Adventures in Korea

2007-08-29T23:32:00.001+09:00

A new beginning...
http://colleeninengland.blogspot.com/

The end of my Korean Adventure

2007-08-29T19:13:00.000+09:00

So this will be the last post on Adventures in Korea. I really feel this chapter in my life has ended and a completely new chapter has begun.

When I first moved to Korea in 2004, I was young, perhaps a little naive and Korea was new and exciting. The language and culture seemed far too difficult to grasp and I was enthralled by the idea of living abroad. The fact that I had a trillion dollars worth of student loans to pay off was just an easy excuse to move to a country that was so far away and so interesting.
I am so lucky to have had my first taste of Korea while living in Ulsan.
Despite the fact that it's air quality boarders on toxic, it is a beautiful city and is home to some of the most down-to-earth weaguks (foreigners) I have ever met.
The foreigner community in Ulsan is by far the best organized, the most social and the most inclusive of all. There was always plenty to do and usually that involved drinking (as most of you can tell from the photos). The beaches and mountains that surrounded the city, dotted with their temples, just added to the experience.
My first school, Oh Sung Sik, was a good experience for me. As the only foreigner it wasn't always easy to feel part of the community, but my co-workers always made a big effort by inviting me out for drinks, or dinner and dropping by my apartment for coffee or a game of 'go stop'. I was never alone.
The friends I made in Ulsan are some of the best friends I have made in my lifetime. It is a time in my life that I will never forget.

When I returned to Korea the second time, I was so happy to be surrounded by my co-workers and beautiful students who carried me through a really tough time in my life. After losing my father less then 2 months earlier, some people thought I returned too early, but I knew it was the right time for me. Living in Jukjeon was a very different experience then Ulsan. It was definitely easier living closer to Seoul and the culture and language barriers faced in the south seemed to be fewer.
Although I had moved to the land of high-rises and skies filled with more smog then I thought possible, I had a lot of great memories, both with my co-workers and students.

When I decided to leave my job to go travelling it was wonderful to have the support of those around me. Those 4 months completely changed my life. Not only for the fact that I met Jon, but also for the fact that my outlook on life changed. Through the experiences I had and the incredible people I met, I was able to let go of a lot and truly start my life again.
Returning to Boston Campus this past winter was not a mistake. I am glad I had the experience and had the chance to teach some incredible students.
Jon and I had time to develop our relationship and realize how much we wanted to be together. I am really grateful for the last 8 months.

I am not sad about leaving Korea. In fact it feels like it was the perfect time in my life to leave. However, I am sad about not having the chance to say good bye properly to my co-workers and students, whom were so incredible and made me smile every day.
I will never forget the last 3 years and the people I met and those people who touched my life.

Korea will always be a special place for me, and although I have no plans to return, there will always be a small piece of me that never really left.

Some big news

2007-08-13T20:40:00.000+09:00

Hey everyone

Many of you already know, while others will be finding out for the first time....

I have left Korea and moved to England to live with Jon.

We decided a few months ago that living apart just wasn't worth it and it made sense for me to come to England. So this past weekend I packed up my things and boarded a plane bound for London.
It has been hard to keep this quiet and I am sorry for not being able to tell everyone sooner. I chose not to tell my employer until I had already left, since often quitting a job in Korea is very messy. I just couldn't risk my boss finding out before I left the country.

I arrived in England yesterday and already feel happier then I have in my entire life. Jon is incredible and has made a huge effort to make me feel at home immediately. England is beautiful, cooler and much much cleaner then Korea - I am wondering why I didn't move sooner. We are so in love and just so happy to be together finally. It is going to be an exciting new chapter in both of our lives.

Our plan is for me to get a job for now and then eventually go back to school so I can teach in England(hopefully this winter). But for the next couple of days, I am just going to get unpacked, explore my new town and sleep off my jetlag.

I am living with Jon in his house in a small town about 40 minutes outside of London. It is very old and very beautiful. There will definately be some culture shock happening over the next few days and weeks.

For those of you in Canada...Jon and I are coming home for Thanksgiving from October 5-13. We will be in Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa and Montreal...and I would love to see as many of you as I can. Send me an email and we can start planning. For those of you in other parts of the country and world, you will just have to wait a little longer.

Thanks to everyone for your support and I promise to keep you updated and post some photos very soon.

xxx
Colleen

Our trip to the Philippines

2007-08-07T20:45:00.000+09:00

So, we have returned from our long awaited trip (reunion) in the Philippines.
I have tried really hard to condense what we did, so I regret there is a lot I am leaving out, but I am sure you will enjoy it just the same.
Despite travelling during one of the worst monsoon seasons in recent Asian history, we were lucky enough to enjoy great weather for our week in the Philippines and we had a fabulous time, as I am sure you can imagine. I arrived on the Saturday night to Cebu city just one day ahead of Jon (who had a lot further to travel). My hotel apparently misplaced my reservation and failed to meet me at the airport, so after a lengthy wait and a very short van ride I arrived at my hotel just after 1am and quickly fell asleep. I awoke to the sounds of roosters crowing and the hot sunshine pouring through my window. Since Jon wasn't arriving until late afternoon on Sunday I decided to tour around downtown Cebu. Unfortunately, there is not a lot to see. I went to Magellan's cross - which is a large cross commemorating one of Cebu's premier explorers who not only found the island, but later died on it (due to some dispute with a local chief). I also went to see one of Cebu's most famous Churches and even stayed for the mass, despite the crowds and hot, extra sweaty weather.
I met Jon at the airport late in the afternoon (yeah!!! It was so good to see each other after over 2 months of being apart) and we made our way to the sea (since our resort that we booked also failed to meet us at the airport - despite their confirmation....yes I too was seeing a trend). We arranged a 'taxi' to take us to what we thought was a port, but in actuality was a small town with some boats floating a few hundred meters out in the sea.
Even though we were far from convinced this is where we were suppose to be, we met a lady who offered us a ride on her boat to our island (for a not too small fee). Because the tide was very low, we had to walk out to the boat to board. We knew our adventure was definitely beginning.
We arrived at our resort and were dropped off at the end of a long jetty. There appeared to be no one around, so we walked down the jetty towards our resort. When we arrived at the office, the man was so surprised to see us. Apparently he had not received our reservation from their head office. He told us we were the only guests staying on the island. It was clear he was as surprised as we were. For the next 2 days we relaxed in the peace and quiet, snorkeled with some incredible fish, swam in the ocean, star gazed from a sandbar, dined at a table set for 2 along the ocean and kayaked to a near by island. Our room was on stilts sitting just over the ocean and each morning we could sit and watch the fish swim through the coral in the shallow waters that surrounded us. It was paradise.
Although we were sad to leave our own private island, we were excited to be travelling north through the country (through typical South Asian villages and hills covered in jungle) to an island off the north west coast called Banatayan. After a long day of travelling on a small pump boat, a local bus, a large ferry and a motorcycle (Jon, me, our large backpacks and some Philippino guy who promised to drive us to a nice resort all squeezed onto one bike) we made it to a lovely stretch of beach in a small town called Santa Fay.
We stayed for 2 nights and spent our days swimming and biking around the island.
The morning we planned to depart, we awoke to a large storm passing by. Luckily by the time our small pump boat arrived to pick us up, the storm had passed and we enjoyed a relaxing ...minus the very very loud motor....3 hour boat ride towards Malapascua Island (just off the northern tip of Cebu Island). We rode past loads of fishermen along the way and even saw flying fish - which look a lot like birds (very interesting).
We arrived onto Malapascua island to discover the resort we booked was not quite what we expected (there was no beach - just a rocky cliff, and the cabins were surrounded by what looked a lot like a construction site). Luckily we found a wonderful resort not too far away and booked in for our last 3 nights. The island is very small and has no actual roads, only small footpaths and dirt paths for motorbikes. Our days were full with swimming, snorkeling and exploring the island on foot (which took us over 6 hours). The people were very friendly and it was so much fun to get a real sense of life on a small island.
On Sunday we left Malapascua for our long boat and bus ride back to Cebu city to catch our flights. Just as every other day, there was so much to see along our day-long trip back to the city. We finished our day with some Vietnamese food and a few beers before heading to the airport for our separate flights home.
I have to admit, this was one of my favorite vacations!!
Not only did Jon and I get to travel around some amazing islands, we also got to spend every day together....which is something new for us. I had fun every day we were together and never stopped smiling ( well almost...on our hike around Malapascua I cut my feet on some rocks and I admit stopped smiling for a couple hours). Thanks to Jon for making my vacation so incredible!
Enjoy the photos below and please check back for updates early next week - I guarantee there will be something very interesting for you to read!!
Ciao
Colleen

2007-08-07T20:34:00.001+09:00

Downtown Cebu city

An ominous sky over Cebu city

2007-08-07T20:22:00.000+09:00

The very long jetty at Nalusuan Island Resort
Yellow boats , Nalusuan Island Resort

Jon in his snorkel gear

A sea turtle in the sanctuary at Nalusuan Island Resort

2007-08-07T20:11:00.001+09:00

A rainbow just outside our room, Nalusuan Island
Room with a view

Jon and me after our afternoon kayak

Our private island paradise (almost), Nalusuan Island

2007-08-07T19:55:00.001+09:00

Jon and I looking for a hotel on Bantayan Island
Biking around Bantayan Island

Getting ready for our day of bike
Jon and me outside our resort, Bantayan Island

2007-08-07T19:45:00.001+09:00

Jon and me on our way to snorkel near Malapascua island.

View of Malapascua Island during our hike

Just a few of the hundreds of fishing boats
Heading back to Cebu for our flight home

2007-07-19T21:15:00.001+09:00

There are absolutely no good excuses as to why my blog has not been updated for over a month...pure procrastination.
Over the last month, the monsoon has arrived bringing days of solid rain and the odd day of sunshine. Last weekend I went to a Mud festival in Boryeong - see photos below.
Anyways, hang on and I promise there will be lots of juicy things to read about soon.
Next week Jon and I are off to the Philippines for our long awaited vacation. It has been 2 months since he was last here in Korea and we are both in serious need of a holiday (together).
Stay tuned.

