Made In China: 北京 Edition Vol. 1

It's been almost a month since I landed at Beijing Capital International Airport. I remember being on the plane as I left Seoul, thinking how unprepared I was for this trip.  I  had little money (even for Chinese standards), a few articles of  clean clothing,  no real plans with the (exception of  few tourist sites)  and most importantly had not booked a single hotel or hostel.  Then all of a sudden my plane touched down and I was in Beijing.  At that moment, and for the next 8 days, I planned to put my faith in the road, for it had rarely let me down before.

The ancient  Chinese philosopher  Lao Tzu said  "A good traveler has no fixed plans and no intent on arriving." NowLao Tzu might have been a central advocate for Taoism  in the  6th century B.C.  but I'd like to think that even he would have been impressed with my flexibility, receptiveness  and spontaneity. Add to the fact that my Chinese vocabulary bank consist of about 5 or 6 words / expressions. ("hello", "thank you", "beer", "I don't know" and "Happy New Year") and you have all the right elements for a truly  unpredictable trip.  

Tim and I in Guangzhou, China

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my first trip to China was amazing. It was a trip that will not be able to rival or compare to any of my other travel adventures. It was also a trip with a good friend of mine, Mr. Tim Mathews. Tim lives in Guangzhou, where I had my first taste of China.  On our trip we had our fair share of adventure & adversity.   Together we got though it pretty easily. We had fun experiencing all the weird awesomeness that China had to offer. Looking back I realize it probably wouldn't have been as fun or as memorable without him.

This  trip however, was different.  Beijing marked my first solo journey as a traveler. The idea of  being alone in China without a  hotel or  plan (and little money) , felt much more raw and primitive then the watered down alternative of having a travel buddy and hanging at the beach. Don't get me wrong I love traveling with friends, but there comes a time when you need experience things on your own. After all it was my good friend Tim who once told me "we're all in this together...by ourselves."

尼古拉斯 & The Year of the Tiger

In a few days I will journey back to the land of the red dragon, this time to explore it's northern capital Beijing.  My first trip to China couldn't have went any better. I celebrated Chinese New Years with an old friend, of whom I experienced  some of my first  and most memorable travel adventures with.

Flower Street in Guangzhou, China

I spent my first visit exploring the city of Guangzhou. Then  a short stop in Hong Kong followed by some beach action in Sanya, China on the Island of Hainan.  It was Guangzhou where I ate my first (and last) scorpion, tested the local brew, and saw the famous goat statue.   Guangzhou has a few different names (all of which I found to be coincidentally connected to my life)  The 2nd most common name is Canton.  This  obviously has to deal with the language in southern China  Cantonese. I found it interesting because I grew up 10 miles away from a city also by the name of Canton. The coincidences don't stop there.  The district that I currently live in Seoul is called "Yangcheong Gu". Guangzhou also goes by a similar name "Yangcheng" (meaning goat city).


This time around I set my sights on the sites. The majority of  reason for my return  to China is to explore the famous landmarks like the Great Wall, The Temple of Heaven, and the Forbidden City all in the northern capital of Beijing. 

While in China I traveled around  with  a good friend from my Cyprus  study abroad trip 06.

The Hong Kong Skyline 

Not wanting to have our best days  behind us we set out  for 10 days with no real plans or expectations in mind. It turned out to be an experience of  a lifetime.



Similar to my GSL experience in Cyprus my first trip to China is not something that I will ever be able to recreate.  You can read my 2006 Cyprus study abroad testimonial along with some of my other classmates here.   My second trip to China will also be my second couch surfing experience. Couch Surfing is a worldwide network for making connections between travelers and the local communities  they visit.  I will be staying with a fellow couch surfer from the United Kingdom.

Here is an interactive city map of Beijing; listing all the places of interest for tourists.
 

