Maggie Moo's Travel Playlist

Some old, some new, some downright embarrassing, but all of them are getting me through the next month, while I wait for the big trip! February 11th vacay! Can't wait!

"If I Could Go"- Angie Martinez
 If I can choose a place to go it's gotta be far away.
 From here we could crossover like Hardaway
Somewhere outside the states where tomorrow's like today.

"So Good"- B.O.B
Suffering from first class cabin fever,
five hour layovers from Norway to Egypt. 
I'm too the point like the Pyramids of Giza
still lean to the left like the tower out in Pisa.

"Let's Go" -Calvin Harris and Ne-Yo
it's all about what you're doing, 
it's all about where you're going. 
No matter where you've been, let's go!

"Tokyo (Vampires and Wolves)"-  The Wombats
If you love me let me go
Back to that bar in Tokyo
Where the demons from my past
Leave me in peace
I'll be animating every night
The grass will be greener on the other side


"Frankie's Gun"- The Felice Brothers
My car goes-Chicago
Every weekend to pick up some cargo
I think I know the bloody way by now, Frankie
And turn the god damn radio down, thank you
Pull over-Count the money
But don't count the thirty in the glove box buddy


"Golden Girl"- Frank Ocean Ft. Tyler the Creator
Two mopeds racin through the forest
Making dirt clouds on a path, on a path
I'm my best on this island, I'm a mess in America
My flight left last night
But, I know I'm not goin back home

"I Was Here"- Beyonce
I was hereI lived, I lovedI was hereI did, I've done, everything that I wantedAnd it was more than I thought it would be

"Mountains"- Biffy Clyro
Took a bite out of a mountain range
Thought my teeth would break the mountain dead
Let's go, I wanna go all the way to the horizon

"Young Forever"- Jay-Z Ft. Mr. Hudson
So we live a life like a video
When the sun is always out and you never get old
And the champagne’s always cold
And the music is always good
And the pretty girls just happen to stop by in the hood

"Summer Sucks" (Cruel Summer Remix)- BLESTeNation
Now we all know summertime is a bummer with no duckets.
The one time you can just sit...Right there.
No school to not go to and skip.

"California"- The Kooks (Mason Jennings Cover)
I miss the ocean when I go sleep
Oh man, it's gonna break my heart

"Seaside"-The Kooks
Do you want to go to the seaside?
I'm not trying to say that everybody wants to go
I fell in love at the seaside
I handled my charm with time and slight of hand


"Wagon Wheel"-Old Crow Medicine Show
So rock me mama like a wagon wheel
Rock me mama anyway you feel
Hey mama rock me
Rock me mama like the wind and the rain
Rock me mama like a south-bound train

"Jackson"- Johnny Cash & June Carter
We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout,
We've been talkin' 'bout Jackson, ever since the fire went out.
I'm goin' to Jackson, I'm gonna mess around,
Yeah, I'm goin' to Jackson,
Look out Jackson town.


Honorable Mention: UB40 Red, Red Wine...but the truth is that song is on every playlist I make!

Another Manic Meme Monday

When one of my students says something sassy in English....



When my co-teacher tries to set me up with one of the weird teachers...



When my co-teacher told me they leave the windows open in the winter to "get rid of germs"


When I see my kids putting sugar on garlic bread.....


When Korean women judge me for wearing sweatpants & air force ones in a fashionable store...


When one of my students tells me I look like Beyonce....

One Night in Bangkok:Planning My Sweet Vacation!

The reality of "deskwarming" is that I spend very little time actually being warm.  It's freezing and instead of planning my lessons, I find myself planning my big trip for February vacation. Heres the plan so far:

Bangkok, Vientiane, Hanoi!

I am super excited for some quality time with my good friend Angelique, in Southeast Asia. From Seoul, it is pretty simple to find cheap flights on both Skyscanner and AirAsia. When I first began my search (about two months ago) there were round trip flights from Seoul, going for around $350.00. The closer it got to vacation (and the more people book-many epik folks have this time off) the more expensive it got. Fortunately, my mom got me an awesome birthday present and paid for my trip!

Initially we wanted to attempt all to get to Cambodia as well, but with the time we would spend actually traveling, it seemed a bit tiring even for us! So in the end we decided on 4 days in Bangkok, a flight to Udon Thai and then a bus across the border into Vientiane.

3 1/2 days in Vientiane and this is where details get a bit foggy....but it's looking like the 24 hour bus "from hell" as they like to call it, into Hanoi in Vietnam. Shouldn't be so bad with Angel there we always manage to keep ourselves entertained and I plan on making a list of "challenges" for the journey.

After we reach Hanoi we will spend a few days trekking around Vietnam, frequenting happy hour, eating pho and then make out way back to Bangkok. At the moment it looks very possible that we can find a fairly cheap flight back into Bangkok to enjoy the end of our weekend and vacation.

A few things I want to do:
1. Ride a motorbike in Hanoi

2. Temple Hop in Vientiane

3. Take a Muay Thai lesson in Bangkok

4. Eat as much Pho as humanly possible, in Vietnam

5. Dine for a cause at a local Makphet in Laos. Makphets offer hands on cooking experience to marginalized youth and the dishes look yummy!

6. Get a Thai massage

Yep, nice and rough. Haha

7. Take a day trip from Hanoi to Halong Bay and get a junk boat!

and depending on how daring I feel.....

