off to Pizza Hut or whatever. There are obviously a lot more amenities in the city and that always increases living costs.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:130%;">However, if you really want to have a lot of parties, have access to western food, English bookstores etc, then the <b>city</b> is better. There are always a lot more foreigners in the cities and it is a lot easier to meet people, to get around etc. Life in the provincial areas is harder: no-one speaks English (sometimes it’s even difficult to communicate with English teachers) and there are a lot less foreigners to connect with (although this is changing fast as Korea spends more and more on employing foreign teachers). Rural people are still not accustomed to foreigners and you will be stared at and watched s lot. That is a fact of rural life everywhere though.<span style=""> </span>Conversely, you will learn so much more about Korean culture and people living in the provincial areas. You will meet warmer, friendlier people and feel more part of a community. It’s up to you where your priorities lie. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:130%;">When applying for EPIK you will be asked whether you want to have a city or provincial job so bear this in mind. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:130%;">I have done my best to address some of the most common questions I am asked by people interested in teaching in Korea. In conclusion I always say: <b>go for it</b>!</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:130%;">It is an incredibly challenging experience but you will grow so much as a person. You will learn so much about yourself, your priorities and what you want in life. Living in Korea will open your mind to a whole new way of seeing things – will make you realise how huge and diverse the world is. It’s an incredible opportunity and we as English-speaking, well-educated South Africans are truly fortunate to have such an opportunity. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:130%;">So… once you’ve decided you want to go, <u>how should you <b>apply</b></u>?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:130%;">Here are some ideas:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:130%;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:130%;">We went over with an agency called <b>Teach Korea</b>. They are based in Cape Town and are pretty good. I have heard though that lately they have been pretty bad about not communicating with clients and keeping people waiting. I think it's because they just take on too many clients. Anyway, the one main advantage with them is that they are South African and can help with visas, education dept. docs etc. and they know the system here very well - I'd say that 99% of the time they get people there but you'll probably tear your hair out waiting and hoping it all works out.<br />So try <a href="http://www.teachkorea.co.za/" target="_blank">www.teachkorea.co.za</a> - we dealt with the owner Cliff.<br /><br />Alternative 2 is that you contact <b>Footprints Recruiting</b>. They are a Canadian company but I have heard of quite a few South Africans who have successfully gone through them. The problem is that you’ll have to make a few international calls and that they may not be much help with local government departments with respect to documents etc. But give them a try:<br /><a href="http://www.footprintsrecruiting.com/" target="_blank">http://www.footprintsrecruiting.com/</a><br /><br />The third option is to go through the Korean government English teaching programme directly. It's called <b>EPIK</b> and if you apply for public school jobs through Teach Korea or Footprints you will end up working through EPIK anyway. The hard part of doing it direct through them is that you have to deal with visas, education dept etc on your own which takes a bit more guts and perseverance. But it is possible. <a href="http://www.epik.go.kr/" target="_blank">www.epik.go.kr</a></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29560304.post-48140492024688625102010-09-26T15:36:00.000+09:002010-09-26T16:46:41.509+09:00Jeju for the Summer!<span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >After much deliberating we finally decided to got to Jeju island for a few days over the summer vacation. This was quite a tough decision as we've been trying to save as much money as possible since we're going on the Trans-mongolian train in October and that's going to cost us a packet. But weeks of of spending our summer days in air-conditioned rooms made me decide we HAD TO get out ad at least try to spend some time outdoors and see the sun - in a place where we would at least be able to swim to cool down. Plus just getting out of Sangju for a few days would do us a world of good! We were also really lucky in that out friends, James and Barbara, who live and teach on Jeju, offered us their flat for the 4-5 days we were there - this was the final thing which made us decide to go.<br /><br />Jeju is the largest Korean island - it is the NUMBER ONE holiday destination for almost every Korean person. Most Koreans would probbaly rather visit Jeju than an international destination - it has some 'nicknames' e.g. "The Hawaii of Korea" etc which demonstrate its popularity. It is indeed a beautiful island - but to be fair, one cannot really compare it to Hawaii or other tropical island paradises. It is more tropical than the mainland, has milder winters and a very green and pretty landscape. Jeju has grown into a veritable 'Tourist island' for Koreans - I would hazard a guess that about 80% of the islands' revenue comes from tourism: it is littered with hotels, guesthouses and tourist attractions: some natural but mostly man-made and uniquely suited to Korean tourists: Museums, shows, museums, parks, museums, art galleries, museums, etc etc. You get the idea - the 'places to visit and things to do' list one could make for Jeju would make a fat book.<br /><br />Jules and I avoided all those commercialised not-so-relaxing options and just CHILLED. The weather helped a lot - we had 3 almost solid days of rain and drizzle which meant we stayed holed up in James and Barbara's apartment reading, watching movies and just chilling. The rainy-beach-holiday kind of vibe that is so good for the soul. We had really hoped to do some diving on Jeju, but alas, the weather was awful and the sea in no state for us to immerse ourselves in it.<br /><br />We did, however climb Mount Halla - South Korea's highest mountain and an ancient volcanic crater. Climbing Mount Halla (Hallasan in Korean) is a bit of a pilgrimage for most Koreans - living in such a mountainous country, Koreans have a strong, often spiritual, connection to mountains. Mt. Baekdu is the highest mountain in the Korean peninsula but is now pretty much inaccessible to all South Koreans as it is in North Korea, and so they all want to climb Mount Halla - which comes a measly second. It isn't very high at all (1950m) - compared to the 2744 m of Baekdusan, and is easily climbed in a day, as long as one is moderately fit. So, we climbed with with hundreds of other people! The climb up and down took us about 9 hours - it is quite steep, and is about 19km in total. Almost a third of the climb is on boardwalks or stairs which makes it much easier than it would be otherwise. It's an interesting mountain to climb - it has 4 distinct vegetation strata and the geology is very different to all the other mountains we've climbed on the mainland. I really enjoyed the climb - it was quite misty at the top so we couldn't see the sea which one usually can but nonetheless the view was pretty awesome - there is a beautiful clear crater lake in the top of the mountain and the base of the crater is so green!<br /><br />On our other 'sun-day' we went to a Herb Farm - Jeju Herb Dongsa (yup, one 'tourist' trap which caught us!) where we ate giant plate-sized hamburgers (actually just a giant round ham sandwich) and enjoyed walking around the pretty gardens and taking pictures. In the afternoon we headed down to Pyoseon beach - I was really keen to swim, and I did take a dip, but the lifeguards were overbearing and I was just not ready to srum it in the tiny 'safe swimming' zone into which everyone was jammed so we just lay on the grassy banks above the beach and relaxed.<br /><br />We also managed to meet up with some friends from the mainland (Joe, Clint and Natalie) and had a meal of traditional Jeju island black pork together - turns out it wasn't 100% good pork as 3 out of 5 of us had an awful bout of food poisoning within 48 hours of consuming the damn pig! Below are some photos of our Jeju holiday. I'm so glad we went - it really was relaxing and great to just have a change of scenery and be on holiday!<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">We travelled the cheap way to Jeju - by train from Sangju to Mokpo which took about 6 hours, and then another 5 hours by ferry from Mokpo to Jeju. A bit tiring but we had time on our side so it wasn't too bad.<br /><br /></span> </span><div style="text-align: center;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvVEEm-1LpiGe0XR981I4QvGOIGUrXpJ5TzlxhCJQSKHBlY5pDYLa_3plqnMzkkP7beABVv4IsJN8iY8oxa7yw9nZQ1VUZt3pLbwdfhaDk9Q7myzuYGAjz8ZLmkzgYFWTr6_ZDQ/s1600/DSC00136.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvVEEm-1LpiGe0XR981I4QvGOIGUrXpJ5TzlxhCJQSKHBlY5pDYLa_3plqnMzkkP7beABVv4IsJN8iY8oxa7yw9nZQ1VUZt3pLbwdfhaDk9Q7myzuYGAjz8ZLmkzgYFWTr6_ZDQ/s400/DSC00136.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521118902761639570" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">We travelled 'stowage class' on the ferry - all in a big room together!<br /><br /></span> </span></div><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" > </span><div style="text-align: center;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi65MZ118HhYB_waq5UALKduV2c6ZVwaojLKcxNMuEJ4PKbqEy-JfrZjE_DlRzmirJU4tRjNbZgxETpY8HR_3p788UbXaPcZ6EkjqP2Qf5HNFake2vjEZGyHMiVXnBSr06P0V4RlQ/s1600/DSC00022.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi65MZ118HhYB_waq5UALKduV2c6ZVwaojLKcxNMuEJ4PKbqEy-JfrZjE_DlRzmirJU4tRjNbZgxETpY8HR_3p788UbXaPcZ6EkjqP2Qf5HNFake2vjEZGyHMiVXnBSr06P0V4RlQ/s400/DSC00022.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521118895518007250" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">On the way there we were in a slightly smaller room - 30 people.<br /><br /></span></span></div><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" > </span><div style="text-align: center;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjPYGI1WjxzImaGDGiiKFSN_i2pY_Ghl3fq9F-vlpJMgYhdWKuOIAACqVf8hjER6yWBYtC6jwu8QogF6DvBwc-ZE6vHkOY05ck9ke3myK1o7JLEMUMUHxuercbS7HRTDPyW0FiQ/s1600/DSC00017.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjPYGI1WjxzImaGDGiiKFSN_i2pY_Ghl3fq9F-vlpJMgYhdWKuOIAACqVf8hjER6yWBYtC6jwu8QogF6DvBwc-ZE6vHkOY05ck9ke3myK1o7JLEMUMUHxuercbS7HRTDPyW0FiQ/s400/DSC00017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521118892200032994" border="0" /><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">The port city of Mokpo</span></a><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span></div><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" > </span><div style="text-align: center;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEr3x98zAvFgUWD2Hn7a5aG8c7wAR0E2qVssDa9aS-scfSTif7tUz17F4OUTiwKdWaRJz5sjk1GxMVos9GRWT4xWqGuw_6v3QObhI34hNs4HwfJUbN7NALzaxe4NNqJ2xWQmOQQ/s1600/DSC00005.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEr3x98zAvFgUWD2Hn7a5aG8c7wAR0E2qVssDa9aS-scfSTif7tUz17F4OUTiwKdWaRJz5sjk1GxMVos9GRWT4xWqGuw_6v3QObhI34hNs4HwfJUbN7NALzaxe4NNqJ2xWQmOQQ/s400/DSC00005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521118886135381602" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">Fish trays in Mokpo<br /><br /></span> </span></div><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" > </span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1JTV-PC8PmAy2lES42q_-abDUHmQh-yGFcwML6OuvlCUxPObgflbJAe3pEAKFhEuTM2E4pW3DgQ0xR-OtUx11ei9qAuHCl5vMppy9dk77_-DfK-zUqAKaKFGtuWCiVjeMDWpeWQ/s1600/DSC00002.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1JTV-PC8PmAy2lES42q_-abDUHmQh-yGFcwML6OuvlCUxPObgflbJAe3pEAKFhEuTM2E4pW3DgQ0xR-OtUx11ei9qAuHCl5vMppy9dk77_-DfK-zUqAKaKFGtuWCiVjeMDWpeWQ/s400/DSC00002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521118877770236466" border="0" /></a></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" ><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">Boats in the afternoon - Mokpo city. </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-a9VWF7a7CXty0zy_pcW5kSHqtuihOj-b2lXA2iFcqSgJbfS0kDAqu7oJQ5lH2r_XA6QLIQbvl-gABJ68Y0MHOtXXq1yyFJUDCwatZcFR76yyM1iDrI4POTB7Yf_f5PCngyYLQ/s1600/DSC00057.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-a9VWF7a7CXty0zy_pcW5kSHqtuihOj-b2lXA2iFcqSgJbfS0kDAqu7oJQ5lH2r_XA6QLIQbvl-gABJ68Y0MHOtXXq1yyFJUDCwatZcFR76yyM1iDrI4POTB7Yf_f5PCngyYLQ/s400/DSC00057.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521121775812044658" border="0" /></a></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >Cicadas in the garden at the herb farm - wow, there were so many of them, and also so many beautiful butterflies!</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAgsyBj6sqdSZjZBJo9giTqHJG2JcY4UVx2_Hid3gZ1yoUq3-DZ1Uf3WqnN2GqN1QrjkA9l7DOWj71VB6MSeWTqL-ZnD_xm2sHZvfN8wd9ISFD4pJGzpMDUBABbvDOkhbHiUI7A/s1600/DSC00071.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAgsyBj6sqdSZjZBJo9giTqHJG2JcY4UVx2_Hid3gZ1yoUq3-DZ1Uf3WqnN2GqN1QrjkA9l7DOWj71VB6MSeWTqL-ZnD_xm2sHZvfN8wd9ISFD4pJGzpMDUBABbvDOkhbHiUI7A/s400/DSC00071.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521121762538961106" border="0" /></a></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >Chair swing! So Romaaaantic - typical Jeju!</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUhKAx3_A-mud1lpccBV3yUHv_hDjZ5WII84aBdtq_ftG105cSCYKBi3iAxY24E625n_fFE0nZ8nzunF3UH89Em8oceOxxzohNFCQOOla3ZYjUvA-QEwz3bLN5Q7JIjF0GbsG9ng/s1600/DSC00050.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUhKAx3_A-mud1lpccBV3yUHv_hDjZ5WII84aBdtq_ftG105cSCYKBi3iAxY24E625n_fFE0nZ8nzunF3UH89Em8oceOxxzohNFCQOOla3ZYjUvA-QEwz3bLN5Q7JIjF0GbsG9ng/s400/DSC00050.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521121759576084642" border="0" /></a></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >Our black pig dinner...</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCcAT0B9LPAq6IVYn2MnHIryuOEvyKim9v-ZODCMYg5N5rFWSNL4l04lHuM5RG9iH7pL49QbkZnKCgF3bk0-TUeNo87JumYTjYaFZ8UXT-yEs-Cj-1c9iRHO7gCkQxP18fL-oJag/s1600/DSC00035.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCcAT0B9LPAq6IVYn2MnHIryuOEvyKim9v-ZODCMYg5N5rFWSNL4l04lHuM5RG9iH7pL49QbkZnKCgF3bk0-TUeNo87JumYTjYaFZ8UXT-yEs-Cj-1c9iRHO7gCkQxP18fL-oJag/s400/DSC00035.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521121747010269074" border="0" /></a></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >Seogwipo Harbour on Jeju.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtIQUPwEuIDsJXPAD09l3xAxbSVNIPWIHFqiw0PXP6z_fPJGvfib6ozg0zB2QPj6zJSOmL2F1qWOROy0i8Zqy9X4WQRFU_8DygGZ6VLMql_8z_Bx7lvHtQKH7RbmVyr-hScE-lg/s1600/DSC00029.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtIQUPwEuIDsJXPAD09l3xAxbSVNIPWIHFqiw0PXP6z_fPJGvfib6ozg0zB2QPj6zJSOmL2F1qWOROy0i8Zqy9X4WQRFU_8DygGZ6VLMql_8z_Bx7lvHtQKH7RbmVyr-hScE-lg/s400/DSC00029.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521121742800438770" border="0" /></a></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >Kids playing, yes, really PLAYING, in a small tidal pool in Seogwipo.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8yr2CytPUMp2XXytwj-xnbOtUlaVf-4o_0PBFP7Lgh2cqrwTzaKnsdo_eLWPLksvuhDZICfFAwTBZv4gOGAfac5AoDVyLiCAN3JBpUF91Hcgqu3rXvh_bgn6vY4twrKL2bBq_Bw/s1600/DSC00115.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8yr2CytPUMp2XXytwj-xnbOtUlaVf-4o_0PBFP7Lgh2cqrwTzaKnsdo_eLWPLksvuhDZICfFAwTBZv4gOGAfac5AoDVyLiCAN3JBpUF91Hcgqu3rXvh_bgn6vY4twrKL2bBq_Bw/s400/DSC00115.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521122982441647794" border="0" /></a></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >We weren't the only ones hiking to the top of Mount Halla!</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1oYMJzHdelOi6YeLvz_L6dPI8yEps8J9g5KjjtH3puO6UcPSh7i17iFTvG5zk2XZZi1saEn1zDH35fnriVVqdqJ3Yuu1oQ3tuCwOK5sEssJa4boFXRnTZVIJpmR31XaDOEO1XOQ/s1600/DSC00113.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1oYMJzHdelOi6YeLvz_L6dPI8yEps8J9g5KjjtH3puO6UcPSh7i17iFTvG5zk2XZZi1saEn1zDH35fnriVVqdqJ3Yuu1oQ3tuCwOK5sEssJa4boFXRnTZVIJpmR31XaDOEO1XOQ/s400/DSC00113.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521122971659895922" border="0" /></a></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >The crater lake on Hallasan. So pretty!</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVUYYxTPtf5QF1dfzCNhjBhneN2ypwiGCg2gPdziEDTvPJKaDF0Nceow8nQ4OLVS2vgL3zBj5U-_ay4acybKV9TW_VwpBgr9ZCfIvF9cL-uMs2xHH5S3WH0H1adNc15R0DvGSbFA/s1600/DSC00110.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVUYYxTPtf5QF1dfzCNhjBhneN2ypwiGCg2gPdziEDTvPJKaDF0Nceow8nQ4OLVS2vgL3zBj5U-_ay4acybKV9TW_VwpBgr9ZCfIvF9cL-uMs2xHH5S3WH0H1adNc15R0DvGSbFA/s400/DSC00110.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521122969600135538" border="0" /></a></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >Hallasan!</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQZj0xo4DeA96820QONJLRTyXgIylPpkAgkzPhl3lbHkYXE71c3GizQ487Nj4xJ8z2bIXUNTMHFWi1mL-27_Uq1yimdf2aX8cvkF0xepf-DCM0EwoUh-BNHVLlzi3IlxjRNbKCg/s1600/DSC00098.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQZj0xo4DeA96820QONJLRTyXgIylPpkAgkzPhl3lbHkYXE71c3GizQ487Nj4xJ8z2bIXUNTMHFWi1mL-27_Uq1yimdf2aX8cvkF0xepf-DCM0EwoUh-BNHVLlzi3IlxjRNbKCg/s400/DSC00098.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521122964756275074" border="0" /></a></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >Some mossy forest - this bit was very moist with water oozing out of the ground.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSsZFtYbEEoVcwuM83K_RJx8FrK_hWmfRVIa4ht_dqLp4BNtfys7Rb_oUzQlcV8c1W1O4Og6ETWEfgJ0yjBvm4j0TfkrI2ONy1rMpRk9A0cIa0n3Tj7ByxcvvuSgU7bIfKs3PLw/s1600/DSC00089.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSsZFtYbEEoVcwuM83K_RJx8FrK_hWmfRVIa4ht_dqLp4BNtfys7Rb_oUzQlcV8c1W1O4Og6ETWEfgJ0yjBvm4j0TfkrI2ONy1rMpRk9A0cIa0n3Tj7ByxcvvuSgU7bIfKs3PLw/s400/DSC00089.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521122953716391266" border="0" /></a></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >Drier pine forests lower down the mountain.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMYeuvl3HnR9fEfLXrk5LYIcRHLzURTaWIvrPF7Haf9FjbkZhIfjQI-tBP-xPkDo49MiDmKq0BCrJ6ASFdSicySPeTXnKnIPnsR4rFqdsxIDqnftl4LMAWG5N8nBSs3x03mO-Nw/s1600/DSC00135.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMYeuvl3HnR9fEfLXrk5LYIcRHLzURTaWIvrPF7Haf9FjbkZhIfjQI-tBP-xPkDo49MiDmKq0BCrJ6ASFdSicySPeTXnKnIPnsR4rFqdsxIDqnftl4LMAWG5N8nBSs3x03mO-Nw/s400/DSC00135.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521123941616471650" border="0" /></a></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >Our route up the mountain - as everything in Korea is - very controlled and orderly. No alternate routes, just straight to the top!</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ATy2pEilEAGUkNXo6rau1KsEEyYWuEqI5cn_f-YJX0nW0za4aNhA2DRSe_nZEBzy99WF6zzrQmikZH1ZDl8L5O-P1gzQDcnKbEgkAt0TBWNp1mma9Xh64sbqbsk1Ge2bJKkz0Q/s1600/DSC00127.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ATy2pEilEAGUkNXo6rau1KsEEyYWuEqI5cn_f-YJX0nW0za4aNhA2DRSe_nZEBzy99WF6zzrQmikZH1ZDl8L5O-P1gzQDcnKbEgkAt0TBWNp1mma9Xh64sbqbsk1Ge2bJKkz0Q/s400/DSC00127.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521123940310282354" border="0" /></a></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >Strange conifers near the top of the mountain. </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihy9c8PmzYOcZArWAcpDJIIUqys5G84JRs8_oYHF6unzcEXBtpfuBkZfuBjI6tifkF9BR418PvF2ChSG5POD-bDFXOGNnThUSmfgh846Lvje5jBaRs9TJtqcZeWp45eQ3Tz54-dg/s1600/DSC00131.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihy9c8PmzYOcZArWAcpDJIIUqys5G84JRs8_oYHF6unzcEXBtpfuBkZfuBjI6tifkF9BR418PvF2ChSG5POD-bDFXOGNnThUSmfgh846Lvje5jBaRs9TJtqcZeWp45eQ3Tz54-dg/s400/DSC00131.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521123928884395474" border="0" /></a></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >Broad-leaf forest similar to that which we see a lot of on the Korean mainland. </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGw4vG4BEV0zevo3QxpPZxi81BMsFrKNVthflLCFKObB29PfWU0wXGhrAsvdvzl-ZDARfLHIuISegHjGi4-DHQ_sfMXubYR4XXaiWemz3ZCFo9wIntsnLg6KPvWts9608cYV7IFw/s1600/DSC00122.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGw4vG4BEV0zevo3QxpPZxi81BMsFrKNVthflLCFKObB29PfWU0wXGhrAsvdvzl-ZDARfLHIuISegHjGi4-DHQ_sfMXubYR4XXaiWemz3ZCFo9wIntsnLg6KPvWts9608cYV7IFw/s400/DSC00122.