Malaysia : Part 2 - Langkawi

        So our bus-ferry-taxi journey to Langkawi turned out to be faster and nicer than we expected but arriving after hours of travel we were wrecked none the less. We decided Langkawi was going to be a 'holiday'in the midst of our backpacker travels so we booked into the Aseania resort hotel. Our luxury after hostels. The Aseania was a beautiful resort with wave pool and slide into the main pool, pool bars etc. but you still got the feeling it was starting to slip. The rooms could do with fresh paint, the reception was starting to look tattered but all in all we were happy.
          Our first afternoon there we contented ourselves sitting by the pool relaxing in the sun and chilling. That night we made the 5minute walk towards the beautiful white sandy beach and ate in a lovely restaurant with our toes in the sand. Next morning we woke ourselves in time for breakfast (to save money) and wow we were glad we did. Far from the regular backpacker toast and tea they had an amazing spread. A huge breakfast buffet with as much food of all types as you could fit in your belly. Taking full advantage of the free food I went back for seconds and shamefully thirds. By the time I left the table I was waddling!! Dee and I headed down to the beach to sunbathe in our first attempt to turn our whiter than white skin to beige. Unfortunately despite the best efforts of a sun umbrella and sun cream all we managed to do was turn ourselves lobster pink. We were sorry we even tried to tan later that night when plenty of aloe vera lotion was being applied.
         Next day we decided to go island hopping so we booked a tour to leave at nine. By 9.40 we were beginning to give up hope of the tour even being in existence when a jeep pulled up and in we piled. He dropped us to the pier where we boarded a rickety boat and off we went (at very high speed). I thought it was fun but Dee was petrified as the boat bounced across the top of the water and over the waves. We just seemed to go faster and faster and soon enough even Kyle and Vanessa started to worry as with each wave we were thrown up off our seats before crashing back down. Despite our treacherous journey we arrived at each island safe and they were amazing. Our first stop was an island with a large monkey population who had become very bold so much so that at the pier they sold slingshots to keep them away. We saw one monkey steal a bottle of water from a guy and when he tried to take it back the monkey chased him along the path. That night we happily returned to the hotel, glad to be on dry land.
         Our next day on langkawi envolved a very lazy pool day and what a nice way to end our Malaysian adventure. I loved Malaysia and would definitely go back again someday.

Malaysia: Part 1.

The four of us at the waterfall

        Our arrival in Malaysia via the night-train from Singapore began with panic as I woke at a strange station at 6.45am. We had been due to arrive in Kuala Lumpar at 6.30am and our alarm had never gone off to wake us. I leapt out of the bed woke Dee and we grabbed our belongings as quick as we could racing for the door of the train convinced we had slept through our stop. I asked the guy at the door had we passed KL and he said "yes, 10 minutes", with this confirmation we jumped off the train onto the platform and looked around lost wondering what our next move should be. Just as the train was due to pull off our ticket collector from earlier in the night spotted us and asked "Kuala Lumpar" we said yes and he said next stop so we even more urgency we jumped back on the train just in time. An exciting start to our Malaysian adventure but a lucky one so we took it as a good sign and it was.
        After actually arriving in Kuala Lumpar a few minutes later we got off the train (after double checking) and hopped on the subway to our stop. From there we made our way to the hostel (surprisingly remembering our way from our last short visit to KL in September). Unfortunately because of our early arrival our room wasn't ready yet but they allowed us to leave our bags and we spent our morning waiting in coffee shops until check-in. At that stage we showered after our long journey and fell straight to sleep. What a way to spend our only day in Kuala Lumpar. Later that evening Kyle and Vanessa arrived from Korea and after a quick catch up we got ready and went for dinner. After the expense of Singapore Malaysia seemed cheap and I "splashed out" on a steak dinner (7euro). After that we began our holiday together with a few cocktails. The Rogers were tired after their travels and left early but Dee and I had built up our energy from our mid-day power nap and so we stayed out a little longer! :)
         Next morning Kyle and Vanessa pulled us out of bed to catch the 10.30am bus to the Cameron Highlands (Malaysia's rainforest area) but in typical asian style the 10.30am bus was just not running that day (for no reason) and so we were stuck waiting until the 1.00pm bus. The drive was amazing curling our way up and deeper in the Malaysian forest covered Highlands. Arriving we checked into our hostel and signed ourselves up for the 8hour rainforest trek tour next day. After which we ate and had an early night for our 8am start. The tour began by our guide having to tow the other 4x4 out of a dike it had slipped into but thankfully no one in that jeep was seriously hurt and that was the only misfortune of the day.

The raffesia plant 

         We began by arriving at the rainforest and trekking uphill through muddy ground. I was panting and thinking to myself why did I agree to this but the ground levelled out soon enough and my regrets vanished. All around bamboo trees and vines surrounded us. We walked fast and then suddenly our guide stopped. We had reached the plot of the Raffesia flower, the world's largest flower (which is apparently technically a fungi). This huge red carniverous plant sat at the base of a tree and we all lined for our chance at a photo beside it. The Raffesia takes 2years to grow and only blooms for 7 days. Around the flower were "bulbs" of baby plants not yet mature. If one of those baby plants are cut all of the Raffesia in that plot will die which is why the number of Raffesia plots has declined in recent years. Following this we walked on to a waterfall and then we were brought to an indigenous tribe village. Where they gave us a blow dart demonstration. The people hunt using poison darts supposedly strong enough to kill an elephant in ten minutes. They also showed us the monkey they were fattening up to eat in a few months.
          Next stop on our tour was the BOH tea plantation owned by a scottish family and here we saw the tea fields and a tour of the factory and then the tea museum. It was amazing to sea the process that goes into our cups of tea every day. According to the workers there my auntie Eleanor (who uses tea leaves not tea bags) is the smart one because they said tea leaves are the best way to make tea.

