Moving Out and Moving On

The countdown is on! I leave Korea in two months. I've been here exactly a year, and it has flown. Now I am in the throes of planning my perfect European vacation. I just purchased a ticket to see Much Ado About Nothing by Mr. William Shakespeare at the Shakespeare Globe Theater in London. It seems surreal. I've dreamed about going to the Globe for awhile, I'm so lucky!
I am headed to the states for a few weeks to visit and eat a lot of delicious food. I return from Europe in early October. I've been offered a wonderful teaching opportunity here in Korea for another year (or as long as I want), and I'm contemplating taking it. I can put school off for another year, what does it really matter? There's not much at home as far as jobs go, I can spend another year in Korea and probably make twice as much as I'm making now, travel around a bit, and delay the inevitable job/car/reality I have to face in the states.
Anyway, not much is going on here. I am frantically trying to save every penny for my Europe trip. I want to enjoy each ounce of European goodness without having to check my wallet every five minutes!

Interesting information

I've been in Korea now for ten months. It still amazing how much I am learning and have yet to learn about this culture. At the beginning of March I started teaching adults each morning. The class consists of five married, middle-aged men and one older (obviously) married woman. They have taught me so much this past month. I recently learned that it is quite common for babies/children to sleep in their parents room on the floor until they are about 6 years old! They found it very strange that we would put a baby in another room around 3 months. But 6 years! No wonder people move from parents house right into marriage house.
I've also been realizing how important it is for Korean men to go to university, find a high paying job, get married and have babies. Korean women go to university, find a husband and usually never work again. This is changing, but this is the norm for older generations. The kids are not encouraged to have dreams or aspirations beyond getting a job and getting married. They are not encouraged to be creative or think for themselves. I think that's part of the reason the kids think America is so great, it's the land of opportunity. Not to say there's anything wrong with this way of thinking, I just can't imagine not feeling like I could do anything I wanted with my life. The kids get so much pressure from their parents to continue this cycle of work/marriage. All I can do is try to encourage my kids to dream big and help them with their creativity. Hopefully, I can make some kind of difference in their lives in the long run.

THAILAND!!!!!!!!!

Tracy and I traveled to Thailand this past week, and it was definitely the best vacation I've ever had. Thailand is extraordinary, if they paid more money for teaching English, I'd be there in a heartbeat. I fell in love with the island we went to and the energy of Bangkok. It's different from


