Jenni's Visit

So finally a friend came to visit! :D It was so nice to be able to share my life here and my experience here with a friend from home.

The adventure started off not so good (only for me). I had some money stolen from me on the bus to the airport... but it's my own fault. I left my bag "unattended" with an envelope of cash. ㅠ.ㅠ I would like to think I'm not usually that stupid...

The next step in our adventure was Kyung-ju! We went to the old capital to see all the historical sites and do a temple stay. (A "temple stay" is where you stay overnight at a Buddhist temple and experience the life of the monk there to help you understand their religion.) We saw the tombs that look like mountains, beautiful architecture, and then I introduced Jenni to the strangeness of Korean food! ㅋㅋ (hehe)

We did a temple stay together in Kyung-ju at Golgulsa. However, it was a little strange. Even though they had monks who could speak fluent English... nothing was really explained to us! We were told WHAT to do, but not WHY. I really thought the point of the "temple stay" was to help us understand Buddhism better...

There was one point during the temple stay that we thought we might be in hell because we were walking VEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYY SLOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWLYYYYYYY down a hill (that would only take us about 7 min normally) at 5 am when it was freakin freezing out. It took us at least 30 minutes. Painful. (And remember, we had no idea WHY we were doing it.)

It was until MUCH later (actually, one of the last things we did during the temple stay) at the Tea Ceremony that we could ask questions and were explained why they do certain things. I think that's a little backwards... but that happens often enough in Korea.

Well, we got back to Daegu safely enough. And partied. ^^ Dinner, board game room, karaoke room, a Korean bar and a Korean club!

I don't know which Jenni loved more... the karaoke room or the board game room. haha

The next day, our last day in Daegu, we did some local sites. The market, shopping and Dr. Fish! The fish eat your feet. It takes a little getting used to at first.

Sunday we headed up to Seoul! You could stay in Seoul for a week and still not see everything. So we tried to hit up the big ones. But first! Relaxing.

Masks are a great way to relax. Our hostel was also tops, so it was easy to feel comfortable there.

After we were all rested up, we headed out to the palaces! Gyungbokgung was our first stop. The weather was sooooo cold (and I, honestly, was soooooo sick) but we managed to have a great time!

The palace guard was there!

Don't we make a great couple? :D

Next stop was the Korean culture museum! It sounds boring, but it's actually very interesting because of all the folk statues they have, and unique pieces.

A must-do in Korea is getting your nails done. They have the best kind of "nail art" here. It's a little expensive, but worth it if you want to feel like a Korean. ^.* We got "couple nails." The same style, but different colors.

It was also really fun showing Jenni the food in Korea. It really is so different! So taking her to the restaurants and the grocery stores was a great experience. Needless to say, she LOVED the dried squid! haha. Can't you tell?

We were also able to make it to Seoul's art museum. Chagall was there, which was a wonderful surprise! However, we both thought it was kinda strange that there was no "Asian art" in the Seoul art museum!

After a long day of shopping, we treated ourselves to a nice show. The "Nanta" performance is really famous in Korea. It's kinda like the "Blue Man Group" with it's rhythm and storyline. ^^

On our last day before heading to the airport, we finally went to a Korean jjimjilbang! (Or, bathhouse.) We went to the best one in Seoul, called "Dragon Hill." It took Jenni a little getting used to, what with the being naked in public and all... hehe. But it really is a nice experience! I also had Jenni do the "body scrub." Basically, an old Korean woman in her underwear scrubs you down with the most abrasive cloth she can find until your skin is clean, new and bright red. haha.

So we definitely felt fresh after that. Jenni told me that her favorite parts of Korea were: the board game room, the karaoke room, the jjimjilbang, and the heated (ondol) floors. ^^ Those are my favorites too!

So after a too-quick week, we said good-bye. But not for long! I'm following soon... (too soon.)

Merry Christmas!

My Christmas in Korea:

My Charlie Brown Christmas tree and dollar-store decorations

Decorating the tree!

The finished product, complete with Christmas candles

Even better at night

Christmas eve get-together with friends at a "game room"

The punishment for losing the game was getting "bopped" by a stranger (hehe)

Merry Christmas from Korea!

Love and miss you all

Thanksgiving: Take 2

Thanksgiving meal at church again this year. Always a pleasure to have a little taste of home with my "Korean family." ^^

Bonus: I got to have some even BETTER thanksgiving food in a real home with my friend and former co-worker Nancy! Yay!

