Hualien, Taiwan

Ticket to Hualien

Hi everyone! This is part three (of three) in my Taiwan travel series blog posts. To read parts one and two, click the attached links. For the last leg of my trip to Taiwan, my friend Nikki and I headed to the central-eastern side of the country to visit the "countryside". We wanted to explore a more nature-filled part of Taiwan, so we headed to Hualien, expecting to go hiking at one of the country's most renowned national parks.

The trip from Taipei to Hualien was about three hours, but the train ride was beautiful! Riding along the coast, we saw the East China Sea, mountainous landscapes, and pure country. I met a few nice older Taiwanese ladies who had moved to Canada and California, respectively, and they chatted with me and told me all about the beautiful things to see and do in Hualien.

Taroko National Park

Upon arrival, we checked into Big Bear Hostel, which seemed to be popular with the Europeans. We set our bags down and set out to wander around the small town. Funny story: as Nikki and I were exploring the street markets later that day, we stumbled into a tea shop, where we saw two Western-looking women struggling to speak with the shop owner. The shop owner was sampling different teas for them, and she seemed adamant about having Nikki and I sit down too. We booked it out of there immediately (LOL). Later that evening when we were back at the hostel, the very same two women walked into our room and that's when we realized they were our roommates for the night! Haha. We were laughing about the situation for quite some time.

Anyway, after we wandered around awhile, we decided to crash early so that we would be ready for our big day the next morning! Nikki and I were heading to Taroko National Park, where we would spend the day hiking and exploring natural landmarks. Unfortunately, the transportation system of getting around the park was not as easy as described to us at the hostel. We bought a day-pass for public buses where we could get off and on as we please throughout different areas of the park. Unfortunately, the bus times listed were not accurate with when the buses actually showed up to different stops, so Nikki and I ended up walking from hike-to-hike at some points throughout the day, which cut back on our plans for the day and where we wanted to end up at.

Our monkey friend

Transportation aside, the park itself was beautiful! Nikki and I explored four different areas of the park, completing two major hikes and spending time at areas with various landmarks to see. The park is very vast and open, so we never felt rushed or annoyed by people around us (hooray). The only scary part was when we met a [domesticated] monkey friend who came too close to our lunch and tried to swipe it away from us.

I'll describe a little bit about where we went and what we saw. Some descriptions are courtesy of the Taroko National Park website.

Baiyang Trail
The Baiyang Waterfall Trail is characterized by the number of tunnels. Some of the tunnels are as straight as a pencil and we could see the light at the end, but other tunnels were curved so we were enveloped in pitch-black darkness for a short time. The trail was originally built by Taiwan Power Company in 1984 during the early stages of their plans to develop hydroelectric power in the area, plans that included damming many parts of the gorge. The hydroelectric project for this area was eventually cancelled. At the end of the 5km trek is a series of three waterfalls, making the winding and blinding path along the way worth the view at the end!

Baiyang Waterfalls

Changchun Shrine

Nikki and I were actually on a bus when we passed by this shrine because we didn't have enough time to do the trail itself (transportation issues). The Changchun (Eternal Spring) Shine commemorates the 226 military veterans who died during the construction of the Central Cross-Island Highway (1956~1960). The spring water adjacent by the Eternal Spring Shine flows all year round, and the Highway Bureau named it after "Changchun Falls."

Changchun Shrine

Tunnel of Nine Turns

This is the most magnificent part of Taroko Gorge, where the sheer cliffs face each other. During the exploration stage, it is the especially difficult and dangerous part to explore. When the wind comes from the broad river valley to the narrow valley it is forced upwards when it hits the cliff face.

Tunnel of Nine Turns

Cimu Bridge

An H-Shape hanging bridge with marble stone lions on each end and with marble lotus stones on two sides. The rock beneath the bridge looks like a frog. The frog-like rock is composed of black layer of schist at the top and white marble at the bottom. A pavilion was built on this frog rock, becoming the crown on the frog.