the Korean cities in many ways.
The first day, Tracy and I traveled to Koh Chang, an island about 5 hours from the Bangkok airport. We stayed at a resort and just relaxed the first day. The next day we rode an elephant! At first, we just rode on the seat on the elephant's back, but on the way back out of the jungle, we were able to actually ride right on his neck without the guide. The elephants are trained just like dogs, it was kind of amazing! And while in the jungle, we saw a really big snake!
The second day we went scuba diving! We were both pretty scared, but we figured we might as well do it. It's pretty inexpensive and we knew it would be twice as much money anywhere else. We left early in the morning and rode out about an hour and a half on the boat. The other people with us were from Denmark, Poland, Belgium, France and Canada. Our diving instructors were from England and Scotland, so all the instructions were done in English. It makes me realize how lucky I am to have English as my first language. All the others spoke English, it's so important when you're traveling to have a common language, I'm glad it's English! We had to wait on the boat a bit for the instructors to take down the experienced divers first and I started to feel a little seasick, so we went for a swim before our dive. I was feeling pretty good as Alex (our instructor) was giving us instructions and putting our oxygen tank vest on. Man, that thing was heavy! Plus they put weight belts on us to help us sink to the bottom. So we jumped in and off we went! Breathing out of a tube through your mouth only is a strange feeling. Several times I thought for sure I would die of not getting enough oxygen. I was breathing pretty hard the whole time and holding my hand on my breathing tube because I was terrified it would fly out of my mouth. We swam around on the bottom of the sea for about 40 minutes I think. A few minutes in, I started to feel incredibly nauseous, but I didn't want to go up early. I sucked it up and kept swimming. The place we dove wasn't fantastic, but we did see a lot of coral and some pretty cool fish. On the coral were little colorful plant like things that would suck into the coral as we passed, that was probably my favorite thing! When we swam back up to the top after our dive, Alex told us how great we did and that usually when he takes just girls down they panic and aren't great divers. I was surprised, but glad I did ok. After we got on the boat though, I threw up a LOT. I ended up not going on our second dive, so Tracy went alone.
We traveled back to Bangkok for our last two days. I just loved Bangkok. So many people, street food everywhere, boys dressed as girls, smiling Thais, night time bazaars. I liked that it wasn't Westernized like Korea is. Changwon is still very Korean, but most signs are in English, most people speak some English. Not so in Bangkok. Plus, most people were extremely kind and things were incredibly cheap. We ended up with a tuk tuk and guide in Bangkok for four hours or so for about $2. He drove us around to a bunch of temples, ending at the Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddah. You can't take pictures inside the temples, so unfortunately I don't have a picture of the emerald buddah. He was actually very tiny, surrounded by glitzy gold decorations. The temples are all very shiny and gold. Never have I ever been in a city so defined by its religion. Buddhism rules Bangkok. Buddahs are everywhere, the temples we visited were built by past kings. It was bloddy hot in Bangkok, I was thinking if I did decide to move there, I don't know how I would handle the heat.
So, those are highlights of the trip, we also had a great time just relaxing and snoozing on the beach, eating good food, drinking Thai beer and talking to lots of interesting people.
On the way home, I had a seven hour layover in China, then another 10 hour layover in China which happened to be overnight. I planned to spend the night in the airport, but at 2:30 am the security guard kicked me out and sent me out into cold, dark China. There were no lights on in any buildings, I couldn't tell what was a hotel or what was an apartment. I ended up wandering around for about 20 minutes or so almost in tears when I saw a light on in a lobby. I walked in and thankfully it was a hotel. But to my surprise, there was noone at the front desk and the security guard had removed his shoes and was sleeping peacefully on a couch in the lobby. I figured that might not be such a bad idea, so I found myself a couch and had a little nap. I was terrified of getting found and getting kicked back out into the cold, but noone came around. So at 5:30 a.m. I headed back to the airport and was back to Korea in no time.
Thailand is my favorite place I have ever visited, I hope I can go back and spend more than a week there. Maybe when I get my master's I can get a job at a university and actually live there!

It's been awhile

I have been pretty busy working two jobs and having fun weekends!
Recently, I went to Goeje Island with my friend Woo. We went on a beautiful December day, there were no people so we were able to enjoy the beaches and scenery without too many tourists. The above photos are from the island, it was the most beautiful place I have seen so far.
We also went to a professional basketball game here in Changwon. It was just like an NBA game except only $7 for killer seats.
A few weeks ago I ate duck for the first time! It was absolutely delicious! I didnt know what I was missing out on. Its my new favorite food to eat at restaurants. Many places serve it here and it's reasonably priced, just another thing to love about Korea!
This weekend, I saw the Harry Potter movie. I didnt necessarily want to see it, but the friend I was with did, so I went along. I have never read a Harry Potter book nor seen an HP movie. But it was AWESOME. There were many things and places and names that I didnt understand, but it was nonstop action and I fell in love with all the characters. I guess all the people telling me for years that I would love it were right. I am going to start reading the books ASAP!
It's Christmastime now but I haven't felt too homesick. Christmas isnt a big deal in Korea, plus the weather has been warm and there's not lots of decorations or Christmas music and shopping shoved down my throat. So, its been kind of nice to be away from the hoopla. On Christmas day we will go to another basketball game and then have kind of a potluck dinner with friends. It should be a good time!
I've also decided to stay in Korea until August. It will give me time to save some more money and hopefully see a little more of the country. I really enjoy teaching and I just don't feel ready to wind down yet.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

To leave or not to leave

I am coming up on six months spent in Korea. I kind of want to stay past my year contract. But Europe for the summer is so incredibly tempting. So, I think I may compromise and stay until August instead of June. I got to thinking about leaving today and I felt overwhelmingly sad. I will miss my kids, I will miss my easy life in Korea. Plus, I'm making tons of extra money now, it's so hard to walk away from that. But I also need to get on with life in the US. I need to get back to school. While discussing my wanting to stay in Korea, my director told me I was getting "kind of old" and that I should go back to school before too long! Koreans are rather blunt, sometimes it's hurtful. I see what he means, and I can always come back, but it won't be the same. I think staying until August will satisfy me, and I can hopefully still spend the fall in Europe. How awesome does fall in Europe sound?? The crowds will be less, the weather will be cooler. Maybe this is the best idea I've ever had.

