Spots I liked in Vientiane

Two weeks ago, I had the good fortune to visit Laos with my friend Mairi.
...If you can stand the heat and intense humidity, the friendly people and unique blend of cultures create an exotic but relaxed mood. Everyone is welcome, from any foreign land, despite Laos' war-torn history. I began and ended my trip in the capital, Vientiane, which boasts a blend of several architectural styles. Some of my favorite moments were:
1. Two excellent meals with friends at Makphet restaurant. You'd never know it from the yummy specials (like beef tips marinated in Lao whisky), but Makphet is a non-profit organization staffed by teachers and former street children from the capital's poorest neighborhoods.
2.Taking a break from the heat at fruit market stalls along the banks of the Mekong River.
3. Stealing quiet reflection at Wat That Luang Neua, the temple to the North of Pha That Luang (the "world precious sacred stupa"). I visited early in the morning, before the heat, and the large groups of French tourists, arrived.
4. Watching local children play in the fountain near my guesthouse on a warm,and unusually dry, night.
5. Haggling a vendor down to a decent price (at least, decent for a foreigner)on some vivid textiles.
6. Munching on heavenly croissants for about forty cents at the Scandinavian Bakery! I went back several days in a row! Flaky! Buttery! Can this bakery send a baking instructor to Korea?
...And some good chats with my pal Mairi during our mid-day "siesta breaks" at Mali Namphu Guest House.

Are Expats in Korea Just Bit**ing?

We interrupt this regularly scheduled blog to direct you to an interesting (if self-referential) discussion happening on the Internet and in the Korean Media considering foreign bloggers in Korea. Some of us have irked the Korean netizens, who have expressed that Ex-pat blogs in Korea are too damn negative.
Do we Ex-pats (who tend to all get lumped together as "foreigners", even though we represent different nationalities, genders, cultures, and languages) have a right to express our opinions of South Korea, even when we may not be fluent in Korean, and thus may not understand the culture well? Is the tone of our writing in blogs really what angers some Korean blog readers?
I am away from Seoul teaching at a camp, and only have night time computer access, so I don't really have time to give this issue the consideration it deserves.
However, I am intruiged and would like to say a few quick things on this issue, as I find this discussion fascinating.
1. A blog is an outlet-for creativity, for frustration, for questioning. It can be an outlet for ideas Ex-pats may lack the Korean skills to say out loud, and for feelings Ex-pats may lack the courage to say out loud.
2. Ex-pats are responsible for their own tone. If Ex-pats genuinely spew hate about South Koreans as a group, they shouldn't be surprised to get hateful comments in return.
3. However, Ex-pats are indeed foreign-which mean they think differently. Some Ex-pats here come from cultures where freedom of expression is very highly prized-so what a Korean may see as mean spirited criticism of their beloved country, a foreigner may see as merely independent thought. Which has been particularly emphasized in several Western countries since the 1960s.
4. Even blogs with pretty well-written political commentary can lapse into a diary- like style. You can't take them too seriously! :) Sarcasm and black humor abound in Ex-pat blogs all over Asia. The Marmot's Hole, for example, is a well written and well sourced Ex-pat blog in Korea. Yet even that blogger will post the occasional picture of a pretty Korean chick in a short skirt. I could care less about those pictures, but the writer's obviously interested in such photos, and heck, it's HIS blog. I just surf away from it.
5a. We foreigners should probably try to lead with a disclaimer: even if one studies Korean, or has been here a long time, if one didn't grow up here, one is still somewhat of a foreigner.

HOWEVER.....................
5b. It is my personal, non-expert, terrible-at-Korean, opinion that Korea can only strengthened by more free expression. Even expression by foreigners, who might be less educated on the culture, but nonetheless inter-act with it. The "Hermit Kingdom" days are over-and for the better. South Korea has built an impressive, modern power out of the ashes of war in a short span of years. I admire that. And modern, free powers should embrace free expression. There are even certain issues, such as inter-racial dating, the inside view (and myriad problems) of the Hagwon language academy system, or even Western thoughts on the best places to grab a great brunch in Seoul, where the ex-pats, beyond all their whiny complaints, have a kernel of knowledge to offer. :)
Even if they finish blog posts with a run-on sentence. :)

For some other good thoughts on this issue I suggest the blog "Ask A Korean!" which can be found at http://askakorean.blogspot.com

Favorite Jeju Spots

We took in Jeju quickly, but some of my favorite spots were...
1. The stream in the forested section of Hallasan.
2. The second, sandier beach we visited (I'll check the name for you)
3. The cave we visited.

