Being Tarzan Is Fun- I Think...

Well, I am in the Cameron Highlands right now. We left Penang early this morning. We had a traditional Chinese breakfast this morning of dim sum, a red bean steamed bun, and tea. It was amazing! Especially because I got to use chop sticks. I miss them. The SE Asian countries that we have visited do not use chopsticks at all- unless Chinese food. Here in Malaysia many of them eat with their hands due to the Indian and Muslim cultures. Words cannot express how much I love the food here. It's a good thing we have done so much walking/running here or I would come home with some nice saddle bags...but I still have a week left, so it is possible. I have had authentic Indian and Chinese food daily and have not paid more than $3 for a full meal and drink. Oh, how I love Malaysia. Can you feel the love?

I continuously have been blown away by the kindness here in Malaysia. During our stay at all of the guesthouses the staff has been incredibly nice. In Melaka, we stayed at a cute little family's home. They had a two year-old who was adorable and gets so much attention from all of the guests that come. The couple does everything themselves to keep costs down, so it is their full time job. We decided the couple has to be trust fund babies or wealthy because everything is so cheap. While we were watching a movie in the living room, the wife brought us a plate full of fruit. We also got free breakfast, water, and unlimited coffee/tea. We paid $6 a night. Heaven.
Last night in Georgetown, we were invited to go to a Buddhist temple celebration with the owner of the hostel. He took us next-door and we watched part of the ceremony. It was incredible, even though I had no idea what was going on. There was so much food, candles, chanting, and performing of rituals. They even had some variation of communion during the ceremony which is supposed to bring good luck. It was really interesting. Muslims make up the majority of the population here. I have never been surrounded by so many people of that culture, there clothes alone are very different. Brit and I stick out a lot with what we are wearing, especially that our hair isn't covered. Today I was wear a strapless dress and a little girl looked at me in shock, mouth opened wide. It could have been the freckles or the hair, but I decided to put a hoodie. ha.

People are very devoted to their religion and they seem to be in harmony with others of different beliefs, at least in the areas that I have been in. I'm sure it isn't the case everywhere. I have seen a few Christian churches, but not many. A few places have Christmas decorations or play Christmas music. It's wonderful.

The Cameron Highlands are very peaceful and quiet. I am surrounded by jungle. We are in this cute little town with not a whole lot to do in the evenings. Tomorrow I am heading on a jungle trek to a couple different areas with a group. Hopefully I will be able to see the world's largest flower, unless it decides to die before I get there. They bloom for 5-7 days and tomorrow is day 4 (I think). We will also go to a tea plantation. Yeah! I'm excited.

I'm wearing a hoodie and pants right now. It's much cooler than the other areas that we have been in thus far- at least at night. It's a nice break, but I'm not ready to be in the blustering cold of Korea and MN. Crap.

Ok, I have rambled long enough. The mosquito's are attacking. Must..go..inside... (I'm in an open-air cafe.)

Less than a week before we leave. :( We head to Kuala Lumpur on Tues afternoon and then to the airport on Friday morning for Korea. I can't wait to see my friends in Korea, but then it's goodbye... Sad. Home the 21st. WOW. :) YEAH!


I will tell Tarzan you said hi tomorrow in the Jungle. You can call me Jane.

xoxo

Hello, Malaysia

Hey everyone! Hope all is well. I hear it dumped a bunch of snow in MN today. I was jealous for a minute and then I realized I will be there all winter, so I am free of jealousy now. I know you were curious about my state of mind. We have been in Malaysia for a few days now. I am currently in Penang. It is an island in the northwest. We have only been here one day, but I love it! We arrived this morning at 6 am by an overnight bus from Melaka (It was a great historical city full of Dutch influence). When we got to the bus station we had no idea where we were in the city or how to get to the city bus. We started chatting with an older Malaysian guy (Bob) and he offered to ask his friend directions when he arrived to pick him up. Long story short, the men took us to breakfast AND drove us to our guesthouse. They wouldn't allow us to pay for breakfast because we were guests in their country and new friends. This is just an example of how friendly the people are here. I love it. The people in other countries were very friendly as well, but here it doesn't seem like they are asking for anything in return, very sincere. Tomorrow is the last day of beach time on the trip. I will be back in Korea in less than a week. On Saturday we are headed to the Cameroon Highlands, which is in the mountains. We will be doing some hiking and frolicking with the jungle animals. I can't wait! As much as I LOVE this trip, I'm getting really anxious to come home. Being in Singapore and experiencing the cheesy Christmas decorations and families shopping together is really making me ready to come home! :)

One thing I have been bummed about is the lack of volunteering on this trip. It has been too difficult to do/find when we are constantly moving around and not knowing what the next step will be. Next time, I guess.

Pictures are updated.

xoxo Stay safe in the snow.

Singapore

Hello! Well we have had a good time in Singapore. I didn't come in with any expectations, which it seems is always a good thing because you won't be let down. It is a very clean and nice city. If you eat or drink in the subway you have to pay a $500 fine. You aren't allowed to chew gum. They are strict! The people seem to be a melting pot. There are a lot of Singaporeans, Chinese, Indians, and expats. We didn't see as many expats as I thought we would. I feel like I stick out much more here than Korea, of course depending on where we are- not in tourist areas. Yesterday we went to Chinatown and had amazing food! We saw a lot of crazy menus with " intestine head" or "spinal cord" but I didn't eat those delicious items. I wanted to leave it for others. We went to Little India tonight and we were practically the only women in the area. It was all Indian men- hundreds. They meet together every Sunday evening to hang out with friends and family. It was really overwhelming, mostly because of how many people there were. We were laughing for a while because we felt so strange to be practically the only women and foreigners in the area.

