Friday, May 29, 2015

**Post-Korea Update**

Hello everyone!




Apologies for not writing sooner. I kept myself occupied by making up for lost time with my family . . . and that's pretty much it.




Here are a few things I was able to do since returning State-side:

1. Visit relatives and parents' friends all over central and southern Florida, and visit my sister in Maryland.




2. Watch my step-mom become an American citizen.




3. Been accepted and received my visa to go to Poland.
That's right, Poland.
I'll be doing some mission work, including teaching English and the Bible at an Adventist language school.
I've even begun a separate blog for this here: www.joanninpoland.blogspot.com
I'm just waiting for a sale (that I know will come) before booking my ticket to Poland.




Well . . . I guess this is the end of this blog. Thanks for coming and reading and leaving the few comments I've received. It's very encouraging to know someone cares enough to read what I post on here. If you want more, just wait 'til September and look me up in www.joanninpoland.blogspot.com


'Til then, take care and see ya!

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Goodbye Korea . . . Hello Canada . . . Finally home!

This is it.
 
 
March 4, 2015.
 
 
17:45
 
 
Incheon International Airport.
 
 
 
All loose ends are tied.
 
All debts paid.
 
All belongings packed.
 
All goodbyes said.
 
 
This is really it.
 
 
Goodbye Korea, I now have to go back to my family. I need to go home. Thanks for the experience, the pay, and all the good times--for they are many.
 
 
The 1st leg of my journey began here, enroute to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
 
 
9+ hours later, I arrive at Vancouver International Airport around 10:30 on the same day.
Talk about time travel!


Totem pole near the check-in counters.
 

This reminded me of Arizona and New Mexico.
Just a random feeling.
 
 
Well, since I've got a 12+ hr. layover, I best be getting out there and exploring Vancouver, don't you think?
 

Inside the metro that's connected to the airport.
Brilliant!
 
 
Just behind me.
 
 
I had an appointment in Vancouver this day, believe it or not. My former-student from Jeju SDA Language Institute is now living in Vancouver. His girlfriend is training to become a beautician. On that day, she was going to need a model ("human canvas" if you will) to practice applying make-up in real time. What the heck, why not? After my flight across the Pacific, I guess it was a pretty good idea.
 
Anyway, I went out into Vancouver downtown, with a map and address. I find the salon, but I've got plenty of time to kill before the appointed time. So I entered a bookstore (forgot the name, sorry), and on the 2nd floor, I saw something I never expected I'd ever see . . .
 

"American Girl" dolls!
 
If you don't know, these are dolls I've seen through the Pleasant Company (i.e. "American Girl") catalogue and dreamed of owning one for YEARS. All this started with the 1st catalogue I saw when I was about 8 years old. I bought the books, even the paper dolls. I really loved them--especially those from their historical collections (like here). But, they are VERY expensive, so I had to be content with the paper dolls and my daydreams.
That's ok.
The only problem was that this was too big of a shock for me to take jet-lagged and as an insomniac. The nostalgia I felt was a little too overwhelming. Looking through their website now, I see they've changed and taken out some of my favorite historical characters.
Oh well, the only constant is change.
 

This made me smile.
 

WHAT?!
That's a Korean bank!
I thought I left you back in your country!!
 
This was on the same street as the salon I had to go to.
 
 

My 1st meal in Canada.
Quite American, wouldn't you say?
 
It was a little more than I could handle too. Thank you, counter-culture shock.
 
 

Hello, Terry Fox.
 

Terry Fox's story and about his statue.
Seriously, this man was an inspiration.
 
 
The time for my appointment had arrived. I was already there, but there was one problem: I had no idea how the girl looked like. All I had was her English name and the fact that she's Taiwanese. I called her boyfriend--my former-student--and we finally met . . . by accident . . . at the Starbucks just across the street . . . when I saw her trying to look for someone and I guessed it was me. Thank GOD for HIS insightful help!
 
 
After the make-up application was complete.
I should've taken a "before" pic. Whoops.
 

