South Korea
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TBT Holiday Edition
This is a holiday edition Throwback Thursday post. It’s about the first time I was away for the holidays and the emotions and thoughts the experience inspired. Enjoy! November 2012 The past month has been uneventful in the best ways possible. It has given me a chance to forge stronger friendships, catch up on TV shows, and explore the local scene. Although, it is rare that everyone from work comes together to hang out, an opportunity presented itself when we celebrated Thanksgiving. With almost equal numbers of Canadian’s and American’s we had to make it fair and pick a neutral day. So, we went with the first weekend of November.…
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Chuseok
Since I injured my ankle recently I thought it might be nice to reflect on the first time I severely injured it. September 2012 Chuseok is a time for Koreans to remember their ancestors and show them respect through bowing and an elegant feast. It is most comparable to the American Thanksgiving, although it is a great deal more intricate. At our school we basically take a day off to celebrate with the kids. We wear Hanbok, make Songpyeong, and play several customary games. Hanbok is traditional Korean dress. Every teacher gets fitted and the outfits are rented for them. Even the children wear Hanbok, though this is provided by…
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First Time Abroad
I know it’s been a week since my last post; I apologize for the delay as I have been quite busy with some pre-departure details. Only 22 days until I set off for Costa Rica. It’s difficult to believe it’s been almost three years since I was last abroad. Anyways, today I figure I would share the first post I ever made. When I graduated from college I had every intention of traveling for ten years straight and started a blog called Ten Year Travels. As it turned out I was nowhere near prepared to be an avid blogger or leave my friends and family in the US for ten…
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The Korean DMZ
January 2013 Korea remains locked in the freezing clutches of winter. The past few days we have experienced a bit of a heat wave, with temperatures soaring into the thirties (Fahrenheit). Almost everyone I talk to is looking forward to the warmer months of the year-two months to go! Between huddling under blankets trying to stay warm and drinking all the hot drinks, I managed to make time to visit North Korea…well sort of. Tours of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) happen on an almost daily basis, only some of these take you into the Joint Security Area (JSA), where you enter the conference room and cross over the border. Cars…
