The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Baby it's cold outside! Well, we had snow! {and not just the flurries I showed a video on FB!} Full.On.Snow. It was sooooo gorgeous outside! It happened to be on a Monday morning that I walked out of my apartment and walked to school but felt like I was in a Winter Wonderland! Lemme tell you-Monday was that much better :)

I have consumed more hot chocolate (hot choco in Korea) here in the last few months than I prob have in the last 5 years at home!

I really can relate with Olaf right now (yes, that is a Frozen reference peeps!) I miss warm hugs-it is so interesting to have been over here in this culture for 10 months and the lack of 'touch' is just crazy. I was telling a friend that one of my 3rd graders did the cutest thing the other day that I wanted to hug her BUT it is just not the norm here. {be prepared friends-I will be a hugging machine when I return!}

Fleece leggings have saved my life. End of story. I mean, HOW have I not had these before (yes, I am aware that the extent of 'cold' living in my life has been heading to the family cabin...or skiing for a few days!)

I don't leave home without earmuffs and my beanie. They are always in my purse. It is like when I lived in Costa Rica-I didn't leave home without an umbrella and bug spray. Or, when I lived in San Francisco-I pretty much always had a scarf/pashmina/layers b/c we all know that SF can get a bit chilly at the drop of a dime (esp in the summer!). Being prepared makes ALL the difference in the world though! My, the girl that is 'anti-cold' is actually doing okay over here :) **I also have on like 5 layers so feel like a snowman!

I have noticed that Korean fashion  (not ALL-but the majority) makes me think they are either going to a club, or hiking Mt. Everest. And, neither of those answers are probably where they are truly going! {although they are VERY serious about their hiking clothes here!}

Have I mentioned the couple matching outfits? Because that is something that I feel I need to-and maybe again if I have already! They wear matching shoes, shirts, jackets, you name it!

First semester I got to do my first 'voice recording' LOL for the students listening test. We just did it again for 2nd semester. It was so funny b/c at lunch Mrs. Na said she was walking the hallway during 4th period, when the English test was going on for grades 3-6, and all she heard was my voice in every classroom! LOLOL Then, after my students were cleaning in the classroom and were mocking me (in a loving way though) and repeating some of the sentences to me-it was hilarious! (they also like to mock my morning announcement I do every Weds/Fri...that is pretty comical too! They are like little parrots...or as they say in Korea 'talking birds')

Eating Korean food weekly: Dolsot Bibimbap and the noodle place near my house :) Now that I don't eat it for lunch daily I actually do enjoy eating the good Korean dishes!

Hibernate like a bear-it is cold outside! I didn't leave my apartment for months (on the weekends) or after I got home from school b/c it is just too cold out! I have come out of hibernation the last few weeks and it really put me in the holiday spirit! 

12 Pubs of Christmas-the event of the season!!! It was a blast-cannot wait to make this a tradition (and yes I made it to all 12 bars!). 

Dream Tree-student activity (survey of what jobs-their dreams-are) we put them all as ornaments on the 'Dream (Christmas) Tree' and I would say the funniest job I heard was an Iguana Trainer...I didn't know there was such a thing! I guess we learn something new every day!

Costco trips-took a new route from downtown (yay-small victory!) & the wine lady recognized me-it was hilarious! *and why don't we have wine tasting stations at Costco in the US?! Point for Korea!

Decorated for Christmas-my tree! & chain countdown (and advent calendar!)

Amazing Neighbors-BLESSED! So, growing up my family was very lucky to have amazing neighbors-those neighbors are like family to me. We have all grown up together and still are a part of each other's lives (Isbell's & Tokheims!). That 'good' neighbor luck/feeling followed me after I left Austin Road...I had amazing roommates in the dorms in college-still friends with a lot of them (Jackie & Katie & Leo-you all were next to, or across the hall, from my room-good ole 819!) AND then, I moved to Texas and met Shelley & Annie-who I still keep in touch with today. Then, the San Francisco days-and the good ole Presidio crew (Allison!). In Fresno I was lucky to meet Jess AND she lived in my complex! And finally, the move to Korea, and I was LUCKY to  have expats in my neighborhood-but not only expats-people I LIKE. I have had such a great time and am lucky to have these people in my life here with this experience. Marie-she was my calm during some crazy times here and also loved to cook/bake. Chris-well he fixed my heater the FIRST night I moved here...and recently let me borrow his freezer for all my carbs (haha) and also helped me store some other stuff-just very generous and always there for  ya! And Sonya, the neighbor who gets me out of hibernation in the winter! Or is down to watch some SATC. Also, she is a full believer in wine:thirty :) The other day I got to hang out with all 3 of them in a 24 hour period-and it was great-I realized that though they are all different they have touched my life and time here in Korea. I am not sure where I will head next...but am hoping that good neighbors, who turn into friends, will be there as well! I think the odds are ever in my favor ;)