Seodaemun Prison

2007-06-16T23:09:00.000+09:00

Today I visited Seodaemun Prison in Seoul with Kathryn, Angie, Matt and Jenn. It was definately a somber event, but very educational. Seodaemun Prison Was erected in 1908 to house those who were captured by the Japanese in their fight to free Korea from Japan's oppression. There were many tributes, exhibits and photographs dipicting not only the struggle these people were flighting for, but also the suffering and torture they experienced within the walls of Seodaemun Prison. A very moving afternoon and definately one I won't soon forget.

The map of Seodaemun Prison, Seoul

Watch tower, Seodaemun Prison

View of the prison grounds and mountain in the distance, Seodaemun Prison

2007-06-16T22:58:00.000+09:00

View of Seodaemun Prison

Me standing outside of the front gate of Seodaemun Prison

One of the many prison corridors at Seodaemun Prison

View just outside the Execution Hall, Seodaemun prison

2007-06-16T22:53:00.000+09:00

After our tour of Seodaemun prison, we headed to Insadong for a yummy Indian meal...yeah for Thalis!! Even if this one didn't cost 25 rupees ...it was divine and worth every won)

Me grinning like a kid in a candy store...thali thali thali!!

Me, Kathryne and Angie at the Indian restaurant

Jen and Matt were happy about the food too!

Kids and their silly t-shirts

2007-06-12T21:04:00.001+09:00

Just because this made me laugh so hard yesterday when I saw it....thanks to my student Ashley who was so patient (be it also confused) as I showed her and her t-shirt off to the other teachers and then proceeded to snap a few photos of her - I always love a 'pretty and easy' girl who is also a good sport.

Note: photos courtesy of Kathryn's camera phone (thanks Kat)

Chungang Park

2007-06-11T20:59:00.000+09:00

Just a few photos I wanted to add from my Sunday at the park. The weather is hot now and my apartment has been converted into a stinky sauna ...you laugh, but I'm not joking. The smells of burnt oil and sea creatures from the fish restaurant that opened beside my window seem to be wafting into my apartment daily. Combined that with the increasing heat and humidity and you get my smelly sauna (formally known as Colleen's place). In an attempt to get some fresh air I hopped on a bus and found myself in a beautiful little park just 20 minutes away from my home. It was perfect...sitting under some trees (doing the half sun/half shade thing), reading a great book (bought in India and left on the shelf until now), watching the ducks and fountains and taking the occasional 5 minute nap was a great way to spend my sunny Sunday afternoon. Anyways, here's some photos for you to carouse through. Enjoy

What a nice place to relax

Chungang ParkMap

Fountains galore!! This was the biggest one!

It's a white duck with an orange beak!!! Just like in the story books!

Artsy Saturday

2007-06-10T20:42:00.000+09:00

I have to admit it, I have been living a stone's throw away from Seoul for a long time now (perhaps too long) and I haven't really made any effort to visit any art galleries. On Saturday morning, when my Kathryn texted me to join her and her friend Angie (giving me 20 minutes to get ready) , my first instinct was to say no and return to my blissful sleep - but then I reconsidered and I am glad I did.
We went to see the Musee d' Orsay exhibit that is showing at the Seoul National Arts Center and it was wonderful. many famous paintings from Monet to Van Gogh to Renoir and Degas were on display. It was the first time I have been to an exhibit like this and it was well worth leaving so early in the morning.
After walking around the exhibit, we took the subway near Sookmyung Woman's University and has a yummy lunch at a Japanese fusion restaurant. After lunch, Kathryn and Angie invited me to join them in their Korean class. Although I have enough basic knowledge I haven't felt the need to really study before, they loured me with the fact that the classes are free and there are no actual tests - 'just for fun' you might say. The classes are held at a community center and I can only assume receive funding for each foreigner that attends. The beginner class I joined will be great for me - since it will be a good review of the alphabet and I can improve my reading and writing skills.
So the short is... I've decided to start going every Saturday. (yep - it's about time you say? I know I know)

Me outside the Musee d'Orsay exhibit, Seoul National Arts Center

Kat and me posing (Korean style...say Kimchi!!)

Traffic outside the Seoul National Arts Center

Me eating some too-good-to-be-true Bibimpap

Good Bye Roy

2007-06-04T22:09:00.000+09:00

It isn't very often that I meet a student who really impresses me more with their imagination then their memorization skills, but Roy is one of a kind. He is so creative and witty. He is cool for a kid who is just over 5 years old and is one of my few students who always (and I mean always) makes an effort to speak in full sentences - even when I don't. Today his family moved into the city and it was his last day in my class...sniff sniff. We spent the day playing games, playing at the park and eating ice cream. Although I love each of my students (undeniably some more then others), Roy was a definite shoe in for favorite kid. I'm gonna miss him.

Roy looking happy as he draws his 'favorite months of the year'

Roy looking very serious with some snacks in hand

This photo was taken last month for children's day of Roy and me.

Jebudo and other exciting things I saw this Saturday (note the sarcasm)

2007-05-27T22:25:00.000+09:00

Here are some photos from my work trip on Saturday.
Well there was no digging for shellfish, and no actual tour as was suggested by the memo we received. Instead we spent hours walking along a dirty beach, stopping every few steps for group photos, riding on a bus for endless hours and then ended the day by visiting the worlds most boring soy bean farm...that's right soy beans!!
As boring as it was, the weather was great and it was nice to spend the day seeing some sights of Korea that I would not choose to see on my own (ahhh....the silver lining...I knew it was in there somewhere).
I have come down with a cold , so I have spent all day today in bed, despite the fact it was another beautiful sunny day. This week I hope to get into Seoul Tuesday or Thursday night to watch the first two games between Ottawa and Anaheim. My fingers remain crossed!!

Here is a photo of me on the boardwalk at Jebudo beach.

Some rocks at Jebudo

Some Korean woman picking greens for their dinner

Soybeans fermenting to make all sorts of yummy things. How interesting!!!

2007-05-25T22:33:00.000+09:00

As I promised, here's the photo of Jon on stage at Nanta...too funny! The hat is the best part I think.Tomorrow I am off to Jebudo, which is an island off the west coast of Korea - not too far from where I live.My school decided to take the teachers for a 'Saturday retreat', which as generous as this is, will be forcing me to be on a bus at 7:30am tomorrow morning and likely spending the afternoon picking shellfish....hmmm - how delightfully un-vegetarian of me!!.... but I am sure when it's over I will be glad I went....right?

My week with Jon

2007-05-24T11:42:00.000+09:00

Ok...here it is...my long awaited update...long being the keyword here.

I have tried to get some photos from each day that Jon was here. as I have said before - we had a great time together. It just makes me realize even more how happy I am.
Anyways, I have made an attempt to not be too cheesy.
Jon arrived on the 11th of May , which was actually our 6th month anniversary. Since his flight arrived at night, we stayed in and spent the evening exchanging gifts and planning for the next day. We had decided to travel south west to Daecheon beach for a couple days of sun and surf.

Since Jon had never been south of Seoul, I was really excited to show him more of Korea.

I had been bragging to Jon that the weather was so warm and sunny lately - unfortunately my forecast was wrong.

This is Jon standing outside of Nambu Bus terminal. He was such a good sport - patiently standing in the rain while I attempted to photograph everything at 8:30 in the morning.

Here's me on the bus to Daecheon...coffee and bagel in hand.
It rained the whole 3 hours to the beach but stopped just as we got to Daecheon. But it was a great bus ride ...Jon brought some trashy gossip magazines for me to enjoy while he slept off his jet lag.

It was cold and windy, but that didn't stop us from walking along the beach for a while when we arrived. We had a lot of fun just hanging out together (which is something quite novel for us).

Eventually, we decided to stay indoors and play some scrabble....Jon had never played before....and may never play again.
Apparently I can be competative?? who knew...ha ha.
We spent the evening bar hopping in the small town and ate some pizza at midnight in our hotel room.
Since it is a beach town, there are few options for food that don't include fish or some sort of sea creature.

Sunday at Daecheon Beach

2007-05-24T11:25:00.000+09:00

This was what we woken up to on Sunday morning...sunny weather and calm waves. It was such a big change from the day before. Jon and I had considered going for a mud bath at the center (since this area is famous for it's mud) but opted to enjoy the day in the sun instead. The water was still too cold to go swimming, so we relaxed in the sand and walked along the beach for a few hours before lunch.
Korean Pennisula Paradise!
(mind the dirt spot from my lense)

A fishing boat resting in the sand of Dacheon beach.

Jon viewing the small crowds of Koreans.

Our make-shift picnic along the beach...Rameon, chips and cans of Cass beer.
It's a GS-25 special!!

Beachy Sunday

2007-05-24T11:15:00.000+09:00

Here are some photos of us at the beach on Sunday. The weather was perfect and I brought my tri-pod (hence the cheesy photos)...feel free to gag a little.

These green balls are used as weights for fishing boats. We saw this one along the beach. It was too heavy to take with us, but makes for a great photo!!

After lunch Jon and I walked long a sea wall towards a small village.

Here's a photo of the village.
Dacheon beach was so great and I really wished we could have had more time there. Jon and I left late in the afternoon to catch our bus back to Seoul for some Thai food and cocktails.

Monday and Tuesday

2007-05-24T11:05:00.000+09:00

Here is Jon eating is first Galbi dinner. We went for dinner with my coworker's Kate, Amanda and Tyler.
Now he's a pro with those tricky metal chopsticks!!

After Galbi, we went for beer and snacks at a local bar that opened up near my house. This is one of the snacks they served...ewwwe!
Yes...Jon actually ate some - I know...I know.

On Tuesday, Jon and I met up with my friend Helen to help her celebrate her last night in Korea before she left to return home to England for the summer. Several beers and two pitchers of Long Island Ice Tea later, we were the last to leave the bar. Jon and I packed Helen into a cab and dragged our drunken selves home. Needless to say wednesday was a very difficult day at work...hangovers and kindi kids don't mix well.
Thanks to Helen again who somehow paid for the eveing before we could - it was a great evening!! Have an awesome summer and I can't wait to see you in September!!

Wednesday to Friday

2007-05-24T10:50:00.000+09:00

Here is a photo of Jon and some of my students. We ate lunch with them one day (Jon's enjoying some cake). My students were so excited to see Jon every day and have been asking about him every day since he left.

