Yeongwol (영월) & Body Exhibit

On Saturday we took a day trip with our friends Amy and Heath to a small town named Yeongwol. It was only about 40 miles from Wonju by car. We first toured a cave just outside the town called Gossi (고씨) Cave. It was fairly quiet there and as there are a few paths, we felt like real adventurers! We had all packed a picnic lunch, and drove along the large river until we came across a big group of rafters. We enjoyed our lunch down by the water and afterward followed the river for some time and stopped at some nice rock formations. We drove back to Wonju and finished our day with a nice shabu-shabu dinner (Jananese style meal with thinly sliced beef dipped in a hot pot of water, wrapped in a rice and lettuce ball).

Today we visited the "Mysterious Human Body" exhibit that was in Wonju. Since it was the last day in our city, we thought we better check it out. This is a world-renowned exhibit showing off the human body. It was a bit gruesome but also quite informational and fascinating.

Next week H's school has final exams, so she won't have many classes this week as the kids are preparing for their 12-subject, 3-day exam! B's finals don't start for another two weeks, so it's teaching as normal for him this week.

One of the cool formations inside the cave.

Amy, Heath, B and H down by the river (too bad we couldn't swim to the other side to investigate this cave, too!

Seondol rock formation located in the Seogang River.

The exhibit, the last shot I took before I was informed that photos were not allowed.

We grabbed pizza after the Human Body Exhibit: Dayle, B, Heath, Amy, H, and Hee-kyung.

Sunday day trip to Chungju (충주)

On Friday evening we helped our Kiwi friend Dayle celebrate his birthday. There was a good turnout of fellow teachers and we had a nice time eating dinner, having a beer and singing at a karaoke room. Yesterday we relaxed at home all day, so that we could rest up for our big day trip.

Today we took the bike to Chungju, a city 35 miles south of Wonju. It was a perfect day for a ride! We didn't go into the city proper, but opted to head to the biggest dam in Korea. We took a 3 hour tour on the man-made lake and took in some beautiful scenery. When we got back on land, we hopped on the bike and made it back to Wonju in an hour.

On Chungju Lake (taken by one of the boat's crew)

Amazing rock formations.

Someone fishing in the lake.

Back to Danyang & Big News!

This past Saturday we took our 1st big bike ride; we went back to Danyang but this time we took the smaller highways. The weather was perfect for a ride, and we stopped a few times along the way to take in some scenery. We eventually got to Danyang (2 and a half hours later) and stopped by the #1 scenic treasure in the city: Do-dam-sam-bong. This is a unique rock formation in the middle of the lake. It was an impressive site, but that's not all that was there. We hiked uphill 300 meters and were able to see a gigantic stone arch overlooking the river.

Next we took the bike into town and found Go-su-dong-gul, one of the most famous caves in Korea. There was a bit of a line (that's how we confirmed that it was indeed 'famous') but it was worth the wait. It was very humid in the cave, and our camera batteries died right before we exited the cave, so we knew then it was time to head home. We got back on highway 5 and rode it all the way to Wonju (this time it only took 1.5 hours!)

Today we got some great news: we've both been accepted to Sejong University's MBA Graduate program. This course would allow us to get our Master's in Business Administration in two years by taking night and weekend classes. If all goes as planned, we'll stay in our current city for 2 more years while traveling to Seoul 3 times a week for class. We still need to discuss the details with our schools, but the main thing is that we got accepted!!

We had a break in high temps and humidity for about a week, but it has returned with a vengeance. It should be an interesting summer session as neither of our schools have AC!

Some farmers smiling after I waved to them from the bike.

On our way to Danyang we stopped in Jecheon and found this peaceful stream. From all the inner-tubes we saw, it must be a zoo in the summer.

Danyang: Do-dam-sam-bong (we took our helmets off only for the pic)

Inside the Go-su Cave.

B-Boy & Martial Arts Show

Last Saturday we traveled to Suwon with our friends Heath and Amy to check out the International B-boy competition. We met up with our Korean friends Arnie and Jinny for one last time, as they're getting ready to move to New Zealand for at least a year. The six of us enjoyed the 3-hour show (Russia came in 1st, and Korea was 2nd) and grabbed a beer afterward.

In the morning, we thought we'd see what was happening in the city. We found out there was a traditional martial arts show in front of the main palace in town, so we watched the performance; it was pretty impressive.

This week we had a 4-day work week; today the 6th is Memorial Day in Korea. This is a strange time for Americans to be living in Korea, since there's a big movement to keep the FTA/American beef out of Korea, due to fears of mad cow. Unfortunately, many Koreans don't know the facts about mad cow disease and have whipped themselves into a frenzy based on rumors and plain lies. This is taking the form of some anti-American feelings, and they don't seem to be dying down yet. They've been rallying in some way for over a month, and the rallies and candlelight vigils seem to be happening more frequently. We're not in danger, but we're getting tired of the comments and such.

