Okay, some of you asked to see the competition…

Still wondering what some of those alternate plans for 2012 were, twerking with that university job in Korea? Here’s my hinted confession to one of those alternate things…

Travelers all make “bucket lists”, but we don’t always know if we’ll accomplish the things on our list. They’re goals and some of them may seem like shooting for the moon.  To see a ping pong sex show in Thailand, stay at an ashram in India, hike Macchu Picchu, see Cappadocia, go diving in Bora Bora,… For me it’s gone as far as moving to Korea,  embracing solo travel or even traveling continuously for an extended time.

Well last year, somewhere traveling between India to Korea, nailing a role to act on the TV show, Hawaii Five-O fell into my travel bucket list.

It did.

You can laugh hysterically at me. I know how it sounds. It’s more than just purchasing a plane ticket, right?

Well as impossible as it sounds, I just got a part of that moon.

Traveling, living abroad and experiencing homelessness taught me two things…

1)   To hone and trust those razor sharp feelings, even when they don’t appear logical.
2)   To adapt to any outcome or situation.

As much as I bitch or complain about some of my travel experiences, the fact is, living abroad and traveling long-term solo has made me more confident. Undoubtedly. When you can navigate and survive bad transportation, accidents, scams, budget hotels, getting sick, language barriers and deal with feelings of homelessness, all in a foreign country… you come to trust yourself and your abilities in any situation. You rely on your instincts/intuition to show you the next step, even where none is logically visible.

I was sweating in 100 degree weather in the Delhi metro

Armed with a not-so-light backpack, I was waiting for my train to take me to the dive Indian pit of Paharganj, whereupon I’d hoof around to find a close-to-clean budget hotel. After three months, my Indian visa was closing in on it’s expiration date. I needed to know my next leap.

A giant billboard ad jumped at me. But it wasn’t Amir Khan posing for  Titan watches, nor was it the regular ad plugs for Vodaphone, Reliance or Aircel. Nope.

Amidst the frenetic pace of rush hour Delhi, swarming with the unashamed stares of Indian men and pushing sari’d women, there it was–  splash!…

Hawaii…

Five-O.

I entertain strange thoughts. But even stranger was the strong traveler’s instinct, which came over me. There’s something to it, when bits of your home find you across the globe. Especially if your  home is Hawaii and you’re in a patriotic country, like India. Coincidence,… maybe. But my gut gave me a deep nudge. Home was calling and like a coin falling into a tip jar, my travel bucket list got one more addition.

 But, I was still in the middle of my travels. The world beyond was calling and it was louder.

…Four months later, I was back in the land of Morning Calm!

The Korean scenery was whooshing past  me.  My travels were winding down, giving way to strained feelings of homelessness. Nearly 7 months on the road. It was a lot for my first long-term solo adventure! Did I really want to stop?  Fatigue was telling me to drop anchor. Drop it now. But where?

I stretched back in my bus seat and looked up at the bus’ satellite TV. The driver was flipping channels. …K-drama… Korean singing concert… Korean variety show?… Which popular Korean program would it be? Where would he stop ?

Images flashed… a statue of King Kamehameha, palm trees, Waikiki hotels, downtown Honolulu…

It was Hawaii!

…Five O.

The signal was clear; perhaps, it was time to return home for a little while.

Bucket list: book a role on Hawaii Five-0.

I’d love to say getting a part on a TV show like Hawaii Five-0 is as easy as making a travel bucket list. It’s not. Travel had merely taught me to accept the “nudges” and ride the wave without question… to trust and accept zig-zags and zany outcomes, as part of my adventure of learning to live with GRRR!

In reality, it takes more than just sending in a headshot or getting a bump up as a background extra, although those all have a fraction of possibility. In fact, I’d started out on the acting track long before I went abroad.  Most of the time, you need a bit of luck, timing, some acting experience, a casting agent who helps you look good and a totally kick-ass agent, who believes in you and has the G-force to pull the right strings! And even after the director casts you from your audition tape, his selection needs to get network approval.

In the end, it feels like it boils down to whether the TV gods are on your side.

…Luck.

How did it happen?

Fast.

As fast as my Korean job interview and immediately following.

I had just gotten off the plane returning from Korea on Tuesday…

Shot a local commercial I’d booked a role on, on Wednesday…

By Friday, I was starting to feel the stress of my decision countdown. The family gathered for a pow-wow. Big decisions. To Korea or not to Korea? Accept or decline the job offer? Take the paved path …Or wait? Put Korea on hold a bit longer, while I follow alternate plans? Pros and cons were discussed. All looked favorably upon the job, yet something was still not sitting right.

It was my gut.

