Round Two

Well, here we are.  I'm back in Korea after a 2+ month vacation (unfair, I know) and I'm about to start work again for another year.  My last post on this blog was about six or more months ago.  I feel like I started out well last year but then dropped off about half way through.  It wasn't that nothing interesting was going on-- quite the opposite.  I just got lazy.  So this is me trying to start out on the right foot. 

What's that?  Perhaps I should first gloat about my extended vacation?  Sure thing!  After I finished my first year-long contract here in South Korea I headed back to Seattle.  I had a few weeks in Seattle to visit with the family and friends I hadn't seen in awhile.  Unfortunately, some of my dear friends had decided to leave town and move to other parts of the country, and I was unable to reconnect in person.  Though a surprise video chat was set up by some of my friends in New York and I got to see them.  I even made a trip to Bellingham (my college town) for a night and see some friends there.  After only about two and a half weeks in Seattle I headed down to Australia for about a month.  I studied in Newcastle, Australia for a semester back in 2008, so my main goal was to visit with all of my friends from my time down there, as well as some additional traveling and merrymaking.  I started out in Sydney for a few nights and did a nice tour of the iconic Opera House and even saw a concert in the grandiose main hall.  After Sydney I went to Newcastle for a week to stay with my friends and catch up.  Being back with all my friends in that relaxed, "no worries" atmosphere was perfect.  Managed to see almost all of my Aussie roommates and bum around on a few couches.  Even got a few early morning surfs in.  It was a fantastic week but with finals coming up people were starting to get busy and it was time for me to move on. 

One of my good mates Ryan and I on the way to the beach!

 

 

On a hike with my friend Nat in a national park near Newcastle.  There were leeches in that rainforest.  Not a good time to wear sandals.

I headed up to Surfer's Paradise for four nights of lounging and partying.  The beaches there are what you would expect from a place called "Surfer's Paradise."  White sand stretching for miles.  Didn't actually get up to much here but a nice place to have fun and get some serious sunning in.  After the glitz, glam, and sleaze got to be too much, I headed down to Melbourne, a city of art and architecture.  I had heard a lot about how nice Melbourne was, all the inspiring sculptures and building designs, but it was incredibly refreshing to see such an aesthetically pleasing metropolitan city, especially after the blandness that runs rampant in Korea.  I had a good five days there exploring museums and markets, riding the trams, and listening to plenty of podcasts during my many hours spent wandering the streets.  I mainly listen to comedy podcasts, so I often have to stifle laughs or grins so passersby don't think I'm insane.  I also did a tour of the Great Ocean Road, famous for its limestone cliffs and the Twelve Apostles.

View from the helicopter ride I took along the Great Ocean Road.

Wild baby koala.  Mom was right above him.

After the second-biggest city in Australia it was time to check out Tasmania, the down-trodden little island to the south.  The mainlanders like to make fun of Tasmania to no end.  Kind of like Americans making fun of Canadians, but worse.  Tasmania is covered with protected forests and bushland, so there are great hikes and sightseeing opportunities.  I went on a couple of day-hikes the first few days.  I went to a nature reserve to see some local animals, including the Tasmanian devil.  These little guys are suffering from a contagious cancer that has wiped out 80% of the wild population in only the last 10 years.  It's expected they'll be extinct in about 20 years or so.

Wineglass Bay in Tasmania.

Young wombat.  So cute.

In case you're wondering what devils look like.  They're pretty small, but they are voracious eaters, devouring bones and all.  Fun fact: their jaws have four times more biting power than a pitbull.

After my time in Tasmania was up, I headed back to Sydney to see a friend I had made while in Korea.  After he left Korea about six months ago he headed to Australia he's still there!  Then it was back to Seattle for a little less than two weeks.  Had a nice Thanksgiving there and saw my friends a few more times.  We even had a little snow storm while I was back.  Not the best transition going from warm beaches in Australia to snow in Seattle. 


But Seattle wasn't my last stop before Korea!  On the way back I hung around in Taipei for a few days.  Taipei is a pretty great city with lots of museums and other amazing buildings.  Like most other Asian countries, its history goes back thousands of years, as opposed to just a few hundred.  As a result, you're left with a mix of old and new styles and values, which somehow mesh together without clashing.  Taipei also has the world's second-tallest building, which I ascended to behold some mighty views.  But my favorite thing about Taipei was the night markets.  There were many of them throughout the city and I made it to three of them.  A mix of clothes, shoes, wares, crafts, massage parlors, and a myriad collection of street foods (my favorite).  Korea has some good street food, but the variety is a bit lacking.  I couldn't even try a fraction of all the kinds of street food I saw in Taipei.  There are also sections of the night markets where you can find more... exotic consumables.

Temple near a night market.

Yummy fruit.

WARNING:  The following section has some possibly gross pictures.  

One night I went out with an English guy from my hostel to check out some weird eats. We first tried frog soup.  Then we decided to partake of pig knuckle and tail.  After that we were able to find Snake Alley and try some snake blood and other snake "fluids" mixed with alcohol, as well as fried snake.  Last we tried a fried chicken foot.  There were also turtles and their decapitated heads but we didn't eat any of that.  Most of the stuff was pretty darn cheap, except the snake paraphernalia.  And to be honest most of it was pretty good.  Some of it, like the frog, was more trouble to eat than it was worth.  Not enough meat for all the bones you have to pick through.  I had a number of videos from Taipei but I accidentally deleted them before I put them on my computer.  It's ok, you probably didn't want to see still-moving decapitated turtle heads anyway, right?  Sorry if any of the pictures unsettle you.

I ate the whole frog (minus the head).  Texture and taste quite similar to chicken.  Skin didn't taste like anything.  Just so many bones to pick through.

Yummy toes.

Various pig parts.

Pig tail and knuckle.  Very rich and fatty.

Snake blood and other snake fluids (supposedly) mixed with alcohol.  The pot had a broth with snake bits in it.

Anxious about snake stuff.

Two giant snakes used to lure people in.  After you dine you can take a picture.

I'm pretty sure these snakes are just for attraction, not for eating.

Haha!  So weird looking.

I'm going to tell my students that I ate a dragon foot.

So now I'm back in Daegu and just hanging out until I start teaching next Monday.  I've heard my student miss me and keep asking about me, which is sweet.  I'll have different students this time around, but I smile every time I think about the little ones and I'm excited to go back to school and see many of them, as well as my coworkers.  I saw one of my little kindergartners at E-Mart over the weekend.  He saw me from a ways away and screamed "EVAN TEACHER!" and got down from his dad's shoulders and ran over to hug my leg.  It was a bit embarrassing because everyone looked and his father did not seem happy.  But always nice to see them outside of school and how much they seem to love me. 

I'm a bit nervous about starting to teach again because it's been so long.  But I'm also very excited because it's something I really enjoy doing and I think I'm good at it.  This time around I have a few benefits at my school.  Because I signed on for a second year and I'm the senior teacher, I now have the very official title of Teacher Supervisor.  Fancy.  Along with a few additional duties such as interviewing/corresponding with potential future employees, I get a pay bump and the apartment all to myself (sorry Teresa).  That means I have an extra bedroom, so if anyone wants to come visit, you can stay for FREE!