life as i know it.

This week was gray skies, India books, Ugg boots, running at the gym, old friends reunited, movies with family, homemade cookies, christmas decorations, overdue emails, Galleria shopping, hot apple cider, photo editing, icy roads, thoughts of Asia, and reaching a state of contentment.

a reason to give thanks.

One of the things I love most about Thanksgiving is the opporunity it gives to pause and reflect on life's blessings. The things I am thankful for are too numerous to list in full, but a few of them include: my mom, dad, brother, and sister, parents that encourage me to follow my dreams, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, being an American citizen, a warm house, food, a well-paying job, good health, music, books, the opportunity to travel the world, fun memories, good friends in Asia, my best friend in the solar system, bicycles, coffee shops, my journal, freedom, photography, shoes, changing seasons, laughter, faith, the many wonderful people that have been a part of my life during the last 2 years, sunshine, exotic islands, airplanes, and a loving God who has blessed me with so much more than I deserve.

This Thanksgiving season meant more to me than ever before because it has been 3 years since I last celebrated it with family. Although I made many wonderful friends while living overseas, nothing compares to spending the holidays with people who love you unconditionally. I had a great time eating turkey and pie, sharing stories and photos from my last year in Korea, and seeing all of my relatives again. I am so thankful for my family and this time we have together before I return to Asia. I am blessed.


my mom's side of the family at the lakehouse. all 24 of us!


dad, sister, brother, me, and mom on thanksgiving day.

we celebrated with my dad's family too, but unfortunately i don't have any photos to share.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

live octopus.

This video was taken a few months ago when I still lived in Seoul, but I thought it was worthy of a blog post. One night a few of my friends went out for live octopus at a small restaurant in our neighborhood. It was hard to pick up the octopus legs with chopsticks because they kept moving, and when you finally got one into your mouth you had to chew quickly so that they wouldn't suction to your tongue. It was definitely an interetesting meal that I wouldn't mind having again. When I first moved to Asia 2 years ago I hardly ever ate meat...and now this. People change!

first impressions.

A week and a half ago I said a tearful goodbye to wonderful friends who have greatly influenced this last year of my life and boarded a plane for America. Although I have been "home" for a few days I am still in a state of culture shock. Everything is so much different than I remember, or maybe this last year in Seoul has changed me in ways that I am only just now discovering. Anderson Cooper once wrote about his travels by saying, "The longer you are gone, the harder it is to return." America has been my home for the last 23 years but the longer I stay in Asia the more disconnected I feel upon returning. During these last few days I have felt like an alien walking in a foreign land... moving from point A to B but not knowing how I got there. Only lately are things beginning to make more sense as I try to take things one day at a time. Leaving South Korea was one of the hardest moves I have ever made because I miss the life and friends that I left behind so much more than can be expressed in words. I am so thankful for last 14 months that were spent in Seoul. I think it was one of the most formative and exciting experiences in my life thus far. But now that I am in America I want to do everything I can to take advantage of this time with my family and friends before returning to Asia. I don't want to spend my time here dwelling on past memories or disoriented by the American way of life that now feels foreign. I know that the future is full of opportunites to travel, explore, and learn and I am excited to see where life leads. Despite the frequent feelings of sadness and confusion, I will find reason to rejoice!

First impressions upon returning to America:

- The pace of life. After living in a big city like Seoul the American suburbs seem like such a lonely place with their big houses and fenced yards. Everyday I find myself longing to return to a place full of streetside cafes, crowded shopping districts, and busy subways. I miss the constant movement of the city.

- The people. For the last 2 1/2 years I have been surrounded by thin, well-dressed Asians with black hair and almond shaped eyes. Although people are all unique in thier own way, they have the same defining features. Now I find myself in a place where everyone looks drastically different. I can't help but stare at the strange looking, oddly shaped men and women of various colors and sizes that I encouter throughout the day. We are a strange looking race (myself included). Now I understand why so many guys are attracted to Asian women... I would be too!

- The sky. I love the saying that everything is bigger in Texas, and it's true! I love driving along the highway and watching the sunset stretch across the earth. I haven't seen a sky this big, or blue, in a long time.

