tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1422955698500996222024-03-13T01:17:26.134-07:00Alex on the LooseA loose trail of where I am and what I am doing while gallivanting through Asia and back home again ....Alexandra DeMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08002089008044628119noreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142295569850099622.post-1074919104270119502013-12-31T12:03:00.001-08:002013-12-31T12:03:12.957-08:00Getting caught up…..Well there we go. Not a lot of blogs for 2013, but at least I threw a few in of some of the mini trips I did. It'll be a while before I move to another country, or take another 6 month trip gallivanting some continent. So until then, these mini breaks will have to do. Slowly, I will get back into the swing of writing blogs. Stay tuned for either a new blog site, or updates on this blog.<br />
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Maybe I will get sick of school and a mundane life searching for a career and pick up and move to Mongolia. If that's the case, this is where you'll hear about it.<br />
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Until then, HAPY NEW YEAR to all and I can't wait to see what 2014 has in store….<br />
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<br />Alexandra DeMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08002089008044628119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142295569850099622.post-40493346590936777532013-12-31T11:54:00.001-08:002013-12-31T11:54:14.236-08:00Winter Music Conference in Miami<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67qL9_bnkGIKAGbRb2p_a9K2s6wJu170RSpv7PjdtGFXL5sifWLSKO2CN-GRxKqtmy1a7KfQNEvPKoo3C-tRv61tibMqjgXNW-wXa4ZOqhEEU2vHwo28_6PAhLGhJGqDyaCcNdzkPrYcf/s1600/matt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67qL9_bnkGIKAGbRb2p_a9K2s6wJu170RSpv7PjdtGFXL5sifWLSKO2CN-GRxKqtmy1a7KfQNEvPKoo3C-tRv61tibMqjgXNW-wXa4ZOqhEEU2vHwo28_6PAhLGhJGqDyaCcNdzkPrYcf/s320/matt.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Matt, he is mildly crazy.</td></tr>
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Matt Williams is a guy I met in a hostel in Sydney in 1999 while on one of my first, and biggest backpacking adventures. Over the past 15 years we have met up in numerous countries, and shared many a packed dance floor together. We both love our music, and we party, and we dance. Oh, and we both have travelled the whole world wide. He planted the seed in my head that he was gathering a good crew to check out the Winter Music Conference in Miami for the second year in a row.<span id="goog_2124638498"></span><br />
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Meanwhile back in Canada, one of my best girlfriends stoked the fire. I had<br />
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n't been down to Florida in years and the idea of spending a short but packed week in South Beach was too much too refuse. We had brave goals of shopping and beach bumming and hotel jumping, while attending all the best music venues and parties the festival had to offer. We skipped shopping, made it to the beach for a short stint and basically spent the whole trip partying and dancing our toes off.<br />
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We rented a plush condo just off the strip as a home base and gallivanted the days away. Here are a few shots to highlight our days in South Beach. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hahahahaha. We like to dance. </td></tr>
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Actually the pictures are on a separate blog because I am having technical difficulty and blogger is not cooperating with me. Check them out here:<br />
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<a href="http://chooseyouradventure25.blogspot.ca/2013/12/snapshots-of-south-beach.html">http://chooseyouradventure25.blogspot.ca/2013/12/snapshots-of-south-beach.html</a><br />
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Alexandra DeMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08002089008044628119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142295569850099622.post-69643901401195531992013-12-31T11:50:00.003-08:002013-12-31T11:50:47.312-08:00Snapshots of South Beach<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome to South Beach. Madness ensued. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easing ourselves into it, and catching up with all the Brits @Nikki Beach.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nikki Beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kinda speaks for itself. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We have NO FUN AT ALL when we hang out. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next party. Next day. Next venue. More tomfoolery. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not all of us, but part of the most fun crew ever. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mz.Kitty and I, gussied up for the only fancy meal we went out for <br />
at Katsuya's in the SLS hotel, on the strip. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More accessorizing.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New day, new party. Delano Hotel. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lovely ladies crew (plus Christian).</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">British Love.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And darkness falls. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGuPQhdtnjvA4586NGTb-3rIh1qqJNsPrj_BkcIrDFWPDrxYeIB5wH1Wx0PLHhMQzMCgiJ0wsENaJmwQot-llJVH5hBhgsW6UO7m4NpKEtZgtJYmqVvu6RCdneSXjIBWp5Ro7exdq99GBi/s1600/P1240551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGuPQhdtnjvA4586NGTb-3rIh1qqJNsPrj_BkcIrDFWPDrxYeIB5wH1Wx0PLHhMQzMCgiJ0wsENaJmwQot-llJVH5hBhgsW6UO7m4NpKEtZgtJYmqVvu6RCdneSXjIBWp5Ro7exdq99GBi/s320/P1240551.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of our dance floors was in a POOOOOOL!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiMefqAImaMittAfh6Y1mf3uYFEZtXG0KOehjxF2TeiWBFGWjpX5gp7ZUZwhCSGuk1eFK6zkhFiFV9OmcjciGF-b8KA53E0BPcrersGTMEVgarNE82FKB8AnOWSC5PUG9yxiOM3KCB6Gct/s1600/P1240556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiMefqAImaMittAfh6Y1mf3uYFEZtXG0KOehjxF2TeiWBFGWjpX5gp7ZUZwhCSGuk1eFK6zkhFiFV9OmcjciGF-b8KA53E0BPcrersGTMEVgarNE82FKB8AnOWSC5PUG9yxiOM3KCB6Gct/s400/P1240556.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See! Pool dance floors are the coolest thing ever. There should be more. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OKRVlg1_Ts_byZIL9-PviMamoI6tdQKSbZHJ8QaZ9eW30SQvHm0BWKRoDoRnHt87Ix-Lb0AeGIavC4RLEKGmJ85ufavXQ6oW4IotkiiPeU3BVxjuD1OHij21nwNss4mtRQ6mrhPTVjFV/s1600/P1240559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OKRVlg1_Ts_byZIL9-PviMamoI6tdQKSbZHJ8QaZ9eW30SQvHm0BWKRoDoRnHt87Ix-Lb0AeGIavC4RLEKGmJ85ufavXQ6oW4IotkiiPeU3BVxjuD1OHij21nwNss4mtRQ6mrhPTVjFV/s400/P1240559.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This pic is fuzzy, but it pretty much <br />sums up my week with Kat ;-)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0RmyAzMbjIbammlu61_GWgsYZsLnp6uZujF8NnrN7a1SUdrEVXWqFOX2MHBDIZQYR-9XJDUDIaAfWwhyT65XWAw3zpWmuGCcc5Op2t90MXFmxZxbAyrnpzv_hj2EVf6rcBenCxcX9gK87/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0RmyAzMbjIbammlu61_GWgsYZsLnp6uZujF8NnrN7a1SUdrEVXWqFOX2MHBDIZQYR-9XJDUDIaAfWwhyT65XWAw3zpWmuGCcc5Op2t90MXFmxZxbAyrnpzv_hj2EVf6rcBenCxcX9gK87/s400/photo+1.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kat strutting on the strip. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhws0_S6xQ5aeeaouKVESZvYaJdZXm-BRDM6MoXpe_SnYxon_DB5EOM6k4w7NEej-ERufcUbb4YhVJPzmeyxHEnJCeWmnveXMpnahS3HhsHOcloFDYy-42TlJUJuLbJK2JGkdf4RbdX2Woz/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhws0_S6xQ5aeeaouKVESZvYaJdZXm-BRDM6MoXpe_SnYxon_DB5EOM6k4w7NEej-ERufcUbb4YhVJPzmeyxHEnJCeWmnveXMpnahS3HhsHOcloFDYy-42TlJUJuLbJK2JGkdf4RbdX2Woz/s400/photo+1.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me + Brits = excessive fun. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaLQhu_FaOs4MwRjr8sRdoAZccvYfA_fUvsqj0cg6fUlJkTQn3zazf9ZOWcGlvDfFn9ZV3I6Z7ZjyLOj-ByP9uGpe2yRWv6y-24qgFxC_AtrLXfTPap5L1AtpDke2WKH_W828__fhFpdBy/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaLQhu_FaOs4MwRjr8sRdoAZccvYfA_fUvsqj0cg6fUlJkTQn3zazf9ZOWcGlvDfFn9ZV3I6Z7ZjyLOj-ByP9uGpe2yRWv6y-24qgFxC_AtrLXfTPap5L1AtpDke2WKH_W828__fhFpdBy/s400/photo+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Delano Hotel </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAF30XKcXeNS3zNm3GGxeWtXqBe3DUJ-fqRGVK-91vJcwMepD7mPzIrZNGroAoNm3niIIdhdIsPRUMGk8DQJCzEHdJUs9m4AldEyRT6gqP5u16lYc-UNsq39xLNE15mdkA9z32ThA3rwO_/s1600/photo+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAF30XKcXeNS3zNm3GGxeWtXqBe3DUJ-fqRGVK-91vJcwMepD7mPzIrZNGroAoNm3niIIdhdIsPRUMGk8DQJCzEHdJUs9m4AldEyRT6gqP5u16lYc-UNsq39xLNE15mdkA9z32ThA3rwO_/s320/photo+5.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More of the Delano. Last day, last party. </td></tr>
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<br />Alexandra DeMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08002089008044628119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142295569850099622.post-59395637377244355122013-12-31T11:15:00.001-08:002013-12-31T11:15:16.325-08:00Mini-Break in Domican Republic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7VF_m0K4XgVNl_bpZDGe1BilPw3A7zZbRH46T5MbheLCfw2MRsy3duG78m8h6vfMki8Jro3ByukK3dX5S7jXMHIoRGB_9fyASOLzkWUvOkofqlsi1Idz1QjSEOJ1n6KiWnoqDm3ItJfff/s1600/P1240136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7VF_m0K4XgVNl_bpZDGe1BilPw3A7zZbRH46T5MbheLCfw2MRsy3duG78m8h6vfMki8Jro3ByukK3dX5S7jXMHIoRGB_9fyASOLzkWUvOkofqlsi1Idz1QjSEOJ1n6KiWnoqDm3ItJfff/s400/P1240136.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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In March, after enduring my first Canadian in over 3 years, we booked a quick and cheap getaway down south. I hadn't been on a package vacation in ages and I was quickly reminded the reason for that. As lovely as it was to shed all the layers of clothing and bask in sunshine by the ocean, all inclusives are NOT my favourite way to travel. We basically sat in one spot for 7 days on the beach, interrupted only by eating, sleeping, and drinking. As temperatures are plummeting and winter is in full swing right now, that combination of activities is actually pretty tempting.<br />
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More to the point, if I had choice I would have gone to so many more interesting places in this world. But with only a week off work and a very limited budget, we made the most of it.<br />
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Here are a few snaps from our week of sand, sea and lots of sunshine.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8biVSNKYvnfgx0jM9q76dOwv4pKgBBsl55cuh1zq8VJUQqBJ8AZWzsB70s8kfsI3zGR5pbEdAO9E2vKQaFCnryi_fCLsSnEeMHaBm5Wml9PtH9jbstv6RnQk42BILSQEuCgnby9EOqniF/s1600/P1240101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8biVSNKYvnfgx0jM9q76dOwv4pKgBBsl55cuh1zq8VJUQqBJ8AZWzsB70s8kfsI3zGR5pbEdAO9E2vKQaFCnryi_fCLsSnEeMHaBm5Wml9PtH9jbstv6RnQk42BILSQEuCgnby9EOqniF/s400/P1240101.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I spy with my little eye…..</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRCTYX4kSPzremMlMWffqmXyJK3QUYqS-F_dhcPk6eDhZ5_R-frmurryT3Rybgf1imlViz6grKRUUXu0rG0RUKRhEcDe-5O9_F0kRQAIyla9IhXLjpdTinid9flsSsH8MAt0mYUhqfXrCY/s1600/P1240103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRCTYX4kSPzremMlMWffqmXyJK3QUYqS-F_dhcPk6eDhZ5_R-frmurryT3Rybgf1imlViz6grKRUUXu0rG0RUKRhEcDe-5O9_F0kRQAIyla9IhXLjpdTinid9flsSsH8MAt0mYUhqfXrCY/s320/P1240103.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palm trees & coconuts = happiness.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwH1LvcMOcg2CutumfvPwyMBtYBk3FEoETYCz0Pd_hPuzC0dELX3qTf6lFHYX3KIJnZWnefozkZKTx30FdJxt7dAFbFY4-dJrraNpGSnqbYDHWYL7pcRJtvxcf8i1HH0ip_6GvaXODeRXh/s1600/P1240299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwH1LvcMOcg2CutumfvPwyMBtYBk3FEoETYCz0Pd_hPuzC0dELX3qTf6lFHYX3KIJnZWnefozkZKTx30FdJxt7dAFbFY4-dJrraNpGSnqbYDHWYL7pcRJtvxcf8i1HH0ip_6GvaXODeRXh/s320/P1240299.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I like accessories. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZyEKH8JOaB1x1UlkSVUx8YRq06dHJUxpkbq1DQdH_GCGeUutAl5QvYkepv0WpM-AYCM0afNVIY_7Ma34YGpY95G7V4KDGYH1wOn5lMOdRv4DjlWQoUH18UGgYeHurfTbyhpTiOEMt6go/s1600/P1240112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZyEKH8JOaB1x1UlkSVUx8YRq06dHJUxpkbq1DQdH_GCGeUutAl5QvYkepv0WpM-AYCM0afNVIY_7Ma34YGpY95G7V4KDGYH1wOn5lMOdRv4DjlWQoUH18UGgYeHurfTbyhpTiOEMt6go/s400/P1240112.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty views everywhere I looked.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJNd488x4caK6wFIVL7asRkXk4j2bSBoZJXbTlF29gfia5PbQAuK5QvTyFxJKJz76FSceTE6dzv4MeyKYZ4WSWnmIFMUd4X8J5Z04IrTaNzAMA-DfgrDphks00swM-R0WhGi5o95xL7Rf/s1600/P1240172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJNd488x4caK6wFIVL7asRkXk4j2bSBoZJXbTlF29gfia5PbQAuK5QvTyFxJKJz76FSceTE6dzv4MeyKYZ4WSWnmIFMUd4X8J5Z04IrTaNzAMA-DfgrDphks00swM-R0WhGi5o95xL7Rf/s400/P1240172.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our home base for 7 days of sunshine.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPClZYYCbL_uV74MLQP-fMw7yGY3VraQBXXXxnFzWQe8F65OK7jEtpWdukMwETYQlEHxlok25y2cWeP7KCS_zm0fSMvRhEZ9eMWy_164jDDkRqjdMn8ot6X_zsVQY36ha8Z1VlPtYiT8i/s1600/P1240190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPClZYYCbL_uV74MLQP-fMw7yGY3VraQBXXXxnFzWQe8F65OK7jEtpWdukMwETYQlEHxlok25y2cWeP7KCS_zm0fSMvRhEZ9eMWy_164jDDkRqjdMn8ot6X_zsVQY36ha8Z1VlPtYiT8i/s320/P1240190.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feet up and relaxing. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje3PTiGdHriznjc25lUS0Zc-D-srDivXKz7ZZt7V9ScMT305jcCDKgTA5jIU8Mi6lr20FQTuR5ipaA4g4eGBef1KsMBgsUtYyQPRifqbb8Yp9-BeLE134O_-HuPj0ufjhN68IoGuOnUORT/s1600/P1240231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje3PTiGdHriznjc25lUS0Zc-D-srDivXKz7ZZt7V9ScMT305jcCDKgTA5jIU8Mi6lr20FQTuR5ipaA4g4eGBef1KsMBgsUtYyQPRifqbb8Yp9-BeLE134O_-HuPj0ufjhN68IoGuOnUORT/s320/P1240231.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beach bound.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlDq5V78sbXoKOKPeX3sAibO9NhvX1lewRJlmvd5Jmfh1eOQ9q7Tmv4S-FSjDLfnoF0G5vX8gsCRVZ59qxPfvUZbKM912PWArEl5ObXhC3p8-HPMz7gJ_BrTej67TjktiSngjbBXatgSKV/s1600/P1240241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlDq5V78sbXoKOKPeX3sAibO9NhvX1lewRJlmvd5Jmfh1eOQ9q7Tmv4S-FSjDLfnoF0G5vX8gsCRVZ59qxPfvUZbKM912PWArEl5ObXhC3p8-HPMz7gJ_BrTej67TjktiSngjbBXatgSKV/s400/P1240241.JPG" width="295" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is happy Alex.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_N-lLCASjqUCEFKluyIAHYv61FD1tk5wC7jmVIpTC1cs0VVNCMJK2W1Mt0BygKgc0MiPrwGgfbjJ6IVbzRBfEOaYKbdz5gfr_auCG1-bca7EZojTEHZaA3IBqc_D43f5Y8f56WcK8_aDO/s1600/P1240243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_N-lLCASjqUCEFKluyIAHYv61FD1tk5wC7jmVIpTC1cs0VVNCMJK2W1Mt0BygKgc0MiPrwGgfbjJ6IVbzRBfEOaYKbdz5gfr_auCG1-bca7EZojTEHZaA3IBqc_D43f5Y8f56WcK8_aDO/s320/P1240243.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best view in the house.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6CE6MoJTVEPBg9H9VmeaBbRcJtifOnsEWgI08mthH1hKDH7tEnorNgZmqvCKHcbOCGCPrXHfRpST5vb5s9EHm3yPC6WrTPq9T_E8apoCBP7AM20I_y5xeDr56K53FqbMepQ86jddN1Wb-/s1600/P1240265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6CE6MoJTVEPBg9H9VmeaBbRcJtifOnsEWgI08mthH1hKDH7tEnorNgZmqvCKHcbOCGCPrXHfRpST5vb5s9EHm3yPC6WrTPq9T_E8apoCBP7AM20I_y5xeDr56K53FqbMepQ86jddN1Wb-/s400/P1240265.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This little dude spent an afternoon under our umbrella. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnEa6Jp6xbQhzWvtpra6Zjbgr8C-9yKVH7RvtG-uPZcwoqhOxTaLYd9HfCWNSGpTGx08GdvUMs7NxVJde37dCzCbw2eMzkWekVGLebZw9BThtRZKgpBoVTIZyN_A7EWUpWoX80O7mdQpg/s1600/P1240311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnEa6Jp6xbQhzWvtpra6Zjbgr8C-9yKVH7RvtG-uPZcwoqhOxTaLYd9HfCWNSGpTGx08GdvUMs7NxVJde37dCzCbw2eMzkWekVGLebZw9BThtRZKgpBoVTIZyN_A7EWUpWoX80O7mdQpg/s320/P1240311.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of MANY foot shots. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj72xbJ5MtMNczYlJQzqfCy01g5GBbLQ_yPp-j35n-NdGm38yzADWmqZKKSfFrZ_OhJz3sAu7bY6-KyZRg8_Ge_YkHVDbdfTo_UMFNswRWGSplUGMTo6dw-D4lxiKZKgnI6RDh_DcQgOMGb/s1600/P1240341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj72xbJ5MtMNczYlJQzqfCy01g5GBbLQ_yPp-j35n-NdGm38yzADWmqZKKSfFrZ_OhJz3sAu7bY6-KyZRg8_Ge_YkHVDbdfTo_UMFNswRWGSplUGMTo6dw-D4lxiKZKgnI6RDh_DcQgOMGb/s400/P1240341.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MEEEEEE!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcSrxbSzRJrrcnOPB6cfb01uAlJF8gkFkLqlzuEyqwLPBnRh42Q8G316anoyE7mwvfOUSZSAQKtzipuIGBzosDrD6mkrw7lyvjqK7-WPp66UDEn2aVGmD5jaZf7lTQ8lq80jjFJfeh9xmO/s1600/P1240350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcSrxbSzRJrrcnOPB6cfb01uAlJF8gkFkLqlzuEyqwLPBnRh42Q8G316anoyE7mwvfOUSZSAQKtzipuIGBzosDrD6mkrw7lyvjqK7-WPp66UDEn2aVGmD5jaZf7lTQ8lq80jjFJfeh9xmO/s320/P1240350.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little crab, who was not too happy about my photo shoot. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpDW_r9uT8FHp0qkRnHIoGsRqlvSBDGGJQ4BUQrYkvAVF6mAv6FLm0oUyFy86PhnVOrCItT28ddlpKnrikg1UKhB0XFf8_YIrKyUpG27nhF3rWuyh2BkBMZPeC7pWt0_N7V15SK3jiw9J/s1600/P1240355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpDW_r9uT8FHp0qkRnHIoGsRqlvSBDGGJQ4BUQrYkvAVF6mAv6FLm0oUyFy86PhnVOrCItT28ddlpKnrikg1UKhB0XFf8_YIrKyUpG27nhF3rWuyh2BkBMZPeC7pWt0_N7V15SK3jiw9J/s400/P1240355.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Us. </td></tr>
