Moonlit Ocean, Japan

(written in July 2012)

Sitting on a piece of drift wood, I can hear the ocean waves lapping at the shore and the childish giggling of close friends splashing around.  There is a strong sense of happiness that washes over me like the smooth, warm breeze of this evening.  This gibbous moon is brightly shining on the two figures in front of me –Chantelle and Brian –and their dim white skin against the dark background of the black sand, sky and ocean makes the image feel like a memory happily captured in my mind.

Chantelle and I have had a very eventful first day in Japan.  After an almost twelve-hour triathlon of travelling by bus, plane and train, we were met by Brian in his small town of Torami.  The afternoon and evening are a blur of Japanese scents and sights –the flavourful fish at a sushi restaurant and the vibrant florals of Mobara Star Festival, lanterns and kimonos alike.

I feel so blessed to be in this place, at this time –experiencing a moment of private joy and gratitude.  What a powerful way to be pried out of one’s own mind of worry, hesitation and careful planning.  There is no way I could have predicted this –only the beauty of nature could conspire to inspire this overwhelming sense of pleasure and purpose.

Welcome to Japan!  Navigator Chantelle and sleepy Jenni ended up missing the correct stop (darn, confusing Japanese train system) and added an hour to our travel time before arriving in Ichinomiya.

With maps like this, you can see how we might get a little lost.

A couple hours in Ichinomiya, and we are already fed and fanned.  Chantelle and I were given our beautiful welcome gifts (very necessary fans) and exposed to the very popular sushi conveyor belt system, 100 yen per plate.

The bright colours of Mobara Star Festival.

The generosity of strangers.
As we walked along the streets of the festival, a shop keeper stopped us and lead us behind his shop.  He had a beautiful garden and a water pump, pouring us buckets of water to cool our feet in.

On the streets of Shibuya. 
Funny story: we missed the last train out to Ichinomiya, so we stayed up all night in Shibuya eating desserts (sea salt chips topped with ice cream and caramel),  drinking mojitos while making small (very small) talk with new Japanese friends, and finding comfortable places for R&R at dawn (see the bottom left pic).

The Food Show in Shibuya -- a delicious array of fancy foods.

Walking in the Harajuku district of Shinjuku. 
While the shops seemed a bit bizarre, we could definitely see a resemblance to the eccentric and feminine styles seen in Korean clothing trends.

Views from the Sunshine 60 building in Tokyo. 
The 240-meter tall sky scrapper has an elevator that reaches speeds of 600 meters per minute for an extremely fast ascent to the observation deck.  The elevator also dims to black lighting to display constellations like Sagittarius.
Fun fact: "At the time of its completion in 1978, the 239.7 m (786 ft) building was the tallest in Asia, a title it held until 1985 when it was surpassed by the 63 Building in Seoul" (courtesy of Wikipedia.com).

A delicious dinner at Hachi, which turned out to be a seven-course meal. Mmmmmmmm.

The breath-taking landscape of Torami, Ichinomiya.

Last day in Japan, so Brian joined us for a trek to Odaiba. 
We are sporting our hand-crafted Nini shirts, inspired by Sak Noel's song Paso (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ducOSt6oaBU), and the overall goal of leaving work and study behind to have some fun.  With only 9 days of vacation in a year, it would be criminal not to make the most of it, so we took on "Nini" status for the week.

Venus Fort in Odaiba. http://www.venusfort.co.jp/multi/index_e.html
Reminded me a lot of Miracle Mile Shops and The Forum Shops at Caesars' Palace in Las Vegas.

DiverCity Tokyo Plaza in Odaiba, including the 18-meter high Gundam statue and Fuji TV building.

The Diamond and Flower Ferris Wheel of Edogawa, Tokyo. 
With a height of 117 meters (384 feet), the Diamond and Flower Ferris Wheel is the 10th largest ferris wheel in the world.   Although nerve-racking, the view was well-worth it with an amazing view of Tokyo and a fireworks display that coincidentally began as we hit the peak height.

Our last meal in Japan, at the Asian restaurant Monsoon, located in Urayasu alongside the Tokyo Disney Resort. 
The fish had the perfect combination of spicy and sweet, and was served with a smile --literally, the fish's eyes and mouth were still intact.

Yen and Japanese/Canadian hospitality.  Clockwise from the top left:

*1000 yen is roughly $12.50 CAN.  The conversion proved difficult for Chantelle and I as we are used to converting won to dollars by dropping three zeroes, instead of two (roughly, for yen).  Prices were also a lot higher in Japan, so that took a little getting used to.

*Brian was certainly the hostest with the mostest, as proven with his Host French Toast (and ham) breakfast he prepared for Chantelle and I before heading to work.  What a man.

*Again, with the currency --the 500 yen (bronze) is roughly $5, while the 1 yen (silver) is worth 1 cent.  Strange how they are so close in size, yet so distant in worth.

*Our fold-out mattress for the floor.  Brian bravely shared his bachelor apartment with us two girls for the entirety of our stay.
 

Last but not least, here are a couple more collages I created using photos from Japan.  All of the collages in this blog were created using the PicsArt app on my Samsung smart phone.  I just might be obsessed.

Too cute?

Some of the most memorable sights of the trip.

ChaNini and JenNini

Best Friends (and Nini's) Forever? Foreva, eva?

A Year Later...

With autumn upon us, I find myself coming back to the weather, scents and experiences I first had when I came to Korea.  On most days, it’s hard to believe I’ve been here for over a year, but when I look back on the opportunities I’ve embraced and the strange way life can circle back to the beginning, I’m reminded of just how long (and meaningful) the journey has been so far.

Over the past year, I have…

…completed a full contract at a hagwon (truly an accomplishment, given the many fallen comrades at Wonderland) and acquired a new, fantastic job teaching Canadian curriculum to my very own Grade 3 class.

