I'm trying to weed out the plastic from my life, but it's difficult here in Korea. I'm trying to hunt down mason jars so I can store my food in something other than bags. It's really tough to get produce without plastic bags or plastic wrap here as well.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Money and Time Management Decisions
While I've been putzing around on the internet looking for good ideas for my upcoming (and definite) trip to Cambodia with Wendy Sue Rosloff: baker and drummer extraordinaire and all around awesome, fun woman, I've been trying to think more about how much money I actually have. This was also inspired by the crushing realization that Eric and I would not be able to do Thailand as I originally thought due to budgetary concerns.
This wouldn't be a problem and easy to do if I weren't concerned with getting out of credit card debt ($2,000ish) and paying off my private student loan ($5000ish), but alas, I would rather get that all cleared up so I can start living on the money I actually have and not leaking interest out every pore. So I made a rough financial plan, and I can do it--pending no extreme surprise expenses. But, I have to decide what's important to me for post contract adventuring. And that sucks.
It's just a matter of when and if I can do it all before I go back to the grind (hopefully, a more fulfilling and allowing of vacations with friends and family kind of grind). Getting an Asian Air Pass would make traveling Asia in August a do-able course of action, but I don't know if I'll get to see all the places I want to: Russia, Japan, the Philippines, Nepal, Tibet (I would settle for Nepal only), Thailand, Viet Nam (I heard a podcast on the Pho of Hanoi and the food of Saigon and I really want to go now, not to mention the natural beauty) and Bali (not really necessary) with possible Mongolia but I'm not really interested in that immediately. I have to remember that I can probably come back, as land masses and countries are usually stable (at least the ones I really want to visit).
Staying with friends and finding temp work in Tucson would make that month totally doable and make the savings requirement on my end a lot less (I could always sell my soul to a call center for the training period and then quit, again...) and while in AZ I'd have to hit up the Grand Canyon and Sedona as I've never been to either place. I'd love to do a siblings and friends camping trip while I'm in AZ--and that means planning around my brother and sister's social and school schedules. A manageable feat, I think.
As far as travelling California and Oregon, I could always break that up into mini-trips since I refuse to work another job that takes my weekends away like the Baker did. So, Yosemite gets priority on this one, since I've never been and it involves seeing a couple of wonderful people whom I haven't seen in over a year now. I can swing by Sacramento to see my Aunt Evelyn either before or after the trip then meet up with the Fiddaments (cousins, aunt, uncle and grandparents Karen and Dave) and go to Grover Beach to see my Aunt Sandy on either the way up or the way down then hit up Ridgecrest to see my grandparents (henceforth known as Nanny and Papa, not to be confused with Grandma Karen and Grandpa Dave in Northern California). I'd also want to see San Francisco as I was only there for a crappy 5ish hours before and I didn't get to do anything I was really interested in. The real hiccup would be Eric's schedule since he has a job to consider in all this, but there is always the possibility of some sort of splitting off, in which case we would have to figure out what we're bringing on the camping trip vs what Chis and Bey would be supplying (Chris is really into backpacking and has a ton of supplies--you should check out his blog on his adventures all over the West Coast, it will make you want to go Muir on the landscape). More logistics, do they ever end? Not for the travelling soul, not at all.
It's already looking pretty booked, and that's just the beginning. Maybe Oregon will have to wait for a mini-trip time later on, after I have money from a job, but who knows, maybe I'll come into a mystery surplus.
So it's a matter of figuring out the best way to get a car, if at all, really. If the whole point of coming to Korea was to get out of debt while strengthening my character, I can't really see the wisdom of signing a car loan (if I can get one), but I don't want to spend money on a crap car that I'll just have to pay on to keep running. I'm actually comfortable with the idea of not having a car upon my return, but it brings up more questions of logistics--how do I get the stuff my parents are storing in Tucson back to L.A.? I could always rent a truck, though that's pretty pricey. Or borrow a car from someone. Hmm.
I'll be living in Los Angeles which is totally car-crazy, but I'll be living in an area with more available public transit and I'll have a bike--another purchase I'll have to make.
Well, the time to go teach is nearing. I must retire these thoughts from my mind for the next four and a half hours, then I can resume working it all out on my way to Seoul. Costco card and dinner with my new vegan friend Caroline!
