Still On The Move...

Well, hello! As many of you may know, I am no longer in Asia. I got back at the end of June and have been trying to catch my breath. It has been almost 2 months of weddings, visits, eating everything I haven't had in ages, and some resting when I had the chance. I have been missing a lot of friends, students, food, and my life in Korea. Just when I was getting reacquainted to life in MN and figuring out this reverse culture-shock, I moved to Denver. I am currently in the process of adjusting again to life here and really loving it. I had an amazing few years living the unconventional life abroad, but I really happy to be back in the States along side friends and family. Now I can use a cell phone to call almost everyone and not have to do math to figure out their current time. My brain is happy about that. I feels nice to know that I have no plans to move from this city anytime soon. I just got a job as a paraprofessional at a charter school and will be working with children who have special needs. I think its going to be a wonderful challenge and a change of pace- probably one that will require a glass of wine at the end of a long day. Better yet, a nice Colorado brew that I have been craving for a long time. It's funny how craving work though. Besides indulging on salads constantly, all I seem to want is Korean/Asian food and chopsticks. The grass is always greener on the other side.

I've been thinking about how to end this blog, but I'm not sure I'm quite ready. My life is slowing down at the moment and adventures now are much different, but still very much present. I find myself day-dreaming often about the places I've been or the people I've met along the way (especially cute ones with accents). I may not be there anymore, but it is still very much apart of me. Korea will forever be etched into my soul. I have some very close friends who left for destinations abroad this week and it was very strange that I wasn't going to be following them. This time around my life will be a bit different. I've found new places for my things. My luggage is put away indefinitely. My passport may have a new place, but I will not allow it to get dusty or too comfortable. There are far too many pages in it that are dying for a stamp or a visa. If there is one thing I've learned during this life is nothing happens according to plan. My new chapter begins now. I have no idea what this year will look like, but I can't wait to find out how it turns out.

After all, I will always be freckles on the move.

Melting In India

Hi, people! Well we left Nepal about a week ago. It was an amazing trip that ended with paragliding, hiking through villages, and food poisoning. However, I could have done without the last one. We are now in Varanasi, India. It is the holy city for the Hindu faith that lies next to the Ganges River. It is VERY chaotic, dirty, poor, but an exciting city full of Hindu temples, cows, and people. Today we went to the area along the river where they perform their beautiful cremation ceremonies. Yes, it really was beautiful. They first bathe the bodies in the holy river and then place them in a large open fire. Before lighting, they perform rituals and give the body its final gifts. It is a time of celebration for the dead. The cremation happens 24 hours after a person's death and bodies are sent from all over India. They cremate about 300 bodies everyday. Tears are not welcome and they believe they will actually cause their souls to get trapped and not be able to move on. Because we are tourists they allowed us to watch, but women are not usually allowed to view the ceremony. It was so interesting to watch such a personal and important part of the Hindu culture.

So far, I have been to Delhi, Darjeeling, and Kolkata here in India. It was great to be back in Kolkata. We went to the Mother House to view Mother Teresa's tomb and walked around the city. It was just as heartbreaking as I remembered it. The poverty is indescribable. There is so much hunger everywhere from the stray dogs to the people and children begging on the streets. I wish there was more that I could do...

Darjeeling is my favorite city so far. It was high up in the Himalaya Mountains. There was a constant fog that blanketed the city everyday. There is a huge Nepalese influence there being it is so close to Nepal. The laid-back hippy vibe was a nice break from crazy Delhi. Not to mention the cool temperatures that required my hoodie to get dusted off from the bottom of my bag. We went to the Himalayan Mountain Institute where we learned about mountaineers and sherpas who have climbed all over Himalaya Mountain range. Sherpas are awesome! Unfortunately, due to the fog we were unable to see Everest. We woke up at 4 AM for the one of the best sunrises in the world, but saw nothing. Major bummer. Good thing I think fog is cool.

Next stop Agra to see the Taj Mahal. I'm super excited.

Hope all is well! Pictures soon!

Chitwan, Nepal

Namaste. I am currently in Pokhara. We arrived here yesterday afternoon after a long sweaty 6 hour journey by bus. At one point we stopped for a "toilet" break. I gathered my tp and was ready to take advantage of the quick stop, but realized we were only stopped along the side of the curvy mountain road and the "toilet" was nature. I decided to hold it.