- The culture. Upon returning to America I have been trying to find something that defines this country. I never realized how diverse our nation is until I began traveling. In America it's not uncommon to see people from many different countries in a single day, or to eat Chinese food for dinner one night and Mexican the next. But in some ways I think this "melting pot" society has erased all uniqueness and left us without our own culture. One of the things I love about Asia is the distinct differences between thier way of life and my own... using chopsicks, eating rice at every meal, bowing to say hello, taking your shoes off in someone's home, practicing tae kwon do, etc. I am on a quest to discover what defines America.

final thoughts.

It's a beautiful fall day in Korea and I've been wandering the streets of Seoul for the last few hours. Work is finished, I have moved out of my apartment, and the return to America is only days away. It's a strange feeling to walk around the city that has been home for the last 14 months and to know you are possibly looking at everything for the final time. Today I feel like the most blessed person on earth as I reflect on the wonderful memories made throughout this last year. One person doesn't deserve so much. I am so thankful to have worked at a school that was organized and efficient and genuinely cared for its teachers. I am thankful to have been given a nice apartment in a beautiful neighborhood that felt like home. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to travel to so many places in Korea and throughout Asia during the last year. And above all, I am thankful for the friendships that were developed here. When I moved to Seoul last August I never imagined I'd find such wonderful people to share the experience with. None of this would have been nearly as fun, or as memorable, if it weren't for my friends that now feel more like family. My mind is flooded with thoughts of nights spent dancing until 4 am in Hongdae, mornings spent talking over a cup of coffee in Olympic Park, bike riding through the neighborhood, playing charades on a love motel bed, shopping with the girls in our favorite areas of the city, learning to snowboard during the cold winter, taking weekend trips to the beach, teaching beautiful Korean children English, developing deep friendships with people from all parts of the world, etc. The incredible moments I've been lucky enough to experience are too numerous to list. I am immensely grateful for this last year of life.

I am trying hard to remain joyful as I reflect on my time in Korea, although a part of me feels sad to leave it all behind. I already anticipate the ache in the pit of my stomach when the plane departs Seoul on Sunday morning. I know this will be the hardest move yet, but I feel confident that life will work out exactly as it is supposed to. As I sit next to the window now in this quiet coffee shop over-looking the streets of Insadong I can see red and yellow and orange leaves float to the ground outside. The changing seasons remind me of God's consistent love. Every year spring fades to summer, and summer to fall, because He directs the movement of the entire world. In the same way, I know God is in control of my life and I have faith that He will never lead me towards something new without having a greater purpose. I constantly wonder if leaving the home I've created in Korea is the right desicion, but I can't deny the pull I feel towards China. Although sad about ending this season in my life, I am excited to return to the country where my love affair with Asia first began. There is so much in store for the future and I eagerly aniticpate the start of something new. Goodbye Korea...

"Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become." -unknown

home on the other side.

Today I miss this house and the people who live inside.



It's hard to believe that I will return to America in 22 days. It doesn't seem real.

happiness is...

Trips to beautiful beaches (Wando and Busan) with great friends.

Dongjip wars that never end.

Train rides to new cities.

American Apparel v-necks and Uniqlo hoodies.

Pot luck dinners and charades.

Spending time with a certain Korean-American.

City-wide scavenger hunts in the rain.

Watching indie films at the Busan International Film Festival.

Cheesy love motels with flowered wallpaper and Thomas Kincade window shades.

Inspring/encouraging emails from my best friend in the solar system.

Jogging along the Han River at night.

Hookah bars and mexican food in Gangnam.

Sitting at a coffee shop and drinking a latte while writing in my journal.

Reading a book about India and knowing that I'll be there soon.

Thinking about Christmas in America for the first time in 3 years.

Fall weather.

Enjoying every moment in Seoul before time runs out.

happy korean thanksgiving!

