Once again, I find myself writing just as I am about to leave another wonderful experience and realize that I have completely slacked off on keeping up with the blog.
I didn't write about visiting the post-adoption center, where I was able to play with babies who are about to go to the US, but aren't in foster families.
I didn't write about the adventures of street food in Korea, with their wonderful fruit smoothies, weird hotdogs covered in french fries, mandu, sundae, and tteokboki.
I didn't write about my research and what it's like to chase down organizations in the middle of summer when there are a million events going on and nobody really has time, but is kind enough to make time for you.
I didn't write about all of the friends I've made and how much I will miss them when I go back to the US, how I'm worried that the next time I come, they might not be here and how sad that makes me.
I didn't write about how I am excited to escort a child home, making a full loop of my experience.
I didn't write about being sad to leave Asia and my journeys behind, but happy to be back with family and friends, sharing what the (mis)adventures of the past five months.
Well...actually I think I did just write about those things...even in brief. Maybe I'll go back and write more about them later. Or maybe I will continue this blog with the (mis)adventures into which I always find myself stumbling. Or maybe this is the end of both my trips AND my foray into the blogging world...I'm kind of awful at updates, but I hope you were thoroughly amused anyway.
Here I go, back to the US in 1 day, back to the Incheon airport in 5 hours, back to Seoul in 27 minutes. It's been fun.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Too Many Adventures to Keep Up...
Once again, I've been ridiculously neglectful in documenting and sharing my experiences. This will be a summary catch up that will also be ridiculous, in the sense that I cannot be brief and the word "summary" really is just me mocking my inability to be concise. See? Look how long that last sentence was, and I'm not even talking about what I did yet!
1) "home"coming: I decided way back when I was just a youngin' that when I traveled to Korea the first time, I would most definitely go to my birthtown and get a better grip on my roots. Turns out that even though it only takes a few hours to travel Korea, ways aren't that direct and kind of suck if you don't drive and/or are a foreigner with no Korean language skills, spoken or written. Long story short (again, can I really be that short?), Miss Choi, the social worker/translator at Ilsan, took pity on me and my millions of questions on how Korean buses work. She decided to take me with her to Gimcheon since she was going there anyway and then have her family drive me to Pohang, about an hour away from there.
We left on Friday evening and took the train to Gimcheon from Ilsan (we had to transfer in Seoul.) Now, anyone who knows me well (which is probably everyone reading this blog because if you don't know me well, it's a little creepy you care to follow this raving lunatic anyway) knows that I am easily stressed and freak out at the smallest thing. Turns out that I end up falling asleep and forget the name of the place that we're supposed to get off. Not a worry this time because I'm traveling with a Korean, right? Well, not so right. We had to ride in separate cars because we couldn't get seats together. When we stopped at...I think Daegu?...I wake up, see everyone leaving the train, and start to panic. I ran up and down the train with my ridiculously full hiking backpack that I way overpacked for a weekend visit, and I tried to find Miss Choi by yelling, hoping my voice would carry 4 cars away where she was sitting. The conductor was a little freaked out when I started to hyperventilate because the train started to move, and I wasn't off of it since I didn't see Miss Choi. He asked me what was wrong in Korean, which only made me freak out more and explain that I only spoke English. Such a nice man, he told me to stay there and took off down the cars to find someone to interpret for me. I ended up following him anyway and found Miss Choi sitting in her seat with her mp3 player looking completely shocked and confused at me wandering at breakneck speed through the train. She laughed at me, I laughed at me, and then we sat in her car as the conductor came back with a girl who spoke English. I think Miss Choi explained I was a spazz because everyone laughed, and it was all okay after that.
When we got to Gimcheon, her mother met us at the station, and we bought a cake since it was her older brother's (oppa's) birthday. I met both of her parents and her dad spoke some English, as did her brother who I met the next morning.
I felt kind of bad because her brother took us to Pohang the next day, even though it was his birthday. We ate special type of seaweed soup for breakfast that Koreans eat on birthdays, which was very....seaweedy tasting...before heading out. We ended up going to Bogyeongsa Temple, where my birthparents met, and Homigot Beach, the farthest point east in South Korea. Unfortunately, it decided to rain, but we still had fun anyway and ate so many snacks. I still can't get over the amount of snacks that Koreans eat.
The next day, since we got back to late for me to take the train home, we lazed around a bit, went to buy a birthday present for the choir director's daughter, and then went to two parks and her old high school. Even though it is summer, there where people there studying on a Sunday. Although, I do have to admit that a few girls in a classroom were actually just playing with a music program.
Overall, it was a lot of fun, and I did feel lie it was important for me to go there and see it. I don't know if I'd go back again any time soon, but maybe if my family was with me I'd take them because it was so beautiful.
2) Korean wedding: I got the chance to go to a Korean wedding with Molly and volunteers from America who had come as a family on the Motherland tour. It was beautiful, there were hundreds of people, and instead of taking presents, it is customary to take an envelope filled with the amount of money that it would probably cost for the meal. Maybe that's more useful than twenty toasters?
3) War Memorial Museum and Seodamun Prison Museum: Wow. They were intense in their own ways.
4) Holt Motherland Camp!: So much fun, I'm really glad that I was able to take part in this, even though it meant not doing the internship I had originally planned. I met 10 people from 4 different countries not including our Korean staff. They took us so many places, and in Seoul we had Tae Kwon Do Class (taught by Kukkiwon Master, demo performers, and a Korean Tiger), cooking class at a culinary school, ettiquette class where we learned how to serve traditional tea ceremony, bow, and had a coming of age ceremony, art class, tour of World Cup Stadium, hiking in a park, Han River cruise, care center, Ilsan (again for me!) and way too many foods. We also took a trip to Busan, a beach city and 2nd largest city in Korea, and Gyeonju, considered a museum without walls.
I really liked the homestay visit we did as well. I went with Mija from Denmark, and we stayed with a family outside of Seoul in Gyeonggi-do Province. The father worked for Samsung Corportation, who must really want people to host homestays because they sent a camera and interviewer to record the first night of our stay. I thought it was really funny because we had to do things over and over again to keep recording it correctly. We made bulgogi, talked, showed photos, and had to pretend to go to bed. After we went to "bed," we played Monopoly with the girl who was 12 and really adorable, and went to see Haeundae, a Korean movie about a tidal wave (I know that's not the right word) in Busan, which made me a little hesitant about going to Busan, even though it was a fictional movie. The next morning we went to a Buddhist temple area (more, I know, right?) which was beautiful, before eating supper in Seoul and meeting back with the group to go see Nanta performance, which was fantastic.
We were able to review our records too and meet our foster parents. I was so excited and surprised to learn that I would meet my foster mother too since nobody had told me until 10 minutes before we left. It was incredible, and I will meet the rest of her family before I leave Korea.
4) G.O.A.L. Conference: I met some great people, listened to some interesting speeches, and had an overall good time. I really like conferences a lot. For real.
5) On my own: Now I'm in Seoul, living at the Holt Guesthouse, doing interviews, last meetings, and trying to do some more sightseeing. I still want to see the kimchi museum and the Olympic park.
Okay, this is way too long as predicted. Sorry.
1) "home"coming: I decided way back when I was just a youngin' that when I traveled to Korea the first time, I would most definitely go to my birthtown and get a better grip on my roots. Turns out that even though it only takes a few hours to travel Korea, ways aren't that direct and kind of suck if you don't drive and/or are a foreigner with no Korean language skills, spoken or written. Long story short (again, can I really be that short?), Miss Choi, the social worker/translator at Ilsan, took pity on me and my millions of questions on how Korean buses work. She decided to take me with her to Gimcheon since she was going there anyway and then have her family drive me to Pohang, about an hour away from there.
We left on Friday evening and took the train to Gimcheon from Ilsan (we had to transfer in Seoul.) Now, anyone who knows me well (which is probably everyone reading this blog because if you don't know me well, it's a little creepy you care to follow this raving lunatic anyway) knows that I am easily stressed and freak out at the smallest thing. Turns out that I end up falling asleep and forget the name of the place that we're supposed to get off. Not a worry this time because I'm traveling with a Korean, right? Well, not so right. We had to ride in separate cars because we couldn't get seats together. When we stopped at...I think Daegu?...I wake up, see everyone leaving the train, and start to panic. I ran up and down the train with my ridiculously full hiking backpack that I way overpacked for a weekend visit, and I tried to find Miss Choi by yelling, hoping my voice would carry 4 cars away where she was sitting. The conductor was a little freaked out when I started to hyperventilate because the train started to move, and I wasn't off of it since I didn't see Miss Choi. He asked me what was wrong in Korean, which only made me freak out more and explain that I only spoke English. Such a nice man, he told me to stay there and took off down the cars to find someone to interpret for me. I ended up following him anyway and found Miss Choi sitting in her seat with her mp3 player looking completely shocked and confused at me wandering at breakneck speed through the train. She laughed at me, I laughed at me, and then we sat in her car as the conductor came back with a girl who spoke English. I think Miss Choi explained I was a spazz because everyone laughed, and it was all okay after that.
