Carrie's Birthday

I had a lovely 28th birthday.  It started on Sunday; Bradley took me out to eat at an Indian restaurant, and then we went to the movies.  It was a nice date night.  On my actual birthday, Monday, I was in morning class when Bradley marched his students over and they gave me handmade birthday cards.  Many of the students are also mine who I have later in the day, so this was a nice surprise!  The cards are super cute. :)

The surprises didn't stop there!  Little did I know, but Bradley had told our co-workers about my birthday last week, and so between classes, they called me into the teacher's lounge.  The lights were out, and there was a cake with candles on the table!  They sang happy birthday to me, and then we all enjoyed delicious chocolate cake, eaten with chopsticks of course!  (This is so fun!  Maybe I will eat my cake this way every year :)  Bradley definitely surprised me this year, which is always difficult for him.  He usually gets so excited he ends up telling me "I have a surprise for you!" and makes me try to guess what it is.  :) Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures, but, yesterday was a great day.  Thanks Bradley!!!

After school, we crossed one of the items off of our "Korea To-Do List" that I have been wanting to do for sometime but have been nervous . . . we went to a Korean bathhouse!  In Korea, many people go to public bathhouses and soak in various hot tubs, relax in saunas, and get massaged.  The thing is, you are naked when you go.  Men and women are separated; we would be all alone, naked, with very little Korean language skills . . . talk about feeling exposed!!  However, I was MOST worried about running into my students.  The bathhouses are family friendly and it is totally normal to go with your mom, sister, children, anyone (which is awesome), however, I think you all understand why I wouldn't want to run into any kids I knew.  So, we went directly after school, when most kids would be in hagwons (after school programs) and many adults would still be at work.

We went to a very large bathhouse called Starbox.  It has 3 different floors.  There is one floor each (one for men and one for women) with pools/saunas and locker rooms, then there is a floor called the "jimjilbang" which is a large heated room.  There, you are provided with clothing and in the jimjilbang, men, women, and families can come and rest after soaking in the pools.  

When we first walked in, we paid 5 dollars, and were given locker keys, towels, and clothing for the jimjilbang.  Bradley headed to the men's section, and I went to find my locker.  When I did, I saw that it was very small, (like, I could barely fit my purse, much less my winter jacket and clothing) so I gestured for help from the attendant.  She smiled at me, pointed at my shoes, and when I took them off, she put them in the locker and closed it.  Then, she led my further back to another locker with the same number and key, where I put all my belongings.  I smiled sheepishly, and said "Mi-an-hayo" (sorry!).  She just smiled and probably had a good laugh!

I walked past a small concession stand on the way back into the pool area.  You could get snacks, toiletries, towels, and different iced coffee drinks (Shopping in the nude, no biggie).  After you pass through the locker rooms into the pool area, there are shower stations everywhere, and you can buy these rough towels to scrub all the dead skin off your body, or you can pay an attendant to do it for you.  There are jetted pools, cold water pools, several different saunas and heated pools at varying temperatures, and even green tea flavored pools.  You can enjoy your lovely iced tea while relaxing in a hot pool, or perhaps a plate of fruit.

Bradley and I said we would meet up in an hour and a half, in case we didn't like it.  Well, I was definitely late meeting Bradley!  I loved the bathhouse.  It was so relaxing and everyone was so comfortable. I am happy to say I didn't run into any students, and I think that I will definitely be returning in the future.  I didn't even make it into the jimjilbang part, I just stayed in the saunas and bathing areas.  The amazing part is, this place is open 24/7 and it is unlimited time for your admission price.  I felt totally relaxed and pampered afterwards, and it was a great end to a perfect day!

Daily life in Gwangju

Hi everyone!  I thought I would tell you about my free time outside of school.  I have gotten involved in a few projects and they are quite fun!  First, there is a group of foreigners who started a book club that I recently joined.  We meet every Wednesday at a small coffee shop downtown.  It is a nice group of people and, of course, I love to read, so it's perfect for me.  I have never been in a book club before, but I think it is something I will continue when I get home.

Secondly, a foreign teacher has also started a group to perform the Vagina Monologues and raise money for the V-Day Campaign.  I was really excited when I saw this was happening in my city, because I was involved in putting on the Monologues in college and it is a great project.  If you aren't familiar, the Vagina Monologues is a play that was written by Eve Ensler in 1998, after she interviewed thousands of women  about their experiences with domestic violence, genital mutilation, rape, and other issues surrounding women's sexuality and sexual experiences.  Her goal was to change the way we discuss these issues, and raise awareness about the astounding levels of violence that occur to women daily around the world.  It has since been performed in hundreds of countries, with all proceeds going to local community organizations that fight to stop violence against women.  Here is a video to learn more:


What is V-Day? from V-Day Until the Violence Stops on Vimeo.