The live scorpions

       The insect farm was next and it was my favourite stop on the tour. We weren't looking forward to it at first but it was excellent. After walking around and just looking at the various creatures in cases and cages around we thought we would leave but then the guide started opening the cases and taking out huge insects for us to hold. The first was a rhinoceros beetle (like Ringo in Korea) but bigger and he was huge. Then we held leaf insects and praying mantis etc. Last but not least a scorpion. Yep, I'm not joking. A live scorpion with his stinger still attached. Only about 4 of us on the tous actually held the scorpions after them assuring us the hospital was nearby if worse came to worse. I was scared but so happy I did it.
         The final stop was the strawberry farm which was lovely but didn't live up to the stop just before it. We went to bed early that night for our bus at 7am next morning to Langkawi.

The blow dart demonstration

Singapore.

         On the 1st of January we put our backpacks on and said farewell to English village our home for the last year. We were off on the start of a two month adventure and what an appropriate day to begin, an excellent start to 2012.

         Our first destination was Singapore but our first stop was Shanghai China for 6hours so technically according to the stamps in my passport I have now been to China as well. We flew out of Korea at 4.20pm flying for just under 2hours before arriving in Shanghai then after a 6hour wait we left China at 11.55pm arriving in Singapore at 5am on the 2nd of January (Happy birthday Dad!). From the very beginning Singapore was one of the easiest places I have ever visited. Straight to the info counter they told us our best option to the hostel which was a shuttle bus that literally dropped us at the door. In to our room (a 6-bed female dorm) to get some sleep after a long day and night of traveling. Next morning we were woken by the 2 other girls in the dorm packing their things to leave. we got talking and the advised us on the sights and then gave us their subway cards to use for our stay as they still had remaining money on them (so nice)! After they left we dragged ourselves out of the beds and set of to find some food. We ate Hainanese Chicken Rice a local speciality and yum it was good. Roast chciken pieces served with rice cooked in chicken broth, so simple and so good. After lunch we got the subway to the Harbour front and walked along the boardwalk by the sea until we came to Sentosa, Singapore's tourist island. There we walked around just looking at most of the attractions as Singapore is very expensive. We found a beach on the island apparently the most southerly point of South East Asia and sat there for a few hours before going to a light, water and fire show on the beach called "Songs of the Sea". The show itself was a bit childish but the effects was amazing. Back at the Harbour front we treated ourselves to a sangria at a spanish restaurant and then home to bed.
          Next morning we woke late again (enjoying not having to get up for work) and got the subway to Little India for lunch. Again delicious. We walked around admiring the stalls and clothes and strange smells and bright colours before hopping on the subway again to Chinatown. There we wandered again through stalls and stalls wishing we had bigger bags to put things in so we could buy stuff! Singapore's population is 75% Chinese, 14% Indian, 7% Malay and the rest is made up of other ethnic groups. The main language is English though which made a holiday there so easy. Ask and you shall get an answer (something that hasn't happened up for a year)! That night to avoid the bars and save money we went to the cinema. Sherlock Holmes was surprisingly good.
          On our last day we decided to get the city bus tour around Singapore. Which compared to many of Singapore's attractions was good value for money. We bought one ticket which allowed us access to three tours: Original, City and Heritage and we made sure to go on them all. We say all the main sights that way and learned all the little pieces of info you never learn by walking around yourself.
          Singapore is a beautiful clean city known jokingly as the "Fine" city because of the fines imposed to keep it that way. Signs in the subway warn of a $500 fine for eating or drinking, a $1000 for smoking and $5000 for carrying flammable goods, trafficking drugs in Singapore results in the death penalty. Singapore is also one of the most expensive places in the world to own a car. The fines work though because I have never seen a city so clean.

           That night Dee and I collected our bags from the hostel said goodbye to Singapore and hopped on the night train to Kuala Lumpar Malaysia, an 8 hour overnight train with our own little curtained off beds in a carriage of 20 beds. Not the best nights sleep I've ever gotten but definitely and experience and a cheaper way to travel. So long Singapore.. maybe we'll meet again (when I have the money I need to enjoy you to the full)!

Goodbye Korea!

          Happy new year everyone and goodbye Korea! 2011 was an amazing year full of adventure and wonderful friends and I hope that 2012 can live up to it! I have had such an amazing time in Korea for the past year but it's time to go and start my next adventure!! Korea it has been great and maybe we'll meet again. To all the friends I have made here thank you for everything and I hope we meet again soon! xXx

Jeju Island

       
           Jeju... Korea's Mediterranean paradise! So the promotions claimed and I have to agree. Back over a year ago when we first started researching Korea Jeju island often popped up as one of those "you have to see" places in Korea. Promoted as a summer destination with beautiful beaches, stunning waterfalls and as much fun tourist activities as you could possible fit into a trip. We promised ourselves we would go. Now as the year here in Korea rolled on the summer came and went without our trip to Jeju and soon we began thinking of leaving Korea all without having seen Jeju so we decided it was time. With little planning we booked off the Monday and Tuesday the 28th and 29th of November and bought flights to Jeju.
          Now in the few weeks before our trip winter had arrived in Korea, minus 5 was the coldest day up until then and it was only getting started! We had resigned ourselves to the fact that until we left for warmer climates on our travels we would be cold on any venture outside...not in Jeju! It was amazing! A little island just over an hours flight away and it was warm! Now we weren't jumping into the sea for swims to cool down but we were able to abandon our hats, scarves and coats. After arriving Saturday morning we found our hostel which was clean and quiet and we had the whole dorm room to just the three of us. We dumped our bags and made our way to loveland! Loveland was one of our main destinations to visit on the island and we weren't disappointed. It was set-up in 2004 by art graduates from a Seoul university. There aim: to create art entirely dedicated to love and sex. Needless to say a lot of laughing was done as the three of us strolled around the park for over an hour posing for pictures and recreating statue positions. We had a great day and it certainly started the holiday off well.      

