Singing Room Sensation

Since living in Gwangju, I’ve noticed it’s easy to get into a redundant routine. We tend to eat the same food each week, go to the same bars each weekend, and partake in the same post-work activities each day. However, in an effort to break our routine of going downtown for a few beers the other weekend, we and our friends decided to head to a new area of town.

Our determination to part with the familiar brought us to Sangmu. Sangmu is home to Gwnagju’s city hall and May 18th Memorial Park. In the last few years, businesses have come into Sangmu, allowing a large number of new apartments and buildings to be built. This new influx of commerce and housing is making Sangmu the second downtown of Gwangju. Unable to decide on a bar at first, we opted for the money-saving and classier option of grabbing beers from the convenience store and hanging out on the stores provided benches and tables. Before you pass judgment on me, there is no ‘open container law’ in Korea and drinking in front of convenience stores is perfectly acceptable (and commonly practiced) behavior. After catching up on the week’s happenings outside Family Mart, our group meandered its way to a real establishment for a few more pints.

As the night wore on and the liquid courage grew stronger, we were feeling bold and rebellious. We decided to take our outing for drinks up a notch and take it to a Noraebang, aka a karaoke room. In Korea, karaoke houses are divided into private rooms which you ‘rent’ buy purchasing drinks or food or by paying a flat rate. Together, a group of eight of us locked ourselves away for three hours, I am still uncertain how we spent that much time there, and sang the likes of The Beatles, Rihanna, the Spice Girls, Chicago, and too many others to name. I was worried everyone would be shy and hesitant at first, but we all got really into it. Our not-so-angelic voices combined with the constant echoing of the microphone and Korean music videos made for a fantastically fun experience; one which didn’t end until 5 am! While my voice was sore the next morning, it was all worth it. Eric and I are already planning our next visit to the noraebang.

Matt Comes to Korea

For the past six days, Eric and I have been hosting and out-of-town guest—my brother. Matthew arrived late last Thursday and left early this morning (Wednesday). His brief stay here was filled with family jokes, comfortable silences, and Christmas gifts!

Judging by the size of his suitcase when Eric and I picked him up from the bus terminal, I could tell my parents sent him over with some goodies. When we got back to our apartment, I felt like a kid on Christmas morning, waiting to see what goodies were waiting for me inside my brother’s luggage. Piece by piece, my brother unloaded: 5 boxes of Kraft Mac n’ Cheese, three jars of peanut butter (1 chunky, 2 creamy), 7 Skor bars, one can of refried beans, burrito seasoning, Pepperidge Farm Milano Cookies, Starbucks Via, and two bottles of my cherished Philosophy face wash. In addition to these much missed items, my parents sent over our Christmas gifts, so we could use them while still here. For me, there was a thick, knitted ivory wrap, a necklace, and a pendant and for Eric, an ipod touch. I found all of these things extremely overwhelming; with them we received not only a little piece of America, but a little piece of my family as well. After delighting in our Christmas goodies and catching up, we called it a night around midnight, giving into that day’s fatigue.

Friday night kicked off our fast paced weekend. To start things off, we met up with our friends for some drinks downtown. It was fun, but Matt was still jetlagged so he and I excused ourselves early to catch up on some sleep so he could have energy for the remainder of the weekend. Saturday was spent showing Matthew around Gwangju. We explored our local bakery, the busy streets of downtown, and the memorial park out in Sangmu. Saturday afternoon, we were treated to lunch by my friend and colleague, Sue. Sue took us to a restaurant, new even to Eric and I, where we ate roasted pork with a multitude of side dishes; it was delicious. After allowing our large lunch to digest through a movie and a wii room visit, the three of us made our way to Ilgok where we met our friends, Luke and Holly, for samgyutang, a popular soup composed of a whole chicken, rice, ginseng, and other natural goodness. We all struggled with de-boning our chickens with chopsticks and a spoon, but it made for some laughs.