Jeju Part 2-Windy Hallasan

On Saturday morning, I still wasn't feeling quite like myself. But God Jeju is a pretty place. And how could I go all the way to Jeju without hiking Hallasan? The other members of my hiking club has said it was quite beautiful there. And Steve had arranged such a wonderful trip. My mind wanted to hike, but my body just wasn't quite cooperating. When I can't decide what to do, I tend to listen to my heart. This has an uneven success rate. :) On Saturday,listening to my heart meant taking a Tylenol and hitting the trail...

One funny thing about Jeju are all the isolated pockets of weather. It was sunny on our side of the island, but cooler and foggier at the base of Hallasan. We'd rented a car, and Steve really enjoyed driving. He was and is also quite infatuated (still) with the "Navi" GPS system. (Yes, engineers love new technological gadgets, it's true! ) So, with the help of our new GPS guide, we were soon at the base of the mountain and ready to go.

Unfortunately, they were doing conservation and construction at the crater at the very highest peak. So the paths were closed off before hikes could reach the lake, which I have heard is quite stunning.On the up side, this meant that the paths were very uncrowded. After spending so much time jam packed into the Line 1 train in July, the quiet, empty path felt like such a blessing. The wooded section of the path, with winding streams and bright blue wild flowers, looked peaceful. Hallasan is known for Roe deer , but there are also several types of pretty birds and small animals, including minks.

Hiking on volcanic rock feels unique. Oddly shaped chunks lay here and there, and the rounder pieces were pushed together on the path. Of course I also added my volcanic rock to several tall rock piles (shamanism-when on Hallsan, do as the Hallasanians do...) honored the mountain, and made a wish. What if the shamanism practitioners know something that I don't?

By the time we reached the top of the open path, we had hiked into a new weather front. Rain and high winds whipped in. Mists covered the fields, cliffs, and falls that I had read about. We stopped nears the top of the open path for ramen, coffee, and, quite randomly, beef jerky. We of course took photos looking sweaty and proud! (In Korea, all events are documented by digital photos. Even when high winds make me look like Medusa!)

But by the time we started down the path again, the mists would roll out for a few minutes, then whip back in when the high winds changed. I caught a quick glimpse of some of the fields on the way down. The weather and trail closing were not ideal. But I really needed a brake from the crowds and pace of Seoul. Looming, quiet, fragrant Hallsan was a good respite.

Jeju Jaunt-Friday

Exhausted yet excited, I hurried to Gimpo airport Friday night for a quick jaunt to Jeju do. My boyfriend and I have tried to get air tickets there twice before-the flights were always full-but the third time was, for us, really a charm. My very generous boyfriend got a deal on a weekend package including airfare and hotel through his travel agent. I might have been wary to fly tiny Hansung airlines otherwise, but WowKorea Tour usually makes good recommendations. The small plane looked a little Casablanca-ish sitting out there on the tarmac, and I hadsome Value Jet turbulence flashbacks during take off, but all in all the flight was fine.

I was really wrung out like a sponge by Friday night. For me, a lot of feeling goes into the end of a school year while teaching abroad-changes, goodbyes, gambles that payed off, travel plans, and the occasional missed opportunity-both educational and personal. It will take me some time to process all the quick decisions I've had to make this year. So, location wise, part of me just wanted to lie in bed and recoup...

that is, until we landed on Jeju island. A wall of warmth hit us coming out of the airport and my excitement started to build. It took us a few minutes to find out rental car, but once we did, and hit the road, I knew I was in for a great weekend.

The package that my boyfriend got included 2 nights at the very snazzy KAL (Korean Air Lines) hotel. Ocean view room, no less. I've included a photo showing our view.

I'm moving on up.... :)

Sisyphus Gets a New Gig

Why are these children smiling?

