Hello loved ones! I successfully arrived in Johannesburg after my 11hr layover in Cairo.Here's a recap of my trip so far... Day 1Flight to Istanbul after NO SLEEP the night before. (very typical of Anna)Met up with Lydia, the daughter of some friends in Izmir. Lydia lives in Istanbul and we had a day of trying to find each other on opposite sides of the Bosporus bridge, running through freezing cold rain to Lydia's basketball practice, and then singing our hear...

Dearest Friends and Fam, I've been in this country three days shy of a month, and the experience has been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride. My first weeks were spent acquainting with the other newly hired English teachers during our whirlwind tour through Turkey. A three-day visit to Istanbul, a couple visits to the beach at Çeşme—"Chesh-may," a home-stay visit with a Turkish coworker, a daytrip to the ancient cities of Ephesus and Şirince,...

Happy (Belated) Thanksgiving!! Thanksgiving '08 is here and gone in a flashHappy is Anna, from the Thanksgiving splashAnother holiday season is hereNot believing 2008's end is near, shall I shed a tear?Kindness fills our hearts these days,Funny, should we be this way always??USA, though away from you I roam,Less than three months, and I'll be homeNever bored, to Japan, Nepal, and DMZ, I'll go EVERYWHERE! Ecstatic I am, the holidays to prepareStill much to be done...

Dearest Friends and Fam, What can I say, but I LOVE you all, And I'm SO thankful for you ALL! Korea is awesome, God is awesome, I'm having a great time but I miss you lots. My birthday just passed, so I'm another year older. It's the anniversary of my quarter-century!! Birthdays are a reflective time for me. (Is that a word? I just made it one!) and this one is no less so. I've experienced true beauty on several occasions. A month before my birthday, I got...

Dearest Friends and Fam, I just returned from my FANTASTIC summer vacation HONG KONG!! My dear travel buddy, Hoonhee and I had a great time! We're both safe and sound, back in the comforts of Korea now, but watch your mailboxes for HK postcards! Let me describe the trip by what we DIDN'T do: We DIDN'T stay at the highly regarded, website recommended, very reasonably-priced hostel in the Chungking Mansion… located in the touristy area of Kowloon.WHY?? We fea...