Prepping for Winter Camp! I had a camp before vacay and have one after vacay-I decided to make it fun for the students and did stuff around winter & Frozen. So far it was a hit at camp 1 :)

'Guest' Teacher...it makes you think. I mean, sure their government pays us to come and teach English BUT at the end of the day we ARE a guest in their country. We are representing whatever 'western' country we have left. A very wise man reminded me of this, thanks Zach ;)

The BEST Christmas card I have ever received...so on Thursday December 18th I had a LONG day ahead of me. BUT, I also saw the light at the end of the tunnel so wasn't trippin' ;) In between my 3rd & 4th period my 4-4 class came in with their homeroom teacher (one of my friends here in Korea!) and they had made a Christmas card for me. I almost cried-no joke. It was so sweet. And one of those things you just need, not that I had a bad day or anything at all, but almost what you need to keep going. To keep that Christmas cheer going for 3 more classes. To keep smiling when you haven't felt your nose all morning b/c it is so cold out (not exaggerating peeps!). I was so happy-and it feels good to know that this class of 4th graders really does enjoy coming to my English class. Their little faces lit up when I said 'let's take a picture' and they ran to the back of the class to our 'picture spot' haha {I mean they know the drill-I have taken a bazillion pics this year!}

The lack of heat in the schools. Okay so I can sound like a princess by saying this (esp to those of my friends who live where it is negative ALL the time!) BUT when it is 18 degrees out (Fahrenheit people!) the heater SHOULD be on in the classroom/school. I mean WTF. So, I couldn't feel my nose one day til after lunch (you laugh but my friends that are here in South Korea know what I mean) and then the next day they said the heater was turned up to make it warmer in our class BUT it was blowing cold air. I was trying to explain that the cold air meant that they prob need to FIX it but it wasn't being understood. Also, the window draft is crazy-these are def not double pane windows! I put a bulletin board in between my window and the window covering to try to prevent the coldness. It is kinda working. I think the BIGGEST difference when dealing with the cold here compared to, I dunno Minnesota, is that in Minnesota the heat is ON. No questions. Here-nope! I was just laughing with my friend b/c I said that if the classrooms in the states were this cold school would prob be canceled and/or the parents would make the biggest ordeal out of it (and yes, I know I am NOT in the states). Which I guess brings me to my point-in being here for 10 months I have experienced so many things. Some awesome cultural differences and others that you seriously question BUT I really have come to appreciate the 'comforts' of living in the USA. Now, can someone please turn on the HEAT :)

Working Christmas Eve & the 26th was slight torture!

Christmas with new friends hosted by South Africans! It was such a great holiday-I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas especially being so far away from family and friends! A day full of fun, new traditions, food, friends, wine & laughter :)

2014 was a great year! I have gotten to travel, live in a new country, learn a lot about myself and make some great new friends! Next up-a New Year & a new adventure! I am off for vacation-wishing everyone all the best in 2015!!!

So Much To Be Thankful For!

Hope everyone {USA peeps} had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. I hope you all had a great time with loved ones and appreciated the 4 days off ;) I had a great Thanksgiving here-my friend Marie made an amazing meal and I got to spend the holiday with a few of my friends I have made here in Chilgok. It was neat because we did the whole 'what are you thankful for' before we ate and I was able to put a fun puzzle together. If I hadn't lived in Fresno I wouldn't have had the 'Fresno' connection with Bill when I met him at orientation (although we still would have had the Nor-Cal bond!), and then if Bill hadn't been placed in Chilgok I wouldn't have taken Korean class from his teacher-which is where/how we met Marie (who, remember, lived right around the corner from me!). It is crazy to see how all the pieces of the puzzle of 'life' really do fit together.

So, this month I wrote down what I was thankful for every day. Sometimes they were funny things-that at that moment I was very thankful for (McDonald French Fries to help with Saturday shenanigans!), but other times there were serious things to be thankful for-like this whole experience in Korea. There have been good times, and frustrating times, but that is all part of the experience! Just knowing I finally got to do this, and teach overseas, makes me thankful. I also have realized that you probably should visit somewhere first before you decide to move there for a year :)

I also thought about risks. And how one must take risks to gain rewards. I thought back to 9 years ago, when I quit my job in San Diego and moved back to Nor-Cal. And, by doing that I was able to spend some great, quality time with my amazing grandparents (the Kennedy side). I am so thankful that I used that time wisely, and made wonderful memories with them. Memories are what matter-those are the things you take with you through life. I also realized that with all the risks I have taken in my life I always land on my feet. This was a good reminder to myself, because once this Korea adventure is over I get to figure out what it is I want to do next. There are so many things going through my mind-it is overwhelming! But, I guess it is great to know there are options, and that obviously I am open to risks and change.

