The sights so far...: Seoul & Lotus Lantern Festival edition

WEEKEND 2

For the weekend following my previous post, a good group of Incheon-ers and others from our Seoul orientation all decided to meet up for a nice Saturday hike and take in the famous Lotus Lantern Festival parade in the evening.  

According to Wikipedia, a good chunk of Koreans are Buddhist.  Perhaps the country chooses to celebrate the Buddha's birthday every year with a week long festival because of their traditions, or perhaps they do it because they like having a day off.  Either way, I was happy to see the huge lantern parade that made its way through the streets of Seoul.  

That day was quite a busy one, as a few of us decided to go for a hike up Dobongsan mountain.  I started out very keen to check out the hiking I've heard so much about in Korea.  The first thing I noticed while on our hike, Korean people are full-on kitted-out!  They have the boots, shirts, pants, hats, gloves and even poles.  Forgot your gear at home? Not a problem! There are four dozen shops selling everything you need to make it up the mountain!  Who buys hiking boots on the way to the mountain base?  Anyways, the trail was very busy that day, and a number of Koreans quickly and easily walked past this red-faced, panting (and clearly out of shape) Canadian.  I thought it was a pretty intense and steep hike, but maybe I just need to do more of them to get used to it!    We had planned to go the few hours to get to the top, but by the time we reached halfway, we looked at the time and realized that there wouldn't be time to get to the top, come back grab dinner and see the lantern show.  Something had to be sacrificed.  We all decided that it would be the sure-to-be beautiful from the top.  As I sat on a rock trying to catch my breath while gulping a liter of water, I couldn't complain.

Hikers!

After a quick shower, a tasty Korean BBQ dinner (meat, meat and more meat? Yes, please!) we got front row seats for the famous Lotus Lantern festival.  In this nighttime parade, there are thousands of people carrying, pushing and pulling thousands of beautiful paper (I'm not sure what other kind of materials) lanterns.  They came in many shapes, sizes and colours.  They glowed and lit up the streets as no neon signs could.  In an appeal to foreigners, some of us even got proper seats and were given our own glowing lanterns from some of the parade participants.  The parade lasts for 2 hours, and is quite a sight to behold.  

Mmmmm...meat!

Once the street action was over, our ever growing group of English teachers and friends made our way to a popular "going out" spot in Seoul (Hongdae) to find another sort of street action.  That action involving either Soju or Makgeolli.  In Korea, it's perfectly fine to visit the local convenience store, buy some booze and enjoy anywhere your heart desires.  It's certainly a good and cheap way to get to know others and the area. After haggling with a cab driver to bring a group of us back to my friend Cory's place in northern Seoul, we were home by 4 in the morning.  How responsible of us!

The next day, I went back to Jogyesa temple area to explore some of the dozens of kiosks that had been set up to teach people about Korean traditional practices in addition to Buddhist culture found both here in the country as well as across Asia.  I found it all to be very interesting.  There were small workshops to try your hand at lotus lantern making, print making, Korean language groups and staying at a Buddhist temple (more to come on that one in a future post).  I spent a good chunk of the afternoon in the area and even made a new friend while making a large lotus lantern.

My hand-crafted entry to the foreigner lotus lantern making contest!

Jogyesa temple all decked out for Buddha's birthday!

Jogyesa temple

Buddhist monks patiently doing artwork seemingly one grain of colour at a time.
It was really quite impressive!

Expanding my social circle is something I've been trying hard to do since I got here, so I was very happy to meet a like-minded fellow English teacher.  Once our last lotus leaf was glued to the lantern, she was kind enough to bring me to the foreigner markets in Iteawon to get some treats that I haven't been able to find in regular Korean grocery stores.  Score!

                                  **Note: many photos in this post are courtesy of Cory M. and Micah C.**

The sights so far...: Incheon-China Culture Tourism Festival edition

I have now officially been in Korea for six whole weeks.  Happy week-a-versary to me!  I fully admit that while not all of it has been sunshine and rainbows (see previous post), I have had the chance to experience a few really nice sights and events with some really nice people!

