1February 2016bibimbap{ {Live, Teach, Share

2

For questions and comments concerning articles please contact the writer via their emails listed at the end of their articles

For general inquiries contact:

BibimbapNews@gmail.com

general managment

Chris Devison chrisofficeofeducation@yahoo.com Dinh Nguyen d11nguye@gmail.com

Lindsay Ross Ross6520@gmail.com

copy editor

Edward Chaneyedwardtchaney@gmail.com

art director

Dinh Nguyen

production team

Chris Devison Dinh Nguyen

Edward Chaney

Joe Campbell

Kenny Short

Susan Sahab

Lindsay Ross

Richard Tang

photographers

Richard TangJoe Campbell Susan Sahab

front cover photo : Richard Tang

All non-credited photos, courtesy of creative commons.

EST. 2013 • Volume 3 • Issue 5 • February 2016bibimbap{ {

Chris Devison is the Provincial Coordinator for the Jeollanamdo Language Program. He has lived in South Korea for almost 10 years, and has spent six of those years in his current position. Aside from assisting public school teachers with their contract and school life, he has a keen interest in health and wellness. Having lived in both Western and Eastern cultures, he has a strong understanding of the healthiest practices of both worlds.

Before coming to South Korea, Dinh Nguyen was a Canadian journalist. He has 6 years experience as an editor, reporter, and desktop publishing designer. After obtaining his CELTA in 2012, he moved to Yeosu to follow his passion for teaching and traveling. He recently completed the CELTA YLE, and is working on his DELTA. He is also he co-founder of ESL Nomads.

Copy Editor, Edward Chaney worked for the Hayden's Ferry Review, a literary journal published out of Arizona State University (ASU). He was exposed to the Jeollanamdo Language Program during an internship with ASU’s MTESOL program. Since then, he and his wife has moved to South Korea, and will be finishing up their first year come April.

After completing his degree and travelling around Canada exten-sively, Joseph Campbell recently moved to South Korea to teach English and immerse himself in a foreign and fascinating culture. He is always looking for something new to learn, and you won’t find many topics that don’t interest him.

Lindsay Ross is a Canadian teacher in South Korea. After get-ting her bachelor of education in 2011, she moved to South Korea, and has been living in Mokpo since. She has taught at the middle and high school levels. Among other articles, Lindsay also researches and put together the Holiday schedule and events calendar for Bibimbap.

Starting off in Hong Kong with a Canon 550D, Richard Tang ventured out to experience Asian culture. 3 years later, he is now carrying his Olympus E-M10 across South Korea. As a NET and photographer, he hopes to share the views and culture he experi-ences with anyone who is interested.

The Editorial Team

Susan Sahab is an English teacher in Hwasun and is currently starting her second year in Korea. As an Art History major, she is pas-sionate about both the historical and aesthetic significance of art and photography. Her passions include photography, music, cooking, and illustration. In an attempt to continue her art while teaching, in her free time she teaches traditional art classes at the Gwangju International Center and tries to shoot as often as possible..

For over a year, Kenny Short has been a Native English Teacher in Yeosu. Prior to his time in South Korea, he has taught English in Colombia, Guatemala, and Seattle. He is currently completing his K-6 teaching endorsement through the online teacher train-ing program, Teach-Now. Kenny is interested in student-centered teaching methodology, ed-tech, and ed-policy.

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Upcoming holiday and event calendar 4 6

8Photo essay: Coffee in Jeju

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The South Korean dating culture

A break-down of renewal evaluations

Behind the cover

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Healthy Musings: Curbing your sugar addiction

Photo essay: Teachers of Korea

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Feb 19 - Mar 1: JejuHueree Apricot Flower Festival (휴애리매화축제; Jeju-do)

Feb 22: DaeguDalbaeDalmaji (Full Moon) Festival (대구달배달맞이축제; Daegu)

Feb 22: NamsangolHanok Village Daeboreum (Moonlight Fire Show) Event (남산골한옥마을세시맞이정월대보름; Seoul)