Her husband is from FL, so even though she's Canadian they pulled off American thanksgiving American-style. = YUM

They even had candied yams... the one thing my church thanksgiving was missing. hehe

It's a little sad that this will be my last Thanksgiving in Korea, but then I remember all the joys of American living... ;)

This year (and this moment) I'm thankful for:

-friends that are stand-in family

-candied yams

-being able to live so "extravagantly" in Korea

-being able to travel on a whim

-friends from home that miss me

-my mistakes not coming back to bite me in the butt

-God's faithfulness, love and grace

~*~

For my classroom celebration, I had the kids make hand-turkeys. It was SO cute. ^^ Not only had they never seen a turkey before in their lives, but they were not aware of the "hand-turkey" Thanksgiving tradition. I had a lot of fun teaching them how to do it. It's nice to pass on the tradition. ;) Ahhh... nostalgia.

Beijing, China

The best thing about Beijing was sleeping on the Great Wall. With a bunch of foreign English teachers (like us), from Korea (like us), mostly from Daegu (like us).

What're the chances, right??? haha

The second best thing was the Summer Palace. It is HUGE. We didn't know how huge it was until we got there and realized that we weren't even going to cover half in the few hours we had. We hardly covered a quarter! And they have a map... but they don't have any signs, so you just kinda hafta guess where you are all the time. haha. I thought the most amazing thing was that it was all built for one woman. She had it practically all to herself. THAT was an amazing thought. If I had a "garden palace" that size... wow. Jeeeeeeeeaaaaalous!

The third great thing was the shopping. Beijing's markets are fantastic! You really can find "name brand" stuff there for less than $10. Bargaining was an absolute must, and usually it

worked out pretty well.

The best thing I got was a warm Abercrombie jacket for $15!

The Forbidden City was also pretty amazing. It had a lot of things to see on the side, so it was possible to get lost in it! A lot of areas looked the same too, with maybe one or two defining features. I think I was expecting it to be a little more "forbidding," but I'll take what I can get from one of the most historical sites in the East.

Beijing was not my favorite, but it was definitely different enough to warrant going.

Going to China!

So for Chuseok (추석 - Korean Thanksgiving) we have a few days off. My old roomie, Tharine, and I are going to China together!

First stop: Hong Kong, then on to Beijing!

I'm very excited. ^^

However... went to get my visa processed today and they said it would be returned to me the 17th. I leave for Seoul that very night and for Hong Kong the next day! Yikes!

I'm praying it gets here in time...

Thailand Highlights

To see more:

Thailand and Thailand Cont.

Off to Thailand!

Yay summer adventures!

Eli and I are off to Thailand and I couldn't be more excited! From what I've heard from so many other friends that have made it there... it's very adventurous. hehe. All their pictures boast of riding elephants, petting tigers, eating delicious food, and really having an amazing time!

So tomorrow we head to Seoul for the day and then early Sunday is our flight. We're flying into Chiang Mai first (to see Eli's fam) and then down to Phuket for the second half of our vacation and some relaxing.

Not sure if I'll be able to update while I'm there, so I guess I'll save most of it for when I come back and sort through my pictures. (I already know that's going to take me forever!)

We're avoiding Bangkok altogether because of the drama that was happening there recently... so pray for safe travels!

MudFest / Birthday

MudFest and my birthday were incredibly fun with my roomies and Suzanne. They made it so much better than I could've expected or hoped for!

I was even sung happy brithday in Afrikaans! How awesome is that???

Funny, ridiculous, frustrating thing was the "mud rides" there. They shut them down early after we stood in line for over 2 hours! So we didn't really get to ride anything! The only thing we rode was something we begged to go on / snuck on to. haha. Fun... but not fun. More like unbelievable!

My birthday dinner was delicious! Like with Jin last year, we had the grilled fresh seafood. (It really make a difference having seafood buy the ocean you know they caught it in!) So delicious! Then afterwards we got a cake, and celebrated my birthday with drinks and card games on the beach.

Absolutely PERFECT.

We also did have a few surprise visitors while we were playing... random drunk foreigners and Koreans. haha. We did have a few guys that stopped by though, and were "normal" in general respects. They taught us a Korean "Kings" game, and definitely made the night more interesting! We played pretty much the rest of the night. hehe

Yay birthdays!

The only thing I didn't really enjoy (again) was the bus ride. Drunk foreigners are drunk foreigners no matter where you go. Yuck.

