fresh faced traveler!

The Beijing Experience.

smholmbe — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 14:36:00 GMT

Though I left China in January, after only having spent two weeks there, I still vividly remember everything. I was so excited to get on the ferry from Incheon South Korea, but as soon as I stepped off the boat into China I was terrified. Always scared to go through customs and security, (I have the feeling like I'm doing something wrong and have no idea!), China was waaay more intense. The woman behind the counter kept looking at my passport, then at me, then back at my passport; this went on for what felt like forever before she finally let me in the country. Once outside my two friends and I were bombarded by cab drivers who all wanted to take us in their cab.

After about 24 hours of traveling, we arrived in Beijing. I could barely contain myself; too many things to do, too much to see. The first couple of days were amazing, I wanted to do everything NOW! When you first arrive somewhere new it's difficult to look past all the facade and really see where you are. After a couple of days I really opened my eyes to Beijing, and its people.

Walking along the backstreets to our youth hostel, we saw the older generation dancing and singing songs of a revolution long past. Seemingly celebrating what was and what could have been. It was a beautiful moment, one that I will always remember. When we went to the Temple of Heaven we were disappointed because we got there too late to actually get into the temple. However, we were pleasantly surprised as we were walking along the grounds to find a group of elderly women and men dancing, singing, eating, drinking, and generally just having a good ol' time. I speculated to myself as to what they were celebrating; something religious perhaps, or maybe its just a beautiful place to get together and have fun.

The people are just one of the many amazing parts of China. I could write for pages and pages, but I won't. So I will leave with this:

“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.”

Ashley Smith

First impressions of Korea

smholmbe — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 00:05:00 GMT

I graduated from college in August and a couple of months later I was in Korea! It was daunting and scary, but I am thankful that I did it. I have been here for two months now, and I absolutely love it. Sure there are times when I get frustrated and angry, but over all I love it. I teach English at an all girls middle school, which, means I have to deal with prepubescent girls all day long (meaning a variety of emotions!) Now I know how my parents must have felt dealing with me.

My first impression of Korea is that the people are generous and very curious. I'm learning a lot about the culture and practices because they are so very different than anything that I'm used to. I love the food! Its delicious and I'm learning to actually like spicy food (something I never liked before!). I haven't really experienced culture shock to a major degree yet, but I'm sure it will come at some point....its now a waiting game.

I live in a city of 90,000 which is a nice size because there is a good number of foreigners without it being too overrun by them. I feel very fortunate to be placed here right next to the beach and close to mountains. There is a lot to do and I love being outdoors! The location to elsewhere in Korea is also pretty good. Its a three hour bus ride to Seoul, so day trips are possible. We are also close enough to North Korea that the beach by my house is closed at 8pm every night for military patrol. This makes you think a lot about how good Americans have it, and how much we don't realize about the world.

So all in all I love being here. I can't wait to see what more Korea has to offer. I'm also super excited about going to Beijing next month! Be on the look out later next month for a blog about my excursion to China!

Gallery: Adventures in Korea

smholmbe — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 23:48:00 GMT