MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Merry Christmas from Korea!

I'm all packed and heading out the door in 5 minutes for my winter vacation! I can't wait!! I won't be taking my computer (shocking I know) but I should have some access to computers all over Seoul.

I hope you have a blessed day and a happy holiday season! Blog with you in about a week!

Much love!

Changwon and Hike #2

Hello my faithful readers! Happy Monday from SoKor!

The weekend was fun and eventful! Our boss' family had to go out of town Saturday to run some errands, and they invited Kami and I along. They dropped us off at a big mall so we could shop and hang out while they ran their errands. It was quite fun! We got to enjoy some American favorites and take some fun random pics. As always, thanks to Kami for sending me pics of myself. So here is our day in Changwon:

I am not a die-hard Starbucks lover, but it's a nice treat. They didn't have my fav Peppermint Mocha, but this Toffee Nut Latte was quite tasty!!

I love taking pics with people dressed as random creatures...usually mascots but sometimes random wondering things. Here I am with my first Korean creature pic. And of course I had to do the peace sign...it's the thing here!

The next day, our boss' family invited us to do a morning hike with them. It was actually the same mountain we climbed on our first hike, but they showed us a 'real' way to go...up and down, not a three-hour journey all the way around...ha. It was really fun and like last time, such a pretty view! Here are some pics from the day:

They took us out to breakfast after our hike. They don't do the whole eggs and bacon thing...it's more like a lunch or dinner. Different but still yummy!

So that was my weekend in pictures. It was a good one! Everything is still really new so it's always an adventure! Until next time...

Getting in the Holiday Spirit

Merry Christmas from my home to yours! I decided to officially get into the holiday spirit this week, so I bought this mini Christmas tree to adorn my apartment. It's quite cute I believe and it helps me remember it is really Christmas. I know it's a little whimpy but I didn't wanna spend too much for something I won't be able to take with me.

Anywho, just wanted to send out my holiday wishes. Hope everyone is doing well! I'm about to go shopping so I'll chat later!

Fun Weekend Times

Hello friends and family--

Sorry about the length of time since my last post, but this weekend flew by and I was in bed by 9pm last night because I was so pooped. But I'm rested now, so I thought it was a good time to let you in on my fun and interesting weekend.

On Saturday, Kami and I attended our first Korean birthday party. One of our co-workers had a son turning one and we were invited to the festivities. Koreans do the first birthday up big...I mean really big. There were lots of people and yummy food and all kinds of excitement. It wasn't your typical backyard birthday party. Here are a few pics from the evening:

This is the Jun (my coworker) and his wife and son. His son's Korean name is Jangwon and Kami and I got to give him his English name, so we decided on Ben.

This is Unbar (we're trying to get her English name to be Hannah). She is the daughter of another one of our co-workers. She's trying to give Kami some squid in the pic...and if you know Kami, you know she was gagging. Ha.

Unbar took a liking to me...well, being ornery towards me anyways. Ha. Kami says this is our showdown pic!

This is our directors' daughter Ruby. She really is precious...the smartest 7-year-old I know. Kami kept telling her to smile, so this is the face she ended up making...such a ham.

Sunday was quite a fun day as well. All our English teacher friends participated in race day in Tongyeong...some doing 5Ks, 10Ks and half marathons. Kami and I weren't in Korea yet to sign up, so we acted as the cheerleaders for our friends...signs and all!! There were many, many people in the race and it was quite an exciting day!

Here is most of the group, waiting for the other two to finish the half marathon.

So those are the highlights from my weekend folks! It surely flew by but it was very enjoyable. The weeks seem to by flying by too....I have a feeling this year is going to go very quickly. Hope everyone is doing well and staying warm!

Korean Hike #1

On Sunday, Kami and I set out for our first Korean hike! It was quite an adventure, let me tell you!! There is a mountain we see everyday, and a couple of days ago, our boss showed it to us from the other side and showed us a look out point that you can hike to. So I thought...hmm, why not hike there on Sunday afternoon??!! We decided it was a good plan, so I got out my handy-dandy Tongyeong map and we started the journey. Well, the map wasn't much help...because in the end, we somehow had walked complete up the mountain and around it and walked half the town. It wasn't your normal up-and-down type of climb. Ha. Here is our journey in pictures!

Close to the start of the journey, we found a tradition Korean temple...at least that is what I think it was. I forgot to upload the pics but you can see them on my photo site. Here are some pics of the fall foliage though...it was really pretty up there. I love fall!!

Once we got to a point on the initial trail and we couldn't go up anymore, we decided to go down a different way. What a treat that was...we found a little park with a swing, so we both took advantage of that! It was quite fun!

After the park, we saw another way that looked more promising that the first way. It turned out to be a good way, and after many hours of walking and hiking and getting lost...we finally made it to the lookout point we first set out for!!! I was so excited!!! :)

Here are some more shots from atop the mountain! It was quite a view!!

