WanderLust

This is the Africa I Missed

2011-10-31T20:42:00.000+02:00

I missed going for walks in the African bushveld.

I missed all the beautiful flowers that can be found along the way.

I missed leopard-spotted skies and wide open spaces.

And I missed Africa's enchantingly beautiful sunsets.

Purple Haze

2011-10-23T12:23:00.001+02:00

Every October, my hometown and the capital city of South Africa, Pretoria is transformed into a purple paradise. This is when the Jacaranda trees, which are actually native to Australia but thrive in our dry, soaring heat, blossom in full force.

I love the pretty purple tree lined streets. And I'm always reminded of Jimi Hendrix's Purple Haze and Prince's Purple Rain at this time of year.

Purple Haze all around... Excuse me while I kiss the sky!

When the wind blows, and when the blossoms have matured, they fall to the ground below as purple rain. Purple rain, purple rain. I only want to see you laughing in the purple rain.

I only want to see you underneath the purple rain... Let me guide you into the purple rain... I know exactly who I want to see laughing in this purple rain, and who I want to share this purple splendor with: Clinton. He has since gone back to Cape Town, and things up here are very lonely without him!

From Korea with Love

2011-10-18T11:47:00.000+02:00

Yesterday, I picked up a parcel from the post office, which was sent to me by one of my previous student's Jane. She mentioned to me in an email that she was sending me some Korean red ginseng, but I really didn't think I'd be getting this much!

I am now the proud, and slightly confused and daunted, owner of 3,3kg of dried red ginseng. I don't even know how to make ginseng tea, but it seems like I'm going to be drinking a lot of the stuff!

Anyone have some advice for me?

Roadtripping!

2011-10-12T20:03:00.000+02:00

I might not be a millionaire any more, but I have been living like one in the five weeks since I've been back. Perhaps I've been splurging a little too lavishly, but hey... You have to treat yourself every once in awhile, right? Especially if you have been lacking for over 18 months. What is the purpose of life, if not to enjoy it?

So, a few weeks ago, Clinton and I planned a roadtrip down to the South Coast of South Africa. It was something that we had planned to do for a long time, although we had initially discussed going to see the Namaqualand daisies or visiting Coffee Bay for the first time. Sadly, Namaqualand is too far away (and up the wrong coast), and even Coffee Bay, which is just a bit further south, would cost too much to get to. Finally, we settled on going down to Clinton's previous hometown, Margate before stopping by to visit my friend, Jeanine who is currently living in Durban.

With a car packed with our bags and padkos (drinks, food and snacks to enjoy on the road), we left early in the morning on Friday, 16 September. It was a chilled drive, and we took turns driving. I read my book occasionally when Clinton took the wheel. We arrived at Howick falls just after 3:30pm.

After a quick stop, we got back on the road and arrived at the place where we would be staying - the Kirby's outdoor granny flat - just before 7pm. They are the parents of Clinton's school friends and live in a beautiful house in an even more beautiful area, Ramsgate. They were on their way to a braai, but we stopped for a quick chat. They also gave us the keys to our home away from home. We were pleasantly surprised by the gifts of food and the nice letter they had left for us, welcoming us to the flat. Max and Gemma were also there to welcome us the next day.

On our first day, it was too windy too swim but Clinton took me to loads of beautiful beaches, like Skiboat, Southbroom, Empinjati and Trafalgar.While we were trying to find Trafalgar, we saw a small troop of vervet monkeys.

We had fun in the sun, while exploring some rock pools. Later, we had an amazing lunch at the popular Waffle House in Ramsgate. We shared both a sweet and savoury pancake - the savoury being mushroom and cheese, the sweet being a lemon meringue. Delicious!

Later that night, Clinton and I went to a bar in Margate called the Cock and Tail for his 10 year high school reunion. There was a bit of a disappointing turn out, seeing as only about 20 people arrived, but we both enjoyed it nonetheless. It was nice for him to see some old friends and schoolmates, and it was interesting for me to meet some new people.

On Sunday, Clinton took me to Lucienne beach. We lazed on the beach for most of the day. Then, I asked him to take me on a tour of all the homes he has stayed in on the South Coast. Some have changed a lot, some not at all, but it was interesting for us both to see. And it was nice to get a little taste of his history. He grew up in a plethora of nice houses.

On Monday, we had to run some errands, one of which was to pick up Clinton's dachshund, Mickey's ashes. Then we went to visit his surviving pet, Bunny, who is staying with a nice lady named Patricia. I have never seen a dog so happy to see anyone in my entire life. I saw her approaching the house very casually, unaware that her owner was there to see her, but as soon as she saw Clinton sitting on the couch, she screamed and howled in delight. She got so excited, she caused a stir and Clinton had to hold her away from the other two dogs, Lexi and Diesel (a funny black pug).

Diesel also wanted some attention from us.

Later, when all our errands were done, Clinton took me to the magical Uvongo Falls. What a beautiful area! It was stunning and one of the highlights of my trip.

We said thank you and goodbye to the Kirby's by having coffee and milktart with them. Their little flat had come to feel like home. But the next day, we were off to Durban - now called eThekweni - to visit my cousins, Kate and Kiva, my aunt, Lorraine and my good friend, Jeanine. But first, we stopped off at Oribi Gorge and enjoyed a spectacularly delicious day in the sun, getting up close and personal to the beautiful untouched surroundings. That was another highlight of our roadtrip.

Clinton and I were a little worried about the lack of barricades around the gorge. It's 400m high, but there are no fences for protection, so be careful when you visit and don't get too close to the edge.

Oribi Gorge was formed from sandstone deposited about 365 million years ago, and the rocks at the base are even older than that - 1000 million years old! Situated along the stunningly green ravine of the Mzimkulu River, close to Port Shepstone, Oribi is the eastern gorge of two gorges that cut through the Oribi Flats in Kwa-Zulu Natal. The views were spectacular. And best of all, we had all the whole place to ourselves. No one was in sight. That made our stay even more magical. ^^,

On our first day in Durbs, we walked along the North Coast beach all the way to the uShaka marine world. It was a nice walk, but yet another windy day. We knew we weren't going to have great weather, as springtime at the coast can be quite cold, but this was the only time we could arrange to do our roadtrip. So we enjoyed it regardless. Another factor hindering our vacation, however, was the fact that Jeanine is studying to be a teacher at college, and had practicals every day of the week. So I didn't get to spend as much time with her as I had hoped. But, we made the most of it. Just before 4pm that afternoon, we enjoyed a creamy cuppacino and a delicious chocolate chilli pot dessert together at a really cool restaurant close to her house in Musgrave.

On Thursday, I woke up feeling sick. My chest was closed up and it was difficult to breathe. I felt like I had asthma! Something, perhaps the spores or Jeanine's cat, Phantom, was making me very allergic. That put a bit of a damper on the day and it got so bad that I had to go to the doctor. No doctor was available to help me so we even tried the hospital. In the end, I had to make an appointment for the next day. After all that trouble, we went to Gateway shopping center to get some new clothes for Clinton. We just chilled for the rest of the day.

After my doctor's appointment on Friday, Clinton and I had a picnic at the Botanical Gardens. We saw some spectacular trees, that seemed to have their own personalities and characters. We lazed around, eating, and while we lay on the blanket reading, I noticed a hadida bird who had some plastic wrapped around her foot. She came really close to me, and it seemed as though she was asking me for my help, but a silly hungry duck and another male hadida kept interfering. I never got her plastic off, but she didn't seem to be too bothered by it as she could still fly.

Later, Clinton and I had a seafood dinner at John Dory's with my cousin, Kiva and my aunt Lorraine, both of whom have been living in Durban for years. It was 20 years or so since I last saw my aunt so it was really great seeing them. On Sunday, we visited my other cousin (Kiva's sister and Lorraine's eldest daughter), Kate, who has just had a new baby, Spencer.

On Saturday it was windy and rainy. A perfect day for curry! We tried to go to a popular spot called Goudens, but seeing as it was a public holiday (Heritage Day) it was closed. So, we had some curry and bunny chow at Govenders just down the road instead. Jeanine was very disappointed with her food, but I had fish curry for the first time and it was delicious. I don't know if it was really good, or just good because I had nothing else to compare it to..? But I enjoyed it. Clinton also devoured his bunny chow. Then we took a drive to Umhlanga Rocks. It was too windy at the beach, but fun anyway.

