Lunar New Year Surprises...

Seollal (Lunar New Year) is an annual event where the Korean government decides to give most of the population a well deserved 3 day holiday. It’s a time where families across the country get together to celebrate the start of a new year in accordance to the lunar calender, and it is one of the most significant traditional holidays in Korea. This year it fell on February 8th, 9th and 10th allowing for an extremely generous 5 day weekend. As you can imagine I was very excited for this, but even more excited to see my sister who would be visiting yours truly all the way from England. I had planned accordingly and spent hours scrolling through lonely planet guides and speaking to her about what it was she actually wanted to do, but nothing could really prepare me for the week I was about to have.

 

I barely know where to begin but I guess I’ll start where everything usually starts...nope, not the womb. The airport. As my sister came through the arrivals gate the tears started flowing. We hugged, cried and spent several seconds in complete shock, but little did I know that she had another surprise waiting for me just around the corner. I turned around and to my utter astonishment, I saw my lovely mum strutting towards me with a face full of glee.

 

Whaaat?! 

 

It was all very emotional, and I thought for sure Peaches and Herb were about to burst in at any moment bellowing their hit record 'Reunited'. My hands couldn't stop shaking for a good hour or two as her epic arrival in Korea, slowly started to become reality. It wasn’t that I never thought she’d come, I just never expected it, but yet there she and my sister stood after nearly a year of absence, both with suitcases in hand. Crazy. We hopped on the bus and started the first journey of many that week, and I couldn’t wait for it all to begin.

It was a totally bizarre experience to see these people that I've known for my entire life in Korea. When you have spent the last year surrounded by people who have only known you for a few months, it's sort of absurd. The amount that we have been through as a family is endless and having the opportunity to share this huge part of my life with them was pretty fantastic. That evening we skyped my Dad, which was even more surreal as I am so use to seeing both him and my mum on the same screen, and not, the other way around.   

 

The week went by extremely quickly and we managed to fit in just about everything you can imagine. From Palaces to Poop Cafe’s, Mountains to Towers and shopping in almost every top location in Seoul, it was hectic to say the least. We also visited a dog cafe, ate Dakgalbi in Myeongdong, and found that style really does exist in Gangnam. They absolutely loved Korea and I absolutely loved having them here.

 

 Gyeongbokgung Palace

 

Seoul Tower

 

 Shopping in Insadong

 

FOOD!

 

I'll go into more detail about each place we visited in a later post, as the list tends to go on a bit and I fear that if I start, I may never stop. So, for now let me just finish by saying a massive thank you to both of them for visiting my current home, and also a big shout out to the troops back home who made it all possible - looking after the kids, dogs and houses can't be easy so thank you. It was certainly a week to remember, and I am more excited then ever to be returning home for a little vacation come May, so until then folks...I'll be seeing ya!

 

POST SCRIPT: To anyone else who is thinking of visiting me too...what are you waiting for?! DO IT! DO IT NOOOW! SOLD?

January in Korea...

Its been a bizarre month filled with mixed emotions about the future, the past and ofcourse the present. As with most people around this time of year I have experienced the disappointing realisation that yet another year has flown by incredibly quickly. I was also informed last week that in Korea, I am in fact 32! As I've mentioned before the aging system here is very different - you are a year or two older depending on when you were actually born. It's crazy and genuinely makes no sense, but hey, 32 and still not a cat in sight...I’m doing well! Age isn't really something that bothers me all that much to be honest, I’m sure when I’m 70 I’ll still feel like I’m 21 so YOLO to that!

 

The blues of my wonderful time in Australia set in and the mundane 9 to 5 job carried on as usual upon my returned, but with one difference. Something had changed, and that something was Korea. I was actually really looking forward to going back which is a completely new and strangely satisfying feeling, to what I have been use to in the past. I would usually be dreading that first day back, but in this instance I missed my kids, my friends and I was excited to get back to my little apartment. I guess that home is where you make it and Korea definitely does feel a little bit more like that each day, although I'm not sure I can get use to these freezing cold temperatures...

 

 -18°C!!! Jeeez!

 

Although its been pretty chilly and I’ve not had much money due to over indulging at Christmas, I have still managed to get out and about. A couple of weeks ago me and some friends went to a Hockey game in Anyang Ice Arena, which was just lovely. I’ve been to this in the round, raked stage performance a number of times now but believe it or not, I'm still quite the novice. They have about 10 intervals, which i’m told are called ‘halves’ or ‘periods’ (I know right) and I think there are about 6 players on each team. Each player runs around the field...I’m sorry - skates around the rink, and attempts to shoot a little black disk called a puck into the opposing teams goal. Its all quite exciting but extremely aggressive. Violence doesn’t solve anything guys...talk it out!