I have never performed in the monologues, but I have a few small parts in this one.  I am very excited!!!  Here is a promo for the play, which will be performed at the end of April.  All the actresses got their photos done so we could share them on social media to raise awareness and have bigger crowds at our fundraising events:



We meet every Sunday for rehearsal, but we are also putting on a few other events leading up to the performance, to raise more money for our cause.  We have done a dance workshop, and will be doing a bake sale, art workshop, volleyball tournament, and open mic night in the coming weeks.  All the proceeds are going to 4 different organizations in Gwangju; 3 of them provide housing, childcare, and job training services to single mothers, who are highly stigmatized in Korea, and 1 organization is dedicated to assisting immigrant women to Korea who are experiencing domestic violence.

Between all these events, I have been busy after school and weekends, and I am greatly enjoying myself!  What is Bradley up to, you ask?  Well, he is enjoying his bike; we recently bought a couple of used ones since Spring is almost here.  He has been going on rides while I am out, and he is also enjoying his free time watching sports :)  Also, he is a GREAT house-husband who cleans the house while I am away . . . what a lovely man.

Thailand Trip

During our spring vacation, we took a trip to Thailand.  We met with Barry and Shelly there, and toured three cities in this beautiful country.  Shelly found some great locations for us to stay at, each one with gorgeous pools and beautiful views.  Here is our first apartment in Phuket, in the town of Kamala.

Phuket is a small island and famous for beautiful beaches, laid back atmosphere, and snorkeling.  We were there for two full days.  On our first day, we drove to a waterfall called Kathu falls.  Just driving around the island in the rented car was enjoyable.  Bradley was our chauffeur and  he had lots of fun driving on the left side of the road.  

A bit nervous!

The waterfall we visited the first day was small and easily accessible off of a parking lot, and it was a nice walk into the forest to see it.  We saw a BIG spider and a lizard along the way, and lots of beautiful trees.  We missed seeing palm trees from home!

After our short trip to the waterfall, we went on a speedboat tour to the Kai Islands, three smaller islands off of Phuket, and went snorkeling on each one.  The islands were had white sand and crystal blue warm water, and were just GORGEOUS.  A lot of the coral was destroyed in the tsunami that hit the area a few years ago, but there were still lots of beautiful tropical fish.  Shelly brought a sandwich into the water with her and we enjoyed feeding the fish out of our hands.

The port on our way to the islands

The next day, we went to Phuket’s Big Buddha.  This Buddha is HUGE, made of white marble, and was built in the 2000s on top of a mountain in southern Phuket.  You can see the Buddha from half of the island, and there are beautiful views from the top.  As you enter the Big Buddha compound, there are some vendors that are raising money for the continued construction of the park surrounding the Buddha statue.  We purchased a white tile and wrote our names on it.  It will be placed somewhere in the Buddha compound as it is being built.  It is cool to be part of such a beautiful place!

We wondered around the top of the mountain and enjoyed the views for some time, and then decided it was time for some more snorkeling.  We drove to three different beaches on the island looking for a great spot.  The first two were a bit too crowded and seemed more intended for swimming.  Our third stop, Ao Sean, was absolutely amazing.  It was a small beach and quite rocky, not really meant for sunbathing, with a restaurant and tiny beach bungalows overlooking the ocean.  When we got in the water, it was like another world below us.  There was a lot of coral that had died in the tsunami, but some had survived and there were signs of new growing coral as well.  We saw thousands of fish, and  a school of at least 100 fish, all of the fish at least a foot long, some bigger.  The setting was breathtaking, just like what you see in pictures.  I kept thinking to myself, wow, I am actually here in paradise snorkeling.  After a good 3 hours in the water,  we ate a delicious meal at the restaurant right on the beach, and watched as the sun disappeared over the water.  It was a perfect day.

Shelly in her element!!

All too soon we said goodbye to Phuket, and took an hour flight to Bangkok.  The city is vibrant and full of life.  It seemed as though the traffic was never-ending, and there were people everywhere, in cars, motorbikes, or walking in packed streets.  Once again, Shelly found us a BEAUTIFUL apartment, in a high-rise on the 38^th floor.  Here are some of the views from our rooms and balcony, as well as the rest of the apartment.