Jeanine sent her food back, but they just put some extra chicken on her plate and didn't really do anything about her burnt rice. She wasn't impressed, but at least she didn't have to pay for it.

On our last day in Durban, we visited Kate and her husband Steve. I met their two boys, Spencer and Lucca for the first time. Lucca immediately took Clinton outside to catch monsters at his jungle gym, while I held the baby. It was great visiting for awhile.

Then, too soon, it was time to head back home. We made one final stop at the "farm" at Harrismith, where we saw ducks, chickens, goats, donkeys, ostriches and two alpacas, one white and one brown. We returned home late in the evening, sad that our amazing 10-day roadtrip had come to an end, but happy to be home.

I Was a Millionaire Once

2011-09-28T17:57:00.000+02:00

A month ago, I was earning millions in South Korea.

This thick wad of 10,000 won notes is what I got paid every month.

Now, I'm trying to find a job in my home country, and it's proving rather difficult and frustrating. How I miss those days of easy pay!

Missing SoKo

2011-09-12T20:08:00.000+02:00

As a going away gift, Clinton got two 3D puzzles of pagodas from the Bulguksa temple one of his elementary school students. We were missing Korea so much last week that we decided to build them. I've never built a 3D puzzle before and it was a nice challenge.

A day later, we started building the more challenging puzzle with a difficulty level of 6. The highest level of difficulty is 7.

They are really easy to assemble and we didn't find it too challenging. There were seven easy-to-follow steps. The only slightly difficult part was attaching the pieces, because the edges of the cardboard fray easily. Seeing as they are his gifts, I left that part to Mr Jones here.

Here Clinton's telling me to find more of the rings for the top of the temple.

It took about two hours to assemble this pagoda. We really like the finished result. And it does make a really great present!

Then we took them outside to take nice photos of them at sunset.

Four Generations

2011-09-10T18:32:00.000+02:00

Hi! My name is Gabriela. I'm 11 days old and I look like a little Mapuche baby.

That's probably because my mom comes from Chile. Her name is Ana.

And this is my dad, Richard. He was born in South Africa but his father is German.

These are his grandparents and my great-grandparents. I met them a few days ago.

They were very happy to see me. And I am very blessed to have met them.

Far East or West, Home is Best

2011-09-08T11:50:00.001+02:00

It was hard saying one last goodbye to the kids, my co-teacher, Lauren, my boss, Susan and her sister, Kate.

It also sucked bidding farewell to Seoul and the Han River from my lonely spot on the bus.

It was a long and lonely ride to the airport, and I felt sad reflecting on the 18 months I spent in the Far East, thinking about all the things I never found time to do and all the places and faces I would never see again.

I spent about 4 hours waiting at the airport, reading my book. I just wanted to take it chilled and not rush, so I had decided to go to the airport early to wait for Clinton. He had to work on the last Friday, but thankfully I got the day off.

But just after sunset, Clinton arrived. We got really excited about our trip home and about finally going back to Namagong! (That's the Korean name for South Africa.)

We chilled for a bit, and had one last delicious Korean dinner at a really nice restaurant at the airport. It was a bit pricey, but the food and banchan were tasty. Finally, at 9pm we could start checking in. I was a little anxious about this part of the journey, because I knew my bags weighed a lot more than the 20kg allowed. In fact, I was 10kg over. Whoooooops. I had to pay about $170 for that, though, and the lady who checked us in was kind enough to only charge me for 5kg. I had 2 pieces of carry on luggage, as did Clinton. We were both worried about that as well, because my kit bag (which can be seen in the picture below, on the floor) was 11kg and my laptop backpack was about 10kg. Clinton's guitar case was packed full of stuff, so that weighed about 5kg and his laptop backpack probably weighed about the same as mine. Even though the lady weighed my kit bag, she allowed us to take all our stuff on board and we had no further problems. All's well that ends well. Here we are standing in line to go through customs.

We had a pretty nice and uneventful flight to Doha. We flew back in time, leaving Seoul at 00:50am, and arriving in Doha at 4:30, even though the flight was about 8 hours.

We only had a one-hour wait at Doha's newly renovated airport, so it was quick and painless. Then we boarded for our seven-hour flight home. It was another nice flight, where we slept most of the way because luckily we had three seats to ourselves. We watched some TV shows, like Peep Show, and a cool CNN insert about animation and voice artists.

At last, we landed in hot and sunny South Africa! When we arrived at the baggage carousel to get our bags, mine was nowhere to be found. I was directed to a counter by a friendly flight attendant. There, I was told that my bag had been left in Doha and would be put on the next flight. I had to give my details, like my contact number and address, so that my bag could be delivered to me free of charge the next day. I am sure that they just decided to leave my bag in Doha because it was ridiculously heavy. Nonetheless, it all worked out fine because all our bags just managed to fit into my parents' car. And my bag was delivered without any problems or hassles the next day.

We spotted this Amarula elephant just before we exited the airport to the arrivals section.

And we couldn't resist a photo opportunity with our favourite brand of liqueur.

My parents, my uncle Etienne and my cousins, Annika and Marike were waiting for us at arrivals. My cousins had made a poster saying "Welcome home, Lali and Clinton! Let's eat cake!"

So after making a quick stop at Woolies, and then piling all our baggage into the car, that's exactly what we did.

My little brother, Robert was waiting for us back at home.

After tucking into our delicious chocolate cake and sipping some sorely missed Cherries and Berries Liquifruit, I handed out a few presents. I bought this Gorilla's t-shirt for Robert in Vietnam, and he loved it. But Apollo didn't enjoy wearing his little bee suit quite as much. Even though he looks darn cute wearing it!

My mom also looked nice in the shirt I bought her and liked her Alice in Wonderland notebook.

The next day, we went to visit Gabriela, Richard and Ana. I wouldn't let anyone hold her as much... haha! But Clinton was really smitten with her, especially since she opened her eyes to "smile" at him a few times. She is the tiniest and cutest little baby. She's strong and healthy as well. Richard and Ana are having a blast with her and doing well.

I think she looks like a little Mapuche baby. She is adorable and I can't wait to visit her again. I can't wait to see her in the little outfits that I bought for her, especially her bee swimming costume. But she can only wear that when she's a year old, so in a way, I can wait. She must stay small and cute and cuddly for now!

Later, I got to see my darling little monkeys. They loved the raccoon and panda bear hats I got them in Itaewon so much that they wouldn't take them off!

I miss Korea dearly but it's sooooooooo good to be home!

Dear Icheon,

2011-09-01T05:48:00.000+02:00

You were small and a little dirty, but I thought you looked cute. You were usually quiet, and I liked that about you. You never judged me, only stood silently and watched.

Just like Seolbong Park stood silently at your outskirts and watched all the people passing through its lenghty and leafy corridors.

I enjoyed your little street markets, even when they smelled of fish, and the delicious pajeon that ajumas made and sold there. I didn't like the cages where you displayed your octopi and other sea creatures, but I didn't judge you - because you didn't judge me.

I liked you during the day, but I think you looked better at night. You are a night owl, just like me.

I thought your red crosses were weird, but I liked to watch you sparkle as you smiled under the glow of the moon. You didn't have many stars in your sky, only neon lights dotting every street corner, but I knew I'd be seeing my diamonds in the African skies again some time soon.

I liked the people I met in your si's and dong's. And I liked sitting with them on the streets, enjoying a cold one after a long day at work.

I liked your dragonflies, and your "I-don't-know" bugs, your butterflies and spiders.

I liked your natural beauty, your misty mysteriousness, your smouldering skies and your sweltering hot, sunny days. I even occasionally liked your humidity and your bitter iciness.

I liked the views you gave me, especially at night, and the perspective I got when I viewed you from higher ground..

I liked you throughout the seasons - in the bitter cold of winter,

on the misty days of fall and spring,

and in the sticky hot humidity of your summers.

I liked you in the fall when your leaves changed colour, and I liked you in the spring, when your flowers bloomed and you smiled, through your brightly colourful blossoms, at the world.

I never thought I'd say this, but I even loved you during the bitterly cold iciness of winter, when wind blasted around every turn and through every alleyway, and I thought I might die. I loved your snow days the best, but sadly I experienced too few of them.

Oh, Icheon, how you have changed me! You treated me well during my eighteen months here. You kept me comfortable in my small little apartment, and you were a refuge after a long day at work or a weekend away in Seoul. You felt like home to me. And for that, I thank you.

I will miss you dearly, little city.