Feb 27 - Mar 1: Uljin Snow Crab Festival (울진대게와붉은대게축제; Gyeongsangbuk-do)

March 3 - 6: Jeju Fire Festival (제주들불축제; Jeju-do)

Mar 18-27: Gwangyang International

Maehwa Festival (광양매화축제; Jeollanam-do)

Mar 19-27: GuryeSansuyu Festival (구례산수유꽃축제; Jeollanam-do)

Mar 31 - Apr 3: Yeongdeok Snow Crab Festival (영덕대게축제; Gyeongsangbuk-do)

Apr 1-10: JinhaeGunhangje (Cherry Blossom) Festival (진해군항제; Gyeongsangnam-do)

Apr 1-3: Hwagae Cherry Blossoms Festival (화개장터벚꽃축제; Gyeongsangnam-do)

Apr 1-10:

Upcoming holidays and events

February

dinh nguyen

Holidays February 14 Valentine’s Day

February 14 Family Day (Canada) President’s Day (USA)

March 1 Independence Movement Day (Korea)

March 14 White day March 17 St. Patrick’s Day

March 25 Good Friday March 27 Easter Sunday

April 14 Black (Single’s) Day

April

March

YeongdeungpoYeouido Spring Flower Festival (영등포여의도봄꽃축제; Seoul)

Apr 7-10: Jindo Miracle Sea Road Festival (진도신비의바닷길축제; Jeollanam-do)

Apr 7-10: Daegaya History Experi-ence Festival (대가야체험축제; Gyeongsangbuk-do)

Apr 16 - May 8: Taean Tulip Festival (태안튤립축제; Chungcheongnam-do)

Dec 4, 2015 - Mar 13, 2016: Lighting Festival at The Garden of Morning Calm (아침고요수목원오색별빛정원

전; Gyeonggi-do)

Dec 24, 2015 - Feb 21, 2016: MulmalgeunYangpyeon-gIcefish Festival (물맑은양평빙어축제;

Gyeonggi-do)

Jan 1 - Feb 21: Chilgapsan Ice Fountain Festival (칠갑산얼음분수축제;

Chungcheongnam-do)

January 9 - March 26: Ganghwa Icefish Festival (강화빙어축제; Incheon)

Jan 10 - Feb 21: Cheongpyeong Snow-flake Festival (청평얼음꽃축제; Gyeonggi-do)

Ongoing

April

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Korean Expressions: Love

by lindsay ross ross6520@gmail.com

dinh nguyen

Girlfriend/boyfriend 여자친구 (yeo-ja-chin-gu)

남자친구 (nam-ja-chin-gu)

Blind date 미팅 — in a group (mee-ting),

소개팅— just two people (so-gae-ting)

Couple 연인 (yeon-in)

To date/become a couple 사귀다 (sa-gwi-da)

Term of endearment (darling, honey, sweety) 자기 (ja-gi), 여보 (yeo-bo)

You are beautiful/handsome 예뻐요 (yeh-beo-yo) 잘 생겼어요 (jalseng-gyeoss-eo-yo)

Could I have your number? 전화번호 좀 알려주세요

(jeon-hwa-bun-ho jom al-ryeo-joo-sae-yo)

Do you want to go on a date with me? ~에 시간돼요?

(literally “Do you have time … ?”

Do you have time on Saturday? 토요일에 시간돼요?

(toh-yo-il-eh si-gan-dwae-yo?)

Do you have time tonight? 오늘 밤에 시간돼요?

(oh-neul bam-eh si-gan-dwae-yo?)

You are my ideal type 제 이상형이에요

(jaeee-sang-hyeong-ee-ae-yo)

I love you~ 사랑해요 (sa-rang-hae-yo)

Would you like to get a coffee? 커피한잔할까요?

(keo-ppihan-janhal-gga-yo?)

Shall we have dinner together? 같이저녁먹을까요?