So, Singapore...
Great city to live, not a great city to go for vacation. The food was worth the trip. We ate at cheap food stalls that were made by the locals and where all the locals go to eat! We ate a full meal for under $5! Yahooo! We found two days to be enough. There are a lot of parks and outdoor activities.The county is really into shopping, which we obviously don't have the budget for nor desire. I got a yummy beer yesterday for $13. NOT WORTH IT! I can't believe people would pay so much to drink!The people are very active and laid-back. Could I teach here? Maybe. If I could get past the HOT humid weather-highly doubtful or got a great salary. oh, possibilities.

Lots to do. Leaving for Malaysia tomorrow. One country left. First stop is Melaka.

xoxo

Bye Bali

Hi! Pictures should be up-to-date. Must...get...to..the...beach. We are headed to the airport this afternoon for Singapore. I'm super excited because it is supposedly decorated with tons of Christmas decorations! Yeah! Bring it!

Agenda for last day...
-sun
-banana pancake and papuya shake breakfast
-Embassy so Brit can leave the country
-flight

Yahoooo!

xoxoxo

ps. I'm NOT excited to leave Bali. I could stay for a month.

Oh, Ubud

Dear Artic Boy,

I enjoyed our time cycling through villages, drinking cat poop coffee, eating food, bonding over being one of the only Americans in SE ASIA, and chatting. Why do you live in Antarctica? Lame.

Love,
Megan
AKA non-resident of Antarctica

* I met him on my tour. He was cute and from New York. He told me that Antarctica has a bar and a coffee shop. They only eat frozen food. 1000 people live there during the summer.I'm still in shock. Have you met anyone who lives in Antarctica besides a penguin? Bigger question, why do I meet cute boys who live in obscure places like Antarctica?

So, yesterday was a wonderful day of exploring. I went on a cycling tour through villages north of Ubud. It was absolutely beautiful. We started with breakfast next to a volcano. Then headed to a coffee plantation. Bali is one of the only plantations in the world to produce a special brew of coffee called Luwak. It is the most expensive coffee in the world because they feed coffee beans to a civet (type of cat) and the beans pass through their digestive system into their... poo. It is cleaned of course and there are 3 layers of protection on the bean. People pay about $50 per cup or $100-$600 a pound in the US and Japan. From all my years of drinking, smelling, and dreaming about coffee, I can say that it tasted like strong espresso that wasn't filtered. I wouldn't pay more than $3. (Side note- I couldn't remember the name so I literally just googled cat poop coffee and found it right away. haha)

After the cat poop coffee, we went cycling. The scenery was breath-taking.It was full of bright green vegetation, rice paddies, temples, stone walls that lined the road,and cute houses. Along the way, we stopped at a rice paddie and the farmers showed us how they harvest the rice. Once the rice is "ready" they cut the stems down. Then they hit the top portion of the stem on a hard surface (in this case wood) and the rice falls off. There are so many steps in planting and harvesting. I can't believe how cheap rice is and how little these workers get. Many of them were cute old grandmas. I wanted to take them home, but I'm not exactly sure where home would be at the moment.

We left Ubud today. I was sad to leave. It was a beautiful town. I have never seen so many temples. EVERY house had it's own temple. I couldn't count them all even if I wanted. You had to watch where you were walking because there were little shrines everywhere on the ground. Some of them were full of food that the insects/dogs loved to munch on, but most of them were flowers. Each of them were showered with some kind of holy water. You could smell incense burning everywhere. It is the most traditional Balinese city in Bali. It was full of shopping, art, and music. Oh, I want to go back.

We are now in Kuta- beach and surfing town. We came across a night surfing competition tonight. It was really cool. There wasn't a lot of organization, but there was spot lights, an MC, and dj. I especially liked the drunk girl (i hope that was her excuse) who thought it would be funny to go swimming in the middle of the competition. I also enjoyed watching her friends and the life guards go chasing after her. They caught her. The second time she was quicker and got away. ha

We leave Friday for Singapore. I guess there are Christmas lights everywhere there. Yahooo. It doesn't feel like it should be Christmas. Everything I have experienced lately tells me it's July. Christmas means home. Yeah!


ps. We have been eating amazing street food here. We have been eating meals for $.50- $1. Fabulous. I love a deal. Thanks mom for making me become a scavenger.

Until next time.... more pictures to come. The internet is too slow here.

xoxox
Lots-o-Freckles

Oh, Bali.

Hey everyone! Well I just arrived in Bali last night! We almost didn't make it out of the airport because the visa is one whole page in your passport and Brittney didn't have enough space. She didn't realize how full it was and the customs never told her. So, we had to pay off the boss at customs to put the visa over other stamps in her passport- $50. Another customs agent that we first spoke to was charging $200. Lame. Apparently, it is very illegal to do it. I guess if you have enough money you can do anything.

