Taiwanese Get-Away!

Ahhh nothing like a little winter 'warm up' holiday vacation! During my school's only week long winter break I took the time to embark on a solo exhibition to the beautiful country of Taiwan. I had heard a lot about Taiwan from a friend of mine and has peaked my interest to visit this enchanting and welcoming place.

I arrived in the biggest city of Taiwan, Taipei, just in time to celebrate the New Year on January 31st, but spent the majority of my trip in a small costal city called Hualien City.

While in Hualien I enjoyed the lush pebble beaches, hiked the famous Taroko Gorge Mountain, explored the natural landscapes both in and out of the city, and sampled the local culture by speaking to the townspeople, trying new foods, and observing some of their history.

All of the positive things my friend had ever mentioned about Taiwan was verified on this vacation. Not only is the climate and nature just standstill-beautiful, but the people of Taiwan were so welcoming, friendly, helpful, and genuine. While spending my one day in Taipei and then again in the smaller town areas I was treated most kindly and appreciated by all the Taiwanese people. It truly was a 'feel good' country.

I only was able to stay in Taiwain for 5 days...but it sure did make a good impression on me. This mini-vacation to Taiwain was just the energy and love booster that I needed in the depths of winter. I most certainly plan on visiting Taiwan again someday...probably more than once...and definitely for longer than 5 days!!!

메리 크리스마스 (Merry Christmas)!

Hey there and Merry Christmas everyone! So Christmas was this past week and I had a few very first Christmas experiences this year- celebrating it in a foreign country, experiencing a cultures norms and expectations on the Christmas season, and of course I was away from my family.

Christmas for me is all about the music, christmas lights, classic TV shows, making batches and batches of homemade cookies, and of course a nice quite dinner at home with my immediate family. It is a time of year that I am usually most happiest and content in life due all of the positive vibes generating from such wonderful things! I love Christmas and recall on years past spent in America with my family as some of the best times we ever had together.

However, celebrating Christmas alone- and in a country that only recognizes it for a couple of days- it had potential to be lonely and depressing. In Korea, where only 1/3 of the country celebrates Christmas, there are little to no homes with Christmas lights, no street decorations, no 'Mall Santas'', and with schools only going on break  for 1 WEEK AFTER CHRISTMAS, it seemed as if it was just another minimal holiday. However, for my fellow foreign friends, the young Korean crowd, and myself, Christmas is a special day meant to be spent with those we care about and having good times and making memories. My friends and I made an effort to acknowledge Christmas for the weeks leading up to the 25th and also had our own "Friend's Christmas" gathering in which we became one another's family. It is so important to reach out to those closest to us when we seek comfort and consistency...and this Christmas, my first away from my family, I could not have asked for better friends or a more memorable first Christmas in Korea!!!


I of course did miss my family, and the necessary skype call to each member gave my heart and soul some much need TLC. But, I have had many wonderful years spent with them on Christmas and provided all is well in our lives we will have many more in future years.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, Hanukah, or other Holiday fitting for your life!!! Happy Holidays and Happy New Years!!!

-Patrick

For more info on how a Korean Christmas is played out check out these blogs. They are both fun and informative blogs I watch regularly that teach a lot about the korean culture, language, and life here in the great land of Korea!

Sweet and Tasty- A quirky girl living in the US that has many personas she uses to explain how different types of Korean people speak and live in Korea. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP3FyIaDYVo&list=UU9aWBNR-mDNzgRsO3XLJ7uw&index=1

Eat your Kimchi- A canadian couple who has lived in Korea for 3 years and kept a video blog of their time here. They since have moved on from teaching English to now running their own business in Korea.
http://www.eatyourkimchi.com/whats-christmas-in-korea-like/

Wedding Bells and Welcoming Winter

Hello all you beautiful people! I'm sure you may be wondering as to the title of my blog entry....Well I hate to disappoint you but no, Patrick is not married and still single and ready to mingle. Actually, two weekends ago a good friend of mine, Monica, got married! I met Monica here in Korea and became close with her as we worked together at the same academy. She is a Korean native, as is her husband, and this was my first time experiencing a Korean wedding.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I did think that it would be more 'streo-typical' and very custom oriented. However (and you think I would know by now that not much in Korea is still 'stero-typical' ) Monica's wedding was very different from what I pictured it to be, and not very much like Western weddings either. It was for sure noticeably a wedding, but none like I had been to before. There was new aspects combined with old traditions, and obviously some of the western world practices had been borrowed and combined with Korean lifestyle.

The wedding itself was very brief and to my opinion not very appealing as to what someone would want on their wedding day. Altho Monica, her husband, and the venue was all beautiful and well put together, it just wasn't what I think is a 'dream wedding day'. Despite some of my comments made in the video, I really did have a great time at the wedding and appreciated it for what it was- it just wasn't very appealing to me. However, seeing Monica so happy on her big day made it a very memorable experience and something I will forever remember!