Here is the funniest photo I have of Christoph...I call this his angry face. He is one of the smartest in the class, but also one of the worst behaved. He gets in trouble daily, which means I get to see a lot of his angry face.
I admit, it makes me laugh sometimes.

On Thursday night Jon and I went to watch Nanta. The show is a non-verbal performance where the performers used cooking utensils, pots and pans to make music and included everything from magic to acrobats and a food fight. It was a fabulous performance and Jon even got pulled up on stage. They dressed him up as a groom with traditional Korean clothes and hat, and he had to taste soup. It was hilarious!
They said they will email us a photo (since we weren't allowed to use our cameras during the performance), so I will post it as soon as we get it. After the show , we had some Mexican food in Itaewon. The waiter actually made Jon wear a funny sombrero the first time he took this photo (but Jon's face looks too funny for me to post the photo online)...so here is the second photo the waiter took *without the hat*.

Here is a photo of Jon and me on Friday night. We went to an Italian restuarant that my coworker, Kathryn reccommended. It was definately more Korean then Italian, which should really not have been a surprise. The dried flowers and tacky interior was worth it! I think Jon described it best: like his great aunt's kitchen....yes!

Saturday

2007-05-24T10:37:00.000+09:00

On Saturday morning Jon and I took the subway East of Seoul to Yongmasan. We started the morning by visiting Yongmasan’s Waterfall Park. Which is (according to a Korean Tourism website)The largest man-made waterfall in Asia, where the central falls are 51 meters high, while those on each side are 21 meters. It was beautiful, but not as impressive as I expected (it was no Niagra Falls..hee hee).
After the waterfall, we found the trail leading up the mountain and began our hike up Yongma Mountain which is about 348 meters high.

The hike itself was not too hard, despite the fact that I was sweating like a pig (sooo sexy).
As we got higher and higher the views got better and better. Even though it was a cloudy day, we could see a lot of Seoul and the Han river.

The trails were not very busy which was great considering the weather was perfect when we started.
Here's a photo of Jon - barely breaking a sweat. The trail we took was more of a horseshoe loop that took us from Yongma mountain to Acha mountain. In total we hiked for about 4 hours.

Here is a very sweaty me - haggered almost non? Anyways, we stopped for lunch of kimbap and a few cans of beer before we started our decent from Achasan. It was good timing since the sky turned yellow and then opened up. As the Koreans littrally ran for cover, Jon and I enjoyed the refreshing rainfall (which was more monsoonal then normal for this time of year) and had the trail to ourselves.
Once we got to the bottom of the mountain, we stopped in at Hwayangsa Temple for a quick look around, walked through an old neighborhood near Achasan Station and then took the subway to Insadong.
We decided to stay in Seoul for the night so we wouldn't have to bother with the commute to the suberbs.
After searching for a motel we finally found one that wouild rent us a room for more then an hour (yep...you gotta love the Love Motels). The room was pretty standard. It's high point was the large flat screen TV on the wall and it's low point was a very unstable bath tub that rocked when you moved and a cockroach that we discovered the next morning...high class all the way!
~ Saturday night Jon and I had an Indian dinner outside on a beautiful patio and then spent a few hours walking through Hongdae.

Sunday in Insadong

2007-05-24T10:14:00.000+09:00

On Sunday morning, after breakfast in the park, Jon and I walked around the Lotus Lantern festival in Insadong. It was a beautiful day and the lanterns were everywhere. Although I had been to this festival last year, this was Jon's first time to see the festival which made it even more exciting for me. There were many performances, demonstrations and various stands set up displaying everything from Buddhist artwork to food (yummy vegan food of course). It is one of the few festivals in korea I have been to that really includes the International community. Buddhists from all over the world help to celebrate this festival and there are many opportunities for foreigners to volunteer and to take part in lantern making activities and other crafts. Jon and I didn't make our own lanterns, but got a couple from some Monks (for a small donation of course).

Here is a photo that Jon took of some buddhist nuns praying. I love the hats!

The lanterns were so beautiful. It really is worth going just to see all the colors!

Jogyesa Temple

2007-05-24T10:03:00.000+09:00

Before we left Insadon, we visited Jogyesa Temple. Here is Jon standing just outside the entrance.

Here is Jon and me inside of Jogyesa Temple. We walked around and saw some of the shrines and more lanterns.

Jon took this photo of some gold Buddha's inside one of the shrines. Fabulous eh?

Sunday

2007-05-24T09:54:00.000+09:00

After walking around the lantern festival for a few hours, Jon and I went to Rocky Mountain Tavern in Itaewon to watch game 5 between Ottawa and Buffalo. We met up with Sue, Justin and Tyler as well as another Ottawatarian, Sebastian who was in Seoul on buisness (small world). It was Jon's first hockey game, but he did a good job of following the game. He even tasted his first ever Ceaser - apparently clamato juice is a Canadian thing...hmm.

As all of you know by now, Ottawa won the game in overtime and we are now headed towards the cup!! Wow! Go Sens Go!!!
Unfortunately, Jon and I didn't get to see the winning goal, due to technical difficulties and the last few minutes of the game were cut off.
But it was great to spend our last afternooon together chilling out and watching some good 'ol Canadian hockey.
After the game, Jon and I returned to Jukjeon, grabbed a pizza and some beer and spent the evening together.
Jon's flight left Seoul early Monday morning, which meant we left my apartment just after 4:30am to get to the airport. It was hard to say good bye again, but we are trying to focus on our next trip in July. Destination: Cebu, Philippines.
This time I will be on vacation too!!!
There is so much to look forward to.

2007-05-22T08:44:00.001+09:00

After spending 10 days together, Jon returned to England yesterday. (sniff sniff).
We had a fabulous time and it was very special to show Jon more of 'my Korea'.
There will be many stories and more photos to come over the next day or so, but here is one of Jon and I at a waterfall we visited this past weekend before our hike.

2007-05-10T23:29:00.000+09:00

Ok ok ok...today Jon reminded me that it has been a while since my last update....so here I am updating you on what has been happening in my life.
Besides the usual humdrum of daily existence, the last few weeks have been pretty low key.
As not to bore you too much...I will skip ahead to today's events:

Today my class went on a field trip to Seoul Grand Park Zoo. despite what I was told (that there would be lions and tigers) we ended up at a farm zoo and spent the morning watching bunny rabbits, sheep and ponies...and surprisingly some monkeys (Koreans must have a loose definition of 'farm animals').
It was a fun day and my students loved it (at least it sounded like they did from their high pitched squeals).

As I might have mentioned, Spring has come and as of this week feels like it is almost over with...they had the AC on in several shops and in the subway....summer is well on it's way!!!
I have even seen a few mosquitoes and my first fogging truck of the season....which reminds me I should keep my windows closed....I have no doubt those chemicals are as nasty as I imagine them to be.

Tomorrow Jon arrives ..yeah!... and we are off to Boryeong Saturday morning for our first-ever weekend getaway. It's our 6th month anniversary, which is pretty impressive considering the distance between our homes right now (almost 9,000kms), so it seems a little strange that this is our first road trip together (excluding India of course). But it's true.

I am so excited to see him again and to spend the next 10 day together. wow!

There will be plenty of photos and stories to follow.
Enjoy the photos of my day at the zoo (below)....and for the record, I know I look like an idiot in the photos...not sure what happened (maybe someone sprinkled crack onto my bagel...but I doubt it...it's likely a bi-product of working with screaming kids all day ... that dazed and confused look, complete with eyes glazed over) , but the kids look cute, so just try to avert your eyes from moi .

Ciao
Colleen

Neptune Class at Seoul Grand Park Zoo
back row: Christoph, me, Michelle, Eric B, Joshua
front row: William, Jenny, Eric C , Roy

2007-05-10T23:28:00.000+09:00

William checking our the pony...watch your fingers William! That pony looks hungry!

2007-05-10T23:27:00.000+09:00

Neptune class and a giant pig (and me looking like a dork)

2007-05-10T23:24:00.000+09:00

Christoph taking a rest

2007-05-10T23:23:00.000+09:00

Neptune class is enjoying their lunch in the shade ...What do Korean kiddies eat you may ask??? Kimbap and fruit for everyone of course!

2007-05-10T23:21:00.000+09:00

Chloe wins the 'Most Creative Lunch' award for her traffic light sandwiches!
Hats off to Chloe's Mom!!!

2007-05-01T07:58:00.000+09:00

A little update, since there hasn't been much happening.
My birthday was great ...quiet but great! I spent the day walking through a small urban park in Seoul and enjoying some alone time. I guess I really haven't had time to reflect on the last few months of my life. Sometimes it feels like so much has changed.
Now that I am in my 28th year, I thought this was a good time to reflect and spending a day in the woods makes for a good start.
On Sunday night I met some friends for a few cans of beer at our local GS 25 convenience store and then we enjoyed dinner at a Bibimbap buffet restaurant.
Thanks to my mates from around the world, Jon and to my family for making my birthday very special.

Unfortunately, there hasn't been too much excitement since then. Last weekend I got my hair cut and spent most of the weekend watching episodes of Heroes (yep - I am officially a geek).

Hopefully this month will be a little more exciting:
Jon is arriving in less then 2 weeks - yeah!! and we are both looking forward to spending some quality time together. The weather is really warm now and we are planning a small road trip to the west coast for a weekend. There is so much of Korea that I haven't seen yet. It will be good to do some more traveling.

Until then, I am hoping to go for a couple more hikes and keep up with my pseudo-healthy lifestyle.

Ciao
Colleen

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Namhansanseong

2007-04-18T12:34:00.000+09:00

This past weekend I went hiking along one of Seoul's most famous landmarks: Namhansanseong. It's an old fortress wall which stretches almost 10kms southeast of Seoul. It was completed in 1626 and designed to guard Seoul from invaders. Interestingly enough, it was guarded by Buddhist Monks, who were more soldier then pacifist in those days.
The hike up to the south gate was a little tough however the walk along the ridge was very easy and since the weather was very warm and sunny, the pathway was full of Korean families out enjoying the Spring air, dawning the latest fashions (it often just as common to see Korean woman hiking in heels as it is hiking boots) and blasting their little radios (drowning out all sounds of nature is also preferred). But even with the crowds, it was a perfect way to spend my Saturday afternoon.
On Sunday I had the pleasure of joining Tyler in Itaewon to watch Ottawa lose a good game of hockey to Philadelphia. Although Ottawa lost, we had a lot of fun, drank a bit too much beer and ate a few too many bites of Poutine...but it was worth it!

