Sokcho, Andong, Busan, Thanksgiving...

As I write this blog I am listening to Christmas music, drinking hot tea and looking at the Christmas lights I just hung around my apartment. I ordered a Christmas tree too. It should be in soon. It just wouldn’t seem right not to have a few decorations up during the season.

The past few weeks have been busy with teaching classes, and random weekend trips. The weekend after my last blog entry a crew and I went with a big tour group on a hiking trip to Sokcho. Sokcho is in the far north province. We believe we were less than an hour from the North Korean border. We visited Seoraksan National Park. It was beautiful. Unfortunately we got there too late to real hiking so we just took a short trail and saw some beautiful sites. We also got to ride four-wheelers for an hour at a park. It felt good to be back on one. It was a great way to spend a fall Saturday afternoon. It was nice to get to travel with many different people, all teachers either EPIK or hagwan.

The next weekend most of us went to Jinbo and stayed with Gigi and Shirley. While we were there we went to Cheongsung to the apple festival. The apples in this country are the size of softballs. No joke! They are so juicy and delicious. It was nice to have a very relaxed weekend in a small town.

The following weekend 4 of us girls went to Busan to celebrate one of the birthday of a British guy we met at orientation. It was a wild and crazy Saturday night for sure. The group we were with really knows how to celebrate for sure.  As always Busan doesn’t disappoint and it won that battle. Needless to say when I got home that Sunday night I was in bed at 7:30 and out for the night.

This past weekend was spent with a few of the girls in Gumi/Daegu. It was a girls weekend, and much needed. No plans, just whatever we felt like doing. Hopping on the train to go to Daegu for dinner and a movie (Breaking Dawn Part 2) or whatever we felt like doing.

My weekdays continue to be the same with teaching classes and coming home and going to dinner or attempting to cook for myself. Not having an oven makes it tough to cook. Plus not having normal ingredients. I have gotten better though. I did manage to cook myself blue berry pancakes one night. Thankfully I did get a package from my grandma with grits in it. So that is always my back up plan.

This past Friday my school had their festival/talent show. Each class performed a dance or song. It was so cute. I have the most talented students in the world. They were adorable.

I spent Thanksgiving night with my fellow EPIK teachers here in Seongju, unfortunately we had pizza.. not the normal Turkey Day meal. But still I was thankful for the fellowship that night. But for Christmas my friends and I are gathering the weekend before and having a big meal and exchanging gifts. My contribution will be cooking grits for everyone. Many have never had grits because they aren’t from the South. I’m excited I have such a great group of close friends to share the holiday with. Unfortunately I have to work Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas but I will get to go to Gumi to meet with a few others in the area to spend Christmas Eve night with each other and wake up together.

Next Wednesday is my birthday. Is makes me sad that I won’t be home for it but We are celebrating this weekend (Gumi/Daegu) and next weekend (Seoul). I’m going to make it the best I can. The last two birthdays weren’t too exciting. I turned 21 on a Sunday, so Greenwood’s Blue Laws put s stop to that night early. My 23^rd birthday was spent in the library studying for a Spanish test. So needless to say I am ready for a great night to celebrate my birth and to becoming older. Ahh 23.. sounds so mature.. that is scary!!!

Something else I am looking forward to is BoYoung (Lander Office of International Programs) coming to Korea! She will be in Daegu with her family. So I will get to see her to catch up and have a piece of Lander with me.

As Christmas is quickly approaching I find myself getting sad but then I remember how lucky I am. I miss my family and they miss me but I am still loving my life here. I am so thankful for my friends here, because we are all in the same position. This is many of our first Christmas away from home so as the song says, “I get my with a little help from my friends.”

Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving and are getting your Christmas shopping done. I can’t wait to get packages from home with my birthday and Christmas gifts!!!

These are pictures from the Sokcho weekend. 

Here is the video link from the school festival.

Seongju Elementary

Here is a quick recap of my last few weeks

Ok, so yeah it has been a few weeks since my last update. I blame it on the day end and day out routine that doesn’t change up too much but still is exhausting. My week days consist of waking up between 6:15 and 7:00 depending how cold it is and how much time I feel I need to get ready for school. I am at school before 8:30 and teaching my first class at 9. at 4:30 I am already headed home. During the day I make all sorts of plans in my head, but it gets dark at 5:30 so the plans go down the drain once I get home and regroup. It is starting to get really cold here, so once I am inside I don’t like leaving unless I am meeting others in my town for dinner.