 Convenient and perfect choices are easy to follow. We aim for them all the time. But you have to wonder if that’s why we’re really here in life? Did we come to make the easy choices or ones, which truly challenge the heart of what we’re about?

Dear God… please, send me a sign.

Saturday : I received an urgent message from my agent. Audition for the TV show, Hawaii Five-O on Monday.

 To be continued…

Please join me on Monday, February 20th for Hawaii Five-O’s episode ‘Kupale’.

Some of you have been curious how I budgeted for my several months on the road. Others, want to know how much to sock away for India and Southeast Asia.  I’ll apologize in advance for any errors, because I rushed to get this post out. I don’t know if I’ll split this up into two parts yet. But for the moment, let’s start with the general topic of budgeting and hobo-ing.

Here’s how I worked it:

When I started out on my trip, the idea that I’d be traveling long-term didn’t occur to me. I thought I’d be on the road for a much shorter period. So, I got a crash course in budgeting when I was on the road… and I freaked out. Originally, I socked away $9,000 for traveling. I thought I’d just do things the cheapest way I can. Bad idea.  I was a short-term traveler, striking out on long-term trip for the first time. The budget mentality between the two are drastically different.

Fortunately, I didn’t bleed my bank dry. I actually came back with a good savings (vs. debt). But still, budgeting a long-term trip felt like a stressful ordeal.

Budget: Going from a 2-week holiday to a long-term road trip?

Splurge on a little souvenir necklace, shell out a few extra dinero on a big meal you didn’t want and pick up some shampoo and baby wipes… Before you know it, you’ve spent a good $10-30 on crap! Add in your hotel cost and your day’s transportation and you’ve easily doubled your daily expenses. Everything counts and the teenie-tiny extras add up in a sneaky way. This is ‘vacation mentality‘.

The biggest difference I’ve noticed between vacation travelers and long-term roadies ? The way they think about money. Short-term travelers, even with tight budgets, have unconscious “vacation mentality“. Throwing off a few dollars won’t drain them. They’ll earn it back the moment they return to work.

Long-termers and RTW trippers must be more strategic and vigilant with their money. There is no “replenishing the stock”, so to speak. You must make your dollars stretch. Extra dollars spent, could mean an extra day or a splurge, where it really counts!

Managing a long-term travel budget

I used an Excel sheet to track my daily expenses from ‘incidentals’ to ‘necessities’.  I wanted to know how much I spent from a day to a week and where I was doing the most spending.

For India and Southeast Asia, it’s easy to get by on $10-25/day. On the average, my expenses totaled roughly $1,000/month  (give or take a few $100′s).

Money guzzling costs:

1.  Flights & Transportation *$200-$650/month
2.  Accommodations *$250-450/month,
3.  Miscellaneous expenditures: toiletries, sightseeing activities, souvenirs.

Flights, transportation, accommodations,… You can’t really cut big corners on these, too much. They’re necessities of travel. Food and miscellaneous stuff  however, is “expendable”. But the latter is also where I unconsciously racked up my extra charges–  things like treks, yoga classes, certifications ( yoga ttc, reiki and diving) and sightseeing tours.

What travel experience do you want?

Some people don’t mind ‘roughing it’; others want to feel ‘pampered’. Some like ‘exploring’; others want ‘guaranteed safety and convenience’. Everyone’s ‘travel style’ is different.

Personally, I try to straddle the lines. I don’t deny myself of fun (…or else why travel?), but I don’t go overboard with splurging.  I want to explore local ways of doing things, but I allow myself to be pampered in places, where I feel I really need it. …And believe me, there are times when you’re on the road so long, you’ll need it!

Can you spend less on a long-term trip than I did?

Of course.

When one person spends $10 on something, another gets it for $3.  It’s all about resourcefulness, travel style and street smarts.

I met a professional travel hobo, who was living on the road for years. In Gokarna, he was living off of 100 rupees a day! That’s cheap! He was doing everything the local way, including going to the local watering hole for his water. He impressed me with his resourcefulness and the fact that he’d found a more authentic way to live as a local, whereever he traveled.

Now,  I’m not a 100 rupee/day person. I don’t need a hotel, but I won’t stretch my comfort zone to risk some conveniences, nor do I want to  deprive myself of tourist fun. Sometimes, my ass doesn’t want to burn a 14 hour non-stop uncomfortable bus ride through India, when I’m on the first day of my period (which I actually did!)  Not when I can take a train ride or even a 2-hour flight!

However some of those penny-pinching lessons, had to be learned the hard and messy way!

Hobo-ing & where you can cut corners?

I’ve always had an underlining fear of being homeless, a ragamuffin, a transient living in a cardboard box… But after this trip, that fear has considerably lessened. I bonded with my ‘inner hobo’ and I found that where there’s a will, there’s a way and we’re all resourceful if we try.

