Umbrella Eti-what?

With the recent amount of rain we have been having, it seems only sensible to put up a post regarding umbrella etiquette (or lack thereof). I do believe in previous posts that I mentioned not owning an umbrella while in Idaho because they really were not all that necessary. Within 20 minutes or so, most weather was over with.
Definitely not the case here. One merely does not stop at owning just one umbrella. It seems many of us have garnered quite the collection over our stay in Korea. Many factors are involved. We all seem to have a lightweight travel one for those emergency purposes. The go up from there to the nearly tent size double decker (I wish I had a picture of that to show you), models that do just about everything but fly you to your destination like Mary Poppins. One thing most of us can agree on is that owning a clear plastic one with a white handle seems to be a one use only item. They are the most common ones found abandoned and inside out on the street corners.
All of this begs the question. In a place with so many people and so many umbrellas, what is one to do when passing by, going into a store and so forth. I cannot begin to know all the answers but I have made some observations.

1. When passing on a sidewalk..who should lift their umbrella higher so as not to have a collision? Is it the taller person, the older person. Is it more of a sideways movement or straight up and down?
I do know that if you come upon a couple, they will not divert said umbrella for anything so it is up to you to move it.

2. What is the prime angle to hold your umbrella? Is it vertical or more at an angle? Some days I am nice and dry and some days my backpack is soaked, no matter the umbrella size.

3. Here they have plastic umbrella bags in front of almost every single building. You put your umbrella in it to take it in the store, restaurant, school, or what have you. At some point though it needs to dry out. When and where is it appropriate to take it out of the bag?

4. When walking behind small children, use caution. They usually keep the umbrella down over their face and cannot see where they are going. Dangerous weaving can and does occur for them but they will not be satisfied with a simple hooded jacket.

5. Is there ever a good reason for a jousting or thrusting maneuver? Just curious because that might be fun.

Well until I can observe and find answers for these and other questions, I am waiting for this umbrella model to hit Korea...it should be along soon.

An Anniversary of Sorts

Well my friends, this end of year review is a bit late. As I recall though, I never set up the rules for this  blog and therefore I am not done writing of my adventures or of the mysteries of this world. 

A year where I see bright eyes and happy faces return to school.

A year where new friends are here through strange twists of fate.

A year where new lives are brought into a world full of wonder. 

A year where many quick yet dear friends have moved on to new adventures.

Finally a year where many friends are here and bonds are forming stronger than ever. 

When I left Idaho a year ago, I had two stamps in my passport from 2005. Now I have two and a half pages and visited various islands and continents. I have seen some of the wonders of the world. I have also gazed at the simple wonders of everyday life all around me. Maybe this year will slow down though I have my doubts. I somehow think I will find adventures, even small ones, that will keep me busy. It will be my hope that I will share more of them with you. 

Some of my more recent wonders are how I have been able to manage hitting heat waves in Europe, Korea, and the United States through the summer. I wonder and am amazed that Koreans have as great a variety of parasols in the sun as the do umbrellas in the rain. 

I wonder how it is possible that another respected and amazing teacher from Idaho has ended up teaching just few minutes away from me in Korea. 

I am also going to have many wonders as to what my future holds and some of the decisions I will have to make in my second year in Korea. I can say that it will not be dull. It is my greatest hope that this year will bring even more great stories. 

As most of you can see, my favorite tree stands strong watching over Suwon. If it can stand then so can I. It has seen sixty plus years of great change. I have a ways to go in order to see even half as much. It still holds beauty and strength day by day. I am going look for the beauty and strength around me day by day. It seems so easy when you say it but much more challenging when you have to live the words. At the same time, it is worth a try. 

So bring on year two. The good and the bad. In the end it will all be an amazing adventure. 