Cherry Blossom Festival

At my roomie Tharine's suggestion we went to Jinhae (진해시) to see the Cherry Blossom Festival. Cherry blossoms come out in the spring and watching them bloom is pretty amazing. In about a week or two Korea goes from bare brown trees to green buds and white blossoms everywhere! It's definitely something worth seeing. Everyone goes out even if it's still a little chilly because you can feel the change.

So there's mountains (of course) in Jinhae and a beautiful walking bridge with cherry blossom trees planted all along the sides of it. The brochures call it "romantic." haha. Either way it was pretty. As like everywhere else in Korea, there were a lot of street vendors there. We got some cotton candy and some yut (엿), also called "pumpkin caramels" in English. The yut is kinda like taffy, but not as soft. And it comes in many different varieties. We bought it cause the Korean with us (ie. my roomie Eli) loves it. hehe. It's pretty tough on the teeth though.

There's also this great view of Jinhae from a tower near the downtown area, but to get up you either have to take a cable car or climb 365 steps. The line for the cable car was sooooooooooo long; it was ridiculous! So we definitely opted for the steps. Even though there are a lot of steps, honestly it's not as bad as climbing an actual mountain! In other words, it was do-able. ^^
To sum it up: It was a nice day to walk around and enjoy the fresh air with my best friends here in Korea.

1 Year!

Today is my one year anniversary in Korea!

This time one year ago, I was working my first overwhelming day in Korea. I slept in a moldy, cold apartment empty of food or belongings. In the morning I went to my run-down academy, met my interesting co-workers, and realized my job was just as unorganized as I was.

One year later, I find that I am staying ANOTHER year. I'm living in a much nicer place with much dearer friends that I met at church.

Thank you, Lord, for protecting me and getting me through this year!

New Job (Again)

As many of you know, I have had to change jobs again. Hopefully, God-willing this is the last time. I will be here another year, and have a better position than before! I am working at a private Christian elementary school as an English teacher with my roommate.

It's a little outside of the city, so it can be difficult to get to... but other than that stress (and the fact that classes start so early in the morning!), it's a better place to be. I feel like my work actually matters since I am at a real school and not an academy parents force their children to attend. I have walls I can decorate and crafts to give the kids, as well as a TV to show video clips or presentations.

I have grades 2, 4 and 6... and even though I feel the responsibility of teaching children... I can't wait till I'm teaching adults/college students. That's still my dream.

Having to sign up for another year has created a few future problems. My roomies are both finished in August, and so is our lease for the apt. I will have to find a new place by myself for about 7 months. I'm already anxious about it... but God has done so much for me so far. I'm sure He's big enough to handle this too.

Trusting God has been a struggle... but then I realize how independent I'm NOT in this foreign country with a different language and culture... and I turn to Him all over again. I'm just praying that I use this next year here wisely.

Church Thanksgiving

I really missed having Thanksgiving in America. Our church did make a great substitue though! It was a big Thanksgiving meal after the service the weekend before actual Thanksgiving.

We all got together and bought turkeys and mashed potatoes and corn and baked beans and bread and salad and cranberry sauce... However, fun little fact: (Most) Koreans hate turkey. Its too "gamey" for them! Needless to say, the turkeys were very difficult to find because of this.


We had a lot of set-up and cooking the day of. Trying to make sure we have enough for everyone to eat! And informing people in both English and Korean... haha. That was also my first time tearing apart a turkey with my bear hands! (Or, "carving" the turkey... haha)

Our kitchen crew was fun and I loved seeing everyone enjoy our delicious food! I am definitely having "real" Thanksgiving food when I go home though... ㅋㅋ

Church Retreat

We had a church retreat for a night. Not a whole weekend... just a night. And it was exhausting! But fun. However, I felt really burned out by it. Us girls (Tharine, Eli and I) volunteered to do the food... so we had to get up extra early. And we had to skip out on part of the service to start lunch.

It felt like it all went too fast and was too hectic. My favorite part was the campfire we had when we first got there. That was the only time we could all relax.

I now feel really sympathetic to the people who are ALWAYS the ones putting things together in the church. You don't get to sit back and enjoy!

House Party!

On Saturday we had our official House Warming Party! We invited all the people we loved to come spend the night with us celebrating our new home in Korea. ^^ S.J. and Gloria brought their Wii, and later the guys came up with group games for us to play together! The party was so fun!

Here are some pictures from the night:

S.J. playing the Wii... everyone else chowing down^^

Spending time with Joo-hyung before the party got too crazy

Minkey & Hyun-jin playing the Wii!
They were definitely the most entertaining to watch... hehe

We had champagne for a roommate toast to celebrate our new "life" together! :D

Eli, Tharine, and me <3