When we got to Gimcheon, her mother met us at the station, and we bought a cake since it was her older brother's (oppa's) birthday. I met both of her parents and her dad spoke some English, as did her brother who I met the next morning.
I felt kind of bad because her brother took us to Pohang the next day, even though it was his birthday. We ate special type of seaweed soup for breakfast that Koreans eat on birthdays, which was very....seaweedy tasting...before heading out. We ended up going to Bogyeongsa Temple, where my birthparents met, and Homigot Beach, the farthest point east in South Korea. Unfortunately, it decided to rain, but we still had fun anyway and ate so many snacks. I still can't get over the amount of snacks that Koreans eat.
The next day, since we got back to late for me to take the train home, we lazed around a bit, went to buy a birthday present for the choir director's daughter, and then went to two parks and her old high school. Even though it is summer, there where people there studying on a Sunday. Although, I do have to admit that a few girls in a classroom were actually just playing with a music program.
Overall, it was a lot of fun, and I did feel lie it was important for me to go there and see it. I don't know if I'd go back again any time soon, but maybe if my family was with me I'd take them because it was so beautiful.
2) Korean wedding: I got the chance to go to a Korean wedding with Molly and volunteers from America who had come as a family on the Motherland tour. It was beautiful, there were hundreds of people, and instead of taking presents, it is customary to take an envelope filled with the amount of money that it would probably cost for the meal. Maybe that's more useful than twenty toasters?
3) War Memorial Museum and Seodamun Prison Museum: Wow. They were intense in their own ways.
4) Holt Motherland Camp!: So much fun, I'm really glad that I was able to take part in this, even though it meant not doing the internship I had originally planned. I met 10 people from 4 different countries not including our Korean staff. They took us so many places, and in Seoul we had Tae Kwon Do Class (taught by Kukkiwon Master, demo performers, and a Korean Tiger), cooking class at a culinary school, ettiquette class where we learned how to serve traditional tea ceremony, bow, and had a coming of age ceremony, art class, tour of World Cup Stadium, hiking in a park, Han River cruise, care center, Ilsan (again for me!) and way too many foods. We also took a trip to Busan, a beach city and 2nd largest city in Korea, and Gyeonju, considered a museum without walls.
I really liked the homestay visit we did as well. I went with Mija from Denmark, and we stayed with a family outside of Seoul in Gyeonggi-do Province. The father worked for Samsung Corportation, who must really want people to host homestays because they sent a camera and interviewer to record the first night of our stay. I thought it was really funny because we had to do things over and over again to keep recording it correctly. We made bulgogi, talked, showed photos, and had to pretend to go to bed. After we went to "bed," we played Monopoly with the girl who was 12 and really adorable, and went to see Haeundae, a Korean movie about a tidal wave (I know that's not the right word) in Busan, which made me a little hesitant about going to Busan, even though it was a fictional movie. The next morning we went to a Buddhist temple area (more, I know, right?) which was beautiful, before eating supper in Seoul and meeting back with the group to go see Nanta performance, which was fantastic.
We were able to review our records too and meet our foster parents. I was so excited and surprised to learn that I would meet my foster mother too since nobody had told me until 10 minutes before we left. It was incredible, and I will meet the rest of her family before I leave Korea.
4) G.O.A.L. Conference: I met some great people, listened to some interesting speeches, and had an overall good time. I really like conferences a lot. For real.
5) On my own: Now I'm in Seoul, living at the Holt Guesthouse, doing interviews, last meetings, and trying to do some more sightseeing. I still want to see the kimchi museum and the Olympic park.
Okay, this is way too long as predicted. Sorry.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Found Out I Really Am Korean...
Hi everyone,
It's been way too long since I've lost made a post, and at this point in time, I don't think I'm going to go back and do many China posts. Sorry about that. Most of you have already been regaled by my great tales anyway, so it doesn't really matter.
I've been in Korea now for 2.5 weeks and am loving it. It really is SOOO different from any of the other places I've been, but that's also because I've been in a very different environment for a very different purpose (and minus 35 other Carls...probably a big part of it). For those of you out of the loop, I'm volunteering this summer for Holt Ilsan Center in Korea. It's a long term care facility that houses over 300 residents. My job consists of doing morning and afternoon activities with the residents who are usually most unable to get out of their rooms otherwise. Generally, we do things like go on walks, look at flowers, color, do puzzles, look at their photos/take new photos (they love the camera!), eat ice cream, etc. Lucky for me, they don't mind when I sing and some even like it. Right now, I'm the only volunteer since my partner in crime, Molly Ann, left me on Tuesday (probably a good thing since she reached the 90 day limit on her passport). I found out though that we are getting some more volunteers this week, so it won't be just me.
Since it had been Molly's last 2 weeks when I got here, it's been a lot of visiting places when we aren't working. And by visiting places, I mean shopping of course. hahaha. This weekend though I'm going to Daegu and Pohang; I'm really excited and nervous. I'll let you know how that goes when I get back.
Also...I don't like squid. Or sundae (sausage made of noodles, veggies, and intestine...yum? eww). Or dog (not that I tried it; not my cup of tea...or bowl of dog for that matter).
But I do love Korean barbecue, kimchi jeon, and the mysterious broth soup from the food cart.
More later. Promise.
It's been way too long since I've lost made a post, and at this point in time, I don't think I'm going to go back and do many China posts. Sorry about that. Most of you have already been regaled by my great tales anyway, so it doesn't really matter.
I've been in Korea now for 2.5 weeks and am loving it. It really is SOOO different from any of the other places I've been, but that's also because I've been in a very different environment for a very different purpose (and minus 35 other Carls...probably a big part of it). For those of you out of the loop, I'm volunteering this summer for Holt Ilsan Center in Korea. It's a long term care facility that houses over 300 residents. My job consists of doing morning and afternoon activities with the residents who are usually most unable to get out of their rooms otherwise. Generally, we do things like go on walks, look at flowers, color, do puzzles, look at their photos/take new photos (they love the camera!), eat ice cream, etc. Lucky for me, they don't mind when I sing and some even like it. Right now, I'm the only volunteer since my partner in crime, Molly Ann, left me on Tuesday (probably a good thing since she reached the 90 day limit on her passport). I found out though that we are getting some more volunteers this week, so it won't be just me.
Since it had been Molly's last 2 weeks when I got here, it's been a lot of visiting places when we aren't working. And by visiting places, I mean shopping of course. hahaha. This weekend though I'm going to Daegu and Pohang; I'm really excited and nervous. I'll let you know how that goes when I get back.
Also...I don't like squid. Or sundae (sausage made of noodles, veggies, and intestine...yum? eww). Or dog (not that I tried it; not my cup of tea...or bowl of dog for that matter).
But I do love Korean barbecue, kimchi jeon, and the mysterious broth soup from the food cart.
More later. Promise.
Monday, June 15, 2009
T-2.2
In 2.2 hours, I will be in flight to S. Korea where I will spend 2/3 of my summer. This time, I will be traveling alone and don't speak the language. I think it will really be the test of my adventurous skills, but I thank my crazy family and the people in the Political Economy in (anywhere but) Beijing program for getting me ready for this task. I just hope I'll have internet so I can keep you all updated!
Oh, and don't worry. I'll do my best to stay safe too :D
hugs,
Catie
Oh, and don't worry. I'll do my best to stay safe too :D
hugs,
Catie
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Coming to an End...But NOT of this Blog
As of this morning, we have one three credit course, 3/4 free day, and a ridiculously long flight back to the United States. Since spring break, I haven't been able to really write anything on this blog though because it has been blocked at the internet centers I had been going to in Beijing. Not sure if that's a restriction/not really working/etc, but the point is, I have a lot to say and haven't been able to do so. Even though it won't be happening as I write, I plan to go back through and fill in some adventures that occurred on my trip. In addition, this slightly "goofy" writing will continue throughout the summer as I schlep across Korea, finding my roots and trying to figure just exactly what I want to do with my life (a bit dramatic, but true).
Look out for more. You'll see me soon.
Last Love from the Asian Location,
Catie
Look out for more. You'll see me soon.
Last Love from the Asian Location,
Catie
Sunday, May 10, 2009
An SPF 50 Kind of Spring Break
Spring Break 2009: 5 days in Sunny Sanya, Hainan Province with 3 wonderful friends
Day 1: We left at 615 am to go to the airport, but ended up discussing where we needed to be with the taxi driver lady for quite some time before hopping in and praying for the best. Finally, we called Judy to double check that we were going to the right place and terminal and were on our way. After a 4 hour plane next to a ridiculous couple where the girl almost put her head on my lap, and I became pretty angry, we finally arrived where a driver from the hotel met us to take us to the hotel. We got there, unpacked, and headed off to the beach where we relaxed, burnt, and enjoyed crystal clear water and sand. That night, we walked back (about a 40 min walk) and stopped at Rainbow, an American bar/grill (it was tasty and don't hate on me too much for doing non-Chinese) where we met our waitress and soon to be friend Katie. That night, we went back and fell asleep I think.