Today we have walked around just a little bit and it's already my favorite place. We are in Ubud right now. It is the town where the woman in the book Eat Pray Love stayed in. It is amazing. Our home-stay looks like a temple- for real. When we arrived last night the town was experiencing a black-out. There was no lights anywhere. We had to walk down this dark alley that was so narrow only one person could walk through at a time. I am a tad afraid of the dark. Just a little... AND I have seen far too many scary movies that start out where girls do stupid things in the dark. I was picturing very bad things until I saw the sign of our place through the moonlight and knew we probably weren't going to die. We walked up to this counter and this guy popped out of the darkness and said welcome. We made it. He brought us candles for our room and we chilled and laughed about it all. The power came on a couple hours later. I guess it happens once a week because of the lack of energy in Indonesia. Cities switch off being without power every evening for about 5 hours. Tomorrow I am going on a cycling tour thingy to see the surrounding country-side. Yeah!

More about Thailand...

Thailand was an amazing place. It was paradise on the islands and the food was SUPER cheap! I had most of my meals including a fresh mango shake for $1-$2. The food we had in Bangkok was not impressive, but everywhere else was great!To me, pad thai was impressive anywhere! We ate mostly on the street at little outdoor food stands along the beach. You could find them everywhere. Depending on your lifestyle choices, you can make Thailand cheap or expensive. All of the places we went to were very touristy. I'm sure there are areas and islands that are more secluded but we didn't have time to find them- or money to get there. In Phuket (one of the most popular islands) we saw the sex industry in Thailand first hand. It was really sad and annoying. There are so many dirty old men who come to Thailand to find Thai women. At most businesses there would be a group of girls waiting to be picked up from the foreigners. We didn't even want to go to the bars there because it was full of Thai women looking for work. There were a lot of transvestites/ trans-gender men who were dressed like women. It was quite entertaining to try to figure out if they were male or female. The markets and shopping in general was a little overwhelming on the islands. The workers were very aggressive in selling and would even grab your arm to get you to come into their store. They were harmless, but it was annoying. We had to be rude and not answer their questions as we walked by or they would harass us to buy something. The funniest thing was they would ask us if we were shopping as we were... shopping. We started making up different things like " No, we are swimming." ha.

So, overall Thailand was great! I had a wonderful time! I think my favorite day was on Phi Phi Lay. We took a boat from the island Phi Phi and went to the island. It is a national park, so it is uninhabited. Our driver took us all around the small island. On the island the movies "The Beach" and "James Bond" were filmed. We went to a small secluded beach and hung-out for a while, went snorkeling, and swimming. I can't even describe how beautiful it was. I wish I could have taken you all with me. The total cost for the day was $7 each. I would have paid $100.

Time to explore Ubud.

Same Same, But Different- so says SE ASIA

Greetings from Krabi, Thailand! I will catch you up on a few days!

Bangkok- It was a very touristy city. We mostly stayed on the famous street of Khaosan Road which is full of restaurants, bars, and shopping. We did encounter a lot of men asking us if we wanted to go to the "ping pong show". You can use your imagination about what that is. Friends of ours warned us about the show and found out for themselves first hand that it was not ping pong. HA! We went to the Royal Palace in Bangkok which was beautiful. If you look at my pics, they are the ones with the gody temple-looking buildings and statues. It is famous for the green Emerald Buddha. People come from all over the world, especially Thailand come to see the statue. It is a very holy experience for them. It was pretty incredible. On our last day in Bangkok we went to a floating market. It was a really interesting way of selling different foods. These old women were so good at multi-tasking- steering the boat, making the food (when needed), advertising by yelling at us to buy, and handing the food to customers without falling in. I know that I would probably fall in the dirty water if I ever went into that business. Good thing I'm a teacher.

We took an an overnight train to the island of Koh Pha Ngan (Southeast of Thailand ).Side note- We saw the movie 2012 while waiting for the train. It was in Thai. I think the movie is much more entertaining in another language. Anyways, back to the train. The train was pretty old and sketchy. To me, it sounded like we were going to crash every few minutes, so I didn't sleep very well that night. Once again, I found myself saying many prayers that I would survive another crazy transportation experience in SE Asia. I was also trying to keep an eye on our belongings. People would come on the train at every stop to get the passengers to buy their food, so theft was very easy. The only casualty was shampoo. Poor thing. Anyhow, we made it to our destination by ferry. We got caught in a minor monsoon downpour, but we are tough. Little did we know it was going to rain the next 2 days. I have NO photos of that island. Sad face. We were happy to leave and head west.

Next we took a ferry and a bus to Krabi, which is where we are now. We arrived yesterday afternoon and had a few hours of sun before it rained. It is a beautiful beach town on the southwest coast. Today we went kayaking through the jungle. We didn't see any crocodiles, but we saw a big lizard thing and MONKEYS- lots of them. The monkeys jumped on our kayak and I almost peed myself. They were looking for food, but didn't find anything so they moved on to the next victims. We were given strict advice not to pet them- duh. Rabies, no thank you. After the kayak excursion, we headed on an elephant trek. Our guide was only 17 and named Amnie. We bonded. We made strange noises in the jungle and sang the Indiana Jones theme song for him. It was so cool. Probably one of my favorite things we have done so far. Very surreal. Not a lot to say other than GREAT DAY! :)

Thailand has been great so far- other than the weather. I guess monsoon season is late this year, but hopefully we will have good weather in the next few days. It is very touristy and nothing like Cambodia. In Cambodia I felt like we were on the "road less travelled" and here I feel like the road is paved with loads of foot prints and trucks. It is beautiful-not get me wrong, but in a different way. I can't wait to see more of the island. Tomorrow we head to the island of Phi Phi (sounds like Pee Pee). It is supposed to wonderful. I will let you know.

