aveleigh's joy

I'm on a train to St. Petersburg.  It's the second time I've made the trip from Moscow to the more northern Russian city.  The first time was over a month ago, when I arrived in Russia for the first time and made my way to St. Petersburg for two reason: 1) To find a job and 2) To see if I would like to live there for a while.  D and I spent three weeks there in total, seeing the city, looking for work, finding it, and beginning to arrange the paperwork.  I also made some small attempts to learn Russian, but after three weeks I've only so far grasped the alphabet and some basic (but important!) vocabulary.  We found a small language school that was looking for new native teachers and they decided to help us process our work visas so we could work for them.  The story of what happened next is a long one, and one better left to another post, so in the meantime, I'll tell you about the beautiful city that is St. Petersburg (formerly known as Leningrad).

Someone told me recently that St. P ranks among the 5 most romantic cities in the world (along the likes of Venice, Prague, Paris, and Istanbul).  I have no idea who conducted such research or how they went about deciding on judging criteria, but I would have to agree.  You wouldn't think to place a former Soviet city with the others in this category, but maybe that's why it's considered romantic, because it's so unexpected!  The beauty of this city is surprising (at least for me, someone who had few previous references to it).  I remarked one day how I 've often found myself thinking "This street feels like any typical European neighborhood street", but then I would walk not 100 metres to come across some stunning piece of historical or architectural significance.  St. Petersburg is packed full of things for tourists to do and see.

The same negatives exist in St. Petersburg as do in Moscow, however.  It is cheaper, but because it attracts so many tourists (especially in summer), the main areas are still quite steeply priced.  Despite the large appearance of the tourist industry, there are still very few signs in English, or any other language aside from Russian.  But, the metro only consists of four lines, so it is much easier to figure out than the Moscow metro.  I think it's definitely true that St. Petersburg is the more 'European' city.  

We seemed to arrive at a weird nexus between winter and spring, because for the first five days we were here it snowed and snowed and snowed, but two days later it was warm outside and the snow was gone.  I imagine that winters here are just as long and dull as those of Canadian cities, with the added bonus of less sunlight!  To balance things out, however, St. Petersburg has white nights in summer, when the sun practically refused to set.  It's really too bad we didn't get to experience those, but I did find myself walking home from work at 9:30pm in late March and seeing no sign of the sun setting. 

Spending three weeks in a city gives you just enough time to settle in and start to act like a local.  For example, we were just getting used to the seemingly redundant practice of buying groceries.  Most of the "grocery stores" are small shops that have three or four separate sections (meat, fresh produce, dairy, dry goods).  You must approach each section and ask the attendant to gather the items from behind the counter and give you a total of how much you owe.  Once you've visited every section you add up your total and stand in line at the cashier to pay and get your receipt.  Then you return to each section and pick up your food.  I have no idea how this system evolved, but I think I need someone to explain it to me. 

We stayed in a cozy little apartment for most of our time in St. P, which was much nicer than a hostel, but also gave us the opportunity to meet some other tourists who were staying in the other bedroom. Coincidentally, perhaps, every couple we met was from England.  The best part about this apartment was that it had no phone, no tv and no internet.  Although we found ourselves bored at times (all of the files on my laptop are now organized, including pictures!) , it forced me to 'unplug' and just enjoy where I was.  I loved getting up and leisurely making and eating breakfast, then reading a book, going out to explore... Of course, almost everyday can look this way when you're traveling, but having internet around always makes it harder for me to accomplish.

I took almost insultingly few pictures in St. Petersburg, probably because I thought I would have many months to take more pictures, but here are those I did manage to snap.

st. petersburg

Moscow, on the other hand, is ridiculously expensive.  We only spent three days there, mostly because we couldn't afford to stick to a budget.  It is, I've heard, the most expensive city in the world.  I had a tough time believing that until I saw it for myself.  I saw a cup of black tea cost the equivalent of $6.  I saw a simple Italian food court dinner cost almost $20.  When you're trying to live on less than $40 a day, it seems you can't eat or drink in Moscow.  But, in other ways, Moscow is wonderful.  

It's full of history, for starters.  Even without making any effort to find the historically significant museums, monuments and statues, you will just run into them, because they are so numerous.  The metro is one of the most beautiful places to see in Moscow, for which it is unique.  In the 1950's, the Soviet government was so pleased with itself for building a metro that is went all out and had every station designed in a majestic manner.  If it weren't so dangerous to walk around with valuables in the metro, I would have taken a whole series of photos based only on train stations.  

