Trip to Bukchon Hanok Village

This is a dream come true! Walking in the village made me feel like I'm inside a Koreanovela.

Bukchon Hanok Village is an actual residential area, The gate that you see at the background is a part of someone's house. Just like in Korean movies! :)

There's a dozen of workshops in Hanok Village where you can experience their culture. Unfortunately 50% of them are closed on Mondays. Most of them don't allow taking pictures during the workshop. I just took a snapshot outside the workshop area. 

I also visited some museums. Some museums showcase the tradition Korean culture like Gahoe museum,  Han Sangsu Embroidery Museum, the Museum of Korean art and many more. 

I wasn't able to take much pictures because my phone died. Good thing, there's an observatory nearby which offers some hot beverages like coffee, tea, and cocoa. I was able to charge my phone while enjoying the view of the Bukchon Hanok Village.

I'll definitely go back there on Spring. I don't recommend the winter season because my fingers (even with gloves on) are freezing while walking in the village.  I'll update this blog on Spring. :) 

How to go there:

Take subway line 3 to Anguk Station (exit 2)

Walk for about 300m to reach the Bukchon Hanok Village.

Admission Fee:

Museum of Korean Buddhist Art - 3,500 won

Han Sangsoo Embroidery workshop - 2,000 won

The World Jewelry Museum - 5,000 won

Kum Bak Yeon - 2,000 won 

Gahoe Museum - 2,500 won (exclusive of workshop fee)

Trip to Hwanghakdong Flea Market

Winter clothes in Korea are really expensive. As an expat, I wanna buy some inexpensive clothes to save money. It's my first winter. I wanna be fashionable yet thrifty. It's the reason why I googled some flea markets in Seoul. 

I arrived there at around 10 am. There are lots of thrift shops around the area. Coats, boots, skirts, and bags can be seen all over the shops. I went to some stores to search for cheap yet fashionable clothes. :)

On the streets, you can find some vintage items. They sell vintage cameras, microphones, telescopes, and even hair irons and blowers! I just realized that these pokemon cards are now vintage! LOL!

I didn't know that Koreans also used coal powered irons.

They also sell baseballs with signatures of famous athletes.

 I also found some electronic harp, microscope, rice cookers, and heater.

They also sell artworks and even golf clubs. 

After few hours or roaming around, I decided to eat in one of the stores nearby. Since I cant read the menu, I just said "bap" meaning rice.

The lady served me some rice with beansprouts, soup, kimchi, and soy sauce. It costs 2000 won.
I felt that it lacks protein so I ordered a fried egg. The lady charged me another 1000 won for a single fried egg. LOL!!!

After lunch, I notice some trucks parking on the streets. These trucks were filled with clothes. It is also noticeable that a crowd is waiting on the sidewalks.

After few minutes, they started unpacking the clothes on the streets.

  

I can't believe how fast they organized the clothes on the streets. 

An empty street became crowded in just few minutes. 

This is how they choose the clothes from a mountain of clothes

It's really "hukay-hukay". They dig the clothes they want. :)

How to go there:

Take Subway Line 2 or Line 6 to Singdang Station (Exit 2)

Walk for 3 minutes towards Hwanghakdong Office to reach the market.

Admission is free! It is open everyday from 9am to 7pm.

Trip to Donggwanwangmyo Shrine

This is my first tourist spot of the year. Yay! It's my first time to ride the bus alone. I felt really nervous and excited. I used google maps to find what bus to use. That's one of the things I love about traveling in Korea. They have designated bus stops and bus numbers! You can also download an app which shows what time a bus arrives. 

Here's some facts about Donggwanwangmyo Shrine:

1. It is known as Korea's Treasure No. 142.

2. It is a tomb for Chinese General Gwan Yu.

3. It is also known as Seoul Donggwanwangmyo which means the east of Seoul.

4. The shape of the roof is based on the Chinese letter gong.

5. This east shrine is the biggest and the most brilliant among the four shrines located in the north, south and west.

Honestly, this Donggwanwangmyo Shrine is just my side trip. I really went here to visit the Hwanghakdong Flea Market. I'll talk about it on my next blog post. :)

How to go there:

Take subway Line 1 or Line 6 to Dongmyo Station (exit 3)
Turn right at the first street onto Jong-ro 58-gil.
Continue 130 meters and turn left.
The entrance to the shrine will be on the left.

Admission is free!

Trip to Manila

It's been a tradition of me and my housemates to meet at least once a year to visit some places. This year, we decided to have a Manila Trip. We did it during the Independence day. Zetta and I were having breakfast when I saw a map in the Young Star page of the Inquirer. We decided to use it in our adventure.

We went to the National Museum. There's no entrance fee that day. Yay! 

Our next stop was the Fort Santiago. We hired a pedicab driver to tour us around. In fairness, they know the history of the place. The driver also served as our tour guide.

The buildings gave us a European feel.

We also visited some churches like Manila Cathedral

and San Agustin Church

We ended our day by eating these ice creams from Big Scoop at Calle Escolta. 

