Rainy day in Korea.

I know it has been a while since I have last posted, but I figure I should write a post today.  It's currently raining on this Sunday afternoon in Korea.  I enjoy rain from time to time.  It makes me want to stay in bed all day and watch movies and that's exactly what I have been doing.  I'm hoping that this rain will delay the yellow dust season.  Yellow dust is the dust from China that blows over during the month of March/April and pollutes the air.  Tonight I'm going shopping with Emma to look for a CUTE face mask.  If I have to wear one, it might as well be cute/funny.  I already bought one which is black and has a tongue sticking out, but it's too big for my face.  I also don't want yellow dust to come because I am bound to get sick all over again.  The pollution here is so hard for my body to adjust to.  Once I'm sick, it takes me a good month to finally feel well again.  O please do not let me get sick these coming months!  :)  

Christmas plans

Christmas is almost here!  I'm extremely excited for break.  

1.  I need it. 

2. It's one of the few breaks that we actually get, so might as well take advantage of it.  

3. It's Christmas and New Year combined into one break.

4. I'm going to North Sumatra, Indonesia to jungle trek!!!!  

I'm most excited for my jungle trek.  I finally get to see one of my favorite animals in the wild.  Can't ask for a better vacation.  I am strictly going to see the "Red Ape", known as the orangutan.  Indonesia is the only place that the orangutan still roams wild.  There are only 6,000 left in the wild and they are all in Indonesia.  Orangutans could be extincted in less than 10 years.  What amazes me most about these creatures is the fact that they are so similar to humans and that their DNA is 97% related to ours.  How can you not love them?  I will be trekking in the jungle for 4 days 3 nights.  I will be staying in a tent and eating food that is cooked over a fire.  I am excited to get in touch with nature and be able to really take in the "wild".  I will also travel to another area and ride elephants through the jungle.  I see this as good and bad.  Elephants shouldn't be used as our personal entertainment, but what they are doing with this program is using the elephant treks by looking out for illegal logging.  That is the biggest problem in Indonesia and the reason why orangutans could be extinct in LESS than 10 years.  The countdown begins, only 10 more days till I am on my flight to Indonesia...       

Tension is high.

As most of you know, N. Korea just bombed a S. Korean island.  Tension is high between the two Koreas and with that being said, I'm a little scared to say the least.  Yes, I know that America will back up S. Korea no matter what, but that still doesn't mean a war couldn't happen.  America now has a naval ship coming from Tokyo to S. Korea to practice naval drills.  That could cause tension for the North.  China is also believed to support the south, which could make the north very upset causing them to do more damage.  North Korea supposedly just build another plant that produces atomic bombs.  Also, it is being said that Kim-Jong il was showing his youngest son just how powerful he can be when he rules N. Korea.

For the first time I am affected directly by two countries tension between each other.  I care about the result of this outcome and for once I do not feel safe.  I trust that Obama will do the right thing and that all the other countries involved will do as well.  I wish that the media would not exaggerate what is happening and give it to us straight forward.  Currently, the best thing for me right now is to stay out of the current news.  It scares me and brings the reality of it coming true, that much closer.  It also scares me that I am only 25 minutes from the N. Korean border.  I know the tension between the countries is always high, but the north took it way too far this time...  

Everland.