Here's the girl who did the magic.
She wanted to stick with a natural look.
 
What do you think?
 
 
So her boyfriend showed up and the 3 of us went out for a walk around that area of the city. I had my camera out in case of anything that caught my eye.
 

That was me in Korea.
 

A clock, but not just any clock . . .
 

(thanks for the picture, Tommy!)
 

A steam clock!
We stayed to watch it go off (only waited for 5 minutes). It made an interesting tune: the same one that goes off every time a period begins and ends at my schools in Korea! And then it let off a bit of steam, the same amount as that of the new hour.
 
 
Nice, walking along . . .
 

Oh, ok.
 

Ooooooo.
 

 
 
Right between the cauldron and the convention center building (west wing).
I like the Lego-esque killer whale.
 

Under the cauldron.
 

Wow . . .
 

Nice!
I've seen these kinds of planes, just not "parked"/"docked" like this. Cool!
 

Leaning elevated hut.
 

This picture isn't doing much justice, I fear.
 
 
So we had dinner together at a Greek/Italian restaurant. I really wasn't hungry, but I had a spinach salad and introduced them to baklava (it wasn't that great there, I'm sorry to say).
 
Time is drawing to a close, and they were kind and generous enough to accompany me back to the airport. I thought they looked so cute together, I had to take a picture:

hmm, not what I had in mind, but I guess that'll have to do.
 
You two were sooo sweet, thank you! You two made me enjoy Vancouver all the more; I must go back!
 
 
So, off to my gate, find my seat, and faint from fatigue. When I wake up, I'll arrive in Montreal.
 

Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (part of it, at least)
 
I arrived around 8am. My final flight to Orlando was going to leave a little after 5pm. I wanted to get out, but I couldn't explore Montreal with all of my luggage (which was NOT checked through all the way to Orlando. I had to claim them both in Vancouver AND Montreal. Go figure). After some searching, I found the coatroom, where I could have them watch over my stuff for me--and I could go out and explore! Only thing is that I was told to allow for plenty of time to get back, because traffic was very unpredictable--I was told.
Fine, just let me get out and explore!
 

The bus that will take me into town--and the one I must take back to the airport.
 

How the fare works.
I'm so glad I know Spanish and that it can help me with French.
 
 
I made it to the last stop (I didn't know how they worked, since I didn't see any signs with names outside, nor were the names announced inside the bus), which ended up being a bus terminal as well as a major metro station. It was a little empty (i.e. creepy, sketchy) inside, but I just kept on walking and eventually got there. It took me a while to figure out how this metro system worked (signage-wise), but once I got it, it was pretty simple.
 

Booklets with info on the different buses and their routes.
 
 

Ok, to know which line you want, look for the color. To know in which direction it's going, the signs will have the name of the last stop. Just look at a metro map, look at the signs, and you'll get it.
 
 
I figured, since I was in Montreal and I had about 3 hours to explore before going back (just to be safe), I thought I'd go to the only place I know that's in Montreal: McGill University.
 

About 3 blocks from McGill Station, on my way to the university.
I like this architecture.
 

Entrance to McGill University.
 

Whoa, that's a huge campus.
 

Let me go to my happy place that's in every university: the library.
 

Huh?
 

Oh!
 

Ooooooo, a water fountain after my own heart!
 

Did I mention it was -13 Celsius/8 Fahrenheit that day? Windy?
As I told a friend of mine: When I walked out of the airport, it was as though a brick wall of cold slammed against my body and took my breath away--and I saw it go away, too.
It was that cold. Brrrrr.
 

This is where I entered the university campus (officially, I guess).
 
 
Ok, I visited McGill, now I wanted to try something very Quebec-ish: Poutine.

Back to A&W, I got my 1st taste of Poutine (French fries, thin brown gravy, and cheese curds).
Not bad, but I think I need to try again somewhere else. That, or my taste buds were still too Koreanized.
 
