Holidays 2012

Yahoo! My flight home is booked. I am thrilled to be finishing my contract in Korea, and just in time for spring in Kansas City.

Before I return home and springtime arrives, I had better post photos from the holidays. Christmas was very low key. In Korea, Christmas resembles Valentine's Day more than an American Christmas. Luckily, the holiday's diminished status, also meant that most restaurants were still open. A few Korean and American friends and I got together to enjoy a little holiday spirit while feasting on take-out fried chicken, delivery pizza, gourmet pastries and topped off with Australian wine and Korean beer.

The morning after was a true reminder that I live in Korea. I had to be at work an hour and a half early to stand on the pavement in freezing temperatures chasing after moms, who were on their way to drop of their children at preschools. Once I'd caught up with these unsuspecting mothers, I had to distribute flyers and talk at them in English pretending to be very happy and encourage them to switch to Feinschule's school instead of whatever preschool the were currently attending. It was a very weird experience and I hope it does not become a regular requirement.

Nick and I with his friend awaiting fireworks on NYE.

 My holiday time off came just in time for New Year's Eve. On December 30, I head to Taipei to visit my friend Nick, who I met last year when we both lived in Ishikawa and taught for the JET Program. Our friend Caroline, also a fellow JET alum and friend, met us in Taipei on January 3. Nick picked me up from the airport and whisked me downtown to one of Taipei's famous night markets. I grabbed a few snacks, some kind of tropical fruit and a pork-filled bun, before we headed to Nick's apartment for the night.

The next day, New Year's Eve, Nick and I walked all over Taipei. From his apartment, we walked downtown where we met two of his friends for a casual lunch of local cuisine. After lunch, we headed up to the hills that surround Taipei. From the top of one of the hills, we could see a beautiful view of Taipei. The low-rise city spreads outward from the 101 Building. As the tallest building in Taiwan, it towers over the rest of the city; the height difference between this building and the rest of Taipei is startling.

NYE gathering in Taipei.

After wandering around, finding our way back to the city center from our hike down from the hills, we headed to Nick's coworker's apartment for a small potluck and New Year's Eve gathering. The hosts and most of the other guests were from the Philippines, which meant that most of the dishes served were Filipino cuisine. We had a fun evening of socializing before we headed up to the apartment building's rooftop to watch the fireworks, which were set off from the Taipei 101 Building.