 

 Anyang Halla Hockey Team

 

As you may have guessed I’m not the biggest sports fan. Other than watching about 30 minutes of a football game once back in the UK, and enjoying the High Jump at the Paralympics in London 2012, this was my first sporting event that I’d been to, and I must say that I genuinely found it quite riveting. Its pretty cheap and you can bring your own booze which is a welcome change to what I’m told is not the case back home. There is the standard big screen and ‘period’ entertainment (not what it seems) and everyone is quite well behaved. So yes I may start becoming a regular at these games, I mean there is alcohol after all. Phew!

 

Also this month I managed to check out a pretty awesome Japanese restaurant in Hongdae called Kodachaya. If you’re in Seoul be sure to check it out as its delightful, and probably somewhere I will be taking my sister when she comes to visit me in Korea THIS WEEK!

 

YUM!

 

Standard Soju!

 

It's all very exciting and I’m sure I’ll have a lot to talk about after her visit so stay tuned...this blog is about to become real touristy! When hasn't it been?! Sold!

Sydney, Australia Part 2...

The week went by far too quickly but we sure managed to fit a lot in. On Monday we took a road trip out to a place called Cronulla, checked out a few beaches in the Shire, visited Engadine and also drove through The Royal National Parks along the Grand ole Pacific Drive. It was great to get out of the city and experience a bit of the Australian countryside, and sure made for some awesome sightseeing. The Royal National Parks are the second oldest in the world next to Yellowstone in the USA. They were originally just called The National Parks but (would you believe) after Queen Elizabeth II parked her arse in 1955 they were renamed, and the ‘Royal’ part was added. Sure.

Cronulla has some gorgeous beaches but nothing compares to how beautiful the beaches in Manly were. Manly was literally named 'Manly' due to the ‘manly’ behaviour of the local people that lived there - I kid you not! So (after excepting this and moving on with our lives) we took one of the many boat trips out the following day and did some epic sunbathing...I burnt my nose! It was pretty horrendous! The boat ride took about 30 minutes from Circular Quay and we sailed past some gorgeous little spots. Taking a boat trip whilst in Sydney is probably number 1 on my list of ‘things to do’. It genuinely is the best way to see the sites and who doesn’t love a good boat trip?!

Road Trippin'

Grand Pacific Drive

 

 Boat Trip!!

 

...they weren't joking!

 

Manly Beach 

 

I couldn’t visit Sydney without checking out the many Merlin attractions they have on offer. As a previous employee this was something that wasn’t to be missed and so we managed to visit not just the Sea Life Aquarium, but also Wild Life Sydney and Madame Tussauds too. I had no idea who many of the people in Madame Tussauds were as many of them were Australian stars, but none the less it was interesting and it was a bit of a blast from the past to be honest. Wild Life Sydney and the Aquarium had many different animals on display from all over which was awesome, but it wouldn’t be a trip to Sydney without a visit to the famous Taronga Zoo. This Zoo is not only home to an array of different animals but you can also catch a pretty impressive glimpse of the city aswell...

View from Taronga Zoo

 Wild Life Sydney

 

 HAROLD!

 

 Taronga Zoo

One of the many things I was looking forward to during my stay was New Years Eve - the anticipation was quite literally killing me. During the day we visited Martin Place and did a bit of shopping in the Queen Victoria Building. This building was built as a monument to the long reigning monarch herself in 1898, and it really is a beautiful site not to be missed. I also enjoyed my 17th fry up of the week (you can never have to many), and finally it was time for the main event to unfold. To celebrate this occasion before most of the worlds population was pretty amazing, and to do so from the Sydney Tower was even more impressive. As the clock struck 12, the fireworks over the harbour bridge exploded in an epic display that I will remember for years to come. Sydney was pretty crowded but well organised and everyone's spirits were high which made for an all round awesome good time.

 Sydney Tower Eye

 

 Queen Victoria Building

 

 New Years Eve!

 

On the final day we took a trip out to the gorgeous and world renowned Bondi Beach. The weather was perfect if not a little too hot and the beach was absolutely crammed with people. The water was extremely clear and it really was the best way to spend my final day in Sydney, Australia.