This weekend I will be celebrating my birthday ... unlike previous years, this will likely a quiet affair (must be an age thing) and I am hoping to go hiking again on Saturday and meet some friends for dinner Sunday evening.
Of course it means I will get to open the rest of my birthday gifts from Jon (which I am more then a little excited about). They have been sitting on my shelf for over a week now and (although it's tempting) I haven't peeked once - definitely a sign of maturity , non?

Off to work now... enjoy the photos below - I also threw in a few photos from around my neighborhood (I love the river photo - those yellow flowers are everywhere now!!! Beautiful!)
and a photo from my class trip to the energy center...which was fun and educational...just the way I like it.

Colleen

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2007-04-18T08:37:00.000+09:00

Namhansanseong - you can see the fortress wall in the distance

2007-04-18T08:29:00.000+09:00

Reflexology Pathway...yes it was a little painful walking on the stones, but good for my health non?

2007-04-18T08:27:00.000+09:00

A map of Namhansanseong hiking trails

2007-04-18T08:26:00.000+09:00

Namhansanseong Subway station

2007-04-18T08:20:00.001+09:00

2007-04-18T08:19:00.000+09:00

Spring is in the air

2007-04-12T04:37:00.000+09:00

Yep, I officially suck at keeping my blog up to date.

First of all, I am feeling better - my cold has almost completely gone away and besides being a bit tired from the weekend, I am feeling better then ever!

OK - on with my update...

Spring has arrived!!
I have been saying it for weeks - but it is true. I have worn flip flops for a week now and my toes have never been happier.
But it's more then just the warm air on my toes that tells me it's spring: the ajjumas have begun sporting their sun-visors, young girls are wearing long socks and mini skirts, umbrellas are everywhere (not for the rain - but for the sun), the yellow dust has come and gone (rendering all the kiddies to play inside for a week), the cherry blossoms are in full bloom and the stinky smell of sewer has begun to fill the streets ....which I affectionately call the 'summer smell' ...more like bum smell , but you get the idea.
Spring in Korea is a contrast of beautiful, strange and at times...stinky.
But it is one of my favorite seasons in this country.

Jon arrived last Friday for Easter weekend...yep, just the weekend. He arrived Friday and flew back to England on Monday! It was all very romantic and special. I feel so lucky that we got the chance to see each other, even if it was for such a short time.
Two and a half months was incredibly long and we both agreed that we just couldn't wait any longer to see each other, hence the weekend visit.

He arrived with a bag of gifts for me (my birthday is in 2 weeks - mark your calendars!!) and a few goodies for my coworkers: magazines, newspapers and music.
It isn't often that we get visitors and even less often that we get repeat visitors - so seeing Jon twice in a few months is a big deal for my coworkers as well as me.
Also, getting anything from the 'real world' is a huge treat and the goodies were quickly nabbed by the 'vultures'.

Since we only had a couple days, Jon and I decided to have a low key weekend. Jon came to school with me on Friday to help my class celebrate our Easter party. Then, Saturday we spent the afternoon at the cherry blossom festival in Youido Park and then took the cable car up to Seoul Tower before we headed to Itaewon for an evening of Thai food and cocktails.
We spent Sunday morning watching old episodes of Fawlty Towers, and Sunday afternoon we chilled out with a movie (well half a movie - we watched 300 and left half way since it was so terrible) and then went for some Indian food.
It was a lot of fun, but far too short.
Thankfully, Jon is returning in 4 weeks for another (much longer) visit.
Needless to say 'we' are doing very well.
I can't wait for all of you at home to meet this wonderful man who has turned my life upside down.
I am sure you will love him as much as I do!
... sigh..

Anyways, since Korea has finally warmed up and the yellow dust has finally settled -
I am hoping to finally dust off the hiking boots this weekend and get up a mountain. It's been far too long and I have been far to lethargic over the last month.
Especially since this will be my last Spring in Korea, I am feeling the need to make the most of it.

Off to bed now...but before I go I want to wish Kelly a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
Today she turns 30 and I am so sad to not be home to help her celebrate. I know you are going to have a fabulous day!! I can't wait to hear all about it.

Ciao
Colleen

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Korea is making me sick!

2007-03-25T23:39:00.000+09:00

If there's one thing that I have become an expert at during my last few years in Korea - it's getting a cold. This year alone, I have caught 3 colds ...which is some sort of record....3 colds in 3 months.
I have become well rehearsed in giving my excuses : it's cold and flu season, or half my kids at school are sick, or someone sneezed/coughed and or wiped their nose on me while I was on the subway last week...all very logical and perhaps valid reasons as to why I am perpetually sick.
It seems is easy to blame my colds on the very country where the general population can be seen daily hacking their guts out freely, without so much as an attempt to raise their hand to cover their mouth.
Besides the enormous amount of dirty germs floating around, this country is just plain dirty: the air, the water, the air...oops said that one already - but it's true...as anyone who lives in Korea will attest to - the air quality here is very bad. On a good day you see people wearing white or blue masks, on a bad day people just don't go outside.

But regardless of all the excuses, I need to be honest, it's my body and I need to focus more on keeping it healthy.
And although I do enjoy the warm fuzzy feeling I get from the handfuls of extra strength, nameless blue pills generously handed out by doctors and pharmacists, I am tired of being sick and it's time to do something about it.
Needless to say, I have spent the last few fever-ridden hours lying in bed thinking of ways to better my health.
this is what I have come up with so far:
* eliminate dairy from my diet (which, since I don't drink dairy it means goodbye cheese)
* eating more fruits and veggies (and no...kimbap - although healthy- is not a vegetable)
* Try to eat only organic
* take a multi vitamin everyday (as oppose to a few times a week when I remember)
* get enough exercise , which I haven't been doing in weeks
* get sufficient sleep (at least 7 hours every night)
* practice daily meditation (which I haven't done regularly in months)

All of these seem to be the basic obvious points, I know.
So the time as come for the new and improved Colleen. I am going to stop moping and whining about how Korea makes me sick and start making some changes.

Celebrating again

2007-03-19T23:06:00.000+09:00

I figured since it's been a while since my last post, that I might as well get you up-to-date on a few things that are going on in my life...so sit back .. and enjoy yourself.
(for those of you a little busier - feel free to scan the photos below...most of them include me with a pint of Korea's finest).
I am now into my third month of teaching and although I am trying hard to enjoy my return to Korea, my mind (and heart) seem to be elsewhere most of the time.
Jon is coming back to Korea in just over 2 weeks and we are both excited to see each other again after such a long time apart.
It's still a little crazy, I know - but I honestly can't ever remember being this happy.
Most of it has to do with the fact that I have found someone incredible to share myself with, while the rest can likely be chalked up to letting go of the past and really getting to know myself for the first time in my life. It's a wonderful place to be right now....sigh!

Also, before I write too much else: today is Jon's birthday.
Happy Birthday!!

Ok, ok, ok...I know you are likely probably fighting the urge to vomit , so I'll hold off the 'lovey-dovey stuff' for a while.

Even though I have been more then a little distracted lately, work continues to be great. My students are cute as ever and each day make me smile. I know it would be hard to find a job that makes me laugh and smile more then working with kids – they are fantastic and I am very lucky. Hopefully I will get some photos of my new class in the next week or two so you can see what all the fuss is about.

On a not-so-work related note: this past weekend I bused down to my old stomping grounds of Ulsan to 'ring' in St Patrick's Day in style with many old and some new friends.
I arrived after midnight on Friday and joined some friends at one of my favorite foreigner hangouts 'Tombstone" for a few too many pints of beer and plenty of catching up with old friends.
We ended up sleeping at Helen's friend Peader's apartment : Thanks Peader for letting us crash on your floor - I mean pile of stuff in your living room - hee hee.
The next morning, Helen and I made our way to the Jinjilbang for a much needed scrub (since Peader's place didn't have hot water) and a poor attempt to ward off our first hangover of the weekend.
Having showered, soaked and steamed, we made it back to Tombstone around noon for the start of their First Annual Shamrock Sprint.
The events began with a traditional Irish fry breakfast, complete with lots of eggs, potatoes, meat (for the non-veggies), Bailey's and coffee and a few pints of beer.
After breakfast the teams were assembled to begin what I can only describe as an 'Amazing race-type' afternoon.
There were teams of 2 and each were given clues (one leading to the next) requiring participants to run around the city doing everything from singing karaoke on rooftops, to batting baseballs, to playing Pilipino bar games and even downing pints of Guinness which contained shots of whiskey (aka: Irish car bombs).
Helen and I started out in the lead and 3 hours later finished in third place....which wasn't bad considering neither of us have lived in Ulsan in almost 2 years.
After the race, we found a hotel to spend our second night (we opted for a comfy bed and hot water over another night on Peader's cold floor) and prepared for the continuation of the celebrations.....which basically consisted of more drinking at the pub until I stumbled home.
It was a great weekend and I was so excited to see so many old friends and meet many new ones.
Hats off to the gang at Tombstone for pulling off the events and for making this ex-Ulsanite more then a little nostalgic.

I am still recovering (can't drink like I used to...but I certainly tried)...so I am cutting this entry a little short. I know I keep saying it, but I am going to try to be more regular with my posts.
So keep checking for updates!!

C

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So the last week has been incredibly busy at school - preparing for the new students, saying goodbye to the old ones.
But it's all over. The new semester has officially begun and everything is going smoothly (and by smoothly, I mean to say - we haven't received all our textbooks from the supplier and I found out I have another student starting tomorrow -just as I was about to go home tonight...but other then that - things are going smoothly).

Today was our entrance ceremony which means that I got to meet all of my Kindi students and their parents for a few hours, sing some songs and eat some food. Everyone is excited to start class tomorrow (although we have no books , so it looks like more games and perhaps some coloring...the new classroom can always use more decorations).

Besides school , I am now over my 3 week-long cold and feeling better then ever. Even despite an unexpected snowfall today, my spirits are high. Hopefully the good times keep rolling on.
Stay tuned.
Colleen

2007-03-05T19:03:00.000+09:00

2007-02-28T08:47:00.000+09:00

It's been a few weeks since I last posted something - sorry for the delay.
My only real excuse (besides being just too lazy) is that I have been sick for the past 2 weeks with a cold. I am finally starting to get better and hope to be outside this weekend soaking in the Spring sunshine (yep - Spring has arrived!!)