          Back to our hostel we got changed and out for a meal at an Indian restaurant we had heard many recommendations for. It was a cosy little restaurant with a wonderful relaxing and welcoming vibe and we happily sat at a table while they brought us menus. Opening the menus we were a bit dubious though as they only offered maybe 4 choices, we decided its about quality not quantity though and ordered. I'm glad we stayed because it was delicious. We had a few glasses of wine with our meal and felt that holiday feeling wash over us! After dinner we decided to have a few drinks before going to bed to be up bright and early. We headed to another recommended bar (which was almost empty-apparently because it was thanksgiving weekend) and sat down with some cocktails. One drink turned into two and let's just say next morning we didn't wake as early as planned! In fact poor Helena was confined to the bed the entire day so Dee and myself set off without her to explore the Mangul caves.

The lava caves

          Jeju island is a volcanic island and volcanic rocks can be seen all over the island with some of the islands beaches even being covered in black sand. Well this is what makes Jeju's caves interesting they are volcanic caves formed as lava flooded through them years ago. They are the  longest lava tube cave system in the world and it was beautiful. Being budget concious and in preparation for our travels Dee and I used the local bus service to get as close as possible to the caves as possible which still left us with a 2km walk from the main road. In the sunshine and lovely surrounding the walk passed quickly but by the time we reached the caves Dee and I had both stripped down to our t-shirts and we were eating ice-creams bought along the way.   The caves were beautiful and we walked about another 2km inside the caves themselves before making the  trip back down the hill towards the bus again. On our walk back down though we came across a maze park set up my an american guy who had been living in Korea 50years. While paying our entrance they asked us how we had gotten there and when we said we walked we were given a discount on our entrance fee for being "green". I really liked that idea and thought that if more businesses had incentives like that walking would be a lot more popular. Dee and I were both given a map which we were told to not look at until 30mins were up. We then split up and the aim was to race each other to a bell which was hidden in the centre of the maze. I was walking around trying to figure out which direction was the centre when Dee came running at high speed from the opposite direction. This happened a few more times in the next few minutes and then at one final chance meeting a korean woman pointed us in a direction and the final race was on. The bell was on a raised wooden platform and we were neck in neck at the base but I got on the step first and despite Dee trying her best to hold me back I rang the bell first! After a minutes rest we continued on our walk back to the bus stop and headed back to Jeju city to wake Helena. After a quick talk we changed and got ready for dinner and we decided on Mexican food. Just down the road from our hostel a lovely Mexican restaurant and we all sat for yet another enjoyable meal in Jeju. We had learned our lesson from the night before so we decided to skip the alcohol and went to the cinema instead. Going to the cinema in Korea is always an experience as you settle for whatever movie is playing in English at the time.That night the next English movie was 'Real Steel'. We had about an hour wait before it began so Dee went shopping and Helena and I went to get our nails done (another interesting experience with our (lack-of) Korean skills). We had not heard much about the movie and resigned ourselves to it just passing time but we were surprised. 'Real Steel' was such a feel good movie. At one point in the movie Dee was actually cheering and clapping out loud! We all laughed and cheered and had that happy feeling in our stomachs and left praising it completely and so to bed we went then contently and with smiles on our faces.
          Next morning bright and early we headed to the bus terminal to catch a bus to the east side of the island. The bus journey took over an hour and cut through the island. We arrived at the ferry port and caught the next ferry over to Udo island, a smaller island off the coast of Jeju. Now one of our main reasons for going here was to quad bike around the island but on arriving it turned out you needed an international licence which only I had (and luckily I had brought with me). Unfortunately one licence wasn't enough to rent three golf carts so our next best option: a golf cart. Yep, Dee, Helena and I rented a golf cart and leisurely drove the ring of the island stopping at the various sights and for walks on the beaches, etc.
After making a full ring of the island we hopped on the next ferry back to Jeju and from there headed to the famous Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak), it is one of the main reasons that Jeju is the Cliffs of Mohers competition to be one of the next wonders of the world! It was gorgeous alright. The remnants of a volcano leaving behind a peak rising over the waters edge with a bowl like top. It is famous for how beautiful the sunrise looks from it's peak (but we decided sunrise was a little earlier than we would like to get outta bed on holidays so daytime did us just fine).

          For our last our last night we went for dinner and then had a stroll around Jeju city stopping for hot chocolates in a little shop..yum! Then off to bed early ready for our flight home the next day. We went shopping our last morning and caught the bus to the airport to go back to reality! Jeju was wonderful and I really enjoyed our little trip to Korea's Mediterranean.

My pet!

Ringo and my first meeting....

          I have a pet... no I'm not talking about one of my students. I mean a living, breathing, moving pet that I keep in my house. Now I've had my pet for quite a while by now but I have only just got around to writing a post now... and I think he deserves it.
         Any guesses as to what it is? Nope, not a dog. No, not a cat. Rabbit? No. Hamster? Wrong again. It's a .......... wait for it........ Beetle (with two ees not the ea musical variety)! Yep, a beetle. A rhinoceros beetle to be precise or at least he will be...

The three stages of Ringo (he is still number 1).

