I really wanted to post this on September 11 at 8:45 am EST, but life prevented me from being able to do that. I suppose I should have typed it up in advance, but it wasn't a possibility; I'm sorry. But these thoughts seemed poignant enough to me to type up and post for you anyway.
On September 11, 2013, 8:44am something monumental happened. As the clock ticked down, Americans my age - arguably the youngest people on the planet to remember a pre-9/11 life - lived the last minute that they would while still having lived the majority of their lives in relative safety.
I'd like to say that we felt ourselves untouchable until 9/11, but that's a lie. We weren't, and only the naïve believed otherwise. Peal Harbor, Oklahoma City, Columbine... We knew better. But it was something about September 11 that felt so different. I think it may be because our own assets were used against us. Whatever it was, America changed drastically afterward; rather than doubling down and coming up stronger, we signed away our rights hand-over-fist and reacted in fear. I was with everyone else at the time, though... we may want to ask ourselves if it should really be considered an achievement to have a 12-year-old agree with the action our government took. I remember my mother warning me against it all, and I replied that we'd deal with any problems that arose when we came to them. Well, ladies and gentlemen, we've come to them (Read: Syria), but that's another story for another time.
My point is this:
I've no longer lived the majority of my life in a pre-Septemeber-Eleventh World.
I've no longer lived the majority of my life in a world where I can accompany my loved ones to their airplane.
I've no longer lived the majority of my life not having to worry about how complicated my shoes are before going to the airport.
I've no longer lived the majority of my life being able to be fully hydrated on a plane.
I've no longer lived the majority of my life in a country where Aladdin wouldn't be feared if he lived in it.
I've no longer lived the majority of my life in a time when I didn't have to worry if the person next to me started playing with their shoes.
I've no longer lived the majority of my life being unable to ask a flight attendant if the small person next to me (or, heck, I myself) could meet the pilot.
I've no longer lived the majority of my life without double, triple, quadruple checking everything I say while traveling.
I've no longer lived the majority of my life in a country that wasn't dominated by manipulation playing off people's fear.
And I'm not sure how to react to that.
Showing posts with label nerves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nerves. Show all posts
Friday, September 20, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Indonesia: Arrival in Jakarta
The Indonesia portion of my journey started off with an adventure. I had noticed on my plane that I was nearly the only International person on it. This was slightly unnerving for me, but I figured it was due to the late hour of the flight or something along that vein. What I didn't realize was that Indonesia was in the middle of its rainy season and Jakarta, the city for which I was headed was flooded. In fact, I didn't realize that until much later, the flood, obviously, being the first to catch my attention.
After landing and obtaining my Visa-on-arrival (wonderful things), I headed out, looking for the taxi service that was reported to be the only reputable one in the city. I barreled past the drivers who were out of their cars and waiting in the luggage claim area (never, ever go with those guys; it'd be cheaper to connect your wallet to a vacuum.), and found where the other taxis were waiting. The next obstacle were the drivers who were waiting on the sidewalk. Generally, these are no better than the luggage claim area guys, but sometimes you get a good seed there. Thankfully, I had the good sense (and the blaring TripAdvisor warnings) to continue looking for BlueBird Taxi. I breathed a sigh of relief when I found the correct taxi service. It was the only one with a line, so I felt much better about it all.
It took me about half an hour to wait out the line, and never once did I waver in my resolution to take a BlueBird taxi. When I finally got to the front of the line, I showed the driver the name of my hotel, and everything took a downward turn. He got very disgruntled, even getting out of the taxi to consult with the attendant. Assuming he didn't know where it was, I began to get frustrated. I am notorious for picking bad hotels from the Internet, so I assumed I'd chosen yet another hole-in-the-wall place that only looked like it was find-able from a map. Finally, after a couple of phone calls, we were on our way.
"There's a lot of water, so I'll need to take the highway," the driver said. I agreed. I'd looked at the map, the highway passes straight by the waterfront, leading to the center of Jakarta, where I had booked my hotel. I also had learned from my trip in Thailand that this probably meant there would be a toll. I was okay with these things, and I told him so.
Just as we were about to get off the highway, the driver pulled off, into the median, and said to me, "There's a lot of water, we probably can't go there."
Now, I was confused, and, once again, a bit nervous. We went back and forth on it, until I realized what he meant. There had been a flood.
"Can you just try to get to my hotel?" I asked. "I have reservations."
The man hesitantly agreed, asking the men at the toll-booth for the status of the neighborhood past the exit. They assured him that it would be okay, and we plowed on through the puddles. Unfortunately, those puddles began to get deeper and deeper, until I could feel the water vibrating against the floor of the car under my feet. The taxi stopped.
"I'm really sorry, missus, but we cannot go this way. There is too much water." I secretly breathed a sigh of relief. I didn't like us driving through the water. But then, as quickly as the relief came, it left; I had no idea where to go. Then, my driver turned to look me dead in the face.
"Missus, are you a Christian?"
My heart leapt to my throat. All of my friends' warnings about Indonesia being a Muslim country didn't seem so trivial anymore. I looked around outside the car. The houses looked to be little better than those of a slum in the 1am gloom. Everywhere, there was some amount of water. I had nowhere to go.
I took a breath.
"Yes. I am."
The man started speaking very fast. "Good. I am a Christian, too, and, in the name of Jesus Christ, I promise I will get you safely to a hotel."
I'm ashamed to say, I wasn't convinced. "A nice hotel?" I asked him.
"Yes, missus. A nice hotel."
"Okay. Let's go."
