Calling Cupid

I love meeting - and having the opportunity to talk with - Koreans.  

But 9 times out of 10, the conversation routinely goes a bit like this…

Korean person - Umm… Hi, excuse me.  Where are you from?

Me - I'm from America.

Korean - Aahhh America.  How long have you been in Korea?

Me - This is my 3rd year living in Korea.

Korean - Oh!  So you can speak Korean?  

Me - No.  Only a little.

Korean - Oh, I see.  How old are you?

Me - I'm 27 international age, 29 Korean age.

… and here comes my favorite part…

Korean - Are you married?

Me - No.

Korean - Do you have boyfriend?

Me - No.

Korean - Why?

Why?
Really?!
You're asking me 'Why am I single?'.
Can we drive that knife in just a little bit more?!
Geeeezzzz.

But!!  Instead of answering your deflating and upsetting question, I'm choosing to share this article.  I will let this be… not the answer (because if I knew the answer to 'why', I suppose I wouldn't be single),  but my rebuttal in a way.

So listen up people (men)!   This is my advice to you… for me ;)

Date a Girl Who Travels

(taken (and adapted) from Solitary Wanderer)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Date a girl who travels.  

Date a girl who would rather save up for out of town trips or day trips than buy new shoes or clothes.  She may not look like a fashion plate, but behind that tanned and freckled face from all the days out in the sun, lies a mind that can take you places and an open heart that will take you for what you are, not for what you can be.

Date a girl who travels.  

Yes, a girl who travels knows that anytime, anything can happen and she just has to be prepared [for] it.  Nothing takes her by surprise; she takes everything with equanimity, knowing that such things are always a part of life.  She's reliable and dependable, traits that she's learned while on the road.

You'll recognize a girl who travels by the fact that she's always amazed at the world around her, no matter if she's in her home town or in a place that's totally new.  She sees beauty all around her, not just [in places] featured in travel guides or shown in postcards.  A girl who travels has developed a deeper appreciation for life.  She won't judge you, or pressure you to do things you don't want to do.  She knows too much about the importance of identity and self-efficacy, and she will appreciate all the more if you won't pretend to be who you're not. 

Date a girl who travels, because when you're with her, you'll realize that even though she's napped at a temple in Angkor Wat, went boating down the Mekong Delta, ran by the streets of Saigon, or went skinning-dipping in the caves in the Philippines, she still retains that humility that is the mark of a real traveler.  She knows she's been to a lot of places, but she's humbled by the fact that the world is still a big place and she's only seen a small part of it.  Seeing this in her can make you feel all right with yourself too; there's no need for you to do more, to be more.  What you are is enough.

When you meet a girl who travels, ask her where she's been and what she'd going to do next.  She will appreciate your interest, and if you're lucky, she may even invite you to join her.  When she does, do.  Nothing bonds people better than traveling.  On your trips, you will both see each other's best and worst characteristics, and you can then decide whether she's worth fighting for.

Is a girl who travels worth it?  

Yes, she is.  So when you find her, keep her.  Don't lose her with your insecurities and doubts.  Because when she says she loves you, she really does.  After all, she'd seen so many things, met so many people, and if she had chosen you, better grab that opportunity and thank the gods that you were lucky enough she's chosen you and not that bloke she met while watching the sun rise in Angkor Wat, or while whitewater rafting in the Padas Gorge in Sabah. 

If she says she loves you, she must have seen something in you, something that can always call her back from her travels, something that can anchor her to the world in the way that she wants to after weeks and months of being on the road.

Date a girl who travels.  

Make her feel safe, warm, and secure.  Make her believe that no matter where she goes, and however long she's gone, you'll always be there for her, the one that she can call home.

Find a girl who travels.  Date her, love her, and marry her, and your world will never be the same again.

Homeward Bound

It's not just the name of a fabulous movie from my childhood - that I knew verbatim - but it's also my directional course this coming summer. 

HOME!

I'm going home!

(via a bunch of stops in between)

I'll be Stateside for just under a month.  Making stops in several places - seeing family and friends and squeezing a little bit of adventure out of America!

There will be a trip up to the Land of 10,000 Lakes, a few days out west in the Golden State, and then Say WA! I'll be making my first trip to the Pacific Northwest.  All before coming back to Korea.  Phew!