The first evening in Bangkok, we took a water taxi to a nearby market area, and enjoyed dinner at different street vendors.  While I don’t know the names of everything we sampled, everything was delicious!  We had some coconut custards, some banana roti/ banana pancakes, grilled pork, fried chicken, and some puff pastry balls with meat filling.  After browsing through the market stalls, we came across a food hall, that was filled with vendors as well as a seating area.  Bradley and Barry got some chicken and rice, I had some noodles and chicken, and Shelly got veggies and shrimp.  All of this food cost less than 20 dollars! And, I didn’t eat one thing that wasn’t delicious.  I think Thai food is my new favorite J.

For my Dad! 

The next day, we went on a tour to Wat Traimit and Wat Pho.  Wat means temple in Thai.  The first temple, Wat Traimit, is famous because of the large solid gold Buddha statue.  It is 5 and a half tons and is worth millions of dollars.  Our guide told us it was made 700 years ago by donations from Thai people who gave their gold to be melted into the Buddha in hopes of protecting them from Burmese soldiers invading.  Over the years, the Buddha was covered with plaster to prevent invading armies from stealing this treasure.  After time, it was forgotten that the Buddha was made of gold, and it wasn’t until the 1940s when the Buddha was being moved that a piece of plaster fell off when the Buddha was being moved to a new location.  This revealed that it was made of gold, and research was done on the origins of the Golden Buddha.  Due to its value and exquisite beauty, it was moved to its current location in the capital, and it was amazing to see.  We bought a nice Thai silk painting of a  three headed elephant here J.  Supposed to be good luck!

Solid gold!

The second temple, Wat Pho, was my favorite.  The temple complex has many shrine rooms, with different Buddha statues.  This is not uncommon in Buddhist temples.  One of the rooms was made 150 years ago specifically for the King at the time.  It was a beautiful room with amazing painted walls.

  

Around the temple complex there are tall spires.  These hold the ashes of people who are cremated in Buddhist fashion.  The tallest spires, of course, hold the ashes of Kings and Queens.  There have been 9 Kings in this dynasty, and the first 6 ashes have their ashes here, along with their queens.  The remaining Kings ‘ ashes are elsewhere, as there was not room for construction of more spires on the complex.  There are also numerous smaller spires which hold the cremains of soldiers or dignitaries.  

While all this was beautiful, the most powerful part of the temple for me was what it is famous for, the Reclining Buddha.  It is enormous and breathtaking when you walk into the room.  I was moved to tears by its beauty and enormity.  I hope I never forget the feeling of walking into this room and seeing such beauty.

We had to cover our shoulders to go in, so we borrowed these lovely robes!

There are 100 small pots that you put a coin in.  With each coin you say your name, your birthday, and make a wish.  We all took turns making wishes.

Buddha's pillows

The next day, we visited the Royal Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha.  This is one of the most famous complexes in Bangkok.  The current King does not live there, and he is part of a family that goes 9 kings back in Thai history.  The first 5 Kings lived in this palace before relocating to the currently used palace.

The temples are often decorated with tiny bits of colored glass.  It was beautiful.

On the walls surrounding the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, there were gorgeous intricate murals.

Entering the Grand Palace:

Time for a Thai Iced Tea!

Our next day in Bangkok we went on a tour to several places outside of Bangkok.  First, we stopped at the summer palace of the 5th King of Thailand, who lived in the mid 1800s.  He was educated in Europe and you can see that this greatly influenced the architecture of his summer home.

This is a monument to one of the wives of the 5th King of Thailand.  She drowned here, and so he built this in the middle of the lake in the spot where she died.

The dividing wall that kept the King's wives separated from everyone else.

The second location we visited was the city of  Ayutthaya.  This was the original capitol of Thailand from the 1300s to the 1700s, when it was destroyed by the Burmese.  The city is full of ruins of the ancient capitol, and we visited 3 different temple complexes, only one of which had survived the burning when the Burmese invaded.

Temple #1:

Temple #2:

Break time: coke in a bag

Temple #3, the only one not destroyed by the Burmese

Our final day in Bangkok was spent in a museum that told us the history of the Thai people, and then a visit to one more temple, Wat Arun, which is located on the river that flows through the city.  While Bangkok was a great place to visit, I think it was a bit too crowded for me, and I looked forward to our next and final destination, Chiang Mai.

