So in case you haven't heard, I now reside in Seoul and have been living the city life for the past four months. As much as I loved living in Jecheon for the past 2.5 years, I wanted to distance myself from teaching and start setting myself up for other opportunities, and unfortunately there aren't any opportunities for me to grow in Jecheon, so I felt I had to make a change. Also, even though I grew up in a little town of 5,000 people, I've always had the desire to live in a big city, so I was excited to finally make the move.
My main motivation for moving to Seoul was to focus more on my Korean studies, so I did a lot of research and decided on Sogang University, a private Catholic university in the heart of Seoul that is renowned for its Korean language program. While there are a wide variety of universities here in Seoul that offer Korean language courses for foreigners, Sogang seemed like the best fit for me because of its emphasis on speaking, while other universities emphasized grammar components in their courses. Ever since taking Mrs. Creath's Spanish classes in high school, I've always found foreign languages to be intriguing and fun to learn. I also really admire bilingual people and their ability to be able to communicate with people outside their native language.
Me and a couple classmates enjoying the "japchae" (Korean noodle dish) we made in class.
Entrance to Sogang University
My house is only 12min away by subway!
So after applying and getting accepted into Sogang University, I had to take a writing test and do a speaking interview to determine which level I should start in. Sogang's Korean program consists of 6 levels, with level 1 being the starting point and ending with level 6. I thought I would for sure be placed into level 1 since I had had no experience with formal Korean lessons and had only been taught by a Korean friend, but to my pleasant surprise I was placed into level 2. I started my first 10-week semester in March and finished up in May. The semester included daily 4-hour classes, with 1 hour devoted to writing, 1 hour to reading/listening and 2 hours to speaking. Each component was taught by a different professor to expose the class to different teaching styles and accents. All students were graded based on mid-term and final exam results, and students who pass can advance to the next level.
What I really enjoy about Sogang's program is that the classes are made up of students from very diverse backgrounds. My class was comprised of 13 students from 9 different countries, including the USA, South Africa, Japan, Taiwan, China, Brazil, Turkey, the Congo, and Mexico. Because there was such an assortment of students in my class, we all had to rely on using Korean in the classroom because that was the common language.
Overall, I'm really happy with my decision to move to Seoul to pursue Korean language studies and to attend Sogang University. It's a nice change to be on the learning end of the school spectrum again, as I've been the teacher in the classroom for the past couple of years now. It is also interesting to have experience attending a Korean university. I really learned a lot in my first semester and am looking forward to starting level 3 in September.
The Philippines is a country I've been dying to visit for a long time. I've had many friends visit and recommend it and after reading way too many travel articles saying the Philippines' beaches are some of the best in the world, I knew this was a place I had to get to eventually. Despite only being a short 4.5 hour flight from South Korea, I hadn't ever had the opportunity to go until this past February. After my solo-trip to Singapore and Malaysia, I was craving some social interaction and familiarity, so I went with my fellow Jecheonian Casey. This was actually a bad idea on so many levels, because every time Casey and I travel together, it seems like the world is constantly working against us and we have the worst luck. So why we decided to test the waters in the Philippines I don't know, but not even the beauty of the Philippines couldn't save us from our fair share of obstacles we encountered throughout the duration of our trip.
Alona Beach
First things first. We went to the Philippines during Chinese New Year, which is a crazy time to travel, but when you have time off of work, you have to take what you can get. We left for the airport pretty early because we knew the usual schedule of getting to Seoul in 2 hours flat wasn't going to happen, and we were correct, as it took about 4 hours to get to Seoul because of the holiday traffic. We also left early so we could grab some Taco Bell before we boarded the plane. Incheon Airport just opened a Taco Bell in the airport so it was a no-brainer that we were going to get some before we jetted off (we don't get these luxuries in Jecheon, ok?!). After we got trapped in the check-in line at the airline counter for at least an hour, got through security's massive rung of people and headed to our gate, we stopped at the Taco Bell only to be informed that they were closing at that very minute. We could even still see the cooks in the kitchen! This was extremely upsetting given the fact that we had literally talked about what we were going to eat at TBell multiple times that day. That was our first major upset and we had only been on this trip for 7 hours at this point.
Our flight left around 10:30pm and we landed in the Philippines around 3:00am. The Cebu airport was really small and we didn't see any chairs or lounge areas around, and since we couldn't catch our ferry to the island we were staying on until 6:30am, we found a spot on floor of the airport and tried to sleep. We were really curious as to where all the other people on our flight had gone because we were the only ones still at the airport it seemed. Around 4:45am the security guard at the airport kicked us out and told us we needed to go somewhere else, so we took a taxi to the ferry port. It wasn't until we got into the taxi and drove off that we spotted the outdoor lounge area where a lot of people had gone to relax. After more waiting, we finally caught our ferry and headed 2-hours away to the island of Bohol where we would be staying for 6 days.