         Ok, so on one of our Friday field trips a few weeks ago we went to an insect farm (museum). It was another very Korean cultural experience and despite a few squeamish moments I enjoyed it. We all held silk-worms in our hand and then spun real silk by hand from their cocoons etc. as well as seeing many more animals and insects. One of the final parts of the tour though was to look at rhinoceros beetles and their larvae. They are renowned for their long lifespan in the insect world. Reaching 3years in age before they even change from larvae to a beetle and this is where the story gets interesting. So after looking at them and staring in amazement we were all told that each person on the tour, including the teachers, would be given a free rhinoceros beetle as a pet. They are apparently very popular pets all over Asia. Now you can imagine my first thoughts... but then my curiosity got the better of me and I followed the kids as they each filled a specialised plastic jar three quarters fill with compost and then lined up to be given their larvae. Don't fool yourself into imagining a little caterpillar. This thing was much thicker and also longer than a thumb. It had a creepy black "face" and little hairs all over its body. They don't enjoy light so it was quickly worming it's way deep into the compost. Now luckily the instructions were easy. 1. Keep it in dark places. 2. Keep the soil moist (Not wet, we were wanred NOT to water it). 3. When it changes to a beetle feed it fruit jellys etc. All our larvae are approx. 3yrs old so close to morphing apparently. After one look at my new housemate I knew his name... "Ringo"! (Get it??)

Ringo a few weeks ago

          So Ringo and I have happily shared an apartment since... I admit I occasional check to make sure he is still in his container but he is a very easy flatmate to have indeed. Now soon after our trip Vanessa's beetle,  named George Harrison (she liked my beetle's name), began to darken in colour and then cocooned and last week emerged as a big, sturdy, 'don't mess with me' rhinoceros beetle. Jannel's beetle has also emerged. Not Ringo though.... in fact he is still white and worming around and munching through the compost he lives in. It seems that Ringo and I might just have to part ways never having met beetle to face if he doesn't get cocooning fast.
         So having a pet, soon-to-be, beetle is another 'only in Korea' experience which has slightly creeped me out and yet woken my curiosity.

Ringo today!

Dog cafe

A collection of photos from the dog cafe.

          Now before anyone gets confused yes Koreans do eat dog meat but that is not the kind of dog cafe I am about to write about. This cafe was inhabited by living, breathing dogs of different ages and breeds.

The dogs just climb into your lap.

          Sounds unusual right? Well welcome to Korea were unusual is usual. Unlike Ireland and many other countries pet dogs are not that common in Korea, maybe it is due to so many people living in apartments with no space for dogs, or maybe it is because dogs are were viewed as a source of food by many during and after the Korean war (the Korean war left the Korean people with nothing to eat and Koreans resorted to eating anything  at all edible in those years, from animals typically viewed as pets to roots dug out of the ground). Regardless of the cause many people do not keep pet dogs but do like dogs, therefore the dog cafes.
          Dog cafes are as the sound a cafe serving hot drinks such as teas and coffees which you can sit and drink as dogs run around your feet and jump on the couches beside you. Entrance into the dog cafe we visited cost 8,000won (5euro) with our drink included. There were dogs everywhere, bulldogs, shitzhus, dalmatians, jack russells, pugs, Scottish terriers, labradors, etc. They all just walked around happily until the found a person who they liked and then maybe settled down for a rub and a cuddle.
         We quickly abandoned our drinks on our table as our real reason for being there was of course the dogs and we realised that sitting on the floor was the best place to get their attention. We sat crossed legged on the floor and within seconds Vanessa, Kyle, Helena and I all had little dogs come over walk onto our laps and curl up as if they did this every day. Vanessa, Helena and I all had small dogs who cosily fit in the space on our laps. Kyle, hilariously, was approached by the fat bull dog who tried his best to curl up on Kyle which resulted with the front half of his body on Kyle's lap as his back legs dangles over onto the floor. We all sat happily there as other dogs came to say hello or our ones decided to move off and new ones came along. We basked in the happy feeling of being around dogs which none of us had felt since leaving our home countries.

My boldie little Jack Russell..

          Now after a while a little Jack Russell came and curled into my lap and I rubbed him as he fell asleep. I had been watching him every now and again during our visit up until then and as he was not the cutest dog to put it gentle he was largely ignored by the customers. Well it seems that the little guy wasn't used to so much attention and didn't want to give it up because after a few minutes of resting in my lap while being rubbed another dog walked by me and my little Jack Russell started to growl at it. I laughed and passed it off. Until shortly after another dog came close to me and he had the same reaction. I told Helena who was sitting beside me and we both listened to him growl as soon as any other dog approached me. It was funny because if I gave out to him for it he would stop and look up at me with the saddest "I'm sorry, please don't stop rubbing me!" eyes!
          We spent over an hour in the cafe and it was so nice being surrounded by dogs. It was a very strange experience at the same time making it so typically Korean. All in all something I would recommend though on a whole.

The very bold pugs...

