No rest for the Helen

I spent a day relaxing yesterday after Wednesday's exertions. In fact, I got myself so good and tired from all that running around that I was out of the pub before ten. Very sad. So Thursday was spent at home, mostly updating this thing without the use of broadband. It took over an hour just to put those photos below on. But today I am back in broadband land as I am back in Felixstowe for the weekend.

Turns out that going to watch a movie at 6pm on a Thursday is not a very popular thing to do around here as me and Penny found out last night. We were just two of around half a dozen people out to watch 'The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy' which I must admit I quite enjoyed. Which is good as going to the cinema was my single biggest acheivement of the day.

Today was a different matter, however. I have been feeling a little neglected at times this week, most particularly by my friend, Heather, who hasn't replied to any of my text messages. Feeling rather defensive it took my sister to persuade me that I should just call her and I was glad I did when I found out that she hasn't received any messages from me. All that bitterness for a breakdown in the network. So we made up for lost time by meeting today.

Now Heather is member of an exclusive club with only the two people in it- that is to say, friends of mine that don't drink. Plus she had an important engagement to go to later at Lambeth Palace (get her!) so there was no retiring to a pub for the afternoon. So we met at Charing Cross Station.

It was a fantastic day today. So sunny that everyone had left their offices to flaunt their ankles on any bit of grass they could find. I arrived into London and tried to keep my jacket on as I didn't want to carry it all afternoon but realised that it wasn't a good idea eventually. It was over 20 degrees today after all. In my eagerness to get out of the house and away from the daytime TV that I had gorged myself on the previous day (more reality TV, more makeover shows, more of people sitting around talking about books they have read, less plastic surgery shows, please) I arrived at Fenchurch Street a bit early. Which gave me the fantastic opportunity to run across Tower Bridge for a photo or two.

Now Tower Bridge is the one with the two towers on it, the clue is in the name really, London Bridge, at least the original, is in a desert in America somewhere.

Of course I took photos of me since you guys seem to like them so much, despite how silly I must look trying to take photos of myself while not drawing attention to my Billy No Mates status

This is the Mayor's office, another of those funky new buildings that has appeared since I went away.

Even I was trying to ignore me taking photos. Then I walked around the outside of the Tower of London. I wish I could show you lots of photos taken of the inside of the tower- where the Crown Jewels are kept and some torture instruments which gave me nightmares for weeks after a trip there with the Brownies an aeon ago. But it cost the princely sum of fourteen pounds and fifty of our finest pence to get an adult in there. Think that I would rather save up and spend it all on Vietnam visas.

And in answer to James's question about the price of 99's these days, I found this just outside the Tower

Nearly ten of those or the entrance fee? Think I know what I would choose.

Then it was off to Charing Cross to meet Heather. Charing Cross is a mainline station (which means that the trains going out of it travel above ground) which covers most of the areas that I have ever lived in while in London. I have spent a LOT of time there over the years so it is good to go back and know that any signalling failures I can walk away from

Though the sound of the flickerboard still sends shivers down my spine. Heather was nice and early so off we went. We walked around Covent Garden, Leicester Square

Near Piccadilly Circus and into St James' Park, which you can think of as the Queen's front garden. We stopped a minute there to admire the ducklings

Hum, forgot to mention the envitable stop for a panini and Mars Bar

Heather seemed to take me taking photos of my food in her stride which is good as I do a lot of it. Though, weirdly, the paninis never seem to hang around long enough to be photographed. Strange that.

After our spot of baby duck admiration it was onto Westminster and over the bridge to drop Heather off at Lambeth Palace. I barely had time to take a dozen or so photos before I had to go and meet my sister at her office.

Just can't get enough of those Big Ben shots.

These are the Burghers of Calais which, if my brief history lesson from kids' TV serves me correctly, were a bunch of people who surrendered themselves to save the rest of the city from the siege they were under. I think that the queen took pity on them and spared their lives, so noble was the sacrifice.

Tonight we drove (well, Penny drove and I talked) back to Felixstowe, stopping at the 24 hour Tesco at Copdock just to take this photo for you

Warning, there maybe another of these tomorrow. I did spend a lot of time looking for a postcard to send to my friends in Gangneung but have not found the perfect one yet. By the way, looks like I won't be flying back to Korea as it will cost me 300,000 won to change my ticket and then another 500,000 won to get to Singapore. Will let you know if anything else turns up. How much is a return from Vietnam to Korea.....?