Day 2: Sleeping in, then walking to the beach. We stopped at a coffee shop on the way to have overpriced food with mystery meat. Really though, another day of fun and sun and naps where I rediscovered music on my ipod and read more of my new book: microtrends (it's really really good). That night we ate a Chinese restaurant where I didn't have to use Chinese language since the woman spoke English. Walked around and found ice cream and a night market where I finally used Chinese to bargain for sparkly jewelry and befriending of the dress lady and her amazing wares. Lots of dvd watching and burn admiring followed.
Day 3: Sleeping in, bakery breakfast, and finding of an atm (not for me) and a taxi to Yalong Bay. Told driver Yalong and not Yalong Bay and ended up with expensive taxi ride. Yalong was 33 quai, so we used LonelyPlanet's advice to sneak onto a hotel's private beach. Much quieter than Dadonghai and more beautiful, but obviously less lively. Back to Rainbow where there was a Chinese movie being filmed that they wouldn't let us be in. Yummy food, tried to scare off the 30yr old Chinese men. More night market.
Day 4: Sleeping in and bakery breakfast. Walked around the city and found a bookstore with great cheap English classics. No beach day because of too much sun in the past, but lots of ac and movies. Got a hold of Katie and had dinner together before walking around the city and taking photos again. DVDs again at night.
Day 5: Last day with bakery breakfast, day at the beach after trying to convey that we wanted to leave our bags at the hotel. Wonderful last beach bathing, buying of an amazing jellyfish kite, trying to tell the 5 Chinese people who offerred me cigarretes that I don't smoke, and an awkward 5 kuai "shower" with a hose on the beach. Back to the hotel before the airport ride home with another annoying couple who played some kind of hitting/clapping game. Successful taxi home and lots of sleep.
Later updates with my Beijing portion of break.
Day
Day 1: We left at 615 am to go to the airport, but ended up discussing where we needed to be with the taxi driver lady for quite some time before hopping in and praying for the best. Finally, we called Judy to double check that we were going to the right place and terminal and were on our way. After a 4 hour plane next to a ridiculous couple where the girl almost put her head on my lap, and I became pretty angry, we finally arrived where a driver from the hotel met us to take us to the hotel. We got there, unpacked, and headed off to the beach where we relaxed, burnt, and enjoyed crystal clear water and sand. That night, we walked back (about a 40 min walk) and stopped at Rainbow, an American bar/grill (it was tasty and don't hate on me too much for doing non-Chinese) where we met our waitress and soon to be friend Katie. That night, we went back and fell asleep I think.
Day 2: Sleeping in, then walking to the beach. We stopped at a coffee shop on the way to have overpriced food with mystery meat. Really though, another day of fun and sun and naps where I rediscovered music on my ipod and read more of my new book: microtrends (it's really really good). That night we ate a Chinese restaurant where I didn't have to use Chinese language since the woman spoke English. Walked around and found ice cream and a night market where I finally used Chinese to bargain for sparkly jewelry and befriending of the dress lady and her amazing wares. Lots of dvd watching and burn admiring followed.
Day 3: Sleeping in, bakery breakfast, and finding of an atm (not for me) and a taxi to Yalong Bay. Told driver Yalong and not Yalong Bay and ended up with expensive taxi ride. Yalong was 33 quai, so we used LonelyPlanet's advice to sneak onto a hotel's private beach. Much quieter than Dadonghai and more beautiful, but obviously less lively. Back to Rainbow where there was a Chinese movie being filmed that they wouldn't let us be in. Yummy food, tried to scare off the 30yr old Chinese men. More night market.
Day 4: Sleeping in and bakery breakfast. Walked around the city and found a bookstore with great cheap English classics. No beach day because of too much sun in the past, but lots of ac and movies. Got a hold of Katie and had dinner together before walking around the city and taking photos again. DVDs again at night.
Day 5: Last day with bakery breakfast, day at the beach after trying to convey that we wanted to leave our bags at the hotel. Wonderful last beach bathing, buying of an amazing jellyfish kite, trying to tell the 5 Chinese people who offerred me cigarretes that I don't smoke, and an awkward 5 kuai "shower" with a hose on the beach. Back to the hotel before the airport ride home with another annoying couple who played some kind of hitting/clapping game. Successful taxi home and lots of sleep.
Later updates with my Beijing portion of break.
Day
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
I'd write something witty and clever here, but frankly my dear, I'm way too sunburnt to care
This past weekend/week/coming weekend ushered in our spring break (at long last since we left right after finals to begin our seminar in Thailand, Burma, and Vietnam, just in case I've been rambling for so long that you forgot). For spring break, after finishing a couple of handwritten midterms that took way too long since I've fogotten how to use the English language, I was ready to relax, get some sun, and be happy again.
My spring break plans were to go to Sanya, Hainan province, an island off the coast of Southern China, with Kelsey I, Alex B, and Whittney. As we said many times over during lounging on the beach and through the markets, best idea ever and best vacation ever.
But anyway, my break really began on Friday morning, so I'll start there instead of the Saturday flight to Sanya.
Actually, I'll start Thursday instead after we got our midterm per diem and handed in midterms, k? Even though I might have said this already the post before. Sorry if I repeat myself. I'm burnt.
So Thursday, after leaving class, I went to the National Art Museum with Orion and Wes. Unfortunately, I forgot my student id, so it ended up being 40 kuai instead of 10, but oh well. Let me preface with the fact that I know very little about art. Sure, I threw pots (in the making sense, not the making mess sense) in middle school and high school, but viewing paintings and most sculpture is purely done for my personal enjoyment since I know nothing about technique. What I do know is that I absolutely loved the 5th floor exhibition of a Chinese print maker named Chao Mei, as well as the Turner exhibition from the Tate gallery. You can check out both here: http://www.namoc.org/en/Exhibitions/Current_Exhibitions/index.html Quite excellent and a great way to unwind on approximately 3 hours of sleep.
Thursday evening, I went to dinner with 9 people to a restaurant out the West Gate (there are 2 gates we use at UIBE, the East Gate has been dubbed "Eat Street" with cheap food and the West Gate is more expensive but nicer). Zach, our program assistant who graduated last year from Carleton, decided that he wasn't speaking any Chinese since we all were heading off for break and needed to learn how to get food ourselves. Unfortunately, this meant that I was crowned menu queen and not only had to order food for 9 people, but also request 2 more chairs since 2 people were coming later (we went as a group of 7) and didn't now the word for chair. There was a lot of miming going on, but it got the job done. At the very least, I know I won't starve or not know where the bathroom is as long as people around me know Mandarin.
Friday: Got up earlyish and went with James and Orion to what I've dubbed "The Temple of Hell." In actuality, it's the Dongyue Daoist Temple: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing_Dongyue_Temple
and it has a ridiculously large number of rooms that you walk by with these really great statues inside that describe the different departments and beliefs in daoism. We were a little bored, and I was a little dissapointed because everything looked so plain the first four or five rooms when all of a sudden, we go to the next room and there's a demon staring at us! From there on out, there were more demons in the rooms and some of the rooms got a little gruesome. It was so intriguing. Afterwards, we headed to the electronics market so the boys could play with their electronic game things. We found an arcade in the basement where they played Tekken, which I commented was like street fighter and got promptly criticized and lectured. Looked the same to me. Oh well. We also watched Orion draw a crowd playing DDR outside. James commented that if the white guy could do it, anyone could, which is probably why there was a line for people buying the game after we left. For lunch, we went to "explodes the stomach" where I pitched in my 10 kuai to watch them eat the most disgusting food I've ever seen before going to an actual restaurant and ordering the most delicious potatoes and beef I've ever eaten. For real. After packing for my trip, I went to dinner with another big group of people to a Japanese place where there was delicious delicious sushi and tempura and other stuff that I would have to point to since I can't pronounce the name. Went to bed after that to get up to catch a taxi at 615 for our flight.
Actually, that was pretty gosh darn long, so I'll write tomorrow or so about the rest of my break since I'll have time, and we're the only ones back anyway.
love love love and aloe vera :D
My spring break plans were to go to Sanya, Hainan province, an island off the coast of Southern China, with Kelsey I, Alex B, and Whittney. As we said many times over during lounging on the beach and through the markets, best idea ever and best vacation ever.
But anyway, my break really began on Friday morning, so I'll start there instead of the Saturday flight to Sanya.
Actually, I'll start Thursday instead after we got our midterm per diem and handed in midterms, k? Even though I might have said this already the post before. Sorry if I repeat myself. I'm burnt.