After smooth sailing to the island and then taxiing to our beachside resort, we thought that our luck had maybe turned around and we could begin to relax and enjoy ourselves, but little did we know that the biggest problems were yet to happen. After presenting our check-in information to the front desk of the resort, a place we had booked about 4 months prior as to secure a room in preparation for the holiday, we immediately felt an uneasy vibe that something was wrong and we were right in our assumptions. The front desk lady informed us that they didn't have our reservation on file. Ummm what???? We were told to wait while they double-checked their records with the head office. At this point it was 9:30am, we were tired from traveling, and this is the last thing we expected to go wrong because we had been so prepared. After waiting, checking with the front desk again and again and waiting some more, we were told that the hotel would help us find accommodations elsewhere but that we would have to stay inland on the island and not beachside as there was no vacancy due to the holiday. I was not about to take this for an answer as we had all the paperwork to prove our confirmation and had put a deposit down on this place 4 months ago! I was not about to settle for a room that was not on the f**king beach! So after more waiting, the resort told us that they had someone cancel their room last minute and that we would be able to stay here. Again, umm what?? Something definitely seemed a little fishy about this, and my theory is that they had accidentally double-booked and had to fix their mistake. But, around 3pm we were able to check into the room and finally begin our vacation.
Alona Vida Beach Resort
The street along the beachfront
I love Southeast Asia because of all the exotic and cheap fruit. If you ever come across mangosteen, I can't recommend it enough!
Halo-Halo, traditional Philippine ice dessert topped with tropical fruit and Ube (purple yam) ice cream. If you every come across ube ice cream, I cannot stress enough how much you need to try it. I think it's my new favorite flavor, no joke.
A lot of this vacation was simply spent on the beach, trying to soak up the hot Filipino sun, and swimming in the crystal clear waters of the south Pacific. What I had read about the Philippines' beaches being among the most beautiful in the world? I would absolutely agree with those statements, and I've been to some pretty beaches before. We did manage to migrate from the beach a little to actually do something productive though.
One day we took a small group tour to see some of the inland sights. During the tour, we stopped at a Tarsier Conservation Center, the Bohol Island Chocolate Hills, a bamboo bridge, and a random building that had an exotic bird and a couple of pythons.
This is at the Tarsier Conservation Center. Tarsiers are gremlin-like, nocturnal primates that are found in rainforest-like habitats. They have large, round eyes that enables them to have excellent night vision, and they are really hard to spot as they try to hide in the comfort of trees. They only grow to be around 3.5-6.5 inches in height.
The Bohol Chocolate Hills are a popular tourist destination because of the 1,300 perfectly-shaped mounds that seem to pop up out of the ground. The hills are actually grass-covered limestone mounds and contain coral deposits. During the dry season the hills turn brown, hence the nickname "Chocolate Hills". Since we were here in February, the hills were still green.
Oh, I guess Casey should maybe make an appearance in the blog since he was a part of the trip too.
At one point during our tour we were driving along the road and stopped at a run-down building in the middle of nowhere. Once inside, we were greeted by a large exotic bird and two pythons. Since I've been amazed by snakes since I was a kid, I never say "no" to a good snake picture. These two weren't camera shy at all...well maybe the yellow one was.
Me on the bamboo bridge. It was quite scary because this bridge is 100% shucked bamboo tied together to form a bridge. Don't let this smile fool you, I felt like I was going to fall through the bamboo at any minute.
Another day we decided to take a lunch cruise down the Luboc River.
We met some new friends on the cruise. The girl next to me used to live in MO!
During part of the cruise, we stopped at a remote village, interacted with some of the locals, and saw some cool structures like the one behind me. I felt like I was in an episode of Gilligan's Island.
Me, a Bohol local and a lizard on a leash.
One day we hired a private boat and driver and spent the day on the water. We headed out at 6:30am to go dolphin watching, and we got lucky because quite a few wild dolphins decided to make an appearance and entertain us. Then we went snorkeling at a nearby coral reef. After snorkeling, our boat driver took us island hopping to a couple different islands. Since the Philippines is made up of around 7,600 islands, we unfortunately didn't have time to see them all.
Our resort was located along the beachfront shared by many other resorts and shops. At nighttime the beachfront would be filled with Filipino entertainers and bands. We were watching this group perform a fire dance when they asked for volunteers. I obviously volunteered so I could get a cool blog picture. But some things have consequences and I think I came away with a forehead sunburn.