I had originally intended to write a post to talk about the events and trips I've been a part of for the last few weeks, but became a giant, unreadable post, so I will break it up into smaller chunks for people to enjoy.  I should note that I am starting my counting from my first weekend living in Incheon.  So while I may have actually been in Korea for two weeks at the point of  "weekend 1" (in orientation), I'm considering it the first weekend of my Korean life.

WEEKEND 1

It seems to me that Koreans are big on festivals.  According to the Korean tourism website, there are dozens of festivals taking place across the country throughout the year (and I know that there are still some that aren't listed on that site).  In the few weeks that I've been here, I've "celebrated" 2 of them over 3 weeks.  I say "celebrated" because I don't really know what most of the festivals are actually about and therefore can't actually celebrate what's meant to be celebrated, but I go to check things out and I usually end up enjoying what I see.

My first weekend in Incheon, I went to the Incheon-China Culture Tourism Festival in the only official chinatown in Korea...located not far from my place here in Incheon.  I was looking forward to going to this event because I usually really enjoy chinatowns, what with their good food, lively entertainment and cultural exhibitions.  The Korean chinatown, while small, was certainly enjoyable.  We saw drummers, dancing dragons and jumping lions, not to mention we got to play dress up in traditional Korean and Chinese costumes.  I also got to have my chinese dumplings (always a highlight of any chinatown visit).  All in all, it was a very enjoyable sunny spring day.

Enjoying Chinese culture in the only official Chinatown of Korea!

I got my requisite dumpling; except the one I ate was considerably smaller and had pork filling, not Andrea filling.  Although, it did fill Andrea! ;-)

Tradition Korean Hanbok

Traditional Chinese hats...

Pretty spring blossoms!

The streets of Chinatown in Incheon, Korea

Yay for festivals!

**Note: many photos in this post are courtesy of Melissa S.**

The Korean education of Andrea - Part 1

I figure the subject of my learning of the Korean way of life will be something that happens through out my year here, hence my title being "Part 1".

It's been over two weeks since my last blog post.  Much has happened in that time - both good and bad. 

The bad part is: the culture shock hit me earlier than expected.  In some conversations I've had with people before I left Canada, I was told that I should anticipate culture shock really hitting around July when the honeymoon phase of everything had warn off and the novelty of living here had really started to fade.  Since my last post about my apartment, while I have started to find a sense of comfort in my small space, I have started to have developed an sense of anxiety about the life that is all around me.

First of all, I have learnt that I am really not a big fan of Korean food in general.  Because I had really enjoyed dishes like bimbimbap and bulgogi back home, I had hoped that that would translate into my liking more of the common meals I would find here.  It would seem that, unfortunately, that has not been the case.   I can't really put my finger on what is it exactly I don't like about the food.  I just don't find the flavours work well for me, like so many other Asian cuisines do.    I am certainly disappointed with this, but I do make a continuous effort to try it, as I do eat the Korean lunches offered by my school every weekday.  But, since I do need to eat while I'm here, I will likely just cook most of my own food, to suit my own tastes.  I had a difficult time figuring out how to start/work my gas stove (since I've only ever really used electric before), but my very kind landlady (who doesn't speak a lick of English) physically showed me how to do it.  She took my hand and demonstrated on a tea towel how I had to gently press the knob, before turning quickly and letting go slowly before lowering the temperature.  I have also been introduced to the foreign markets in Seoul which are 1.5 hours door-to-door from my place in Incheon.  I am able to buy so many of the foods I would normally cook at home, everything from Thai sauce mixes to cheese to pasta to chili beans.  I will be able to eat well, it will likely just be not very Korean.

The other culture shock issue I've been dealing with is the language barrier.  While I am SO GLAD I learnt to read and write Korean before coming here (it has made such a difference for me), speaking it has been extremely difficult.  I have a very hard time getting even basic things like garbage bags (we need to buy special garbage bags here and I was completely denied to buy them by a local store clerk because I couldn't clearly express to her what I wanted).  Since then, my Korean phrasebook has become my best friend; although, admittedly, my friend does sometimes fail me.