Since it's Independence Day, we dropped by the Rizal Monument.

Trip to Mt. Batulao

This is not the usual travel blog. 

I don't think I can give you much advice about what to bring or what activities to do. I just write here to share my experience. I chose to make this blog personal. 

It's been a year since I climbed a mountain. I've been very busy with my career and of course with my master's degree. Whenever I have the opportunity for these kind of adventures, I eagerly grab them! :)

I cant remember the exact date of this hike but I know that it was my last day of second semester 2015. I was so tired of making my final papers for Philo Ed and my research paper for Psycho-Socio-Linguistics. I also had my final exam on Intro to Linguistics that day.

My brother texted me about his plan on hiking to Mt. Batulao. He's really problematic because my parents didn't allow him to go with his friends. As a "kind" sister (HAHAHA), I persuaded my parents to allow him provided that I'll go with Karlo.

I was in Manila that time. I think I arrived at Cavite around 7pm. I had dinner and hurriedly pack my things for the hike. I felt a rush because it's literally last minute for me!

I met my brother's friends and we ride a bus to Batangas. I think the fare from Robinson Dasma to Batulao is around 60php.

We decided to have a night hike. We paid 400 to a guide from the village near the mountain. I think it was around 11pm when we decided to sleep. I wasn't informed that nobody brought a tent! We just used some blankets and slept on the ground. I think we were halfway near the peak. 

We started hiking 5am to witness the sunrise at the peak of the mountain. It was all worth it. 

Trip to Westhill International School

"Work. Save. Travel."

I remembered posting it as my status in Facebook a year ago. I always wanted to visit different places. I can't to do it without money to pay for the food, fare and accommodations so I decided to search for a school who can support my passion and of course who can pay me well. :)

It's been a year since I started working at Westhill International School. I never really regret choosing to work in an international school over the all girls school and the catholic school who hired me.

Why work in Westhill International School?

1. The teachers and staff here are good people. Some teachers are born again Christians of different denominations, some are Catholics. We respect each others religion. I'm happy that we have morning devotions every day from 7:30 to 8am. It is lead by a foreign Pastor. It's really good to start the day with some singing of praise and worship songs and some word of God.

Westhill International School Faculty and Administrators

2. The students are very lovable. They may have different nationalities but I can see than they can work well with each other.  There is indeed a unity in diversity. All of them speaks English most of the time except in their Filipino subject. They also know how to speak French. I often join my students in their French class. (Free French lessons! LOL) 

My 5th grade students wearing their scouting uniform

Philippine National Dance Day Celebration

3. The facilities are commendable. All of the classrooms and laboratories are air-conditioned. The restrooms are always clean. The cleaning staff make sure that the surroundings are clean. Oh by the way, there are CCTV's all over the place. Each classroom has two CCTV's. The cafeteria, and even the hallways have CCTV's too.

Every classroom uses an interactive board. :)

4. The parents are friendly. I rarely encounter complains. The parent-teacher relationship is good because the teachers contact the parents immediately if there is a concern about their child. The parents also participate in school activities like the sports fest.

5. I'm very comfortable here. It may be thirty minutes away from home but I learned how to enjoy reading a book while on trip. I also enjoy making cool presentations for the students because we use the interactive boards in class. As for the lesson plans, the teachers are required to be in school during summer to finish our lesson plans for the whole school year. 

Before the school year ends, the teachers were asked to pass a letter of intent if we are staying or leaving. I didn't think twice. I really want to stay here. I realized that I'm getting paid to do what I really love to do.

5 Things You’ll See Inside A Teacher’s Bag

How would you find a girl who teaches? You’ll know she does because she always carries supersized bags.

1. Laptop

She has to carry her laptop every day with all the creative presentations for her kids. Yes, she sleeps late because she needs to prepare her lesson plan and all the visual aids for her classes. This applies to the teachers who do not have their own desktop in the classroom.

2. Flash Drive

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She’s always ready. Just in case her laptop malfunctions, she has the back up of all the presentations, lesson plans and class records. Her flash drive is full of icebreakers, full of funny videos, and activities that will surely get the students attention.

3. Planner/Notepad

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If she’s very organized, she keeps a planner that she updates everyday about her deadlines (grades, exams, narratives). However, if she’s really busy, there will always be a notepad or a sheet of paper with “Things to do” in it. Her activities never run out.

4. School Supplies

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She may forget her makeup kit, but she’ll always have her pencil case with colorful pens in it. She always brings her cute grading stamps, sticky notes and all the stuff for the kids’ projects. Most of the time, she takes home some test papers inside her bag that she can’t even check at home because she’s too tired to work.

5. Water bottle

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Mugs are overrated. Almost all of the teachers would say that they receive a dozen of mugs from their students every year. I think water bottles are necessity for teachers. She gives all of her effort during discussion. She uses different voices in telling a story. She exclaims when she’s happy. She sometimes yells to the naughty kids. A water bottle is something that would really help her survive throughout the day.