After we found the lookout point, we decided to go down yet a different way than we came up. The path provided us with beautiful views and great pictures. Here are a few I captured.

After we came down the mountain, we were quite pooped after our long journey.

But have no fear...we went to Lotte Mart and I rewarded myself with the best iced vanilla latte ever!!! Kami got an ice cream. We felt it was well deserved!!

So that was Korean Hike #1!! Oh what a great one it was!! I am excited for more to come!!

Thanksgiving...Korean Style!

Happy late Thanksgiving!! I hope everyone enjoyed a day with family, yummy food, football, and getting up at 4am to go shopping.

Since Thanksgiving celebrates America, the Koreans didn't celebrate. I know, shocker. Haha. I did take the liberty of sharing with all of my students that it was Thankgiving in America and even let some of them say what they were thankful for! It was quite fun!! Since Kami and I are the only Americans at our school, we also got to share the holiday with our co-workers. Our boss lady was even so kind and got us fried chicken during one of our breaks so we could celebrate. That was so sweet. All of the teachers definitely liked Thanksgiving after that!!

Today we did have an official Thanksgiving celebration! Our group of English teachers (mostly Americans, a couple Canadians) got together for a Thanksgiving feast! It was quite enjoyable! There were many people there, beyond the Tongyeong English teachers. There was a French couple and two teachers from Busan and a guy from California that is traveling Asia. Kami and I made mashed potatoes for the celebration and I think everyone liked them!! I mean, who doesn't like mashed 'tators!! It was quite a fun day. Here are a few pics by Kami....she's the resident photographer!

In other news, Kami and I have officially applied for our alien registration cards so we will soon be legal!! Whoo-hoo!! That's quite exciting! We should get them at the end of next week or the following week. Yay!! Teaching is still going quite well. I love most of my classes and the kids are all just so amazing!! My co-workers are all really great and I think I'm really blessed to be here!

I think Kami and I might be going to Seoul for Christmas break with our friend, Amy. We get about 8 days off I think, so we're going to try to explore Seoul for a good part of it. I think it'll be a great way to spend the holidays. I can't wait!!

I think that is all for now! I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday break! Miss you!

Our First Visitor!!!

What a great weekend!!! My friend, Amy, from college (who is also teaching in Korea) came down from Asan for a visit! We had such a great time exploring the city and just being girls together. Amy has been here for several months, so a mini vacation to see fellow Texans was in order for her! We were definitely glad to host her and show her our wonderful town that we now call home!

Here are a few pictures from our few days together. Thanks to Kami for sending me the pics!

Besides the great company she gave us, Amy also served as our translator and introduced us to different things in the Korean culture. This is me getting educated at the street market.
We spend several hours along the coast...just admiring God's beauty. It's so amazing!!

In other news, my second week of school was a good one. I really love the kids...they are just so precious. I've enjoyed getting to know my co-workers and the other English teachers in town. I'm enjoying having my own apartment now and really feeling like I'm settled finally. I'm really happy here and think it's going to be a great year!

Happy Day!!! :)

Yay!!! Happy Day!! I moved into my apartment today!! I'm so excited!! No more sleeping on the floor and living out of my suitcases!! Whoo-hoo!! Now I can get settled!! I already unpacked all my luggage and am settling in! I'm so happy...now I can really feel like I live here and I'm not just visiting! I should be online more now so feel free to call!! :)

The past few days have been good ones. On Sunday, Kami and I joined one of our directors and her children and went to a get-together with another Korean family at their 'weekend home'. It was a really good cultural experience and I enjoyed myself. When we got there, the ladies worked on cleaning all the dishes and everything to get ready for us to eat.
And it was quite a feast...let me tell you. These people don't hold back! They had a little grill in the middle of the table and they just cook the meat and you take off little pieces. They started with some delicious beef and then got out some sausage. Think it's over?? Oh no...then there was some yummy pork and tons of seafood...crab, some kind of fish, so much stuff. It was insane. I quit after the pork but I was just so shocked with how much food there was. I still don't get how they are all so small here.

Here is the pretty sunset we witnessed while at the get-together. It was really amazing.

So besides our fun day with the Korean families, here are a couple other pictures from the past few days. This has become my favorite meal here. It's tuna kim bop...a roll with tuna, egg, spinach, and lots of other stuff that tastes yummy!! It's less than $2 bucks and it's amazing!!!

On our way to Lotte Mart (just like Wally World), we saw a stone that reminded us of Texas!!

That's all for now. I'll update more later! Miss you all! :)

I Survived!!

I can now say I officially survived my first week as an English teacher in South Korea!! Whoo hoo!! It's now Friday night and I'm just sitting at school waiting for Kami to get done with class so we can go home or somewhere...not really sure yet.

