Happy New Year!

In the morning I got to skype with my Grandpa. I was so happy because it's been almost a month since we talked I think. We chatted for about an hour. Jacob and I met in Itaewon for lunch. We figured a lot of places would be open there because it's the international area and more restaurant owners wouldn't be Korean and off celebrating the New Year. I'd heard about this place called JR Southern BBQ, so we thought we'd try it out. We both ordered the pulled beef brisket sandwich. I thought it was pretty good, but Jacob was really happy, being a Southern boy and said it was like home. I wanted to find a cafe or dessert place so we wandered around and found all the places on the list closed for the holiday. What to do next? We walked the the War Memorial Museum. I've been there a few times, but Jacob has never been.

After the museum we came back to my place and got a few groceries (broccoli) and I made dinner. I made my favorite stuffed meatballs. I used the stuffing mix Jacob brought from the US and the cream of mushroom soup my mom sent me. It was almost as good as usual, but I had to use soy milk instead of regular milk and it gave the sauce a little bit of a sweeter taste. I also had to buy some ground pork because the biggest package of ground beef was only less that 3/4 of a pound and was 13,000W!! We also made broccoli for our veggies. Jacob loves broccoli and we almost ate 2 heads of broccoli with dinner. When we finished eating Jacob did the dishes and then we watched The Office.

Southern BBQ for lunch

Inside the museum

Making my magic

Prepping

Cooked meatballs

Complete meal!

First Day of the Holiday

In the morning I was able to skype with my Mom. I was glad because it's been awhile since we've talked. After talking with her, I met Jacob for lunch. We just went to the emart food court because we weren't sure what else would be open. In the afternoon I updated my blog and hung out. Krystle and I met in Hongdae for dinner. First I showed her a few restaurants in the area and then we went to Oodle Noodle for Pad Thai (not as good as in Thailand!). After dinner she and I did a little bit of shopping.

End of the Work Week!

How nice to have a 3 day work week after coming back from a vacation! Classes went alright; we ended up just going to their homerooms instead of messing with the screen. Our 4th class cancelled because the teacher was going to teach them a graduation song I guess. My COT informed me that our computer system was being updated over our holiday weekend so I needed to save my files. I'm very thankful she informed me of that; think of all my plans and hard work gone if she hadn't told me!

After work, I met Jacob in Itaewon. We went to Vatos for Mexican. It was amazing. Originally I was going to get a burrito and he was going to get tacos, but we wanted to try the kimchi pork french fries. I thought it would be too much with a burrito so we split the fries, 3 small tacos and chili. It ended up being the perfect amount. After dinner we walked around a little and looked for a place for dessert. We found a nice little cafe and shared a red velvet cake and a chocolate cake with ice cream.

Kimchi Pork Fries...yum!!

Tacos

One happy guy!

Chili

Walking around Itaewon

Red Velvet Cake

Chocolate cake

Terrible Tuesday?

Back to teaching... My COT and I got the go ahead to return to the English room finally. Well, that turned out to be a disaster. The first class it worked fine. During the break though, the screen went out. My COT asked me if I turned the screen off and I said no. We tried touching it and it wouldn't turn back on. She called the IT person and I tried my best to keep class going as they were working on the screen. They finally got it to work and after about 15 minutes it went off again. This on and off continued all morning. It was really, really frustrating. After lunch we decided to go to the classroom for the final class. When I finished teaching, I worked on lesson plans for the rest of the afternoon.

After work, I went to Myeongdong to meet Jacob. My 5th grade COT was also going to Myeongdong area, so we took the bus together and I showed her pictures from my trip. Jacob and I met up and went to the Myeongdong noodle dumpling soup restaurant. After we ate we walked around a little before Jacob said there was something he wanted to buy. I was a little puzzled when we went to the store I got my winter jacket from and then he showed me the watches there and said he wanted to buy one for me because my other one had broke. Then we went to a dessert place that I had gone to in the late summer with my friend MK. We ordered a brownie with vanilla gelato, yum! We called it a night rather early and I came home and did some tidying up in my place before going to bed.

Dessert!

An Easy Day Back

Waking up was hard to do. Morning definitely came too soon. It was also way too cold for me. I was definitely wishing for some nice Malaysian sun and warmth.