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<br />Alexandra DeMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08002089008044628119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142295569850099622.post-89708521419470813252013-12-21T14:06:00.003-08:002013-12-21T14:12:28.756-08:002013 Comes To An End, and the blog is resurrected. 2013 is only days away from ending and I noticed it has been over a year since I entered a blog. Writing my blog was so habitual for so long, and now it has just dried up. Mostly because this blog has always been my travel blog and I have been pretty stationary in Toronto for the past year and half. After my return from Korea, I kept the blog going for a while trying to "find Korea in Toronto." I drifted. Ironically, I am now back at school for another writing focused post grad degree, and I am not blogging, shame on me. Hence the entry. My December resolution is to start writing a few articles here and there (especially on <a href="http://www.justcharlee.com/">www.justcharlee.com</a>), and to start blogging again.<br />
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I haven't decided whether or not to keep this blog going or to leave it as my travel blog and start a fresh new one for Alex In The City. Either way, I must get back into writing more. I think along with not travelling right now, is also the fact that in school I am writing all the time with assignments coming out of my yahoo. So it's hard to motivate myself to just write more. But I will do, and I really want to, especially now that I am on a bit of a break from school and the academic world.<br />
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So before 2013 comes to end, I thought I would back track a little and just throw some photos up from the little mini breaks I did have. I was beach bumming back in March for a week in the Caribbean and then shortly there after I had a crazy extended long weekend at a music festival in South Beach, Miami. The memories aren't exactly fresh but there are tons of pictures to post. So that will be a nice and easy transition to bring me back into the blogosphere.<br />
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Stay tuned.Alexandra DeMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08002089008044628119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142295569850099622.post-55794893751819207332012-10-12T09:21:00.000-07:002012-10-12T09:21:17.739-07:00Korea in Broadview StationI was standing at Broadview Station on my way to work yesterday waiting for a train, just like I do every day. My eyes briefly scanned in front of me, and because I hadn't had my morning coffee yet I was double-y impressed I picked up on this. The ad in front of me was for Korea. It brought a huge smile to my face at a very early hour of the day.<br />
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You don't see many billboards promoting Korea, so this really caught my eye. It was a "Visit Korea" poster sponsored by Korean Air and LG. Smack dab in the centre was a figure doing traditional Korean dance, <i>nongak</i> (translates to farmers dance), or <i>pungmul</i>. On his head he was wearing <i>sangmo</i>, a hat with a beautiful long ribbon attached to it that spins and flips when the person wearing it moves their head. I saw many different performances of this in Korea and it is a beautiful sight to see. The dancer was jumping above Gyeongbukgung, way off in the back ground. Gyeongbukgung is the massive, stunning, royal palace smack dap in the middle of central Seoul.<br />
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The poster also directs people to check out their facebook page to win a trip to Korea or an LG tv. Their facebook page can be found here: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/visitkoreayear">www.facebook.com/visitkoreayear</a><br />
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In a society where advertising is evident in every single thing we absorb, and everywhere we look, I found I really appreciated this one. Just another little piece of Korea I found right here in Toronto. <br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><i><< Check out a blog entry <a href="http://chooseyouradventure25.blogspot.ca/2011/10/korean-heritage-fashion-show.html">HERE</a> for a fashion show I attended at Gyeongbukgung where the palace was all dolled up for Korean Heritage Day. >> </i></span>Alexandra DeMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08002089008044628119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142295569850099622.post-71523703045297692472012-09-26T19:19:00.001-07:002012-09-26T19:19:00.848-07:00Raising The FlagTiming is everything. Just as I had decided to reinvest my interest back in blogging about Korea I get a notice in the post from the Consulate. <i>"On the occasion of the Anniversary of Korean National Foundation Day and Korean Heritage Day, the Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Toronto requests the pleasure of your company at a flag raising ceremony and a reception afterwards".</i><br />
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<b>YES PLEASE!</b> </div>
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Location: the legislative Building at Queen's Park. Seriously. I don't know how I got on their VIP list, but I couldn't be more pleased. I am pretty sure I can squeeze an early/extended lunch on the day this goes down so I can be there. I don't really know what to expect other than a flag being raised and a good possibility because it happens over lunch time, some good Korean eats. I will pack my camera and be ready for whatever it is that comes my way. Kamsa Hamnida! <br />
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<br />Alexandra DeMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08002089008044628119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142295569850099622.post-5246717028793650092012-09-23T09:34:00.002-07:002012-09-23T09:34:13.964-07:00Oh, Korea! We meet again. A few weeks ago, I came across a new opportunity to link me back to Korea. I have been sulking a little recently about blogging and my lack of writing over the past few months. I arrived home from Korea about 6 months ago, just as summer was starting to kick in. This past summer, after being away from Toronto for so long, was epic. I caught up with friends, spent lots of time with family and did lots of excursions to remind me why I love Canada so much and how happy I was to be home. As much as I love Toronto, it was great to go up to cottages and spend weekends up North, out of the city. It has been an amazing home coming.<br />
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Saying all that, looking at my blog archive window, I had one entry in June, one in July and none in August. Part of the reasoning behind that was because my summer was so jam packed and there was barely a minute to spare to focus on my writing. But part of it was also because for a long time, my blog was so deeply entwined with my life in Korea, that it lost a little bit being back home. How does one keep up a travel blog, when one is no longer really travelling? I struggled with this for a while. Do I change <i>ALEX ON THE LOOSE</i>, to <i>ALEX IN THE CITY</i>? Do I start up a whole new blog now that I am back in Toronto?<br />
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Technically, I am still writing for <a href="http://blog.korea.net/">The Korea Blog</a>, for my second year. I wasn't sure how to make that work once I left Seoul. My mission turned into "finding Korea in Toronto". Over the past 6 months I have really enjoyed learning about Korea within Toronto. But somehow, my blog wasn't thriving (translation- Alex was lazy). I made some great new friends at the Korean Consulate, I was invited to some great events they organized, I took part in the Korean Film Festival, I met another local blogger that is part of The Korea Blog (her name is Cindy and she has a great Korea-centric blog too, <a href="http://lifesanadventure2.com/">www.lifesanadventure2.com </a>). Also, I am always on the hunt for good Korean restaurants to check out. I love Korean food and miss it so much. I've had a few opportunities to introduce some of my friends to Korean cuisine, who were just too intimidated to ever brave an authentic Korean restaurant.<br />
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Now this brings me back to my introductory sentence. A new opportunity, Korea related. 2013 is the fifty year anniversary between Korean Canadian relations. It is a big year and the Korean Consulate has many different events planned to celebrate and educate and promote Korea in general. A few weeks back I read about a contest they were holding in order to select 50 bloggers to be part of everything going on in 2013 and tell the world about it. The writer inside me got very excited. Yet another wonderful opportunity to connect me with Korea. Living in Toronto, I already have the advantage of proximity to such a huge part of the Korean population, so basically culture, food, music.... it's all at my doorstep.<br />
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So autumn has arrived, and with it I have infused myself with fresh incentive to get back into the swing of writing and blogging and do what I love to do (notice all the new September posts in my blog archive). I can't wait to get my posts rolling again and really hope I make the cut to blog for Korea in Canada! HAPPY READING!!Alexandra DeMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08002089008044628119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142295569850099622.post-51209683141075584432012-09-23T09:34:00.001-07:002012-09-26T19:06:22.451-07:00A Night At The Castle<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: x-small;">*** PLEASE NOTE: this is an event that happened back in JULY but for technical reasons was never published on my blog. I know it's somewhat untimely, but it was such a beautiful evening I felt it necessary to put up. </span><br />
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Last Friday, was the highly anticipated event "Rendezvous Korean Cuisine 2012", hosted by the Korean Consulate in Toronto. The venue was one of the best the city has to offer in my opinion, Casa Loma. I grew up just a few blocks away from the Castle, so it definitely holds a special place for me. It is a grande, majestic and lavish location to throw a party.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaH3CLe_TfCaAXpROrteHkgSUvexRReuNh7-0GN0SIZ-4OHKXVwAJPT_ADsZ2wfzhukiol40sqhKH4EWvhBy09rGZ-jWahig7h2JD0EzgqvYhy7Gd1_ao23u56OFbzuNS7AdTHmNusmLfa/s1600/IMG_2225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaH3CLe_TfCaAXpROrteHkgSUvexRReuNh7-0GN0SIZ-4OHKXVwAJPT_ADsZ2wfzhukiol40sqhKH4EWvhBy09rGZ-jWahig7h2JD0EzgqvYhy7Gd1_ao23u56OFbzuNS7AdTHmNusmLfa/s400/IMG_2225.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome to Casa Loma</td></tr>
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My boyfriend and I arrived fashionably late and things were well under way (no one and nothing was ever on time in Korea, I guess that trait didn't make it all the way to Canada). The main entranceway upon entering the castle was set up with different stalls sampling some of Korea's favourite bits and bites. The room was packed with people and within the first few minutes you could tell there was a great turn out and the night was destined for success.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvjO9UuLHbRViWyTRK_OD0Ry5R0x2PWsQht4pE1szhH5CGKzSkLZXsxHs53_5v8X1B04J8_d06DpnC5tE3T7USjUqw_MGF-gqf35vJoKglIK0-hwU-fYqhH2sZsq_H0o9Qgm2n4Cps5WDk/s1600/IMG_2164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvjO9UuLHbRViWyTRK_OD0Ry5R0x2PWsQht4pE1szhH5CGKzSkLZXsxHs53_5v8X1B04J8_d06DpnC5tE3T7USjUqw_MGF-gqf35vJoKglIK0-hwU-fYqhH2sZsq_H0o9Qgm2n4Cps5WDk/s320/IMG_2164.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Line ups to sample of the eats.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzaLVzJUhDwNJzzmvI6lsmC76sQNHM0eB_fFDpajPGsaiB0sbJATJUBr-ZrIlZEWt192mtAr3nC-4MkkUB1yJXE0X3y47TO6WHEEL6BFn9eHdV4uRs3ODkBYViYENBJF-mmdqUQ-ZY56l7/s1600/IMG_2231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzaLVzJUhDwNJzzmvI6lsmC76sQNHM0eB_fFDpajPGsaiB0sbJATJUBr-ZrIlZEWt192mtAr3nC-4MkkUB1yJXE0X3y47TO6WHEEL6BFn9eHdV4uRs3ODkBYViYENBJF-mmdqUQ-ZY56l7/s200/IMG_2231.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Korean food, on show. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwWvYmyRiY2-1aQMbZVlB8gBxlniJvk7vY7UANe_U_aLAhDMnyiOnByhyphenhyphenovkEXYYOAS4Cyc88jz03xsq15sRoVYL_HDN-I0EtZWizBM0j3sg0cqYpndKgnf-wr44ecKAhYIazGaS5aC9v/s1600/IMG_2232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwWvYmyRiY2-1aQMbZVlB8gBxlniJvk7vY7UANe_U_aLAhDMnyiOnByhyphenhyphenovkEXYYOAS4Cyc88jz03xsq15sRoVYL_HDN-I0EtZWizBM0j3sg0cqYpndKgnf-wr44ecKAhYIazGaS5aC9v/s200/IMG_2232.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peperro, amongst other goodies.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59FtMoZ5BFcOZ2SAdgy280nMA9gq80sbDFezR1t0WIVzKXijMsFdiUkFyDrlMbIlrqYaPM1nGLkl_BoXvvecyG0gC0VJ1D33CO8JnAmVpJ4nuMKdGaCjL-JV0EtOVpd6nKl2pBUqwnyvw/s1600/IMG_2233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59FtMoZ5BFcOZ2SAdgy280nMA9gq80sbDFezR1t0WIVzKXijMsFdiUkFyDrlMbIlrqYaPM1nGLkl_BoXvvecyG0gC0VJ1D33CO8JnAmVpJ4nuMKdGaCjL-JV0EtOVpd6nKl2pBUqwnyvw/s200/IMG_2233.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chocopies, a Korean fave!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Posing with some ginseng.</td></tr>
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We said our hello's to the Consul general and his wife, a few other friends from the consulate, Cindy, another Korea blogger, and a small selection of familiar faces. Garry and I popped out onto the balcony just to appreciate the castle in its splendour. The grounds and gardens and fountains are so beautiful all around the property it was almost a shame not to be outside soaking it all in on such a gorgeous evening. But duty called.<br />
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Quite quickly following the small reception in the main hall the doors to the dining area were opened and peopled were called in to find their seats. We were assigned tables upon arrival and we were at lucky number 17. At our table were 2 people from the Japanese consulate. Cindy and her guest, a producer from Arirang Korea TV and his camera guy. We were an eclectic little bunch and it made the evening even more enjoyable.<br />
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As per the title of the event (Rendezvous Korean Cuisine 2012), the night was all about food, one of my favourite things about Korea. The dinner set up was gorgeous. There was one main dining room with a podium for the hosts and a small stage set up. There was also the conservatory where we sat, filled with more tables and TV screens set up to see the action from the main room. One of the best parts of attending these events is that I have my big camera with me at all times and I am free to roam (within reason) where I please. As a blogger, that's what I'm there to do. So even though technically I was seated in the conservatory. I was out and about shooting pics anywhere I saw fit. Especially during the special performances. Okay, one thing at a time, back to the food.<br />
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The menus we were provided with before the food started coming out was so beautifully detailed in Korean and English. I had a huge difficulty knowing the names of all the dishes I ate in Korea and being able to pronounce them properly. So it was a real treat to read what the Korean name of the dish was and the ingredients in English. Never was there a decent Korean meal served without the accompaniment of a slew of bottles of soju. I was curious to see if Korea's national alcohol would make it on the table at this fancy affair. Instead of soju, we were served bekseju, the best possible alternative. Soju and bekseju are similar drinks (in my humble opinion), but the latter has just a nicer, more pleasant, fragrant taste.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had major camera envy for Mingu's equipment.</td></tr>