So, the trip has been wonderful! I currently have a possible sinus infection, but I got some anti-biotic and should be better soon. A few stomach issues, but we are A-O-K.

Thai food- Good, but not super impressed. Fruit is cheap and yummy. The curries are wonderful. Pad Thai, ehh. I have had better in the states. Here, pad Thai is a cheap noodle dish that is nothing special and sold on the streets for less than a dollar. It seems like the West has made it into a dish that truly doesn't exist in real Thailand. Oh well. :)

My pics are all updated. Check them out if you feel like it.

Hope all is well. Miss you all. I'm having dreams about home. It must be close.

Hello, Thailand

Hello! We made it to Bangkok. It was quite the adventure. We were supposed to get on a bus but for some reason we couldn't get on it, so we were told to get in a taxi at the bus station. We were with another couple in the taxi and it was REALLY tight. We had no clue why we were put in the taxi or where we were going. We tried to ask the driver, but he didn't speak English and would only answer "yes" that we were headed to Bangkok. He drove like a freakin maniac and honked his horn for people/cows to get out of the way. We tried to put seat belts on, but they did not exist. After about an hour we stopped at this "rest stop" and there was a guy that could speak English. He talked to the driver for us and we found out he was taking us to Bangkok for sure. We told the guy to tell our driver to drive like a normal human and that we would take a bus at the border the rest of the journey- we didn't want to be in his crazy self for 10 hours. So the ride was a little better to the border and we ended up catching a bus there, although we had to wait 3 hours (grrr...). Let's just say it was a LONG day! We had some great Thai food for dinner and passed out. ha.

Today we went to the Royal Palace it was amazing. I will try to get pics up as soon as I can. Bangkok is MUCH cleaner than I thought, especially in comparison to Cambodia. The people are really nice and have been very helpful today. I wish we had more time to explore different parts of the city. I know there are crazy sex-crazed parts but we haven't run into it yet- other than prostitutes. Tomorrow evening we are headed to the south of Thailand for some island hopping. We booked this package thingy through the government of Thailand's tourism agency and are supposedly saving a bunch of money- tax free. We will see.

Hope all is well with everyone. I am having a blast, but I am thinking about home in the back of my head. I am so excited to see you- but living completely in the moment.



More later. Love. xoxo

Goodbye Cambodia

Hello! I am waiting for our bus to Bangkok, Thailand! It is going to be a LONG bus ride- 10 hours + the time that is lost WHEN our bus breaks down. ha. I have uploaded most of my pics- the computers are REALLY slow, so I didn't have time to upload them all. I haven't had a chance to delete bad ones or edit them- don't judge. Let me know if the link works or what you think. xoxox

I will miss Cambodia! It was a great country. More about it later. Ta ta.

http://picasaweb.google.com/megan.schwartz09/20091113

Open your hearts and open your wallets

Hello! I am currently in Siem Reap. We had a LONG 10 hour bus ride last night and arrived at 6:30 AM. I am happy that I survived. I was a little worried I wouldn't arrive here in one piece. I kept waking up every few minutes from bumps or the driver screeching on the brakes. Not to mention sitting next to the bathroom and having the wonderful aroma of urine every few minutes. ha.

As I was eating my breakfast this morning, one of the workers here told me that I was lucky to be traveling the world and having such amazing experiences. It's completely true. I am very blessed to be doing what I am doing and I don't take any of it for granted. Seeing this part of the world is very humbling. It reminds me of India. There is a lot of poverty. Many people here have pretty much nothing- living on the streets or in shacks. Kids make a living through hustling on the beach or in the city. However, like any culture, there are people here who have a comfortable life and are not impoverished, however it is probably not what our definition of comfortable is.

"Open your heart and open your wallet."

One of the little girls I met on the beach said she tries to earn money everyday on the beach to pay for her schooling. Her and her friends hung out with us for a few minutes trying to get us to buy something from them and we all chatted. We bought a few things from them and then they started asking us questions about what we do and where we are from. As we were chatting, the girl said she wished she had white skin. I told her not to say that because she was beautiful the way she was. She stared at me for a moment, not really sure what to say. It was almost as if she had never heard those words directed towards her before. Then she snapped out of it and pointed to the two white men sitting near us. They were drinking coke and relaxing. She said if she was white, she could be like those men and drink coke. It was heart-breaking. It was interesting to see things in her perspective. The small things that we are able to do on a daily basis without a thought are things that these children have never done or get to do very rarely. These children are taught to do/say whatever they can to get money, but their eyes are still filled with the innocence of a child. They just have to grow-up a little faster than the rest of us. I asked one of the girls if she had a boyfriend and she looked at me like I was crazy and she said she was too young. She said she wanted to get married one day when she fell in love.