You know what?

Londoners are actually quite nice if you smile at them. All those years I lived here and thought that everyone was rude.

So wrong.

Plus I forgot to mention that my brother found a hedgehog in the garden the other night and blinded it with the flash from my camera.

Sure that it would look less evil usually, maybe we should have tried the red eye reduction thing but I always forget about that until I see the photos the next day- when it is just too late

In my day...

... all this was fields. Well, not strictly true but architecture in London has certainly become more interesting since I have been away. Don't think that there is a link though.

Old London

New London

I must admit that I am a fan of the mix. Plus, I just wanted an excuse to put more of my photos online :)

London, home of Londoners

Two words, Rory, real..bacon..

We have finally left the safety of Felixstowe. On Monday, we went to the airport to drop my brother off. I bought a mobile phone. It is a prepaid phone and cost the ridiculous sum of twenty quid. That'll do nicely. Sometimes I hate the disposable culture that we live in and other times it works to my advantage. It was hard to say goodbye to my brother. The three of us have been doing everything together this last couple of weeks and it has been great to spend time with my brother and sister. But I managed to soak up the pain with a sandwich. Not just any old sandwich but the sandwich that I used to wake up in the middle of the night in Korea, screaming the name of- a mozzeralla, tomato and basil panini, food of the gods. Ah man it was good.

But the weather wasn't and shortly after leaving Heathrow, a brother down, we got stuck in a traffic jam caused by an earlier accident which was probably caused by the rain. But we made it to my sister's house in the end. My sister is the only home owner in the family and she lives in London, well just inside the M25, ok ok you have beaten it out of me, she lives in Essex. But her town is just a twenty minute journey from Fenchurch Street Station in the City. Now, until she moved to Purfleet I thought that Fenchurch St was just the name of a station on the Monopoly board, next you are going to tell me that Marylebone Station exists!

Monday night was a quiet one spent texting people with my new phone. Now all that time in Korea and I thought that I couldn't use my phone because it was all in Korean. Turns out that I am just rubbish with cellphones. I am such a phone spastic that I even tried to change the language to Korean so that it would feel more normal. But it didn't have it. Bugger.

Tuesday morning I was up bright and early and off into London to try and find the Embassy of Vietnam. Got the nearest station, High Street Kensington, dying for the loo. Had to stop and take some passport photos (having left my stash of them in Felixstowe, smart move, H), dropped a pound which rolled away. Frantically looked for it while the machine shouted at me to put in the rest of the money. Finally an Australian girl found it outside the booth and the photos were done. Then I had to find a toilet and by the time that was done it was after 12.30 and the visa part of the Embassy was shut.

So I went to Marble Arch and spent a very nice, though slightly surreal, afternoon with Russell, a guy I know from Gangneung. We went to the Pizza Hut buffet, where at least the surroundings reminded me of Korea. When Russ had to go I went to Tower Hill station to meet my sister and take silly amounts of photos. Many people have commented on my ak-cent since I got back. Apparantely I just don't sound English anymore. Which does work to your advantage when you are taking embarrassingly touristy shots of photo boxes and double decker buses.

Wednesday morning saw me more determined than ever to make it to the Embassy. And, after just a couple of false starts I did. I had to buy an A-Z at the Tube station as I had forgotten to bring one with me. Armed with that I was confident I would find it this time. In fact, I ended up giving directions to quite a few people. Nice. Finally, I found it (Embassy of Vietnam, 12 Victoria Road, near High Street Kensington Tube station or a short walk from Gloucester Road).

The People's Republic of Vietnam. Not really much into sharing the wealth, judging on the very posh little house they were in. But there was no queue. So it was all over quite quickly and I walked out a few minutes later, clutching my receipt to collect my passport next Friday, ninety quid the lighter. yep, NINETY QUID. Now that is a lot of money in anyone's book. I acted all nonchalant when he asked for the money, as if dropping nearly a ton is something that I do every day, but inside I was screaming 'that's 180,000 won you theiving so and sos!'

But I had acheived my first goal of the day and was feeling pretty good. I went to Baker Street, home of Sherlock Holmes, took a photo of the detective's statue and met my friend, Amanda (aka. one half of Des and Amanda, the couple that I went to Australia with).

After a very nice lunch (panini again. London, why did I ever leave you??) it started to rain. Amanda went back to work and I walked in the rain. For about five hours.

