On Friday, October 23rd, I moved in with a family in Las Mesas where I was offered room and board for 250/month. My boss in the primary school, Yolanda, also organised after school lessons for me so that I could make some extra cash. That evening Yolanda came to pick me up for a trip to Guadalajara. After arriving we went to have dinner at a restaurant with really big bocadillos.
The next day we went on an excursion into Guadalajara and saw lots of cool places, like the Palacio del Infantado and the Pantheon.
For lunch we had some paella & flan and then went to Alcala de Henares for churros con chocolate. On to way to get the churros we passed through a wine festival and, after stopping again for some cheap tapas, we went to the Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso.
After that we went back to Yolanda's and the next day we went back to Alcala de Henares for merienda before returning to Las Mesas.
On Thursday, October 22nd, I taught at the school and sorted out my Spanish bank account before heading back to Pedro Munoz with Julio for some Merluza (Hake) and rice. Later on after siesta, we went on another excursion. This time we went to El Toboso to see la casa de Dulcinea (the house of Dulcinea). As with the giants in Campo de Criptana, la casa de Dulcinea is the purported site of a famous scene in the fictional novel by Cervantes called Don Quixote which is also known as The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha. According to this particular tale, crazy old Don Quixote is meandering around on his way to some place for some contrived reason when he comes upon a simple peasant woman named Dulcinea.
Well, in his usual psycho way, he assumes that this woman (who, according to Sancho, is rather plain, quite loud and a even bit masculine) is some sort of princess and he vows to defend her honor somehow by going on a "quest" for her for some reason even though he hasn't met her and doesn't actually know anything about her... I think at this point he goes on a killing spree at a local pub. Anyway, after exploring the rather large "house" of Dulcinea (it actually does lend itself to the idea that she was a princess), Julio and I walked around the pueblo a bit. We saw a couple of large statues of the Don and Dulcinea and then went back to Pedro Munoz for kebabs.
On Wednesday, October 21st, Julio and I went to work. On the way he jokingly told me of the "selvas de vino en la Sahara del Manchego" or basically: the wine producing jungles in Spain's version of the Sahara which is inhabited by local people of Castilla la Mancha (Manchegos). Indeed, the vast expanse of vineyards in Spain could easily be compared to that of a desert - endless. Interestingly, as the region lends it's name to it's inhabitants, so does each pueblo; the people of Belmonte are Belmontenos, in Las Pedroneras they call themselves Pedroneros, the Mesenos live in Las Mesas and so it goes from pueblo to pueblo all throughout Spain.
At the school I presented a PowerPoint introducing myself and the land I am from to each of my classes. The day went by pretty quickly and soon Julio and I were back in the pueblo of Pedro Munoz. We picked up some "pan tierno" (fresh bread) and, after returning home, had "merienda" - a light meal usually eaten between lunch and dinner. After that we relaxed for siesta and then headed out on an excursion to Campo de Criptana.
On the way we stopped at a local wetland park followed by the santuario de la Santísima Virgen de Criptana - a cathedral in Campo de Criptana which overlooks the countryside. After that we made a trip over to "los gigantes de Don Quijote" (the giants from Don Quixote). Of course, if you've ever heard the story of Don Quixote, you know that the "giants" are actually just wind mills or "molinos" mistaken by Don Quixote (the crazy old semi-protagonist of the story) for giants. As part of his senile decision making process, Quijote makes the valiant pledge to take down the would-be aggressors (assuming that giants existed anywhere outside of his wild imagination). With sword drawn, he charges toward them in an attempt to slay his rather stationary foe... disregarding the vain cries of his squire, Sancho, who has the futile notion that he might actually be able to talk some sense into his kooky companion.
Pretty wild story right? Just another tale from the adventures of Don Quixote de la Mancha: an instant classic which has been around for centuries... origin of the Spanish conquistador perhaps?
On Saturday, the 17th of October, I boarded my plane to Spain and, after a total of about 17 hours flying, I was finally there. I met up with Julio, another professor from my school, and we went to get some tapas before making the drive out to the pueblos. I was really lucky as Julio was not only hosting and showing me around, but he and the school had prepared everything else for my arrival as well.
Most Auxiliares de Conversation / Cultural Ambassadors / Language Assistants, as we're called, have to figure out everything themselves when they arrive - transportation, accommodation, legal documents, etc. Fortunately, my school was happy to help me with everything. They mailed my documents, made appointments for my TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero or "foreigner identity card"), set up a bank account and even put together a mutually beneficial after-school program so that I had some extra cash flow and wouldn't have to seek out my own private classes right away.