Carol, the ambassador, said she had a few children over at her home not too long ago.The children were from a charity that she supports, which provides education and living necessities to them. These children have nothing and literally live at the local dump, many of them orphans. They were looking at her collection of art and were hypnotised by this one painting. It was a picture of a married couple next to this large, beautiful house. She asked the children why they liked the painting so much and assumed it was because of the house. However, they said they loved how happy the couple looked and wished their own parents were like that or that they had parents like that. These kids have nothing and all they want is to be loved by someone. A free gift.

No matter where you live or what your background is, it seems like all people really need is to be loved. Being loved brings a feeling of safety and a hope for the future. It gives you a fight and a reason to live- to work, to find food, to get educated, etc. Loving is a gift that we can all give, no matter our economic status or situation.

It makes me think, how often do I love without asking for ANYTHING (acknowledgement, a hug, phone call, etc.) in return? I think there is room for some improvement. What about you?

xoxo

Cambodia

Hello! I am currently in Sihanoukville,Cambodia. It is in the Southeast Cambodia on the coast. Today was a rather relaxing day of riding on a bus for 4 hours from Phnom Penh, finding a hostel for $2 a person, getting bombarded by children on the beach, and having dinner. It's very strange to be using US dollars in another country, but Cambodians would rather use them than their own currency. As we were looking for a good place to eat on the beach, a restaurant owner came up to me and said their fabulous deals for the night. Are you ready?? Ok, .25 cents for a pint of beer. So, I had TWO beers for .50 cents. I am still in shock. That's amazing. Today was very refreshing from our very emotionally draining day in Phnom Penh.

Phnom Penh....

We decided to have our hostel take us around to the different locations that we wanted to see being we were on a tight schedule and were still unsure about how safe and easy it was to travel around in Cambodia. We started the day off at the Killing Fields. I'm not sure if you are aware about what happened here from 1975-1979? I wasn't and I am a social studies major. So, here we go...

Pol Pot was the leader of the Cambodian communist movement known as the Khmer Rouge. He wanted to change Cambodia's government into complete communism and force the country to run only on rice production. To do this, he needed to kill basically everyone who was not a farmer or who wouldn't cooperate. This included officers, children, foreigners, intellectuals, the educated, diplomats, and important people. They wanted to get rid of everything- money, schools, communication, religion, culture, etc. They were killed in horrific ways, mostly through injuries from torture and blunt object to their skulls. They estimate that AT LEAST 500,000 people were killed to due Khmer Rouge.

The killing Fields were found in 1979 and more than 15,000 people were killed there. Before the war, it was used as an orchard and a Chinese cemetery. The Khmer Rouge turned it into a place to kill the innocent.They would bring around 300 people a day there and would kill them all immediately. Once the numbers of captured became too large, they could no longer meet their daily "goal". The area is virtually untouched. You can still see teeth and clothes lying on the ground from the victims. There was a big and beautiful looking tree called "The Magic Tree", but it was pure evil. There were microphones hooked up to it that would play music, so no one could hear the cries from victims. There, people were executed and children were smashed against the tree. Awful. In the front of the Fields is a remembering monument that contains bones and skulls that are visible through the glass cases.

Next, we went to the Killing fields museum prison called Tuol Sleng. Before the war it was used a school. It was very graphic and raw as well. There was still blood on the walls and floors. Bats had made it their home. As I entered the school, I felt a feeling of heaviness and almost evil. You could feel that horrible things took place not so long ago. You could tell the school used to be so beautiful and children would have loved learning there. Many of the victims were those who were caught within the Khmer Rouge as traitors. They became very paranoid and killed many, as many as 30,000- 20,000 of them were children.

It was a very tough day. I felt very sad and didn't feel a lot of hope for humanity. The world knew what was going on there, yet we didn't do anything to help them. The Khmer Rouge fell in 1978, but they still held raids well into the 90's. The United Nations allowed them to hold a seat in the UN for 10 years after they fell because they were enemies with Vietnam, who were also ours at the time (Vietnam War). Sickening.

We ended the day on a high note though. My friend Christina's best friend's aunt is the US Ambassador of Cambodia, so we had dinner at her house. It was absolutely amazing. The bathroom had two stalls and Three sinks. It was HUGE, well secured with guards, and was decorated quite well. We had a 5 course meal outside next to the pool. I felt very out of place, but she was really nice and not stuffy. I had to follow her lead on which silverware to use. It was a great experience and she gave us information and advice about our trip. She told us of her secret competition with the Chinese ambassador. She wants to be on TV more than her and she is currently winning. ha.


So, Cambodia. It's a wonderful, dirty, heartbreaking, and happy place. The people are very kind and will usually leave you alone when you tell them you aren't interested- unlike Korea. There is a huge French and Indian presence here. We will spend one more day here and then head up to Angkor Wat, the famous temple that I think is one of the "7 wonders of the world"". Then off to Thailand.

Sorry, I can't really post pictures until I get home. I don't know how.

I hope you learned something.

xoxo
I miss my students already. I hope their new teacher is good to them.

You Rock! Yes, YOU!

Hello Everyone!

It seems like I was just writing you an email explaining my upcoming travels to South Korea, but it has already been a year. Can you believe it? It has been quite a year for me. It has been year full of learning and exploring. Although there were plenty of hard times, it was an extremely wonderful experience and I wouldn't change a thing. By teaching adults and children, I was able to really learn about Korea through the eyes of Koreans. I have fallen in love with the Korean culture, my students, and new friends, so it is going to be really sad to leave.

