The Long Way Home

So I've decided to take the long way home.

I've done a bit of travelling this year... summer vacation I went to the Philippines, Korean Thanksgiving I went to hang out with Mom and her friend in Hawaii (ooh, I forgot to write about that!), and I've seen a lot of Korea.  Still though, there are lots of places I want to see.

My friend at work has been planning on taking a trip on her way home (with her cousin, who is joining her from the US), and now I've decided to hop in here and there and tag along with them in spots, coming and going with my own plans and destinations as well. 

The orange route is in the event that Egypt doesn't solve its own problems in the next 6 weeks (which I'm holding out hope for that they will... Egypt, pleeeeease stop destroying your country and killing your own people - stop! stop! stop!)

The plan (in very short form) looks like this...

(yes I know some of my dots (stops) are off for city locations, but I couldn't stand to erase 'em and put 'em all back even ONE more time!)

I'm visiting some old (already visited) countries in entirely new places (India, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Philippines), and visiting some entirely new (to me) countries in old places (Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Laos).  If Egypt isn't possible then instead I will check out Bulgaria, Albania, and Macedonia. My friend and her cousin are going to visit Dubai, Malaysia and Indonesia, and a few places I've already seen within some of the countries we'll visit together, so while they do that I'll be off on my own doing my own thing... I can't wait...

I'm hoping to take a meditation class in Nepal, a Thai Massage class somewhere in Thailand, overnight on the water in HaLong Bay, and get my Shark Diving Licence in the Philippines.  Depending on cost, I'll also try to dive in Greece, India, and Vietnam, and somewhere along the way get a new tattoo (or maybe 2).  Other than that the plan is to try and do as many free/low cost things in each country as possible, so I can still go home with enough money to move and pay for a semester of school... sounds possible anyway, lol...

Where I can I'm travelling by land (bus or train) between cities and countries... for example, we will land together in Mumbai (old Bombay) and all take the train down for a week in the lovely Goa... then we'll part ways (they're reversing the route I did in 2005 up through Rajasthan to Delhi) and I'll take the train and bus upward to eventually get to Kolcata (Old Calcutta), a bus from there to Bangladesh for 9 days, back to Kolkata and then another bus up to Kathmandu (a place I've wanted to go since I was a nerdy little kid playing Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego on the olllllld PC in the basement!) for 10 days in Nepal; then I'll fly to Bangkok (a cheap enough regular flight out of Nepal!)... bus/train travel is so much cheaper, and I can afford the time since I have 4 1/2 months!

So the route by country looks this way...

Plan A: Korea > Turkey > Greece > *Egypt > India > Bangladesh > India > Nepal > Thai Islands > Cambodia > Vietnam > Laos > Nothern Thailand > Philippines > Mom's house.
Plan B: Korea > Turkey > Greece > *Albania > *Macedonia > *Bulgaria > India > Bangladesh > India > Nepal > Thai Islands > Cambodia > Vietnam > Laos > Nothern Thailand > Philippines > Mom's house.
Notice how both routes end in Mom's House, and there's no death and dying along the way? 

We 3 promise all to be good little travellers and mind our Ps and Qs (what the heck does that mean, anyway... Please and Thang-Q?) to avoid all trouble.  I have gotten myself a little netbook (eventually it'll get here) because I canNOT pack around this gargantuan laptop of mine so I can write and stay in touch.  I will register my travel plans with the Canadian Embassy, so they will know to reach me if there are problems (which there won't be!), so no worries.

When I have the city-by-city plans ironed out (remember my exquisite set of procrastination skills?) I'll leave them here as well, and if anyone has ideas for what to see/do that shouldn't be missed in ANY of these countries, please DON'T be shy - SHARE!!!  :)

More soon, details, details details (you don't get to know everything all at once you know, where's the fun in that!?)... I'm starting to get excited!!!!