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The first course to come out was pumpkin soup. After the soup came a plate of japchae (noodles with veggies) and a skewer of boneless beef rib, with crab meat, pepper, egg and mushroom.<br />
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The main course was braised beef ribs and steamed king prawn. These were accompanied by a mixture of vegetables. Korean meals are always served with plenty of banchan, side dishes. The banchan served was cabbage kimchi, braised lotus root, and a stuffed cucumber kimchi. No meal in ever complete without rice, or a rice dish, so the last course was bibimbap, a Korean classic. This is a combination of julienned vegetables (usually carrot, mushroom, sprouts, zucchini), combined with gojuchang (red pepper paste), a few other flavours and egg. It's served separate and then combined together at the table. Fantastic! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banchan</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main course. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A favorite, bibimbap.</td></tr>
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And last on the menu was dessert. There was a beautiful fruit salad/punch served with sweet rice balls.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kom Bai! <br />
(cheers in Korean)</td></tr>
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Alexandra DeMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08002089008044628119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142295569850099622.post-36928984670157443622012-09-23T09:26:00.001-07:002012-10-12T09:23:28.958-07:00Just Charlee: A Meal To RememberAt about this time last year, I took part in an amazing press trip to Jeju Island and Seoul with a small handful of other selected bloggers from <a href="http://blog.korea.net/">The Korea Blog</a>. It was trip to not only expose us to more of what Korea had to offer, but also to thank us for all the time and effort and work we put into our blogs, sharing our experiences of Korea with the world. On that trip I had one of my most memorable meals in all my time in Korea.<br />
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Just recently, I started writing for a great new online publication called Just Charlee (<a href="http://www.justcharlee.ca/">www.justcharlee.c</a>a). I wrote all about that meal in an article on their website. Here is the link to both the article and then a separate photo gallery with some mouth watering snaps.<br />
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Words:<br />
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<a href="http://justcharlee.ca/living/korea-a-meal-to-remember/">http://justcharlee.ca/living/korea-a-meal-to-remember/</a><br />
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Pictures:<br />
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<a href="http://justcharlee.ca/living/food-drink/korea-a-meal-to-remember-2/">http://justcharlee.ca/living/food-drink/korea-a-meal-to-remember-2/</a><br />
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-Alexandra DeMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08002089008044628119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142295569850099622.post-2628326836959391982012-09-23T08:44:00.000-07:002012-09-23T08:44:03.314-07:00Arirang TV & 5 Minutes of FameArirang is a very popular Korean folk song. It has lots of different versions both old and new. It is said to be like an unofficial anthem for Korea.<br />
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During one of the Korean events I attended in Toronto over the summer, I made a new friend Mingu Kim who is the producer of Arirang TV in Toronto. We sat at the same table as him and Young, one of his camera guys, who were covering <i>Rendezvous Korea 2012</i>, at Casa Loma.<br />
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We chatted all through the meal and towards the end of the evening he interviewed my boyfriend and I. We jumbled over our words and probably sounded silly but it was still lots of fun. Here is our 2 minutes in the spotlight. Be nice. Garry and I debut at about 1m55s.<br />
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A few weeks later, Mingu got in touch with me and told me about a TV series he was working on called, ALL ABOUT KOREA, for Omni TV. The premise behind the show was interviewing Canadians who love Korean culture. I most definitely fit the mould and said I'd love to be part of it. He ended up coming over with Young again, and filming a short segment asking me all about how I feel about Korea and my experiences and about my blog. This ones only about 5 minutes long.<br />
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So there we have it. Korea and my interest in it, has brought me 5 minutes of fame!<br />
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I also ended up introducing Mingu to a friend of mine from Korea, another teacher, to interview for his program. Here is her interview:<br />
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<br />Alexandra DeMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08002089008044628119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142295569850099622.post-85783985178526556822012-07-27T15:45:00.001-07:002012-07-27T15:45:29.201-07:00Buk Chang Dong<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Alex, with an array of Korean dishes.</td></tr>
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After a recommendation for some really good Korean food in Toronto, Garry and ventured all the way to the west side of Toronto, in Korea Town. Just being in the vicinity of so much "Korea" was nice. Stores with their signs written in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangul">hangeul</a>, and pictures hanging from all the restaurant windows of food that was on offer was enough to place me back in Korea.<br />
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The place we were headed for was called Buk Chang Dong Soon Tofu. It's located at Bloor and Clinton, just west of Bathurst. The menu for Buk Chang Dong is really basic. For people maybe just experimenting with Korean food it'd be great just cause the menu is not overwhelming. There are only 8 different options, 6 of which are soup meals. The soups are a combination or choice of the following; seafood, kimchi, pork, beef, dumplings, egg and tofu. The of course there is all the banchan, which translates to side dishes. There was both radish and cabbage kimchi (obvs!), little flavoured beans, sprouts (one of my favourite banchan), and with some of the meals a miso style soup. The other 2 options on the menu are the bulgogi (marinated beef) meal and bibimbap (julienned veggies and rice). And of course rice. In some restaurants in Korea they would do this with the rice: serve it in a stone pot, scoop out most of it in a bowl for you, then pour boiling water into the stone pot to soak up the rest of the rice caked onto the sides. Basically just a different way of eating rice. They did this at Buk Chang Dong.<br />
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As all the sides starting coming out, I think our smiles just ended up getting wider and wider. My soup arrived with a raw egg on the side and I cracked it into the boiling broth and within moments, shazaam, all ready to go. Garry ordered the bulgogi because he isn't the biggest fan of soup, but it was awesome, cause it meant I got to have a sampling of everything. The beef was perfect, and my soup was great. There were 3 massive dumplings floating in it, the cracked egg, and tofu. Just how I like it!<br />
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Just like in Korea, there was waaaaaay too much rice for us to finish served and we should've known to only get one order (why in the world would you fill up on rice when there are so many other delicious flavours to go sample?). But we did really well with the rest of it, even getting seconds of all the banchan.<br />
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The best part of all of this was the meal cost us less than $20. Not quite as cheap as Korea, but definitely good bang for your buck in Toronto. If you've never been, check it out at 691 Bloor St West, TORONTO!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL56hLdqhDU7SnrOalOWesPDm6NM33-fC6uvUR4ScqBgy2KKJDAIG5Pxvg0Euvis_KwDMU327buGLqrSXxuMrHlDYJvHQSnGDFr8lOes2U2susIUSeKGDHy9_9ISf6ha4IYKtIe2-FbHYb/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL56hLdqhDU7SnrOalOWesPDm6NM33-fC6uvUR4ScqBgy2KKJDAIG5Pxvg0Euvis_KwDMU327buGLqrSXxuMrHlDYJvHQSnGDFr8lOes2U2susIUSeKGDHy9_9ISf6ha4IYKtIe2-FbHYb/s320/photo+3.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dish on the top left is the one they added water to the rice in.<br /><br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bulgogi, rice, soup, kimchi, sprouts and beans.<br />Mmmmm, good! </td></tr>
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<br />Alexandra DeMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08002089008044628119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142295569850099622.post-35062752027195809592012-06-01T10:19:00.001-07:002012-06-01T10:56:42.819-07:00Just a blog about stuff.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PHOTO CRED. ChongWu - www.mercuryespresso.com</td></tr>
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Last night my boyfriend and I went for a little stroll in our neighbourhood and ended up at Mercury Espresso Bar, a local coffee joint. We overheard the barista chatting with someone about living in Korea and a few minutes later I couldn't resist striking up a conversation with him. My ears always perk up at the mention of the word <b>Korea</b>, no matter what context it's in. So we stood around with this random guy, who lived in Seoul, just like us. Like war veterans we swapped stories, comparing exactly where we were stationed, how much time we put in, and generally trading experiencing.<br />
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Similar to me, this guy loved Korea. And like me, it seemed he loved Asia in general. My second home. It makes me happy to hear people who speak so highly of Korea. I feel like it is a part of the world so far away from us, that we don't really give it any thought. I know I didn't before I got a bee in my bonnet about moving there. So it's great to hear people with the same fond memories and words on Korea.<br />
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We talked about Hongdae, about cheap sight seeing, fantastic national transport, good food, norae bangs (singing rooms), and Korea's cherished love for throwing a festival for just about anything. (see this blog for <a href="http://chooseyouradventure25.blogspot.ca/2011/04/strawberry-festing-in-nonsan.html">THE STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL</a> and here for <a href="http://chooseyouradventure25.blogspot.ca/2011/04/biking-through-blossoms.html">THE CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL</a> and here for <a href="http://chooseyouradventure25.blogspot.ca/2010/11/lantern-festival.html">THE LANTERN FESTIVAL</a>) It was fun to see this guys eye's light up when he spoke about Korea and listen to the stories he told.<br />
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Oh Korea. How I miss you! I think we all do. Just yesterday I was writing to a friend who is still 'in the trenches' to enjoy her remaining time there. Although we were on Korean soil just 4 short months ago, I warned her that now, it all seems like a distant foggy memory. <br />
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In other news, next Friday is a big Korean event. My tummy is rumbling just thinking about it! Through my fantastic new friends at The Korean Consulate, I have been invited to a really cool looking soire. First off, the venue is STELLAR! It's being held in, I assume the main ballroom, at..... <a href="http://www.casaloma.org/">CASA LOMA</a>. I grew up in that neighbourhood, so those grounds are familiar territory for me. Casa Loma is a beautiful castle steeping in history and makes for a gorgeous backdrop for any event! The event is called <span style="color: #351c75; font-style: italic;">"Rendezvous Korean Cuisine 2012" </span>and as far as I know there will be a good dose of Korean culture involved as well. A fashion show and maybe some traditonal music performed. I cannot wait! So stay tuned for a blog entry sometime after June 6th that will be full of pictures and delicious details from the whole night!Alexandra DeMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08002089008044628119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142295569850099622.post-45242592549822530172012-05-23T12:58:00.001-07:002012-05-23T13:15:25.137-07:00Happy Birthday Blog!!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">Happy 4th Birthday to you! </span><br />
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On this day in 2008, my blog was born! How exciting. Ironically, I was sitting at the exact same desk I am sitting at this very moment when I wrote my very first blog entry. Circumstances were slightly different then though. It was the eve of a nice extended trip to Southeast Asia *sigh*. Oh how I wish I had a plane ticket headed for Thailand and dated tomorrow right now! But lots has evolved since then so I can't complain. This blog is a travel blog and I love to travel. I started it to map out my adventures on a 3 month trip to Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. I stopped in England for a few weeks to get the ball rolling and that turned into a common ritual. After living in England back in 2003-2004, I started routing all my worldly trips through London so I could make the necessary visits to friends there. Here is a link to my first blog entry and then it carries on for a few months through Southeast Asia. I remember stopping in internet cafes and it taking FOREVER to upload pics and videos, so my entries tend to be a little wordy and light on the eye candy. But here is entry one from that trip, my first touch down in Asia:<br />
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<a href="http://chooseyouradventure25.blogspot.ca/2008/06/khoa-san-rd.html">KHOA SAN ROAD</a><br />
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Those entries ran from May until end of August when I came back to reality. My boss and my job was amazing and flexible and I was able to take a summer off and be back in time for end of summer, when our busy time kicked in. I also kept paying rent with my room mate at the time while I was gone, so I had a comfortable home to come back to, which is a great feeling after living the vagrant lifestyle. Life was good.<br />
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2009 was a pretty Toronto-centric year so the blog lay dormant, with no buzzing activities. The next big trip was back to Asia, my love affair was in full motion with this continent by now. A part of the world so unexplored to me and so different from home, full of new and fascinating things to see and experience. Unlike my first gallivant through Asia, this time I quit my job and moved out of my house and was free as a bird. February 2010, after a pit stop in England, I found myself alone and in India. The majority of this 6 month trip was spent in India, check out this link for the first entry of my adventures.<br />
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<a href="http://chooseyouradventure25.blogspot.ca/2010/02/2010.html">India. I Am Here.</a><br />
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I spent a few months covering vast territories in India. I started in Delhi with my sister in law, and we made our way through Rajasthan and then kicked back in Goa. There was also Darjeerling and Hampi, Kolkata, Pondicherry....too many places to name, check out the blog from about February till May in 2010. From India I travelled to <a href="http://chooseyouradventure25.blogspot.ca/2010/05/maybe-next-time-nepal.html">Nepal</a> and after enduring a few weeks of political unrest and a country in turmoil I returned to India in the heat of the summer. I was winding down my trip in <a href="http://chooseyouradventure25.blogspot.ca/2010/05/my-return-to-india.html">Varanassi</a> and finally left from Delhi, the same place my Indian adventures began. From India I had good intentions of travelling high and low in Indonesia. Granted scuba diving and general beach bumming was my main goal, I had intentions of seeing as much as I could of the country at large. BIG CHANGE OF PLANS. I arrived in <a href="http://chooseyouradventure25.blogspot.ca/2010/06/indonesia.html">Bali</a> and experienced reverse culture shock. It was teeming with people, all dressed with practically nothing on, a huge contrast from the extreme covered up mentality in most of India. I ooh'ed and ahh'ed for a while and then beelined to a little piece of heaven. <a href="http://chooseyouradventure25.blogspot.ca/2010/06/paradise-found.html">The Gilli Islands.</a> The Gilli's ended up being just what the doctor order. After crossing such epic distances in India, and travelling alone in a country where that was not a common practice, nor widely accepted, it was a relief to be able to put my feet up on a minuscule speck of land in the ocean and not worry about anything. A vacation from my vacation if you will. A beautiful way to wind down a great experience.<br />