The past few weekends have been spent with my normal crew of 10-12 other EPIK teachers. We can’t wait to get together on Friday evenings and the weekends do not last long enough. The past few I have been in Gumi and Daegu (they are 30 minutes apart on the train). Last weekend I went to Gumi for one last meal at Waegook Cook. This is the place I have mentioned before that is a western restaurant/bar. Unfortunately the owner is in very bad health so they were forced to close. I will greatly miss Friday nights at Waegook. All of the foreigners in the area will too. Now we will just all have to gather earlier at Corona, the foreign bar in Gumi. It is one of those places that everyone knows your name. I know that sounds a bit like Cheers, but it is true. Once you meet someone once you are part of the Gumi circle.

Last Saturday after a long night at Corona we went to Busan. There was supposed to be a big fireworks festival, but unfortunately the weather did not want to cooperate. It rained for 14 straight hours. I mean poured without stopping. So the fireworks were postponed until Sunday night. Sadly we all had to return home because we are grown ups and can’t skip out on Mondays like in college.

We did not let the rain put a “damper” on a great night though. We all ordered animal onesies. Yes, adult pajamas that are animals. I ordered a fox. We had many different animals. We were a walking zoo. People on the streets were stopping us to take pictures, kids were yelling out car windows, it was crazy. We were famous.

We sat on the beach looking at the ocean and bridge that was lit up beautifully for a few hours just enjoying the night with friends. Yes, still in costume.

Sunday morning we woke up and it was absolutely gorgeous, one of the best days for weather I’ve had here. We grabbed a late breakfast/early lunch and all sat on the beach just enjoying the weather. Having the sun beaming down was so nice, as Vitamin D is very hard to come by now that winter is coming.

As I am into my 3^rd month here in Korea I am continuing to fall more and more in love with it. There are days hat I do question it, usually Mondays when I have 6 classes of 6^th graders. They are the spawn of Satan most Mondays. But this week they were angels. But then there are those times that I just look around and think, “Dang, I am so lucky to have this opportunity. To live and teach in a foreign country, to make a difference in peoples lives, to be making money (that is great in Korea too) and to have met some of the most amazing friends from all over.”

Everyday I have little thoughts about things I want to blog about, but there is no way to possibly remember them or explain them. For example:

At lunch I always wonder what I am eating and what is in the soup… I eat it anyway.

There are days that students pet my hair like I am a dog because it is so different from theirs. The students always want to stare at my eyes because they are “blue/green/grey”… not like theirs.

My co-teachers sometimes pull a ninja move and disappear and I don’t see them until the next day.

Teachers and students compliment me on how nice I look and how well I am dressed. Not sure how to take it because some day I feel like a bum but they still compliment me… which brightens my days!

The lady at my kimbap restaurant treats me like family, one day she brought me a bowl of pasta salad (not typical at this restaurant)… I could tell it was homemade just for her family. She must have known I would love it.

College football… oh how I miss you. Keeping up with it via the internet just isn’t the same… but GO DAWGS!!!!

I always hope I am on the right bus/train and pray taxi drivers understand me when I am in Daegu.

Ok so enough rambling…

This evening (Friday) I am headed to Gumi (surprise!!)… but we will leave at 4:20 to go to Sokcho. It is in the northern province, yes bordering N Korea. There we will hike with 75 or so others. I am looking forward to this and the beautiful scenery. The leaves are starting to change colors here and it is gorgeous. So my next blog I promise to have pictures of the trip!!!

Love you all!!

Christmas is coming, I would love, love, love surprises (and grits, because I want to cook them for all of my non-southern friends. I’ll introduce them to greatness and perfection!)

A wonderful weekend leads to a wonderful week!!

Ok so my blogs have become far and few. I apologize. My week days are the same from day to day, just teaching different grades. But I will back up to last weekend. I ended up staying in Seongju last Friday night to relax and prepare for a busy/crazy Saturday. So Saturday morning I woke up super early and made my way to Gumi to meet friends there to get the bus to Andong. Two of us got a bus before the other two; unfortunately we were gambling when got on the bus. It ended up being the non direct bus. So the hour trip took two hours. Luckily the seats were super nice, reclining all the way back and with a leg rest like a recliner. So we didn’t complain too much.

We finally made it to Andong and met up with the others. We headed off to the Mask Festival. When we arrived we were reunited with our big group of friends. 12 of us in total, we travel in a pact obviously.

