The Update

If I don't blog for almost an entire year, am I supposed to recap everything that has happened?

Because honestly, I don't really care. And I don't think any of you do either. But for the grand sake of boredom and continuity, I'll recap what has happened in my life this past year.

I am now a Flight Attendant. First big girl job, and yes, I essentially found a way to travel the world and get paid doing it. I spend the majority of my time running around an aircraft delivering drinks to people while they tell me things like "next time, bring it faster."  Or I get yelled at for everything from expired drink coupons to weather. Because I control the weather. I appear to be a walking garbage disposal, am confused with being a mind reader and sometimes get stuck babysitting both children and adults to a certain extent. But in reality, it's not all drinks and crankiness, it's also the best kept secret in the job market. I get to sing, be my crazy, weird and random self, and make toilet paper cakes and crowns for people. I'm trained in self defense and am fully able to command an evacuation and potentially save lives if necessary. I get to meet tons of people every day, who sometimes compliment me on strange things like the strength of my thumbs or my resemblance to Katniss. I've made some of the best friends of my life and I get paid to hang out with them. Also, I have the ability to make a difference in other peoples lives through safety or customer service and it's pretty cool being able to make that much of an impact. So despite the sometimes long hours and difficult days, it's pretty much the greatest thing that's ever happened to me.  I do realize I threw my 9 college internships down the drain when I chose this career, and it's not some high paying 9-5 job that brings in the big bucks but at the end of the day, I get to be me. And I couldn't be happier. 

Along with this big girl life change, I made yet another move, to Las Vegas, Nevada. I now reside in a lovely apartment with one of my best friends from training and even bought furniture for the first time in my life. A couch, and a bed. That's as close to getting settled as it's gonna get people. Does this mean I'm grown up now? I'd say so. At least a little bit.

So that's all of the updates I feel like you should get from me; it's pretty much been work work work with a few vacays that I'll probably post about... Within the next year :-). Who ever would've guessed that my life would truly become the definition of a "Life in a Suitcase?"

Not me. But if the shoe fits...

Falafel Fit For A King

Ahh the joys of being able to travel and eat wonderful vegetarian street food. I am a HUGE fan of falafel and was pretty excited when our tour guide Mohammed took us to one of the best falafel places Amman, Jordan has to offer - 'Hashem!' Mohammed claimed that even the King and his royal family had eaten at this place, and the food was definitely inexpensive and delicious.

I will admit that 'Hashem' is not the cleanest restaurant in Amman, but it's definitely a backpacker's paradise. The place is always packed with locals and tourists alike, so you know the food has to be fresh. I don't think they had a menu, but Mohammed ordered it all for us... Delicious bread, foul (beans), hummus that was to die for, mint tea and more tasty food that I can't name.

So if you ever go to Amman, make sure you don't leave without hitting up the 'Hashem' restaurant... A full meal will cost you around 3 JD,  and you definitely won't regret it!

Mohammed & our Tour Group

Exploring Jerash

I'm not a history buff by any means, but when my dad and I found ourselves with an extra day in Jordan and nothing to do we figured - why not explore some ruins! We crammed into a little taxi cab with 4 other tourists and made our way 30 miles north of Amman to Jerash.

We all decided to collectively hire an English speaking tour guide who droned on and on about ancient Rome, Greek gods, and a lot of other stuff that I frankly, do not remember.

The weather was absolutely stunning when we got there, but it started to rain and get very cold within the first hour. This probably attributed to the reason I can't remember anything about this place but at least I got some good pictures out of it! :)

 At the end of our day, we browsed the touristy shops around the area, where I encountered this 15 year old boy who was set on making me his future sister-in-law... He sat my dad and I down and made us some tea while jokingly asking "how many camels" I was worth! According to my dad, my number is 20?? We're going to have to work on that!

I'm falling in love with the beautiful people of this country!

Sh*t Happens

This past week, I had my passport stolen from me. My credit cards, my driver’s license, about $38 USD and a stack of business cards from people I’ve met all over the world. I’ve also been hospitalized, cracked my iPhone, been questioned by Amsterdam police and was told that my future job may be in jeopardy for reasons out of my control.

I’ve spent time being frustrated and angry about the situation (especially about the fact that I’ve had to replace my STELLAR passport photo…) but at the end of the day, I’ve realized that there’s not much I can do but accept the fact that SH*T HAPPENS.