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Next stop: Toronto. With no home and no job, Toronto in the summer of 2010 was just a quick stepping stone. I was there for the wedding of an old and dear friend. I was there to meet the newest member of my family, my nephew Jack. I was there to see friends and family, and see the love of my life (in truth he is what made me stay the longest). I was also there to fill out visa applications, job hunt, interview and get all my papers in order. Next destination KOREA. The Asian Love Affair flourishes.<br />
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After hearing nothing but praise for peoples' individual and unique experiences living and working in South Korea, this was how I decided to connect my addiction to travel and the need to work together. After just a few short months my bags were packed, a contract was signed and off I went. Welcome to Korea, check out my fist blog entry in Korea <a href="http://chooseyouradventure25.blogspot.ca/2010/10/asia-part-3.html">here</a> after arriving in the Land of Morning Calm.<br />
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The first few months of blogging in Korea were just to keep my friends and family up to date with my new life. For the first time I was calling Asia home and it felt fantastic. Keeping up my blog was a great way for everyone at home to see pictures and read about what was happening on the opposite side of the world. A few months in, my blog was selected to be featured on <a href="http://blog.korea.net/">THE KOREA BLOG</a>. The Korea Blog is a site run by Korean Culture and Information Services (KOCIS) and features different writers both around the world and based out of Korea and their experiences relating to Korea. Being one of a small handful of these writers based out of Korea I was offered so many amazing opportunities. Our first meeting together was the Welcoming Ceremony, followed by a trip to the Blue House, called <a href="http://chooseyouradventure25.blogspot.ca/2011/04/cheung-wa-dae-with-worldwide-korea.html">Cheung Wa Dae</a> (where the Korean President lives and works).<br />
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About 6 months into my partnership blogging with KOCIS, 6 people were chosen from their writers around the world to take a media trip to Jeju-do and Seoul and I was selected to be part of this small group. It was such an amazing honour. We were treated so well and I got to experience even more of Korea than I would have been able to do on my own. Here is a list of posts that covered my weekend with the Worldwide Korea Bloggers:<br />
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<a href="http://chooseyouradventure25.blogspot.ca/2011/11/bloggers-trip-to-jeju-do.html">Jeju - Day One</a><br />
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<a href="http://chooseyouradventure25.blogspot.ca/2011/11/bloggers-trip-to-jeju-do-day-two.html">Jeju - Day Two</a><br />
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<a href="http://chooseyouradventure25.blogspot.ca/2011/11/jeju-lunch-spot-day-2.html">Jeju - Lunch Spot - Day Two</a><br />
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<a href="http://chooseyouradventure25.blogspot.ca/2011/11/jeju-more-of-day-two.html">Jeju - More of Day Two</a> (apparently Day Two was a busy one!)<br />
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<a href="http://chooseyouradventure25.blogspot.ca/2011/11/jeju-sunday.html">Jeju - Day Three</a><br />
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Living in Korea, I was pretty much at the doorstep to the rest of Asia and was able to get out and see a little more. I spent a week in China, mostly in Beijing and travelling to the Great Wall of China (I bow my head in shame to admit I have no blogs about this trip. Chalk it up to undeniable laziness). And once Garry was settled with me in Korea, we managed a few weeks in Paradise, oh, I mean Boracay, in the Philippines. This is one of 4 entries on my trip to <a href="http://chooseyouradventure25.blogspot.ca/2011/08/bits-of-boracay.html">BORACAY</a>. <br />
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I ended up extending my contract in Korea. I went from living in a small suburb of Seoul called Osan to living in a much more central location called Anyang. Both experiences, for different reasons were unbelievable. From all the travelling I had done through Asia as a whole, there is nothing like living somewhere to really get a handle on the culture. In Korea, I was immersed. At times it was awful and frustrating and made me miss my North American roots till I almost cried (okay, I did cry a lot of those times). But overall, it was one of the best "travel" experiences of my life. You embed yourself in a culture, open a bank account, pay bills, show up to work everyday, learn (attempt) to read and write the language and that is how you get a feel for the place. I worked and played in close contact with so many amazing Korean people which I never would have done had I just passed through the country on a trip.<br />
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And that was Korea. Sixteen amazing months of my life. And now I am home. Like home, home. I moved back to Leslieville, one of my favourite neighbourhoods in Toronto, I signed a lease with my boyfriend, I bought a car, and I am back to work. The question now arises on how to continue a travel based blog, while being in Toronto? Which direction does <a href="http://chooseyouradventure25.blogspot.ca/">Alex On The Loose</a> turn to?<br />
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Luckily, I was asked to continue on blogging for The Korea Blog, for a second term, even now that I have left the country. For now, I am concentrating on <a href="http://chooseyouradventure25.blogspot.ca/2012/03/finding-korea-in-toronto.html">Finding Korea in Toronto</a>. I have mad an amazing connection to some people at the Korean Embassy in Toronto and therefore have an in for Korean events going on here. So until I decide which direction to take my writing, or until I whisk myself away on another new adventure, I will just be checking in every once in a while and getting in touch with my Korean connections. I'm sure there will be other random posts like this one to carry me through. This is my favourite post in a long time. It enabled me to look back on the last 4 years of writing entries and checking out the places I have been. It has been a great journey with a nice growth curve to get the blog where it is today and I can't wait to see what's in store around the next corner! So thanks for reading and stay tuned for ... who knows what!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLOG!!!! </b></span></div>
<br />Alexandra DeMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08002089008044628119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142295569850099622.post-13389381981772830952012-05-08T12:52:00.001-07:002012-05-08T13:03:49.431-07:00Korean Film Festival<span id="goog_1610101053"></span><span id="goog_1610101054"></span><br />
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This past weekend in Toronto was the Korean Film Festival. It was held at Yonge and Dundas at the AMC Theatres. The event ran from Friday evening till Sunday evening and there were 5 different Korean films being screened. During an event at the Korean Consulate (<a href="http://chooseyouradventure25.blogspot.ca/2012/05/i-love-hangeul-because.html">check out here for more on that</a>), I found out about the festival. We were shown a trailer on each of the films and given a quick written synopsis of each one. There was a good selection of different genres of films and they all looked great. Here is a quick list of each one:<br />
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<b>GLOVE </b>- About a hot tempered baseball player who finds himself coaching a hearing impaired team of young boys.<br />
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<b>NAMELESS GANGSTER: RULES OF TIME</b> - Set in Busan, this film is about the under belly side of this city. Organized crime, drug trafficking and corruption.<br />
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<b>THE FRONT LINE</b> - This is a war story set back in 1951 and is set all around the ending of the Korean War, the fight for territory and the lives it affects.<br />
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<b>SPELLBOUND</b> - A love story between a haunted girl and a magician.<br />
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The last movie was <b>HELPLESS</b>, and this is the one I went to go see. It was a really heavy movie and not a 'happily ever after' flick. It is about a man whose fiance disappears at a rest stop on the side of the road. The plot traces him devoting all of his time and energy into unraveling the mystery that unfolds and finding out who his fiance really is. Both the main character Lee Sun-kyun, and the detective he uses to help him solve the mystery, Jo Sung-ha, do a phenomenal job as their characters.<br />
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I recognised
Jo Sung-ha from another Korean movie, called The Chaser (I think) where he played almost the exact same character of a washed up detective and he does it so well. Although I was only able to catch one movie at the festival I really looking forward to eventually seeing all of them. As long as your okay with reading subtitles I think these will all be worth the watch.<br />
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For a more detailed review on the films check out Cindy's blog on all the movies she watched <a href="http://lifesanadventure2.com/2012/05/08/review-2012-korean-film-festival-and-glove/">here</a>.Alexandra DeMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08002089008044628119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142295569850099622.post-13027012590539721112012-05-08T12:26:00.003-07:002012-05-08T13:47:07.951-07:00"I Love Hangeul Because......."If you asked me 3 years ago, if I ever thought I would be spending a Friday night in the basement of the Korean Consulate in Toronto and feeling totally at home, the answer would have to be, no way. But the world works in funny ways and last Friday, my boyfriend and I attended an event, with no expectations, and had a really, really good time. Seriously.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love Korea!</td></tr>
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A few weeks ago I had the privilege to be a part of a great meet and greet with Kwang Kyun Chung, the Consul General and his 2 lovely coworkers (check out here, <a href="http://chooseyouradventure25.blogspot.ca/2012/03/finding-korea-in-toronto.html">Finding Korea in Toronto</a>, to read more about that blog entry). At lunch I was given the heads up about a few upcoming events in the Korean community and was openly welcomed to them. After spending so much time in Korea, I felt like this was the perfect way to fill the void of Korean culture in general in my life.<br />
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Last Friday's event was called "I Love Hangeul Because...." (FYI, hangeul is the Korean alphabet). After a busy day at work, my boyfriend and I headed to the consulate for 6pm. We were starved, and not knowing what to expect, I promised him just a quick pop in to check out the event, snap some pics to blog about it, then we could be off to find dinner somewhere and fill our bellies. As soon as we walked down the steps to the event room we were instantly transported back to Korea with the spread that lay in front of us! We both lit up and I think we may have even started drooling a little. One of the biggest things I miss about Korea is the delicious food and a perfect selection of all our favourite bits and bites lay ahead of us. We grabbed a plate and a drink and filled up on kimbap (Korean sushi rolls, without the raw fish), japchae (glass noodles mixed with some veggies), kimchi (spicy fermented cabbage), bulgogi (marinated beef), and some type of other roll, which I don't know the name for. We pigged out. I went up for seconds and by the time that plate was cleared neither my boyfriend or I had any room left for the best part.... <b>bibimbap</b>. Bibimbap is one of the most famous Korean dishes and it's similar to a stir fry. It is a whole bunch of chopped up veggies, sometimes some beef or an egg mixed in, and then added rice and gochujang, which is fiery, delicious red pepper paste. Luckily I was toting around one of my kitchen sink kind of purses so we actually took the bibimbap home with us as leftovers. Such a good souvenir from the night (and we heated it all up in a wok at home the next day for lunch, so delicious)!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_9Yax8oDjhZ3uFJTAwq7_GemKWV9aZmcOmFNrS915mkgBxWkMRUbpNC7f6o-Lp6r8gvwoOUOFcqq9N0kI1w8Q45Hpis1DFlIMXFFkt2VPsbqnwjMPXNgQRQru5bXrfuKez53tLHal99F/s1600/IMG_1955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_9Yax8oDjhZ3uFJTAwq7_GemKWV9aZmcOmFNrS915mkgBxWkMRUbpNC7f6o-Lp6r8gvwoOUOFcqq9N0kI1w8Q45Hpis1DFlIMXFFkt2VPsbqnwjMPXNgQRQru5bXrfuKez53tLHal99F/s320/IMG_1955.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japchae & kimbap.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bibimbap & the food spread.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9O33833X_P2NkYU1SfsXp7JEm-MGqg6ydS7Un2RmMzpl98mHFxhBeaRBTtUcUw0-IhCz6C4V5Z5d3ycFipKkO8TjlRgG3BqUyw1WYbKVC85sqW3lURPwdXrD6vffkT_jK0ORAmZuTZmu2/s1600/IMG_1957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9O33833X_P2NkYU1SfsXp7JEm-MGqg6ydS7Un2RmMzpl98mHFxhBeaRBTtUcUw0-IhCz6C4V5Z5d3ycFipKkO8TjlRgG3BqUyw1WYbKVC85sqW3lURPwdXrD6vffkT_jK0ORAmZuTZmu2/s320/IMG_1957.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Aside from the great food put out for everyone, the rest of the night was really enjoyable. Ji In Kim was the hostess and she did such a great job. She was one of the people that took me out for lunch with the Consul General and she just naturally puts people at ease and makes them smile. She commanded the room really well and kept the evening running smoothly. To start things off Consul General Kwang Kyun Chung welcomed everyone with a lovely speech. There were a few more welcoming speeches to follow him and then we were treated to 2 musical performances. The first was Minkyo-seo, who sang his heart out to us and that was followed by two beautiful songs performed by Seohoo.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Consul General and our hostess for the evening.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Minkyo-seo</span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seohoo</td></tr>
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The Korean Film Festival in Toronto happened on May 4th, 5th and 6th. In order to promote it, we watched all the trailers for the five different films being screened. The titles were <i>Glove, Spellbound, The Front Line, Helpless, </i>and<i> Nameless Gangster</i>. To read more about the film festival, check out <a href="http://chooseyouradventure25.blogspot.ca/2012/05/korean-film-festival.html">my blog entry</a> on one of the movies, or <a href="http://lifesanadventure2.com/2012/05/08/review-2012-korean-film-festival-and-glove/">Cindy has a great review of all of them here</a>.<br />