I just finished my final English Festival at my school last week-I taught my students all about Thanksgiving! It was fun, and put me in the holiday spirit :) I brought pumpkin pie as a treat for my after-school classes and they got to try it for the first time! I have a video of them eating it-so cute! I also got to do lots of fun crafts-I swear I feel like I am an art teacher at times here! My favorite was having my little 'Pilgrims and Indians' (pic below!). The kids in my regular classes made Thankful Turkeys and wrote out what they were thankful for (traced their hands and then the hand print was part of the feathers for the turkey-pics below). They were thankful for some of the funniest things BUT I also had a student who wrote she was thankful for me. It made my day. It just felt so nice to have a student say that-I am sure my teacher friends understand! It made me realize that I have made an impact on these kids lives...which I seriously questioned at times because they get a new Native English Teacher (NET) nearly every year.

My mom always laughs at me b/c I ride my bike everywhere. At first I thought it was funny that she always laughed/brought it up BUT then I realized WHEN have I ever rode my bike to the store, work etc. haha I mean, with the exception of 6th grade and wanting to ride our bikes to school instead of taking the bus (good times Stace!) I have never used a bike for my means of transportation. I had my bike in SD and rarely used it, had it in Dallas and never used it (although I made Brian ship it back to me haha-of course I did!), it came with me to SF and never left my apartment and now it is retired at the family cabin. I ride my bike here EVERYWHERE. To the store, to school, to the doctor, to the bank-you name it. It makes you realize that you adapt to your surroundings and whatever you need to do you just do. I love my bike here-I will say that I have gotten pretty aggressive while biking. I mean, the drivers here are CRAZY yet this girl just goes for it (and say a little prayer!). Sonya and I were riding back from Home Plus a few weeks ago (she was riding on my extra bike and it was the funniest thing ever b/c it was making this funny noise-I laughed SO hard!) and she even commented on how biking here is not the safest option.

A few things that I just don't understand:

• Korean children do not have a bedtime. And, I mean LITTLE kids too. My co-teacher's son is 2 and he is up past midnight. She made a comment how tired her husband was and I just was like 'why don't you MAKE your son go to bed then?!' and they just don't. I also get to hear the lovely 2 year old above my apartment who NEVER goes to sleep and thinks her apartment is a race course and I swear runs laps...again after midnight!
• Kimchi breath. So nasty. I mean, especially with the heater on (and windows closed) it smells funk in the classroom, on the bus, on the subway-everywhere! I feel like I am marinading in it haha {for the record this smell is worse than the smell of BO on a crowded subway in Italy in July}

What happened in Korea town for me this past month:

• School volleyball champion games...pretty intense! They take it very serious AND they play 9 on 9...that was interesting :) We got to leave school early though AND I got to see some of my other expat chingus (Native English Teacher friends!) so that was REALLY nice. It is crazy how much better you feel when you can just speak your language to someone and know they get what you are saying. We have all commented on it-it seriously makes your day that much better to see them (sometimes I run into Marie on my way to school in the AM and that starts my day off better!). We also went out to teacher dinner after AND I actually liked the meal-for real.
• I consumed more pumpkin pie this past month than probably the last 2 years COMBINED. I mean, first off I am not a huge PP person. I eat a piece at Thanksgiving and am good to go. But, since Costco had PP it was like I had to have it. Just knowing you can't get those things easily here makes you crave the oddest things.
• I actually emerged from my cave (aka my apartment). I had been such a hermit while letting my toe heal-which it is sooooo much better thank GOD! This cold ass weather def reminds me it is still healing though ;) But yeah, I went out to get a burger for a friend's bday and ended up staying out wayyyyy later than I anticipated. 2 weeks later my friend Darrell was heading out of Korea so I threw him a going away dinner party and ended up staying out quite late that night too. I blame Sonya-she is like my sister from another mister (or just reminds me of myself 10 years ago haha)
• Hung out with my sweet new co-teacher at her house. She had me over for lunch and it was DELISH! It isn't a secret I don't love Korean food-but I do like some stuff-and she made those for me. Japchae, bulgogi & a yummy salad-so good! Plus she sent me home with leftovers (and she made pickles too) AND we baked muffins. It was a lot of fun. Her son is 2 and such a little ham. We played, I gave them an advent calendar and he REALLY liked it (obviously-what child doesn't like candy here?!). 
• Starbucks red cups. Enough said. Those make me happy :)
• Hunger Games Mockingjay came out here before the USofA...still in shock over that. I thought it was good-I know there are mixed reviews but of course it wasn't going to be as good since they split the last book up people!
• Thanksgiving Festival at school (like I mentioned above). The students learned allllll about Thanksgiving and then we did a few craft activities. I had block schedule and lemme tell you-it was way worse being with 6th graders for 80 minutes than it was to be with my 3rd graders for that amount of time! However, my 5th graders are still sweet and one of them even said she was thankful for me! It made my day-makes you feel like they do appreciate you (I am sure all my teacher friends are saying 'amen sista' right about now haha).
• In the midst of my dad being sick and dealing with his 2nd surgery (he is all good now-thanks again to all of you that prayed/had him in your thoughts!) he wanted to send me chocolate advent calendars to give to my co-teachers and Principal, VP, etc. So he did send them-thanks dad!-and I was able to give them out and explain what it was. My Principal and VP were super excited-they were like little kids! I also had a few 'extra' so gave them to my young Korean teacher friends to get in the holiday spirit with me :)
• Oh, and my landlord left me acorn jelly. Picture below. One of my smart-aleck guy friends said 'I didn't know you could squeeze jelly out of an acorn'...clearly here in Korea you can!!!
• The most exciting thing happened today. It snowed!!! It was just flurries...but it was still pretty awesome and made the day magical :) Korea sure does seasons well!