You’ll have to excuse my language, but I honestly can’t find a better phrase to explain everything that has happened in my life lately. But at the end of the day, I’m surprised that a lot of these kinds of things haven’t happened to me sooner. I’ve met so many travelers on the road who have had things much worse happen to them. From having entire suitcases and laptops stolen, to being threatened with AIDS from infected needles… I’ll have to admit, my troubles seem almost minor in comparison. However, I’ve definitely learned a few lessons that will hopefully help me in the future.

LESSON #1 – Always keep your passport on you while traveling. Not in your backpack, not in your purse, but ON YOU. According to the woman at the US consulate, if your passport is lost/stolen twice within 10 years, the US government can actually restrict you from getting a new one. Since this has happened to me twice in the last 5 months… Lets just say the US did not have much sympathy in getting me my replacement.

LESSON #2 – Do not keep all of your money/credit cards in the same place. Adhering to this rule actually saved my butt… The thieves may have gotten my credit cards and a bit of cash, but lucky for me the majority of my money was hidden elsewhere.  I have no idea what I would’ve done without it.

LESSON #3 – Hospitals in the Netherlands will not take care of you unless you exaggerate your symptoms. I was told this from my hostel before I left, and found this to be undoubtably true. They even kicked me out after finding nothing wrong with my blood, despite the fact that I was still extremely nauseated and dehydrated.

LESSON #4 – Do not attempt to nap in front of a tourist monument in Amsterdam. Particularly if it’s early morning, and you’re deathly ill and clutching an airplane blanket like it’s your whole life. The police will have no sympathy, and will most definitely make you leave.

LESSON #5 - If you are not using your iPhone, do not hold it in your hand when you are climbing down a mountain. Maybe this only applies to people with bad balance (ME!) but I think this one is pretty much self-explanatory. The crack on my iPhone screen will most definitely agree.

Someone once told me that “No matter how bad you think your life is, wake up each day and be thankful for what you have. Someone somewhere is fighting just to survive.”  Lucky for me, today I’m still alive and healthy, with a brand new passport in Seoul, South Korea. And although sh*t happens, it can always be worse.

FZ 143 – When I’m Scared I Sleep

I love flying airlines I’ve never flown before. To add to my (nerdy) excitement, this was also my first flight both originating and ending in the Middle East!

I decided to book a ticket from DXB – AMM (the beginning of my middle east tour) because tickets only cost about $100 USD each, including luggage. It was much cheaper to do it this way instead of flying straight from the U.S. to Amman, and plus I got to spend a few days in Dubai.

Trying a new airline can be a bit tricky, especially in another country where you don’t know how the policies are enforced. I learned the hard way when flying EasyJet that one carryon does not mean a suitcase and a small purse that can go under your seat… Instead it simply means, one overall piece.
With this in mind, my dad and I dashed to the airport to make sure we got there at least 2.5 hours before our flight (just like our e-mail had explicitly said). Our first mistake was trying to take the metro there, because it stopped at Terminals 1 & 3. We assumed we could take a shuttle or possibly walk to Terminal 2.

WRONG.

There is no free shuttle.  Terminal 2 is actually like 20 minutes away from the other terminals, and is apparently ‘the budget terminal.’ We ended up taking a pricey taxi, complete with extra airport fees because we felt we were so rushed to get there in time. Also, I’m not sure we even had another option. We got there and walked up to an empty counter, with no lines and plenty of time to kill.
Terminal 2 in itself did seem a lot less luxurious than the terminal we landed in (don’t remember if it was 1 or 3), but there was free WiFi so I didn’t complain. I joined a group of 5 or so foreigners all sharing the only 2 outlets that seemed to work in entire gate area.

I don’t remember hearing them announce that my plane was ready to board, but I took the long line at the gate as a cue that were ready to go. We took a shuttle bus to our plane, and waited for what seemed like an eternity, while staring at the plane. I think I was one of maybe two women on the bus, and the men were getting pretty impatient and were trash talking FlyDubai the entire time. Frankly, it kind of scared me. When the gates finally opened, it was a mad dash to the plane.

The plane in itself was pretty nice; everyone was equipped with personal TVs (my fave)!  I also noticed that all the Flight Attendant’s were men – something that I don’t see very often. I had a window seat and moments after I sat down two creepy men sat down in the seats next to me. They were staring at me and I felt like they were talking about me, and part of me felt pretty threatened because I was cornered up against the window. I told myself I was being paranoid and closed my eyes and tried to sleep… Next thing I knew we were landing in Amman, Jordan.

I’m pretty sure that’s the worst actual Flight Story yet?  Not even remembering a thing? I guess I was just really tired…and kudos to the pilots for a great smooth flight!