Cimu Bridge

Xiangde Temple

Xiangde temple is a Buddhist Linzizong temple. After the Central Cross-Island Highway opened, the main temple was completed in December of 1968. The Daxiong Boudian temple-the main temple, Tianfeng Pagoda, and the White Robed Guanyin were then successively built.

Tianfeng Pagoda

Xiangde Temple

Overall, my time in Hualien was a blast. It was definitely more mellowed out than Taipei, which I enjoyed for the second leg of my trip. I wish I had planned another day to spend in Hualien to explore even more of its natural beauty, but I will just have to put that on the to-do list for the next time I visit!

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Taipei, Taiwan: Day Trip to Jiufen

The lanterns of Jiufen

Hi everyone! This is part two (of three) in my Taiwan travel series blog posts. To read part one, click here. This post will focus on a fun day trip that my friends and I took, just outside of Taipei to a small village named Jiufen.

Walking along the narrow streets

Jiufen has recently become a popular tourist attraction because of its resemblance to the popular anime movie, Spirited Away. It is a beautiful village situated abreast Taiwanese mountains, and it is equipped with a street market of its own. On top of that, visiting Jiufen at night allows tourists to see the decorative lanterns lit up all around the village.

Panorama of Jiufen

My friends and I decided to head to Jiufen in the early afternoon and stay until sunset so that we could see the lanterns! The bus was a bit confusing to navigate, with private taxi owners trying to rip us off and take us there privately (with jacked up prices). We opted to wait for the public bus, which we eventually found and no harm done. The bus ride was about two hours long, but we made friends with other passengers on the bus, so time went by quickly. 

Lanterns and Crowds

When we got off the bus, we started walking around Jiufen, weaving our way through the narrow streets. Of course, we tried tons of street food, bought souvenirs, and stopped for a coffee to take in the beautiful views. 

Narrow Staircases

It started getting pretty crowded towards late afternoon, assuming everyone wanted to see the lanterns lit up in the evening. To be honest, I was starting to become a bit annoyed by all of the pushing and shoving going on, but I made it through. 

A day in Taiwan is never complete without dumplings

It was a rather simple day, but tiring nonetheless. A great sight to see, and I recommend visiting if you ever find yourself in Taiwan. 

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Taipei, Taiwan

As most of you know by now, I took a week-long trip to Taiwan with a few other Fulbright buddies during the winter vacation. I will be splitting this trip up into three separate posts, related to each city that we visited throughout the week. First up is Taipei, where we spent the majority of our time.

The gang! Hanging out at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

Hospitality: Happy Taipei Guesthouse

Perks:

• Staff were extremely helpful in providing navigational directions and tips
• Comfortable beds, spacious rooms, clean!
• Privacy curtains, personal outlets, lamps, and shelf for each bed
• Centrally located: 2 minutes' walk from Shilin Night Market, 10 minutes' walk from Official Residence, 5 minutes' walk from Shilin metro/subway station
• Within 15-20 minute subway ride to other main attractions in Taipei

Drawbacks:

• Steep stairs, no elevator - might be difficult for people with physical handicaps
• Not noticeable from the outside - have to call staff for assistance in finding the guesthouse

Overall:

• I highly recommend this guesthouse! The staff was very well prepared in answering any questions and helping our group make any necessary accommodations. I would definitely stay here again.

Shilin Night Market

Taipei Night Markets

Throughout the week, my friends and I visited a different market almost every night that we were in Taipei. Each night market was so different, and we tried a bunch of different food and found various products. Exploring the different night markets was probably my favorite park of traveling within Taipei. It was like the city didn't even come alive until after 7:00 p.m., haha!