We pulled away, and I felt my deposit stay behind in the deep puddles of the neighborhood. I had already had one instance of booking for the wrong dates and being charged for the room when I didn't show up. Now, it was going to happen again. I sighed and resigned myself to it. There was nothing I could do about it at that point.
The first hotel we came to was a name I recognized; I had researched it in my hotel booking process and seriously considered staying there. I paid the driver, thanked him, and ran inside, but he followed. After a short conversation with the concierge, he informed me that there were no rooms available. Later, that made sense to me: All the people displaced by the flood would have to go somewhere. But, in that moment, all I could think about was how very much I wanted to sleep.
I got back in the taxi, envisioning a long night of hotel hopping and paying and repaying the driver. Within, five minutes, however, he was pulling up a long driveway. One look at its towers and circular driveway told me that I was going to need to switch hotels the next day. There was no way I could afford that place. Nonetheless, dear old Benjamin was going to take one for the team (the team that connected my eyeballs and my cognition), and make new friends with the people that ran the hotel.
When I walked in, I was greeted by a bell boy, who took my bag from my hand and my backpack off my back and led me up the escalators, where I came face to face with two large arrangements of Oriental Lilies, one of my favorite flowers. In that moment I said to myself, You know what? This is vacation; let's live a little. After all, I did just get paid. I decided to stay in the Hotel Santika Jakarta for the duration of my time in the city. Much to my wallet's surprise, it only turned out to be ~$130/night for the exclusive suite I was given (they were pretty booked up, too), which included a breakfast buffet, complimentary mini-bar, and evening snack bar (which I turned into a dinner buffet). Considering that that's roughly what I would pay for a night at a Wingate Hotel in the States, I gladly agreed that it was worthy my money. Thus began a series of events that led me to several unexpectedly luxurious hotels. For now, I'll leave you with pictures of the Hotel Santika:
After landing and obtaining my Visa-on-arrival (wonderful things), I headed out, looking for the taxi service that was reported to be the only reputable one in the city. I barreled past the drivers who were out of their cars and waiting in the luggage claim area (never, ever go with those guys; it'd be cheaper to connect your wallet to a vacuum.), and found where the other taxis were waiting. The next obstacle were the drivers who were waiting on the sidewalk. Generally, these are no better than the luggage claim area guys, but sometimes you get a good seed there. Thankfully, I had the good sense (and the blaring TripAdvisor warnings) to continue looking for BlueBird Taxi. I breathed a sigh of relief when I found the correct taxi service. It was the only one with a line, so I felt much better about it all.
It took me about half an hour to wait out the line, and never once did I waver in my resolution to take a BlueBird taxi. When I finally got to the front of the line, I showed the driver the name of my hotel, and everything took a downward turn. He got very disgruntled, even getting out of the taxi to consult with the attendant. Assuming he didn't know where it was, I began to get frustrated. I am notorious for picking bad hotels from the Internet, so I assumed I'd chosen yet another hole-in-the-wall place that only looked like it was find-able from a map. Finally, after a couple of phone calls, we were on our way.
"There's a lot of water, so I'll need to take the highway," the driver said. I agreed. I'd looked at the map, the highway passes straight by the waterfront, leading to the center of Jakarta, where I had booked my hotel. I also had learned from my trip in Thailand that this probably meant there would be a toll. I was okay with these things, and I told him so.
Just as we were about to get off the highway, the driver pulled off, into the median, and said to me, "There's a lot of water, we probably can't go there."
Now, I was confused, and, once again, a bit nervous. We went back and forth on it, until I realized what he meant. There had been a flood.
"Can you just try to get to my hotel?" I asked. "I have reservations."
The man hesitantly agreed, asking the men at the toll-booth for the status of the neighborhood past the exit. They assured him that it would be okay, and we plowed on through the puddles. Unfortunately, those puddles began to get deeper and deeper, until I could feel the water vibrating against the floor of the car under my feet. The taxi stopped.
"I'm really sorry, missus, but we cannot go this way. There is too much water." I secretly breathed a sigh of relief. I didn't like us driving through the water. But then, as quickly as the relief came, it left; I had no idea where to go. Then, my driver turned to look me dead in the face.
"Missus, are you a Christian?"
My heart leapt to my throat. All of my friends' warnings about Indonesia being a Muslim country didn't seem so trivial anymore. I looked around outside the car. The houses looked to be little better than those of a slum in the 1am gloom. Everywhere, there was some amount of water. I had nowhere to go.
I took a breath.
"Yes. I am."
The man started speaking very fast. "Good. I am a Christian, too, and, in the name of Jesus Christ, I promise I will get you safely to a hotel."
I'm ashamed to say, I wasn't convinced. "A nice hotel?" I asked him.
"Yes, missus. A nice hotel."
"Okay. Let's go."
We pulled away, and I felt my deposit stay behind in the deep puddles of the neighborhood. I had already had one instance of booking for the wrong dates and being charged for the room when I didn't show up. Now, it was going to happen again. I sighed and resigned myself to it. There was nothing I could do about it at that point.
The first hotel we came to was a name I recognized; I had researched it in my hotel booking process and seriously considered staying there. I paid the driver, thanked him, and ran inside, but he followed. After a short conversation with the concierge, he informed me that there were no rooms available. Later, that made sense to me: All the people displaced by the flood would have to go somewhere. But, in that moment, all I could think about was how very much I wanted to sleep.
I got back in the taxi, envisioning a long night of hotel hopping and paying and repaying the driver. Within, five minutes, however, he was pulling up a long driveway. One look at its towers and circular driveway told me that I was going to need to switch hotels the next day. There was no way I could afford that place. Nonetheless, dear old Benjamin was going to take one for the team (the team that connected my eyeballs and my cognition), and make new friends with the people that ran the hotel.