Oh, and I guess one of the major things that happened this past month (which might have been obvious above) was I told my school I was not going to re-sign for a 2nd year to teach here. I don't know exactly what I am going to do, but I will figure it out-I always do ;) Until then, I am going to enjoy my last few months here and absorb it all like a sponge! I still pinch myself at times and think 'Is this real? Am I really living & teaching in Asia?!' And the answer is YES! And so glad I did it :)

This quote pretty much sums up my future right about now: "I don't know where I'm going but I promise it won't be boring." Thanks David Bowie ;)

Audrey & Yoo-mi with their advent calendars!

It sometimes still amazes me how talented my students are.

Volleyball Championship games-everyone loved my schools yellow fleece zippies!

My co-t and her family went on their first Costco trip with me! I loved this pic of her son with the toy soldier :)

Dinner with Hayley...traditional Korean style and sitting on the floor

My sweet student, Elizabeth, who put she was thankful for me!

James, a 3rd grader & in my Art Club too. He cracks me up-check out how big his 'slippers' are hahaha
It was entertaining trying to get him to stand still for this pic!

Marie hosted Friendsgiving at her place on Sunday-I had 2 Thanksgiving feasts this year!

The yummy lunch Miju prepared for me!

Good ole neighbor Chris (or as Mrs. Na would call him Irishman) fixing my bathroom light. I am sure I could've done it myself BUT he was excited for a little DIY project ;)

Theater students-aka my Pilgrims & Indians-enjoying Pumpkin Pie for the first time! They enjoyed it :)

Red cups make us happy!!! <3 these South Africans!!!

Sonya on the bike. Could be the hardest I have laughed during the 9 months here to be honest! 

Happy bday Stef! {Clearly I was excited for the party!}

Thanksgiving Festival-5th graders with their Thankful Class Turkey

Stef's party Gogos style

Bill! My fellow Nor-Cal/Fresno/Chilgok dude

Happy students having fun during Thanksgiving festival

Thanksgiving feast at Marie's (actual Thanksgiving Day)

Miju and me baking muffins

Marie-shi & Benji

Gotta <3 a bag cocktail!

Advent calendar with Ahyoung...and a little cutie is photobombing! 

Acorn jelly. Nothing more to say.

Fall In a Foreign Land

Well...as I write this I am stoked because the Giants just won the World Series-again-3 times in 5 years...which is insane. And, today is Halloween. Which means it is October 31st. Which means it is nearly November. And another year has almost gone by again. I have been in Korea for a little over 8 months now. The last 6 weeks have been interesting. I fractured my toe (good times!), had a friend visit & got deathly sick (which resulted in me being bedridden for 4 days which was crazy). So, with all this 'me-time' I have had a LOT of time to think. And a LOT of time to watch stuff on netflix ;)

Let's start at the beginning...2nd semester after the Chuseok holiday was a rough couple of weeks. And then, one Thursday afternoon, as I was walking home from school I tripped on the uneven cobblestone sidewalk (yes-cobblestone). OUCH! I like to call it 'California meets Korea' (b/c of course I was wearing flip flops!). It hurt so bad I wasn't sure my toe was still attached-you know the kind of hurt I am talking about! I couldn't even scream b/c I couldn't get words out-and then limped home to ice my throbbing toe. The funniest part was an ajumma (Korean grandma) that was walking past me saw it, actually stopped and stared at me and very slowly said ouchhhhh. Went to my doc the next day and she sent me to an orthopedic down the street. That was an interesting encounter...he was scared of me at first (this I know after being here this long) but he was relieved when I spoke slowwww and used simple words. Then he felt comfortable and his English was actually not bad. We took x-rays and he gave me the good <insert sarcasm> news. Of course I sent a pic of the x-ray home to my friends dad who is a doctor to get a 2nd opinion (this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who knows me well!). He confirmed. Awesome.

