Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Bangkok, Thailand
So last Friday, June 26th,2009, I went to Bangkok, Thailand with Mom, her best friend, and her step-daughter from Friday to Tuesday. I had a very bad internet connection and no phone service so I was unable to update my blog.. sorry! We arrived to Thailand very late Friday evening and I didn't do much that night because by the time we arrived to the airport and then to the hotel it was 3 am when I went to bed. The next day started off very early I had to be up at 6am for breakfast at 6:30 and I had to be ready to go by 7 am! We were apart of a group with 8 people total ... we traveled with a tour guide who worked for moto tour. She was very nice, funny, spoke very little english, and she is 23 years old but in Korea she is 24 years old. Background on that.. in Korea as soon as a child is created they are 1 years old and when they are born they are 2 years old.. so they just count differently.
ok back to Saturday.. we walked around a famous temple in Bangkok which was made of pure gold. When you enter you are not allowed to show any skin except your toes. There sections of the temple you are not allowed like, the kings home, and the section only for his lawyers and their families. The kings home is made from pure gold.. I have many pictures to show everyone when I get back. I will post a few but I took 200 pictures during the trip! There is another famous temple that goes 33 ft in the air from the first step which on the second base layer of the temple. I climbed it as far as they would let you go and the view of Thailand was amazing! The country is so poor but all of the richest are in the gold temples, and buildings that they have. The people eat such poor quality food, and they suffer from many different diseases but they all worship and take pride in this temple. The culture in Thailand is very shocking! First of all, they don't use toliet paper so some advice if you go to a poor asian country bring your own!! Well they use toliet paper like we use paper towels to dry our hands with... so it wasn't that bad.. but if you forget to grab it before you go.. then you are in trouble!
After we toured the temple I got to experience Thai food, not my favorite at all .. I waited for the Korean style dinner. The people in Thailand are so small because they barely eat meat!! Rice, Veggies, and soup.. all day everyday! Saturday was filled with walking around and learning about the cultural of Thailand. Something interesting I learned about is called " The Golden Triangle" its a group of people who have been fighting for centuries to become their own country. Their corners touch Thailand and China and they have been at war with China for many years because China will not let them make their own establishment and be their own country. You can google it for more information! Later that night we went to see the night life of Thailand, which is very dangerous because many of the people will take your purse and go! there are signs warning you!!
Sunday was the best day ever! I went para sailing in the open ocean.. I got dropped 3 times into the water and picked back up over and over again. The view was so amazing... to see the city and the moutains reflecting from the water was so beautiful! The best experience ever because that was the first time I have ever been para sailing. To say that my first time was in Thailand is priceless! Then we went on a boat to an island and went jet sking! That was so awesome because I made and jumped my own waves! The beach was perfect.. light blue water like the Bahamas!! Later that day we went to an elephant show and I learned that it only takes the trainers 6 months or less to teach the elephants how to do tricks!
On Monday we went to the local Zoo.. where pigs and tigers share the same cage!! it is there tradition for the baby tigers to feed off of the pigs when they are babies so they can grow to be friends? very weird!
Later that night we went to the "open market" where you can bargain for anything! the currency here is baht so i had to exchange my won (korean) and it was very cheap. the open market is like the flea market in america but they sell many strange things here!
We had to go to the airport at 9pm because the other 4 people we were with had to fly out at 11pm, and our flight was scheduled for 1:20am.. so i shopped around the airport because everything is tax free!
Now I am going to bed because even though we left at 1:20 am due to the time change we got back to Seoul at 9am.. and I got back to Moms apt at 11am! So good night :)
Thank you all for everything I have many goodies to share :)
Love you all
Jessica
ok back to Saturday.. we walked around a famous temple in Bangkok which was made of pure gold. When you enter you are not allowed to show any skin except your toes. There sections of the temple you are not allowed like, the kings home, and the section only for his lawyers and their families. The kings home is made from pure gold.. I have many pictures to show everyone when I get back. I will post a few but I took 200 pictures during the trip! There is another famous temple that goes 33 ft in the air from the first step which on the second base layer of the temple. I climbed it as far as they would let you go and the view of Thailand was amazing! The country is so poor but all of the richest are in the gold temples, and buildings that they have. The people eat such poor quality food, and they suffer from many different diseases but they all worship and take pride in this temple. The culture in Thailand is very shocking! First of all, they don't use toliet paper so some advice if you go to a poor asian country bring your own!! Well they use toliet paper like we use paper towels to dry our hands with... so it wasn't that bad.. but if you forget to grab it before you go.. then you are in trouble!