When I walked in, I was greeted by a bell boy, who took my bag from my hand and my backpack off my back and led me up the escalators, where I came face to face with two large arrangements of Oriental Lilies, one of my favorite flowers. In that moment I said to myself, You know what? This is vacation; let's live a little. After all, I did just get paid. I decided to stay in the Hotel Santika Jakarta for the duration of my time in the city. Much to my wallet's surprise, it only turned out to be ~$130/night for the exclusive suite I was given (they were pretty booked up, too), which included a breakfast buffet, complimentary mini-bar, and evening snack bar (which I turned into a dinner buffet). Considering that that's roughly what I would pay for a night at a Wingate Hotel in the States, I gladly agreed that it was worthy my money. Thus began a series of events that led me to several unexpectedly luxurious hotels. For now, I'll leave you with pictures of the Hotel Santika:
Lobby
Breakfast buffet area
My room and incredibly soft bed
Exclusive lounge where I ate my dinners
Truly, though, the pictures don't do this place justice. It was an amazing hotel, with excellent amenities, and a wonderful masseuse. This was the perfect answer to the stress that came with my unfortunate timing in landing.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Day 1
I finished my fourth first day of middle school today. I hated middle school the first time. I went to three of them (thus this is my fourth first day), and you'd think I would have found one that I liked, but no. None. Zero. Today, was different.
I love my classroom. It's beautiful. It's just eclectic enough for me to like it, but subdued enough to be a good learning environment. I didn't get any photos today, because I was holding on for dear life. When I settle into a routine, I'll be sure to take some pictures.
My students seem to be the same level of rowdy as my fifth and sixth graders were (thus far), but today I was much more willing to roll with it. I feel like that may have been because I was definitely the head of my classroom. The other teachers barely said anything, but it was beautiful and it flowed. If discipline needed to happen, it did. If stuff needed to be translated, it was. If I needed to joke with someone beforehand, it happened.
And that's another thing. So far, all of my co-teachers speak flowing, beautiful English. I even explained my pajama dream to the woman who has the desk next to me, and she laughed! She laughed hard! She went so far as to say, "I guess you were very nervous!" I didn't have to explain it any more than I would to a native speaker. Furthermore, Sam, who sits across from me, is SO helpful. He explains everything I have a question about (even when he ran into me on the way home and I was having a bit of trouble ordering dinner). He doesn't know it, but he also made such a HUGE difference between this school and the last one: he closed today by saying, "You did a great job today." Yes, my other co-teachers gave me positive feedback, but I had to ask for it. This was out of the blue, and it was wonderful to hear. Don't get me wrong, I am all for constructive criticism, but the balance goes a long way. He also told me what I most wanted to hear: "The most important thing you can do is be friends with [the students]." He took the pressure off and told me that I'm doing well. What more could you ask for in an office mate?
My students even seem excited to see me! I ran into a couple of them on my way home, and they gave the very classic "Oh!" that means "I recognize you and I wasn't expecting to see you!", and quite eagerly spoke English to me. What strange, parallel universe am I in?
I'm not foolish enough to believe that this isn't tainted by the first day, rose-colored glasses, but I'm very happy with my decision to change schools, so far. :)
I love my classroom. It's beautiful. It's just eclectic enough for me to like it, but subdued enough to be a good learning environment. I didn't get any photos today, because I was holding on for dear life. When I settle into a routine, I'll be sure to take some pictures.
My students seem to be the same level of rowdy as my fifth and sixth graders were (thus far), but today I was much more willing to roll with it. I feel like that may have been because I was definitely the head of my classroom. The other teachers barely said anything, but it was beautiful and it flowed. If discipline needed to happen, it did. If stuff needed to be translated, it was. If I needed to joke with someone beforehand, it happened.
And that's another thing. So far, all of my co-teachers speak flowing, beautiful English. I even explained my pajama dream to the woman who has the desk next to me, and she laughed! She laughed hard! She went so far as to say, "I guess you were very nervous!" I didn't have to explain it any more than I would to a native speaker. Furthermore, Sam, who sits across from me, is SO helpful. He explains everything I have a question about (even when he ran into me on the way home and I was having a bit of trouble ordering dinner). He doesn't know it, but he also made such a HUGE difference between this school and the last one: he closed today by saying, "You did a great job today." Yes, my other co-teachers gave me positive feedback, but I had to ask for it. This was out of the blue, and it was wonderful to hear. Don't get me wrong, I am all for constructive criticism, but the balance goes a long way. He also told me what I most wanted to hear: "The most important thing you can do is be friends with [the students]." He took the pressure off and told me that I'm doing well. What more could you ask for in an office mate?
My students even seem excited to see me! I ran into a couple of them on my way home, and they gave the very classic "Oh!" that means "I recognize you and I wasn't expecting to see you!", and quite eagerly spoke English to me. What strange, parallel universe am I in?
I'm not foolish enough to believe that this isn't tainted by the first day, rose-colored glasses, but I'm very happy with my decision to change schools, so far. :)
I start middle school today.
I dream last night that I showed up to school in my PJs and forgot where my office was. Half of that is true. Ahhhh!!! I'm getting more nervous by the minute. Prayers, please.
Edit:
My dream in detail:
I woke up to go to school, and I realized that I'd left all of my stuff in my other apartment, which happened to be in my old school. My blanket was there (so I woke up cold), my clothes were there, my school supplies were there... So I knew I needed to go get them. I decided to swing by my new school first to tell them why I was going to be late. So I went in my PJs (sweat pants and a sports bra), but I couldn't find my office. I spent several hours wandering the halls in said PJs, not finding it before I woke. There's a good first impression.