 
Ok, it's time for me to try to make my way back. After a while, I got the bus back to the airport, picked up my luggage and checked them in one last time, went through security and immigration, and then arrived at my gate--with 2-3 hours to kill. At least I was already through. I walked around, feeling like a zombie (the time difference, travel, and fatigue were really hitting me hard by then), and I found a quite area where I could take a nap--and nap I did!
 
Hmm, about 20 minutes until boarding time, I should get back. Let's see the departure screens . . . Whoa . . .

This winter was seriously no joke!
I'm so glad I got the ticket to Orlando!
 
 
I board, get to my seat, and am knocked out. I wake up in time to feel the plane touch down on Orlando International Airport. Went and claimed my bags, and my parents found me a few minutes later. We go to the car and drive the 2+ hrs. to get home.
 
So here I was, home, after a 45 hr. (+/-) journey from Korea to home . . . I've basically been awake and traveling for 3 days, from comfortable temperatures, to bitterly cold wind, to a warm and humid climate. I needed a shower DESPERATELY!!! Man, that shower was sooooo good!
 
So, by the time I was ready to go to bed, it was about 2am. After my journey, I guess it's not so surprising that I woke up at 3:30pm! Seriously! My first night home, I slept almost 14 hours! Who knew?
 
... and this is the end of my journey.
 
Sometime later, I promise to post an update of how I'm doing and what is next. But for now, I need to relax and focus on my family. I promise, I'll fill you in later.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Last meals in Korea (2.-3. March)

After saying "adieu" to Hazel, I met Michelle at a café near Hoegi Station. We ended up going to dinner at a restaurant called, "Mr. Chef." Two more friends joined us there and we enjoyed a nice dinner.
 
 
A friend and I shared this salmon salad. It was really nice.
 

Our free dessert (or did it come with our meals?).
 
 
Whoa, March 3rd . . . my last full day in Korea . . . I've been looking forward to this day for such a long time, and now it arrived. It was one of those moments, when you feel that time is passing by too quickly. It's true, I couldn't wait to leave Korea; but it was the joke-of-a-job and everything about it that I really wanted to leave (and the society). The wonderful individuals I've met and established friendships with, I really didn't want to leave. So my friends I was staying with wanted to eat at a very special restaurant in Hapcheon, near Hongdae: "Pizzeria d'oro"

Welcome to Pizzeria d'oro.
 

The brick oven behind the chef and owner of the restaurant.
 

All the chef's certificates, so you know you're being fed by a pro (he graduated from a culinary school in Italy).
 

The restaurant from the outside.
 

Special set: Margarita pizza, pasta, and soda can for 14,800 Won.
Considering the size and quality of the food, that's a great deal!
 

The chef advertising his specialty.
 

More offers.
 

A taste of the indoor wall decorations.
Like being inside an Italian home, eh?
 

Am idea of the pizza. That's eggplant, by the way.
 

They serve other free condiments with the pizza.
 

Mushroom soup with a piece of herb bread.
 

Deep-fried rice and cheese ball (sorry, I forgot the name. If you know it, please comment below!)
 

More where the bread came from.
Just remembering it makes my mouth water . . .
 

Another pizza.
I honestly don't remember the toppings, but I will say this: I don't like pizza. One of the last times I had pizza, I was sick for 2 days. I've barely been able to stand looking at pizza since (both in the States as well as in Korea). I loved the pizza here!
 

Another eggplant pizza.
 

Oooo, dessert pizza: strawberry jam, raspberries, blueberries, and vanilla gelato.
This was wonderful!
 
Seriously, the only negative thing I can say about this place is the poor turnout it's receiving. It's really frustrating to know a restaurant that has so much good and high-quality food being ignored and over-looked by the masses. Sure, it might not suit Korean tastes, but this is authentic. You seriously can taste the authenticity in it. It's wonderful! If you ever go to Seoul, you MUST check this place out! I found 2 other blogs that have pictures about this restaurant (both in Korean) here and here.
 
Well, this is it.
Next post, will be about my 40+ hr. journey from Seoul to Jacksonville, with stops in Vancouver, Montreal, and Orlando. I hope the post won't be too long.