So Thursday, after leaving class, I went to the National Art Museum with Orion and Wes. Unfortunately, I forgot my student id, so it ended up being 40 kuai instead of 10, but oh well. Let me preface with the fact that I know very little about art. Sure, I threw pots (in the making sense, not the making mess sense) in middle school and high school, but viewing paintings and most sculpture is purely done for my personal enjoyment since I know nothing about technique. What I do know is that I absolutely loved the 5th floor exhibition of a Chinese print maker named Chao Mei, as well as the Turner exhibition from the Tate gallery. You can check out both here: http://www.namoc.org/en/Exhibitions/Current_Exhibitions/index.html Quite excellent and a great way to unwind on approximately 3 hours of sleep.
Thursday evening, I went to dinner with 9 people to a restaurant out the West Gate (there are 2 gates we use at UIBE, the East Gate has been dubbed "Eat Street" with cheap food and the West Gate is more expensive but nicer). Zach, our program assistant who graduated last year from Carleton, decided that he wasn't speaking any Chinese since we all were heading off for break and needed to learn how to get food ourselves. Unfortunately, this meant that I was crowned menu queen and not only had to order food for 9 people, but also request 2 more chairs since 2 people were coming later (we went as a group of 7) and didn't now the word for chair. There was a lot of miming going on, but it got the job done. At the very least, I know I won't starve or not know where the bathroom is as long as people around me know Mandarin.
Friday: Got up earlyish and went with James and Orion to what I've dubbed "The Temple of Hell." In actuality, it's the Dongyue Daoist Temple: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing_Dongyue_Temple
and it has a ridiculously large number of rooms that you walk by with these really great statues inside that describe the different departments and beliefs in daoism. We were a little bored, and I was a little dissapointed because everything looked so plain the first four or five rooms when all of a sudden, we go to the next room and there's a demon staring at us! From there on out, there were more demons in the rooms and some of the rooms got a little gruesome. It was so intriguing. Afterwards, we headed to the electronics market so the boys could play with their electronic game things. We found an arcade in the basement where they played Tekken, which I commented was like street fighter and got promptly criticized and lectured. Looked the same to me. Oh well. We also watched Orion draw a crowd playing DDR outside. James commented that if the white guy could do it, anyone could, which is probably why there was a line for people buying the game after we left. For lunch, we went to "explodes the stomach" where I pitched in my 10 kuai to watch them eat the most disgusting food I've ever seen before going to an actual restaurant and ordering the most delicious potatoes and beef I've ever eaten. For real. After packing for my trip, I went to dinner with another big group of people to a Japanese place where there was delicious delicious sushi and tempura and other stuff that I would have to point to since I can't pronounce the name. Went to bed after that to get up to catch a taxi at 615 for our flight.
Actually, that was pretty gosh darn long, so I'll write tomorrow or so about the rest of my break since I'll have time, and we're the only ones back anyway.
love love love and aloe vera :D
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Wo ai xiao gou OR Chinese men need antiperspirant too
What does "wo ai xiao gou" mean you might ask? As my good friend *atherine with a K would respond, it means "i love small dogs" (actually, she loves all dogs, but that's beside the point). To be more specific, I'm loving that Beijing has an unhealthy obsession with small dogs that are sooooo ugly that they're actually cute. I know at least two of you, *coughKatherineandLisacough* are also fans of these ridiculously amazing animals, so I know that I'm not entirely crazy in my desire to take pictures of these strange little creatures that people seem to love putting in bow ties and dresses. Yes, that's right, bow ties and dresses. It's incredible.
To emphasize my love of these creatures, today when walking home from the subway to buy a replacement phone and a new photo card, I decided to walk a new route which ultimately took me 40 minutes to get back to my dorm and not the usual 10 minutes but that's beside the point. I saw this great little alley with a bunch of people coming out and walked down it only to be barraged by the wonderful smell of these flowers trees that I have in my backyard at home, which was fantastic. Anyway, I get towards the end of the actually one way street and run into this woman with a small dog on a leash that looks utterly ridiculous. I tried out my very best chinese language skills and told her "wo ai ni de xiao gou" or "i love your small dog" to which she responded by laughing awkwardly and walking her dog in the opposite direction. I think I may have accidentally actually said "wo ai ni xiao gou" or "i love you small dog" which has not quite the same meaning and probably freaked her out a little. Ooops. I also ran into a grandmother and grandson stomping/dancing/tapdancing? at the end of this road on the other side of the padlocked gate or I would have joined in.
On my other topic though, since I should really be studying/reading for tomorrow's midterms, SUBWAY LINE RUSH HOUR IS NOT FOR SHORT PEOPLE WITH SENSITIVE NOSES.
If this ever occurs to you, be prepared not to breathe and to look away if possible because there are unfortunate consequences to being short in a packed subway. These unfortunate consequences are: 1) looking at sweaty smelly armpits of Chinese men who are holding onto the bar of the subway to avoid falling down*
2)smelling the sweaty smelly armpits of Chinese men who are holding onto the bar of the subway to avoid falling down
Both of these are completely avoidable if they use antiperspirant. Or if I grow another 4 inches. Of the two, I think the first is more reasonable.
*It's actually ridiculous that they need to hold this bar because I can't even reach the bar and usually there are people standing in the middle so I can't hold the vertical bar and I don't even ride the subway on a normal basis and I have yet to fall down, so this whole deal could also be avoidable if they just take some ballet lessons and quit sticking their arms in the air. (my third solution).
Okay, time to catch up on reading/study for midterm/get some sleep before class.
To emphasize my love of these creatures, today when walking home from the subway to buy a replacement phone and a new photo card, I decided to walk a new route which ultimately took me 40 minutes to get back to my dorm and not the usual 10 minutes but that's beside the point. I saw this great little alley with a bunch of people coming out and walked down it only to be barraged by the wonderful smell of these flowers trees that I have in my backyard at home, which was fantastic. Anyway, I get towards the end of the actually one way street and run into this woman with a small dog on a leash that looks utterly ridiculous. I tried out my very best chinese language skills and told her "wo ai ni de xiao gou" or "i love your small dog" to which she responded by laughing awkwardly and walking her dog in the opposite direction. I think I may have accidentally actually said "wo ai ni xiao gou" or "i love you small dog" which has not quite the same meaning and probably freaked her out a little. Ooops. I also ran into a grandmother and grandson stomping/dancing/tapdancing? at the end of this road on the other side of the padlocked gate or I would have joined in.
On my other topic though, since I should really be studying/reading for tomorrow's midterms, SUBWAY LINE RUSH HOUR IS NOT FOR SHORT PEOPLE WITH SENSITIVE NOSES.
If this ever occurs to you, be prepared not to breathe and to look away if possible because there are unfortunate consequences to being short in a packed subway. These unfortunate consequences are: 1) looking at sweaty smelly armpits of Chinese men who are holding onto the bar of the subway to avoid falling down*
2)smelling the sweaty smelly armpits of Chinese men who are holding onto the bar of the subway to avoid falling down
Both of these are completely avoidable if they use antiperspirant. Or if I grow another 4 inches. Of the two, I think the first is more reasonable.
*It's actually ridiculous that they need to hold this bar because I can't even reach the bar and usually there are people standing in the middle so I can't hold the vertical bar and I don't even ride the subway on a normal basis and I have yet to fall down, so this whole deal could also be avoidable if they just take some ballet lessons and quit sticking their arms in the air. (my third solution).
Okay, time to catch up on reading/study for midterm/get some sleep before class.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Late Updates -> non-sensical ramblings
hey everyone. so it's been a really really really long time since i've updated this and i apologize (i hope it's not too late? hahaha). anyway, the following possibly ridiculously long entry will be filled with my random observations and adventures. i hope you're ready.
*this will also be filled with no capitalization. sorry english majors.
1)maybe i was really adopted from china
so it's been really hard for me to convey to people here that i'm not really chinese because they all have this idea that i look really chinese? even after explaining in chinese language that i'm korean ("wo shi han guo ren" for all those interested parties, mainly my little brother because i think that's the only person that phrase would apply towards), the most common response is: but you look so chinese! whatever, we'll see when i get to korea if i still am mistaken for chinese. if that's the case, holt int'l has some explaining to do...
1.5)it's really difficult to explain the term adoption to non-english speakers/non-american peoples
we went to a senior middle school in fenyang, a province of shanxi, where we met a lot of young people. after unsuccessfully explaining that i am korean and not chinese, i tried to explain that i was adopted. the conversation went a little like this:
(Me)"so i was born in korea and grew up in america since i was 3 months old, a baby. my parents are white american, but i am korean."
(Chinese Student)"so your parents are chinese?"
(Me)"no, i am korean and my parents are american."
(Chinese Student)"oh, so your parents are korean and you live in america..."
(Me)"no...my parents look like paul (i point to paul, a white male on my program."
(Paul) "WAIT...your parents both look like me?"
(Me)"are you serious?"
eventually i gave up the whole process of explaining and then had to deal with why i was 'chinese' and didn't speak chinese. overall, it was a losing battle.
2)my chinese language skills make no sense
after 10 weeks/1 trimester of chinese language at carleton, i thought maybe it would start coming back. for the most part, it's true, and i'm going to a chinese intro language class in 10 minutes. however, i can say my numbers, hello, goodbye, that's too expensive, how much, 1 bottle sprite, 10 trays of dumplings, and mommy. i'm pretty sure that i need to take this class and have even repurchased my chinese language textbook.