Last weekend, for whatever reason, I felt culture shock hit the hardest.  I sent an email to a few friends back home who had experience living in a foreign country asking for their advice.  It wasn't a pretty email - quite negative in fact.  But, I'm very glad that I did.  Their support/advice/encouragement was so helpful to me.  I thought about exactly what was getting me down here.  I think it boiled down to 3 things: 1) the food (as mentioned) 2) the language (again, see above) and 3) the fact that I'd like to have my social life be expanded to outside my apartment, but not straight into a bar. 

So, I looked at these three problems and thought "how can they best be addressed?"  Number 1 was fixed by going to the foreign markets and learning how to cook at home.  Numbers 2 I plan to fix by joining a local language exchange club, where I can improve my Korean and help some one else improve their English.  Number 3 was addressed by doing the same thing I've recommended to other people who have moved to a new city/country: join groups in meetup.com  Next weekend, I plan to go to a meetup for something I've been looking at since another English teacher turned me onto it a couple weeks ago: Temple Stay.  You spend a day or up to a week at a Buddhist temple learning all about the Buddhist way of life.  You learn about different aspects from meditation to bowing to food to lotus-lantern making.  It should be an experience so far out of my comfort zone, but I look forward to it!  Last weekend, I went to Seoul with a few fellow Incheon-ers to check out the Lotus Festival parade and the other events kicking off the week of celebrations for Buddha's birthday. In the coming weeks, I also hope to find a yoga class I can partake in.  Even if it's all in Korean, I should be able to follow the moves, right?  I figure these are all great ways to get me out of my apartment to meeting new people & making new friends, and (not necessarily) getting drunk while doing it.

I think by going out and doing as many of these unique things as I can, I will help combat my culture shock and perhaps even learn to love being here.

This weekend (May 17-19) has been a long weekend here in Korea due to the holiday celebrating Buddha's birthday.  Since we have very few official long weekends this year, I decided to come down to Busan, Korea's 2nd largest city to celebrate and check out some new sites.  These two weekends have been the things that have been the good parts of my last two weeks here.  Despite my culture shock, I've met up with many great people to experience different parts of Korean life & culture, and everything in between.

I'll do a proper post on Busan and my weekend in Seoul another time, but for now, I'll say a big thank you to all of those who have helped me through this difficult transition in this new country (you know who you are).  I can't tell you how much it has helped me!

Pop goes my world

This past Tuesday, our long days of orientation finally came to an end.  We were going to meet our Korean co-teachers and be taken to our new homes and finally unpack.  Living out of a suitcase for 3 weeks isn't as much fun as it sounds (and it doesn't even sound that fun) and I was quite keen to put all my stuff away and set up my new home.

I think every one in the hotel conference room was very nervous, both the foreign and Korean teachers.  Who were these people we are supposed to work so closely with?  Will they make our lives great or miserable for the next year? 

And there was still the question of where are we living.  They say all good things come to those who wait.  Finally, after months of anticipation the moment had arrived.  As mentioned previously, I knew that my school was near Inha University.  I didn't know, though, if that meant I would be living near there too.  We were told some teachers may have to commute up to 40 minutes to get to their school.  It turns out my commute is a 10 minute walk up the street.  Which I think I'm pretty happy about, though ask me again when it's raining or freezing cold.  The neighborhood seems to be very trendy; a very university type area with lots of cafes.  To be honest, I haven't had a chance in the last few days to explore the area more but I hope to do so with one of the other teacher who was place near me.