Ding Dong Dang

          So back a while ago our school was selected to be part of the audience for the filming of an episode of Ding Dong Dang, a Korean children's tv programme. Needless to say our kids were very excited and spent a few days before telling us all repeatedly that they would be going to see Ding Dong Dang. Well the day eventually arrived and most of the parents decided to bring the kids themselves so they collected their kids and and the teachers travelled with the few kids whose parents couldn't attend.
          Ding Dong Dang was being filmed outdoors on a local soccer pitch and there were children everywhere along with numerous sales carts of candyfloss, balloons, toys, etc. We found our seats and I settled in for what I assumed would be an hour or so of me sitting in silence listening to people on stage speak Korean..I was right for the first 40 minutes or so! Then came the dancing!!
          Now, I will shamefully admit that after a year my Korean is still pitiful so I tend to just follow the crowd at big events and at Ding Dong Dang all of the parents stood up so I stood up too. They started dancing so I started dancing too along with the other foreign teachers. This is when it gets interesting... next thing we knew our director Sarah was shouting at Vanessa and me telling us to go to the stage. Apparently the guy on stage had called us up. I squeezed out along the row of seats with Vanessa and walked to the side of the stage only to be told they wanted us ON the stage. With a quick look at each other with a "what's going on?" expression we climbed the steps and were joined on stage by maybe 4 other women from the audience. Luckily the presenter could speak some English and approached us explaining we were going to have a dance-off on stage against the other women. Oh-Oh!! No way to back out now.
          In keeping with the amazement we are often greeted with in Korea the presenter proceeded to ask us our names, where we were from, etc. Naming our school was greeted by a huge cheer from our kids and their parents scattered throughout the audience. A large group of my kids and their parents were seated near the front of the stage and I could hear shouts of "Teacher Lisa, Teacher Lisa" amidst mad waving and jumping to catch my attention.
          At this stage we were made to line up and the dance-off began. Dance styles among the mothers on stage with us ranged from hip-hop to ballet and all I kept thinking was how can I dance on stage in front of my kids parents without embarrassing myself TOO much! I decided to play it safe and go for simple silly dance moves. (Which Jannel our colleague recorded on her camera and is attached below). All the while being cheered on by my students as loud as they could.
           Next the presenter asked if we were married Vanessa of course replied "yes" and I without thinking answered truthfully "No" to the presenters response of "Oh I know a guy" before pulling one of the stage hands on to the main stage from the back. Now at this point the audience were very amused as I was greeted by this Korean guy. We were made stand back to back as we played some Korean compatibility test game. The presenter counted to three and we had to turn our heads in one direction. If we both turned our heads the same direction we were compatible. One, two, three... opposite directions! Again, one, two, three...opposite directions. At this stage everyone was laughing and they decided one last attempt. One, two, three... opposite directions. After three tries and fails they eventually accepted that we clearly weren't compatible and sent the poor guy backstage once more.
 Now needless to say neither Vanessa nor I won the dance-off and the presenter joked that we would go home with nothing but after a few sad faces we were given a Crayola art set and some body lotions. We walked off the stage and back through the crowd like minor celebrities as kids we don't even teach reached out to give us high-5's.
          Yet another Korean experience to cross off the list..

Our kindergarten advertisement.

          Kindergarten here at English Village is based on total (or as close as you can get while still living in Korea) immersion into the English language. From the moment they arrive until the moment they leave the kids do not speak Korean. They talk to all teachers in English, they study through English they even play through English and it works. Kids are like sponges and they pick up and use new words at an amazing speed. It is very rarely now that I have to put on my teacher voice and say "Don't speak Korean". Ok, they forget at times or don't know a word so use the Korean but apart from that, English.
         To be able to speak English for Koreans is a major advantage. Most, if not all, major companies have English proficiency tests as mandatory requirements during the hiring process. With this in mind it is no wonder that English language teaching jobs are so readily available in Korea. English Village is a popular choice as it is not just an hour or so of English classes a day but all classes being taught through English, but because of this it's expensive. Most of my students have parents who are doctors or own their own businesses, etc. The downside to the exclusiveness of our school is that many people from the area just wouldn't be able to afford it and thus we have to advertise a lot.
          The enrolment for next term is beginning shortly and so once again the advertising is in full blast. This term they decided an online "preview" of our school would be a cute idea too so we all had the pleasure of a camera filming our classes while we taught one day a few weeks ago and here is the final product:

House of Sharing

       

          I can say I have many memories from Korea, many fantastic memories. It has been an amazing year so far. Unfortunately not many of those memories revolve around "cultural" activities. Arriving here 11months ago I had the very best of intentions. I was going to go on Temple stays, go hiking in the famous mountains, learn korean cookery etc. but none of those plans materialized and I am sorry to say that now I just don't have the time left to do them. One item on my "cultural" list was to visit the 'House of Sharing' and I managed to finally go about 3 weeks ago. 

          Dee, Helena and I had all signed up to go on Saturday the 12th of November. Unfortunately that was the morning after our Irish dinner and it wouldn't have been a real "Irish dinner" without some alcoholic beverages so the girls didn't feel very much like getting out of bed the next morning and therefore I made the trip myself. I'll admit I was hesitant when I got the note slid under my door saying not to wake them as to whether I should go or just crawl back into my warm bed too but I decided to give it a chance and I am glad.I had heard things about the House before my visit but nothing could have prepared me.

          The House of Sharing is a home and museum for survivors of Japanese Military Sexual Slavery during the Asia-Pacific War (1931-1945).  From 1932 until the end of WWII, the Japanese military forcefully conscripted - by means of kidnapping, deception and colonial authority - an estimated 50,000 to 200,000 women and girls from all over Asia, mostly from Korea, to serve as sexual slaves in their brothel system. Many of these girls and young women died and were murdered and massacred. Of those that survived they were abandoned in countries far from there homes with no means of income after the war. Few ever returned home. 

           After decades of silence, the issue was brought to the public in 1992 and since then a number of "comfort women" have come forward. These women's lives were devastated by what happened to them yet with great strength they spoke out. Every Wednesday since January 1992, survivors have gathered outside the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to protest the Japanese government's denial of its role in military sexual slavery and its refusal to meet the demands of the victims. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary the Japanese government continues to refuse to accept its role. However, due to deteriorating health the "Halmoni" are being forced to discontinue their protests with their 1000th and final protest being held on December 14th of this year.