1.  Budgeting sleep

Use Hostels, unique stays and guesthouses:

While the general rule is you get what you pay for, you’d be surprised how some hostels are pretty hip and some guesthouses are reminiscent of resorts and hotels. You might even find more creative and unique places to stay, which add to the adventure, …like on a bus station bench or in a hammock (which I did in India, although this was actually my last choice in both cases).

Some travelers claim success with Couchsurfing. Truthfully, I found the process cliquish, annoying and time-consuming.  When I’m on the road, I don’t have time for email introductions and “friendship dating”, which is what I gathered from my experience with it. Bottom line: I need a crash pad.

Instead, you might be like my friend, Regina, who has a talent for meeting locals, who invite her to stay in their homes. I don’t know how she does it, but it’s saved her a sizable chunk on her RTW trip!

Above: a fishing resort stay in Pai, Thailand. I got my own bungalow and a place on the pond. Below: Boutique hostels in Thailand can be chic.

Considering a long-term stay:

Rent an apartment or try bargaining with your guesthouse to give you a special rate. Some places will  happily accommodate you.  

Doing laundry:

Laundry service is cheap in a developing country. That is, 20x cheaper than in the U.S.! However, you’ve got to stretch your funds paying (let’s say …) per piece, it costs more than buying a packet of 10 cent detergent and washing your t-shirt and undies in a sink.  Yes, that’s hobo-ing.

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2. Using cheap transportation

Use local transportation:

So you’re packed into a crowded country bus, sitting on a bag of grain with a goat on the roof. A cultural experience that cost you only 50 cents vs a tour package! Needless to say, I’m a big fan of buses. You need to carry a bit of humor about you. Sure, you may experience discomfort, uncertainty and it’ll take more effort to get bus schedule information, than have it set up for you by a travel agent. Furthermore, it’s unlikely you’ll meet fellow travelers this way.

But you’ll rub shoulders with the local folk and it’s the cheapest, most interesting route to go. It’s the real deal… an adventure! Expect the unexpected and I promise, you’ll come home with fun stories.

 In India I went from taking tourist long distance VIP buses to those overcrowded buses you swear to yourself you’ll never take… the local government bus! On those buses, there were times I stood wedged into an Indian crowd with my large backpack stored up front, next to the driver, as luggage. I’ve also felt lonely and nervous being the one standout tourist in a crowd. But the only scary thing about riding in a local has been in my imagination (…and when I needed to go to the bathroom!)  I’ve actually found some local buses as comfortable as the tourist buses (minus the seat padding) and it’s saved me at least $10-15, which can be a night’s accommodation!

Take overland transportation (trains, buses, vans) into neighboring countries (vs. flights).

The pro to taking overland transportation to country cross borders is the price difference (anywhere from $20 to $200+). The con is that it’s less convenient and you need to be aware of visa regulations, entrance fees and potential border crossing scams. Seat 61.com is an excellent resource for information on border crossings. Also, Dave of The Longest Way Home has some awesome tips on how to plan for an overland trip.

Utilize overnight sleeper trains and buses

Sleeper trains and sleeper buses are another thing I’m a big fan of. It’s a big 2-for-1 deal! The obvious point is to maximize your daylight hours (by using it for sightseeing) and have your night hours go for transit time with your sleeper bed substituting as your hotel.

3.  Eating like a local  & bringing a pocket knife

Eating in Asia is cheap. You can go cheaper if you consider how locals eat. 

Did you know local Indians drink locally-made sodas, their own version of Lemonica and it’s cheaper than any other beverage? But they’re not stocked in the snack shop refrigerators, along with the Pepsis, Fantas and bottled waters for tourists….

Tourist food vs. big city local vs. local-local.

Below is the budget scale starting with tourist restaurants as the most expensive.

Tourist restaurants 
Local restaurants (frequented by tourists and local “townies”)
Hole-in-the-wall local  joints (frequented mostly by grassroot locals. Food can be decent to sketchy here)
Street food vendors & Marketplaces

I need sustenance, but I’m not running a marathon, nor am I hypo-glycemic. I certainly don’t need three full American meals a day. Instead, I prefer pick-me-up meals and snacks, like nuts and street food or I’ll shop for oranges or get a pineapple from a local market. They’re great to pack on a long bus or train ride. Also, local street foods and snacks are a great way to sample the culture. Bring a pocket knife for peeling and cutting fruits

Buying bottled water vs… :

On an on-going basis, buying water is not economical.  I used my water filter and electric boiling wand and found water recycling areas. Be on the lookout for water refilling stations, where you can refill your bottles cheaply. Some places offer this convenience, not only to cutback on water costs, but also as a way to pare down plastic bottle usage and littering.