So great, a good area (although not particularly close to the "going out spots" in Incheon, but cabs are stupid cheap here so it shouldn't be too much of a problem, right?), but what about the apartment???  Well...like I said, the area is good. :-P

My apartment, or should I say "apartment" is very much a traditional Korean apartment - the kind I saw on Youtube videos in the past.  Meaning, it's teeny tiny.  When I arrived, with my two 50-lbs bags, I had a small bed in the corner (with no bedding), a wardrobe closest (with no shelves or hangers) a desk that wasn't set up and both a bathroom and kitchen sink that leaked.  Needless to say, I wasn't thrilled.  I still had to go and visit my school and register with the Immigration office, but all I could think about was all the things I was going to have to get in order to make this place a home.  Thankfully, my co-teacher brought me to Homeplus (Korea's answer to Walmart) and I loaded up on the essentials: bedding, toilet paper, hangers, etc.  Sometimes previous teachers will leave lots of useful things for the new teachers that are taking over the apartment.  I had no such luck.  He left me with next to nothing: no plates, forks or glasses.  All I had was a pot, a pan, a cutting board and knife and a toaster (and I don't even like toast).  I had no place to put my folded clothes and both the bed and computer chair were/are wildly uncomfortable.  So, I made a 2nd late night run to Homeplus (thankfully, they close at midnight).  It's amazing what a little organization can do for the mind.  Once I bought things that started to make me feel more comfortable (ie bags unpacked and put away rather than in the middle of the floor), things started to take a better shape.

Here's a quick tour of my pad:

The bed area

The entertainment/work area

Sitting on the bed looking into the "kitchen" & apartment entrance

The "kitchen" - if you're asking "where's the fridge?", please see previous photo

Bathroom & laundry doors

The bathroom/shower

The laundry closet

I won't lie here.  Once I was alone in my new apartment that first night, I cried.  I felt so overwhelmed and alone and scared.  Thankfully, I had internet access in my apartment so I was able to call Fabian and my mom to have them help relieve my anxiety and tell me that it would be ok.  I was seriously this close to saying "Nope, sorry, I can't do this".  But with the help and support of the other foreign teachers who are having the same experience as me, in addition to my family and friends back home, my confidence is coming back that I can in fact do this.  I was thinking about it the other day, and in some strange way, I feel like I am doing this for my future kids: so that I can focus on them and not have a nagging thought in the back of my mind "I wish I had done ____ when I was younger"; so that I can share my worldly experiences with them and enrich their lives; so that when they are going through hard times in life, I can tell them about my hard experiences and help them through their troubles.

Now that the bubble of orientation I had been in for the last week is gone, reality has taken over.  It is scary, certainly, and there are times where I feel like I can't take it.  The culture shock has already started to hit me.  I will rely on you, my friends and family and general readers, to help me keep going through this wild adventure.  All supportive comments are greatly appreciated!

It's all in the preparation

After a week and a half of orientation both in Seoul, I can not tell you how excited & anxious I was to finally find out details about my new life here in Korea.  What grade(s) would I be teaching? Where will I be living? Is my apartment bigger than a shoe box?

Last Thursday, we met our coordinators for our respective areas and found our school names and where they were located.  Finally, it was confirmed to me that I was teaching elementary school.  Great!  It was my first choice (I'd rather not deal with the raging hormones of teenagers).  Next, I found out that it is near a university here in Incheon.  That's cool.  But there was still the nagging question of "where the heck am I going to be living?"  It was a question I'd have to wait another 5 days to answer.

On our last morning of our EPIK orientation in Seoul, 18 or so other teachers and I got to preform for the rest of the 200+ new teachers.  While they had been learning Korean over our few days there, our small group was selected to learn how to play Korean traditional drums.  It was actually pretty fun!  Here's a video of our performance and a picture of me all kitted out (NOTE: while you can't see me in the video as I'm blocked by some one, I'm the one that says "Drumming's cool, drumming's wild - let's play drums Gagnam style!")

*Thanks to Cory for filming and posting this!*

Sitting on the floor (especially cross-legged) gets harder with age

Since the teachers at the schools in Incheon were only finishing their contracts on the 29th of April, and ours started on April 26th, there was no place for us newbies to teach or live.  So, we got a bonus 4 days of orientation that was Incheon-specific.  Some of it was really helpful.  Some of it was clearly time filling.  But, all in all, I'm glad I went through so much orientation.  It gave me a chance to get to know the other teachers I would be seeing & hanging out with regularly in the city, in addition to getting to know the city itself better and learn a few useful Korean words/phrases.