At the festival we all made our own mask and walked around. We dined on great vendor food. Mostly consisting anything and everything you could put on a stick. Including a corndog that was covered in French fries, better known as a heart attack on a stick.

That afternoon we took a bus ride to Hanoe Village. A few of us decided to take the short hike to the top of a cliff. From here we could see the whole village. It was a nice view. Unfortunately we couldn’t stay there to see the sunset because the fireworks show started just after. So all of my friends and I sat on the beach area of the lake and watched the sun set together. It was so peaceful and relaxing.

The fireworks wasn’t like we expected. They had what they called a rope firework. It was stretched across the little lake area and ended at the top of the cliff. It burned slowly but looked like a sparkler. Really cool!

After the show we had to wait around at the bus stop for the bus back to town. So a few of us decided to give everyone a little concert and sing along with our iPods and of course dance. I have the best group of friends, we are always having fun no matter where we are.

The bus finally came and we went back into Andong. It was Shirley’s birthday so we all shared a great ice cream cake and the headed to a bar. There we ordered different flavors of Soju punch. Pretty awesome hangout for sure. After finishing drinks we headed to the norabang as always. Most of the group actually feel asleep while a handful of us did the entertaining.

The entertainment was not over though. In Korea they have what they call jjimjilbangs. This is basically a public bath house. Saturday night we arrived to late to shower so we just changed into the pajamas they gave us and found a nice place on the floor with 100 of our now closest Korean friends. After only a few hours of sleep we woke up and started the experience. Male and females have different shower areas.

I will explain the steps.

1. Go into your locker room and strip down to your birthday suit.

2. Head into the shower room.

3. Sit down on stools and wash your body and hair. At this station you saw other scrubbing each others back like they were monkeys or something.

4. There were 4 different jacuzzi type pools all a different temp. So we started with the hottest and slowly moved through all to the coldest and then repeated.

5. Shower off once again.

6. Dry off and put your clothes on.

Yes, all of the ladies in the shower room was completely necked. It is a common thing to do here when traveling or for Koreans on the weekends. They acted like it was nothing new. But they did watch our reaction very closely. They found amusement in our first experience.

The girls then met back up with the boys to hear about their shower time. It was an enlightening experience for all for sure. After a quick breakfast we walked back to the festival for a few last minute things.

The trip home was better than going, we got the direct bus and slept the entire ride. I finally made it back to Seongju from Gumi after having to wait and wait on the train and bus. Timing is the hardest part of public transportation.

This week has been wonderful!! Classes have gone rather well. I no longer stress out. I plan lessons but always change them completely at least twice before I walk into the classroom. I braved internet shopping here so now I have a cute new pair of boots and two sweaters. On Thursday I went ice skating with the 3rd graders. This has been my best week so far because I haven’t had any “bad days” with school. All of the kids seemed to behave very well and we had a field trip.

Today is Friday, I am planning on staying here tonight and probably going to Gumi for atleast dinner with friends tomorrow. I can’t stay in Seongju all weekend. I would go bat crazy. It is such a small town I am always ready to go to bed by 8. Sad, I know, but relaxing.. so it makes the weekends even better.

I promise to start getting better with my blogs and putting pictures up.

A week after Seoul trip... Still recuperating..

I wrote this Friday, October 5th... 

 Last Friday evening I headed out to Gumi like most Friday evenings. Once I arrived the normal festivities started by going to Waegook Cook for dinner and Corona Bar afterwards.

Unfortunately we had to catch a 7:17 AM train to Seoul. So I struggled to wake up after having very little sleep. The train ride lasted around 3 hours. We arrived in Seoul around 11:30, just in time to get an early lunch.

After getting our subway tickets we went to our hostel. It happened to be in Russia Town, a bit weird at first but we soon got over it because the hostel was very easy to get to from the subway.

Saturday afternoon the ones of us there already explored. We found this crazy carnival ride. It spun around and tilted and bounced all at the same time, and it did not have seat belts. You just had to hold on for dear life and pray not to lose your grip. The next day all of our arms were sore.

At this point I was exhausted from very little sleep the night before so a few of us decided to head back to the hostel and take a nap while other shopped. I ended up napping for around 5 hours. I woke up just in time to get ready for our first night out in Seoul with all 12 or so of us.

We took the subway to Hongdae, it is a big area for bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants. We went to a few different ones before we decided a better option for the night would be to go to a Norabang (karaoke). We found a super cool one that has actually been featured in celebrity shows in Korea. It has marble floors, great couches and lots of instruments to accompany our “amazing” voices.