Temple food:

Not that I want to advocate religion to a non-believer, but any food offered here is occasionally free.

Batu Caves (Malaysia): Temple food is sometimes free .

• Making friends with other travelers

Why did I strive to meet fellow travelers along the way?

Friendship, fun, information and …splitting costs.  It’s expensive to be a solo traveler, so you need to find friends. Backpackers are always on the lookout for ride shares,  room mates and way to split the cost of tour guides, whether they’re solo or in a group. It’s ideal when you can match yourself with travelers in your budget range and a good note is to look for young backpackers with a long-term travel plan. Backpacking Europeans can also be frugal.

Short term travelers… ehh, they say recovering alcoholics shouldn’t be paired with alcoholics.

Same rule here. Usually short-term travelers are on ‘vacation mode’ (but don’t know it) so pairing up with them might either make you feel cheap or tempted to splurge. If you’re not careful, they may make your bill run higher.

With all that said-  be wise about the travelers you choose to “befriend”. There’s saving money vs. being smart. Not everyone is trustworthy.

• Save the souvenir shopping for the end or ship it

As a girl, it was a challenge to hold off on buying souvenirs as I traveled through different countries. I didn’t want to use my funds up at the beginning of the trip nor did I want to accumulate extra weight in my backpack.  But when you know it may be a while before you to return to that country and you really love the products there, it’s best to get those souvenirs. Don’t regret it later. 

Once you buy it, how will you deal with it later? You can either lug it around in your pack like I’ve seen other travelers do or pay the shipping costs and mail it home so you can continue your trip lightweight.

When I was in Dharamsala in my yoga program, everyone was hitting the souvenir shops hard on their last week there. I still had more traveling to do and it was hard not to pick up the vibe, knowing I love India as much as I do. I eventually did cut loose on the shopping and mailed my souvenirs home so I wouldn’t have to carry them.

 Another tip for souvenir shopping: Buy small items vs large ones!

What are some of your budgeting or hobo tips?

As a travel blogger, I have a behemoth heap of posts in my archival bank. Sadly however, a blog post only has a firefly’s lifespan. Once it’s had its run, it folds into the blog tomb, awaiting a Google search to resuscitate it.  A lot of hours (days even!) of laborious writing, photo uploading and video editing for a very short parade.

When Megan of On my way RTW tagged me on Tripbase‘s My 7 Links project, I was both, honored to be counted in as a member of the travel blogging community and thrilled to share some of my favorite pieces. So if you missed some of these posts the first time around, here’s your second chance! From a restaurant in Phnom Penh, Cambodia with the endearing madness of honking motodops and tuk-tuks as inspirational backdrop, I write for you …

My 7 links:

My Most Beautiful Post

Jeju’s Olle Trails: Reading its secret Love Letters

Everyone should experience the magic of awakening to the eternal spring of a love letter and Jeju Island’s Olle trails (inspired by Spain’s Pilgrim Trails) conveys just that. I’m not sure if this is my “Most Beautiful” post but the experience was certainly one of the biggest romances of my year, such that it inspired my Love Letter project.

My Most Popular Post

Finding love in the Korean Love Motel

This competes in the daily ranks with my post about the Korean bathhouse; and honestly, I think it’s because sex, naked and Koreans appear in the search tags! There’s a lot of mystery and gossip around Korean love motels as being seedy places to visit in Korea. This past year, the topic of ‘Korean love motels as brothels’ even drew heated controversy at a Formula One international racing event when event drivers were wrongly housed in its suspect variants. For tourists and expats however, love motels (and bath houses, for that matter) are well-worth the second look into quality, as they offer practical, affordable and fun means in Korean budget holiday gems.

Deep thanks to Daegu Pockets magazine for publishing it (it’s my first article in print!), to fellow K-bloggers for linking to it and The Korea Times for quoting from it (even if at the time, I wasn’t sure if the latter was a good thing) .
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My Most Controversial Post

“You Ugly American”: Is America a country that people love to hate?

Why is the world still hating on Americans? Aside from my article about love motels, this is my next most controversial post. Meeting small-mindedness and stereotypes on the road, when we should be bonding as a travel community, really steams me! I’m fed up with ugly American stereotypes still existing and if you’re American, you should be too.

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My Most Helpful Post

Photo from ‘Getting my hair done at a Korean beauty salon’.