*fyi, carls in chinese, the bookstore is ripping you off. the book here is 8 bucks, not 26. ridiculous, right? on the upside, lu yuping is still as amazing as ever.
3)being asian still allows me to make some observations that others cannot
so even though i don't really speak the language, i'm getting a kick out of following 10 feet behind my white friends and watching everyone point/comment/giggle. it's actually kind of fun until the chinese people try to collude with me on their comments, and i end up looking like a fool with my 'huh?' face.
4)china has not changed my ability to lose things. here is a sample:
-cell phone and card ($50, ouch! i'm going to buy a new one this week for spring break)
-phone number list
-room list
-packs of gum (though most of the time by 'lose' i mean i get suckered into giving it to small children and unprepared carls. i guess that's not really losing)
5)chinese food is not chinese food
so i realize how americanized my tastes are and i hope this real chinese food is preparing me for my summer in korea. instead, i keep sneaking off to get pizza/chicken/western food. it doesn't help that my roommate can't really eat a lot of food, so i use her as an excuse to keep getting mashed potatoes from kfc. oops.
6)i'm going to chinese hawaii for spring break
that's right everyone. be jealous. be very jealous*
*except for the fact that i know the most chinese language of my group of four which really means that we don't speak chinese and we're going to sanya, hainan province off the coast of china. it will be fine mother, please don't worry. i'm overexaggerating. it's supposed to be touristy, so i'm happy as long as we don't get ripped off too much. we're also spending part of break exploring beijing, so hopefully i'll get to see melissa again, which would be super fun.
7)it's chinese language class time so i'm out for now! the next post will hopefully be sooner and shorter.
love and hugs :D
*this will also be filled with no capitalization. sorry english majors.
1)maybe i was really adopted from china
so it's been really hard for me to convey to people here that i'm not really chinese because they all have this idea that i look really chinese? even after explaining in chinese language that i'm korean ("wo shi han guo ren" for all those interested parties, mainly my little brother because i think that's the only person that phrase would apply towards), the most common response is: but you look so chinese! whatever, we'll see when i get to korea if i still am mistaken for chinese. if that's the case, holt int'l has some explaining to do...
1.5)it's really difficult to explain the term adoption to non-english speakers/non-american peoples
we went to a senior middle school in fenyang, a province of shanxi, where we met a lot of young people. after unsuccessfully explaining that i am korean and not chinese, i tried to explain that i was adopted. the conversation went a little like this:
(Me)"so i was born in korea and grew up in america since i was 3 months old, a baby. my parents are white american, but i am korean."
(Chinese Student)"so your parents are chinese?"
(Me)"no, i am korean and my parents are american."
(Chinese Student)"oh, so your parents are korean and you live in america..."
(Me)"no...my parents look like paul (i point to paul, a white male on my program."
(Paul) "WAIT...your parents both look like me?"
(Me)"are you serious?"
eventually i gave up the whole process of explaining and then had to deal with why i was 'chinese' and didn't speak chinese. overall, it was a losing battle.
2)my chinese language skills make no sense
after 10 weeks/1 trimester of chinese language at carleton, i thought maybe it would start coming back. for the most part, it's true, and i'm going to a chinese intro language class in 10 minutes. however, i can say my numbers, hello, goodbye, that's too expensive, how much, 1 bottle sprite, 10 trays of dumplings, and mommy. i'm pretty sure that i need to take this class and have even repurchased my chinese language textbook.
*fyi, carls in chinese, the bookstore is ripping you off. the book here is 8 bucks, not 26. ridiculous, right? on the upside, lu yuping is still as amazing as ever.
3)being asian still allows me to make some observations that others cannot
so even though i don't really speak the language, i'm getting a kick out of following 10 feet behind my white friends and watching everyone point/comment/giggle. it's actually kind of fun until the chinese people try to collude with me on their comments, and i end up looking like a fool with my 'huh?' face.
4)china has not changed my ability to lose things. here is a sample:
-cell phone and card ($50, ouch! i'm going to buy a new one this week for spring break)
-phone number list
-room list
-packs of gum (though most of the time by 'lose' i mean i get suckered into giving it to small children and unprepared carls. i guess that's not really losing)
5)chinese food is not chinese food
so i realize how americanized my tastes are and i hope this real chinese food is preparing me for my summer in korea. instead, i keep sneaking off to get pizza/chicken/western food. it doesn't help that my roommate can't really eat a lot of food, so i use her as an excuse to keep getting mashed potatoes from kfc. oops.
6)i'm going to chinese hawaii for spring break
that's right everyone. be jealous. be very jealous*
*except for the fact that i know the most chinese language of my group of four which really means that we don't speak chinese and we're going to sanya, hainan province off the coast of china. it will be fine mother, please don't worry. i'm overexaggerating. it's supposed to be touristy, so i'm happy as long as we don't get ripped off too much. we're also spending part of break exploring beijing, so hopefully i'll get to see melissa again, which would be super fun.
7)it's chinese language class time so i'm out for now! the next post will hopefully be sooner and shorter.
love and hugs :D
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Wanted: 1 Large Box of Grape Juice...followed by 3 ounces of Cheddar Cheese
So I've been having these really weird cravings lately for food and drinks that are definitely not Chinese, especially grape juice. Seeing as it's something that I don't normally drink, I thought it was really weird and I'm kind of hating that I miss things and am searching for them when there are so many other types of wonderful consumables that I should be exploring. Anyway, this search for grape juice has occurred in 3 different grocery stores and I've come to the conclusion that Chinese people just don't like grape juice. Nor do they like grape jelly/jam/preserves as one of my fellow classmates has discovered in her search for grape jelly. I've finally found my grape juice though at a western grocery store in the embassy district of Beijing and did a little happy dance at it's discovery. I've decided that was also my low point as it was when I thought eating three ounces of cheddar cheese out of the plastic wrapper was a great idea for an afternoon snack...not so much in retrospect. Just really, really sad.
Anyway, the embassy area is near Sanlitun, another area of of Beijing which seems to be a "hip spot" according to Lonely Planet. By hip, I think they mean an area with lots of bars and Western clothing/accessory brands, but to each their own. Surprisingly, this was also the area where I think that I most noticed the supposed desert that is encroaching on Beijing. There was a mini wind/dust storm that really sucked and hurt my eyes here. I ended up at an expat bookstore, which was kind of great because I could order my glass of pear juice without having to point to the menu and use hand gestures.
Speaking of odd adventures with food, which seems to be the trend of this post, I had a cultural/linguistic food mishap the other day. One of the wonderful foods here is called baozi, and it's a steamed filled bun that you can get 10 for 4 rmb, a little over 50 cents. I tried to order 10 for lunch the other day by asking for 10 baozi. Little did I know that I accidentally ordered 10 TRAYS of baozi, or 100 little delicious buns. The lady wasn't too happy when I freaked out and told her I only wanted 1. Moral of this story was 2-fold: 1) Baozi (and jiaozi, the little dumplings) come 10 in a tray and you order by the tray, not the individual pieces. 2) Even though I'm not Chinese, at least I'm Asian so I can probably go back to the little stand and hopefully they won't recognize me.
Anyway, the embassy area is near Sanlitun, another area of of Beijing which seems to be a "hip spot" according to Lonely Planet. By hip, I think they mean an area with lots of bars and Western clothing/accessory brands, but to each their own. Surprisingly, this was also the area where I think that I most noticed the supposed desert that is encroaching on Beijing. There was a mini wind/dust storm that really sucked and hurt my eyes here. I ended up at an expat bookstore, which was kind of great because I could order my glass of pear juice without having to point to the menu and use hand gestures.
Speaking of odd adventures with food, which seems to be the trend of this post, I had a cultural/linguistic food mishap the other day. One of the wonderful foods here is called baozi, and it's a steamed filled bun that you can get 10 for 4 rmb, a little over 50 cents. I tried to order 10 for lunch the other day by asking for 10 baozi. Little did I know that I accidentally ordered 10 TRAYS of baozi, or 100 little delicious buns. The lady wasn't too happy when I freaked out and told her I only wanted 1. Moral of this story was 2-fold: 1) Baozi (and jiaozi, the little dumplings) come 10 in a tray and you order by the tray, not the individual pieces. 2) Even though I'm not Chinese, at least I'm Asian so I can probably go back to the little stand and hopefully they won't recognize me.
Monday, April 13, 2009
The Eastern Gate has more Eastern Things while the Western Gate has more Western Things
I'm finally in the city of Beijing at a semi-home base for the last 8 weeks of this program. Albeit, we actually are only here a week or so at a time with trips scheduled across China, but it's been good to unpack and get used to living in a non-hotel room for once. I'm really enjoying it here, despite the pollution and people hacking/coughing up a lung and spitting on the streets. I did have an interesting incident yesterday while in line at a street stall for food where an older man walked up behind me, hacked over my shoulder, and walked away again. The guy running the stall had a good laugh at me for probably 3 or 4 minutes though, which was a bit excessive.