~Sarah
This wouldn't be a problem and easy to do if I weren't concerned with getting out of credit card debt ($2,000ish) and paying off my private student loan ($5000ish), but alas, I would rather get that all cleared up so I can start living on the money I actually have and not leaking interest out every pore. So I made a rough financial plan, and I can do it--pending no extreme surprise expenses. But, I have to decide what's important to me for post contract adventuring. And that sucks.
It's just a matter of when and if I can do it all before I go back to the grind (hopefully, a more fulfilling and allowing of vacations with friends and family kind of grind). Getting an Asian Air Pass would make traveling Asia in August a do-able course of action, but I don't know if I'll get to see all the places I want to: Russia, Japan, the Philippines, Nepal, Tibet (I would settle for Nepal only), Thailand, Viet Nam (I heard a podcast on the Pho of Hanoi and the food of Saigon and I really want to go now, not to mention the natural beauty) and Bali (not really necessary) with possible Mongolia but I'm not really interested in that immediately. I have to remember that I can probably come back, as land masses and countries are usually stable (at least the ones I really want to visit).
Staying with friends and finding temp work in Tucson would make that month totally doable and make the savings requirement on my end a lot less (I could always sell my soul to a call center for the training period and then quit, again...) and while in AZ I'd have to hit up the Grand Canyon and Sedona as I've never been to either place. I'd love to do a siblings and friends camping trip while I'm in AZ--and that means planning around my brother and sister's social and school schedules. A manageable feat, I think.
As far as travelling California and Oregon, I could always break that up into mini-trips since I refuse to work another job that takes my weekends away like the Baker did. So, Yosemite gets priority on this one, since I've never been and it involves seeing a couple of wonderful people whom I haven't seen in over a year now. I can swing by Sacramento to see my Aunt Evelyn either before or after the trip then meet up with the Fiddaments (cousins, aunt, uncle and grandparents Karen and Dave) and go to Grover Beach to see my Aunt Sandy on either the way up or the way down then hit up Ridgecrest to see my grandparents (henceforth known as Nanny and Papa, not to be confused with Grandma Karen and Grandpa Dave in Northern California). I'd also want to see San Francisco as I was only there for a crappy 5ish hours before and I didn't get to do anything I was really interested in. The real hiccup would be Eric's schedule since he has a job to consider in all this, but there is always the possibility of some sort of splitting off, in which case we would have to figure out what we're bringing on the camping trip vs what Chis and Bey would be supplying (Chris is really into backpacking and has a ton of supplies--you should check out his blog on his adventures all over the West Coast, it will make you want to go Muir on the landscape). More logistics, do they ever end? Not for the travelling soul, not at all.
It's already looking pretty booked, and that's just the beginning. Maybe Oregon will have to wait for a mini-trip time later on, after I have money from a job, but who knows, maybe I'll come into a mystery surplus.
So it's a matter of figuring out the best way to get a car, if at all, really. If the whole point of coming to Korea was to get out of debt while strengthening my character, I can't really see the wisdom of signing a car loan (if I can get one), but I don't want to spend money on a crap car that I'll just have to pay on to keep running. I'm actually comfortable with the idea of not having a car upon my return, but it brings up more questions of logistics--how do I get the stuff my parents are storing in Tucson back to L.A.? I could always rent a truck, though that's pretty pricey. Or borrow a car from someone. Hmm.
I'll be living in Los Angeles which is totally car-crazy, but I'll be living in an area with more available public transit and I'll have a bike--another purchase I'll have to make.
Well, the time to go teach is nearing. I must retire these thoughts from my mind for the next four and a half hours, then I can resume working it all out on my way to Seoul. Costco card and dinner with my new vegan friend Caroline!
~Sarah
Monday, November 8, 2010
It's definitely Autumn here.
So, October 30th a group of foreigners (myself included) rented a bus...a karaoke bus
...and went to see the fall colors at Guinsa Temple. This motley group drove the bus driver mad by belting out "Bohemian Rapsody" and had to tone it down so he would drive the bus the rest of the way. Yes, half the bus was drunk by 12 noon (not me, I'm not drinking alcohol at the moment, and I thought that the people who were drunk at the temple were disrespectful and rude). Welcome to Korea. Playground for drunk waygooks.