After we toured the temple I got to experience Thai food, not my favorite at all .. I waited for the Korean style dinner. The people in Thailand are so small because they barely eat meat!! Rice, Veggies, and soup.. all day everyday! Saturday was filled with walking around and learning about the cultural of Thailand. Something interesting I learned about is called " The Golden Triangle" its a group of people who have been fighting for centuries to become their own country. Their corners touch Thailand and China and they have been at war with China for many years because China will not let them make their own establishment and be their own country. You can google it for more information! Later that night we went to see the night life of Thailand, which is very dangerous because many of the people will take your purse and go! there are signs warning you!!
Sunday was the best day ever! I went para sailing in the open ocean.. I got dropped 3 times into the water and picked back up over and over again. The view was so amazing... to see the city and the moutains reflecting from the water was so beautiful! The best experience ever because that was the first time I have ever been para sailing. To say that my first time was in Thailand is priceless! Then we went on a boat to an island and went jet sking! That was so awesome because I made and jumped my own waves! The beach was perfect.. light blue water like the Bahamas!! Later that day we went to an elephant show and I learned that it only takes the trainers 6 months or less to teach the elephants how to do tricks!
On Monday we went to the local Zoo.. where pigs and tigers share the same cage!! it is there tradition for the baby tigers to feed off of the pigs when they are babies so they can grow to be friends? very weird!
Later that night we went to the "open market" where you can bargain for anything! the currency here is baht so i had to exchange my won (korean) and it was very cheap. the open market is like the flea market in america but they sell many strange things here!
We had to go to the airport at 9pm because the other 4 people we were with had to fly out at 11pm, and our flight was scheduled for 1:20am.. so i shopped around the airport because everything is tax free!
Now I am going to bed because even though we left at 1:20 am due to the time change we got back to Seoul at 9am.. and I got back to Moms apt at 11am! So good night :)
Thank you all for everything I have many goodies to share :)
Love you all
Jessica
Thursday, June 25, 2009
2009.6.25
over the past few day i went to Sinchon with mom and she taught me how to use the subway system so i could go on my own during the day! I taught 4 English Classes for my Aunt Jenny at her private English School.. and i made a short video of some of the students singing as part of their lesson. i have been trying to learn new words in Korean everyday.. i feel as if i am getting better at it. On Friday I am going to Bangkok, Thailand for 4 days, and 3 nights.. and they are 2 hours ahead of Korea. So I feel like my body will never get use to the different time zones!! I am sleepy now though so off to bed I go.. hope all is well back home!Jessica
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
going to the movies
Today was an adventure.. I took the bus to the Incheon CGV and I got lost! So I asked someone for help and thankfully they spoke a little English. I had my international phone with me so mom was able to translate what was going on! I made it to the movies, had McDonald's and then had sweet tasting popcorn with my cousin Jenny! The movie theater is pretty big its like 4 to 5 stories high!! After the movie was over I took the subway home.. first experience ever and it was alot better than the bus here! So today was a pretty relaxing day .. I did go for a run today by myself.. which put me right to sleep when I got back hahah!