Seoul part 2

As I mentioned before, there are millions of people in Seoul. Apparently, they all went to the Seoul International Festival. This pic is from the subway, all of us smooshed in trying to get out. I think we went up three flights of stairs and through hallways like this. It was hot and pretty awful. When we finally got outside, the scene was insane. There had to be millions of people at this park to watch the fireworks. And Koreans aren't very polite when they try to get past you, they basically shove you. They'll shove you with their elbows, shoulders, knees, butts, hips, anything that will move you out of the way.


I did get a chance to try out the camera for night scenes. Here are a couple pics I took, I'm so thrilled with the way they turned out! The fireworks were a big deal and lasted at least an hour. They were pretty spectacular. These pictures were taken on a bridge.


































I will be visiting Seoul again, it's about a 5 hour bus ride and just a Saturday and Sunday to visit isn't enough time. I really want to spend more time exploring the city and all it's charms.

Seoul part 1

Last weekend, my friends and I visited the capital city of Seoul. I'm in love. Seoul is huge, but clean and beautiful and a perfect mix of old and new. The king's palace stands at the end of a street lined with 30 story buildings. There's rich culture in the city everywhere you turn.
However, there are millions and millions of people! A woman stopped me on the street and proceeded to rub my arms vigorously, then she touched my chest and motioned to my face. I assumed she was concerned about my freckles being some sort of horrible disease I was unaware of, but we think she was telling me to cover up. It was a strange experience!


This is the entrance to the king's palace, we didn't go inside.













Guards for the palace.












View of the palace from the busy city street.

Today is Saturday

Today I went to the Korean dentist. On the walk there, two older Koreans stopped to say "Hello" in English, which was impressive considering their age. The man shook my hand and the woman said, "Welcome to Korea!" I don't often get older people acknowledging me other than to stare blankly at me, it's usually the children that talk to me on the street. The dentist charged me only $15 for a cleaning, what a deal! Right before the woman started cleaning, she put this paper towel with just a nose/mouth hole on my face. It was quite strange. Perhaps the Koreans don't like looking into your eyes as they clean your teeth. If I was claustrophobic I think I would have had a big problem with it. I really couldn't see anything! On the elevator leaving the dentist, a woman reached over and started fixing my collar! That would never happen in the US. She acted like it was totally normal to touch a complete stranger, let alone a foreigner! Oh Korea.
Megan gets married in one week! I'm so sad I can't be there, but I think we will set up Skype so I can say hello at the reception.
School is going well this semester, I'm definitely into the swing of things here.

Part 3, Sunrise Peak

Sunrise Peak in the background, beyond it is all ocean.














At the top, I couldn't fit the whole crater into one picture, it was so huge, I was a little scared of the height.









But I got over my fear! I laugh in the face of danger!












View overlooking the island












Sunrise Peak was my favorite part. The pictures don't convey the beauty of this place or the amazing views!

Part 2

The fountain in the Italian garden at the botanical gardens











Giant penis fountain at Loveland












One of the tamer statues.
I believe it was called "Love, American style"


















The beautiful beach

Jeju Island Vacation!! Part 1

Some scenery on the island. These statues are made from volcanic rock, which is abundant on Jeju. These little guys seemed to be the Jeju mascot, as they were everywhere on the island.







At the first waterfall, nearest to our hotel













A view from the hotel












Nighttime view from the hotel












Apparently this blog site only lets me upload a few pictures at a time! Steven, Megan and I arrived on Jeju Island Tuesday evening and left early Saturday morning. We got to do a lot of sightseeing, the most beautiful being Sunrise Peak. There's no pics on this blog because apparently I can only upload five at a time, I'll put them on another blog. Anyway, Sunrise Peak is this big crater created from a volcano. You climb to the top and it's like you're standing on the edge of the earth. The ocean is all around and you look down onto the island. It's easily the most amazing thing I've ever seen in person. I feel so lucky that I had the chance to go. The climb up was hell and the climb down had me feeling dizzy, but it was totally worth it.
We also visited Loveland, which is basically an outside sex museum complete with statues and how-tos. Honeymooning Koreans visit there to get ideas I guess.
We went to two beaches, but one had the bluest water I've ever seen. It was too cold for swimming, but I got some beautiful pictures. I'm so glad I invested in a new camera!