Then I got this cool boot-my friend Anne made a typical 'Anne' comment and said 'not sure what is more tragic, that boot or socks with Toms?!' haha (pic below) WELL the answer was I was trying to wear tennies and my foot couldn't get into them...but the socks were already on and I was over it. I was NOT trying to be a fashion statement that day-let me tell you. My sister laughed at me when I told her this story-she thought it was exceptionally funny that I rode my bike to the doctor. BUT, the way I look at it, it was less walking on my throbbing foot/toe! I have been lucky, in my 33 years I have never had to wear a boot/cast, etc. AND for that I am grateful! And, don't ever want to have this 'experience' again-talk about a pain in the arse! I think the boot was overkill-but I also wanted to prevent any further injuries (or any of my 500 students running into me while running around like crazy monkeys which is the usual!).

A week later my friend came to visit...the timing wasn't the best because I wasn't '100%' but we made the most of it and had a great time-she had a list of things she wanted to do in Korea and we made it happen! It was so fun to have a visitor here-having someone from home see my life here, and after being here this long I finally felt like I could show her around and knew where I was going. I also FINALLY found the norebong I went to back in March for a friends bday that I loved-the place smelled like a candy store (and let me tell you-Korea doesn't smell like a candy store ever soooo this is an amazing thing!). We had so much fun singing for over an hour in our 'singing room' ;) It was a whirlwind trip-she was here for 72 hours! The week after she left I got a sinus infection and strep throat. At the same time. And then, 5 days later, bronchitis. I know. I know. What the heck, right?! That is what I was thinking...but clearly the universe (i.e. God) was telling me something. And I listened :) I slowed down...really I did. And then I got bronchitis again hahaha

With all this 'me-time' though I was able to do a lot of thinking. I feel like I had a clarity/eye-opening month and realizations about a few things. I also re-evaluated how I spend my time and who I spend it with. That might sound harsh but why surround yourself with people that don't add to your life? I also finally bought an oven here (imagine large toaster oven-pic below!). I know that baking will be nice to do...especially since Winter is coming! I have baked brownies twice and peanut butter cookies once. Not sure what is next on the list...

I just ended my Halloween English Festival-it was a ton of fun and the kids really enjoyed it. I only taught 3rd and 4th graders for this festival and I had them for 2 periods back-to-back/block schedule. At first I was a tad concerned...it is hard enough to keep them focused for 40 minutes in English class, how was I going to do 80?! Well, I am a rockstar-or maybe an arts & craft star?, and made it happen. It was great to see the kids have time to just be creative-they were decorating their own pumpkin 'mask' (the school wouldn't let me carve for obvious reasons AND they don't really have pumpkins to carve here-they do-but not easy to find. Plus my co-t said no way to that idea). I also taught them the history of Halloween and what other countries do for Halloween. AND, we watched Scared Shrekless...I saw it over 10 times this week...I think I memorized it! The most important thing they learned though was this, when you say trick-or-treat you get candy. They REALLY understood this concept ;)

I realized just the other day that this semester will truly be over before I know it. I have 3 weeks until I teach about Thanksgiving for our final English Festival for the school year. Then I have 3 weeks until the last week of school before winter break. Then, when we get back from winter break (which I will have camps to teach for 2 weeks and then vacay for 2 weeks), we have 3 weeks and then the second semester of teaching is DONE. Wow. Crazy.

So...with the exception of injuring my toe, a friend visiting, being sick & my English Halloween Festival it has been a quiet month. Well, a quiet month for Erin Kennedy ;)

After 8 months in Korea...

• I will never find sitting on the floor to eat dinner comfortable.
• I don't understand squatting (unless camping or at an orchard party when I was in high school!)
• Motorcycles have the right of way. Always.
• Be aggressive and show those motorcycles who's boss! 
• You can change your mind about a place. Daily. 
• Gyms here suck. End of conversation.
• Teaching overseas is a job. 
• Slurping & smacking...why????
• I miss hot water to wash my hands at school-thank gosh for hand sani!
• I miss ground turkey meat.
• I love living somewhere that has seasons (I say this before the cold winter hits mind you!) but experiencing Spring, Summer (HUMID!!!) and Fall has been really cool-the leaves are just gorgeous right now!
• Someone speaking to me in Korean-and still going on even when I have the confused 'what the ...?' look on my face.
• The locals recognizing me-it feels nice. Like, clearly I stick out like Where's Waldo BUT when I bike to school and see the same moms walking their kids to school, or the shop owners, or even the ajummas that are selling the fruit on the sidewalk and they say hi/acknowledge me I smile and the world is okay again.
• If I EVER see someone (specifically foreigner) struggling in the USA again-looking lost, etc. I will do whatever I can to help them. I know all too well how it feels and want to make a difference to someone else! Pay it forward people. 
• But most of all, I have learned MORE about myself over the past 8 months than I thought possible. I have learned stuff that I didn't even think I would learn. And for that I am grateful to have this crazy adventure experience!

