Erik-Amara

Erik and I noticed many comical differences between Seoul and Shanghai. For one, the people of Seoul are much more fashion conscience. No plaid pants with striped shirts here! Also, the Koreans in Seoul seemed much more polite. When getting on the subway, they would line up and wait for people to get off the train before they actually tried to enter. Line up, single file! This has never been seen in Shanghai. Also, we never witnessed a fight to the death for a seat on the subway, the seats that were reserved for the handicap and elderly actually stayed empty because people remained standing. People even lined up (single file again!) for the escalator. They stood on one side of the stairs leaving the other side free for people who wanted to walk up the escalator. Erik and I were baffled by this. So different then what we're used to.

While Korean people want to learn English, they don't seem interested in American culture. In Shanghai, people often ask what kind of American movies and music we like and what it's like to live in the U.S. In Korea however, we mostly heard questions like what Korea movies and music we liked and what kind of Korean food we enjoyed. Also, walking around town, people never gave a second glance. In Shanghai, we are constantly being stared at. So that was an intersting change.

I enjoyed our time in Seoul. It was good to gain some understanding and experience in a different culture. I'm looking forward to our future travels. Asia has proved to be a facinating place to travel.

Day three began with us leaving our couchsurfing host (she had told us she could only let us stay until Wednsday) for a cozy, 40-dollar a night guesthouse in the heart of Seoul. First we went to the largest traditional street market in Korea. Namdaemun market is located in the center of Seoul and is a famous shopping place for tourists. The market has been open for centuries.

Next we went to Itaewon, Seoul's international district, housing a variety of western-styled venues to eat, drink and be merry. Being a place where many foreigners congregate, it remains somewhat of a niche nightlife area for Koreans who are interested in a more international scene. A number of notable bars and clubs spot the area, both on the main street and in the alleys off it. The alleys were full of interesting little shops. Amara and I got some clothing embroidered with our names on it.

Day two began with us on our way to Korean War museum. Outside the museum is a monument to all the (South) Koreans, Americans, and other UN soldiers that laid down their lives to fight off the North.Surrounding the monument are vehicles and heavy artillery that have been used in struggles like the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf War.


Inside the museum, we got to see many interesting exhibits. The first display was the original treaty that the Japanese signed to surrender the allies in WW2. After the war, the country was divided into the communist North and the democratic south (although actual democracy took decades to be effective). After Stalin got the bomb, he gave North Korea the thumbs up to invade the south. The result was a war that left millions dead and the original borders re-established. The museum had interesting wax figures depicting key battles, videos, weapons, maps, and timelines. I spent so much time looking around that Amara had to tell me that we had been here for hours and it was time go.
We did not get to go to the Demilitarized Zone because the South Korean President, on his way to a peace conference in the North, wanted to walk across the border on foot. As a result, they cancelled the tour on the only day we could do it.

Later that night, we went to the top of the Seoul tower. It is located on the top of a mountain in the center of the city. We went at night, and got breathtaking views of the city.

October 1 is National Day in China. It's sort of like the 4th of July in the U.S. On this day in 1949, Chairman Mao founded the People's Republic of China. So because of this holiday, Erik and I both had a week long vacation from work and class. We spent this first holiday in Korea. We had an awesome trip!

As usual, we had a little trouble at the airport, which was frustrating of course. We didn't get into Seoul until nearly dinner time rather then early afternoon like we had hoped. We spent our first two nights in Korea with a girl we connected with online. We met her through this great website called couchsurfing.com. This website connects you with other travelers from all over the world. You can look up any city and find other couchsurfers who live there and then stay at their home for free. It's really cool. We're anxious to host our first couchsurfer sometime soon.

So, we stayed with a girl named Gloria. She was really nice. We took her to a Korean resturant and got our first taste of delicious authentic Korean food. We tried a lot of new dishes while we were in Korea and they were all very good.

On the first day we went to Gyeongbuk-gong, Seoul's grandest palace and the seat of power for centuries before it was razed in 1592 by a Japanese invasion (and they did a repeat after 1910). Within the palace walls was the Korean Folk museum, which gave us an intersting look at traditional Korean culture before westernization.

Later that night, we enjoyed Korean BBQ. It was the first of many delicious cusines that we would enjoy on the trip.

Amara here.....
So the last few weeks here have been eventful (in a good way). I experienced my first Teacher's Day. They make a really big deal of it here in China. Since I had only been teaching at Kid Castle for a little over a week, I didn't expect anything, but I did receive one gift from a student.

It's a Fuya. They're the mascots of the Olympics. While the teachers in China may not be paid all that well, they are greatly respected.

Here's some pictures from my day in Suzhou.

Here's me with some of the girls I work with at Kid Castle.

Here's me with one of my closest friends here, Iris.

Things have been going much better for me in terms of getting the paperwork I need in order to work here legally. Although the previous school I worked at, Shane, continues to refuse to give me the results of the health exam I had to take in order to work here, I have managed to get another copy from the hospital. Ten dollars later and I'm good to go. When Erik and I go to South Korea, I will go to the Chinese Embassy in Seoul and apply for my work permit. Once I have my work permit, I can apply for my residence permit. With that I can stop reapplying for visas all the time and I'll also be able to move freely in and out of China. So, needless to say, I am very happy right now. Things are beginning to work out.

So today is Mid Autumn Festival. It's the celebration of the full moon that occured tonight. During Mid Autumn Festival, it's traditional to spend time with family and eat mooncakes. We spent the day at the zoo. Yes, we finally made it to the Shanghai Wild Animal Park. Erik has been waiting to go there since we got here. It was fun. Much like last year. We rode the bus through the lion and tiger pit and fed the lemurs. At night, we visited one of our friends who lives near Fudan University. Fudan is like the Harvard of China. Our friend Benjamin is busy studying in hopes of being accepted there this winter. The campus is beautiful so it was a nice night.

So things have been going well. I have a three day work week, and then Erik and I are off to Korea! We excited for our first trip out of China.