I've always wanted to consider myself spontaneous, and now I finally can! As Fall Break was approaching and exam season was roaring it's ugly head, I decided that I was going to go to Korea! No, not North Korea. Why does everyone keep asking me that? South Korea! Duh! The land of KPOP and Korean Dramas. And, what's more, from the moment I decided, my departure date was set for the next week. How's that for spontaneous? It was surprisingly easy to get everything set up. Buying a place ticket, booking a hotel(?) room, finding someone to go with, everything went rather smoothly. For the last thing, all I had to do was ask a few friends if they wanted to go to Korea with me next week, and voila! I had a taker. Although the rushed planning was a bit stressful for Mia, because she was going with me, I no longer felt any worries. I knew everything would work out fine! And, of course, I am writing this from Japan after the fact. Spoiler Alert: I made it there and back without dying. It is amazingly cheap to be able to fly to Seoul, South Korea from Tokyo, Japan. It didn't even cost me $200 for a 5 day trip. The hotel(?) was even more amazing! For 4 nights for 2 people it was even cheaper than the flight! Mia and I each spent only about $80! Pretty awesome, right? Of course, with the drop in price, there are bound to be things not so desirable. For one thing, the room at the place was TINY. Like puny. Like, half of the size of my bedroom in my dorm at ICU. There were bunk beds in it that were better than sleeping on the floor, but only just barely. The mattresses were quite solid and the pillow wasn't the typical awesome hotel pillow that you dream about before going on a vacation. It was mediocre at best. The bathroom was also small, and the whole thing doubled as a shower and apparently the water pressure was horrible! But there were good things too! The room itself was a pretty nice quality and didn't feel dirty. There was a TV and a heater/air conditioner that allowed you to control the temperature (although that did end up falling off the wall randomly). And it was a private room, just for Mia and I, with a lock and everything. Although I find it difficult to really consider it a hotel, it didn't feel like a hostel in the slightest. On the other hand, although it was cheap, the flight was great! It almost felt like the amenities on it were the same, if not better than the flight I had to Japan! Asiana gets an A+ from me! From tons of leg room, to a foot rest, to a remote for the TV on the seat, to a nice adjustable headrest, it felt completely different from my Delta flight, and any others that I've been on for that matter. Although the flight was less than 3 hours, they gave us a full meal too! It was extraordinary! The only thing lacking was that you only were allowed one bag. Whether you checked it or brought it on the flight, it was still only one. And this was an international flight! That was the only thing I found weird. Here's some pictures I took of the flight amenities :) All in all, despite having very little time to prepare, everything worked out well and I didn't have to fork over my entire wallet to do so! The spontaneity made me feel adventurous and excited, and the good results make me want to continue being so!
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Since my stay in Japan, I have begun to feel like quite the mountaineering expert! I'll have you know, I have now hiked up and down mountains on three whole occasions throughout my life, all within the last three months! If you don't claim expertise from this experience, than I can't imagine what I could possibly do to deserve the honored title. From my deep and meaningful expeditions, I've come to realize that hiking is like the ocean. Yes. You heard me correctly. Rocks = ocean. It's as easy as chocolate = love. Basically, I find that my perspective changed often, almost coming and going in waves. On my first hike I must admit I was arrogant. I proudly walked with minimal muscle ache for an extended period of time at an impressive incline. It was tiring but nothing I couldn't handle and I was keeping up with the experienced people in front of me much better than the people behind me were, so I was feeling quite pleased with myself. For about an hour. That was the first wave of hubris. Then I reached the enlightenment phase. Do you know what it feels like to be physically exhausted but to have to continue on anyway? It really messes with your head. For me, it creates a lightheaded sensation, and then it separates my consciousness from my physical motion thus enabling my body to continue it's laborious and painful trek without tying my mind down. In these moments, when the mind is completely separated from the physical world, it's what I would imagine Buddhist Enlightenment to feel like. You feel at peace. At one with the world. And above all you do not feel the pain that is obviously there. In these moments I have the thought that if anyone is feeling depressed, then they should try hiking. It brings everything to life and just makes you happy to be alive. But, like the tide, this wave must also recede, and in it's place comes pain and desperation. I then realize that hiking truly cannot be for everyone. Especially not everyone like me who has poor stamina and is not a workout nut. I would wonder why I was doing this to myself, when we would finally get to the top, and if I could actually make it. These are the three waves of the mountains. I assure you, they come and go, all three playing a game of tag inside me as I hike. Some moments, when it feels too easy to be true after eras of exhaustion, I start to think that I had a physical breakthrough in the span of a few hours and all of the sudden I have become an invincible hiker! But of course that isn't the case, so eventually the pain and pessimism returns, followed by the forced enlightenment. And so on and so forth. So, this begs the question, is it worth it? ... I think so! Pain is just weakness leaving the body, so think of how many calories you are burning, how much muscle you are building, and suck it up! Enlightenment is a truly glorious feeling, so it's probably worth enduring a bit of pain to experience it every once in a while. And then, there's the main reason that you would want to be hiking in the first place: it's beautiful! Just look at these and feast your eyes! All of this was possible because I joined the Wandervogel Club at ICU. You get to explore the numerous mountains around the Tokyo area and spend time with fun people while immersed in nature. It's been a truly wonderful experience that I've had while staying in Japan.
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AuthorThe name's Sarah. From September, 2017 to June, 2018 I will be your guide through life as an exchange student in Tokyo. (Some guide I am. It's like I just left you in the middle of nowhere so that I could go off on my own adventures!) Archives
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