a still more glorious dawn awaits...

Penang, Malaysia

2012-03-03T23:50:00.002+09:00

we continue our travels now... Leaving Korea was nice, we are both glad to be moving on from there, despite the fact that we will miss the family there so very much! We will see them again, in the not so distant future. The final weeks in Korea went so fast, and with so much going on, that neither of us really had time to let it fully sink in that we were leaving there... for good. Life is changing rapidly now, and we are ready for that. We are free from bosses and alarm clocks, ready to wander aimlessly around new places just to explore, ready to lie on the beach for hours-for day, ready to catch up on some personal journeys, and spend some time with just each other.

Penang has been our first stop, an island off the west coast of Malaysia. The old, crumbling city of Georgetown has recently been named a UNESCO Heritage site and for a good reason! The confluence of cultures here is remarkable, and it is displayed vividly through the architecture of mosques and temples, and tasted through the many varieties of foods that we love so much. Malaysian, Indian, Chinese, Burmese, European, etc. They all make it work here together in a special way. The sounds and sights are new and that makes them seem exotic to us, so we walk and talk and take it all in, as usual.

We are excited for this special time we have worked so hard for. Our year in Korea has allowed us to see so much of this region, and that makes it all worth it!

Now you can see some of what we have seen:

we are overwhelmed by the number of beautiful and huge abandoned, derelict buildings there are in this city. This was once a home perhaps, or a hotel? Not sure. And below used to be a school, on beautiful grounds, now the jungle is reclaiming it. This is a relatively common sight, windows busted open by strong vines and trees growing out of windows. Like a scene from the movie Jumanji!

Hindu temples, Buddhist temples, Muslim Mosques, churches, and likely other places of worship are dotted around each neighborhood, it seems like there are a record number of religious buildings on this island. They are often intricately decorated, playing beautiful music, or burning incense.

I'm sorry to subject all your eyes to this, but I just couldn't resist. First we saw several frog items on the menu, and just skipped on to some naan with curry, chinese soup, or mutton and mint.... and then this display case caught my eye, and let me tell you: these frogs were BIG.

this barber shop was like a scene from a movie, there was one elderly man sitting inside in one of the empty chairs, beating the heat by lounging, and listening to some crackling, old radio.

the house fronts are in-and-of-themselves a sight so be seen. They are often colorful and simple, with lots of plants around.

here is one of our meals. a stone pot noodle and seafood dish with a raw egg cracked in there and below is a soup that Penang is known for called laksa, which has fish, pork (and probably frog), veggies, noodles, spices, and tons of fresh mint leaves in it.

we spotted a flea market in one of the parks in this city and strolled through to see what we could see. Lots of clothing and bags and shoes for sale, some foreign commodities (one guy was selling a box of corn flakes, no joke!), and this guy was selling rad rings that caught Josh's eye, but alas, we aren't in the business of acquiring things these days, so we ended up leaving empty handed.

if you look closely you will see the creativity here. I can see a potential new trend that could take a hold of Portlanders!

From us to you, much love

family portrait

2012-02-28T10:34:00.002+09:00

It was a joy to do the first batch of family photos for my brother and his lovely wife and son. Little Arthur was in a good mood for photos and the parents are naturally photogenic. Enjoy a glimpse into this happy families new world!

Nathan Seymour, Irina Ni, Baby Arthur, and Belka the dog.

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Mama in Seoul: recap

2012-02-26T19:33:00.001+09:00

My mother just left this big ol' city. What a fun time we had, and wow... how time flies! We had a nice blend of adventure and exploring and also a fair amount of relaxation. It was her first chance to meet her newest grandson and spend time with her kiddos.

We made a point to show her the essential parts of the city, including Standing Coffee, the famous itsy-bitsy coffee shop near Haebongchong/Gyungridan. It was cold, as is typical these days in Seoul, but we bundled and the coffee warmed us up.

I made the terrible mistake of leaving my purse on a table out on the busy city sidewalk as we walked away. I remembered this a solid ten minutes later and made a super-fast pivot and then sprinted back to find my purse and all it's contents safely where I left it, in a crowd in the center of the city. Only in Seoul.... one of the safest cities ever.

Nate graduated from his MBA program while Mom was here and his graduating class had a dinner at the classy and snazzy Novotel in Gangnam. There was music, dancing, good western food, and an all you can drink wine bar.

Mom spent lots of time with little Arthur, who seemed happy to be in her arms of experience. After all she's raised six children, so she's got that "touch".

We hiked by day and by night up Namsan in the center of the city, with it's iconic tower.

While exploring the Namdaemun/Myeongdong area one afternoon we were in search of a good restaurant for lunch. There are so many restaurants all over Seoul that it is truly hard to sift through them all and find the best ones. The hole-in-the-wall local and always-busy spots are my favorite to come across, and that we did. We were shyly walking through the winding alleys and narrow side streets when we came across this spot, with it's jam-packed (and filthy) dining room. It was worth the crowd, for we had the best bibimbap I've had in my year+ living here. Mom loved it, because we sat next to the kitchen, with stone bowls of steaming rice and hot plates of octopus filling the window in the most haphazard way! The ladies working there even had to "use" our table to stack plates for a time being.

We walked and talked and shopped at the markets and took in all the sights that Seoul has to offer. We stopped at a tea shop and often grabbed a treat from some street food vendor.

One morning Mom and I traveled Northwest of Seoul just a bit to the base of Bukhansan (san=mountain) and ended up on a beautiful and calming hike. We took a nearly empty path that was a little unfamiliar to me, which led us to along a frozen river and up to an entirely empty buddhist temple tucked into a stone cave. The buildings, statues, paintings, and bells made this mountain temple something spectacular to see.

We ate many meals, of course. We took turns cooking at the house, to maximize family time, but we also made a point to visit all the restaurants that we love. The dakgalbi spot in our neighborhood, Bulgarian food at Zelen in Iteawon, fish down by the hospital, gogi by Nate and Ira's house, and much much more! We wanted her to really experience the goodness that is Korean food. All the banchan, sitting on the floor, spicy kimchi, cooking our own food, soju.... okay, actually there was no soju (thankfully!).