294 Steps....Pisa, Italy

294 steps.
294 steps to the top.
294 steps to the top of one of the most well known monuments in the world.
I have to say that this is one of the biggest WOW moments for me on this journey through Italy. I never knew I could have known I would walk around a corner, through a Roman archway and there it was. In all of the pictures and stories we grow up with, you never really hear about the Baptistry and Cathedral right next to the tower.
It's just a bell tower right? It isn't the only one in Italy. Why does this one get such special attention? I mean it started to lean three stories into the construction phase because it was not put on a solid piece of land. Then it

Halfway there

 was left to sit for 200 years while the locals went to beat up everyone around them. It was that simple twist of fate that allowed to tower to settle enough to continue construction. So instead of trying to tear it down and rebuild, they decided to continue the other five stories and tilt them the oposite direction to make it seem straighter. Seems like a logical solution to the problem. (In Idaho philosophy maybe) What has been created is a structure that has captured the imagination and heart of many people from around the world.
After some work, and a good cleaning, you can now climb up to the top of the tower with an admission ticket and a specific time to get in line. So that is just what we did. After weaving through the rows of vendors and others taking the famous "pushing over the tower" picture, we made it to the base of the tower for our epic ascent.

Cathedral, Baptistry, and Tower

This is where we scan our tickets, go in the stairway and turn left. From there it is a crooked, spiraling, unbalanced climb. The walls are never more than about 3 to 4 feet wide. There are only one set of stairs so you meet climbers going up and down going sideways. The stairs and the entire tower are made of marble and the steps are worn to a polished groove in the middle. Some are bigger steps, some are smaller, and you feel like you are learning to walk all over again. Before the third turn around the tower you can definitely feel the "lean" and your balance is tested as there are no railings to hold onto. About halfway to the top, you have the chance to take a look out at the view and assess your progress. At this point, you can make the decision to stay or go to the top.

I feel bad for the guy who has to
 run up the stairs to ring these bells. 

A view from the top! 17 feet
off of center. You do feel a
little off balanced.

Well it is already a once in a lifetime opportunity, so might as well go for the gold. Returning to the stairways, we head ever upward in areas that become only shoulder width by the top.
294 steps.
294 steps to an amazing view of the Tuscan countryside. It is so worth the trip up. You can definitely see and feel the tilt of the tower. It is a 17 foot height difference from one side of the top to the other. So after this climb you almost forget what level feels like. After about 10 minutes it is time to conclude our time at the top. The next group of tourists are ready for their final climb to the top. So wibbly-wobbly down we went and as our little group of tourists descended, it was neat to hear most of us encourage those climbing up. "Almost There" and "It's Worth It" were heard ringing down the stairwells and I hope it helped to keep those brave few on the move to the top and their own view of a beautiful countryside.

Heading down for the next
adventure!

The day was good. The sites were amazing. We survived the Autostrada in our little Fiat to get there and in short it was worth every minute. So now I can officially say yes I have seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I can also say I have been inside it and up to the top of it and nobody can take that away from me.
What an awesome opportunity. What a testament to human ingenuity and to the people of Pisa to continue to build on a less than perfect base. Aren't we all a little less than perfect anyway? Just because we aren't perfect doesn't mean we don't have our own beauty and worth to grow and be stronger.
So I hope this tower stays standing for many years to come. Just the way it is. It gives me hope and is a visible reminder for me to settle and just be me. I have not been perfect every day of my life but there is still beauty inside me. Thank you Pisa for that big lesson.