Edit:
My dream in detail:
I woke up to go to school, and I realized that I'd left all of my stuff in my other apartment, which happened to be in my old school. My blanket was there (so I woke up cold), my clothes were there, my school supplies were there... So I knew I needed to go get them. I decided to swing by my new school first to tell them why I was going to be late. So I went in my PJs (sweat pants and a sports bra), but I couldn't find my office. I spent several hours wandering the halls in said PJs, not finding it before I woke. There's a good first impression.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Call me paranoid...
But tonight I freaked out at the movie theater.
I took one of my former students, Emma, to see a movie tonight. Circumstance selected The Dark Knight Rises for us, marking my third time seeing it. I think the movie is fabulous, so I didn't really mind, in spite of my advising my mom to not go see it.
After everything that happened in Colorado and the copycat scares, I just don't think a trip to the theater is worth it. The movie will be out on DVD soon enough. But I didn't apply this rule to myself, considering South Korea's strict gun control laws. However, I grew up in America, with one of my earliest memories being the horror of Columbine (I was in elementary school... I'm sure I could remember further back if it wasn't so late right now), and, therefore, an awareness of gun possibilities in various occasions is deeply engrained in me. Plus, I'll admit that I'm a bit overly-paranoid, and am always aware of what is in my purse that can be quickly turned into a weapon.
So when, halfway through Batman tonight, a member of the audience got up and started fiddling with the emergency exit, I immediately found a new focus for my attention. I pulled my Cannon Power Shot from my purse, along with a particularly sharp pen, and began contemplating the best place to hit a man with said improvised rock to incapacitate him and/or crush his skull.
When I saw him cross in front of the audience and linger in the middle (really, directly in front of me, as I was sitting in the first row), I slowly began sliding to the front edge of my seat, so as to lose no time trying to get out of it. I slid my cell phone in my back pocket. Having found myself phoneless in my last major emergency situation (my car crash), I never intend for it to happen again.
He scanned the audience and quickly moved to the other fire exit, which he shook several times, quietly. When it wouldn't open, he sprinted out the main entrance/exit, and I didn't see him again, although I was definitely looking. Every time I saw someone's shadow growing larger as they came down the hall to that door, I was distracted from the movie to stare and make sure they didn't look extra-lumpy. I did get distracted by the movie at one point, and, when I noticed someone standing there, I jumped so high that I scared Emma. She definitely knew something was up, but she never asked about it.
It turned out to be nothing, but it was definitely an adrenaline-inducing experience. I couldn't help but find myself thinking, "They may have gun control laws, but that's what keeps them from anticipating something like this." Furthermore, as we were sitting in the front row, I felt so helpless, knowing that there would be little to nothing I could do to protect Emma; there were no chairs in front of us to help protect her, even if I got her to the floor.
But what shook me more, was realizing that I, the girl who constantly preaches pacifism and that people have no right to kill each other (without specific exception from G-d Himself), was plotting the fastest/easiest way to kill this man, assuming he made one blatantly wrong move. I'm not sure what to do with that realization, aside from a lot of prayer and research. If I come up with anything, I'll be sure to let you know.
So that was the excitement for the evening. I'm thinking that may have to end up being my last in-theater viewing of Batman for this generation. Like I told my mom, it's just not worth it.
I took one of my former students, Emma, to see a movie tonight. Circumstance selected The Dark Knight Rises for us, marking my third time seeing it. I think the movie is fabulous, so I didn't really mind, in spite of my advising my mom to not go see it.
After everything that happened in Colorado and the copycat scares, I just don't think a trip to the theater is worth it. The movie will be out on DVD soon enough. But I didn't apply this rule to myself, considering South Korea's strict gun control laws. However, I grew up in America, with one of my earliest memories being the horror of Columbine (I was in elementary school... I'm sure I could remember further back if it wasn't so late right now), and, therefore, an awareness of gun possibilities in various occasions is deeply engrained in me. Plus, I'll admit that I'm a bit overly-paranoid, and am always aware of what is in my purse that can be quickly turned into a weapon.
So when, halfway through Batman tonight, a member of the audience got up and started fiddling with the emergency exit, I immediately found a new focus for my attention. I pulled my Cannon Power Shot from my purse, along with a particularly sharp pen, and began contemplating the best place to hit a man with said improvised rock to incapacitate him and/or crush his skull.
My camera.
I'm pretty fond of it, but it caught me by surprise when everything was digital on it.
I'd still prefer to upgrade to something with more manual options, but with some practice,
the digital manual options are workable.
When I saw him cross in front of the audience and linger in the middle (really, directly in front of me, as I was sitting in the first row), I slowly began sliding to the front edge of my seat, so as to lose no time trying to get out of it. I slid my cell phone in my back pocket. Having found myself phoneless in my last major emergency situation (my car crash), I never intend for it to happen again.
He scanned the audience and quickly moved to the other fire exit, which he shook several times, quietly. When it wouldn't open, he sprinted out the main entrance/exit, and I didn't see him again, although I was definitely looking. Every time I saw someone's shadow growing larger as they came down the hall to that door, I was distracted from the movie to stare and make sure they didn't look extra-lumpy. I did get distracted by the movie at one point, and, when I noticed someone standing there, I jumped so high that I scared Emma. She definitely knew something was up, but she never asked about it.
