MIA, but still alive...

Hello Friends and Family,

If you have emailed or checked my blog or Facebook lately, you'll have noticed that I've been MIA for a while now. I've been "crazy-busy" with work, and so am VERY behind in communication with you, my loved-ones. I want you to know that while I have a lot of reading to catch up with in my inbox, I AM THINKING OF YOU ALL, and MISS YOU!

I will send an update soon.

Love,
Deme

Lessons in Dumplings

Wonderfully distracted by my newly installed cable TV and Internet connection, I left my mandoo steaming a bit long. Korean Mandoo are similar to...

Jiao-zi in China
Momos in Nepal and Tibet
Gyoza in Japan
Potstickers in the US

The best dumplings I've had so far (besides Mom's) are the vegetable momos at Imago Dei Cafe in Kathmandu. But I don't think it's likely that I'll to run into many dumplings that I don't like.

Dumplings are almost always best steamed, as opposed to fried. But I'm also very partial to boiled jiao-zi.

Ooh! Chinese soaps are on TV!! ...

South Korea

I arrived in South Korea two weeks ago. And I begin teaching my first English class here on Thursday. Thus far, I've been preparing for the opening of the school, and doing student placement assessments. My bosses and coworkers are all really cool.

This is a picture of my desk at the office.

Photo of Ko Mak

Thailand - Ko Mak

This past week I traveled south to Trat province, spending a few nights on Ko Mak (island). I spent my time between the beach and the Internet (finishing arrangements for my new job in Korea).

I spent more on accommodation than usual. As it’s high season now, places are booked and prices are double what they are other times of the year. And I needed a place with Internet access. But still $20 a night for a bungalow on the beach is better than you’d ever get back home, right?

I’m at the airport in Vietnam (10-hour layover), about to board my flight to Seoul, South Korea. Tomorrow morning I'll be seeing my new office and apartment, and meeting my new employer and colleagues. Exciting!

Back in Sangklaburi, Thailand

I'm in Thailand. I took the 7 hour bus ride from Bangkok to Sangklaburi. And I'm back at the orphanage in which I volunteered as an English teacher this June. This is a photo I snapped from the bus window--houseboats on the lake. Sangklaburi is in the mountains, near the Myanmar (Burma) border. There are so many refugees here. Conditions in Burma are terrible. People risk a lot escaping to Thailand.

8-day trek in the Himalayas

There were six of us: Elisa (from Italy), Ashton (from Fort Collins), Grady (from Nepal), Krishna (the guide), Rameesh (the porter), and me.

For those of you know the area, we trekked in the Lang Tang region, from Dunche, up to Gosaikunda, then back to Kathmandu.

For those of you who don’t know the area, we walked A LOT, a long way, up and down steep surfaces, through a variety of terrain. Though this trek would be considered an easy one, it was plenty challenging for me!

The scenery was gorgeous throughout. The particular point of interest was a group of five pristine lakes near the top of our ascent. Our highest elevation was over 15,000 feet.