As you'll remember, the Greek Sisyphus was a king who had the bad luck to be cursed to roll a huge boulder up a tall hillside, only to watch it roll down again, and to repeat this oh-so-scintillating task forever. Not a fun afterlife, as after-lives go. :)

On my worst days, teaching out at the rice paddy school this year, I have felt a little like Sisyphus. Only, my boulder has tended to be interactive learning activities that get omitted for being too "messy" and English CD-Roms that decide not to play on Tuesdays. I have pushed my lesson plans forward, only to watch them tumble down again...

But, no more! Some of the kids did well, most of the kids had fun, and, most importantly, all of the kids are done. Done. Finished. "Fin-ish-ee" as the students say.

Why am I smiling?

I finished.

I made it.

Perhaps just 'cause I'm stubborn.

I did it. :)

Nationalism...Can you dance to it?

So, South Korea probably owns the island/islets of Dokdo.
Koreans say that historical maps mention the island, and heck, they are their maps... Why mention this now? Because Dokdo pride runs deep in South Korea, and just as the beef furor dies down, Dokdo fever rises up....But, if you're not from Asia, or an Asian Studies major at Columbia, you might be wondering, where the hell is Dokdo, anyway? Dokdo is small island nestled in what we Westerners would call the The Liancourt Rocks. And these, to quote my friends at Wikipedia.com...."are a group of small islets in the...East Sea. (Not, let the Wikipedia authors be reminded, the "Sea of Japan.") But back to the islands..."Sovereignty over the islands is disputed between Japan and South Korea.[1] South Korea has controlled them since after the Second World War.[2]The islets are also known as Dokdo (or Tokto) (독도/獨島, literally "solitary island") in Korean and as Takeshima (竹島, Takeshima? , literally "bamboo island") in Japanese.[3]The Liancourt Rocks comprise two main islets and 35 smaller rocks. Their total surface is 187,450 square metres and their highest elevation is 169 metres.[4] They are currently inhabited by 2 permanent Korean citizens, Kim Seong-do (김성도) and Kim Shin-yeol (김신열), a small Korean police detachment, administrative personnel and lighthouse staff.[5]Korea administers the islands as part of Ulleung County, North Gyeongsang Province. Koreans prize Dokdo, as far as I can tell...for the varied, high quality marine life, the unique birds ,the fishing rights to yummy tasting seafood, the "natural beauty" of the volcanic rock...and because they got them back from those mean, nasty land-grubbers of the 1930s and 1940s...the Japanese. But how big a deal could these small islets be? Um, in Seoul, a very big deal. Why? Well...As an Irish-American, I can understand an ages old territorial dispute building momentum over time (As late as the 1990s, in certain pubs in South Boston, Northern Ireland did not seem to exist). Land that has possibly been stolen or compromised away (I am not taking sides on that one) is easy to romanticize. Still, Dokdo's small size and rocky terrain makes it easy for a foreigner, standing on the outside, to wonder what all the fuss is about. Very few people (like 3, if you include the lighthouse keeper) actually live there on a given day. Is it the fishing rights? Or just the symbolic value of the area that matters? It is unfortunate that they didn't just attempt to settle the matter at the close of World War II in the Treaty Of San Francisco. Now that Japan has listed Dokdo as Japanese territory in their recent textbooks, Dokdo-love is trendier than I've ever seen it. From t-shirts to pencils to you-tube slide shows; inventive South Koreans espouse Dokdo pride. The most entertaining response to the Japanese claims to Dokdo that I have seen is the Hip Hop Song D.O.K.D.O...which I attempt to link to here....
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=aX5NWYrLM0Q&feature=related
Caveat: As I only understand a small amount of Korean I CAN NOT PROMISE THAT IT DOES NOT CONTAIN LANGUAGE THAT LISTENERS WHO UNDERSTAND KOREAN AND JAPANESE WELL MIGHT FIND OFFENSIVE. It might. (I'm just a poor, struggling foreigner. Don't make mean comments on my blog.)
As I watch his Hip Hop Video, I wonder.... Can the power of music solve an age old conflict? Probably not, but it dos have a good beat. :)