I was in Busan a couple of weeks ago visiting my friend Helen. It was great to be back south again and, although I only stayed for 1 night, we had a lot of fun. It was your typical Busan evening - complete with hours of drinking followed by a morning of regret for drinking so much the night before.

Work has been pretty busy, as we geared up for our Kindergarten graduation and began to say our good byes to a few of our coworkers who have finished their contracts.
Yesterday, we finally had the graduation ceremony and although it was a little sad to say good bye to students (and coworkers) we are looking forward to the new semester.

On March 5th I will start teaching my new class of 7 year olds. There are 7 of them, and they have already been studying English for at least a year (or more).
Until then I will be spending the rest of my week preparing my classroom and lessons for the new semester. Also, tomorrow is another holiday in Korea - which means a day off work!!
So I am sure I will have plenty of new stories to tell over the next few weeks

My social life has been a bit dull over the past few weeks - as a result of my cold - and trying to be good with my money. Hopefully, now that Spring has arrived things will start to improve.
There is talk tonight of an Oscar party - if we can download it in-time. It should be a fun evening (especially since we have tomorrow off work).

I am already looking forward to the summer. Jon and I have begun planning our vacation to the Philippines in July. It will mean another chance to see each other and a chance to explore a new country together. There is a lot to look forward to.

Below are some photos from graduation, and I will try to add a few from around town and a couple photos from my trip to Busan later.

Saturn class reciting our poem "Kindergarten"

Uranus class looking very enthusiastic while singing "It's a Small world"

Neptune Class did a great job singing 'Puff the Magic Dragon"

Jupiter Class getting into "Octopus's Garden"

The Year of the Pig

2007-02-16T08:09:00.000+09:00

It's almost another New Year in Korea - this one celebrates the year of the pig.
The year of the pig is an auspicious occasion since (according to my favorite website Wikipedia) it is associated with fertility and virility. To bear children in the year of the pig is considered very fortunate, for they will be happy and honest.

To help kick off the celebrations at school we had a full day of cooking traditional Korean cookies, playing traditional Korean games and practicing the ever-important bow (which the children will perform for their grandparents in hopes of receiving some good ol' hard cash).
The students wore their beautiful Hanboks for the day - each decorated elaborately with elegant designs and ribbons.

As a gift from my boss, I received a giant box of apples - hmmm....I remember the days when we used to receive a bottle of wine - but I can only assume since cold-season has arrived in full force this year, they opted for a healthier option. Still wonderful.
Although I am not sure what I am going to do to eat 25 apples - as I have mentioned before, I don't have an oven. Any ideas for stove-top apple recipes are welcome.

I will be celebrating the New Year beginning over some drinks tonight with friends and then tomorrow I will be catching the bus down south to Busan to spend the weekend with my friend Helen, who will be moving to Poland in a few months.
It's wonderful to live in a country where I get to celebrate New Years twice!!

So Happy New Year to everyone !!!
-especially to Jon's coworkers, who I am told are following my blog religiously - Hilary that means you!!

새해 복 많이 받으세요 ( Sae Hae Bok Man Yi Bat Eu Sae Yo)

Enjoy the pics below

Colleen

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Happy Valentines Day

2007-02-14T20:53:00.000+09:00

I have realized that for a long time I have been looking for great things to happen in my life that would make me happy, when it turns out very little is needed to make a happy life.

The small things that made me happy today:
* Chocolates and cards from students - like icing on the cake
* emails from family and friends wishing me a Happy Valentines
* a morning phone call from Jon and 4 more throughout the day
* but perhaps the best gift was that he booked another trip to see me for 10 days in May

Things continue to be exceptionally good all around.
Happiness seems an understatement.
The future looks very good.

Happy Valentines Day!

C

Hockey Night in Canada...but in Korea and it was Sunday afternoon

2007-02-13T05:06:00.000+09:00

It's been a while, but last Sunday a few of my fellow Canuks joined me in Itaewon for a few good games of hockey and (as usual) beer.

The day started at 10:30am with a bus ride into Seoul where we promptly made it to the pub for 11:30 - which in Korea is almost unheard of as an hour to serve beer - unless you are still drinking from the night before.
Perhaps we weaguks are a bit out of practice when it comes to our national past time, because no one seemed interested in the 3 games that we watched, opting instead for good conversation , a few games of trivial pursuit, poutine and beer.

Since there is no escaping immune-compromising Korea....I have come down with the first cold of the season....so I wasn't in the best form for Sunday's game-day. But after a few Tylenol cold tablets, a short nap in the bar and a few pints of beer, I had been revived.
Unfortunately, as of Monday morning my cold/flu was in full swing and resulted in me literally dragging my sorry self into work.

I am still waiting for my health insurance card, but might have to bite the bullet this morning and go to the doctor today - feels like someone is slicing away at my throat with a cheese grater....I know - nice image eh?
It looks like a day for word searches and quiet book work for the kiddies.

In other news, I am heading south to Busan for the weekend to visit Helen and see a few spots in the 'ol stomping grounds.
It's Lunar New Year, which means I get 3 whole days off work and it's time to get outta town for a couple of days.

I will keep you posted. Enjoy the hockey pics below

Clockwise:
Jill and Tyler get ready for the game

Gina didn't seem to mind that Sue was wearing her Toronto jersey...but the rest of us did.

Justin and Erika smile for the camera.

Thanks to the BC crowd for coming out and to Amanda, who despite possible head trauma still managed to show up (twice)...or maybe that's a result of possible head trauma?

2007-02-13T05:05:00.000+09:00

2007-01-30T23:53:00.000+09:00

Just some photo updates from the past week.
Sue's birthday party on Saturday night was a lot of fun - basically another night full of debauchery that has killed too many brain cells for those in attendance (note the photo with the Korean stranger who kindly bought Sue a shot of 'fire water').
Also some photos of the kiddies snowsledding. Good times.

Life continues to be on the upswing:
I got a new fridge on the weekend (yeah) and the ants have vacated the apartment , be it temporary or not - Death to Ants!!
Jon has booked his flight to Korea for Easter weekend - another 'yeah'!!
and I woke up this morning to a beautiful snowfall....assah !! (Korean version of 'yeah')

Let the good times roll.

Colleen

2007-01-30T23:51:00.000+09:00

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Sue cuddling up to a bucket of Tiger beer at Outklass

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Everyone was having a lot of fun !!!

2007-01-30T23:33:00.000+09:00

Dana warms up with her cool hat

2007-01-24T19:42:00.000+09:00

Life is good. I mean really good.

I am trying hard to find the right words to describe how I feel without making you lose your breakfast on your laptop...so please be patient.

I’ll start with ‘really good’ for now.
Jon came for the long awaited visit. It was just 5 days, but it was amazing and in retrospect it felt like a lot longer (which is a great thing).

I admit – the fact that I had to work 3 out of the 5 days is not terribly exciting but we did get to spend a couple of our days together touring around Seoul and I got to introduce Jon to a few of Korea’s cultural highlights.

Jon was really incredible with the fact that I had to spend more then half of his vacation at work. He actually came to school with me for 2 days and met everyone I spend my days with: coworkers, students and my bosses.

My students loved meeting Jon, especially the boys who forced Jon into playing soccer with them at every chance they got (yep – Jon you were such a good sport).

He was even there for our monthly birthday party and even joined in with ‘show and tell’ on 2 occasions: the highlight which was a stuffed rat, which still remains nameless despite my best efforts.

Friday night we met some of my coworkers for drinks at our local ‘pub’ – which really isn’t a pub at all...more of an ugly restaurant that fills with loads of Koreans sucking back soju and eating what can only be described as bar cereal (think fruit loops mixed with beer nuts and ringos....surprisingly yummy).

On Saturday we spent the day in Seoul sightseeing around Gyeongbokgung palace, Insadong and finished the day off with some Mexican food and drinks in Itaewon (the foreigner area of Seoul). Although it’s hard to find good Mexican food, the margaritas did not disappoint.

Apparently there was an earthquake Saturday night – but it must have happened while we were at the bar – because the only thing we noticed was that photos had fallen from my wall when we returned home ...I actually didn’t learn about the earthquake until Monday morning at work. (yep –slightly disappointed I didn’t get to feel it).

Sunday we returned to Seoul and spent the afternoon in the infamous Dongdaemun Market and then met my friends Sue and Justin for some veggie food and drinks.

Jon left Monday night to return back home to (dare I say... snowy) England.

Despite too much Kimbap and not nearly enough time together, it seems that Korea (and I) have made quite the impression, because Jon is planning to return for a long weekend over the Easter holiday – which will mean not only that we get to spend more time together, but I will get a chance to show him around my favorite Korean city: Busan.

So stay tuned for more ‘romantic’ updates.

On another note, the ants – which seemed to have disappeared for a few days have come back in full force. I actually looked around last night and saw only a few stray ones climbing along my kitchen wall – BUT when I awoke this morning the army had somehow organized itself into a mass of ants that appeared determined to overtake my apartment once and for all.

So having just purchased a combo ant trap/ ant spray kit I feel totally ready to take back my apartment. It isn’t very ‘Buddhist’ of me , but as I am sure you understand, this ant thing has gone on for far too long and it’s time to put my foot down , or in this case spray their little butts to death.

Sorry to the ants, but my compassion only extends so far. You have crossed the line.

Besides the juicy love life and the official war cry directed toward the ants in my apartment, there isn’t too much else going on.

Sue’s birthday is tomorrow and we will be celebrating over the weekend. I am sure there will be some good stories to tell. (Happy Birthday Sue!!!!)

My class is also going snow sledding tomorrow – I have fond memories from last year’s sledding adventure.

I have added some photos below for you to pore over.

Colleen

Jon and me enjoying a Korean version of Indian food.

Not the best photo of me (might have had a bit too much to drink the night before)
- but this is us at Gyeongbokgun Palace

Jon waiting for the bus

2007-01-24T19:18:00.000+09:00

The rat: Contrary to popular belief I do think he is cute.

Aileen and me celebrating her birthday

It was David's birthday too!!

Saturn class looking ready to eat some cake.