Our Version of Pretty Woman....
Milan, Italy 2012

Before we began this evening in Milan, it was imperative to introduce Rebeca to the 1990 classic "Pretty Woman." I mean if you are going to do this you gotta do it right. So if you are not familiar with the movie, some of this may not make perfect sense but it is a good story none the less.
First we begun the adventure by scoring tickets to "Luisa Miller" by Verdi that was playing at La Scala.
Why would anybody be excited at going to an opera while on vacation you may ask? Well when it is in one of the most world renowned opera theaters from over the past 200 years, which has hosted some of the most famous works and artists of all time, then I think it is worth taking a timeout for this.
Part of the day was spent shopping Milan. Not much luck with that so we went back to our hotel early to rest for our evening out. I mentioned to the receptionist that we were going to the opera and she asked if we had dinner plans yet. I said no and she said she had a place to recommend for us that was close to the theater and had good food. Not only was she able to suggest it, she was able to call and reserve a table for us at this restaurant early enough that we could eat and make the opera on time. You must remember that in Italy, most eat at 8pm or after and to find a nice place at 6 or so in the evening is not easy. So with nothing but a business card with Il Marchesino written on it and a rough set of directions, we fancied ourselves up and took off for the evening.
While you would think that the opera would be the highlight of the night, for both of us it was the dinner before that really made our night. We found Il Marchesino right next to La Scala. We walked into a rather elegant dining area where the maitre d' was expecting us and escorted us to a table with linen tablecloth and plush red chairs. This was the kind of dinner where you had many forks to choose from and where they place the cloth napkin in your lap for you. As we decided on our food choices, we noticed the picture of a man holding up an egg on the wall behind us. Rebeca asked the maitre d' who that was.
To say he was shocked by the question would be an understatement. His eyes grew wide and he said, "why that is Chef Marchesi the owner of this restaurant! In fact he is sitting right over there tonight." That is when we looked over and saw a gentleman who had the undivided attention of all of the staff and chefs in the restaurant. If he took a breath, someone instantly was at his side to offer him something. We enjoyed our meal, watching the show at the other table for Chef Marchesi, and as we were served a divine final treat, Rebeca asked if one of the waiters could take our picture with the picture of the chef in the background. He said, "you know the chef is here tonight." We said that we did and he went off to speak with the maitre d'. Before we were finished, Chef Marchesi came out, shook our hands, and took a picture with us.
We thought that was pretty neat and took ourselves off to the beauty of La Scala. The performance went well. Box seats in a beautiful theater. A tale of romance, misunderstanding, and tragic death were the themes of the night.
It wasn't until a day or two after the performance that I had a chance to look up who this Chef Marchesi was.
For those of you in the culinary know, he is a Michelin Star winner many times over. One of the highest awards you can be given. He is known as the Godfather of new Italian cuisine, fusing French, Japanese, and Italian flavors together with amazing success. Several of his proteges now run the top restaurants in Italy. Although he does not personally do much of the cooking anymore, he likes to be a part of his restaurants and conduct his orchestra of chefs. He has a very musical family and in a way, he feels that his cooking is an orchestra of flavors. I cannot disagree with that attitude or flare for life. He has won more awards than I can mention. Look him up if you are interested. It just goes to show that sometimes the highlight of an evening can come when you least expect it.
Who knew that two box seats to an opera would turn out to be a parallel from a Hollywood film.  Sadly no Richard Gere character for me in the end, but I will take what I can get. What I got was a terrific memory.

The List

As my part of this European vacation has come to an end, it is time to let the blogging begin. I figure it is best to start from the ending. So on our last night in Rome, Rebeca and I went through some of our best and worst times throughout Europe. You will notice several food categories but what can I say? You have to eat and we might as well refine our pallet a little along the way. Most of all I want to say thank you to Rebeca and Kim for introducing me to some amazing European adventures that are truly unforgettable in my life. So without further embellishment, here is our List (Open to revision later).

Commercial break as I find the list....And we're back!

Non food categories and winners:

The Best Scenic View........................Austria
The Nicest Bathroom........................Best Western 4 star hotel in Milan
Scariest Transportation Moment.......Montecatini Bed and Breakfast first time up the road.
Best Shopping...................................Rome
Best Unexpected Moment..................Meeting Chef Marchesi in Milan and exploring Lucca Italy.
Best WOW Moment.................Rebeca~Trevi Fountain in Rome, Melissa~Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Nicest Locals....................................Austria
Worst Traffic.....................................Rome (Although Florence was up there)
Cleanest Train..................................Austria
Worst Train......................................TrenItalia in general
Most Fun Activity..............................Rodelbahn in Kaprun Austria
Most Relaxing Moment.....................Montecatini Spa
Hotest Italian Men............................Rebeca~Lucca, Melissa~Rome
Hotest Austrian Men.........................Vienna
Rebeca's Most Shocking Moment......Attempted pickpocketing in Austria by a male/female duo.
Attracting the most Freaks, Street Vendors, and Petitioners.......Melissa
Most Random Moment.....................Meeting an Italian guy at Hard Rock in Rome speaking Korean
                                                         and who is waiting for a new Hard Rock to open in Korea so he 
                                                         can work there. 
Most Awkward/Scariest Moment.......Melissa~Awkward moment at Montecatini Spa Rebeca~ Scariest
                                                         moment getting a taxi late at night in Milan. (Really Late)
Best Musical Experience................... Austria

....and now to the food....

