The Best of the Best

Korea has plenty of things for foreign teachers to love. Here is a list of my top likes/loves:

4. Safety

• Being in Korea, or at least Gwangju, is the safest I have ever felt. I can come home alone at 4am, sleep with my door open, and no one will think anything of it. 
• Jogging at night at home could be a bit scary in some areas of town, but in Gwangju I have never felt a worry.

3. Convenience/Ease of living

• First, I will start with convenience. If you need something (say---eggs), all you have to do is walk out your front door, maybe 1 block or less, and there will be a store with them (or almost anything you need). I haven't had a problem finding anything. 
• Also, life feels so easy here (almost to the point of too easy). No, most foreigners don't speak Korean, but our apartments are paid for and the Korean staff at school sets up our bills, so that is the only thing we need to keep track of. Other than that, life is pretty much simple. 
• I must also note that the transportation is great. I had never ridden a city bus before coming here, and I am hooked! Taxis are super cheap and convenient as well.

2. The Food

• I probably comment on the subject of food too often, but eating and trying new food is something I enjoy. The food in Korea is outstanding. While many foreigners have cravings for food from home, and some even constantly whine about it, others are savoring Korea's goods.
• Some of my favorites: Mandu, Sun Dubu Jjigae, Kimbap, and Samgyeapsal

1.  The Kids!

• I was the girl who said she would never have children. They terrified me, and still do sometimes, but something has changed that I can't explain. I seriously love these kids. 

2NE1

I can't help but love it

Lotteria

Everyone has their own favorite fast food fix. Back home in Atlanta, mine was Taco Bell for drunk nights, and Chik-fil-A for any other reason. 

Here in Gwangju, we are somewhat limited for fast food (which could be a good thing for people like me). There is food that is "quick", such as Toast (a hot sandwich with egg, ham and cheese), Mandu (meat and kimchi filled dumplings), and Kimbap (think sushi with veggies and other things). And these foods are nothing short of delicious.

But, sometimes you just get the craving for greasy hamburgers and mexican food. [Un?]luckily, there is a Korean fast food chain right near my apartment.

Lotteria is as close to McDonald's as any of the fast food places I have seen in Korea. They have a variety of burgers (pork, beef, and shrimp) as well as french fries, mozzarella sticks, and sweet potato balls. Although it is no Mcdonald's or Taco Bell, it is the next best thing, and I am thankful for this little gem.

Oh, and did I mention they have ICE CREAM?!

Dos Mas? Si, por favor!

I ventured out of my house before noon, guys! And for a good reason...

I was invited to patron this teensy little "mexican" restaurant called Dos Mas. This is the 2nd mexican resaurant I have been to since being in Korea (Taco Bell is Seoul doesn't count).

This place was near Chonnam University (10 minutes from where I live by taxi), and sort of hidden in the back gate area.

The menu had burritos, nachos, french fries, tacos, and tequila.  I got the burrito and it was filled with bulgogi (beef), rice, cheese sauce (think movie theater), spicy sauce, onions, and lettuce. The combo only cost 3,500 Won (about $3!!!)

It was definitely worth it if you live in the area...but for me, the transportation was 5x the price of the meal ($14 there and back...ouch).

But next time I am around there, I will definitely be stopping by for a quick fix.

Week in Cambodia

A great thing about teaching in SE Asia is that travel is relatively easy and cheap. I decided to take my week vacation and spend it in Cambodia.

We stayed in Siem Reap the first two days and saw the amazing Angkor Wat. Out hotel was The Golden Banana which was great. They helped us plan all of our day trips and our bus to Sihanoukville.

The day after Angkor Wat, we visited the Tonle Sap. This is the largest river/lake in SE Asia. We went to see the floating village, which is just that. Land is more expensive than living on the water, so extremely poor families will live in the floating village. There were dogs, pigs, and chickens on these homes, too.  There was even a school on the water with over 100 students.

After Siem Reap, the next stop was Sihanoukville. We took the overnight (10 hour!) bus ride from hell. I actually slept the majority of the time, but I heard the bus driver was driving like he was having the worst LSD trip. Awesome. A few miles before our bus stop, our bus broke down, and the driver informed us we had to get off the bus. Upon exiting, all of the passengers were accosted by tuk tuk drivers and motor bike taxis. We got a tuk tuk, which is now my favorite mode of transportation, which took us to a booking place. It worked out in the end, and we booked our boat to the island of Koh Rong, which is a 2 hour boat ride from Sihanoukville.

The island was beautiful! There were only a few places with bungalows, and we stayed at the farthest accommodation from the "village". The Treehouse Bungalows were amazing...I am not used to things like no running water, sweating endlessly (really, I didn't stop once), and one matted, unbrushable dread on my head, but it ended up being totally worth it.

After a few days of snorkeling, playing with puppies, watching sunrises, laughing at roosters, and lazing around, it was time to go to Phnom Penh. It is the capital of Cambodia and there were so many things to see---the National Museum, Central Market, the Palace, tons of restaurants and street food, and pigeons?

Some of my favorite things about this trip was the food variety. Fish Amok is one of my new favorite foods. Also, how unbelievably cheap everything was was a huge plus (dinner and drinks for less than $5). The people were very kind and everyone seemed willing to help. I look forward to going back someday.