Culture & Courtesy at the Dubai Mall

This was my very first time to the Middle East and frankly, I had no idea what to expect in terms of culture and conservatism. Besides knowing that Middle Eastern women wear burkas, I had no idea how conservative I needed to be as a tourist. Whenever I travel, I try to make it a point to research a country and their attire so I can dress appropriately. I’ve learned that it’s safer and smarter when you don’t stick out like a sore thumb, especially if you’re a solo traveler. For this trip, I brought long black maxi dresses, and tried to leave the skin tight clothing at home. When I got to Dubai, I was actually surprised to see that many of the people I saw were dressed very similar to what I see back home in the USA. Maybe I only saw tourists, but I definitely saw my share of t-shirts, skin tight clothes and short shorts.

Something I found interesting when visiting the Dubai Mall were these pamphlets, located at every information booth. It was a little reminder that no matter how many short shorts I actually saw, we were in a country that valued conservatism – and those short shorts were probably offending someone.

Aside from the courtesy procedures, the mall in itself was pretty incredible. I was traveling with someone who was not quite the little shopaholic that I am, but I did definitely make a mental note to come back ASAP. Besides having a gazillion high-end stores, I was more than happy to find a great H&M, and other stores more around my budget range.

Besides the incredible shopping, there was also a giant aquarium, giant waterfall, giant fountain display outside… I guess when you’re in a city made out of money, everything just comes out bigger and better. We didn’t have time again to see and appreciate everything (not to mention the fountains were all cancelled because of the sandstorm) but hey, just more reasons for me to come back to Dubai someday!

Ski Dubai

I hate skiing. I don’t know if it’s my lack of coordination, or the fact that I hate being cold, but the combination of both of these things define why I always avoid this activity if at all possible.

However, there’s something about being in another country that gives me this urge to experience everything. And since Dubai is famous for its indoor ski park, I suited up for what was bound to be a disaster.

Ski Dubai is located in the Mall of the Emirates and is also the first indoor ski resort in the Middle East. They say they have 5 runs (I only saw 2, but I’m not a skier so what do I know) and a snow park where you can things like go tubing or watch penguins.

I paid for a 2 hour slope pass (180 AED, approx $49 USD) and told myself I didn’t need lessons (mistake #1) since I vaguely remembered what I’d learned from the skiing lessons I took when I was 10 years old. Also, ski lessons would cost me extra money and time and how hard could a bunny slope be?

After receiving all of my gear – even a jacket, pants and socks (US ski resorts take note!) I suited up and headed for the slopes!

The fact that I was able to make my way from the door to the ski lift in itself surprised me. I had my iPhone out most of the way, taking pictures so it looked like I was just busy, instead of clumsy. I plopped down on the ski lift and watched myself go higher and higher to what seemed like a never-ending mountain. In retrospect, I don’t think it was really that tall but when you’re attached to two skinny boards and have no sense of coordination to begin with, it’s pretty scary.

I decided to get off at the halfway mark and stood at the top of the slope for about 20 minutes trying to figure out how I was going to make my way down. I saw countless little kids speeding by and nobody was falling, so I gave myself a teenie push off the edge and… WHOOSH!

Suddenly I was sliding down on my butt, poles and legs flailed out in a desperate attempt to stop myself. I think every expletive possible was coming out of my mouth, while the other half of me was praying that I wouldn’t run into anyone. After about 30 feet I managed to stop and realized that I couldn’t move my fingers because they were so cold. I was stranded in the middle of the slope and every time I tried to get up or take my skis off, I would slide down a little further.

After a few minutes of this, a little kid stopped and attempted to help me up. He managed to get one ski off of me and I tried my best to slide my way to the side of the slope, out of harms way. I decided I needed some time to recuperate and regain my composure when the Ski Patrol came up to me and started yelling at me, saying I was in desperate need of ski lessons and that he was going to kick me off the slopes if I couldn’t get it together. He did tell me how to properly stop and I managed to make it down the rest of the hill, practically skiing sideways because I was too afraid to go at any normal speed.

I managed to stay off my butt and slid down the slope a few more times, before braving the ski lift to the top to do the ‘extended bunny slope.’  With the help and coaching of a few Texans, I didn’t fall down again either!  I’m pretty sure my horrible ski skills at least provided entertainment for everyone around me, as the staff laughed every time I got back on the lift and I definitely saw people pointing at me while I was sliding down.

After an hour of this nonsense, I’d had enough (and my fingers were swollen and in incredible pain) so I left. Was it fun? Yes. But I have no doubt it would’ve been more fun if I actually knew how to ski, or if I hadn’t been so weak from being hospitalized the day before. I can definitely say one thing though – I’ve never seen anyone ski like me!