It turned out to be nothing, but it was definitely an adrenaline-inducing experience. I couldn't help but find myself thinking, "They may have gun control laws, but that's what keeps them from anticipating something like this." Furthermore, as we were sitting in the front row, I felt so helpless, knowing that there would be little to nothing I could do to protect Emma; there were no chairs in front of us to help protect her, even if I got her to the floor.
But what shook me more, was realizing that I, the girl who constantly preaches pacifism and that people have no right to kill each other (without specific exception from G-d Himself), was plotting the fastest/easiest way to kill this man, assuming he made one blatantly wrong move. I'm not sure what to do with that realization, aside from a lot of prayer and research. If I come up with anything, I'll be sure to let you know.
So that was the excitement for the evening. I'm thinking that may have to end up being my last in-theater viewing of Batman for this generation. Like I told my mom, it's just not worth it.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
New things
Again, it's been a while. I know. I've had good reason, though.
I've started my TESOL class (which is my first graduate-level class) and moved up to the next level in my Korean class, so I've really had to step up my level of work. I have two presentations in TESOL this week and one in Korean. I'm not going to lie... I'm starting to get nervous. On top of that, this past weekend, I moved into my new apartment. The heat and hot water had been out in my old one for about a week, so I opted to push up my move-in date. I'm so glad I did. My apartment isn't much - a room, a bath, and a loft - but I am a big fan of it. I don't have any good pictures of it, as I'm still unpacking and storing some boxes in it for its old occupant, a friend of mine, until she comes back for them in about a month. I do, however, have a picture of my roommate, the occupant of the loft. It's not a great one, but I think you'll get the gist:
Yup! The same friend also left me her rabbit, Manila. Manila's pretty easy-going, although she's a bit territorial right now. I just need to out-alpha-rabbit her. I think I can do it. She needs a lot of attention, but we're working on the balance. I'm enjoying having her around. I think we're going to be great friends.
Tonight, I also began the first in my series of new initiatives to get together with my graduated 6th graders. I want to be able to give them a break from the pressures they're about to face and show them that there's more to life than getting a perfect score. I want to push the G-d aspect and that he's more important than making good money or gaining social status. I'm not sure how I'm going to convey all of this, but, right now, I'll settle for an age-appropriate movie and some food that's good for your soul. I hope you will join me in keeping these kids in prayer - yes, all of them, but especially these three: Emma, Irin (sounds like Irene), and Cleo. I've given you their English names, not their Korean ones (yes, I finally learned them), because there are a lot of sick-os that use the Internet. Their names are pretty common in the Korean world, but I'm not taking any chances. Also, if you have any suggestions of fun things to do with middle school girls, let me know, because I can't always luck out and find a movie (Happy Feet 2) that I know I'll feel comfortable taking them to see. I know... I can't believe that I'm volunteering to hang out with middle schoolers either.
Anyway, that's what I've been up to. I've had some people re-connecting with me via Facebook, and I've really been enjoying that. I'd be incredibly interested in knowing what's new with you too, so leave me a comment!
<3
I've started my TESOL class (which is my first graduate-level class) and moved up to the next level in my Korean class, so I've really had to step up my level of work. I have two presentations in TESOL this week and one in Korean. I'm not going to lie... I'm starting to get nervous. On top of that, this past weekend, I moved into my new apartment. The heat and hot water had been out in my old one for about a week, so I opted to push up my move-in date. I'm so glad I did. My apartment isn't much - a room, a bath, and a loft - but I am a big fan of it. I don't have any good pictures of it, as I'm still unpacking and storing some boxes in it for its old occupant, a friend of mine, until she comes back for them in about a month. I do, however, have a picture of my roommate, the occupant of the loft. It's not a great one, but I think you'll get the gist:
Yup! The same friend also left me her rabbit, Manila. Manila's pretty easy-going, although she's a bit territorial right now. I just need to out-alpha-rabbit her. I think I can do it. She needs a lot of attention, but we're working on the balance. I'm enjoying having her around. I think we're going to be great friends.
Tonight, I also began the first in my series of new initiatives to get together with my graduated 6th graders. I want to be able to give them a break from the pressures they're about to face and show them that there's more to life than getting a perfect score. I want to push the G-d aspect and that he's more important than making good money or gaining social status. I'm not sure how I'm going to convey all of this, but, right now, I'll settle for an age-appropriate movie and some food that's good for your soul. I hope you will join me in keeping these kids in prayer - yes, all of them, but especially these three: Emma, Irin (sounds like Irene), and Cleo. I've given you their English names, not their Korean ones (yes, I finally learned them), because there are a lot of sick-os that use the Internet. Their names are pretty common in the Korean world, but I'm not taking any chances. Also, if you have any suggestions of fun things to do with middle school girls, let me know, because I can't always luck out and find a movie (Happy Feet 2) that I know I'll feel comfortable taking them to see. I know... I can't believe that I'm volunteering to hang out with middle schoolers either.
Anyway, that's what I've been up to. I've had some people re-connecting with me via Facebook, and I've really been enjoying that. I'd be incredibly interested in knowing what's new with you too, so leave me a comment!
<3
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Vacation: The part I didn't tell you before I left. (Plus my opinion of AirAsia)
Well, I'm back home, and I had a wonderful vacation! A lot of people (myself included) were a bit nervous about it, because I was travelling alone, but, in the end, I was glad that I did it. I got to be an absolute introvert for 10 whole days. I think I totalled maybe 10 hours of talking the whole trip. It was wonderful. It was also a little disconcerting, because I saw how easy it would be for me to retreat into myself and become a hermit, but I suppose that worse things have been known to happen. Alone time was definitely needed, and I'm glad I got it.
