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a nomad in the land of nizwa

~ an American English teacher in Oman

a nomad in the land of nizwa

Tag Archives: South Korea

friday meditation: i get up in the morning. i do my best. nothing else matters.

28 Friday Jun 2013

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Asia, Friday Meditation, Life, Middle East, Oman, South Korea, Spirituality, WPLongform

≈ 51 Comments

Tags

Friday Meditation, Life, Oman, South Korea, Spirituality, United States of America, WPLongform

Friday, June 28:  In the British movie, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Judi Dench plays Evelyn Greenslade, a newly widowed housewife whose house must be sold to pay off her husband’s debts.  She goes to India with a group of elderly British characters, whose motives for coming to India are as varied as their eccentric personalities.  They choose to spend their retirement years at Sonny’s Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a home for the “elderly and beautiful,” based on pictures on the hotel’s website.  Upon arrival, they find the hotel to be quite dilapidated and mismanaged.  Some of the characters embrace the experience, while others seem determined to be miserable.

While staying at the hotel, Evelyn keeps a blog of her activities. She narrates throughout, to her Day 51 moral at the end:

The only real failure is the failure to try.
The measure of success is how we cope with disappointment, as we always must.
We came here and we tried, all of us in our different ways.
Can we be blamed for feeling that we’re too old to change?
Too scared of disappointment to start it all again?
We get up in the morning.  We do our best.  Nothing else matters.
But it’s also true that the person who risks nothing does nothing.  Has nothing.
All we know about the future is that it will be different.  Perhaps what we fear is that it will be the same, so we must celebrate the changes.

Because as someone once said, “Everything will be all right in the end, and if it’s not all right, then trust me, it’s not yet the end.”

I know what Evelyn means about fearing that things will always be the same. I remember, as vividly as if it was yesterday, the last five years of my humdrum existence as a suburban housewife in northern Virginia.  I remember driving around in the traffic of Virginia, running the same errands I always ran, going through the same old routines and feeling increasingly depressed and restless.  I sat at stop lights in my car, listening to foreign music, thinking about my longtime dream of being a writer, and thinking that i would never have anything to write about.  My life was so boring, so mundane.  What would I ever have to say?  And I would think, over and over during those last five years: Is this all there is?  This is IT, for the rest of my life?

Something HAD to change, but at the time I didn’t know what.  And it did change. I CAN’T say about myself that my only real failure is a failure to try.  For I HAVE tried.  I have tried, and for better or worse, my life has changed.

I am now coming to the end of my third year living and teaching abroad.  Starting in March 2010, I spent one year in Korea, which I believed to be quite a hardship. I had a horrible 1 1/2 hour to 2 hour commute to work each way, in freezing cold or steamy hot weather, on dilapidated buses that seemed to have no discernible schedule. I shivered in my classroom during winter, huddled over a space heater in my winter coat, when the school refused to turn on the heat.  Or alternately, I sweated profusely when they refused to turn on the air conditioning.  I endured Korean food, which I never liked because of the grisly chunks of meat Koreans favor and the strong vinegar taste of kimchi that accompanied every meal.  I was older than almost every other teacher there, and the oldest of all my friends and acquaintances. I had no attraction for Korean men, and they none for me.  And I lived in what amounted to a college dormitory, a small room in which I could barely fit, much less entertain anyone.

me in Gyeongju, South Korea, April 2010

me in Gyeongju, South Korea, April 2010

Yet, while in Korea, I set out to explore a country that is quite isolated and not known for tourism.  I looked through my trusty Moon Handbook and plotted travels through the country several times a month. I set out to discover new places and new experiences, if not outside of Daegu, then within the city.  I enjoyed my friends Anna, Seth and Myrna, our small group of expats in a foreign land, as we spent evenings together either playing Ticket to Ride, watching movies, or eating dinner and singing in a Korean singing room called noraebang.