Korea- people people everywhere

Changwon is filled with people, people everywhere you turn. Lots of people walk, not drive, so there are always people on the sidewalk. It's almost impossible to be alone, and while I enjoy seeing people walking in their city, sometimes it'd be nice to have a little time alone outside with Sophie. I have finally found this place. There's an part open field/part random garden/ part new construction around the corner from my place a little. It's up a hill and then flat at the top, flat enough that I can see if anyone else is near. Today I went up there after work and sang out loud at the top of my lungs. It was refreshing knowing no one could hear me. And if belting out Glee tunes doesn't relieve any stress, I don't know what does! I know that something is being built in my little paradise, so I will enjoy it while it's free.
I've settled into a routine here and it feels like home.

yeah, yeah, yeah i need a break

My friend went to Japan this weekend. She went to the same city as me, walked the same streets, rode the same subway. Yet her experience was the exact opposite. She loved every minute of it. She liked the American vibe, where as I couldn't wait to get back to Korea. Perhaps if I had gone after I had been in Korea for awhile, my experience would have been different. Maybe if I get a bout of homesickness I'll give Japan another whirl. It's interesting that two people can visit the same place and have completely different perspectives.
This weekend ended me working 11 hours a day, thank goodness! What was so tiring wasn't the hours, but the kids. My class was rowdy and disrespectful. I tried several different ways to handle them, and none of them worked. I hope I don't encounter these kids in another class.
Monday starts the new semester at school, I hope I enjoy all my classes and kids!
During the last three weeks I haven't had time to do much, hopefully I'll have some new adventures to write about soon!

White Water Rafting, Korean style

Steven, Megan, two Korean friends and I went white water rafting on Wednesday. We took buses for two hours to reach our destination. After a light lunch, we were lifejacked, helmeted and paddled, we were ready. I was a little nervous about falling out of the boat when going through the rapids, turns out I didnt have much to worry about. The "rapids" were barely waves in the river, the scariest part was almost hitting rocks. But, we had an amazing time! It rained all day so it wasn't hot and actually being in the water was warmer than wet on the boat. Our guide was awesome (and cute!) and we were his first foreign rafters. I'm sure we left a grand impression! We were in the water almost as much as rafting, our guide thought it was really funny to push us in the water or play games which ended with all of us in the water. We also stopped to jump off some rocks. My fear of heights almost got me, but I sucked it up and jumped about 10 feet off a rock! The area that we rafted was beautiful, mountains on all sides and covered in a light fog from the rain. For a minute it almost looked like West Virginia, until a Korean house or temple peeked through. I dont know if this trip prepared me for rapids at home, but I definitely want to give it a try!
Today we are going to see Inception and maybe to the beach tomorrow!

things i miss vs things i love in SK

Things I Miss
A dryer- my clothes are starting to stretch at the neck
A regular shower- i'ts hard to stand in a corner sideways in 8" of space and wash my hair.
Target
People who speak english, not all people, but important people, like the guy cutting sophie's nails and the pharmacist.
Cheese
A soft bed
An oven
Shopping for clothes/shoes. I dont necessarily need anything, it's just that now I dont even have the option. Shoes only go up to a size 8!
A couch. I could buy one but I dont really have space and it's a lot of money to spend.
Having a variety of restaurants to choose from. I mean, there are tons of Korean restaurants, but I don't care for their food. And even sometimes when I point to a picture on the menu, my food comes out looking nothing like what I ordered.
The trunk of my car- carrying more than two big bags of groceries home is next to impossible.
Dirty streets- Changwon is quite dirty, trash gets picked up every day so there are always tons of trash bags lining the streets in the downtown area
Fish smells everywhere

Things I love
NOT DRIVING!! It's so much easier to take a detour or pop in and get a coffee without having to cross traffic and park. And I dont have to pay for gas or insurance or parking.
Coffee shops on every corner
Living in a bubble- I dont overhear any conversations, I dont worry if people are staring at me or laughing at me. I am free to do basically whatever I want in public
Being close to the beach!
Taxis that get me across town for $4
Buses that get me to the next town for $3
Super cheap food- seriously, super cheap.
Having a mountain I can climb about a 1/4 mile from my house
Wide sidewalks perfect for walking Sophie
Fresh fruit and vegetables on every corner
Getting complimentary items when you purchase something. Tonight I bought a beer at dinner and got a small plate of carrots and cucumbers.
Getting away with stuff because I'm a foreigner. Someone can yell in my face for walking in front of their car but I can't understand so I can smile and walk away.
Most Korean kids- they are curious about me and watch carefully everything I do
Meeting other foreigners from all over the world who have traveled all over the world.
Everyday is an adventure!

clever blog title

Beach at Busan

Cooking food outside in an ally where people are walking and shopping. Pretty gross!