Not strictly true as it rained, then stopped, then rained and stopped etc. I walked down Regent Street, across Oxford Street, where I used to work in another lifetime, down to Piccadilly Circus and onto Haymarket and New Zealand House (80 Haymarket). I was there to get an application form for a Working Holiday visa, as in four short weeks I will be too old to get one. And if all the Kiwis are as cute as the guy in the Consulate, I might never leave. Now, Koreans aren't short but they aren't tall. I am often one of the tallest, if not the tallest, in my adult classes. But home in England and I realise that I am not tall at all. Hardly a little bit. It makes me feel quite dainty after feeling like a clodhopping heffalump for the last three years in Korea.

The guy told me that if I had been just a few weeks younger (ie. born after 1st July) I could have got a two year working holiday visa but being the oldie that I am I will just miss the date it changes. Dammit. And, because I appear to have been living in a high TB risk country (nobody told me!) I have to go and get a chest x-ray before I can get the visa. Hum. The good news is that it only takes about 15 minutes to get the application done and, at fifty quid, is almost half the price of a three month tourist visa to Vietnam. So I figure that next Friday I will pick up my visa from the Vietnamese Embassy and then rush over to New Zealand House, chest x-ray in hand, and my visas will be sorted, even if my purse will then be seriously over budget.

More walking around the rain, the sun, no the rain, some more sun and it was time to meet my sister and go for my first pint in England for over two years.

Which I had in the Walkabout in Covent Garden, a bar which, as you might have guessed from the name, is an Australian one. One pint later and I was off to meet Cat, a girl I met while fruit picking in the bowels of North Queensland many years ago.

And finally home. It was a long day. Not doing it again today.

England, its not all chips and beer

All you Korea-dwellers, look at this

Things which are odd about being back in England include reminding myself not to treat cheese as a luxury item, ditto tomato soup, tampons and deodorant. Can't get used to seeing people sitting around in the house with their shoes on. Have not yet managed to pass anyone something with my left hand or use a toilet without looking around for the bin I expect to find next to it. Waited for ages for someone to pour me some wine the other night too.

Nice things about being back in England include spending a lot of time with my family, brother, sister, aunt, cat, taking phone calls from people in the UK and not having to worry too much about their phone bills being a nasty shock at the end of the month. In the (nearly) two weeks that I have been back I have bought a pair of shoes (from a large selection of shoes in my size- joy!) and two blouses. It was a treat to walk into a clothes shop and not be confronted with a look of shock from the assistant. Again, I had clothes to choose from and didn't have to just buy the one that fitted. No-one followed me around the store and no-one giggled behind their hands when they heard me speak English. Fortunately, so far, I have managed to suppress the urge to say 'annyong haseyo' every time I walk into a shop.

Other great things about being back in England include the countryside. The fields are not rice paddies but overflowing with flowers

and stinging nettles which I just managed to avoid in my eagerness to take photos

It is just so green here after the browness and snow of a Korean winter. I guess that Spring really is the season of greeness and I am sure that Korea is looking great now with its cherry blossoms everywhere.

I am enjoying the houses here too. Felixstowe has old parts and new parts, we are somewhere between since our house seems to date from the sixties, judging on the wallpaper behind my mum's wardrobe. But the old houses are just gorgeous. Some of them are thatched and a lot of them are painted Suffolk pink. This one isn't though

It is an old farmhouse just behind my mum's house. Me and my sister went for a walk yesterday to an area which used to be just trees leading down to the shore. The Port of Felixstowe extended into it years ago. We stood there and said 'I remember when all this was fields' then realised that a lot of it still was

Much as I am loving the peace and quiet of Suffolk, between the bouts of house clearing and rubbish dumping, I am going to London next week with my sister. Penny has to go back to work and I don't want to be left alone here without someone to drive me around(!) I will try and catch up with some folk in London and send some photos of the Big Smoke to you then.

I have to go now as I can hear the chime of the ice-cream van and am wondering if my sister will give me the money for a 99!

A Port, a Fort and a Resort (title lifted straight from Felixstowe tourist literature)

The way I see it, I could tell you everything that I am feeling right now and dig deep into the well of pain caused by my mother's passing. Or I could keep that to myself and come across as a superficial fool who got over the whole thing in a week. I am going for option two, some things should remain private.