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Next up was a speech, which I unfortunately didn't understand because it was all in Korean. Yuki Sakai was a student who learned Korean and had won a speech contest. Her pronunciation to my untrained ears sounded great, and it seemed like everyone in the room loved it, so congrats to her. Philip Leal was the next person up at the mic and he was telling people about something I know very well, moving to Korea to teach English. He did his time in Korea with a company called TaLK, a little different than GEPIK, which is who I was with when I was in Korea, but basically the same principles. Contract work, flights and apartment paid for, support, and wages. It's interesting hearing about other peoples' experiences in Korea, especially now that I am back. It is so nice that so many people (especially so many Canadians) have had such great, positive and fun experiences working and living in Korea. After leaving Korea just a few months ago, I know that I look back on it so fondly and miss so many different aspects of living there.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAWFiIXIpsZA4OhUZwyqb1i2SdlhnJS4ODmB8B6nZu9JagKxcJXXctf-yegtYT53iJp5zh4innbv2V1Mv3abPK0gH7LJMRAmj8YWFGz0MhYtq6gm3-h9Bmk-494_mklS-xGo7R0XWk-AFC/s1600/IMG_1996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAWFiIXIpsZA4OhUZwyqb1i2SdlhnJS4ODmB8B6nZu9JagKxcJXXctf-yegtYT53iJp5zh4innbv2V1Mv3abPK0gH7LJMRAmj8YWFGz0MhYtq6gm3-h9Bmk-494_mklS-xGo7R0XWk-AFC/s320/IMG_1996.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Philip Leal does an impromptu tae-kwon-do demo.</td></tr>
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The next guest speaker was Cindy Zimmer. I have met Cindy a few times now and our connection is basically blogging and a love for Korea. Like me, she is a <b>Worldwide Korea Blogger</b>, which means we both blog for <a href="http://blog.korea.net/?p=9359">THE KOREA BLOG</a>. She said a fantastic speech, accompanied by a great slideshow and it was all based on her love for Korea. Cindy used to teach English in Korea, and upon her arrival home she has submersed herself in all things Korean, based out of Toronto. Check out her blog <a href="http://lifesanadventure2.com/">here</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO7n5-QxNIf5Sa-BUxxN1UdVT0u_lUDEKtpoor5dxL_h10a3pHnSHiGQcymbWdHhOOsVkXb5xlpmZxxEsKAGIwJBBB25tCKbcqPXlxLCadamSNBymJvoAhN7l438gw1g7vPBCTg2nP-Bsr/s1600/IMG_2004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO7n5-QxNIf5Sa-BUxxN1UdVT0u_lUDEKtpoor5dxL_h10a3pHnSHiGQcymbWdHhOOsVkXb5xlpmZxxEsKAGIwJBBB25tCKbcqPXlxLCadamSNBymJvoAhN7l438gw1g7vPBCTg2nP-Bsr/s200/IMG_2004.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Go Cindy!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cindy shares her love for Korea to everyone.</td></tr>
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All throughout the evening there were short little quizzes to win prizes. Some of the questions seemed a little difficult and they were obviously all Korea-based. I managed to win a cute little prize for answering the question "What is the tallest mountain in Korea?" I choked a little (Garry's fault, not that I am blaming anyone. Garry! Garry! Garry!), and initially answered Seoraksan, but then *realized it was Hallasan. Hallasan is the massive mountain that is on Jeju Island. I visited Jeju a few times whilst in Korea, so I should've known that answer much faster. But Ji In was lenient and gave me a lovely prize anyway. It was lots of fun.<br />
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The very last part of the evening was an unbelievable performance by Sungmi Kim. She spoke a little to get things started and taught us about the traditional Korean instrument she was going to play a few pieces on. The instrument was called a geomungo sanjo and it reminded me of a Korean version of a sitar. It sounded so raw and beasutiful and was a really nice way to end the evening.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-P7nYGpUzTjy-p-f6QGZaXuTkAlZFY1LYy5lLO0mx6y3g7qZl8husrg1ognSJHMCKQRU_gRc4erEmO9gjJsaDrKSNlKakUxmETa8xlOBIrfOqkUWrrcxBoUSuTcNDgfLUK79Hkmzk0wE/s1600/IMG_2015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-P7nYGpUzTjy-p-f6QGZaXuTkAlZFY1LYy5lLO0mx6y3g7qZl8husrg1ognSJHMCKQRU_gRc4erEmO9gjJsaDrKSNlKakUxmETa8xlOBIrfOqkUWrrcxBoUSuTcNDgfLUK79Hkmzk0wE/s200/IMG_2015.JPG" width="133" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQVBm-T4A6RH2NEaCKnNi0kwD-c5C6Xw5l63gdF6u1mmzxH-HQ-sDVD0UKPznZiYVDTvzZHrqOZzfO7MUkupmnBgmyjciIbF_7O6vBl8AZs2AN6OX-wWcXSAsUk2dsJc2CB-bDQVVDAMV/s1600/IMG_2018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQVBm-T4A6RH2NEaCKnNi0kwD-c5C6Xw5l63gdF6u1mmzxH-HQ-sDVD0UKPznZiYVDTvzZHrqOZzfO7MUkupmnBgmyjciIbF_7O6vBl8AZs2AN6OX-wWcXSAsUk2dsJc2CB-bDQVVDAMV/s320/IMG_2018.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sungmi Kim playing the geomungo sanjo.</td></tr>
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From there, there was a little bit of mixing and mingling. Interviews were done and lots of photos were taken. All in all, a very successful event put on by Toronto's Korean Consulate. A nice variety of guests and performances went on. I am so happy I was invited to attend as an Ambassador of Korea. It was a total pleasure to take part in and I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to go.<br />
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Here are a few more photos from the end of the evening.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5m6ihrR_JoP8WJoMeqKhyphenhyphenrJfOHDJQamHl0mXOkZU_DocyEJAUOnnZAygJpvRpKdPcRnsTB9-jWkGOzAaF8r3nClB-wDu_luPNZAXiUmj-bktE6j_BVIKuFxeMQ1N4gB0NW0i6lfjAVvm/s1600/IMG_2030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5m6ihrR_JoP8WJoMeqKhyphenhyphenrJfOHDJQamHl0mXOkZU_DocyEJAUOnnZAygJpvRpKdPcRnsTB9-jWkGOzAaF8r3nClB-wDu_luPNZAXiUmj-bktE6j_BVIKuFxeMQ1N4gB0NW0i6lfjAVvm/s400/IMG_2030.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What's a Korean event without a group photo to end things properly?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzS93yWlqrziK10CYhWvojTJkqFKiyQcAY9I9tsb9H777NozYZ9wLQJsCIlyvmCvldpr3d66sLwdBWxxGhgM6UOlhCqqnxZ9Qh6Cownh2sqKHCmY9HR9PsEm-9EZtuggtIg2ejhXpR1sdK/s1600/IMG_2035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzS93yWlqrziK10CYhWvojTJkqFKiyQcAY9I9tsb9H777NozYZ9wLQJsCIlyvmCvldpr3d66sLwdBWxxGhgM6UOlhCqqnxZ9Qh6Cownh2sqKHCmY9HR9PsEm-9EZtuggtIg2ejhXpR1sdK/s320/IMG_2035.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Media stuff. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxx_84ypGURkANGj3EtOwNCVhkNEf6eivs9gtXYeT1LJ0aVaQsyzQ9khyW4ljNsHsU_jeiTUNUM_vEgCSHwkgNUQh3i60nlEOWYQxQYx6qAd-8oteY2BQGR8p-tupjccZ7TN50xRL7unUM/s1600/IMG_2038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxx_84ypGURkANGj3EtOwNCVhkNEf6eivs9gtXYeT1LJ0aVaQsyzQ9khyW4ljNsHsU_jeiTUNUM_vEgCSHwkgNUQh3i60nlEOWYQxQYx6qAd-8oteY2BQGR8p-tupjccZ7TN50xRL7unUM/s400/IMG_2038.JPG" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New chingus (<i>friends</i>). Posing with Ji In. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj54MJy4gzHtG4t8brzCZG79q0V1gAxcjBCZK47g7-kI_B0N29AawqBFX9p5ed7oDalLTNAL3zXfK2pt7PM5AgazTRgsyAkDrO90S66Ec_SwH_T_T7XnZyPhg54RTRPJNj-9WRFMQJuK986/s1600/IMG_2040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj54MJy4gzHtG4t8brzCZG79q0V1gAxcjBCZK47g7-kI_B0N29AawqBFX9p5ed7oDalLTNAL3zXfK2pt7PM5AgazTRgsyAkDrO90S66Ec_SwH_T_T7XnZyPhg54RTRPJNj-9WRFMQJuK986/s200/IMG_2040.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Korea & Canada.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Worldwide Korea Bloggers unite!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bibimbap..... great leftovers. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wG3BKbZgmTI3bW0UuASKvyYCt67JRtgkZUa6nvz9BzTu0S0EKzC7_es9g8GZoFnvwmZ5dQJFX5HYb_eSPkBWZMy8S1trAveKftBh5pzGRwwAZRMdEnm351xadhyphenhyphen4yCt3WZHMshVV-Y0v/s1600/IMG_2054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wG3BKbZgmTI3bW0UuASKvyYCt67JRtgkZUa6nvz9BzTu0S0EKzC7_es9g8GZoFnvwmZ5dQJFX5HYb_eSPkBWZMy8S1trAveKftBh5pzGRwwAZRMdEnm351xadhyphenhyphen4yCt3WZHMshVV-Y0v/s320/IMG_2054.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyone received red ginseng candy on their way out.</td></tr>
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Here is a short clip from all tv news, who covered the event (it's in Korean but it sets the scene nicely).<br />
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<i><b>P.S.</b> All evening I thought of what I would say if someone were to actually ask me <b>why I love hangeul </b>(which for the record they didn't). My answer to the question would be this. I love hangeul because it is Korean. It is something I didn't know before I moved to Korea and it is something I learned there. It made me understand and appreciate so much about the culture that I wouldn't have know otherwise. There you have it.</i>Alexandra DeMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08002089008044628119noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142295569850099622.post-67702792012082491422012-04-25T13:28:00.001-07:002012-04-25T13:33:36.974-07:00Cherry Blossoms<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONvkB13vahaj-1D9z8WLTKLWt_SNQ3vw3tS3SptJQ-94ZQnRSetsPewVpeOTGei9IU2BW73by7qz7khPSTLaPdPoHcBzSc5F3DIA3D11VBU-mE5TGAi4-XOIF1MbPA_wNnexbICWrEma-/s1600/cherry6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONvkB13vahaj-1D9z8WLTKLWt_SNQ3vw3tS3SptJQ-94ZQnRSetsPewVpeOTGei9IU2BW73by7qz7khPSTLaPdPoHcBzSc5F3DIA3D11VBU-mE5TGAi4-XOIF1MbPA_wNnexbICWrEma-/s400/cherry6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">High Park Cherry Blossoms</td></tr>
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Spring is probably one of the best times of year for a lot of people. I am actually a summer girl through and through but it doesn't mean that I can't appreciate all the wonderful things happening in the spring time. After a long winter, there is nothing more refreshing and awe inspiring than a breath of fresh spring air. The grass starts to grow, brown turns to green and flowers come into bloom.<br />
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In Korea, spring was beautiful. Spring in Korea = cherry blossoms. I highly anticipated this time last year because Korea needs no special reason to throw a festival and cherry blossoms, are as good of a reason as any. Last April I went on an amazing biking trip to Gyeongju, a very historical city in Korea that is infested with cherry blossom trees and eye popping scenery. It was pretty epic.<br />
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Here is a link to that blog entry:<a href="http://chooseyouradventure25.blogspot.ca/2011/04/biking-through-blossoms.html"> BIKING THROUGH BLOSSOMS</a>.<br />
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This year, although I am not in Korea to experience the cherry blossoms at their finest, I did the best I could do here in Toronto. The biggest collection of cherry blossoms in one area in the city is in High Park and it is usually mayhem there at this time of year. People flock from far and wide to walk under the arched branches strung with the light fluffy cotton puffs of cherry blossoms. On line, like in Korea, there are ways to monitor what the exact day is that the blossoms will peak, but because of moving and life's general craziness I missed the height of the frenzy (my boss went and said frenzy was an understatement). This was actually a blessing in disguise because the day my boyfriend and I went, we were able to grab a coffee just before the sun went down, and stroll through the park without being crushed by a herd of others. It was busy, but not to the point that it was over crowded. Just a bunch of like minded people, out in nature, enjoying the beauty around us.<br />
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Typically, I took a slew of pictures (before the battery on my DSLR died) but due to aforementioned move (and again, just general unorganization), I cannot find my camera cable to download all my pictures to my laptop, *sigh*. Luckily, when camera #1 died I switched to my iPhone. So below is a collection of iPhone pictures and when I finally organize my life (and my new house), I will find the camera cord and do a separate "Cherry Blossom Photo Blog". But here is a little teaser just for now.<br />
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Happy Cherry Blossom Season!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwjfg5FAIlLzypAo9hM8dvxBg6zraI8ZFnNzcO2BkIuzYh20y0q8OeYCpl-9Carli1AsteRYc1cJDH5v5DpBIbsslLsmPGU4H9916McywhkfOLRyfcbxeG1a991TZOyp5tiexWAbudkFT/s1600/cherry1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwjfg5FAIlLzypAo9hM8dvxBg6zraI8ZFnNzcO2BkIuzYh20y0q8OeYCpl-9Carli1AsteRYc1cJDH5v5DpBIbsslLsmPGU4H9916McywhkfOLRyfcbxeG1a991TZOyp5tiexWAbudkFT/s320/cherry1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last rays of golden sunshine of the day.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Posing with coffee and camera with dead battery :-(</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like minded people enjoying pretty things.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Cherry Blossoms from High Park!</td></tr>
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<br />Alexandra DeMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08002089008044628119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142295569850099622.post-49236359651578095622012-03-28T09:45:00.002-07:002012-03-29T12:52:44.787-07:00Finding Korea in TorontoIt has been almost 2 months since I left Korea and I miss it. After a year and half of living there and blogging about my life in Korea, I was curious how to continue my 'travel blog' when I arrived back in Toronto. I am still blogging for <a href="http://blog.korea.net/">THE KOREA BLOG</a>, which means I am still expected to have Korean content. I knew I was itching to explore Korea Town in Toronto and I can't wait to attempt to cook Korean food at home, but I wasn't really sure where to take it from there. Just last night I was driving through Toronto's 2nd Korea Town further north of downtown and it took all my power to focus on the road instead of reading all the Korean signs written in hangeul, for restaurants, norebangs (Korean karaoke) and private academies.<br />
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The day after I arrived back in Toronto I received a phone call from the Korean Consulate. My presence was requested for lunch with the Consular General and 2 other Officers. I was a little shocked and my interest was totally piqued. So just last week, another Toronto based blogger Cindy, also from The Korea Blog (check out her blog at <a href="http://www.lifesanadventure2.com/">www.lifesanadventure2.com</a>) and I met outside the Consulate and headed in.<br />
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The Korean Consulate in Toronto is gorgeous. It is located in a beautiful old house at St.Clair and Avenue Rd. We were led straight up to the Consular General's private office for tea. I was instantly taken back to Korea. Even though it is all so recent and relatively fresh in my mind, it still feels like Korea was a lifetime ago. It's like as soon as I stepped foot back into Toronto, it's like I never left. So sitting with a bunch of Koreans, switching back and forth from English to Korean, and sipping tea was such an unexpected and pleasant surprise.<br />
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It ended up the purpose of the meeting was solely to thank us for our efforts in reporting about Korea in the blogosphere. How humbling. After our tea, the 5 of us were driven in 2 private cars down to a nice restaurant down on Bloor St (Korea Town). I think Cindy and I were the only 2 non-Koreans in sight and I was basking in it. It was such a familiar circumstance for me from my time in Korea. It was so nice to practice Korean customs in Toronto! It was great to use chopsticks again (I really miss chopsticks in my life on a daily basis) and to say hi and thanks and the basics in Korean. It lit a little fire inside me to really find a place for Korea in my life back home.<br />
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The best part of the whole meet and greet was the invitation to be an ambassador of Korea here. In a nutshell we were invited to the next few events at the Consulate and Korean cultural events in the city (like the Korean Film Festival). As I know from living in Korea, there is so much to take part in if you're aware and connected. So this was the perfect first steps to take here. They were really adamant about us covering events here and taking part in the Korean community. So with me feeling a little homesick for Korea, this is happened at the most ideal time.<br />
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So now along with my own explorations of finding the best bibimbop in the city and tracking down the best Korean grocery stores to stock up on my favorites, I am now going to be part of the more official side of things here, totally well connected at the Korean Consulate. 아사!!!<br />