On a positive note, we'll be home for 4 weeks on July 27th! It's time for a well-deserved break, and we're looking forward to seeing friends and family.

B-boy in Suwon.

Hwaseong Fortress: Martial Arts Show.

Posing with the performers after the show.

Danyang (단양)

Last Saturday we hopped in the car with 2 friends and took a 1-hour road trip to the small city of Danyang. A huge river ran through this city many years ago, and now has several beautiful sights. Although we didn't even see half of them, the things we did see were great.

First we grabbed lunch in town, and then headed to the country where we took a tour of a famous, historical Korean movie set. It was fun to play with all of the props. There's also a cave on site so we walked/crawled through that (some parts had really low ceilings).

After that, we visited Gu-insa, a Buddhist temple. It's a special temple as it's a different sect of Buddhism, and it was cool to see of the differences. We made it back to the city at sundown, to see some parasailers flying above the river. There happened to be an azalea festival in town so we walked around the booths and ended up getting kebabs from some deaf Turkish men. Their faces sure lit up when we came back for seconds! As we were chowing down, we heard fireworks, and were able to take in a great fireworks display. Right after that, we heard some music and wandered onto a nationally televised Korean Concert. Our Korean friend told us that the singers were famous performers. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day!

On Tuesday, H's school had a festival all day. I climbed a 400 meter mountain with the 1st graders (very tiring) and then they enjoyed various games throughout the day. We ended the afternoon with a talent show where one skit made fun of some teachers. I was glad to not have made it on the list, but after that they wanted some teachers to come up and sing. As singing is not my strong suit, I snuck out of the auditorium just in time!

The weather has gotten hot here recently, temps are in the high 70's already. The humidity is already coming on strong and we're not looking forward to the June/July months.

The 2 couples: Dayle (from New Zealand) and his wife Hee-Kyung (from Korea)

Dayle and B joking around on the set of the Korean drama.

At Gu-insa Temple.

Enjoying the fireworks display.

The 2nd & 3rd graders made a giant receiving line for us as we left the school to climb the mt.

Some parts were so steep that we had to pull ourselves up with a rope.

The first of the 260 students to make it to the peak.

Hiking & B-day Party

On Friday evening we met with most of the EPIK teachers for a group dinner; close to 30 turned up and it was a fun night.

Saturday morn B and 3 guy friends decided they would climb the 1300 meter mountain. It took them all day, so I had lunch with my Korean friend and then afterward went to her nephew's 1st birthday party. Korean 1st b-day parties differ from Western ones, as there is a big to-do with fun activities.

When people arrive, they guess what object the child will pick IE-pencil=scholar, $=wealth, a microphone=entertainer, and so on. When the baby selects one of the items, whoever guessed correctly gets their name put in a raffle. Three names were drawn, and those guests are brought up to the front of the room and given a nice gift.

Everyone enjoys a wonderful buffet, and then sings the baby the B-day song. Of course, everyone brings either money or gifts. When they get ready to leave, the guests are wished well by the family and given rice cakes and, in this case, some dishes with a "happy birthday" theme on them.

My Australian friend Amy and I were the only westerners at the fiesta, and when asked who had come the farthest to be at the event, we were almost ushered on stage to collect the $10 being given away. Luckily, the mother's cousin had come from south-west Korea, so he got the cash instead!

Dayle, Nick and Heath at the top of Chiaksan!

The family blowing out the candle!

Me with the fam: my friend Kyung-eun & her younger brother (holding their nephew), their older sister in the Korean dress along with her 6-year old daughter Hyo-Een.

Buddha's B-day & Teacher's Day

May 12th was Buddha's birthday, so we had the day off. A few days earlier was visited 2 temples, one of them very famous in Korea. So for the big day we just relaxed at home.
Yesterday both of our schools had Sports Day for the kids, so all day the kids played games and such. They enjoyed soccer, basketball, dogdeball, arm-wrestling, the Limbo, 3-legged race, and we ended with a relay race. It was a fun day.
Today (the 15th) is Teacher's Day in Korea. Traditionally this has been a time to honor your teacher, but these days it's getting out of hand as parents feel obligated to send gifts for each of their childrens' teachers. So, both our schools decided to give us the day off. This eliminates any stressful situations for everyone. We feel lucky as not all of our teacher-friends to have the day off. We plan on grabbing some lunch with our friend, work out at the gym, and then tonight H has Korean class (wonder what I should bring for MY teacher...)

Next week will be the 1st full week of school for both of us since April, so it'll be tough getting back into the swing of things again. No more holidays for us til summer vacation in July.