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521123924240477154" border="0" /></a></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >On the way down. </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXm1sxeZ4Q3RRf9h44TfID4O6x4wS0MkQwgdcWVk_EWa19_PSas5dFz0pWHStYVEyAjNIUw0yKbqoKQ9P0NabYJXG5ktdxHL7PqEHzj_dT-OTANwO8O3lVfSFmeDuf7C6RHkn_5g/s1600/DSC00118.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXm1sxeZ4Q3RRf9h44TfID4O6x4wS0MkQwgdcWVk_EWa19_PSas5dFz0pWHStYVEyAjNIUw0yKbqoKQ9P0NabYJXG5ktdxHL7PqEHzj_dT-OTANwO8O3lVfSFmeDuf7C6RHkn_5g/s400/DSC00118.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521123918081005266" border="0" /></a></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >Hallasan Nabi! </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >(Nabi=Butterfly in Korean)</span><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29560304.post-18821601925630398392010-09-08T18:48:00.000+09:002010-09-08T22:20:27.844+09:00Let's build a jungle gym!<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >Sometime during our stay in Korea, Jules and I decided to start collecting money for a good cause.<br />This came about as a result of us hosting a number of braais in Sangju for other foreigners and friends, and we realised that this could be a good way for us to raise money - and all the effort that went into organising a braai for 20+ people would be extra rewarding. I think here credit to Julian is due - he is the 'ideas man' in this team!<br /><br />So we've had two successful fundraiser braais in the last 6 months, and one successful pancake fundraiser. To keep track of our progress and let people 'see where their money is going' we've started a blog, so have a look at <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.buildajunglegym.blogspot.com"></a><a href="http://www.buildajunglegym.blogspot.com/">http://www.buildajunglegym.blogspot.com/</a> for more details.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29560304.post-13622353558955548532010-08-14T14:05:00.000+09:002010-08-15T10:10:20.354+09:00gatvol.<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">My attitude towards Korea stinks.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This has been bothering me for a few weeks now.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">When I go back to school after the vacation I will have less than two months left - there will be many people asking "will you miss Korea?" "are you sad about leaving?" "Will you come back to Korea?" etc. This started before the vacation and even then I was finding it hard not to be too honest: I don't think I will miss Korea. I will miss some individual people I have met and built friendships with (Koreans and fellow foreigners). I will miss some of my more special students and the feeling of affection and warmth I feel from many of them. I will miss the financial and travel freedom and safety I have felt whilst here. But I won't miss Korea. And now, when the questions start I think I am just going to be honest. "I am ready to go home". "I am tired of being a foreigner in another country." "I probably won't miss Korea very much." "In fact...I can't wait to leave!!!" urgh. They won't like hearing that. Koreans themselves are good at sugar-coating the truth, beating around the bush, not being direct and honest. The harsh truth might be a shock to them. They will likely feel offended. But I have had enough. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I can't even seem to get myself to enjoy Korean food anymore: I avoid Korean restaurants. More and more we eat Pizza rather than healthier, cheaper Korean food which is more readily available. More and more, Korean people annoy me. Little things, big things. Spitting snorting, sucking teeth to clean them whilst sitting on a train, staring at me, staring at us, staring at our food, asking 'what are you eating?', bumping into me, pushing in front of me in a queue, old people pushing young people around and so on and so on. I am just in a downward spiral of seeing only the negative.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Also the negatives in society in general: women obsessed with their appearance and constantly checking their make up in hand mirrors: in restaurants, on trains, on busses, waiting for trains, waiting for busses, on top of Mountains: after hiking all the way to the top of Mt. Halla, Korea's highest, for goodness sake!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The way the Korean government is pushing ahead with the hugely destructive "4 rivers project": it's clothed in words like 'ecological restoration' but in fact it is a huge, economically-driven project to deepen Korea's 4 biggest rivers to enable more ship transport across the country. Trucks are working 24 hours a day to dredge as much sand out of the rivers before environmental groups or cival society realise what's going on. Urgh. I have walked past some of the construction trucks parked in Sangju, and for the first time in my life been genuinely tempted to sabotage something: it would be so easy to shove a kitchen knife into the tyres. It would slow down the destruction a tiny bit and annoy them project managers quite a bit more...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The way kids just have to study study study. The way mothers just have to take care of their families an have no time to relax. Who does one see when out at night eating and drinking? Korean men. No women. Women have no time to relax and eat and drink they are too busy keeping the home fires burning.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The way some of the brightest and forward thinking students I have met will likely not make it into the leadership positions they deserve and would hold so well. A young girl student of mine writes brilliant, insightful, analytical even critical essays about the Korean government and society, she should become a lawyer and a judge. But she grew up in the countryside and her English is no match for the youth who grew up in Seoul and whose parents have the right money and contacts to get them into the right universities. Sorin will likely not achieve her dream of becoming a lawyer: not because she doesn't have the ability or the drive, but because she was born the wrong sex in the wrong place. Such inequality happens all over the world, but for a country as developed and economically successful as Korea is, such inequalities should not be. For a country that prides itself so much in its success, as <span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">a member of the OECD etc. </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Then of course there are the old issues of cruelty to animals and gender inequality... Don't get me started!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So feeling so bitter about being here does not sit well with me. I feel I am walking around with a scowl on my face. I am intolerant to any small impolite social interactions which are quite normal: bumping into people in a busy train station, people spitting on the pavement in front of me, men honking loudly and clearing the phlegm from their throats. I am starting to speak English to taxi drivers even though I can converse with them in basic Korean. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I'm not sure why I am feeling overwhelmed by all these negative thoughts. Maybe it's the summer heat and humidity which seems harder to bear than it did last year. Maybe it's that I just need a break. Maybe it's that I am homesick. Maybe it's that I KNOW I am leaving Korea soon and I can let down my guard i.e. I don't have to try so hard anymore to accept and understand this foreign culture an the people. I don't like feeling so negative. Then I think - what kind of experience of culture has this been, if, when i 'let down my guard' i.e. stop trying to accept and understand, I become overwhelmed by negative thoughts and feelings? Have I been tricking myself into having a good time? </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Who knows. This post is a bit rambly, but pretty representative of my state of mind for the last few weeks. I don't mean to offend any Korean people by it. I am just expressing my feelings and trying to understand why I feel like this. Comments are welcome and will likely be helpful :)</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29560304.post-37800403733075185062010-07-25T22:10:00.000+09:002010-07-25T22:29:48.926+09:00Capturing a modern Korean tragedy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqCV2uSMPUnv-PJwLa-QRycq-AfROW6mBQ8MKdeTARvEa8a9a1lZHmHR5kYUNmAoXzTFH4C5Vw1NLVn7ktXDf19hWdWeA06xgtPvuvFzIXWduI36zSIA0akYR6lKRp6Zx53YCdXg/s1600/DSC09502.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqCV2uSMPUnv-PJwLa-QRycq-AfROW6mBQ8MKdeTARvEa8a9a1lZHmHR5kYUNmAoXzTFH4C5Vw1NLVn7ktXDf19hWdWeA06xgtPvuvFzIXWduI36zSIA0akYR6lKRp6Zx53YCdXg/s400/DSC09502.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497830007176791714" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Advertising in the subway in Seoul.</span></span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Transform yourself.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Become more like a westerner, less like an Asian, less like a Korean. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Bigger eyes, narrower face, gentler brow lines. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The key to success.<br />Or so it would seem. </span></span><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29560304.post-25242775003303335162010-07-20T19:44:00.000+09:002010-07-20T19:51:55.384+09:00Dear Teacher ^^<span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >I<span style="font-size:130%;"> have started email correspondence with some of my students. This is an email I received from one of my past students. She's studying in Daegu, our nearest big city now.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This kind of REAL English practice is soooo good for them: they hardly ever have to just 'produce' English: written or verbal, and it is such valuable practice. I think they must find it incredibly dificult, but the fact that they try is such a huge step.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">These students are such a joy: they are full of life and so natural. They are also so naive, but I love them for it. I will really miss these interactions with them, and hope to keep up some of these precious email connections.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Here's her latest email - enjoy!</span><br /><br /></span></span><p style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Jessica *^^*</strong></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong></strong> </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong> At last u send e-mail, I waited u e-mail .</strong></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Now u spend <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1279622615_0">summer vacation</span> ?? 17, July summer vacation start, I heared it.</strong></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>I spened my summer vacation but I'm going to work at professor office. I want to enjoy my vacation.</strong></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>My professor's visually</strong><strong> impaired but I worked cleaned, make a cup of coffee, use computer word and go with my professor . I give help to my professor because my professor's blind so always I give left my arm. Everyday's happy because I service myself. It is related my major.</strong></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>These section exam's bad. ㅠ,ㅠ I don't study everyday and not review . I'm unhappy about exam degree. </strong></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Today's so hot. > , <></strong></span></p><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" ><strong> </strong></span><p style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><strong>Theseday I'm learn <span style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1279622615_1">Jazz dance</span> . *^^* Because I lose weight. I want a standard <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1279622615_2">body weight</span>. So I will wear a bikini. ㅋㅋ</strong></strong></span></p><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" ><strong> </strong></span><p style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><strong>U going to <span style="cursor: pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1279622615_3">swimming pool</span>?? Next, We r going to swimming pool together. *^^* I already excite .~~</strong></strong></span></p><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" ><strong> </strong></span><p style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><strong>Do you wacth '이끼' movie ?? It's very interest. > , <></strong></strong></span></p><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" ><strong><strong> </strong></strong></span><p style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><strong><strong></strong></strong></strong></span></p><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" ><strong><strong><br /></strong></strong></span><p style="color: rgb(255, 204, 204);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><strong><strong>I hope to get another email from you again.*^^*</strong></strong></strong></span></p><strong><strong><br /></strong></strong>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29560304.post-74516093338806730792010-06-03T21:24:00.000+09:002010-06-03T21:31:03.228+09:00A muffin<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This evening Jules and I went out for dinner to on of our favourite meat restaurants just down the road. We've made a decision to eat a lot less meat this year, and so we haven't been out for a 'meaty dinner' for ages. </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The restaurant is quite a popular one, has homely wooden architecture and interior and a nice family vibe. The service is always excellent, as are the samgyeopsal (thick bacon BBQ) and dweji galbi (pork rib BBQ). </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Our dinner was yummy as usual, and the service great: the waiter BBQed all the meat for us at our table, and made sure we never ran out of any side dishes: one thing I really appreciate about Korean restaurants. Side dishes are "eat all you can" and in good restaurants your side dishes will never be empty. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The cherry on top, though, was when the owner's daughter came over to our table and brought us a big chocolate muffin! What a darling! She looks about 10 years old, and was a bit shy to speak English (despite her mother and the waiter's encouragement) but bringing us the muffin was brave enough in itself! </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Kindness and generosity are two characteristics of Korean people which I will remember for ever. Little incidents like this make me appreciate our experience in Korea all the more, and as we start drawing near to the end of our stay here, I am going to try and make a point of 'capturing' more of them. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Thanks muffin girl!</span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29560304.post-87754655033716670102010-05-29T17:25:00.000+09:002010-05-30T18:35:48.439+09:00The sky above and green all around<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I've just returned home from one of the nicer walks I've had in a while. Sangju is surrounded by mountains, but alas we seem to take this for granted, and don't spend nearly enough time exploring the forest-clad hills so near to our home.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">This afternoon I headed out with the intention of finding a flat-ish portion of the forest and lying down with a book to read. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I found the perfect spot: flat, soft grass and undergrowth and medium-height trees all around. It was just off the path yet also a bit secluded and just beckoned for me to put my blanket down. This I did, and as I lay down on the blanket I realised that I should have done this a long time ago: at eye level I quickly spotted a firefly, a tiny green caterpillar and lots of little orange spider-babies or mites. What a joy! </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I feel inspired to re-appreciate nature by the book I am currently reading, it's the German biography of a significant French entomologist, Jean-Henri Faber: "Ich aber erforsche das Leben" (But I will study life). I am so enjoying reading it and the accompanying realisation of how much I, too, love nature and observing it!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I lay on the blanket for about an hour, reading, and looking up at the blue sky, the trees and shrubs all around and just enjoying the stillness of the forest, interrupted only by the odd bird call. If there is a place called heaven, and it is as idyllic as it is made out to be, my section of heaven would be just that: lying on a blanket, reading a book with blue sky above and living nature all around. </span></span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29560304.post-35728919900150439532010-04-30T15:31:00.000+09:002010-05-29T20:46:33.966+09:00Spring fun with my students<div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Spring is a big deal in Korea.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">And rightly so: the winter here is terribly long. Long, cold, ugly and grey. When spring finally arrives it certainly is time to celebrate life!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This year we had a particularly long and cold winter, as did most of the northern hemisphere, with record snow falls in many parts of the country. But no amount of pretty snow can help improve matters when winter started in November and Spring only comes in April, that is 6 months, HALF THE YEAR in winter! Argh, I will NOT miss Korea's weather!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So, when spring finally made its appearance, and this was confirmed by the cherry blossoms showing off, I decided to take my students out to enjoy it. What a good idea! I am not bound by curriculums or textbooks I have to finish teaching, so at times it is nice to be able to give the students a break from their incredibly intense schedules.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Fortunately I seem to have earned some respect at my high school, where Mr. Kang, my bestest estest co-teacher is the head of English, and the vice principal likes me (he even greets me with 'Good Morning' which is a big thing for a non-English 'teacher'). Anyway, so I managed to get permission to take my classes out to enjoy the cherry blossoms and take photos. The students loved it, my co-teachers loved it, I loved it, and all in all I think it was a very apt way of celebrating spring. Who wouldn't be happy about 12 lessons outdoors in amongst the flowers!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Enjoy the photos and my darling girls!</span></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicyo8rW0Hsuv4NbLchpxJrfrUMTBiv9pH5c4C0goIyBcY-HX4IKr1wob8T0wxI-FlAr5QJsbFvqXeJINruCNWf4D-zl6x0y8CncDvzHZjrl2OV4iepfpQ0EzbTq3Pq8jI2-2e7ow/s1600/DSC08203.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicyo8rW0Hsuv4NbLchpxJrfrUMTBiv9pH5c4C0goIyBcY-HX4IKr1wob8T0wxI-FlAr5QJsbFvqXeJINruCNWf4D-zl6x0y8CncDvzHZjrl2OV4iepfpQ0EzbTq3Pq8jI2-2e7ow/s400/DSC08203.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476655727530955090" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">with Mr. Kang!</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1Aa1HRQ3NIm9BYlFoBdXsJKnJpI_W0bpiO_yj2xw91v_qj-A7-KbEEfmFXYU9B2lpHaCM96-ZpueIiDHr15816aWJNd1XdMks7OFcOWnVYDnGArSvozFhABV6PO-lIJ5ZQLRmQ/s1600/DSC08214.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1Aa1HRQ3NIm9BYlFoBdXsJKnJpI_W0bpiO_yj2xw91v_qj-A7-KbEEfmFXYU9B2lpHaCM96-ZpueIiDHr15816aWJNd1XdMks7OFcOWnVYDnGArSvozFhABV6PO-lIJ5ZQLRmQ/s400/DSC08214.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476655719204049122" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I bribed these girls with ice-creams to come up into the tree for a photo!</span></span></div></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidYKRbSuaKnQ8I-_5ERubziOxH25zO-fAnxQwzr-5DVAqCgO0TKaII8_P20Hq1b5fYdSrk4lGgPCvt6msZUt0Kt045UqnvZC8p-SrZ99DCA-FFopyMch9JSs7c10As_Am7g4xHXA/s1600/DSC08190.JPG"><img style="display:block; 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margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrnUFKshbK5KDN4uX7oZRkXgxiYcQqVSdKzEPHiEoHdfSKRMGQWqvt2BHpVfeLgLQh6F3DNBkdhpHPUwTPqxEzW2QUgvpGaAADT7tPmCkxjbMv98EHYlEzNvz0ylaTbAzGnhf5pQ/s400/DSC07801.