We're living at the University of Business and Economics (UIBE) which is between 3rd and 4th ring road and close to a subway line. Everything here is either really cheap (eg a bottle of coke is 3 yuan or about 42 cents) or seemingly overpriced in comparison to stuff we've been paying in SE Asia. The University itself has 2 gates, one of which is near more western stores and one of which is more eastern oriented in food and stores and they are out the western and eastern gates, which I thought was funny.
Anyway, the night we got here, a bunch of us walked to a Japanese department store which was actually more expensive than at home and then we walked to the Bird's Nest and Water Cube. Unfortunately, we got there at 9:25 and the lights are shut off at 9:30, so that was dissapointing, but I'm hoping to go back later and see it.
Our first full day here, we went to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and Jing Shan Park, which where enormous and beautiful. A few of us went to Wangfujing Street, which is the high end shopping street in Beijing where I finally got a card reader to upload photos and then realized I didn't bring my mini sd adaptor. Sorry all, I'm working on it.
On Sunday (it's Monday night here), I went to an Easter service for foreign passport holders that was behind the Capital Building near the embassy district (where I also went today). It was pretty interesting going from hearing nothing but Chinese from the non-Carl students to having an entire service in English. I loved it, even though it was more traditional/structured than services I am used to attending. I actually sat by a guy who said he was from Cedar Rapids and then we met a woman who had a daughter that went to Carleton and was a SOAN major, which just proves what a small world this really is.
Today was our first full day of classes and by classes, I mean a 2 hour morning lecture on Politics and a 2 hour afternoon lecture on Economics with a break in between for lunch. It was so weird being back in the classroom though. I wasn't sure what to make of it and forgot how long 2 hours is when you have to take notes and pay attention to something. I think this will be really interesting though and am excited to put into academic context all of the things we are seeing in terms of economic and political history and policy.
I also opened a skype account and my name is: catherinek87
Add me!
More updates later, I promise.
We're living at the University of Business and Economics (UIBE) which is between 3rd and 4th ring road and close to a subway line. Everything here is either really cheap (eg a bottle of coke is 3 yuan or about 42 cents) or seemingly overpriced in comparison to stuff we've been paying in SE Asia. The University itself has 2 gates, one of which is near more western stores and one of which is more eastern oriented in food and stores and they are out the western and eastern gates, which I thought was funny.
Anyway, the night we got here, a bunch of us walked to a Japanese department store which was actually more expensive than at home and then we walked to the Bird's Nest and Water Cube. Unfortunately, we got there at 9:25 and the lights are shut off at 9:30, so that was dissapointing, but I'm hoping to go back later and see it.
Our first full day here, we went to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and Jing Shan Park, which where enormous and beautiful. A few of us went to Wangfujing Street, which is the high end shopping street in Beijing where I finally got a card reader to upload photos and then realized I didn't bring my mini sd adaptor. Sorry all, I'm working on it.
On Sunday (it's Monday night here), I went to an Easter service for foreign passport holders that was behind the Capital Building near the embassy district (where I also went today). It was pretty interesting going from hearing nothing but Chinese from the non-Carl students to having an entire service in English. I loved it, even though it was more traditional/structured than services I am used to attending. I actually sat by a guy who said he was from Cedar Rapids and then we met a woman who had a daughter that went to Carleton and was a SOAN major, which just proves what a small world this really is.
Today was our first full day of classes and by classes, I mean a 2 hour morning lecture on Politics and a 2 hour afternoon lecture on Economics with a break in between for lunch. It was so weird being back in the classroom though. I wasn't sure what to make of it and forgot how long 2 hours is when you have to take notes and pay attention to something. I think this will be really interesting though and am excited to put into academic context all of the things we are seeing in terms of economic and political history and policy.
I also opened a skype account and my name is: catherinek87
Add me!
More updates later, I promise.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
From Mingalaba to something I have yet to figure out how to say
So our week in Myanmar is over and we only have 3 more days in Vietnam and I am sooo behind on this post, but bear with me.
We left Chiang Mai Thailand to fly through Bangkok on our way to Yangon, Myanmar (or Rangoon, Burma, take your choice). Our hotel was in a fairly busy area and our trip is premised on going out, exploring, and not getting arrested unless absolutely necessary. After arriving in the late evening and getting supper though, I went to bed to rest up for the rest of the time there. The next day,we met the students of PCP or Pre Collegiate Prep (I think?) which is a "school" for students who want to go abroad for higher education and return to Burma to contribute back to their country. These are probably some of the most driven young people that I've met and they definitely will be a force to reckon with in the future. In the morning, we went to a Yum Yum Factory, which produces Ramen Noodles. I don't really remember at the moment all the places that we went in the chronological order, but I do remember going on a small outing to a glass blowing factory, walking around Rangon with the students, going to a department store, going to another department store, going to a market, and other amazing stuff. The exchange rate in Yangon is approximately 1040 kyat to 1 US dollar and the program provided a lot of the money here since there is no place to officially exchange currency. We did a couple of side trips too throughout the country, a 2 dayer in Inle Lake, a gorgeous wildlife/bird preserve on a lake with every building on stilts where we traveled by long boats to a blacksmith and silk weaving place, and to Bagan, another beautiful place where there was more of a village type feel where we went to tons of pagodas, a cruise on the river which had been suffering from drought for the past 3 years, a laquerware place, and something I am forgetting, probably more temples. One of the prettiest sights in Yangon was the Shwedagon Pagoda. Absolutely breathtaking, though one of the guys (Ben B) got his wallet stolen by a fake monk. That kind of sucked. We also ate at the place in Yangon that was essentially a huge boat thing that didn't move with people dressed up in traditional clothing from centuries ago and performances and an elephant thing? It was kind of weird, but that's okay. It was really sad saying goodbye to our friends here, but I'm sure I will see them again someday soon.
We had a one night/day in Bangkok where we went to a restaurant ran by an NGO and the restaurant was called Cabbages and Condoms. It was really...interesting? but tasteful and tasty (the food that is). We also went to Khao San Road in search of fisherman's pants that we had somehow missed earlier in the trip. We left in the afternoon to go to Hanoi.
So in Hanoi, we had some time to go meet people at Foreign Trade University, where we had our first real classroom type lecture. Our hotel in Hanoi is an early 20th century French hotel near the major lake in the middle of the city. We have also been to Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum/house/etc, the War Museum, and a hub cap factory that I skipped out on since I wasn't feeling the greatest at the time. There's a little club/bar here called the Loop that a bunch of us went to and that was an...interesting experience again, haha. One of the things that really strikes me here is the Romanization of the language, which keeps tripping me up because I feel like I should know the signs, but I actually can't read them. Yeah. We also went on cyclo rides here which is a bike with a seat on the front of the bike.
Two days ago, we left for our loop around vietnam. We stayed in a village the first night and went tromping through the fields of mud with the rice paddies on either side. For the first time, the dogs looked healthy here, but they are all tied up everywhere too, which is kind of sad. Even sleeping in the village isn't that bad though; we have a pillow, bedding, and a 1 inch thick bumpy mattress pad, though it's still a mattress, and mosquito netting. It may possibly be more comfortable than all those nights my family made me sleep on the floor at reunions and cousin's houses, haha.
Yesterday, we stayed in a hotel in the Halong Bay inlet area for the night after driving a ridiculous amount of hours and consuming a ridiculous amount of snackfoods. Today, we are now in Catba, another part of Halong Bay and we got here by this big boat that was 2 layers. Lunch was full of faux meat since I can't take the sea creatures with the eyes staring at me and have temporarily become a vegetarian in this country. It's so incredible how many faux meat things that they can make here, but to each his own I guess. I'm currently sitting in an internet cafe after walking around a little through the city. It's little, a port city, and very beautiful. Anh, you were right, or at least your mom was right, when you told me Halong Bay is one of the most beautiful places in the world. I wasn't feeling up to it, but there was a small mountain/stair climb today as well as jumping off the boat into the middle of the bay where they docked our boat. It was a bit much for me.
We have one more day in Halong Bay before going back to Hanoi and one more day in Hanoi before going to Beijing where the "vacation" section of our program ends and the real work begins. It's a hard life trekking through SE Asia staying at 4 star hotels, but some program at Carleton has to do it, and I might as well be part of it, right?
