Hawaii - Day 2 - Polynesian Cultural Center

Our second day in Hawaii was a full one. We spent the entire day at the Polynesian Cultural Center and it was fantastic! I really enjoyed getting to learn about the different Polynesian islands. It was definitely worth the money and time! Here are some pictures of the day:

A view from the bus on the way to the PCC.

I think they call this the China Man's Hat Island.
We finally arrived to the center.

A pretty ginger flower.

A tree with crazy roots.

Beautiful sights inside the center.

The Maori people doing a chant.

A Tonga man playing a nose flute.

Kami and I made coconut-leaf fish!

Our Samoan tour guide (Ken) telling us about Samoa.

Samoans climbing coconut trees...so awesome!

Kami and I at the luau!

The men getting the pig from the pit.

The luau performers.

My delicious meal...check out the purple sweet potatoes and roll!

Luau entertainment!

After the luau, we went to the Ha-Breath of Life Fire Show...it was pretty incredible!

Yummy Pineapple Delight!

The fire twirler! So sweet!

The finale!

All-in-all, it was a terrific day! I highly recommend it for anyone going to Hawaii! I learned so much about Polynesians and had a lot of fun doing it!

Hawaii - Day 1 - Waikiki Beach

I'm officially home!! It's so crazy and surreal and comfortable all at the same time....if that makes sense! Anyways, on the way home from Korea, we stopped in Hawaii for a 4-day vacation. The weather was so great and the views were amazing. It was a great 'Korean detox' and we really enjoyed it there.


Here are some pictures from the first day. We left Korea on Tuesday night and got to Hawaii on Tuesday morning. We were pretty pooped from the traveling, so our first order of business was taking a nap! After that, we headed to Waikiki Beach for some picture taking and lounging (for Kami). While she soaked up the sun, I walked around the International Market and just wandered around. So, here are some pictures from our first day in Honolulu:

Getting lei'd on arrival

Kami and I with our leis...happy and tired

Waikiki Beach

The palm trees...I love them!

A famous guy from Honolulu

A place for good shopping!

A beautiful sunset!

My favorite picture!

Oh Hawaii...how beautiful you are!

Ok, that's all for this post...stay tuned for more from Hawaii!

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!