My ball and chain for 30 days!

Welcome to Asia :)

Jackie and me in Seoul!

Game night at Marie's-got to play my favorite 5 crowns!!! (and of course we had delish food as always-thanks Marie!!)

Flat Stanley project with my Art Class-thanks to Jennifer Santos for making this happen!

Teeny tiny 'oven' ;)

View from my school-love the Fall colors!

Cute little 3rd graders posing!

Trick-or-treat!!!

Happy class=happy teacher!

That's a wrap-Happy Halloween from Bukbu Elementary School!!!

I teach my 3rd graders more than the ABCs...representin' the best state!

Perks of Traveling Solo

September 27th. Wow. It has been one month since I got back from my summer vacay. The only good thing about that is that I am a month closer to my next big holiday in January! I can't believe a month passed so quick (wait, who am I kidding, of course I believe that-where has this year gone!?). It was extremely hard to write this blog. I struggled and tried a few times, and then I just gave up because I was over it and decided to enjoy my weekends living life versus writing about it. So, here I am again, hoping the words will come to share about my amazing summer vacation and how traveling solo was the best decision I have made in a long time (again, I make a lot of great decisions ;) but this one was really great!). My vacation was everything I wanted it to be & for that I am so happy :) People sometimes ask me 'how do you travel alone' and I really feel like I should ask them 'how do you not?' I recommend everyone do it, at least once. 

**I did decide to bullet out the best part of each day as a highlight for those of you that enjoy light reading and pictures only ;) and then summarized each place I went below.

Vietbodipore 2014 daily highlights:

Day 1: Seeing Asia & getting a new stamp in the passport + Bubble baths in 5 star hotels

Day 2: Halong Bay

Day 3: The day boat to the less touristy Lan Ha Bay

Day 4: Dinner with my new (amazing!) friends Liel & Galit. Went to the Purple Cherry-one of Hanoi's best restaurants!

Day 5: Making a new friend in my hotel lobby. Denise & I had so much in common it was crazy-she also worked for the AHA! Enjoyed the less crowded streets (thank you rain!) and heard all about her 9 months of traveling!

Day 6: Nice hotels with KING SIZE BEDS-seriously AMAZING

Day 7: Riding an elephant. Yes you read that correctly.

Day 8: Witnessing the most incredible sunrise I have EVER seen at Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Day 9: Catching up with friends after 7 years (and feeling like no time had passed-the best feeling ever!)

Day 10: Lazy morning cappuccino and babyccinos with the cutest little ones, bubbles and laughter with the adults!

Day 11: The best sushi I have had since leaving the USA-so delish!!!

Day 12: Seeing Singapore as a tourist-{an original} Singapore Sling at Raffles Hotel, gambling at Marina Bay Sands (amazing!) & enjoying some bubbly on the 57th floor of Tower 3 at Marina Bay Sands-the view was incredible!

Day 13: My flight home chasing the sunrise and seeing it from my window seat. Also, the weather was soooo much nicer in Daegu than when I left a few weeks before!

Hanoi, Vietnam

I arrived to Hanoi on Friday and the first thing I can say is this-I was in shock at how poor it was (felt like I was in TJ, Mexico) AND the #motorcyclemafia. No joke-motorcycles EVERYWHERE. It was out of control. There weren't sidewalks to walk on so you had to share the street with them. I wasn't even worried about my bag being stolen from me, I was concerned about being run over (you laugh, but those of you that have been to Hanoi totally understand!). Granted, by the end of my trip I just walked into the street with confidence and didn't even give it a 2nd thought. Clearly I am still alive to tell my tale-so word of advice-be aggressive :)

I had arranged the cab driver through my hotel and I am so thankful I did. When I got to my hotel (great rec Samantha!) I was in shock. The service was amazing & the room (and bed) was awesome-I was in heaven!! I explored that afternoon and booked my cruise for Halong Bay (which was leaving the next morning at 8 am). When I got picked up for the cruise Saturday morning I met Galit-she was also in the same cab as me. We instantly clicked. She had been traveling for months, and we would soon be meeting up with her friend Liel. Both girls are awesome and I am so glad I met them through this trip!