Sunday we spent the day doing the tourist thing. We went to the Grand Palace and Namsan Tower, both of which I’d been to last year. But still super cool because I knew what it was. We went to the tower around sunset so it was a beautiful sight. (I’m at school now, I will upload pictures later of it.) Last summer it was raining the day we did these tours so it was a much better experience this time.

That evening after dinner we called it an early night, we all wanted to feel like a human being before going to the amusement park on Monday morning. Monday we got to Lotte World (this was my 3^rd time going, but best time I’ve had) around 10:30. We broke off into two groups to appease every ones taste in rides. Lotte World is the Disney world of Korea. Half is inside and half is outside. It is really cool. All of us 22-27 year olds could act like little kids and not be looked at like we were weird.

After a good nap we all got ready and headed to an American style restaurant. I had chicken wings and RANCH, yes RANCH dressing!!! They were amazing!!! After dinner we went back to the Norabang we’d went to Saturday night. After an hour of singing and drinks we headed out to a great club. The clubs all are at least two stories. So you can look down on the floor and see others while dancing in the balcony areas. It was a wonderful night for everyone.

Tuesday, our last day in Seoul. I woke up thinking it would be just a laid back day of touring. Little did I know the options were shopping or hiking. Shopping in Seoul mean battling crowds. So I chose hiking. Five of us (Daniel, Beth Ann, Courtney, Micah and I) set out for an exhausting adventure. It was a 3.4 kilometer hike to the top of Buhkansan Mountain. It took around 2.5 hours to get to the top, we lost track of time. It was very grueling. But once we got to the top it was totally worth it. We could see all over Seoul. It has to the highest peak in Seoul. Elevation was 800 meters.

Koreans are serious about their hiking, we laughed at how decked out they were in all of their gear, boots, backpacks and hiking sticks. Little did we know it was all for show. Beth Ann sprained her ankle on the way down. Two good Samaritans came along the way and helped us out giving us wrap and spraying her ankle with anti-swelling spray. No matter the language barrier, hurt looks the same and the kindness of a stranger can make your day all better.

After getting back to the hostel we barely had enough time to shower and get ready to meet everyone for Mexican. Yes, we found an amazing Mexican restaurant. After dinner we found a sports bar that had foosball and pool tables. It reminded me of Sports Break in Greenwood, kind of nice to have a slice of home.

It was cool to get to hang out in a more western style setting with all of my great friends. Some were ready to head back to the hostel while others wanted to go out with a bang in Seoul. So most of us headed out for yet another crazy good night of dancing.

Leaving Seoul we were all beat, dead tired, feeling horrible but leaving with amazing memories. I could not have asked for a better group of friends here. We are all so thankful to have met one another. And we tell each other often how grateful we are for each other. God really knew what he was doing when he placed us here in Korea together.

Tomorrow (Saturday) we are going to Andong for a big Mask Festival. It is a pretty big deal. So I will have great stories to tell from it. It is also Shirley’s Birthday, so I know we will have a lot of fun for that too!!

Love ya’ll

Pay Day makes for a great week!!!

This week has been a winner for sure. Tuesday I got my first pay check. I’d been counting down to that day since I got to Korea. It felt so nice to know to know that I earned that money. My classes went well this week. I feel more comfortable as the days go on. I look forward to having my favorite students, which I do not know their names, but they are a delight. I dread the trouble makers, but then again it’s fun to get to speak really fast fussing at them, it stops them in their tracks.

Wednesday I forgot my jump drive at home so my co-teacher had to download some powerpoints for me to teach. Luckily it worked out and the 3rd graders still loved me. 4th grade Thursdays are my favorite. Thursday was even better after school because I got my flight allowance back. So my bank account is looking really nice now. I plan to save a lot while I am here.

This evening I am heading to Gumi for the night. I’m sure we will hit up Waegook Cook and get a good meal before calling it an early night. We have a 7:17 train booked for Seoul. We will be meeting some others there that are taking a different train or bus.

We will spend 4 nights in Seoul. I’m really looking forward to this. I went to Seoul twice last summer, but did not get to explore on our own.

One thing I will miss this weekend is college football. Georgia plays Tennessee at home. I have plans to be up at 4:30 Sunday morning to watch it on game tracker.

Hope all of you have a wonderful weekend, I’m so happy I have a 5 day weekend!!!

