It's That Time Again ....

Hello Everyone!

I hope this letter finds you happy and healthy. Well it seems like I
was just writing you all a letter not too long ago and letting you
know that I was leaving for Korea. Here I am again, doing the same
thing, but in a completely different place (mentally). I sort of know
what I am getting myself into this time and already have friends over
there waiting for me. I will be teaching at a new school and living in
a different area of Seoul, so I'm a little nervous about how that will
be. I'm really excited to start another adventure over in Korea! I had
an amazing year last year, but this is a whole different year and I
know not to have too high of expectations. Basically, I have almost
zero expectations and I'm going into my job thinking that I might hate
it. Things can only get better after that, right?

As I have been packing my life into two suitcases, I have been
thinking about what I am going to miss about home and what I am
excited about in Korea. Here is my "top 10" list.

What I will miss...

1. Family/ friends- What can I say, you're amazing.
2. Going to lunch with my grandpa and opening a million pull tabs.
3. Driving- Oh how I miss driving with the windows down and the music blaring.
4. Going to the grocery store and finding EXACTLY what I want, when I
want it. For example, cheese, avocados, cereal, tea, candy, etc. This
also includes going to a restaurant and not wondering if I will be
able to read a menu or wondering what exactly I am eating.
5. My mom/dad's cooking. I have become a spoiled child living at home
for the last 3 months. Did I mention I didn't cook practically the
entire year in Korea? Yeah, I have LOVED a full refrigerator at my
fingertips.
6. Ease-dropping on others' conversations that are around me and
knowing what they are saying. I never know what anyone is talking
about in Korea.
7. Luxuries, such as a separate shower, dishwasher, dryer, carpet,
buying shoes, etc. However, I'm totally OK without them, but I do
really like them. :)
8. Going to movies and being able to look up show-times before I go
there. In Korea, they are usually sold out before-hand because Koreans
have the ability to read Korean (jerks) and can order online. Jerks.
9. SPACE! No explanation needed.
10. Going anywhere and blending into the crowd. Here, I am not all
that different from anyone else. Most people understand what freckles
are, have them themselves, or don't care. There, not so much.


What I am excited for...

1. Seeing my friends again. Yippy!
2. Teaching. Enough said.
3. Korean food. My mouth is watering right now.
4. Traveling. I still have the travel bug and it is hungry.
5. Experiences that make you go "Did I really just see someone do
that?" or "I can't believe I just did that".
6. Having no idea what other Koreans are talking about and knowing
that I am able to drown- out the world in the subway and listen to
John Mayer. Or trying to guess what they are talking about, but really
having no idea. That's a fun game too.
7. Getting lost.
8. Having visitors from far away lands, for example, Minnesota.
9. Koreans. They are pretty awesome.
10. Korean fashion.

Well, those are my lists. I have a lot to look forward to, but a lot
of things that I will be missing. I have had an amazing time being
home and seeing most of you. Keep in touch!

I will be blogging again. If you are interested or bored, here is the
link. http://freckleonthemove.blogspot.com/

I am on the move again. I leave Thursday morning at 6 AM. EEEK!

You are awesome.

Love,
Megan

Regrouping

It has been awhile since I have updated. In the last few months I have been a traveling monster and I have had the time of my life. It has been really difficult being home in Minnesota and staying put for awhile, but it has been AMAZING seeing friends and family. It took a bit to get used to "American" life again, but I am finally feeling adjusted. I have noticed that traveling has changed my soul. I feel like I am better equipped at handling stressful situations that previously were annoying such as traffic, crowded areas, irritating people, screaming children, etc. Going shopping is not as fun as it used to be. Don't get me wrong, I love a great deal, but having an excess of material things seem like such a waste to me. Seeing people who barely have a "house" to live in and food to eat makes you REALLY think about what you really need. I think I will probably struggle with that for the rest of my life, especially looking at what WE have. Some of us have more than others, but most people in the US who would be labeled "poor" would be considered very wealthy compared to others in impoverished countries. I'm not saying that life is easy for anyone, but there is always someone who has it worse. I hope that I will one day be able to make my way back to SE ASIA and spend more time there volunteering, especially in Cambodia.

My next move....

I will be preparing myself in the upcoming months to head back to Korea. I'm really excited! I will be living in Seoul again and will be fairly close to where I was living before. I will be leaving around April 12th- my flight is yet to be booked.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. I wish you the best in the new year. Thank you all for your support.


Signing off until April...

xoxo

Megan

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