It took us three and a half hours to get from Seoul to the temple, but it was worth the drive--though I would have liked to have left earlier than we did so we could have had more time in the National Park. The Engrish used for the lyrics to "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd were gold, pure gold.
I couldn't capture it all, but Allison (my amazing and nerdy friend out here) was in tears because of the stereotypical errors popping up on the screen.
The temple is huge! The colors blended perfectly with the landscape and the changing colors.
I hope to be able to go back and do a temple stay there, they have an awesome guide there who speaks English fluently and says things like, "Buddhism is a philosophy, and it can be used with any religion or no religion. It's an upgrade for your mind. Like you need to upgrade your computer, Buddhism will upgrade your mind. When was your last upgrade? How old are you? How many lifetimes since you updated your computer?" She's pretty cool, big smile teacher glasses and a warm demeanor.
(That's all soy sauce, soy paste and chili paste, there were several vats like this)
I think a temple stay there would be more what I was looking for in the temple stay I did down at the Golgusa Temple (though that one was cool because of the Sunmudo martial art practiced there). I'll blog about that next.
We wondered around and oo-ed and awe-ed at the colors, then walked down to a restaurant to get lunch/dinner before trying to make it to a river ferry through part of the forest. We didn't make the ferry, but it's all good. I had a wonderful day and met some cool people.
...and went to see the fall colors at Guinsa Temple. This motley group drove the bus driver mad by belting out "Bohemian Rapsody" and had to tone it down so he would drive the bus the rest of the way. Yes, half the bus was drunk by 12 noon (not me, I'm not drinking alcohol at the moment, and I thought that the people who were drunk at the temple were disrespectful and rude). Welcome to Korea. Playground for drunk waygooks.It took us three and a half hours to get from Seoul to the temple, but it was worth the drive--though I would have liked to have left earlier than we did so we could have had more time in the National Park. The Engrish used for the lyrics to "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd were gold, pure gold.
I couldn't capture it all, but Allison (my amazing and nerdy friend out here) was in tears because of the stereotypical errors popping up on the screen.The temple is huge! The colors blended perfectly with the landscape and the changing colors.
I hope to be able to go back and do a temple stay there, they have an awesome guide there who speaks English fluently and says things like, "Buddhism is a philosophy, and it can be used with any religion or no religion. It's an upgrade for your mind. Like you need to upgrade your computer, Buddhism will upgrade your mind. When was your last upgrade? How old are you? How many lifetimes since you updated your computer?" She's pretty cool, big smile teacher glasses and a warm demeanor.
(That's all soy sauce, soy paste and chili paste, there were several vats like this)I think a temple stay there would be more what I was looking for in the temple stay I did down at the Golgusa Temple (though that one was cool because of the Sunmudo martial art practiced there). I'll blog about that next.
We wondered around and oo-ed and awe-ed at the colors, then walked down to a restaurant to get lunch/dinner before trying to make it to a river ferry through part of the forest. We didn't make the ferry, but it's all good. I had a wonderful day and met some cool people.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Chickety China Warning: Don't get massages in Qingdao
This is what will happen.
My back the day I got back from China, yes, that's a bruise.
My back the day I got back from China, yes, that's a bruise.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Jeju-do, DMZ and other Korean Adventure Plans
I just booked the tickets for Eric and I to go to Jeju-do during his visit, we'll be on the island from the 26th-28th. The tickets were so cheap! Thanks to Lonely Planet, I found Eastar Jet, I'll probably use them for other travel as well--tickets to Thailand were half the price as on any other website.
The day after we get back, Eric and I will be staring down the guards of the North Korean Boarder (as long as nothing goes wrong and the non-refundable tour isn't canceled due to conflict).
I'm reading through the Lonely Planet Korea for things to do in Seoul, and trying to keep in mind that it will be freezing cold here.
Overall, I'm really excited and just a little nervous about how we'll bare the cold. I'm trying to make a list of all the weather-proofing I need to do (there's a breeze in my apartment, not just a draft, a breeze). I'll need to buy a space heater as heaters don't exist in Korea. And my shower doesn't push out hot water when on full blast, so I'll have to get that repaired (and I want to get that done before December for myself as with the space heater). The bathroom sink works fine, so I don't know what's up with the plumbing.