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476654077367434178" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0pOAUBOVZ8CxpbIaQKe7eT9AvwyJZhZOihmu1UvzZE_jBODkESHFf5z5mR2CAeTmUchYjJLBfAt0UjDAQgQz4Zzr0IF1eImocZCOcJezbGCRPk_f5ODQgnTOgAEXfmtYyYtzXg/s1600/DSC07793.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0pOAUBOVZ8CxpbIaQKe7eT9AvwyJZhZOihmu1UvzZE_jBODkESHFf5z5mR2CAeTmUchYjJLBfAt0UjDAQgQz4Zzr0IF1eImocZCOcJezbGCRPk_f5ODQgnTOgAEXfmtYyYtzXg/s400/DSC07793.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476654073049383746" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUNET_nuSPCKW-r8aUNFd5jG1LffDHMVKTYUqbhKETgcOtdOq8RYZxHTh4rgD_rAc2T5jC9GXHaQ58EAEXhcIpOsReVa0Ib_hg-56mRIeZYaQXDK4Lnu18LGu6Ban5DcDNue4zg/s1600/DSC07779.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUNET_nuSPCKW-r8aUNFd5jG1LffDHMVKTYUqbhKETgcOtdOq8RYZxHTh4rgD_rAc2T5jC9GXHaQ58EAEXhcIpOsReVa0Ib_hg-56mRIeZYaQXDK4Lnu18LGu6Ban5DcDNue4zg/s400/DSC07779.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476654061625067186" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNt6R93mMUm9Qwn0uaSvjogl2mkoIOYXt3ZINYTE9TeIvUIsWYMj4wZ6nVASO_16qT5yNo0kdyjmkAWzu8W_mS_I24-IPLltakrJCb9IV2W749G3Op1GxBR7m4qKISYplsAdLzFg/s1600/DSC08023.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNt6R93mMUm9Qwn0uaSvjogl2mkoIOYXt3ZINYTE9TeIvUIsWYMj4wZ6nVASO_16qT5yNo0kdyjmkAWzu8W_mS_I24-IPLltakrJCb9IV2W749G3Op1GxBR7m4qKISYplsAdLzFg/s400/DSC08023.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465814744427927954" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOo57ZKMTtN-DgO6y8olffE46haaMQXwJDqwyMZjqhpYnzyZRwzinThnzUF0hEKyRYo49LUFwP3oUQeBTM_YMv1H8qXKcNi1OsoKtiUSkZkW8G-vg_cNgX27fim5wMOIlN5gJeGQ/s1600/Copy+of+DSC07905.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOo57ZKMTtN-DgO6y8olffE46haaMQXwJDqwyMZjqhpYnzyZRwzinThnzUF0hEKyRYo49LUFwP3oUQeBTM_YMv1H8qXKcNi1OsoKtiUSkZkW8G-vg_cNgX27fim5wMOIlN5gJeGQ/s400/Copy+of+DSC07905.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465814736356669330" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLo_LkZprHdgyVHKW9exIMghQ2ZY_Rh8ejYscsKRW-aABH5rF7aBXhhJen4QzQVLLdpcj6zo7iqYhVTtttNtCX6c8_AmlB9ckacpRd5x651rAnkC5obEYdo745fVb20Xk-CPiOqA/s1600/DSC07817.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLo_LkZprHdgyVHKW9exIMghQ2ZY_Rh8ejYscsKRW-aABH5rF7aBXhhJen4QzQVLLdpcj6zo7iqYhVTtttNtCX6c8_AmlB9ckacpRd5x651rAnkC5obEYdo745fVb20Xk-CPiOqA/s400/DSC07817.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465814726396499042" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29560304.post-48270690800433244482010-04-30T15:28:00.000+09:002010-05-29T20:20:58.242+09:00I love my MOM and DAD!<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwFiskMlJgg59aWuuOFwJb2HrjCuWlOuKdutP5pXyEyVWMdQuMvdrF-DoULqLRPG2Jvl7W5qJRiBxorKV9E17SYMIXIoQi5VHqZHdmLFHGbR7D9-wUlVAkW1TagKBP0CKFztJ7_Q/s400/palace+group+pic.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476646392485893074" /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Families group photo (+ David) at Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">IT'S OFFICIAL: I have the most wonderful parents ever. I mean, they came all the way to KOREA to visit me! They could have gone to the Serengeti, the Amazon, London, any other possibly more 'appealing' destination. But No, they came to Korea! Thank you Mom and Dad, for such a truly generous and loving gesture. I'm so blessed!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Mom and Dad and Gordon and Kay (Julian's parents) came to visit us in South Korea for 2 weeks in March-April.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It was really special to see them again and to show them 'our places'. By the sounds of it, they had a wonderful time. It was a whirlwind trip, and pretty exhausting for Jules and I, as we'd have our normal 8 hour school day and then come home in the evenings to our eagerly waiting parents, bless them! Having them here made me realise all over again how helpless one is when one first arrives in Korea and, actu</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">ally, how traveller-unfriendly Korea is - well, from a language perspective at least!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Mom and Dad were in Sangju for two weeks, and Gordon and Kay were here for a week and in Seocheon, with Simon for a week. At the weekends we tried to arrange trips for us all to be together. We basically spent our two weekends all together in Seoul, being real tourists. An adventure of note: leading 7 people through the massive metropolis of Seoul!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">On Mom and Dad's last weekend here we hired a car, and Jules and I went to Gunsan with them. There is an estuary there which has been proclaimed a sanctuary for migratory birds and we had agreat time bird-w</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">atching there and just bumbling along country roads exploring and enjoying the freedom and flexibity of having 'our own wheels.'</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I'll let the photos tell the rest of the story.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">(Mostly my photos and also some from the Barker's camera).</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4jj5ujjgwAMkTMe4N_GrGWEDxveR8GItP0WXygBuHlUPkvRhAjLm6YFrpjgXPXM5U1BfuQxO76uACGb31PlEvMvoKdyr4XjDDccJkt1c_rTtjNGco9fMHQxFkwWdHEVPZuglVBA/s1600/sujebi+restaurant.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4jj5ujjgwAMkTMe4N_GrGWEDxveR8GItP0WXygBuHlUPkvRhAjLm6YFrpjgXPXM5U1BfuQxO76uACGb31PlEvMvoKdyr4XjDDccJkt1c_rTtjNGco9fMHQxFkwWdHEVPZuglVBA/s400/sujebi+restaurant.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476646401376895234" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">At a 'Sujebi' (dough flakes soup) restaurant in Insadong, Seoul. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidI0OLz1Ym2uAQdUZVc3zxiflhwCd6fZsmAIcRjr8CGXIy2pjzKeC2dv-iITZsvFmiQXzh1Kgpj84qzw-4ZMLWHqA39S5uOwpScqNgy03wcU31K82UN61UMY9M0bZc1Xz1QHW1Jw/s1600/newspaper+gents.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidI0OLz1Ym2uAQdUZVc3zxiflhwCd6fZsmAIcRjr8CGXIy2pjzKeC2dv-iITZsvFmiQXzh1Kgpj84qzw-4ZMLWHqA39S5uOwpScqNgy03wcU31K82UN61UMY9M0bZc1Xz1QHW1Jw/s400/newspaper+gents.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476646382862835074" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The 'gents' reading their newspapers while we waited an hour and a half at the bus terminal in Seoul to catch our bus back to Sangju. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUcaldALev5fjANcCE-emH-BIMIiqC_2tsEGuqiAcMUoZ5R8zP5iFEdAMs2fP84QZhs5d-KSY_m1zH4AtUk4m__cye3Q8EranTt1YrTETspyjhbyNmsZgOhxZW5Cp4LBvcVvMoaA/s1600/DSC07763.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUcaldALev5fjANcCE-emH-BIMIiqC_2tsEGuqiAcMUoZ5R8zP5iFEdAMs2fP84QZhs5d-KSY_m1zH4AtUk4m__cye3Q8EranTt1YrTETspyjhbyNmsZgOhxZW5Cp4LBvcVvMoaA/s400/DSC07763.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476646374924694802" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Our fancy car for the weekend in Gunsan. Not bad for a 'first car' eh?</span></span></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7MpG70d0y7XefcPtNJ313KxF3cMFmgi9SubejlKEI66g1d9jnhkVNxtUodImyukuZQQK6_Mox9iwbi91ROuIr2pA60JvV7D2G-OOrqUG_vB2IUuQ3CnkufSsTEWIt3meiMKDtVw/s1600/DSC07742.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7MpG70d0y7XefcPtNJ313KxF3cMFmgi9SubejlKEI66g1d9jnhkVNxtUodImyukuZQQK6_Mox9iwbi91ROuIr2pA60JvV7D2G-OOrqUG_vB2IUuQ3CnkufSsTEWIt3meiMKDtVw/s400/DSC07742.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476646358068189762" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">In Buyeo: we had a lovely walk through the forest.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODKOdA58RMx0zBkqX9bqkRVOcXEnKoBa2GMXlrnryvJqQ5zBLR3sqt2-bcgN5g58MSZuMv3s47GMeXURjwUuYMfcG7Vu8Q-lyEuz6nIYoG4SLKek7m4vE2PMYUWVO0LYVO7PUWQ/s1600/DSC07740.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODKOdA58RMx0zBkqX9bqkRVOcXEnKoBa2GMXlrnryvJqQ5zBLR3sqt2-bcgN5g58MSZuMv3s47GMeXURjwUuYMfcG7Vu8Q-lyEuz6nIYoG4SLKek7m4vE2PMYUWVO0LYVO7PUWQ/s400/DSC07740.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476645789239373362" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Dad at it: with as many accessories as he could manage around his neck: binoculars, camera, compass, sunglasses....that compass DID come in useful</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CC00;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">! As did his 'built-in' compass: like the time when the taxi driver took a wrong turn on Seoul and only noticed after Dad had...</span></span></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwxUP-UKmhQMIZ6XSfsA2TxzlIQBdY44NsM9mMqOHe1RD3J0sRkESxvfnmlEXBzl4N7JLjDjSL4jeNeXtyNF4Fi7if0ijV4_dN-fMNbQFH5IOVQLBH7eiOKf3OpoUNEfo5fi5nOg/s1600/DSC07723.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwxUP-UKmhQMIZ6XSfsA2TxzlIQBdY44NsM9mMqOHe1RD3J0sRkESxvfnmlEXBzl4N7JLjDjSL4jeNeXtyNF4Fi7if0ijV4_dN-fMNbQFH5IOVQLBH7eiOKf3OpoUNEfo5fi5nOg/s400/DSC07723.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476645786546438530" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Jules 'getting lost' in the VAAAAST reed beds near Seocheon, one of those hyped-up tourist detsinations in Korea which is a huge let down once you get there!</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBzZHxX8KE75Yh_tXI9r5QtTgjVtZ3NN5-cBfJbBtgs92Uwub6YpXp7FitH82SeCoLYKXtsLQiL986FqQ97cg4p0qZsEfjr4Z6FQdoVXdY3VS2GKN-NBGC0w43IVTwLacJV_ZiUw/s1600/DSC07709.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBzZHxX8KE75Yh_tXI9r5QtTgjVtZ3NN5-cBfJbBtgs92Uwub6YpXp7FitH82SeCoLYKXtsLQiL986FqQ97cg4p0qZsEfjr4Z6FQdoVXdY3VS2GKN-NBGC0w43IVTwLacJV_ZiUw/s400/DSC07709.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476645772738222290" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Our picnic breakfast at the reed beds. </span></span></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAuvF7oAEcqPDFk2cyGp82Odp28-SGHMlgozHwinD1Nu6P3_z1tf-P-ScuZgfovFZSjTNcHCF8kiCZ6hSKeXpgIBOo4HgS7GPFzZ4AwEiHIkiS85QsC_eqB0ueJol69awlDGlNJA/s1600/DSC07673.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAuvF7oAEcqPDFk2cyGp82Odp28-SGHMlgozHwinD1Nu6P3_z1tf-P-ScuZgfovFZSjTNcHCF8kiCZ6hSKeXpgIBOo4HgS7GPFzZ4AwEiHIkiS85QsC_eqB0ueJol69awlDGlNJA/s400/DSC07673.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476645764459764210" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Dad cooking up a storm in our apartment. Thanks Dad!</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBt6MgtqVHqf-FgAeQSHLG8cF04SbAdqCUJvClcVn2QEc5CKUV3CH4icYO_zJ9_a-CEcJn7kqz3zkmzfptFRdWJZDX6M2mziIcOTDvTfDTALSCQhcRC64am2pFjc1eB9rnnmPzKw/s1600/DSC07662.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBt6MgtqVHqf-FgAeQSHLG8cF04SbAdqCUJvClcVn2QEc5CKUV3CH4icYO_zJ9_a-CEcJn7kqz3zkmzfptFRdWJZDX6M2mziIcOTDvTfDTALSCQhcRC64am2pFjc1eB9rnnmPzKw/s400/DSC07662.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476645755097206978" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">With Mom on a boat cruise on the Han River. Mom made me feel so very loved on this trip: just always telling me how wonderful to be with us. And just being so relaxed about everything. Thanks Mom, for being such a gracious guest!</span></span></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUNm6N3g6VbafTRRC2kQg0WEPFL7MzS6sRYsBJ2d39pIKJyDYr1RYfifo_-oj_dZO1fwaGS_0MJ5E6pYQcbgE2Pwv2qkTMH8X-o1XTWSf9goM9cB-c4yEcQ2g9zc60aCsjo4Lmg/s1600/DSC07644.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUNm6N3g6VbafTRRC2kQg0WEPFL7MzS6sRYsBJ2d39pIKJyDYr1RYfifo_-oj_dZO1fwaGS_0MJ5E6pYQcbgE2Pwv2qkTMH8X-o1XTWSf9goM9cB-c4yEcQ2g9zc60aCsjo4Lmg/s400/DSC07644.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476643654926198834" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3kus42JyKc4qkqzla3n0A4U2S-yZFKmbzJA8k-eDKRF1CxdkCkw6A2S7oxYNoO_7fPJxLFwNgPT20LdTxIYJCcYQLfqrW8u88XhxRuquEVfQlw6A0mrWmsf1S-JxdnnChgkyB2Q/s1600/DSC07556.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3kus42JyKc4qkqzla3n0A4U2S-yZFKmbzJA8k-eDKRF1CxdkCkw6A2S7oxYNoO_7fPJxLFwNgPT20LdTxIYJCcYQLfqrW8u88XhxRuquEVfQlw6A0mrWmsf1S-JxdnnChgkyB2Q/s400/DSC07556.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476643632486948354" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Dinner with the Barkers and Julian's co-teachers. </span></span></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLAEdNtQrp4g64v62xbQCYM9VukBlvsHKiV7Ik0wyaLEJxHFpPhSh8nw0z6gG3qDaAxem8k10hAqS-BSCsZ_PngVirc1t70r6qGrxmMhPGt9ZV8q8rIeYgid_crlPo6AhLTxyyw/s1600/airport.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLAEdNtQrp4g64v62xbQCYM9VukBlvsHKiV7Ik0wyaLEJxHFpPhSh8nw0z6gG3qDaAxem8k10hAqS-BSCsZ_PngVirc1t70r6qGrxmMhPGt9ZV8q8rIeYgid_crlPo6AhLTxyyw/s400/airport.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476643623970869634" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">All of us at Incheon International Airport. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_BWATSDWoLYSdB7g7K5git_MBckhzWZZQDJ4u0EYoDSn63T0TaMLj6QV0cIencC8MAL-QRP6Vf-KI1Zaf02kqfSJAf1Gs65gIeDZaEbpy2lKu-9zRI0zOn2IwrKFbJgkzv4zcw/s1600/DSC07700.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_BWATSDWoLYSdB7g7K5git_MBckhzWZZQDJ4u0EYoDSn63T0TaMLj6QV0cIencC8MAL-QRP6Vf-KI1Zaf02kqfSJAf1Gs65gIeDZaEbpy2lKu-9zRI0zOn2IwrKFbJgkzv4zcw/s400/DSC07700.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465813915819212994" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Birdwatching at the Geum estuary in Gunsan. </span></span></span></div></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34GkGs2S86aqGYBG3FD1t5HUjttlnEzEtGcSRcU3_pL3OCw0id3COia-8gMyOJK-Naqz-a6Ta9KYZvZHPz5nml20p0l8vVdWx_fsJiuTcEHrMJJsIAJxMws3AmjiMAJTSmoCjGA/s400/DSC07629.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465813895465457202" /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Missing INGI! The three of us at Gyeongbokgung Palace. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29560304.post-91968559601489976612010-04-30T15:26:00.000+09:002010-05-29T19:31:55.952+09:00Simon: welcome to Korea<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Simon, Julian's brother, arrived in Korea at the beginning of March. He was placed in a rather small town on the west coast of Korea. It's been a bit of a tough start for him: he seems to have blessed with an even crazier complement of co-teachers than either Jules or I have, which is saying a lot, i.e. they are a pretty rotten bunch. That, combined with being in 'the sticks' and away from home for the first time has been a bit challenging. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It's been really cool for Jules to have his brother here, and helping Si out with his teething problems has been quite a nice for us to see how far we've come. The things that drive him nuts about Korea and working here used to drive us nuts too, but we've grown to accept, even if not to understand, that we must just 'go with the flow' and that things are just different. Kicking and screaming doesn't really help! It's of course easier said than done this far down the line, but at least we can be a sounding board for Simon's frustrations and help with with the little daily challenges which one faces. Paying bills, getting a cellphone, navigating the public transport etc. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Here are a few pics from Simon's first weekend visiting us in Sangju. We gathered some friends round for a braai and also had a meal out in a Korean restaurant: we had 'dweji galbi': pork rib BBQ. Unfortunately Seocheon is 5 hours from Sangju by public transport so it's a bit of a trek!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoetgR8E_ZbhS48eXy3SvE4ZgZUuBZGbjjmNBZAPg4Hymsxr5SXiVI7xcZa_sC3KBbigLrnW2ekuCjEo1O_AI4pXOLfja7-husQBBywIoE-lfVu8N4JwooG2AOm0gfQHzuKhH8VA/s1600/DSC07352.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoetgR8E_ZbhS48eXy3SvE4ZgZUuBZGbjjmNBZAPg4Hymsxr5SXiVI7xcZa_sC3KBbigLrnW2ekuCjEo1O_AI4pXOLfja7-husQBBywIoE-lfVu8N4JwooG2AOm0gfQHzuKhH8VA/s400/DSC07352.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465813331573104306" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUeHozWKRbnkG-MCJ2zkboBotIq3XYq8_COxQy8OvH3JOErioA2AnTBXtsCs7ZmnyGBuvnPKUjjRuJADiJ1gKiorOkT9K-lesjHmfzvx449cEy2rCkKfbxKzi3TxVoRFJRZq-DoQ/s1600/DSC07344.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUeHozWKRbnkG-MCJ2zkboBotIq3XYq8_COxQy8OvH3JOErioA2AnTBXtsCs7ZmnyGBuvnPKUjjRuJADiJ1gKiorOkT9K-lesjHmfzvx449cEy2rCkKfbxKzi3TxVoRFJRZq-DoQ/s400/DSC07344.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465813326128801010" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29560304.post-41974032395844279292010-04-30T15:24:00.000+09:002010-04-30T15:25:50.895+09:00SEOUL fun<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEiv5_LaVhQi5ovKeiJUQSyvQ1uxVqEKp3NS5EHKLFFMVcMcRHM0G2dP_HI0XBZbcGsP2zroKAziHxEbsB5Ik2W92JWyC2qb-QKjOD5WuzE_XwlOmASCcfMWwJjtallxL3TZNLEQ/s1600/DSC07329.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEiv5_LaVhQi5ovKeiJUQSyvQ1uxVqEKp3NS5EHKLFFMVcMcRHM0G2dP_HI0XBZbcGsP2zroKAziHxEbsB5Ik2W92JWyC2qb-QKjOD5WuzE_XwlOmASCcfMWwJjtallxL3TZNLEQ/s400/DSC07329.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465812932639622610" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29560304.post-61594073992593562382010-04-30T15:23:00.000+09:002010-05-29T19:00:11.192+09:00BIG BRAAI and a memorable farewell<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In March we had a 'party weekend' of note. Two of our good friends were leaving Sangju and had organised a farewell bash at Sangju's only, and barely-functioning, night club, and Jules and I organised a fundraiser-braai for the day.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We have found a supplier of SA Braai meat in Seoul - it is delicious, albeit it pricey, meat (boerewors and lamb chops) and everytime we invite friends to join us for a braai there are 'ooohs' and 'aaahs' about the meat. So we decided to capitalise on our good braai-reputation and arrange a braai to raise funds for a project my Mom runs at Hermannsburg. (See pic below). </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It was pretty stressful to organise: for some reasons we've found it incredibly difficult to get people to commit to events: whether these are purely social, or in this case, a fundraiser. We had asked people to RSVP by 4 datys before so we could order the meat, but by the night before our RSVP list was still changing, rather stressful! This was also the first time either of us had 'single-handedly' organised an event with fo</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">od where people would be paying - which of course makes it imperative that there is enough food, but since we were trying to raise funds, not too much food and not enough people to pay for and eat it. Fortunately it went really well, everyone had a good time and enjoyed the food, and we managed to raise around R800. Yey!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MLsP8SMlUxdkQt2ICMqGtHl9eK0b1uQDqNGRm8AO4mf4UmhX52LfA4GVzag1giVHOjaq76AEnMYD9V9OqEZDImebbWUcD2Mb0kP3cpaGiqdYesT0WBWQKKe7yxHLhXMt5_im6g/s400/Kindi+Projects+1.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476622560730273362" /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWppRS8KnRvhTpoD0pTLGEFrpr5zGnbJWrKZFbNLHsMI5k1x4YSw3jJdQyHueE5qk1v1g6v9sCpx6n_2SsPTe_Bv4_J-OUJeiyDNA05mtWBkuxuCOgSnFpB7j8l-nKR5LOYdbv4A/s400/Kindi+Projects+2.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476622571865213778" /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The group photo we took at our braai venue, under a bridge at the river, is rather amusing and indicative of our ignorance as foreigners in Korea: the sign behind us reads 'no cooking'. Our Korean friends only told us this as we were packing up. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Faux-pas of note! Haha!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvhUI3Y1_imSWkwYN-R4zQUvBDvdzebaJamx6ETz8S9w5oSZXYRC8z_Xa9-mxrpkjnwEmONfe9-M5tdy7OZCGaPe6xYKD9lgDS5RufRTNSX4wabsmRoR13azsorJ_xIotHdYFgiA/s400/DSC07437.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465812532105646338" /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQsBaIVUz7beipxSc15swp0C0cjCvYlBRuTNKnuhXVMSMyNWcdvLuK5__tTbc31D07TjHU61ns0z62q3T9U0gSf7pp41atspa9gN8ESzbVtTZZiS1-qe0GTi53BQtX30PiYB-spg/s1600/DSC07432.JPG"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQsBaIVUz7beipxSc15swp0C0cjCvYlBRuTNKnuhXVMSMyNWcdvLuK5__tTbc31D07TjHU61ns0z62q3T9U0gSf7pp41atspa9gN8ESzbVtTZZiS1-qe0GTi53BQtX30PiYB-spg/s400/DSC07432.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476625078783508802" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">No Cooking?!</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaVKAbipBNYnaAh_KZfwiPwSS0nWPDqAvNMCIlh1zXja7fUs6l7KoJjG_OJobSCy2oyXO20LcbzIY1Ds9UlwVtnIHW26sWdxvC4zfbqGEV7bTK3qJM4XXwTQ-s5Rb0myWMOX7GwA/s1600/DSC07415.