Best Water (a necessity in all food areas)...... Austria
Best Parma Ham and Melon.........................Venice
Best Bread/Sandwich.....................................Germany
Best Tiramisu.................................................Milan (The strawberries sent it over the top!)
Best Gelato....................................................Milan
Best Pizza.......................................................Rome
Best Spaghetti................................................Francesca's at Montecatini B&B
Best Slushy.....................................................Happy Puppy in Rome (Plus Free Refills)
Rebeca's Mmmmm Moment............................Zuppeta in Colle de Buggiano (She was SO quiet)
Melissa's Mmmmm Moment............................Bruschetta in Milan.

All winners are subject for debate but we stand by our decisions! Luckily I have three new recipes now to work with so I can start making some really good Italian food.

Congratulations to all the winners...there were several great candidates in each area. Thanks to all of them for participating.

Notes from a world traveler...

Greetings all,
One thing that the 2011-2012 season has brought me is a lot of traveling opportunities. Things that I absolutely had no plan of doing, seeing, or experiencing in my entire life. These are just a few thoughts that are running through my mind as I sit getting ready for another adventure in Milan Italy.


The first thing is that plan for the unplanned to happen...always. Transportation, maps, times, people, all of that is not going to go in ways you are used to. Never try and change the country you are in to fit you, you must change to fit your country. 


Secondly, try not to get too frustrated about it all. You will be tired and upset and stressed but in the end, there isn't a lot you can do but to work through it all. You can be mad at the position you find you are in or how you feel tired, or the food didn't sit well with you. You are entitled to all of those emotions, but make sure you act or realize them in the right time and place. Everyone is human, and I am most definitely human. 


Flexibility in traveling is a huge key to enjoyment. Flexibility in what you see and what you do makes all the difference in the world. Be happy in the moment. Don't sit and wish you were doing something else or wonder why you didn't get to see this or that famous monument or museum. Some days you are not going to get it all done. Are you going to let that ruin your entire experience? 


Having friends or people who have been to certain places is a huge blessing! They can show you places and sides to a city or country that you would never see any other way. They are people to be thankful for when they take time out to show you their world. Enjoy their world because it is so special. 


Last point for this moment is this. It is V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N! It is not a mad dash to see absolutely everything touristy or not. In the end if you do that all you do is stand in lines most of your time. Wow, if I wanted to do that I could do that at home in any store in town. If people ask you down the road what you haven't seen, or question why you didn't do more, let those questions roll off your back. Embrace the wonderful moments you did have. If you got some relaxation in, more power to you! For me, it is time to stop being more tired after a trip than I was before I left. With that being said, it is time for me to get ready for my one major experience for this day, the opera at La Scala. 

The Sole of Seoul Saga Continues

Several of you may remember that I several blog postings ago, I talked about the shoes that many of the women wear here in Korea. I was told then and I can testify to it now that they do wear these beastly contraptions year round and in all kinds of weather. It is utterly amazing to watch the skill and ease at how they do this.
There are even signs on some escalators here that say no high heels. I kid you not. I bring this subject up again, not because I have decided to try and become of this select group of talented women. (That will never happen). I revisit the topic because of a comment made by one of my students just before this week of spring break. It was right at the end of my lecture and it caught me so off guard I just had to stop in wonderment. The question was "Miss Lyons, aren't your shoes uncomfortable?" Seriously. Now if I were sporting my narrow pointed red leather cowboy boots, I might have understood the question. No, I was wearing my most common footwear for the long hours of teaching. Many of you have already guessed by now.