Sanya, China


If my second trip to China is anything like my first, it should be an another amazing adventure

Here is a tentative itinerary  for my week

• Great Wall
• Forbidden City 
• The Lama Temple 
• Tiananmen Square
• Try some Peking Duck
• Summer Palace 
• The Temple of Heaven 
• Have a great Couch Surfing Experience 

The Distance  

Seoul -  Beijing         577  miles

Beijing - Alliance      11355 miles                  

-   尼古拉斯  

(Nicholas in Chinese)

Stranger in a Strange Land: Welcome to Korea

I landed in Seoul on August 22nd. 11 months ago from this day. I instantly noticed the differences from Thailand. Seoul being much more developed seemed almost futuristic compared the the cities of Bangkok or Chiang Mai.  All newbies who were here to teach English had to spend 1 week in Suwon, South Korea for orientation. This is where I made some good friends including my orientation roommate Evan Thompson.  After a week of  orientation /quarantine we were shipped off  to go to our respective schools and districts.  Seoul has a population of 10 million people in the city limits; the metropolitan area holds about  25 million people. According to some sources Seoul is the 2nd largest metropolitan area in the world.  Therefor on August 28th  we all piled into 11 different buses and were sprinkled throughout the masses of Koreans

I arrived at my district and was met by Sue (one of my Korean co-teachers) and the Vice Principal. They drove me to my  apartment where I dropped off my bags.  We then headed to my school. After thinking I hit the jackpot with an apartment that exceeded my expectations  (much larger then what I expected for Asian standards) I arrived at my school. It was there that I realized that coming to Korea was the right choice.

I work at Yangmyung Elementary School.  You can check out the school's website here.  My classroom is brand new complete with an interactive electronic smart board, drama stage, mini library and a computer area designed to look like the inside of an airplane.  Here are some pictures.

Teaching the 6th graders with Hanna (my other co-teacher)

Everyone passes through immigration upon
entering the English room. 

I work for the S.M.O.E which stands for  the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.  They are apart of the Ministry of Education which is the educational branch affiliated with the Korean Government.  Check them out here. 

My classroom

I love my school, my co-workers and the students I teach....(most of the time).  I'm the only foreign teacher at my school. There are about 40 other people on staff (and they are all Korean). We have about 500 students at my school. Being the only native English teacher among 540ish Koreans is a challenge that makes each day an adventure.

Bye Bye Miss American Pie.... 1 year today

Chiang Mai, Thailand

One year ago from today I left Cleveland International Airport and headed east. Little did I  know I was about to embark on the wild roller coaster ride known as  Asia;  and what a wild ride it has been. Here, in a nut shell, is  a look back on my first year abroad.





I landed in Bangkok on July 22nd 2009. After two days of adjusting to the jet lag I took a small plane to Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is the largest city in Northern Thailand.  It was there I completed the TESOL  (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages.) certificate with the American TESOL  Institute.

Somewhere in Northern Thailand

It was also the place where I would meet some great people who I would end up sharing more memories with in South Korea.

During my month in Thailand I had my first taste of teaching ESL inside a classroom. I also experienced many other firsts such as Thai boxing, Tuk Tuk rides, what spicy food REALLY tastes like,  what a jelly fish sting feels like, and why you shouldn't buy a custom made suit in Bangkok.









Overall my Thailand experienced could not have been  any better. Also, during my month in Thailand I  was able to travel to the border town of Mae Sot in the Country of Myanmar.(aka Burma).

At the border of Thailand and Burma

A Tuk Tuk; A common form of transportation in Thailand

After the month in Thailand, with my friends from the ATI, program many of us went our separate ways. Most of us went to Korea, others to countries like China and Vietnam, and a few stayed behind.

Above: The some member of the ATI program summer 2009
Below: Teaching some kids in Chaing Mai, Thailand

As with the beginning of my Thailand journey I had no idea what to expect  before heading to Korea.  Looking back I realize that even the ATI  program could not prepare me for what was in store.

Part 2 Stranger in a Strange Land: 
Welcome to Korea