The Burj Khalifa

When I wasn’t rotting away in Dubai hospitals, I did actually get a few hours to see the tallest building in the world – the Burj Khalifa!  The building in itself is more than 160 floors high and 800+ meters tall.



I made reservations online 2 weeks before coming to Dubai, after hearing that the 100 AED tickets (approx $27 USD) sold out rather quickly. These tickets give you general admission for a specific date and time.  There were still 400 Dirham ($108 USD) tickets available the day we got there (for immediate entry), but there is no way I was going to pay 4 times the price for the same thing!

Our reservation was scheduled for 9 AM, the first time slot of the day. The place was already packed so we picked up our tickets at will call, and shuffled through security only to wait in even more lines and escalators for at least half an hour. I will credit the Burj Khalifa for creating an experience by lining quotes, mood lighting and photos along the walls so it never really felt like we were waiting.

After a long elevator ride, we arrived at the 124th floor! It was a bit disappointing, considering the building goes up to 160+ feet but the view was still incredible. Dubai was in the midst of a sandstorm, so we didn’t get to see very clearly but it almost felt like you were in another world, looking down at places built by lots and lots of money. The outside deck was extremely windy and I’m pretty sure we would’ve been blown away without the guard rails!

At the end of the day, the Burj Khalifa is one of those things that you have to experience at least once in your lifetime. It’s definitely expensive (especially if you don’t plan ahead) but money in general is what Dubai is all about anyways. I’ve heard sunset is phenomenal, but unfortunately our travel plans prevented us from booking then so hopefully I’ll get to return someday and see Dubai at it’s finest!

Hospitalized in Dubai

What does someone with 40 hours in Dubai do?

Go indoor skiing. Ride some dune buggies. Sandboard. Go see the tallest building in the world. Go on a desert safari. Go shop your heart out at some of the most incredible malls Dubai, and the world have to offer.

All of these things and more were in my initial Dubai plan. In fact, my trip started out great. I had a wonderful 15 hour flight on Delta, and even got a free upgrade to a beautiful suite at our hotel. My dad and I ate some delicious middle eastern sweets, I indulged myself on ketchup chips and went to bed thinking – “tomorrow is going to be an incredible day.”

I woke up in the middle of the night throwing up uncontrollably. After about 7 hours of regurgitating everything my body had within itself, I finally dragged my body down to a clinic to figure out what the problem was. The doctors didn’t seem to know, but they at least got me to stop throwing up and able to stumble around without nausea a few hours later. Luckily, it was also a clean and great place. Unluckily, it cost me more than $500… Money which I would’ve much rather spent on… shoes?

 Hopefully my travel insurance will cover some of this! >.<

Cheap Studs

When it comes to earrings, I’m not a ‘studs’ person. I like them big, flashy, and dangling down to my shoulders... (Insert all jokes and judgment here). However, I saw this amazing deal on the streets of Myeongdong that was too great to pass up!

Yep you’re reading that right – Approx $1 USD for each and any of those amazingly cute studs! Now I’ve found deals on earrings for $2 or $3 before, but never $1… With this good of a selection!

So if you’re in Korea, be sure to hit up Myeongdong and find $1 earrings.  There are some just on the streets, and a few in little accessory storefronts behind Forever 21 as well. They may not be the best quality in the world, but they are $1. So don’t complain!  These were my finds…

Adorable right?? Happy Shopping!

Dining at Namsan Tower

I’ve wanted to have dinner at the top of Namsan Tower ever since I got the chance to visit the place when I was 18 years old.  The tower is very dear to my heart, as it’s featured in my favorite Korean drama (Boys Before Flowers) and gives people a magical and spectacular view of the city of Seoul. When I found out I’d be visiting Korea for Christmas, a birthday dinner at Namsan was at the top of my priority list!

There are 3 restaurants at the top of Seoul tower – with only one (the french one) being a revolving restaurant. Unfortunately, when we called to make reservations we were told that all dinner tables were sold out for the entire week.  So we settled for lunch instead, and headed up for the meal of a lifetime.

It takes an hour and 40 minutes for your table to slowly revolve around the entire tower, so lunch or dinner is never done in a rush.  The lunch course starts at around 45,000 won, and you can expect to pay an additional fee for tax and service. There was nothing vegetarian on the set menu, but my mom was able to explain it to the wait staff and luckily they were able to whip up several courses of food for us to eat.  We ended up eating…

• French bread with an olive oil / vinegar dip
• Artichoke, mushroom, and pickle appetizer
• Ravioli, filled with spinach and an egg yolk
• Chestnut soup
• ‘Spaghetti’ (a basil pasta dish with almonds)
• Coffee ice cream
• mini chocolate cupcakes with green tea.