The group for our cruise was small-thank goodness-about 25 people total. And it wasn't a party boat (thank goodness again-it was my fear that I was going to get stuck with a bunch of 20 year olds on a booze cruise...been there, done that!). So here are the basics-the boat had 3 decks, I had my own room with a 'double' bed...two twins pushed together isn't a double in my opinion BUT it was nice to stretch out! The deck/roof of the boat was great-we all spent a lot of time up there. First thing we did was eat lunch-my table consisted of the Swiss couple (Nina & Patrick-they were awesome) and two very entertaining Italian men. Meal time was a lot of fun! We explored some cave that afternoon-which we all found a tad boring and were ready for the beach and some swimming-and then FINALLY went to the beach to swim. It was early evening-right before sunset-and so pretty out! We saw a gorgeous sunset that night with hints of pink (see pics below). The next day was sooooo rad-those of us that stayed 2 nights on the boat took a day boat to another smaller, less touristy bay (Lan Ha Bay) and kayaked around, swam in the middle of the ocean, visited a floating pearl farm & just relaxed in the warm sun. Y'all know how much I LOVE laying out so I was in heaven-plus our view was out of control GORGEOUS so it felt like you were in heaven too! The next day we all headed back to 'shore' and drove back to Hanoi. Galit, Liel and I went to a yummy dinner at one of the best restaurants in Hanoi-I got an Australian rib-eye. I felt a smidge bad BUT figured I have been living in Asia for 6 months (at the time) so steak was a nice break from rice ;) I met another American girl at my hotel (also from CA and had lived in Dallas AND worked for the American Heart Association-small world, right?!) and we hung out on Tuesday before I headed out for Cambodia. I already knew I loved traveling by myself BUT meeting these wonderful women confirmed it. Had I been with friends I might not have met them (or I might have...we all know I am quite social!). I look forward to running into all of them again in this great, big world!

Siem Reap, Cambodia

Wow-I LOVE Cambodia (and have a shirt that can also tell you I love it!). I had heard AMAZING things about Cambodia from my SIL and my friend Krista and they both were spot on. I didn't want to leave-at all. I have looked into teaching there. I even looked into flights there from Busan (of course I did) and can't wait to go again. Zach pointed me in the right direction for my hotel-it was ridiculously fabulous-I didn't want to leave there either! The people in Cambodia are so happy, so friendly & always smiling! I want to just say right now to anyone who is looking into a trip to Asia that you MUST go to Cambodia (although all 3 places I went were super!). Siem Reap is known for the ancient ruins, most famous for Angkor Wat. I took one day to see the 'short' circuit of the ruins/temples-about 7 I think (and that was enough for me-I have also NEVER EVER sweat so much in my life as I did that day!!! Let's not talk about it haha). Visiting all the temples was really cool though-I got some great pics and got to explore. I went back to Angkor Wat for sunrise and it was the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen-the picture below is pretty but seeing it live was something else. For those of you that have the chance to get to Siem Reap I would recommend the sunrise for sure. Apparently I was lucky to 'get' a sunrise though-and for that I am thankful! Getting up that early and not getting a sunrise would probably have made me cry ;)

Let's see what else-oh well massages are cheapppppp in Cambodia so I got 2. Hey, it was my vacation after all! Oh, and I rode an elephant, no biggie ;) ACTUALLY it was awesome-I got to ride it by myself after hiking up to one of the temples (I took my elephant-his name was Tiny btw-down the mountain). It was a great way to end the day!

My hotel also had a pretty sick pool so one day I just lounged there...and that is what vacation means to me!

Last stop-Singapore!

I flew to Singapore and got to see my friends, Amanda & Oliver, and meet their two ADORABLE daughters, Charlotte & Sofia. Ending my trip seeing friends was magical. I hadn't seen Oli & Amanda in 7 years (we couldn't believe it had been that long!) but they are the kind of friends where you don't feel like that much time has passed. And those are the best kind of friends to have!! They were such amazing hosts-they spoiled me! We stayed up late chatting, woke up to Oli making coffee for the adults and babyccinos for the kiddos (too cute, I know!), walked around famous Orchard Street-I was shocked at all the 'American' stores. Went to a yummy Michelin rated lunch, had a dance party (well the girls danced-we watched and laughed!), enjoyed their pool-yes I like to relax on vacays, had DELICIOUS sushi-I have dreams of that sushi Amanda!!!, and then I explored Singapore on my own one day. Oh let me also say that Singapore is all about the expats-I mean, not only do they speak English BUT I honestly felt like I was in New York, Chicago or San Francisco-it just had that 'city' feel to it. A highlight (other than the fun catch up sesh with my friends) for me was going and eating a SALAD at Celeste's...great rec Amanda. I should've got a salad 'to-go' my last day to bring back with me! I sooooo miss salads. So yeah, other than eating a delish salad I went to the famous Raffles Hotel and had their famous Singapore Sling, then I walked around and checked out the Asian Civilizations Museum (I wasn't there long...) and then made my way to Marina Bay Sands to do a little gambling-I had fun and was up playing some blackjack with 2 Chinese women-they were hardcore betting though! After that little gambling sesh I made my way across the street to the actual Marina Bay Sands hotel and went to the top to enjoy a view of the city. And, while at the top, I enjoyed a glass of bubbly. How often do you get to be on top of the world like that? I felt like bubbly was the appropriate and obvious option!

After I got back from my trip I had a case of the post holiday blues. But, school started a few days later and it was really fun hearing all my students yell 'hi Erin teacher' to me as they were walking down the hallway. I only had to teach 5 days (the first week of school) and then it was Korea's version of Thanksgiving (Chuseok) so we had a 5 day weekend. That is what I am talking about-if only every weekend was 5 days... can someone tell me where to sign up for THAT job?! ;)

For Chuseok I headed to Jeju Island-solo-the parentals were supposed to be out here with me but due to my dad's surgery that didn't happen. I decided to include my Jeju trip on this blog because it goes with my title...I did go to Jeju solo...and loved every minute of it! I had friends that were also in Jeju for the holiday but I really was okay relaxing at the Hyatt hotel with the private beach, pools & bungalows! Also, the view from my balcony was breathtaking-a wonderful way to wake up every morning! Jeju was incredible-my sister-in-law taught there and she was 100% right when she said it is the Hawaii of South Korea. It was paradise! You can probably guess that I took full advantage of that pool and the beach. I also DID see some sights :) She had suggested I go to Oedolgae Rock which is a famous rock/cliff area on the southern side of Jeju. Well, it was quite busy since it was the Korean holiday and everyone had off but I braved the crowds and walked along the paths and got some great pics. My SIL had mentioned she used to swim in the pools there (the natural pools from high tides) and I was so confused because the one area I was walking along was HIGH above the ocean...I was texting with my brother HOW do I get down there?! and he said 'Figure it out! Live life! Find a way! And that is just what I did ;) Swimming in those pools was so refreshing-I love the ocean! It is so good for the soul-this quote couldn't be more accurate: The cure for anything is salt water-sweat, tears, or the sea. 

I am going to end with something that has been on my mind this past month: 

You only get one life. Live it~

Catching the sunrise from Singapore to South Korea

Putting the passport and foreign currency away...for now!

View from my balcony-Jeju Island aka Paradise!!!

Cheers to great friends!

Beautiful colors-it is inviting me to swim!

Just being a tourist-Oedolgae Rock Jeju

Enjoying the natural pools in the ocean!

Sunrise-Jeju Island-my vacations are all over now :(

Salad. So delish-I wish there were salads in South Korea!

Enjoying the pool-Hyatt Jeju Island

Beautiful Oedolgae Rock-Jeju Island

Angkor Wat sunrise-beyond spectacular

Best advice I got-when sunrise is done everyone leaves to eat and that is when you head in and avoid the crowds! 

Angkor Wat

The famous Elephant pants in Cambodia

Selfie time at Angkor Wat

You don't realize HOW massive these ancient ruins are until you feel itty bitty in the picture!

Pool time post temple visits!

Picture time with Charlotte!

First lunch in Singapore-yummmm! Best mandu I have had in Asia!!!

These 2 made me laugh. Play time after school!

Risking my life (okay just my phone) to have proof I was there SIL!

I want to see a soccer game at this stadium-so cool!!!

View from the top of Marina Bay Sands-Singapore

Sunday morning cappuccino & babyccinos (too cute, I know!)

The colors that I witnessed in this sunrise were breathtaking. So glad I was able to see this!

Let the vacay begin! Double backpack time :)

First meal in Vietnam

Streets of Hanoi

<3 this hotel! Amazing service!!

Hanoi, Vietnam

#motorcyclemafia

My home for 2 nights in Halong Bay

Happy! Having fun with Galit & Liel-it was a picture posing kind of day :)

Practicing Tai Chi with Bart

Tai Chi class before breakfast

We are serious about our Tai Chi ;)

One of the many gorgeous sunsets I saw on my trip. Halong Bay night 1

Halong Bay night 1

Halong Bay sunset night 2

Our super awesome group that cruised for 2 nights in Halong Bay

This is what I am talking about-getting picked up by your hotel. Best decision. Hello Siem Reap :)

I dream of this bed. LOVED my hotel in Siem Reap. 

First temple of the day: Ta Prohm-Tomb Raider was filmed here

Ta Prohm

2nd Temple of the day: Ta Keo-97 STEEP stairs (more like boulders) to get to the top

Smart kids in Cambodia-they charged me for this picture

These kids did not charge me ;)

2nd monkey I have seen on this vacay!

I made friends with the guy at the top and he was my personal photographer-he wanted to practice his English with me. So sweet!

Phnom Bakheng-You couldn't show your knees so the sarong became a cover-up. Gorgeous views from the top of this temple!

My tuk-tuk driver Samut. He was wonderful!

View from Ta Keo

August 21, 2014-the day I rode an elephant by myself! So rad :)