A few weeks ago Korea celebrated one of its most important holidays, Chusok. In honor of the day, the students at school dressed in Hanboks and played traditional Korean games. It was so much fun to see all of my little kindergarten kids looking nice in their brightly colored clothes representative of their culture. Here are a few photos from the day:


playing a korean stick tossing game. i didn't quite understand the concept.


i sincerely hope that someday i have a little asian girl whose eyes completely close when she smiles.


claire and her red dress.


charlie. the ladies' man.


a few of the girls.

Check out my Flickr site to see more photos from Chusok!

bali, indonesia: ubud.

I haven’t been updating my blog very frequently, and although the contents of this post are in the past, I’d still like to share some photos and journal entries from one of the most fascinating places I’ve ever traveled in Southeast Asia. During my weeklong holiday in Bali, Indonesia I spent some time near the center of the island in a little village called Ubud. The moment my rickety old bus arrived in this laid-back town situated in the middle of rice paddies that stretch on as far as the eye can see in every direction, I knew I was somewhere incredible. In Ubud monkeys roam freely…. they jump across rooftops, eat leftover prayer offerings in front of homes and stores, and eagerly wait for willing tourists to feed them in the Monkey Forest Sanctuary. Women dress in traditional sarongs with a single white strip of cloth tied across their foreheads. Men navigate the roads by moped while wearing Balinese wraps around their waist and bandana-like cloth piled on their heads. Cafés, massage parlors, temples, and souvenir shops line the streets. The entire place is rich with culture and beauty. I’ve always heard that in Ubud you need a new adjective to describe the word green, and I found that to be true. The rice paddies and trees and plants surrounding the village seemed to explode into every imaginable shade in the spectrum. I have never seen a place so beautiful and exotic. The few days I spent in Ubud were some of the most relaxing and peaceful I’ve ever experienced. I already look forward to returning one day.


balinese boys posing for a photo.


hard at work in the rice paddies.


one of hundreds.

“Ubud. There are no words to adequately describe the beauty of this place. I woke up this morning in a quiet cottage surrounded by lush vegetation and rice paddies. I ate banana pancakes by the hotel pool, and now I am laying here just enjoying the morning. I don’t want to move. I don’t want to read. I don’t even want to meet other tourists. I just want to lay here next to flowers and fountains and soak up every ounce of my surroundings. I have landed in a village of fairy tales. This moment can’t be real. Last night after eating dinner at a street side café I watched a traditional Balinese Kecak dance performed at a nearby temple. It was fascinating to hear dozens of men make music with only their lips…a kind of clicking sound. Ornately dressed men and women danced around a central fire while acting out a story passed on through the generations. An incredible night.

It’s afternoon now and I can easily say that this has been one of the most unique and interesting days of my life. I decided to take a walk this morning through some of the nearby rice fields, and unable to follow a map, ended up in a village far away from Ubud. I have no idea where I was, but ended up making friends with a nice Balinese guy about my age who was working at his family’s art gallery. After talking for a while, I boldly asked if he’d be willing to take me to explore the rice paddies. And that’s what I’ve been doing for the last 2 hours. Right now I am sitting on the ledge of what must be one of the most spectacular places on the island- and maybe in the world. Terraced rice paddies fill the valley below, palm trees stretch into the sky, and men with baskets hanging on poles across their shoulders work in the fields. Green. Everything is green. I can’t get enough of this place. This morning I woke up without a plan for the day, and now I am here. Travel always brings the most unexpected moments. I love the people that you meet along the way and the kind natives who are eager to share their country. Today I can’t stop smiling. I am so thankful.” – July 31, 2008


terraced rice paddies.


monkey forest sanctuary.


my hotel pool. paradise.

“CONTENTMENT. It’s the only word that does justice to my feelings now. How can anyone ever return to “normal” life after experiencing a place like Bali? I’ve only been in Ubud for 2 days, but they have been some of the most incredible I’ve ever experienced. I’ve spent mornings tanning by a pool set in a lush garden, an afternoon whizzing through rice fields and villages on the back of a moped, an evening getting a relaxing massage, and a night watching Balinese dances at historic temples. It doesn’t seem fair that one person should be allowed to experience so much joy. I feel on top of the world now. Last night I saw a traditional trance dance at the Ubud Palace in the center of town. The performance was incredible…a photographers dream. The men and women were all so ornately dressed in layers and layers of decorative silks and jewels. Their faces were covered in outrageous make-up. And their eyes… I’ve never seen eyes move so quickly or express so much emotion. I will never find the right worlds to tell my family and friends about this place. My dreams have come true here.” – August 1, 2008


traditional balinese dance.


trance dance at ubud palace.


kecak dance. (press the play button in the middle of the picture)

free falling.