Totally worth it for this "fire angel" picture.
And now the moment you've been waiting for...
My Philippine balut egg experience...
This balut egg looks similar to the one I ate. (This picture does not belong to me)
Growing up, my family used to watch the travel channel a lot and we would often watch the "strange international food" shows or something along those lines. So, before going to the Philippines, all I really knew about the country was that they ate balut eggs, because I had remembered seeing it on the travel channel. Well, by now you should know that I'm no stranger to trying new, sometimes weird, food, so my one goal in the Philippines was to hunt down this balut egg and try it for myself. So what is it exactly? Wikipedia's definition calls it a fertilized, developing bird embryo that is boiled and eaten after an incubation period of around 14-21 days. The Filipino people believe eating balut eggs helps with one's sexual stamina and can help ease hangovers.
Because the balut egg is so popular, I figured it’d be easy to track down, but finding it proved to be quite the challenge. After asking around to various locals, we were told that we had to keep our eyes out for the “balut guy” who rides a bike carrying the eggs. Eventually we found him and I bought a 16-day old balut egg for $.20. The locals told me that the balut is the best after a 16-day incubation period. After breaking open the hard-boiled-like egg, you pour some vinegar into it, which the balut guy conveniently carries with him. I downed the egg fairly quickly and was surrounded by other balut-eating locals, and when they told me how well I did, I felt really good. The egg didn’t taste as bad as I thought it would; it reminded me of a hard-boiled egg that happened to be a bit more solid and crunchy. The video above was actually the 2nd balut egg I ate. Yes, I ate two. I had to eat the 2nd one because after eating the first egg, and videoing the evidence on Casey's phone, Casey lost his phone on the beach. Bad luck strikes yet again. After looking up and down the beach, all through our room, and calling/texting his number from my phone, we finally decided Casey's phone was a goner. After all, who in their right mind would hand over a brand new iPhone 6s that they happened to find? Well, low and behold I received a message from the person who had found the phone, but their was a catch; we had to go to Eduardo's Place to pick it up. Thoughts going through our head at this moment went something like this: "Who the f**k is Eduardo?", "We're not going somewhere called Eduardo's Place", "If we go, we might not make it back alive", "Is this phone really that important?". After consulting our resort front desk, giving them a head's up that if we weren't back in 45 minutes to call the police, we caught a ride on the back of a motorbike (the most popular form of transportation in SE Asia, and yes we were 3 adults on 1 bike) to Eduardo's Place. The new possessor of Casey's phone had told us that people around the area would know this place, and sure enough our motorbike driver did. After going out of town a little ways and down a dark, gravel road, we finally arrived at Eduardo's Place to find that it was a type of private campground that the Cebu Russian community occupied. When we arrived, we were greeted by a group of Russians who were waiting for us around the outdoor bar. I immediately wanted to leave, as this just looked like a sketchy situation, but we kept in mind the fact that these people were nice enough to contact us saying they had found the phone and were willing to give it back. So after giving Casey a 20-minute speech in a heavy Russian accent about the importance of locking his phone with a passcode so that people like them wouldn't be able to access all his information, we were able to leave with the phone intact...well almost intact, they did leave a selfie on the phone to remember them by. Once the phone business was finished, we took off on our taxi-motorbike back to our resort and the front desk people seemed relieved that they didn't have to call the police to report missing tenants.
After our week's worth of bad luck and a little relaxation thrown in, it was time to head back to the land of kimchi.
Our tuk-tuk ride back to the ferry port. Is our driver even holding the steering wheel?
Goodbye Philippines! I definitely plan on coming back sometime, so until we meet again, a beach selfie will have to do.
After spending a few days in Malaysia, it was time to jet off to my next destination on my solo trip: Singapore! After having spent the previous days wandering around Malaysia, a developing country, Singapore was astounding. It's crazy to me to think how two countries that are so close in proximity can be oh-so-different. If I were to sum up Singapore in one word, it would be "futuristic". Singapore City literally looks like it got transported from the future; this can be blamed on the city's amazingly-designed architecture. So it comes as no surprise that Singapore City is home to two of the world's top three most expensive buildings. And did I mention, Singapore only gained its independence 50 years ago?
Singapore almost reaches the equator so the weather is always nice.
So what could possibly beat Singapore's architecture? The city's cleanliness. I swear you could eat off any surface in the country, whether it's the highway or the floor of a public bathroom. The country is unbelievably clean! Singapore has super strict laws against littering and graffiti, and there's even a ban on chewing gum and spitting outside. I don't know what's more surprising, that the government actually thought people would abide by these rules or that citizens actually do abide by them. Singapore, way to make the rest of us look bad.