In total I'll be air bound 10 different times - crossing the ocean, plains and mountains - to get home and see people that I love and a place I haven't been to in over a year.  But it will be worth it!

So mark it in your calendars everyone!  

I'll be home in 2 months!  

Get ready! 

^^

Happiness

That is how I feel about today!! 

Best. Day. Ever!  

Why is today the best?  What has made it better than any of the other days this week, month, year so far!?*

Because today we booked our flight to Japan! ^^

And I know.
You're right.
I've already been there.
Twice.**

So why is this time so special that today is the best ever?!

BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO GO TO TOKYO DISNEYLAND!!!!!!

Sure.  I'm 27.  Nearly an adult for all intensive purposes.  

But I don't care. 

I'm soooo excited!!

 Most people my age are this chump on the left, but I'm like the little old pops on the right! 

Happy and eager and ready to go!!

Who am I kidding.  I'm more like this..

 It's just like Wendy said...

Not fan of Disney?!  I don't mind.  There is no raining on my happiness!  

I'm going to the happiest place on Earth!! 

*best day this year, could be a bit of a stretch, but that's ok, because I'm that excited.
**I never blogged about the second trip to Japan.  I should do that one of these days.  

What Another Year Looks Like

Here's a look at what life was like my second year in Korea.

*here's a look at my first year 

Good Time Daegu

Thanks to Asian practices, this past weekend was treated to an extra day!!  One more day to mark the celebration of the Lunar New Year - the exit of the Dragon and the arrival of the Snake.

We choose to mark the weekend with some girl time, drinks and a weekend away.

Happy New Year indeed!

After a night out in Busan (2/9), we packed our bags, shouldered our hangovers* and met up at Busan Station to head off to Daegu (2/10).

Karen had things pretty well planned out for us…

Step 1: Train down

 Step 2: Sightseeing

 Step 3: Getting ready

 Step 4: Out

 Step 5: Back at the hostel

 Step 6: The next day

And she was fairly accurate in her planning.  The only thing that didn't happen was Step 2: sightseeing.

Which in all fairness, being that it was a holiday weekend, the likelihood of seeing any sights was probably limited.  Not that we tired, but the "intention" was there.  Followthrough was just dampened by reminisce of the previous night's alcohol consumption.

Oops.

So instead we skipped on to Step 3, got ready and then were right on target with Step 4: Out.  

me, Karen, Elaine, Claire, Anni, and Lisa

But as we learned Saturday night - most of Daegu was in Busan for the long weekend - so things started a littttttle slow.  No matter!!  They serve drinks whether the bar is full or not!  So we had a few with dinner to get things started.

After a few hours at Traveler's, it was time to move on to a new bar.  

Just how to get there… ??

Out of the 6 of us that went to Daegu, myself and Lisa were the only ones who had been there before.  But that didn't mean we knew where we were going.  Actually... it meant we had no idea! 

So Claire, ever the brave one, popped herself in front of a few Koreans to try and get directions, but each attempt just frazzled the Koreans and sent them anxiously away from us.  Lisa, wise as ever, asked a fellow foreigner where our destination was, and he not only told us where, but walked us there!  

And then the night got going!

You might have heard me say (read, seen, whatever) I love a Thursday Party.  Love them!!  Love the bars, love the vibe, love the people that work there.  Love.  Them.  And Thursday Party Daegu proved to be just as wonderful!!

I had sent Miru, TP Daegu manager, a quick little message on Facebook to let him know we were visiting... 

...and the kindness and treatment we got in return was nothing short of VIP!  It was amazing!! 

A few free shots, free drink, music requests - it was wonderful of them to treat us with such care!

Did I mention this was our first time there AND my first time meeting Miru in person!  

Love a Thursday Party!  

Love.  Them.

Lisa, Elaine, me, Claire (Anni and Karen were off somewhere at this point)

After TP it was time to daaance!  So we followed some new friends to a high quality club.  Club Pasha.

Pasha, high quality club, was crazy.

  

First off there was like 15 people in da club.  Nearly all male Koreans.  Thrashing and moving to techno house beats that were screaming from the speakers while being intermixed with a laser light show and a fog machine that kept going off and blocking out the world.  

It was fantastic!!

Usually I'm not much for dancing.  And I'm really not much for dancing if I haven't had a drink... or 6.  

But not this night.  