I will be leaving next Saturday, November 7th for southeast Asia. I will be traveling with two other friends to Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and possibly Indonesia. It will all depend on time and how everything goes. I have to make it back to Korea and catch my flight to the States on December 21st. I will be home right before Christmas. I CAN'T WAIT!

I just wanted to thank you all for your support through phone calls, emails, thoughts, and prayers. I never could have made it through this year without you. I hope you all are well in health and spirits. I will be updating my blog and emailing as often as I can while I am traveling. Hopefully, I will be able to see you all when I am home before I leave for my next adventure...destination unknown.

If praying is your thing, please pray for health and safety during our trip. Thanks! :)

Love,
Megan

Cameras are fun

Hello, again. It's me, Megan. Or as my friend Katie would say, Sprinkle Face. I have been taking my camera with me a lot lately, and I have some pictures that I really want to share with you! Are you excited? It's ok, you can pretend.

Enjoying the last fall days...in Korea...









Something looks a little strange...











p.s. It's October 22nd and I have killed FOUR mosquitoes in my apartment in the last hour. Grrr....

BUSAN PART DOS

Why am I showcasing a cup of coffee?? WELL, it's not just any coffee...CARIBOU COFFEE!!!! I felt like I was home for a minute! Yahoo!


HI, friends! Well, it's crunch time. I have a little over 2 weeks left in Korea. My brain is exhausted from thinking and trying to fit in last minute activities. Leaving anywhere is always stressful. It would be a lot easier if I knew I was coming back, but I haven't made any decisions. My mind changes daily. Go figure.

I went to a film festival in Busan 2 weekends ago. It is the biggest international film festival in Asia. I saw two random movies, one being a documentary through the perspective of a buffolo. It was...interesting. I'm contemplating becoming a vegetarian because of the movie and everything I saw at the fish market earlier that day. I think I'm scarred. We stayed over night in a jinjabong, which is a spa that is cheap and located everywhere. You can stay over night and sleep on the heated wood floor. I slept horrible, but I paid about $5 a night. I can live with that. However, I wasn't excited to wake up to gawkers staring and talking about me. Apparently they thought it was strange to see a foreigner sleeping on the floor.

Hiking/exploring a temple


Buddha will help you find your way, just ask.


Thinking about how cool my house is. (See below)


My crib.


Here is Buddha's room. Clearly, he is kind of obsessed with himself.


Sunset.

Festival/Seafood Market/Beach


Koreans use umbrellas for TWO types of weather- rain and sunshine. Today happens to be a sunny day.




Drying out the squid. Grody.

He is a badass.

We were forced to sit down for some drinks and snacks with this crazy man and his wife. His wife was not happy we were there. We attracted a few gawkers. The man started to get a little inappropriate and his wife got pissed. We were told to leave. Very strange.


It was a great trip. If I come back to Korea next year, I am considering teaching there. Beach + mountains= yes, please.

Sammy

Well, we lost a member of our family this week. I think she is in Heaven licking and playing with my grandma. Best dog EVER. xoxo

Chuseok

Happy Belated Chuseok! I'm SO sorry I forget to tell you. :)

One of the most important holidays in Korea is Chuseok. This year it took place October 4th but it follows the Lunar, so every year it falls on a different day. It is similar to our Thanksgiving, however it is very different. I'll break it down for ya.

*Thanksgiving in America*

1. Turkey and other fabulous foods or drinks depending on your
family.
2. Football
3. Family and friends
4. Nap

Chuseok

1. Go to your husband's family's home ( or your own home if you're not married) early in the morning. You usually go to the eldest son's house or your parents' house. The eldest son's wife (or your mother) does ALL the cooking. LAME.
2. Set up an alter with your deceased family members names and/or pictures on it. Place all the food on the alter.
3. The eldest brother and his wife puts on traditional clothing called hanbok for the ceremony
4. During the ceremony, the eldest son lights incense, has some rice wine, and says the names of the deceased family members. Everyone bows two times for each person. The purpose of having the food on the alter is to allow the spirits to come and eat with everyone. The doors in the house are opened for the spirits to come in. Chopsticks are placed standing straight up in the rice, welcoming the dead and inviting them to eat. (That is why it is very rude to put chopsticks standing up in your food in Asia. The meaning is for the dead.)
5. Everyone allows the dead "to eat" and a few minutes later the table for the living is prepared.
6. The traditional foods include beef, pork, fish, rice cakes (filled with chestnuts or red beans), kimichi, tofu, and assorted veggies. There is a TON of food. Also, drinking rice wine and soju is typical.
7. After brunch, the entire family goes to the tombs of your family. Most families are buried in the same area, so you don't have to travel to many places. At each tomb, a food and rice wine offering is given the spirit and everyone bows two times. After waiting a couple minutes, the family members eat the food and drink the wine.
8. After all the tombs have been visited everyone goes home. Chuseok is officially over.

I was given an amazing opportunity to observe Chuseok with a Korean family. My friend Christina had met this cute old man hiking and he invited her and a friend to come. He is 72 years old and goes hiking everyday. He is learning English right now, because he is going to travel the world with his wife starting next summer. Isn't that awesome?!?! His family is REALLY big. There is about 200 of them and they go to an event hall every year for the 2 major holidays. There they are split up in separate rooms to make the celebration smaller and shorter. Otherwise, it would take ALL day to complete the alter ceremony. Everyone was staring at us and they were shocked to see foreigners there. It is not common to invite anyone who is not part of the family to the celebration, so we were very lucky to be there. It was a great experience, but very overwhelming. Most of the people did not speak English, so all of the grandmas were talking at me all day. Christina speaks a little Korean, so she was my translator most of the day.