Another special feature of Moscow is its architecture.  I was half-expecting big blocks of concrete with few windows, but in fact the buildings in the center of Moscow could be mistaken for the Parisian or Roman variety.  Huge ceilings, complimented by huge picture windows, adorned every room I went into.  And the churches! Wow.  They are like something out of the imagination of the love child of Willy Wonka and Picasso.  Not that that would be possible.  The spires are so unique and beautiful that people go through all the Visa red tape just to see them in person.

And, with some effort, we did manage to find some "cheap" options, such as a buffet style restaurant called "MY MY", which in Russian letters actually says "Moo Moo".  There you can pick and choose your courses (salad, soup, meat, side, drink and dessert) for the bargain price of about $15. What a deal!   We also took the metro around the city, which was fairly cheap. Walking between major tourist attractions is also doable. And, if you want to leave Moscow (for, say, St. Petersburg) you are in luck.  A basic train ticket between the two cities is only $20 in the low season!  We sprung for the four bed cabin and took a night train, but we still only spent about $45 for an eight hour trip and a good nights sleep (those beds are pretty comfy).

The most difficult thing about Moscow is actually not the prices, but rather the language.  I had a serious advantage in that my boyfriend just so happens to speak fluent Russian, but if I had been alone or without a Russian speaker, I would be lost.  Every other country I have been to has been manageable, I realize now, because even if the signs were not in English, they did use a Roman alphabet.  I am able to find my way around because I can recognize or read signs (and because I have an awesome sense of direction, if I do say so myself).  In Moscow, everything uses the Cyrillic alphabet, which I had only just started to study.  The metro is also very difficult for tourists because the station names are not always visible from the train and the announcement is often hard to hear.  We resorted to counting stops on the map. 

My first taste of Russia in Moscow was almost exactly how I imagined it would be.  I was totally overwhelmed for the first 24 hours and then slowly settled into it as I figured out how things are done.   I tried to just go with the flow of Moscow, because I knew I would have three weeks in St. Petersburg to really wrap my head around Russia.  Little did I know, I would need all of that time.  More to come...

moscow

The major theme of our trip to Japan was "cheap".  It's what we were and what we looked for.  It wasn't always easy, but we discovered that it is possible to travel through Japan on a budget, despite what most travel guides tell you.   For a 10 day trip, we managed to come in on budget at around $500 each.  Of course, that didn't include getting there, but I still think that's a pretty good number considering we were in one of the most expensive countries there is.  Here is how we did it, and what exactly we did.

The biggest way that we cut down our costs was to take advantage of a seasonal discount train ticket that was created for students (over their school holidays), but that has no age limit or requirements.  It's available three times throughout the year based on holidays.  We happened to be in Japan at the right time.  We only found out about it after doing hours of research about traveling through Japan.  It isn't very well advertised.  The reason?  It cuts the price of train travel in Japan by 3/4.  It's also half as cheap as taking buses.  The downside is that this ticket doesn't allow you to take the high-speed trains, so you can easily spend a whole day getting from Tokyo to Kyoto (which the high-speed train takes 2 1/2 hours to get to).  This suited us fine, since we had the time (and lacked the money).  Since we moved along at a more leisurely pace, we got to see a lot of the countryside, the coastline, and even Mt. Fuji!  

The other big money saver was accommodation.  Anyone who has ever traveled on a budget knows the value of good hostels.  We were lucky to find several in Japan.  A good hostel for us is clean, has laundry/internet, the option of private rooms (although this isn't always possible), and is not fancy in any way.   The great thing about Japan is that they have more options for budget seekers.  A traditional Japanese style hotel or house is called a "Ryokan" and you can stay in a simple, but lovely room for almost the same price as a hostel.  We found one in Kyoto that was exactly what we were looking for.  Unfortunately, we made a huge mistake in planning our trip to Japan.  We didn't really.  Plan, that is.  We kept doing things on the fly and booking places at the last minute.  FYI, Japan is not the place to do this.  We found that out when we arrived in Kyoto around midnight and could not find a single hotel room in even a dingy, broken down place for the night.  We ended up walking around for a few hours and biding our time in one of Japan's 24 hour McDonald's.  Although, in retrospect, being without anywhere to go for one night is something I'm glad I experienced, it is not a good way to spend time, in general, let alone in a foreign country in March.   