(gat-chi jeo-nyeokmeok-eul-gga-yo?)

Nice to see you again. 다시 만나서 반가워요.

(ta-shi man-na-seo ban-ga-weo-yo)

What kind of ___ do you like? 어떤 ___ 좋아해요? (eot-tteon _____ jo-ah-hey-yo?)

Food 음식 (eum-shik)

Music 음악 (eum-ak)

Movies 영화 (young-hwa)

When shall we meet again? 언제 다시 만날까요?

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Dating culture in South Korea From finding love to displaying affection in public

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ross6520@gmail.com

lindsay ross writer

Dating culture in Korea can differ quite a bit from dating culture in Canada. Here’s how I see it.

(Disclaimer: This post will not be about dating Korean men/women; men and women are different regardless of where they're born, and it's impossible and unfair to make sweeping generalizations about what it's like to date all of them. I am not inter-ested in perpetuating stereotypes. Rather, I want to share my views about what dating and couple culture usually looks like in Korea... ^^)

DatesHow do couples begin? Blind dating (소

개팅; so-geh-ting) is a common approach to meeting prospectives; a friend knows a friend, or a mom has a son. In some cases, those directly involved in the dates do the setting-up of these dates. In other cases, the blind date is set up entirely by concerned friends or family members. Blind dates also come in group forms simply called a "meeting" (미팅; meeting) where an equal number of men and women come together to hang out.

Date locations tend not to differ from what I've known: dinner, coffee, movies. Some-thing that is a bit different in Korea is the idea of a "date course." Boyfriends or girlfriends can Google specific date courses in their desired destination/location. The date course may take you from an afternoon in a green tea field and then to a well-known restaurant in the area for dinner. The idea of "date courses" coincides with my perception of dating being taken much more seriously in Korea than Canada.

Special DaysThe nature of couple holidays is the pin-

nacle of dating culture in Korea.

In terms of anniversaries, most couples in Korea celebrate much more than just monthly or yearly milestones. An important anniver-sary amongst Korean couples is the 100th day (100일). The first 100th day anniversary is the most important, but some couples also celebrate their 200th, 300th, 1000th day, and

so on (If you need help counting, here's a 100 Day Calculator on Naver). On these holidays, depending on each couples style, they will exchange letters and/or gifts. The significance of the 100 days anniversary in Korea is also recognized in a child's first 100 days of life. On this day, parents celebrate the fact that their child has endured the first vulnerable days of life (this dates back to a time when this was not such a sure possibility).

Other romantic holidays in Korea are often experienced to the extreme. Even holidays that aren't romantic in Canada, like Christmas, are almost exclusively couple holidays in Korea. When I ask my students if they're excited for Christmas their response is, almost unani-mously, "No, teacher. I'm single." Korea also celebrates:

Public Displays of Affection

There is a general absence of PDA in Korea aside from hand-holding. In the place of PDA, however, is "couple" everything: phone cases, travel mugs, t-shirts, watches, shoes, etc. There is no mis-taking the couples in Korea. Couple sets, like those below, come in varying degrees of subtlety.

These are some of the things that I have noticed about dating culture in Korea. Generally, couples are much more serious about their rela-tionship than most of those I've seen in Canada. There are underlying factors which would affect each culture's dating culture; Canada has a more pressure-free and individualistic attitude towards dating whereas Koreans sometimes have to consider their family when making decisions about their personal life. This being said, I would say that relationships and marriage are more important to Koreans (and are everyone's business) whereas Canadian couples tend to operate in private.

• January 14: Diary Day (couples exchange diaries and mark important days)

• February 14: Valentine’s Day (girl-friends give gifts to their boys)

• March 14: White Day (boyfriends give gifts to their girls)

• April 14: Black Day (an anti-romance day for single people)

• May 14: Rose Day

• June 14: Kiss Day

• July 14: Silver Day

• August 14: Green Day (couples seek green in nature, singles seek green soju bottles)

• September 14: Photo Day (official selfie day?)