The first week teaching was a good one. The kids are just so adorable and they are so smart! Don't get me wrong, there are still some kids that are 'naughty' (they use that word a lot here) but overall they are just precious! This week was our intro week so we only had about three classes a day, but next week we start in full speed ahead with 6-7 classes a day! Yikes!!

I should be moving to my own apartment Monday night or Tuesday and then Kami and I can both really start getting settled into our new homes. I should have internet regularly then too so I can call some of you...don't worry, I haven't forgotten you!

I think Kami and I are going to visit one of the islands this weekend so that should be lots of fun! THE Amy Rice is coming to visit next weekend...can't wait!! :)

Have a great weekend! Miss you all! :)

I'm A Working Girl Now!!!

Hello everyone! I haven't forgotten about you, don't worry. I haven't had internet on my home computer since I'm at Kami's for now, so I just wanted to give everyone a quick update from the computer at work.

I'm officially done with my first two day of teaching at ILS!! Whoo hoo! It's been great so far and I'm really loving it. The kids are just so precious! I love it!

I'm teaching 2-3 classes a day this week but that'll go up after next week when Greg (the teacher I'm replacing) leaves. I think I'll have 6-7 classes then. This is definitely a good way to start though...not too overwhelming. All the people at work are really helpful and so nice, so it's been great so far!

This morning, our boss took Kami and me to the hospital to get our health check done so we can get our immigration cards and be citizens of Tongyeong. Everything was so easy there...they just took did basic stuff (height, weight, sight, hearing) and then we had to get a chest x-ray and give a urine and blood sample. Nothing hard about it. Good thing for us! :)

We're into Kami's apartment now, and when Greg leaves next Monday, I will move into his apartment and we can both get all settled. It's nice to be closer to our school and more centrally located in the city.

I hope you all are doing well!!

Exploring Tongyeong City

Good morning all. It's about 9am here on Monday morning and I'm getting ready to start my first week of teaching. I'm so excited and can't wait to jump right in! We're leaving our hotel in little while and moving into Kami's apartment for the week, then when the guy I'm replacing leaves, I'll move into his place.

Yesterday was a good day. I went walking around in the morning to explore and just try to get my bearings a little more. I continued to be amazed with how beautiful it is here. Here is a picture of Tongyeong City looking over from the island. You might thing that is a mountain range in the distance, but really it is just a bunch of islands out there...kinda crazy.

Right out of our hotel, you can see an island that is not even a quarter of a mile away. It's where we had dinner the other night with our boss' family. While I was walking, I found an undersea tunnel that took me to the island. Tongyeong City is a big tourist place for Koreans, so there were a bunch of people in the tunnel and touring around. I'd like to say I blended in with the tourists, but that would be a lie. I was still the only non-Korean walking around in the tunnel. Ha. It really is magnificent how pretty this place is. I am still in shock that this is my home for at least the next year.

This is one of the two bridges that connects Tongyeong City to the island. I've seen pictures of it at night and it's really pretty. Here is my attempt at using the timer on my camera since I couldn't ask the Koreans to take a picture of me!

My Day in Pictures!

Before I get to the pictures, I remembered that I forgot to write about something yesterday..."Sniper Hellos". I had heard about these before I came and we experienced our first one yesterday...so hilarious. What happens is you're walking along, just minding your business, and these little kids start yelling 'hello' at you. It's really funny. I think we'll get these a lot since it's obvious that we are foreigners so they like to use their English on us. Ok, now to the pictures.

My first Korean meal. We found a place with pictures so we could look and point...always a good way to order food! It wasn't bad. The chicken was just regular fried chicken but it was accompanied by an interesting omlette. The omlette was filled with fried rice...interesting but pretty yummy.

Barbara showed us around town for a little bit. Very good knowledge to have.

Our bosses took us around the coastline and we stopped to take pictures at the national park. It was really amazing. There are about 120 islands around Tongyeong...as you can see, some really tiny ones and then ones that people live on and visit.

This is picture celebrates my first island experience. There is an island easily accessible by bridge just south of Tongyeong where the national park is and where we ate dinner.

A quick shot with the lion...gotta love it! :)

Dinner was amazing. Our bosses took us to a traditional Korean restaurant and we got to have a truly cultural experience. It was so great! It started with leaving our shoes at the door (typical here at homes too) and sitting "indian style" at a table resembling a coffee table. Then they brought out about 20 bowls of stuff...it was insane. In the middle of the table, they put a bar-b-que type thing so you can cook your meet while you eat. We had pork for our meet and it was amazing....so yummy!

I was finally taught how to use chopsticks...so my first Korean goal has been accomplished! Whoo-hoo! There were tons of things to try and I tried most of them...not the spicy ones...but most of the other ones. So good, some not so good, but all worth the try to experience it!

Here with our bosses, Ryan and Sara, and their daughter Ruby.

That concludes my day. I'm tired now...still adjusting so I think I'll be going to bed early tonight. It was a fun day though!