Much love,
Lali

Good News!

2011-08-30T15:07:00.000+02:00

It's always hard to be away from home - things happen, things change, people move away, loved ones pass away... And you feel helpless because you are not there, among loved ones, to console and be consoled. This past year brought some bad news. My father's parents, my Großmutti and Großvati passed away. I wish I could have gone to their funerals, but I am thousands of kilometers away. My mother's mom, my ouma, was also really sick. Thankfully she is much better now, and she is back at home. I have had my fair share of bad news for one year, and I hope this is the end of it.

But, with the bad, there always comes some good. And with death, there is always new life or new beginnings. Earlier this year, I was told that my brother, Richard and his wife, Ana, are expecting their first child. We soon found that it would be a little girl, and they named her Gabriela. Her due date is only the second week of September, and I was really excited about that because I am going home next week. But then, tonight (well, my night - it is lunchtime in South Africa) I received an sms from my mom to say she had arrived! I am so happy, but a little disappointed that she didn't wait for me. ^^,

I have blogged about her before here. And now, when I look back at the photos, it seems so strange to see her plaster-like shots... Here she is! A perfectly cute little bundle of joy. She is really small - only 2,7kg. I cannot wait to meet her.

Welcome to the family, Ela!

The Good, The Bad and the Just Plain Weird

2011-08-29T13:33:00.000+02:00

The following is based entirely on my limited perspective and biased opinion, having lived in a small town in Korea for the past 18 months. I do not intentionally mean to offend anyone. I believe that every culture and country in this world has both positive and negative aspects. And while I have enjoyed my time here in the land of rice and kimchi, there were also some shocking things and weird things that happened to me. My aim in this post is just to showcase some of the different sides of Korea - the things I found weird, cool and really bad. Obviously, it goes without saying that I am a foreigner and a guest in this country. So naturally, some of the things I find strange would be perfectly normal to a Korean. I am sure that a Korean visiting my country would also think some of the things we do or the food we eat, for example, are strange.

The Good...

Korea is an exquisite country, with lots of interesting sculptures on its streets and in its parks to punctuate its natural beauty.

It is an exceptionally safe country too. The crime rate is virtually non-existent, and this was one thing that I loved the most about Korea. I felt completely free and safe on its streets - whether I was in Seoul or in my hometown. I often walked around at 3am, and I never bothered to look over my shoulder to see if someone was following me, as I might have done back home. Sadly, I will miss this freedom when I am back home in South Africa, which unfortunately is a pretty crime-ridden country. It was also great being able to carry around hundreds or thousands of won in my wallet and never worry about being mugged. I could also put my bag down anywhere - in a restaurant, cafe, on the street, in the bus - and never had to worry about someone rummaging through my bag to steal something. If I lost anything, it would be returned to me. This is a huge generalisation, but Koreans (at least the ones that I met) don't steal. Once, I left my backpack at the bus terminal in Seoul by accident. It happened just after a holiday and I was feeling tired and out of sorts from all the travelling. When I arrived home and realised my mistake, I simply called my Korean friend to help me call the bus terminal to tell them I'd left my bag there. My bag was promptly put on to the next bus to Icheon and all I had to do was fetch it at the terminal the next day. Nothing stolen and no harm done. I didn't even have to pay! I will miss the safeness of this beautiful country.

The food is delicious, cheap and there's usually enough of it to feed a small army.

The dish below is one of my favourites. It's a vegetarian meal called "dwenjang jiggae" and it's a bean stew with tofu. It usually costs between 4,000w and 6,000w - which is roughly R32 or $4,7. I also love, love, love, love the different types of rice here! Look at this delicious purpleness!

I don't have any pictures to prove it, but Korean people really are very kind and friendly. Some will go completely out of their way just to take you where you need to go or help you find out whatever you need help with.

The Bad...

I guessed Korea would be like Japan - neat, clean and efficient. Instead, I was dismayed by the piles of junk waiting for collection. Unlike other Asian countries I have visited, dustbins are not ubiquitous. I think that's part of the reason why there's so much trash everywhere - people simply can't be bothered to keep their trash with them until they find a bin - so they just throw it / leave it on the street. Even I have been frustrated by the lack of dustbins.

The streets are quite dirty as well.

It is not uncommon to see or hear someone on the streets hacking up a spit ball. You've also got to watch out for snot rockets. Nasty! This spit ball greeted me in a toilet, so don't be fooled into thinking that only men hock a loogie.

Another common site is puke puddles in the street. You have to be very careful and vigilant on your way home, otherwise you might step on one of these "Korean pancakes".

One night, Jessica and I were sitting outside of a Family Mart, drinking some wine and chatting. We noticed a drunk ajoshi (older Korean man) stumbling around. He disappeared around the corner and we thought that was the last we had seen of him. But then, a few minutes later, he stumbled back to the Family Mart, fell back against the wall of a photo printing shop, lowered his pants and took a bloody shit - excuse the terrible pun - right there on the pavement. After he was done, he lifted up his pants and stumbled away. I know it's terrible, but I had to take a photo.

Cars and vans kitted out with these loud speakers wake me up at ungodly hours of the morning. When I woke up on the first morning of my stay here, I heard someone in my neighbourhood shouting through a loudspeaker for what seemed like hours. I panicked and thought maybe it was the police telling everyone about a state of emergency. I assumed they were telling us to stay indoors. But now I know that these are merely what I like to call "norebang (or karaoke) cars." They use the speakers to advertise their goods for sale, which can be really grating, especially when you're trying to sleep at 7am!

Packaging in Korea just irritates me to no end. I feel that there is a lot of unnecessary waste generated. For example, they wrap up fruit and vegetables in plastic wrap. Why!?

Finally, after a few minutes, I have unwrapped all the cling film from my sprouts. How much plastic does one product need?

In their defense, Korea is very big on recycling. But, if they didn't use so much plastic to begin with, it would eliminate a huge amount of waste.

This last picture brings me to another issue of contention - the price of fruits and vegetables. I know it's unfair to compare because of the sizes of the country, what they produce locally and the weather, but in South Africa, you can buy fruit and vegetables for really cheap. South Korea has to grow these things in greenhouses, which obviously increases the price. The red pepper above costs more than R6, which is almost one dollar. I have paid R65 for cherries, R40 for blueberries and a small fortune on the very limited fruits and vegetables I consumed this year. But it had to be done.

And the weird...

The latest trend in the tyre industry here is wrapping tyres in gold and silver to make them more appealing to customers.

It seems like a whole lot of effort for nothing. And it boggles my mind as to how they managed to wrap them all.

Some of my students have told me that I have an 'S' line., which might sound weird to you, the reader, because you probably have no idea what I'm talking about. And it makes me feel weird because it means that these students have been looking at my body. And S line means you are curvy, with full breasts and bum. And a V-shaped face just looks cute, apparently. In Korea, appearance is very important. All the women want 'S' lines and 'V' shaped faces. (The only S-line I make is when I'm sleeping!) But I will not be reduced to a letter of the alphabet!

These are the rest of the letters:

S-Line - Ample breasts and buttocks when viewed from the side

V-Line - A slim and oval face narrowing towards the chin

W-Line - Breasts viewed from the front

X-Line - Long legs and arms connected by a narrow waist

M-Line - A "six pack" of abdominal muscles on men

D-Line - A pregnant (or pregnant-appearing) abdomen

B-Line - Big breasts, big abdomen

O-Line - Generalized obesity

courtesy of this site. I guess I should be glad I'm not an O line!

The building below is a Wedding Hall and all sorts of strange things happen inside. Only a small percentage of Koreans are Christians. Most stem from Confucist or Buddhist backgrounds, so their wedding ceremonies are very different. From what I have learnt so far, you rent a wedding hall like this one and get married 'Western Style' there. After that, you celebrate in a more traditional way, where the bride wears a hanbok. So, most Koreans have two wedding ceremonies.

I can't believe that I am leaving Korea without ever having been to a Korean wedding, which I've heard are really crazy experiences! My friend Lauren went to one when she was here a couple of years ago, and said that it was nuts. There were flashing neon lights, everyone was on their cell phones and it was like being back in the disco-ball kitsch era of the 70ies. I was invited to one in November, but I didn't go because of the snowy weather. How I regret that now!