2007-01-14T09:43:00.000+09:00

Life has definitely settled into more of a routine now, and after 4 months of travelling it is kind of nice to be staying in one place for a while. The ants and I are still sharing my apartment, and my fridge has not been repaired - but it's home.
My new class is doing really well, although I don't feel as connected to them as my previous students. But considering I taught my previous class for 12 months, it is easy to understand.
In another month the class I am teaching now will graduate and the students will attend regular elementary school. This means I will be getting a new class of little ones, but for now these 10 kiddies (see photos below) are all mine.

Life outside of school has also been going exceptionally well. As some of you know, I have finally met someone and he is fabulous.
What's the catch you may ask? ...nothing in this life comes easy ....
He lives in England ... yep...that's right.... England.
We met in India (you may remember me mentioning a 'Jon' in the desert tale blog) and have been talking, emailing and web camming (is that a verb?) every day since.
In the past I would have most likely refused to be apart of anything resembling a long distance relationship ...I remember griping in the past that I could never date someone from Hull because it was over the river and the bus service sucked (among other obvious reasons to not date French men....Kelly I am sure you remember 'the list'?).
But this is different -
and although I will be in Korea for the next year (13.5 months to be exact), we are going to try our best to make it work.
First step : Jon is arriving Wednesday for our first 'visit' - which hopefully will be one of many throughout the year.
It's all very exciting, romantic and yes, I admit.. a little crazy - but we're going for it.

Sometimes in life all the pieces start to move closer together - and it feels amazing.
I know that happiness is just moments of joy strung together - and there will be hard times ahead-
I am trying hard to enjoy the moment and ride this wave for as far as it will take me.

To the future and to finding a string of happiness

Ciao
Colleen

Everyone loves arts and craft's time!!
Raina, Dana, Ozzy, Robert and David making So-go's.
(traditional Korean drums)

Clare making a funny face

Saturn class showing off their finished art projects
(making So-go's was 'so' fun...hee hee)

Some of our students waiting patiently for music class to start.

2007-01-07T16:56:00.000+09:00

I have finally finished unpacking and hung some photos and pictures on the walls.
My little apartment is clean (well much cleaner then it has been in a long time), and is beginning to feel more like a home and less like a college dorm room - however fond my memories are of dorm rooms.

I know I am trying to keep positive this New Year but as wonderful as my new apartment is...there are a few (somewhat) minor issues that I can't help but note:

* It's really small...well , it's more like tiny, especially when compared to Canadian standards. (Remedy: must work harder not to compare things)

* my crappy view from my kitchen window looks out onto the street in front of my building and I can't help but notice the ever-growing piles of garbage just below my window.
(Remedy: stop looking out the window or at the very least, don't look down)

*my fridge leaks...a lot.
(Remedy: ???)

*the hot water only works when it feels like it
(Remedy:???)

*.....and ....I found ants (yep...ants).
I actually found some ants when I first moved in, but today found even more - like a New Years present...yeah!

Don't worry Mom....I will be speaking to my director on Monday about the hot water, fridge and ants.

The good news....it's free and really close to work!!!
(that's all I can think of now for good points).

Enjoy the pics

In full Swing

2007-01-06T20:46:00.000+09:00

My first week at school has been wonderful. The students were all very excited to see me again and my new class has been working very hard each day ( a nice surprise). It has also been great to catch up with my coworkers and some friends over the last few days. I almost feel as if I have never left.

This weekend, my friend Helen has come up to help move my things that I stored at her apartment over the last few months. We spent last night unpacking and setting up my computer (yeah, I am online again) and then went out to meet some of my coworkers for a traditional night of debauchery.
It ended up being a late night, well for me at least - I think 4 months of traveling has ruined me for staying up past 4am - maybe that's not such a bad thing after all.
This morning we woke up to a snowstorm that seemed to end as quickly as it started.
It was really beautiful....see photo below.
Then Helen and I spent the day at the Jinjilbang soaking in the hot tubs and attempting to detox in the saunas. It was wonderful.
Since tomorrow is Helen's birthday we have decided to go into the city tonight for a girl's night of dancing.... I have a real rock'n roll lifestyle... non?
I know I promised some apartment photos - but things are still a bit messy here. When I get everything set up I will add some photos so you can see my place.

2007-01-06T20:11:00.000+09:00

Snowy Day, January 6 2006

2007-01-06T19:15:00.000+09:00

Happy New Years

2007-01-01T16:09:00.000+09:00

Here I am - back in the land of the morning calm.
I arrived yesterday morning (December 31st) just in time to watch the sun rise over the mountains. It was even more beautiful then I remembered and I must admit, I have fallen in love with Korea all over again.

However my renewed passion for Korea was temporarily overshadowed by the fact that my luggage did not arrive on the same flight I did. I was told that it was 'stuck' in LA. After filling out the necessary 'lost luggage' forms and being reassured my bags were on the next flight, I arrived to my apartment with nothing more then my purse.
Luckily, after some help from my manager Scully my bags were delivered to my apartment. Thanks Scully. I also want to give a big thanks to the very helpful people at Asiana and to the (surprisingly) cheerful courier who delivered my bags at 3:30am this morning. I am very grateful.

So my New Years Eve was far less exciting then the past. I spent the night alone in my apartment watching re-runs of CSI and sleeping....hmm.
If it wasn't for Jon calling me at midnight from England I am sure I might have slept through the whole thing. Thanks Jon for making my New Years special (twice).

For the next 14 months, I will be living in Jukjeon.
As you know, I have returned to the school I worked for last year and I am excited to be reunited with my students tomorrow morning. Also, many of the same coworkers and friends are still at my school and it will be fun to catch up with them over the next while.

As 2007 begins I can't help but to reflect on things. I know I keep saying this, but I have had an incredible last 4 months - maybe the best times of my life (so far).
I have seen things, done things and met people who have impacted and changed not only how I see myself and the world around me, but how I see my future. My life is definitely on a new path and I am eager to see where it takes me.

I am also excited to get back to updating my blog more frequently. It feels like it has been a while and I have to admit I have missed it.
I hope everyone has had a great New Years and that you are looking forward to the next year as much as I am. I will be updating again more frequently and will have some new photos of my apartment and students in the days to come.
So stay tuned.

Ciao Colleen

Merry Christmas

2006-12-16T20:47:00.000+09:00

The last few weeks have been a flurry of activity, emotions and celebrations.
It is good to be home. It is good to see my family and friends.
Many things are just as I remembered them - and after being abroad for so long, it is very comforting.
I return to Korea in a few weeks, but will first spend Christmas at my Mom's with my family.
We are trying to savor the short time we have together.

I promise there will be more updates once I return to Korea.

Merry Christmas Everyone !

With love
Colleen

2006-12-15T12:50:00.000+09:00

I just wanted to update those of you who have been following along.
It turns out that the baby that entered my family's lives a few weeks ago has passed away.
There are reasons for everything and I know there was a reason why this baby was brought into our lives for a short time.
My heart goes out to my sister and Graydon. I love you both and I am so proud of your strength.

It really makes me appreciate how fragile life is. Even though we did not get to meet the baby, it will always be apart of our family and has forever impacted our lives.

It is not length of life, but depth of life. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

2006-11-30T05:51:00.000+09:00

Thanks to the speedy computers of the west, all my photos are updated. Also, thought I would add a photo of me and my Mom at the airport yesterday.
(just some housekeeping tips: I have added new photos in the folders for Bodhgaya, Bundi, and then 2 new folders from the rest of Rajasthan and Delhi .).
Enjoy th pics.
Colleen