me in Gyeongju, May 2010

me in Gyeongju, May 2010

I learned not only to be alone, but to relish it. And I learned to be self-sufficient, independent, and adventurous.  I also learned that I don’t generally enjoy events with random large groups of people, and that certain things about a culture, which one may find endearing on a short holiday trip, can become annoying with constant exposure.  I found myself irritated by the Korean group mentality, and the inability of Koreans to accept individual differences in what is a truly conformist society.  I found everyone’s black hair annoying, because it was often dyed even into old age.  I remember being thrilled when I visited China and found old people with white hair. I found it frustrating that Koreans refused to try to speak English, even though they had been studying it for years, for fear of losing face.  I was put off by their criticisms of my appearance, such as the fact that I didn’t dye my hair or that I had fat arms or a big nose, and their constant offering of unsolicited advice.  I also found them extremely generous and giving of their time and their friendship.  I found them to be hard-working and diligent and well-organized. And many of them knew how to enjoy life, with their love of partying, drinking and singing.

me at Gatbawi near Daegu, South Korea, April 2010

me at Gatbawi near Daegu, South Korea, April 2010

In Korea, I tried, in my way.  It wasn’t everyone else’s way, as most other teachers were young and into partying and drinking into all hours of the night.  I had to cope with disappointment, and I was able to do it.  Things didn’t work out for me in relationships the way I would have liked.  I got up in the morning and slogged my way through my horrible commute.  I taught my students to sing “California Dreamin'” and Justin Bieber’s “Baby.” I made goofy faces to keep them laughing.  I organized team competitions of Jeopardy.   I did my best.  I didn’t know what the future would hold, but whatever it held I knew would be different than the life I had before.  It was most certainly different.

me with Korean ajuma at Boseong in October 2010

me with Korean ajuma at Boseong in October 2010

While in Korea, the only thing I could really think about was my desire to come to work in the Middle East.  It’s a long story, but after September 11, 2001 I became intrigued, almost obsessed, by Islam and the Arab world.  I wanted to understand this culture and I read every book I could get my hands on.  Since Korea was my first time teaching ESL, I looked at it as putting in my time, adding to my resume, just so I could come to the Middle East.

I completed my Master’s degree in International Commerce and Policy in May of 2008.  Most of my research was centered in analysis of economic and political issues in the broader Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan. One paper was titled Social Ramifications of U.S. Foreign Policy in Egypt. This was a collaborative effort with colleagues which also dealt with the political, economic, and the political-military consequences of U.S. policy in that country. My other research projects included Macroeconomic Prospects for Jordan and Free Trade in the Middle East: A Tool to Achieve Peace and Stability.  I wrote about Women’s Empowerment as a Key to Economic Development in Afghanistan. I also wrote papers focused in other areas of the world, including Mexican Judicial Reform and its Effect on the Political and Business Climate. I studied Arabic from 2005-2007 (and not again since, despite living in an Arab country for nearly two years now!). And after going to Egypt, which I adored, for the month of July in 2007, I was determined to work in the Middle East.

Nizwa souq

Nizwa souq

At Nizwa souq

At Nizwa souq

the rifle club (??) at Nizwa souq for their Friday morning meeting (??)

the rifle club (??) at Nizwa souq for their Friday morning meeting (??)

I came to Oman in September, 2011, ten years after the horrible terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centers & the Pentagon.  It seemed my dream to come to the Middle East had come true.  But I found that the energy and chaos and liveliness I discovered, and loved, in Egypt is lacking in Oman.  The Sultan has done a great job of bringing Oman into the modern world, but somehow the country is missing vitality. It seems to lack a sense of humor and, as the French say, a joie de vivre (joy of living), a cheerful enjoyment of life; an exultation of spirit. It wasn’t long before I became bored with the culture and irritated by its lack of respect for women, its acceptance of cheating and its lack of work ethic.  I found Omani citizens’ sense of entitlement annoying, along with its dependence on wasta to get ahead, and its attitude that things will get done, insha’allah, whenever they get done.  And then of course, there’s the weather.  I love four distinct seasons in Virginia, particularly the fall, winter and spring.  I’ve never been a fan of summer.  Of course, Oman has year-round summer, and heat like I’ve never experienced.  I hope I never experience it again.

