Why do I always find myself in Seoul? It must be the good company.
– A
One Fine Afternoon
An Afternoon with Sashai.
Author: missarve
I'm a storyteller.
Reflecting on #happyarvedays
Reflecting on my #happyarvedays
If you don’t follow me on Instagram, I began and finished my #happyarvedays (the 100 Happy Days Challenge).
And that was about over a month ago.
It was pretty funny how it ended. It didn’t end in a bang as I thought it would. I thought I was going to be enlightened like Buddha or become closer to God (although it made me appreciate the power of prayer even more). Rather, it was just a normal day with a normal reason to smile. What got people noticing that it was finished wasn’t because they saw “Day 100”, but because of the fact that I wasn’t posting a photo on a daily basis anymore. It even resulted in my mom calling me several times in one night because she didn’t see me post anything online for the past couple days. My poor mama thought I was hurt. Sorry Mama for scaring you…
So, it’s done. What now?
Well, something I didn’t expect was motivating others to also do their own Happy Days Challenge. The kids from my church back at home are now several day’s into their own challenges. Even my own dad has stated that he’s going to begin doing the challenge when the new year begins. It’s pretty amazing to know that you’ve sparked a little inspiration for others to do something like this.
Otherwise, when it comes to it, the lessons I’ve learned are the following:
- Happiness comes in different sizes. Don’t always look for the big things.
- Don’t expect yourself to be happy all the time. It’s “OK” if you have a downer day. Just make sure that you’ve got something to smile about.
- I’m very fortunate to be surrounded by beautiful people – family, friends, and students alike. Without them, I wouldn’t have had a reason to smile.
- Lastly, as I stated on Day 100: “…do not rely on just happiness to make you happy. There are other factors that come into play, such as love towards others and self-love. If you don’t have that balance, then it’s pointless to seek happiness.”
So there you have it. I’m glad that I finished it and learned more things about myself. So what’s the next challenge for me? Nothing plan so far. I’ll keep you guys posted.
With love from the land of the kimchi,
– A
Stickers
A student walked into the institute today with his arms covered in stickers. Turns out that his children put those stickers on him. It was so adorable that he didn’t bother to remove them when he came to attend his class. It’s as if he’s proud of the fact that his children just decorated him.
After a brief chat, he then went ahead, took one sticker off his arm, and placed it on my arm.
Exploring Sokcho
Someone once asked me why I like to travel alone. Am I not lonely? My immediate response was that I just enjoyed it. But after thinking more about it, I think I also like the solitude of being alone as I observe my new surroundings. To listen. This is usually the case especially after several days of being surrounded by people and constantly speaking. Don’t misunderstand, I like people a lot. And the fact that I only have a few good friends here in South Korea kills. But after being surrounded by people for work, I just need to be alone for a day and a half at most, THEN I crave to be back with company.
So for my alone time, I chose to travel to Sokcho. Going there on Chuseok Holiday may be the least recommended time to travel. Actually, traveling during Chuseok, from what I’ve been told, isn’t that recommended. Traffic was insane and I was riding the bus for over six hours. But it was all worth it once I arrived in my hotel room. I chose to stay in HJ House, which is about 5 minutes walk to the beach. However, had a little opsie when I was trying to enter my room… watch the room tour video below…
Sokcho has recently become more popular, thanks to Pokemon Go. It was one of the first things I noticed upon arriving at the beach. Most of the people were on their phones playing the game. I nearly jumped on the bandwagon to play, but decided against it as I didn’t want my phone battery dying quickly and didn’t want to use up my data… Otherwise, the town seem’s very idyllic and it made me wish a tiny bit that I was camping on the beach instead.
Anyways, here’s how my stay in Sokcho looked like 🙂
– A
Places I visited:
- Sokcho Beach
- Sokcho Expo Tower
- Cheongcho Lake
- Seokbong Ceramic Museum
- Sokcho Rodeo Street
- Jungang Market
- Sokcho Lighthouse Observatory
- Abai Village
- Gaetbae Boat
Gear:
- Sony Alpha 5100
Lunch break
It must be fall season now. The weather is getting cooler and my trench coat has been pulled out from my closet. Next thing I know, I’m back to wearing boots! Just waiting for the leaves to turn into its fiery color this year.