Gyeongbokgung is a palace in the north of the city, it is huge and famous and for a good reason. Everywhere you look there is a stunning view; be it the contrast between ancient structures and modern skyscrapers, the simplicty of an open field with a few trees, the complexity of the layout of the grounds, or the close-up details of an antique iron hinge. There are many building, bodies of water, and tourists! Us included. I can't help but imagine what life was like hundreds of years ago at this place. Who lived in which building, what is the function of this, or the purpose of that.... What sort of interactions and realities were common? I like to keep my imagination fueled....

Berlin has been a local spot that we frequent. It's got fancy cocktails, imported beer, great music, good food, and a view to boot! So the trip would not be complete without taking Mom there to celebrate her time here. And of course, she got the royal treatment, with free drinks from the owners and a round of shots for us all!

The time went by so fast, as it always does when you're having fun (so they say..). I am glad that Mom could see the place that we've temporarily called home. I just wish that the rest of my family could have been our here too! I miss them all so much....

Love you Mom, thanks for making that loooong flight out here! See you in the fall!

Meanwhile in Korea

2012-02-17T10:57:00.000+09:00

Packing again? It is that time once more, to load mymaterial possessions into some luggage and haul it around to new places.Packing is an exciting stage, where the reality of change begins to set in morefully. It is also a time to realize how much crap you can accumulate! I pridemyself on being rather unattached to most “things”, and someone who doesn’tneed to acquire much “stuff”, and yet I manage still to have lots of “stuff andthings”.

Packing is a good time to get rid of stuff. I like to hangon to things, don’t get me wrong, but I think I like getting rid of it more….As with life all things are temporary, and there comes a time to just let stuffgo.

It’s a good time to send some things to loved ones back home….

This is what my neighborhood looks like these days:

much love, nicole

photo contest

2012-02-17T04:00:00.000+09:00

thanks to my mother I was told about a travel photo contest taking place in Oregon. I entered some photos a few years ago in the same contest and did not win, but this does not deter me! I decided to give it another go. If I win the prize is an all expense paid trip to Amsterdam, and who wouldn't like that? Or perhaps I'd just get a hefty gift certificate to Pro Photo Supply, and well... I do like camera stuff. So win or lose, it's still fun to play!

Here are my entries this year:

And speaking of my lovely mother, she will be touching down in Seoul in a matter of minutes now. A chance to vacation a little and meet her newest nephew, Arthur, as well as spend some time with her traveling children! I am so excited to see her and show her around this big ol' city! I just wish that all my family could have come with her....

one year

2012-02-10T13:02:00.001+09:00

One year has elapsed since our arrival in Seoul. How strangeit is that time can move so fast and still seem to move so slowly. Perception,what a powerful element of reality! In retrospect it seems like the year hasjust whizzed by, but on further consideration I realize that it has been a longyear- full of learning, travel, and many new experiences. We moved here with ablind faith that things would figure themselves out. We had no lead on a job- no real plan at all- and yet we were void of worry over these things, for ouranxious excitement was much heavier an emotion than it’s negative counterpart.Things fell into place in perfect timing with little effort and we were throwninto our new occupation as teachers! Us? Teachers? It was real! And real nerveracking at times, but how simple and easy it became over the course of theyear.

I don’t know if I’ll teach again, although it’s certainly anoption. I think that I became a good teacher, having fun and in some waysmaking a difference in these adolescents’ lives. I would hope that if I teachagain it would be under different circumstances, but I guess we all have tostart somewhere! It has been a valuable learning experience, specificallyoccupationally speaking, but even more so in a plethora of other ways.

Learning a new culture is not easy. This culture is verycomplex, and a white American woman, such as myself, does not fit in. So therewas much adapting to be done, while at the same time I had to keep my identityand learn how to handle the reception of my differentness. A balancing act attimes, but again, with time these things became easier.

A vacation to Seoul could never have afforded me the timeand experience to truly learn and understand the layers of culture that existin this part of the world. I could never have explored the many neighborhoodsof this giant metropolis, and tried all the regional foods. I never could havetraveled to the rural towns, mountain villages, and coastal cities around thepeninsula. I could not have known so many Koreans and waygooks (that’s foreigners), or established my favoriterestaurants and parks and bookstores. Travel is wonderful, it’s kind of a crashcourse on a place, it’s people, food, places, etc. But to live in a place is adifferent kind of reward. And it makes me love where I am from!

Ah going home. It will still be many months now beforereturning to the good ol’ US of A, but I look greatly forward to that time, toreunite with friends and family, to taste old favorite restaurants, to ride mybike and walk around my city, and to know that I understand that place fully.Perhaps we take that for granted…

But the journey is not yet over; in fact it’s only justbegun. We have been carefully organizing our plans for this coming leg of our round the world adventure,starting in Seoul (well technically itstarted in Japan in December, for that is the furthest East we will have been),where we will leave in just a few short weeks and continue to travel westthrough Asia, Europe, and America before reaching the place we left, a place welove: Portland.

a glimpse into teaching

2012-02-07T09:40:00.000+09:00

Here is a video that was made for our English winter camp, a 3 week event that brought 7 native English speakers together to teach Korean middle schoolers English. The film is a glimpse into maybe not our everyday experience teaching here, but one of the special times during our contract where we go to the same school and also teach extra club activities.

Boracay, Philippines... why not?

2012-02-03T13:15:00.002+09:00

It was a spontaneous, last minute idea to leave the blistering cold of Seoul and head to the tropical beaches of Boracay. We bought the tickets for cheap with a last minute deal and were on a flight just two and a half days later. The sun and warmth were such a nice relief, but more than that, it was a much needed break from the city...

At the sandy beaches and in the truly perfect water are where we spent most our time. We didn't care much about the place we stayed at, so we rented a cheap bungalow room just a few paces from where the water meets the land. Our goals for this trip? To relax. And relax we did, with the froofiest drinks possible, our separate Haruki Murikami books, and not enough sunscreen. The drinks were good, and so so cheap... so we made sure to try a whole plethora of them! Lining the length of the long White Beach were beach bars boasting nearly all day happy hour specials with dollar drinks. We like this.

The sky was refreshingly big out there on the island. To see a horizon was a sight for sore eyes! We spent hours simply gazing at the sky and sea and the boats that dotted the expanse. The sunsets were remarkable, I mean, aren't all sunsets pretty remarkable? We would stare until our eyes hurt at that clear passing of time.