 Bondi Beach

 

Pacific Ocean

Overall Sydney is a beautiful city and I had a fantastic time exploring it, but to be able to spend this Christmas with my nearest and dearest just absolutely made it for me. Its funny what living alone in a different country does to a person. I am grateful for the people I have back home more than ever, but I have also found a new appreciation for this experience in Korea, and am looking forward to what 2016 will bring to the table.

So Korea...lets be 'aving ya! Sold!

Sydney, Australia Part 1...

It was Christmas morning and all through the land people were waking up to a spread of festive joy. Trees were glistening, turkey’s were roasting and children everywhere were unravelling the presents they’d waited oh so long for. As people near and far celebrated this day surrounded by their loved ones, I was about to board a flight that would take me through China to my final destination of Sydney, Australia. This was a trip I had been anticipating for a very long time, and one that would inevitably remind me of what Christmas, is actually, all about.

 The beautiful Sydney, Australia

 

The day started out much like any other in South Korea, with the smell of fish and the sight of old men honking up their lungs and spitting out the results on the unfortunate pavements below. The occasional car horn was heard, and the taste of pollution and left over Christmas kimchi was evident in the air. There was something quite comforting about it all though, it was a feeling that I had come so accustom to over the last year and maybe one that felt like home. However the lack of cheer and merriment on this particular day reminded me straight away that this was definitely, not home. And so I boarded my flight and took off to the western world in search of bread, cheese and those oh so familiar faces.

The flight itself was devastating! I don't mean this literally - there were no incidences and no one died or anything (apart from perhaps a bit of my soul) but I caught a cold somewhere around China and the rest is history really. As someone who use to love flying, hating it has come as a massive surprise to me over the last year. Maybe its something about getting older, but I feel there’s this real risk of death now - I mean what’s even holding the plane up? It’s extremely bizarre. I landed at around 9.30am, and after an awkward encounter with a black sniffer dog, I bought some vodka and I was on my way.

Christmas Dinner!

 
I couldn’t wait to start exploring Sydney and experiencing a different part of the world, but the main purpose of my trip was to visit my friends and that was what I was most looking forward to. It had been a long time since I’d seen anyone who I’d known for more than just a few months, so it was pretty amazing to see these people who I’ve been through so much with. After the long flight I must have looked like hell on earth on the outside (I sure felt like it) but on the inside I was absolutely ecstatic to see their faces and I couldn’t wait for this mini adventure to begin.

We arrived back at my friends house (where I would be staying) and I had my first western meal of the week. Turkey, roasted potatoes, vegetables, stuffing, Yorkshire puddings and pigs in blankets...literally the works, and to top it all off with we had a lovely little glass of bubbly as we watched the Queens speech. It was just the perfect way to celebrate Christmas. After a lazy first day and a pretty good nights sleep considering, we headed off the following morning to explore the city of Sydney in all of its glory.

YUM!

We started the day off by walking past Mrs Macquarie's Chair and through the Royal Botanic Gardens, which were beautiful and packed full with plant life as far as the eye could see. These gardens are almost 200 years old (this year in fact) and are one of Sydney's most visited places due to their close proximity to the harbour and in particular, The Sydney Opera House. This performance venue is one of Sydney's most recognisable places and tourists flock here in their millions each year to catch a show or two. The entire building is covered in individual self cleaning concrete white panels but up close they're actually more of a glossy cream colour. The building is fascinating and offers some great views of The Sydney Harbour Bridge as well, which was pretty epic.

Mrs Macquarie's Chair

 

 Royal Botanic Gardens

 

Royal Botanic Gardens



Sydney Opera House

Harbour Bridge

Next we took a stroll through Circular Quay although the amount of people meant that it was more of a jolted walk to be honest. On the other side we reached The Rocks - a historical area of Sydney's city centre and a fascinating place filled with beautiful architecture. This area was the site of Australia's first European settlers in 1788, so as you can imagine it was packed full with Australian history including Sydney's oldest building, 'Cadmans Cottage'.

 Cadmans Cottage

 

The Rocks

We stepped on to the famous Harbour Bridge to take in the views of the Opera House and beyond, and I couldn't help but feel a real sense of elation as I stood there looking out on to the harbour. It was a wonderful first couple of days in Sydney and I couldn't wait to see what the rest of the week would bring...

Christmas in Korea...

