there are lots of things i could be doing at school at the moment, but i have been on my feet for the past six hours teaching non-stop to a bunch of stressed-out students. all of the grading and essay preparation can wait for tomorrow, when i will have much more time than a measly thirty minutes (thirty minutes of somewhat patiently waiting to get out of here for the night).
life is a little crazy at the moment, but, then again, my life is never really normal. much of the drama is not mine to tell. i'll leave it off the blog aside from my own musings about how exactly one crashes one's car into a cow. i thought cows were slow and stationary animals, but perhaps they are faster in africa. all mammals involved are recovering and doing better...i just have to wonder.
having been in korea for a solid six months now, i haven't laid eyes on a cow in quite some time. we don't really have them in tallahassee either, so it must have been during my last trip to kentucky. i guess i don't know my farm animals, so who am i to judge?
having been in korea for a solid six months now, i'm also starting to consider what to do after the next six. my ideas change almost daily. i want to teach again. i never ever want to teach again. i want to go back to southeast asia. i want to go to south america. i want to... i want to... i want to...
who knows? but two things are definitely in my pre-law school period of freedom. i'm making tentative plans to do the everest base camp trek with a fellow scuba girl from phi phi right after i finish here. i would still be home for thanksgiving (at least, christmas). it's something i have wanted to do since leslie and grat started planning their trip there. i couldn't go with them because they started the same day i began my divemaster's internship.
speaking of diving, that's my second must-do: i want to get my open water scuba instructor's ranking. i have to do it in bali, where i did my divemaster's. i love the shop there, and i love everything about life in bali, even my commute at sunrise (if a biycle ride down the beach is really a commute at all).
as for now, just looking forward to the next weekend.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
photos!!
riley's 23rd birthday at beer o'clock. three girls, thirty shots, lots of pizza = not really a challenge.
modeling the hanbok (korean traditional costume) with riley at gyeonbokgung palace. for a culture so obsessed with being thin, you would think it would be a little more flattering than 2000000000 yards of fabric. i enjoyed watching the costume staff run around trying to find "giant size" shoes for me. yes, they did feel like wearing baby boats on my feet.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
the next installment for sea backpacker (may/june)
How to dress a backpacker in ten easy steps:
1. Fisherman’s pants Without these pants, a backpacker would just have to go naked. They are perfectly suited to any traveler’s activities—lounging on a beach, elephant riding, trekking, and, most importantly, long trips in trains, planes, automobiles, and stinky buses. My favorites are the silky ones from Khao Sarn Road and the thicker, embroidered ones from the Sunday Night Market in Chiang Mai.
2. Scarves, scarves, and more scarves Wherever you go in Southeast Asia, you’ll find beautiful scarves. In the majority of places, they are silk, but there are heaps of stunning cotton ones to be found as well. They make perfect gifts for anyone, and they take up very little space in your backpack. Like fisherman’s pants, you’ll want them in every color as well as an extra picnic-printed korama from Cambodia to cover your face on the dusty tuk-tuk rides.
3. Sarong The close neighbor to the scarf but, if possible, more versatile. In fact, you can even wear it around your neck like a scarf! It can also be a beach mat, blanket, towel, wall decoration, rug, skirt, dress, hair wrap, or napsack. I even once used a sarong to bandage a friend’s bleeding foot at a beach party. Pick one up from the old lady selling them off her shoulder on the beach for 100 baht (3 USD) or hold out for fancier ones in Bali for 40,000 rupiah (4 USD).
4. Street sunnies Gucci, Chanel, Ray Ban, or just something big and colorful…You name it. You bargain for it. You look like a backpacker. Find the best deals in a night market near you.
5. Beer shirts Singha, Chang, Tiger, Beer Lao, Bintang, Angkor. You’ve been drinking these local brews throughout your travels, so why not remember it with a shirt? Pick up the local specialty with your next beer tower.
6. “In the Tubing” shirt Whether you remember it or not, you’ve been on every rope swing down the river, starting with the big zip line at Bar One. You’ve played volleyball in the mud pit and experienced Slide Bar. Your friends have covered you in handwritten tattoos, and the Q bar boys have spray-painted Q’s anywhere you will let them. How else are you going to commemorate your time there than with this backpacker’s wardrobe staple? Find them in any color and cut in the dozens of little shops in Vang Vieng.
7. Jewelry with a story You’ll keep the jewelry you get while traveling way longer than any shirt or bag, so you might as well stock up. I actually measured the jewelry I bought in Chiang Mai in kilos after I left. Favorite pieces: Cambodian silver cuffs, and, of course, the giant Chiang Mai beads. If your looking for something with a name on it, don’t forget the knock-offs to be found in Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown.
