May Volunteering | 1 of 2

After a bit of a break, Markus and I were able to volunteer at the woman's shelter again. The families that are at the shelter stay for around six months and then they are phased out. All of the students that I used to teach are all gone. This time around, all the kids were new. At first I was a bit nervous, but it wasn't too long til I grabbed one of the girls hands and we skipped into a new friendship. 

One thing that fascinates me about Korea is the amount of children with dyed or permed hair. It's pretty crazy seeing little kids with blue or red hair. While we were at the shelter, I spied the little boy with red hair and said that he was going to be my new bff. I'm happy to say that I was pretty successful because his mom later told me that he liked me. The blue haired kid wasn't part of our group, but I had to get a picture. These crazy haired kids are like Pokemon and I gotta catch em all. 

We walked about 15 minutes to a nearby park and practically took over. There was the perfect amount of volunteers to kids. There was face painting, manicuring, see-sawing, climbing and chasing. As much as I loved my old students, these kids really won me over. They were so much fun and really sweet. I spent most of my time playing and talking with them because I couldn't help myself. 

Usually, the moms and older siblings don't come with us, but this time they decided to join. Throughout the afternoon, the mom of the little girl in the awesome purple sweater kept looking at me curiously. I couldn't tell if she wanted to talk to me or was just confused. When we were walking back to the shelter, she finally started talking to me. She spoke in really broken English, but she was trying really hard. It was actually a really good conversation. I told her that we were going to try and have a baby soon and she proceeded to tell me what vitamins I needed to take. I think she kept looking at me because she was building up her courage to talk to me. It was the sweetest and cutest thing. It's moments like that that make me feel completely humbled and thankful to be in Korea.

Miss Wong Cocktail Bar | Siem Reap, Cambodia

While in Siem Reap, Markus and I wanted to try and find unique and interesting places to eat. As much as I love Korea, it still lacks a lot of the comforts of home. There is a lack of cocktail bars, western food and even authentic Asian foods. While researching Cambodia, I stumbled upon Miss Wong Cocktail Bar. It's described as a "a taste of vintage Shanghai." I scoured the reviews, which were mostly positive, and scanned through all the photos. It seemed like the perfect place to spend an evening and we marked it as a must see.

After a tiring day at Angkor Wat, Markus and I decided to venture out to Pub Street, a very popular tourist area, and eat at Miss Wong. We weren't sure how to get there, so we hired a tuk-tuk to take us there. The driver left us on the street and pointed down an alley. I turned and saw red lanterns and umbrellas and knew we were at the right place. We walked in and I felt like I was in heaven. The ambiance and atmosphere was amazing. It was a bit dark, but not in a seedy, creepy way. There was a great mix of locals and tourists and I could tell that it was a very popular place.

Markus and I went a bit crazy and ordered heaps of drinks and food. The great thing about Cambodia is that everything is crazy cheap. Meals are as low as $2 and cocktails can be $1. It's a travelers dream come true. Miss Wong is a bit more classy so drinks were around $5 and the food was anywhere from $3 - $6. It was great. The drinks were pretty good, but not the best I've had. I enjoyed all of our food, but my favorite was the dessert. It was a sort of sticky red bean pudding. I can't really remember exactly, but what I do remember is that I was really satisfied with it.

Overall, I really enjoyed Miss Wong. It's probably in my top 10 best bars in the world and I've been to quite a few. So, if you find yourself in Siem Reap, Cambodia make sure you visit Miss Wong! You won't regret it, promise.

Eats with Jeff #6: Chicken Feet and Raw Beef

Chicken Feet Restaurant

For this Eats with Jeff, somehow we ended up eating two bizarre foods, chicken feet and raw beef. Coincidentally, the restaurants happened to be in the same neighborhood. I will say that I'm no stranger to unique foods. Even though I was raised in America, my parents were really adamant about introducing me to other cultures and their foods.  I think that's one of the best parts of life and traveling is experiencing new things.

I apologize for the shameless photo of me, but I was really excited about my outfit. As Jeff told me, it was very Korean. I find that the longer I live in Korea, the more Korean I look. All my Korean friends already tell me they think of me as one of them. Before I know it, I'll be an honorary Korean and will be so confused when I'm back in America.

Chicken Feet

Chicken Feet

Chicken Feet Wrap

I've eaten chicken feet at dimsum restaurants before and I've enjoyed it. It's not necessarily my favorite dish and I wouldn't immediatley think to eat it, but it's quite tasty. Although, I hate holding up a mangled chicken foot and knawing away at it. I always feel a bit awkward. Thankfully, these chicken feet were deboned, so I didn't have to spend heaps of time taking off the meat. Korean style chicken feet is very different from the Chinese style. It's mixed with red sauce and sesame seeds. It's also grilled so it's not full of sauce. When you find a really nice blackened piece and eat it with a sesame leaf, it's really yummy.