Here are some pictures :)
Monday, June 22, 2009
SHOPPING
Today I went to the underground station with my Mom and basically its awesome! So u go underground and there are hundreds of booths set up of things to buy.. clothes, shoes, cell phones, bags, etc and everything is cheap and if you want it then bargain for it! I made some purchases by myself with the little korean i know ! Later on, Mom and I went for dinner and drinks with my Aunt we had a good time. My Aunt owns an English school and we went by there so I could check it out and while I was there I was " Jessica Teacher" and the kids liked me so much they want me to come back! So my Aunt wants to pay me to come back on Thursday and help teach English to the kids for a day!!! I am so excited :)
After dinner I went back to the underground station by myself.. I walked there alone and went shopping some more! haha things here are really cheap :) the style is very different and the sizes are alot smaller!! Basically, the people here are alot skinner than Americans because all of the shirts for boys are on the same size scale as Hollister or American Eagle! The shirts for girls all say FREE.. which translate basically One size fits all ... but there are some shirts that say that and I know they won't fit me!! hahah
I am having a really good time here and each day I am trying to learn more words in Korean. Yet, my Mom is socially driving me crazy because she talks too much about John and one day I cracked and told her ... oops! She still talks about him but now she talks to her younger sister more.. that's why I left dinner as soon as I was done eating because I wanted Mom to talk away so I didn't have to hear anymore about it on the car ride home :)
Love you all,
Jessica
After dinner I went back to the underground station by myself.. I walked there alone and went shopping some more! haha things here are really cheap :) the style is very different and the sizes are alot smaller!! Basically, the people here are alot skinner than Americans because all of the shirts for boys are on the same size scale as Hollister or American Eagle! The shirts for girls all say FREE.. which translate basically One size fits all ... but there are some shirts that say that and I know they won't fit me!! hahah
I am having a really good time here and each day I am trying to learn more words in Korean. Yet, my Mom is socially driving me crazy because she talks too much about John and one day I cracked and told her ... oops! She still talks about him but now she talks to her younger sister more.. that's why I left dinner as soon as I was done eating because I wanted Mom to talk away so I didn't have to hear anymore about it on the car ride home :)
Love you all,
Jessica
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Me at the Seoul Art Center
Me and Peter.. he did that pose on his own.. he is very shy so i was laughing!
inside the Italian Resturant
memorial site for all korean soliders
Mom,Me,Peter,Uncle
At Italian Resturant Aimo e Nadia
Seoul
This is the famous 63 building, that is the name of the building because it is the tallest one in Korea!
More buildings!
annyeong-haseyo everyone!
Today was a fun day in Seoul! This morning I went to a Korean Christian church with Mom and it was very interesting because I did not understand a thing that was said. I am glad that I had a translated Bible to read because her brother's church did not have an English translator. So Mom did the best she could for me because the preacher was speaking very fast. After church I met Mom's brother and his family and we went to a very nice Italian Resturant. My cousin Peter is in the 3rd grade and he played the violin for me after lunch. He is very talented because as you will see and hear in my video he taught himself how to play. When i left he started to cry because he did not want me to go and I felt really bad! So after we ate Mom and I drove around Seoul and she showed me some famous places to Korea like the Seoul Art Center. We walked around a muesum and we got hungry so John, Mom's Boyfriend, took us to this sushi resturant by the west coast of Korea.. the ocean is not as pretty as the one's in Florida! But it was a nice view and of course we had to sit on the floor again with no shoes! This time we had little floor chairs to sit on which was good for my back! The food was beyond crazy because Mom and John had live octopus!! I am not joking I ALMOST GOT SICK WHEN I FIRST SAW HER EAT ONE!! This package dinner came with some weird stuff and I tried a few things but I didn't go back for seconds thats for sure! I had fried eel, which was very interesting. This resturant was an hour away from Mom's house so on the way home I was able to see Seoul and Incheon at night... which was awesome because there are so many lights due to all the buildings and such. I got some money out of my uncle and mom's boyfriend.. she was definitely jealous about that haha! Of course everyone I met and say hello to in korean say i am cute because i try to say it quickly like mom does.. haha i am a pro at it now though. Today, I ordered a drink by myself in korean.. i was kind of bad but i got my drink! ok so i am off to bed thanks everyone for keeping up with the blog!
or in korean annyeong-hi geseyo (goodbye)
or in korean annyeong-hi geseyo (goodbye)
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