With cooler weather beginning, I find myself making my way outdoors more often. Maybe just to catch more sunlight for myself or just to soak in more warmth as I brace myself for the cold winter months coming up ahead.
I’m fortunate to be living very close to a big park. When things can get a bit busy at work, during my breaks, I can just easily drop by this place for a quick stroll.
My lunch breaks are usually the best times to go to this place. Other ahjumma’s and ahjusshi’s would be found doing their noon-time exercise out here, but it doesn’t interrupt the birds from singing. Otherwise, I’m always be lucky to find a very quiet spot to read a book and write.
Hoping that even as the weather turns, that I still find myself outside just to enjoy nature’s presence.
-A
A street cat and a cafe…
Found myself back in Seoul. This time around, it’s for work rather than my own leisure. But even though that’s the case, I still try to squeeze in a couple hours of fun into the visit since it does take a 4 hour bus ride to the city from where I’m from.
This time around, Matt – my local tour guide – took me to this cafe called Cafe Laundry. 
Upon arrival, we were greeted by this lovely tabby. My heart melted. She was so sweet and friendly, I didn’t give a care that I was allergic to cats.
She made herself quite at home where we were seated, and I was just enjoying her company. This is what happens to an animal deprived gal.
Once the cat left (to my disappointment), Matt and I got to chatting with the owner of the cafe. The owner, who also happens to be a talented artist, shared with us that this cat is just the neighborhoods friendly cat. She just felt really comfortable to be with us. 
The cat’s absence allowed me to better observe my surroundings. As I sipped my freshly made grape juice and Matt snaps away photos of his coffee, I noticed that although the place was small, it has a fun side to it.
As I mentioned, the owner is an artist. At first glance, you think she barely decorated her cafe. But it takes a second glance to notice hidden art pieces. You’ll need to visit to see what I’m talking about. 
I always enjoy being in creative spaces. It makes for great conversations and spending ones time. Plus, the visit was even more special with the cat around.
Exploring Seoul with Chea
Meeting friends on this side of the planet is always a great treat! This time around, I’ve finally caught up with my friend since high school – Richard Chea. Or Chea for short.
The last time we saw each other was about six years ago, after I left the high school we both attended for a private academy. Since then, along with a couple others, I kept in touch with him.
When I learned that he was here in South Korea last year, I reached out to him to ask him about his own experience living and teaching here. Before I arrived, he has finished his work-study experience and has returned to California before we could have the chance to meet up.
Until this past month. He came back for a visit and we finally got the chance to hang-out!
For lunch, we hit up one of his favorite restaurants – Nine Road Pizzeria in Gangnam. It was my first time trying out the restaurant’s food, and it wasn’t disappointing!
After lunch, we explored a bit of Gangnam – only to quickly head off to Banpo Bridge (since he hasn’t been there before). Personally, I think the best time to go to this place is at night, when you can witness the Rainbow Fountain show, whilst eating take-out chicken. But since I had to head back home that night for work the next day, we had to make do with daylight.
On a clear and sunny day, Seoul is amazing to be in. This is especially true when you’re strolling next to the Han River and you can easily spot Namsan Tower from where you’re standing. While in the Banpo Bridge area, I highly suggest visiting Some Sevit (Seoul Floating Islands). It has a couple restaurants, shops, and a Hello Artist exhibition featuring a digitalized rendition of Vincent van Gogh’s artwork. The exhibit was was both educational and beautiful.
Although our hangout was brief, it was great catching up with Chea. Especially on this side of the planet!
-A
Breakfast for one
Sabbath morning.