I miss you all and am taking copious amounts of photos that will eventually be put up somewhere as soon as I find a computer and buy a card reader to get them off my camera since I didn't think to bring my cord. Also parents, I did buy electrical adapters at the airport in MSP that have been a lifesaver, so no worries there. I should probably post this before my time runs out though because that would suck. Have fun at Carleton and Iowa and Alaska and wherever else you are! I'll do the same here :D
We left Chiang Mai Thailand to fly through Bangkok on our way to Yangon, Myanmar (or Rangoon, Burma, take your choice). Our hotel was in a fairly busy area and our trip is premised on going out, exploring, and not getting arrested unless absolutely necessary. After arriving in the late evening and getting supper though, I went to bed to rest up for the rest of the time there. The next day,we met the students of PCP or Pre Collegiate Prep (I think?) which is a "school" for students who want to go abroad for higher education and return to Burma to contribute back to their country. These are probably some of the most driven young people that I've met and they definitely will be a force to reckon with in the future. In the morning, we went to a Yum Yum Factory, which produces Ramen Noodles. I don't really remember at the moment all the places that we went in the chronological order, but I do remember going on a small outing to a glass blowing factory, walking around Rangon with the students, going to a department store, going to another department store, going to a market, and other amazing stuff. The exchange rate in Yangon is approximately 1040 kyat to 1 US dollar and the program provided a lot of the money here since there is no place to officially exchange currency. We did a couple of side trips too throughout the country, a 2 dayer in Inle Lake, a gorgeous wildlife/bird preserve on a lake with every building on stilts where we traveled by long boats to a blacksmith and silk weaving place, and to Bagan, another beautiful place where there was more of a village type feel where we went to tons of pagodas, a cruise on the river which had been suffering from drought for the past 3 years, a laquerware place, and something I am forgetting, probably more temples. One of the prettiest sights in Yangon was the Shwedagon Pagoda. Absolutely breathtaking, though one of the guys (Ben B) got his wallet stolen by a fake monk. That kind of sucked. We also ate at the place in Yangon that was essentially a huge boat thing that didn't move with people dressed up in traditional clothing from centuries ago and performances and an elephant thing? It was kind of weird, but that's okay. It was really sad saying goodbye to our friends here, but I'm sure I will see them again someday soon.
We had a one night/day in Bangkok where we went to a restaurant ran by an NGO and the restaurant was called Cabbages and Condoms. It was really...interesting? but tasteful and tasty (the food that is). We also went to Khao San Road in search of fisherman's pants that we had somehow missed earlier in the trip. We left in the afternoon to go to Hanoi.
So in Hanoi, we had some time to go meet people at Foreign Trade University, where we had our first real classroom type lecture. Our hotel in Hanoi is an early 20th century French hotel near the major lake in the middle of the city. We have also been to Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum/house/etc, the War Museum, and a hub cap factory that I skipped out on since I wasn't feeling the greatest at the time. There's a little club/bar here called the Loop that a bunch of us went to and that was an...interesting experience again, haha. One of the things that really strikes me here is the Romanization of the language, which keeps tripping me up because I feel like I should know the signs, but I actually can't read them. Yeah. We also went on cyclo rides here which is a bike with a seat on the front of the bike.
Two days ago, we left for our loop around vietnam. We stayed in a village the first night and went tromping through the fields of mud with the rice paddies on either side. For the first time, the dogs looked healthy here, but they are all tied up everywhere too, which is kind of sad. Even sleeping in the village isn't that bad though; we have a pillow, bedding, and a 1 inch thick bumpy mattress pad, though it's still a mattress, and mosquito netting. It may possibly be more comfortable than all those nights my family made me sleep on the floor at reunions and cousin's houses, haha.
Yesterday, we stayed in a hotel in the Halong Bay inlet area for the night after driving a ridiculous amount of hours and consuming a ridiculous amount of snackfoods. Today, we are now in Catba, another part of Halong Bay and we got here by this big boat that was 2 layers. Lunch was full of faux meat since I can't take the sea creatures with the eyes staring at me and have temporarily become a vegetarian in this country. It's so incredible how many faux meat things that they can make here, but to each his own I guess. I'm currently sitting in an internet cafe after walking around a little through the city. It's little, a port city, and very beautiful. Anh, you were right, or at least your mom was right, when you told me Halong Bay is one of the most beautiful places in the world. I wasn't feeling up to it, but there was a small mountain/stair climb today as well as jumping off the boat into the middle of the bay where they docked our boat. It was a bit much for me.
We have one more day in Halong Bay before going back to Hanoi and one more day in Hanoi before going to Beijing where the "vacation" section of our program ends and the real work begins. It's a hard life trekking through SE Asia staying at 4 star hotels, but some program at Carleton has to do it, and I might as well be part of it, right?
I miss you all and am taking copious amounts of photos that will eventually be put up somewhere as soon as I find a computer and buy a card reader to get them off my camera since I didn't think to bring my cord. Also parents, I did buy electrical adapters at the airport in MSP that have been a lifesaver, so no worries there. I should probably post this before my time runs out though because that would suck. Have fun at Carleton and Iowa and Alaska and wherever else you are! I'll do the same here :D
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Ting Tong in Thailand
So we're back now from our 3 day trek and this will be a short recap of what happened. We started out an hour after the "hardcore"group and packed two vans for Northern Thailand. On the first day, we were to visit 5 villages and spend the night in the last one. After driving 1.5 hours (appx), we piled out by the side of the road and started in towards the first village through the jungle of northern Thailand. The landscape was absolutely phenomenal, and we came to our first village where we saw people working on slash and burn crop growing. We were told that the first village also wasn't very friendly, but that we had others to go. At the foot of this huge hill/mountain, the guide informs us that we should climb to the top of the mountain to take a group photo. It took us like, 15 minutes or 20 minutes to get the the top; it was ridiculous. Come to find out later that it was necessary to climb up it because it was part of our 20 kilometer hike that day (which was more than the "hardcore" group hiked in total from what I hear). The hike was quite possibly one of the hardest thing I've ever done, but I feel so proud of knowing that I was part of a group and we did it together. It was really sad to see the poverty in the villages and strange to see the contrast between the huts and handbuilt parts of the village as compared to the satellites and other government enhanced parts of the village. We also rode elephants for an hour and our s kept going off road to pull up trees and eat them. We (Elidh and I) had named the elephant Edgar after edgar the editor on our train ride. We also managed to serenade him while riding :D I got to ride on the lephants neck, which was sooo fun, but scary. We ended up in a Palaung village where we stayed the night. Our amazing guides cooked dinner and it may be the best meal I've had this trip. Our leader, Tun Myint, also somehow managed tho organize the town to talk to us that evening in the village's temple, which was a really powerful experience. After sleeping in the mosquito net on a bamboo platform outside and having the village women set up a little market for us, we set out for Pai. On the way, we stopped at a beautiful waterfall and decided to skip the hotsprings. We stayed at a "resort" which was pretty but the rooms were basic. In Pai, we wandered around and went to this bar where Bass and I learned how to spin fire sticks, which was really scary and amazing and definitely a once of a lifetime event. The next morning we went back to Chiang Mai, stopping at a bat cave where we floated through on bamboo rafts and hiked to a monk's village of 3, and we also stopped at a whiskey brewery, orchid farm, butterfly farm, and tea plantation. Last night, we did the night market in Chiang Mai and went out with Tun Myint too. He commented that nobody takes him to the Cow in NOrthfield, so we'll probably do that this fall as a reunion. Other people need the computer, so I should probably end this now. We're leaving for Burma later today, which will definltely be itneresting. HOpefully we aren't arested by the junta and everyone will stay safe the on flight to mandalay!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Markets, Sleep Deprivation, and Rats: Oh My!
So I don't have my journal in front of me, making this a recap by memory, which we all know could be iffy even without sleep deprivation. I'll start at the beginning and work up to now.
We left at the crack of dawn from Northfield and went to MSP, where we flew to Chicago O'hare and waited for our Tokyo flight. After boarding, I realized that I did the right thing picking the seat behind the mysterious line because it ended up that there wasn't a row ahead of me and I got ample leg room to completely stretch out :D I felt a bit guilty about it though...not really. We watched tons of movies on the flight and had 1 semi okay meal and another really crappy meal. My favorite food was the instant ramen we got as a snack though. I have a feeling there will be lots of that this trip. After landing in Tokyo, we got out and wandered the airport, which wasn't that bad at all. I think the worst airport we had was actually MSP or O'Hare. We had a short layover and then flew to Bangkok where Roy and the rest of the professors were waiting for us with our tour guide and bus. We loaded up and then went to the hotel for the night to have a short meeting and rooms. I stayed with Molly, who is super nice and I'm glad that I met her. We were 2 per room, which was also a change from the 4 person debate hotel stays in high school. Our room was on the third floor and a lot nicer than I expected.
The next day, we went to the Royal Palace and the Temple to see the Emerald Buddah. The architecture was fantastic and so intricate. I felt a little werid taking pictures and being touristy in a place of worship, but they fund the repairs through our fees, so it works out in the end I guess. After coming back for lunch in the hotel, Shilpa, Emily, Liv, Brooke, and I set out on our dinner adventure. Roy had us using a bus, sky train, and express boats to get to the river where we met for our dinner cruise. The ship was a little cheesy with the disco ball table on the end, but we got to eat on the top level and floated up and down the river, taking in the sights and enjoying being in Thailand.