Yesterday afternoon a few friends and I took the subway to the outskirts of Seoul to a park for bungee jumping. Last October when we were in the area everyone was brave enough to jump, except for me. Yesterday I was determined not to chicken out. I still can’t believe I let myself free fall from a 140 ft. platform trusting that a rope would catch me! Although it was one of the scariest moments of my life, I’d definitely do it again.

Here’s a short video clip from my jump:

across the border and into north korea.

This weekend I visited a nation that remains shut off to most of the world. A place where rigid communist ideology pervades and the everyday movements of ordinary citizens are closely monitored. North Korea was unlike any place I have ever traveled, and I saw but only a glimpse of the country that is home to more than 30 million people.

I visited North Korea with a South Korean tour group, and from the moment we crossed the border along the demilitarized zone the differences between the divided peninsula were drastically apparent. In a matter of one hour I went from a country full of parks, shopping malls, well-dressed business people, and coffee shops to a city with few cars, stores, and restaurants. All day it felt like my eyes were playing tricks on me. Staring out of the bus window onto the desolate streets felt like watching a movie filmed 60 years prior. I kept blinking to make sure the scene on the other side of the glass was real. The few people walking or riding their bikes along the road were dressed in clothing reminiscent of 1940’s America…knee length pencil skirts, white blouses, dark-colored ill-fitting suits, flat brown loafers, and the occasional fancy hat. Every building looked the same…. made of concrete, square, no flowers or curtains in the window. Drab to say the least. North Korean military guards littered the streets as they monitored our every move. I have never been watched so closely. All day I couldn’t help but wonder what it must feel like to wake up every morning in a place where propaganda posters praising the suppressive communist dictator, Kim Jung Il, are plastered on billboards and windows. How does it feel to long for independence but to know that your chance for it might never arrive? This weekend I gained a new appreciation for my freedom.

I wish that I had more interesting photos from North Korea to post as I think the few below are a fairly inaccurate representation of the country. I was allowed to bring my camera on the trip, but the use of it was heavily monitored. All visitors were only allowed to photograph the “tourists traps” (as I prefer to call them) that we visited throughout the day. Therefore, my North Korea photo album consists mainly of beautifully restored temples and monuments, perfectly manicured parks and waterfall, and women wearing traditional Korean han-boks. While much of the North Korean countryside is beautiful and green and mountainous, I was not permitted to take photos of those places. Any chance of capturing a shot would have been shut down immediately by the North Koreans that accompanied us on the bus, or by the military guards that lined the streets. Regardless, images of the country will be ingrained in my memory forever.

A few photos from the north...


north korean military officials driving in front of an old office building. i was allowed to photograph this side of the street, but the opposite side was off-limits as it was under construction and might give the impression that the country is poor and undeveloped. crazy.


an old department store in the city of kaesong.


the infamous kim jung il.


holding a north korean postcard/piece of propoganda that I smuggled out of the country. shhh…don’t tell.

bali, indonesia: kuta beach.

During my vacation to Southeast Asia I spent only 24 hours in Malaysia and then boarded a plane for Indonesia. As soon as I arrived at the airport in Bali I took a cab to my hotel on Poppies Lane II, threw down bags, and began to explore the area around Kuta Beach. It only took a few hours to appreciate the rich culture, beauty, and simplicity of the island. The next 3 days were spent lying in the sun, learning to surf, riding a moped along the coastline, shopping in alleyways lined with souvenirs, hanging out with Paul, reading books by the pool, enjoying western food at fancy restaurants, and exploring the city. I found that there are no dull moments in paradise.


this is what $20 a night will get you in indonesia.


the view from my hotel balcony and the place i ate banana pancakes every morning.