Woman sleeping at the beach in Busan.

I haven't written in awhile because I was having trouble with the internet, but it seems to be fixed now. Thursday my school started intensive courses. The classes are 11:30-1 for 19 days. I have a speaking intensive course with 8 lower level students. The class is very intense, the workbook is full of activities and it takes the full 90 minutes to get through a lesson. That doesn't leave much time for games but the kids don't seem to mind too much as long as they get candy! My middle school classes are going much better than the first few weeks so I am happy about that too. I'm still enjoying teaching and I very much like MOST of the children, some are awful, but I guess you'll have that! I am working now 11 am to 10 pm with an hour break and breaks between classes, but it is tiring an it is going to be a long three weeks. Luckily next week we are only working Monday and Tuesday. There's been some talk of going white water rafting next Saturday, I hope it works out!

I received my cell phone bill this week, it was about $40. I went to the store to pay it and they charged me only $18! I'm not sure why, but I didn't complain. I went to buy a few supplies for my kids, some colored pencils and some glue and the guy told me it was 4200 won, but then he looked at me and dropped the price to 3200 won! I guess sometimes it pays to be a foreigner.

I've noticed that older people have no shame in stopping in their tracks to stare at me, it is still quite strange. The kids that stare at me usually at least say hello and ask me where I am from.

Steven, Megan and I went to the beach and did some shopping in Busan on Saturday. The beach was filled to the max with people, most of them in full clothing. We did run across some old ladies buried up to their faces in sand and then a hat on their heads! The picture is above because I cannot figure out how to put pictures in the middle of the text. The first picture shows how crowded the beach is. It's so weird to me that people come to the beach just to sit under an umbrella in full clothing all day. The other picture is the Busan market area. It's just a bunch of allyways with knock-offs and touristy items. But then down one street there are women cooking and serving food. People just pull up a stool and eat, it seems pretty unsanitary to me but lots of people were doing it!

In other news, my dad participated in two events at the Ohio Senior Olympics yesterday and came in first place in both the 100 m and 200 m dash! Congratulations to my dad!!

Weekend

Friday I had to go to the hospital to get blood taken and pee in a cup. I had a mini-anxiety attack and started to cry a bit just because it was a quite informal process and the hospital was dirty, dingy and unsanitary. There was a box full of bloody bandages! It was awful. Hopefully I will never have to visit another hospital here. Friday night I had my first bottle of Soju. Soju is the drink of Korea and it's basically watered down vodka. It's not terrible, but it's not good either. I drank a lot of it and was quite drunk and ended up staying out till about 4 am, but I had no hangover! I think the next time I go out, I will drink Soju again. Saturday we went to Busan to go to the beach. The beach is probably the best place to people watch, I have seen the most ridiculous things. The Koreans don't wear bathing suits (usually). They were all their clothes, shirts, jeans, shoes. But some Koreans wear teeny tiny speedos. And some wear boxers and a top hat. Anyway, we went to this giant department store and I left my phone in the bathroom there. We got on the subway to go home and one stop in I realized I had left it. We had to go back which meant buying more subway tickets, so instead we jumped the turnstiles. I got back to the bathroom, but the phone was gone. I went to ask the information desk but they didnt really understand and I left there with no hope of my phone showing up. Well maybe about 10 minutes after I had left, someone found my phone and called the last person I had called, my co-teacher Steven. Steven ended up having to go all the way to Busan to get my phone for me! It was much more complicated and drawn out, but it's too much to write.
Tonight we went for "bbq" at the New Zealand BBQ place. It was spicy, as is most Korean food, and we were served baked potatoes with whip cream on them! No butter, just whip cream, so weird.

today

Today I felt like a grown up. I don't often feel like a grown up, just an overgrown kid. But today, today I felt it. I think it was being around 14-16 year olds for a few hours. They are so awkward and anti-social and have little confidence. The boys and girls won't even acknowledg each other. It forces me to be loud and outgoing in class. I feared I would be awkward and outwardly uncomfortable in front on the kids, but instead my confidence soared! Who knew I just needed to be in front of them for that fear to fly out the window? So today's a good day, a grown up kind of day.
PS. Sophie still acts like a baby.