On Sunday morning Matt, Eric, and I got an early start to head out to Jeonju. There we wanted to show Matthew the traditional hanok village and the old royal courtyards of the Chosun family. Unfortunately, the heat and humidity did not let up so for every hour we spend walking around, we spent an hour drinking cold coffees, sitting in the shaded courtyards, or eating toast (a toasted egg sandwich). Regardless, it was nice to catch up and show Matt some sights outside of Gwangju. However, as we were ready to leave, we happened upon a traditional drum performance. A group of ten kids treated the surrounding crowd to a multitude of traditional songs. It was a nice treat before our departure. Upon our return to the city, we caught dinner at VIPS, a western-style buffet with western offers. We gorged ourselves on Caesar salad, caprese salad, pizza, quesadillas, and a bottle of chardonnay (do we know how to be classy or what?).

Unfortunately, Eric and I had to work the remaining two days of Matthew’s visit. On Tuesday, Matt was a good sport and came to my school for a visit. I introduced him to one of my seventh grade classes and needless to say they were excited. They asked him an array of sincere, funny, and invasive questions, but I expected nothing less. Since my seventh graders had to take a listening test that day, Matt and I were free to grab lunch off campus. It was nice to have this one-on-one time to discuss family, work, and love.

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end and I had to say goodbye this morning. I was so thankful to have my brother visit, even if only for a short while. His visit, combined with the thoughtful gifts from my parents, has given me the boost I’ve needed. Thanks for a great week big brother!

Food Poisoning

Never in my life have I suffered from food poisoning. Sure, there have been the occasional meals which didn’t agree with me, but my feelings of discomfort always vanished by sunrise. Well the Saturday before last, my discomfort didn’t vanish and to be perfectly frank, these feelings are still around over a week later.

The Saturday before my brother’s arrival, Eric surprised me with plans for a date night filled with Italian food, cappuccinos, and a few hours on the town. The evening was fantastic, the food was delicious, and it was nice to do something outside the confines of our tiny apartment. However, towards the end of dinner I began to feel sick. My feelings of illness intensified quickly and we were forced to end our evening early. Knowing it was too early to be the food we just ate, I thought back to what I had that day that Eric hadn’t to find the culprit; a ham sandwich. In order to spare you the details, I will just say I spent the rest of the night and the entire next day rolled in a ball due to extreme stomach pain, only to break this position to shuffle to the bathroom.

Monday came, and despite not feeling well, I went to school. Why, you may ask. Well, in Korea there are no such things as sick days or substitute teachers. So if a teacher is ill and chooses not to come it, all of the other teachers must take over his/her classes, paperwork, and other school time duties. Needless to say, it is always advised to come in, do what you can, and spare you co-workers the added effort. As lunchtime rolls around on Monday, the vice principal makes an announcement, one which I don’t understand, so I ask my friend Sue what’s going on. Well apparently the cafeteria is closed for the remainder of the week due to many students reporting cases food poisoning. So it wasn’t the ham sandwich which had me keeled over all weekend, but rather Friday afternoon’s lunch. Missing lunch for that day, and the rest of the week, was not a big deal since I could hardly stomach anything other than a few pieces of toast. In fact, it has been over a week since initially getting sick and I still cannot eat a meal without getting ill. I am hoping this changes soon because I am tired of being tired as well as I am running out of holes on my belt to hold up my jeans and trousers. Obliviously I need to get my hands on some medicine to help me get better, but you tell what the better option is: explaining and motioning my symptoms to a colleague and have her write my symptoms in Korean or motioning my symptoms to a random pharmacist. Oh the joys of not having enough language skills to verbally communicate my situation! It’s a good thing I don’t take myself too seriously!

Frazzled on Friday

I am two weeks into my first semester and I am already getting the feeling that this semester will be much busier than the last. An array of schedule changes has provided me with less prep time and more lessons to write. The first, of many, changes which were initiated this semester was a change in co-teachers. Last term, the majority of my classes were taught with Hana or Sue. By semester’s end we had worked out a planning and teaching schedule that worked with our prep periods and personalities. This term, I teach with Hana only once and Sue twice, giving me two co-teachers with whom I have never worked; it feels like I am starting over again.