me with my favorite student Habiba, Level 2 English, Fall semester 2011

me with my favorite student Habiba, Level 2 English, Fall semester 2011

I figured if I was going to be happy here, I would have to create happiness myself, and so I resorted to the thing I loved best in Korea, traveling with a camera in hand, and sharing my adventures on my blog.  When I met Mario, it seemed I had found a like-minded friend who would do these things with me; his companionship increased my enjoyment exponentially.  Again, as in Korea, my travels and explorations kept me sane, and less lonely.  Besides my travels within the country, I spent my free time reading novels, watching movies, and plotting other travels through the region.  While here in Oman, I have ventured to Jordan, Greece, Ethiopia, and Nepal.  Before I return home, I will spend a month in Spain and Portugal.

Tomb in Salalah - January 2012

Tomb in Salalah – January 2012

Alex, Adam and me in Salalah, Oman ~ January 2012

Alex, Adam and me in Salalah, Oman ~ January 2012

I have tried to get the most out of my experiences while living abroad these three years.  I discovered things about myself:  I love to travel, to go out into far-flung corners of a place and explore it, on my own, with a camera in hand, and a willingness to share my experience with words.  Like Evelyn from the Marigold Hotel, I thrive on the experience as much as possible, even though at times it can be a lonely existence and a physical and emotional struggle. I have found, disappointingly, that I can be quite intolerant of certain aspects of a culture, but then I guess I have always known that to some degree.  I think I hoped by coming to live in a different culture, I would become more tolerant, more accepting, but I’m afraid the opposite has happened.  I can’t understand why people set up restrictions in their society that hold them hostage, and under which they are bound to fail.  I really dislike hypocrisy, which I find runs rampant in this country. That being said, as in Korea, I have met some wonderful Omanis, especially my students, who haven’t hesitated to show their love for me.

me on Jebel Akhdar, my favorite place in Oman, Valentine's Day 2013

me on Jebel Akhdar, my favorite place in Oman, Valentine’s Day 2013

me with the Jebel Akhdar roses

me with the Jebel Akhdar roses

Jebel Akhdar roses

Jebel Akhdar roses

ruins at Wadi Bani Habib on Jebel Akhdar

ruins at Wadi Bani Habib on Jebel Akhdar

As far as work, I’ve realized certain requirements are of utmost importance.  Needless to say, I haven’t found these things here:  I want to be respected as a professional; I want autonomy to do my job using the experience I have accumulated.  I don’t want to be treated as a robot doing someone else’s bidding, especially when I don’t agree with it theoretically.  I want to be commended when I do a good job and appreciated for being dependable.  I want to be free to speak on any subject in the classroom or any other job environment.  I want to be able to use technology, which should be a given in this modern world.  And most of all, I want to work with managers who will listen and respect their workers’ complaints and pay attention when a mass exodus of employees occurs.

Once I decide I am through with a job, or a person, or a place, that’s it for me.  There is no turning back.  Just like I said I would never again return to Korea, I can now say with utmost certainty that I will never return to Oman.

the beautiful village of Balad Sayt

the beautiful village of Balad Sayt

I’m NOT one of those people who is unrealistically optimistic, seeing the world always as a rosy, fragrant and heady place.  I am realistic.  I see things as they are, and sometimes I don’t like what I see.  But often, I see a world full of beauty and kindness and adventure.  I strive to see things that way; it’s just that I don’t always succeed.  I can weigh both sides and put them on the scales so that they’re evenly balanced, the bad and the good. And I can take away an experience that changes me, even if it’s in an unexpected way.

me at New Year's Eve, December 31, 2011

me at New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2011

Finally, after living abroad, I think I’ve come full circle.  Now that fear I had that nothing would ever change has vanished in the haze. I know that I don’t have to feel stuck; I can change my life whenever I want.  That old familiar life has some appeal to me now and I find myself yearning for those familiar routines, those familiar faces.