Pork with green onions and chives

Shilin Night Market:

• By far the largest night market in Taipei! And a very short distance from our guesthouse. 
• Foods we tried: pork wrapped with green onions and chives, sugar-coated fruits, egg tarts (various flavors: brown sugar, original, raspberry, green tea, and more...), milk tea, sausage on a stick, ALL the dumplings, Japanese udon, ice cream, crepes, and more!
• Souvenirs we bought: Plush dolls everywhere, jewelry, magnets/typical souvenir items, fashion pieces, etc.
• All the food was between ~$0.25 (dumplings) - $3.00 (crepes) - SO CHEAP! 
• So large that it might be difficult to explore in one evening! We came back for two nights
• Crowded, especially on weekends! And there's no map to guide you along the way, so you have to twist and turn and remember landmarks of where you have/haven't been.

Egg tarts

Ningxia Night Market

Ningxia Night Market:

• Considerably smaller compared to Shilin
• Much more organized - just one long road - side-by-side - of vendors selling food and products
• Prices were a bit more expensive compared to Shilin
• Foods we tried: stinky tofu, milk tea (frog eggs), meat on a stick, fresh fruit, dumplings, and more!
• Souvenirs we bought: postcards
• Much quieter than Shilin - a bit "out of the way" from other night markets

Stinky Tofu

Raohe Street Market

Raohe Street Market:

• Next to a large Buddhist temple - very cool to walk by during the Lunar New Year preparations
• Another fairly large night market, but also just a few long roads of vendors selling food and products - more organized
• Foods we tried: Russian pastries, chicken hearts, dumplings, desserts, and more!
• We didn't spend much time here because we were exhausted after a day trip to Jiufen.

Overall, the street markets were SO fun and an essential part of experiencing Taiwanese culture. English levels are great, and vendors are super friendly. We definitely just ate our way through Taiwan. No regrets about it!

Official Residence

Attractions / Activities We Did in Taipei

Of course, no trip is complete without visiting some of the tourist spots! Here's a brief overview of places we visited!

Official Residence:

• BEAUTIFUL entry park leading up to the house. Walking around the park/garden was so awesome, and there are fun/random statues to pose with and take pictures throughout. 
• Entry into the actual residence: Maybe ~$5? I don't remember, but it was super cheap. 
• The tour of the residence took about 30 minutes. There's a free audio guide, and it's worth it. The rooms are decked out with classic furniture and lots of history.
• Good place to hang out, enjoy nature, and learn some Taiwanese history.

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

Palace Museum:

• Crowded! And expensive (~$10). 
• My friend and I were too tired to walk around 5 floors of a museum, so we made a bad choice. Especially with noisy children and families around.
• Best just to view it from the outside, that's the pretty part anyway. 
• It has a lot of rich history related to Taiwan, its artifacts, and more, but focus was lacking.

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall:

• AMAZING! And free! Very cool architecture to view here. Take lots of pictures.
• Very large space to walk around and enjoy the fresh air. Definitely worth a trip!

Taipei EYE Traditional Opera

Taipei EYE Traditional Opera:

• Probably the most expensive thing we booked (~$17), but very interesting!
• Reserve tickets in advance!
• The show itself was conducted in Chinese, with translations in various languages displayed on screens to the side.
• It was hilarious! We got lucky and saw a few mistakes and crashes, which made the whole thing even better. One of the actors was doing some flip jumpy kick things and he crashed right into the orchestra. It was clearly the best part of my day. Hahahaha!
• The actors present an excerpt from a traditional Taiwanese story.

Taipei 101:

• EXPENSIVE (~$20) to go up to the top of the tower
• We decided it wasn't worth it, so we just hung out around the bottom area. 
• We took pictures and left.

Beitou Hot Springs

Beitou Hot Springs:

• So relaxing! Bring a towel if you don't want to purchase one on-site.
• Bring a swimsuit - most are public/outdoors
• Average price ~$15 for unlimited usage for a day
• Worth a trip! We felt amazing during and afterwards.

Overall: We spent a lot of time in Taipei! It was totally worth it, and each attraction was unique and fun. I can't wait to explore other parts of Taiwan when I plan a trip to go back.