…traveled to Malaysia and Japan –blogs on those topics will be retroactively posted in the near future.

Ms. Malaysia?

…looked at the physical division of North and South Korea, and heard the undying hope for reunification (best expressed by my 8 year-old student who aims to rectify this issue by becoming the UN Secretary General).

Korean Demilitarized Zone --a completely unreal (and somewhat haunting) experience.

…witnessed the unwavering respect for elders, who have seen the country grow from third-world rubble to developed-world status in half a century.

…grieved the loss of a close friend, pushed past the shock and sadness that comes with sudden tragedy, and held on to her fun-loving spirit.

My co-teacher and first Korean comrade, April. <3

…met incredible people with passionate beliefs that challenged my perspective, inspired me to pursue my deepest desires, or both.

Gargling a tune for a twisted Jenga team point. 
Sometimes friendship means sacrificing your dignity and sometimes it means spitting on your friends face.

... almost burned down an apartment. Oil fire + water = explosive disaster!

…played on a baseball team, and was a right-field all-star when I wasn’t bench warming.  Although my most memorable contribution to the team was camping out on the field to save it for game day.

#8 for the Wolfhounds of the SBL
(Seoul Baseball League)

#8 at 5am

…learned conversational Korean and developed bowing habits –I’m a bit afraid I might not be able to shake that when I arrive home.

… developed a stronger appreciation for my life in Canada and the things that I really care about like family and friends, manners and Swiss Chalet.

...and ginger ale!

… ooh-ed and aww-ed at the fireworks of Everland in a vast crowd that could surprisingly (and easily) outnumber any audience at Sarnia’s Canada Day display.

…drank hot cocoa in a giant igloo, alongside massive snow sculptures of Ms. Pots (from Beauty and the Beast), Davy Jones (from Pirates of the Caribbean) and the late, great Steve Jobs.

Snow and ice --everything was frozen, including my ba-donka-donk.

…recognized the importance of patience, whether it is needed in a kindergarten classroom, a packed subway, or a disorganized adventure trip.  Note: yelling “this is the worst f****** day ever” is not the right approach to expressing your dismay, no matter how hungry you are, especially when surrounded by strangers.  It makes you look and feel like a completely ridiculous person.

(even more ridiculous than a blow up Hello Kitty on the subway)

…gained companionship in serendipitous, small-world situations that can only be explained by some kind of divine design.

A truly beautiful view with three truly beautiful people.

                                            
…acknowledged the delight in squirrels because they aren’t nearly as common in other countries as they are in Canada.

…learned to be adventurous with my eating because the look and smell of something isn’t always in direct relation to how it tastes.  Sometimes food smells awful and looks awful, but tastes delicious.Sometimes food looks and smells delightful, but tastes nasty.  Sometimes something looks nasty and smells awful, and tastes exactly how it looks and smells, like in the case of silkworms.

Fun fact: every food venue --even ice cream vendors at an amusement park --have these kind of faux-food displays.  There is actually a huge market for creating plastic food for display cases all over Korea.

…began to overcome my fear of heights via sky lifts, cable cars, suspension bridges and mountain peaks –slowly, but surely –but, I still can’t imagine bungee jumping in a foreign country, or any country for that matter. 

From the top of Gwanaksan --Mount Gwanak in Gwacheon.  Jason and I are both crouched on opposite sides of a very steep rock to make this picture possible. If I hadn't already started sweating on the way up the mountain, I definitely would have at this point.

…embraced the joy, excitement and goofiness of children –which is quite possibly the most rewarding part of my year in Korea.

This is Peter Parker.  Although he was originally named "Peter" he insisted on being called Peter Parker.  He would also run around, scaling the walls and flicking invisible webs out of his wrists.  Of course, because he was THE Peter Parker. 

   
… lived life day by day, suspended in the mystery that foreign language and unpredictable schedules naturally create.

September 2012: Spicy potato on a stick is still yummy!

September 2011: Spicy potato on a stick is yummy!

Fear Factor Weekend (Day 2)

Round Three --Climbing Mt. Daedunsan 

The Facts:
* the highest peak of Mt. Daedunsan is Macheondae, at 878 meters above sea level
* there is a cable car up to the mountain for 7,000 won (round trip)
* after getting of the cable car, you have ascended 610 metres above sea level –there is the platform which serves as a great look-out point
* 200 metres up, there is a Geumgang Gureum (aka Cloud Bridge) which is 50 meters long and straddles mountain peaks 81 meters high
* the Samseon Stairway is composed of 127 steel stairs ascending up the face of a cliff at a 50 degree angle –so it’s better described as a ladder, which felt both death-defying and unnatural for a person with a fear of heights, or rather a fear of falling from such heights.

“The mountain is not very high, with its highest peak Macheondae rising only 878 meters above sea level. However, the rocky crags and cliffs, which offer spectacular views, make for an arduous hike.” –taken from a hiker’s website I checked out in preparation for Mt. Daedunsan 

After getting off the cable car, this is the view from the platform.

In the left background, you can see the Samseon Stairway and, even higher up, Macheondae peak.

I turned around for a photo op of climbing up the Samseon Stairway and immediately became shaky when I realized how high up I was and how easily I could fall and/or be blown off of the cliff.

This was the view from Samseon Stairway that made my heart leap into my throat.

Bonus Round --Eating Silkworms

The Facts:
* silk worms are apparently a wonderful post-hike treat in Korea
* a cup of silkworms costs 1,000 -2,000 won
* I don’t usually eat bugs for a mid-afternoon snack
* you can convince yourself that the less juicy ones taste like almonds, the more juicy ones taste exactly as they smell –nasty. 

Yummy, yummy.

Jason and I showing off our silkworm snack.