People are asking where I am right now. I am back in my home town of Felixstowe, Suffolk. It is on the east coast of England and not too far from London, Ipswich and Norwich. Not helping?? well, try these maps

Those of you who paid attention in Geography class will be aware that the above is a map of more than just Felixstowe. For those of you still confused, note where London is and then look at this fella

And that is where I am. Felixstowe is an interesting place, no, really. It has been the site of a Dutch invasion, popular seaside resort, container port and place where I first got so drunk that I couldn't contain myself. Now some people think that Suffolk is all about this

and there is a fair amount of those around, quite different from the soju-swilling ajummas that I am used to after three years in Korea. But grandmas often mean that there are grandchildren out there so it is not all the grey brigade. For me, Felixstowe is split into several distinct places. At one end there is Felixstowe Ferry, as pictured on previous posts, a gentle little fishing hamlet with golf course, greasy spoon cafe, wooden houses, yachts and, of course, fisherman. It is quiet and a great place for a Sunday afternoon walk.

Then there is 'our' beach, which is the bit nearest my first house here. It has ice cream vendors, beach huts and lights. Moving further along the beach you get to the really touristy part. In the old days, people used to come to Felixstowe for the fresh air and seaside fun that is more commonly pursued in sunnier climes these days. There are countless amusement arcades, with crane machines that don't grab, those annoying games with the coins balanced on shelves ('nearly got it that time, one more and they are definitely going to fall, sod that, I'll just try knocking the machine' BBBBBEEEEEEEPPPPP 'oops!'), seaside rock and candy floss aplenty. There is a minature railway which goes around and around, a boating 'lake' and crazy golf. We went there at night so the photos only really captured the lights

This part of the beach is where young lads drive cars to impress girls who try their best to ignore them. And if the lights and the glamour of this part of Felixstowe is not for you then perhaps you might be more interested in a very Felixstowe hobby.

Now, as I said, Felixstowe is also a container port. It is a BIG port. Which means that there is a lot of traffic in and out of it. It also means that a lot of people are employed there. Right by the port, down the road, past the caravansite, past the Customs House, turn right at Landguard Fort (more on that another time) and there is a special place known at The View Point (it has a more official name but this will do if you are asking for directions). This is basically a car park where people go to sit in their cars and watch the ships loading, unloading and sailing away. It is a very popular thing to do at any time as this photo shows

And while I think that it is a strange thing to do, it is also one of my favourite things to do. The ships from Felixstowe literally carry everything all over the World. My mum could tell you which ships were going where just by looking at the names.

Some people may think that the Port of Felixstowe is an eyesore but for most people here it is part of a strange beauty. The other side of the View Point is an old fort and nature reserve

Now, why I am telling you all about Felixstowe? Because, in case you hadn't noticed, I am not in Korea anymore so this must be the start of the trip. Step one- England!

It ain't over til its over

Well, here it is Thursday afternoon. It has been a beautiful sunny day here in Suffolk. There was a lot of people at the service today. A lot. My mum really did know everyone. We had a Humanist funeral which was lovely. It meant that there was no religion involved and it was all about my mum. The minister spent some time with us last week and then wrote up some stuff which really summed up her life. Then my brother spoke and then me. I was frightened at one stage that I wouldn't be able to continue but I made it to the end of my piece, a personal piece that I had written about mum. Someone told me afterwards that they were holding it together until I started to cry but then she had to weep too. Someone my mother worked with finished the talking.

A good crowd of people came back to my auntie's for refreshments after the service too and shared their memories and feelings of and for my mum. There was a lot of emotions in the room but it was good to be with people who understood our loss and who were also mourning the loss of a friend.

There were so many people that I hadn't seen for so long, family as well as friends. And I ate enough sausage rolls throughout the day to last me a lifetime. I told everyone who asked that I was due to go on a round the world trip at the end of May and they all seemed to think that it was a good idea. So the trip is back on. I will be going around the world. As planned. The only change that I am thinking of making is to pop back to Korea first and then from there to Singapore. I would like to see my friends over there again and it would be good to have a chance to say a proper goodbye.

Let me know if you think that this is a good idea- especially those of you in Korea at the moment. Do you have time to have that party that we had to cancel? Will we ever find out what the 'something' offered at Bumpin that night was? Let me know what you think and I will look into changing my ticket if need be.

And here, because there hasn't been much in the way of fun on this blog for a week or two, is a picture of my cat- I know that some of you out there really respect a person willing to put photos of their cat on t'internet... right, Rory?

Bless 'im.

FF>>

Today is my mother's funeral. Wish I could fast forward to tomorrow.