One street in from the busy, tourist center of White beach is the real life of Boracay Island. The streets are chaotic and full of darting tricycle traffic. The homes are humble and small, displaying the days wash outside on the laundry lines. The people are busy going about their day as if the stillness of the travelers dream is not just a minutes walk away!

We walked across the island, right at the middle, to reach Bulabug beach on the east coast. A wind surfers dream! It is a quiet, less developed beach than across the way, with gusts of heavy wind to propel those thrill seekers that seemed to congregate at the little beach bars/surf shops.

my newest nephew: Arthur

2012-01-25T16:35:00.000+09:00

My newest nephew, Arthur Nathan Seymour, the first son of Nathan and Irina, was born on January 23rd at 12:25am in Seoul, Korea. He was 7 pounds and 8 ounces, 50cm long and has one dimple on his left cheek, and most importantly he is healthy! It was a great honor and joy to be there for the long labor and delivery.

What a strong a beautiful mother he has, who kept a really killer attitude all day, despite the pain and fatigue. The happy parents have been home for a few days now with us siblings around to help out and steal time with the little guy when we can.

I love being an aunt, I gather it to be a whole lot easier than being a mother (albeit a different thing altogether), but with a lot of the fun and joy! I am so happy that Josh and I were still around in Seoul for this wonderful event, and that we still have so much free time to spend with the new family.

the first of the "lasts"

2012-01-20T16:50:00.002+09:00

It is amazing the way things change. It seems like not solong ago that everything was “the first”, first time in Seoul, first day as ateacher, first visit to a temple, first this, first that. And how quickly ithas now transformed to “the lasts”, since we are outta here soon! So today wasa big one. My last day teaching!

A year already? How does that happen so fast? We had a nicelong break over the holidays and then we picked up some extra work doing anEnglish teaching camp near our house for some extra money (we’ll need it!) andfor something to do during our few months off work.

The camp is a piece of cake and actually a bit fun! Theyprovide breakfast and lunch for us in our toasty warm office, where we reunitedwith some other English teachers that we’ve met before doing similar work. Eachteacher (there are 7 of us) had our own class of fifteen students. Mine werethe advanced level, all 15-16 year olds. We talked about food and theenvironment, human rights, multiculturalism, health and fitness, and otherinteresting and somewhat controversial topics. My students were very active inthe discussions and wrote some killer essays and speeches that wowed theteacher in me.

So it was three weeks of easy work; half days near our home,hanging with the same fifteen bright kids for the day, free food, learning newthings, seeing some friends, and a paycheck. Not bad.

I had an art class at the end of each day and the studentsgenerally just screwed off, as young teenagers usually do, but occasionally Iwould get a really nice piece of artwork from a student who was proud to showit off by hanging it in the hall or the class.

On the last class today I knew that my students were up to something, for when I arrived at the class (a little late, as usual), the lights were off and they were all huddled together in the middle of the class. The little devils had gotten me a cake and put candles in it to wish me farewell! They brought drinks and chips and candy and we had a little party. They all thanked me for teaching them, saying how much they learned and loved my class! It was a special moment and they caught me off guard with their thoughtful deeds.

So it was a good way to close the chapter of teaching. A good “last” if you ask me.

5 W's

2012-01-18T19:22:00.003+09:00

Those who know me know I have a love for games. We both do. Often, we make up word games when we are hanging out after work. The go to game is where you say a word and(on the honor system) are thinking in your mind a second word. The other participants playing have only afew seconds to freely associate a word that is related. You get a point if they say your word: forinstance “stop” …”light”. If “sign” or“it” or something else that follows is spoken, you get no point, but to long ofa pause is a point as well.

Recently, I came up with a new game. It was inspired by a few sources. One element of the game was a recollectionfrom a lesson I recently taught about how to write for a newspaper. In fact, I think I will call the game: the 5W’s game. The five W’s are the majorquestion words that need to be addressed by a reporter, namely: Who, What,When, Where, Why, and How. Yes, I knowit is actually 5 W’s and an H, but that doesn’t sound as catchy does it?

The other element of the game is thanks to Michael Pollan,author of The Botany of Desire, whichNicole and I are jointly reading aloud to each other. Reading out loud can be tricky. One thing that can make it downrightharrowing is the overuse of run on sentences and parenthetical statements. Pollan is guilty of both, to the point thatsome of the book seems more in parenthesis than in the actual text. After a chuckle about this, we thought abouta book being written, where the text began with a couple words and then theentire body of the novel was parenthesis inside of parenthesis only to end witha closing few words. Thus the novelwould be just one statement outside of an absurdly long parenthetical sidenote!

Putting the book aside, we grabbed some paper and pens andset out on a new exercise designed to be mentally stimulating and fun towrite. The idea was to write a word ortwo such as:

Ballet

Then to follow a form of answering the five W questions (andone H) inside inclusive parenthetical rabbit trails. The first being “who”:

(a dance form founded by the French

Then next question would relate to the previous statement,often the last word, rather than the original word. Where:

[a nationality in central Europe famous for art, food, andnational pride

Continue with the questions, letting the guiding questiondictate your direction. What:

(pride being a philosophical/religious concept largelylinked with the ego or will

When:

[that consciousness that endures from the earliestremembered days and returns to the void after death

Why:

(a phenomenon that most people believe is as necessary aslife

How:

[life being defined by the Greeks as the art of dying well

Then you close all the parenthesis and finish the sentence:

])])]) takes commitment.

So, in the end, you have a sentence stating: Ballet takescommitment. This could also be the titleof the piece. It is easy to do, andkinda fun to see where your mind goes. It is also a bit funny to try to come up with an ironic ending to yoursentence after going through the writing journey, i.e. Don’t think ahead to theend of your sentence, keep yourself on your toes and the end will writeitself.

Perhaps there is unique humor to us as we have been readingfrom this particular book, but the look of all the asides from a finished gameis so comical.

Here are our first tries at it:

The man (who was the son of Zeus [a longstanding god (untilrecently residing in Olympus [this being the 3^rd golden age afterthe long winter (the sun having rolled off its orbital path and away from godsand mortals alike [due to the abundant use of packaging])])]) ordered acellophane enclosed apple with a grimace.

