Can you believe it??! It's already been a year since I returned to Korea for my second stint. Today officially ended my first contract at Tongyeong Elementary School and tomorrow officially starts my second one! I really can't get a grip on the fact that it's already been a year! The year has flown by with lots of wonderful memories and amazing friends.
Last week, I met with the principal to sign my contract for October 2011-2012! Later in the week, I went to the immigration office to renew my visa. And today, I got some songpyeong (filled rice cakes) to celebrate my one year anniversary at the school with my fellow teachers. All of these things are indicating to me that it's been a year, but my mind hasn't quite wrapped itself around that idea yet!
So here I am...starting my new contract tomorrow with an end date of October 14, 2012. The process of deciding whether to stay or not was a really long and stressful one, but today, it feels like I made the right decision. I can't imagine saying goodbye today, instead of saying "Whoo-hoo, one more year!"
So here's too another year...may it be as full of blessings as the first!! ^^
Friday, October 14, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Jinju Lantern Festival
This past Saturday was the first day of the Jinju Namgang Yuneung Festival...commonly refered to as the Jinju Lantern Festival. I remember this happening or having just ended when I got here last year, so I was super excited to make my way to the festival this year! Jinju has a beautiful river front that made a great backdrop for the event!
I headed up to Jinju a little earlier than most of the foreigners in Tongyeong, because I had food on my mind!! My first stop in Jinju was Starbucks!! I don't mind, and actually love the coffee shops in Tongyeong, but there's something about Starbucks that makes me happy!! After that, I walked a bit down the street to Valance Burgers...a legit burger place in Jinju! I was full and happy, and then I headed down to the festival!
Since I got there before the peak time (which is at night for this festival), I had the pleasure of walking around without hoards of people all around me! It was nice to do some shopping and picture taking before the place got packed! Here are a few pictures I took during the day:
Most people actually showed up to this festival at night...which makes sense because the lanterns are all lit and they're much prettier to see in the dark. I don't have a very good night camera, so I just took a few pictures of the displays. Here's a pretty one that I liked:
There was also a wonderful fireworks show at night, which is actually the main reason I went. I love fireworks!! They have two showing of fireworks during the festival...the night I saw and next Saturday. I might have to see about going again...but we'll see!
It was a wonderful day and I really enjoyed seeing all the sights!
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