Although I thought the tradition was a little strange and slightly crazy, it was refreshing to see family following the traditions of the past. I'm not sure how long the traditions will continue, but I hope it doesn't disappear as the West moves in on this culture. Families are starting to become more separated because many people are moving abroad. Also, many Christians are not celebrating Chuseok because it goes against beliefs of worshiping idols (i think). I think the core of the holiday is remembering loved ones and honoring their memory and what they did for their family. I think that is beautiful.

I didn't take any pictures while we were celebrating Chuseok, but here is some examples that I found on the wonderful thing called the internet. I think you can get an idea of the food and the alter!


Special rice cakes. I LOVE rice cakes.

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Here is a picture of what the food usually looks like. I guess these people are Christians (see cross). By having the cross, maybe they feel better about who they are really "worshiping"? Each bowl of rice represents a family member.

Well, I don't know about you, but I believe our Thanksgiving is lacking some culture. I don't think the pilgrims played football, but it would have been better than what actually happened on that day of "thanks". Does the Thanksgiving Day Massacre right a bell? Ignorance is bliss.

xoxo

K-POP

Last weekend, I was able to use my foreigner status to score free tickets to a Korean pop (K-pop) festival called Asia Is One. I went with a group of people and we had NO IDEA what we were getting ourselves into. The concert was held at the World Cup Stadium. When we got off the subway and got above ground, I was immediately overwhelmed by hundreds, possibly thousands of teeny boppers who were super energized to see their soul mates perform. I have had my fair share of experiences in Asia with feeling claustrophobic, so I was able to function. After figuring out our ticket situation and dodging the stampede of screamers running into the stadium, we found our way to our seats. As we entered the "loading zone" into the stadium, we were blown with some sort of antibacterial air that supposedly got rid of the swine flu germs that were all over our bodies. We also went through cameras that tested our body temperature. I felt like I was in some sort of experiment. I probably was. Fabulous. All I knew was that I was swine free and relieved. ha. We entered the stadium and waited for the show to begin. They kept playing the most depressing clip of children in Indonesia moving and carrying rocks on their heads. I'm not sure what the point of that was, but I'm pretty sure I saw it about 20 times during the show. It kinda puts a damper on the screaming and dancing atmosphere. Big Bang was the headliner. When they were finished and came back for the encore, everyone was surprised that it was a different band singing. Strange. All of the bands were entertaining and made me giggle during the entire 4 hour show. Yes, 4 hours. I will be ok if I never listen to K-pop again. I got to hear all the songs that my students have been tormenting me with for months. I have to be careful about saying "Nobody", "Sorry", "I don't care", etc. My students will literally stop what they are doing and sing those damn songs. A lot of the popular songs have a few English words or phrases in them. Right now, there is a commercial on TV that says "Ole!". I hear "Ole" probably 100 times a day, everyday. I love my life. Really, I do.

Here are some of the AMAZING pictures from the concert performers. ha.


RUN!!!!


Paranoia, Paranoia. Everybody's paranoid. Yes, they are serious.



"Girls Generation" Yes, they really have this many members in their group.



I love the lead singer's hair. It looks so natural.


I know your life is now changed by seeing these pictures. Not the best quality, but you can get the idea. Watching all of the girls in the crowds crying, dancing to the music (you can tell they have been rehearsing daily for months), and singing every word, brought me back to my own boy band days. I had a slight obsession with the Backstreet Boys and N*Sync. When I say slight, I mean extreme. I went to way too many concerts and was totally those girls. Awesome. I wouldn't have had it any other way.

ps. I never cried. That's a little much, even for me.


Bye, Bye, Bye, BYE BYE! (Do you know that song???)


xoxo

1 Month left in Korea.

Be Risky

Hello! I'm not sure why, but I am in a "writing in my blog rut". My time here in Korea is coming to an end and it is really starting to stress me out. There is a large possibility that I will be back next year, but also a possibility that I will be somewhere else. During my short life, I have learned that no matter how much you can plan or prepare for something, nothing will ever go exactly the way you think. For example, I NEVER thought that I would be in Korea right now. I SHOULD be in Denver starting my second year of teaching. Ha Ha! I didn't think that little old me from the "country" of Lakeville, MN could have the opportunity to teach abroad without getting eaten alive by the world. But the thing is, anyone can do it. You can do anything, big or small, as long as you are okay with risking everything in hopes of succeeding. So, has this year been a success? For sure, without a doubt. Did I miss my family and friends? Did I miss out on once in a lifetime events like birthdays, holidays, special events, growing children, and laughter? YES. I have learned that when you follow your dreams, nothing is going to be easy. You have to give up VERY important things and risk it all to follow your heart. So, we will see where the wind takes me and where my path will lead. I am open to anything, which is really scary. I just want to change the world. Is that so hard? ha.