At the end of the day, the food was definitely not worth what we paid, but the view and experience was well worth it. It’s kind of hard to take good photos of the view during that time of the day, but it was definitely amazing being able to point out districts in Seoul and see the entire city.  I’d definitely do it again (if I had the money…) in a heartbeat!

Plastic Surgery Ads - Emoticon Style

In case you can’t read that (or in the case of the bottom 2 pictures – the caption is cut off…) Those captions all say “before” and “after.”  I snapped this in the midst of hundreds of people walking through a subway station, and since nobody noticed (or cared) that I had a camera, I only had a split second to get it!

Regardless, this is without a doubt the best plastic surgery ad I have ever seen in my entire life.

Thank you Korea, Thank you.

Newport Beach

There is nothing I love more than the beach. I love the sounds of the crashing waves, the seagulls, and even the sand in between by toes. Now Newport Beach is by far, not one of the nicer beaches in the world. However, I had a few hours to kill in Orange County so I decided to get breakfast, and head out to the ocean!

I really think it was my lucky day – I even saw a dolphin fin, as it was swimming near the shore. I saw a lot of Asians fishing on the pier, and senior citizens just walking around enjoying the atmosphere. It was also my first time seeing surfers in the cold California water, and I wish I had more time so I could learn! Instead, I spent my time improving my camera skills… Check out my pictures! :)

Skipping South Padre

South Padre is supposed to be the Miami of Texas. Wild Spring breaks, beautiful beaches and endless fun. At least that’s what I heard. Now I didn’t get the chance to visit South Padre during spring break, but I did get to go last weekend… and if I have ONE piece of advice to anyone wanting to go to this place? – DON’T.

I’m sure it’s a completely different place during Spring Break or other holidays, but we arrived late Friday night to a quiet island, empty aside from a few couples and teenagers walking around.  We checked into a cheap (and horrendous) hotel called the ‘Beachside Inn & Suites‘ and almost vomited because of the pungent stench of curry that filled the lobby & hallways.

I wish the rest of our short 24 hour stay went better, but it really didn’t. We ended up driving around the island trying to find something to do, but found almost everything to be closed. From the mini-golf courses, to abandoned buildings that were once clubs, the island seemed like one sad, uninhabited place. The beach was beautiful (by Texas standards) but we didn’t have much time to sit and actually enjoy it. Plus, we wanted adventure!

The only redeeming portion of our trip was a restaurant just off the island called Manuel’s.  We found this hole in the wall place off of yelp and decided to give it a shot. The place was pretty packed, and I ordered a ‘breakfast taco,’ which wasn’t even on the menu but was recommended by most reviews on yelp.  The result? The most fantastic, giant taco I’ve had in my entire life. Since I’m veggie, I ordered it with beans, eggs, potatoes, cheese, and fresh avocados… Mmm.  I think it was like $7, and it came with chips and amazing salsa as well..

Don’t even get me started on how delicious the homemade tortillas were!

If I had a chance to go back to South Padre I probably wouldn’t – aside from Manuel’s delicious tacos. Again, I can’t speak for Spring Break or the Summer, but if you’re looking for adventure and an overall good time – off season South Padre is not for you. However, if you just want a pretty quiet place to go where you can sit by the beach and relax, then head over to South Padre… Just don’t spend a lot of money getting there.

I've Got Seoul in Yongsan

A few days ago I had the opportunity to head to the top of a construction site near my temporary home in the area of Yongsan, in Seoul South Korea. My parents always complain that we aren’t at the top of our apartment building, because that would essentially give us the same (or close to) view that we saw at this construction site! Just thought I’d share a few pictures with some of you who haven’t seen them already – i.e. not following me on twitter!! (@gokokonut)

It’s not as exciting as the view from Namsan tower in Seoul, but you get to see a closer look at a lot of the buildings and what Seoul looks like from a birds eye view.

KE 094 – 14 Hours of Boredom

The very last seat in the back of a plane.

For most, this seat is the worst your money can buy you. Unless you have a bladder infection or like being one step away from the lavatories, the back seat is undoubtably the least desirable.  It’s particularly bad for those prone to motion sickness (ME! ME!) and people who don’t like being stared at by others waiting in line to handle their business.  On some other airlines, the last seat doesn’t even recline. But on Korean Air – luckily – they do.