2006-11-29T15:57:00.000+09:00

My last day in India was as unpredictable as every other day had been. The first surprise was that my stomach bug lay dormant for almost the entire day - my starvation technique was working and I was very happy!!
I intended doing some sightseeing but was sidetracked by a long conversation with a fellow Canuk whose last visit to India was in 1967. She had several incredible stories to tell, some of which included her time spent in Vietnam and Afghanistan during each country's war and also many stories about her life spent raising her children in Mexico and growing organic vegetables. She told me tales of hiding Mexicans in her house away from guerrilla's and also of visiting and helping raise thousands of dollars for aid to Guatemala after hurricane Katrina destroyed entire villages.
Very inspirational and I figure that the tourist sights of Delhi can wait for my return.
After comparing experiences for a few hours (her's being far more interesting then anything I have ever experienced - yet) I left to meet my friend Emily at her Kathak dance.
Kathak dance is a classical style of Indian dance and is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I spent s few hours watching Emily and her dance partners prepare for an upcoming performance in Bangalore, then I left to meet Silvia at her apartment.
unfortunately, Silvia wasn't home when I arrived and I needed to get some last minute shopping done before my flight later that night. So I left a quick note and a small gift of thanks at her doorstep and returned to Parhagang for some shopping.
Later that night, my pre arranged taxi ride to the airport came just 20 minutes late (early by Indian standards) and - not surprisingly, consisted of a small black car whose back windows didn't have any glass in them. After a cold, drive across Delhi at super-sonic speed we stopped for gas at and a much needed chat with the driver's buddy's (note sarcasm) before shooting off like a bullet to the airport. Half frozen and windblown, I stepped from the taxi to see an entirely different airport then the one I arrived in a few months earlier. I think Delhi definitely has changed my expectations for things. The first time I arrived in Delhi's airport it seemed overcrowded, rundown and chaotic. This time the airport seemed to have some order to it and (to my deflated standards) a modern sense of charm - there was even free toilet paper in the toilets. To be honest the departures area is much newer and cleaner then the arrivals area - which originally appeared to be one huge dirty, moving mass of screaming people amid hundreds of roaring taxis. Obviously India doesn't care as much about first impressions and more about last impressions.
Anyways, I made it to the airport, got checked in and went to the bar for a farewell drink to India. My last Kingfisher strong for a while (not entirely a bad thing, since Indian beer leaves a few things to be desired).
I left the bar just in time to board my flight.
On an aside, I do have to admit that security at this airport is the best I have seen anywhere. From the door entering the terminal to the line up before the ticket counter, the 3 security gates I past to the 4 people questioning me as I walked through my gate and onto the path leading to the plane - I was thoroughly screened. Maybe it's the whole 'Continental Airlines' touch - but it was s huge step-up from the security with other airlines. Being a bit of a nervous flyer, I was very grateful for the piece of mind it gave me. So claps for Continental!!!
Anyways, boarding the plane I quickly took my seat, got settled just as an elderly Indian couple approached me. After a few minutes of comparing tickets I realize I'm in the wrong seat and move ahead 1 row to my correct seat.
As fate (or karma...call it what you will) would have it I sit next to Anil, a sixty-something man who is returning to New York after his daughter's wedding at Udaipur's infamous Lake Palace. We exchange many stories, nervously joke about the fact that our airplane is flying over Afghanistan and Iraq, he buys us a few too many mini-bottles of wine (don't get me started on the fact that Continental doesn't offer free liquor on international flights- thanks Goddess for friends like Anil) and I sleep for the rest of the flight. Anil invites me to spend time with his family in New York my next trip and we exchange the usual emails.
I arrived into New York's Newark airport 30 minutes ahead of schedule and had plenty of time before my next flight to Toronto. I have to admit - I couldn't stop staring at all the white people!! And everything looks new and shiny - it was all very exciting to me and with in moments I was feeling like a kid in a candy store.
I purchased an orange juice and a small bottle of water for nearly $6USD. That's more then I would spend on food in 2 days while in India! Incredible!!
I sat in front of a large flat screen TV to watch CNN and sip my delicious tropicana...mmmm...just like I remembered.
My flight to Toronto took just 1 hour from New York and I arrived a few minutes ahead of my Mom and Bill. The airport was like a ghost town in comparison to Delhi. When I saw my Mom walk towards me I couldn't help myself to start crying.
It was a huge sense of relief to see my my Mom again and know that after so long I am finally home.
On the way from the airport, Mom and Bill surprised me and we stopped off at my sister's office to meet her for a few minutes. It was just as emotional to see her and see how much she's changed. I also got to meet some of my sister's coworkers who told me they have been following my blog for the last couple of years ...it's funny how they knew all about me and seemed just as happy for my return to Canada as my own family but I haven't ever met them.
After 2 years in Asia, it was refreshing to get big hugs from everyone I met. Canadians love to hug...I figure it has something to do with the fact that it's pretty damn cold here most of the time and hugging is a good excuse to generate some extra heat. In contrast, Asians don't like to hug (I'm generalizing of course) and tend to opt for the traditional bow and sometimes a handshake. Even when I left Korea after a year of working with my Korean coworkers, I could feel them stiffen with awkwardness as I grabbed them for a goodbye hug.
So after an all to short reunion with my sister, we let her get back to work and we drove to my Mom's place in Peterborough. It is so wonderful to return home to the sights, smells and people you grew up with. I never want to leave for this long again.
After a hot bath and a long nap with my cat, I had some time to reunite with my Mom and begin telling her about my adventures.
With all the excitement I haven't had an opportunity to miss India yet. I am sure once the novelty of 'western conveniences' wears thin I will miss it more then I do now. But for now I plan on soaking up the comforts of home and enjoying the good life for a while.
India is still a huge part of me. I have seen and experienced things that have changed me and has confirmed to me that my direction in life right now if the right one. I feel at peace with myself and those around me , more then ever before.
I have a better sense of what I want for my future and what's important: family, friends , love and believing in yourself. I always thought I could do most things in my life, but now I am sure of it. Anything is possible for me and I sense big things for my future.
For the next few days I plan to sleep and visiting with my Mom. Her birthday is on Friday and my sister's will be here for the weekend. Then I will travel to Ottawa for a few weeks to spend time with my sister and friends there. I have decided to change my plans for my return to Korea at the end of December. I am not going to move to Busan as I originally planned and instead I am going to return to my old job at Boston Campus in Jukjeon. It makes sense for me to go back to a job that gave me so much happiness and security.
I will keep you updated on my time at home and will be my photos to the website as quickly as possible....so keep checking the links.
Colleen

2006-11-27T14:02:00.000+09:00

My original plan to leave Pushkar a few days ago by train was changed quickly when I awoke with what I will politely refer to as ‘ stomach issues’ accompanied by a 39 C fever (see Sue teacher, I told you my thermometer would come in handy).
As luck would have it, my guesthouse had already rented out my room but graciously let me stay in one of their daughters rooms for the day (free of charge) while I downed antibiotics , made all too frequent trips to the toilet and prayed I wasn’t going to die. By 5pm the same day I began to feel a little better and opted to take an overnight bus to Delhi (since all the trains were now booked solid for the next 3 days). Surprisingly, my sleeper bus was ‘comfortable’ and I slept the 9 hours to Delhi. However, this was likely made possible by the overdose of drugs I took before boarding and my fever which still raged).
I arrived to Delhi at 7:00am Saturday and made my way by cycle-rickshaw through the cold quiet streets. Already, Delhi felt different to me. In the last 2 months since I was here, the summer heat has finally left, taking with it the thick, choking smog and has been replaced by cool (dare I say, breathable) air.
I checked into my guesthouse and collapsed into bed. A few hours of feverish sleep later I awoke, showered and attempted to head out to see what Delhi had to offer me this time. With only 2 days left in India I was determined not to spend them in bed. But after a brief walk down Parahganj’s Main Bazaar and a quick trip to book a train ticket to Agra for the next day (home of the infamous Taj Mahal) I returned to the comforts of western toilets and my cozy sleeping bag.
Crazy stomach bug : 1
Colleen: 0
I did also manage to call my friend Silvia and make plans to meet later that night for dinner. Around 6pm, after popping a few more tablets and a death-defying rickshaw ride through the streets of Delhi, I met Silvia in Bengali Market. Silvia is from Spain and has been studying in Delhi for the past year. Her apartment is in a beautiful neighborhood, which, had I not known I was in Delhi, might be mistaken for somewhere much more civilized. The neighborhood is full of old, houses and large trees that line the wide streets. She rents her apartment from an eccentric 92 year old woman who was the first female Indian pilot. The apartment is large (for Indian standards) and has high ceilings, hardwood floors, a separate kitchen and a very large patio off the back. I felt at home immediately.
Silvia and her neighbor, Emily ( a French student here in India studying dance) prepared a delicious dinner and we spent the next few hours eating, drinking and talking about all the fun things that girls like to talk about. It was a fantastic evening and very refreshing from the routine of eating out and holding repetitive conversations that seem to plague travelers. Even my stomach remained calm throughout the night, and my fever kept to a low level for the first time in 24 hours. I had originally planned to stay at Silvia’s place, but felt it best to spare her the agony of having to deal with me and my stomach bug.
The next morning my stomach bug reared its ugly head (or ass shall I say…pardon my language). It seems that feeding it only serves to give it more strength. So armed with more medicine I boarded my train to Agra and spent the afternoon basking in the beauty of India’s self-proclaimed Wonder of the World.
The Taj Mahal is the pinnacle symbol of love. The story is simple yet incredible. It was built by the heartbroken Emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial for his wife who died giving birth to their 14th child. It took 20,000 people 20 years to build and is encrusted with thousands of semi-precious stones. It is huge, romantic, beautiful and inspiring.
I returned to Delhi late at night on the only train I have ever taken in India that arrived on time (fittingly my last train in India).
Now I am preparing for my last day in India. This morning, my fever has gone and I am attempting to starve the ‘bug’ to death – purging myself only on hot lemon tea and the occasional coffee. There are a few sights left to see around the city and then I am scheduled to meet Emily this afternoon to sit-in on one of her Kathak dance classes. Later we will meet up with Silvia for a quick drink before I catch my flight home to Canada tonight.
I am not quite ready to say goodbye to India just yet. So that entry will have to wait until I actually leave. However, I feel ready to return to my home – Canada – it has been far too long. For everyone at home, I will see you very soon. For India - it's not quite over yet.
Love Colleen

2006-11-24T00:04:00.000+09:00

As I predicted, my time in India continues to get more and more interesting - well maybe that's an exaggeration... at least it is maintaining a consistent level.
I have been splitting my time over the last two days between 2 families: Natty's family, (whom I already told you about) and Pappu's family whom I met through Natty.
This second family is a lot better off then Natty's and just as wonderful.
They first invited me to their small stone house to drink chai and look at their photos (seems pretty typical here). Pappu is a rickshaw driver and his wife Mamta works at home. They have 3 children: 1 daughter and 2 boys - all of whom go to school and speak some English. The children don't work, like Natty's brothers and sisters and seem to lead a pretty regular life.
Mamta has taught me how to cook some Indian food and we enjoyed many long conversations comparing our ways of life. Mamta is only 25 years old, and Pappu is 27 (like me).
It has all given me such a good idea of Indian life and life in villages. I feel very lucky to have met these families.
Tomorrow I am off to Delhi for the weekend. I plan to see the Taj Mahal and spend some time visiting with my friend Silvia that I met during my Vippassana meditation program.
My flight home is Monday ...I can't believe it!
Will update you before again before I leave India.
Love me

The People of Pushkar

2006-11-21T21:51:00.000+09:00

Ok- so I decided to skip Bikiner after a friend emailed me and told me it was crap and to go straight to Pushkar. It turns out (according to my reliable source - aka: cool Lex) that Bikiner is more of a hole then a haven and the rat temple isn't really that fascinating after all. Maybe next time.
Anyways, I made it to Pushkar around 5 am this morning after taking my second overnight bus in India. Yes I know..I vowed never to set foot on another overnight bus - but I rationalized my decision by the fact that I save on a hotel room and I had the option to book a seat rather then spend the bumpy ride lying horizontal in one of the bunks. It turned out to be a wise choice. Although it was still only possible to get brief moments of sleep, the 12 hours seemed to pass quickly.
Unfortunately, the bus driver refused to drop me off at the bus terminal and instead deposited me about 2 kms outside of the small town of Ajmer. I then had to negotiate a rickshaw ride to the bus station (they wanted 500 rupees - I paid 50, then watched as the Indians that shared my taxi paid 10 rupees.....ahhh India) After waiting at the bus station for 30 minutes, the local bus finally departed and I arrived in Pushkar and managed to find my guesthouse without too much more drama.
After a long nap and some coffee I decided to explore the city and see what it had to offer.
My conclusion after a short time was not much….although as usual in India – I would later change my mind completely.
I made my way down towards the small lake in the center of town and attempted to sit down for a quiet moment by one of the ghats.
Note: most days getting a quiet moment in India is generally not possible - and today proved to be just the same.
After no less then 10 seconds I had 3 people around me - each asking the usual questions they had memorized and thought suitable for any foreigner : "which country you from?" "what your name?" "How long you stay Pushkar?"....sigh.
After politely answering their questions, they decided I was not too interesting and slowly retreated.