Now, I feel like one of my favorite characters, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.  Standing in Oman with my eyes closed, clicking my heels together, saying: “There’s no place like home.  There’s no place like home.”

me with my three children at Christmas, two months before leaving for Korea.  In front, Alex, Sarah and Adam

me with my three children at Christmas, two months before leaving for Korea. In front, Alex, Sarah and Adam

me with my Dorothy doll in my grandmother's backyard

me with my Dorothy doll in my grandmother’s backyard

Once I return home to the USA, I will post some random thoughts periodically about my experience in Oman, but for the most part, this blog will be a closed book.  I will post about my trip to Spain and Portugal in in search of a thousand cafés.  When I return to America on July 25, you can find me at nomad, interrupted.  I hope you’ll join me there, because I plan to be there for a long, long time. 🙂

38.893151 -77.357877

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travel theme: ripples

24 Monday Jun 2013

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Asia, Geoje-si, South Korea, Travel Theme Photo Challenge

≈ 20 Comments

Tags

Oman, South Korea, travel theme

Monday, June 24:  Ailsa Where’s my backpack? of challenges us this week to come up with Ripples.  Here’s my first choice, from a pond on top of Jebel Akhdar, a pond full of croaking and mating frogs.

ripples in a frog-filled pond on Jebel Akhdar

ripples in a frog-filled pond on Jebel Akhdar

Wadi Arbiyyin is one of the most peaceful spots I have found in Oman.  I’m sorry I never got to swim in this gently-rippling pond.

ripples in Wadi Arbiyyin

ripples in Wadi Arbiyyin

And this was taken on an island in South Korea, Geoje-si, on a windy day at a place called Windy Hill.  I love what a breeze does to a body of water and ornamental grasses.  (Inspired by being mrscarmichael: Travel Theme (Ripples))

ripples of water and ornamental grasses in Geoje-si, South Korea (inspired by mrs. carmichael)

ripples of water and ornamental grasses in Geoje-si, South Korea (inspired by mrs. carmichael)

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travel theme: pathways

26 Sunday May 2013

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Cappadocia, Gongju, Japan, Jordan, Kyoto, Little Petra, Middle East, Nepal, Oman, Pathways, Pokhara, Sharqiya Region, South Korea, Suncheon Bay, Travel Theme Photo Challenge, Turkey, Wadi Bani Khalid

≈ 25 Comments

Tags

Japan, Nepal, Oman, South Korea, travel theme, Turkey

Sunday, May 26:  Ailsa’s Travel Theme this week is Pathways.  I’ve seen many beautiful pathways in my travels around the world.

Path of Bamboo in Arashiyama, near Kyoto, Japan

Path of Bamboo in Arashiyama, near Kyoto, Japan

path through Ihlara Canyon in Cappadocia, Turkey

path through Ihlara Canyon in Cappadocia, Turkey

path through Suncheon Bay Ecological Park in South Korea

path through Suncheon Bay Ecological Park in South Korea

snow-covered path through Gongju, South Korea

snow-covered path through Gongju, South Korea

Many people use the aflaf in Oman as pathways to walk on.  This one is at Wadi Bani Khalid in Oman.

Many people use the aflaj in Oman as pathways. This one is at Wadi Bani Khalid in Oman.

Pathway of enlightenment ~ leading to a Buddhist temple in Pokhara, Nepal

Pathway of enlightenment ~ leading to a Buddhist temple in Pokhara, Nepal

a pathway along a farmer's field in Pokhara, Nepal

a pathway along a farmer’s field in Pokhara, Nepal

pathway through Little Petra in Jordan

pathway through Little Petra in Jordan

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weekly photo challenge: pattern

10 Friday May 2013

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Asia, Boseong, Emirates Palace, Maisan, Middle East, Muscat, Oman, postaweek2013, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan Mosque, South Korea, Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, Suncheon Bay, United Arab Emirates, Weekly Photo Challenge

≈ 78 Comments

Tags

Oman, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, weekly photo challenge

Friday, May 10:  This week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge is Pattern. Patterns are everywhere. Patterns are sometimes intentional and sometimes accidental. They can be decorative or merely a result of repetition, and often patterns can be in the eye of the beholder to discover them.