International airlines usually provide travelers amazing service and economy class comfort that makes domestic carriers seem like flying portapotties. The downside? They’re usually more expensive when you’re flying abroad.  This time, my dad splurged for a nonstop Korean Air ticket because we didn’t know how long I wanted to stay in South Korea. Another perk of Korean Airlines – you can change your ticket at any time as long as there is an empty seat on the plane.

Each seat on Korean Air has a personalized TV monitor to keep you entertained.  You can watch movies & TV shows on demand, play games, track the flight, and even look at a camera stationed at the front and bottom of the plane. If you’re not satisfied with what they have to offer, you’re welcome to charge your iPhone or other device on the USB port stationed on the seat in front of you.  I couldn’t concentrate on any movie during this time span and actually ended up watching half of I Am Number Four, The Dilemma, The Adjustment Bureau, From Prada to Nada, and 10 minutes of a bunch of other movies that I don’t even remember. The only thing I could concentrate on was an episode I downloaded preflight of the Bachelorette…. go figure!

I ordered vegetarian meals, which proved to be a mistake. I got the same general meal twice in a row, and it wasn’t particularly good or filling at all.  For one, the food seemed as if it was ‘Indian,’ and had no relative taste to it.  On the bright side, it wasn’t inedible, as most airplane food usually is.

A few hours of this long flight were so turbulent, it felt like a shaking ride at a theme park.  Aside from the Flight Attendants asking for a doctor on board because of a medical emergency (I think this occurred near the front of the plane…) the rest of the flight was uneventful, and pretty boring.

We’ll see how long I last in Korea! :)

UA 986 – The Radical Love Story

This whole flight experience can be categorized by nothing else – but different.

The TSA agent shooed me through the employee line this time, and I escaped full body scans AND pat downs once again.  I’m trying to figure out if my friendly personality is simply not a threat to U.S. security, or maybe people don’t want to see me naked due my recent weight gain.

Either way – I’ll take it.

I’ve flown through LAX numerous times, but I never remembered it being so dirty. There were construction remnants everywhere, and the airport looked like it was going to fall apart to pieces.  I made a 20 minute walk through scary, empty hallways between two terminals to see one of my friends also flying out of the airport. You would think with an airport of this size, there would’ve been a tram or shuttle bus. No such luck.

If that weren’t weird enough, we headed off to find some airport food and every restaurant we went to seemed to be out of something. Starbucks had no strawberry smoothie mix, no naked juice, and Baja Fresh had… no CHIPS?  For a Mexican restaurant, that’s pretty shocking.

The flight itself was packed again, and the plane looked like it was at least 20 years old. I was lucky enough to have a window seat this time, and was seated next to an older man who seemed friendly enough, so I struck up some conversation. Turns out, he married a Korean woman and had three kids (halfies – like me!) Ironically, he started talking about a recent career change – involving helping people (usually professional & older women) find love!

His story itself was unusual and something I’d never heard of. He told me he had an ‘arranged marriage’ with a Korean woman, orchestrated by a pastor of his church. He sent a picture over to Korea, and literally became engaged without knowing who this woman was. He later received a name, an age, later on a picture… and after a flight to Korea and a few years of engagement – barely knowing each other or understanding each others language – he was married in Madison Square Garden with thousands of couples under the same circumstances. He calls it radical, and although it was three decades ago – I think he’s right.

The secret to his 29 year success? He says that he was married for a higher purpose. I guess you can credit religion for that. He did tell me that the best way to find good single guys TODAY is in churches, or volunteering for a cause… So I guess that means I better up my volunteer & church hours! :)

He gave me a link to his blog, which is HERE. Definitely a different story, to say the least!

The rest of the flight was filled with fairly uninteresting ‘nothings’ that I’m sure nobody cares about. But if you really want to know, the Flight Attendants were rather old, and I encountered the first Flight Attendant I’ve met in my entire life that gave me a weird stare when I smiled at her. Twice.
Maybe my face looked funny or something…

 You tell me!

The Georgia Aquarium

The Georgia Aquarium is one of Atlanta’s greatest highlights – as it has a reputation if being literally “The largest aquarium in the world.”  As someone who spent years dreaming of being a dolphin trainer or mermaid – let’s just say aquarium’s give me that ‘kid in a candy shop feeling.’  x10000.

The one thing I don’t like about the Georgia Aquarium is the fact that its a bit expensive – at least for the budget of an unemployed college student.  If I lived in Atlanta, I’d probably put in some volunteer hours to get a free pass. Or I’d buy a yearly pass for $62.95.  But general adult admission is $26.00 a person. Then once you’re inside, they try to get more money from you with their 3d and dolphin shows, and every other extra little ‘perk’ you can think of. However, the aquarium is still a must see for anyone who has a love or curiosity for sea creatures.