Before we arrived in Pokhara, I got to spend about 3 days in Chitwan. Chitwan is a jungle national park. It is a beautiful place of lush green vegetation and tons of animals. The park is most known for its population of rhinos and tigers. We purchased a package that included a canoe ride in crocodile infested waters, a jungle walk, elephant breeding center, elephant safari, and jeep safari.

Our first day started off with the canoe ride. It was really beautiful. I didn't think they were serious about the crocodiles inhabiting the portion of the river that we were traveling on until we started chatting with our guides. We had two guides- one on each end of the canoe armed with big...sticks. Yes, sticks. Apparently these were adequate enough to protect us from the man-eating crocodiles. Luckily, we didn't need to use them, but we did pass by three crocodiles. I'm not going to lie, I was terrified. I was hoping we wouldn't see any. They were quite close to our canoe and you could barely make out their eyes hiding in the green lily pads. The guides stood up immediately and got ready to use their sticks to poke them. Ha! My heart was still pounding after we got out of the canoe. Next, it was time for our jungle walk. When we signed up for this walk, I didn't realize the possible dangers. If so, I may have reconsidered it. Before we entered the jungle, our guide discussed the possible animals we could encounter. These included snakes similar to anacondas, tigers, rhinos, sloth bears, wild elephants,etc. Then he gave us tips for escaping them like running in a counterclockwise path around wide trees, running in a zig-zag pattern, climbing trees higher than 7 feet tall, and staring at a tiger straight in the eyes while slowly backing up. Needless-to-say, I started panicking. I was trying to keep a brave face, but inside I was screaming at myself for thinking this would be "cool". There was no way out of this walk, so I just followed the group. One guide lead us into the feeding grounds while the other kept us "safe" at the rear. We started walking for about 5 minutes when we found fresh rhino tracks. I pretended to be thrilled, but I think my heart stopped. I was shaking. He told us not to make a sound. He went ahead to check things out and then motioned us to follow. We all crouched down and looked through the trees at two rhinos grazing about 100 feet away (I actually have no idea how far away, but it was too close for comfort). It was really amazing, but I was too nervous at the thought of running for my life to really enjoy it.

After lunch we headed out on our jeep safari. I was expecting a much less intense adventure in the safety of our jeep, but that was far, far from reality. Our same group headed out with our guide and driver. They once again had their sticks to protect us. There was a caravan of three jeeps that left for the safari at the same time. We were on our way through the jungle to the entrance of the park when we saw a herd of domesticated elephants with passengers coming our way
(The domesticated elephants are taken to the jungle daily to graze). They told us a wild elephant was coming our way and we should turn around immediately. The road that we were on was surrounded by tall grassland so we could only see a few feet in front of us, but they could see due to their height. Wild elephants are very aggressive and dangerous here. We did what were told. We got a safe distance away and watched the wild elephant go across the road and follow the other herd. The guides said it was safe, so we turned around started our journey again for about 2 minutes. Then elephant changed its mind and headed back in our direction. Again, we turned around and then the elephant was out of sight. We restarted our journey and then..shocking..the elephant decided to grace us with its presence again. This would be the time where we would turn around and speed off, but our jeep stalled. Our guide got on top of the jeep's roof and then yelled for us to run. We ran. I lost my sandal as I jumped out of the jeep. Don't worry, I got it back and ran for my life. We ended up getting away. We laughed when our guided left us alone for a few minutes as he went to check on the situation. I lived, obviously. Our jeep was left behind and then retrieved. There was no damage. It got a second wind and we did get to the park. We saw rhinos, wild boars, deer, and others. It was awesome. We learned later that a wild elephant killed a villager last week. Wild elephants are not our friends.

Other than almost getting eaten by crocodiles, horned by rhinos, and trampled by a wild elephant, my favorite part of it all was the elephant safari. We got just a few feet away from a rhino who was relaxing a rather large puddle. Traveling by elephant is so interesting. You can get very close to animals because they do not fear the grass-eating elephant.

