Motoh-BaiKeh

Today has been a lovely day! First off, our schools have allowed us to stay home on both Thursday AND Friday so we've been getting a chance to catch up on some sleep and also to run some errands. We were paid today, and N8 informed me that we are getting an extra 100,000 won per paycheck because of general inflation, its not much but its nice to have the extra little boost. 

We start school again on Monday and I have yet to know what classes I'll be teaching. At first I would get angry because everything is so last minute here, I thought that they were just shoving my needs to one side and getting back to me at the last second. But I have realized that Koreans do this all of the time! We have 5 new English teachers at my school, and they too have NO IDEA what in tarnations is going on. I feel for them, but I'm not as shocked anymore by the last minute decisions and changes that are made. I guess I will just have to figure things out on Monday at school. 

Anyways, the big news for today is that we bought another motorbike! We have been tip-toeing over the idea for a few months now, and we decided its the best thing for us now that it will be getting warmer and we might as well get it asap so that we can get the most use out of it for our money's worth.  We paid 500,000 Korean Won which equals out to about $300 >which is a STEAL!! (thanks to the exchange rate) We also got a free break lock, a bike cover, and a nice new sturdy helmet for N8, since I already have one. Although I think we are feeling a little like over protective parents with this bike, because we are going to buy a second lock and all, we hope that nothing terrible happens to our new baby. 

Back to the Basics

The vacation time is now coming to a close. Sister time was incredible and much needed. We did a lot of fun things together, and I showed S the Korean ropes around our town. 

N8 and I are now getting back into the groove of school, he has been on a strict schedule of going into to work from 8:30-4:30 M-F to sit at his office and make lesson plans. I, on the other hand, have been giving a lot of days off, mainly to be with my sister and just to have me be at home because there is nothing for me to do at work. I love my school.

We start teaching again in March.  I am more excited for this semester because it is now the beginning of a new school year. So the students will be more organized, a little more attentive and excited about classes. We will be leaving in September, our contract is up August 31st, which means we will be leaving our kids in the middle of the school year. 

Now that we are officially at the half-way mark, I'm starting to feel sad about all of things we are going to miss here, the food, friends, students, teachers, environment, beach, mountains...the list goes on. No matter how much we complain about Korea being so different and crazy at times, I think we really do like it here, and we appreciate how it has changed us. But most of all, I'm going to miss my company with N8. Having to separate at the airport to leave with our designated family members will be hard to endure. We are at a stage in our life where we ping-pong back and forth from Independence to dependence at the drop of a hat. 

But I will tell you this, I am so grateful that we have such a loving and supportive network of family and friends that will always be there for us when we need some help. 

Southeast Asia

I couldn't possibly describe our 3-week PAID vacation through Thailand and Cambodia. But here's a run-down of our itinerary so that you can better follow the pictures and videos that you'll find below:

1. Flight to Taipei, 4-hour layover
2. Flight to Bangkok, sleep overnight in the airport
3. Early morning flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia
4. 3 nights in Siem Reap (activities: Temples of Angkor, floating village)
5. Flight to Bangkok, spend the day in Bangkok
6. Sleeper train to Chiang-mai (northern Thailand)
7. 4 nights with our friend Mae in her mansion (activities: tons of stuff)
8. Sleeper train to Bangkok, spend the day in Bangkok
9. Sleeper train to Surathani (southern Thailand)
10. 3-hour bus to Krabi (beach town) (activities: rented a motor bike and visited surrounding beaches and hiked a mountain); spent the night
11. Woke up at 6:30am to watch Superbowl XLIII
12. Had to leave from the guest house with 4 minutes left in the game to take a 2-hour boat trip to the island of Koh Pi Pi
13. Checked the internet: Steelers win!
14. 3 nights in Koh Pi Pi (activities: beaches, partying, and snorkeling)
15. 2-hour boat ride back to Krabi, spend the night
16. early morning 5-hour bus ride back to Surathani
17. 10-hour bus ride back to Bangkok (still no sleep)
18. Sleep in Bangkok airport (hardly any sleep)
19. Flight to Taipei, 5-hour layover
20. Flight to Seoul

Overall, Steph and I saved a lot of money traveling the way we did. We met a lot of amazing people. If you're willing to utilize budget accommodations and small, sometimes uncomfortable transportation, traveling isn't cheap and exciting. We were able to see much more of the countryside, and we had plenty of time to cope with our thoughts as well as simply observe. It was an amazing trip.

CLICK ON ANY PICTURE IN THE SLIDE SHOW TO SEE A LARGE VERSION!!!!

Cambodia Pictures


Cambodia Videos






Thailand Pictures


Thailand Videos







Terrible Towel Photos

Tune In

N8 will be updating the blog asap about our vacation with photos! 

S is here (in Gangneung, Korea) so please see our sister site for day to day updates:

 pleasantly-furious.blogspot.com  

Some R&R

Geeze Louise its been a long time since we've posted! Our 3 week vacation is coming to an end and we are enjoying every last minute. N8 and I have our first EVER 3 week PAID vacation; so we hit it up Cambodia, Northern Thailand and also the south beaches of Thailand.
We saw some of the temples at Angkor Wat which were an amazing sight. We stayed there for 4 days and then headed to Chiangmai. We stayed with my friend, May, which saved us a lot of money because she also drove us around everywhere. We were there for about a week and now we are in Koh Pi Pi which is an island off of the south coast of Thailand. We are happy to finally have some sun on our skin, we are eating so well, and we are averaging 2 massages per week! What a life!
Throughout our trip we have been flashing the terrible towel everywhere in support of Pittsburgh's run to the Superbowl. We woke up at 6am in Krabi (south thailand) to watch the game and we were so happy to be a part of Superbowl history!
Once we get back we will post our pictures of our trip--
You'd think that the fun and games are over...but we're only half way there. N8 and I arrive in Seoul on Saturday the 7th and we will stay overnight in the city to await S's arrival on Sunday the 8th! We are excited to discover Korea all over again with some sister time. <3