Jimjilbangs, which are gender-segregated bathhouses and saunas, can be really weird and really daunting, too. They are unique to Korea, and they are a cheap way to visit a 'spa' - if you don't mind being naked around a lot of Korean ladies - or to get some sleep - if you don't mind sleeping on the floor with a towel and brick for your head. I like jimjilbangs, but it will take a long time for me to truly feel comfortable there. Obviously, due to the nudity, I don't have any photos of jimjilbangs. So, below is an artistic impression of what a jimjilbang is like, for men. These clay models are part of an exhibition at Loveland, on Jeju island.

The foreigners in Korea are also just plain weird! I mean, look at this guy and the weirdo next to him.

He looks like a mentalist or the wild man of Borneo. LOL

Here are some more weirdos.

Jokes aside, one district of Seoul called Itaewon really seems to attract all the weirdos from the US. I have never seen stranger people in all of my life. And I have a pretty strange family. There's good weird, of course, and then there's bad weird. All too often, in Itaewon, you see drunk foreigners stumbling around at noon. A lot of... no wait, too many of the US GIs stationed in Itaewon look and act like convicts. I won't miss that place at all.

To end off...

All countries have positive and negative sides, good and bad things, things you hate and things you love. I had a great time in Korea, despite the spitballs, occasional bad smell and snot rockets. If I had to do it all over again, there would be no hesitation or doubt in my mind. I'd hop on that flight and come to the twilight zone in an instant. I will dearly miss this beautiful country and its amazing people. Thank you, Korea, for putting up with me and my own weirdness, my own bad side and good side, for the last 18 months.

Hack and Slash!

2011-08-26T05:19:00.002+02:00

Last Sunday, 21 August, Elke, Clinton and I visited the Animation and Cartoon Museum in Myeongdong, Seoul. Clinton and I had been wanting to check it out for ages.

It's a great place to visit and best of all, it's free!

I met a friendly fox and a robot.

Elke high-fived a polar bear.

While Clinton got dong chimmed by a green character.

Inside the museum, we met Mashimarro and lots of other cute little characters.

It was really interesting to see the storyboards posted up everywhere, to show how Japanese and Korean animators brought their stories to life.

Clinton and I decided it would be really cool to have a similar studio in our houses, where we can put our rough work, concepts and ideas up on the walls.

My sister is currently building and decorating a new room for her sons, who are aged 4 and 8. It is going to have a world explorer theme. She found a cool wall with a good idea at the Animation Museum - it is constructed with movable squares and each side of the square has a different picture.

There was also a fun area for the kids to play in. We all agreed that if we lived in Seoul and had kids, we'd let them go to the Animation Museum every weekend. They'd be able to have fun and learn something at the same time.

Even the toilets were fun. There are pictures all over. The ladies room had an interactive mirror, where you can choose a background for the frame. I liked the snowing theme the best. Here are the men's urinals.

For just 4,000 won, you can make your own claymation at the museum. The fee gets you different coloured clay and 30 minutes in a room set up with a camera and different backgrounds. You spend 20 minutes making your character, and then 10 minutes filming it. While we waited for our booking, we had a look around the Cartoon Museum.

Elke and I enjoyed interacting with the paper cut outs.

The Cartoon Museum has an interactive section where children and families can laze around and relax while they watch a movie. There is a DVD library all around, as you can see below. Visitors simply ask for a DVD they want to watch and it is then set up for them.

Here, families are lying on comfortable beanbags while watching the movies of their choice.

Downstairs, there is a cell animation camera. It was really exciting to see how big and complex it is. I've always been very interested in cell animation but I've never seen the actual camera before.

Clinton, Elke and I enjoyed browsing the library.

There were books about how to draw accurate emotional expressions, character design, how to make computer and cell phone applications and even books about landscapes around the world.

Finally, at 11:20, it was time for us to make our animation. The helpful Korean lady gave us our packets of coloured clay and explained to us that we would spend the first 20 minutes creating and making our characters and the last 10 minutes filming our movies.

It was hard to just come up with a good character idea at the spur of the moment. But there was useful info all around. In the photo above, you can see a step-by-step guide on how to create a character, and there were many of these papers available. There were also sculpting tools and characters that other people had created adorning the shelves all around the room.

Here are some of the characters that people had previously copied and created. You might recognise some of them. I like Totoro the best.

While I was still struggling with a character to design, Elke started making a panda.

Clinton made what he calls Skullbox, an interesting character with a skull head and a colourful body, who carries an axe around with him.

I knew I wanted to make a zombie, but we didn't get any green clay, so I started making a black and white zombie bunny.

Elke's panda was coming along nicely, looking very innocent and cute.

What the lady failed to explain to us was that we had to work in pairs. Clinton, Elke and I had all assumed we'd be making our own movie where our character moves around alone. Instead, we had to make it together, which acutally makes sense now that I think about it because one character on its own would be boring. I was still busy finishing off my zombie bunny when the lady announced that we now had 10 minutes to film our story.

Everything happened so fast and time was tight, so I didn't have time to take pictures of our final characters. We had a zombie bunny, an axe-weilding skullbox character and an innocently cute panda bear to work with. And we had to come up with a story on the spot. Of course, we created a gory slasher film. My deranged zombie bunny and Clinton's murderous Skullbox wanted to kill the panda. Our film ends with the panda's head being severed off by the bunny and a pool of blood spilling down from the platform where the panda was innocently minding his own business. We think our film is great, but when the Korean lady saw the frames we had filmed, she gasped a flustered little "Oh!"

The filming was a bit rushed, but in the end it turned out great and we can't wait to see our short film. We then got transparent containers to put our characters into. We put the panda and bunny together, because they had been morphed while filming and were now stuck together. Poor Mr Panda is forever domed to be stuck in a cage with a deranged and blood-thirsty Panda-flesh-eating zombie bunny.

And here's a quick shot I took before we left the room to allow the next bunch of people create their characters and shoot their films. You can see by the expressions on our faces that we are really happy and had a lot of fun.

Raspberry Red

2011-08-22T03:10:00.001+02:00

This past Friday night was the last night that my sister and I had to spend together in my town because she was leaving on Sunday. So we decided to have a cozy ladies' night and stay in. We bought hair dye and a bottle of wine, and put on some face masks that my sister had brought with her from back home. She dyed her hair a beautiful bronze colour and I opted for raspberry red. Here it is.

And if you don't think it looks very red, then here's a close up.

Okay, no. It's obviously not quite that red. But it comes pretty close. (I really look like a zombie teacher in this one. Look at my scary orange eyes!)

I got a bit of a shock when I stepped out into the sunshine in Seoul the next day.

Whooops! Where did my hair go? Later that day, when we went to a castle in Seoul, my hair blended into the red wooden door behind me.

It's a shade to match my fiery temper and my feisty nature. And although I think I'm going to get some strange looks from my kids and a lot of "Why, teacher?" "Scary teacher!" 's at school today, I'm happy with it. I've never been this much of a red-head before and I'm keen to go wild and absolutely nuts with it! I think we both look great.

Hooked on Crack

2011-08-21T17:15:00.002+02:00

I am completely addicted to crack. Clinton first got me hooked on the stuff when he bought me a bottle on the 5th August. Now, I can't get enough of it!

Crack is a very quick drying nail polish. When you put it over a layer of colour on your nails, it dries super fast and "cracks" and gives your nails a really cool effect. This bottle of brown crack from the Face Shop was the first bottle I got.

But now I am also the proud owner of white and black crack.

And this is what it looks like on your nails. The first one is a gold undercoat, brown crack on top, and a sparkly but clear topcoat. The second is a lime green undercoat, black / white crack on top and a clear nail varnish over it. My only issue with crack is that, because it dries so quickly, it looks dull when it dries. A matte effect can be nice, especially matte black, but usually nail polish just looks better when it's got a bit of a shine or sparkle to it.

It retails for 5,000 won (about $4). Seeing as you usually only pay 1,000 won for nail polish in this country, it's a little bit pricey. But when you consider that nail polish is about R75 (about $9) in South Africa, it's cheap. Expensive or not, I love love love my crack! I'm all lacquered up, and can't get enough of the stuff... Need more... But must stop buying it.... I'm going home soon.... Won't have space...

I can't believe...

2011-08-19T16:09:00.000+02:00

..that I won't see these two smiling faces again.