Or, keeping the questions about the original statement isfun too:

The cat (who is orange and fat [because he ate to much (atthe kitty café [on a fateful day (because he was a little depressed [due to alack of cannabinoids acting properly in his cerebral cortex])])]) jumped offthe top of his perch unsuccessfully trying to end his life but just bruised hispaws.

on dreams

2012-01-15T16:47:00.000+09:00

“Your visions will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside dreams. Who looks inside, wakens.” ~Carl Jung

Last night I dreamt about some old friends from my earlyteenage years. We were in a far away land and just happened to run into eachother. I was either investigating or running from a high-stakes art theft,where an expensive piece of fine art had been stolen, then illegally sold andstolen again. The misadventures led me to a dark, isolated, boarded-up basementfull of the most expensive, famous art, jewelry, clothing, etc. I tried on thissilver ring with an enormous green stone; it was heavy and gave me new power.Back at the house where the the painting had been lifted there was a very largeswimming pool, I swam there for a long time, the water was deep and dark blueand quite cool, the water was also somewhat unruly-not following the law ofgravity that we are so accustomed to. I don’t believe it frightened me, though.There was a carnival with old-school rides and dirty bathrooms, and the entireJapanese military standing around one enemy female soldier painting anotherwoman wearing an ancient missing dress.

Oh my dreams… this special privateworld I get to live in such great detail. I dream like this every night, and Iusually remember my dreams with such precision it surprises even me. I remember mydreams for weeks, months, even years, and find myself recalling them at random moments throughout my day.

What to make of it? Maybe I shouldn’t tryto make anything at all from it- instead just enjoy it if I can, and keep ontrying to remember. I think my dreams do more than just inform me of my subconscious;they also deal with day-to-day realities and otherworldly happenings. I oftenfly and swim and drive extremely top heavy vehicles up impossible hills. I gothrough wormholes through space and time to new universes and in new bodies. I havespiritual powers sometimes, and all rules of science and nature are optional. Itis a fantasy world of my own making, real and frightening and glittering withexcitement and truth. Sometimes there is horror, sometimes ecstasy, sometimeswonder, confusion, or just contentment. All in a nights sleep!

It’s little realitiessuch as this- dreaming- that make life so wonderful and make me feel so alive. Eachmoment, each experience and relationship between me and en object, a person,and idea, is unique and an opportunity to soak up more knowledge and meaning inthis somewhat mysterious and strange existence. Sometimes it makes sense- whywe are alive and aware of that- and other times it makes no sense at all and Ithink of my dreams, whacky and unpredictable, yet full of meaning in some way.

“Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actionsstems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form ofliving.” ~Anais Nin

“Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there,wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dreambefore.” ~Edgar Allen Poe

"Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things whichescape those who dream only by night.” ~Edgar Allan Poe

Portrait of the margins

2012-01-12T17:46:00.000+09:00

short film focusing on the in between moments during a trip to Japan for 2011 christmas...a sample of some views and sounds from the margins of the story

2012-01-12T17:41:00.000+09:00

Money: it is a source of stress if you do not have enough, it lends a certain amount of freedom if you have enough. I've always wanted enough money to not have to think (worry) about it. A peculiar aspect of traveling to a foreign place is the exchanging of currency. The look and feel of money quickly becomes a habitual event unworthy of evoking much thought, that is, until you are looking at new bills. This was the case on our recent trip to Japan as I went to the bank and had my Korean won exchanged for the Japanese Yen. With the exchange rate and having never dealt with this currency, they could have given me worthless Japanese monopoly money and I would have gone whistling out of the bank unaware of my loss. In fact, the bank teller missed 5 2000 yen bank notes (I also didnt catch the error), the equivalent of about $130 and I walked out non the wiser. Luckily for me, he immediately caught the mistake and called me back in, phew! I guess there is an obvious lesson here when dealing with confusing money exchanges: make sure you take your time! Anyway...as for the money, if you are not familiar with the yen as I was not, perhaps you will like some of the photos that follow. With a new bill, one is reinvigorated with a child like wonder at the colors, patterns, and intricacies that make up a countries money. Japanese coins are well worth an observation and are commonly used, as the most common coins are worth $1.30 and $6.50 a piece. Keep your eye out for lost coins! Here are some close ups of the paper money, they were pretty while they lasted!

ps: If you'd like me to do a profile on YOUR countries money, please contact me by email and I'll direct you where to send the sample bills:)

Japan video

2012-01-08T10:52:00.000+09:00

Here is my recent video from our travels to Japan! Happy new year!

100th post special: 2011 year in review

2011-12-31T23:30:00.000+09:00

Josh and I sat down at a littlepub in Osaka, Japan on a cold evening in late December, a few tasty draftAsahi’s were promptly delivered to our cozy booth and we set out to recap onthe past year. In doing so we came to a lot of similar conclusions and compiledthem into a few lists.

So for our 100th post special here’s our “top 5’s!” ranked inno particular order.

Top 5 cities:

Tokyo, Japan

Da Lat, Vietnam

Busan, South Korea

Seoul, South Korea

Saigon, Vietnam

Top 5 Songs:

“Midnight City” by M83

“Baby Missles” by War on Drugs

“Nightcall” by Kavinsky &Lovefoxx

“Mouthfull of Diamonds” byPhantogram

“Home” by Edward Sharpe and theMagnetic Zeros (okay, this is not from 2011, but we both discovered this songthis year and it’s been a large part of our memories, so it had to make thelist anyway)

Top 5 influential ingredients:

beets

cabbage

roasted bell peppers

vinegar

cheese-its (yes, cheese-its)

Top 5 leisure activities:

Frisbee

Chess

Rook

Walking/hiking

Travel

Top 5 places in Seoul:

Family Mart patios

Namsan

Han river

HBC/Gyungridan

Hongdae

Top 5 restaurants in Seoul:

Chili King

Zelen

Bao

Chuncheon Dakglabi

Gyungridan gogi jib

Top 5 movies:

Midnight in Paris

Meloncholia

Hanna

Drive

Limitless

Top 5 things to cook at home:

French style omelettes

Dakgalbi

Borscht (or any Russian soup)

Burrittos

Marinara sauce

Top 5 events:

Nate and Irina’s wedding at Ruf’s

Chuncheon vacation with Ryan andIda

Soju and Seafood tent in Busan

Thanksgiving dinner party at Dan’s

Duy Viet’s house in Da Lat,Vietnam

Top 5 guilty pleasures:

Imported mac n cheese

Not tipping

Pop music (josh)

Facebook (Nicole)

Taxis… lots of taxis

2011 was a year of great changeand adventure for us, setting the stage for another exciting year of beingalive. With that being said here’s another list:

Things we’re looking forward to in2012:

Future travels in SE Asia andEurope

Quitting smoking

Developing our hobbies (end of2011 bonus sub list! Cooking, gardening, language learning, sustainable living,photography, etc)

Seeing family and friends, fromSarah’s wedding in the NE to reconnecting with loved ones in the NW.