I will post photos soon. I must go. Waking up at 5 am for a sunrise hike to see the Himalayas.

xoxo

Babu

Namaste. Yesterday we arrived in a tiny village outside Kathmondu to meet Babu and his family. We have been talking about him for about 5 months and emailing with him periodically. We happened to stumple upon his website when we started planning our Nepal trip and we have been obsessed with him ever since. Therese and I started to get a little nervous about heading to this random guy's house that we met on the internet a day before we left. We didn't tell Kaila because then she would really freak out and refuse to go. Instead Therese and I thought of all possible senarios of what could happen. We both enjoy CSI and Law and Order, so you can imagine where our minds were going in those senarios. Luckily, our nerves were wrong and it has been a wonderful experience so far.

We arrived in the closest town to his village by "bus" (more like run-down van) and he greeted us as we got out. He then told us we had a half hour walk to his home. In the email he sent, he discussed how he would pick us up at the bus stop. We were not thinking that we were going to have to walk with our massive backpacks. It was very hot and my bag was obnoxiously heavy, but I didn't care. I was in absolute awe of my surroundings. There are no loud honkings or smoke looming in the air. It is all lush farm land, hills, and mountains. The main crops are potatoes, wheat, tomatoes, beans, and corn. They plant and harvest everything by hand or the use of oxen. It is straight out of Oregan Trail.(Remember that computer game?) There are also tons of animals such as dogs, pigs, goats, cows, oxen, and birds. You can find most of these animals chillin in people's homes living the good life. Cows have it made here. Hindu/Buddhist people do not eat beef because cows are holy to them. They are only used for milk.

The people are so friendly and want to say hi if given the chance. They are a little less used to foreigners, so there is a lot of staring and awkward laughs. It's ok though because I am staring right back at them. The people are so beautiful with their jewelery, makeup, clothing, wrinkles, and toothless grins. The people are very hard workers and have a very simple life. They shower once a week at the closest water pump in the open for everyone to see, although they keep most of their clothes on. They wash their clothes by hand. They eat the same variation of Dal Baht everyday. They eat using their hands. Their homes range from being made from brick/cement to mud. Their toilet is a hole in the ground. They don't use toilet paper. They cook using a wood burning stove. The children play with sticks and whatever else they can find. Best of all, the people live by the philosophy of the Beatles "All You Need Is Love". The families and neighbors are the most important thing. They work together to each other plant their feilds and do what they can to help out. Pride is not an option. They need one another to survive.

Babu has been very fortunate by his homestay business. He lives in a nice home that has western style bathroom facilites. However, he is still quite modest. He doesn't shower with hot water. He still eats dal baht for most meals, but serves his guests better quality dishes. I want you all to meet him and his lovely family someday.

Side note..
- Had tea with the local Hindu priest at his home and he blessed us by putting a red marking on our forehead and placing a flower petal on our head.
- Babu's wife is an amazing cook and prepares way to much food for us. We had to kindly tell them today that we are used to Korean portion sizes and cannot eat that much.
- We walked by a Buddhist/Hindu temple and were immediately invited to lunch. We had literally just ate, but how could you say no? We sat on the ground and ate delicious unknown food. As soon as I ate one bite I forgot how full I was a minute ago and devoured it all. As we were eating, there were about 20 people just staring, laughing, and talking about us. It was a tad awkward, but amazing. It is mind-blowing how people who have very little tend to be the ones who give the most.

This trip is only 6 days in and I know that I am forever changed. I love Nepal.

Heading to the jungle and the mountains for the remainder of our time.

Namaste

xoxo

Kathmandu, Nepal

Hey! We have arrived safely! Nepal is wonderful! It was love at first sight. It is a chaotic place full of vibrant colors, loud honking, beautiful Nepalese people, and delicious food that I cannot stop eating. I fully intend on buying the big, baggy pants that are sold everywhere on the streets. That way I won't feel like I need to cut back on the sampling of foods. The smells are probably my favorite part so far. There is a constant aroma of curry and incense that tends to mask the smells of the trash piles all over the streets and meat rotting in the sun. The temples have been breathtaking to see. They are nothing like the temples I have seen in my other travels in Asia. They look a lot more weathered and the colors are more subdued than the gody temples in China and Korea. The people here are so friendly and happy. They don't bother us much or stare like we are aliens. We don't blend in, that's for sure, but the locals don't seem to care that we are here. I feel like I got stared at more in Korea. A lot of them speak a little English, so it has been fun to chat with them. They smile at us and say "Namaste", which is the greeting for "hello" and "bye". Unfortuately there is a lot of poverty here like India. There are street children everywhere who beg for anything we will give them. I feel a little more prepared than previous trips for it. It still breaks my heart, but I understand it a little more now. Although there are beggars, they seem to give up pretty quickly when we say "no" and they move on to the next possible customers.