So, here's the part I didn't advertise too much, for fear of freaking my world out more:
Just before I left, the U.S. sent out this huge warning about a "real and credible" terrorist threat in Bangkok. But I knew that I wouldn't be there very long, and I stayed alert and up-to-date. I snagged some photos of the guys involved too, and kept them on my phone, like so:
In reality, what worried me more about my trip was all the mess with AirAsia, my airline. It had been described to me as an Asian Southwest of sorts, but, let me tell you... Southwest, they are not.
It all started with me trying to book my tickets. They apparently don't like American credit cards or Korean debit cards, so I went all out and got a Korean credit card, which worked... to book my first of three plane tickets. The latter two, I ended up having to call to book. The second one booked decently easily, minus having to sit on hold forever. But the third one... oh the third one. I spelled my name three times for the guy, and he still ended up book my ticket under the name:
Sorry, these were tidbits I had to get out. I promise I'll have much more interesting things in the following posts!
So, here's the part I didn't advertise too much, for fear of freaking my world out more:
Just before I left, the U.S. sent out this huge warning about a "real and credible" terrorist threat in Bangkok. But I knew that I wouldn't be there very long, and I stayed alert and up-to-date. I snagged some photos of the guys involved too, and kept them on my phone, like so:
 |
| This is a picture of the terrorist who was caught, after which they released a copy of his passport. It was his capture that led to the attack actually being called off, but he was the only participant caught, the other culprit was at large... well for my whole vacation. |
 |
| This is a sketch of the other terrorist. I kept his picture on my phone to check out anyone acting weird around me. But, as it turns out, Bangkok is absolutely massive, and it wasn't a problem at all. I am still explosion-free. |
In reality, what worried me more about my trip was all the mess with AirAsia, my airline. It had been described to me as an Asian Southwest of sorts, but, let me tell you... Southwest, they are not.
It all started with me trying to book my tickets. They apparently don't like American credit cards or Korean debit cards, so I went all out and got a Korean credit card, which worked... to book my first of three plane tickets. The latter two, I ended up having to call to book. The second one booked decently easily, minus having to sit on hold forever. But the third one... oh the third one. I spelled my name three times for the guy, and he still ended up book my ticket under the name:
"Ms. N Royster"
N? Who names their child N? That's right No one. By the time he realized the mistake (while entering my email address) he apparently had lost the ability to scroll up on the page and fix it, so then he went on about how I needed to call this other department and jump through all their hoops to fix it. I firmly told him that he would be the one having to waste the time on that, since he was the one who ignored my spelling. After some arguing back and forth, he eventually agreed to look into and call me back. However, it was not him who called me back, it was a woman who informed me that "We made this mistake, yes, but YOU'RE going to have to fix it." She also told me there would be a name change fee involved. Let me tell you, my firm tone had some volume behind it for that one. I paid no name change fee, although I was denied the discount I asked for.
In general, AirAsia was just a hassle. The seats were tiny with no leg room. The flight times were obscure, meaning I had to spend a night near the airport, effectively making up for the difference in cost between them and the next cheapest flight. The flight attendants and desk workers were generally rude, although there was one guy - Harry - who was delightful. The baggage scale in Surat Thani was, I'm pretty sure, rigged, as it weighed my EMPTY BAG in at 10 kg. They nickel and dimed you for everything. All in all, I felt like my booking on their flights was just seen as a huge inconvenience for them and they'd rather I booked elsewhere, which I will be doing next time. In fact, next to my flight, every time was an airline called Nok Air, which is a domestic Thai airline, running the same routes as AirAsia within Thailand. I haven't looked into their prices or anything, but your luggage flies free with them, and their attendants were very helpful. I will definitely be looking into them, should I return to Thailand.
 |
| The Nok Air flight that left shortly before my own. |
Monday, December 12, 2011
It's that time again...
...the time where I'm dealing with governments and trying to get VISAs in order. At least this time it's for vacation purposes. Thankfully, I am well trained to have a short-term memory, or else I would never travel. Good golly, Moses, you'd think they didn't want me to come to their country and blow a whole paycheck! My word... I thought it was bad getting my VISA to come to South Korea, but it's even more complicated now that I have a 9-5 (well, 8:30-4:30) job in the mix.
Luckily, it's looking like I can have my friend who works evenings in the Hagwans help me out with this one. (Here's hoping.) From what I've seen online, it shouldn't pose a problem, but hey... it's the government... all sorts of things can go wrong. Anyone seen any information on whether people can turn in paperwork and stuff for others VISA-wise (specifically for Bangladesh)?
Anyone want to pray that we can make this work???
Anne: "Yayyyyy! Vacation's around the corner! I think I'll go to Thailand and Bangladesh to see two of my Compassion kids!"
Thailand: "Yayyyyy! Pay me some money when you land; I'll throw a stamp in your passport."
Compassion: "Yayyyy! Pay us some money when we roll up, and we'll throw in a translator and transportation."
Anne: "Yayyyyyy! Bangladesh?"
Bangladesh: "Hmmm... well... Pay us considerably more than you'll pay at any one place during the rest of your vacation, and we'll consider giving you a VISA for a certain amount of days at our discretion."
Anne: "Really, Bangladesh? Okay. I mean, if that's what it takes. Compassion?"
Compassion: "Yayyyy! Pay us some money when we roll up, and we'll throw in a translator and transportation."
Anne: "Yayyyy! I love consistency! Here we go over to the travel agent that should be able to do this..."
Travel Agent: "I'll check on that. Come back tomorrow."
Anne: "Okay."
(Tomorrow) Travel Agent: "I'm sorry, the embassy forgot to check. Come back tomorrow."