Making our home

Happy new year and much love toall, from Josh and Nicole

Please share your top 5 list(s)with us….

Kyoto: temples and knives

2011-12-31T07:00:00.000+09:00

Kyoto is a beautiful city, rich with history, and that is quite visible. We took the thirty minute train from Osaka main station to Kyoto. The sky was gray, a contrast to the warm colored trees that covered the mountians in the distance. Fall came late for this region, I guess!

We walked through a humble neighborhood south of the busy train station to the area of the Toji temple, a famous Japanese landmark. The grounds surrounding the temple were still vibrant with fall colors and the sun broke through the gray clouds dramatically illuminating the buildings.

We wandered around and finally made our way north a ways to a central area busy with rush-hour pedestrian traffic. We found an area of town called Nishiki, with a food market and lots of restaurants. What a sight! It was busy and vendors were yelling out to lure customers in.

Eventually we found what we were looking for. Aritsugu, the famous knife shop that Josh found after doing weeks of research. When we first decided to move to Korea we were, of course, filled with so much excitement, and often talked about some of the things we looked forward to most. A trip to Japan was high on that list, and most of all we wanted to buy a culinary knife in Kyoto, where they are famous for making quality, handmade kitchen tools. We found this busy store, famous for making their knives by hand there at the little shop. It was not easy at first to get help, for they were busy, and we clearly don't look Japanese. The language barrier was tough at first, but Josh had done his research and knew enough to get us to the the kind of knifes that we were seeking. A sweet young lady finally helped us out, and with her sweet english skills we were able to narrow our selection down, finally deciding on a carbon steel knife with beautiful engravings and a beautiful handle. They offered free engraving on the opposite side with whatever we chose... the knife is now named Ryuk.

Japanese food

2011-12-30T21:42:00.001+09:00

Eating is Japan was an adventure in and of itself. Each time we opened the door to a restaurant it was like opening a portal into a an unknown world! We never knew what they served or if they would allow us to stay or how much it would be. But we conquered each level and stayed well fed with sushi, ramen, gyoza, tempura, fish, udon, stir fries, and even some garlic toast for one breakfast. We've had hot sake and cold beer, sweet rice wine and tasty matcha tea. We share all our meals and eat light so that we can eat often, being as food is such a central part of our desire to travel, and a great way to try to understand a culture.

One of our sushi experiences was at this big open restaurants with small plates of fresh fish circling on a conveyer belt. When we walked in the restaurant everyone yelled and cheered, which caught us off guard, but we learned is somewhat common in restaurants. They shout their hello's and welcoming hoots and hollers for all to hear!

In Kyoto we found a quant little spot serving up chinese/japanese fusion food, so we had some yummy chinese noodles with and tempura on the side, with several Kirin beers to wash it down.

Udon. Yum yum yum. Osaka had the best udon by far. We were looking for it for the whole trip, and finally found a serious hole-in-the wall spot, late in the evening, with bad lighting and a sweet old woman serving up the local construction workers. Score.

In Tokyo we descended a long flight of stairs into a cozy spot that served up soups and stir fry, we got some pork belly/tofu soup with lots of veggies and hot mustard, as well as a stir fry with egg and some mystery vegetable that we could not figure out, but it was bitter and the taste grew on us.

When we saw the kebab stand it was a no-brainer. This kebab was good, like all the other kebabs in the world! We chatted it up with this guy from Bangladesh as he prepared our spicy doner kebab, and after we had finished Josh and commented on how we see these kebab slingers as syndicate of brothers doing their good food business across the globe all the while talking to each other on their blue tooth headsets. They are in every city, haven't you noticed? And I love it....

pretty coffee:

After our long walk from Shinjuku to Shibuyu we were tired and hungry and myriad of options almost made it more difficult to decide where to eat. Finally we decided on a spot with lots of photos on the menu outside, making it easy to order. What a good choice it was! After shedding our shoes at the front door we were seated at a big booth in a dark corner of the restaurant, where we posted up for hours eating small courses of sushi, dumplings, soup, and tempura.

Our hotel in Tokyo was in Asakusa, and next door was this restaurant that we eyed each day, guided by our noses, for the smell was overwhelming! We finally braved up and entered the curtained door on our final day in Tokyo, to find a lovely staff serving up small fish, called doezu nabe, cooked in a thin iron pan over coals and topped with green onions. It was a strange small fish served in all it's entirety, body, tail, bones, and head. We ate it all!

We found this cafe/restaurant in the Shibuyu area on our last day in Tokyo. It had so much charm and was a beacon of light for us! We were cold and our feet were tired, we needed a place to chill for a while and relax, and this spot was perfect! It was empty, they were playing old jazz and blues, it was warm, the beer was cold, and the seats were comfy!

These are just a few of the great meals we had. Japanese cuisine is certainly to our liking!

Osaka

2011-12-30T18:41:00.001+09:00

Osaka took us by surprise, being much smaller than we imagined. It's the third largest city in Japan, but easy to get around with the trains and subway and by our favorite mode of transportation: on foot. We arrived early in the morning after taking an overnight bus from Tokyo (I hope that is that last time I take an overnight bus anywhere) and immediately found our little hotel in the sort of working class/industrial neighborhood in southern Osaka. It was a cheap little spot with basic rooms, but a sweet Japanese spa with soaking pools and a sauna, nice bonus!