Sometimes man makes patterns out of nature, as in these tea farms in Boseong, South Korea.

Boseong Tea Plantations in South Korea

Boseong Tea Plantations in South Korea

And sometimes nature makes its own patterns, as in these wetlands in Suncheon Bay Ecological Park in South Korea.

Suncheon Bay Ecological Park in South Korea

Suncheon Bay Ecological Park in South Korea

At other times, man makes patterns to show reverence at places of worship, such as this Buddhist temple in Maisan, South Korea.

a temple in Maisan, South Korea

a temple in Maisan, South Korea

Or to show reverence to Allah, as in the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan Mosque in Abu Dhabi, UAE or the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat, Oman.

Mosque in Abu Dhabi

Mosque in Abu Dhabi

Mosaic at Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat, Oman

Mosaic at Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat, Oman

And sometimes, man makes patterns to show his own ability to create opulence, as at Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi.

Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi

Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi

dome at Emirates Palace

dome at Emirates Palace

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weekly photo challenge: color

06 Saturday Apr 2013

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Istanbul, Japan, Kathmandu, Kyoto, Nepal, Phewa Lake, Photography Challenges, Pokhara, postaweek2013, Seoul, South Korea, Turkey, Weekly Photo Challenge

≈ 46 Comments

Tags

Japan, Nepal, Oman, postaweek2013, South Korea, Turkey, weekly photo challenge

Saturday, April 6: The WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge is Color. Splashed on the walls of cities, in batches of flowers in gardens, in the doodles of students, and on the palettes of artists, color is everywhere: it may represent our mood, and it can affect our mood. In photography, you can use a spectrum of colors to bring a place to life, or focus on a single shade to make a bold statement. Conversely, you can shoot in black-and-white or remove color in editing mode for a different effect.

In a new post created specifically for this challenge, share a picture in which color takes center stage.

Click on any of the pictures below for a full-sized slide show.

a colorful carriage buggy in Kathmandu, Nepal
a colorful carriage buggy in Kathmandu, Nepal
Colorful doors and bedding in Kathmandu, Nepal
Colorful doors and bedding in Kathmandu, Nepal
colorful boats in Pokhara, Nepal
colorful boats in Pokhara, Nepal
Yarn in Kathmandu, Nepal
Yarn in Kathmandu, Nepal
Flowers in Crete, Greece
Flowers in Crete, Greece
More paintings by Oman
More paintings by Oman
Sweets in Istanbul, Turkey
Sweets in Istanbul, Turkey
Gloves in Kathmandu, Nepal
Gloves in Kathmandu, Nepal
the flower market in Istanbul, Turkey
the flower market in Istanbul, Turkey
lamps in Istanbul, Turkey
lamps in Istanbul, Turkey
Paintings by Omani students
Paintings by Omani students
colorful socks in Kyoto, Japan
colorful socks in Kyoto, Japan
Paintings of Oman
Paintings of Oman
more colorful boats in Pokhara, Nepal
more colorful boats in Pokhara, Nepal
delicate flowers on the University of Nizwa campus
delicate flowers on the University of Nizwa campus
Street art in Rethymno, Crete
Street art in Rethymno, Crete
Pokhara, Nepal
Pokhara, Nepal
Flowers on the University of Nizwa campus
Flowers on the University of Nizwa campus
Paper lanterns in Kathmandu, Nepal
Paper lanterns in Kathmandu, Nepal

Finally, in honor of South Korea, which is having a few problems with its bellicose northern neighbor right now, here are some colorful lanterns from a lantern festival in Seoul.

colorful lanterns at a lantern festival in Seoul, South Korea

colorful lanterns at a lantern festival in Seoul, South Korea

Let's hope everyone takes a deep breath and tries to diplomatically solve the problems between North and South Korea.