Dolphin Tales – is the name of their dolphin show, that costs a little bit more than $10 dollars per person. If you’ve seen a dolphin show before in your life, I’d say skip it. There’s nothing in the show that makes it really stand out from the rest, and you spend almost more time listening to a cheesy dressed broadway reject sing equally cheesy songs. The costumes, the storyline and the lighting is tacky and the dolphins are only involved in about half of the 30 minute show. However, if you’ve never seen dolphins do tricks and flips and the sort – spend the money. It’s something you have to see before you die.

The aquarium is also a great place for interaction, which is really cool for kids or pretty much anyone who likes to touch things. They have a few select stingrays, fish and crabs you can touch (for FREE!), and if you pay even more money you can schedule a dive with the belugas, or do behind the scenes tours.  The most spectacular thing I think this aquarium possesses is it’s one of a kind tunnel, which enables visitors to be almost surrounded by giant sea creatures.

Photo via Access Atlanta

At the end of the day, I could probably go back to this place for hours on end to just stare at the incredible animals that live there. Belugas, otters, sharks… Maybe I just have a short attention span, but sometimes these animals even put on a show! (i.e., the Asian otters seen in the video below) 

The only thing I didn’t like was the fact that it was crowded, and there were a lot of screaming kids. I found out later that Friday’s aren’t the best day to go, because it’s ‘field trip day’ for many schools. Otherwise, I feel like my $36 or so dollars were well spent!

I found a slight discount on entrance to the Atlanta aquarium by clicking on some of the links HERE. Also, if you want to save $3, park in the outdoor lots just outside the official GA aquarium parking garage. It’s about the same walking distance to the entrance. :]

Lauren Alaina’s Hometown Visit

I’ve been watching every season of American Idol since Kelly Clarkson took home the title 10 years ago.  When I first saw Lauren Alaina sing during auditions – I knew this girl was going to be a star.  To top things off – she happens to be ‘the pride of Rossville, Georgia’ (part of the Greater Chattanooga, TN & GA area) so when hometown visits were announced – you bet I voted my fingers off to make sure I’d get a chance to see her!!

Lauren’s first stop during her busy day was at an AT&T store at 8:45 in the morning. On our way there, we saw a giant limo in front of the ClearChannel, Chattanooga studios.  There were at least four cops on motorcycles, and trust me – in this small city, that’s a rare sight!  We drove by a few times, hoping that Lauren would come out… but we didn’t want to get ticketed, so we left to get a good spot at AT&T.

There were only around 150 people out that early in the morning, and AT&T was passing out American Idol swag and posters for people to hold (complete with big AT&T balls on them). The store had music blaring, and was asking the crowd trivia questions and giving away swag. No one could miss Lauren’s super-sized limo and huge motorcade, and the crowd went wild!!   When Lauren finally came out one of her ‘superfans‘ presented her with a new phone – courtesy of AT&T.  On the phone was a text message from the judges, and it said that their song choice for her this week is ‘I Hope You Dance,’ by LeeAnn Womack. Lauren then spent some time signing autographs for a few people near the front, then had to go.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to get a picture with her but hey – there were a lot of people crowding the area.

After Lauren left we headed off to Coolidge Park in downtown Chattanooga, to stake out a good spot for her concert.  She was scheduled to go on after a parade at noon, and we got there at 9:30. There were already hundreds of people staking out areas with lawn chairs and blankets, so we just tried to kill as much time as we could before she was scheduled to go on.  By the time noon rolled around, Lauren was nowhere in sight!!! The crowd was definitely getting restless, and we decided to head up to the parade route because we couldn’t get a spot near the front of the stage anyways. An hour later, we found out she was running late because she was spending time visiting disaster stricken areas from last month’s devastating tornadoes.

Lauren finally rode down in a bright red convertible almost two hours late. Her family members were riding other Ford cars (isn’t American Idol a glorified Ford commercial anyways?!) right behind her.  The whole time she was talking to an American Idol camera right in front of her – saying how happy she was and how she couldn’t believe it!  She looked like she was going to burst into tears the whole time, and had this huge smile on her face.  Everyone was screaming “Lauren!! Lauren!! Lauren!!” at the top of their lungs.  Luckily, there weren’t as many people along her parade route so I got some pretty decent pictures & video of her.

By the time Lauren got on stage, I don’t think anyone except select people in the front could see her because there were 10,000 people in the park and the ground is pretty flat. Also a lot of parents had their kids on their shoulders, and their kids would be holding giant signs.  It was like trying to see past a 10 foot person!