My new stomping grounds!

We also got the chance to go to one of the rural islands near Incheon and see North Korea from across the river!  For those that know me well, you'll know how excited I was by being so close to such a foreign and isolated land.  We went to a peace monument/museum and looked at exhibits (all written in Korean) and read (or at least attempted to read) about people's wishes to be reunited once more.  They also had those viewing stations where we could pay 50 cents to get a close up view on the other side of the river.  Of course, I did it, but as I looked at the desolate land in front of me, I felt very odd.  I felt like I was spying on these people.  Like I was at some kind of side show where everyone gawks at those who are different. 

North Korea

View from across the river

Through the viewfinder!

We were about 2.3km away from one of the most isolated countries in the world!

That said, I should also mention that I did not in the least feel tension or fear to be there, so close to "the enemy".  It just felt normal, like there was no division.  If you didn't see the barbed wire fence on the drive in, you'd have no idea you were in a technical war zone.  It certainly doesn't feel like it, no matter what the media tells you.

Getting to know the others who will be working in Incheon has been a Godsend too.  We've bonded well over soju drinks and norebang.  They will be part of the crutch that helps me get through the hard times of this year.  I'm glad to have had more time to get to know them well.

And then came Tuesday, and everything changed.

To be continued...

Learning how to teach is dangerous

In my last blog post, I mentioned that I am currently at teacher orientation in Seoul.  It's meant for all of the teachers who are part of EPIK (English Program In Korea) from across the country.  It's been a great way to get to know people and make new friends to visit in the coming year.

First and foremost, it's been a really great way to learn how to teach ESL.  Each day, we've had great lectures on everything from how to plan a lesson, to how to work with co-teachers, to how to do a great power point presentation & game.  I've found it all immensely interesting and informative.  (I certainly hope that I feel the same way in the coming weeks!)  Some teachers at the orientation have already been here teaching in their schools for a few weeks, but for whatever reason or another were only able to do the orientation now.  That means they went into their teaching jobs without any formal instruction from the Korean government. It's all sink or swim.  I feel grateful that I am not in their shoes.

But all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and so our long days of lectures are sporadically mixed with a bit of fun.  We got to watch a group of professional taekwondo-ers do some pretty amazing jumps, kicks and board breaks.  On tuesday, we got to try our hand at the same thing, although to a far less spectacular fashion.

Kaaahhhhh!!

I even did something I never in my life thought I'd be able to do.  I broke a wooden board.  Yes, a real, solid  wooden board.  What's that you say? Pics or it didn't happen?

Post-break!

We had to write down our wish for our time in Korea on our boards.  If we broke it, our wish would be granted.  I cut mine straight down the middle.  BAM!  I still might not be a black belt, but I think this officially makes me some one not to mess with! ;-)

***As a side note to Dan, Taekwondo means: "Tae" bottom half (kicking, jumping, running), "Kwon" top half (punching, striking), "do" philosophy of martial arts, a balance.  Homework complete!***

And....go!

안녕하세요 (hello) from Korea!

After a wonderful vacation in some amazing places with Fabian, I have now arrived in Seoul Korea to start my orientation.

But before I tell you about my arrival here, I'll wrap up the last few days we had in Istanbul.  On our "bazaar" day, we haggled hard and got some pretty Turkish style plates and of course the requisite magnet (for me) and shot glass (for Fabian).  After our shopping day, we took a $2 ferry ride to the Asian side of Istanbul and enjoyed wandering the interesting street markets.  So now Fabian can say that's he's been to Asia and we can both say that we've been to a rare intercontinental city.  Check that off the bucket list!  The following day we visited Topkapi palace, which was interesting, but I think Fabian thought it was better than I did.  We also explored the modern and trendy Beyoglu area, and took a lovely tour of the Bosphorus. On our final day together, we checked out the beautiful Cora church and ancient city walls before we met up with two of Fabian's friends from Ottawa who are currently posted at the Embassy in Ankara.