Jeff is seriously the little brother I never had. It's really creepy how similar he is to my older brother Chris. They make the same expressions. They even speak like one another. Even though they have similarities, Jeff is also completely different. I'm so thankful we were able to meet and become friends. Just think, if we never met, I never would have tried so many delicious foods. 

Hanu Beef Pajeon

Raw Beef or Yukhoe

Beef Sashimi

I've always been a bit iffy about raw meat. I think it's one of the things that they drill in your head back home. Raw meat can lead to an upset stomach, food poisoning or worse, death. It isn't something that I was keen on, but after being in Korea, I really wanted to try it. Jeff was able to find a really good restaurant that only served raw beef and at a reasonable price. I couldn't believe some of the prices he quoted me. Since we stuffed our faces full of chicken feet earlier, we decided to order a small sampler. There was ground marinated beef with a raw egg and beef sashimi. The beef sashimi wasn't that great. It was cold and a little tasteless. The marinated beef was amazing. It was so flavorful. I would actually eat that again if I get the chance.

Ugh, why is his face so cute?

Seriously, sometimes I can't deal with it.

Carrot Cake

Strawberry Cake and Cappuccino

Afterward, we wandered around Seomyeon for a bit looking for a nice cafe. We finally found the Coffee and Cake Studio and ended the evening with yummy cake and coffee. I feel like Eats with Jeff wouldn't be complete unless we eat some kind of cake or sweet treat. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed chicken feet and raw beef. It's definitely something I would recommend to anyone in visiting or living in Korea.

Sleeping Buddha | Angkor Wat, Cambodia

After we were finished at Bayan Temple, our tuk-tuk driver MJ, told us to meet him at the Elephant Terrace. He explained how to get there and I thought I understood. He told us to walk down a street and follow it. It would've worked out if Markus and I exited where he told us, but we didn't. When we left Bayan Temple, we were both confused. We chose the one with the most people and headed, hopefully, in the right direction.

Everyone was walking toward another temple and we assumed it was where we needed to be. We saw a set of stairs that led to the top. I was already a bit tired after Bayan Temple, so I told Markus I didn't want to go. He was really keen, so he went to climb the top while I waited at the bottom. While he was gone, I tried figure out where MJ would be waiting.

As I looked for MJ, I started to realize that this wasn't the Elephant Terrace at all. I looked for someone to ask and finally came across a Khmer guide. I asked him if he spoke English, but he didn't, he spoke French. An elderly gentleman heard us speaking and said that he could help me. He was French and he translated from French to English.

We walked to the front so that he could wait for his family too. He told me that the temple wasn't the Elephant Terrace and it was the Sleeping Buddha. He told me a few other things, but I really can't remember all the facts. Later,  I found out that he was from Paris. He said that he's traveled the world, but there is no place like Paris. Finally, his family found him and we said goodbye. As he walked away, I remember smiling and feeling very thankful. Even though it was just for a short time, it was still an unforgettable experience. I will never forget the kind Frenchman that told me about his beautiful city and the history of the Sleeping Buddha.

Perks of Teaching in South Korea: Adorable Students

One of the perks of teaching in South Korea is definitely the kids. Markus and I often talk about the extreme cuteness of Korean kids. They are by far the cutest kids in the world. I don't know if I'm bias but I think Asian kids are freaking adorable and nothing can top Korean kids. Most days, I just run around the library gushing over them. Markus and I usually argue about who has the cuter students, but I always think that my kids are the best. Not only are they smaller and talkative, but they also speak English really well. So yea, I win.

My favorite <3

Look at that face, so cute.

My favorite student is in the pre-school class and he's really tiny. I think he's younger than all the other students. When I saw him, I was really worried. We had another young student and he would run around the class, yell at everyone and sit under the desk. He was basically a nightmare. I was worried that this new boy was going to be just like him. 

When I started reading the book, I started pointing to pictures and the only kid that knew the answers was that little boy. He was the only one answering any of my questions. Later, there was an activity that needed scissors. He shouted in Korean, "Teacher, I don't have scissors!" I told him to come to the front and grab some. When he went to get the scissors, he yelled out to his classmates, "Who needs scissors?" It was in that moment that I fell in love with that little boy. Every time I see him, his face lights up with a big smile and I can't help but feel happy. It's definitely students like him that make me love what I do.