Ring your mothers today if you haven't already this week.

Memories

We have spent a few days here looking through old photos. Looking through everything, in fact, as we have to clear the house eventually. Bumped into my old English teacher who told me that he thought that I would end up an English teacher someday. For the sake of modesty (and not getting a dead arm), I have cut my brother and sister off the photos below. Thought you might like to see the previous incarnations of missbels

here I am aged 2. It was Christmas Day and I had been given a raincoat and hat for one of my presents. Though it wasn't actually raining I had to wear them, of course.

Dressing up for the 100th birthday of my primary school. Must be about five there

This is my school photo when I was about seven or eight. I cried for a whole day when I got my hair cut that short.

I think that this is my first school photo with glasses in it. No wonder my friends laughed at me.

and this is my mum! I think that I am the spitting image of her.

Still spending most of our time here in Felixstowe throwing things out and trying to find a way to sneak all of the rest of my stuff into my auntie's loft. The funeral is the day after tomorrow. I will be moving over to London next week.

Growing up when you don't want to

Some of you already know this but my mother passed away last Monday, hence the quick exit from Korea on Tuesday. Yes, the irony that I would lose my mother one week before I was due home for the first time in two years. It hurts a lot that I didn't get to hug her goodbye but the advances in technology means that I have been able to communicate with her via webcam and headset. It meant a lot to both of us that we could spend so much time talking, as if we were in the same room, while on opposite sides of the world. I feel that I don't need to explain to anyone how much pain is caused by the loss of a parent, the only one that I had, some of you know and those of you that don't can only imagine.

My friends in Gangneung were fantastic last week in my last few hours there. They cleared my house for me, quite literally, disappearing through the door with armfuls of my stuff every few minutes while I sat by the window trying to understand what had happened. Tania stayed over with me on my last night while Patrick and Heimi got up before the sun to take me to the bus terminal. And the long journey home began.

When I first came to Korea, three years ago, I sat next to a baby who cried for the entire journey. I felt some little satisfaction in being that baby this time. Six hours in I got talking to the ajumma next to me and couldn't help myself when she asked me where my parents lived. She was very sympathetic. But slightly odd that, while watching 'Finding Neverland', she shook my arm, pointed at the screen and said 'mother dead'. And looked surprised when I started crying again.

I got the best seat that I had ever done with no wing to block my view but, for once, I had put the camera away- not wanting any record of this journey. My sister met me at the other end and that is when the reality lag started to hit me. This last week has been full of lots of grown up stuff, we have arranged a funeral when none of us have really been to many before. I have been to the Chapel of Rest at the hospital to see my mum for the last time. It felt important to me that I didn't see her in a coffin, she was just lying there with a blanket tucked up to her chin. We didn't stay long there, enough time to say goodbye. We have registered a death, cancelled credit cards, frozen bank accounts, met with a Humanist minister, made appointments with solicitors, taken countless phone calls and received many condolence cards.

The weather has reflected our moods, rain and mist has dominated the world outside of our house until yesterday. I have felt a little clingy, being unwilling to do anything without my brother and sister. And, slowly, the tears have been replaced with happier memories as we have talked about mum and looked through old photographs. We knew that this would happen one day but as my sister said 'not yet, it wasn't supposed to happen yet'. The cancer that we thought had gone before Christmas killed her in the end, without any warning to the doctors, let alone her hapless family.

I know that there will always be times when I forget that she has gone, when I want to tell her something or show her something or make plans with her. Now, when I leave the country, I have nowhere to go back to, which will feel strange. My poor sister will now be the recipient of my bank statements. I will always miss her but I feel no little comfort in knowing that I was loved and that she knew I loved her.

The funeral is on Thursday and, almost as part of the healing process, the sun came out yesterday. I went for a walk with my sister to Felixstowe Ferry, a little fishing hamlet at the edge of town. As some indication of my state of mind, I was able to take photos. Photos are my passion and so it is a sign of a return to some sort of reality that I would have my camera in my hand. I have always loved Felixstowe Ferry and the marshmallow shaped Martello Towers, built years ago to defend against Dutch invasions.

the brightly coloured beach huts where people go for the day

and the green grass after the dustiness of Korea

The red phone boxes and cute pubs that signal home

and the sausage sandwich that is my reward for walking all the way to the ferry

the chips to top the meal off

Then the return walk and home.

News

Due to a family emergency I am going home to England tomorrow. The trip around the world is postponed indefinitely.