8. Sundresses A sundress is perhaps the easiest outfit in the word. It’s an outfit in itself, so just throw on some of your awesome jewelry and you’re set. Extra benefit: works as a breezy swimsuit cover-up. (Guys’ option: street boardies. Where else can you pick up a pair of board shorts for the same price as your curry?)
9. Headbands Add a headband to your salty locks and instantly become a Greek goddess for the night’s beach party. (Guys’ option: the Jason Mraz hat. You put it on, and I won’t hesitate no more…I’m yours!)
10. The cloth bag Bedazzled or not, there are size requirements to be met. It must hold at least a 1.5 L 7-11 bottle of water, a copy of Lonely Planet Southeast Asia on a Shoestring, camera, travel journal, wallet, spare swimsuit, and, if you’re lucky, a kitchen sink.
Now that you’re fully dressed, don’t forget to pick up a few things for your home: a hill tribe blanket, string lights, notebooks, postcards, and street art!
1. Fisherman’s pants Without these pants, a backpacker would just have to go naked. They are perfectly suited to any traveler’s activities—lounging on a beach, elephant riding, trekking, and, most importantly, long trips in trains, planes, automobiles, and stinky buses. My favorites are the silky ones from Khao Sarn Road and the thicker, embroidered ones from the Sunday Night Market in Chiang Mai.
2. Scarves, scarves, and more scarves Wherever you go in Southeast Asia, you’ll find beautiful scarves. In the majority of places, they are silk, but there are heaps of stunning cotton ones to be found as well. They make perfect gifts for anyone, and they take up very little space in your backpack. Like fisherman’s pants, you’ll want them in every color as well as an extra picnic-printed korama from Cambodia to cover your face on the dusty tuk-tuk rides.
3. Sarong The close neighbor to the scarf but, if possible, more versatile. In fact, you can even wear it around your neck like a scarf! It can also be a beach mat, blanket, towel, wall decoration, rug, skirt, dress, hair wrap, or napsack. I even once used a sarong to bandage a friend’s bleeding foot at a beach party. Pick one up from the old lady selling them off her shoulder on the beach for 100 baht (3 USD) or hold out for fancier ones in Bali for 40,000 rupiah (4 USD).
4. Street sunnies Gucci, Chanel, Ray Ban, or just something big and colorful…You name it. You bargain for it. You look like a backpacker. Find the best deals in a night market near you.
5. Beer shirts Singha, Chang, Tiger, Beer Lao, Bintang, Angkor. You’ve been drinking these local brews throughout your travels, so why not remember it with a shirt? Pick up the local specialty with your next beer tower.
6. “In the Tubing” shirt Whether you remember it or not, you’ve been on every rope swing down the river, starting with the big zip line at Bar One. You’ve played volleyball in the mud pit and experienced Slide Bar. Your friends have covered you in handwritten tattoos, and the Q bar boys have spray-painted Q’s anywhere you will let them. How else are you going to commemorate your time there than with this backpacker’s wardrobe staple? Find them in any color and cut in the dozens of little shops in Vang Vieng.
7. Jewelry with a story You’ll keep the jewelry you get while traveling way longer than any shirt or bag, so you might as well stock up. I actually measured the jewelry I bought in Chiang Mai in kilos after I left. Favorite pieces: Cambodian silver cuffs, and, of course, the giant Chiang Mai beads. If your looking for something with a name on it, don’t forget the knock-offs to be found in Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown.
8. Sundresses A sundress is perhaps the easiest outfit in the word. It’s an outfit in itself, so just throw on some of your awesome jewelry and you’re set. Extra benefit: works as a breezy swimsuit cover-up. (Guys’ option: street boardies. Where else can you pick up a pair of board shorts for the same price as your curry?)
9. Headbands Add a headband to your salty locks and instantly become a Greek goddess for the night’s beach party. (Guys’ option: the Jason Mraz hat. You put it on, and I won’t hesitate no more…I’m yours!)
10. The cloth bag Bedazzled or not, there are size requirements to be met. It must hold at least a 1.5 L 7-11 bottle of water, a copy of Lonely Planet Southeast Asia on a Shoestring, camera, travel journal, wallet, spare swimsuit, and, if you’re lucky, a kitchen sink.
Now that you’re fully dressed, don’t forget to pick up a few things for your home: a hill tribe blanket, string lights, notebooks, postcards, and street art!
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