Anne: "...Okay. *At least they give me free hot drinks.*"
(Next day) Travel Agent: "I'm sorry. We cannot arrange your VISA. You must go to the embassy in Seoul between the hours of 9 and noon, Monday through Friday to drop it off, between the hours of 4 and 5, four days later, Monday through Friday to pick it up."
Anne: *facedesk*
Luckily, it's looking like I can have my friend who works evenings in the Hagwans help me out with this one. (Here's hoping.) From what I've seen online, it shouldn't pose a problem, but hey... it's the government... all sorts of things can go wrong. Anyone seen any information on whether people can turn in paperwork and stuff for others VISA-wise (specifically for Bangladesh)?
Anyone want to pray that we can make this work???
Monday, November 14, 2011
선운산
This past weekend, I went on a retreat with many of the teachers from my school, including the principal and vice principal. Needless to say, I was intimidated. I had a suspicion of how things would go down, but I tried not to let my pre-conceived notions of Asian relaxation activities get the best of me. Unfortunately, my pre-conceived notions, in this case, were waaaaay below the mark. I had no idea what was coming for me. In case you are unfamiliar with these rumors, there was a lot of drinking on this trip, and I will leave it at that. But, not to worry, I stuck to my scruples and maintained my morals (how's that for alliteration... I've got to prove my worth as an English teacher somehow, especially since my spelling is not cutting it today).
Unfortunately, it was this weekend that my mind chose to alert me to the severely introverted side of me that likes to come out on the weekends. (If you already knew that, feel free to gloat now.) I'm still hesitant to fully label myself introverted, but I'm definitely seeing the tendencies. So, the Friday night 2-hour dinner and 노래방 (Which is very nicely defined on this page after hitting control/apple-F and searching "norebang') proved to be my definition of stress. However, the Saturday morning hike up 선운산 (산 means mountain, 선운 is its proper name) was almost perfect. I would have preferred it to involve a lot less chatter, but I'm finding that my Korean friends have a lot to say. I'm debating if that's a cultural thing or if it's a my-friends thing. I'll get back to you on that if I come up with a decision.
As with many mountains here in Korea, the hike ended at a Buddhist temple, and I found my friends to be correct: once you've seen one Buddhist temple, you've seen them all. This one was not nearly as peaceful as the other, though, and I was struck by how many Hindu symbols were all around. I'm beginning to think that the two have gotten mixed here, as Buddhism was turned from a lifestyle into a religion. But I'm no Buddhism expert; I'm just making an observation.
All that being said, I think my photos (which will enlarge when you click on them) can speak for themselves from here. ;)
Unfortunately, it was this weekend that my mind chose to alert me to the severely introverted side of me that likes to come out on the weekends. (If you already knew that, feel free to gloat now.) I'm still hesitant to fully label myself introverted, but I'm definitely seeing the tendencies. So, the Friday night 2-hour dinner and 노래방 (Which is very nicely defined on this page after hitting control/apple-F and searching "norebang') proved to be my definition of stress. However, the Saturday morning hike up 선운산 (산 means mountain, 선운 is its proper name) was almost perfect. I would have preferred it to involve a lot less chatter, but I'm finding that my Korean friends have a lot to say. I'm debating if that's a cultural thing or if it's a my-friends thing. I'll get back to you on that if I come up with a decision.
As with many mountains here in Korea, the hike ended at a Buddhist temple, and I found my friends to be correct: once you've seen one Buddhist temple, you've seen them all. This one was not nearly as peaceful as the other, though, and I was struck by how many Hindu symbols were all around. I'm beginning to think that the two have gotten mixed here, as Buddhism was turned from a lifestyle into a religion. But I'm no Buddhism expert; I'm just making an observation.
All that being said, I think my photos (which will enlarge when you click on them) can speak for themselves from here. ;)
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Soon and very soon
Exactly four days from now, I will be located roughly seven miles above the Pacific Ocean.
Four days.
(Don't let the plane fool you... I'm flying Singapore Air.)
Guys, I'm not going to lie to you... I'm really excited, yes, but that's starting to be overtaken by days of dry-mouth and nights of cold sweats. My Korean learning has not come along as well as I would have liked, and every time I turn around someone is telling me how I'm going to hate the weather or how the food will make me sick. I'm so scared, but I know this is where G-d wants me... so I have a request:
For the next four days, will you, please:
1) Pray for me? I need it more than anything. Pray that G-d will loosen my tongue, soften my brain, and open my ears to the Korean language. Pray that G-d will open my heart to the Korean people. Pray that G-d will give me a courage beyond my own to step out of my parents' car on Tuesday morning and get on the plane.
2) Pray for my family and friends? These people mean so much to me, and right now I can tell that I'm hurting some of them by leaving. Please pray that G-d will show them what He has shown me - that this is where He wants me right now, and that He is going to take care of me, as He always has.
3) Tell me how excited I should be? Share the stories of the things you LOVE about traveling and things I can look forward to about Korea. I need to be reminded of that now. I know that there are a lot of things to be uncomfortable about, but I don't need to think about those things anymore. I've already made this commitment to G-d and my employers, so will you please help me make the absolute best of it?
4) Pray for me again? I'm going to need all the prayers I can get as I jump into this, so that I can keep G-d at the center of my life and His goals ahead of my own. I want to do this right, and that means doing it G-d's way.
Thank you all so much for your love and support. It means a lot to me to know that as soon as I hit the "publish" button at the bottom of the page, some of you will start on this list.
I love you bunches and bunches.