Imagine a cold and frosty morning huddled around the Christmas tree opening presents with your nearest and dearest. Imagine the mountains of food that will be utterly demolished as you pull open yet another cracker and tell the cheesiest joke of the year. Imagine seeing the Christmas lights around your local town and enjoying a warm mulled wine from one of the many Christmas market stalls. Imagine the Boxing Day sales or ice skating at Winter Wonderland. Imagine the chocolate calendar, the Coca Cola advert, the mince pies, the turkey, the cranberry sauce, the pigs in blankets, the roasted vegetables, the Yorkshire puddings, imagine ALL OF THE FOOD!! Imagine that, and then imagine this...

Teacher? What’s Christmas?! ...Welcome to Christmas in Korea! I’m exaggerating slightly but Christmas really isn’t a big deal here. Unlike back home where pretty much everyone (regardless of their religion) celebrates it, in Korea only Christians really do. Christianity is the second biggest religion here but it still only makes up about 25% of the population. A massive 70% of people are Buddists, and so because of this you won’t find as many festivities going on as you might do in certain western countries.

 

...The few decorations I found...

The local towns aren't really decorated and you’ll find it hard to spot a Christmas tree or even a bit of tinsel. However if you absolutely LOVE Christmas and can't live without it then have no fear, there are a few things that are worth checking out. If you’re an ESL teacher like myself, then you should experience some sort of Christmas, depending on your schools beliefs of course. At my school we had a small party, sang some Christmas songs and made some lovely little Christmas cards. We even had Santa stop by with a few presents to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. How lovely. 

Outside of work on the streets of Seoul you’ll be able to find a few Christmas decorations dotted around the place, and there is even a couple of restaurant serving up a good old (Korean style) roast dinner! It’s not really the same but it’ll do. Lotte World apparently has a big Christmas parade too, and as the worlds largest indoor theme park you should expect great things - although the jury is still out on that one!

Myeongdong Shopping street

Be sure to also check out the huge outdoor ice skating rink at Seoul Grand Plaza. Book in advanced if you can though, as this does get extremely busy around this time of year. There are a few light festivals worth seeing around the city, including some along the Cheonggyecheon Stream, and I’ve also heard that there are some really nice Christmas Markets around the same area of Insadong.

Although its not a big deal in Korea, Christmas Day is still a public holiday and the people that do celebrate it exchange gifts (usually money) and eat traditional Christmas cakes much like people in the west. However, their idea of a Christmas cake is basically a sponge or ice cream cake bought from the local Baskin and Robbins. Nice.

Christmas Eve CAKE!

It has felt a bit strange to not have as many things going on around me this year, and of course not being surrounded by my friends and family. I've missed things that I didn't think I would really miss - like the annual Christmas work party and the dramas that follow it. It feels very un-Christmassy without the dramas, but it has been great to experience a different type of Christmas in a different country, and I am very happy to be a part of it.

This year I will be spending Christmas day itself...on a plane! Yes that's right folks, tomorrow I will be flying out to spend the holidays in the wonderful land of Australia! Whoop! It will be as hot as the sun and after the last few weeks of freezing cold weather I honestly can not wait! I will be stopping off for a few hours in China too, so technically I’ll be in Korea and China on Christmas Day, and then Australia there after, so i’ll let you know how that one pans out!

For now though I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, enjoy it wherever you may be in the world and remember, dogs aren't just for Christmas - they eat them all year round here!

Until 2016...

Another Year? Go on then...

So last month my director sat me down and asked me if I'd like to stay another year! Eeeeek! Nine months in and I already have to decide whether or not I should stay for the next fifteen! Wow! Its a big decision to make and at the time I honestly wasn't sure how I felt about it all. However after much umming and erring the results are in, and I have decided to stay!

With one more year behind my back I will have saved a lot more money and I will be able to explore a lot more of the world, which is one of the main reasons why I moved over here in the first place. I will also have more time to figure out exactly what it is I want to do when I eventually do go back home...Oh god. I have also come to realise that I probably won’t have another break like this until I retire...in about 35 years time, so I figure I may as well make the most of it. 

Since I moved to Korea in February I have been saying that the highs are extremely high and the lows are extremely low, but over the past couple of months as things have settled, I have realised that this is actually a little bit silly. Sure there’s going to be tough times, but after a while it sort of becomes a bit ridiculous. Making a mountain out of a mole hill, feeling anxious and paranoid and becoming unnecessarily dramatic have been some of my worst qualities in Korea. Thankfully I now know that there are much better ways to spend my time, and I think that this is probably one of the best lessons I have learnt here.

