i think i'm turning japanese

fukuoka, japan!!

i traveled to japan over my chuseok vacation. chuseok is a 3-day korean holiday which celebrates the good harvest; koreans visit their hometowns and take their children to visit their grandparents. now, since i don't have any family in korea to visit, i went to fukuoka, japan! i didn't want to waste my time with taxis and subways, so i decided to bring my bike along for the trip. it wasn't super simple, but we managed just fine. biking across fukuoka was the greatest thing i could have possibly done. the city is super bike friendly and safe, so there was never any worry that someone would steal it.

i took the ferry from busan, south korea to fukuoka, japan. it was way cheaper than flying, and more comfortable. here is a view from the dining area downstairs. it was an overnight trip, so we were issued a bedroom where we could sleep. it was shared with about 9 other people. we had a mat, a pillow, and a blanket of our own. each person was separated by a small piece of wood that kept your heads from accidentally touching . i guess it was there so that we could "have our own space". koreans are pretty comfortable sharing sleeping space with other people. i guess that what helps them live so close together so easily.

in the morning i opted for an american style breakfast. i had to purchase a ticket outside of the ferry restaurant and hand my ticket in to a waitress. it was a lovely set of box egg whites, a small piece of ham, two croissants, a piece of toast, a salad, and a cup of fruit all for about 9 us dollars. it didn't impress me much, but it was nice to get a break from korean food.

arriving in fukuoka was easy! all i had to do was get on a boat, sleep through the night, and wake up just in time to hop on my bike and travel. the first place i stopped was a traditional buddhist temple. fukuoka has temples everywhere. it is an old city, so the history flourishes in and around the new buildings. it was interesting to see the difference between japanese temples and korean temples.

also among the bike travels, i found this amazing 5 story video game arcade. i figured japan would be a huge gaming place, but i had no idea the passion was SO STRONG. i wandered through this place looking at the faces of people who were completely hooked! it was probably a 24 hour arcade, and some people looked as if they had been there for days. gambling was also present. i saw men in swanky chairs betting into a computer as they watched their animated horse run around a track on a large hd t.v. i must say, i was very impressed japan.

while me and my co-biker partner rode the streets of fukuoka, we also stopped along the way to refill our tanks and take in some of the many delicious eats japan has to offer. this stop was a small restaurant only serving eel. while the possibility of the store being closed had crossed our mind due to its closed doors, and shut windows, it was the large puff of black smoke being released from the restaurant window which assured us, it was open for business. it was one of the most amazing things i have ever eaten. i am hooked.
we also managed to get our hands on some delicious sushi. although, japan is known for its sushi, it was rare and difficult to find. the japanese said." its very expensive!", which i found to be true, but not any more expensive than a nice meal at say olive garden. it was a treat to find this local hole in the wall place. we were the only ones there in a room seated for 6.

the japanese were very fond of these food stalls. i never had the opportunity to try one, but they smelled pretty amazing. these people set up as the sun went down, and before 10pm broke there would be a line of about 10 plus people waiting to eat here. i could not possibly imagine what these people were waiting for.... however, i did not have the patience to wait around and see. i could be missing out on other things... like weddings!!

i didn't actually meet this couple, however, they were kind enough to let me photograph them. i stumbled upon this special moment at a temple in the city. they were preparing for their wedding, and having their wedding photos taken.

this rockin guy's name is hector. he is from ghana, africa and has lived and worked in japan for over 20 years. he speaks perfect english, and perfect japanese. he opened this reggae bar over 10 years ago and absolutely loves it. we spent an evening here while he told us stories of his travels and his youth. if you are ever in fukuoka, you must come to his place. it's called uprising.
on the very last night of japan, i met this beautiful woman named mokochi. she was sitting on a bridge playing her shamisen. she had a voice unlike anything i had ever heard, and it pierced through the city like a bullet. i sat and admired her for a while before she struck up the best english she could so that we may have some form of conversation with one another. one thing led to another, and before i knew what happened we were in a cultural landmark of japan sipping brazillian spirits and wine into the wee hours of the night having surreal conversations about life, evolution, and humans coming into consciousness. i must say, this was one of the greatest experiences of my life. i will always remember you mokochi, and maybe someday i will be back again japan!

lotte giants

i was able to attend my first korean baseball game. i was pretty stoked since i had been waiting for this since pretty much the first month i arrived in korea. by now, i know that koreans are super awesome and really fun, so i knew this was going to be a great event for all. many of us slp-ers gathered together at school to travel and partake in, yet another, korean experience.


it took about half an hour or so to arrive at our stop: sports complex
we were able to make the ride worth it.
there were many fine vendors including this woman here. she made her way slowly but surely around the park selling hite beers for 7/11. she looked like she could be my grandmother, but it didn't slow her down. at 2,000 won a beer i'm sure she had some good service that evening.

i had some great company to join me on this exciting event.
this guy should be hired as a mascot. he was, by far, the best cheerleader in the stands. during the last inning of the game he stood on this cart to give what i believe was a great korean speech for the masses. i'm not sure everyone was on the same page as him, but he sure was entertaining.
during the last inning of the game people put orange bags on their head. for what reason? i really have no clue, and i didn't bother asking either. i think it's just one of those korean things. after the game the bags are used to clean up your trash. since it is okay and normal to bring in your own food and beer, you can only imagine the kind of mess that is left behind. however, koreans seem to know how to clean up after themselves, and make great use out of their bags before clean up time arrives.

going to a game on a weekday is great. it only costs 4,000 won (equivalent to about 3 us dollars) and you get a great seat.
other vendors, such as this new york hot dog man, were also busy throughout the night.
the best part about the game was that WE WON!!

auditory communication

"Almost always the creative dedicated minority has made the world better." -Martin Luther King, Jr.

a philippine adventure

The Philippines! I am here, I made it to a real vacation. There is so much to say, yet, so little. How can I describe my 9 day adventure with a few lines on a computer. I think it can not be fully expressed as I would like it to, but I will do my best.