Despite the wonderful time we had together in both Istanbul and Switzerland, it was so, so, SO hard to say goodbye to my Fabian at the airport.  As expected, I cried.  Alot.  I had to apologize to the girl sitting next to me on the plane for crying so much.  But, mixed with the tears was a sense of excitement and pride.  This is what I wanted to do: live in a new city, a new country.  Mixed with fear and nerves, was joy that I am living my dream.

Touring the Bosphorus - I miss you already, my love!

Fresh off the plane from Turkey.  Anyonghaseyo Korea!

So far, I have to say the experience has been great!  Once again the flight with Turkish Airlines was great (I guess there is a reason they have been voted twice as Europe's best airline), my bags arrived intact and my clearance through customs was quick and painless.  I had a driver waiting to pick me up at the airport and brought me straight to the orientation center.  I arrived as the welcome dinner was in full swing, but I wanted to change and take a quick shower to freshen up before meeting all my fellow teachers.  So, I found my roommate, a nice Irish girl, so I could get into our room and sort out my things.  She invited me to join her and some of the other teachers for a drink at a local bar, and I gladly went so that I could get to know people.  Why not since I wasn't all that tired?

The bar we went to had a "self service" feature where they had all the bottled drinks in fridges and you just got what you wanted and paid for everything when you left.  Pretty handy, although my drink wasn't really all that cheap ($6 for a vodka cooler)...maybe I'll stick with soju from now on since it's supposedly much cheaper!

Here in the orientation center they seem to try to give us newbies a "gentle welcome" to the country.  The breakfast this morning was very western (bacon and eggs) and there's even a "north american style" outlet in my room!  I also haven't seen any kimchi yet.  The water taps are opposite from ours (push the tap down rather than up to turn on), but aside from that, everything's pretty much the same as here.

Every one's been very helpful and friendly and welcoming and I've had a chance to talk with a number of teachers who've been here for a while and it has calmed a lot of my worried and makes me even more excited about this experience.

Today's first item of the day was the full-on medical check (everything from hearing and eyesight, to blood and urine tests and xrays), and in a short time we have the official opening ceremony for this orientation week.  It promises to be a great way to start my time in Korea!

The pre-adventure adventure

When my trip to Korea started to take shape last November, I immediately started to look at flights to get me there.  As a neurotic planner and travel nut, it is in my nature to start researching flights and trips as early as possible, always trying to find the best deal and the most exciting route!  When I came across a fantastic deal with Turkish Airways, which would not only cost me less than my flight allowance budget, but would also permit me a stopover in Istanbul (a whole new city and country to visit), I was chomping at the bit!  I spoke to Fabian about my find, and we decided why not make a holiday out of it so that we can make a quick stop in Switzerland to visit his family (a mere 2.5 hour flight away) and spend a few days exploring the city together?  One of his great passions in life is history, so to experience the richness of this ancient city is definitely in his "Top 10" list of places to visit.

And so, here we are!  9 days into our 12 day trip through Europe (and part of Asia)!  Sadly, that means we only have another 3 days together before we see each other again in January - a very long and lonely 8 months from now (SAD FACE!) :'-(  But, we've tried to make the most of our time together.  As mentioned, we were able to spend almost a week visiting his family and friends in Switzerland which was wonderful.  This was my second time meeting his family, and they are just as nice as the first time I met them last year - maybe even nicer! :-)  We had many laughs playing games with his mother, sister and nieces (I can't recommend Mow enough as a great game for all ages), a wonderful night with many of his oldest and dearest friends, and of course, ate more delicious food than I probably should have!

We also made a special effort to do some wedding planning.  We have decided that given our mutual love of the mountains, we would get married in Switzerland!  Details are still not firmed up, but we're aiming for summer of 2015, which would give us time to save money and plan together after I get back from Korea.  We met with a wedding planner, and looked a few venue sites, so things are promising and moving along well for now.  Given that we're so far from the date and we have a lot of other things on our mind now (like travelling and my move to another country), we'll be able to sort things out in the weeks to come.  Having spent the day driving through the beautiful, mountainous area of Valais though is always a pleasure.  How can it not be when you have a great view like this while drinking your chocolate milk?