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaVKAbipBNYnaAh_KZfwiPwSS0nWPDqAvNMCIlh1zXja7fUs6l7KoJjG_OJobSCy2oyXO20LcbzIY1Ds9UlwVtnIHW26sWdxvC4zfbqGEV7bTK3qJM4XXwTQ-s5Rb0myWMOX7GwA/s400/DSC07415.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476625073494216098" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Marize, Marg and I. Marize is South African and Marg Australian. Two lovely ladies I feel lucky to have met in Korea.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyBYo1XQX2p8wXtT77XMlaXp6aaal1dy3YBG6Rn4Ah9h_j0pQquj3ZO3drtHKrr3915cAX5hQWAAtV-mNJJxif112E1Fkzl5PYR8OxNQK40Fi_xF4kE065AUmIueVsrWSkreemEg/s400/DSC07423.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465812537084296178" /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Inga from Umtata, Whee the master braaier, and Kelsey, whose farewell we were going to 'celebrate'. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The festivities then continued at 'Shampoo' the possibly dodgy night club in Sangju. Some of our friends interpreted the name of the club as a dress-up theme, and arrived in bath robes: classic! We also managed to pick up a new friend from the rubbish dump: Chuck The Commissioner: he is now a firm favourite on facebook and accompanies us on weekend outings.</span></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkQ_Zeoisxnilk0bK_4PYnb-lA9azeiKSAFwf8Y9bgHcVA521qw73DwvvPbL8twtCHto1aZOg2sxFB0_2iNnjkeMk9ZEfEdb1FjVXOngO_0BhkGJ57dA-Fxhi0e1tXSUsTfl7pw/s1600/DSC07483.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkQ_Zeoisxnilk0bK_4PYnb-lA9azeiKSAFwf8Y9bgHcVA521qw73DwvvPbL8twtCHto1aZOg2sxFB0_2iNnjkeMk9ZEfEdb1FjVXOngO_0BhkGJ57dA-Fxhi0e1tXSUsTfl7pw/s400/DSC07483.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476625097098491170" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHF2YgtIgwsN8dXiL54N60i464nLOWXDFrE2lh0wmSshinWp65I1Nt8JqQIcGYumdqtelZzyiub9qjCvQo8vj00WDGjFTbwth7-aFsqwJMlkvXCYeVzgOwtQKX2GMwTxluqY3whg/s1600/DSC07466.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHF2YgtIgwsN8dXiL54N60i464nLOWXDFrE2lh0wmSshinWp65I1Nt8JqQIcGYumdqtelZzyiub9qjCvQo8vj00WDGjFTbwth7-aFsqwJMlkvXCYeVzgOwtQKX2GMwTxluqY3whg/s400/DSC07466.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476625089880297042" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Shampoo? And the ernest Mr. Barker. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56igPZo1EEULAP06Rg5q1p16NAzD-KWO8yHfmpZ6NQZ5LtQCu4JS1qJ100-Y-0um6hltVX7o_XKFfOft_0O9GN1Bn5S5ImGVjNSBhS0QhUQ7opLb5tXahEqTuvlVJtcXSzJSmTQ/s1600/DSC07473.JPG"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56igPZo1EEULAP06Rg5q1p16NAzD-KWO8yHfmpZ6NQZ5LtQCu4JS1qJ100-Y-0um6hltVX7o_XKFfOft_0O9GN1Bn5S5ImGVjNSBhS0QhUQ7opLb5tXahEqTuvlVJtcXSzJSmTQ/s400/DSC07473.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465812547594813554" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The 'Dong-Crew' with our new friend, The Commissioner.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">('Dong-Crew' = our friends who live in Dongducheon, north of Seoul.)</span></i></span></div></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29560304.post-10986545491563958892010-04-30T15:21:00.000+09:002010-05-29T18:59:49.076+09:00An exciting Hike: Lunar New Year, snow, darkness, COLD!<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The hike we did on Lunar New Years is high up there with the most exciting and memorable of my experiences in Korea. It is an old Korean belief that if one watches the sun rise from a mountain peak on Lunar New Year, the year will be a lucky one!</span></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Lunar New Year is usually a long weekend in Korea, and one is advised not to travel long distances as the roads and trains are chock-a-block with people travelling home across the country to be with their families. So many Koreans work away from their families, and national holidays are often the only opportunities for them to see each other, especially as most people work weekends as well.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So we decided to plan some 'local fun' for ourselves. There is a National Park near Sangju, Songnisan National Park, which takes just over an hour to get to. We headed over there and spent the night in a fantastic little 'mountain hut' in the park - 'Birosanjang'. It's one of my favourite places in Korea: it's really rustic, with long drops and tiny little Korean style 'ondol' (heated floor, sleep on a mat) rooms and genuine hospitality. One is surrounded by mountains and forests, and the only sounds are birds and the gushing river. We had a hearty Korean dinner and then an early night.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We woke up at 4 am and by 4:30 we were ready to go. It was pitch dark and snowy all around: it was not snowing at the time, which is fortunate, but there had been a good snowfall during the week. The plan was to hike to the top of the nearest mountain peak, from where we'd watch the sunrise. It took us, as planned, just over two hours. Walking up that mountain was so peaceful: the forest was as still as only a forest covered in snow can be, and there was not a soul to be seen. So quiet.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It was, by far, the coldest, darkest hike I've ever done! I'm willing to be the temperatures on the way up were hovering between -3 and -5 degrees celsius. Once we were up on the exposed peak, the temperature dropped dramatically, I think it may even have reached -10 degrees. Incredibly cold! It was so cold, in fact, that we couldn't stay up for the sunset, we saw the sky redden in the east, it was just pink enough to confirm that indeed that day, the sun would rise, and then we were off, down the other side of the mountain. We have been skiing in Korea, but the cold we experienced up there on that mountain was by far the coldest I have been in my life! But it was a thrilling, unforgettable adventure with a great bunch of people!</span></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7doNg2peq6AWTgzhueJSg5CiJrwe6DTiJsjUQCRDnpEebbT1PQtwewuX9HGfYMW1uQbzmNIx0PDk0JJfgCGhFVmu6EtxJGHtuK8vq-fOOkSr1UYLKvHvbB6DiHXazHUMoZ0HKTw/s1600/19143_330678416962_549196962_4610458_2586148_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7doNg2peq6AWTgzhueJSg5CiJrwe6DTiJsjUQCRDnpEebbT1PQtwewuX9HGfYMW1uQbzmNIx0PDk0JJfgCGhFVmu6EtxJGHtuK8vq-fOOkSr1UYLKvHvbB6DiHXazHUMoZ0HKTw/s400/19143_330678416962_549196962_4610458_2586148_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476618405875666818" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">On our way down again, with a dear friend of mine, Lina, the ice angel! She is an outdoor enthusiast of note, a snowboard instructor and a lovely lady!</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYIfIeAtC8L-sbQ2CqKudLUV9PcxnjRad_SaQld8Jl-WhZO9kmisq9klSsXybDV-R-ViwNoC0CB4iTXVoQCH9wdcE3JmQiQytYeSG6_D33f54YHuETd2oGq-38IxO-ZBf0Gsj6g/s1600/DSC07201.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYIfIeAtC8L-sbQ2CqKudLUV9PcxnjRad_SaQld8Jl-WhZO9kmisq9klSsXybDV-R-ViwNoC0CB4iTXVoQCH9wdcE3JmQiQytYeSG6_D33f54YHuETd2oGq-38IxO-ZBf0Gsj6g/s400/DSC07201.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476618401580807074" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I told you it was pink! The sun did rise, we just didn't see it!</span></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-zibmqh8n5Wph_gNPuWRHgppOSv2W05-tqpM_mH7XNpNx3zNNNDq6tKUcKaj-31c2ySw1qZlLealDnSWH0S4kVZwPipUiCesywiENeQ5HlPlGMkut8t0w9Gr2OlL2vnMLLm9_GQ/s1600/DSC07203.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-zibmqh8n5Wph_gNPuWRHgppOSv2W05-tqpM_mH7XNpNx3zNNNDq6tKUcKaj-31c2ySw1qZlLealDnSWH0S4kVZwPipUiCesywiENeQ5HlPlGMkut8t0w9Gr2OlL2vnMLLm9_GQ/s400/DSC07203.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476618389667217154" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">'Munjangdae': the peak we scaled. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxqjkvwl3lFBJVOULmKPKU-HXCORATWbz1bs9YTyC5YxCIpD0fcVYsf9voEsSM9B32eEXSJ4u8SRDetv8wkfvbN2cUxr7OXC_L9VzzciTDBU_qaXArlqxpjVkNTD_EVp8AUn6Yg/s1600/DSC07198.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxqjkvwl3lFBJVOULmKPKU-HXCORATWbz1bs9YTyC5YxCIpD0fcVYsf9voEsSM9B32eEXSJ4u8SRDetv8wkfvbN2cUxr7OXC_L9VzzciTDBU_qaXArlqxpjVkNTD_EVp8AUn6Yg/s400/DSC07198.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476615954474923490" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">On top! So wrapped up! So cold! The flecks of snow in the picture were being blown off the peak by the strong, cooold wind. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJVG3hnGakQjRkdQnLpojZ7uo7YdFYcjrKwUtTw2Fhv5ALLO5XILfVTd6SMW9-F9QGEyNSpmzEbqQhVTijx4kMHIMKQTXMSbCCbHudLz1sKwYtUWKuhpjksEybfveXMNl7gQ83w/s1600/DSC07190.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJVG3hnGakQjRkdQnLpojZ7uo7YdFYcjrKwUtTw2Fhv5ALLO5XILfVTd6SMW9-F9QGEyNSpmzEbqQhVTijx4kMHIMKQTXMSbCCbHudLz1sKwYtUWKuhpjksEybfveXMNl7gQ83w/s400/DSC07190.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476615946261116098" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">'Birosanjang': one of my favourite places in Korea </span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgis6pmbgZ_Saw-d1rzJC5461DCUvG2Fgtp8cF3hwG8iZpuGelZVE-P9pUHU0-9WvNanSa-tzCb-vROXvW2SOJR59SNlCis_wZOJcgwzl4ei-aQfceCvFRE98je6S01NsdgAguNgg/s1600/DSC07154.JPG"></a></span></span></span><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgis6pmbgZ_Saw-d1rzJC5461DCUvG2Fgtp8cF3hwG8iZpuGelZVE-P9pUHU0-9WvNanSa-tzCb-vROXvW2SOJR59SNlCis_wZOJcgwzl4ei-aQfceCvFRE98je6S01NsdgAguNgg/s1600/DSC07154.JPG"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgis6pmbgZ_Saw-d1rzJC5461DCUvG2Fgtp8cF3hwG8iZpuGelZVE-P9pUHU0-9WvNanSa-tzCb-vROXvW2SOJR59SNlCis_wZOJcgwzl4ei-aQfceCvFRE98je6S01NsdgAguNgg/s400/DSC07154.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476615938451930482" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 255, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We visited Beopjusa temple before checking into our mountain hut, it looked lovely under snow!</span></span></div></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisoRovI5cQFOiNCAZAvt96GuerU2MvO_vVzOvYFiRWJRhFzW9mAXi_NARSvtQWmhhIvpj-VI3zlXMutZ-DcGKpPZYJayMh4uyI1iAyjSEHdeDS1m6tJ-pfen_iZqpFv0rsC1FORQ/s1600/DSC07138.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisoRovI5cQFOiNCAZAvt96GuerU2MvO_vVzOvYFiRWJRhFzW9mAXi_NARSvtQWmhhIvpj-VI3zlXMutZ-DcGKpPZYJayMh4uyI1iAyjSEHdeDS1m6tJ-pfen_iZqpFv0rsC1FORQ/s400/DSC07138.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476615928029881458" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 255, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Us on the snow!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 255, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORxEHnFynvUWv-jHbFbglSZaibpCDDTmvsO0U4uryWjU5IToZLJk8L6mIxlkje4yWmRplTX9CQOC7TiEY_RbG8fuBC_TqzZgB4W2K-LjP4zZeqfA5jjMwRdl2JUT6XZ1klKxWZg/s1600/DSC07128.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORxEHnFynvUWv-jHbFbglSZaibpCDDTmvsO0U4uryWjU5IToZLJk8L6mIxlkje4yWmRplTX9CQOC7TiEY_RbG8fuBC_TqzZgB4W2K-LjP4zZeqfA5jjMwRdl2JUT6XZ1klKxWZg/s400/DSC07128.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476615919331164994" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33FF33;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Go Team!</span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29560304.post-22815760225200831212010-02-23T22:32:00.000+09:002010-02-24T12:37:31.313+09:00Meet The Cambodians<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf45pDK11C2jNOhKAfRuDQY1_6MXzsGbEBZPrF5Tez9vDgAPVx_4bmOdgnXkNCuTF5BpO-IJma2LS86L5tYA0flhVDglOds2BrmBGSV3x35WUodz5KhbTVovrBZpOUOZgcm6sPvQ/s1600-h/DSC06509.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf45pDK11C2jNOhKAfRuDQY1_6MXzsGbEBZPrF5Tez9vDgAPVx_4bmOdgnXkNCuTF5BpO-IJma2LS86L5tYA0flhVDglOds2BrmBGSV3x35WUodz5KhbTVovrBZpOUOZgcm6sPvQ/s320/DSC06509.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441431805250251410" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-size:130%;" >Man and his dogs</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">This is one of my favourite photos from Cambodia. Rice field, person, dogs, birds, greeen! This is a special kind of rice which they grow in the dry season. It takes three months form planting to harvest, which is very short, and it is very nutritious rice. They can only grow it in the flood plains of large rivers and the Tonle Sap lake where the soil is very fertile.</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRa8xVvYIDLnpJiOYIQVCU2iPJ7IDtxg9jvRjcs5ODZfMjZnxsAhH1hVGq-MX44iZDPf-CzS0zml0EVp4W36Ltwe7jqvDQFUXEra3EP9uvd3ezXIDKr4J-pXf2zV4cKkEjajB83A/s1600-h/DSC07098.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRa8xVvYIDLnpJiOYIQVCU2iPJ7IDtxg9jvRjcs5ODZfMjZnxsAhH1hVGq-MX44iZDPf-CzS0zml0EVp4W36Ltwe7jqvDQFUXEra3EP9uvd3ezXIDKr4J-pXf2zV4cKkEjajB83A/s320/DSC07098.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441435358099629746" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Bicycle Lady</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Bicycles are the predominat form of local transport for Cambodians, they are everywhere! This lady was pushing her bike past one of the temples in the late afternoon. Pity the shadow of the photographer snuck into the bottom right corner of the pic!</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-GHx3eC8IgTBmZja3xYHsrKv2uc6qH0ylsEtWzmDoAsQh56rwWXUHFqKUXhpNaE686l8KAz8F-fkDVia8yB-dGgAIzQQ1tHZvZKyvZtcmgbs16KWkgdyRqPiDXY1N_6My9HT80w/s1600-h/DSC07097.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-GHx3eC8IgTBmZja3xYHsrKv2uc6qH0ylsEtWzmDoAsQh56rwWXUHFqKUXhpNaE686l8KAz8F-fkDVia8yB-dGgAIzQQ1tHZvZKyvZtcmgbs16KWkgdyRqPiDXY1N_6My9HT80w/s320/DSC07097.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441435342769021586" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >"Bag for you, Lady! Only 3 dollars, bag for you lady?"</span> </div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">There are people selling souvenirs and refreshments to tourists everywhere! One of the most amazing things abot Cmabodia is that even though most of the population are desperately poor, there are hardly any beggars. People seem proactive and proud, and so everyone is trying to sell something. Bags, t-shirts, scarves, postcards, cooldrinks, guidebooks etc. One has to learn very quickly to say 'No, thank you!' firmly, but nicely! The hardest is saying no thanks to the cute little kids who've been sent to sell a pack of postcards or 5 bracelets for a dollar. They are almost irresistible. But there is a problem with parents taking their kids out of school to sell things and bring an income into the family so it is something one must try to avoid.</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZb7hyvRNSau0p71dpoj0ZdWj0DDFvsGf9-4ITJp3uAcd5oEC3laEDoBQ1rdn6-v7yaJHlnPn3jC6_WpmrUeuTebFm25nrojmhJKZ-RUJukyezAUmdFIkPK6ZZSQCXHlnk0WuCaA/s1600-h/DSC07049.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZb7hyvRNSau0p71dpoj0ZdWj0DDFvsGf9-4ITJp3uAcd5oEC3laEDoBQ1rdn6-v7yaJHlnPn3jC6_WpmrUeuTebFm25nrojmhJKZ-RUJukyezAUmdFIkPK6ZZSQCXHlnk0WuCaA/s320/DSC07049.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441435336933164130" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Waiting Game</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >This lady was selling fresh pineapple outside Preah Kahn temple. How much time these vendors must spend just waiting.... and hoping.<br /></span></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZKU_mztWgwqnQLAbpsPSaLaRcey8e5VD1nH4b5S9Y3ZbtxMHgCI-a6t_UAtnTtTlrJRFTZR26f-SJ-R6DMuJ1ATzA6Bg8w_qm-ULV5e0ZT0zpkbvIOf-islF6kysbQdJUZx7fFA/s1600-h/DSC06989.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZKU_mztWgwqnQLAbpsPSaLaRcey8e5VD1nH4b5S9Y3ZbtxMHgCI-a6t_UAtnTtTlrJRFTZR26f-SJ-R6DMuJ1ATzA6Bg8w_qm-ULV5e0ZT0zpkbvIOf-islF6kysbQdJUZx7fFA/s320/DSC06989.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441434887769028034" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-size:130%;" >Boys on Bikes</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">They are riding past Angkor Wat temple. As we did our rounds of the temples I often wondered how the local people who live their daily lives 'in the shadow of Angkor Wat' must feel about it. Do they ever stop and take in it's magnificence? Do they just see it as an income? Do they wonder what all the fuss is about? Do they wish they could get rid of the hordes of tourists....I certainly did! But I was one fo them too.</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglK8WoTBbuvKmfaOnP4GqKlkFoWdAeS7MYtn7Ux6N4t-MNi5uM4SRU8flC-YxTA8Yz5N5PNJMuWpkHLGXcIOCYlM4k4NlHPboRHZq4jfYmDMvs3Vl_Zi0YA96IE9AWrRR2iCvyeg/s1600-h/DSC06980.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglK8WoTBbuvKmfaOnP4GqKlkFoWdAeS7MYtn7Ux6N4t-MNi5uM4SRU8flC-YxTA8Yz5N5PNJMuWpkHLGXcIOCYlM4k4NlHPboRHZq4jfYmDMvs3Vl_Zi0YA96IE9AWrRR2iCvyeg/s320/DSC06980.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441434872004893170" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Everybody loves to watch monkeys!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >We were so enjoying watching this troop of monkeys in the grounds of Angkor Wat, and we weren't the only ones either. These boys were on their way somewhere, but stopped their bikes to have a good luck and laugh at the monkeys and their silly antics!</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZczqtU6I3ZwWn7neYNBk3tk5RrqyTP1S2Cam9d6hkuzpRtthdTdiir7A5s1IgZfNpMVvbJkYTdjB0pzEqAQNslA9qq1230cf7ld70GnmOZy2fXr0xNqHtG0kfTcXwTQLv9GEbRQ/s1600-h/DSC06984.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZczqtU6I3ZwWn7neYNBk3tk5RrqyTP1S2Cam9d6hkuzpRtthdTdiir7A5s1IgZfNpMVvbJkYTdjB0pzEqAQNslA9qq1230cf7ld70GnmOZy2fXr0xNqHtG0kfTcXwTQLv9GEbRQ/s320/DSC06984.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441434858132879378" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts, diddeliddi... </span><br /></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">If Bicycles are the main mode of transport, motorbikes come a close second.<br />And coconuts are the main staple after rice. A very typical scene.</span></span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH7mFPGWG9mj7w8RDMWuI79H14bte4Aw42sKmeduwrmzbQOxRMOiRR5N0481S2cyY6VkJVU2fZn7r7hNGjvPLRGD-SL2YWeqyPr-TYqtKhd9bnPuzRsMeTLRcj2XmacOQPpBjKzg/s1600-h/DSC06904.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH7mFPGWG9mj7w8RDMWuI79H14bte4Aw42sKmeduwrmzbQOxRMOiRR5N0481S2cyY6VkJVU2fZn7r7hNGjvPLRGD-SL2YWeqyPr-TYqtKhd9bnPuzRsMeTLRcj2XmacOQPpBjKzg/s320/DSC06904.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441434850123412466" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Chicken 'Indaba'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">'Indaba' is a Zulu word for a gathering to discuss important matters. If only I knew the Cambodian equivalent, for this is certainly what was happening here. This was our bus from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. Jules had seen a lady loading in a bunch of live chickens into the bowels of the bus as we left Phnom Penh, and when we stopped at this restaurant for a break, they were all dead! How terrible! We had got a faint whiff of something 'turpentiney' while we were in the bus, and I suppose it must've been much worse in the bottom of the bus and too much for the chickens. Such a tragic story. The owner was understandably irate, but the bus driver was taking no responsibility.</span><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJByhxbpn_BnJoB4APcUZE4WE_N8WeoAuRfDd_oh_fYtkWKJ9wODfOespT1Pk_2gn5ud8e-DbSvx6WFBb_CMhDihe1zYUBm5cvgxW8Hgbn2sK4eolZxwkCIX7X-uJBzd2M6bjl3g/s1600-h/DSC06907.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJByhxbpn_BnJoB4APcUZE4WE_N8WeoAuRfDd_oh_fYtkWKJ9wODfOespT1Pk_2gn5ud8e-DbSvx6WFBb_CMhDihe1zYUBm5cvgxW8Hgbn2sK4eolZxwkCIX7X-uJBzd2M6bjl3g/s320/DSC06907.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441434840163253266" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-size:130%;" >Chicken 'Indaba' Victims</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">self-explanatory!</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzJbVawJbgvfW4-tnrir0VqXhl5IW4Z4gQhcvuwL8sbNJMVUPTdFsWPQq67egXCIoJ28rE3_8yUBlDtHIpWBZ8r7kEcL50jafVVj_f7OuqhLQqQaGJRc17SVu87KqmSnPR_1CRA/s1600-h/DSC06902.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzJbVawJbgvfW4-tnrir0VqXhl5IW4Z4gQhcvuwL8sbNJMVUPTdFsWPQq67egXCIoJ28rE3_8yUBlDtHIpWBZ8r7kEcL50jafVVj_f7OuqhLQqQaGJRc17SVu87KqmSnPR_1CRA/s320/DSC06902.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441433925237238146" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Playing and Sleeping. </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" ><br />I love how kids just get on with having fun - often in such an ernest fashion, too!