One week to go

My boss finally confirmed my flight times with me. I will be leaving Korea on 19th April at 2 in the afternoon. Arriving back in the UK at 10pm on the same day. Weirdly enough, it is the same flight that I caught home when I last tried to leave here- wonder if they still have the walkman that I left in the overhead locker.

Of course, I am in a state of upheaval at the moment, both physically and mentally but the state that best sums up my feelings right now is one of disbelief. Can't believe that I have been in Korea for three years, really can't believe that I won't be here anymore. I am excited to see my family and friends back in the UK but can't help worrying that seven years out of the country will have seen their numbers somewhat depleted. I am also worried that I am going to be so homesick for Korea as to cast a shadow over the joy of being home.

I am a worrier. Everyone who knows me know that. I worry that I won't like chips as much I think I do. Worry that I am going to be so busy trying to shift some of this beer and dak galbi weight that I am not going to enjoy all the Cadburys chocolate. Worried that I won't find my mum's house as she has moved while I have been away- as a back up, I do have the keys to her old house and am sure that the new owners wouldn't mind if I turned up on their doorstep. Worried that England will have changed or that I will have changed so much that we won't understand each other.

Don't know how I am going to talk to kids that speak English as their first language, that take a bit more amusing than just seeing a foreign face. Don't know how I am going to get served in the bars if I can't just stick my hand up in the air and yell 'yogi-yo', worried that when I do get the bartender's attention I will just speak Korean to them- as I did in London two years ago. Nervous about freaking my mates out by bowing to them.

Slightly concerned that I might have lost some of my street savvy after being in a country where it is reasonably safe for a girl to walk home alone at any time of the day or night. Reasonably. Don't know how I am going to get around without the hundreds of taxis always trawling the streets looking for customers, the way that they do in Korea. Little scared that I might not want to leave England once I am back there- I have seen it happen to mates!

And last but not least, don't know how I am going to fit the last two year's worth of stuff into my suitcase within the 27kgs luggage allowance.

It will be a challenge- all of it.

Just what the doctor ordered

I have been getting a little concerned at my lack of interest in alcohol recently. But I seem to be back on form now. Friday was the usual mayhem- I had dinner with two of my middle school students, dak galbi, and was gratified to see that one of them was sweating from the spiciness while I was fine. Another stereotype put to rest. After dinner it was a rush to the first bar and imminent slaughter of me by Tania at table football. Only one thing to do after that- so off to the Warehouse we went for some tequila shots.

Bumpin came later and might have included a few more tequila shots before the inevitable norae bang. Needless to say, it was a late one. I got home as the sun was rising and went straight to bed. Patrick had offered to take me and Tania out for a trip to a nearby temple on Saturday afternoon. We may have been a little vague but it was nice to get out for a couple of hours.

The temple is south of Gangneung and right by the ocean. There are some great views from it

There is some kind of festival going on which I think explained the lanterns

There was certainly an air of Spring to the day. The blossoms looked gorgeous and smelt wonderful. Me and Tania ran around like mad things taking photos while Patrick took time to admire the artwork and architecture. Because of the Korean habit of not wearing shoes inside most buildings, there were little piles of footwear outside of the doors. There was also a little puppy running loose around the temple complex and I was a bit taken aback to see the little fella pick up a shoe and run away with it. I felt obliged to help the hapless owner get it back so I caught up with him but then he wanted to play with me. Fortunately he was very cute

After a round or two with the pup it was back to Gangneung and some dinner, a nap then back out to the bars.

We knew that once the wigs and cowboy hats had come out the night was nearing an end. I made it home before sunrise this time which meant that it was relatively easy to get up the next day (in the early afternoon) to go and watch some Gangneung locals play football. Me and Tania took the half time oranges and amused ourselves sharing the fruit with a very cute little Korean girl.

Actually the game was a lot of fun as people tumbled to the ground in pain, collided with each other, scored goals a-plenty and generally threw their poor hungover bodies around the pitch. After the game, me and Tania went to Anmok beach for another photo frenzy

Then we walked to Emart before I went and met Rory for dinner and a movie. It has been a good and full weekend. I am pretty tired now so here endeth my penultimate weekend in Gangneung- yikes!

(PS- nuff photos for you, Patrick?)