Expat Life & Teaching in Korea series

Without a doubt, my most helpful posts are my survival guides for living, eating,working and playing in Korea. A lot of empathy goes out for my fellow inmates, errr… expats in Kimchi-land and I get a lot of hits and comments from those curious about Korea or who are here for the job of teaching English. If you read the ESL forums, you’ll get the feeling that Korea is one of the countries foreigners love to hate on. Why is that? Well, things in Korea doesn’t always make a lot of sense to westerners. From tackling culture shock, work issues, cultural misunderstandings and attempting to build a lifestyle that you won’t always have translation help for, Korea is a safe and technologically-advanced country in many ways; but that doesn’t deem it as an easy country for foreigners to adapt to. Alternately, it also doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying!

A Post Whose Success Surprised Me

8 ways I stay warm during winter in Korea

What lengths would I go through to survive a Korean winter? When I wrote this, I felt a bit awkward revealing some of the silly things I did to stay warm, but thanks to my fellow readers, I didn’t feel left out in the cold alone. I really didn’t expect the amount of hits and responses it’s gotten.

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A post I feel didn’t get the attention it deserved

Lessons of a first-time Solo Traveler in India

I’d say many of my India posts like 5 Travel Must-Haves for India and the like… The one that’s been greatly gyped of attention however, is my post on lessons from my first solo trip there. I lost my solo traveler virginity on this trip! Though a bit scruffy in writing, it bore my very first GRRR and from it, sprang wonderful lessons of being alone on the road for the first time. At the time of post, I didn’t have any readers but my mom and dad –and though they definitely count big time in my book– they’re not really going to need to use the advice I’m sharing. Y’know?

The post I am most proud of

Haeneyo: The Last Generations of Korean Mermaids

I’m not sure if this is my proudest post, but it always surfaces first in my mind. I had learned of Jeju Island’s mythic haeneyo (aka mermaids) before moving to Korea; and thus, I was really proud with my quest and actual discovery of them. The haeneyo are an older generation and dying tradition of women divers whom continue to dive and whom I find truly remarkable. Special thanks to Daegu Pockets magazine for printing it in their December 2010 issue.

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Other people I’m tagging for this project are:

Kelsey of Drifting Focus, Laura of Gringation Cancun, Feather Ives of Vegan Around the World, Josh Johnson of Travel Media Ninja, Jack and Jill of Jack & Jill Travel the World.

The following post has a sponsored mention:  Looking for special deals and cheap holiday packages for exotic destinations such as Greece.  Check out cheap flights to Corfu and visit the second largest Ionian Island in Greece.

Annyeong 2011! Time is flying and it’s taking a jet.

Writing Home for the Holidays: GRRRL TRAVELER’s blogging mom

It was a winter white holiday for us in Korea and this year,I didn’t have time to write home about it. No problem, my mother, the real family blogger, did it for me!

With my mother in town for two weeks, we climbed the ups of sightseeing Korea through Jeju Island, making our own K-drama tour, desk-warming together at my school, seeing snow fall (*for her it was the very first time),… and she bore the downs of catching a cold during a wicked winter, as well as fears of first time solo travel at age 67!  In GRRR! fashion, she survived.

I’m excited to have a crap-load of fun “first time impressions” to share with you, from her Korean vacation, taken from her eyes and words.

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Solo Travel~ can I whimper?… Writing the vacation that’s still a mystery to me.

Winter English camp is over and I head to Thailand and Laos this weekend for my winter vacation! Two weeks.

Oh yay.

I haven’t been doing my traveler jiggy dance nor have I researched much on this. My life will be shifting shortly with the end of my work contract. Many many many things must be sorted out and this trip was getting the shaft. Traveler or ESL teacher in Korea? It’s pretty much all up in the air. Research requires time and waiting for answers feel like a crap shoot.

I put my chips on the line, hold my breath and cross my fingers, hoping there’s an emergency erase or Do Over button –3/4 of my life …on red.

Right now, I’d like to scream to EVERYTHING–

I’M NOT READY!!!

All I’ve booked and am excited about is my Bangkok dentist. Medical tourism, here I come!

Yet, my main goal is to see Laos, which I know very little about- Vientiane to Luang Prabang. Take a bus.  Accommodations? One GIANT question mark. My adventure as a solo traveler will feel as secure as entering a cardboard house!Traveling alone sucks.

And then I want to say, it doesn’t.

Seems for the moment being, I’ll have to leave my life up to the travel gods and destiny.

Please be kind.

GRRRL Shoutouts for December and January!

GRRR! Hugs and Alohas to Expacked,  They had a great run with 100 issues, filled with informative articles from news lines and fellow K-bloggers. Ken’s site has been a labor of love, all to support native English teachers in Korea with the latest news. Unfortunately, Ken will be saying goodbye, as he returns home. Too sad– I loved having the top news delivered to my inbox.

Warm mahalos to Expacked for mentioning my post, Do you really want to teach English in Korea (Part 1: Q & A) as newsworthy reads for the Korea-expat community in your last newsletter.  I’m honored to go out with a 100th Anniversary bang!