The "black triangle-shaped" mountain in the middle is the Matterhorn!

We arrived yesterday in Istanbul and immediately hit up the shops for many free samples of Baklava and Turkish delight.  The weather has been pretty cold, grey and windy, but this is easily remedied by eating more free samples of Baklava and Turkish delight.  I have been pleasantly surprised by the food here in Turkey.  Having been to the sole Turkish restaurant in Ottawa only once, I didn't think there would be so much great food.  But so far, I've really enjoyed our meals.  Another not so pleasant surprise I've found being here is that the cost of things are higher than I'd thought they'd be.  That's not to say that things are necessarily expensive (after coming from Switzerland, nothing is "really expensive"), but they're much more comparable to prices in Canada, which, for whatever reason, I didn't expect.

Regardless, we've had a good day and a half so far, and have seen the whirling dervishes, Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Baslisica Cisterne, and the Hippodrome.  

The view from our room at the wonderful Sultan Hill Hotel

Inside the amazing Hagia Sophia - unfortunately half the room was blocked off for renos, so it was only half as amazing as it could have been, which is still pretty amazing!

The eerily beautiful Basilica Cistine

Outside the Blue Mosque

We also went for the required Turkish bath, one must experience at least once in a lifetime.  It was really quite something.

Tomorrow is "Bazaar day", where we will visit both the Grand and the Spice bazaars.  I really look forward to seeing all the colours and smelling all the strange and wonderful scents...and eating all the free samples of baklava and turkish delights!

A farewell to home

Today is the big day!  Today is the day that I leave Ottawa for the next 14 months!  Filled with excitement, nerves and the worry that I've forgotten to do something, I've been up since 4am.  After a 5 hour packing session on Friday, I am ready to go, but as always, I have that dreaded "I feel like I forgot..." feeling.  Of course, all of my to do lists items are checked off, but I suppose it's inevitable.  Today, Fabian and I will take trains, planes and automobiles to get us to our first stop on my journey to Korea: Switzerland!  (yes, I'm taking the long way 'round)  Stay tuned for beautiful mountain scenery!

This past weekend was filled with both tears and joy.  In addition to it being my last weekend in Ottawa, it was also my 30th birthday.  Both of these reasons were, of course, enough for celebration, but add on my recent engagement, and you've got yourself a great happy birthday/going away/engagement party!  I am grateful to the 40 or so friends who came out to celebrate with me!  I will miss them all very much!  In particular, I am thankful to my Fabian for helping organize the event, and to my great friends Allison and Chris, without whom the party would not have been as awesome as it was!  A highlight of the night for many was the photo booth that was set up.  Thanks to Allison's seemingly bottomless tickle-trunk, many great moments were captured!  See for yourself:

A night full of laughs, and even a couple "special guests"!

Gangnam style! 

Lucky me, even Psy made an appearance!

With the good, must come the bad, I'm afraid.  I cried many times this weekend while saying goodbye to so many special and important people - my mom and family who came up for a birthday brunch, and my many friends. I know I will see them all again soon, but it's always hard to say goodbye.  Thank God for Skype!  I'm not convinced I would be able to do this adventure without technology.

As I take this next step in my journey, I have thought about some of the things I feel that I will miss.  Obviously my family and friends are at the top of the list, but I realized the other day that I will also miss some of the even more basic things of my life like asking a shop keeper where to find a particular item.  I don't know how to say "where's the toothpaste?" in Korean.  Or sitting in a waiting area and understanding what people around me are saying.  These are the things I both look forward to experiencing and dread all at the same time.  It's a strange feeling.  And of course, the food.  I will miss our food.  Sure, I like bulgogi and bibimbap, but those that know me well, know that when I love a certain dish, I stick with it. Sadly, there will be no midnight poutines in Korea.

I will miss my home here in Ottawa, with its history and culture and small town feel, with big city amenities, but I know I will be back.  In the meantime, I am excitedly looking forward to new views, new places and new experiences!