Yesterday we went to an amusement park in Korea called Everland.  It was so much fun.  The only disappointment was the fact that it only had one big roller coaster.  The other rides were spinning rides, bumper cars, a lame haunted house, and a safari.  They also had a parade every so often throughout the park.  It was a little weird and I didn't really understand why the parade was happening.  Maybe for Halloween?  Who knows!  The one roller coaster that is there is known to be the steepest wooden coaster in the world.  It's a 70 degree drop.  Gosh was it scary the first time.  We went on it twice because it was so much fun!  They also had quite a lot of animals at the park as well.  Almost like a mini zoo.  The animals they had were monkeys, primates, lions, liger (tiger and lion cross), elephants, giraffes, polar bears, penguins, sea lions, and snakes.  Almost every animal that you can find at a zoo you could find here.  It was very sad actually.  They had so many animals in one cage and hardly any space for them to even walk or exercise and their cages were very plain.  The animals had no mental stimulation what so ever.  Usually at zoos when there is a baby animal it's a big deal, and they advertise for the public to come see it.  There were so many baby animals in the cages with all of the adults that it wasn't a big deal if you did see a baby monkey or a baby kangaroo.  There were baby giraffes, baby penguins, and baby bats.  It was sad.  It was almost like they weren't controlling the population at the zoo.  All of the cages were over crowded as well.  Then we went on this "safari" ride, where you got to ride in a bus and it took you in this wooded area with the tigers, lions, and bears.  Of course they were all in different sections.  It was neat, but it was very strange at the same time.  The bus driver was having the bears jump up on the bus and would feed the bears when they would do tricks.  Very strange to say the least.  Then as we walk past the polar bear cage they are letting the public throw pieces of chicken into the water for the polar bears to get.  I did not take part because I do not condone such behavior.  It was unbelievable to let the public be feeding the animals.  When I saw that, I realized that is why so many Koreans feed the animals.  I have been to the Zoo here as well, and if the cage is close enough you are guaranteed to see a Korean giving chips or some sort of food to the animals.  It's the most bizarre thing I have ever seen!  My overall conclusion is that the Zoo animals in America are living an excellent life compared to the animals in Korea!      

Lake Park.

I went speed walking in Lake Park this evening.  The weather is starting to feel more like Fall, which I enjoy.  Walking in Lake Park is so refreshing after a long day of work.  Plug in the head phones and walk around the lake which is about 2 miles.  Tonight I had complications with my laundry once again.  I seem to always mess it up.  I just need to find one setting and stick with it. This time I selected a setting where it didn't pre-dry my clothes at least a bit, therefore it left them soaking wet. Everyday can be a challenge over here.  

It's been a while.

It has been quite a while since I have posted.  I stayed in Korea during my summer vacation and went to a beach town called Busan.  I could not get a visa in time in order to go to China.  I have been in Korea now for two months.  I can not believe it.  It has flown.  Before I know it, the year will be gone.  I'm adjusting to the culture a lot better now and starting to like work more and more.  I have started to learn Korean because the language barrier is too great.  I need to know some basic words in order to get around.  It is a challenge everyday I'm in Seoul, because if I'm lost it's up to me to find the way.  Asking people gets you no where because of the language barrier.  It's frustrating from time to time, but I have learned to over come it and now I'm sort of use to it.  I'm still getting sick constantly due to the air quality.  About every two weeks I'm sick.  :(   Hopefully I will be able to go 3-4 weeks without getting sick.  It's still extremely hot here and I can not wait till Fall.  Something everyday still surprises me, so I'm not completely use to everything.  I have a field trip this Friday with my kindergarten class and we are going to see Peter Pan the musical.  I'm quite excited for it.  It will be in Korean, but it should be fun to hang out with my little 6 yr olds all day.  Babysitting for a day, can't complain.  Well I'm going to try to keep this up to date a little more often than what I have.  Till then, I'm out....    

The weekend is almost here

I really don't understand the trash system here.  You must buy trash bags within your neighborhood and the trash bags are about the size of walmart bags.  I just do not understand how you are suppose to fit your trash in bags that are so small???  There is a food/compost bag the size of a jewelry bag.  It's a little different but I guess I will get use to it.  I have some plans for the weekend, which include going to the clubs in Hongdae and the big pool party in Itaewon.  Super excited.  The weekends though are waaaaay too short. Wish they were a little longer, but o well.  I still have yet to plan my summer vacation.  My summer vacation is the last week in July.  Not sure what I'm doing yet, but hopefully I will be able to go to China!  :)