At the Museum:

Traditional Thai farmer's hat

Someone getting wedding pictures taken a the museum :)

 Wat Arun, or, Temple of the Dawn

Some monks preparing for an evening service.

Cab to the airport :)

Chaing Mai is in the northern part of Thailand.  It is a cute little city with lots of ex-pats and retirees, and therefore has a large variety of food!  We had Mexican food, Thai, and, of course, managed to find the one other Jew in Thailand who runs a middle eastern restaurant.  It was nice for Bradley and I to have some of the foods we have been missing from home!  Also, we found this one restaurant that had THE BEST chocolate cake so of course we went there three times during our 5 day visit!

Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to eat here!

The first day we arrived, we went to a "living museum."  In Northern Thailand, there are 9 tribes that have come from China and other countries and are still living according to the traditions of their culture.  In the past 60 years, their ability to make money has been challenged and so the King created a foundation for them and set aside a piece of land where they could come to build examples of their traditional styled houses, and sell their handcrafts.  One of the more famous groups were the Karen Long Neck tribe.  Some women in this tribe place metal rings around their necks at age 5, and add more throughout their lives.  Several of the women in this tribe and members of other tribes knew some English and we were able to talk to them a bit about where they lived and about their culture.  Bradley was super cute playing Rock, Paper, Scissors with all the kids he met.  It was an interesting day and I got lots of beautiful souvenirs!

Shelly and the women who made this tablecloth

Rice paddies

Of course, we had another beautiful hotel!

The next day, I had a TRUE vacation day, and laid in bed and read my book ALL DAY!  Barry also relaxed at the hotel, while Bradley and Shelly went to a cooking class and learned how to make several Thai dishes, so you all have something to look forward to when we get back!

Handsome, kind, AND a great cook!

The next day was my favorite part of the trip: ELEPHANTS!!!!!! Before we left on this trip, I did some research to try to find a place that treats elephants ethically.  Turns out there aren't many of these places in Thailand.  Many of the elephant camps where you ride elephants or see them do shows are known for working the elephants too hard and use methods such as beatings to control the elephants.  Luckily, we found an AMAZING place in Chiang Mai called the Elephant Nature Park.  This sanctuary rescues elephants from trekking camps where elephants are worked too hard or for too long.  In addition, elephants who worked in the logging industry and were injured are also rescued and sent to live at the Nature Park.  There are 34 elephants currently roaming free on a huge parcel of land.  We arrived for the day with a group of 10 people, and our guide showed us around the park.  Basically, we spent the whole day walking next to elephants, petting them, feeding them, and splashing with them in the water.  There was an adorable 4 month old elephant, while the oldest in the herd was 75 years old.  It was so amazing and special to be so close to these beautiful animals.

Elephant talk! :)

While at the park, we were able to meet the founder of the sanctuary, Lek, a nickname that means "Little" in Thai.  She started rescuing the elephants more than 20 years ago, and it was so cool to see her interactions with them.  They all would come up close to her and rub her with their trunks.  She would sing to them and they would make noises back like they were talking.  You can feel the love all over this beautiful place, and it was just magical being there.

Lek, who started it all!

The following day, Barry and Shelly stayed at home while Bradley and I went on a rafting adventure.  Chiang Mai is famous for its outdoor activities.  We ended up being the only two people on our raft with our guide.  The rapids weren't too fast because it was the dry season, but, we enjoyed the view of the jungle surrounding us as we paddled down the Mae Tang river.  We stopped to swim a couple times, and had a delicious buffet lunch waiting at the end.  No pictures here because we didn't want to loose the camera :)

Our last day was a SPA day.  Thailand has massage parlors everywhere, and we went three different times over the course of our trip to Thailand.  Thai massage is unique because you are on a soft mat on the floor, and the woman uses her whole body to stretch you and really work on your muscles.  I was walked on and leaned on and kneaded and it was AWESOME.  You feel like putty afterwards, and it was 9 dollars for an HOUR!  So, on our final day in Thailand we decided to go all out and ALL of us, even Bradley and Barry, got body scrubs, body wraps, and aromatherapy massage.  Shelly and I also got pedicures.  It was so nice and relaxing!!

Bradley and I are now back in Gwangju.  Barry and Shelly are continuing their travel adventures with a return to Phuket for a snorkeling cruise, then they head to China, then they come to Korea and stay with us for one more week at the end of March.  We had a great time with them and it was an unforgettable trip!!