My father's parents both passed away while I was here in Korea. I miss them so much and I can't believe that I won't see them when I go home in just over two weeks. I think it will only really sink in once I am home. *sigh*

S(e)oul Sisters

2011-08-18T03:06:00.000+02:00

My sister, Elke arrived in Seoul safely late last Saturday afternoon. I haven't seen her in 17 months! So it was great to catch up and show her around Seoul. Although, perhaps staying in Myeongdong was not the best idea... especially not for our wallets. ^^, I took her to Samcheok to see the Penis Park there. We tried to go to the caves as well, but unfortunately there were some travel and transport problems. Nonetheless, we enjoyed riding the penises.

Samcheok has beautiful beaches and the east coast sea is so beautiful! So we had to dip our feet into the ocean. We both wished we had our swimming costumes with us.

This week, I have been showing her around my town. Clinton and I took her to Seolbong Sculpture Park yesterday, where they are busy getting ready for the next ceramics festival.

She really liked all the sculptures around Seolbong, too, even though they didn't look like the ones that were at the Penis Park in Samcheok:

Wig Madness

2011-08-16T17:43:00.000+02:00

Wigs are fun! Whether they are purple...

blue...

or red!

And matching red contacts are fun, too!

Thank you, Jesus

2011-08-11T17:24:00.000+02:00

Working at a hagwon in South Korea can be a very weird experience. It is not uncommon for your schedules, class times and days of work to change at the whim of your employer. It is even more common for you to only be told seconds before you thought you were going to class to teach that there is, in fact, no class to teach. Luckily, my experience hasn't been like that. I have taught the same hours and class times for the past 18 months, and my boss, Susan rarely springs things on me. She usually tells me in advance when things at the hagwon are going to change.

However, this week was pretty weird. On Tuesday, Susan tried to tell me something in very broken English and I didn't really understand. She mentioned something about grammar classes on Wednesday, so I assumed that she was telling me I would have to focus on grammar on that day of the week. Then she asked me if I could teach her daughter, who is currently studying psychology at a university is Seoul, for 2 hours every Tuesday and Friday at 10am. Susan said she wanted the lesson to focus on conversation, pronunciation and writing. I said that wouldn't be a problem.

On Wednesday, I went to school expecting it to be just a normal Wednesday. I was sitting in my classroom, about to start teaching my 1:30pm class of Tim, Tom, Ayeon, Stella, Kate and Junie when my co-teacher, Lauren walked in and said Susan wanted to talk to me. My boss was in the kitchen, with a language recorder on the table. Then she told me that because I will teach every Tuesday and Friday for 2 hours, that makes up 4 hours, and because my normal working day is 6 hours, I will only have to work for 2 hours on a Wednesday, after which I have the rest of the day off. A day off!! I was elated. So what will I be doing for 2 hours on a Wednesday? She wants me to record myself reading the book of John from the Bible. She gave me this tape recorder and an English copy of the bible and that afternoon I was free to go home.

I read until chapter 8. It was a little more difficult that I expected, because I don't know the pronunciation of all the cities, like Capernaum and Siloam, in the bible. But I think I did all right. I tried to do some extra reading and to finish as many chapters as I could so that I wouldn't have to work next Wednesday when my sister is here!

I have no idea why Susan wants this recording of the book of John and I didn't bother asking. I know that her husband is a pastor. His church is in the same building as our English academy, one level below us. Some of the children I teach also attend their church. So I can only assume that they will use this recording in a service or for their church somehow. Either that or she's just trying to actually get me to work for 2 hours every Wednesday. Whatever the reason, I have a day off! I'm very excited about that, as I haven't had a day off in months. And I guess I have Jesus to thank for that!

Say Kimchi!!

2011-08-11T04:03:00.000+02:00

Hana, dul, set! (That's "One, two, three!" in Korea and it's what Koreans say before taking a photo.) Instead of cheese, they say kimchi. And it's just not a proper photograph if you're not striking the perfect 'V' pose. One night at RX, Jessica had the great idea of making us all wear heart glasses and do our best Korean pose. These are the best of the bunch!

And the winner is... Brian!

Ad Break

2011-08-10T10:05:00.002+02:00

Before we return to regular blogging, we have to take an ad break - Korean style. And that means there will be nothing short or sweet about it...

The ads will drag on forever.

And the jingles and tunes will get stuck in your head.

And you will wonder what on earth happened to your show.

Or when the next show is coming on.

Glancing at your clock, you will watch in horror as the minutes tick by.

Ten minutes...

Fifteen minutes...

Twenty minutes...

You will become so irritated and frustrated...

..that you will change the channel or switch off the stupid TV!

A Maze Zing

2011-08-09T14:57:00.001+02:00

Clinton and I were all smiles as we entered the Gimnyeong Maze on Jeju island. The sky was blue, the weather was wonderful and we were rearing to go.

We were firmly focused on the task at hand. All we had to do was find the bell tower in order to find the exit. We knew we could do it in record time.

Even though we wanted to, we were careful not to kiss under the bridge. We needed to safeguard our luck.

But then the weather changed. Rain clouds appeared. Minutes turned into hours.

The winding pathways seemed to close in on us. Soon we were engulfed by the hedgerow.

Hours turned into days. We became desperate.

Finally, we found a vending machine. We couldn't believe our luck. We camped out next to the machine for a few days. We lived on coffee and sugary drinks. We became delirious. Clinton tried to put on a brave face as he opened the last Hershey's chocolate milk.

The days and nights grew darker and more ominous.

The twists and turns became more and more exhausting.

We lost track of time.

Eventually, dying of hunger and thirst, we resorted to eating the plants all around us...

But it was only a matter of time before we both succommed.

Birds of a Feather

2011-08-07T19:31:00.001+02:00

It was a long, bumpy ride up to the top of Yu-myeong Mountain. I looked out the window at the beautiful scenery on the way to the summit, and noticed loads of cyclists peddling like mad. Their muscles seemed close to bursting as they raced up the mountain. 'They're nuts to be cycling up such steep inclines,' I thought, as our four-wheel drive spluttered up yet another abrupt hill. But actually, I was the crazy one; I was about to willingly jump off the top of this mountain, which is 840m above sea level. And I'm doing it to celebrate my 28th birthday.

As Clinton and I stood on the summit, waiting to be kitted out in our jumpsuits and flying gear, we were briefed about what to expect. "When I say, 'go', you must run and run until I say stop," my pilot, John said. "Otherwise it will fail." My heart jumped in my chest. Fail was not a word I wanted to hear before I was about to jump off a mountain. "You must keep running after take-off, until I say stop, otherwise it will fail," he continued. Visions of failing flashed before my eyes. I felt a little sick. I began to doubt my ability to run while in mid-flight. John was talking again. "Then, when we are flying, you must wait for me to say sit in your harness. If you sit too quickly," he said and I knew what was coming next, "it will fail."

He was beginning to scare me now. What if I couldn't run with these ridiculously huge boots that were strapped to my feet? What if I ran too slowly? What if I sat down too quickly? WHAT IF WE FAILED!? I tried to ease my mind by asking John a question. "How long have you been paragliding?" He smiled at me. "From 1989," he said. 1989? That's 22 years of fail-free flying. I relaxed a little bit and my heart beat returned to normal. I even managed a smile.

I shuddered in the heat and humidity as I put each item of clothing on when John helped me to get ready. Finally, wearing a red and black jumpsuit, navy gloves, a yellow crash helmet and black knee guards, I was boiling hot but ready to go. Strapped in to my harness, I looked, felt and moved like a snail. The harness is just a lightweight bag, but nonetheless, it crashed into the backs of my knees each time I took a step. I glanced at Clinton and gave him the evil eye. He was not wearing a jumpsuit because none of the flight suits could fit him. He is too tall. All he had to wear were really cool silver knee guards that looked like they belonged to Optimus Prime once upon a time when he was just a little robot.

Soon, the lines were being attached to the bits of webbing called risers and the risers were being connected to the harness with carabiners. It was time for me to fly. As I ran towards the edge of Yu-myeong Mountain, my worries washed away. I felt only exhilaration and the rush of adrenalin.

Within seconds, we were up in the air. It felt incredible floating beneath a blanket of clouds, 850m above sea level. And the view was riveting. But, I did feel the wind a little more than I had expected I would. After making slight adjustments, I finally relaxed into my seat.

"How do you feel?" John asked. I made the thumbs up sign with both hands and said, "Good!" He positioned his camera, attached to a long metal rod, to take some shots of us. "Look at the camera," he instructed. "Smile." Later, John pointed into the distance. "There's the Han River," he said. I marveled at the view from the sky. Yangpyeong is only a short distance from Seoul. "It's very pretty," I told him. "You have a very beautiful country."