Visa run to Japan

Clouds and sunset on the way home, might have been my favorite part of the trip.

Outside a temple in the city.

Giant buddha!

I spent last Monday and Tuesday in Fukouka, Japan getting a new visa. I was nervous about going there by myself, but everything turned out fine. Some nice men on the subway helped me find my stop and I was able to walk to the Korean consulate from the subway. Of course it was closed for lunch when I got there but I met a Canadian who was also waiting so we walked around together for a bit. There wasn't too much to see where we were, just a giant baseball stadium, giant Hilton, shopping, and a great view of the coast and mountains. The guy I met helped me find a hotel downtown, which was fantastic. So I was left to explore. Unfortunately it rained a lot almost all day Monday. I did go out at night and check out the downtown area which was sadly very American. LOTS of shopping, Apple, Eddie Bauer, GAP, it was very disappointing. I did run across one random temple slapped in the middle of a shopping mecca. Noone was there and I couldn't go inside, but I walked the grounds. Japan is incredibly clean, there were tons of people everywhere, but the sidewalks were spotless, Korea is kind of dirty, so that was a nice change. Also, the public transportation is amazing. The buses and subway were fairly easy to navigate once I got the hang of it, and they are cheap too.

Tuesday I got up and went back to the consulate to pick up my visa, thankfully the rain had stopped. My plane wasn't until 7:30, so I decided to get a map and do some exploring. I had read that the biggest wooden buddha was in Fukouka, so that was my mission. I found a big green space on the map that had four temples in what looked to be a giant park! So I set out to find it. It was a disappointing adventure. The temples were NOT in park, but surrounded by giant buidings that hid them. I walked in circles until I finally stumbled upon one. It was deserted so I could only walk the grounds. I continued on to another templed, deserted and locked, another- deserted and locked! I was kind of mad now so I climbed up onto some rocks so I could see over a fence into the gardens at least. and I am pretty sure I did some major trespassing into a private buddhist cemetery. Oh well, I didnt get caught. I was so defeated that started to walk back to the subway to go to the airport early. Just as I was putting away my map, I looked over and saw yet another temple tucked between two giant buildings...could it be, giant buddha?! YES! I finally found it! I ran up the steps and whipped out my camera and got one shot before I was yelled at by the workers, "no pictures!" HA, I got one! It was worth all the frustration, it was amazing. And I am glad I stole a picture, I deserved it!

Japan was ok, but not a place I would ever go again probably. Maybe I would like to visit Tokyo,but it's expensive and I definitely don't like it as much as South Korea. I'm grateful I got a free trip there, but I'm so glad to be home in SK!

Japan!

It seems I am headed to Japan on Monday! I will be staying Monday night, leaving Tuesday night. I was supposed to get a ferry ride and accommodations provided by my school because I am going for a visa run. I have to get a new visa because the visa I have is for another school. Your visa is only valid if you are working at the school who sponsored your visa. Instead of a ferry ride, my school bought me a plane ticket. I asked the director about accommodations, he kind of laughed and said accommodations were not included. In my contract it clearly states, ferry ride and accommodation. He said since I got a plane ride, no hotel! WHAT?? They never gave me a choice, ferry or plane! I would have gladly taken the ferry to get a hotel paid for. I told him that and he backed down and said to bring him the receipt and he'd reimburse me. Thank goodness, funds are low till I get my first paycheck, I certainly don't need to be spending an additional $50 on a stupid hotel room! I also have no idea what to do when I get to Japan, I have written directions from the airport to the subway to the consulate. That's it. How am I to find a hotel in Japan, you may wonder? I wonder too. My director told me not to be nervous and banish all negative thoughts, everything will be fine, he assured me! Umm, ok, that's probably the most unhelpful thing he could have said! Oh well, I just hope I can find a hotel room and I don't end up sleeping on a park bench! I will post pictures upon my return...if I return....Just kidding!