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!)