Reading the signs

Leaving my boss's bar to come to my favourite bar, I was surprised to find this sitting outside

and I don't mean Tania, I knew that she would be there. And inside there was further proof that this is really happening

So I guess that I really am leaving! Weird. And intrigued by the 'and something' bit of the sign- wonder if they are going to get me a stripper- again!

What to do

What does one do with little cuties like these?

I would hate to throw them away and I can't see Tania taking them (though I did offload a LOT of stuff on her that I thought impossible)

It is looking emptier here now

though I have an idea that if I go to Tania's house it is going to look a lot like mine did this morning- without the smelly chick whinging that the water has been cut off again.

The windy city

Now I know why my neighbours chain their dogs down- it is soooo windy out there that they would just fly through the air like Dorothy's house if it wasn't for the anchorage the kennels provide. Today is a public holiday here in Korea- Arbor Day- when, by rights, I should be out planting trees. I had a rather more modest idea of going for a short hike. Which was later changed to going to the beach. Further modification led to me going no further than just outside my front door to put the trash out.

Shame.

Ah well. Woke up feeling not in the mood for exercise and noticed the wind outside. It looked to me like a nasty day to be out in the sand and dust. So I decided to stay in and start the packing. Packing, packing, packing, sometimes my life seems full of boxes and rucksacks. To be fair, I haven't moved house in just over a year though I have been mentally putting things into boxes for months now so it was actually something of a relief to start in reality. Also there was no water coming out of the taps. I thought that I might have to go to a mate's house for a shower but he sounded in no fit state for a visitor, though said it would be fine. I was relieved when the water started flowing again after a few hours.

Time to get on with the packing. I started gently enough with removing everything from my door. Maybe that sounds a little strange but the restaurants around here often stick magnets on the doors to advertise their menu and I collect them. The doors are made of metal so I use them to hang my photos and things from the door

Once I had made a start I just couldn't stop. I went into a throwing away frenzy. I have filled four bags of rubbish today (the legitmate bags that I pay money for) and several carrier bags (strictly illegal and it wasn't me) not to mention the four bags that Tania just left here with.

I had been packing for a couple of hours before calling Tania to cancel the beach date. She failed to keep the relief out of her voice and offered to come over. Turns out that she is even more of a squirrel than me:

'Books, yes, would love them... are you throwing away those singing Buddhist monk toys.... I'll take the pens and pencils... lovely, notebooks and post-it notes, just what I was looking for... empty yoghurt pot and mouldy orange, couldn't refuse really...'

and I know that she still has her eye on my computer speakers and table.

I have packed a box of stuff to go home to my mother's house. Packed up books to go to various destinations. And stuffed loads of things into the wardrobe to deal with later. Tania then rather patiently sat and watched as I moped through old photos and mini-videos from days gone by and basically talked about 'the good old days' of six months ago. And laughed at me as I compulsively packed and moved things, took down half of my photos and she tried to sneak the beanbag out of the door.... the last bit might have been a lie.

Pizza was delivered to the door so there was no need to get far away. Or any way away at all. Despite the wind it has been a wonderfully warm day so we have had the windows open all day. I feel like there isn't much left to do. How I am going to fill the next two weeks?? I should feel sad about not spending my day off out and about but I guess that I did at least do something productive- downsizing all my possessions and sending them off with Tania for starters.

Apparently, outside my house it was Spring but I didn't really benefit from that

Back to work tomorrow for another eight working days.

Hungover? Not I, said the little red hen

These middle school girls of mine share all kinds of stuff with me. They talk about the ins and outs of middle school life, the best places to find groups of high school boys, the high schools with the best looking boys and the latest comic book taking the girls by storm. Well goodness me it is a corker. The girls were so sad at having to take the book back to the comic library that I let them use the photocopier to make a couple of copies of their favourite pages. And this was the best

It makes the girls shiver with glee when they see these two black and white drawings kissing each other. They are an insightful pair but occasionally they go a little strange too

like spelling out the alphabet with their bodies. I have put a guide on there so you can see which letter it is. They got all the way to V before the batteries in the camera ran out. This class goes until 10 at night so it is usually a rush from the class to the bar on a Friday night. But this was a special night. It was an all you can drink night at Bumpin. Yes, every night is literally an all you can drink night but this is all for one lovely price- and includes Mr Lee's special barbecue.

And I couldn't take part. Nope, had to be strong as I really had to make it to Gwangju the next day as it would be my last chance to make it down there before I leave the country. It really is about as far from here as it is possible to get before hitting the sea

Or a five hour bus ride away. So I had one beer at the bar, paid for it and left leaving much confusion behind me

'Helen, you know that it is an all you can drink night, right?'