As usual we walked all day around the city. It was cooler in Osaka than in Tokyo and we had to bundle up, but the sun was bright and we warmed up often by ducking into restaurants, shops, or cafe's. One afternoon it began to snow ever so slightly and we needed to seek shelter so we popped into the perfect little coffee shop where the owner roasted his own coffee, a tasty brew, if I may say so.

We decided to duck into a little hole in the wall izakaya one evening before turning in for the night. this place was on a dark side street near our hotel. Not much going on in that neighborhood. We opened the door, unsure of what would lie beyond, unsure if we could communicate enough to even order a beer. We had great success with our beer ordering, thanks to the Philippino lady working there who knew some english, and before the night was over we had become famous at that place! Not a soul in there was under the age of 50, yet they were buying us sake and beers and singing karaoke for us. I even chimed in and did my best version of "Don't Worry Baby" by the Beach Boys, which everyone loved. It was a great night, the kind of night you can never plan for. Meeting some real locals, barely sharing any conversation due to the language barrier, but still enjoying each other and laughing and having a good time.

Christmas in Tokyo

2011-12-30T16:27:00.001+09:00

It was an unconventional way to spend christmas, that's for sure, yet it was special and fun in it's own adventurous way. We were thrilled with Tokyo, from the first impression all the way until we said goodbye to that big, clean, quiet city.

The vibe there was good, the fashion very stand-out and impressive, the people kind and seemingly happy, and things just made sense. It was hard not to be continually comparing Tokyo to Seoul, being as that is where we've been and what we know. In our comparisons we both noted the striking differences. Tokyo has a lot of life and individuality. The children laugh and the couples kiss and people are generally calm. There is a lot of diversity and most importantly there seemed to be respect, and this is perhaps what stood out the most. As a stranger- an outsider- I sensed this respect. Towards me, towards each other, and most importantly towards themselves.

We saw a lot in Tokyo! Most of the days we would spend hours walking from neighborhood to neighborhood, drinking in all the newness with our eyes and ears and nose. Every step learning more... at the expense of our poor feet...

We explored Ginza, Ueno, Asakusa, Shibuyu, Harajuku, and Shinjuku just to name a few! Each neighborhood had it's own feel, it's own style and characteristics. Each neighborhood is big and generally crowded in the center of things, but the crowds made sense and there still was enough room to move and walk or stop and take photos, while loads of bicycles speed by in the myriad of big bike lanes. Oh the bikes! It's a beautiful sight! I had no idea Tokyo was such a biking metropolis, but it could easily compare to Portland or Amsterdam.

The taxis in Tokyo were so cute, that is the best word I can use to describe them. They sure didn't fit in! They looked like old late 80's economy cars:

This is the smallest bar I have ever seen or been to. No joke. It had enough room for maybe 7 people to stand with their backs against the glass, one long beautiful dark wood bar stood between us and the bartender, who I did not envy, for he had to work in such a small space, I think he could only turn around at one spot at the end of the bar. Crazy small. It was our Christmas treat to ourselves. Josh had 12 year old Japanese scotch and I some red wine. Yummy.

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The vending machines were a lifesaver. Hot tea or coffee, water and juice, and even beer at the click of a button and on most street corners.

Harajuku, what a place! It makes Myeongdong seem tame. This place is packed with shoppers and fashionistas. There were funky clothing stores and chaotic cafes. The sights were entertaining, for sure. It was by far the most crowded place I've been, but the crowds moved fluidly and in sensical patterns, like moving in a sea, floating a little this way and that way... a bit out of my own control... but it was okay for a bit, and also nice to escape the crowds once we had seen enough.

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After Tokyo we made the journey South to the Kansai region, seeing Osaka and Kyoto.... so more to come soon!!

best of 2011

2011-12-18T21:28:00.000+09:00

What a year it has been. It has been an adventure, that is for sure, and a learning experience, and loads of fun, and so much more (and what? it's not over just yet?). I have selected some of my favorite photos from 2011to share you. Each highlighted link will take you to a previous post with more details on each photo or story.

This is an important shot, it is my first view of one part of Seoul as seen from Namsan Tower. This photo was taken on our first day in our new city. It was a cold and crisp day and a steep hike up the mountain path but the view was a great reward.

This is the view from one of our apartment windows. I have grown accustomed to this sight and the many ways it appears, in day or night, storm or sunshine. See more shots here.

This is a small japanese izakaya restaurant near our house, we went here one time. This is just the entrance and immediately you descend a long staircase to a beautiful, open basement dining room.

I can almost feel the brisk breeze when I see this photo! It was taken at the top of one of the many peaks at Bukhansan mountian, just North of the city. We went on a winter hike last year and got more than we bargained for; we accidentally committed to the most difficult path that traversed several peaks. Amidst the danger and exertion was this fresh air and nice view.

Ruf (called "roofs") is an artist space/cafe/lounge/venue located atop a hill in the Gyungridan part of Iteawon. This spot has three levels of rooftop seating to enjoy the killer view.

Gyeongbok Palace in northern central Seoul

The cherry blossoms were such a feast for the eyes when spring rolled around, coloring the cold, slumbering trees with their pink and white petals. A true sign of seasons changing.

Nathan and Irina had their wedding at the aforementioned Rufs on a sunny spring day. It was a sweet party with good food and drinks, lots of good people, and dancing late into the night.

Hongdae is an artsy neighborhood in western Seoul, lots of street art and funky cafes, wine bars and thrift shops, and a serious party on the weekends.

Soon to be the newest addition to the almost 30 bridges that cross the mighty Han River

While doing some urban exploring one day we randomly encountered a side street with lots of funky antique shops. Love it. Old things are cool.

The meals here are entertaining, visually pleasing, and seriously tasty! I have become so accostumed to having a dozen side dishes with each meal, that the standard meat, potatoes, and veg are just not gonna thrill me the way they used to (of course, I do miss some certain foods back home...)

For a weekend we traveled with some friends to Gyeongju, this home was where we stayed. it was perfect. We did a lot of stuff including eating a lot of food (as usual), visiting some mountain temples (just in time to view the pretty decorations up for Buddha's birthday celebrations), and riding scooters all around town.

in central Seoul we found this back alley with some seriously run down apartments and homes. The slums of Seoul, perhaps? This door is great.