Stay tuned for two more posts regarding my trip to Taiwan. They will be covering a day trip to Jiufen, and my two days spent in Hualien, Taiwan's "countryside". See you soon!

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My Failed Trip to Jeju

Suncheon Gardens

Well, the title doesn't make me sound very optimistic, which at first I wasn't, but my failed trip actually turned out to be not so bad. Let's start from the beginning.

Because of the midterm exam period at my school that takes place during three days (Monday - Wednesday), followed by a national holiday on Thursday and Friday (Children's Day), I basically had a week of "Spring Break". I was excited because I had planned a trip to Jeju Island and was finally going to cross off a few things on my bucket list, such as hiking the tallest mountain in Korea, Halla Mountain.

Hanging in Yeosu

Here's how it went down: Monday morning, I packed up, excited, ready to go. I booked my bus ticket to Gwangju, headed out and had a smooth 1 hour bus ride. The sky was cloudy, but I knew the rain wasn't supposed to come until the evening. I get off the bus, take the subway to the Gwangju airport. About a 30 minute transfer. Weather still looking promising. I get to the airport, attempt to check into my 3:00 p.m. flight, when the lady at the counter tells me my flight has not been delayed, but "on hold" while they check the weather conditions. I briefly look outside and it hasn't even started raining, nor did it feel particularly windy when I was walking in. She advises me to take a seat, wait, and stare at the flights screen anxiously. So I do so. And less than one hour later, they canceled my flight. I heave a huge sigh, pick up my bag, and get in line to discuss my options. The same lady talks to me and tells me she can put me on a 7:30 flight. I didn't really want to wait around for 3 more hours, but I still wanted my trip to Jeju to go as planned. So I sat back down and waited.

Gabby comes to Gwangyang!

Another hour and some change later, the 7:30 flight gets canceled. By this time it IS actually raining outside, although it's not anything we all haven't experienced before. I get back in line, too tired to deal with this. She advises me that the next available flight isn't until the next evening at the same time (7:30 p.m.). My trip was only due to be Monday - Thursday because other friends would be visiting throughout the weekend, and I decided that one full day and some change on Jeju Island wouldn't be worth it. I made the quick decision to cancel my entire trip. I'm just happy that she provided me with a full refund for my round trip tickets.

Ssireum (Korean-style wrestling)

After my vacation was canceled, I called a few ETAs in Gwangju to see what they were up to. I ended up getting pizza with my friend Tiffany and sulking in my sadness about having to put off my hike to Halla Mountain. After dinner, I hopped on a bus back to Gwangyang, a bit peeved that my entire day was wasted on transportation for nothing.

The next morning I woke up, feeling refreshed and my bitter feelings had passed. I was excited to stay back in Gwangyang now because I could explore some more gems of my awesome placement city. On Tuesday and Wednesday, I hung out with friends in my city, relaxed, and just enjoyed some down time. I ended up being quite productive and getting a lot done with things related to Fulbright Korea Alumni Relations, apartment cleaning, catching up on some leisure reading, etc.

Basketball

On Thursday, an ETA friend (Gabby) from waaaay up north (Hwacheon) came to visit the south for the weekend! I was excited to show her around and hopefully introduce her to some of the beauties of Gwangyang, Suncheon, and Yeosu. Gabby arrived Thursday night and we had some famous ~Gwangyang bulgogi stew~ and called it an early night. Friday morning we met up with our other friend Tiffany and decided to go to Yeosu due to the maybe rainy weather. It ended up being a poor decision on our part because everything was so CROWDED. We went to the aquarium, spent 23 bucks, all just to be shoved around by Korean families and children whining everywhere we turned. Although it was a super neat place, the experience was ruined by the crowds. After the aquarium trip, we had some lunch and decided what to do next. We wanted to check out an island but figured that would also be insanely crowded and ultimately decided against it. THEN we thought about going to a super beautiful temple but found out that the bus only comes once every 40-60 minutes. We didn't want to wait around, so I attempted to find a place to walk to. I found a small mountain and navigated our way there, only to our dismay that it had taken us to a shack halfway up the mountain. We turned around, defeated. This day was a bust.