In addition to teaching my regular seventh and eighth grade classes, I have been given the added responsibility of an extra four after school classes. There I am in charge of 30 students ranging in grades from seven to nine. It is my job to write my own curriculum which helps students work on reading, writing, speaking, listening and grammar. Unfortunately, I didn’t get much warning on the class, so I have been spending hours writing curriculum, lesson plans, and putting materials together. In addition to these four extra classes, I have been assigned three workshop periods where I lead weekly meetings for the English Department. It is my job to bring up topics to discuss and to address issues in the classroom and/or department. This is hard for me because as the new person, I don’t feel it is my place to nit-pick everything. I find it really intimating and I feel like I am walking a tightrope between not doing a good job and insulting my co-workers.

With all of these changes, I find myself up to my eyeballs in worksheets, attendance sheets, and word lists. My desk is a mess, my brain is frazzled, and I feel like I am week’s behind, despite only starting two weeks ago! I don’t know if my school is expecting too much of me, or if I am expecting too much from myself. Regardless, I am feeling the pressure to step up and prove myself worthy of these new-found responsibilities; tune in to see how it all turns out…

Malaysia Part 3: Kuala Lumpur

As far as Asian cities are concerned, Kuala Lumpur is relatively small in size and very accessible by foot. After eight days of island paradise, Eric and I headed mainland to explore the Malaysian capital. Arriving a few hours later than expected we made it to our hostel around sundown. Our first stop for the night, after our hostel, was the Central Market, an indoor shopping complex filled with traditional crafts from Malaysia, India, China, and the Middle East. After perusing the various international treasures, we made our way to Chinatown.

Before I go on any further I should explain explain to you that Kuala Lumpur is a very diverse city; home to large populations of Chinese, Indians, and Arabs. This diversity results in at least four different languages being spoken at all times, lucky for us English was one of the four. Chinatown is home to hundreds of street vendors, selling various knocked-off goods, and hundreds of restaurants whose hosts’ are soliciting for costumers on the busy streets. After turning down a tempting Marc Jacobs wallet, Eric and I take at seat at the first restaurant we see. Even though the food is tempting, we are just here for drinks. We order the day’s special, two large bottles of Anchor Pilsner. After taking in the sights, sounds, and beers of our first stop we move on to another place to grab a seat and one more drink before we call it a night.

The next morning (Saturday) we get an early start so we can fully explore the city before we have to catch the red eye out. We started with a walk around the old colonial district. There elegant government buildings and quaint, colorful shop houses remain from the British colonization. Towards the end of the colonial district we enter Merdeka (Independence) Square. This was where the now-Malaysian flag was raised to mark the country’s independence back in 1957. From Merdeka Square we make our way to the lake and garden district to check out the orchid and hibiscus gardens. While these grounds are exquisitely maintained, none of the flowers were in bloom. We weren’t that upset though, it gave us a chance to hang out in the shade for a bit. We back tracked for a bit after and made our way to the Jimek Mosque. This mosque is home to the only coconut palms in the city. Here, we were allowed to walk the outside grounds. However, in order to do so, I needed to where the robe and head scarf provided at the front gate. The Mosque was gorgeous. The architecture was regal, using fine marble tile.





Little India was the next stop on our walking expedition. I have never been to India, but from the news reports I’ve seen, traffic seems to be a mess. Little India in Kuala Lumpur is no different. Cars remain at a standstill in the streets as pedestrians weave their way through the cars. Little India is filled with large bazaars, selling various Indian goods: saris, spices, and a multitude of other things I cannot name. Even though the streets were extremely crowded, I loved little India. There was something about the hustle and bustle I found charming and invigorating.

After wandering Little India we found ourselves headed towards the city’s “Golden Triangle”, the upscale district. On our way, a crowded Chinese café caught our eye. There was about a ten person wait, but we figured if it was this busy I must be good. We ordered the Beef Redang (spicy curried beef with rice and potatoes) and the fried mee sua (mee noodles stir fried with beef, cabbage, onion and soy sauce). Once we had food in our stomachs and smiles on our faces we entered the golden triangle to visit the Petronas Towers. The Petronas Towers were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998-2004 and they remain the world’s tallest twin towers. Inside, the first five floors are dedicated to a high end mall, selling the world’s most luxurious brands.