The mayor of Rossville and Chattanooga both presented her with ‘keys to the city,’ and some 15-year-old girl from New York gave her a big painting of one of her head-shots.  Lauren looked so incredibly happy the whole time, and her energy was contagious. You couldn’t help but fall in love with her!  She brought the house down withCarrie Underwood’s ‘Flat On The Floor,’  and let me tell you – her voice is even more incredible in person than what we hear on TV!  Lauren almost broke down into tears talking about the devastation that she witnessed, and then sang Martina McBride’s Anyway. She dedicated the song to people affected by the storms. Lauren was accompanied by her voice teachers band – ‘The Tyler Perry Band.’  Before both songs the band actually started playing the wrongsong… I wish I could’ve gotten pictures or videos, but Lauren was impossible to see.

After her concert, Lauren was scheduled to have another parade, visit her old high school, and throw the opening pitch for a local minor league baseball game. I was a little too tired to do any of that after sitting around all day, and I can’t imagine how tired Lauren must’ve been! I’m definitely glad I got to have my mini American Idol experience, and it was worth it to see Lauren Alaina living out her dream. I know it’s even more special to this community, because Chattanooga doesn’t get a lot of national exposure and I think it’s a city that deserves it’s place on the map.  The whole experience brought true reality to ‘reality TV,’ and I truly hope that Lauren Alaina maintains her big heart and personality because I know this girl is going to become a star!

Lessons Learned From Jeju Island

Do NOT go to Jeju Island when it’s cold.
Do NOT go to Jeju Island when it’s raining.
& for goodness sakes – do NOT go to Jeju Island when it’s cold AND raining.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get that memo so I went to the ‘land of stone men statues‘ fully prepared to meet the Korean equivalent of Hawaii. Instead, I got freezing cold temperatures and wind gusts that threatened the very existence of my trusty umbrella.

Most people who go to Jeju Island go on bus tours. They’re very much your typical Korean tour – fast paced, affordable, and enables you to see a lot in a short amount of time.  (10+ places a day on this tour).  You’re constantly on your feet, practically running from place to place.  Our 2 day tour cost us 22,000 won each (A little less than $22 USD) with the addition of a $5 tip for our extremely talkative guide. The costs cover the entrance fees, as well as a big delicious lunch.  These tours are essentially so cheap, that people who live on the island take the tours when they want to explore.

Although I’m sure you all would love to be bored by the many details of each excursion, I’ll just summarize the main points I learned during my hectic 2 days.

Koreans like to eat animals.
I’m sure many of you have tried ‘galbi’ or ‘bulgogi’  as Korean barbecue has gained much popularity in the United States. Most of my friends have cracked a ‘dog-meat’ joke towards me at some point of my life, which I can only accept in shame as I think about my cousin who brags about how delicious this delicacy is whenever he gets a chance. Blame my love for all animals or proud vegetarianism, but come on Koreans – rabbit & horse?

SMH has never seemed more appropriate.

The first English newspaper I picked up had a feature that highlights a local restaurant that serves rabbits almost exclusively, in honor of 2011 being the ‘year of the rabbit.’  To top that, I saw signs for ‘mal gogi’ everywhere (horse meat) and sat through a 30 minute sales pitch for horse bone pills that apparently cure everything.  Seriously though… They cure obesity, cancer, smoking addictions, fatigue, and almost every other disease you can think of.  How convenient.

On more optomistic terms, I learned that Korean women are incredibly strong people. Half a century ago, women were the breadwinners of Jeju Island.  They earned their living diving off the coast of the island – finding seaweed, oysters, and other things under the sea.  They were called the Haenyo, and are sometimes referred to as mermaids or sea godesses. Some could hold their breath for more than two minutes and dive 20 meters!  There are few haenyo in Jeju Island today, and the majority of them are over 50 years old.  We had the opportunity to see a few during our short stay on Jeju – and trust me – they are incredible.

Finally, there are stone statues everywhere.

If they weren’t so insanely cute I might complain. But everytime I saw one, I couldn’t help but get an ‘aww’ feeling inside.  I never got a good explanation or what they’re there for, everyone just said they’re called ‘stone grandfathers’ and watch the island.

My dad wants to get 2 and ship them back to our house in the states.

I dig this.

So there you have it! Lessons I learned on the beautiful Jeju Island.

To see more pictures I took from Jeju Island, LIKE my page on Facebook!
To read the rabbit article – click HERE (courtesy of Jeju Weekly)