'Yes, I am fully aware of that'

'So you are coming back, right?'

'Nope, just the one beer for me tonight'

'....???'

Cue our exit from the bar and onto the DVD bang. Tania and I watched a movie and were safely tucked up in our own beds, alone, by 2am.

Which meant that I had no problem whatsoever getting myself up and to the bus terminal the next day. I tried to sneak the window seat in the bus but the rightful owner came and pushed me back to the aisle seat, pulled the curtains shut and went to sleep. So I was deprived of the only good bit of a bus journey, the view. Which would explain why I managed to read an entire book before I hit Gwangju.

I bumped into my friend, Rebecca, at the bus terminal and we went downtown to find our other mates. We had some dak galbi (around the world on 80 servings of dak galbi) and went off to a friend's house. I was meeting up with my mate, Alan, his wife, Eun-kyong and their son, Tommy. I met Alan and Eun-kyong while I was in Dublin doing my TEFL course (yes, I actually did one before I realised that it was easy enough to get a job without one) and I believe, to this day, that it is their fault that I ended up in Korea in the first place. Therefore I like to check in with them as I enter and leave the country.

Tommy has recently turned one. And I haven't seen him for about six months so it was a shock to watch him running around all over the place. I wanted to get some good photos of him but he moved so fast! He was fascinated with Neil and Annette's computer, apparently he loves the mouse

Now usually when I go to Gwangju the night is all about lemon soju

and going to The Mad Season, local foreigner dive. But The Mad Season has closed. So we stayed in and watched the ongoing demise of the Pope on CNN. After a few more lemon boys we watched some other telly. Now, I am not saying that my mates don't like me or don't want me to leave the country in two weeks but there has to be some reason why they made me watch 'Lost', an American series which seems to be about the aftermath of a plane crash. Which even has Koreans in it so to exactly reproduce the conditions that I might find myself in soon. Gits!

I think that one of the oddest things about going back home is going to be not taking photos of Cadburys chocolate every time I see a bar as it has become rather a compulsion

So apart from the odd nightmare about my plane crashing and me being eaten by some nasty beast in a Fijian jungle I had a relaxing weekend. Waking up on Sunday I had a HOT SHOWER which was great and worth a ten hour round trip on the bus. Then we went into town so I could buy a book for the return journey and stuff some Burger King down my throat (it is amazing what constitutes exotic when you have to travel to get it) and then it was back on the bus for me. Minus the window hogging ajumma.

It took five and a half hours to get home and I have discovered that the bus ride is much easier without a hangover- why did no-one tell me before? I even saw a great sunset just outside Gangneung

Thank you to Neil and Annette for your ever great hospitality (and shower). Nice to see you, Margo, Rebecca, Leanne, Crwys and Chris, hope to see you all in Gangneung in two weeks- yikes!

and thanks to Alan and Eun-kyong for my (slightly controversial) Dokdo T-shirt

Cold as Ice

I am reaching the end of my second week without hot water. Things so far seem to be going OK. I was a bit concerned when it snowed last week but the water couldn't get much colder. And the reason for this? I have run out of heating oil and can't be bothered to buy anymore since I am on the cusp of the off. My landlord came to me a few weeks ago telling me that I was running out and I said 'not to worry, off to Blighty soon'. Of course he didn't understand anything so I pointed at the calendar and told him I was going to England. He smiled and left.

Probably my aeroplane impression amused him.

So I thought why bother to fill up with more oil? Destroy more of the Earth's natural resources in fruitless attempts to get hot water to come out the shower head. I am washing my hair in cold water while boiling the kettle ready for a splash around in the sink. It is not much of a hardship except for one thing- the water is FREEZING! To the point where I don't like to put my hands in my hair to aid the shampoo removal. As my brain starts to solidify in the cold, I wrap a towel around my head, trying not to get any cold water splashed on me, run to the kitchen, grab the kettle and move onto phase two of 'the shower'.

Water that cold shouldn't flow anymore, it should be ice. How is this happening? I have a theory that my landlord is trying to teach me a lesson- I think that he is putting the water in the freezer and letting it get one step away from ice before rerouting it into my bathroom. The purpose being to teach me not to be such a tightarse. I also think that he arranged the snow last week to frighten me into wanting to get the heating working again.

With this level of paranoia, it is probably time to leave Korea!