“I woke up fairly early this morning in a spacious hotel room with a balcony over-looking wing-tipped Balinese rooftops. I now feel rested and re-energized and ready to enjoy my surroundings. Everything is so beautiful here…the sky, the ocean, the people, the sounds. It’s too much to take in. I must be dreaming. This morning I sat on an oversized futon full of pillows at a street side café, drank rich balinese coffee, ate eggs and bacon, and watched the surfers tackle the morning waves. It’s easy to understand why so many people travel to Bali every year, and why many of them choose to never leave. The laid-back feel of this place is intoxicating. After breakfast I met up with Paul, a friend from Seoul who is also vacationing in Bali. We rented a moped and spent a couple of hours driving along the coastline to Seminyak and Legian. It felt amazing to whiz through neighborhoods and back streets lined with locally owned shops and restaurants and to see people in a more natural environment. This whole island seems to move so slowly. The culture shines through in everyday life. Outside of nearly every home and shop are prayer-offerings left for gods carefully crafted out of bamboo leaves and flowers. Temples are around nearly every corner. Tanned children play and run barefoot in the street. It doesn’t seem possible that a place like Bali can exist on the same earth as a fast-paced, consumer driven city like Manhattan or Tokyo. After our moped ride Paul and I ate dinner at a fancy, western-owned nightclub/outdoor restaurant and watched the sunset over the ocean. Following a meal of pasta and swordfish we enjoyed an hour-long foot massage that set us back $4. Now I am once again in my hotel room…clean, relaxed, and ready for bed. I love knowing that tomorrow when I wake up I will still be in paradise.” –July 28, 2008


kuta beach.


riding the waves.


packing up the boards for the day.


relaxing at sunset.


one of hundreds of women trying to sell junk on the beach.


bali is a surfer's paradise.

“It’s another simply perfect day on one of the world’s most beautiful islands. Nowhere to be and nothing to do. I spent a bit of time laying on the beach this morning and after feeling sufficiently tan for the day I wandered around Poppies Lane I in search of new dresses and postcards to send home. I am in Bali, Indonesia now. It’s still hard to believe. I am so far from home (both Texas and Korea) and I feel so perfectly content and happy. I just finished drinking a fruit smoothie made with pineapples, mangoes, and papayas and eating a chicken sandwich. I’m sitting on oversized cushions only feet away from the ocean. This place is pure bliss…I can’t say it enough. I don’t even know what to do with myself now. Take a nap? Read a book? Grab a cup of coffee? I love that these are the most difficult decisions that I face today. It’s only 4 pm now but already the sun is hanging lower in the sky. Life is moving more slowly as the day comes to an end. Just another day in paradise…”
–July 29, 2008

Next stop: Ubud, Indonesia

kuala lumpur, malaysia.

This summer, during my weeklong holiday from work, I traveled back to the part of the world where I first experienced real culture, tradition, and diversity. A place that solidified my love of Asia. On July 26th I boarded a plane to Southeast Asia... although this time headed towards Malaysia and Indonesia. It was my first solo trip and one of my most incredible experiences to date.



“The moment is here. I am on an airplane headed towards Kuala Lumpur. It’s always a surreal feeling when the moment you have been dreaming about for so long finally arrives. My first solo adventure has begun and right now I feel so independent and strong. I know if I can do this I am capable of anything. I am convinced that few things are more beautiful or mysterious than seeing the world from an airplane window. It’s a strange feeling to be so high above the earth and to know that life is happening down below. As I stare out of the airplane window now I see nothing but miles of deep blue ocean and fluffy white clouds. Everything is so beautiful from way up here. There are few things in the world that are more satisfying to me than travel. I love knowing that in just a few hours I will step out into Malaysia- a new language, new people, and a culture that I know very little about. I can’t wait to explore. The adventure begins.” – July 26, 2008


china town.


traditional muslim dress.


the petronas towers at night.


cigarette and a smile.