• October 14: Wine Day

• November 11: Pepero Day (couples exchange this snack because it re-sembles 11.11) • November 14: Movie Day

• December14: Hug Day

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One thing I’m often asked about is the Native English Speaking Teachers (NEST) performance

evaluations and it’s no wonder since the NESTs never see them or really even get any feedback on their teaching. I’m not sure the reason for this, as they are great tool for professional growth when used correctly, but it is something I have come to learn to accept in my 6 years in the JLP office.

I understand the issue of the man-hours involved coupled with the number of employ-ees the JLP office has, but that doesn’t prevent our office from completing a lot of other time consuming tasks similar in nature.Through careful thought, I gather it has more to with saving face and maintaining harmony between the NEST and Ko-teacher/school.

Whatever the reason, I’m not able to show the evals to the NESTs or even disclose the score. However, I am always happy to discuss the results with them in-cluding any areas where the NEST might want to improve, and of course, is doing well.

Overall, most teachers tend to score high with the average score being about 93 or so. This is quite high, but when you think of the inflated Korean marking system, it is not a surprise.But, what does this score really mean?

Letter from the Coordinator

Breaking down the NEST evaluation How teachers are evaluated and what their scores are used for.

Your evaluation score is important for a number of reasons. First, if you intend to renew you must score at least an 80 on the evaluation. Eighty is a high pass mark, but when you consider very few fall below this mark and the average is 93, it is easily attainable.

Second if you wish to transfer, you must receive a score of 90 or higher. This is to ensure that a teacher who is going to be placed at another school is a teacher that is excelling at their job. In cases where someone wishes to transfer and only scores between 80-89, our office cannot offer a transfer, but will however offer the NEST a renewal at their current schoolif they wish since 80 is the renewal mark.

Lastly, your evaluation scores are impor-tant when our officeis trying to decide who to offer a particular transfer position, camp opportunity, or any other instance where we may have two competing applicants. As the coordinator, when making a decision between two NESTs for a particular op-portunity, I must look at seniority, related education or experience, past placements, involvement in other projects, etc…This is the fairest way to help me decide who will be the best NEST for the position or who deserves the opportunity more.

Now that we know the importance of the score and the evaluation cutoff marks, let’s have a look at the evaluation itself.

It is divided into 4 separate sections. Section 1 is a record of your vacation, busi-ness trips, and any other leave, whether paid or unpaid. Although this section may affect the principal’s decision of whether to renew the NEST or not, it actually does not affect the overallevaluation score. It also includes any late days or days left early. Obviously,

most NESTs have an understanding that absences, regardless of reason, are less tol-erated here in Korea, than our home coun-tries. Therefore, what some may consider an excusable amount of absences in the West, may not be so here in Korea, so be careful.Here’s what section 1 looks like:

Section 2 is where we get into the ac-tualgrading of the NEST. This section is in reference to the NEST’s attitude and lifestyle. It is scored on a total possible 30 points. It includes the subtopics of service attitude and lifestyle and is marked on a Likert scale of 5 (being very well) to 1(not well at all).

Section 3, the bulk of your evaluation score is worth a total of 70 points. This is made up of 50 points of general teaching ability and 10 points each from a student and Ko-teacher evaluation of the NEST.

Section 4, the final section, is a sum-mary of the previous sections, including a tally for the total evaluation score. This is followed by a spot for the principal to indi-cate whether s/he wishes or does not wish to renew the NEST and a section for him/her to sign. In the event of a principal not wishing to renew a teacher, but the NEST scores high enough to renew or transfer, our office will offer the NEST a transfer.

That’s a breakdown of the evaluation

in English. Hopefully this can be of help, maybe even used as a self-assessment tool of sorts when other valuable feedback is lacking. Always remember, that fitting in culturally and working to create harmony with your school can be just as important as being an effective teacher. Also the expecta-tions of us in Korean schools can be much different than in the West. By working hard and being culturally sensitive, you should do very well. Good luck on your renewals!