Preparing for warm-ups

We trotted back down and just decided to go back to Gwangyang. On our way down, we came across a plaza full of people and FREE FOOD. We got makgeoli and pajeon, a Korean favorite. The locals laughed at us as we sipped our rice wine and devoured the pancake. It was delicious and it lifted our moods for awhile. We headed back home, cleaned up and rested, and met up again in Suncheon for dinner. This time, we would have much better luck. We went to one of my favorite barbecue places, grilled some meat, and were feeling good. We wanted to go dancing afterwards, but our favorite club was closed, so we decided to go bowling. While bowling, we met some Korean guys who ended up paying for us. Then we all decided to go to noraebang (karaoke room) to sing and have fun there! We had a good night singing and dancing with our new friends... while also not having to pay for anything! Haha.

Tug-o-war

On Saturday morning, we headed to Suncheon to do some sightseeing. We went to the Suncheon Bay and Gardens. Although we had a few navigation issues, overall it was a beautiful day with beautiful sights to see! The gardens are especially beautiful during the springtime, showcasing model gardens from all around the world. It is a perfect place to stroll around, relax, and enjoy nature. By the end of the day, we were worn out, so we called it an early night by watching a movie and passing out. And just like that, the spring break week was coming to a close. Sunday morning arrived, Gabby went back to Hwacheon, and I prepared for the next week of lessons at school.

Victory for class 1-1 in tug-o-war

Although my plans didn't work out the way I had originally planned, I am glad that it was more spontaneous. I had a great time relaxing, hanging out with friends, and just taking it easy. I went into the next week ready to get back to teaching, although it was another short week. The boys only had three days of school because Thursday and Friday were designated as "Sports Days". Sports Day is a huge event -- especially at an all-boys school. The boys work in teams (their homeroom classes), design their own uniforms, and participate in various sports activities such as basketball, soccer, foot volleyball, ssireum (Korean-style wrestling), and track and field events. They don't have to worry about studying and can let loose! They order their favorite foods, enjoy ice cream, and freedom (for two days). It was fun to watch them play, compete, and see them smiling nonstop (not common during the regular school days).

Enjoying the action

The teachers have also been active in sports-playing. We are preparing for an area-wide volleyball tournament, so we have practices three times a week for two hours after school. My arms have never felt so sore. Haha! I am excited though, as I love competition and hope to win the tournament. Stay tuned to see how our team placed.

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Spring Awakening

Sand castles that locals sculpt everyday

Hello everyone! My apologies for the delayed blog post, but to be honest, I haven't been up to too much except relaxing and enjoying the remainder of my vacation before school started back up just today. This post is titled "Spring Awakening" with good reason - I've been out of school for four months, and I was in for a shaky first week to start the spring semester.

En route to Boracay

Before we get into that, however, I want to share with you all some pictures and stories from my vacation in the Philippines! Five Fulbright friends and I decided to take the last ten days of our winter break to head somewhere warm. We were ready to enjoy the hot weather, get sun-tanned, relax on the beach, and enjoy the nightlife. We packed our bags and said a brief goodbye to the freezing Seoul temperature and were on our way to paradise February 20th. Unfortunately, we were in for a long haul. Our first flight from Seoul to Manila went smoothly (a four hour flight), although a bit crammed. No more luxury Korean Air seating, as we booked budget airlines to save money. Once we arrived in Manila, it was like heaven on earth. Warm weather, friendly English-speaking people, but most of all, we spotted a WENDY'S RESTAURANT!!!!! None of us hesitated and immediately agreed to enjoy an early dinner during our layover from Manila and Kalibo. It was so delicious. I miss Wendy's square burgers so much.