On the second day in Thailand, I woke up at 430 am (I think I'm still on the 6 hour Carleton schedule and not actually sleep deprived though) and decided to take Barry's advice, a Carl alum leading on the treks, to make the most of it, so I went out walking with my camera, ipod for a watch, and some baht (thai currency). I ended up at this huge local markety around 10 minutes down the street from our hotel. It was such a different experience to take in local Thai markets without having someone shove stuff in my face. There was a ton of fruit and meat stands with hundreds of people and cats/dogs roaming about. I'm kind of getting leery of meat already after seeing it laying out in buckets with no ice in the sun or hanging on hooks. I also saw a few more shrines that people create and have all over Bangkok. I was on my way back and also saw a rat run across the sidewalk. I thought of following it and taking a picture and then realized that was kind of gross. We headed out as a group that morning to go to the Jim Thompson house after our group meeting/lesson. We wandered around the garden, did the tour, looked at silk for sale, and I had an incredible lime soda drink concoction on the veranda. We had free time at the hotel then to wander around after lunch and packing. Molly and I took a tuk tuk (this 3 wheeled taxi thing) back to the hotel after wandering off.
Later, we had a bus tour and went to the train station for our overnight ride to Chiang Mai. It was uncomfortable and I was scared I was going to fall off of my bed where the only safety was two seatbelt straps hooked from the bed to the ceiling. I also made use of the eye mask thing Anh gave me because the curtain did not keep the light out of the bed which was on ALL NIGHT.
Today, we got to our hotel, the Yaang Come Village. It is even better than our first hotel and absolutely what I imagine when I think of Thailand. Liv and I are staying in hut 6 in a fantastic room that I want to come back and stay in later. We did walking tours too today with a guide and university student where we went to the day market and a senior citizen home. Tonight we're going to the night market and supper, so I probably should end this now (and you're probably bored of reading this now). We head out tomorrow for our treks. It will be fantastic. Elephant riding, cave spelunking, hot springs, villages. I'm excited. It will be fantastic. Miss you all and will be thinking of you when I'm on the elephant.
We left at the crack of dawn from Northfield and went to MSP, where we flew to Chicago O'hare and waited for our Tokyo flight. After boarding, I realized that I did the right thing picking the seat behind the mysterious line because it ended up that there wasn't a row ahead of me and I got ample leg room to completely stretch out :D I felt a bit guilty about it though...not really. We watched tons of movies on the flight and had 1 semi okay meal and another really crappy meal. My favorite food was the instant ramen we got as a snack though. I have a feeling there will be lots of that this trip. After landing in Tokyo, we got out and wandered the airport, which wasn't that bad at all. I think the worst airport we had was actually MSP or O'Hare. We had a short layover and then flew to Bangkok where Roy and the rest of the professors were waiting for us with our tour guide and bus. We loaded up and then went to the hotel for the night to have a short meeting and rooms. I stayed with Molly, who is super nice and I'm glad that I met her. We were 2 per room, which was also a change from the 4 person debate hotel stays in high school. Our room was on the third floor and a lot nicer than I expected.
The next day, we went to the Royal Palace and the Temple to see the Emerald Buddah. The architecture was fantastic and so intricate. I felt a little werid taking pictures and being touristy in a place of worship, but they fund the repairs through our fees, so it works out in the end I guess. After coming back for lunch in the hotel, Shilpa, Emily, Liv, Brooke, and I set out on our dinner adventure. Roy had us using a bus, sky train, and express boats to get to the river where we met for our dinner cruise. The ship was a little cheesy with the disco ball table on the end, but we got to eat on the top level and floated up and down the river, taking in the sights and enjoying being in Thailand.
On the second day in Thailand, I woke up at 430 am (I think I'm still on the 6 hour Carleton schedule and not actually sleep deprived though) and decided to take Barry's advice, a Carl alum leading on the treks, to make the most of it, so I went out walking with my camera, ipod for a watch, and some baht (thai currency). I ended up at this huge local markety around 10 minutes down the street from our hotel. It was such a different experience to take in local Thai markets without having someone shove stuff in my face. There was a ton of fruit and meat stands with hundreds of people and cats/dogs roaming about. I'm kind of getting leery of meat already after seeing it laying out in buckets with no ice in the sun or hanging on hooks. I also saw a few more shrines that people create and have all over Bangkok. I was on my way back and also saw a rat run across the sidewalk. I thought of following it and taking a picture and then realized that was kind of gross. We headed out as a group that morning to go to the Jim Thompson house after our group meeting/lesson. We wandered around the garden, did the tour, looked at silk for sale, and I had an incredible lime soda drink concoction on the veranda. We had free time at the hotel then to wander around after lunch and packing. Molly and I took a tuk tuk (this 3 wheeled taxi thing) back to the hotel after wandering off.
Later, we had a bus tour and went to the train station for our overnight ride to Chiang Mai. It was uncomfortable and I was scared I was going to fall off of my bed where the only safety was two seatbelt straps hooked from the bed to the ceiling. I also made use of the eye mask thing Anh gave me because the curtain did not keep the light out of the bed which was on ALL NIGHT.
Today, we got to our hotel, the Yaang Come Village. It is even better than our first hotel and absolutely what I imagine when I think of Thailand. Liv and I are staying in hut 6 in a fantastic room that I want to come back and stay in later. We did walking tours too today with a guide and university student where we went to the day market and a senior citizen home. Tonight we're going to the night market and supper, so I probably should end this now (and you're probably bored of reading this now). We head out tomorrow for our treks. It will be fantastic. Elephant riding, cave spelunking, hot springs, villages. I'm excited. It will be fantastic. Miss you all and will be thinking of you when I'm on the elephant.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Bangkok
Hi everyone,
Today is our first full day and we're in Bangkok. Still safe. Went on a boat ride, bus, sky train. Saw the Royal Palace and Emerald Buddah. It was fantastic and I will write more later.
Today is our first full day and we're in Bangkok. Still safe. Went on a boat ride, bus, sky train. Saw the Royal Palace and Emerald Buddah. It was fantastic and I will write more later.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
T-4
Hey all,
I'm still up, trying to buy my ticket (for korea this summer! don't worry!) But anyway, it's given me time to meet with most of you to say goodbye, ponder the amount of packing I did today/yesterday/day before, and get ready mentally for this new adventure. It's going to be hard, I realize that, but I think it's something I need to do for myself and especially as preparation for traveling in Korea. I will miss all of you dearly and hope that you have fantastic times that you will email me about, as well as regale me with when I return. Once I get this ticket bought, I'm going to bed.
Much Love, Catherine
I'm still up, trying to buy my ticket (for korea this summer! don't worry!) But anyway, it's given me time to meet with most of you to say goodbye, ponder the amount of packing I did today/yesterday/day before, and get ready mentally for this new adventure. It's going to be hard, I realize that, but I think it's something I need to do for myself and especially as preparation for traveling in Korea. I will miss all of you dearly and hope that you have fantastic times that you will email me about, as well as regale me with when I return. Once I get this ticket bought, I'm going to bed.
Much Love, Catherine
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Getting Ready
I am incapable of packing lightly. There are clothes strung across my room, some of which I don't remember even wearing since I got here. I have no idea how I'm going to pack for this trip (where we'll be going to Thailand, Burma, Vietnam, and China in that order), Korea, the basement of Musser, and home in the next 24 hours. I also feel really bad for my mom because I could have been neater. Hypothetically.
So this is probably the fourth blog I've tried in my lifetime, and I don't think I've ever made it past 3 posts before. I'll try very hard to do better this time. I know you all want to learn about the (mis)adventures I'm going to get into between Wednesday (since we don't land until then) and June 3rd when I return. Oh, and as far as returning plans go, I'll be at Carleton for a couple of days to say goodbye to all of my lovely seniors and then I will be going home until I go to Korea (yay!)
This will be a sporadically posted blog. I actually don't even know how often we'll have internet access or if I'll be able to access this in Asia. That would be disappointing because I've just wasted the past ten minutes making this. Oh well.
I'm going to end this now and say I will stay safe and not drink the water. And I will miss all of you a lot, but reflecting now on the size of my suitcase, I can't take any of you with me that I had previously promised. Sorry. We'll go when we're rich and famous, k?
So this is probably the fourth blog I've tried in my lifetime, and I don't think I've ever made it past 3 posts before. I'll try very hard to do better this time. I know you all want to learn about the (mis)adventures I'm going to get into between Wednesday (since we don't land until then) and June 3rd when I return. Oh, and as far as returning plans go, I'll be at Carleton for a couple of days to say goodbye to all of my lovely seniors and then I will be going home until I go to Korea (yay!)
This will be a sporadically posted blog. I actually don't even know how often we'll have internet access or if I'll be able to access this in Asia. That would be disappointing because I've just wasted the past ten minutes making this. Oh well.
I'm going to end this now and say I will stay safe and not drink the water. And I will miss all of you a lot, but reflecting now on the size of my suitcase, I can't take any of you with me that I had previously promised. Sorry. We'll go when we're rich and famous, k?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