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10

Photo EssayA coffee adventure on Jeju

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선영 (Seon Yeong), is the owner and operator of 짜이다방 (Chai café). She lived in India for several years before opening shop in 2013. Aside from creating beverages inspired by her time abroad, she also host weddings, yoga classes, and small concerts.

Joe Campbell

짜이다방

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Top left: 짜이다방 sits in view of산방산, a prominent mountain in Jeju. Like many cafes in 제주도, it is a restored and repurposed tra-ditional home (안거리, “inside space”)that was originally constructed many years ago.These houses were typically constructed in groups of three: 안거리, 밖거리(outside space), and고팡(storage). Many modern shops are adapted from the안거리.

Bottom left: 짜이다방 menu. Clockwise from top left: Chai tea, herb tea, hot chocolate, beer (domestic and imported), Vietnamese coffee, and lassi (banana, citrus, mango).

Top right: Foreground: Mango Lassi, Back-ground: Hot Chocolate.

Bottom right: On the empty walls of of짜이다방, you can see the clay construction common to the native buildings of 제주도. The other walls are adorned with embroi-dered sheets with Indian artwork.

Chai Cafécontinued from page 10

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바비야 (Ba Bi Ya) is the owner of Island Zorba. Named after the Greek god of freedom, she first opened her shop in 2010 in 월정리, but moved a year later to the nearby town of 평대리, where she now operates a lodge in an adjacent building. Her beans are directly traded from select farmers around the world, and she roasts them herself. 바비야 serves a variety of drinks, from espressos to pour-overs.

Island Zorba

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Top left: Island Zorba (아일랜드조르바) is another adapted안거리, just metres away from the beach. Like most other shops in 제주도 (and Korea in general), Island Zorba offers free wifi.

Bottom left: Island Zorba’s interior is surprisingly sparse. In its main room are a stone fireplace and extensive record collection. Two additional rooms also have seating, though one of them is on the floor, as is common in many Korean restaurants.

Right: A coffee grinder used to process fresh beans traded from selected framers around the globe.

Island Zorbacontinued from page 14

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Healthy Musings

Tackling Sugar Addictions

More and more research is looking at the effects of sugar on our bodies and the addictive properties of it.

There is no doubt sugar makes us feel good, but why? Let’s take a look at the reasons and then try to find some solutions to help the many of us who struggle daily with its addictive powers.

White sugar in particular, a highly refined simple carbohydrate, is much more addictive and harmful than other carbs found in natural plant based sources. It is made up of glucose and fructose, usually in about equal parts in most conventional store bought processed sugars. Both glucose and fructose can negatively affect our body when eaten in theirprocessed forms. To avoid confusion and for simplicity’s sake, I will refer to them both as sugar and will not distinguish which one in particular causes which negative effect to our body.

Sugar causes our bodies to release the feel-good brain chemical: serotonin. This makes us feel happy and can help to calm and relax us. This doesn’t sound so bad, but this is only in defense to our bodies having too much sugar in our blood stream. This is the brains natural defense system, and is what we know as the “sugar high”. We eat sugar, then we feel great, but unfortunately we crash.

Sugar lacks any valuable nutrition and is converted to fat in the body.It spikes our insu-

Take charge of your diet by limiting your sugar intake

lin and blocks leptin production, the hormone responsible for telling yourself that you are full.So here we have a substance that makes us happy, while making us want more and more, obviously a very dangerous combination.

In addition to this, I believe there often is an overlooked strong psychological nature to sugar’s addictive powers.

Sugar is celebrated in our society and is often used as a reward. If you think of any special occasion, I bet you can relate sugar to it somehow. Try it! Your birthday involves a cake; Valentine’s Day chocolates; Easter eggs and bunnies;Christmascandy and chocolates, Thanksgiving pie; and then there is the sugar junkie’s dream: Halloween. Just by thinking about thefoods we eat on these occasions, we can begin to feel a sense of happiness.