<br />She was playing in a pile of building sand near the restaurant where our 'chicken' bus stopped. I guess the doggie was just tired. </span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrhnjWj_wxKy-BE9O_yBMsmPhtatPeQnFGpak8JhqrqbybzW-vX2dBDrZxyM3Qr1yEvNqv1boLTueVixdNG26xobpvOK5dGwrSoOy_zNJDUCxfVNKgbseKYzEmVgzwStpVkdJ9Yw/s1600-h/DSC06898.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrhnjWj_wxKy-BE9O_yBMsmPhtatPeQnFGpak8JhqrqbybzW-vX2dBDrZxyM3Qr1yEvNqv1boLTueVixdNG26xobpvOK5dGwrSoOy_zNJDUCxfVNKgbseKYzEmVgzwStpVkdJ9Yw/s320/DSC06898.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441433910931344882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 153, 102);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Studying.<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">These are the children of Mr Lei, the boat driver and jungle-trek guide at Rainbow Lodge. </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The older brother was helping his younger brother to learn how to read - or so it seemed.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Education is one of the biggest challenges in Cambodia: because of high levels of poverty, many children work from a very young age. So many kids are on the streets selling stuff to tourists or helping their parents in the fields or elsewhere. Ensuring decent education for these children is a real challenge. Seeing these two seriously studying a book every afternoon while we were at Rainbow Lodge was heartening.</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7flLVtQChoLq3B69_E7wAPIHnR6K5TvlIqAVsCkcYxrMB_-oG044XKP88JU-y6_BdY-c-G34d5DLGk_GvmDi8jrv48SJfE_zu74vqsuGbRBTjcihZLN6PEy3iICBk6nRD5i5V1Q/s1600-h/DSC06891.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7flLVtQChoLq3B69_E7wAPIHnR6K5TvlIqAVsCkcYxrMB_-oG044XKP88JU-y6_BdY-c-G34d5DLGk_GvmDi8jrv48SJfE_zu74vqsuGbRBTjcihZLN6PEy3iICBk6nRD5i5V1Q/s320/DSC06891.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441433901805143522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 153, 102);">Boy's Best Friend. </span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPCNvGPSAkE8P6p3AZSaWqeKGcCjJ6YRYv6vLsMqGEPZBsF4L0Yz4cN1wnuMh3m8TVp1jpTdgwd76fLUWcZ0iKuu00rQpqiIvORXjnGn__BwK03eNwD4bRMQAJKSdrnyS_RCUOQ/s1600-h/DSC06793.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPCNvGPSAkE8P6p3AZSaWqeKGcCjJ6YRYv6vLsMqGEPZBsF4L0Yz4cN1wnuMh3m8TVp1jpTdgwd76fLUWcZ0iKuu00rQpqiIvORXjnGn__BwK03eNwD4bRMQAJKSdrnyS_RCUOQ/s320/DSC06793.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441432615736341010" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102); font-weight: bold;">Tagging along with screams of laughter!</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">I took this photo from our boat from Koh Rong island back to the mainland. These two boys were on their way out fishing when our boat passed them. They couldn't resist the opportunity to hang onto the rope and tag along for a while! They hung on pretty tight but eventually they were both flung off. They were having an absolute ball!</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsNu2FQqQv8w3A4r1gHSDpRHE4pBf-uDCs_MnxtIBdC7CifxzkAfzHl9WhXxdnAOy6C89qxAINMDS03dpc8CjpWDjuCNKsHgsZVgvbmuTLMdqBvCO-aRxf5ZCksWdGyWkuUTLlNg/s1600-h/DSC06746.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsNu2FQqQv8w3A4r1gHSDpRHE4pBf-uDCs_MnxtIBdC7CifxzkAfzHl9WhXxdnAOy6C89qxAINMDS03dpc8CjpWDjuCNKsHgsZVgvbmuTLMdqBvCO-aRxf5ZCksWdGyWkuUTLlNg/s320/DSC06746.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441432595166441202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102); font-weight: bold;">Plodding along. </span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Water buffalo are such an important asset to Cambodian farmers. </span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFhwfZb3_z4DvvTAiYUi51edRAfIeJ9OmZT-QDz86PTZ3wQC7FiqJyhBj5y6guEPal84xfEXt19BbiCoXtkw4ca9JH9FOHyh-wP7aOkcWAUxerAxMVU2cyYsLwk8mfsIOViOCrQ/s1600-h/DSC06692.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFhwfZb3_z4DvvTAiYUi51edRAfIeJ9OmZT-QDz86PTZ3wQC7FiqJyhBj5y6guEPal84xfEXt19BbiCoXtkw4ca9JH9FOHyh-wP7aOkcWAUxerAxMVU2cyYsLwk8mfsIOViOCrQ/s320/DSC06692.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441432580652475010" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);">Apsara Beauties.</span></span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">This was a traditional dance show we watched in Siem Reap - these wowen dancers are known as 'Apsaras' and stone carvings of them are all over the temples of Angkor.<br />I hadn't realised how many similarities there are between Cambodian and Indian culture. This dancing reminded me quite a bit of tradiitonal hindu danicng I've watched in Greytown!<br />Hinduism has beenthe state religion of Cambodia - or the Khmer Empire - on and off since about 50 A.D. Angkor Wat is the biggest Hindu temple in the world. In between, Buddhism has also had a big influence on the spirituality of the Cambodian people, and currently Buddhism is recognised as the dominant religion, but there is still a lot of Hindu influence in the culture. Cambodians who speak English sometimes show a hint of the kind of accent one hears from Indian people speaking English as a second language.<br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bYMp9V5EJTfGgaps2uYrus-6FYXVBaiEHmz6oldiL96JuRaRpOPzPkLhlZGjiTWTFAaA1s0hHHRaech20_U2T4psNvLWbNR2ecRJQd-efycO4KuYnqV_7klem1VerCnLP-rItw/s1600-h/DSC06651.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bYMp9V5EJTfGgaps2uYrus-6FYXVBaiEHmz6oldiL96JuRaRpOPzPkLhlZGjiTWTFAaA1s0hHHRaech20_U2T4psNvLWbNR2ecRJQd-efycO4KuYnqV_7klem1VerCnLP-rItw/s320/DSC06651.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441432573030851298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102); font-weight: bold;">The wheels in Cambodia go round and round...</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">This picture is rather iconic, if I say so myself: magnificent, ancient stone temple in the background, and Cambodians on the top 3 forms of transport in the foreground: Tuk-tuk, bicycle and motorbike. </span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJe5McZSspq80ztZBW3Zz96DpVorLqLRWlcpB3-RXS0KbQOCJaGUwlP9l51KnnR3O0WbfiGIKiMTUEoiv3x8Sckm_RdVf-lxKC8a5r0VIlECBpK70CCp2f4AejSbWXR9CT2AoKBw/s1600-h/DSC06493.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJe5McZSspq80ztZBW3Zz96DpVorLqLRWlcpB3-RXS0KbQOCJaGUwlP9l51KnnR3O0WbfiGIKiMTUEoiv3x8Sckm_RdVf-lxKC8a5r0VIlECBpK70CCp2f4AejSbWXR9CT2AoKBw/s320/DSC06493.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441431793216473858" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102); font-weight: bold;">Floating Market on the Tonle Sap lake. </span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">See previous post for details...</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmF_Q9IgvdEXcTYm30nhaoPcnQjdd13_Mu7AZJjYtPp8OeWp28bo6H-SnIxD42tQal-QGXA_C-Vk2AJb1WTLerI5bydRn9DHxu0LTCOLlCxk1lsqkdoqBW8z88fllKszgpdg9P-Q/s1600-h/DSC06480.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmF_Q9IgvdEXcTYm30nhaoPcnQjdd13_Mu7AZJjYtPp8OeWp28bo6H-SnIxD42tQal-QGXA_C-Vk2AJb1WTLerI5bydRn9DHxu0LTCOLlCxk1lsqkdoqBW8z88fllKszgpdg9P-Q/s320/DSC06480.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441431757736175586" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102); font-weight: bold;">BIG HAT!</span><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">MOM and DAD! Do you remember the picture of me wearing Dad's big deerstalker hat? </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Here it is all over again...in Cambodia! I think she is just a lot cuter!</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQA_kiBzAl8xDE1GzwclpT77ID2csKOBcpMejvovOGCzve7lu1Vj_VUR3nQ0uPmFBTTkursHkbvnKgOuRIoIvzKc6ZvXexU-v1EDE_w_L_e60JQcFGwgIPWYFfx4AjhExpTnfGQ/s1600-h/DSC06461.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQA_kiBzAl8xDE1GzwclpT77ID2csKOBcpMejvovOGCzve7lu1Vj_VUR3nQ0uPmFBTTkursHkbvnKgOuRIoIvzKc6ZvXexU-v1EDE_w_L_e60JQcFGwgIPWYFfx4AjhExpTnfGQ/s320/DSC06461.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441431739507655154" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102); font-weight: bold;">Mr Tao</span></span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >He was out Tuk-tuk driver for the first three days in Siem Reap. What a friendly, kind and humble man. He took us everywhere we wanted to go and was always more than happy to wait for us. We had some interesting chats with him which helped us gain some insights into 'ordinary life' in Cambodia. Bless him. This view of him from behind is so typical of our experience there!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29560304.post-62663932539489009652010-02-18T11:29:00.000+09:002010-02-22T18:54:57.621+09:00Cambodia: briefly<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJN1ygijsuyd_WWVG-RLIxl6FqLqCpAHrrjyV6Umi86A2QEIWck4B_dAxw1l2U1rzxC9FTJFmBrPhorKAChjs9HdcT8wnspZZP8qzbW5RIyEYfJ0gOonjnSf_rcT03BNGTCRqmg/s1600-h/DSC06662.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJN1ygijsuyd_WWVG-RLIxl6FqLqCpAHrrjyV6Umi86A2QEIWck4B_dAxw1l2U1rzxC9FTJFmBrPhorKAChjs9HdcT8wnspZZP8qzbW5RIyEYfJ0gOonjnSf_rcT03BNGTCRqmg/s400/DSC06662.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440997742869421442" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Deciding to spend the whole two weeks of our vacation in Cambodia was an excellent decision. Some people I chatted to whilst planning the trip had recommended side trips to Laos and/or Thailand, but I am so glad we stuck to our plan of just being in Cambodia. Two weeks was nowhere near enough, and I would've felt we'd cheated ourselves - and Cambodia - if we'd rushed the trip - even more - to see another country as well.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">So two weeks on paper, on a calendar, sounds like quite a long time. But when you're in a country with so much depth, so much history, so much beauty and diversity, as Cambodia has to offer, it flies by! So I've titled this blog post "Cambodia: briefly" because I felt we experienced so much, I had so many thoughts, thoughts ad more thoughts going round in my head during our time there, that a single blog post would never suffice to tell about it all. So herewith follows a brief summary of our trip; highlights and some of the recurring thoughts I had whilst on our trip and my pic of the best or most representative photos I took on our trip.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">THE tourist attraction in Cambodia is Angkor Wat temple, and the temples in the area around it. Cambodia's history is fascinating: the ancient history from around 800 to 1400 A.D. is one of riches and a huge, powerful empire which at times included vast tracts of Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. The incredible temples still standing, bear witness to this.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">But, then, in contrast, the horrific reign of the Khmer Rouge rebels, the civil wars before and after that, unrest and tragedy are recent memories in the minds of many Cambodians. Cambodia was plagued by political unrest from the Vietnam war, right up until the mid 1990s. This recent tragedy, combined with the ancient glory of the temples result in Cambodia's fascinating atmosphere and character: a proud people, bearing scars of the past, but looking forward. There is also an incredible amount if positive work being done in Cmabodia by foreign NGOs to try and help teh Cambodian people re-build their country. At times this worried me as there seems so much foreign influence which could build reliance, but there does seem to be a lot of emphasis on training Cmabodians and providing them with knowledge and skills they can use once the NGOs have left. </span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHGDjSm3OhJ9sUK6e9_TTMzqdIB6NL6-5lHLQuih6KzvgZHKpyc6HyaVubUBi74937AlTL8nYBt4jH-gT61CC3mfcRWTTlZWGfoDPHhL3ud1NKTP4-aOekyRwlFrwIHvzqt_8nWA/s1600-h/DSC06956.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHGDjSm3OhJ9sUK6e9_TTMzqdIB6NL6-5lHLQuih6KzvgZHKpyc6HyaVubUBi74937AlTL8nYBt4jH-gT61CC3mfcRWTTlZWGfoDPHhL3ud1NKTP4-aOekyRwlFrwIHvzqt_8nWA/s400/DSC06956.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440882961461792018" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);font-size:130%;" >the 'compulsory' Angkor Wat photo!</span> </div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">We started our trip in</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" > Siem Reap</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">. Siem Reap is a small city which is the 'gateway' to the temples of Angkor. It is built on tourism, and is a very touirst-friendly city. Tuk-tuks - the most favoured transport method for visitors - abound and restaurants serving all sorts of cuisine, from local Cambodian dleights, to Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, and western food. We spent three days in Siem Reap, visiting mostly temples, and just taking in the atmosphere of the place.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">We also visited a floating village on the mighty Tonle Sap Lake - the biggest lake in South-East Asia - and the Cambodian Landmine Museum which was an eye-opener of note. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Angkor Wat is the most famous temple in Cambodia and is said to be the biggest religious structure in the world - but we actually enjoyed some of the smaller less popular temples more. Angkor Wat is probably one of the most-visited places in the world: it is overrun with tourists and going there at sunrise or sunset means jostling with crowds and not actualy getting the 'iconic' Angkor Wat photo - or peaseful temple experience - because of the crowds. However, a little foresight and Lonely Planet reading soon revealed 'how to dodge the crowds' and we managed to get quite good at this. I think my two favourite temples besides Angkor Wat were Bayon - with it's famous 'face' towers -and Beang Mealea - the most 'Jungly' temple of the ones we visited. It really has almost been taken</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">over by the jungle. Wonderful!</span><br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid0g5CpAJeyrw40Dvm1pgf1CO4mr3SK-rnBKTiN4xkcQHIbO9fBiEoxeyCKrBG6iA44xEbz5Y-D_JkFZD7TYA3CM1JjzyO8Skc-98fOc4oA07WbjnTgYJNYKAZTSCLAxgQkjdqKQ/s1600-h/DSC06661.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid0g5CpAJeyrw40Dvm1pgf1CO4mr3SK-rnBKTiN4xkcQHIbO9fBiEoxeyCKrBG6iA44xEbz5Y-D_JkFZD7TYA3CM1JjzyO8Skc-98fOc4oA07WbjnTgYJNYKAZTSCLAxgQkjdqKQ/s400/DSC06661.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440902487040805122" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);font-size:130%;" >at Bayon Temple</span> </div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiNKNGrJIIsa9T5G7Zwdqu74n3JMLJLbgZkWdwazW9x-CRal5JJGAWNJYnmbdNdDOHpN1w3KRF4i85XppufXpj-9kFMgfiVXQjMEh8jZzQisxSL_xjveYgBeU3ociFgwDZpBBJGQ/s1600-h/DSC06537.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiNKNGrJIIsa9T5G7Zwdqu74n3JMLJLbgZkWdwazW9x-CRal5JJGAWNJYnmbdNdDOHpN1w3KRF4i85XppufXpj-9kFMgfiVXQjMEh8jZzQisxSL_xjveYgBeU3ociFgwDZpBBJGQ/s400/DSC06537.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440902476301734834" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);font-size:130%;" >Angkor Wat - it is, indeed, a magnificent building!</span> </div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpRaAGjbboA5KoHH6B3D0lCvTQHfn6BgpRwX9ciufjGTqenlxuaFdWCuMJg-8UyBKlLsude7lKxqvX93PgkfO1ICJ86m_6vQWbz8s6CBpAzOzYObhGWf9ElZB5_KJrxpNphbfgVA/s1600-h/DSC06451.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpRaAGjbboA5KoHH6B3D0lCvTQHfn6BgpRwX9ciufjGTqenlxuaFdWCuMJg-8UyBKlLsude7lKxqvX93PgkfO1ICJ86m_6vQWbz8s6CBpAzOzYObhGWf9ElZB5_KJrxpNphbfgVA/s400/DSC06451.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440902462170868226" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);font-size:130%;" >Beang Mealea - roots, roots, and more roots, all over the ancient structures! A tough one to capture in photographs. Go and see for yourself is all I can say!</span> </div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyAgLCgvv3VdcCwkJOf9GEii46MIu-UUUqWLSZJR4RU_2zY9BtxWz8_9EmX8Kqc1ELUZJw1yn7eA340dkgmGAQTrCFLFMr-ktVk5OXfw_AH6ouBV0h0zhFgGnGqqXplIVz-wYTJg/s1600-h/DSC06523.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyAgLCgvv3VdcCwkJOf9GEii46MIu-UUUqWLSZJR4RU_2zY9BtxWz8_9EmX8Kqc1ELUZJw1yn7eA340dkgmGAQTrCFLFMr-ktVk5OXfw_AH6ouBV0h0zhFgGnGqqXplIVz-wYTJg/s400/DSC06523.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440902444690777506" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);font-size:130%;" >My favourite photo of Angkor Wat " a little birds' eye view" - kind of puts things in a different perspective<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHJ0yWNInO2tlrA9xUt1QGjiQYKPeIj5f_FXF1hMa_ekgphFoYH6sJtT2ORf3xhkT_vNqfGAKP9MlhWV69YamV6SrU3REWKyggi4NQjdX_CzBmVeWRErl_oPKn1wLaSMgRPBmzcg/s1600-h/DSC06474.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHJ0yWNInO2tlrA9xUt1QGjiQYKPeIj5f_FXF1hMa_ekgphFoYH6sJtT2ORf3xhkT_vNqfGAKP9MlhWV69YamV6SrU3REWKyggi4NQjdX_CzBmVeWRErl_oPKn1wLaSMgRPBmzcg/s400/DSC06474.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440998424953956546" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">Village on stilts: there is such a huge change in water levels of the Tonle Sap lake - it is fed by the mighty Mekong River which floods in the monsoon/rainy season - so the people have adjusted to the environment. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">Further into the main body of the lake, they just float along and the change in water level doens't bother them much</span><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDeYCXlEhshZpdZLJoe_Du1EYUFyU3vGaLmCBJJIRN3BcRUKPCyFaEHC7uyoAjcM8u3wo4PeynDpMzVHPlRWP1hXSWSbJRGleNLMgaTKEmaZnWvQHlSYfAgwT2o-NAiNWbnAeHAw/s1600-h/DSC06493.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDeYCXlEhshZpdZLJoe_Du1EYUFyU3vGaLmCBJJIRN3BcRUKPCyFaEHC7uyoAjcM8u3wo4PeynDpMzVHPlRWP1hXSWSbJRGleNLMgaTKEmaZnWvQHlSYfAgwT2o-NAiNWbnAeHAw/s400/DSC06493.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440998415835131842" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">floating shops...</span><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBe_NFk0BjkfND41GMgyAXi4rJ1H6wRVSg8LS1Mplg7uoIOqh0rM0fVGqjKS7AZR-OyRCzc1DGYYnxa-b7IrFpSIUXzQsUhpDLNpBtkZ7wb0n_ckg_WdZbaPXFM9X0zUW3tLLAhQ/s1600-h/DSC06492.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBe_NFk0BjkfND41GMgyAXi4rJ1H6wRVSg8LS1Mplg7uoIOqh0rM0fVGqjKS7AZR-OyRCzc1DGYYnxa-b7IrFpSIUXzQsUhpDLNpBtkZ7wb0n_ckg_WdZbaPXFM9X0zUW3tLLAhQ/s400/DSC06492.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440998407375532194" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51); font-style: italic;">floating schools...</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImNN05W0b5RpAyq82zp8F8491YDJKhuS1Z6eaEGwd0tU8nVDI-bGX64WI1uRd5l1S8jTnr7CJ3dqUt2H-dpdwQK9bFiJ8lsfgSLOY6t94TsJ_gUSoUmWJeliijgvSy7fLFVPasA/s1600-h/DSC06490.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImNN05W0b5RpAyq82zp8F8491YDJKhuS1Z6eaEGwd0tU8nVDI-bGX64WI1uRd5l1S8jTnr7CJ3dqUt2H-dpdwQK9bFiJ8lsfgSLOY6t94TsJ_gUSoUmWJeliijgvSy7fLFVPasA/s400/DSC06490.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440998395532178306" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51); font-style: italic;">...floating homes including pot plants and pets! </span><br /></span> </div></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">From Siem Reap we then took a 12-hour overnight bus down to the coast - the beach town of </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >Sihanoukville</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">. It bears all the traces of touristed beach/port towns: lots of opportunistic locals, the usual spread of localised expats making money of the more transient tourists, the feel of easily accessible drugs and sex...and loads of party venues. It DID also have pretty views, beach bungalows and access to offshore islands, diving and snorkeling. So we focused on the later characteristics and had a good time! In any case, for us Sihanoukville was more a jumping off point to the nearby island of Koh Rong.</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQBzUOy_3TDDZjaWo1FdrpuXicwsL70rs_KWm2IE4WXoxdQAxaEThA9Bm3K8KWN_eXvt8WUfRLAEK0IlGmRqo-LFb2MnpAXaaMh07APcdu5mm5DXKhewLuXWS3uQjcNNJdnoBOQ/s1600-h/DSC06717.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQBzUOy_3TDDZjaWo1FdrpuXicwsL70rs_KWm2IE4WXoxdQAxaEThA9Bm3K8KWN_eXvt8WUfRLAEK0IlGmRqo-LFb2MnpAXaaMh07APcdu5mm5DXKhewLuXWS3uQjcNNJdnoBOQ/s400/DSC06717.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440905371106385442" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);font-size:130%;" >Serendipity Beach- the part of Sihanoukville we saw most of.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdaRxQ7yXmbDouDhqEOTJLhP6ggPZsn46oTHRXyYkEXfjJ2On8ukDxnHRDe0joZxwX6QnnRn4zCvIe8xtEToAlQ2WUrBYIDGJaOasT4C3n84PGd-XE_AqdCmj-X4I88KTEdvWeVQ/s1600-h/DSC06802.