"Do you want to try some dynamic flying?" John asked a short time later. "We will do some twist and turn." "OK," I replied. No sooner had the words left my mouth, when we veered suddenly to the right. My stomach dropped to my knees. We veered to the left. My stomach jumped up, landed in my throat and did a back-flip. It felt like I was on a roller coaster, but without the metal tracks.

Seconds later, we were hanging over emerald green rice paddies, making small talk as we looked at the houses and white herons below. Then, when we were 150m from the landing site, we began our slow descent. "Legs up," John instructed. I held the position until we landed with a thump on the ground. It was all over too quickly. As soon as we hit the ground, I wished I was at the top of the mountain again, about to take the plunge.

Meanwhile, back at the summit, it was Clinton's turn to soar. As he ran towards the edge of the mountain, he lost his shoe. Despite this little mishap, Clinton also enjoyed the stunning views and the adrenaline rush.

The only thing he didn't enjoy that much was the dynamic flying. In the beginning, it was all right. He enjoyed his pilot, Mansoo's twist and turns.But after a few seconds of his stomach doing their own twists, turns and back-flips, he couldn't handle it any more. "Please stop!" he yelled.

Down below, I waited at the landing grounds for Clinton to come back down to earth.

I listened to the cry of the cicadas and was intrigued by the number of dragonflies hovering around.

I imagined them to be little paragliders of their own, and in this picture, they even look the same size.

When Clinton was back on terra firma, he told me about his shoe fail. "Did you do some dynamic flying?" he asked. I nodded, "It was fun, but a bit like being on a rollercoaster without the support." "Yeah," he agreed. "But I had to tell him to stop after a while. It made me too dizzy."

While Mansoo and John packed up the kits, we waited for Clinton's shoe, which had been found up on the mountain and was being flown down by another paraglider. Mansoo works for a chemical company, importing phosphoric acid, but he loves paragliding in his free time. "How did you get into paragliding?" I ask. "I am a hiker," he responded. "In 1989, I was hiking up a mountain and I saw some paragliders. I thought that it looked like a fun way to fly down a mountain." We asked some more questions about flying and his experience, and he told us about some of the other gliders, one of whom was a middle school boy. "Is there an age or weight limit for paragliding?" Clinton wanted to know. "Here in Korea, you can fly at any age but you must be a specific weight," Mansoo said. "You must be more than 40kg." "So maybe a 41kg six-year old can fly?" Clinton joked. "No," Mansoo laughed. "Not so young."

A short while later, Clinton got his shoe back. With an extra shoelace.

After thanking our veteran pilots for the successful flights, we left the Yangpyeong Paragliding grounds feeling relaxed and happy. I couldn't help looking up into the blue sky, wishing that I was still drifting along on a gust of wind. In days gone by, Leondardo da Vinci said, 'When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.'

No truer words have ever been spoken. I am already planning my next jump off Lion's Head in Cape Town. ^^,

Plank!

2011-08-07T12:37:00.002+02:00

This summer holiday, Clinton and I went to Jeju. No visit to the beautiful tropical island is complete without a visit to "Sunrise peak" so we went to Seongsan Ilchulbong to see the sunset.

We had a lot of fun at Love Land, a humorous sexual themed park.

We went to Jeongbang Falls (or 정방폭포 in Korean), which is situated near a high cliff on the southern coast line. It's stunningly beautiful and was one of the highlights of my trip.

Then we wandered through a beautiful Buddhist park.

We walked to Seogwipo Harbour, and took a walk around Saesom Island as the sun was setting.

It's a short 1,400 km walk but you can't walk all the way around the island. This is where the path stops.

We went to Hyeopjae Beach, which is located on the north-western side of the island and has a beautiful sandy white beach and loads of rock pools. We enjoyed catching prawns and crabs.

And we stayed at a very cute motel aptly named "Good night."

ShangHighlights

2011-08-06T11:52:00.001+02:00

On the weekend of 16 July 2011, I went to Shanghai, China. These are some things that I loved most about the trip...

Seeing my crazy family.

Funny English signs. The subway can pinch your hand and steps can kill you!

Also if you want to take a photo for the Koi, remember to buy bait first. Presumably to catch them?

By far the best "sign" was this statement on a Citibank ATM, which we noticed when my mother and I went to draw some money. Love, love, love it!

My brother's Panda Kaka t-shirt.

Old ladies in stylish sun-brellas.

I really liked Shanghai's weird and wonderful forms of transport. This might have been a wedding "limo."

Typical of Asia - bikes laden with massive parcels wrapped in plastic - but not something I was expecting to see in Shanghai, which is renown for being a cosmopolitan city or the Paris of Asia.

Most of the taxi's looked like this.

Loved this guy's pink bike!

Buildings that have stern, morose expressions,

and others that look like robots at night.

Getting lost in a sea of people while out shopping.

Being reminded of Clinton Jones...

..which made me a really happy Lemon.

Bunnies and Hello Kitty stores.

Cities that look better at night.

I was dazzled by the high rises, although I had been expecting Shanghai to be more like Hong Kong, with loads of skyscrapers.

Going to the Shanghai Art Museum and seeing local and contemporary art.

Visiting a Buddhist temple, where a Jade buddha reigns, to feed the Koi.

But the best thing about going to Shanghai was seeing my father, Walter, who I haven't seen in 17 months. I love you, dad!

Cheese!

2011-08-05T15:49:00.000+02:00

I am not a huge fan of cheesecake, but I have grown to absolutely love it here. The cheese cake I know from back home is usually too rich and, well, cheesy for me. I don't like tiramisu much either. But I think Koreans make really good cheesecake. It has a subtle flavour... there's just a hint of cheese. You can buy cheesecake in slices like this at bakeries like Paris Baguette and Tous les jours, or you can buy cakes.

The small one below is 4,000 won and the bigger cakes will set you back about 21,000 won.

So delicious!

A Dog I named Luna

2011-08-03T10:00:00.000+02:00

A white Korean jindo dog lives down my road. She has a tiny house and her water bowl is often empty. She is good natured and friendly, but she often seems really lonely. She belongs to the owners of the open-air restaurant at the end of my street, but she rarely goes home with them.

Khumo and I feel sorry for her. We play with her and pet her as often as we can so that she knows that she is loved.

I've named her Luna because she is as white as the full moon and because she is so peaceful.

I like blowing her kisses, and she seems to like them, too.

Buddha's Belly

2011-07-30T05:06:00.000+02:00

One popular belief in China is that rubbing buddha's belly will bring you good luck, wealth and prosperity. So I jumped at the chance to rub the laughing buddha's round tummy when we visited a temple in Shanghai.

Oh wait, that's my dad! Let's try that again...

Zombie Cats

2011-07-29T03:15:00.000+02:00

Last night I had a dream about zombie cats. I realised why I had that dream when I woke up at an ungodly hour this morning to the sound of feral cats screaming outside.

On the one hand, I feel sorry for these feral cats because they have no place to go. On the other hand, I hate the way they scream and screech and fight right outside my window. I wish they would just shut up and go away!

Love Cat and Happiness

2011-07-28T16:30:00.001+02:00

I like to celebrate my birthday for at least a month. Three weeks ago, I got my first batch of presents from Clinton - three great books: Maarten Troost's hilarious travelogue, The Sex Lives of Cannibals, Art Spiegelman's stellar comic Maus and the second book in the His Dark Materials trilogy, The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman. Two weeks ago, when I was visiting my family in China, I got an amazing birthday present from my sister - Cadbury's mint chocolates, tinned mussels and a beautiful white dress. My parents bought me an ubercool USB 3.0 ITB Seagate harddrive and more cool clothes for my birthday. Then last weekend, I got some more lovely gifts from Clinton: a notebook with a special message, a Koala pen and a Munny World Kidrobot DIY toy called a Trikky. He comes in a box with a marker, stickers and a mystery accessory. I quickly transformed him from a plain white kitty into a love cat.

And I'm pretty happy with the way he turned out. Clinton says he got me a cat toy because he knows how much I have wanted to have a pet this year. I love how creative you can be with these types of toys. I can paint over him as many times as I like! But for now, I'm happy with him being covered in love.

Speaking of kitties, it rained cats and dogs on my birthday yesterday. The rain was so loud it woke me up really early, and thunderstorms went on for most of the day. I'm not going to complain about having a wet day, because in Africa, rain is a blessing.