Speaking of McDonald's, the other way we kept our money in our pockets was to eat very cheaply.  We only ate at McDonald's once (on that fateful night), thank goodness.  Mostly, we ate Ramen noodles from the corner store, which will only set you back about a dollar.  Of course, after a week of Ramen, you probably won't feel that great, but you can mix it up a little.  We also bought a lot of food at convenience marts.  In Canada, I'm usually repulsed by convenience store dinners, but in Japan, things are a bit different.  They often sell salads, and fairly fresh meals.  You can even find fruit in the nicer ones.  Again, this is sustainable for much longer than a week, but it's a great alternative to expensive restaurants.  

So, that was our holiday: long train trips, being homeless, not being homeless, and eating really cheap food.  We also did a lot of shopping in Akihabara (the technology center of Japan), strolling through parks, wandering into temples, getting hair cut (mine, mostly), taking pictures of funny signs and hanging out with people we met at hostels.  Japan, in my opinion, is a beautiful country.  It's history, art, people, and landscape are all beautiful.  When you combine beautiful with cheap, you've got a winner. 

japan!

It has felt like Spring on and off for two weeks.  The temperature has shot up and then plummeted again half a dozen times, confusing all kinds of flora, fauna, and people.  I wasn't confused, though.  I knew exactly what was going on.  It was almost time for the change of a new season, and the weather was so excited it kept making false starts, desperate to push through to Spring.  And of course, I sympathized, because the last two weeks have been the end of my time in Korea and I have been desperate to push through them and emerge on the other side.

I did indeed sign a year contract to teach in Korea.  And I had every intention to do that.  But somewhere around the 4 month mark, I realized the job wasn't suiting me, or I wasn't suiting it, and I just wasn't very happy doing what I was doing.  It took me a long time to acknowledge it and even longer to make a decision, because I like teaching and it was really hard to put my finger on what exactly was making me unhappy.  After many long discussions and daily incidences of banging my head against figurative walls, I came to the conclusion that whatever it was, this job wasn't good for me.  This decision was made easier, since D felt exactly the same way and was also ready for a change. 
We mulled it over for a while and only officially decided to quit when our boss ignored everything we had talked to him about improving the program and instead made our jobs harder. We handed in our letters of resignation the next day. 

Since that day almost two months ago we have been on a quest for what to do next.  There were at least 10 different 'plans' and countless hours of research put into it, but it was not until two weeks ago that THE plan was set.  We would fly to Russia, via Japan for a week or so, and then see what happened next.  We might look for jobs there if we liked it, or we might move onto to somewhere else, but we would at least go to Japan and Russia, two of our collective top countries to visit.

And so, the last two weeks have been tough.  As the date of departure approached, the excitement was rising, which made working all the more tedious.  Then there were forms to fill out and accounts to close and things to sell and apartments to clean, and amazing friends to say goodbye to, and a home to find for a kitty we're pretty attached to. Of course, all of these things cause the good kind of stress, which makes you feel crazy, but that you would not trade because once you finish those things it will be time for the change you want.     And, if you just stay focussed on that change, eventually it will happen.  It will be Spring, and you'll be in Tokyo with your amazing boyfriend, navigating a whole new adventure.

ready for spring

Last weekend, in an effort to see some old friends that we had been planning to see for a long time, we went to Seoul.  The only other time we went there ended up being spent mostly indoors, overwhelmed by shopping, so this time we tried to remain outdoors as much as we could handle {given the much colder temperatures than we are now used to} and tried to see and do things that were more interesting than the inside of a shopping mall.  We were mostly successful on both counts.

First, we got to spend a lot of time with our friends, Andrea and JuHyung {whom we call simply "J"}.  We know them from different places and different times, but I had no doubt that we would all have fun together.  We met Andrea in Itaewon, the foreigner district, and had a lunch of Pad Thai, because that is what we do whenever the option is presented to us.  We talked about Korea and compared, complained about and laughed over our jobs {which continued throughout the day}.  Then we went to an English book store and browsed the selection.  I picked up a Russia Phrasebook so I can take my learning wherever I go. J met us there and then pulled out some impressive lists of things to do in his home city.  We decided on the Royal Palace.

The palace {Gyeongbokgung} is beautiful.  It rests between the tall buildings of Seoul and the backdrop of the mountain behind it.  Unfortunately, we missed the entry time, so we could only admire it from outside, but it was still worth the trip.  Instead, we wandered into the Royal Palace Museum, to have a look at some art and a self-striking water clock that some very smart Koreans invented many moons ago.  I took a lot of pictures of beautiful things and wandered around discussing with my friends.