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdaRxQ7yXmbDouDhqEOTJLhP6ggPZsn46oTHRXyYkEXfjJ2On8ukDxnHRDe0joZxwX6QnnRn4zCvIe8xtEToAlQ2WUrBYIDGJaOasT4C3n84PGd-XE_AqdCmj-X4I88KTEdvWeVQ/s400/DSC06802.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440905770213307426" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);font-size:130%;" >Cloud 9 Bungalows, Sihanoukville. A pretty spot slightly off the main drag. </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsCyMVfqCOcnZC7EQ_m-99MPq6EMJD1JE3wINmQTWJf6gJsin6Kq5I69Q-EGgeKXcGHNI4HRm8CQ-DU9osQvihTU3lPfKszkwyjSe88W7_QN-of0muhy0myjfQ8LNPTJxeQ123tA/s1600-h/DSC06800.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsCyMVfqCOcnZC7EQ_m-99MPq6EMJD1JE3wINmQTWJf6gJsin6Kq5I69Q-EGgeKXcGHNI4HRm8CQ-DU9osQvihTU3lPfKszkwyjSe88W7_QN-of0muhy0myjfQ8LNPTJxeQ123tA/s400/DSC06800.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440906454386311762" border="0" /></a></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51); font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Sunrise over Serendipity beach - we saw so many beautiful sunrises during our trip - not that lazy after all!<br />(The little 'house' is a shrine to the gods which almost every home in Cambodia has)</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Our next stop was </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Koh Rong Island</span><span style="font-size:130%;">. It's a smallish island - one could probably walk around it in one day - off the coast of Sihanoukville in the gulf of Thailand. We spent most of our time on the island diving and chilling. It was so peaceful: there are only 2 tourist lodges on the island and one or two litle local fishing villages. We were there for three days and when someone mentioned that they were looking for a volunteer English teacher the idea of living on a perfect paradise tropical island for a few months was very tempting indeed...<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRW0qO-pgfo424OBUtAw_xldYacohvjiQQxB1dYVGKz6FDXDt2v_KaE7k3s1mAn_8U-yTutI-0QkSG8N6dZsYB27bDc2QU8gWzb8cUZ1cC1nbdermcGmftxIEK6LYwDxf3mvvfhw/s1600-h/DSC06745.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRW0qO-pgfo424OBUtAw_xldYacohvjiQQxB1dYVGKz6FDXDt2v_KaE7k3s1mAn_8U-yTutI-0QkSG8N6dZsYB27bDc2QU8gWzb8cUZ1cC1nbdermcGmftxIEK6LYwDxf3mvvfhw/s400/DSC06745.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440907622733911618" border="0" /></a></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51); font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Locals leading their water buffalo along the beach on Koh Rong. Water buffalo are ever-present and an intricate part of the lives of rural farmers in Cambodia.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidm9lKBZZ4kqCt9rkniE2YvcNuamf65o_UDrgxIg8oJdSgmAUvDD0a-vIw34qEqVcGYSnG9EyuzsAC8w3VOGkReLf_2_aSQS8OXd4ceOt8MObi-gCRiEtSBZ1iGmzYpEc0yN_ELg/s1600-h/DSC06747.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidm9lKBZZ4kqCt9rkniE2YvcNuamf65o_UDrgxIg8oJdSgmAUvDD0a-vIw34qEqVcGYSnG9EyuzsAC8w3VOGkReLf_2_aSQS8OXd4ceOt8MObi-gCRiEtSBZ1iGmzYpEc0yN_ELg/s400/DSC06747.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440908390439680066" border="0" /></a></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51); font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >The view from our bungalow on Koh Rong. Bliss. </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:130%;">A few more photos from Koh Rong.<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBHmroHlV4TLsIC6LieGNJXBG6Ue6ehdPM3wgdx-ftvwCi9itQQhpkpdW2QS-2TvTC_2jTNSGBwfInKaVYpu9W43OlrtexSVsC1cN6nSDYaO7SzyTLRYd1aTuzKr7JZGaw2TKZVg/s1600-h/DSC06768.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBHmroHlV4TLsIC6LieGNJXBG6Ue6ehdPM3wgdx-ftvwCi9itQQhpkpdW2QS-2TvTC_2jTNSGBwfInKaVYpu9W43OlrtexSVsC1cN6nSDYaO7SzyTLRYd1aTuzKr7JZGaw2TKZVg/s400/DSC06768.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440908153647335474" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYtaWMYUUN8j6MaqDsNhtQqtooOtgHFfX-2ylPoflQwEPQFYVIg3kzc_RT0KlUs5m4FqLGzL4Aq_Ofk5bxFCfw25a9nzjB4a94ARYVvoED53osXstjIgbeOuJsWj5drMR3DmZpg/s1600-h/DSC06773.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYtaWMYUUN8j6MaqDsNhtQqtooOtgHFfX-2ylPoflQwEPQFYVIg3kzc_RT0KlUs5m4FqLGzL4Aq_Ofk5bxFCfw25a9nzjB4a94ARYVvoED53osXstjIgbeOuJsWj5drMR3DmZpg/s400/DSC06773.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440909083903959266" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7-oO3dS5FCvqODLh4PSJ6hZLZdPQnL0eFtpy9H4pf2L4r5r7whZb5s_ANtrsEMmmHKo7diihvRKzEyFSDYVd6KoHMXAQY-ol0YqDtL-kC_zxGhpJwm38hFRKUpP9xdYGgg7Muhg/s1600-h/DSC06738.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7-oO3dS5FCvqODLh4PSJ6hZLZdPQnL0eFtpy9H4pf2L4r5r7whZb5s_ANtrsEMmmHKo7diihvRKzEyFSDYVd6KoHMXAQY-ol0YqDtL-kC_zxGhpJwm38hFRKUpP9xdYGgg7Muhg/s400/DSC06738.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440908780108312130" border="0" /></a><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:130%;">From Koh Rong island we went back to Sihanoukville for one night, and from there we caught a bus north-west to the border town of </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Krong Koh Kong</span><span style="font-size:130%;">. It's on the border with Thailand and is mainly seen by people on their way through. We stayed one night and relaxed and visited the mangrove forests of the Preah Krasaop Wildife Sanctuary. A walkway has been built in this mangrove forest - which is one of the biggest in South-East Asia. We enjoyed the early morning walk through the forest, but were a bit disappointed at the lack of information about the forest and its ecosystem. We had also hoped to do a bit of bird-watching as there were some special mangrove species we could've see but it was very quiet - wondered where all the birds were...<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq4A8vf7NhHOH_-xnCaaSngTk-wfi9UJAqh5GCEsFjs_xTpBBRCqhXN_6krOODdgoRmrkdpjavtqb20Wd-5zm-NLQivu90_ohKSTHT4lBdhkgNkVHrmBoPk9ISLGm6la_H30-n5Q/s1600-h/DSC06824.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq4A8vf7NhHOH_-xnCaaSngTk-wfi9UJAqh5GCEsFjs_xTpBBRCqhXN_6krOODdgoRmrkdpjavtqb20Wd-5zm-NLQivu90_ohKSTHT4lBdhkgNkVHrmBoPk9ISLGm6la_H30-n5Q/s400/DSC06824.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440966265839667378" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUAV7ncJr9eWhKR_f6PtpZRF7KSWjGzfyCW0ip3XViYj1AU9uvPnMXDKmZI50Xv7X8r3esOAXf0oqsCyGLknDcLvlvNcY7e8nPcL6UXYgIMmNrsnIa5Jxw2MYWJLnYVGDJD8oxA/s1600-h/DSC06819.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUAV7ncJr9eWhKR_f6PtpZRF7KSWjGzfyCW0ip3XViYj1AU9uvPnMXDKmZI50Xv7X8r3esOAXf0oqsCyGLknDcLvlvNcY7e8nPcL6UXYgIMmNrsnIa5Jxw2MYWJLnYVGDJD8oxA/s400/DSC06819.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440966252843711970" border="0" /></a></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51); font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Mangrove forest</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:130%;">From Krong Koh Kong we went to </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Rainbow Lodge</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> near the Tatai river. It was about a 40 minute tuk-tuk ride from Krong Koh Kong and then a 15 minute long boat ride up-river. Such a beautifully situated lodge. It is a so-called eco-lodge as they run mostly off solar energy and the lodge was built from sustainably harvested materials. It was nestled in the Cardamom Protected Forest and very peaceful indeed: far from the madding crowd as they say. We were there for three days and this was the most relaxing part of our trip. We passed the time swimming in the beautiful clean river, playing scrabble, reading and just chillin'. We also went for a 'Jungle Trek' - more like a nice walk through the forest, but lovely nonetheless.<br /><br />The experience left me thinking about the definition of the words jungle/tropical jungle/forest/rainforest/tropical jungle etc...The Cardamoms Forest is the largest intact piece of tropical forest/jungle on the South-east asian mainland. However, I don't know how 'intact' it is: there is a lot of poaching and most of the large mammals are no longer easy to spot as their populations numbers are so low. There are supposedly tigers, elephants and the rare siamese crocodile, amongst other lesser known mammals, in these forests, but even wildlife NGOs with camera traps are having very few sightings of them, so sadly even this last mainland jungle 'foothold' is no longer truly pristine. From the deck at Rainbow Lodge we did however hear gibbons calling in the mornings and there was lots of birdsong all around, so we did enjoy the bush! We also got to see giant hornbills which were amazing.<br /><br />Sadly, the Cambodian government has awarded a contract to an chinese company to build a huge dam on one of the major rivers running through the Cardamom forest, so there goes that one. I must admit, our peaceful nature experience at Rianbow Lodge was strongly tempered by the reality of epxloitation: Cambodia is still a very poor country and so the 'little' people use the forest as a resource, but much more dangerously, the 'big people' like this giant chinese dam construction company are being given free reign on one of the country's most precious natural resources. The people need eletcricity, hence the dam, but the manner in which the business is being conducted is not conducive for a long-term solution to Cambodia's poverty.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxIx0yKjpset29siV6myzXG4siF_GAC3sTUj6DXtHiCjOwPt7q-smlsyh2fhWknxOj2tQRzwVJtiKWnlYKaBpzdLo5iRYj9e1Rw176VRtn5ldBJBI1WFlSTwTTbNsdvgA6B7vuGg/s1600-h/DSC06894.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxIx0yKjpset29siV6myzXG4siF_GAC3sTUj6DXtHiCjOwPt7q-smlsyh2fhWknxOj2tQRzwVJtiKWnlYKaBpzdLo5iRYj9e1Rw176VRtn5ldBJBI1WFlSTwTTbNsdvgA6B7vuGg/s400/DSC06894.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440990740099181138" border="0" /></a></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51); font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Rainbow Lodge at Sunset, so bushy and green. We loved it!</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg72UdGIHvN91ev2AY2yx071TMsD_fyZiDBRGmQEGs7BzEzF064jERk1lKDwzu1HUBaydPvYsmTUh8WE3OJQ5RWrD_bH6RBgBqrlBryyDlgwrnFb8uGHrK_zCAithVvyVyvDgn8g/s1600-h/DSC06847.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg72UdGIHvN91ev2AY2yx071TMsD_fyZiDBRGmQEGs7BzEzF064jERk1lKDwzu1HUBaydPvYsmTUh8WE3OJQ5RWrD_bH6RBgBqrlBryyDlgwrnFb8uGHrK_zCAithVvyVyvDgn8g/s400/DSC06847.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440988262164928754" border="0" /></a></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51); font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Scrabble! we played again...and again..and again! Jules won more than me, but when I won, it was more convincing. Judge for yourself!</span> </div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIE8Mzo6k79EXpcdH1Et5JBJSj73Z9XEd3NIsraylYRqrxZnFGuhOKplmP5Co9iXb307ip_93f3bLSGrZ3IfZGc_2yw9X-1XEvTcZgA7XXrolHy8JGn_KvuI5HfhSLqVh7lZZuiw/s1600-h/DSC06844.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIE8Mzo6k79EXpcdH1Et5JBJSj73Z9XEd3NIsraylYRqrxZnFGuhOKplmP5Co9iXb307ip_93f3bLSGrZ3IfZGc_2yw9X-1XEvTcZgA7XXrolHy8JGn_KvuI5HfhSLqVh7lZZuiw/s400/DSC06844.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440987845264128610" border="0" /></a></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51); font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >The resident cat at Rainbow Lodge.<br />Almost every place we stayed in Cambodia had a cat - I loved being with them. Oh how I miss our kitties at home!</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha0pW3aDP40sNEEW2rcv2o9JvKFVf9SghYffvLh7gdvLQvuoMnuT4uiLTjz8_Ad7sycljZSu94060UE6rxDjXNf9QWgLdZQ14Aml9bhsTqWtdSweppct6H-pekfAwNwD_ebEUB_w/s1600-h/DSC06861.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha0pW3aDP40sNEEW2rcv2o9JvKFVf9SghYffvLh7gdvLQvuoMnuT4uiLTjz8_Ad7sycljZSu94060UE6rxDjXNf9QWgLdZQ14Aml9bhsTqWtdSweppct6H-pekfAwNwD_ebEUB_w/s400/DSC06861.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440989509010920354" border="0" /></a></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51); font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >"Jungle Trekking" - Jungle Jane?!</span> </div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhir3JKeNmoWa8LgLWRviY1v2tZ8sZIhkV4qQwS_OxX0G6P_DRHGUBmlJwwqKR7hoglmOmv8lUbYkblLNx14U40ijS4PANgDnB74598pC-dPy3Onb-vznRFKbaGD3nkLXkuS87abw/s1600-h/DSC06875.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhir3JKeNmoWa8LgLWRviY1v2tZ8sZIhkV4qQwS_OxX0G6P_DRHGUBmlJwwqKR7hoglmOmv8lUbYkblLNx14U40ijS4PANgDnB74598pC-dPy3Onb-vznRFKbaGD3nkLXkuS87abw/s400/DSC06875.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440989958108761954" border="0" /></a></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51); font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Beautiful waterfall on the Tatai river. </span> </div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />From Rainbow Lodge we travelled back up to </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Siem Reap</span><span style="font-size:130%;">. Another long 12-hour bus trip, only broken by a transfer into a second bus in Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia. As it happens, we didn't actually get round to spending any time in Phnom Penh. It is a bit of a pity, as I believe it has character and is a worthwhile place to explore, but we just wanted to see as much nature and countryside as possible. Enough city life for us here in Korea!<br /><br />We spent the last day of our holiday in Siem Reap again. We hadn't quite had our fill of the temples and it was nice being able to go back and do things at our pace and see the ones we hadn't managed to first time round. Here are some pics of the last bit of temple-hopping we did...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgchLB3tLmzA7YyVc9aJqy00p3HtYBEyC-Nv3dsEDVGzF6_CYM8nF9D0m6xCHL9-WRJzvBLpRUxbXJUOshD-EMS7V9YWg7gG4CKBbTaD6JegGq58akibn3RFYF5UsAUEY7KYoPBog/s1600-h/DSC07093.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgchLB3tLmzA7YyVc9aJqy00p3HtYBEyC-Nv3dsEDVGzF6_CYM8nF9D0m6xCHL9-WRJzvBLpRUxbXJUOshD-EMS7V9YWg7gG4CKBbTaD6JegGq58akibn3RFYF5UsAUEY7KYoPBog/s400/DSC07093.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440995658273985778" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFdnFc2ggXFC2dXQOg85T2ngxGlNCJRd_5nMB-B17cgbFY0MdC090sJ1IQ_umwzi0Nz2EXVWLXahqhuKcAbH-BSTXx95Qz_aBj9w2TvB2bLL-6ou-_xtqPBvsTiSSMut0fWyNFA/s1600-h/DSC07069.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFdnFc2ggXFC2dXQOg85T2ngxGlNCJRd_5nMB-B17cgbFY0MdC090sJ1IQ_umwzi0Nz2EXVWLXahqhuKcAbH-BSTXx95Qz_aBj9w2TvB2bLL-6ou-_xtqPBvsTiSSMut0fWyNFA/s400/DSC07069.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440995652099098498" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidnk1v0i_wu7u1__rOT4LMoQp0FIpXHgTIz8aWZt5gTD73EanJfSpSkAHErtUsRXYUo0zC0VsMRQ1eKfDXL-lWX5zdyX5VWKVLIS5NxfG5ZEFpMgv3w41IVUKP_BZT2cvgeqEVZw/s1600-h/DSC07038.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidnk1v0i_wu7u1__rOT4LMoQp0FIpXHgTIz8aWZt5gTD73EanJfSpSkAHErtUsRXYUo0zC0VsMRQ1eKfDXL-lWX5zdyX5VWKVLIS5NxfG5ZEFpMgv3w41IVUKP_BZT2cvgeqEVZw/s400/DSC07038.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440995642889403314" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2OEBInCNx82ublQ6W4QGHSB135KzwUVKKN7-QsqoALe87ACm7JEGDGqF6pT1255dqzRBwVXBuA6URaQYcwZ4u4PWCVO40Hb0cC8guAIMfic_83PU0q4eU0n1qs237t7atkQ4wFA/s1600-h/DSC07030.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2OEBInCNx82ublQ6W4QGHSB135KzwUVKKN7-QsqoALe87ACm7JEGDGqF6pT1255dqzRBwVXBuA6URaQYcwZ4u4PWCVO40Hb0cC8guAIMfic_83PU0q4eU0n1qs237t7atkQ4wFA/s400/DSC07030.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440995632019318114" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZRv4_d8offK8dcPLYVzguYO8fO9pFMVUPvhtTKZVqzDSfk3yIxjbmRBUG0oI8snzJ8HOYxvGJoxDE5S0u3bfe8iBs_dp25khrzyWTNaaRrUThUpWe9UdtJLSUFo0O3ApTMOUIQ/s1600-h/DSC07006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZRv4_d8offK8dcPLYVzguYO8fO9pFMVUPvhtTKZVqzDSfk3yIxjbmRBUG0oI8snzJ8HOYxvGJoxDE5S0u3bfe8iBs_dp25khrzyWTNaaRrUThUpWe9UdtJLSUFo0O3ApTMOUIQ/s400/DSC07006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440994325771784770" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGzWOIcG5KTHbDBlROWvHudmUKGPFKN_EyeVGUUpNXvzZVU1GoyN3DdpdlZCc3ffFctpXsVRjinlIg9UFpN9UjPBPUBmHUrT3nc7AS8m8AJ_kih27p9BzKtMZHALdmajp8F0NSCw/s1600-h/DSC06995.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGzWOIcG5KTHbDBlROWvHudmUKGPFKN_EyeVGUUpNXvzZVU1GoyN3DdpdlZCc3ffFctpXsVRjinlIg9UFpN9UjPBPUBmHUrT3nc7AS8m8AJ_kih27p9BzKtMZHALdmajp8F0NSCw/s400/DSC06995.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440994316779396354" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzcogdOYlpY4GSQIBOvuprw93WUW9bJ-MIIMmUTmKxzx6AihSLSAR2yBR2Q8tEmLnBapRHATruDfM0D5h_c1z3hrMuBvpzpqmNmTc_W6qLiUDMpA-2JQnnYlJFtmIqgy8re10-w/s1600-h/DSC06976.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzcogdOYlpY4GSQIBOvuprw93WUW9bJ-MIIMmUTmKxzx6AihSLSAR2yBR2Q8tEmLnBapRHATruDfM0D5h_c1z3hrMuBvpzpqmNmTc_W6qLiUDMpA-2JQnnYlJFtmIqgy8re10-w/s400/DSC06976.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440994307284539618" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCTRODpwuT8aj3-4sE-6xXYZO1TzzF1wasznaDgOjYkYdH_bJUjmqi8V4MdX4cFKr24FrCMTaygOu7HMbZfAzyPTBF5AuptKzj5_evph2toZyPat0u7r5hduGjJ6ZQiq62U0_nA/s1600-h/DSC06970.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCTRODpwuT8aj3-4sE-6xXYZO1TzzF1wasznaDgOjYkYdH_bJUjmqi8V4MdX4cFKr24FrCMTaygOu7HMbZfAzyPTBF5AuptKzj5_evph2toZyPat0u7r5hduGjJ6ZQiq62U0_nA/s400/DSC06970.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440994298678147490" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIC6SdEg1UqGF59Kv02KzunsUNqigGzpJHCtYZACc1IpIsRhCjLfNn_VSAbm3yDYVpwp7AKeIMCERlI6lInqu8mxFAxsA7ImrxFTQ6cylifb4mg1BFC_NVLT1LSi0EGreisVJttA/s1600-h/DSC06949.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIC6SdEg1UqGF59Kv02KzunsUNqigGzpJHCtYZACc1IpIsRhCjLfNn_VSAbm3yDYVpwp7AKeIMCERlI6lInqu8mxFAxsA7ImrxFTQ6cylifb4mg1BFC_NVLT1LSi0EGreisVJttA/s400/DSC06949.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440994284444494066" border="0" /></a><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJhYo4stLtFXxj1WSKCttGfqLVtAkoeJrF9hhCjBI-DtENOc_rY5-LT-yYvjDSf0nFcoVwWIOU32FCV4IzOPOqLRWsAznIMwAhtihCSOCFX9jLBiLc_FIyC9dMTCkZqhltYzEvow/s1600-h/DSC06941.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJhYo4stLtFXxj1WSKCttGfqLVtAkoeJrF9hhCjBI-DtENOc_rY5-LT-yYvjDSf0nFcoVwWIOU32FCV4IzOPOqLRWsAznIMwAhtihCSOCFX9jLBiLc_FIyC9dMTCkZqhltYzEvow/s400/DSC06941.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440993080845041618" border="0" /></a></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51); font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >My favouritest budding photographer and travel companion in the whole wide world!</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div></div></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29560304.post-45545443049698724622010-02-01T12:17:00.000+09:002010-02-01T12:20:42.637+09:00Cambodia - Preview<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">We've just returned from the most wonderful holiday in Cambodia. </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">We had a whole two weeks to explore and get to know the country and we really loved it. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I will write up a more detailed report on our trip but for now, here is a slide show of some of my better photos. Jules also took some really fantastic pics so keep an eye out for those. </span></span><br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="600" height="400" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjessicacockburn%2Falbumid%2F5433100505239457249%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29560304.post-24150186827181533112009-12-28T14:39:00.000+09:002009-12-28T14:51:03.105+09:00Merry Christmas in Korea<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjessicacockburn%2Falbumid%2F5420148253294367793%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" width="600" height="400"></embed><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We had a wonderful Christmas weekend! Thanks to our dear parents we had lots and lots of gifts and treats! I managed to produce lots of lovely sweet & spicy Christmas biscuits, Gluehwein and Christmas mince pies.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Thanks to our friends in Korea for good times: the Christmas Eve dinner on Thursday night, walk on Geumosan on Saturday morning, delicious pa-jeon and makkeoli for Christmas lunch, Sherlock Holmes (movie) on Christmas afternoon, Suanbo & Weoraksan snow, Cockburn's Port, pheasant & makkeoli on Boxing Day and a dinner party and live music to finish it all off with a flourish!