Ilig Iligan Beach

Anyway, our second flight was a short, one hour flight from Manila to Kalibo, but ended up being delayed almost five hours. Our original flight time was 5:45, but was pushed back until 10:30 p.m. This wouldn't have been a problem if Kalibo was our final destination -- but it wasn't. Once we were to arrive at Kalibo, we still had a two-hour van ride and a short ferry ride to the island we were staying at for the trip (named Boracay). During our layover, we decided to exchange our currency, and a few of us bought data packages to keep in contact throughout the trip. We eventually landed at midnight, booked a van to get to the ferry port, and finally made it to our resort around 3:00 a.m. Phew! We passed out, but didn't sleep too long as we wanted to get an early start the next morning.

Sunset over White Beach

On our first official day in Boracay, we settled in, bought some necessities, and met up with another Fulbrighter who was already in Boracay. She showed us around a bit, and we decided to go to a more secluded beach that was supposed to be extremely beautiful. The beach is called Ilig Iligan Beach, and it was some of the most blue water I have laid eyes on! The beach itself was actually a bit dirty compared to the other beaches on the island, but a lot less populated. While there, our group met a middle-aged Italian guy named Paulo who had been staying on the island for three months already. He took us back towards the main beach and we made it just in time for a beautiful sunset over White Beach (it's called White Beach because of the white sand). We ate Filipino food for dinner, which I fell in love with over the course of the trip. SO GOOD. After dinner, we headed back to the resort, showered up, and spent our first night out enjoying drinks and dancing!

Delicious Filipino food

Day two: woke up hungover. A couple of us decided to grab brunch and it was a good decision because it was delicious. After brunch, we headed straight for White Beach to relax all day. Got tan and burnt in a few areas, called it an early night.

Day three: went to a different beach, which was my favorite of the trip! It's called Puka Beach, and I liked it because it didn't have as much algae as White Beach. During the months of December-February, some of the beaches are known to get algae because of the waste being dumped into the water #sadness. Anyway, I got quite burnt this day and felt like a lobster. Luckily my burns only lasted throughout the night and turned into a nice tan by morning. That night we decided we were ready to enjoy the nightlife again, so we explored a couple new clubs and danced the night away. I ended up meeting some other Americans who have extended family living in the Philippines, so I talked with them awhile and we ate McDonald's together. McDonald's Philippines has this awesome thing called "BFF Packs" where you can purchase multiple menu items for 3-4 friends at a super cheap price. Unfortunately I never got to try this, but I feel like it is something that would be a big hit in America.

Sunset over White Beach

Day four: woke up super late, hungover, and walked around the island. The group split up and did our own thing, and we met up at night for dinner. We decided to chill in our resort for the night and played Cards Against Humanity for a long time before passing out.

Day five: Woke up, went souvenir shopping, laid on the beach awhile. For dinner we went to an awesome seafood buffet and we all went HAM on that baby. It was so good. We found an awesome bar that played rap and hip-hop music, so we hung out there for awhile. A couple of our friends decided to go home, so my friend Teri and I wandered around and met some native Filipinos and ended up talking to them for a long time before crashing.

Sunset over White Beach

Day six: AKA the day that brutally destroyed me. Our group booked a tour to an island called Ariel's Point. At this island, we can go cliff diving, snorkeling, kayaking, and -- all you can drink! On our way there, we met a Filipina woman who was around our age and she hung out with us for the day. She actually got super drunk and started vomiting on the boat. Oops. I decided not to drink too much since I wanted to participate in a lot of the activities, so I took it easy. Once at the island, we found out there was a 5 meter (16 feet), 8 meter (26 feet), and 15 meter (50 feet) cliff dive. Our whole group decided we would all at least conquer the 5 meter jump, but the other two were up to guts and facing fears. The five meter jump was like jumping off of a diving board - pretty straight forward, not too scary unless you've never jumped off a diving board before. However, the eight meter and fifteen meter jumps created a pit in my stomach that I wasn't sure I would overcome. The eight meter was pretty easy to do, I just ran straight off of the cliff and landed in the water, even though I felt like I was floating in mid-air for much longer than I should have been. Upon impact with the water, my thighs and butt stung, but I would realize that the sting of the eight meter had no comparison to what would come from the fifteen meter jump. My friends and I stalled on the fifteen meter jump until right before it was time to board the boat and get back to the mainland. Two friends jumped with ease, but I stood frozen at the top. I kept thinking about whether or not I really wanted to do it. And I thought about the stinging of my butt and thighs from the eight meter jump. How could I land straight into the fifteen meter jump, twice as long as the previous jump?