To go a little further, sugar is also used as a reward. As long as I can remember, sugary snacks were used a reward for doing some-thing good. Your parents probably took you to a fast food restaurant for doing well on your test, or behaving well. Maybe you were given a treat for helping out around the yard or house. There was also the common, “you can only eat your dessert if you eat all your vegetables” expression that many of us likely heard.

This mentality towards sugar starts at a very young age and continues into our adult-hood. Our ‘cheat’ meals, used as rewards for eating well or exercising hard, are often sugar or fat laden. A nice night out often involves unhealthy food or drinks. Even a night to the movies involves a great deal of sugar if you consume a soft drink, candy or chocolate.

All of these joyous occasions, when we

are more often than not in great spirits, are linked to sugar consumption. It’s easy to see how we are programmed to crave sugar and it’s no wonder we reach for it when we are

feeling down. However, this can easily start a vicious cycle of emotional eating that canlead toanaddiction.

To further complicate this, sugar is so abundant in our modern society.Even when we believe we are eating healthily, we are often consuming much more sugar than we are aware of.It can be found in almost everything.The obvious are candies and chocolates; but sugar can be found in our breads, cereals, sauces, juices, milks, etc.

Corporations making our food know of sugar’s addictive qualities and add additional sugar to make what they call the “cravability” or “snackability” (think “addictability”) of the food higher so they can sell us more of their product.These corporations are concerned with dollars, not our health, so adding sugar or other unhealthy substances at the expense of our health does not faze them when it increases their profits.

We can easily see how it can be easy to become addicted to sugar, so what can we do to take back control?

First we need to be aware of what we are eating, when, and why. We often are eating emotionally or out of boredom. Question yourself to why you want to eatand ask your-self some questions:Are you really hungry? Do you really need this? Is there something better you could be eating?Remember, it’s your choice. You can choose to eat something healthier or to not eat anything at all.Learn to recognize why you are eating and then try to find a healthier substitutewhen you’re hungry.

Second, when intelligent eating is not working, try something to distract yourself. Take a walk, meditate, or even call a friend. Try setting a time limit of when you can eat. If you still want to eat in 20mins, allow yourself to, but be wise in your choice. You may find most

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cravings will disappear in about 10 min-utes if you busy yourself with something.

One of my favorite things to do to defeat those late night cravings is to brush my teeth. My mind knows I never eat im-mediately after brushing my teeth and it is also time for bed, so it signals the craving to end.During the day, you could also try chewing some gum as a distraction.

Next, we can begin trying to make foods ourselves.Try to use plant based whole foods whenever possible. Sure, fruits and vegetables have natural sugars, but to a lesser quantity and of a healthier variety that is less addictive.If it has been processed and comes in a jar, bottle, or box, it likely contains added sugar. Experiment with cooking, trying to make things yourself. In this way, you can bet-ter limit the sugar you consume rather than when eating foods made by some large corporation who does not care about your health.

Fourth, there are a few things we can try to do to be a little wiser about the snacks we have when other things don’t work. Do not keep sugary snacks readily available at home and in your workplace. If you need them, you will at least need to go purchase them. If you are going to keep them handy, keep only a small snack size treat available. That way if you feel the need to eat it, there is only one and it is small, hopefully enough to eliminate the craving.

You can also try mixing foods, for example, a banana dipped in chocolate, or apple and caramel dip.Or if you are like me and love chocolate, try a recipe using organic raw cocoa. A simple hot chocolate is often enough to kill the craving. Or if you need chocolate, reach for a healthier chocolate,

something in the 72 per cent cocoa range. Next, it is also important to eat intel-

ligentlythroughout your day to prevent sugar cravings in the first place.Eat often to keep blood sugar balanced and to control craving from ever beginning. Eat foods that are low GI (glycemic index) so you do not spike your insulin causing a crash and the need for a snack to pick you up again. Try eating foods that help you to feel full longer. These are often slow burningprotein sources that can be used as part of a regular meal or as a snack.Some examples of low GI, slow burning foods are eggs, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, bananas, apples, and green vegetables.