February Update

For anyone who may pop in and be curious, I am still happily whiling away my time in Korea. After the first couple of months mom was less worried, and things were less 'random and strange' and more like home, so I found that I stopped writing. Cheeky, because I meant to, but - well, I didn't! :)

It has been a great year overall.   I LOVE THIS JOB!!  Time has gone by far too quickly, and I'm now in my final month. FINAL month. Insanity!

School, has been amazing. I have loved watching my little ones grow and learn and change. The write, they read, they only speak en English now, they're amazing and I'm so proud of them! I do wish I'd taken more time to write about their growth and changes through the year, but it will nonetheless be something I will always remember.

In June one of my little girls moved to America and her seat was filled the next day by another lovely princess; In August another little girl left and was replaced by a lovely prince. Both of my new babies were almost silent for their first couple of months, smiling but shy, lovely and hard-working and excited and so, so sweet. At the end of October my 3rd student left completing my hat-trick of replacements. This newest princess was crazy-talkative and a liiiiittle bit nutso, but she's a sweet little thing so I just try to channel her energy into things other than scratching and hitting (imagine!). She's learning... I've got one more month!

So yes, my 10 little dolls are lovely, and in the past 11 months they have become self-sufficient little monkeys. They speak English in every class, they use their manners (see Mom, I passed that on already!), they laugh and joke and tease and play, and they're happy about every minute of the day... which makes me one happy teacher.

Korea this trip has been much like the other trips. I got settled into my new little space, bedecked it with some recycled furniture, and got myself more of a routine. I went to yoga and the gym a lot (wow I love hot yoga, wow! wow! wow!), and left my apartment at every opportunity. I never once hooked up my TV, and even my very-celebrated Wii is still in its box from my arrival! I met a couple of really great new friends, and spent time catching up with some old ones. I traveled through much of the country that I hadn't seen before, I picked and roasted green tea, I made wood block prints, I visited museums and memorials, I stayed in a Buddhist temple and made paper lanterns, I ate HEAPS of Korean food, I learned to cook some Korean food, and I even found places to shop where everything was not sized -4 through 6. It's been one hell of a year.

I thought, when I first arrived, that I would probably stay here for 2 years. Grad school is expensive, the money here is good, I'm still (still!) paying off student loans and credit card debt - 2 years and I could be in the clear. A few months ago though it became clear that this year, this one year that I'm contracted for, is going to be my last year in this country that has stolen my heart. I didn't save any money, I only paid for school and paid on my loans, and I'm going home about as well off financially as I started, but sometimes it's about more than just the money.

The past year has been wonderful, and amazing, and beautiful. I've had lots of days where I was frustrated or lonely to tears, and far more when I was laughing and smiling in glee and happiness. But, it's time to go home, time to move on with life now.

That is something about living overseas in a foreign country. The rest of your life? It goes on pause. Teaching is not my job at home, it's not my career, so while I love it and it makes me very happy, it is not making it easier for me to have a life at home by being here, it is in fact making it more difficult the older I get. I have the last bit of school to finish (I need to be home for that part), and then my internship (which I tried like crazy to negotiate here, but I couldn't sort it out), and that's one more thing that can be officially crossed off my list.

It occurred to me late last night that I have not taken any time to pick up souvenirs from Korea to take home with me.  This weekend I'll go to my favourite old neighbourhood and see if anything calls my name, though it could be that after my year I'll be going home with photographs and memories, and that will be that.  If so, that's fine, as those are really the things that are most special to me anyway.

So, 16 more teaching days, 25 more days until my contract ends, and 27 until I say my final goodbyes to this country, starting my way on my next short adventure before the return home (but I'll write more about that a bit later). 

Where, has the time gone? 

My Darling Jay

He's all of 3 feet tall.

He's 4, and he'll turn 5 at the end of this month (7 more sleeps actually, he informed me this morning).

We 2 were on our own in the classroom, everyone else having ripped through like a tornado seconds before to climb stuff and throw things and screech at the top of their lungs on the indoor playground just outside my door. 

My most darling baby is still in his chair. This morning we talked about the new school year starting in March, their new (male) teacher, and my upcoming move back home earlier in the morning... he'd been a bit quiet/thoughtful since, so I'd been expecting our little chat.
Whatt're you doin' honey? Aren't you going to playtime?

"Teacher.... Mommy says you are a good teacher. Me too teacher, you're a good teacher. I like you. No going to Canada okay? You sleep in my house, and everyday - we can play."

That's very sweet my lovely, but I can't sleep in your house - your Mommy will have to cook too much food for me!

(his mom sends me snacks some days, and she is a GREAT cook - which would mean I would want to eat a lotta food if I lived anywhere near... teacher thought she was being 5-year-old logical and reasonable and all that...)

"NOoooo, it's okay! Mommy-says-it's-okay-you-can-do it - REALLY TEACHER!!"

Aww honey, you know teacher has to go to Canada soon... but you will have a great new teacher (a boy!!) for the next class, you'll have lots of fun with him in school - and you can call me on the video phone if you miss me, right?

"Yahhhh, but...." (damn... I should NEVER have taught them "yah, but"!)

My little one plunks his chin on his teeny fist and attempts to furrow his tiny brow as he's hard in thought (my favourite expression) and stares hard at me silently for a few seconds.

"Teacher?"

Yes, babe?

"Teacher, you n' me go duhn-duhn-duh-duhhhhn......duhn-duhn-duh-duhhhhn (tune of bridal march... he couldn't remember the words 'get married')... you don't go to Canada, right?"

(One of my co-teachers is getting married in the Spring and won't be returning to her home... this little guy can certainly put 2&2 together!)

Cue teacher turning to a gooey puddle at the front of the tiny classroom with shiny eyes from keepin' tears from sneakin' out as I look at my little darlin,' waiting for my answer so earnestly...

My voice cracked a bit and I cleared my throat a couple times before I answered him...

How about we talk about getting married again after you have some fun out at playtime, okay honey?

Like a big chicken, I thought it best to distract him since I couldn't think of what else to say in the moment...

"Okay teacher. You go to coffee, I go to playtime."

With that, my astute little one ran off to play and I (as directed) went to fill up my coffee cup and have a timout in the kitchen.  When recess wound down he came all hyped up on the climbing, jumping, and screaming, a huge smile on his face, successfully diverted from his worries once again.

Me?  Looking around the room at my shiny little faces I still had to do a lot of blinking to keep back the tears, thinking about how soon it was that I wouldn't be seeing my little babies anymore.

March is gonna be haaaaaaaard for teacher, methinks!

We're Booked!

So the flight is booked, I am leaving on the 16th at 9:45am in the morning out of Edmonton, arriving in Korea late afternoon on the 17th. Korea is 8 hours ahead of us timewise, so I'll lose some time that way. I never mind so much so long as I can catch a wink or two on the plane. It's a bit of an odd feeling, leaving, of the 'parting is such sweet sorrow' variety. I'm going to miss a lot of things, and life is certainly about to go through some major shifting, but I am just now starting to get really really excited about the adventures ahead.

S and I are trying to figure out what it will all look like, as she has decided upon a new-old adventure of her own. Maggie has all of her vaccinations and travel gear (though I have yet to get her into the carrier bag without much screeching and squawking), I have some new luggage and a few new pieces for the wardrobe (I don't think I'll be ready for the "you too fat!" comments right away, I hope to put off shopping for clothing in Korea as long as possible). I'm heading up to spend some time with Mom in a couple of days, and this past few days with the besty and god babies have been really great. One more stop for a bit of shopping for shoes and undies post-final-payday and I'm all set.

I'll find out more later this afternoon about the Bundang job and the apartment when I talk to the school, hopefully everything is going to be all set up before I arrive - that would be rockin'! So today is the 7th, 9 more sleeps and I'm hoppin' the plane, woohoo! It's a little baby 'woohoo' for now, but it's growing...