8. Get my bungee jump on in Thailand!

A Trip to the "lady doctor"

Men...you can avert your eyes and ears now! After many emails/messages about birth control and women's clinics I have finally decided to post this. All in all not a bad experience...even if I did run into a few of my students!! Oh the horror!

Medi Flower OB/GYN 
Tel: 02-548-9400 (Korean) 010-8550-9742 (English) 02-548-9401
eunsook.ella.han@gmail.com
2nd Floor, Lotte Castle Medici, 1656-4 Seocho-dongSeocho-gu, Seoul137-070


check out their website

Not sucking at life and other 2013 resolutions

The standard new years face!

2013 is finally here! I have decided it is a great time to reflect on 2012 (which was an excellent year) in hopes of making 2013 even more epic. I usually don't like making resolutions, but 2013 just seems so worthy! Here goes nothing:

1) Travel to at least 8 countries (Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, shall be ticked off come february).

2) Get fit, I don't want to lose weight, but I definitely want to get back in my prime rugby playing shape- maybe Captain America will make a reappearance!

obvious toolbaggery aside, my abs were pretty dang spiffy

3) Go to at least 2 rugby tournaments (hopefully 3 if I can go to Hong Kong 7's, Tokyo 7's and the Lions tours in June)
4) Work much harder on my Korean Language skills and not just for purposes of ordering food or hitting on attractive Korean gym trainers.
5) Take up a new activity: maybe something physical/aggressive like Muay Thai, kickboxing or some form of martial arts where I can re-affirm, just how clumsy and uncoordinated I am.
6)Explore the Buddhist offerings in Seoul and get my chill on.
7) Complete my lesson plans far in advance so I have some time to rest, stress free during the week.
8) Just being generally more positive and optimistic about all of the wonderful opportunities I have and all of the people in my life
9) To do some more freelance work, make regular submissions and get some more pieces published for my writing portfolio.
10) To never take myself so seriously and to just enjoy the shenanary that is my life!

2012 was a pretty crazy year!
-My purse was stolen in Scotland a few days before I arrived in Korea, but I still managed to make it.
-I had my first real big kid job working in tourism and had my first guide published
-I left my favorite city in the world (Edinburgh) and moved to South Korea
-I got mono!!
-I managed to tear/damage both of my calves just at the end of rugby season (healing nicely)
-I saw Psy live in concert
-I did my first rugby zulu!
-played for 3 different women's rugby teams and officially earned the title "utility"
-graduated from TEFL academy with honors
-Barack Obama was re-elected
-there were 3 huge mass shootings in the U.S
-more natural disasters than I can count
-many more states passed gay rights laws
-North Korea...well...they were being North Korea
- and I decided I was going to see as much of the world as I possibly could!

2013 is going to be my best year yet, I can feel it. I resolve, after this year, to never win another game of "never have I ever" again.

Shit My Co-Teacher Says: Part 2

Co-Teacher: Are you cold
Me: I'm freezing
Co-Teacher:(Turns on the air conditioning) Yeah, I think you look cold.

Out at a staff dinner
Co-Teacher: You can order anything you'd like
Me: Oh, great thanks.
Co-Teacher: Except that, that's what I'm getting, you would not like it.
Me: Why?
Co-Teacher: It's classy.

Me: Hey, do we have any paper for the printer?
Co-Teacher: What you think paper grows on trees?
Me: Yes, yes I do.
Co-Teacher: No, it doesn't. So expensive, go steal some from the staff room.

Me: Have you ever been to Bangkok? I'm planning my vacation.
Co-teacher: Oh, yes. I loved it. When are you going?
Me: February, and to Laos and Vietnam as well.
Co-teacher: You be careful for lady boys, sometimes you dress like man, you might get a surprise.

Co-Teacher: (says something to the students in Korean and they begin to clap and say my name)
Me: What did you tell them?
Co-Teacher: I said if they listen you will give them candy
Me: but I don't have any candy
Co-Teacher (turns to students) You have been bad, she will not give it to you. She ate it.

Co-Teacher: You like Korean men?
Me: Yeah.
Co-Teacher: You like other men?
Me: I  don't really have a type, I like all kinds of men.
Co-Teacher: Careful, you will be a busy, popular woman if you like too many at once (winks at me)

Me: Would it be alright if I came in late on monday, I have a doctors appointment.
Co-Teacher: Are you seeing lady doctor?
Me: Ummm, I'm not sure if it's a man or a woman
Co-Teacher:  you are with child?
Me: No! What?
Co-Teacher: You are seeing a doctor for "the lady problem"
Me: No, I meant I don't know if the doctor is male or female. What's "the lady problem?"
Co-Teacher:  You know (wink)
Me: No, I don't.
Co-Teacher: (laughing) oh you know
Me: No, I really don't. what is it?
Co-Teacher: I dont know. Ask the lady doctor (walks away).

Co-Teacher: I won't be here on that day. Ms. Moon is getting married.
Me: Oh wow, I didn't know she was engaged.
Co-Teacher: Yes, it was a surprise. If she can get married, maybe someone will marry you some day.

Co-Teacher: Maybe I will take the class today and teach them myself, you can stay here and watch naked music video. (Rhianna)
Me: Sorry, what?
Co-Teacher: You know, the American videos. Always naked.
Me: I'm working on winter camp lesson plans, so you are welcome to take the class.
Co-Teacher: Yes, so you can watch the video alone.

My Apartment....4 months later

Yeah, so I never posted that apartment video, welcome to my humble abode!
*Ondol is actually underfloor heating, not my wall heating...but sometimes I talk S***