Afterwards, J took us to a cool little street full of shops and restaurants, where we encountered a random procession of old men dressed in traditional clothes, banging on drums.  We ate at an 'italian' restaurant that turned out to be much better than the 'italian' restaurant in Suncheon.  Felling gluttonous, we search for dessert, and took no more than fifty steps before arriving at the ultimate dessert destination:  A cafe that was serving homemade Belgian waffles toppled with ice cream and fruit. Hello! This place was so busy that we had to sit outside, under a heating lamp, but no one complained once the food arrived.

We concluded our day together after walking each other to the subway stop and talking for another half an hour.  It was clear that it had been too long for all of us and we thouroughly enjoyed getting together with old friends and making new ones.  The next day, D and I wandered through Insadong {there was a lot of wandering on this trip} and had lunch in a cafe before delving into a giant mall that made me tired and annoyed. I used to like malls, but they are no longer my thing.  Now my thing is being outside, with my friends, eating belgian waffles and ice cream.

Last week was the long awaited Chinese New Year Holiday, dubbed Solare in Korean.  This year it landed on Thursday, so all of Asia had a very long weekend that started Wednesday and finished today.  It was beyond wonderful to have five days off in a row, and despite the fact that I didn't use them to travel {it's not the best time, since anyone is Asia who can, is traveling at the same time}, I did get to experience some new things right here in Korea. 

For the first day, I embarked on an adventure with two friends to find a small temple and nearby waterfall.  We got lost, several times, but we had fun rolling through the countryside.  When we finally got to our destination we found a lovely little temple with almost no one in it.  This is rare, since tourist attractions are usually absolutely full of people.  We took some photos and tried to stay warm while taking in the architecture and basking in the calm.

By the time we had seen everything, we were too cold and too hungry to bother getting lost again looking for the waterfall, so we pulled over to a small country restaurant instead and stuffed ourselves full of duck.  There is a style of eating in Korea that is like BBQ, but indoors.  Everyone sits around a table on the floor and the meat of choice {usually beef, pork or duck} cooks in front of you on a round slab of metal that is heated from a flame below.  When it is cooked, you take a piece and wrap it in lettuce with anything else you find on the table {such as garlic, onion, raddish, or this yummy red sauce} and then pop that sucker in your mouth.  You have to put the whole thing in at once. Those are the rules. 

After dinner we made our way back to Suncheon, when someone suggested we check out a place I can't believe I haven't been before.  Mostly because it is right beside my apartment, and I used to go to the gym in the same building.  Nevertheless, I hadn't been yet.  It is similar to a spa, where there are several rooms all at many temperatures.  The rooms are made with different kinds of stone and crystals, which are supposed to be beneficial to different ailments.  For example, there was a charoal room at a temperature of 50 degrees C that is good for joint pain.  There was also a crystal room at 104 degrees C.  I'm not sure what that was good for, aside from making one dizzy upon exit. You pay about 6$ and you can stay as long as you want.  It's open 24 hours a day and people actually sleep over.  It has to be the cheapest and most relaxing hotel I've ever heard of. 

The rest of my holiday was spend in my pj's, cuddling with kitties, watching movies and eating, with the occasional jaunt out to see friends or go to the gym.  How very, very lovely.  Happy 2nd New Year!      

temple

* A young girl, of no more than seven, screams into a cellphone while riding on the back of her father's old motorbike.

* On the same street, I see a Dunkin' Donuts and a fresh fish market built of buckets and tarps.

* My taxi has a T.V. but it still only costs $5 to cross the city.

* There is a fan beside my chair in the middle of January, but it is mysteriously emitting heat.

* An old woman pushes a cart full of something four times her size down the road, while a Mercedes honks and swerves to pass her.

I realized last week that my life in Korea, outside of my apartment, is just a string of awkward or frustrating moments. The awkward ones far outweigh the frustrating, and sometimes the awkward even lead to the wonderful, but I can't escape them.  For example, this week I had several mothers of preschoolers at the library tell me how much better my predecessor was.  She was more 'interesting' one said.  Ha.  Sorry lady, I'll work on that.  She also spent her 'whole' day playing with one woman's daughter, I was told.  I guess my predecessor didn't have any classes to prepare for. 

