Been a While!

Hello folks.

Sorry it's been a while. We haven't done any traveling since our winter holiday so I haven't taken too many pics in the last month. I think people were starting to question my existence, so I decided it was time for a little update. Once it gets a little warmer, we should start traveling more then I can post more often...hopefully!

Alright, here we go:

The foreign teachers of Tongyeong have take up a new hobby...ballin' on the local courts! We have gone the last two Saturdays and it's been quite fun. The first Saturday I took part in my first bball game. I wasn't good, but it was fun. Ha! Here are a couple of the folks, before the others showed up! Good times in Tongyeong!

In other foreign teacher news, we had a birthday celebration recently! Steve, who works at a rival hagwon, had a birthday and we had fun bowling and hanging out! Here is a picture of Steve and Lauren during the festivities!

The last week marked the end of the school year for the Korean children. They have a week off and then will start again. The children moving from 6th grade to middle school got to partake in a graduation ceremony...and since some of the kiddos I teach were graduating, I thought it'd be fun to attend the events. Three to be exact! Ha. So three ceremonies in Korean, but hey, it's the thought that counts right?!? The second of the three ceremonies included our bosses' son, Tony, so we were happy to be there for him. Here are a few pictures from that:

Here is the fam...you may recognize them from the New Year's post.

Kami and I with Tony, Ruby and Zinna (another one of our students) and her twin brothers in the background...so cute.

Ruby...the cutest girl on this side of the Pacific.

Me and Tony...so proud!
And then here is a random picture from work the other day...Jun and Steve...they're funny!

Ok, that is all for now. Have a great week! Much love!

Photos by Kami Webb

Here are the pictures from the past couple of weeks that I got from Kami. Enjoy!

This is the crew that went skiing at Muju Resort...it was so pretty there!

Kami and I FREEEZING at the top of the mountain!
This is at our boss's relatives' house. They had an old traditional style home that was pretty neat.

Ruby and I on the Lunar New Year. Ruby was soooo precious in her Hanbok.

The family that welcomed us for New Years. It was such a good experience.

Kami and I got to try on some Hanboks. They are awesome. I totally want one!

Kami and I with our boss lady! She's lots of fun!

Our infamous shot...we have to take it everywhere!

Celebrating the Lunar New Year

As I wrap up my four-day weekend, I can't help but reflect back on how great the weekend was. Kami and I had the opportunity to join our boss's family for a traditional Lunar New Year. It was incredible. The Lunar New Year is one of the two most important holidays in Korea, so we knew it was a big deal to be invited to join our boss and his family.

We left Sunday morning to head to Jinju, the hometown of my boss that is about 30 minutes from here. When we arrived to his mother's house, the women started cooking immediately. The actually New Year day was Monday, but they like to prepare the food the day before. Kami and I helped as we could, battering some fish and beef and putting together some other things I don't know the name of. After the cooking was finished, we enjoyed a scrumptious lunch that was equivalent to pot roast and potatoes. It was soooo yummy! Later, Kami and I went to see Madagascar 2 with the kiddos. It was dubbed in Korean, but we still thought it was quite funny...what we could understand anyways. That night, we had a great time playing a Korean game with the family...so much fun. Everyone's competitive sides came out and that was funny to see!

Now Monday morning was quite interesting. The day started early...about 6:30...and by the time we got up, the older women were already in the kitchen, preparing all the food. For the Lunar New Year, Koreans have what we would call a memorial service. It's where they remember their relatives that have passed away. All the men got together to do some talking and bowing. It was neat to watch. After that, we went to the grave sites of the relatives and they did a bow to them and sprinkled Soju (Korean liquor) on their graves. Then, we went to another relatives house and had some lunch. It was quite a cultural day. There is definitely nothing that compares to this in the US. I mean, the only tradition I have for New Years is eating some black-eyed peas! Before we left, Kami and I got to put on a hangok, the traditional Korean dress. I really liked it...makes me want to get one! Ha. We'll see about that!

Overall, the weekend was quite amazing and such a good cultural experience. Kami and I are quite blessed to have bosses that invite us to partake in these sort of things. It's all about taking in the culture and gaining an appreciation for things. I definitely enjoyed the weekend. I didn't take many pictures, but here are the few I did take. I'll post more when Kami shares with me!

This is a huge wardrobe that our boss's mom had. It's really amazing. It's a traditional Korean thing...the decorations are all made from seashells. You can't even imagine how pretty it was.

Here is Sara (the director's wife) and her daughter Ruby...they are so precious! They are both wearing tradition Hanboks and look so cute!

Here is Sara working in the kitchen preparing the food for the day.

Our bosses' children, Tony and Ruby. They're such good kids.

That's all I have for now. Back to work tomorrow!

Muju Resort!

Yay for pictures to post! We did something fun this weekend! Yay! On Saturday, we left Tongyeong bright and early to head to Muju Resort...a huge ski resort in the mountains. Kami and I had decided before the trip not to ski, so with cameras in hand, we hit the slopes! Well, not really, but we did ride the nice gondola and took many pictures! Muju was quite nice...lots of snow and many, many people. We went with our bosses' family and while they enjoyed skiing and snowboarding, Kami and I enjoyed walking around and seeing the sights. Here are a few pictures from the day. I haven't gotten pics from photographer Kami yet, so here are my amateur shots! Oh, and yes, we did eat at Popeye's (picture 4)...yummy taste of home!

It's Been A While

Hello folks!


Sorry for the slight absence but not too much has been going on since our trip to Seoul. I've just been working and working some more. Our schedule at work was changed some due to the fact that the kiddos are on winter holiday here, so it took a few days to adjust. All is well now, though...have no fear!

Besides work, nothing really has happened really. I think that we are going to a ski resort on Saturday, though, so that will be fun. Kami and I have opted not to ski, but we will enjoy the good company, along with taking pics and seeing the pretty snow!


I haven't taken any pictures since Seoul, so I leave you with this photo. Ruby, our directors' daughter, drew this a while back. I thought it was a pretty good depiction of me! Ha.