Singapore's Merlion Fountain
No travel article is complete without a mention of food, and yet again, Singapore served up some great treats. While doing some research on what to eat in Singapore, I found that chili crab is the national dish; I also had multiple friends rave about it. One friend in particular, who happens to hate seafood, even told me it was a must try. I was so anxious to see what all the hype was about that as soon as I got situated in my hostel, I asked where I could find this mystical chili crab. I was told to go to a local restaurant, which was nothing fancy and actually looked a bit rundown. I hesitated a little to order the chili crab because it was $50 (I had been warned!) and it's also a dish that should be split between two people, but since I was alone and would regret not trying it while I was there, I sucked it up and got it. The meal was definitely one of the best things I have ever eaten and considering I got 2 full size crabs smothered in a sweet chili sauce with soft, warm rolls to scoop up the remaining sauce, I would say it was worth it. And whoever said it was for two people underestimated how much I can eat.
Chili Crab, Singapore's National Dish
Ice Cream Bread (I chose mint ice cream)
Other foods I enjoyed in Singapore were green tea-flavored Kit-Kats that I found at the convenience store, blue-velvet cake with gold flakes, chicken rice (another national dish), and ice-cream bread (literally a piece of bread with a rainbow swirl sandwiching a block of ice-cream).
Singapore Flyer or London Eye??
Riding the Singapore Flyer
So what is there to do in Singapore besides look at all the pretty buildings? Singapore is a luxury shopper's paradise, with high-end stores like Armani, Hermes, and Gucci lined up in the malls. Singapore's skyline is dominated by the Marina Bay Sands Hotel which resembles a horizontal rocket held up by three pillared skyscrapers. At the very top, some 57 floors above ground, is the world's tallest infinity pool that overlooks the city. Unfortunately only guests have access to the pool, and I couldn't afford the $500/night fee to stay there. I'm already saving for next time.
Marina Bay Sands Hotel with an infinity pool on top
Luckily, there are cheaper, budget-friendly things to do while in Singapore. I rode the Singapore Flyer, a huge ferris wheel with enclosed pods, which is basically an exact replica of the London Eye. I explored the Gardens by the Bay which is a botanical garden housing thousands of plants and flowers from around the world, as well as numerous Super Trees, which are giant, artificial, light-up tower trees that hold an elevated walkway in place. Every night the Super Trees perform a light show that is accompanied by music...and it happens to be free so I went to it.
The Gardens by the Bay with the Super Trees in the background
Super Trees and elevated walkway
China Town Market
Lastly, I checked out Singapore's China Town and Little India to pick up a few cheap souvenirs. Like Malaysia, Singaporeans have immigrated from many different countries, with the majority of people having Chinese, Indian and Malaysian roots. China Town was as I expected; crowds of people, cheap markets, plenty of street food and lots of Chinese-inspired decor. It also should be noted that I went one week before Chinese New Year, if that gives you an idea of how crowded it was. Little India was very similar, with just a different country being represented. What I love most about exploring places like China Town and Little India is that I get to experience a small taste of that particular country's culture, which is especially great when I haven't yet been to the country myself. I'm still waiting for an America Town to pop up somewhere.
Little India
Storm Troopers spotted at Changi Airport!
After finishing up my solo-trip, I headed to Singapore's Changi airport to catch my flight back to Korea. Changi airport has been voted the best airport in the world for the past few years and it was easy to see why. The airport has unlimited free wifi, free PC rooms to roam the internet, multiple gaming rooms including a room dedicated to Playstation (free!), a greenhouse, a waterfall, spas on sight, two movie theaters that are free-of-charge, personal TV cubicles (again, free!), a swimming pool, a gym, a sleeping zone ($25), and much more. There's almost no need to even leave the airport! But I had to make my way back to Korea because I had another trip coming up...PHILIPPINES! Stay tuned...
I was finally able to check something off my bucket list that I've wanted to accomplish ever since I came to Asia: SOLO TRAVEL! I know it sounds scary and dangerous, but after doing lots of research and talking to multiple friends who had done it, I felt prepared to finally do it. In general, Southeast Asia is considered really safe, but I chose to go to Malaysia and Singapore alone because they are considered the safest of the safe and English is widely spoken as a second language in both countries.