This night I was sober and ready to dance!

Around 3 something in the morning, we made our exit and headed back to the hostel.  There was a fairly ridiculous stop at a CU (Korean convenient store) where snacks were purchased, crackers went flying and a window was more or less made out with… but who's telling!?! 

And just as Karen planned, Step 5: back at the hostel, carried on till 4 something in the morning with even more wildness and shenanigans;  and Step 6: the next day, had us all feeling like we had drank the night before.  

Sweet Jelly of Bean!  It was an AMAZING night away!  More amazing - way more amazing - than I am doing credit to with this post.  But one I hope we repeat again and again!! 

Good times Daegu.  Good times!

*I was sober all weekend.   A personal choice my liver and I made together for the month of Feb.

- All photos thanks to Karen!  Always key at capturing the moments!!! 

Shoop Shoop

Such an amazing weekend.

It was fantastic!  

It was brilliant! 

It was so good, that even when shitty skiers/snowboarders got in the way - they only added to the fun by increasing the challenge of the already excellently laid out runs.  It was so great, that even when I fell - I was still smiling.

It was that great to be back out on skis, shoop shooping down the mountainside!

We had some bumps and setbacks getting to High 1 Ski Resort, but no matter!!  

Once it was all worked out and the skis were on, nothing could upset me!  

I was going skiing!!  

Conditions at the top of the mountain on Saturday weren't the best.  Visibility was limited to about 20ft in front of you.

Thankfully, the snow was thick with moisture which made it great for carving your skis into it and cutting your way back and forth across the slopes.
And it made the few falls I had a lot easier to take as well. ^^

I didn't care.  I was skiing!  Having the best day ever!!

Andy, Alex, Chris, Martin, me, Jay, and John

sorry for the shoddy videography it was a bit difficult to keep a steady hand, while cruising down the slope, but you can get an idea for what it was like ^^

Sunday, Alex and I got up at 9 to have a few more runs before we headed back to Busan. 

And I'm soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo happy we did. 

 The skies were prefect at the top of the mountain!  You could see out over the entire resort.  

We quickly called Andy and told him he had to join us.  And then we were off!! 

Over night, the snow had turned to ice crystals, which made for some unfriendly turns.  But it was all part of the challenge - master the snow and survive the Advanced Intermediate runs that Alex was taking us on!!  Oh man.  My nerves were freaking out a little!!

The last time I went skiing was (1) in Ohio and (2) back in 2008 when I got home from Africa!!!!

I was a little rusty.
But I was still holding my own.  Enough to keep up with Andy and Alex!!
So I went for it.   I told myself the only way to finish was to go down so I pushed off and… shooop shoooooop.  

Had the best weekend ever!!

Heading Out

My funds might not have recovered, my body is definitely still reeling; but with 5 days of vacation infront of me, you can't expect me to sit back and rest.  

No!  

It's time to head out again and take advantage of the extra time off in Asia.

And although I've already been, I'm going back again!!

Back to Japan!

This time Michael and I will be checking out the sights and attractions of Fukuoka, Nagasaki and taking a little side trip to the castle of the Last Samurai in Kumamoto.

Happy Chuseok everyone! ^^

Angkor

Everything and nothing comes to mind when I try to think how to describe Angkor and the surrounding sights and places of Siem Reap.

Because it was everything!  And nothing I could say could make you experience the dominating feeling of wonder as you look at it all.

As Lonely Planet Encounter's says:

Angkor has the epic proportions of the Great Wall of China, the detail and intricacy of the Taj Mahal and the symbolism and symmetry of the pyramids, all rolled into one.

And it truly does. 

We got the 3-day pass for Angkor and woke up each morning before the sun to set out and start exploring the "earthly representation of Mt Meru, the Mt Olympus of the Hindu faith and the abode of ancient gods."

We visited:
Angkor Wat (8/16) -

Angkor Thom and Bayon (8/16) -

Ta Prohm (8/17) -

Banteay Kdei and Sra Srang (8/17) -

Eastern Mebron (8/17) -

Ta Som (8/17) -

Preah Neak Poan (8/17) -

Preah Khan (8/17) -

Phnom Bakheng (8/18) -

Sorry this is mostly a picture post, but as I said, everything and nothing comes to mind when I try to explain Angkor so I'm leaving it to the pictures to do the talking.