“I woke up early this morning in my hot, sticky hostel room. That place is worth only the $3 a night I’m paying and not a penny more. I’ve only been in Kuala Lumpur for about 12 hours, but already I love this city. When I arrived last night I took the train from the airport to my hostel and randomly met a famous Malaysian actor/talk show host, Christien New, who helped me find my way around. Travel always presents the most unusual experiences. I reached Chinatown at about 8 pm, threw my backpack on my bed, and immediately set out to explore. I spent a few hours roaming around the night market, eating spicy noodles at a street side café, and wandering around the city in search of the Petronas Towers. Beautiful. There is no other word to describe those massive pieces of architecture that light up the night sky. I don’t know what’s in store for today…. all I really want to do is soak up every ounce of this city during the few hours I have left. I am awed by the diversity that surrounds me now. Two women just walked past dressed in jet-black saris that cover their bodies from head to toe. I’ve always heard that in Muslim countries the eyes are the most revealing part of the body as they are solely responsible for expressing emotion. I never realized how true that was until now. A group of teenage girls are sitting at a coffee shop across the street with heads properly covered in scarves. A barefoot monk wrapped in a bright orange robe just tried to hang me a prayer card. I am in “exotic” (based on my limited perspective of the world)…it feels so wonderful.” – July 27, 2008

Next stop: Bali, Indonesia

thoughts from a balcony in bali.

Journal entry from July 29,2008- 9 am

A beautiful start to a new day. I'm sitting out on the balcony of my hotel room now. I just finished eating a banana pancake and fresh papaya and mangoes.I still have half a pot of thick, dark coffee beside me and I intend to sit here until it's finished. A young girl just placed a prayer offering near the statue in the garden area down below- I wonder what these offerings symbolize. The sky is full of white, fluffy clouds and the blue sky hasn't yet broken through. I love the view from here. As far as I can see in every direction there are orange and red and brown tiled Balinese rooftops. The top of each is decorated with ornate designs that sit upright like a crown on a king's head. There are trees everywhere- some with fruit, some with with blooming tropical flowers, some that stretch their palm leaves high into the air. A child just walked through the courtyard in the house next door. The family's clothes are hanging out to dry and they move back and forth in the morning breeze. I wonder what it's like to grow up in Bali surrounded by tourists and in a place that feels like summer everyday. I've only been here for 2 days, but already I understand why so many expats choose to call this place home. It's as close to perfection as I've ever seen. I am so thankful to be here...away from the fast-paced life of Seoul. I work in Korea, but I have come to Bali to live. To soak up life. To reflect. Sometimes I still don't understand why so many people choose to go through life without experiencing places like Indonesia, southern Thailand, Laos, etc. for themselves. I am bursting with happiness now. I am filled with contentment. There is nowhere in the world I'd rather be than on this Balinese balcony.

bali bound.

Tomorrow morning at 9 am I'm leaving the Korean peninsula and boarding a plane to Southeast Asia! I'm so excited about spending the next few days laying on the beaches of Bali, Indonesia, soaking up the sunshine, getting daily massages, meeting new people, and trying to capture Balinese culture in photographs. It's my first solo-vacation and I'm a bit nervous, but mostly excited, about heading out into a new place on my own. Check back in a few weeks for photographs and stories from my travels!

Random photos of where I'll be for the next 8 days. Be jealous...

the demilitarized zone.

This past weekend a few of my friends and I visited the most heavily fortified border in the world- the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea. I didn’t have many preconceptions about this area before visiting, and went into the trip thinking it would be nothing more than a good photo opportunity and a neat thing to write home about. However, I quickly felt the tension between the divided peninsula, and realized that I was standing in a place where intense conflict still exists. From the moment we arrived our group was given specific instructions from the American military guides to not take photographs of certain things, to be mindful of our actions, and to think about our conversation topics as we were most likely being spied on by the North Korean military. It was surreal to stand on a hill over-looking Kim Jung-Il’s oppressed nation, tour an old war tunnel, visit a United Nations boardroom that was literally divided down the middle between the North and South, see North Korean guards stare at our tour group with binoculars from across the border, and to learn more about the Korean War. It was such an interesting day...


taken during a slide presentation shown to help our group understand the situation between the two countries and the role the united nations plays in trying to promote reconciliation.


guarding the DMZ on a rainy saturday afternoon.


photo of a north korean guard looking at me, looking at him.
(taken with a telephoto lens).


commonly called "the bridge of no return." during the war korean people chose to take this path either north or south, thus determining where they would spend the remainder of their lives.