        On arrival at the house we were given a brief talk and shown a video of one of the women who had first fought for the cause.The women living in the house are known internationally as the "comfort women" but more affectionately known by the volunteers at the house as the "Halmoni", Korean for grandmother. 

         After the video we were shown through the museum where we were told shocking facts and listened to disturbing testimonies. One of the testimonies read to us was of one of the 8 women who currently live in the home. In her 80's now she was 13 when she was abducted by Japanese soldiers while fetching water for her parents in her local village. From Korea she was taken to China to a "comfort station". These "comfort stations" were dotted all throughout Japanese territories in Asia as it was believed that the soldiers fought better if the had their sexual desires filled. On arriving the other women asked her age and finding out how young she was one woman objected to the guards. To show their authority the soldiers rolled that woman over a bed of nails until pieces of her flesh began embedding onto the spikes and tearing off and then beat her before finally beheading her in front of all of the other women. 

          Another testimony read to us was about a woman who became pregnant due to one of the many rapes. She was of no use to them pregnant so to deal with her pregnancy the soldiers put a red hot poker into her vagina. The women also spoke of having to eat while being raped at times as the had no time in between one soldier and the next. The Japanese military often inflicted torture on the women if they tried to refuse, such as by putting blades into their flesh and twisting them so the wound would not heal for longer. It was hard not to feel disgusted and heartbroken by the accounts and many people, myself included, were holding back tears. 

          Following the museum tour we were given a chance to ask any questions we still had before we got to meet the Halmoni (the women who were abused). The language barrier would have caused difficulties but volunteers translated for us and the meeting was amazing. Obviously the events were very traumatic for them so for the most part we just talked in general and one of the old women who loved singing asked us as a group to sing for her but occasionally they would mention something about their experiences. One of the women showed us the scars left all over her body from the torture she received. Another told us how the rapes and chemical abortions she was given had made her infertile (this happened to a great many of the survivors). Eight women currently reside at the 'House of Sharing', the youngest in their 80's. As we left and I was saying goodbye to the woman one of them held my hand for a minute as others past by making it seem even more shocking how these women who should have been somebodies grandmother's had their futures taken.

          The halmoni are very happy at the "House of Sharing" which is completely funded by public donations and say that they are treated better their than most state nursing homes. The have a wonderful art gallery of paintings by the women as part of a therapy. They halomoni told us how much they enjoyed meeting the tour groups that came and were grateful that their stories were not being forgotten.

         . Talking to the women that day and hearing the sadness in their voices of not being able to continue their protests and the fear that their sufferings will never be truly acknowledged was an extremely emotional experience and one which I will not forget easily but also an experience which I would recommend to anyone. You can find more information on online testimonies at www.houseofsharing.org

The Irish dinner!

      
        This dinner was and will be a one time only event and was possible the most anticipated meal of the entire year. Since the end of February Dee and I began chatting about "an Irish dinner" we even proposed to first cook it the St. Patrick's day weekend in March but once we found out about the parade and festival in Seoul that plan got waylaid. Numerous other dates had been set since and each had been quashed before they ever got the chance to become reality. I think our friends here began to associate "the Irish dinner" in the same category as leprechauns, the crock of gold at the end of the rainbow and fairies!!!
          Then we finally set a date. Last Friday evening (the 11th of November 2011, a date I am sure will be forever etched in their minds as the night they ate the best food) we finally held the infamous "Irish dinner". Despite our best intentions we failed to locate bacon (or ham as the yanks needed us to specify) and a cabbage dinner by itself didn't appeal very much so we altered our menu. It may not be traditional Irish but it is a dish that I think every Irish family have frequently... Roast Chicken.
          With seven for dinner we bought 2 chickens (thank God for that because despite their appearance Korean chickens turned out to literally be almost skin and bones!).

The chickens were picked to the bone.

 From 4 that evening Dee, Helena and I were like santa's elves on Christmas eve... not a moment was lost. Dee got onto prepping the veg (broccolli, potatoes and carrots), while I started dessert (Bailey's Cheesecake and apple crumble) and Helena got going on the veggie option (Kelly had to be awkward and decide she wouldn't even eat meat for the "Irish dinner" :P ) of Prawn curry (ok so maybe thats not traditionally Irish either but it was made with McDonnells curry powder which is Irish so we think it kinda counts! Regardless of it's Irishness it was delicious!
          After finishing the desserts I turned my attention to the chickens. I took them out of the plastic containers they were in to be greeted disturbingly by the fact that my chickens still had necks attached (no head luckily but still necks). Unfortunately nobody else volunteered for the job so I found myself ringing a chickens neck for the first and hopefully last time. Ok, so the chicken was already dead but I still twisted its neck til it snapped...yuck. After that I got the par-boiled potatoes from Dee (coz neither Helena or herself knew how to make roasties) and using granny and moms method I lathered them in butter. While the potatoes and chickens were in the oven we prepped my apartment. I have to say with Dee's and my tables and a few pieces of furniture repositioned we actually had a pretty good set-up. I collected the roast potatoes and basted the chickens (they were cooking in the schools cooking room as Korean houses don't have ovens, they mainly cook on stove-top). Then a while later Dee and Helena went to collect the chickens while I cooked the leeks and seasoned the mash (the way dad does..the best!).

The carrots

          Right on schedule Sam, Kelly, Kyle and Ness arrived and we got to serving up our meals. I have to say it was inpressive. Main course was Roast chicken with roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, leeks, carrots, broccolli and beautiful onion gravy!! In Sam's words "it was like a dinner your mammy would make". Then for dessert we had the baileys cheesecake and crumble washed down with a nice cup of Irish tea.

Kelly enjoying the cheesecake a bit too much!