GRRR! love to Andrew and the GoOverseas team for making me GO!Overseas’ featured blogger on December’s holiday issue. It was extranormously cool of them to put me in the spotlight, as well as mention of my Do you really want to teach English in Korea? series and just recently, my 5 Things MTV taught me about teaching English. You guys seriously rock!

We might be settling into a White Christmas this holiday season.. This past week it snowed in Korea!

GRRR! Shoutouts
This month, I’ve a big list of awesome GRRR!s to send out, so I’m dedicating this post just for that:

•  December’s issue of Daegu Pockets is out in the stands!
My article Haeneyo: the Last Generations of Korean Mermaids is in it! Well, the 500-word count version of it, at least. Also my story was one of the few translated for Korean readers as well; so I’m delighted. As usual, the magazine packs tons of fun stories about happenings in Korea, curious cultural tidbits, essential Daegu maps and a monthly dose of bite-sized Konglish.

•  Warm fuzzies to EPIK.
Yes, they do good for me, even though I occasionally bitch about them. My piece Making a Pilgrimage: The Hike to Gatbawi was selected and will be published to the EPIK site (here), with other documented EPIKer memoirs and journeys. Because of them, I’m finally a paid writer! Yay. Thumbs up to you, EPIK- even though you/the DMOE screwed my vacation plans!

•  Hollers out to Gadling‘s Alex Robertson Textor for mentioning me and my jjimjilbang travel tip in his article, “Local Budget Travel Secrets“. I’m a big fan of Gadling’s travel stories and tips and discovering local budget secrets are great; it’s even better when you can share them with others!

When one person can follow and live their dreams, they create possibility for everyone else…

•  Bigtime GRRR! s to Almost Fearless‘s lovely Christine
(Okay, we’ve got the same name but she’s a completely different GRRRL)
She posted her 100 Most Inspired Travel Blogs and included me in it! Extra hollers because she’s the first to spell my blogname correctly! Overall, I’m very honored. When I first researched how to turn a gap year into live and work abroad travel lifestyle, Christine’s blog was one of the sparks to get my flight dreams out of park. As the pen of Almost Fearless, she shares her success as a digital nomad lifestyle and basically, tells you how you can do it too.

November almost gone and it’s a crazy time of month with news of winter camps, vacations and thoughts of if I’ll continue onto Gap Year #2. I’ve been a busy duck this past month and it’s taken a bit of a toll. The biggest question I try not to ask myself is- What will I do if my plans fall short?

Or what if I don’t get a university job by my visa extension deadline in January?

Well folks, GRRRL’s been incubating wonderful fallback plans, which entail yoga and my love for India!  Looks like Plan A or Plan A? Decision time will come again soon.

An EPIK winter vacation screw: “If you clip my travel wings, I no longer want to work for you.”

What’s my Numero Uno for not renewing my contract? Travel freedom. It may sound “princess”  of me to complain about vacation time. 18 days is a luxury compared to the standard two-week vacation of a regular 9-5… but throw in the fact that we have “desk-warming days” during school vacations and the DMOE’s screwing (or lack of stepping in when a school is screwing)  our vacation time. There’s a reason I was a freelancer all this time.

This past month was stressful for many. Why? Winter is coming up with speed and with that follows our 10 day winter vacation and winter camps…(Read more here on My Crazy Kimchi!)
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Great Finds in my Reading Bin:

Why teach abroad?

• Is teaching abroad is a fail safe solution to beat the dying dollar? Think again.  Anne Merritt makes you ask “Is Teaching ESL ‘Recession-Proof’?”

• Travis of TravelerHQ offers awesome GRRR! inspiration for those looking to make their way around the way via what else?…teaching! “Working and Teaching His Way Around the World”.

• I love Expat Heather’s “Photo Essay: Classrooms Around the World“ It fell in synced perfectly with a love for travel and teaching children around the world.

NET News:

• Mitch at GO!Overseas wrote an interesting article “Teaching English in Korea: Comparing the EPIK, GEPIK, and SMOE Programs“. What abbreviation are you and why?

Also Expacked Issue #96 is out with more newsworthy articles! Here are a few I thought were important:

• Is your NET job in jeopardy? See what the buzz is all about. Talk of public schools phasing out native speaker English teachers (Brian in Jeollanamdo)

• If you’re an EPIKer or EPIK applicant, this is for you, so read.  EPIK Press Releases: Re-entry permits; Application deadline extended; North Korean bombing (EPIK site via Expacked) Interestingly, we EPIKers didn’t get any letter from EPIK (or our DMOE !) regarding the attack of North Korean bombing or what to do. We did get some NET Survey Satisfaction form to fill out though! Again, total fail EPIK & DMOE…

• Worried about a potential war and your embassy (like mine) still hasn’t notified you? Chris can give you the **evacuation procedures**. Know how you can prepare and where you should run for safety. Life in Korea: emergency evacuation plans from South Korea (Chris in South Korea)

GRRR Shoutouts

• Big GRRR!s to Gray of Solo Friendly and her lovely review of my article “Fear Factor Korea! Foods which may make you cringe”. It gave me a nice chuckle. I didn’t know I could create such a violent food reaction!