It was not long after when a small girl approached me trying to sell me some silver bracelets. She said her name was Natty and that she lived with her older brother and his wife. She told me that both of her parents had died leaving 6 children (including her). Her brother and his wife had 3 more. That makes 11 in her family. Natty is one of the middle children and is 12 years old. Natty’s older brother is a musician and makes money performing and giving lessons to people. But he often finds himself with not enough work. Natty and her brothers sell bracelets and other souvenirs to tourists.
The sad thing is that Natty’s story is all too common.
After making some small talk and telling her several time I didn’t want to buy any bracelets, she decided to just sit back and relax. We began to talk a bit more and she told me how her family struggled to make enough money for food. It was soon after that her brother’s wife (carrying a baby) came over and joined our conversation. It was obvious from looking at Natty, her sister-in-law and the baby, that they were all quite sick. Each of them had large sores on their arms and legs. Also their eyes were full of yellow puss-like and it was clear that the young baby was doing far worse then the older girls.
They told me that they can’t afford to visit the doctor very often and didn’t have any medicine for the children or themselves. I offered to go with them to the doctor and help pay for some medicine for the family. Since I am a foreigner, the doctor would most likely charge me 3 or 4 times the amount he would charge Natty’s family – so I waited outside while they visited the doctor and received the medicine.
Since Natty’s sister-in-law needed to get home to give the other children some medicine, they invited me to join them for dinner. We walked outside of the town of Pushkar about 1 km to a small village, stopping only to buy a bag of flour to make chapatti for dinner. The families that live in Natty's village do not have the standard mud houses that I saw in the villages of Bihar or other areas of Rajasthan– they live in small tents that are built from sticks and tarps. Natty’s family has a small tent that doesn’t quite fit all of the 11 members of her family. She told me that her and her brothers sleep outside and when it rains they have no cover. Her sister-in-law and the small children sleep under the tent. The tent is ripped and doesn’t appear to have much time left before it falls apart completely. They also have 5 blankets to share between the 11 of them and only a small metal box that contains the entire personal belongings of the family (a couple sweaters and scarves, a worn shawl, a few pots, pans, 5 plates, a mirror, some lip gloss and a few old photos – most of these were given to them by other foreigners – and I am assuming the lip gloss (which looked to be an American brand ) – was also a gift.
Natty was very proud of the photos and took great pride in showing me them – although she expressed regret that she didn’t have an album to keep them safe in and was afraid that they were beginning to get too dirty.
After lunch, I took some photos on my camera of Natty and her family while we sat and talked about their life some more. I decided that I couldn’t leave knowing that this family doesn’t have a proper shelter to sleep under. Most nights I have found myself cold in my guesthouse – I can’t imagine how it must be for them to sleep outside without any protection from the wind. So after speaking some more with Natty’s sister-in-law I agreed to help them out.
We agreed that tomorrow Natty’s brother will go to the town of Ajmer and I will help him buy a new tent for the family. Although I usually don’t give money to the people I meet, I decided that this family is a little different and since I will be buying them the things they need and not just handing over cash, I can walk away knowing that the money was put to good use.
Anyways, that being said – Pushkar has already turned out to be so much more then just another touristy town.
Who knows what the last 6 days of my time in India hold – but I have a feeling that even I am going to be surprised right till the end.
Colleen

A desert tale

2006-11-18T17:37:00.000+09:00

Again I am struggling to find the words to describe what I am experiencing.
It is the sounds, the sights, the emotions, the people I have experienced in the last few days that have truly reminded me why I am here.
I am not sure that 'magical' is the best word - but it really feels close to it.
The four days that I spent in the desert were incredible.
Each day we spent 5 or more hours riding camels over sand dunes, through desert scrub and past countless small villages and farms. We rode in the mornings for a few hours and then would stop for lunch and a siesta under some trees before heading out again for a ride to some sand dunes a few hours away. At night we enjoyed traditional songs by campfire, slept under the stars and woke to incredible sunrises over the sand dunes. Each day was the same, but completely different. It was all desert, but never the same.
I was lucky enough to meet an incredible friend, Jon, while I was in Jodpur and we travelled through the desert together with 8 other people and 4 camel drivers.
On the first day, I admit I was a little nervous about having to 'drive' my own camel, but after a few minutes it was easy. The camels have been travelling the same routes for many years and need very little steering. It was funny to see the different personalities between the camels come out over the few days. Some were gentle and quiet, while others were loud and sometimes defiant to the orders of the camel drivers.
My camel was named Maria (which means Peacock , the bird of Rajasthan) but was a 7 year old male camel. He was very friendly and usually listened to me (but not always).
Riding the camels was generally quite easy, but after the 3rd day it became quite painful and by the end of day four I felt as if I had been hit by a truck. But even with the pain in my legs and butt, it was worth it.
I returned to Jaisalmer alone, since Jon had to get back to Delhi for his flight on Sunday.
Now I am just relaxing and plan to take in a few of the local sights before I head north to Bikiner to visit the infamous Karni Mata Temple (which holds hundreds of rats - all believed to be reincarnated story tellers). Then I am going to a small town called Pushkar for a day or two before heading to Agra and Delhi.
Anyways, I have a kazillion photos which I will share when I get back to Canada in 9 days.
I promise to update again in a few days,
Love you all
Colleen

2006-11-13T20:08:00.000+09:00

Hey
Just wanted to let you know I am safe and having a great time. I am finally in the real desert now - and it is beautiful. I arrived in the city of Jaisalmer this morning, after spending a day in another beautiful city called Jodpur. I have been visiting many old forts and temples, and I have made some good friends along the way.
Tomorrow morning I am going on a 3 night, 4 day camel safari through the Thar desert...ohh la la. There should be plenty of good photos and good stories to tell when I am back.
Hope everyone is good and having fun back home - just 2 weeks today until I return to Canada - wow!!!
See you all very soon,
with love Colleen

2006-11-09T17:13:00.000+09:00

My last day In Bundi was probably one of my favorite days in India so far.
I went to an amazing waterfall with the family I was staying with and spend the afternoon swimming and relaxing in the sun. It was the first time that the mother had ever been to this waterfall, even though it was only 35kms away from where she has lived her entire life. She was so excited when I asked her family to join me. She was literally skipping on our short hike to the falls. It was really fun. Later that night I went to visit an Indian friend that I made and she put henna on my hands and cooked me dinner. She is getting married soon and will be moving to a new city, so we talked a lot about how hard it will be for her to leave her family and what she expected her life would be like with her new husband. It was very interesting.
That same night I caught a sleeper bus from Bundi to the city of Udaipur. I use the term "sleeper" very loosely since it was impossible to sleep on this bus. Yes there was a bed, but the road was so bumpy my body was literally hitting the ceiling every few moments. Also, Indians drive like complete maniacs, and the bus seemed to be constantly seconds away from fatally crashing into the dozens of trucks that past us on the road last night. ...very scary.
But I made it to Udaipur in one piece and met up with 3 people I had met briefly in Bundi. We found a lovely guesthouse near the lake and have spent the last 2 days exploring the city together. Last night we rented boats to watch the sunset on the lake and then had dinner at a very expensive hotel by the lake called Udai Koti. It was really a completely different side of India. Our meal cost us well over 3000 rupees ( there were 7 of us...usually I pay less then 40 rupees for a meal) but the food and the atmosphere were incredible (but most likely a one time thing). They even had a rooftop pool.
The city of Udaipur is very beautiful, but very touristy so in a couple days I plan to move on to Jaisalmer which is where I am going to do a camel trek through the Thar desert for a few days.
Will keep you posted.
Colleen

2006-11-06T01:10:00.000+09:00

I have had an exciting 2 days in Bundi!!
On my first night in Bundi, I was invited to join Sashi (one of the daughters in the guesthouse where I am staying) for dinner at her soon-to-be husband's family's house. I felt a bit funny since I had nothing nice to wear, and Sashi was wearing a beautiful sari ...but she assured me that I was fine wearing my not-so-stylish western clothes.
We arrived at the house and were given a delicious meal, which was followed up by far too many sweets (Indians love sweets). After dinner, the girls showed me the saris that have been selected for one of the other daughters wedding. They are apparently a part of her dowry.
The saris were like nothing I have ever seen before. Each of them were embroidered with gold and gems (maybe not all real - but still very stunning). It was really amazing to see a more intimate side of Indian culture.
The next morning I went shopping with Sashi for some bangels, dresses and shoes...mostly for her - but I also bought some glass bangels, Bindi stickers and had a dress made for me at a local tailor shop...very cheap! Then last night, the family invited me to attend a wedding party with them...once again, I was assured that I didn't have to dress up. As soon as we arrived, I was ushered up to the front of the stage (yep - there was a stage) to meet the bride and groom and of course pose for photos and video with the new couple.
After my photo was taken countless times, I was invited to join them for dinner. We ate off of large leaves while sitting on the floor (very traditional) while watching other guests dance in true Bollywood fashion to Hindi pop music. They did have a small selection of English music (that's if Aqua qualifies as 'music') which I had to gracfully decline to dance to (several times).
After the dinner, the family I came with told me it was time to go and we all piled into a small car for the 2 minute drive home (Indian's don't tend to walk too much).
This morning, I went with the Sashi's finace (his name is Chotu) to the town of Kota to find an ATM that would accept my card. This took all of 30 minutes. I thought we would be returning to Bundi rigth away, but intead Chotu took me to his aunt's house where I was treated to a large meal, much conversation and even had my palm read. Thanks again to Chotu and his lovely family for treating me like one of their own.
Tomorrow night I am catching a sleeper bus to the town of Udipur....which will likely be another adventure in itself. But first before I leave Bundi, I am going to walk up to the top of the palace and fort. Also, Chotu has invited me to go swimming at a waterfall with him tomorrow....so it should be another action-packed day...so stay tuned.
An aside...photos are taking foreva...and I think I am just going to wait until I get back to Canada to load more online...so you'll have to wait to see 'em (but only 20 more days).
Colleen