The last stop on our day’s adventure was Berjaya Times Square. Here, we wandered the upscale streets, which are supposedly home to the city’s best night life. We were also able to walk the outside perimeter of the Old Pudu Jail. While this jail is no longer in use today, the decaying walls give off an air of hostility and darkness. Today, graffiti covers the perimeters walls. However, for one block stretch, graffiti covers the world’s longest mural, left over from the jails active period. Now, it’s well faded, but the prisoners of the jail came out every day to work on the tropical landscape. The lack of maintenance of the mural and the jail are symbols of a time far gone and forgotten for Kuala Lumpur; for better or for worse.


The end of our day was marked by salty skin and swollen feet. However, I would gladly do it all over again. I’ve come to love exploring cities by foot. This way, I get to see every detail, of every street corner. After a year of this, I don’t know if I could rent a car in my future travels; I wouldn’t want to remember all the street corners as one big blur.

Malaysia Part 2: Pentai Cenang

• Pentai Cenang. After spending a quiet four days around the isolated Oriental Village, Eric and I moved down the island to Pentai Cenang, a 2km stretch of beach with an abundance of restaurants, shops, and bars. Here, the streets were more lively, allowing us to catch up on good food and drinks.
o The Boutique Resort. Why they called our hotel a resort, Eric and I will never understand. Aside from offering us a free breakfast and a decent pool (the two positives of the place) we were also provided with a room which included: holes in the ceiling, windows and doors which didn’t fit the frames (allowing geckos and other critters to enter and leave our room as they please), an all inclusive power switch (meaning we couldn’t sleep with the ac on without having all the lights on as well), and what appeared to be a blood stain on the curtain….homey! Despite the places shortfalls, we didn’t spend too much time there and it gave us something to laugh about each day.
o Island Hopping. On our second day in Pentai Cenang, Eric and I decide to take in the sights of some of the other islands in the area. We were able to book a 3.5 hour island hopping excursion which took us to Pulau Bertas Basah, Island of the Lake of the Pregnant Maiden, and an eagle feeding session. Pulau Bertas Basah is a small island filled with bright white sand and vibrant palms, surrounded by bright blue waters. Here, we stayed on the beach opting to swim and explore the clearer waters. After the first island, we headed to a calm bay were we could observe the local sea eagles feed. After the eagle feeding we made our way to the Island of the Lake of the Pregnant Maiden. After docking we had to walk inland for fifteen minutes. At the end of our hilly trek, we make it to a large lake. The water was warm and extremely still. Even though the first island was gorgeous, the lake was my favorite part of the adventure. The surroundings were so different from the sceneries we took in the whole week; it was a nice change of pace.




o Food and Drink. While staying on this side of the island, Eric and I were given the opportunity to revisit some of the foods we have been missing since moving to Korea as well as introduce ourselves to some new Malay and Southeast Asian dishes. Raffis was a bar we frequented most; offering RM4 beers (that is roughly 1 USD) and wine and cocktails for RM8. Set on the beach, Raffis serves its customers refreshing drinks alongside grand ocean and sunset views. The Beach Garden Beer Garden, connected to a high end resort, served up a combination of authentic Western dishes and beers. This is where Eric and I had our ‘splurge’ meal. We ate a Mediterranean antipasto platter, a club sandwich and fries, and two Carlsberg Shandies (beer mixed with lemonade). It must sound funny to you that we splurged on a sandwich, but we haven’t had a real sandwich since we left. It was worth the little extra money. We also found ourselves frequenting a hole-in-the-wall Arabic restaurant where we gorged ourselves on the best lamb shawarmas I have ever tasted. Outside of these international dishes we also indulged in spicy Malay and Thai curries, coconut rice, satay skewers, fried noodles and exotic fruits. I am amazed we didn’t grow out of the pants we brought; I guess we have cheap sides to thank for this since we opted out of renting scooters and taking taxis.

Malaysia Part 1: The Oriental Village

We made it. After 11 days, six delayed flights, and a few sold out buses later, Eric and I have made it to Malaysia and back. The past week and a half was filled with sun, cold drinks, sunburns, and monkeys, all of which will be explained in the posts to come. Here is a taste of the leg one of our island adventure.

