Me, putting my EPIK color post-its to good use!
Tick-tock… Vietnam. I leave this Friday! I’ll be launching solo again. I don’t know what to expect or how things will play out, but this time I’m excited. I certainly have more of a positive outlook on solo travel than I did last year and I have Thailand to thank for such amazing and serendipitous experiences! But maybe Korea has something to do with it as well… (more…)
Mood: “Am learning to ride a motorbike in Pai” (Thailand)
This has been my Skype status, since November 2009, and it occurred to me why I haven’t bothered updating it. My first attempt to master “traveling alone in a developing country”, was my greatest achievement in the past year; and (more…)
Totally cool layout! The bottom blue box even translates some of my words into Korean.
(They translated “sex-ifed“. I’ll need to ask a Korean to translate my own word back
to me to see what it means in Korean!)
The August publication in Daegu Pockets is out and I am in it!
Published! One of my blog articles is in this month’s August edition of Daegu Pockets. It’s a very cute 2 page spread, so I’m particularly stoked and tickled! FYI- Daegu Pockets is a magazine publication primarily for expats and Koreans (more…)
In honor of Buddha’s Day, here are just a few of the Buddha’s I’ve come across in my travels.
For the month of March, Buddha’s Birthday was celebrated all across Asia in countries such as Nepal, India, Japan, Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam, etc… For some countries this is a month-long celebration; for others it’s less. In Korea, the auspicious day landed on a Friday (May 27) which meant three-day weekend for most of us. Preparations at Buddhist temples may begin several weeks with the stringing up of paper lantern decorations (more…)
There’s only one word for my first visit to Seoul: Romance! Passion and devotion come in various forms; the best ones are those which lift us high, touching us with friendship and love. Perched atop Namsan Seoul Tower is an observation deck overlooking a breathtaking view of Seoul. Upon it, flourishes what Seoulites call The Locks of Love. What is this? Just as it says. Locks. It’s a crazy tradition that Seoul youth have started there, in the act of bringing (more…)
Updates: Apologies- I’ve been away from my post (pun) for some time. As far as busy goes, one would think I’m still living in NYC with the exception being I’ve forced myself into normal sleeping habits, as I deal with young children and must be fresh. a) my family came out to Korea for a visit; b) my mom, a retired school teacher, got to step into my Korean school with me and I admit, I was a bit nervous having her come. I didn’t know if she would be treated well or in the lame way I was; fortunately, she was given a royal tour by the principal, and c) I just made my second trip to Costco!
As a traveler trekking all around on foot, there are times you get to feeling like a bit of a rag doll Cinderella. If you’re like me and possess backpacker-explorer mentality, you’re on your tootsies from sunrise to midnight. Your feet probably wears some serious Grrr and looks like it to!
I was in Seoul for Buddha’s Birthday last weekend, continuing my love affair with the city and with Appujeong, (more…)
Korea is a pretty safe country to travel if you’re a woman. But being a solo traveler – difficult and delightful can share the same coin. While I thoroughly enjoy relaxing into bonding with fellow EPIKers on group day trips as we weather the inevitable culture shock together; excursions alone while initially dreaded, gives me valuable time to explore, grow and reflect upon my new cultural surroundings at a relaxed pace. Plus, I get to take out the DSLR!
But… I don’t always gave ample time to research my cities. If I’m doing a weekend or day trip, researching accommodations and train times are my only afforded concerns. Why? Take my recent 2-day weekend trip to Busan. I didn’t know if I was serious with myself about going to Busan for the weekend or doing it solo! 9:30a Saturday morning I woke up and realized I was and off I went! My sightseeing itinerary however, was a giant question mark…
Things to note about “day-tripping” as a solo traveler
1- She triumphs all the time
The heroine of my own travel story, every time I do something which I think may encounter self-hurdles, I hear a magical and triumphant “ding!”
(more…)
So last week, I did something very un-Korean…
I told my co-teacher, in a very truthful and direct manner about my reasons for resenting her. It was inevitable. I was pointed at the tip and I knew I had nothing to lose. Nothing at all- Money, love, friendship, job, a city, a country..? When you have nothing to lose, you have nothing to fear. Nada. Nietz. Zip. A perfect time to gamble for “change” with the odds in your favor.
My bitterness towards my co-teacher and her lack of helpful advice, support and welcome had grown to the point of disgust. Meanwhile, her dependency upon me grew. She wanted me to help her remove her workload of burdens. It was a reasonable request that I take (more…)
How do you take a bath in Korea? Let me tell you how I just did it. I washed over my sink and shaved my legs by propping them up on my toilet lid. Yes, a toilet lid can have more uses than just one when you’re in an efficient country like Korea…
My Korean bathroom (sink/toilet/shower compressed in the same room) is smaller than my NYC apt bathroom
But all smart-assing aside… You haven’t heard peep from me in a while as I’ve been in an intense transition, which just hit rocky; and the “rocky” is something I’m working through. I’ll fast-forward over my escape from the draft of flu, my partial hearing loss due to airplane travel with a cold and my suspended bowel movement which had me alarmed for several days. I will blow past my initial romance phase with Korea- my wonderful EPIK orientation, experiencing Korea for the first time, the “Oh snaps, I love being here!” No- I’m gonna start my Korean blogging with my first “real” GRRRL whimper… the moment when “yours truly” turned girlie whiny and wanted to book the (more…)