At school, my boss and co-teacher, Lauren gave me this smiling paper bag. Inside were two couple's T-shirts: a reddish one for me and a green one for Clinton. LOL! I'm kinda glad I got plain couple's Tees, because I would never buy them for myself.

To celebrate my 28th trip around the sun, I bought a pizza for each of my classes and we ate our slices at the end of every lesson. I got a combination meat pizza for the kids, and a cheese pizza for myself. There are two new girls in my 2:30 class, named Coi and Ayeon. They're really sweet kids, but they're a bit shy because they're older than the other kids. Coi is cute. She gave me a present and wrote me a letter telling me she loves me because she thinks I'm pretty! ^^,

Sam finally let me take a proper photo of him.

I got a really cute and useful Red Riding Hood day planner from Lucia. Here are some other cool presents I got from the kids.

I like this message from Sujin.

She's in my 3:30 class and they love to ask questions about Clinton. They're always teasing me about him. And we have a thing going on where we say "no" to each other. It's our personal joke and it started because Jessica would call me, saying "Teacher," and then when I enquired, "Yes?" she'd change her mind for some reason and say, "No." I told her not to be afraid to ask a question, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get to her to say what she wanted to say or ask whatever it is she wanted to ask. So then I would do the same thing to her, as a joke. I'd call her and when she responded to me, I'd say, "No." Now the kids and I do it to each other in every class and we have a good laugh about it. So that's why Sujin wrote: "Nonononono" at the top and "And no! teacher" in the middle. LOL.

Singmo (aka Dr Spock / Teng Teng / Krazy K), Jack, Ricky and Kelly are pictured above, and this is Curt (below). Curt is my 4:30 "gag man" - that's the Korean way of saying comedian. This kid cannot read a sentence or say his Friday speeches without having everyone in fits of laughter. He does it completely unintentionally as well, which makes it even funnier. He's a good kid.

And this is Kevin, aka Ma-man.

Maman gave me the two smaller nail polishes and Jack gave me the bigger ones. I can't believe they bought almost exactly the same colours! Maman wrote me an awesome note saying, "Happy birsday." After all these years, he still can't spell it right. Jack also gave me lip gloss, and Kelly bought me the cute thermo coffee mug.

These are my 5:30 sweeties, Liz and Rain. Rain bought me a strawberry cake from Paris Baguette that arrived just in time for my 6:30 class, so I shared it with them. I got more chocolates and cookies from this class than I ever could have imagined. Sarah gave me a notebook and Staedler pens, and Shu got me Guylian Belgian chocolates. Yum!

Above and below are Bill, Melissa and Jane enjoying their slices of pizza.

Bill gave me candy, Melissa gave me pens and a manicure bag and Jane bought me really nice ceramic earrings. I love the note that Melissa wrote for me. She told me that she worked really hard writing it and looking up things on her cell phone. I laughed when I read her question: "Piss off to Korea in September?" but she was very embarrassed when I told her what "piss of" means. It's the best birthday letter I've ever gotten!

This was my pile of presents and the end of a really great day of teaching.

Later that night, I invited a few friends over to celebrate and enjoy some milktart and lemon meringue pie with me. When Khumo, Jess and I went up on my roof, I noticed a green light in the distance. You can barely make it out here, and I still have no idea what it was.

Vanita baked these pies from scratch and Jessica kindly picked them up in Seoul for me. They were delicious. Kat, Meghan, Travis, Q, Khumo, Jess and I devoured almost all of it while chilling in my tiny apartment.

After a few hours of drinking, chatting and laughing, we went out to GogoSsing, in Walking street. Our usual haunt, RX was closed, so we decided to try out something new. I quite liked the relaxed atmosphere, but it's the kind of place where you have to order food with your drinks.

We had the most amazing soju cocktail I've ever tasted. It was grape and tasted like a Slush Puppie.

Then we played the soju game, which involves flicking off the metal piece of the soju cap after you open the bottle. When someone manages to flick it off, the people on both sides of that person have to drink a shot of soju. Then we have to guess what number (0 -50) is on the inside of the cap. Whoever guesses it right has to drink. Nothing good ever comes from playing this game.

But it was really fun horsing around! ^^,

What's in a Name?

2011-07-26T04:12:00.001+02:00

Icheon has some pretty crazy English store names. See for yourself...

My favourites are the Cult Two convenience store and the clothes shop called Dump. What's yours?

"Geomi and Me"

2011-07-25T17:10:00.000+02:00

My Second Epic Bike Ride

2011-07-25T05:01:00.001+02:00

The first time I went on an epic bike ride, I did it blind. I didn't know exactly where I was going and I didn't know exactly how long it would take. The Vietnamese tour brochure sounded promising enough: "A 25km bike ride to a stunning waterfall..." but of course, having cycled all that way, we soon realised that it used the term '25km' very loosely. Luckily, the waterfall really was stunning.

Having survived that first bike ride, and witnessing Clinton's fitness levels first-hand, I decided I needed to be a lot more active. In my defense, I have been doing yoga at least 3 times a week since I got to Korea. So I'm not just sitting around at home and being a couch potato. So, on 5 June Clinton and I embarked on our second epic bike ride and adventured to Anmyeondo. But this time, we had time to prepare. We knew what route we were going to take. We knew the distance - 80km! And we knew that it would take the whole day to cycle there and back.

Anmyeondo is an island, attached to the mainland via a bridge highway, in the same province that Clinton lives in, Chungcheongnam-do. From Clinton's house in Inji-myeon, it is about 40km to the island. That's 80km in one day. Thankfully, it's mostly flat terrain. The hilly part, just outside of Inji, lasts for about 20km. And from there, it is all smooth sailing.

See? I don't look half-dead this time. And, miraculously, I'm still smiling later on. I was also better prepared. I don't own a bike here, so I borrowed one from Clinton's friend, John. It had a padded seat, excellent gears and brakes and the handle bars were easy on my palms. I am still in love with that bike. We took drinks and snacks with us and stopped often to re-energise.

We took a right turn, down a deserted road that we thought lead to some of the first beaches on Anmyeondo. It was really pretty and peaceful, cycling through the misty rice paddies and spotting heron.

We took a chilled ride and, after getting momentarily lost - or more correctly, uncertain about which way was the right one to the beach - we were directed to this beach. It was equally pretty, misty and mysterious. Little did we know, we were not even on Anmyeondo at all.

We noticed lots of Korean families digging for crabs and all sorts of weird and wonderful seafood on the beaches, laden with seaweed.

There were prawn shells and sea cockroaches everywhere, too.

But the misty landscape and the seaweed made for really great photo opportunities.

I also enjoyed playing with the hermit crabs.

And terrorising the seagulls.

Finally, seeing as it was a bit chilly and we couldn't swim, we decided to move on to the next beach. And that's when we realised we were not on the island of Anmyeondo at all. Luckily, we were close. This is the first beach on the island that we stopped at.

It was bright and sunny on the beach, and the shallow water was warm, but it still wasn't warm enough for me to swim. Clinton took a dip, though. At this point, it was late in the afternoon, and I was worried about getting back home, so we decided to ride back. I think Clinton was a little disappointed that I didn't want to go to another beach on the island, but he took it in stride.

The ride back home was fine, and we took regular breaks to have water and snacks to boost our energy. I also showed those damn uphills on the way back who was boss. There was only one that was too intense for my calf muscles and the bike's gears to master, so I got off and pushed it up the hill. We got back home at about 7pm. It was a day well spent, being active and having fun in the surf and the sun! The only thing that we didn't really prepare well enough for was the sun. Even though we applied sunscreen often, it just wasn't often enough. My legs, hands, feet and scalp got a bit sunburnt. That's how I got this stunning tan. We both peeled. And Clinton sported a nice Dutchman tan for about a week afterwards!

Superlatives

2011-07-24T10:03:00.001+02:00

Awhile back, I taught superlatives and gave Kate's elder sister (who is also confusingly named Kate) and her 5:30 class homework to practice using what they had learnt.
Her homework made me smile:

"I am strong than sister so I hit my sister. So she is cry. And I tall than my sister. So my sister every day drink milk. But she shorter than me. My sister chubby than me but I thin than my sister so I say, 'You are fat!' So my sister cry and hits me. Then it is very sore. So me too hit my sister. But... my sister pretty than me. So she says, 'Sister, you are is ugly and naughty.' So I'm very sad. So I hit my sister."