• Finally a warm hollers out to GO!Overseas for listing both My Crazy Kimchi! and GRRRL TRAVELER articles in its weekly newsletters for those who want to teach, volunteer or learn abroad.

Boo! Happy Halloween week is upon us and October has been a roller coaster of surprises and  scares… Many EPIKers are feeling the heave of visa extensions and the pounce of contract renewals. The leaves are turning a brilliant and golden-yellow, the wind carries a light nip and … where are all these damn mosquitoes in my apartment coming from now?…

Visa extensions and the question of renewals

After receiving the relief of having our visa extension questions responded to, the next mound to hurdle is the question of contract renewals. Renew? Take a travel break? Search and re-apply for another job contract that relocates me to Seoul? My shotgun answer is not easy. I love my students and have invested time in learning Korean (of which I’ve not made huge improvements, still…), but my vegetarian needs dying for more options; I’d like to go, sit on a mountain and meditate on this. Unfortunately, we’ve also just been told our schools need to submit our answer by November 5th. What will I do? I’m taking bets…

What do The Korea Times, F1 and Love Motels tainting Korea have in common? Me.

Love Motels is a sensitive issue for Korea. For those of you who have missed it, a quote from one of my April articles, Finding Love in a Korean Love Motel was mentioned in The Korea Times‘ article “Italian newspaper: ‘Love Motels taint Korea”s image as host to F1“.

What is F1? Another Korean boy band or K-drama? I’m an Asian blond about certain topics– the Korean Grand Prix is one of them. I was learning about the F1/Love Motel incident from Brian in Jeollanam-do‘s candid bite, No Morons, a Love motel is not a Brothel ; when ironically, in the same day, a friend posted a link on my Facebook profile with The Korea Times article and my name, uh… in it.

With all the rumors I’ve heard about anti-foreigner groups stalking foreigners for anti-Korean sentiments or foreigners receiving bad press in the Korean media,… I wasn’t initially thrilled by this news. Were all those years of field producing MTV reality shows trying to get back at me now? Fine, if so I’d take the hit like a soldier. But I’ve never been on this side of the press before …and a foreign press while living in its country?

Sandwiched in a notion of shady love motels tainting Korean reputation, with my article quoted outside of its context, I was nervous (…ok, my GRRRL panties were in a bunch!)  Brian assesses that Korea Times article nicely in his post F1 accommodation in the news and provides what is often sought in adept journalism. That Jeolla-man rocks.  I’m feeling better now. My bunches unwound. Leave it to Google searches and lazy journalism to provide an early Halloween!

My Crazy Kimchi! hits growing pains of co-teaching.

My Korean classroom has been a great source of learning this year and recently. I’ve just posted 3 sections (1 , 2, 3 ) on what I’ve learned from co-teaching (something I don’t think I’d be submitting for EPIK/DMOE‘s recent request for co-teaching essays and video contest). Not everyone has these experiences to take some of my tips, but many also do. Beg to differ?… I’m ready to take some hits…

GRRR Shoutouts

• Expacked Issue #91 is out with some shocking articles– from Roboseyo‘s article that non-college grads may earn 1.5 million for rural teaching in Korea to the Korean Herald‘s shocking report that a 35 yr old teacher won’t be prosecuted for consensual sex with a minor, as the lawful age is… 13 years old?! Read it in this issue.

• Giant GRRR! to both Expacked and Brian of Jeollanamdo for mentioning my recent posts on NET Visa Extensions (though it comes from Daegu, a funk-load of us have gone through similar stress zones trying to interpret them).

• Hollers to GO!Overseas for listing “5 Tips for New Teachers in Korea” in its weekly newsletters for those who want to teach, volunteer or learn abroad.

• Shouts to Amanda at  Korea, Kimchi & K-Pop- you just keep that 30-day blog going! Go GRRRL!

• Finally, a warm GRRR! to my fellow EPIKers & Daegu-ites! Home stretch and I applaud all of you.