A wonderful long weekend with our buddies Ryan and Ida to Chuncheon, Korea. We got to spend some time in the beautiful rugged nature, a good break from the city.

one of our meals we sat at this outdoor restaurant with these sort of oversized pallets precariously situated between the rocks with a stream running below us.

The DMZ on the east coast. For Nathan's 30th birthday a group of almost 20 of us packed up and rented a huge house near the beach and near North Korea! So we just had to make the trip up there to have the guards check and double check our cars and all our documents just to let us into the viewing areas to see the crazy neighbors to the north and drink their superior beer.

The it is! The most dangerous place on earth some people call it.

The Ttukseom overpass and museum

It rained and rained and kept on raining for a few weeks. This rain was incredible and ended up causing deadly floods and landslides.

Vietnam was an experience that I will remember with joy for all my days! The trip was long and held many different highlights, not to mention it is a seriously photogenic place with generally beautfiul, happy people. My morning fruit lady in Saigon:

we spent lots of time on boats when we were in the Mekong Delta region. I love the water and sun!

at the sunrise floating market in Cai Be. What a sight to behold. People cruise in on their massive or tiny boat homes to sell fruit and other necessities.

the rainy season was upon us and we got daily reminders of that!

This man is a poet/musician named Duy Viet. We went to his house and had tea and cakes with him. He played guitar with Ryan and gave me flowers, what a good man!

side street market in Dalat, in the central highlands of Vietnam.

from my second floor veranda I looked down each morning to these ladies selling fresh fruit

rooftops in Dalat

a lone tree near the central coast of Vietnam

Josh and I love this little used book store in the Iteawon area. They have a decent collection of English language books and a nice old man that runs the place.

On one of our trips to the southern coastal city Busan we encountered a hot summer night with a bright full moon. Seen here over the Gwanganli bridge.

In a southern neighborhood of Seoul we spotted this old guy, collecting cans and bottles for recycling. This guy puts any shopping cart load to shame! All this and a smile too!

It's pretty sweet hanging out with these dudes

The "63" building at Yeoido

my love! we go lots of places and do lots of good things together

a busy chinese restaurant in central Seoul, also knows as "the crack house"

the floating building off the Banpogyo

Namsan by night (playing with my camera)

The honeycomb building on Gangnam Daero

One of the oldest structures in all of Korea. In the southeastern city of Andong

this boy got a good view of the dance performances at the Andong mask festival

an old temple gate in Andong, with an antique filter

a peaceful lake on some local temple grounds

autumn. i love the bright leaves seen against the pale blue sky.

grain for sale on the street outside a subway station

the lantern festival

at the Seoul Arts Center in Seocho

And here's to making 2012 even better!

whacky english

2011-12-09T16:57:00.001+09:00

In my line of work I am most valuable for being an expert inthe English language. Well, I haven’t had any formal education in grammar andvocabulary in many years! What I know I just acquired over the years…. So whenquestions come up and I have to explain why it is not correct to say “I have toclean the home” and yet it is correct to say, “I have to clean the house” it is not an easy task.

English is pretty strange! It has become the globallanguage, with so many speakers around this big blue planet trying tounderstand the complex workings of it.

Have you ever wondered why it is that people drive onparkways and park in driveways… recite at a play and play in a recital? You’reeither coming or going, but “would you like to come with me?” and “would youlike to go with me?” are nearly the same.

There is no ham in hamburger, no egg in eggplant; neitherapple nor pine in pineapple, and English muffins weren’t invented in England.Sweetbreads aren’t sweet at all, and in fact they are meat.

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language inwhich your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form byfilling it our, and in which an alarm goes off by going on.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don’t fing, doctorsdon’t doc, and hammers don’t ham? Shooters are a drink, bleachers are benches, anddrivers are a golf club.

If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn’t the plural ofbooth beeth?

If two mouses are mice and two louses are lice, why aren'ttwo houses hice?

One goose, two geese, one moose, two meese? And we all knowthe difference between a wise man and a wise guy…

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same thing?You can be up for something or down for something and either way you’rein.

Sometimes I try to explain these things but it reminds me somuch of when I was studying Spanish as my second language and my sweetprofessor Senora Perez told us students that it will be no good to ask why whendealing with language. It just is.

As a teacher I understand what Sra. Perez was saying, and amreminded of my students continual “why teacher?”. As for those learning English(or any language for all that matter) … just be ready for the certain confusionthat will follow!

you know you're in Korea when...

2011-12-08T17:01:00.001+09:00

Living in Korea has reached a level or normal for me, I am opento the weirdness and I can anticipate the seemingly backwards way of things… sothat makes it a little easier.

This is a list that I found when I first moved here on a forumfor English teachers that is so funny! But really, they are all so true… if youcan only imagine. Enjoy!

You knowyou’re in Korea when….

…your coffee is more expensive than your lunch

…almost everything you think is going to be chocolate-flavoredturns out to be bean-flavored instead

…teenage boys sit on each other's laps, holding hands, andplaying with each other's hair

…shirts with atrocious things written on them (ie: little girlswearing things like: “I’m a sex kitten” or playboy bunnies on their backpacks)

…asking your blood type is not aweird question

…eatingout is less expensive than cooking at home

…scissorsare an eating utensil

…yougo to Costco and everyone is eating a plate FULL of raw onions with ketchup andmustard all over them because they think it is a side dish and not toppings foryour hot dog

…unsolicited“I love yous”

…youstare at other foreigners

…youare told you are teaching a class…and it will start in five minutes

…allof the windows are wide open in the winter

…you have to dodge motorbikes and cars while walking on thesidewalk

…you are eating chicken wings with chopsticks

…the skirts are so short that you can see the girls’ buttcheeksbut a hint of cleavage is unacceptable

…garlic bread is sweet

…youdescribe any girl over 110 pounds as "fat”

…SPAMis a delicacy

…everyonegoes to the hospital for stomach cramps or a headache

…menwear makeup and carry purses

…oldladies push you really hard all the time and don’t think twice about it

…whenthe subway transfer song gets stuck in your head (and you like it…??)

…yourfood regularly has eyes and sometimes is still moving

Ah Korea, you are such a strange place.

soup party!

2011-12-05T09:16:00.001+09:00

everyone loves to cook (doesn't everyone love to cook?), and soups are about as easy as it gets, plus they can store for days in the fridge or be frozen for months (or years, i suppose...). We set out the other day to make a broccoli/cheddar soup, and my my my was it a success!

