Very long time since I updated last. I hate to admit it, but I let life get ahead of me and this blog kind of fell to the wayside...again... But I wanted to update you all on what is going to be coming up for me in the near future! I have been offered a position to help manage two EFL branches in Vietnam!! It is with the sister company of the one I worked for when I was living in Seoul, South Korea (I am currently back home in the US with my family for the holidays), so I am already pretty familiar with how the administrative side of the job works.
I am not going to lie and say that I am not nervous about moving to a new country to work, I am. When I first went to Korea to study back in university, I had already been studying about the culture and the program for over a year beforehand, and when I got in country I had a group of staff members from the program who were helping me every step of the way; from the visa process to living situations, culture adjustments-everything I could ever need help on, help was provided. So when I moved back to Seoul to become a teacher after I graduated, I was already familiar with how the city and culture works, so I was not going in "blind." It is the complete opposite with Vietnam.
I know nothing of Vietnam. I have only really had pho in terms of Vietnamese food, so I have no idea what other foods there are, I don't speak the language, and I have no idea about the culture. So there is going to be a steep learning curve for me as soon as I arrive. But despite my nervousness about managing not one, but two branches, and the fact that it is going to be harder for me to integrate into my new home compared to when I moved to Seoul, I am really looking forward to starting the next chapter in my life!
Now I just hope the stress of getting ready to fly across the world again and packing my life away into 2 suitcases, 1 carry-ons, and a backpack!
Sunday, December 31, 2017
Thursday, June 22, 2017
Vacation Time! pt.1- Jeju Island
In September, I was able to go on vacation to Jeju (also referred to as the Hawaii of South Korea) and Busan ( South Korea's 2nd largest city and major port town). It was a really nice treat since it was my first official vacation since I signed on to be a teacher here in Seoul about 2 years ago!
As luck would have it, I actually got more days off than I had originally asked for since as a surprise, my branch manager decided to let us have all 4 days (Thursday-Sunday) of Chuseok, aka the closest thing Korea has to a Thanksgiving holiday, and then I was given the following week off to go on vacation, so in total I had almost a week and a half off (which is usually very very rare in my company)!
So I spent the weekend out with my friends and then flew out to Jeju on the 18th of September. the flight to Jeju is only about 30-45 minutes or so depending on your carrier, so in no time I was landing at the Jeju airport and getting on the airport limousine bus to travel to the Southern part of the island (Seogwipo) where my friend lives. The first thing that noticed was that how much Jeju felt like Jacksonville, Florida; the sun was shining, I could smell the ocean, there was so much green and there were palm trees lining all of the roads-- it was nice to start the trip feeling like I was home again.
As luck would have it, I actually got more days off than I had originally asked for since as a surprise, my branch manager decided to let us have all 4 days (Thursday-Sunday) of Chuseok, aka the closest thing Korea has to a Thanksgiving holiday, and then I was given the following week off to go on vacation, so in total I had almost a week and a half off (which is usually very very rare in my company)!
So I spent the weekend out with my friends and then flew out to Jeju on the 18th of September. the flight to Jeju is only about 30-45 minutes or so depending on your carrier, so in no time I was landing at the Jeju airport and getting on the airport limousine bus to travel to the Southern part of the island (Seogwipo) where my friend lives. The first thing that noticed was that how much Jeju felt like Jacksonville, Florida; the sun was shining, I could smell the ocean, there was so much green and there were palm trees lining all of the roads-- it was nice to start the trip feeling like I was home again.
The airport bus ride took about an hour or so to get from one side of the island to the other, but I enjoyed looking out the window and seeing all of the greenery and glimpses of the ocean flash by my window. When I got to my stop, I had to get a taxi to take me up the side of the hill/mountain that my friend lives on to get to his house. We met during my time at Yonsei for Study Abroad (we were in the same program) and became fast friends when we both flew in on the same flight since we arrived a day later than everyone else. He had recently moved to Jeju after spending a year in Daegu and I am so jealous of his house! My whole apartment is the size of just 3 of his 5 roomed house (2 bed, 2 baths, 1 kitchen/living room). Since he is teaching at a public middle school on the island, his school gave him a house right behind the school grounds and since he had plenty of room and he owed me one for letting him crash in my tiny Seoul digs earlier in the year, I got to use his house as home-base for my vacation (plus I got a travel buddy to do stuff with!).
Once I was moved in, we got to go to visit the Osulloc Tea Fields and Museum. For those of you who do not know, Osulloc is one of Korea's top brands when it comes to green tea. They have tea houses all throughout Seoul and I have been obsessed with their teas and green tea products (green tea milk spread for lyfe~) for a while and really wanted to visit the tea fields and see the museum. The fields were really pretty and smelled amazing, plus since it was a little overcast and sprinkling, there were not too many people, so there were no crowds! Now, there were a lot of mosquitoes out, so I had to take some Benedryl when I got home, nut it was so worth it. We also got to see the history and the process of growing and making green tea in the museum and even got to smell all of their specialty tea blends that they made using the tea from the fields outside. I picked up two, but trust me, if my wallet could have handled it, I would have bought all of the teas they had!! They smelled that good. I got Corey (my friend) hooked on the green tea milk spread, so we picked up a couple of jars to help feed his new addiction.
Next to the Osulloc museum and fields was the Innisfree flagship store. Innisfree is a Korean skincare/makeup brand that uses natural ingredients from Jeju in all of its products. I actually own quite a few of their products myself (can't live without the volcanic pore cleanser) so it was cool to see their flagship store. The products that they were selling were the same as the ones that you can buy in Seoul, so did not pick up anything new, but they did have a station where you could make your own postcards using stamps that were designed with patterns showing the famous landmarks and symbols of Jeju (tangerines, horses, volcanoes, palm trees, volcanic rocks, etc). It was designed for kids, but we did not care and made our own to remind us of the tea fields!
To finish up our first night, we picked up some food from the grocery store and then made dinner and got caught up late into the night.
The main temple on Jeju is called 천약사 (Cheonyaksa) and is in the southern part of the island, facing the ocean. There are palm trees and dolhareubangs ( the statue associated with Jeju) everywhere. The sea breeze was going strong and the sun was out, but not overbearing. Since there was only one large group of Chinese tourists there with me so, I just made sure I as not in the same part of the temple with them, since I wanted to take in and experience the peacefulness of the temple without any major distractions. I will admit that I am a total temple lover, so anytime I get to visit a temple, I fall in love. This time was not exception!! The different parts of the complex, from the main hall to the annex was spectacular and I really felt at peace there. Plus the sun on my face and the palm trees swaying in the breeze was also a nice treat!
Since I was stationed in the southern part of the island for my stay, most of my solo exploring was done around there. I went into the famous Teddy Bear Museum, toured around the botanical gardens, and even went to see Cheonjeyeon Falls (천제연폭포) that were nearby. Everything down South is so beautiful, that I definitely could see how Jeju can be thought of as the Hawaii of Korea!
That night, Corey and I went around near Cheonjeyeon Falls to get one of Jeju's famous dishes: black pork! We found one of the more well-known places and feasted! We were the only foreigners there and since Corey is practically fluent, I think the owner took a liking to us because he gave us "service" (Korean version of "on the house") in the form of a whole serving of black pork! So we had 3 people's worth of meat for the price of 2. The black pork was good, but not too much different from the meat you can get up in Seoul. The only difference really is that the black pork had a bigger layer of fat on the top. All in all, not as crazy good as I was expecting, but still really yummy. especially with the tangerine rice wine that we ordered.
For my last day on the island, I went up to the northern part of the island and toured the city of Jeju (Jeju-city). It reminded me of little Seoul and was not as resort-like, or as green as the southern part of the island, but it was nice to go around the city and see everything. I went to shrines, lighthouses, and quiet a few of the museums. Before I got to the city, I signed up for a bus service (Trazy Tours- would definitely recommend for anyone visiting) which took me around to all of the major tourist areas of the city, with a new bus coming every hour. This worked out since I was able to explore the sites and did not have to worry about flagging down a taxi or trying to find a bus to get to the next spot! The only thing that I wish I was able to see more of was the Sarabong Lighthouse Park. I went to see the lighthouse that overlooked the shipyards but was too nervous to explore the temple that was across from it. The temple was really small and I heard a prayer service going on so did not want to interrupt it by walking around, but kind of wish I did because it is not every day that you visit a temple with a similar name as yours!
The next day, I took the airport bus back to the airport and then flew off to the second part of my fall vacation: Busan! Jeju is definitely one of my highlights of living and exploring South Korea. The fact that it feels like home with all of the palm trees and the ocean breeze and the fact that it is still Korea, makes it a perfect blend of my two homes (yes, I do consider South Korea to be home)! If you ever get the chance to visit South Korea, I highly recommend Jeju Island be one of your destinations!!
Since I was stationed in the southern part of the island for my stay, most of my solo exploring was done around there. I went into the famous Teddy Bear Museum, toured around the botanical gardens, and even went to see Cheonjeyeon Falls (천제연폭포) that were nearby. Everything down South is so beautiful, that I definitely could see how Jeju can be thought of as the Hawaii of Korea!
That night, Corey and I went around near Cheonjeyeon Falls to get one of Jeju's famous dishes: black pork! We found one of the more well-known places and feasted! We were the only foreigners there and since Corey is practically fluent, I think the owner took a liking to us because he gave us "service" (Korean version of "on the house") in the form of a whole serving of black pork! So we had 3 people's worth of meat for the price of 2. The black pork was good, but not too much different from the meat you can get up in Seoul. The only difference really is that the black pork had a bigger layer of fat on the top. All in all, not as crazy good as I was expecting, but still really yummy. especially with the tangerine rice wine that we ordered.
For my last day on the island, I went up to the northern part of the island and toured the city of Jeju (Jeju-city). It reminded me of little Seoul and was not as resort-like, or as green as the southern part of the island, but it was nice to go around the city and see everything. I went to shrines, lighthouses, and quiet a few of the museums. Before I got to the city, I signed up for a bus service (Trazy Tours- would definitely recommend for anyone visiting) which took me around to all of the major tourist areas of the city, with a new bus coming every hour. This worked out since I was able to explore the sites and did not have to worry about flagging down a taxi or trying to find a bus to get to the next spot! The only thing that I wish I was able to see more of was the Sarabong Lighthouse Park. I went to see the lighthouse that overlooked the shipyards but was too nervous to explore the temple that was across from it. The temple was really small and I heard a prayer service going on so did not want to interrupt it by walking around, but kind of wish I did because it is not every day that you visit a temple with a similar name as yours!
The next day, I took the airport bus back to the airport and then flew off to the second part of my fall vacation: Busan! Jeju is definitely one of my highlights of living and exploring South Korea. The fact that it feels like home with all of the palm trees and the ocean breeze and the fact that it is still Korea, makes it a perfect blend of my two homes (yes, I do consider South Korea to be home)! If you ever get the chance to visit South Korea, I highly recommend Jeju Island be one of your destinations!!
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