The line between appropriate and rude is much thicker in Korea, which has led to moments where strangers are commenting on my weight or my skin.  Sometimes I'm asked questions that I consider very personal, but I can't respond with "That's none of your business" as easily as I might be able to in Canada.  Sometimes the awkward arises even when I'm talking to a foreigner, because I spend so little time interacting with them that I forget how to have an entire conversation.  I've found myself forgetting English words, or even speaking the way Koreans do, which we refer to as "Konglish".

Sometimes though, when you push past the awkward bit, you end up having a really fulfilling conversation, or you find yourself in an entertaining situation you couldn't have previously imagined.  This week I ended up spending one evening listening to a Korean rock band practice at the university and then I even got to bang away at their drum set for a while, all because I had just met one of D's students and decided to follow him there.  The next evening I found myself learning the salsa from a Korean guy that reminded me of The Godfather.  One of my Canadian friends takes lessons at a dance studio and after getting over the awkwardness of dancing in front of a bunch of Korean strangers, I had a lot of fun.

There are always good moments to be found, even among a series of unfortunate ones.  I guess you just have to be open to them. 

Although 2007 was technically known as the year of the pig in the Lunar Calender, in the Aveleigh Calender it will always be known as the 'Year of Travel'.   This year, I lived in two new countries and traveled to a total of 10.  I spent only two months in the country where I hold citizenship. I've traveled for school, work and pleasure.  I've been on approximately 20 airplanes, 10 trains, 4 boats and 17 buses. And I've taken somewhere in the range of 5000 pictures documenting it all.   

If I had to describe last year in any other way, it would be the year that I turned my life upside down, more than once.  First, I moved to Europe to study and to live in another country.   Then, I moved to Korea to work and to explore the world with one of my favourite people.  Both of these decisions seemed, at times, insane.  But such change has only ever proven positive in my experience.  And thankfully, that trend continues.

I think the only way to improve the title of 2007 would be if it came to be known as the 'First year of Travel'. I have some goals in mind for 2008, and very near the top of the list is to continue traveling in some capacity.  Also near the top of the list is to spend some time volunteering for something I care about.  It has been awhile since I've done volunteer work anywhere, and I've never been able to commit my time fully to any one cause.  I'd like to do that this year.  I'd also like to learn Russian, or atleast, start to.  Last night I began learning the alphabet and how to read the letters and I felt so accomplished.  I think this is a langauge I can get behind. 

I'm not a big fan of resolutions, but I am a fan of setting goals.  The new year is just a convenient time to do so. However, last year I didn't have any specific goals and that turned out pretty well.  Maybe I should adopt the same attitude I held a year ago (when I started this journal), that I would go easily wherever life took me.  Last year took me farther than I expected and maybe this year will do the same. 

There was a week between Christmas and my trip to Canada when all I wanted to do was get away.  Luckily for me, I had a week off and a ticket to Bangkok.  D and I spent a blissful week touring Bangkok, Phuket and Phi Phi Don.  I've been thinking about going to Thailand since I first discovered thai food back in my sheltered small town high school days.  My passion for thai food only flourished when I moved to a city with a dozen great thai restaurants.  When I decided to move to Korea, one of my main reasons was "It's closer to Thailand than I've ever been!"  So, the decision to go there was an easy one for me. 

It lived up to my expectations in every way.  Not every country does, so I've given Thailand a coveted spot in my list of favorite places.  The people were friendly (although bargaining with them was difficult at times), the streets were vibrant, the beaches were spectacular, and the food.  The FOOD.  It was delicious. Every single time.  Pad Thai tastes so much better when you see it made just for you on the street and it only costs 80 cents.  I can't say there were highlights, because every day was pretty great in its own way, but some of the things we saw or did include: celebrating New Years Eve on Khao San Rd., eating dinner atop a hotel of 60 floors with a wonderful view of Bangkok,  buying a lot of cheap stuff (including a new camera lens from a 5 floor mall full of technology related merchandise), staying on a tiny beach in a bungalow on stilts, swimming in the ridiculously warm ocean (D's first time!),  climbing over a mountain with all our luggage (that one goes in the 'stupid' category) and centering most of the trip on eating as much delicious thai food as possible.  Mission accomplished.

Also, Big Kudos to D for helping me fulfill one of the silly things I wrote in the 'Future goals" section of my high school year book.  To dance on Phi Phi island.  It was a vacation I really needed and trip I'll always remember. Mostly because of all the pictures I took.

on top of bangkok