According to the media and the government, the world is in danger. The swine flu is making Koreans crazy. I got sprayed with hand sanitizer as I entered a soccer stadium. My school is spraying kids as they enter school and will begin taking temperatures daily, as well. I think the flu is something to be concerned about but it is becoming ridiculous. There is only so much you can do to prevent from getting sick, other than hibernating in your house for the next 6 months. Take your vitamins, get plenty of rest, eat healthy, and exercise. Do what your doctor told you to do when you were five. Also, try not to eat off the floor or lick your shoes. Everyone needs to chill out and stop watching the news. Does the North Korea situation ring a bell? FYI, they have reopened the border here and tensions are at an all time low. So, take care of yourself, but don't forget to live your life. There is no reason to live in fear.



Did you know...

- Koreans believe that there ancestors are their connection to God. Ancestors are kind of like Mary in Catholicism. If Koreans visit the tombs of their loved ones, they will be blessed. They must visit their tombs during Chusok (thanksgiving) every year and preform some sort of ritual/ceremony.
- Korean women are "asked" to quit their jobs when they get married, especially in the business industries. Businesses believe that once women are married, they have too many distractions at home and cannot perform at the same efficiency as before.
- I have a coworker who is pregnant, but she has not acknowledge it yet. It is normal not to converse about it, because it is the workplace. I'm not sure if she is trying to hide it, but her belly clearly gives it away.
- My first grade student wrote a story about finding a baby bird. It was really cute. He even drew a picture and labeled every image. He labeled the bird poop "shit". I didn't have the heart to tell him it was a bad word because he was so proud of his picture and excited to show me. I laughed about it the rest of the day.
- My trouble maker twin boys hid cicadas (HUGE, LOUD bugs) in their pants. Thankfully, it was not in my class. The teacher figured it out because he heard the bugs humming and a student jumping up and down holding his crotch. I guess they were biting or moving around- apparently it isn't comfortable to have bugs down your pants.
- Korean women look like they are going to rob a bank when they are working outside. It is common for them to wear pants, long sleeve shirts, gloves, and hats that have fabric on them that covers their neck and face. Sometimes the only skin you can see is their eyes. Men don't cover up as much, you can usually see their face. I'm not sure if they are worried about skin cancer or getting tan. In the past, people's classes were determined through the shade of their skin. If you were tan, you were seen as a laborer and of a lower class because you worked outside. The wealthy worked inside or not at all, so they were more white.



Be happy. Smile. Laugh. Life isn't guaranteed for anyone. Live like today is your last. TAKE RISKS.

xoxo

Hello, friends!

hello! I have been slacking on the blog lately. As it gets closer to October, the busier I have become. I am making plans and trying to figure out my next move! I will be departing Korea for Vietnam on November 11 and traveling through Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Malaysia. If you have any tips for me while I am visiting those countries, please pass them along! I will be home December 23rd. :) I am SO ready to come home and see you all. I am definitely ready to be home for a bit. My tentative plan is being home in the US until the end of March and finding some sort of job while I'm there. Then, coming back to Korea to teach for another year. AHHHH! I said it out loud. We'll see how everything comes together. I will start looking for jobs in October. I can't believe how fast this year as gone and I know the next 2ish months will go even faster!

I have come to my senses and I will NOT be running the half marathon. Enough said.

I went to Jeju at the end of July for our summer break. Jeju is an island south of South Korea. It is Korea's largest island. It's a volcanic island covered in volcanic rock (go figure). I would describe it has the Florida or Hawaii of Korea. It is beautiful- but the city isn't that wonderful.


We went to one of many waterfalls that are located on Jeju. perdy.


wimpy waterfalls.

The girls.

THE waterfalls.

The reason Korea makes me cringe.

I shall call this summer "the summer of dragon flies." They are EVERYWHERE. I USED to like them.



We took a ferry to a small island off of Jeju called Udo. We rented bikes for the day and rode around the island to the different beaches. It was gorgeous. I could stay there for a week. Bliss.




Seaweed was scattered everywhere along the coast. Grandmas and Grandpas were seen picking up the dried seaweed and placing them in piles to be picked up and then sold. I'm hoping they do some sort of cleaning process before we get them on our plates. Grody. Korean grandparents are hard workers. I don't think they retired until they are 80. Hopefully, I will remember that when I am their age. You can do anything, health permitting of course. It doesn't matter how old you are, it's how you feel.

Seaweed covering the ground. yum.

Grandma searching for sea creatures to eat or sell.


We went hiking up Mt. Halla. It was soo beautiful. I am not a fan of hiking, but I brought my ipod with me and zoned out to wonderful bumpin tunes. I have never been in a place that felt so mystical. The fog would come out of nowhere. Sometimes i couldn't see anyone in front of me because it was so thick. I felt like I was in the movie. I was hoping that I wasn't about to get eaten by a vampire. Let's just say I survived. We didn't have time to make it to the top. I was devastated. NOT. We hiked for about 6 hours that day and spent the first 2 hours running up the mountain trying to reach the halfway point before it was closed. Mission unsuccessful. Oh well.





tata for now. Off to watch my first soccer game in Korea. I can't wait. Speaking of sports, I am very angry about Brett Favre signing with the Vikings. They are lame. Brett Favre sucks. Traitor.

Hope you all are wonderful and enjoying the last few days of summer. Relax. Play outside. Have fun. :)


xoxo


ps. Congrats Eryn and Jeff!!! <3 love you!