I forced myself to sleep in some more, even though my body woke me up around 6AM – the usual time I would get up during the week. This time around, my body is sore from the workout I had this past week, especially from yesterday’s workout when my friend helped me pump some steel. I made a promise to myself to care better for myself by exercising, sleeping more, and eating better. Especially breakfast.
On the breakfast menu:
- Chicken (simmered in doengjang) sandwich
- Coffee
- Cucumbers
-A
P.S. Because I live alone, I’m still learning how to cook for one. It’s been a challenge, but a good learning experience. For those living alone too, how do you do it?
Teaching English in South Korea
It’s been about ten months since I began teaching English here in South Korea. The experience in the classroom was initially very intimidating. Although I was trained, I was nervous and somewhat dreading that first term of teaching. Eventually, I got over the nervousness and improved on my teaching style. This is thanks to my coworkers and students who were willing to teach me and were very patient with me.
If you are interested in teaching English here in South Korea or just simply need another source of inspiration when it comes to teaching, here are some tips from me to you:
- Understand the basics of the Korean language. Although you can get away with not speaking the language when teaching them English, I found it much more effective to be aware of the basics of the Hangul pronunciation and sentence structure. Being aware of that allowed me to better help my students pronounce their words much better than when I didn’t know. I am able to also explain to them that there is a difference between “fun” and “funny” (they use the same word in their language. My students tended to confuse them both often).
- Understand how sounds are being formed in your mouth. If you are able to show and explain how to do this right, it makes pronunciation much more easier for them. for example, in Korean, they have no differentiation between “R” and “L” as in their alphabet, it is represented by the same symbol. Note that for the “L” pronunciation, the tip of the tongue toes to the roof of the mouth, whereas for “R,” the tongue touches nothing.
- Grammar matters. Know the basics so you can explain well. Plus, students tend to hunt you down with a grammar question.
- Don’t be afraid to correct your students when they speak. Even if they’re mid-sentence. Be proactive in their learning so it would let them know that they are being looked after.
- Be patient. Not only with your students but also with yourself. You’ll learn the ropes of teaching soon enough as you continue to teach. But if you’ve already been teaching for a while, remember to be patient and forgiving with yourself. Not only will your students appreciate you for your patience, you will also appreciate yourself for doing so.
- Be brave. Don’t be scared when your students speak in Korean and you have no idea what they’re saying. They’re just helping each other clarify things – especially when you cannot.
- Smile. Show them that you’re enjoying spending time with the class and the work you’re doing. If you look like you’re enjoying yourself, your students can relax and enjoy too. (They are nervous themselves!).
- Pray for them and their success. And let them know that you’re doing so!
Hope these tips are helpful to you! Have something to share? Let me know!
– A
Nicknames
For the past 24 years of my life, I’ve received nicknames from family, friends, and schoolmates. Some of them are unique whereas others are just… random with no connection to who I am. These nicknames do reveal something about myself as an individual. Well, some do at least.
- Dimple. Since my birth, this name has always been a part of my identity. How did I get the name? I was told that when I was born, I had about 18 dimples on my face (I must’ve been one chubby baby). Thus the name stuck with me. It was so that I didn’t even know what my real name was until I entered elementary school. Although I knew that Dimple was just my nickname, I never used my real name until my family emigrated to the U.S. Then, I became Arve. I’ve always thought that this nickname was my Philippine identity, whereas the name I now go with is my American me.
- Harajuku Girl. Back in high school, when I was part of the show choir, my friend Vallene Karamoy (now Mrs. Hasibuan) and I spent so much time together. It got to the point that our show choir leaders noticed. Apparently, we’d always be walking into our rehearsal room together and would always be spotted together around school. Our leaders dubbed us as the Harajuku Girls for our “twin-like” and inseparable habit. And also because we were both Asians…
- Agave. The most randomest nickname of all. This came from my best friend’s ex. Apparently, my name reminded him of “agave.” Go figure. Because of that, my best friend, Nadinne, became Nektar – dubbing her and I as “Agave and Nektar”.
Have a nickname? What is the story behind it? Share with me!
– A
Places And Spaces To Be In 