 All the while with a continous playlist of Irish artists serenading us in the background (everyone from Westlife, to the cranberries to the pogues). Despite the wait I think the "Irish dinner" well and truly lived up to and may have even surpassed expectations!

       

My kids!!

       
       
           My students, my kids, my babies, my doteys, my little monsters and so many other names all apply!! I can love them and hate them in the same second. I can want to hug them and scold them. I can feel relief when they leave and miss them too. Who'd have thought it'd be so confusing! My students are 6yrs old Korean (5 internationally) and they really are tiny at times. I mean I am a teacher, a nurse, a cleaner, a dentist and a parent depending on what the need at that particular moment which means I can have numerous roles in just one day!
          In the last few months I have dealt with almost every type of bodily fluid there is: tears, snot, spit, blood, vomit, pee and poo!! Sometimes they break my heart as they sob into my shoulder (but I will admit despite the risk of sounding cruel I like those moments too... the way that a little kid can hold onto you as if they couldn't survive without you is an amazing feeling!). Sometimes they make me laugh as they walk over asking for  a tissue with snot hanging down past their chins. Sometimes they make me worry with calls of "Teacher, teacher nosebleed!" and sometimes they make me sigh to myself and wish that I could ignore what they are saying with "Teacher Lisa I was too late for the bathroom"!
         I breath a sigh of relief on Friday evenings as they get on the bus yet I find myself thinking of them over the weekend! They can change me from angry, to laughing, to angry again in the space of 10 seconds! I have sympathy for every other teacher and parent out there! A day with children is a rollercoaster... with a whole lot of unexpected twists! Basically I am going to miss them.
          In just 6 short weeks I will have my last class with them and I know I am going to be a stereotypical "Hennessy" and bawl my eyes out. It is just amazing how close you can get to the kids after a week with them not to mind a year! They are torments and treasures.
          Some of the things they do and say can be the cutest... like while teaching about giving one day I asked one girl what was the best present she had ever given to her parents and her answer was "I gave them me", she laughed and thought it was funny but I thought it was adorable and so true. Another day one of my boys was explaining that his friend got a new baby sister but phrased it as "Raphael's mommy laid a baby". I couldn't stop the laughter. Albert my little rogue walked up to me one day and said "I like penis", I nearly choked and got him to repeat, "I like penis" but on getting him to explain it became clear he actually intended to say 'I like peanuts'! I tried to hide my laughter. Erin told a silly joke: 'Why did the cow cross the road? It wanted to get mooooooo-ving!' and I laughed as heartily as I have in ages.

           My good friend Vanessa recently told me that she had read an article about how jobs can affect peoples happiness and ultimately their lifespan. According to the article people who worked with or were around young children were statistically happier and lived longer. I believe it. They make me laugh, they make me run, they make me sit on the floor and build blocks at lunch (the boys) or colour princesses and flowers (the girls) all of which make me smile. Basically despite the bad things which came with teaching such a young age group it was surpassed by the good things. I have loved the last 11 months and I intend to savour my final one.

Malaysia and Bali.

         On the 10th of September 7 of us (Dee, Helena and me, Sam and Kelly and Mark and Dan) happily boarded a plane for Kuala Lumpar(KL), Malaysia. A week of no kids, no teaching and no English village!! Bliss! Don't get me wrong I love working here in Korea but the lack of holidays can be very tiring. I mean since I arrived last December I had had one week off in February and maybe 4 other days for bank holidays. If I had been teaching in Ireland for the same amount of time I would have had 2 weeks for Christmas, a week in Feb for mid-term, 2 weeks for Easter, numerous days for bank holidays, St. Patrick's etc and then to top it off 2-3 months for summer!! A slight difference! All in all I think that all of us were wearing fairly thin energy wise and were in need of this holiday very much.

          We had the whole holiday planned (in our heads at least) 2-3 days in KL and then south to beach islands off the coast to really chill and bask in the sunshine. Unfortunately mother nature hadn't agreed to this and so she decided to throw in a little surprise..... a storm system! There goes our beach holiday or so we thought at first. We arrived in Malaysia on Saturday afternoon and after a very very long passport control line we finally made it out of the airport and onto our bus to the city centre. We arrived at our hostel (the Reggae Guesthouse, near Chinatown, which I would definitely recommend to a friend).
Here, Sam being Sam decided that a sun holiday without the sun wasn't gonna work out so in his typical convincing fashion somehow persuaded us all to book a flight to Bali in Indonesia for the Monday morning. So our week in Malaysia quickly turned into one day in Malaysia. Anyway, after getting rid of our bags we happily wandered the streets admiring the various stalls of beautiful Malaysian crafts and then met up together for dinner.  Luckily our hostel was attached to a bar and restaurant and the food was delicious. We intended having one or two drinks there first and then moving but we got chatting to other people and spent our night there! (A very easy walk home!)


          Next day (our only day there) we decided to buy tickets for the hop-on-hop-off Kuala Lumpar bus tour. Definitely worth it, despite only having one day we saw so many of the main attractions in the city. We started first at the palace (we could only see it from the gates bit it looked gorgeous), I got to have my picture taken with the mounted soldiers at the gate. I really love horses, hope I get to go horse-riding at some stage on our travels!