Tomorrow morning, I'm going out with a large group of teachers and friends of teachers to look at the fall colors (there are 40 of us and we chartered a bus to Chungbuk Danyang) and climb around in a cave. I made some soup for lunch tomorrow as I'm not eating rice at the moment and we'll be going to a temple for food.
Oh! And I got some Vega! Turns out Vegan Essentials does have it, I just couldn't find it because their search function isn't as good as Google. It's pretty sweet (stevia and chicory root, not sugar--I'm not eating sugar right now either), but the vanilla gets overpowered easily and I add cinnamon to the mix to get some spiciness into the mix. And I weighed in at 146.4lbs yesterday! That's without exercising and basically planning my meals around greens, and cutting out sugar and flour.
I am still in and out of mourning the loss of Worf, but I don't think it's hit me completely due to the distance. It was difficult watching an episode of Farscape that had a creature being hurt and the cries sounded like that of a kitten in distress. I don't understand what would make someone want to kill a cat, and I'm sorry Worf didn't get to live longer and share more Snuggie snuggles with me.
The day after we get back, Eric and I will be staring down the guards of the North Korean Boarder (as long as nothing goes wrong and the non-refundable tour isn't canceled due to conflict).
I'm reading through the Lonely Planet Korea for things to do in Seoul, and trying to keep in mind that it will be freezing cold here.
Overall, I'm really excited and just a little nervous about how we'll bare the cold. I'm trying to make a list of all the weather-proofing I need to do (there's a breeze in my apartment, not just a draft, a breeze). I'll need to buy a space heater as heaters don't exist in Korea. And my shower doesn't push out hot water when on full blast, so I'll have to get that repaired (and I want to get that done before December for myself as with the space heater). The bathroom sink works fine, so I don't know what's up with the plumbing.
Tomorrow morning, I'm going out with a large group of teachers and friends of teachers to look at the fall colors (there are 40 of us and we chartered a bus to Chungbuk Danyang) and climb around in a cave. I made some soup for lunch tomorrow as I'm not eating rice at the moment and we'll be going to a temple for food.
Oh! And I got some Vega! Turns out Vegan Essentials does have it, I just couldn't find it because their search function isn't as good as Google. It's pretty sweet (stevia and chicory root, not sugar--I'm not eating sugar right now either), but the vanilla gets overpowered easily and I add cinnamon to the mix to get some spiciness into the mix. And I weighed in at 146.4lbs yesterday! That's without exercising and basically planning my meals around greens, and cutting out sugar and flour.
I am still in and out of mourning the loss of Worf, but I don't think it's hit me completely due to the distance. It was difficult watching an episode of Farscape that had a creature being hurt and the cries sounded like that of a kitten in distress. I don't understand what would make someone want to kill a cat, and I'm sorry Worf didn't get to live longer and share more Snuggie snuggles with me.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Updated Chickety China, but
Chickety China Part 5:Wednesday is up, but it posted as older than my rant about weight gain. So, check it out by scrolling down!
****Same thing with Part 6, since I started writing it on the 22nd it posted as the 22nd.****
****Same thing with Part 6, since I started writing it on the 22nd it posted as the 22nd.****
Friday, October 22, 2010
Thailand Turmoil
So, it turns out I might not be able to make Thailand happen just now. Eric has his ticket to come out here, so that's exciting! The only problem with Thailand is December is peak season and tickets are around 700$ each. I think it would be wisest for Eric and I to bum around Korea. It makes me feel like a failure in a way, because other people are going places and I could have made it happen with the prices that were up a month ago, but maybe it's better this way. I can always add it to the list of places I need to see when I finish my contract.
Traveling is proving to be more difficult than I thought it would be, I don't have nearly enough time off to do trips out of the country. And the time off I do have is all round the same time so there isn't any relief economically.
*sigh* If the travel agents I contacted can get me a better price, I'll jump on it.
The good news is, no matter what happens, I get to spend my Winter holidays with Eric! New Years makes four years of being in the healthiest, happiest relationship ever!
Traveling is proving to be more difficult than I thought it would be, I don't have nearly enough time off to do trips out of the country. And the time off I do have is all round the same time so there isn't any relief economically.
*sigh* If the travel agents I contacted can get me a better price, I'll jump on it.
The good news is, no matter what happens, I get to spend my Winter holidays with Eric! New Years makes four years of being in the healthiest, happiest relationship ever!
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