Malaysia is different from the other Southeast Asian countries I've visited because it is both multi-ethnic and multi-cultural. Many Asian countries, and especially Korea, are basically homogenous in terms of ethnicity and culture. As an American, who comes from the world's "melting pot", it's very strange to live and visit places where everyone is virtually the same. There's not many non-Koreans in Korea, or non-Vietnamese people in Vietnam, whereas in Malaysia it was nice to finally see more diversity, since Malaysia is home to not only natives, but to many Chinese and Indian people as well. This is why English is so widely spoken in Malaysia; it's a common language for everyone (lucky for me!).
I [heart] KL.
The first stop on my solo-adventure was Malaysia; Kuala Lumpur (KL) to be exact, which is the capital city. KL's most famous landmark is the Petronas Twin Towers which stand 1,500 feet tall and house the Petronas oil company along with various other businesses and a mall. Visitors can make their way to the skybridge, a bridge linking the two towers on the 42nd floor, and also go to the observation deck on the 86th floor.
Petronas Twin Towers at nighttime.
View from the top.
Since Kuala Lumpur is basically just another city (all cities are fairly similar, right?), I wanted to take a day trip and explore some of Malaysia's countryside. I decided to sign up for a small group tour to see the Cameron Highlands, about 4 hours away by car from KL, which is famous for its tea plantations...and I love tea! The BOH Tea Centre has been making various kinds of tea on sight since 1929. I got to sample a couple while I was there...the fruit flavored teas, like passionfruit, were awesome! One of my favorite things about Southeast Asia is the abundance of fresh, local fruit that's widely available; there's so many kinds of fruit that you don't even get to see, much less try, in the western part of the world. For example: jackfruit, durian, dragonfruit, mangosteen (my personal fav!), etc.
Cameron Highlands BOH Tea Plantation
BOH Tea Centre
On the way to the Cameron Highlands, our tour guide stopped at the Lata Iskandar waterfall. It was a nice break considering my group had been in the car for about 3 hours already and we were on the curviest road I have ever been on (good thing I don't get car sick!).
Lata Iskandar Waterfall
Another popular tourist destination in KL is Batu Caves, which is a limestone cave that houses one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside of India. Malaysia is a Muslim country, but Hinduism is also very prominent because of Malaysia's large Indian community. Batu caves is marked with a giant gold statue of Lord Murugan, the Hindu God of War. Next to the statue are 272 steps which lead you to the cave entrance where you can see a Hindu shrine and dozens of wild monkeys waiting to steal food from tourists.
I traveled to Batu Caves with a Korean girl from my hostel and 2 Korean guys I had met the previous day at the Petronas Towers.
Wild monkey at Batu Caves
Getting a Henna tattoo
First time eating Indian food! Indian food is served on a banana leaf and is traditionally eaten with your [clean?] hands...no utensils! I ate veggie fried rice with fried chicken and some side dishes.
This is at the Malaysian National Mosque. Visitors are allowed only during certain hours, and hijabs and robes are provided and must be worn in order to enter the premises.
Another one of my favorite reasons for visiting Southeast Asia is because of the abundance of local marketplaces that sell cheap souvenirs, handmade goods, and lots of street food to graze on while you shop. Central Market is a famous indoor/outdoor marketplace in KL that has been in operation since 1888.
Central Market's main street.
Petaling Street aka ChinaTown
Petaling Street is another famous market in KL and is located in the heart of the Chinatown neighborhood. Petaling Street is home to thousands of vendors who sell brand-name knockoff goods such as Beats electronics, Louis Vuitton/Prada/Coach bags, RayBan sunglasses, Chanel makeup and perfume, etc. If you want to buy something at markets like this, it's important to have decent bartering skills; never take the first offer the vendors give you!
Chinese food I ate on Petaling Street in Chinatown. Some kind of fried noodles with pork and a good 'ole coca-cola.
Speaking of food, if you want to do any kind of travel, you really need to be open to trying new food, especially local cuisine. Luckily, I have no problem with this, and I will seriously try anything once! In Malaysia, most restaurants only served Indian and Chinese dishes (and no, they do not have crab rangoon or orange chicken...this is not American Chinese).
This restaurant was recommended to me by my hostel employees. I'm not sure what the name is, but it was slightly cooked/crunchy noodles with spinach covered in a pork/tomato sauce, with a side of pork ball soup. It wasn't bad!
I also had the chance to try frog! I bought this from a street vendor, and yes that is a whole frog (minus the head) grilled to a crispy consistency. It honestly tasted like chewy chicken! I would definitely eat it again!
In total, I spent 4 days in Malaysia. I think Kuala Lumpur was definitely a good place to solo travel for the first time because it was really easy to get around the city, I never felt in danger, and English was widely used. Malaysia was just the beginning though...