 Then we moved on to Little India, a predominately Indian neighbourhood. Sam bought some street food which despite its unusual appearance turned out to be delicious and we all stole mouthfuls! Next stop was The museum, I think, despite stopping there intending to go in we got distracted outside by guys                                                           with snakes and lizards and parrots charging for photos. We all stood a little scared at first but Sam went for it and took his pic with a snake. Sure enough after him we all got courage to do it so Dee, Helena and I posed for a photo together. Dee and Helena refused to hold the head though so I got stuck with it and I'll admit although I enjoyed it I was a bit nervous too. Back on the bus and off to the bird park! It is the largest free flight aviary in the world, it was cool. Birds literally flew and swooped around our heads or waddled along the paths in front of us. Despite all this this best part of that stop for me and actually one of the highlights of the holiday were...the monkeys!! Yep, wild monkeys! They lived in the trees around the park and we first saw them as we were walking in as little baby monkeys swung from the lamposts. After we came out of the park they were there again but closer and this time we had food. Sam held out a cracker in his hand and a little monkey held on by his tail, swooped down, snatched the cracker, and was back in his tree before we could even react. After that Sam fed a few more of them as we stared on amazed. Then I finally decided to try so I got a cracker and then this monkey just strolled over to us. He looked at me and I looked at him and I held out my hand (with the cracker pinched right at the tip of my fingers) expecting him to grab it as quickly as the others but he just lazily stretched out his arm and took hold of the cracker. For a second we both held it looking at each other and then I let go and he just took it happily. It was amazing. I have never been that close to a monkey... do you know they have fingernails?                                                               Little tiny finger nails on little tiny hands, it is so scary how human-like they are. Next we saw the main square, which was beautiful and we saw an unexpected display by the armed forces showing their fighting techniques in slow motion almost. Then the Petronas towers, which are now the tallest twin towers in the world. Strange but we were there on Sept. 11th, the ten year anniversary of the twin towers attack. Then we went to the KL tower and then I think it was home to the hostel, although I may be forgetting some stops as it was a pretty hectic day!


         When we got back we strolled through Chinatown and stopped at a restaurant to eat, sitting there a scraggly looking guy wandered up with a guitar... all of us at the table rolled our eyes and thought "Oh no, just go away" but WOW were we wrong. He opened his mouth and started singing Pink Floyd and it was amazing. Then Bob Dylan, then Johnny Cash, and so many more. I would have happily listened all night he had talent. He didn't just do amazing covers of the songs he gave them his own twist and some of them I would say he even maybe improved! He finished after maybe 6 songs and we all happily gave him money into his hat. Bed early that night for our flight next morning!
           Up early and taxi to the airport, and very excitedly boarded our flight for Bali. This is where the real holiday begins!! Arriving in Bali we got a taxi to Kuta the main resort but found the prices higher than we expected to moved across the island to Sanur, here we found a cheap hotel but also found that it was basically where all the retired couples holidayed, not exactly what we had in mind. We decided to stay one night anyway and move back to Kuta next morning and it was a fun night after all. Back in Kuta next morning the sun was really heating up and we booked into a cheap hotel (after a search) and then made our way to the beach. We spent the day lying on sun loungers, splashing in the sea and eating fruit. Unfortunately while Dee and I were swimming Helena forgot to re-apply her suncream and was quite a lovely shade of lobster red when we came back! Poor Helena!

          The rest of our week was pretty much spent in the same way, lying on the beach relaxing during the day and going out at night. Over the week we had many funny and happy stories and a few not so funny ones (Dee being robbed) but all in all it was a wonderfully, relaxing few days. The only problem is how fast it went. Friday came far too quickly and we caught a flight back to Malaysia, where we spent a night in a hotel near the airport. Next morning we boarded our plane "home" to Korea and despite our wonderful weeks holidays we were all happy to be going home at the same time.

Dr. Fish

          Also a few weeks ago we decided to have a nice chilled day in Seoul and visit Dr.Fish. Now this was something we had been meaning to do for a long time but summer had taken its toll on our little feet and they were desperately in need of some kind of treatment. With this in mind Kyle, Vanessa, Dee, Helena and I decided to make our way to one of the many Dr.Fish treatment spas in Korea.
        Now the Dr. Fish we decided to go to was slightly unconventional as it is not in a leisure centre or spa but a cafe! Yep, a cafe. On arriving there you order a drink and are asked if you wish to pay 2,000won (about 1.30euro) more for the Dr. Fish. Now all the drinks(coffees and hot chocolates etc) are around 6,000won (4euro) which is pricey enough for Korea which is how they make their money I guess.
         Anyway after finishing our drinks we made our way up to a raised area by the window with 2 fish tanks in holes in the floor, after rinsing our feet first we were allowed put our feet in the tanks. We all started with the small fish and the best way I can describe it is tickly! Unbearably tickly at times... my feet are always ticklish (like dads) so I was literally crying laughing as I pulled my feet out of the water, then back in, out again, back in, you get the picture. Eventually I realised that if I pushed my feet right to the bottom of the tank it wasn't as bad because they couldn't nibble the soles of my feet. I must be very tasty because for some reason those little fish loved me... while my feet were in the tank they almost ignored Kyle and Vanessa. At one stage while my feet were swarmed with little nibbling fish Vanessa looked at me then at her own and questioned why only about 10 little fish were around her.

My feet are in the middle, Vanessa's are on the left.

          After a few minutes of the little fish we got the courage to brave the bigger fish in the next tank.

Kyle couldn't stop his laughter..

Kyle went first and he literally squealed like a little girl... his giggles set us all laughing before we had even put our toes in the water.
We followed his lead though and all nervously lowered our feet in to the pool of the bigger fish. While the little fish simply felt like a tiny nibble and were very very ticklish these fish had bigger mouths and I would saw had a slightly sandpaper-ish feel. They were not as bad but still very tickly!

The bigger fish

         


Our 15mins was soon up but it had been 15mins of giggles and squeals... out of the five of us 4 of us enjoyed it so with those odds I would recommend every to try it at least once. Our feet were not drastically different but I think we all felt a slight change (possibly imagined)...either way its just a fun way to spend an afternoon!