Yup, my Dansko clogs. As you can see they are truly uncomfortable. I was never one to be a fan of these shoes until moving here. With the amount of walking and standing you do, it makes sense to have some decent, although not necessarily sexy, shoes to be walking around in. I just wonder what about these made them look remotely uncomfortable in comparison? Can you see and understand the confusion I had? Granted, I have two newer and more artistic looking pairs I wear from time to time now but it begs the question; what are the kids learning in my class? It also makes me wonder how long they have been pondering my choice in footwear.
I guess it is another perk of teaching in an IB school where we encourage active, and involved thinkers who are not afraid to ask questions. I just wonder what they may ask me next!

It Ain't Nothin But A Number

Another Korean tradition that I am trying to come to terms with is the combination of birthday, age, and the Lunar New Year. For a culture that seems so precise and very strong in the mathematical and science realms, this one really confused me.
I have constantly told my friends and family member that age really ain't nothing but a number. However the way they do things here it really isn't just a number, it is several numbers. Let me break it down for you...
Koreans do not start from 0 to 1 in their first year of life. They prefer to start at 1 on the day of birth. Therefore, if you ask a student how old they are, they pause for a minute and often times will ask, "Do you mean my Korean age or my American age?" That is difficult enough but now we come to an entirely different issue which is age at Lunar New Year. Apparently all Koreans turn a year older at Lunar New Year. Then when their actual birthday comes around they subtract a number for the remainder of the year on the Lunar calendar. Confused yet? Yeah me too.
So for the argument here we go.. I am currently 36 years old.
Someone born just a few weeks before me, in the same month and year here in Korea is 38. When the summer comes and we celebrate our birthdays she will subtract a number and become 37 while I add to mine to become 37. Except in Korean age she would be 38 because at Lunar she would be 39 right now and so on.
So that big 4-0 or whatever you worry about in your life can be added and subtracted at anytime. When I tell you that age ain't nothin' but a number then just believe me. Because here you can pretty much make it up as you go along anyway. And don't worry about reminiscing because wait a few months and you can tell your "younger" self all of the knowledge you learned in the time you spent being older and wiser.
It makes 2012, the end of the world as we know it, and all that jazz pretty unpredictable really. So next time someone asks you how old you are...ask em if they want to know your Korean age or American age. At least you can get a laugh out of their look of confusion.
That's all for my math lesson today friends.

Here Comes another Holiday...Korean Style

 Ok another holiday I usually stay away from is now approaching at a rate faster than the speed of light. Valentine's Day. A truly market friendly holiday where one is supposed to give gifts and profess love and care to those around him. Okay~first problem, you shouldn't have to rely on a date on a calendar to tell someone how you feel about them. That is just silly. Granted in elementary school the holiday was a little more interesting with all the Valentine's we made and candy treats that would be handed out. But now I am just left to wondering why we do it at all. Maybe I have a Grinch-like approach to this one. I think many single people have a bit of a cynical point of view for this. Why then have I managed to pick a country that chooses to celebrate

the holiday 3 times a year!!! I have amazing luck I suppose. What I find though is that when I ask for explanations and guidelines as to how to approach each of these days, most will say that they are just silly market holidays. I know though that behind those words, plans are still being made for the occasion. So here are the basics of the three holidays.
February 14th...the most commercial of the three and the most like the American version of Valentine's Day. Traditionally though, guys give girls gifts for this day. I have seen a few things shown around school by the high school boys that definitely was not purchased at Walmart!
On March 14th it is White Valentine's Day. Same basic premise, not as market heavy and the girls are to give gifts to the guys. Then comes the one I am least thrilled about for various reasons.
April 14th. April 14th is Black Valentine's Day. It is for single people. Primarily to socialize and apparently to celebrate or bemoan the fact that they are single. It is also somewhat of a tradition to eat a black noodle dish on that day as well. SERIOUSLY! I am well aware of the fact I am single. I don't need a special day to "celebrate" that one. I kind of wonder if it is a conspiracy by all the makers of black noodle dishes to amp up their sales. I mean if you have it delivered why not just put up a big neon sign saying SINGLE, SINGLE, SINGLE. I mean it is bad enough that April 15th is the Federal Income Tax deadline, now I have to think about the day before as well? We can all say that they are nothing but marketing holidays but deep down we all know it feels good to be reminded that you are loved and are special to someone else in the world.
My final theory on the matter is this, and feel free to chime in on it if you would like.
Red Valentine's Day~ Guy makes sure to get sweetheart something nice
White Valentine's Day ~ Girl gets guy something nice to remind him that he forgot Red Valentine's Day
Black Valentine's Day~ Guy is out looking for new girl because he didn't take the hint on White  Valentine's day and now he has to eat alone...
Yeah, somebody is definitely making money on this one.
Enjoy your Valentine's Day, whenever you choose to celebrate it.