My Cuties

2011-07-22T04:16:00.000+02:00

These two little cuties are Sam and Kate. They are 8 and 9 years old; Sam is older. I've been teaching Sam since the beginning, but Kate joined the academy quite recently. She is super smart and has been learning English since she was in kindergarten. They are adorable and I love, love, love teaching them!

This video was taken on Children's Day. They are introducing me and welcoming everyone to the event, but as you will see they are very shy! I cry just thinking about how much I'm going to miss these kids... Maybe I can find a suitcase big enough for them all... ^^,

DM to the Z

2011-07-21T12:57:00.000+02:00

Going to the Demilitarized Zone (or DMZ), the 4km border between North and South Korea was never on my top ten list of things to do in Korea. But now that my time here is running out, I've decided that I can't leave Korea without seeing the most heavily militarized border in the world. And since it is so close to Seoul, I decided to take an afternoon trip to the DMZ with Jess. Before we begin, here's a bit of history. The Korean War, which began in July 1950, lasted for three years and over a million lives were lost. The border zone was created by the 1953 armistice that ended the fighting.

From Itaewon, we traveled with a Swedish family to the Imjingak building where we could see statues and monuments commemorating the Korean war as well as Freedom Bridge, a former railroad bridge which was used by repatriated POWs and soldiers returning from the north.

I really liked the concept behind this "Stones of Peace Wall", which is made up of stones taken from 86 locations of major wars in history across the world and displayed to wish for a peaceful unification of Korea.

It never ceases to amaze me how serious Koreans are about photography - even if they're not professionals. Tourists carry around backpacks packed with tripods, paparazzi lenses and lens filters to take the perfect shot. Jess and I were happy with, albeit somewhat embarrassed by, our point-and-shoot cameras.

Messages of hope, peace and reunification, adorn the barbed wire fences in an open-air museum.

This old steam-powered, coal-fired train is a prevailing symbol of the three-year Korean War.

Next, we walked along Freedom Bridge.

There are speakers along the bridge, playing sad music. It was really touching to walk along it, thinking of the hundreds of Korean families who were separated so long ago, and who remain separated to this day. There is minimal contact between the estranged countries, so many South Koreans have not spoken to their families in North Korea for years and do not know if they are sick or well, alive or dead..

Messages to families and friends adorn the barbed wire fence at the end of the bridge.

In the distance, you can see the Imjingak building.

A beautiful lake overrun with lily pads and waterlilies was a nice reprieve from the depressing feeling you feel as you walk along the bridge, thinking of all the lives that were lost and the families who were separated when the peninsula was divided.

And it was super exciting for me to see mulberries! I haven't seen one in over a year. My grandmother used to have a massive mulberry tree in her garden, and as a child, my hands were always stained red and purple in the summertime. These were not ripe. But I ate a handful.

Our next stop was Dorasan Station, which once connected the two Koreas, but now stands mostly dormant. In the future, it might become one of the stops of the ambitious plans for the Trans Asian Railway Network.

The Trans-Asian Network Agreement is an agreement signed in November 2006 by 17 Asian nations as part of a United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific effort to build a transcontinental network connecting Europe and Pacific ports in China.

So far, the progress of the project has been minimal to say the least. Over the past 40 years, very little railway has been built. But, hopes are high. If, in the future, the proposed 80,000km of railway network, originating in the Pacific seaboard and ending at Europe's doorstep, is built, it will be the "Iron Silk Road" - improving trade and travel across the two continents.

Inside Dorasan Station, it is eerie and quiet.

In addition to getting commemoration stamps - remember not to stamp your passport as this is illegal - you can be really touristy and buy a 500won invalid ticket to North Korea.

The subway and train tracks are just as eerie and quiet as the rest of the station.

Our next stop was the Unification Observatory, or Dora Tong-il Observatory located at the end of Jayuro Road, nearby the Imjingang River. This is where tourists can observe the North Korean landscape across the river. It's hard to see very much, but luckily our Swedish friends had binoculars with them and were kind enough to let us use it. No photos are allowed to be taken.

This is a view of the inside the observation building. Through the windows, you can just barely make out North Korea.

I thought a sign on the toilet was pretty funny. I understand the no squatting on the toilet and no standing rule, but why can't you hover above the toilet seat? They weren't that clean!

After the observation point, we went to the Third Infiltration Tunnel. This tunnel was dug by North Koreans to infiltrate into South Korea, although they claim that they were just digging for coal. Coal is smeared along the walls. However, the tunnel is very clearly igneous rock and if they were mining for anything, it would have been granite. The tunnel was found in October 1978, and altogether five such tunnels were found by South Korea. The South Koreans suspect there to be as many as ten tunnels.

The tunnels were interesting to see, but we were not allowed to take photos there. Just 44km from Seoul, the 1,7km tunnel takes you down a steep incline to the cool bedrock 73m below ground. The tunnel is well guarded, and although South Korea has blocked the Military Demarcation Line in the tunnel with three concrete barricades, the second tunnel is visible through a window in the third.

We paid 46,000won for our trip to the DMZ. There are other options for tourists who want to see this heavily guarded border, though. If you want to actually set foot inside North Korea, you can do so by visiting the Joint Security Area, better know as the JSA. It will cost you a lot more, just over 100,000won. You can see North and South Korean soldiers standing face to face there. But I was satisfied with the tour we did.

Haemi Love

2011-07-21T02:10:00.000+02:00

In a tiny area called Haemi-eup, close to Seosan, is a castle called, well... Haemi Castle. One bright and sunny day near the end of June, Clinton and I decided to check it out. It was built between the 17th year of the reign of King Teajong during the Joseon period. Today, it is listed as a historical site in South Korea.

As you can see, the grounds are really clean and there is ample grass to enjoy. And you know how much I love deliciously green grass!

Clinton and I packed a picnic of cheese, crackers, chips and fruit.

After snacking, we played an ancient game from the Joseon period. I'm not sure of the name, but it involves standing far away from a ceramic pot and trying to throw piece of bamboo into it. It's a lot more fun than it looks, and a lot harder, but we got the bamboo in the ceramic pot more often that not.

And it was much more addictive than either of us thought it would be.

There's not a whole lot to see or do at Haemi Castle, but it is very relaxing. We walked up some steep steps to this little gazebo to check out the "view."

This is where I spotted the tree face. I think it looks a bit like a dodo.

There were wild berries growing along the perimeter of the grounds, and I really wanted to try one, but Clinton talked me out of it. Who knows if they're poisonous or not?

After sitting on the wall surrounding the castle for a bit, we wandered through the man-made forest. It was a pleasant, shady stroll.

We walked until we found this place, where we saw massive metal targets. And then we discovered that for only 2,500won we could shoot 10 arrows. It was so much fun! But it was quite difficult.

After a super quick archery lesson, I managed to hit the target twice. This was definitely the highlight of our visit to the castle.

Later that day, Clinton and I went to watch The Green Lantern at a cinema in Seosan. And that's where I shot an arrow straight into Clinton's heart.

Megalove for Maglevs

2011-07-20T05:20:00.002+02:00

I recently arrived back in Korea after a weekend in Shanghai. It was great! And I will definitely blog about Shanghai again, but for now, this is just a quick post about how awesome maglevs are. I don't usually use the word 'awesome' because I hate the way it sounds, but sometimes another word just doesn't suffice. I think every major city should have a maglev, especially one that takes you straight to the airport in a flash. With a top speed of 501km/h they will ensure no one is late for or misses a flight ever again.

When I arrived at the station, it was nice to know where I was. ^^, Right there.

I haven't seen my mom and Robert in 10 months. It was so nice to see them. And I hadn't seen my dad in over a year and a half!

It was 11:14am when we departed.

Within seconds, we had reached 102km/hour. Weirdly enough, it didn't feel that fast.

Just four minutes later, we were doing 269km/h! The top recorded speed of a maglev is 501km/h but we only got up to just past 300km/h.

When it was time for me to return to Korea, we squished in to a packed subway to the Maglev Station.

Inside the train, though, there's no need for squishing, as there's ample room. Still, that didn't stop some travellers from buying VIP tickets. What a waste of money!

I see another face... lol! He looks so sad, though.

I liked this sign right outside the train at Pudong International Airport. It's good advice for us all.

Maglevs are slick and brilliant trains. Every city in the world should have one! In fact, if they connected some continents and capital cities in major countries via Maglev, there would be no need to ever fly again.