Being in Korea is almost like being back at university but with the added benefits of money and a home of your own. Its a massive learning curve (as is life) and I think in order to truly appreciate this experience, I need to stay another year. If only just to understand how amazing it is to be able to explore Korea (or anywhere else in Asia) within just a few hours, and I am for sure going to make the most of that.

So I plan on trying to do as much as possible over the next 15 months and stop wasting so much time on the silliness. This is one of those experiences that I want to look back on with fondness, and it is only really me that can make that happen.

 

So Korea 2016...bring it on!

 

Meanwhile, in North Korea...

When I was back in England and heard of people visiting the border between North and South Korea, my first thought was...are you crazy?! Why would you go there?! It was only after I’d been here for a few months that I became interested, and realised the importance of learning about this fascinating place and the history that surrounds it. Living in South Korea and so close to the border made me especially curious about the North, and so I decided that it was time to take the short 40 minute bus ride to The Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), in search of some answers.

The DMZ is the area extending two kilometers to either side of the border between the North and the South. It is one of the most heavily militarised zones in the world right now but interestingly enough, the entire line is only marked by small singular white posts. Inside the DMZ there is a mixture of farm land, wildlife and it is even home to (as they like to call it) ‘The Most Dangerous Golf Course in the world’ which is surrounded by live landmines left over from the Korean war. The most fascinating thing of all though, is that this area has completely reverted back to nature. It is one of the most undeveloped areas in Asia that is home to an immense amount of plant and animal life. It is even speculated that the rare Siberian Tiger (The traditional symbol of unified Korea) is among the wildlife here, although this is yet to be proven.

Joint Security Area

One of our first stops along the DMZ was the applicably named 'Third Tunnel of Aggression'. Buried deep beneath the DMZ are 4 small tunnels that were discovered in the 70's, and were built by North Korea to invade the South, although they will of course deny this. The third tunnel is extremely small as the average height of a North Korean man is just 5 foot 5 inches, so most people do have to crouch down the entire way. Luckily for me and all of my 5 foot and 1 inch - it didn't cause too much of a problem. Once inside and after a less than comfortable ride down to the bottom on a small monorail (claustrophobics beware), you can see black markings all along both sides of the walls. These were apparently painted on by the North, to suggest that they were simply just digging for coal, should their tunnels ever be found. However, there has never been any evidence to suggest that coal has ever existed in these granite dug tunnels, so it is a little bit awkward for them.

 Safety First!
 

 The end of the tunnel!

DMZ!

Before arriving at the JSA (our final destination) we stopped at the observatory platform from which we could see the abandoned village of Panmunjom, and the two Korean flagpoles. Back in the 1980's when these were both constructed there was a huge uproar over the height, and a small 'war of flagpoles' broke out proving that size, really does matter. The North Koreans flagpole is now the fourth biggest in the world...but remember, the average male height still remains at 5'5!

We also passed The Bridge of No Return - a prisoner exchange bridge between the two sides, and the Freedom Bridge, which was used to send soldiers back from the North during the war. Both bridges are now of course completely inaccessible. After presenting our passports at about 5 different check points throughout the day, we finally reached the last one. Here, a soldier boarded the bus and did a final check of our identification, and also our outfits. The dress code (along with everything else) is quite strict and you are told beforehand of what not to wear. This consisted of no sleeveless or collarless shirts, no army related clothing, and no flags from anywhere whatsoever. It was pretty crazy, and we were told by our guide at least 20 times an hour not to take any pictures in certain spots, and NEVER to point.

 North Korea
 

 Messages left by separated families on the Freedom Bridge
 

When we arrived at the JSA we were also told not to drink water or make any sudden movements. We all entered in 2 straight lines passing soldiers on either side as silence filled the air. We were able to go into the meeting room and step over the border itself meaning that technically we were in North Korea, and we were funnily enough allowed to take pictures in this part.

Shortly before this and still standing in line, we were given a moment to stop, and take it all in. As I looked out towards North Korea which was only a few steps away, I felt very strange. I'm not sure if I was scared, or worried, or just emotional about all of the history that these two sides have shared together, but it was a feeling that I will never forget. 

  The guards at the JSA
 

The Meeting room - South on the left, North on the right!

 Over the border in North Korea!

This area was by far, the most tense place I have ever visited. There are so many interesting stories that we were told and I could genuinely talk about it for hours. However it really is something that needs to be experienced first hand, so make sure if you are in South Korea to take a trip to this truly, spellbinding place.

You will not regret it!