...and now back to Thailand

This is my one attempt at coherent thought during a battle with some sort of bug before I return my couch for another nap. Maybe this will give me dreams of warmer weather and lighthearted laughter.
This is the church we stayed at our first night in Thailand in Nathon Pakhon.
The church is quite large, made of cinderblock throughout and the roof was built specifically to look like praying hands. The rafter beams which you can see a little of are one solid piece of wood. They go throughout the building and are just beautiful. It is hard to believe they found one solid piece of wood to do even one beam, much less many of them. It is an open chapel space with lots of fans to help keep it cool. When the flooding occurred, it had minimum damage and held up to 200 people a day feeding and sheltering them for 2 months. There was no governments assistance for this. Just the church members giving all that they could to help others. Our students were excited but unsure at first without true running plumbing for some things. Showers were buckets of water over the head if they wanted them. No air conditioning and lots of mosquitoes. Plus they had their first interactions with gecko's. Lets just say a lot of girlish screams echoed the building for quite some time.

As with most Asian customs, you take your shoes off, especially for church. I just wish they wouldn't leave them right in the middle of getting into the building but at least to this point they are lined up decently. You will see how that epically fails later on in our visit.
Below you can see the start of our tent city for the night. The pastor and other
          family and friends helped us to put up
mosquito nets while we slept. We had small, thin, mattresses to sleep on with everything from teddy bears to spiderman to fruit on them, and as with most things in Thailand, they are not afraid of color! Between that and the fans it was definitely a place we could rest in and we would need it. The next morning would begin our work day at a church that had more trouble from the flooding. Manual labor and these kids was going to be interesting but had an element of excitement to it for our kids which I was happy to see.


When we woke the next morning, there was a great deal of activity going on outside the church. Many of the local kids were coming to school which was in a building just next door.
School buses really are not something they have in Thailand and their public buses are scary at

best so most students are brought via scooter or the back of trucks or just by walking. This is a Christian school and they do pay a tuition to come. They knew we were around their area today but were quite surprised when they came out fo their morning chapel to see us. I think for some, we were the first foreigners they had seen. At one moment there was kind of a line between the local children and us. Too shy to know what to do on either side. Then our students began to wave at them and give them the traditional Thai bow greeting. At that point the grins and giggles came out and you could tell they would have loved to just come up to us to say hello or to see if we were real. This is a school that would desperately like to sponsor us to come and teach an English camp for them next year. Who knows, maybe we will see some of them again sooner than expected. For now, it was a great start to a busy day ahead. I think it gave our students more motivation to help these kids out. When you can start putting a face to the people you are going to help, it definitely makes it more personal.

We Interrupt the Thailand Blogs.....

Sorry I had to pause the warm weather blogs but this is what has been going on the past couple of days here and is worth noting. Although it has snowed in Suwon since I have been a resident of Korea, this is the first time I have actually been in the country when the white stuff covers the ground.
As with most things here in SoKo, They respond to snowy weather in a different way than we do back in the states. Some of it confounds me and some of it I just have already learned to take in stride. For my Idaho friends, this is perfect packing snow. You know, the good stuff where you can make snowman that last forever and can
 peg a friend with a snowball from pretty long distance. However, it gets nasty