Next month I’ll actually be going INSIDE of North Korea to a small city named Kaesong. I realize it might not be the smartest trip I’ve ever signed up for, especially in light of the current situation (a South Korean tourist was shot and killed there last weekend), but I am so eager to see a place that remains shut off to much of the world. Should be interesting…

three hundred and sixty degrees: myeong-dong

I was in Myeong-dong the other night for a friend's birthday and took a short video clip of the area. This is my favorite place to hang out in Seoul, and you can find me here at least once every weekend (although I usually visit during the day). I love the lights, the shopping, the people, the cheesy Korean music, the noise, the constant movement, the location of my favorite coffee shop high above the busy street, etc. It's enough to make a person crazy, but after living in over-populated China for a year I feel right at home. I love city life!



(sorry for the poor quality...it's hard to hold a camera above your head and turn around in a circle w/out shaking a bit!)

the beach. the mud. the friends.

Every year the city of Boryeong brings in thousands of gallons of mud and dumps it at Daecheon Beach for their annual mud festival. The mud is dug up from nearby fields and is thought to be rich in minerals that are good for your skin. Thousands of people from across Korea attend this event each year and it proved to be one of the most dirty, fun weekends I've ever had.

About 20 of my friends boarded a bus early Saturday morning for the 2-hour trip from Seoul to Boryeong. We spent the entire weekend laying on the beach, covering ourselves in mud, playing dozens of mud events, and hanging out. The festival was also the largest gathering of foreigners I've seen since moving to Asia. The beach was literally covered with muddy Americans, Canadians, South Africans, etc. Who knew there were so many of us living in Korea? Everywhere you looked there were people painting themselves with thick, gray mud, wrestling in mud pits, getting dirty in the "mud jail," playing in mud baths, sliding down mud covered slides, and dancing to the music at a nearby stage. It was an incredible sight and so much fun!

Photos from the festival:


the central area near the beach.


mud-wrestling.


stuck in jail.


the stage. the beach. the dancing. so fun!


taken through a plastic bag so the camera wouldn't get dirty.


sarah. me. and eva looking statue-esque.


clean at last!

To read more about the event check out this site: http://mudfestival.or.kr/lang/en/index.jsp

therefore i travel.

I found a brilliant book this past week while roaming through the travel section at the foreign book store. I am so inspired by the author's thoughts and wanted to share a few of my favorite quotes...

"If our lives are dominated by a search for happiness, then perhaps few activities reveal as much about the dynamics of this quest--in all its ardour and paradoxes--than our travels. They express, however inarticulately, an understanding of what life might be about, outside of the constraints of work and of the struggle for survival. Yet rarely are they considered to present philosophical problems-that is, issues requiring thought beyond the practical. We are inundated with advice on where to travel, but we hear little of why and how we should go, even though the art of travel seems naturally to sustain a number of question neither so simple nor so trivial, and whose study might in modes ways contribute to an understanding of what the greek philosophers beautifully termed eudaimonia, or "human flourishing."

"The plane a symbol of worldliness, carrying within itself a trace of all the lands it has crossed. Its eternal mobility offering an imaginative counterweight to feelings of stagnation and confinement."

"Journeys are the midwives of thought. Few places are more conducive to internal conversations than moving planes, ships, or trains. There is an almost quaint correlation between what is before our eyes and the thoughts we are able to have in our heads: large thoughts at times requiring large views, and new thought, new places. Introspective reflections that might otherwise be liable to stall are helped along by the flow of the landscape."

"If we find poetry in the service station and the motel, if we are drawn to the airport or the train carriage, it is perhaps because, despite their architectural compromises and discomforts, despite their garnish colours and harsh lighting, we implicity feel that these isolated places offer us a material setting for an alternative to the selfish ease, the habits and confinement of the ordinary, rooted world."

-Alain de Botton, The Art of Travel

R&R korean style.