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Below is a photo of us with Kwang-Kyun Chung, the Consul General.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0gr7HZwpXF8ksaX6tk6I6zGqEtGFcQABq7Plnv_WXislepHJM8BENdxI75RFQb_JPQJez7yP1ZS7vRPj727DJR9kw8ymrLZkw-nJKgz-OFQx7cLRROaPI_-LCEsWGi9HdC4F8gKbBg4r6/s1600/consulate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0gr7HZwpXF8ksaX6tk6I6zGqEtGFcQABq7Plnv_WXislepHJM8BENdxI75RFQb_JPQJez7yP1ZS7vRPj727DJR9kw8ymrLZkw-nJKgz-OFQx7cLRROaPI_-LCEsWGi9HdC4F8gKbBg4r6/s400/consulate.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Alexandra DeMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08002089008044628119noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142295569850099622.post-13677760017755663582012-02-14T02:32:00.000-08:002012-02-14T02:32:33.425-08:00샤 부 샤 부 Shabu Shabu<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of the many reasons why I love Korea, is the food. One of the many things I will miss about Korea, is the food. One of my many favorites meals here, is <b>shabu-shabu</b>. I was reading an <a href="http://www.thestar.com/living/article/562596">article</a> (looking for shabu shabu restaurants in Toronto) and loved when the writer said, the dish is so good it is deserved to be named twice.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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Shabu shabu originates from Japan and the name is supposed to be reminiscent of the swishing sound the broth makes while cooking the food. The dish is also closely related to the Chinese version, called a hot pot. In Korea, when I am going out for shabu shabu, it's a good idea to fast before hand, because it is quite the production from beginning to end.<br />
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Just as I am about to leave Korea, my old coteacher Mrs.Kim and a few other teachers from Osan showed me <b>THE BEST</b> shabu shabu restaurant. I actually took a friend back a week later, it was that good. I had to get one more fix before I left the country.<br />
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This is how the whole meal plays out. A big pot of broth is brought to the table and put on a burner. Sometimes there is nothing in the broth, but in this particular restaurant it came with a few pieces of <i>deokk</i> (rice cake), a few small fish cakes, some tofu, and a bit of cabbage. Next came a large platter filled with veggies. On one half was an assortment of leafy greens, shoots, mushrooms, onions, and a pair of scissors to cut them all down to bite sized. On the other half of the plate was more veggies (carrots, cabbage, onion, pineapple) but these were chopped up into small pieces, more on that in a minute. On the next platter is the finely sliced and rolled up pieces of beef. Lastly, is another big plate with noodles and jumbo <i>mandu</i> (dumplings). Of course along with these platters are the typical array of Korean <i>banchan</i>, side dishes. There were a few salads and a big plate of water kimchi, and each person gets their own set of 3 bowls of different sauces. One had a lemon flavor, one was spicy and another was a mystery, but very tasty.<br />
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The first thing to go in is the big veggies, followed by the meat, which takes less than a few minutes to cook in the boiling broth. Another item on the table is a stand of dried rice paper and a big bowl of hot water. The rice paper is submersed in water for a moment and then it's ready to be filled. You dip your chopsticks in the pot and pick out whatever you want in your rice paper. Once it's full, but not too full, because these are one bite delights, it's wrapped up, dipped in your sauce of choice, and down the hatch it goes. Repeat this process as many times as you can. The platters are full of veggies and meat, and the pot isn't very big so it is constantly being filled. It's a work for your food type of meal, and lots of fun with a good group of people. You can substitute the rice paper wraps for some of the leafy greens and make a wrap with it, or you can just eat straight out of the pot, piece by piece.<br />
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Once your veggie and meat plates have dwindled down to nothing and the broth has taken on a fuller flavor, it's time for the next part. In go the noodles and the<i> mandu.</i> It tastes just that much better because of everything that has been cooked in the broth throughout the meal. The noodles are infused with lots of delicious flavor.<br />
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At this point in the meal I am usually so full I can barely move, but most Korean meals traditionally end with rice being served at the end. This signifies the last of the dishes have been brought out. But at the shabu shabu restaurant it's done with a twist, and I pretty sure this is unique to Korea. Instead of just serving each person their small rice bowl, there is just one larger one brought out. The server comes over and scoops out any left over noodles from the pot and all but about 2 inches of broth. In goes the rice (usually with bits of seaweed and maybe an egg too) and it is all mixed in. In Korea, there is a soup called <i>juk</i>, which translates to a thick porridge, from a rice base. The server slowly adds in a bit more of the broth. There are also tons of small chunks of meat and veggies left from the meal to add to the taste. The <i>juk</i> cooks for about 5 minutes till it is a thick consistency, and then it's time to dig in, again. This version of rice is a lot more interesting than just a plain bowl of it served. So even though, after sampling so many different foods through the meal I have started to resemble one of the big dumplings, there is always rooms for a little more. So down goes the soup.<br />
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Shabu shabu is an interactive, fun, do-it-yourself kind of meal. Not to mention cheap (in Korea). At this restaurant in Osan, it was 12,000 won per person (just over 10 bucks). It works for 2 people, or a huge group. There is lots of reaching and sharing and everyone takes part in the meal. It is similar to Korean BBQ because you cook your own food, but the soup element is unique. And I love soup! I am aiming to recreate this meal at home with friends and see how it goes down.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is where all the magic happens.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh8SQGEtUTNd0VF1Z3bfSFLhMiAoUIGR2p7MBVlchpaUfK5r3oLo9uRYdhtAGney2mTZwMIaMBF4Es9lRVwBUboDLI2rFZ_0d6J7wsllUMC63vq1Ugu-64AMhCFFkGWZoByBfXVBzjem4i/s1600/IMG_0338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh8SQGEtUTNd0VF1Z3bfSFLhMiAoUIGR2p7MBVlchpaUfK5r3oLo9uRYdhtAGney2mTZwMIaMBF4Es9lRVwBUboDLI2rFZ_0d6J7wsllUMC63vq1Ugu-64AMhCFFkGWZoByBfXVBzjem4i/s400/IMG_0338.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meat platter, veggie platter, and dumplings and noodles.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxkdeHPMciAW9FwiWob9Np6Vw7uGgHXF27YKT-VM2o9JTkNaZMFuTjzM4yTR3gDDZqY-hUWQ5nTiYbeoN1TWtx3BfDOWUV6Vz69P0TgIxaOpd0Ovn7O4huM5ygpEuoGe2PLY9zi8UTGf_/s1600/IMG_0344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxkdeHPMciAW9FwiWob9Np6Vw7uGgHXF27YKT-VM2o9JTkNaZMFuTjzM4yTR3gDDZqY-hUWQ5nTiYbeoN1TWtx3BfDOWUV6Vz69P0TgIxaOpd0Ovn7O4huM5ygpEuoGe2PLY9zi8UTGf_/s400/IMG_0344.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rice paper dipped in water to make wraps.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxmkfXs8swDqeti5sHYlUthhABR3N-eEkuLNN89Osh7xsubUfW8Mu8Nxi33Z1hVnSB6OrAFth5Hm0RnaCVDBhHJVl9w9sY9aa5G2TVH5b2oFcM86TaBUbqVmed45PRUYMxwkzEFNTA6Vf1/s1600/IMG_0345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxmkfXs8swDqeti5sHYlUthhABR3N-eEkuLNN89Osh7xsubUfW8Mu8Nxi33Z1hVnSB6OrAFth5Hm0RnaCVDBhHJVl9w9sY9aa5G2TVH5b2oFcM86TaBUbqVmed45PRUYMxwkzEFNTA6Vf1/s320/IMG_0345.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bowl full of deliciousness.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuwdqFBJ8Hvopa-94FSWhavjpE1E5GJZBlE62bapEhLjRtqWu2e6LPGdcC7x-JoPCzWasL8rDlwWZa3C7SxU5DzwNsyGrLJlYwxIlPFAakID0ALw2j9PY4HL3VkYsgfQGvSwVe45hBrOi/s1600/IMG_0348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuwdqFBJ8Hvopa-94FSWhavjpE1E5GJZBlE62bapEhLjRtqWu2e6LPGdcC7x-JoPCzWasL8rDlwWZa3C7SxU5DzwNsyGrLJlYwxIlPFAakID0ALw2j9PY4HL3VkYsgfQGvSwVe45hBrOi/s400/IMG_0348.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dumplings, noodles, and some sprouts.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdMOxTpjC-t5nebxro8DmRSt6S-AAYaIJKj63X-4XLZmKfQTYuJZGiSnps8u9acuVCGE8dz-sF4MofxhA2gj5T65OE1eUGFpDWQm9Ty95h1-kw-jng9coHMUUzrsoqEQHLJeuTn7x9lpL/s1600/03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdMOxTpjC-t5nebxro8DmRSt6S-AAYaIJKj63X-4XLZmKfQTYuJZGiSnps8u9acuVCGE8dz-sF4MofxhA2gj5T65OE1eUGFpDWQm9Ty95h1-kw-jng9coHMUUzrsoqEQHLJeuTn7x9lpL/s320/03.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Juk, Korean porridge soup.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Alexandra DeMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08002089008044628119noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142295569850099622.post-72957116620459731072012-02-07T23:23:00.000-08:002012-02-08T18:42:28.116-08:00A Cosmopolitan Kid<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4zdRsaJXsnDTwkYtQ7u0MJQBkkijqw5ZKVG-QfVmtpuE2twnzq7sVSEGYhRo0_0hwAp8ZgDyJsRkOihaiqxeLQqGS0KWGTSZA9_xjpRbpf-ol98XG73oA-JqxVhdeAUpcqk0dolUS6N2/s1600/feet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4zdRsaJXsnDTwkYtQ7u0MJQBkkijqw5ZKVG-QfVmtpuE2twnzq7sVSEGYhRo0_0hwAp8ZgDyJsRkOihaiqxeLQqGS0KWGTSZA9_xjpRbpf-ol98XG73oA-JqxVhdeAUpcqk0dolUS6N2/s200/feet.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Anthony Sudakov</span> is my God Son. Anthony's mom Natalia is from Russia, and his dad Denis is from the Ukraine. Anthony has a Korean birth certificate. In just over a year he will apply for a Canadian passport, once his parents, our good friends, immigrate from Korea to Toronto. At less than 4 months old, he is more cosmopolitan than a lot of adults I know. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAicw4WB2p3-l1EWd_-pPH0kUj5zGoS7q-IzKWOm2Mbrc5mVXhsp4ZMCeMLArHXnbZZdA-QkusMLOH55FVXUfrzexgLNPqDBWSHr_HBHxBsENYTVaHNWIpfvkwdtFNjnD3ad6DJcNer-57/s1600/20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAicw4WB2p3-l1EWd_-pPH0kUj5zGoS7q-IzKWOm2Mbrc5mVXhsp4ZMCeMLArHXnbZZdA-QkusMLOH55FVXUfrzexgLNPqDBWSHr_HBHxBsENYTVaHNWIpfvkwdtFNjnD3ad6DJcNer-57/s400/20.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby Anthony & I</td></tr>
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</div>Last weekend was Anthony's baptism. His parents found a Russian Orthodox Church in Seoul and we spent Sunday at the church baptizing him and then celebrating afterwards. It was a little strange seeing an Asian looking man speaking Russian and performing the service. I didn't understand anything that was said (I am used to that, living in Korea) but it was held in a small basement section of the church property and it was beautiful to look at. Anthony was so well behaved and spent a big part of the ceremony asleep in my arms. As an aside, he is SOOOO heavy, so much respect to Natalia, she is so strong to lug that little man around all day and all night. I am pretty sure his limbs are made of steel.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We have arrived!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsfMfYydY6Lvj-bqDqkF55akTnCm9OYKJnftAt08m98_O6x4OB4IbizciPNfDke3_tVQnWqZn1hzPhDzRakP5IT9eJ1AZ0PiVLYsNGb3x-D8qDTFQJIjT1HHwwZr5EP6lRZydamnTQ8ffg/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsfMfYydY6Lvj-bqDqkF55akTnCm9OYKJnftAt08m98_O6x4OB4IbizciPNfDke3_tVQnWqZn1hzPhDzRakP5IT9eJ1AZ0PiVLYsNGb3x-D8qDTFQJIjT1HHwwZr5EP6lRZydamnTQ8ffg/s320/3.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The God Parents</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8YENBkGAbWhtbn3J-z4NsaaLWa09PXFDxqMqqwNbOstTQwRYyHaPbS42HfQAULM3HizEbKMn3ylDJSattHcNHuldmzUyHbrOMgdszoxNduuR86KDmMwFOD4WG1VeQY_AWpBsFD7dXu2SX/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8YENBkGAbWhtbn3J-z4NsaaLWa09PXFDxqMqqwNbOstTQwRYyHaPbS42HfQAULM3HizEbKMn3ylDJSattHcNHuldmzUyHbrOMgdszoxNduuR86KDmMwFOD4WG1VeQY_AWpBsFD7dXu2SX/s400/5.jpg" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Denis, Natalia & Anthony</td></tr>
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A big difference between an Orthodox baptism and a Catholic one, is that the Holy Water is usually just poured over the child's head in the Catholic church. Sweet little Anthony got stripped down to his diapers (luckily it wasn't cold in the church) and he was dunked right in a huge bowl of the water, right up to his shoulders. A rude awakening from his slumber but he took it like a champ. He barely made a peep. The priest sang most of the words through the service in a loud, monotone and almost droning voice, the way priests tend to have, and I think it was a lullaby for Anthony.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QkxbORZfO2FE6JWN8yaetRGxdIbkN2DrSatOVLUApVbBXB_UBxbmWw1VtpQaS4WxJ12GZShV0RReYI2PKiu-PHNql-psJLMEsMucF_KlOF0BfZPWneW-57tmxR5BUOd6dc0KP5yhHoSz/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QkxbORZfO2FE6JWN8yaetRGxdIbkN2DrSatOVLUApVbBXB_UBxbmWw1VtpQaS4WxJ12GZShV0RReYI2PKiu-PHNql-psJLMEsMucF_KlOF0BfZPWneW-57tmxR5BUOd6dc0KP5yhHoSz/s400/6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The location: St.Maxim Orthodox Church, Seoul</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygJz5Ic9RwlI-yRepp7iEqdYjVro7BxRmornR2EG3oiiKoEeEBk2I8tf2Gp27DQfJgl03Rh_zVWGfwoQ2JzZYnvFgtgX0LyHUf3K6p-oOWmnGnmUYYYJr0ps69KIF__zp8o4ph6ZPoNC1/s1600/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygJz5Ic9RwlI-yRepp7iEqdYjVro7BxRmornR2EG3oiiKoEeEBk2I8tf2Gp27DQfJgl03Rh_zVWGfwoQ2JzZYnvFgtgX0LyHUf3K6p-oOWmnGnmUYYYJr0ps69KIF__zp8o4ph6ZPoNC1/s320/9.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Priest.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The big bowl on the bottom right is where he got dunked.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0xtayoO4rQ4pcyAAqxCi3BzuMvbnh_4wF7JTSGKWHPNbyFFiN0d5Q6RCBy1nQ-bgkCDCNkjucZ3HkIky1corEEJhtCBRrsJ7JN7is7c-ko-qqpA21dQMbDlslPMyHJojWmddU8oTxnSG7/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0xtayoO4rQ4pcyAAqxCi3BzuMvbnh_4wF7JTSGKWHPNbyFFiN0d5Q6RCBy1nQ-bgkCDCNkjucZ3HkIky1corEEJhtCBRrsJ7JN7is7c-ko-qqpA21dQMbDlslPMyHJojWmddU8oTxnSG7/s320/10.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Being blessed.</td></tr>
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After the baptism we headed to Dongtan, a new and nicer suburb off of Osan. Natalia and Denis took us to Ashley's, a great buffet place with unlimited, free flowing red and white wine from a barrel. White wine is a rarity while dining out in Korea, so already, I was over the moon. Lunch/dinner was amazing. There was so much selection (some Korean, but mostly western food) and one dish was better than the next. Anthony was definitely the star of the show. Natalia has told me all about this phenomenon but it was fun to experience. Koreans <b>LOVE</b> white babies! Apparently she gets stopped all the time. It makes sense, cause they look different front what they're used to, especially when they are cute little ones (I LOOOOOOOOVE Korean babies!) So hardly a person could pass us without stopping and staring and smiling at Anthony. He is one popular little baby.<br />
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In Korea, meals always happen really quickly. You're in, you eat, and you're out. At this restaurant, we took our time and no one rushed us and it seemed like we were on par with everyone else's pace. It made me a little nostalgic of home. We ate, talked, drank wine, ate some more, had coffee, drank some more wine and talked some more. It was such a great Sunday. We arrived at the restaurant at around 4, and I am pretty sure it was after 8pm when we left. Food, wine, good friends and great conversations. I left my house just after 10am to make sure I was on time to meet Denis, Natalia, Anthony and Tyson (the Godfather), and didn't make it back home until around 10pm. A very enjoyable Sunday!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvbozix9RVtB8MlpGePH4gLnenchjc5Mopnh-101Y6MMWTR07LcXVbeEXdH495HwdKgx1M4mab0E6zMS8O_QEy1LqnoHiECA0om3YVXLlomf5OrG_CLflkdNnYxIs0zRcvV8zH8CJcV69/s1600/15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvbozix9RVtB8MlpGePH4gLnenchjc5Mopnh-101Y6MMWTR07LcXVbeEXdH495HwdKgx1M4mab0E6zMS8O_QEy1LqnoHiECA0om3YVXLlomf5OrG_CLflkdNnYxIs0zRcvV8zH8CJcV69/s320/15.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Digging in. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfsRrFLruCfjoF6M8_rdw-2R-eJxvEFnSN5FRSfWaLt0p1uFRWjVo9tGWPUYUvdzgbiXNyUAtLy0etLgAeqEMOGuz2xAy4nciP8zTK5CEjMRPc47GBeRjDvMqZFIcsySz8RXQz41PwgxF/s1600/18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfsRrFLruCfjoF6M8_rdw-2R-eJxvEFnSN5FRSfWaLt0p1uFRWjVo9tGWPUYUvdzgbiXNyUAtLy0etLgAeqEMOGuz2xAy4nciP8zTK5CEjMRPc47GBeRjDvMqZFIcsySz8RXQz41PwgxF/s320/18.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the few dessert plates that were on the table.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGlGssHYNNyDKrgpzDXSfyqU33S-0LsBlT1K3PQEedwc3dKe_daiVoFmYcWVioEazOSlOwfvLnRDW9DMxHHBIO6H-Y2Acv5TdiVL7tgfScPTtfESPopcmk_wUJKnYc75bBjh8qZUc4Yp3/s1600/21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGlGssHYNNyDKrgpzDXSfyqU33S-0LsBlT1K3PQEedwc3dKe_daiVoFmYcWVioEazOSlOwfvLnRDW9DMxHHBIO6H-Y2Acv5TdiVL7tgfScPTtfESPopcmk_wUJKnYc75bBjh8qZUc4Yp3/s320/21.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy faces & full bellies.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-T6Q5Z37nKClReqn5ydflqQDtjOCk7qOTghxfo7nSD4o6qlbUfCfthDF4OP5DQ0_0XOASNKsGi_ExrsL5q4nJA1Uw77KB_ilZ_E6PLCtzIY9L_DJTF4lkPJVVKm4rI1gYYaitmUuAIlwD/s1600/22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-T6Q5Z37nKClReqn5ydflqQDtjOCk7qOTghxfo7nSD4o6qlbUfCfthDF4OP5DQ0_0XOASNKsGi_ExrsL5q4nJA1Uw77KB_ilZ_E6PLCtzIY9L_DJTF4lkPJVVKm4rI1gYYaitmUuAIlwD/s400/22.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">US.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