I got to school and was one of the first ones back. Said hellos and pleasantries to the teachers as they all trickled in. My life COT came up to me and told me that I was to be helping with some interviews for an English teacher (native Korean) later in the afternoon and I needed to think up a few questions! Then she gave me their lesson plans to evaluate. I did that and worked on some other plans. Then my life COT told me to go to lunch with her and some other teachers. All the teachers were leaving the school to go for lunch. I believe the students had just a half day, but we needed to be there til 4:40.

Anyway, we went to an Italian place across from school. I ordered a cream pasta with bacon and broccoli in a bread bowl. Talk about carbs! But, it was pretty good. After lunch, we went back to school. I think we had a long lunch break because 2 of the other teachers that went to lunch with us said they were running to the bank and most teachers didn't return for awhile after I did. At 2, I went to the interviews. It was strange to be on the other side! The first teacher seemed really sweet, but extremely nervous. I liked her answers at the end (the questions I asked). The second one seemed very confident and had good materials and a good demo lesson, but I didn't like her attitude much. After the candidates left, we talked and they asked for my opinion on pronunciation and such. I felt a lot of pressure; it was hard for me to realize my input could change these women's futures. I tried to be as nice to both as I could.

I was dismissed and went back to lesson planning, because tomorrow is back to a regular teaching day. The best thing is that it's only a 3 day week (Thursday and Friday are part of the New Year's holiday) and since today was a relaxed day, I only teach twice. It'll be a hard wake up call tomorrow though. Back to giant class sizes and tons of students. Winter camp was so wonderful....

After school I started laundry and then went to Emart to get some groceries. I got a lot of heavy items and wasn't going to be able to carry them back properly...so I turned super Korean and used the cardboard boxes they have and made up a box to pack my groceries. I took them home and then went to get some vegetables from a smaller store. After getting the veggies I did some cleaning (mold has appeared on one wall and on the window sill) and unpacking. I made ramen (and added carrots, onion and mushrooms plus egg and cheese. Oh and mandu too!) for dinner and watched tv.

Groceries in a box

Malaysia Day 9 Return Trip

We got up early and ate breakfast in our room. The night we met Prof Cho we went to a grocery store and got yogurt, fruit and cereal. Then we went to check out and get a taxi to KL Sentral to get the KLIA express to the airport. We arrived ahead of schedule and checked in at the airport. We tried asking about our flight stopping in Taipei like the one coming, but they didn't really understand us. Again, we had to wait outside the gate area until it was closer time to board and our bags were screened again. We sat in the gate area and watched as our boarding time came and went. I think we finally boarded maybe 30 minutes behind schedule. I forgot when we picked our seats we were able to get ones at the beginning of a section so we had a lot of leg room, but our trays were the pullout kind from the arm and were not very sturdy. When we were served food, I was afraid my tray was going to slide off (since it was on a slant). Jacob and I watched a movie together (he read the subtitles and I had the headphones) for the flight.

Because our take-off was a little delayed, we didn't have much time on our layover in Hong Kong. The previous time at the transfer there was no one else there and we got through in maybe 3-5 minutes. This time, there was quite a line. It still went rather quickly, but I was getting nervous about our timing and after maybe 25 we power walked to our gate. We found a bathroom to change into pants and our warm clothes and then it was time to board. Unfortunately, our plane did stop in Taipei. We asked the stewardess what happened in Taipei and she said we had the option to stay on or get out and go through security again. Jacob and I both thought just staying on was best. I took that time to take a nap. Finally, finally, around 8:30pm we landed in Seoul. We took the shuttle to the main part of the airport, went through immigration, took the airport railway, went our separate ways; I took the bus from the subway station and arrived at home. The first thing I did was take a long hot shower and then off to bed.

Malaysia Day 8 Last Day

Today was exploration of KL. We asked our front desk the best way to get to Central Market/Chinatown. They told us to take the subway and that it would be quite cheap. We walked to the towers to get the subway and went to look for Central Market first. We found it quite easily and walked around the shops there. I bought a scarf and Jacob found some souvenirs. We were getting hungry and we found an authentic looking restaurant (kind of similar looking to our favorite, Tomato, in Langkawi). I wanted to order roti, which is the traditional Malaysian bread, but they said they only had it at breakfast or dinner (which started at 3:30) so we said we'd come back and left. We went on to China town and walked around there. For lunch we went to a restaurant inside a hotel. Jacob ordered some noodles and I got lamb kebab and we both had really good lemon iced tea.