P.S. If you click on the title of this post, you will be linked to several intercessory prayers. If you're not sure how exactly to pray for me (or anyone else), please try these out, even the one for "healing." My body may not need healing right now, but my emotions do. Reading through these and thinking someone may pray these words for me is starting to make me cry tears of relief.
Really, I love you all so much.
(Don't let the plane fool you... I'm flying Singapore Air.)
Guys, I'm not going to lie to you... I'm really excited, yes, but that's starting to be overtaken by days of dry-mouth and nights of cold sweats. My Korean learning has not come along as well as I would have liked, and every time I turn around someone is telling me how I'm going to hate the weather or how the food will make me sick. I'm so scared, but I know this is where G-d wants me... so I have a request:
For the next four days, will you, please:
1) Pray for me? I need it more than anything. Pray that G-d will loosen my tongue, soften my brain, and open my ears to the Korean language. Pray that G-d will open my heart to the Korean people. Pray that G-d will give me a courage beyond my own to step out of my parents' car on Tuesday morning and get on the plane.
2) Pray for my family and friends? These people mean so much to me, and right now I can tell that I'm hurting some of them by leaving. Please pray that G-d will show them what He has shown me - that this is where He wants me right now, and that He is going to take care of me, as He always has.
3) Tell me how excited I should be? Share the stories of the things you LOVE about traveling and things I can look forward to about Korea. I need to be reminded of that now. I know that there are a lot of things to be uncomfortable about, but I don't need to think about those things anymore. I've already made this commitment to G-d and my employers, so will you please help me make the absolute best of it?
4) Pray for me again? I'm going to need all the prayers I can get as I jump into this, so that I can keep G-d at the center of my life and His goals ahead of my own. I want to do this right, and that means doing it G-d's way.
Thank you all so much for your love and support. It means a lot to me to know that as soon as I hit the "publish" button at the bottom of the page, some of you will start on this list.
I love you bunches and bunches.
P.S. If you click on the title of this post, you will be linked to several intercessory prayers. If you're not sure how exactly to pray for me (or anyone else), please try these out, even the one for "healing." My body may not need healing right now, but my emotions do. Reading through these and thinking someone may pray these words for me is starting to make me cry tears of relief.
Really, I love you all so much.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
I got my packing list.
I received the email I've been most anxious to get: the one that includes info about PACKING! Yayyyy! Basically, it confirmed a lot of things that I assumed, but also pointed out some things I hadn't thought of.
It suggests bringing a lot of hardsided luggage. I've never shopped for hardsided luggage before, so I don't really know what I'm looking for, except that I'd love a 30" or 31" one, and I'd love it to be part of a brightly-colored set. Any suggestions?
I need a lot of luggage, as I need to bring clothes with me for all four seasons, since it has been confirmed that there is slim to no chance of me finding clothes in my size there. Also, sleeveless tops are a no-no. Apparently my new mantra is: Shoulders are slutty. Yeah... good luck with that, 앤. Not to worry... I dropped $100 or so total and did a mad dash through a bunch of different Goodwill stores. As a result, I have a pretty snazzy new wardrobe. I may do one more run, depending on how much money I have.
As I thought, there are a lot of toiletries that are very different, expensive, or just plain unavailable in Korea, like deodorant, tampons, makeup, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, other hair products, and GUM (I knew I should have never let myself get addicted). Therefore, I am somehow going to try to afford taking a whole year's worth with me. (The pessimistic voice in my head has a field day with that one.)
Of course, I need a power converter... I have one, but I'm not sure it's right for all the things I need to plug in... I'll ask someone technologically capable to help me out with that one.
And then... my stress: I'll need to have enough money to survive the first month there until I get my paycheck. This is definitely my stress right now. Luckily, my synagogue, Congregation Yeshuat Yisrael has offered to help me out on some of these things in addition to throwing me a going away party. I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate them right now. They're being so supportive in this endeavor, praying for me, and loving on me. They are amazing.
In summary... if this is stressing you out too, you are welcome to help me out (I'm not trying to beg... no, wait, maybe I am?). My wish list is here.
I love you all so so much.
It suggests bringing a lot of hardsided luggage. I've never shopped for hardsided luggage before, so I don't really know what I'm looking for, except that I'd love a 30" or 31" one, and I'd love it to be part of a brightly-colored set. Any suggestions?
I need a lot of luggage, as I need to bring clothes with me for all four seasons, since it has been confirmed that there is slim to no chance of me finding clothes in my size there. Also, sleeveless tops are a no-no. Apparently my new mantra is: Shoulders are slutty. Yeah... good luck with that, 앤. Not to worry... I dropped $100 or so total and did a mad dash through a bunch of different Goodwill stores. As a result, I have a pretty snazzy new wardrobe. I may do one more run, depending on how much money I have.
As I thought, there are a lot of toiletries that are very different, expensive, or just plain unavailable in Korea, like deodorant, tampons, makeup, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, other hair products, and GUM (I knew I should have never let myself get addicted). Therefore, I am somehow going to try to afford taking a whole year's worth with me. (The pessimistic voice in my head has a field day with that one.)
Of course, I need a power converter... I have one, but I'm not sure it's right for all the things I need to plug in... I'll ask someone technologically capable to help me out with that one.
And then... my stress: I'll need to have enough money to survive the first month there until I get my paycheck. This is definitely my stress right now. Luckily, my synagogue, Congregation Yeshuat Yisrael has offered to help me out on some of these things in addition to throwing me a going away party. I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate them right now. They're being so supportive in this endeavor, praying for me, and loving on me. They are amazing.
In summary... if this is stressing you out too, you are welcome to help me out (I'm not trying to beg... no, wait, maybe I am?). My wish list is here.
I love you all so so much.
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