and icy in a real hurry when walking anywhere in it. My first lesson was that Ugg boots, although warm and trendy, are NOT snow boots with traction in any way in Korea. With help from my friend, I didn't kill myself walking home the other night. I am now resorting to my hiking boots to walk to work. Even though I could catch the shuttle for teachers, I am a creature of habit at times. It is definitely cold here. Down in the single digits this week but the wind will knock the breath out of you. Frostbite is a definite possibility here. This morning my breath was crystalized all over my scarf and it will be colder tomorrow.
I do have to commend Korean drivers though. Even though I still don't trust them for a minute when crossing the street, they still go slow and are pretty careful on the roads. That is new and rather impressive to me. Where I get confused is how they deal with the snow on walkways. First, lets just remember the fact that this is a pedestrian society. So why don't they shovel the sidewalks???? AT ALL???? They shovel the edges of the sidewalks I think for two reasons. One is to show that you are about to take a leap of faith into the streets of Korea. The second reason is that it is usually stonework and is the slickest part to dare to walk on. So sure, clean it off so it can ice over. What an awesome idea! (insert sarcasm) All I know is that the winter may be beautiful but you can't always take the scenery in when trying to walk in it. Now when I go to school I feel like Randy on A Christmas Story. I have the biggest coat I own on, my Made in Korea knit hat, and at least one scarf. Maybe "I can't put my arms down" as he says in the movie but at least I have some extra padding for the day I finally slip and fall. It's going to happen. It is only a matter of time. . .

In the beginning...Thailand Day One

 The first day of any trip is always a bit stressful. We had to make sure everyone came with us or met up at the airport by 7:30 on a Saturday afternoon. Then you have to factor in that they are all very excited teenagers. The term "herding cats" will be appropriate for many of our days. It is one thing to be responsible for kids on local treks but across thousands of miles it is much different.
It didn't even take until check in before Matthew here found the fruit smoothy place. As is common in Korea, one person buys a treat and others all just grab a straw. How they tell whose is whose I will never know. This is the same child who got stopped through immigration for paperwork issues and who we had to make special trips everywhere to find his guitar in oversize baggage claims.



As for the girls, once we all got through customs they had time to grab a quick bite before getting on the Thai Airways plane. What better for breakfast than french fries by sunrise. They were happy and that is all that really mattered. 17 of us including adults set off for this adventure and with just a few hiccups we all seemed to make it through.

American airline companies have nothing on these international flights for the most part. They have much more leg space in economy, much better service and in the case of Thai Airways, much brighter colors. I have to say that they win my vote for keeping your eyes open on the plane. The only downside is that all safety and other announcements are done in three languages, Thai, English, and Korean so they take a bit longer.

This is us coming into Bangkok Airport. You could start to feel the heat immediately. It was in the 90's when we got off the plane and it really smacked you in the face. This is their cool, dry monsoon season. Dry monsoon season really? Such an oxymoron in my opinion. It is about a 6 hour flight from Korea so some students slept while others had plenty of movie and music options.
Bangkok airport is absolutely huge. I had no idea how big it was. It has to be one of the larger international airports in the world. When you walk in, you immediately notice the bright colors and the smell of incense. It is not an overpowering smell, but just part of the air you breathe. It definitely tells you that you are in a different country.

Once we found our rides from the airport, the effects of the trip were rather immediate. First was the epic cry from many of the kids that there was no wifi and thus their phones did not work. (I was doing my secret happy dance inside) That meant they were going to actually have to converse on this trip. Then when we got in the vans I scared some of the students because I sat on what would be the drivers side of the vehicle in Korea and in the states. In Thailand they drive on the opposite side of the rode so I had to calm their fears that no, I would not be driving them around.
Within about 30 minutes this was the result of the majority of the van so I decided to try and take a few pictures of roadside attractions that they would otherwise have missed.

I think that the driver thought I was crazy because first I sat up front, and second, I was taking pictures from a moving vehicle. I am no fool. The best view and air conditioning was in the front seat. On picture I snapped was of this three headed elephant on top of what looked like a temple building. I am not sure what it was and could not converse enough with my driver to find out. It would give most buildings in Las Vegas a run for their money because it was so huge. I really wanted to find out more about it but it gives me something to return to one day.

