While some people might beg to differ as to where my home is for all intents and purposes my home is Korea, at least for the next nine-ish months and now, after a nice, semi-relaxing holiday, I'm on my way back.
Paris was...an experience...one that I can't quite describe completely. I had a wonderful time hanging out with April and Erica and indulging in a bit of touring. The Eiffel Tower, with it's over 6 million visitors per year was a sight to see at night...not so much during the day. The Arc de Triomphe is much larger than you'd think and might just be more spectacular than the Eiffel Tower, in my opinion at least. I learned that there is more to see at the Louvre than just the Mona Lisa and that the Musee d'Orsay has the most impressive collection of paintings I've ever seen (impressive...hehehe).
And yet the entire time I was worried about pickpockets and scammers and that realisation that I'm slowly forgetting even the most basic historical information. Maybe I should rethink my chosen career path.....
Either way I'm happy to be sitting the airport once more, exactly a week later. The French have managed to wheedle a little more money out of me before I leave by not having free wireless at the airport but I can't help but not care.
I'm just glad to be going home.
Auvoir Paris.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Moscow
And here I am. After a grueling ten hour flight I have made it to Moscow. Really not the most pleasant city in the world, not going to lie. There's a kind of haze that seems to be permanently settled over the city and it brings to mind movie like the Matrix, or maybe just the left over Cold War atmosphere that's still kicking around. But I don't have to stay here long.
Sadly I have a bad relationship with airports. Upon my arrival at Incheon airport in Seoul I went the wrong way to find the check-in counter. Then I walked twice as far as necessary to find my gate...and then back when I realised I was reading my boarding pass wrong. If only that were the end of it. Arriving in Moscow was fine, no problems, but again, I read the boarding pass wrong and headed for gate 36 instead of 26. Unfortunately not only did I have to retrace my steps but I had to go further because gate 26 is in a whole separate wing of the terminal. Sad day for Becca...although not altogether unusual for Becca either.
Two things made my trek through the airport more enjoyable. One, in my travels I passes, twice, a gate for a KLM flight to Amsterdam. Never have I ever been so happy to see/hear Dutch people. It warmed my little heart. Two, never have I ever been so happy to see the puffy, over-sized, Michelin man coats that the Koreans all wear. After being surrounded by Russians it was nice to see something familiar. Especially since people were starting to look at me funny for bowing to everyone....
I seriously need this vacation.
Sadly I have a bad relationship with airports. Upon my arrival at Incheon airport in Seoul I went the wrong way to find the check-in counter. Then I walked twice as far as necessary to find my gate...and then back when I realised I was reading my boarding pass wrong. If only that were the end of it. Arriving in Moscow was fine, no problems, but again, I read the boarding pass wrong and headed for gate 36 instead of 26. Unfortunately not only did I have to retrace my steps but I had to go further because gate 26 is in a whole separate wing of the terminal. Sad day for Becca...although not altogether unusual for Becca either.
Two things made my trek through the airport more enjoyable. One, in my travels I passes, twice, a gate for a KLM flight to Amsterdam. Never have I ever been so happy to see/hear Dutch people. It warmed my little heart. Two, never have I ever been so happy to see the puffy, over-sized, Michelin man coats that the Koreans all wear. After being surrounded by Russians it was nice to see something familiar. Especially since people were starting to look at me funny for bowing to everyone....
I seriously need this vacation.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
On the Road Again
Once more I sit, waiting with breathless anticipation, in an airport gate waiting for my flight to be called. Almost three months after my arrival in South Korea and I'm leaving once more, this time to Paris. I have never particularly felt any urge to see the 'City of Lights' or rather, and perhaps better suited, 'City of Love', but this year has the added attraction of friends located in the city itself and a desperate need for a vacation. At this point I really don't care where I go, so long as I'm out of Asia.
Now don't get me wrong, I love it here. My students, fellow teachers, fellow foreigners, it's all pretty awesome. I even love Jochiwon a little bit, despite its smell and tendency towards piles of vomit but sometimes you really feel the need to escape the tediousness of daily life in the J-won and a this point just trucking to Daejeon or Seoul for the weekend really doesn't cut it anymore. And since I was already denied my vacation once I feel that much more desperate to flee the continent.
For months I've been surrounded by the fairly homogenous society of Korea. It's not a bad thing per se, but homogeneity gets kind of dull. In a small town like Jochiwon it has gotten to the point where I am just as surprised as the Koreans at seeing an unknown foreigner. And now I will travel to a place where people won't be able to assume what language I speak simply because of what I look like. I'll get a chance to practice my almost non-existent French and revel in the wonders of French cuisine....but mostly just cheese. While cheese is accessibly in Korea it comes at a cost and for some reason it's just not as enjoyable as I also found it in Canada. Maybe being in the next best place for cheese, besides Holland, will excite my taste buds once more.
Ah well, nothing I can do for the next three hours about the lack of cheese in my diet. I'll just have to content myself with AWESOME sour candies and bubble gum.
For sure the lack of crying babies and bickering ahjumas is making this wait much less interesting than the 'Asian' gates at the Toronto airport. Mostly just sleeping Russians, who have been plaguing me the last couple of days, Russian airlines, Russian music, Russian men, bah, and the occasional argument down on the ground between the luggage men.
All in all, a FASCINATING time.
Now don't get me wrong, I love it here. My students, fellow teachers, fellow foreigners, it's all pretty awesome. I even love Jochiwon a little bit, despite its smell and tendency towards piles of vomit but sometimes you really feel the need to escape the tediousness of daily life in the J-won and a this point just trucking to Daejeon or Seoul for the weekend really doesn't cut it anymore. And since I was already denied my vacation once I feel that much more desperate to flee the continent.
For months I've been surrounded by the fairly homogenous society of Korea. It's not a bad thing per se, but homogeneity gets kind of dull. In a small town like Jochiwon it has gotten to the point where I am just as surprised as the Koreans at seeing an unknown foreigner. And now I will travel to a place where people won't be able to assume what language I speak simply because of what I look like. I'll get a chance to practice my almost non-existent French and revel in the wonders of French cuisine....but mostly just cheese. While cheese is accessibly in Korea it comes at a cost and for some reason it's just not as enjoyable as I also found it in Canada. Maybe being in the next best place for cheese, besides Holland, will excite my taste buds once more.
Ah well, nothing I can do for the next three hours about the lack of cheese in my diet. I'll just have to content myself with AWESOME sour candies and bubble gum.
For sure the lack of crying babies and bickering ahjumas is making this wait much less interesting than the 'Asian' gates at the Toronto airport. Mostly just sleeping Russians, who have been plaguing me the last couple of days, Russian airlines, Russian music, Russian men, bah, and the occasional argument down on the ground between the luggage men.
All in all, a FASCINATING time.
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