I already have 2 God daughters back in Canada, my niece Belle and one of my besties' daughters, Ella. I look forward to the day when Anthony is settled with his parents living in Canada and I can introduce one side of my little clan to the other. <br />
<br />
<i>***The photos here are all from Natalia's camera, because I was too busy holding Anthony and coo'ing over him all day (okay and eating and drinking) to have my camera out and active.</i>Alexandra DeMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08002089008044628119noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142295569850099622.post-41667433265385203032012-02-05T04:17:00.000-08:002012-02-05T04:29:05.156-08:00And then there was one.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPaqVwhyphenhyphen4rAWkiv7yiCSf57pdqt4d7x2mI9pXtB_At2j1f1eTc98x8fiVpndYjUpdDPxfhoFWJfLFysMBEkDYLym6ca8o3FGPzoS1aQSbPjncSQK4mZCIBqqCK-ZWWx7JL7muP6tJkWn1/s1600/IMG_0298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPaqVwhyphenhyphen4rAWkiv7yiCSf57pdqt4d7x2mI9pXtB_At2j1f1eTc98x8fiVpndYjUpdDPxfhoFWJfLFysMBEkDYLym6ca8o3FGPzoS1aQSbPjncSQK4mZCIBqqCK-ZWWx7JL7muP6tJkWn1/s400/IMG_0298.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24px;"><span class="hps">사랑하는</span> <span class="hps">나의</span> <span class="hps">안녕히</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24px;"><span class="hps">!</span></span></td></tr>
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Garry left Korea today. I am pretty confident my life will carry on smoothly without him here for a mere 12 more days, but it's more what it signifies that has my wheels turning. My time in Korea is quickly coming to an end. Without being over dramatic, it is the end of a really fun era. Okay that is a little dramatic, let's say the end of a beautiful chapter. The plan to teach in Korea was slowly planted in my head back in 2009, when I fell in love with Asia. It was on my first trip to Southeast Asia, backpacking through Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, that I knew in my head I had to find a way back for an extended period of time. All my time back in Toronto was just laying the ground work to make it all happen. Next was a trip that started in India and was supposed to end in Korea but ended up bringing me back to Toronto after 6 months of travelling. It was then, the pieces started fitting together and Korea came into focus.<br />
<br />
Before I knew it, all my paperwork was done, a one year contract was signed, and a job was waiting for me on the other end. A year turned into 16 months and it was just right. After a fantastic experience teaching in Osan for a year, I had another perfect opportunity handed to me. It was right at the time when I had decided one year was not long enough in Korea, but two years may be too much. I hadn't quite had my fill of life in this country- but was a little skeptical (for a number of reasons) to sign on for another long haul. So when the offer of a four month stint, closer to Seoul, came up- I jumped at it.<br />
<br />
There was again, another option for a new one year contract at my school in Anyang, but at this point everything was pointing towards going back home. As soon as I made the definite choice a few months back to leave Korea and return to Canada, I knew it was the right one. I was 100% confident in my choice. So the past few months have consisted of checking off all the stuff I wanted to do in Korea, and I am pretty satisfied with it. I am totally ready for something new, a change of scenery in my life. A world where everyone speaks English!<br />
<br />
So with Garry making the first move, it now seems real. We are spending a few weeks in the UK to *decompress* from east to west, visiting his family in Scotland and friends in London and Brighton. It is the perfect segway back in to our lives at home. But the fact that he has already left makes me want to speed up time until I get there.<br />
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I have just over one week left here. Work is a breeze. It is the last week of school before classes end for spring break (Yes, we just came off 2 months of winter vacation. I don't get it either). So it is the last week of school before kids advance to the next grade, book ended by vacations. Basically, a joke. Attention span of both students and teacher are almost non-existant. Thankfully I finished the text book material with all my students before Christmas so they (by they I mean I) get rewarded with a week of watching movies. Nothing too stressful. Aside from that my week will consist of packing and saying goodbye to my coworkers and some friends. <br />
<br />
Korea has been a fun, adventurous, and really rewarding part of my life. Garry and I had such a great experience here individually, but mostly together. After a fun filled trip to the UK, I am so excited to see what lies around the next turn. I know vaguely we need to find a place to live, jobs, a new car.... but I am so excited (and scared!) to make it all happen. In time, I have faith everything will work out just how it should. As stuff in my life has a tendency to do.<br />
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From one continent to the next, it is tough to say goodbye to Asia, but I know from past experiences the pull is too strong. I will be back for sure . Garry and I speak of how interesting it will be to come back to Korea in 10 years time and see all the changes. If not Korea, then Thailand, or maybe Mongolia? Who knows? But for now, I am going to *try* to live in the moment, and enjoy my last few weeks in the place I have called home for the last 16 months.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCZg3XJcA_2PL2y_O_W7eHx60_0R_I5f4Rp_WBgI7tKdVgAHjFeRsqfHprZj6RxvUjhVNMmx7cS69X5p14DAopamEV64p1TE5YXxkMFa4yWl24tHSF9cjPzkv_6TyP_vwQuVdImG0hZVK/s1600/korea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCZg3XJcA_2PL2y_O_W7eHx60_0R_I5f4Rp_WBgI7tKdVgAHjFeRsqfHprZj6RxvUjhVNMmx7cS69X5p14DAopamEV64p1TE5YXxkMFa4yWl24tHSF9cjPzkv_6TyP_vwQuVdImG0hZVK/s320/korea.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Alexandra DeMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08002089008044628119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142295569850099622.post-54538327156030072552012-01-30T22:12:00.000-08:002012-01-30T22:16:58.456-08:00The National Museum of Seoul<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_LrxFayR2Wnn-xAuOZgypV_zsGBo9aIFCfUvng1zvi7wap5qtxCKC3HOQgWhVZIVjAw897dQ14b7qAkHHog8UZKtfSMHA27kbZJ8CJ1R-VfC_oBkScmSNpOYx40TB60N1_dDPyMlU1H7/s1600/IMG_9898.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_LrxFayR2Wnn-xAuOZgypV_zsGBo9aIFCfUvng1zvi7wap5qtxCKC3HOQgWhVZIVjAw897dQ14b7qAkHHog8UZKtfSMHA27kbZJ8CJ1R-VfC_oBkScmSNpOYx40TB60N1_dDPyMlU1H7/s320/IMG_9898.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUrEmzfB1gX1K0Qx2fP89BmTV998J5XHBpSgWiSsHePoUlAKeHGF5j018DmJssI25aZg3Zcaik0-_MNPEks4hBVCtX93UtQJpb41QY_CUYciVCEyPjzpYci7dV3PEZLcLL7N4hwF7CokPc/s1600/IMG_9908.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUrEmzfB1gX1K0Qx2fP89BmTV998J5XHBpSgWiSsHePoUlAKeHGF5j018DmJssI25aZg3Zcaik0-_MNPEks4hBVCtX93UtQJpb41QY_CUYciVCEyPjzpYci7dV3PEZLcLL7N4hwF7CokPc/s400/IMG_9908.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seoul National Museum</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirbSNKYt5zgHuTlvKiZN5HarUuVgIi3g7TjL9VMrGLDnVkiltuGEIu-aTDcZ5SjvYjWLqlzAXLmnrtBTKSwprEY4LqTjaxIQvUnEfmfi8zTvSbl89pIZTOjcEEarj33niPHVWXLf3ypyb5/s1600/IMG_9948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirbSNKYt5zgHuTlvKiZN5HarUuVgIi3g7TjL9VMrGLDnVkiltuGEIu-aTDcZ5SjvYjWLqlzAXLmnrtBTKSwprEY4LqTjaxIQvUnEfmfi8zTvSbl89pIZTOjcEEarj33niPHVWXLf3ypyb5/s320/IMG_9948.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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I am currently living out the last few days of my winter vacation. Trying to make the most of it, I spent part of the day wandering around the National Museum of Seoul on Friday. I suppose because it's school holidays I expected it to be overrun with kids, but luckily it was so peaceful. I arrived early enough that museum was next to empty. The museum is gigantic and I felt like I had the run of the place. Just walking up to the building from the street you can easily grasp its grandeur.<br />
The collection of pieces itself inside the building, was not the most attractive feature, it was more the building itself and the grounds. From the outside, there is a beautiful juxtaposition between old and new. The modern building of the museum is set behind a small traditional Korean building, overlooking a little pond. To add to the view, beyond the museum, framed by its grand entranceway, is Namsan Tower, perched up on its mountain. It was a beautiful view.<br />
<br />
Inside the stark building were 3 floors of room after room, scarcely outfitted in glass casings and the permanent collection. The main exhibits were Ancient & Medieval History, Calligraphy & Painting, Asian Art, and Sculpture & Craft. In my opinion, the best part of the museum, was the actual building itself. The lines running up and down, massive geometric configurations everywhere, I would imagine it's an architects dream. Also tucked away were many different cafes and sitting areas, one more appealing than the next.<br />
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This is the website for the museum. I would recommend it just for a few hours of slow meandering and absorbing your surroundings. I didn't see the Special Collection, just the Permanent one, and it was free to get in. Can't really go wrong with that.<br />
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<a href="http://www.museum.go.kr/">www.museum.go.kr</a><br />
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And some pictures from the day. The first set of pictures are some of the actual artifacts in the museum.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJjRWMNqROlXcDHRP296Fmvj1XygtMBXiN5vRoulwpEA3VI-SQoW-d-TQc_y_In5Gx54xXqdyrSGsUwNO3gekwB_rbkOg4XEPWYJNeG8SmOxXEQ9pRAyCL-6iNpzAl8PRlAN6N0BXSg30q/s1600/IMG_9935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJjRWMNqROlXcDHRP296Fmvj1XygtMBXiN5vRoulwpEA3VI-SQoW-d-TQc_y_In5Gx54xXqdyrSGsUwNO3gekwB_rbkOg4XEPWYJNeG8SmOxXEQ9pRAyCL-6iNpzAl8PRlAN6N0BXSg30q/s200/IMG_9935.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calligraphy</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIFNDTGBo-jfB7hJFphgCOReW2L_dT0eYmx7h1CwRLOASsVo3vfz2kYOsFSzdvCda_4cN4IEgmIxRTiOiFGEeiJHUtlvW8fAhZGJfpNFURH8nalX-jVgwIC3-1Zi9HysHq9XsYBn0sJ0oh/s1600/IMG_9936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIFNDTGBo-jfB7hJFphgCOReW2L_dT0eYmx7h1CwRLOASsVo3vfz2kYOsFSzdvCda_4cN4IEgmIxRTiOiFGEeiJHUtlvW8fAhZGJfpNFURH8nalX-jVgwIC3-1Zi9HysHq9XsYBn0sJ0oh/s400/IMG_9936.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old jewelry.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0Cm9LcPKgNSY8STmWPZ2-a6eIucDkWoHFqvWqTT6TszxWSWbhlBHF_iJooXn7nGbl8xOWcbkQprL-sznEX8hJ3v8UNgLfDjpK1MSGcdFajsP1Py0KPI5WaySt-UodhEtmXD1qVUz8d2j/s1600/IMG_9943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0Cm9LcPKgNSY8STmWPZ2-a6eIucDkWoHFqvWqTT6TszxWSWbhlBHF_iJooXn7nGbl8xOWcbkQprL-sznEX8hJ3v8UNgLfDjpK1MSGcdFajsP1Py0KPI5WaySt-UodhEtmXD1qVUz8d2j/s200/IMG_9943.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to the Calligraphy Exhibit.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkqpzpv7BWVx18kJX5fHULEOBMEbNuedzCRWllmV4zEDZoG-a-nwB64dwX_FRCpO0HRsp-XpzT-GOfRb-ZiGxxWxaHvvqCa1rfkFKDXqDCBUxG21qZ4J2XHGdgJHJ_J75btQg-pShOTeY/s1600/IMG_9960.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkqpzpv7BWVx18kJX5fHULEOBMEbNuedzCRWllmV4zEDZoG-a-nwB64dwX_FRCpO0HRsp-XpzT-GOfRb-ZiGxxWxaHvvqCa1rfkFKDXqDCBUxG21qZ4J2XHGdgJHJ_J75btQg-pShOTeY/s400/IMG_9960.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional Uzbekistan home setting.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNL-Jf1P-KS4GLIsAr3lEVeX3MRhP44cm3zf5GXg1zOXQkNqPrRJTKtoGF3_ithruPY3Yzw_Am3IgWugyMe1ikVBNDf5yQaV_VrqQScrOEEigwWsNlY9hYkLNlCRSz-8PnBUwL4vh1loy/s1600/IMG_9974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNL-Jf1P-KS4GLIsAr3lEVeX3MRhP44cm3zf5GXg1zOXQkNqPrRJTKtoGF3_ithruPY3Yzw_Am3IgWugyMe1ikVBNDf5yQaV_VrqQScrOEEigwWsNlY9hYkLNlCRSz-8PnBUwL4vh1loy/s320/IMG_9974.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monks bell.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPe-qAZLpoSw21Gpxt_x5iikF_9Yio5F0C90p2HNms1n3O_D7wJbwiilGbWkrXvVpZHiwhFex7CL-F3eo1IspfBRlMGjctDoXtjspc4ICe7h6HBjLrDxoz11sWfcNidnFXy1U0vveB0wBc/s1600/IMG_9975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPe-qAZLpoSw21Gpxt_x5iikF_9Yio5F0C90p2HNms1n3O_D7wJbwiilGbWkrXvVpZHiwhFex7CL-F3eo1IspfBRlMGjctDoXtjspc4ICe7h6HBjLrDxoz11sWfcNidnFXy1U0vveB0wBc/s400/IMG_9975.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buddhist statues from India.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCf7Rc0D6GZV4Pq-p0AiS4x9JyswGSkH3ch-yDYo2JS4VNgup2fcSu4h-SmFIwtpJcmvDhmwO_W7wofDJKR6Q-sulSmCjwyT-14_QAr6_0pgPvm9twx9PzCS1caVSwlyGnv_mTqvCdK4DS/s1600/IMG_9997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCf7Rc0D6GZV4Pq-p0AiS4x9JyswGSkH3ch-yDYo2JS4VNgup2fcSu4h-SmFIwtpJcmvDhmwO_W7wofDJKR6Q-sulSmCjwyT-14_QAr6_0pgPvm9twx9PzCS1caVSwlyGnv_mTqvCdK4DS/s200/IMG_9997.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calligraphy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The next few photos are some of the beautiful cafes and sitting areas tucked around the museum.<br />
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The last few photos are from my favorite part of the museum, the actual building itself.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu9QZ-3KMJ62y8Cms3iLCWXaP3WLXwTxf0n_x6I6Zziv-Z75sfBXFfkXTzgVoNZi_9OTeJJ5zTYL1BSvX2PRAmSdwjFa58-VrFZKo3iVomkGVjUHYZlmVVX8gzRXYus0uTfsR2VnawJyTS/s1600/IMG_9951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu9QZ-3KMJ62y8Cms3iLCWXaP3WLXwTxf0n_x6I6Zziv-Z75sfBXFfkXTzgVoNZi_9OTeJJ5zTYL1BSvX2PRAmSdwjFa58-VrFZKo3iVomkGVjUHYZlmVVX8gzRXYus0uTfsR2VnawJyTS/s400/IMG_9951.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down from the 3rd floor. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm313-gDH1Jwl5uZ5bf8HZgwNDQNe8fuHt80F4Nc9npy5-Kq4gOlBBMfOmemWbNvjWT70fZwahT8KNHrMsnQZop3zI7_QzLVoC2HPZkTesXuxD_bDBvjfx5tp2ZG0wZzW_aYPWG7ZQHNrj/s1600/IMG_9968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm313-gDH1Jwl5uZ5bf8HZgwNDQNe8fuHt80F4Nc9npy5-Kq4gOlBBMfOmemWbNvjWT70fZwahT8KNHrMsnQZop3zI7_QzLVoC2HPZkTesXuxD_bDBvjfx5tp2ZG0wZzW_aYPWG7ZQHNrj/s400/IMG_9968.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entrance to the museum.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIUQC1n0tUEIvWbI2hfpDkN7Py6Vvodvr8RHIjYJx7kpy3RGUNdeaLySsMvHLK2cz52ujCsJB2RleIBwOD-QO76guuf2QPkpS-AEPfg3ALII_zPsm1gEiEm4Ulx7gVwRJCcybpYuc_i7mu/s1600/IMG_9973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIUQC1n0tUEIvWbI2hfpDkN7Py6Vvodvr8RHIjYJx7kpy3RGUNdeaLySsMvHLK2cz52ujCsJB2RleIBwOD-QO76guuf2QPkpS-AEPfg3ALII_zPsm1gEiEm4Ulx7gVwRJCcybpYuc_i7mu/s400/IMG_9973.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lines, shapes and more lines!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHDReYjZJ7s0EMEVlzeyqMdPr5L3BUbNv0xxT-VDFcdSdpyLafj1dsu1SybEp_P8Gqx3RFR9DQbyEzr28GeczWhh7-jR51Qr0SkBukInxNtWKGSky3tOfAYVSnhtgIokDKestKjLYmCZW9/s1600/IMG_9985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHDReYjZJ7s0EMEVlzeyqMdPr5L3BUbNv0xxT-VDFcdSdpyLafj1dsu1SybEp_P8Gqx3RFR9DQbyEzr28GeczWhh7-jR51Qr0SkBukInxNtWKGSky3tOfAYVSnhtgIokDKestKjLYmCZW9/s320/IMG_9985.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sleek, clean and beautiful</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-st1wDzJOBM8u-EU-ig7s3p2blN7DfZE2n1dWt9EBI3u7kftPrHJP_ELKv_k5Uq3PBRy4C9OBCqmu_PngSG7sXlx9xj1NLgOgsKtYqKp0VkC5MdDgkrsOF7fh-IpuBc0oLHw_kZP4ZrdE/s1600/IMG_0006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-st1wDzJOBM8u-EU-ig7s3p2blN7DfZE2n1dWt9EBI3u7kftPrHJP_ELKv_k5Uq3PBRy4C9OBCqmu_PngSG7sXlx9xj1NLgOgsKtYqKp0VkC5MdDgkrsOF7fh-IpuBc0oLHw_kZP4ZrdE/s400/IMG_0006.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">THE END.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Alexandra DeMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08002089008044628119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142295569850099622.post-78566100240997220482012-01-22T19:51:00.000-08:002012-01-23T17:57:54.135-08:00Skating at City Hall<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfFQ99iW27Mii6eJ8ZkzbikwtduDv6ocf7wkgl26SzBAdPhMs5HqNoaOtK102h1DNvhghRJYzrOR3CYY5h_pAGfks6yQcNnB-ksGCK7nu_gOFO5_xVRg716qHL8PNqaOHE9r-KjKfTTuwr/s1600/P1230660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfFQ99iW27Mii6eJ8ZkzbikwtduDv6ocf7wkgl26SzBAdPhMs5HqNoaOtK102h1DNvhghRJYzrOR3CYY5h_pAGfks6yQcNnB-ksGCK7nu_gOFO5_xVRg716qHL8PNqaOHE9r-KjKfTTuwr/s400/P1230660.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Haechi</i></b> on ice, Seoul's mascot.</td></tr>