This picture is of one of the bridge spans we crossed. Bankok and Thailand in general were surprisingly spacious in many areas. It seems as if urban sprawl is not only an issue in the states. Of course trying to navigate their freeway system is something best left to the experts. I would say the Thai folks drive even more insanely than the Koreans. Makes me question why Americans and Europeans for the most part follow any of the rules at all. The rest of the world sure doesn't seem to.
We drove about 90 minutes to our first destination which will be in the next blog posting. We only got turned around once which was good and even though I was tired, I really enjoyed looking at the contrasting landscape. More to come...

They Called Me Teacher....Thailand Part 1

I know that there will be many entries about this trip as I process everything. It was amazing in so many ways I will never do the full story justice. Pictured above are the teachers and the 49 students involved in our camp. 17 of them were our Korean students and the rest of them were Thai students. All of them ranged from age 12 to 19. All of our Thai guests were 12-16. 

First of all, I would like to thank all of you for your support and good wishes through this time. We needed them. These kids really made some lifelong bonds I think. It didn't seem to matter that there was a rather large language barrier. I have never seen teenage students let their guards down enough to become friends so very quickly. They learned a great deal from each other and just spent some time being kids. There were mosquitos and lizards and heat and scrapes and bruises and tearful goodbyes but some wonderful memories and work well done. 

Chester the snake...we were friends to the
 horror of many of my students

I think I will break this adventure down to a more day by day account. I am glad I kept a journal! What I will disclose for now is that we were in the southern region of the country. The trips are organized by Korean missionaries so I had a hard time following what was going on since there was quite a bit of Korean spoken as well as Thai. Once we got to the English part though I picked up a few words here and there. When you get chances in your life to take an adventure, do it. Just Do It. The slogan works for Nike so why not try it? Look at what can happen if you do?

So please stay tuned for some interesting stories. If I don't go to bed now though, I will be a mess of a teacher at school in the morning! So I am going to take some of my own advice and Just Do It. (Go to bed that is). Good night all!

Where in this world?

VASE students putting a map of Thailand together.

 I know that most of us go through a time where we seek adventure. We dream of places beyond our imagination. I just never thought that I would actually be living out some of those dreams. Nor did I realize I would be seeing and going to places I had no intention of ever adventuring to in the first place!
For someone who can be known to be "directionally challenged", I thought I was doing pretty well just staying out of North Korea and keeping to the friendlier confines of SoKo. Now I am about to embark on an adventure to Thailand with 14 adolescents and three very competent adults. Somehow I am the chaperone for this trip. Does that title scare anyone besides myself? (I thought so). I realize that I have taken students on group tours in the past but that is where I was in charge of setting up each detail. Not so with this new adventure. I leave all of that to others I have never met. I have been to more countries than I can even count over the past 6 months. I will be traveling 5 hours into tropical 90 degree and who knows what humidity out of pure choice. Most folks I know would just wave me off and say "have fun with that one" as they walk back into their homes and a sense of normal. What I have come to really understand is that my life now is far from what most would consider normal. I am also learning that it is really okay not to be normal in this regard.

Woke up on the plane and found out we were flying over Russia

The simple fact is that most people around me are one of two types. The been-everywhere's or the been-nowhere's. I am not knocking the fact that several have never ventured out of Korea. Hey I am from Idaho, I know what that is all about. It is the simple fact that a large number of people I now know have been absolutely everywhere. Whether for work or for play they have been to countries and islands that I cannot pronounce much less find on a map. They have stories that you just cannot find in any book or travel guide. Odds are if you are going somewhere, 3 people have been there and have advice on where to stay and what to do. The more and more I see and experience things in this world, the more I realize how big and how small it is at the same time. I thought my journey would stop at the Korean border. Now it takes me places many may never even take the time to look at on a map. For those who have the courage and the willingness to try, I say just go for it. I don't think you will regret one minute of it so long as you are not going out into the world to make it look and sound just like home. Let it be what it is. Take what you can and leave a little of yourself behind for the better. You never know, those little breadcrumbs of life will probably lead you home one day. But the journey sure can be amazing along the way.

And with that I begin to set my sights on Thailand for next week. 2012 is shaping up to be an interesting year already...

"Travellers who undertake a journey for the right reasons, are always helped by invisible hands." ~Amy Sky