We started in Manila, the capital, where we had to stay for one night. It was rough, and the people were poor and hungry, so we did what we could for them, wandered the streets aimlessly into the night, and waited for the morning to arrive.

We then traveled by plane to Puerto Princesa, where we met a girl from Spain, who lived in Thailand, who needed some people to hitch a ride to get her to Il Nido to meet some friends. Unexpectedly, we decided to jump in a private van and road trip 8 hours across the island of Palawan. We arrive in the darkness of the night, find a place to lay our head, and sleep again waiting for the sun.

We wake up and relax for one day. We meet a girl; an English girl, who wants to go on an overnight island hopping trip. We say "deal" let's go, and the next day we are packed up again and jumping on a tiny boat headed out to the sea. We see a few islands. We are escourted by a young man; about 18 years old, who knows the land, but is not a professional. He is our friend. He drops us off on a remote island, sand white as snow. We walk the beach of a place left free from human trace. We stay alone on the island for a few hours. No food, no water, just the 3 of us and the rain, and the moonlight. They arrive late that night, they bring food; an entire delicious meal, tents and blankets, and music. We eat, talk, and sing songs through the night on the quiet and empty island.

We wake up the next day and jump on the boat again, only to be taken and dropped off on another remote island. We sunbathed, snorkeled, and made friends with the ocean life breathing down below. We became sun babies and floated around the ocean floor connecting with the life around us.

The night comes. We spontaneously decide to take another van back across the island to Sebang. We have to keep traveling, keep seeing. Hours pass, I sit curled up on the back seat, peering out the window at intervals to make sure time is passing. I'm on this very bumpy, unpaved road. I am seeing my life flash before my eyes. Okay not that dramatic, but still, it was very dangerous I'm sure.

We arrive in Sebang in the middle of the night. It is 2 a.m. and all of the hotels are closed. Luckily our very nice driver allows us to sleep in the van until morning. I am on this land, I can't see it, because there is no electricity, but I can feel it all around me. The sun comes up and we get a hut. It is a small one room place, with a hole in a room to use the toilet, and a pipe coming from the wall for a shower. It's great, it's splendid. It's REAL.

We spend a few days in Sebang. We see the land. We talk to the native people. We hike out into the jungle with a 72 year old man who can run miles around us. He is wise. He talks to us about things, he is weary at first, but later he comes around. We become friends. We go to meet natives in the jungle, but they are not there. Only the President of the tribe is there. He is watching over the camp. The others are out gathering. They will be gone for weeks. So we have some local coffee, bathe in the river, and hike home in the pouring rain/darkness of the night.

The next day I wake up sore and exhausted. This is it; the last day of adventure. What shall we do? We go on a 3 mile hike through the monkey jungle so that we can find the underground river. It is touristy, but hey, it is a wonder of the world after all. So we wander through the monkey jungle, visit the monkeys with their babies, and find the caves of the underground river. We travel through the cave for an hour and see bats, and birds, and open rooms the size of cathedrals. We make it back in time to have an awesome dinner and rest before the long drive/flight of tomorrow.

buddha's escape

On one fine day, the great team of SLP decided to escape for a Buddha celebration. We work very hard, and play very hard, so for one weekend, we decided to all team up together and escape to the quiet solitude of the Korean countryside. I don't recall the name, probably because I heard it once and never spoke of it again, but it was a beautiful escape. We laughed, we played, we slept, but mostly we sat around lazy and forgot about our teaching life. It rained, and rained, and rained, while we read, played cards, and remembered what real human contact was really like.

a hiking we will go

Oread
Whirl up, sea-
whirl your pointed pines
on our rocks,
hurl your green over us,
cover us with your pools of fire.
-H.D.

the day for children

Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday! Children's Day is here and now and SLP has a special day for all you Korean children who work so hard all year. Yes we have Market Day! Market day is a chance to buy everything you always wanted (almost) with all of your very own American dollars. One time, and yes one time only we are passing out little pieces of black and white American printed dollars. Don't worry we won't ever run out because we have a copy machine! Please don't try to gamble your dollars away, although we know you will because you are crazy Koreans. Please save your money because you will have a chance for this one day to buy something of your choice. Yes the items are expensive... but get used to it, that's real life, and you can bargain, because we are fair traders.

We will start our day off at Jangsan Mountain; working on our artist skills and sketching away the beautiful landscape under the warm sunshine. Then, we will have our special one time Market day event, filled with free prizes and food. Lastly we will have Golden Bell (a special quiz game where you can win more prizes). Study up though, it's very tough, and don't be surprised if 95% of the kids get eliminated on the first round. We are going to laugh, we are going to cry, and most of all we are going to be competitive about everything! Have fun, and enjoy your wonderful day off! Thank you children!