Let’s hope everyone takes a deep breath and tries to diplomatically solve the problems between North and South Korea.

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weekly photo challenge: lunchtime

16 Saturday Mar 2013

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Asia, Cambodia, Crete, Fira, Greece, Middle East, Nagarkot, Nepal, Oman, Phnom Penh, Phoneography Challenge, Photography Challenges, postaweek2013, Santorini, South Korea, Weekly Photo Challenge

≈ 38 Comments

Tags

Greece, Nepal, Oman, postaweek2013, South Korea, weekly photo challenge

Saturday, March 16:  The WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge is lunchtime.  Michelle of WordPress writes:

Time to show us your lunchtime. This might seem like a pretty narrow task, but if you think of “lunchtime” as a theme, there are lots of places you can take it:

  • Show us what you actually had for lunch.
  • Show us what went into your lunch — a stunningly saturated pile of red radishes at the farmer’s market, or the process by which you construct the Ultimate Turkey Sandwich.
  • Show us what a mealtime is like at your house. Who’s there? What are they doing?
  • Show us a photo of someone truly enraptured by what they’re eating and capture the deep satisfaction of an enjoyable meal.
  • If you don’t have time for lunch or eat on the run, show us that.
  • Show us your favorite place to sit while you eat lunch, or your favorite place to prepare food.
  • Capture a candid photo of the guy behind the counter of your favorite greasy spoon.

This is meant to be another phoneography challenge, which I’m not at all keen on since I don’t have a camera phone.  Since I usually eat lunch at my desk at work, and since I didn’t feel like hauling my camera to work to take a boring picture of me eating lunch at my desk, I thought I would post some of my favorite lunchtimes I’ve experienced in my travels.

I’ll start with the smoked salmon, cream cheese and caper baguette I ate for lunch on Thursday at the Blue Marlin at Marina Bandar al Rowdha in Muscat.  I have to say I didn’t find the lunch all that exciting.  On the contrary, I found it totally uninspiring.  I probably wouldn’t go back to this place again to eat.

Smoked salmon baguette at the Blue Marlin

Smoked salmon baguette at the Blue Marlin

Only one time in the whole year and a half that I’ve been in Oman was I invited to an Omani’s house for lunch.  First they brought out this.

the snacks before an Omani lunch

the snacks before an Omani lunch

Those beans on the left hand bottom corner of the large tray were delicious.  So were those French fry-like things.  I ate and ate, thinking this was our lunch.  After I was fully stuffed, they brought out this.

the main course, rice and chicken and salad

the main course, rice and chicken and salad

Needless to say, I tried to eat as much as I could, but it was hard because I wasn’t hungry at all after eating all those beans.  (nakhal fort, lunch with an omani family & a wild drive up wadi mistal)

Here’s a hole-in-the wall lunchtime place, similar to many such places in Oman, that Mario and I encountered when we went exploring wadis on a rare day of flooding in Oman.

a "restaurant" on the way to Wadi Damm

a “restaurant” on the way to Wadi Damm

Here’s a “restaurant and coffee shop” (they don’t seem to believe in naming restaurants in the interior) in Ibra, where my family and I ate lunch while they were visiting Oman in January.

a typical Omani restaurant like most you will find outside of Muscat.  This one is in Ibra.

a typical Omani restaurant like most you will find outside of Muscat. This one is in Ibra.

My son Adam eats with his hands, Omani style.

My son Adam eats lunch with his hands, Omani style, in Al Hamra.

To be honest, I’m not all that crazy about Omani food or Oman’s Indian food, the only alternative outside of the capital.  I normally like Indian food, but in these types of restaurants, the menu is limited to Chicken Biriyani or Chicken Masala.  Both Omanis and Indians in this country are really fond of chicken.

Neither did I care much for Korean food when I lived in South Korea, but here is a typical Korean lunch of bibimbap I shared with my son Alex when he came to visit me in Korea.