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Here's to a fabulous 2010!</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29560304.post-8109848866908739422009-12-28T11:58:00.000+09:002009-12-28T13:31:31.085+09:00Christmas Decor at School<span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8FZUxgn2iZ72M0-i1Ws1-n7WGL3FjbeHtbP_yZqwicIDDuqh4pr9J0gvuVJb-m__4HChPCycDmpV9GVSUtpgxUY9T8qf4b-pIQiDzqxnnzvvpyzuJR5dkYpWqu-frpDjVPYQlPA/s1600-h/DSC05566.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 308px; height: 231px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8FZUxgn2iZ72M0-i1Ws1-n7WGL3FjbeHtbP_yZqwicIDDuqh4pr9J0gvuVJb-m__4HChPCycDmpV9GVSUtpgxUY9T8qf4b-pIQiDzqxnnzvvpyzuJR5dkYpWqu-frpDjVPYQlPA/s400/DSC05566.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420126113962189954" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">For the ten days leading up to Christmas, I planned lessons for 'my girls' (students) to make Christmas decorations. Christmas is celebrated in Korea, to some extent. Christmas Day is a national holiday, the big depratmnet stores play christmas music and sell piles of toys and christmas trees and cards, and Christian families usually go to church and spend the day together.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Christmas spirit is, however, not as we know it at home. Christmas is a minor holiday in Korea copared to the other biggies (Chuseok and Lunar New Year) and the Christmas spirit is more of a commercial one than anything else. This is of course partly true in western countries, but all in all there are more social activities leading up to Christmas back home than here.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We experienced this last Christmas, and for us, it made being away from home over Christmas even harder. We had a good time and our lovey parents sent us parcels and we bought each other gifts but it was still tough. To make it easier this year, I threw myself, body and soul, into making the Christmas season a festive one: for myself and those around me. I was baking biscuts many nights a week, we decorated our house and had at least three big Christmas meals over the long weekend. Happy Christmas = Lots of yummy food, right?! :)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">What I also did, was get Christmas cheer going at school. It is still strange to be at school right up until the the day of Christmas eve, but I enjoyed it so much more this year. I planned ahead a bit and managed to make a request for some money to buy stationery and other accessories needed to make christmas decorations. With our new principal, these kind of requests have become a reality and no longer a far off dream - what a pleasure! So off I went with the school's credit card and spent W120 000 at Sangju Stationary Centre. I bought lots and lots of colour paper, stickers, ribbons, glue, scissors, staples, etc. I had to do my calcuations quite carefully - by the end of the week, I would have seen about 650 students and I had to have enough materials for all of them.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Anyway, it all went swimmingly. The lesson itself was much more of a culture lesson than a language lesson: the girls told me that they don't usually make their own Christmas decorations, and they didn't know how to make gingerbread-man-chains, paper snowflakes or any of those simple paper crafts which we all learn at pre-school and make in our holidays at home. The most English they had to use was asking me for materials if they ran out "May I please have some more colour paper." " May I please have some ribbon." etc. This seems like very little, but believe me, it was difficult for some of them. What I liked about it is that it is REAL English which they are using to communicate with me.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">They thoroughly enjoyed making the decorations and hanging them up along their allocated part of the windows at school. So many teachers commented on the festive, pretty windows and I really felt like the decorations brought more of a Christmas spirit to my school. Yeyyyy!</span><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEZW0LoXGGDQ6lcg0-ZkeZE42KpXtQapJxsD2Zubzod9JjJYTCpszu8aorr2J4mOi66euMc6USvCY1EGvBEPidjpX7PFdpQH8fVasaW-nf8I-Z-bzNDAIYCzrt9CjI3r5TnA_Gg/s1600-h/DSC05589.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEZW0LoXGGDQ6lcg0-ZkeZE42KpXtQapJxsD2Zubzod9JjJYTCpszu8aorr2J4mOi66euMc6USvCY1EGvBEPidjpX7PFdpQH8fVasaW-nf8I-Z-bzNDAIYCzrt9CjI3r5TnA_Gg/s400/DSC05589.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420126521485714594" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Why? I don't know, but it made me laugh!!</span></span><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE_1s5L58rE18tBlF_3SEFsZMHstf3s1-QnQ1P0ifn2iKhKysgN42xndE7Aun8RqV2zOEGKkj3psfuTkIz1uHUtF8HikbtdCnFwI9wuwAy8EQEljAl89AMgTrifpQCw4XQAbp4Nw/s1600-h/DSC05586.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE_1s5L58rE18tBlF_3SEFsZMHstf3s1-QnQ1P0ifn2iKhKysgN42xndE7Aun8RqV2zOEGKkj3psfuTkIz1uHUtF8HikbtdCnFwI9wuwAy8EQEljAl89AMgTrifpQCw4XQAbp4Nw/s400/DSC05586.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420126511127495778" border="0" /></a><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8TlEK0FFmjNMlZCYtJ3k8VnIE7V_ZvA2xjXvNjVq_7ZgiyN-6sP48I8gZxh92W1-pkH6OstMuK6BSWhFuasTPEG_QdNvivS4VaJsk8i05szLTiqvB3R8IA_4K9Lfx1OeZ4XDFA/s1600-h/DSC05583.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8TlEK0FFmjNMlZCYtJ3k8VnIE7V_ZvA2xjXvNjVq_7ZgiyN-6sP48I8gZxh92W1-pkH6OstMuK6BSWhFuasTPEG_QdNvivS4VaJsk8i05szLTiqvB3R8IA_4K9Lfx1OeZ4XDFA/s400/DSC05583.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420126120198019314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">ONLY IN KOREA! Squid for Christmas!! :)</span></span><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8FZUxgn2iZ72M0-i1Ws1-n7WGL3FjbeHtbP_yZqwicIDDuqh4pr9J0gvuVJb-m__4HChPCycDmpV9GVSUtpgxUY9T8qf4b-pIQiDzqxnnzvvpyzuJR5dkYpWqu-frpDjVPYQlPA/s1600-h/DSC05566.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8FZUxgn2iZ72M0-i1Ws1-n7WGL3FjbeHtbP_yZqwicIDDuqh4pr9J0gvuVJb-m__4HChPCycDmpV9GVSUtpgxUY9T8qf4b-pIQiDzqxnnzvvpyzuJR5dkYpWqu-frpDjVPYQlPA/s400/DSC05566.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420126113962189954" border="0" /></a><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG8RqbFQql9u8BMniCm53lOZ4To-ymHJSRq3WMEP4sAP8pQAay1x__ZmLgSJ3qjWG5pztADDuy8hdLOV1iHQvOt47Y_tYg1PzAMYskfd1zg7rPBhIJd6p4XpTPQDZY_TGuejgunA/s1600-h/DSC05567.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG8RqbFQql9u8BMniCm53lOZ4To-ymHJSRq3WMEP4sAP8pQAay1x__ZmLgSJ3qjWG5pztADDuy8hdLOV1iHQvOt47Y_tYg1PzAMYskfd1zg7rPBhIJd6p4XpTPQDZY_TGuejgunA/s400/DSC05567.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420126108862842818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Instructions: probably much to difficult for most of the students to follow, but it helped me prepare and gave them some idea of the finished products. </span></span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWfnJTnpqvLskD4y4zAYUh5etgTFKeWYGbe0dnI1wKsAvqcgwW_55uwM1P1HOxHxAYw7E_qByXGSO-rxLGBSiHkq0CXI9jKF4Si6QcofrJTkBeR-9gDG6eJSv3LYkMefLEtjpskA/s1600-h/DSC05574.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWfnJTnpqvLskD4y4zAYUh5etgTFKeWYGbe0dnI1wKsAvqcgwW_55uwM1P1HOxHxAYw7E_qByXGSO-rxLGBSiHkq0CXI9jKF4Si6QcofrJTkBeR-9gDG6eJSv3LYkMefLEtjpskA/s400/DSC05574.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420126099243140850" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >This is Sujin. She is one of my favourite students. She is tiny and FULL of energy! Other teachers have problems with her in class as she has a very short attention span but she shines in my classes as most of the activities are high-energy. After every class, she stays behind and helps me clean up my desk and the classroom - she's my little angel!<br /></span></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_efHcH1CUB9vZb0V7kayQn8DhSSxSOHbnlbyyLmq_WnInPYbfgCdLhFJlROvrOlyw30LzWq-0l3iZ3wiwamuzZILFbGB9_8G6b5jBHTUe8ZAntWkBa-YEb1qIa-TTxlo5um-xeQ/s1600-h/DSC05572.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_efHcH1CUB9vZb0V7kayQn8DhSSxSOHbnlbyyLmq_WnInPYbfgCdLhFJlROvrOlyw30LzWq-0l3iZ3wiwamuzZILFbGB9_8G6b5jBHTUe8ZAntWkBa-YEb1qIa-TTxlo5um-xeQ/s400/DSC05572.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420126095420899042" border="0" /></a><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuK12IcTJTwafAEfACJR5rU4yYZMqzL9oSGUBY_nvjde5Otpytix2bfvOZ9xb99_hXWOsOSSjGO1dLAVmiAs91lS2F_jkfkIeKjKNTTja_HT7YvVGYMh-CbhCYW-mIXcKOTTf42Q/s1600-h/DSC05556.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuK12IcTJTwafAEfACJR5rU4yYZMqzL9oSGUBY_nvjde5Otpytix2bfvOZ9xb99_hXWOsOSSjGO1dLAVmiAs91lS2F_jkfkIeKjKNTTja_HT7YvVGYMh-CbhCYW-mIXcKOTTf42Q/s400/DSC05556.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420123863495121378" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Some of the girls took the opprtunity to make Christmas cards - for me and for some of their other teachers. </span><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8l688nbXJU2Bs-DXI_T3_QeED4IkHN_tCp5F_HnMPxMuQ8paWhfpiY1rC0a4WXUZc3ZBfG7bkSQzsBoDOTGwFRIMAo3i-3St1neLYH91k80IKdbuo6oAdjw8ynv64gqbZwK7LkA/s1600-h/DSC05560.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8l688nbXJU2Bs-DXI_T3_QeED4IkHN_tCp5F_HnMPxMuQ8paWhfpiY1rC0a4WXUZc3ZBfG7bkSQzsBoDOTGwFRIMAo3i-3St1neLYH91k80IKdbuo6oAdjw8ynv64gqbZwK7LkA/s400/DSC05560.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420123854112127074" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxE-cZmKRfoJMtHR6n6vZdHspqC2JIha55jDVxDs-yZgaK8UEuBB5gHk2hAAYyMFf_yoEQ7eS7D1PaZLXNU4oq2iQJJnu9J-GCiFcCCGUG2eaXdUdwnr1Vh_tenoQo0LrGYhyq6w/s1600-h/DSC05559.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxE-cZmKRfoJMtHR6n6vZdHspqC2JIha55jDVxDs-yZgaK8UEuBB5gHk2hAAYyMFf_yoEQ7eS7D1PaZLXNU4oq2iQJJnu9J-GCiFcCCGUG2eaXdUdwnr1Vh_tenoQo0LrGYhyq6w/s400/DSC05559.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420123845874058386" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRRIaneT2PAzw6S0nkC9UsVQMkdCAumrG22xz-mbPYocAA6M2HDaIsJ8JfLR_mNFkO-xb5j5aw9JBGshNkCa1tFfPpkG8OX9e0Yjqus6R4G2y6h22ex3wZH7jwuT9SurYWp67w8g/s1600-h/DSC05547.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRRIaneT2PAzw6S0nkC9UsVQMkdCAumrG22xz-mbPYocAA6M2HDaIsJ8JfLR_mNFkO-xb5j5aw9JBGshNkCa1tFfPpkG8OX9e0Yjqus6R4G2y6h22ex3wZH7jwuT9SurYWp67w8g/s400/DSC05547.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420123840448358834" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgYopRyw1tTnm3o8K2mfMISaYt2ZT5sFeegDeB6f8yRGw2wTRYHDgFGJmOo3ykbRC-BLU6LD4DLefpSo7LLtCvmoz755TnMvIUHepkV7tUsVzLnqfhbvPQvSUBOv0Wik_ESHOhA/s1600-h/DSC05553.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgYopRyw1tTnm3o8K2mfMISaYt2ZT5sFeegDeB6f8yRGw2wTRYHDgFGJmOo3ykbRC-BLU6LD4DLefpSo7LLtCvmoz755TnMvIUHepkV7tUsVzLnqfhbvPQvSUBOv0Wik_ESHOhA/s400/DSC05553.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420123829979698946" border="0" /></a><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEiDvAt4icsagz2I_P4y_ffrRpL5CFMMQawhB7xoQFgOSD9OErmd6GiyGwIREs1WiOPN4gh9yoTU9u6Xrq-KAI7DlAf_s2fp3qbJObVXB2g-agb45X4ogAZ6iYxN8n4R53H6QoKQ/s1600-h/DSC05552.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEiDvAt4icsagz2I_P4y_ffrRpL5CFMMQawhB7xoQFgOSD9OErmd6GiyGwIREs1WiOPN4gh9yoTU9u6Xrq-KAI7DlAf_s2fp3qbJObVXB2g-agb45X4ogAZ6iYxN8n4R53H6QoKQ/s400/DSC05552.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420120186894679970" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >Some of the first grade students at the high school. In typical Korean-teenaged-girl style they're doing their best to obscure their faces. It's quite sad...most of thes egirls think their faces are too big, and they all want narrower faces like westerners. What a sad thing!</span><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrZMSoLi6VBckKSTlXoq-Fc80hpIsq4KjTRtWI6CS9oSQrZgJ3-3m-jbzNw5FH8COhxZFctz2nqo9Uap3f4bnwEqdDbL_AGDawOdXCX84vVdYo680OPG3ZBdGCSU1lTpUYAk-ZAw/s1600-h/DSC05549.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrZMSoLi6VBckKSTlXoq-Fc80hpIsq4KjTRtWI6CS9oSQrZgJ3-3m-jbzNw5FH8COhxZFctz2nqo9Uap3f4bnwEqdDbL_AGDawOdXCX84vVdYo680OPG3ZBdGCSU1lTpUYAk-ZAw/s400/DSC05549.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420120176577256242" border="0" /></a><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83owZmSk7xEBfPEc_-63bBYxSpaFEplTXOc7ziWIuv1T8ysi944Esjt3GDqOgBH3cmxWhSgenbQ6mbqwITznsI4xVLeCC5Nc_Fk1qfRzD3dW9nb7-3PUnN32Vg3yk8Gj56PrE2w/s1600-h/DSC05546.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83owZmSk7xEBfPEc_-63bBYxSpaFEplTXOc7ziWIuv1T8ysi944Esjt3GDqOgBH3cmxWhSgenbQ6mbqwITznsI4xVLeCC5Nc_Fk1qfRzD3dW9nb7-3PUnN32Vg3yk8Gj56PrE2w/s400/DSC05546.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420120166423945490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Mr Kang and I: He is my co-teacher at the high school and is absoultely wonderful. I think he is the main reason why I feel so much more at home at the high school than the middle school. He speaks almost perfect English and is so understanding and encouraging. He's also a real joker, so being in the classroom with him is such a pleasure. </span></span><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1uHLl6-mLgVV_ezLH01D1d9rwK1Gq2GmYQarm-b6CVf_7TX2PQ8qgmZmPSt0Q18hyphenhyphen2ZrLIgp4H1Lop8HVXSDzSy3tRrLXWAH0t6EfbCukPP1eVdDxpWtDh9VNkLOn0ezoa4qvg/s1600-h/DSC05540.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1uHLl6-mLgVV_ezLH01D1d9rwK1Gq2GmYQarm-b6CVf_7TX2PQ8qgmZmPSt0Q18hyphenhyphen2ZrLIgp4H1Lop8HVXSDzSy3tRrLXWAH0t6EfbCukPP1eVdDxpWtDh9VNkLOn0ezoa4qvg/s400/DSC05540.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420120165114329282" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1YbbQ54IMwBBLos8YzKh917cGLfHIqZuZ1HZCrrTcyR4W7Hm_nxYL7u3bwONP3XnDY5n1iWh-VFOrBZSdhPEmO7GSJYVAQrJNpIx-SOnf2N4wpmhaeXfW009TUV8sptjB50WIrg/s1600-h/DSC05539.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1YbbQ54IMwBBLos8YzKh917cGLfHIqZuZ1HZCrrTcyR4W7Hm_nxYL7u3bwONP3XnDY5n1iWh-VFOrBZSdhPEmO7GSJYVAQrJNpIx-SOnf2N4wpmhaeXfW009TUV8sptjB50WIrg/s400/DSC05539.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420120154300040674" border="0" /></a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29560304.post-4764138670608004222009-12-28T09:28:00.000+09:002009-12-28T11:45:59.598+09:00Snowy Skiing at Muju Resort<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Two weekends ago we went skiing at Muju resort. Muju Ski Resort os one of the biggest in Korea and is about 2 hours from here by car.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Arranging public transport to get to Muju was a bit of a nightmare - we were going to take a shuttle bus organised by the resort, but then it was cancelled at the last minute as they didn't get enough bookings. So then we were going to have to take two trains, a bus and a very expensive taxi to get to the resort. Our dear friend Seong-suk then came up with the brilliant idea of hiring a van (=mini bus). Her husband arranged a great deal for us and for W200 000 for the weekend it was very much affordable. I was the designated driver - the only one with an international drivers' licence - and fortunately it all went very well. Thanks go to Dan, a UK friend of ours, for taking over the tricky snow-driving!</span></span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" > We had a fabulous time at Muju: the weather was perfectly wintery! It snowed most of the time we were there - this was of course accompanied by very cold temperatures: it was around -7 degrees C most of the time, and at one point my eyelashes even began freezing shut (scary!!) but it was great for skiing. I am still not a very good skiier but I really enjoyed going down the slopes at my own pace, and by now I am relatively comfortable even going down the internediate slopes which is a real personal achievement!<br /><br />My skills were really put to the test on Sunday afternoon when we decided to all go down the longest slope at Muju together. It is called 'The Silk Route' and starts high up in the mountains. When we got out of the gondola (=small cable car) at the top it was very misty and windy. We had lunch at the restaurant on top and then headed off to the slopes: well, the conditions were rather scary. By now the wind was howling and the mist and snow coming down so think one couldn't see more than about 20m ahead. This all on a relatively steep slope which had turned to ice. The wind had blown all the surface snow off the slope and it was treacherous and very, very slippery. Scary on smooth skis which are made for snow not ice!<br /><br />Anyway, we took it really slow, and Lina, our 'Ice Angel' helped us avoid the worst of the ice. She is an experienced snow-boarder and it was very comforting having here there with us. The scary conditions lasted for about 2km of the slope, and as we got lower down it cleared a bit but it was certainly a rather nerve-racking experience - bonding for sure!<br /><br />Our group for the weekend was as follows: Simon, Dan, Melissa, Lina, Julian and Jess. Lina is from the nearby town of Gimcheon and the others are all from Sangju. A combo of 2 Poms, 2 Americans and 2 South Africans. We had a fantastic time together and really look forward to another ski trip in February when we're back from Cambodia. Enjoy the photos!<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQLt7TooqWHZU5jizBU5BVuNV2MKrBPmFlRBRWVxdJsWcjC5aTKTTr9GOENxip9swlOUpi47ITujR4Bd4-pEIdj2IjYbErEZWduAmxz1J_dpDgv5LbgotzuPIEzUi6NolJRjy2tg/s1600-h/DSC05649.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQLt7TooqWHZU5jizBU5BVuNV2MKrBPmFlRBRWVxdJsWcjC5aTKTTr9GOENxip9swlOUpi47ITujR4Bd4-pEIdj2IjYbErEZWduAmxz1J_dpDgv5LbgotzuPIEzUi6NolJRjy2tg/s400/DSC05649.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420098841197614370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Beautiful Muju Ski Resort: the resort is designed in a kind of Alpine Style - very well done actually!<br /><br /></span></span></span> </div><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" > </span><div style="text-align: center;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha0_C24Eap7-nL0DewXxFCwst4wPHNUY4f7_chkIZ8q0Mc4LPBE6ppG8g7jcQeH9IqJXqcoLFf5PTnJv1Aw9wfw0XoXKwy1bzeppR3OnAc0LbNuChF2cKMhkrmFf2lMU-tirW8ug/s1600-h/DSC05643.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha0_C24Eap7-nL0DewXxFCwst4wPHNUY4f7_chkIZ8q0Mc4LPBE6ppG8g7jcQeH9IqJXqcoLFf5PTnJv1Aw9wfw0XoXKwy1bzeppR3OnAc0LbNuChF2cKMhkrmFf2lMU-tirW8ug/s400/DSC05643.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420098832164014130" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >An ice-cream in the snow at minus 7, I just had to!</span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNfARou6VeQ1xZZvmxf858ln6jI274lh03lGxJlAWHic4H3HSBF1Oja8cM_IQgDIWmopg3ggtrguBm54yjRXh6ket0uixSYGv0bEASMjAxMDGu9dGKztlyAyDUTA2YldcMqOZ_vA/s1600-h/DSC05637.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNfARou6VeQ1xZZvmxf858ln6jI274lh03lGxJlAWHic4H3HSBF1Oja8cM_IQgDIWmopg3ggtrguBm54yjRXh6ket0uixSYGv0bEASMjAxMDGu9dGKztlyAyDUTA2YldcMqOZ_vA/s400/DSC05637.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420101696987015762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The slopes! This was a beginner slope - one which I spent most of my weekend going down, just getting into it again and not putting too much pressure on<span style="font-style: italic;"> m</span></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;">yself :)</span><br /><br /></div><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" > </span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWRp93zrEhb_42-HWsy-1YtwgVUaXoPfz10S7hyphenhyphenq4hw8NtCxs1K6ketp9pFdXmm59peTtm7zOwdiq8ZzABCDICJODxUFNFpGKEUIatH3DB6GtGAPiV0I7SlYcd_GBpmIED6LWxHg/s1600-h/DSC05636.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWRp93zrEhb_42-HWsy-1YtwgVUaXoPfz10S7hyphenhyphenq4hw8NtCxs1K6ketp9pFdXmm59peTtm7zOwdiq8ZzABCDICJODxUFNFpGKEUIatH3DB6GtGAPiV0I7SlYcd_GBpmIED6LWxHg/s400/DSC05636.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420098825858911618" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Who's who??</span></span></span><br /><br /></div><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" > <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7FUBhxxJYUDpGj_otm3DDvIS3na3lAZff5-1vREOV-5j-jyZZL04YAtW_jhTwjy8jMd5t22iOY6GXnO75viquh0gZdSwAq4tchz-k9RBLVpPpVpdY1aYo8W2gzkxRC74yZVgdpw/s1600-h/DSC05629.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7FUBhxxJYUDpGj_otm3DDvIS3na3lAZff5-1vREOV-5j-jyZZL04YAtW_jhTwjy8jMd5t22iOY6GXnO75viquh0gZdSwAq4tchz-k9RBLVpPpVpdY1aYo8W2gzkxRC74yZVgdpw/s400/DSC05629.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420098818568719906" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrdweEimekCjXKL0slbS1J5NU-ZWlRUGS_zrdHbvcaZgWxbeGtUqMVqV3wjF5AB6hd-XYSiCSZOSj3C7RJ_s_Idl4xaJRSdKOncvIoSGG5ieNTCzbA5_OUlGQ-AET7fIMhnG8Pkg/s1600-h/DSC05628.