Monday Morning Reflection

Most of my blog entries have been in the agenda form, telling all of you about my latest adventures. My first two classes, of 6th graders thankfully, were cancelled for the morning. So I have a little free time on my hands. I could be doing lesson plans, but let’s face it, that’s not a fun exciting way to spend a Monday morning. Instead I am sitting here reflecting on the last 5 weeks of my life. It is still hard to believe that I am actually living in Korea. I am a legal resident (I have an Alien Registration Card), I have a Korean cell phone plan, internet, and apartment, a bank about and soon to have my first pay day ever (other than Phelps & Campbell in high school). I am on my own for the first time. I am an adult. I can’t wrap my brain around it, possibly because it has been a great adventure so far.

When I left Korea last summer I promised myself that I would be back one day. Like I told in many of my presentations to Lander University I left a piece of my heart in Korea. I feel at home here. No, it is not home, it is not Elberton or Greenwood (yes, I consider that home too. It is a place that will forever be part of my heart) and South Korea is not even the Deep South. But it is as close as you can get in the Eastern Hemisphere.

The people in this country are genuinely friendly. My little town is small but I feel like a local, especially in my normal restaurant. The ladies that work in there always greet me like I am one of their family members. I frequent there more than I ever did Migs in Greenwood, and we all know how often I went there. The students are wonderful inside and outside of school. It makes my day when I am walking around town and hear my name. Students are happy to see teachers outside of the school. It is such a delight.

Something that has made this whole new journey much easier is having friends here. Going to orientation for a week before we were sent to our towns was wonderful. The classes were great but making friends is what the most important thing we all believe was.

If it were not for that one week we would all be in our small towns on the weekends probably crying because we would not have anyone to hangout with. I have made so many new friends in the past 5 weeks, some at orientation and others on weekends while visiting friends. It is crazy how in a big town we still run into people we know. It is so comforting to know people.

The point of my long entry is to assure all of you back home that I am happy here. I love my job, I never thought I would like teaching but it isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Yes it has its challenges, but doesn’t every job. Teaching ESL is different that being a regular teacher though I believe.

I know that I was sent here for a reason. I prayed so much about what I would do after college. Everything eventually, after lots of tears, fell into place and I got confirmation that I would be here in Korea. I know God sent me here for a reason, to make a difference. I just hope I can make a difference in my student’s because I know they will make an even bigger difference in mine.

I could never thank Dr. Ball, Dr. Park, BoYoung and Jeff enough for all of their hard work they put into establishing the Office of International Programs at Lander. If it were not for them I do not know what I would be doing at this time. I owe this journey to them. Thank you all so much, I will never be able to tell you enough how big of a difference you have made in my life.

I look forward to the next 11 months of my life and what it holds. If it is anything like the last 5 it will be beyond wonderful!

Gumi and Daegu Weekend

After the week got off to a crazy start with the typhoon it was smooth sailing afterwards. It went by very quickly. My classes went well. I feel like I am finally getting the hang of it. Hope I’m not speaking to soon when I say that, but it was a great week.

Thursday evening my group of friends and I started making plans for the weekend, not sure what we really wanted to do, just knowing we wanted to hangout. So Friday after school, like clockwork, I got into Gumi around 7. Friends met me at the station as always. We later met others at Waegook cook for dinner and drinks. A good cheese burger, beer, great friends and Eric Church songs playing was the perfect Friday night. I feel like we have become regulars at Waegook. It is so nice to have them know our names like we are locals. Makes you feel like you are at home when you walk in. At Waegook they were having a cocktail making competition. My friends and I got rooked into competing because there were only 3 teams at that point. So we did, somehow we pulled it off and won!! I would like to think it was because of the umbrella and fruit that I placed in it.

The party then moved to a western bar where we had fun until early in the morning. Saturday still not having a game plan we all decided to see what Daegu had to offer. Jumping on the train not really knowing what we were in for. Daegu is much larger than Gumi. We spent most of the day walking around and checking things out so next time we will have our bearings straight on where things are located. Saturday night we met up with a few other EPIK teachers and caught the latest train back to Gumi.

The weekend was one that was not planned out but turned out to be great, relaxing and a lot of fun. This week will be great too. Tuesday is my first pay day!!! Wooo, so excited. All of us have been counting down to this day!! After that the week will hopefully move very fast. Saturday my friends and I are heading to Seoul for four days. It is the Chuseok holiday (Korean Thanksgiving) so we will have three days off of school next week. Yay!!!

Here’s hoping for a great week!!