Korean lunch of bibimbap

Korean lunch of bibimbap

Koreans have to wash a lot of dishes for breakfast, lunch or dinner

Koreans have to wash a lot of dishes for breakfast, lunch or dinner

However, in most of my travels, I adore the local cuisine.  Turkish and Greek food were my favorites, but I also loved the food in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.  Here are some pictures of my Greek lunches.

Sardines and capers in Fira, Santorini, Greece.

Sardines and caper leaves in Fira, Santorini, Greece.

Eggplant rolls in Fira, Santorini, Greece

Eggplant rolls in Fira, Santorini, Greece

Greek salad for lunch in Akrotirion, Santorini, Greece

Greek salad for lunch in Akrotirion, Santorini, Greece

Bruschetta & Greek beer in Fira, Santorini, Greece

Bruschetta with feta cheese and olives & Greek beer in Fira, Santorini, Greece

the owner of the Meteora Restaurant, who serves her customers right from the huge pots as we bring our dishes around

the owner of the Meteora Restaurant, who serves her customers right from the huge pots as we bring our dishes around

My delicious meatballs at the Meteora Restaurant in Greece

My delicious meatballs at the Meteora Restaurant in Greece

Here is a lunch I enjoyed at a riverside restaurant in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.  I love this kind of food.  It seems so healthy. 🙂

Cambodian lunch of steamed fish with dipping sauces :-)  YUM!!

Cambodian lunch of steamed fish with dipping sauces 🙂 YUM!!

In Nepal, I ate a wonderful traditional Nepali lunch outdoors while enjoying a view of the Langtang range of the Himalayas.  This was my most recent special lunchtime break. 🙂

traditional Nepali food for lunch

traditional Nepali food for lunch

my view of the Langtang Range of the Himalayas during lunchtime in Nagarkot, Nepal

my view of the Langtang Range of the Himalayas during lunchtime in Nagarkot, Nepal

I love taking lunchtime breaks while traveling, but if I make the mistake of having a beer or wine with my lunch, I get really lazy in the afternoon.  I try to save wine or beer for dinnertime, but I’m not always successful. 🙂

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weekly photo challenge: changing seasons

07 Friday Dec 2012

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Gongju, postaweek2012, South Korea, Weekly Photo Challenge

≈ 51 Comments

Tags

postaweek2012, South Korea, Travel, weekly photo challenge

Friday, December 7: Today’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge is Changing Seasons.  Cheri Lucas of WordPress writes: It’s the first week of December, and where I live, on the west coast of the US, the weather has cooled, the trees are bare, and the sky seems much more volatile and moody. Here, we’re saying goodbye to fall and hello to winter. In other parts of the world, it’s snowing. And for our neighbors down south, it’s almost summer.

I live in Oman, and here there is really only one season: HOT.  Omanis insist that it is now winter, but in my eyes, nothing here approaches winter. It looks the same now as it looks all year round: brown with a 90% chance of brown.  It is still hot during the day, and the evenings and mornings are just a little cooler.  So, for this challenge, I will travel back to South Korea to find a change of season.

These photos are from a weekend trip to Gongju & Buyeo, Korea, where a light snow had just fallen.

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Buyeo, South Korea

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Gongju, South Korea

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Gongju, South Korea

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Gongju, South Korea

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Gongju, South Korea

I hope you enjoyed coming along with me on the only change of seasons I’ve experienced in the last 1 1/2 years. 🙂

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sunday post: peaceful

02 Sunday Dec 2012

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Boseong, Jakesprinter, South Korea, Suncheon Bay, Sunday Post

≈ 20 Comments

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South Korea, Sunday Post, Travel

Sunday, December 2:  Jakesprinter’s Sunday Post challenge for this week is peaceful: in a state of tranquility.