Anyways, can you believe that it is already min-December!?!? Crazy how quickly time can pass us by. I have gone from exploring beaches, temples, and taking weekend getaways filled with kayaking, cycling, and lazy days at the pool to now spend more time watching movies with friends and eating nice hot home cooked meals while staying snug indoors! Altho both sides of life definitely have their pluses, I would still rather be laying at the beach! However, I wont let winter get me down. I have many plans for this coming winter. All summer long my friends and I kept speaking about how we needed to check out 'this museum' or 'that historical sight' or 'take a tour of this gallery'. Well...the next few months of -C degrees will definitely be the time to check out these indoor attractions. However, I also do plan on hitting up the outdoor and indoor ice skating rinks, Holiday light festivals, and also am planning on trying my hand at skiing for the first time in the northern mountains of South Korea!! Wish me luck!

Oh ya....did I forget to mention I'm taking a 6 day solo get-a-way to Tawian at the end of December? No?? Well I'M PRETTY STOKED ABOUT THAT TOO!!!

Not to mention Christmas is coming up!!! My classroom is decked-out with Gingerbread men, Red and Green, and more crafts are on their way from my lil Tigers!

Anyways, I hope ya'll are taking care and enjoying YOUR holiday season. Stay tuned for blog entries around Christmas time and also my trip to Taiwan!

Peace and Love to you!

미국의 추수 감사절 (American Thanksgiving)

One week ago was the American Holiday of Thanksgiving. I have spent the past 23 years of my life getting together with close friends and family to take part in festivities, a Thanksgiving meal, and of course to enjoy each other's company and be thankful for the time we have spent together. This year however was my first Thanksgiving living as an expat overseas. Not only was I not partaking in my usual family get-together but I am also living in a country which does not recognize this day due Korea having their own day known as Chuseok (the korean Thanksgiving day).

I took part in getting together with other foreign friends, recognizing the American holiday in my classroom and speaking to my students about it, skyping with my family, and making my own heart warming Thanksgiving meal. I actually really enjoyed my first Thanksgiving living overseas and utilized this time to reflect on my own life and what truly matters to me. I cam to find that it is my family and friends, those who I have come to love so dearly, that really mean the most to me. Life should not be measured in how much money we make or how many Pokemon cards we can collect....but who is by our side as we make that money and collect those cards!! heehee!

Without my family, friends, and loving pets; my life would incomplete. So this year I am giving thanks to all those near and dear to me heart.

xoxox
-Patrick

Namsan Tower and my first Korean Halloween!!

A few weeks ago I took advantage of one of the last nice weather weekends here in South Korea to hike up Mt. Namsan and go to the top of Namsan Tower. It had been something I wanted to accomplish all summer but never found the time. But alas I did it and it was an amazing view from the top of all of Seoul and the surrounding area!

The following weekend was HALLOWEEN, my most favorite holiday!!! Not only did I get to celebrate in school with all my students but also hit up the nightlife of Seoul with my friends for a Halloween I will surely never forget!

The DMZ

A few weeks ago a few friends and I toured the highly militarized zone separating the North and South Koreas. It is known as the DMZ and is the most heavily patrolled border in between any 2 nations in the entire world. We partook in both the 'touristy' portion of the tour along the outskirts of the DMZ as well as ventured into the center and most dangerous portion, the JSA (Joint Security Area)


The DMZ has been the ground where clashes between the two sides have happened. Naturally, you would have thought that the DMZ would be one of the most dangerous place in the world given it’s history of hostility, so why they would even make a tour out of it still baffles me.

The tour was an eye opener for me to learn about the history behind the division between South and North Korea. The tour also gave an opportunity to "step inside" into North Korea. Even though it was a long tour, it was very interesting and I would recommend it to travelers to Korea.


This is a very brief synopsis of our experience.

추석. Chuseok Weekend in Busan

Ahh, the send of September and the beginning of October. To most people this represents the end of summer and arrival of fall. The days become shorter, the temps are a bit cooler, and the autumn colors and scents fill the air. Not always true for every environment, but the welcoming of fall often also means one thing- harvest time. This is true for Korea as well.

Along the cusp or October is the Korean holiday of 추석 Chuseok) or Korean thanksgiving.  Chuseok is a major harvest festival and a three-day holiday in Korea celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. Like many other harvest festivals, it is held in Autumn and symbolizes harvest. Korean families visit their ancestral hometowns and similar to the American Thanksgiving, they have a feast of Korean traditional food such as songpyeon and rice wines such as sindoju and dongdongju.

I would have liked to partake in some of the cultural relevant Chuseok activities, but I did not have many opportunities arise (that didn't require me having to find them!). However, since it was a long holiday weekend I took the time to go on a mini vacation with my close friends. We traveled to the southern beach city of Busan, the 2nd largest city in all of Korea. Busan is a historically important city as it is one of the few left un touched during the Korean war and is filled with gorgeous beaches, ancient temples, traditional markets, and beautiful architecture. The mountains that also surround Busan are equally as beautiful as the beaches - but I myself am much more of a coast dweller than a mountain climber!! (altho I do enjoy both).

As discussed in the video, I spent three of my days during Chuseok weekend surfing, swimming, temple viewing, an exploring both of what Busan has to offer in the day and nightlife! It was a very nice holiday weekend spent with good people and great times. I thoroughly look forward to visiting Busan again and saying hello to those beautiful beaches!

Here is a link to my FB album with all the pictures from my weekend in Busan(as well as my trip to the DMZ which will be my next blog entry). Enjoy!
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4572170619341.187843.1144020019&type=1&l=8ca3ccf19d