Yesterday we visited Durbar Square where the king of Nepal used to live. It is a square filled with beautiful temples and other structures. One of the buildings is where the "human goddess" lives. The goddess is anywhere between the age of 6 to 16 years-old. She is chosen after about 32 intensive tests to prove her status. One of the last tests happens in a dark room. There are real buffalo heads placed all over the room. Then men dance around the girls wearing frightening masks and chanting. If the girl is not scared, she passes the test. The current goddess is 7 years-old and she will keep her status until her first period. Then she will go back to a normal life with a hefty dowry. I guess it is difficult for former goddess' to find a husband because many men believe she was pampered early in life and will expect it in the future. The goddess lives in the palace with a few family members and makes a window appearance every hour. She is very important to the culture here in Nepal and even the president gets blessed by her. It was pretty cool to see her, but I was bummed that I couldn't take a picture. She was all dolled up and looked flawless.

We leave Kathmandu tomorrow and head to a homestay in a village called Kirktipur (spelling?). We are staying with a man named Babu and his cute family. We have been emailing him for months, so we are excited to finally meet him. We will be there a few days and then head towards the mountains to do some hiking. We keep getting approached my guides who want to take us on treks through the Himilayas for a few days. We laugh at them and tell them we are too lazy to do that. Maybe one day...or maybe not.

It has been wonderful so far. I already miss my students and friends in Korea but that is expected. I know it will get easier. :)

It's taking far too long to upload any more pics. I will try again soon.

Namaste

xoxo

Taking It All In

Reuben and I grabbed one of our last dinners together. Sad times. He was one of my first friends here in Korea! It's an ending of a short era. He will be leaving in June and heading to China in the fall. I'm so excited for him!

After dinner, I took a quick trip to my other favorite place in the city. It is a temple in the heart of the business district here in Seoul. It is almost Buddha's birthday, so the lanterns have been put up all over the city. It is one of my favorite holidays in Korea for that reason. Lanterns are fabulous, especially at night.

I got tad choked up as I entered the grounds of the temple. It was late. I've never been there when it was so quiet. The darkness of night brought a sense of calm and peacefulness to my soul that I needed. The lanterns were more vibrant than I remember them to be. It seems like all my senses are on overload these days. I'm trying to take everything in. I want to take a mental picture of it all in hopes that I won't forget anything. It is exhausting. Thank goodness for pictures.









xoxo

Sunday Bun Day

I have a tradition here in Seoul. Every Sunday is Bun Day for me. Bun Day is a day where I get a bun. Cleaver, eh? I think so. It should be an official day of appreciation for them. Buns can be described as bready heaven filled with numerous concoctions of meat, kimchi, red beans, and other unknowns. My go to bun is filled with pork, veggies, and kimchi. It is AWESOME! I also really love the sweet red bean ones as well. Red bean is my favorite Korean staple. A few weeks ago I went to get a bun on a Sunday (duh!), and I didn't even have a chance to order before they told me they were sold out for the day. It was then that I had a realization of my bun addiction. I also felt a tad old. I don't know many "spring chickens" who eat a particular food on a certain day of the week and get bothered when their food routine gets disrupted. Don't worry though. I'm perfectly ok with my "old soul ways". I mean.. I am practically 30. :)

Anyways, this past Sunday was a wonderful day. I spent the afternoon in Olympic Park with Eryn and Jeff (my BFF from MN). The weather was beautiful. We had a picnic of BUNS, wine, and korean snacks. It was great to be able to show them one of my favorite places in Korea. I'm so happy that we will always have the memory of Korea together.


fashion forward





BUNS!




My brain hurts. It's awfully early. I must get ready for work. It's Tuesday. 5 more teaching days. A lot going on this week. There are so many people to see and last minute things to squeeze in.

Weee!

xoxo