Saying Good-bye

I am officially gone from Tongyeong and it's still all so surreal. I just feel like I'm on a vacay and I'll be back to work at ILS on Monday. I feel like I'll still see my sweet little students tomorrow and have to yell at the naughty ones. I am just trying to grasp it all.

The last three days have been full of good-byes...starting with our last lunch with the foreigners and ending with waves at the bus terminal. I tried to document most of the festivities on film so I can remember them always. It has been a year full of wonderful experiences and some not so wonderful ones. I met some amazing people along the way that will always be in my heart. Good-byes stink...that's all I know.

Anyways, here are a few pictures:

Foreigners lunch at the tofu place

GBMS1 party on Thursday nightMy last paycheck in cash before sending it home
Lunch with Sharon and Zena

OAT1...my little cuties!GAE3...this was the only class I had for my entire year...they taught me a lot about teaching.
GAE1 class
OCM6 Class

GAM4 ClassKami and I at ILS one last time
Last dinner with our work family

Miss Ruby and me...the smartest girl on the block!

Saying bye to Sharon and UnByeol

Min...my favorite coffeehouse friend

Our friends...the Mormon boys
Eating at 생생돈까스 one last time and saying bye to my sweetest student ever...AngelaNoraebang one last time...the foreigners (Kami, Roy and me)
The Noraebang crew...they are amazing!

Kami and me with Veronica

Next stop...HAWAII!!! I think it'll be a nice vacay before heading home...a good time to relax and get accustomed to hearing/seeing English around me. Maybe I won't be so overwhelmed when I get home. We'll see! :)

Dara Park

During our first weekend in Korea, our bosses took us to Dara Park...a place with a beautiful view of the sea and islands. We always heard it was the best place in Tongyeong to see the sunset, and for a whole year, we've said we wanted to go. Finally, this past weekend, we headed out to the park to witness an amazing sunset (bus 39 for you Tongyeongers). It was a great view and I was excited we got to see it before we left Tongyeong. The pictures don't really do the sunset justice, but here are a few just to give you an idea!

Halloween

Last week, we got to have mini-Halloween parties with our students. We were supposed to have a huge festival, but thanks to all of the H1N1 flu hysteria, it was canceled. Anyways, it was a fun day and the kids had a nice break from the rigors of learning English. I only took a few pictures during the day, so here they are.

This is my little OAT1 class...they are so precious.

This is John1 (there is another John) and Aaron coloring their masks.

My GAE3 class....I've had them the whole year I've been here...it's amazing how much they've grown.

Anyways, just thought I'd share a few pictures from the day! Hope every one's Halloween was a good and safe one!

Ssanggye Temple & Jirisan

This past Sunday, we headed a few hours away to see Ssanggye Temple and Jirisan. It was a fun day and the mountains were beautiful in all of the Autumn glory! Here is our day in pictures:

Drying rice after harvest

Trying to be a pro photographer! Ha.

The first gate of the temple.

Artwork inside the gate...so pretty!

My favorite picture of the day....not even sure what this is...I just like it.

With the pretty trees.

A persimmon tree.

I think these are prayers hanging from the ceiling in a building.

Such pretty mountains!

It was like a painting!

We drove up the mountain...it was so pretty!

That wraps up our day on the road!! Until next time...

Nagan Folk Village

A couple of weekends ago, Kami and I were invited to go to Nagan Folk Village with some friends and a YMCA group. I was super excited to see all of the traditional Korean things and it proved to be a great day. I love how much Korea appreciates their history. The village is about three hour drive from Tongyeong, near the city of Suncheon. It was a great spending time with our friend, Veronica, and her three sons. Here's our day:

A blacksmith...he was working hard!

Kami and Veronica having some old-time fun!

And what would a visit be without a picture of kimchi pots!

A huge drum.

This has a cool story. Back in the day, when kids would wet their beds, their parents made them wear this thing on their heads and go to their neighbors houses to ask for salt. It was meant to embarrass the kids so they wouldn't wet their beds anymore.

Willy grinding up some grains.

My favorite part of the day was watching this man write Chinese characters. It was really fascinating.

I took a turn, but since I don't know any Chinese, I just decided to write my name in Korean!

Not your average roofer.

Veronica and I in some fancy hats!A march...traditional style!
Kami with Peter and Willy.

Peter and me...he's probably my favorite student in our whole school!!

Overall it was a great day and a wonderful lesson in Korean history!