After arriving at Julio's place in Pedro Muñoz, we ate lunch and took advantage of siesta - a traditional break period between the hours of two and five. This doesn't necessarily mean people sleep the whole time as the stereotype suggests (in fact, the nap, if taken, is usually only about 15 minutes), but it certainly doesn't mean they can't either. I probably slept through siesta time every day that week (as Julio likes to remind me). It wasn't until dinner that I saw fit to climb out of bed so that we could go get Bocadillos - basically the Spanish version of the ham and cheese sandwich.
The next day I went to Cuenca with Elena, another professor from my school, and applied for my TIE in person... a long trip but necessary in order to fulfill one of the many bureaucratic requirements of working in Spain. Later on, we went back to Las Mesas so that I could meet my students.
Everyone was super friendly and excited to meet me; they had even made a sign to welcome me. Although, as it turns out, everyone at the school had mistaken my surname as my first name... a fairly humorous error that would be repeated over the first month or so about a thousand times a day as the primary students all yell my name every time they see me.
On Tuesday, the 13th of October, I went back to Ellensburg for a final visit with my brother, Sam. We had a good time hanging out and enjoyed some pretty nice local Mexican food at Fiesta Mexican Restaurant. We also went up into the mountains and did some off-roading with his Jeep which, as you can see in the video below, was a bit more of a challenge than your everyday, casual backroad jaunt.
For my last week in the states I did a few things: I learned to cut my own hair (a bit tricky on the back but taking photos with the camera helps); I tried a few restaurants with my mum (5 Guys in downtown Puyallup, Hawaiian BBQ at the Tacoma Mall, and some old favorites - Taco Del Mar and Cold Stone); I bought some secondhand clothing (used stuff fits better, is often higher quality and comes at a fraction of the price); and I finished packing my bags. On Saturday, the 17th of October, I flew to JFK, New York and then, finally, Spain.
On Thursday, September 10th, my dad and I laid the foundation for my tiny house. The day before that we had finished preparing the forms but we still needed a foundation for the foundation. Early in the morning we started by piling up a solid base for the slab to sit on and we placed some plywood around the outsides of the forms to contain the concrete. We also had to put some dirt around the plywood to keep it from bowing out. Finally, the cement truck arrived and we started pouring.
A week later I came back and we started putting up the walls. We were at it for a couple of days and the third wall had to be lifted up by the excavator so that we could carefully lower it down over the plumbing that we had stubbed off around the perimeter.
During the following week back in Puyallup, I went with my mom to have lunch with the
Stampers for their 69th anniversary. We met at Indochine in Tacoma where they had ordered mountains of super delicious Asian food from different cultures - definitely a place worth checking out if you have the cash.
A few days later I was back with my dad putting the roofing on my tiny house. This took two days and, a few days after doing that, we installed the power cables and lights. We also installed the door and the outdoor electrical socket for plugging in a mobile home.
On Monday, the 10th of August, I went wakeboarding with my dad and my brother, Sam. Later, Sam and I went to Ellensburg to check out his bike and see if I might want to buy it. Unfortunately, his bike wasn't even in good enough shape to get back to Puyallup, so I had to borrow his car. The next day I went back to my job at Pierce College in Puyallup (the same security job I left a few years back when I went to Australia). It's a really great job with awesome people, a flexible work schedule and good wildlife spotting opportunities as you can see above. So yeah, I was definitely happy to be back. Over the next few weeks I spent a fair amount of my time working at the school and for my neighbors, the Stampers while also house sitting for some other friends. I figure I was making pretty good use of my time. I also managed to finally sort out a motorcycle at the end of my first month back home.
The bike is almost exactly like the second one I bought in New Zealand - simple, small 250cc, dual purpose (enduro) and.., Chinese. Unfortunately, as I found out, American mechanics are extremely reluctant to go near these bikes and, as expected, I needed some work done. Well, my dad was able to fix the main problems so that the bike would last through summer but, after that, the safety of the bike would become a concern.
After I bought the bike I went to get it registered in Parkland... where I saw the first of two people that month that I would see running around naked. The other would be at the school and both were in broad daylight... the cops and I had no luck finding the second guy, but I'm not sure I'm really so disappointed about that.
Overall, the main reoccurring theme this month was in relation to my visa for Spain. I must have sent about a million emails to people at the Spanish consulate and the police headquarters in Hong Kong about my background check there. First, Hong Kong demanded a letter from my employer (the Spanish government) stating that the background check was necessary, but the Spanish government just told me to send the Hong Kong police to the program website - which states that I need a background check from every country I've lived in over the last five years (for me that's Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and America). Of course, Hong Kong didn't like that idea, so I forwarded this to the Spanish consulate who finally agreed to provide the letter. This all took about a month but, of course, it wasn't enough... The Hong Kong government then wanted written authorization from me in order to use MY fingerprints (ATTACHED to my application) in MY background check...
Confused yet? It gets better. They only accept snail mail (no emailed scans or faxes) which, considering that this is China we're talking about, takes over a week to be delivered. Furthermore, after they finally received everything (listed here: Certificate of No Criminal Record) they still needed about a week to process my payment (which cost me double the amount just to convert and send it in their currency - no online payments or USD accepted) and they needed another week after that to process my background check. Only then (in October), after I was already late for my program, did they finally send the background check to, not me (because they don't trust the certificate in the hands of the subject of the background check), but rather the Spanish consulate who then had to combine the background check with my visa application even though the background check was technically required to be submitted WITH said visa application... ya esta!
Aside from all of that insanity, I also had to make several trips back and forth to Olympia during this time in order to get my American background checks sorted which, fortunately, no longer included the FBI check as neither government could seem to get their act together in a reasonable amount of time. I'm pretty sure that any normal person would have just called this whole thing a miss but, what can I say? I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment!
Wow, still reading? Good on ya. Here's a video of bunnies that I took while I was at work...
On Sunday, the 26th of July, I went to my dad's and we had a look at the property that I bought while I was in Hong Kong. Well, I've never been so happy to see a bunch of dirt! For the amount I paid I never would have expected such a prime piece of real estate. Of course, my dad (Norman Clark from Reid Real Estate) saw to it that I got just that. My flat, quarter-acre corner lot came with two entrances (with culverts), a lake view through the trees and is tucked away in a nice, quiet neighborhood. Not a bad spot!
The next day my dad and I bought all the electrical stuff for putting my meter in and began the improvements. Aside from his years of experience in real estate, my dad also has all the practical knowledge necessary for developing a piece of property (electrical, plumbing, etc.). I mean, he built his own house so I figure he's got it pretty well sussed out.
Later on, my brother Sam came and we went to go buy an SUV. My dad and brother both have talent when it comes to fixing pretty much anything and this was just another opportunity for my brother to cash in on that. Over the next few days we worked on the property and got the meter installed for the electricity. Then on Friday, the 31st of July, we had a nice swim in my dad's lake and I headed over to visit my sister, Jennifer.
Over the next week I sorted out paperwork for going back to work at my security job, did a motorcycle course (turns out my New Zealand license and year of riding experience don't count for anything in America...), went to the free clinic to get my medical checkup for Spain, and did some building work with my dad and some friends.
On Thursday, the 23rd of July, I arrived back in the states a little after noon. My first stop was to pick up a sim card followed by a visit to my neighbors whom I hadn't seen or talked to for a couple years. The next day I rode my mom's motorcycle to visit all my coworkers/friends at my old college and later I renewed my license.
On my third day back I went to hang out with some old friends from high school and university. I met up with Josh and we had some Taco Bell with Loi before heading to Seattle to see Paco and visit our alma mater - the University of Washington.
On Sunday, July 19th, I had breakfast at the airport with Chu Sum before saying goodbye and boarding my flight to South Korea. When I arrived I was met by some friends who took me to Ansan where I met with my friend Testimony and saw my other friend Aaron who is from New Zealand. This was a surprise for both of us, especially when you consider that we weren't even in an English speaking country. Testimony then took me out for some of the famous Korean BBQ and later we all went for some Korean ice dessert.
The next day Testimony took me out for a traditional Korean breakfast (mostly bean sprouts and lots of spice!) and showed me around a bit. Later I went to meet my friend Jeong, who I met while working in Milford Sound, New Zealand, and we walked around Seoul. We visited the National Assembly Building (parliament), sat by the Han River and went to Burger King.
On day three I went to check out Seoul with Aaron and Jeong. We had some really good Bulgogi for lunch and then Aaron had to head back so Jeong and I went to an art museum.
While we were at the museum I got in touch with my friend Suji (a former colleague from the UW) and we agreed to meet up in Insadong. Though, before heading over there, Jeong and I decided to go to Bukchon (North Village).
Bukchon had a lot of really cool traditional houses and some great views. After walking around in the hutong-like alleys and seeing the sites, we met up with Suji for coffee at the Insadong Shopping Mall. Finally, Jeong and I went to meet up with another friend from Milford (his girlfriend, Ellen) for a big hotpot buffet dinner. Hot pot is great - you just grab a bunch of tasty meats, veggies, noodles, etc. and chuck it all in a boiling pot in the middle of the table. I reckon its probably one of the most popular things to do with friends in Korea.
The next day Aaron, Testimony and I had another Korean breakfast, some bubble tea and went to Hanyang University. Then we went for lunch at an interesting restaurant where I had a very interesting meal, a Korean specialty - dog soup.
It wasn't the most flavorful meat but the soup wasn't bad as they did a decent job adding spices to compensate. After lunch we went for a walk in the park before heading to the airport... Today was the day. For the first time in three and a half years I was finally going home. I boarded my plane for the 11 hour flight that would bring me back stateside... to America.
On Friday, July 17th, it was my last day of hanging out in Hong Kong so I went to Ocean Park with Chu Sum for a visit we had been planning since I first arrived. After arriving on the bus, we took the cable car up to the rides area and had a look around. We went on a few small ones to warm up but I wasn't going to let Chu Sum leave without going on some of the bigger rides - he had never been on one of them before.
Well, we soon discovered that Chu Sum is actually quite fond of the big rides and couldn't get enough! We probably would have been riding the rides all night if we didn't have somewhere else to be. Still, between the roller coasters and repeat visits to the drop tower, we managed a visit to some of the interesting animals of Ocean Park.
The next day I finished packing my bags and had dinner at Chu Sums. The following morning would be my last day in Hong Kong and my first day in South Korea.
On Wednesday, July 15, Chu Sum, Waji and I went to Tap Mun (Grass Island) for camping. After arriving, we made our way into the jungle and soon found ourselves surrounded by giant Golden Orb spiders which are the same spiders as some in Australia that are known to eat birds.
We continued hiking around the island until we found ourselves back at the beginning of a loop. We walked a bit further before setting up camp and, after an attempt at swimming in some shallow waves in low light, starting dinner. We decided to cook up some BBQ using our custom camping stove that Chu Sum put together with toilet paper, lighter fluid and some empty cans. The toilet paper acted as a wick and the lighter fluid fueled a flame that was surprisingly effective for cooking. That night it was so hot that nobody could sleep... though I'd have to say I probably made the most effort to that end. Meanwhile, the others were out running around and playing with fire...
The next day we woke up to a beautiful sunrise and went for a swim. This time we had a bit more light and we found a place where the water was easier to access without walking on too many sharp rocks. The deeper water made it easy to swim around between the boulders and explore which was a lot of fun with the use of my goggles.
Finally, we headed back to the main village, had some breakfast at a little restaurant and took the ferry back to Ma Liu Shui Ferry Pier in Sha Tin. That night I enjoyed a big dinner at a nice restaurant with some of the water polo guys. I now only had two days left in Hong Kong before heading off to South Korea and then back to the USA.
On Monday, July 13th, I went to Tai O with Anita to see the pink dolphins (Chinese white dolphin). We left from a fishing village with lots of boats and stilted buildings and it was there that we also saw some strange little temples. I suppose they're pretty common in Hong Kong but I was a bit taken aback by this one which had a warrior statue giving us the finger...
Temples are not really my thing anyway but there wasn't much else to see in the village. They also have a lot of dried fish but, again, not something I'm really interested in.
The boat took us out for about 20 HKD (about 2-3 USD) and we had a good half an hour or so to look for the dolphins. While we weren't able to get any really great shots, we did see quite a few of them. Overall, I'd say it was worth it just for the experience and I'm sure that a lot of people manage to get better photos/video than I did.
Over the last couple weeks I saw some friends for the last time as I would soon be leaving Hong Kong. I had another dinner in Causeway Bay with Sarah, Peter and their family and went swimming with friends in Tuen Mun after a big feed at Grace's. On Thursday, 2nd of July, I went for traditional noodles with Anita and Chu Sum and we visited an interesting museum with displays showing the lifestyle in Hong Kong over the years.
About a week later Chu Sum and I went swimming at Shek O. This time we joined the crowds at the main beach where they have floating islands you can swim to. We body surfed, played "find the rock" and dived off the floating islands - it was a fun day.
June was the month of cliff jumping. On Tuesday, the 9th of June, Ayden and I took the MTR to Choi Hung Station, the minibus to Sai Kung and another bus to Sai Wan Pavilion. From there, we hiked 40 min and arrived at our destination - Sheung Luk Stream. We jumped off the cliffs and swam for a few hours then realized that we would be too late to take the bus back. So we hiked... for three hours to another village where we could catch a bus back to Sai Kung.
About a couple weeks later, I went back with Jurgen, Chu Sum, Isaac and Juanito. We jumped all day as well but, this time, we took a taxi back from the pavilion.