Towers during the day

On the subway

Cool old buildings on the way to Central Market

Central Market

Lamb Kebab

Noodle dish

Chinatown in KL

While at lunch we decided where to go next. I suggested a museum, so we went to the National Museum. We took the subway and arrived at the station a bit confused how to get to the museum from there. First we asked the information desk at the station and her directions were a bit confusing and I was a little concerned when she said "cross the highway". We exited the station and saw the Hilton Hotel and hoped they would give better directions. The guy was nice and took us back outside and pointed as he gave directions, but he also said, "run across the highway". So, we started walking to see what we were dealing with. Well we did kind of have to run across the highway, but it wasn't like running across 8 lanes of traffic or anything. It was more like crossing Red Arrow if it was a one way street. The interesting thing is, this is typical directions to the museum because other people were walking on the sidewalks (yea, sidewalks along this highway).

The museum was alright. There were 4 main exhibit halls. The first was more like prehistoric Malaysia and then it progressed to present day. We probably spent about 1 1/2 hours there and I'm glad we went. Then we headed back to Central Market to eat roti, but we were still a little early so we went back to the shops again before our snack. Next, our plan was to head back to the hotel and take a break before we went for dinner. However, as we were walking back, we looked down one street and saw some buildings that looked interesting and decided to check it out. Turns out we went to Merderka Square (where the Malaysians celebrate their Independence). There was a small free museum and we could see other important buildings and a big square with a giant Malaysian flag.

In the museum

In the museum

Roti, delicious Malaysian bread!

Walking around KL

KL Free Museum

Merderka Square

Merderka Square

Visit Malaysia 2014? Check!

Merderka Square

Then we went back to the hotel. We figured we'd find a place to eat in the Pavilion and walked around. We actually settled on a German place. Jacob got chicken cordon bleu and I got spaetzle with cheese, bacon and mushrooms. It was pretty good. Then we walked around the shops again and for dessert got nitrogen ice cream! This is information about how nitrogen ice cream works: http://www.instructables.com/id/Liquid-Nitrogen-Ice-Cream-1/
Basically, it gets so cold so quickly that it makes it extra creamy. It was really good. We ordered the strawberry cheesecake flavor. After dessert we went back to the hotel because we had an early morning to get our plane.

At dinner

Nitrogen Ice Cream (looked like Kitchen Aide Mixers!!)

Strawberry cheesecake Nitrogen ice cream!

Malaysia Day 7 Back to KL

We made plans to take a short walk on the beach in the morning and get an early-ish lunch from the Indian/Malaysian restaurant (Tomato) that we went to before and get back to the hotel around noon to check out and head to the airport. Our timing was perfect. We both ordered naan and then took a quick stop in some stores so I could grab some postcards. At the hotel we grabbed our things, checked out and got a taxi. Going through check in and security at the Langkawi airport was a breeze. We finally boarded the plane and arrived right on schedule to KL. Now we're KL pros and took the KLIA express to KL Sentral, got a taxi and checked in to the hotel (stayed at the Impiana again). We had a little bit of down time before we planned to meet my professor from Inje University. Prof Cho did a year sabbatical in Malaysia working at the University of Malaysia and is currently doing more research there now, while he's on vacation/break from Inje. I haven't seen him since our program ended in June 2011! We went down to the lobby and ended up waiting almost an hour for him. He sent a message saying that traffic was really bad. When he and his family arrived, he said it was supposed to take maybe 10-15 minutes to get to our hotel. Yikes.

We walked from our hotel to KLCC (Kuala Lumpur City Central) where the towers are located. There is a famous restaurant called Madame Kwan there that served local food. It was quite busy and we were put on a wait. I was able to catch up quite a bit with Prof Cho and learn more about what is happening with the IIIHR Program. We got our table finally and ordered 5 dishes and shared them. After dinner we walked outside a little to see the towers and headed back to the hotel because they had other plans later in the evening.