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrdweEimekCjXKL0slbS1J5NU-ZWlRUGS_zrdHbvcaZgWxbeGtUqMVqV3wjF5AB6hd-XYSiCSZOSj3C7RJ_s_Idl4xaJRSdKOncvIoSGG5ieNTCzbA5_OUlGQ-AET7fIMhnG8Pkg/s400/DSC05628.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420098815862714674" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrEa2xb9IVpGn1oTFzCu9kKacq27c5zsx-MC7flkfdZt53v8t8aqnC2Y2hOlghqbGfz7nPZgidVo5nxKXq9WHty6fsIfq81o2MbICs0gH2mbwnbvkv3HCN3NVF55ioVFrS0yHU8w/s1600-h/DSC05626.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrEa2xb9IVpGn1oTFzCu9kKacq27c5zsx-MC7flkfdZt53v8t8aqnC2Y2hOlghqbGfz7nPZgidVo5nxKXq9WHty6fsIfq81o2MbICs0gH2mbwnbvkv3HCN3NVF55ioVFrS0yHU8w/s400/DSC05626.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420082799918163170" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkgZtwW26uBomCU6LJh5o3Nngk9lqpSUIvZgeJGYzlPY4E-epu495rig2VVuvfiwHmXjFAlZeHXfbCsCR27DGAnMYFka3KKC5Pw9v1aZ2FecWwiPDSYjR-5EEoN4btVifdeXT8vg/s1600-h/DSC05624.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkgZtwW26uBomCU6LJh5o3Nngk9lqpSUIvZgeJGYzlPY4E-epu495rig2VVuvfiwHmXjFAlZeHXfbCsCR27DGAnMYFka3KKC5Pw9v1aZ2FecWwiPDSYjR-5EEoN4btVifdeXT8vg/s400/DSC05624.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420082793028942610" border="0" /></a> </span><div style="text-align: center;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGC0WWv09Lym3pleAuO71azLawZCVj-WUvvqQALTQryZlhb0bt1y4Dwk_KU-dWSTw_aSrVgwLg0KhseLNDS7TcKa1sa9dZWQJMXCePp726uYvGxptFmfh56NZvip34NMAjqQE8g/s1600-h/DSC05623.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGC0WWv09Lym3pleAuO71azLawZCVj-WUvvqQALTQryZlhb0bt1y4Dwk_KU-dWSTw_aSrVgwLg0KhseLNDS7TcKa1sa9dZWQJMXCePp726uYvGxptFmfh56NZvip34NMAjqQE8g/s400/DSC05623.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420082784193008322" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Go Team! from left to right: Simon, Melissa, Dan, Lina, Julian, Jess. </span></span></span><br /><br /></div><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" > </span><div style="text-align: center;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiznykBXdcIovVimnTXLXzTlUL0cnXHu-f0MyB_q7VenU_hS1VB-gCLHr4Vlu1xumAnwNrfE6EMFu0g-S3aj8SqFSnrI8_gwLbbz1P0wLtbxslI72WZmCaeuasmcnuB-ZaNZ8bzVw/s1600-h/DSC05617.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiznykBXdcIovVimnTXLXzTlUL0cnXHu-f0MyB_q7VenU_hS1VB-gCLHr4Vlu1xumAnwNrfE6EMFu0g-S3aj8SqFSnrI8_gwLbbz1P0wLtbxslI72WZmCaeuasmcnuB-ZaNZ8bzVw/s400/DSC05617.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420082776762992194" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >Cleaning the snow off the car, as more was falling! We really loved being in the snow, it is still such a novelty for us!</span></span><br /><br /></div><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" > <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVMTmLLprjaafJGuG8NrKIu1sZqDsytiJry23r7TwGPorIwhiIbmO9pXZ9Mq86SemnYKqz2BWy_Txth0EhvNo_mWsLiLOvglJPrYb5YcgfsiM0FwvwLttRujrQzx7STU8QNkA6Q/s1600-h/DSC05613.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVMTmLLprjaafJGuG8NrKIu1sZqDsytiJry23r7TwGPorIwhiIbmO9pXZ9Mq86SemnYKqz2BWy_Txth0EhvNo_mWsLiLOvglJPrYb5YcgfsiM0FwvwLttRujrQzx7STU8QNkA6Q/s400/DSC05613.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420082771141977842" border="0" /></a> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29560304.post-2979607066385632372009-12-22T14:00:00.000+09:002009-12-22T14:15:07.134+09:00Eating 팥죽 on 동지날<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 338px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 338px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417922890676140946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQlRY3zZczmu-Me03YThAsuljVTAVcI9X-hHgleDOYYvVMrX6k_lIJIVQRL4R27MlnKzVk4i4yaj3jlEUsmsv8Lmb7mbLhmHAScU0KICtREcw0k0jpuF4LJJ36_St7mmLCcbjC9g/s400/redbean" /><br /></span><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;">I am now safe for the winter: I went to eat 팥죽 on 동지날 with my colleagues. 팥죽 (patjuk) is red bean soup with glutinous rice balls and 동지날 (dongjinal) is a traditional Korean holiday which falls on winter solstice, the 22nd of December. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;">Eating red bean soup on this day is an important traditional Korean ritual: it is believed to prevent evil spirits, and protect the people who make it (and eat it) from bad luck and epidemic diseases. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;">So some of the teachers at my high school invited me to come with them to a small temple near our school where we had red bean soup for lunch. It was delicious! I really like beans and the soup had a lovely rich, earthy flavour. It had rice balls in it, which are called "birds eggs" in Korean. The monks at the temple also brought us kimchi: this was honestly amongst the best kimchi I have tasted. I am not a huge fan of the stuff, but this was rather tasty. Since they are buddhists they don't eat meat and so instead of using fish sauce as the base of the kimchi sauce, they had used pumpkin and persimmon pulp: so much better!</span></div><br /><div><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></em></div><div><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><em><span style="font-size:100%;">P.S. The picture is straight off the internet. This was another one of those 'surprise' occasions on which I wish I had had my camera, but didn't</span></em>.</span> </span></div><div></div><br /><strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;">Afterthought:</span></strong><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;">I am really enjoying being at the high school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I started conversation classes for all the teachers about 2 months ago and it has made the teachers so much more open and friendly towards me. I really feel almost 'part of the family' - more so than I ever expected.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29560304.post-81332327694560376652009-12-13T21:55:00.000+09:002009-12-13T23:59:42.534+09:00A Fascinating Tea Experience<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Last week I had a surprising and wonderful experience. Initially I had the usual 'what's going on here?' kind of feeling which we as foreigners in Korea know so well, but that feeling soon changed to one of curiosity, respect and humility. </span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Mr Shin, one of the senior teachers at my high school - the one who's mother's funeral ceremony I attended - came along on Thursday and told me that his friend at the local court wanted to have English conversation lessons. Thanks to interpretation by the ever-wonderful Mr Kang (my high school co-teacher), it turns out that Mr Shin's friend is the chief judge of the Sangju district court and that he wants me to give him and his staff at the court English conversation lessons. To discuss the details, he had scheduled a meeting for us on Thursday afternoon.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So off the three of us (Shin, Kang, Jess) went to the court. An important-looking place of course, with metal detectors in the foyer and finger-print entrance-security in the corridors. Once we entered the chief judge's office I suddenly felt rather small and lowly: he has a huge office with the usual 'important' couches for entertaning guests - similar to the ones one encunters in other important places in Korea. We bowed our greetings and took our seats.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The judge sat at the head of the table and infront of him the typical equipment for a traditional Korean tea ceremony were laid out. This took me by surprise, but it soon became apparent that this was his way of showing respect to us for agreeing to meet with him, and in no time the tea ceremony was in full swing.<br /><br />Kang did a fabulous job of explaining to me what the judge was saying about the various pieces of equipment, different types of tea, preparation methods etc. I commented that one doesn't come across traditional tea ceremonies very often, and Kang translated that this had to do with the Japanese occupation which tried to stamp out a lot of Korean traditions. </span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Tea ceremonies are generally associated with people of higher social standing, then and now, and this explains why the judge would have 'treated' us to this: as a way of welcoming us, but also maybe to make us appreciate that we were in 'important' company.<br /><br />It seems that traditional tea ceremonies in Korea were becoming less and less common, but have recently been experiencing a kind pf 'revival', as a way of relaxing in the formal setting of the workplace, and re-connecting with traditional buddhist beliefs and a healthier way of life.<br /><br /></span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So the equipment which the judge, Mr Song Bong-Kie, used was as follows: a main teapot (symbolic of the father), a secondary 'teapot', a kind of shallow cup with a spout (symbolic of the mother) and a few small cups without handles (symbolic of the children). The tea leaves - he used early-harvest green tea - are placed into the 'father' pot and then it is filled to the brim with boiling water. It is left for about a minute, no longer, and then the tea is poured into the 'mother' pot/cup. From the mother pot it is then poured into the 'children' cups.<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtg-WXb0BE90L-rJ3YpM9E3Fr9OizpxriJ2keUxFj54FmD2aK7RIVCeVBO-oQ1CZPkjyvdxEq6_7YILekS9dh83KdWRDxASbEuDWbqzFpJF5Cl7ZNV_vXW2QKHu-fYlisEqWLODQ/s1600-h/DSC05535.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtg-WXb0BE90L-rJ3YpM9E3Fr9OizpxriJ2keUxFj54FmD2aK7RIVCeVBO-oQ1CZPkjyvdxEq6_7YILekS9dh83KdWRDxASbEuDWbqzFpJF5Cl7ZNV_vXW2QKHu-fYlisEqWLODQ/s400/DSC05535.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414733965986137538" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(51, 255, 51); font-style: italic;">'Dad' teapot - with the symbolically phalic handle, 'Mom' pot in the background (as usual) and the kids lined up next to them. </span><br /></div><span style="font-size:130%;"> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />We were each given a little cup and could drink our tea. The green tea leaves can be re-used three times, i.e. the 'father' pot is re-filled with water three times. I must note that the 'tea set' is very small compared to our western tea sets: the pots and the cups. The tea tasted lovely: a clean, green tea kind of taste which I'm sure I couldn't even fully appreciate.<br /><br />He told us that he also uses Puerh Tea from China, which he buys in compressed cakes for lots of money. I definitely got the impression that doing the tea ceremony the really traditional and proper way required access to lots of money.<br /><br />They asked me whether I drink tea: I said yes, but that I drink tea from tea-bags and feel that one can hardly compare the two. I tried to look bashful and I think I communicated myself quite well :) Mr Shin himself is also quite a tea connoiseur and often brings me traditional Korean tea to try at school. But he refuses to try my rooibos tea as it is in a teabag! </span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />Then a friend of the judge's, a buddhist tea mistress, came to join us. She is a highly-respected tea master/msitress(?) and is the one who taught the judge all about tea and tea ceremonies. This appeared to be the really special part as she used some very fancy implements to prepare 'Malcha' tea - powdered green tea of the highest quality.<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhASyUJwkNMEtdhF9AWliwNPkquLZ2HmL6kpvjShopJyN-u9VTQyYk1xe98DB51mfScj5Riu1ufmfZpGJg_DracAbSbCJHKy7Z_7CV7TK9UjS5Oiz9kb0IX_HcmK1Nnh00CAhUGyw/s1600-h/powdered+green+tea.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhASyUJwkNMEtdhF9AWliwNPkquLZ2HmL6kpvjShopJyN-u9VTQyYk1xe98DB51mfScj5Riu1ufmfZpGJg_DracAbSbCJHKy7Z_7CV7TK9UjS5Oiz9kb0IX_HcmK1Nnh00CAhUGyw/s400/powdered+green+tea.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414733961971628354" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51); font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;">Equipment for making Malcha tea - powdered green tea. (photo courtesy of 'The Internet')</span><br /></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />She used a different kind of pot - similar to the 'mother' pot - for this tea. A special bamboo spatula was used to place the powdered tea into the pot and then a little cold and then hot water was added to it. She then used a very strange looking implement made of bamboo: it looked like a cross between an old-school shaving-foam brush and a whisk.<br /><br />She stirred the mixture very briskly for a few minutes and it got all foamy and green - a lovely bright colour. We each had a turn to drink the tea straight out of the mother 'pot' and then she made a fresh batch for the next person: it had a very strong, rather bitter flavour, but also very fresh. I quite enjoyed it!</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The judge then gave me a tea set: this came as a complete surprise to me, and I felt very honoured and humbled. He explained that the tea set was pottery and made in a wood-fired kiln by a well-known monk at a nearby temple.<br /><br />Mr Shin later told me that I was very lucky to receive that tea-set as a gift as one cannot actually buy them: the 'special' monk who makes them only gives them as gifts. Now the pressure is on - I will have to ask Mr Shin to help me buy the 'right' tea to drink from my unique and precious tea set - and ask him to help me make sure I do it all right. Come on over and I'll show you all how :) </span> <span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJmurizUnKZEo7SIdOfdWWIahDgKmWfOWC3guOLtkcqs15wZ6_nZbkkKyxZ4yoHwKtlV8EBS4UIV2YTlghj1Z5YlFAC3mArsjy3Jci73U_n57MPWFOHw0uVVF3LQnu2nbSWfHlQ/s1600-h/DSC05528.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJmurizUnKZEo7SIdOfdWWIahDgKmWfOWC3guOLtkcqs15wZ6_nZbkkKyxZ4yoHwKtlV8EBS4UIV2YTlghj1Z5YlFAC3mArsjy3Jci73U_n57MPWFOHw0uVVF3LQnu2nbSWfHlQ/s400/DSC05528.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414733974325726914" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">My special tea-set, wrapped in the traditional Korean way. </span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLCg52iK1L4dmkZM1hu87W9xNV1tfBM1ZPGuYsY7PHG28kmgyNiYWUXmY4Ki7wksh1vy2Hi_7gxyCeez8UAjyBtJ77wH1EbI0ThM5J_hWnxMN1hD_NjFG4CZgvYhHA2J1dPNaGhQ/s1600-h/DSC05530.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLCg52iK1L4dmkZM1hu87W9xNV1tfBM1ZPGuYsY7PHG28kmgyNiYWUXmY4Ki7wksh1vy2Hi_7gxyCeez8UAjyBtJ77wH1EbI0ThM5J_hWnxMN1hD_NjFG4CZgvYhHA2J1dPNaGhQ/s400/DSC05530.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414733980455946930" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><br />Post script:</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />At no point during our meeting did we discuss the English lessons. The closest we came was the judge asking me whether I needed to see a dentist, and inviting us to a dinner meeting with himself and his dentist friend where we would (maybe!) discuss the English lessons further (?). After the dinner his dentist friend would be more than happy to check my teeth! To be continued...<br /><br /></span> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29560304.post-52940887940986047222009-12-11T09:32:00.000+09:002009-12-11T11:06:15.731+09:00Fly-by-night Sumo Trip to Japan<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A few weeks ago we had the wonderful fortune of going along on a trip to Fukuoka in Japan. The main, and almost only, purpose of our trip was to watch the Sumo Wrestling Grand Tournament which was being held in Fukuoka. There are four grand tournaments a year, and only on in Fukuoka - the nearest Japanese city for us - so it was the perfect opportunity. We took a train down to Busan (3 hours) and then a 3-hour ferry across to Fukuoka. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The only part of this experience which was bad, was the awful mission we had to go through to get visas: we had to provide so much paprework, for a 2 day visit. What made it all the more annoying was that the Brits, Canadians and Americans whom we went with were visa-exempt - love it! (Wait 'til we got o China...:))</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Anyway, we had a really fabulous time. We were a group of 8 and all got along like a house on fire, I was amazed at how a group of 8 interdependently-minded people could make travel decisions without too much struggle at all. Yey! </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We also managed to fit in a delicious Japanese drinking-meal and a some late night capers in a Bourbon bar in downtown Fukuoka - where I was incredibly privileged to be given a Kimono as a gift - a 60-year old one at that, thanks Bourbon+Asian generosity :)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The next morning we managed to fit in a visit to the Robot Center and the beachfront before catching our ferry home. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Here are the pics I showed my students - they laughed SOO much at the sumo wrestlers, they loved it! I tried to emphasize the importance of respecting Sumo as an ancient part of Japanese culture and get them to look beyond the 'sexy panties' and big bellies and 'boobs' but that was lost on them :)</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF5Kjz5VW-8l5sw_RZDm4EhEDQSFB4YsZM5KuXhd_Rg0ha34M6PIe6U1AyNIk1_CKZ0r2umc21Zn1MKVfPH6sr1Ulh-4XRsH_6hjyg2ZtdMZmVXqssvIXpadvMHg0u01YeEm1BBQ/s1600-h/%EC%8A%AC%EB%9D%BC%EC%9D%B4%EB%93%9C3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF5Kjz5VW-8l5sw_RZDm4EhEDQSFB4YsZM5KuXhd_Rg0ha34M6PIe6U1AyNIk1_CKZ0r2umc21Zn1MKVfPH6sr1Ulh-4XRsH_6hjyg2ZtdMZmVXqssvIXpadvMHg0u01YeEm1BBQ/s400/%EC%8A%AC%EB%9D%BC%EC%9D%B4%EB%93%9C3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413770208868896274" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqyDoPGTufGUWdMeD4o4IXSp_o2JKIQxm6Hu94mG1ap80uRweNxysWFF3zPvIfLPJyzJL0PNMQ4i9G2y6kjOmYClpAwHDCb7VahEP8Z_lJUqa26EdhLqMwKgo7vNIbjtJtWiPQVQ/s1600-h/%EC%8A%AC%EB%9D%BC%EC%9D%B4%EB%93%9C1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; 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display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8JzZJB5T7uP_PSIJ0oI_Zi7B2qFIbxnDbSY3qXbuL0YP2ql9tc__CmRB2GCZg3inbBAueGnU1XrH1YVkBsafGUrzhoDn0hMSgNjJedFudoTALYPemIHd2dLiTywMCpdOqotrQuQ/s400/%EC%8A%AC%EB%9D%BC%EC%9D%B4%EB%93%9C18.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413770770160109138" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29560304.post-77680078745762489352009-11-19T08:51:00.000+09:002009-11-19T08:54:24.827+09:00Vote Earth!The Copenhagen Conference is coming nearer...and the politicians are backing out.<br /><br />That kinda sucks, but WWF and others are still trying to make something happen. <br /><br />Please clisk here and then 'VOTE EARTH' to do your bit. <br />We should all do our bit. It might well be too late already but let's try!<br /><br /><iframe src="http://voteearth.wwf.org.za/widgets/?w=2&ref=6da720368687807fa9f96f4e9a498a90" frameborder="0" height="355" width="300"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29560304.post-37574284008230465962009-11-17T16:22:00.001+09:002009-11-17T16:24:17.993+09:00It's winter!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;">And how do I know that for sure?<br /><br />Well, of ocurse because it's bloody freezing cold, but also: the leaves have all fallen off the trees, the ajumams are hidden behind big coats and face masks, the heaters have been turned on in the staffroom at school and I am drinking hot water. Yup, never thought I'd do that, but one can only take in so much hot tea and coffee in one day to warm up, and then one can still drink water.<br /><br />Also...there were reports of a little snowfall on Sunday - in Sangju!<br /><br />And, well, it's mid-November, so the timing is right.<br /><br />And, MSN weather online confirms that the temperature has not risen above 5 degrees since Saturday and that it is below zero in the mornings and all night.<br /><br />So it's wrap up time: out with the big heavy coat, the thermal underwear, hats and gloves. I forgot my beanie this morning for the ride to school and it felt like the icy wind was blowing right through my brain: in one ear and out the other!<br /><br />But teh good news is that the ski season will open soon soon, and...we're off to Japan to watch the Sumo wrestling this weekend: so exciting!<br /><br />So enjoy the hot sun your side while I soak up the cosy vibes over here. At least the dragon of a principal has left my school and we'll probably be allowed to turn on the heating in the classrooms relatively soon! </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1