Enjoying the sun

Eventually, I mustered up my courage and was the last person to jump off of the fifteen meter jump. I told myself, "Tomorrow is my birthday. This is a birthday present. Face this fear and just do it." So without further ado, I walked right off of the cliff, floated in gravity for what felt like forever, flailing my body and trying to make it pencil-shaped, and went KABOOM into the water. I landed right on my ass, and there are various bruises to prove it (I won't post pictures here, as this is a public space). It is almost one week later, and I'm still having difficulty sitting on chairs, standing up/sitting down normally, etc. But I did it. I survived. And I'll never do it again. Lol!

After our day of cliff diving, snorkeling, and kayaking, we headed back to our resort to get cleaned up. We headed to dinner with some other people that were on the trip with us, and we had a mini celebration of my birthday! I ended up inviting our tour guide to tag along, and at midnight we all took birthday shots. Afterwards, we hit up the dance club and danced the night away.

Another sunset over White Beach

Day seven: my birthday! Unfortunately, we woke up to a typhoon outside our windows. A couple friends and I decided to meet up with our tour guide anyway because we wanted to go island hopping and see some prettier sights for snorkeling. We headed out, bought fresh produce and snacks for a picnic at the island we were going to, and were on our way. The island our guide took us to was beautiful! The weather was clearing up by this point, so we were able to explore and enjoy the seemingly deserted island to ourselves. We barbecued and enjoyed a light picnic, relaxed some more, and then headed back out to the open water. This next part was one of my favorite parts of the trip! We stopped our boat in the middle of the sea, grabbed our snorkeling gear, and dove in. I have never been much of a water sports type of person, but snorkeling may have turned me. There were some of the most beautiful creatures I have ever seen! Now I am wondering what else is out there in the remaining 70% of water that inhabits our Earth. We stayed out there for quite some time, and eventually made our way back to the mainland. I showered up, got ready, and did some last minute souvenir shopping because the next day we would be leaving beautiful Boracay :(

Banana Crepe!

For my birthday dinner, my friends and I decided to go to a Spanish Tapas restaurant, which made me reminisce on my time in Spain. The food was amazing, so rich, and gave me a stomach ache, but it was well worth it. After dinner, we headed back to the resort and decided to pack up, as we had to leave early the next morning to get back to Manila.

Our awesome tour guide, Alfred

Day eight: Everything packed. Good to go. On our way to Manila where we would spend the day and leave early the next day to get back to Korea! We said farewell to our awesome tour guide, and promised to meet again one day in the future (I will be back, Boracay!). Once we got to Manila, we decided to go to the Mall of Asia, have dinner, and walk around. To get there, we took a method of transportation called a jeepney. They are elongated jeeps that the public people hop on and off of to get from one place to another. It's interesting because it seems to work on an honors system. People hop on, pass money back and forth amongst one another and eventually get it to the driver. I have no idea how they know how much everything costs, but I guess locals would know better than me. Ayway, the mall was HUGE. We didn't walk around much as we got distracted by food and an insanely large American-esque supermarket, but I felt like I could have spent my entire life savings there if I had the chance. And if I could afford it. LOL. Anyway, we had our final meal in the Philippines, went back to our hostel and called it an early night.