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As I have started to mention in my posts, my time in Korea is coming to an end. So my spare time is spent crossing off all the things I still want to do before I go. Skating at City Hall was one of those things. A few weekends ago my boyfriend and I headed to City Hall and finally went. Living in Osan last year I did this and it was great fun. One dollar for a pair of skates and we had a blast. Seoul's skating rink experience and Osan's were slightly different, due mostly to the sheer volume of people there.<br />
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We arrived at about 2pm and actually had to buy tickets to the 4pm skate because everything else was sold out. So we paid our 2,000 won each and headed to nearby Myeongdong to kill the time. We arrived back to the rink early to join a huge, but quickly moving line up to grab a pair of skates. The skates were pretty horrendous. The cheapest variety possible made of awful, hard plastic that dug into all the wrong places, and blades that couldn't have sliced through much. We waited for the skate patrollers to let the lineups of people waiting to get on the ice at 4pm and then slowly made our way out on the ice. The ice surface was pretty shady but then again you couldn't go much faster than a crawl due to the amout of people on the rink. It was organized chaos. Lots of people, but everyone generally moving in the same direction, with the flow. There were people of all ages and and if you take away the actual 'quality factor' of the skate, it was great fun. We spent maybe 40 minutes going round and round with what seemed like the rest of Korea's population. A DJ was blaring K-pop, and the sun was shining, so all in all another great afternoon in Seoul.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGhTbF-LQmYtwF-xjbPiQ1DZe0kkEcuT65AYGbkS4RRc8sGP0gCCfoGnmKCnLwfHOm6wPKvou8YtBdlLu-ta1zBueCGD237PylxFj9Cu_f6bXu-fk51qTKXepcYBUb3NvEUj79FY8Ba70z/s1600/P1230657.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGhTbF-LQmYtwF-xjbPiQ1DZe0kkEcuT65AYGbkS4RRc8sGP0gCCfoGnmKCnLwfHOm6wPKvou8YtBdlLu-ta1zBueCGD237PylxFj9Cu_f6bXu-fk51qTKXepcYBUb3NvEUj79FY8Ba70z/s200/P1230657.JPG" width="122" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patiently waiting.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhppAbXIfqKGLMinU7Cr_XFPoPhLmnPCLQnm3MxwyuL7tDmnrbXWnUTKdV9OwaxMTezr7ubFr2my-n0RstACX1zpWveBBnM87YC9LNy9VA4kjZQvQl2nQwcgZ61sLYGZl77Jyc1nxKqLBV9/s1600/P1230663.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhppAbXIfqKGLMinU7Cr_XFPoPhLmnPCLQnm3MxwyuL7tDmnrbXWnUTKdV9OwaxMTezr7ubFr2my-n0RstACX1zpWveBBnM87YC9LNy9VA4kjZQvQl2nQwcgZ61sLYGZl77Jyc1nxKqLBV9/s320/P1230663.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost ready.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF1zHQ2ikNSF8TbxT5oUPT1oWgYmLYqxFtKurNMNcIOTGQMMwEZei6ncg1yu5jR_J5_w5TqxEAa0EylHuwtzJZuVIMtwgN38dFLo3259rQyAuEd1YPbkg9vNDANkD-B-r83X5azgqGoBZs/s1600/P1230685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF1zHQ2ikNSF8TbxT5oUPT1oWgYmLYqxFtKurNMNcIOTGQMMwEZei6ncg1yu5jR_J5_w5TqxEAa0EylHuwtzJZuVIMtwgN38dFLo3259rQyAuEd1YPbkg9vNDANkD-B-r83X5azgqGoBZs/s400/P1230685.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joining the masses on ice. </td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHJbytz7OUhth7MPxdqoJu8eMCHF1lZCfWoi9EKU192zvK3UbEnMkOxoPwmRs1o_n2Fisb03kQHj9OmLs1dJ-0HVvlEGlrvFrMJkm7DUQhazH1fi37Wgi190a8pLPZC8LXow1G8nre3zv/s1600/P1230670.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHJbytz7OUhth7MPxdqoJu8eMCHF1lZCfWoi9EKU192zvK3UbEnMkOxoPwmRs1o_n2Fisb03kQHj9OmLs1dJ-0HVvlEGlrvFrMJkm7DUQhazH1fi37Wgi190a8pLPZC8LXow1G8nre3zv/s200/P1230670.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlItPwzqa-794T85G9W5DuP6GlZw5ybdNtFM_odi1WOJ_fzhnOw2ACsdsVssw7Jk_ratJz95ag5wxOimagdhdIdcuLq42ajS9CygGZZoj7TuNuoYqHsageloFLAgrVa-zymtveXYgX8zIH/s1600/P1230669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlItPwzqa-794T85G9W5DuP6GlZw5ybdNtFM_odi1WOJ_fzhnOw2ACsdsVssw7Jk_ratJz95ag5wxOimagdhdIdcuLq42ajS9CygGZZoj7TuNuoYqHsageloFLAgrVa-zymtveXYgX8zIH/s400/P1230669.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skating @ City Hall, Seoul.</td></tr>
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Check out this link for more information on skating at City Hall in Seoul.<br />
<a href="http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264554">http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264554</a>Alexandra DeMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08002089008044628119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142295569850099622.post-19874773163870635912012-01-19T00:46:00.000-08:002012-01-19T03:55:46.016-08:00Top 10 Things I Am Most Excited For Going Home<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>1.</b> Seeing my family.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>2.</b> Seeing my friends.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>3.</b> My cat Minky (although I am <i>NOT</i> excited about the allergies returning that I have been free of for all this time).</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>4.</b> Having access to the rest of my wardrobe (I had to struggle not to put this as number one).</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>5.</b> Not having to squat down to pee everyday at work.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>6. </b> Not having to take out my nose ring and tongue ring every morning before work.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>7.</b> Ethnic diversity.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>8.</b> Girls Weekends away.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>9.</b> Driving a car.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>10.</b> A diet that does not include rice on a daily basis (in fact give me at least 6 months before I see another white grain of rice please).</span><br />
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</span>Alexandra DeMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08002089008044628119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142295569850099622.post-72908664247131381332012-01-10T05:54:00.000-08:002012-01-10T06:03:42.841-08:00An Old Tea House in Insadong<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP89wnOJPXcHHkLKHG4R9_wx2BENtGoAQ-GLicKkstYoTEza4IEKTXF4fJQi7AVICcBsiRlh6hTiv5-mPcSAO1uOrOHssNbQ8dCylL8hGhypukRpR-TzGDC4gF-d38UjtjE1Z7hu8Fplhf/s1600/IMG_9554_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP89wnOJPXcHHkLKHG4R9_wx2BENtGoAQ-GLicKkstYoTEza4IEKTXF4fJQi7AVICcBsiRlh6hTiv5-mPcSAO1uOrOHssNbQ8dCylL8hGhypukRpR-TzGDC4gF-d38UjtjE1Z7hu8Fplhf/s400/IMG_9554_2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Almost 15 months after stepping foot into South Korea I think I may have found my favorite spot. It is humble and quiet and tucked away down a narrow alleyway off a main street. It is a beautiful traditional Korean tea house.<br />
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Now that it is official, I am leaving Korea in less than 2 months, I am trying to squeeze in all the things I want to do before I go. Saturday's itinerary was to spend some more time exploring Insadong. I am hunting for the perfect 'Korea' piece to bring home with me and I thought Insadong would inspire me. After a few hours of walking and browsing and generally enjoying the day we needed a break. Starbucks was a hop, skip and a jump away but I held out and went in search of a tea house. What I found was exactly what I was looking for.<br />
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At the very, very end of a quiet little offshoot alley lined with pots and plants, I found Shin Old Tea House. What a gem. As soon as you enter inside, there is an open, light, indoor greenhouse type of room. There is green foliage everywhere, from trees to plants, to roots and stems poking in every direction. With our shoes kicked off here, we were guided by the only ajumma who was working, to a table.<br />
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As soon as we walked into the next room where we were seated, the lights were much dimmer, and the ambiance much different. Instead of exuding light and life, it now reeked of history and tradition. All the seats were on the floor, no chairs in sight. Each table had beautifully coloured cushions to sit on. The small, low tables were made in a dark wood matching both the interior and exterior of the building. This style of traditional Korean building is called<i> hanok</i>. The walls were covered in framed art work and traditional tapestries, so everywhere your eye turned, there was something to soak in.<br />
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The clientele added so much to the environment too. There was one table with 2 young ladies who had their heads poured over some very important looking work. They rarely spoke and looked so focused on the task at hand. Beside them, a little further away were 2 business men, conducting their business over tea and a laptop computer. A little closer was a table of 4 middle aged women, sipping their tea, and incessantly chattering like teenaged girls. The last table was barely bigger than our tiny 2 person table, but there were up to 8 people huddled around it at one point. One family spanning over 3 generations. Grandmother was there, her kids and their spouses and a small little boy no older than 2. Everyone was there, nestled closely on the floor enjoying their tea. To me, this place was the greatest part of my day, an amazing discovery but to everyone else, it was just an ordinary place, on an ordinary day.<br />
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The menu was as simple as the tea house. There were maybe 6 different choices. Green tea, jujube, ginger, and a few others, nothing too fancy. I ordered green tea and Garry ordered ginger. Mine was the better choice because it came with a small one person tea pot, and an even smaller traditional tea glass, and then a thermos full of hot water so I could steep my tea, pour it myself, and refill at my leisure. Garry's ginger tea was tasty, but much less involved than mine- just a mug, the tea and a few floating pine nuts. I recommend the green tea. With the tea came some <i>deok </i>(rice cakes), and another traditional Korean snack. <br />
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The whole experience was beautiful. I could've spent the rest of my afternoon in that old tea house and every afternoon there after. As I sit drinking green tea on my apartment floor, I am imagining myself to be back at the old tea house. It really did feel like a part of Korea's history. I only have a short time left in Korea but I will make sure to return to this place. After travelling to all different corners of South Korea, it may very well be my most favorite spot yet.<br />
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Here are some pictures to try and do it justice.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the end of this alley, is the old tea house.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwU5Kl6OowKpREF9FI3YzaQjttx39gLrdDbu6dOpKr66tJYhw5NtvPceCFwURicy4Uov3bY933pC3h5vZedqm3D7HxSJpX45uOVazZrGVi1C4inY3qgZ4C_HRf9JS5cPyTtF5wBBJj6Tua/s1600/IMG_9553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwU5Kl6OowKpREF9FI3YzaQjttx39gLrdDbu6dOpKr66tJYhw5NtvPceCFwURicy4Uov3bY933pC3h5vZedqm3D7HxSJpX45uOVazZrGVi1C4inY3qgZ4C_HRf9JS5cPyTtF5wBBJj6Tua/s400/IMG_9553.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just outside of the tea house. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW6Qw6l0PRZ3cYHRWJWgW9qjQAaAA1fzVHoO_oNfRKEUmr1PABZsMlHJsISLaFYQL4_31UmwTjnmSXqbcVJ453DhHuytdMXAd0N9Swh3NFpLWfGRZO6dvj4_KF0nBUZ7WEicQFEL5NnuSY/s1600/IMG_9543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW6Qw6l0PRZ3cYHRWJWgW9qjQAaAA1fzVHoO_oNfRKEUmr1PABZsMlHJsISLaFYQL4_31UmwTjnmSXqbcVJ453DhHuytdMXAd0N9Swh3NFpLWfGRZO6dvj4_KF0nBUZ7WEicQFEL5NnuSY/s320/IMG_9543.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entrance way.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJurdzHPgxFxzIDtJ-ZW-1GNEFx25JyW8vYn_rb23L5Ivtr5IL05s6xJjCf20c0q2W-AIVA5OcMQWCgygBwykwf3C0PF19tN-yWM9nLS7nyR4hAf3SPuzJA3dXpZlvgRhvkaeHkRYMaEjf/s1600/IMG_9539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJurdzHPgxFxzIDtJ-ZW-1GNEFx25JyW8vYn_rb23L5Ivtr5IL05s6xJjCf20c0q2W-AIVA5OcMQWCgygBwykwf3C0PF19tN-yWM9nLS7nyR4hAf3SPuzJA3dXpZlvgRhvkaeHkRYMaEjf/s400/IMG_9539.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The front room entrance, before we got seated. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBbdFhYJ01lN2tgu9UwySsMkZK8fxBbXMZV_wuLvU9bkAbzbVBFDP_Mv0aYDfRVGC0uO7Mv-8E9r79Vc-p-B0vU6qbiMrPY2r6DTEGycX1IK6O7Nwvy1MZmp-lSzPzl0KhAHXW7G0SrRJE/s1600/IMG_9513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBbdFhYJ01lN2tgu9UwySsMkZK8fxBbXMZV_wuLvU9bkAbzbVBFDP_Mv0aYDfRVGC0uO7Mv-8E9r79Vc-p-B0vU6qbiMrPY2r6DTEGycX1IK6O7Nwvy1MZmp-lSzPzl0KhAHXW7G0SrRJE/s320/IMG_9513.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our tiny little table inside. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLqHcUgPlgbTmqrFTe_MAxdnbOsEZmTXaMdNnnX-jPeKu2CmKaLV0n_JsEeuE4HLsogiGt-ApDy-zacBFLMSUs3bB8fQi5x3WTDN8_qch-2nJ2TBfHnBx1UvoYz3uNOLghZaug-Wsle-Qc/s1600/IMG_9514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLqHcUgPlgbTmqrFTe_MAxdnbOsEZmTXaMdNnnX-jPeKu2CmKaLV0n_JsEeuE4HLsogiGt-ApDy-zacBFLMSUs3bB8fQi5x3WTDN8_qch-2nJ2TBfHnBx1UvoYz3uNOLghZaug-Wsle-Qc/s400/IMG_9514.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 2 girls, heads down, very focused on their work. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkyVbHCNBwDPiRQRBjfI17GG7A_3qvHZgIOE0qZMMkNGozdFTaiu2OOmEcGen2xxpIHTCDu92mUXfiXoYHENnpJ4aeeRJINTrIblcQ91a7uJvBF6P-fHPzs-INuxNL2b78lwWmCwD7br5P/s1600/IMG_9521_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkyVbHCNBwDPiRQRBjfI17GG7A_3qvHZgIOE0qZMMkNGozdFTaiu2OOmEcGen2xxpIHTCDu92mUXfiXoYHENnpJ4aeeRJINTrIblcQ91a7uJvBF6P-fHPzs-INuxNL2b78lwWmCwD7br5P/s200/IMG_9521_2.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Korean snacks. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3u-IXbxZQYA-ROmVKwYOjdAcbqRIqcz81e_9vFAlvAl0HZNIwNOsZvQihXp5kRCWB6oBnaZa4DGOvnc0f_4s-7VDPWIduSxN0e7KWgZjr7UFzuCmdYQ_NQEoWAAUsIcvG3l2nu1j-Vgv/s1600/IMG_9529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3u-IXbxZQYA-ROmVKwYOjdAcbqRIqcz81e_9vFAlvAl0HZNIwNOsZvQihXp5kRCWB6oBnaZa4DGOvnc0f_4s-7VDPWIduSxN0e7KWgZjr7UFzuCmdYQ_NQEoWAAUsIcvG3l2nu1j-Vgv/s400/IMG_9529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tea time.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEIn2vMzvP65z3720hIRcRu0uVxKktQ08k3Nnfqneu9SyYgirHPNFcca7uv0G1cY8iK0GQaC9pQfYsubmRkkmjYjSamU451EY2qUwA17PLBMNfsCZwBm25QUTSVDIqrv3Rp9l7DSsOY9T6/s1600/IMG_9538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEIn2vMzvP65z3720hIRcRu0uVxKktQ08k3Nnfqneu9SyYgirHPNFcca7uv0G1cY8iK0GQaC9pQfYsubmRkkmjYjSamU451EY2qUwA17PLBMNfsCZwBm25QUTSVDIqrv3Rp9l7DSsOY9T6/s320/IMG_9538.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the decor.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXE_fjwKW3HPWHA5ejjQJRJIyEn4kKfH8qEftmu77rRzDsI33jSAtc1TUAoQfKE2dXu6WzZARfqnSJhR28dQZ-RwPMxIXMVq-2F81Hkfnv014JTuvQU7Q41LP0jigbQAcz-N412WYEQqek/s1600/IMG_9542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXE_fjwKW3HPWHA5ejjQJRJIyEn4kKfH8qEftmu77rRzDsI33jSAtc1TUAoQfKE2dXu6WzZARfqnSJhR28dQZ-RwPMxIXMVq-2F81Hkfnv014JTuvQU7Q41LP0jigbQAcz-N412WYEQqek/s320/IMG_9542.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More beautiful decorations.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMSGJlzBFM7aV-7Vb5faoiugniQ5ZFXP8Z3tZqTa5FaIkQay_HG8bE8PwnQ-I5R79rKpjuSyjDJd3MzwQyNVL8tWTmkOrY53iCf8LP9GBM8GLZzAyxmZ1ABBcePefaSY1WJr8tpVLi0Ij/s1600/IMG_9534_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMSGJlzBFM7aV-7Vb5faoiugniQ5ZFXP8Z3tZqTa5FaIkQay_HG8bE8PwnQ-I5R79rKpjuSyjDJd3MzwQyNVL8tWTmkOrY53iCf8LP9GBM8GLZzAyxmZ1ABBcePefaSY1WJr8tpVLi0Ij/s400/IMG_9534_2.JPG" width="343" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My happy place. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Alexandra DeMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08002089008044628119noreply@blogger.com2