It is really simple, actually. Fry up some garlic, onions, and grated carrot in a hunk of butter for about ten minutes. Meanwhile prep your broccoli by cutting into whatever size you want, I like doing some big and some chopped really finely. After you're initial veggies are soft add in some milk, some cream (half and half or heavy cream... you decide), a small amount of flour, a little chicken stock, a few bay leaves and even some beer! This is the soup broth.... so it will be pretty thin at this point... next add in all that broccoli (raw) and let it simmer for about twenty minutes. Finally add in a TON of sharp cheddar and a LOT of pepper jack, salt and pepper to taste, and viola! Easy hearty soup!

Our friend Kevin had his thirtieth birthday this past weekend and for the occasion decided to have a creative and unique birthday celebration: a soup party! Everyone (or every couple) brought a small batch of their favorite soup and some bread and drinks, of course. It was so fun... there were probably fifteen different soups there, a variety of Korean and western soups. Everyone just hung around the table with cups and spoons to have tasters of each one. We had spicy chili, Swedish onion soup, seaweed soup, split pea w/ ham, turkey vegetable, potato leek, 부대찌개, and a killer gazpacho!

School lunch

2011-11-29T16:44:00.001+09:00

Every day for lunch I eat at school, in the specialteachers’ lounge with six tables, each with eight seats. With windows on threesides it’s possible to see the changing leaves on the trees that are nestledbetween the buildings. I’ve heard from many people that the public schools havethe best lunches in town, and I totally believe it! At my school we have adevoted staff of maybe six or eight people who work all day every day makingcreative meals for us.

Korean food has so many side dish options that I doubt ifwe’ve ever had the exact same meal duplicated this whole school year, which ispretty impressive. There is always a kind of rice, a soup and four or fiveother options, be them meat, fish, or veggies. Oh and always kimchi. I love Koreanfood. I really do. There are some things that I generally pass on, like mysterymeat or black stuff, but all in all I’m so happy to have a plate full ofveggies and soup. Mmm. Not to mention I get this hot meal, served fresh andpiping hot for less than two dollars a day. Here is a weeks worth of meals thatI had recently so you can get an idea:

Thanksgiving

2011-11-27T16:51:00.001+09:00

....my favorite holiday! I'm quite happy that we could all work together to make a great feast and hang out in true t-day style!

At the tailor shop

2011-11-25T16:02:00.001+09:00

It’s a random place for a meet-up, but it worked. Nate hadto stop to pick up his coat at the tailors in Iteawon, Josh and I were finishedwith dinner at a restaurant near by, so we planned to meet there. It was a coldnight, the kind where you take any opportunity to go inside, even if just for amoment, which is how we ended up in the Tailor shop. Armed with my camera inhand I was able to snap some nice shots of this stylish place in the fewmoments that we were waiting. This shop is on a back alley across from somerestaurants, one might never notice it if not specifically looking. I’m glad wewere. There were hats and cufflinks and cool chandeliers and candlesticks….Vintage wool coats and gingham blazers with elbow pads…. And shirts and ties ofevery color.

thanks

2011-11-25T15:59:00.001+09:00

Ten things I’m thankful for:

(In no particular rank or order)

1. things so easily taken for granted, like food and waterand heat.

2. going to sleep and waking up next to Josh every day

3. health and the ever-passing youth that I still hold on to

4. this opportunity to be on such an epic round the worldtrip

5. music

6. family and friends, who are a comfort in this world

7. the internet for it’s vast library of knowledge andentertainment

8. my imagination and dreams and plans

9. the sun, that incredible life source

10. red wine and Bombay sapphire gin (not together)

Happy Thanksgiving from Seoul!

Love love love, Nicole

winter hike, sunshine, and minefields…oh my

2011-11-21T15:58:00.001+09:00

Umyeonsan (san=mountain) is located in the southern edge ofSeoul. A relatively small mountain that has a nice view of the city from above.We had our first freeze the other day and its cold cold cold in Seoul now, andthis was the day we decided to go hiking! So we bundled up and met up with Ryanand Ida for the sunny afternoon hike.

It was beautiful. The fresh air always feels nice afterweeks of city smog, the sun was bright, the air crisp and cold. We stumbledupon a temple and a steep trail leading us to a lookout. We took a new waydown, knowing that all paths down would eventually lead us to our destination.

On our way down we saw several areas that were very securelybarricaded off with elaborate layers of coiled barbed wire and gates, signs andposts, and even a system of speakers ready to alarm those who crossed. What wasall this we wondered? Here on the side of the peaceful mountain. It becameclear as we looked further and added up our collective knowledge. This mountainwas a minefield. Scores of years havepassed since the battles were being fought in Seoul, but those mines are stillthere.

A few months ago there was a serious flash flood and a fewdeadly landslides in Southern Seoul (read here for my post on that), Umyeonsancollapsed in a few areas, closing roads and destroying homes and businesses.With the landslides was a major fear that the unknown location of these mineshad changed, that they were washed down the mountain to new locations or eveninto the city. We all talked about this and kind of creeped ourselves out as wecontinued to carefully descend the mountain. We made light of the situation bysaying “tread lightly, you tread on my dreams…” and other adages about walkinglightly, but it was actually a tense experience! War is stupid. “Oops, thereare leftover bombs lying around, hope you don’t just step on it and lose yourlegs!”

Once we had a steaming pan of dakgalbi with rice cooking infront of us we forgot about the horrors of living in a recently war torncountry and moved on to more amazing topics like traveling in Europe and makingnew concoctions with food and drink.

Seoul Lantern Festival

2011-11-18T18:37:00.001+09:00

North of the Han River, at the Cheongyecheon, there is the2011 Seoul Lantern Festival taking place through the weekend. Every night from5-11 thousands of lanterns, big and small and everything in between, are lit upalong the water. The statue of Liberty, leaning tower of Pisa, scores of Koreanfighters, traditional lanterns, and even a very large walk-through lantern of agate are just some of the beautiful array of lights reflecting of the water.

We headed north to fight the crowds (isn’t it crowdedeverywhere in this city?) and get our glimpse of these festive fixtures. Here’ssome of what we saw: