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
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
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.
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.
Monday, November 2, 2009
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
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
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
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.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
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.
src="http://blogger.sanook.com/bankzababin/files/2009/07/imagecroppede9645a2vt1.jpg" border="0" alt="" />
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
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.
src="http://blogger.sanook.com/bankzababin/files/2009/07/imagecroppede9645a2vt1.jpg" border="0" alt="" />
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
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