Scooting around Udo Island & trying not to get into car crashes! Getting past the first 5 minutes
of nerves was my biggest challenge…

Hello Korea! How will you inspire me today?…
Anyeong! I’m back from my Chuseok holiday on Jeju Islands with lots to blogshare with you. I feel like my life was literally renewed! …That was until, Monday morning rolled around and I had to drag my sorry ass out of my Daegu bed for work. Thank the Korean God for my little Korean students– their bright and smiling faces gave me the second wind my Monday morning took away. I really love teaching them. The scarier realization? I think they make me like being an English teacher!

Yes, if I can claim one secret treasure of Korea that’s been the most impressive to me, it’s not the UNESCO sites, Korean food, the seemingly unnatural beauty of the landscape or the 1+1 deals at convenience stores… it’s the children.

September isn’t quite over yet but I want to do my second wind of GRRRL Shoutouts to some ultra-cool sites who have featured my articles. First off– major GRRRs to Ken at Expacked for featuring my article “Decoding my Korean workplace: an NET’s class schedules” in this month’s Expacked, Issue #87. Once again, if you’re an NET curious about how events in the Korean school system may affect your job, this is an awesome newsletter to subscribe to! Ken culls together great up-to-the-wire news articles which give us insight into the invisible strings which shape and shift your NET/Expat world.  Knowledge is power; embrace your GRRR !

Secondly, big GRRRs to Brian of Jeollanamdo for his mention of my Boeseong tealogue blogs in his “Inbox & Favorites” section. Little does he know his very own blog site banner photo was the real inspiration behind my seeking out Boseong’s Tea Fields as one of my “Top Places in Korea to See”!

Cool Digs: K-bloggers & Korean Festivals
For those of us Daegu folk looking for weekend festivals/events around Korea– so far we’ve relied on Daegu Pockets to tell us (no harm, they’re a great resource!), but I also found some impressive event calendars on other K-bloggers’ sites. Brian of Jeollanamdo’s event calendar shares happenings by season, while Chris from South Korea’s calendar updates monthly. Between these guys and Daegu Pockets, our weekend cards could be booked for some time!

Ha-Ha-Happy Birthday to my Papa Bear!
Last but certainly NOT least, I wanted to blog a Happy Birthday to my Dad! At the Teddy Bear Museum on Jeju Island, I was in search for a grand teddy statement which would send a warm sentiment.  While I have handful Teddy bears in my iPhoto collection to choose from, this seemed to be the perfect one for me and my Dad (that even looks like his hat!). Cute, cuddly and fuzzy, teddies also inspire bravery, courage, protective strength and fearlessness. They have that element of (as Tyra Banks would say…) fierce-ness that every little GRRRL loves to lean upon for comfort. Love you, Dad!

Most Recent articles by GRRRL TRAVELER

• 4 Tea-Inspired Tips for Weary Travelers (Boesang Tea Plantation)
• Photo Essay: Boseong Tea Plantation on a Rainy Day
• Finding Youth in a Green Tea Bathhouse
• Getting to Boseong Tea Fields: From Daegu (Gwangju, Suncheon)
• Hiking in Korea: Natural High meets Fashion Heavy

Do I look like a real Hanoian?

I’ve just returned from backpacking Vietnam, during summer monsoon season- what a wet, wet, wet and sweaty fun… I must have lost 10 pounds of water weight and my skin has a pimply glow (Daegu heat is a breeze in comparison)!  But it was all good- 9 days was definitely not enough to see Vietnam and all it offers in crazy motorcycle mayhem. Now I’m back in civilization, where a warm bath and a bed, without a silk liner woos me…

Check out Expacked’s Issue #84…

Major shout out to Expacked for including my blog “5 Reasons to Join your Expat Community when Living Abroad” in Issue #84 of its newsletters. It’s both, an honor and fortunate new discovery for me. Expacked is an online newsletter for NETs in Korea and an excellent resource for up-to-the-wire NET news, as well as the stuff your co-teachers don’t always know (or want) to share with you, even if it affects you through the trickle down effect!  If you’re an NET in Korea, check it out and subscribe to the newsletters.
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An End of NET desk-warming and my second GRRRL Traveler SOLO trip!

During these past three weeks of August, there are only a few places you’d find most NET’s–  on vacation (or returning from it) or desk-warming all alone at their empty school. Well, at least the light at the end of the desk-warming tunnel is in view. The school semester opens its doors next Monday! Booo.

Water buffalo in Sapa, Vietnam

For GRRRL Traveler, this means, I’ll resume my Korea blogginess after I’ve had time to catch up with blogs on my Vietnam adventure. I’m still in dream travel mode and with all the travel hub-bub being around the release of the movie, Eat Pray Love, I’m excited to still be a part of the travel community. Vietnam is my second GRRRL Traveler solo trip and I’m looking forward to share my stories and photos with you!

* Currently, I have Sapa Trekking and Halong Bay photos up. I will be uploading photos from my travels shortly, so please check back for more updates.