Those of you who know me well know that I am good at being productive throughout the day, and not so good at resting. That being said, I have run myself to the point of exhaustion lately and have been in desperate need of a chance to do nothing. This weekend I was determined to relax. Last night after work I took a taxi over to my favorite jimjilbang (찜질방) and spent the whole night laying in various saunas, getting a full-body massage, reading a travel book, and soaking in the bathhouse. Wonderful!

Jimjilbangs are a popular part of Korean culture and are a place that very few foreigners visit. Nearly every neighborhood in Seoul has one and they vary in the size and amenities offered. My favorite, located in Bangi Dong, is six stories high and has everthing from a bathhouse to workout facilities to massage tables to an abundance of sauna rooms. It's an excellent place to pamper yourself for a few hours.

As soon as you enter the jimjilbang and pay your 6,000 won ($6) entrance fee, you are given a key for storing your things in a locker, two small towels, and a pair of clothes reminiscent of a middle school gym uniform. Then, the men and women part ways to their locker rooms to shower and change. The women's locker room is very nice and has a concession table for buying drinks, snacks, shampoo, shower gel, mud masks, etc. There are also TVs hanging on the wall playing the evening news, massage tables, and rooms where you can get a full-body scrub. As soon as you find your assigned locker, you strip down and join the other hundred or so other naked women in the bathhouse. (Side note: After living in Korea for almost 10 months I am no longer afraid of nakedness. It's just a regular part of culture here to bathe in a public bath). All around the shower room there are dozens of friends and family members bathing each other's backs, carrying on with converstaion as if they were fully dressed, and little kids throwing cold water on one another. It's quite a scene. After showering, you are ready to soak in one of the pools. They have tubs that are scalding hot, temperate, frigid, full of salt-water, etc. Some baths have little fountains, some have powerful jets, some bubble. And in between your different baths, you can visit the steam room and sauna.

The fun doesn't stop there, though! Once you are clean, you put on the ill-fitting pink shirt and shorts provided by the jimjilbang and proceed to the common area to hang out with friends, sweat in one of the dozens of sauna rooms (salt saunas, mineral saunas, oxygenated rooms, ice rooms, and jade saunas...to name a few), eat dinner, watch a movie, check your email at the internet cafe, play games, or sleep. This is a very social place for many Koreans. Last night I opted to get an hour-long massage by a woman who found every muscle in my back, and then layed on the floor in the common area while sipping on a slushy rice drink and reading my new travel book. At about 10:30 pm I went into one of the sleeping rooms, crawled into one of the hundreds of little cave-like holes, and fell asleep. Jimjilbangs are typically open 24 hours so I took advantage of this and spent the night. I was too tired to go home and figured I was already so relaxed...why leave? I woke up at 9 am this morning feeling completely rested and ready to start my day. It was a wonderful night!

I think America has a thing or two to learn from the Koreans.

weekend in wando.

This past weekend I traveled to Wando (a series of island at the southern tip of Korea) with one of my closest friends, Eva. She grew up in this beautiful city and invited me to come home with her for a couple of days. It was so much fun meeting her family, eating home-cooked Korean food, driving around the island listening to loud music with the windows rolled down, and seeing the place where she has lived for the last 24 years. It was also wonderful to get away from the busy city for awhile and to see a much more laid-back part of the penninsula. I am so lucky to have found such great friends on this side of the world!

The weekend in photos:


the 5 1/2 hour bus ride from seoul to wando. our ipods entertained us.


playing on the beach.


eva. her mom. george (her brother). eva's mom own a restaurant in wando so we ate GOOD all weekend long. here we are having kimchi, fried pork and dipping sauce, seaweed, and samgyeobsal.


a view of the ocean from the road. we spent most of our time on saturday driving around since it was rainy and dark outside. regardless of the weather, it was still beautiful!


the ocean at low tide. i wanted to tell this woman that she would never be able to empty her boat as long as it continued to rain.


church on sunday morning. they sang many songs that sounded familiar, however, i couldn't sing along because everything was in korean.

Wando is such a beautiful place to visit. I can't wait to return when the weather is sunny and warm!