Lastly, there is one more trick I read about that works on a very psychological level. Most of us have had some bad food experiences in the past. This could have been food poisoning, or perhaps an unwanted item or creature in our food. Whatever it was, we now may have difficulty eating this food again or at the very least, we would if we thought about this past unpleasant event. Now by think-ing about this event when eating a food that we are having difficulty eliminating, we can train our mind and bodies to dislike the food we are addicted too. It may seem a little extreme and maybe even gross, but with time our mind and body will relate the food we crave with undesirable feelings and will likely no longer crave the food. Although a little extreme, this may be worth a try if you find yourself unable to kick an unhealthy eating habit.

Remember, once you start to eat sugary foods, you are triggering more cravings and beginning the vicious cycle of addiction again. Be aware of this and remember, to always be conscious of what, when and why you are eating. By

chrisofficeofeducation@yahoo.com

keeping these things in mind, hopefully you can learn to control, or at least limit your sugar cravings.

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Teachers of Korea

What is your plan for this winter vacation? I’m going to be spending 10 days in Myanmar, 3 days in the North of Thailand, and 10 days in Laos. Flying into Yangon from Seoul, I hope to visit the ancient city of Bagan in the Mandalay region and

Inle Lake in the Shan, before making my way back down to Hpa An in the Kayin state, and then crossing the Myawaddy border into Northern Thailand. Having previously travelled to Thailand, I will take a bus to Pai via Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai and spend a few days there before continuing onto

Laos. I have no plans for Laos as of yet, but I’m happy to just play it by ear when I arrive. .

What made you choose this destination? Since travelling to South East Asia in 2013, I have developed a fascination with this region of the world. Last time I visited, I didn’t have the time or money to travel extensively within the country

of Myanmar, a country that I have been curious about for quite some time. As a British citizen, this curiosity probably stems from the role of the British colonial presence in Myanmar. In the

last 10 years, the tourism industry in Burma has opened up and it is a lot more accessible than it was previously, underthe military dictatorship, so I thought it would be a good opportunity

to go and explore a land that has been shaped by colonialism yet retains a connection with its ancient Asian roots while still remaining largely unexplored. I also wanted to visit a country that

has a lot of wildlife, and, whilst Myanmar is known for its ancient archaeological sites, it offers me the opportunity to see a variety of animals in their natural habitat.

What will you mostly enjoy about your time there? I’d say that I’m looking forward to experiencing many things.When I’ve travelled in the past, I’ve always

enjoyed speaking to people and learning about other cultures. I think this is very important for me when I travel. I’m also really excited to try the food.It sounds delicious and seems like Myanmar is an

accommodating place for vegetarians. I think food is a big part of culture and I love being introduced to new and unusual flavours. I’m keen to see the beautiful mountainous landscapes and spend some

time in the floating villages of Inle Lake with the Myanmar people. I’ll also be looking forward to a chilled out couple of days in Pai, located in the North of Thailand; a place that is renowned for com-

pletely losing track of time and slow living. So, it’s a good place for me to paint and wind down after an intense 10 days in Myanmar. But, I’m mostly excited about visiting the Taninthayri national park where I

can experience a variety of wildlife like Asian elephants, samba deer, and leopards.

How does this trip relate to your general travelling philosophy? I tend to have a lot of variety when I plan my trips. I like to experience as much as I can with the lim-ited time and money that I have in each place. I think this trip offers me exactly that: culture, nature,

and wildlife.

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joe campbell

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Want to get involved with Bibimbap? Good news, we’re accepting new writers.

Looking for volunteer writers for the following:

• Technology columnist • Food columnist• Education, classroom strategies, and teaching method writers

For more info, email: bibimbapnews@gmail.com