hong FOOD kong

Hi again. It's me, Megan. For Lunar New Year vacation, I was able to take a trip with some friends to Hong Kong. We were able to stay my a friend's apartment in the city, which makes my credit card happy. The websites and travel books were very accurate when they said Hong Kong is the place to shop. I have never seen so many places dedicated to shopping. A lot of the businesses were closed for the New Year. I was a little bummed, but shopping is not how I want to spend a vacation. As you know, I would much rather spend my time consuming the local food. Guess what? That is actually what we did. Because HK is a former British colony, they had A LOT of cheaper imported foods. We spent a lot of time looking in grocery stores remembering what food from back home looks and tastes like, and buying some that required no preparation. My favorite was the fresh salmon sushi rolls, Cheetos, and musseli cereal. When we weren't in grocery stores, we could be found indulging in the markets and restaurants. I ate enough dim sum to last a life time, but I see more in my future. In between eating, we did see some great sights.

Temple on New Year's Day

monk

temple grounds with the Buddha statue in the background

The incense aroma was everywhere on the temple grounds. It was a very peaceful even though it was pretty chaotic. There were hundreds of people bringing in offerings in hopes of having good luck this year.

cute family. Sadly the dad moved, but I didn't have the heart to crop him out.


Buddies

Don't talk behind this guy's back.

After giving up trying to find a good place to watch the parade, we opted for looking out the window from our friend's hostel. It was a great idea. Plus we ate snacks as we waited.


"Year of the Rabbit"

Coastal area of Hong Kong




Sleeping on the subway after a long day. I have a talent of being able to sleep anywhere.

Just call me Cinderella.

Hong Kong Disney Land


Lunar New Year firewoks

ferry ride of the city





Just a few thing I ate.

The next time I fly, it will be leaving Seoul. What a year it has been.

xoxo

Holy Smokes, February!

Hey everyone! I have no clue where the last month went. Time seems to be flying faster and faster these days. It can only mean one thing, my time in Korea is running out. I'm trying really hard to stay mentally present in the "now", but I am often times thinking of the future. I'm so excited for my upcoming trip, moving back to the States, and seeing people longer than a visit. I have started applying for teaching jobs, which is the scariest part of it all. It seems like teaching positions are few and far between these days. I'm optimistic I will find one, but I will also take any job that pays me money so I'm not homeless. Being homeless is not on my bucket list.

This has been an eventful month. In Korea and many countries in Asia, they celebrate Lunar New Year. It is a holiday to spend time with their families, wear their traditional clothing called hanbok, and children and unmarried adults bow to their elders for cash. Families eat a soup made of dumplings and rice cakes. For every bowl of soup they eat, it represents another year they will live. At school, we had a day of festivities for the holiday. We made kites, played games, and the children bowed to their teachers and the owner of the school to get money. I plan on bowing a lot when i get home. Mom and Dad, get ready. :)









Mercury class. As you can see, it is never a dull moment with this class. They drive me bonkers, but I love them all.

We went on a field trip to go sledding. It was complete chaos, but so much fun. About 30 Kindergartners fly down this small, icy hill on inner tubes hoping they will survive so they can go again. I would like to report there were no major accidents but a lot of criers. Some teachers went sledding as well. My butt barely fit in the tubes, but I was not going to miss out. It was a great day.


Kaila and I prepping for the big hill. I was hoping my tube wasn't going to pop as I went down.


Spidermen. Always a good idea.

William is another one of my favorites. Adorable. However, his head is in the clouds about 70 percent of the time. He is also a twin. Be have bonded.

Joseph is my favorite student of all time. Just look at him.


This week is my last week with my students. I'm really sad to say goodbye to them, especially my kindies. I will still see a lot of them when they come in the afternoon for elementary classes though. They graduate on Friday. I'm sure it will be Korean style graduation, so it will be over the top and ridiculously awesome. We have 9 teachers leaving this week and their replacements came a few days ago. Things are going to be strange for the rest of my time here. A lot of changes are happening, but I think it is going to make it easier to say goodbye.

xoxo