B-day wishes from Debbie (love ya)

Day nine: Woke up at 3:00 a.m. to get to the airport for a 7:00 a.m. flight. Much of this day was spent traveling and not super interesting. I made it back to Gwangyang at 9:30 p.m., and I was thoroughly exhausted. I showered and passed out right away. Overall, it was an awesome trip, and I was so happy to spend it with friends and enjoy warm weather before getting back to the grind at school.

The spring semester started two days ago, and I am happy to be back. My co-workers and students also seem genuinely happy to see me and have been asking about my health, so it feels good to be back with a warm welcome. Although I've come down with a bit of a cold (maybe due to the weather change, exhaustion, what be it...), I am prepared to tackle this semester and have fun along the way!

Our last night in Boracay (and my bday)

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The Road to Recovery

Merry Christmas!

Happy 2016, everyone! I hope you all had a relaxing, safe, and happy holiday season with your friends, family, and other loved ones. I sure am happy to be back in the States, spending time at home healing up and getting lots of TLC from those around me (and eating all my favorite home-cooked meals from mom)!

It's been nearly a month since the last chapter of my "Hospital Hiatus", and I want to keep everyone updated on how things are progressing with my foot.

The best dog in the whole wide world

Short story: My foot is healing faster than Wolverine's mutant powers are capable of (except not at all).

Long story: It's actually been a slow and tedious process, but my doctors Stateside are telling me that it's looking FANTASTIC. Hooray~!!! My mom or I typically do the daily cleaning and dressing, and I get it checked at the wound care clinic once a week. My doctors in the States as well as my doctor in Korea think that the hole should be fully healed up sometime in February (one month to go)! Besides that, I am just about fully functional - I'm walking semi-normally, can participate in moderate exercise, and am on my feet for long periods of time without pain. I just have to wear shoes with no backs on them for awhile, and I won't be back to running until the spring time most likely. The hole has gotten much smaller and my pain scale rarely reaches higher than a 2 (out of 10). So, I'm feeling pretty good.

Foot update

Being home has been so relaxing and rejuvenating for me. I've been surrounded by friends and family that I haven't seen for awhile, so getting to physically see them and show them that I'm alive and well was relieving for me. Most of what everyone back in the States has seen or heard about my condition is what I've been posting on social media and my blog, so I'm glad to verify my current state with them in person. Being able to pick up and giggle, chat, and be weird in front of each other like no time has passed at all has meant so much to me. I am thankful to have such loving, gracious, and extraordinary people in my life. Love you all!

Mom's homemade donuts!

On top of being filled with love from family and friends back home, I received an unexpected Christmas gift from my Fulbright family in Korea. On Christmas Eve, I was informed that many alumni and current Fulbrighters worked together to raise funds to help cover the cost of my medical bills. I was totally taken aback and overcome with gratitude and tears and other emotions I don't like to admit, but I feel so much love for all of my Fulbright family. I cannot thank them enough for their thoughtfulness and generosity, and I hope that I can repay each one of my donators individually at some point in the future. It was truly a heartfelt Christmas gift, and thanks to all of those who stayed by my side, I will always think fondly on this experience, no matter how trying it was. Love you all to the moon and back!

Christmas Dinner

I have about three more weeks left at home before I head back to Korea to prepare for the spring semester. Although classes don't start again until March, I am participating in an American-Korean student exchange for a week in Seoul, where other ETAs and I will each bring five students and they will get to interact and hang out with American students during the last week of January. I'm excited to reunite with my students and gain some lost time, rebuild those teacher-student bonds. Throughout February, I'll be preparing units and lessons for the upcoming semester, and likely going into school many days as another way to make up for lost time. Of course I'll also enjoy my last month of winter break by reuniting with my Korean friends and other friends I've made throughout my grant. But no hiking... womp womp. Haha!

This post doesn't have much else to it - just a bunch of sap and gushy feelings that are abnormal for me. But I guess that's what the holidays and being home does to me - and I'm not opposed to it, either. <3

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