Some of the dishes we ordered and shared

Prof Cho, his wife, daughter Sally, Jacob and me at dinner

Prof Cho's family and me in our hotel lobby

Malaysia Day 6 Langkawi

We used today to sleep in, relax and recover after the day trip to Koh Lipe. We went to the quieter beach again and found a spot in the shade to sit. We also took a walk along the beach and I saw a sand dollar. I noticed it was quite dark and picked it up. I realized it was still alive because I felt the little hairs on the back moving! I tossed him back into the water after snapping a picture.  For lunch we went to a Turkish restaurant and I ordered hummus. It was okay; definitely not as good as my Mom's hummus! After lunch we went to a restaurant we had noticed before to see what it was (the name Chocolatier really piqued my interest!). As it turns out, it was a little French dessert cafe. Yes! We ordered a slice of delicious chocolate cake.

Sand dollar on the beach!

Jacob

Me

Hummus!

Delicious Chocolate Cake

Then we headed back to the hotel to swim at the pool. We also had won 2 free drinks (non-alcoholic) when we checked in, so we ordered our drinks. They were kind of like fruit smoothies that were "good for the skin". After pool time we got ready and went out. We went to Underwater World, which is an aquarium. It was a decent sized aquarium, but I did actually feel a bit sad for the 2 seals and many penguins that were there.

Healthy drinks!

Penguins in the aquarium

A giant fish!

We were going to go to a nice restaurant called "The Cliff" for dinner. We checked out the menu one of the earlier days during our stay. So, we walked to the restaurant and see a sign in the driveway. It said the restaurant was closed for a private event, but the bar was still open. We were bummed and went on our way to find another place. We picked a place called "Yellow" and shared a pizza and salad. Again, we were able to sit right on the beach for dinner. After dinner we walked down the main street and looked at the shops before heading back to the hotel.

Enjoying a nice cold drink on the beach

Four Cheese Pizza

After dinner

Malaysia Day 5 Koh Lipe, Thailand

Today was our day trip to Koh Lipe, Thailand. We had to get up quite early as we were on a tour and being picked up. Our hotel had a free breakfast included so we ate a small breakfast and waited to be picked up. The driver came and then we stopped to get 2 more passengers. We stopped at their office and got some arrival documents for Thailand and then got in the van with another couple, plus the earlier 2 passengers and went to the immigration office to be stamped "departed" from Malaysia. I joked with Jacob on the drive from the immigration office to the boat port we were kind of "off the map" since we had been declared "departed" from Malaysia! We waited a little at the boat port and then boarded our boat. What then ensued was the worst boat ride ever. It seemed like we hit every single wave wrong. It was up and then we were bumped down hard at the bottom of the wave. For the whole hour boat ride. I didn't really get motion sick so much as feeling uncomfortable from being jostled around so much, but I don't think I could have taken another 5 minutes of that ride. We came to a small platform to dock and then boarded another smaller Thai boat to get to the island. We the boat came to shore, we had to step into the water and then onto the beach. First, right to our tour groups office to get our passports taken care of and exchange Ringgits to Thai Baht.

About $15

Arriving to Koh Lipe

The boats to take us from the platform onto the island

Welcome to Lipe!

We were reminded several times to return to the office at 4:30 and to remember that Thailand is one hour behind Langkawi. Then we were off to explore Koh Lipe! We walked and found our way to a different beach. It was beautiful. So, so beautiful. The sand was sand and shells that were white and the water was so clear and blue. The water was a little bit warmer than the water in Langkawi but not as warm as I was expecting. We took a dip in the water and layed in the sun to dry off a bit.

Beautiful Beach!

Jacob and me

So amazing

Enjoying the water and sun

Around lunch time we went back to the town area to find a place to eat for lunch. We found a nice authentic Thai restaurant and ordered two different kinds of noodles and shared spring rolls. After lunch we strolled around and looked at souvenirs before heading back to the beach. Then we came back to go on our boat ride back. It was the same boat, but now there were about 15 other people on the boat with us! It was not as bouncy as the arrival ride either. I was able to fall asleep on the boat ride back. We were split up into three different vans to go to the immigration office. Jacob and I were in a van with an older couple from Australia and an older American woman who was a freelance blogger. Anyway, most of us got through immigration with no problem, but the American woman had an issue with her Visa I guess and we had to wait an extra 10 minutes or so for her to work her problem out which was a bit of an annoyance to us. We were tired and hungry and wanted to get back to our hotel and get some food but we had to wait. A test in patience I guess. We were so tired we decided to go back to the Mexican place for dinner. After dinner, we called it a day.

Yummy lunch (about $2-3)

So many stray dogs...I wanted to take them all home with me :(

Sand