The Journey
All of our friends in Korea who have visited Southeast Asia told us it is anything but easy getting there; usually what can go wrong, will go wrong. Maybe it was optimism or just plain excitement for the vacation that lay ahead, but Eric and I chalked all this who-ha to a few isolated bad experiences. After our four hour bus ride to Incheon International Airport, we quickly realized there might be some truth to our friends’ warnings. Our flight to Beijing was delayed by over an hour, bringing our layover down to less than one hour; this worried us since we had been told you need at least ninety minutes to clear security. Needless to say after sprinting the long, vacant stretches of the international terminal in Beijing, we made through security in time to board our connecting flight to Malaysia. What we didn’t know, was we would be sitting in our designated seats, on the tarmac for over three hours. We finally made it to Kuala Lumpur, where we slept on the tile floor of the airport until our plane departed for Langkawi the next morning, you guessed it that flight was delayed too. However, our grumpy moods and the sour taste in our mouths quickly dissolved once we saw what the tropical island had to offer.

Langkawi
Langkawi, technically an archipelago composed of 99 islands, is located of the Northwest coast of Malaysia, not far from the Thai border. Of all the islands, Langkawi is the largest and most inhabited. Here, we spent a total of eight days, four in the Oriental Village and four on Pentai Cenang.

• The Oriental Village. The Oriental Village is a small cluster of shops, restaurants, and a hotels set at the base of Langkawi’s second tallest peak. Here we were able to explore the offerings of the village as well as the rainforest surrounding us.
o Burau Bay. Located just 400 meters from our hotel, Burau Bay offered some of the calmest waters and longest sandbars around. Home to two of the nicer resorts on the island, Burau Bay’s beaches were home to soft, white sand and a multitude of palm trees. For at least a few hours a day, Eric and I took refuge in this small cove to take in the nearly equatorial sun and scenery. On our mornings spend at the bay we have encountered a variety of wildlife such as hornbills, monitor lizards, and snakes. Eeek!
o Cable Car. Just outside our hotel room is the base of the cable car. From here, the cable cars take locals and tourists alike to the summit of the neighboring peak. While the cars prove to be a little cloisterphobic, squeezing in no more than six people, the 360 views on your way up the mountainside will help eliminate any small room feelings. From the cars you can take in views of the rainforest and waterfalls, the sharp peaks above, or the aquamarine waters below. At the top, we indulged caught a local breakfast, nasi lemak (coconut rice, fish samal, and curried chicken), and wandered across the steel suspension bridge. From here we were able to see many of the islands that make up Langkawi’s archipelago.
o Seven Wells Waterfalls. Located a few miles into the rainforest, which surrounds the Oriental Village, are the Seven Wells Waterfalls. These falls gets its name from the seven pools of water which sit at the top of the falls. Before the water falls over the mountainside’s edge, it must flow from pool to pool. Over time, the running water has made the rocky channels between pools extremely smooth; so smooth in fact that one can slide from pool to pool without discomfort. Eric and I started at the first pool and quickly slid our way to the seventh. This was a truly unique swimming opportunity, one I know we both won’t forget. We spent hours sliding and swimming from pool to pool.



o Planet of the apes? Before arriving on Langkawi we read countless accounts of how monkeys are a part of island life. Monkeys can be seen nearly everywhere you go; from the hotels to the beaches. Needless to say, we found this to be one of the more charming aspects of the island. After all, who doesn’t love cute, long tailed monkeys? One afternoon, Eric and I were walking back from Burau Bay. On the journey back we stumbled, literally, upon a small monkey family. Thinking they were so cute, we whipped out our camera to take their pictures. As we kept clicking our camera away, more and more monkey’s revealed themselves from the dense forest just off the road. The monkeys carried on as usual, crossing the street and finding vines to play with on the other side. We couldn’t believe how cute they were. After a few minutes the monkeys must have decided they didn’t like us taking their picture because a group of three of them began hissing and running at us. Bewildered, shocked, and quite frankly scared poopless, I started running, leaving Eric behind. Eric mustered the loudest yell he could and stood on his tippy toes and confronted the monkeys head on. It seemed to have worked because the monkeys stopped in their tracks. Well we discovered they only stopped until more of their monkey friends joined the battle. Eric and I took off running, yelling and laughing at the same time while a pack of monkeys ran after us hissing and barking. Luckily, a kind soul from out hotel witnessed our struggle and offered to drive us back to the hotel. Needless to say, I think we showed those monkeys whose boss.