Two years ago at this time, my son Alex came to visit me in South Korea.  We found many peaceful places in our travels around the country.  It was freezing cold, as Korea tends to be in December.  Because it was winter, most of these spots were quite deserted, and truly peaceful (“handsome boy” visits korea: motherhood revisited).

the tea plantations near Boseong, South Korea

the tea plantations near Boseong, South Korea

Suncheon Bay Ecological Park

Suncheon Bay Ecological Park

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Songgwang-sa Temple, otherwise known as “Extensive Pines Temple”

http://jakesprinters.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/water-dragon-poster1.jpg?w=300&h=202&h=202

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share your world: cee’s life questions (week #13)

04 Sunday Mar 2012

Posted by nomad, interrupted in Jeongju, Share Your World, South Korea

≈ 4 Comments

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share your world, South Korea

  1. What is your favorite month of the year?
    October is my absolute favorite month.  My birthday is on the 25th  and the best birthday present I receive each year is a gorgeous day:  leaves painted the color of pumpkins, pomegranates and squash and the air crisp and sharp as sapphire.  Add to that the birthdays of two of my closest childhood friends within a week of mine, & Halloween with its pumpkins, black cats, and trick-or-treaters, and you have perfection.  Truly.

    autumn colors in jeongju, south korea. november 2010.

    autumn colors in jeongju, south korea. november 2010.

  2. What is something you learned in the last week?
    I have learned I really miss woods, rich thickets of trees of every variety.  I miss green.  Oman, though beautiful in its own right, is dry and barren and I find myself yearning for a forest to hike through. What really amazes me is how much I’ve taken trees for granted.

    in South Korea, November 2010

    in South Korea, November 2010

  3. What color looks best on you?
    I think I look best in navy blue, periwinkle and purple.  Cool, refreshing colors.

    near Jeongju, South Korea. November 2010.

    near Jeongju, South Korea. November 2010.

  4. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
    I would be able to twinkle my nose, like Samantha on the old TV series Bewitched, and zap myself anywhere in the world on a whim and a heartbeat.

The above questions were created by Cee Neuner in her blog: Share Your World – Week 13.  Please join us in sharing our worlds!

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~ wander.essence ~

where travel meets art

Living in Paradise...

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~~~In Case You Didn't Know, I Talk 2 Myself~~~

PIRAN CAFÉ

Word Wabbit

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Cardinal Guzman

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Pit's Fritztown News

A German Expat's Life in Fredericksburg/Texas

Fumbling Through Italy

Empty Nesters on a Green Global Trek

snowtoseas

Cornwall in Colours

inspired by the colours of the land, sea and sky of Cornwall

Slovenian Girl Abroad

A blog about travel adventures written by an Slovenian girl living in Switzerland

Let Me Bite That

Can I have a bite?

Running Stories by Jerry Lewis

Personal blog about running adventures

Finding NYC

exploring New York City one adventure at a time

The World according to Dina

Notes on Seeing, Reading & Writing, Living & Loving in The North

Cornwall Photographic

snippetsandsnaps

Potato Point and beyond

SITTING PRETTY

Fairfax County Emergency Information

Official Fairfax County Government Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery Website

~ wander.essence ~

where travel meets art

Living in Paradise...

SterVens' Tales

~~~In Case You Didn't Know, I Talk 2 Myself~~~

PIRAN CAFÉ

Word Wabbit

Wrestless Word Wrestler

Cardinal Guzman

Encyclopedia Miscellaneous - 'quality' blogging since August 2011

Pit's Fritztown News

A German Expat's Life in Fredericksburg/Texas

Fumbling Through Italy

Empty Nesters on a Green Global Trek

snowtoseas

Cornwall in Colours

inspired by the colours of the land, sea and sky of Cornwall

Slovenian Girl Abroad

A blog about travel adventures written by an Slovenian girl living in Switzerland

Let Me Bite That

Can I have a bite?

Running Stories by Jerry Lewis

Personal blog about running adventures

Finding NYC

exploring New York City one adventure at a time

The World according to Dina

Notes on Seeing, Reading & Writing, Living & Loving in The North

Cornwall Photographic

snippetsandsnaps

Potato Point and beyond

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