Bong-Jeon Temple near Andong.

At the famous Boo-Seok Temple near Youngju.

This temple has a beautiful view, and people come to see the sunset here.

Showing Family Around

This past week we welcomed our 3rd round of 2008 visitors-Crystal & Christopher (B's mom & brother). On Saturday morn they did the DMZ tour, and got a peak into the mysterious North Korea. On Sunday we all made our way into Seoul where we enjoyed the Lotus Lantern Parade. Monday we stopped by Wonju just long enough to drop off our stuff, and headed to the East coast city of Sokcho-famous for its beautiful Seorak National Park. We took a nice hike up to some waterfalls ad even took a cable car ride to the summit of one of the peaks. The view was amazing!

Thursday and today H had to work so B and fam hung out around Wonju, taking in what there was to see and even watched a movie at the cinema.

Tomorrow we're planning on visiting a folk village and a famous temple, and Sunday morn it'll be time to say goodbye already. We're lucky to have had such wonderful experiences with our friends and family so far in '08!!

South Korean soldiers at the DMZ.

Magnuson's in Seoul.

Chris enjoying himself at Seorak Natl Park.

Lovely shot of the temple within the Natl Park.

Showing Friends Around

On April 18th Heather's friend from Middle School, Tanya, and her boyfriend John, came for a visit. We started off the weekend in Suwon, walking around an historic fortress that was built around the city hundreds of years ago. The weather felt like summer, with temps in the 80's. On Sunday we headed to Seoul where we explored the city a bit and then took in a show called "Jump." It's a non-verbal action-comedy with lots of Taekwondo moves. We all had a blast with that!

Monday T and J came to my school and got to experience school life for a typical Korean middle-schooler. Everyone was so impressed by their height and they enjoyed the new settings.

Wednesday and Thursday they explored Wonju solo as neither of us could get off work. They wandered around the market and tried some Korean snacks along the way.

Friday B and I got the day off, so we went back to Seoul for more exploring. We checked out the COEX Mall, a temple in the middle of the city, and Namdaemun Market. It just so happened that the Wonju pro basketball team was playing their final playoff game in Seoul, so we scored tix to that and were able to cheer our team onto a Championship victory!

On Saturday we took a scenic train ride from our city to the east coast, and got the see not only the mountains but also the East Sea. It was a relaxing day for everyone. We ended T and J's final night in Korea at the Norae-bang (singing room).

Everyone had a wonderful time and it's hard to believe how fast the time flew by. We're grateful that our friends came to visit us! Now it's time to prepare for Crystal (b's mom) and Christopher (b's brother), who will arrive this Friday!!

In Suwon at the World-renowned fortress.

Our first Korean meal together:barbecued pork ribs.

Pals visiting a Buddhist temple in down-town Seoul.

We met up with our Canadian friend and visited the beach in Gangneung together.

Gangneung (강릉)

Yesterday we ventured to the east coast to Gangneung to enjoy a cherry blossom festival. It was only and hour and a half bus ride away; some friends from Wonju went with and in total there were 10 of us! We walked around the man-made lake that was lined with the trees, and then went down to the beach (the East Sea). The weather was a bit chilly down by the water, but it was a fun time and many beautiful blossoms. We ended up eating dinner and having a beer with some fellow EPIKs from various cities in our province, so it was a good time.Today we took our car to the shop as there was no brake fluid in it, and it turns out we needed a new brake cylinder. Luckily the shop near our home was open (since it's Sunday) and they were able to get the part and put in on in an hour! Sometimes the level of efficiency tops that in the States. It cost us a total of $40 WOW! Now we're busy cleaning our place and getting ready for our guests (Tanya and John will be here on the 18th, and B's mom and bro will be here on May 2nd).

Pictures coming soon!

Last weekend we went to a huge gathering of foreigners in the northern city of Chuncheon. Some of the EPIK teachers had organized a pub crawl and advertised it to the whole province. We went Saturday night and had a good time meeting lots of new people and playing bar games.
Tuesday was a great day, with temps reaching the 70s! the flowers have started to bloom, and the colors are just amazing!
Today was Election Day here so we got the day off. It was a rainy day, so we spent it at H's co-teacher's house making cookies and cupcakes, and watching Korean Basketball Playoffs on their TV (we don't get cable). Our team was the regular season champion, so we're hoping they follow that up by winning the playoffs also!
Not sure yet what this weekend will bring. Hopefully we'll have sunny weather so we can venture out and enjoy the spring colors!


Taking a break from cupcakes to joke around!

Spring Rain

Since the last post, clouds and rain have set in dropping the temperature and keeping us indoors. It's still in the 50s during the day time but without sunshine it feels pretty cool. Luckily we've met enough people that we like to spend time with so we meet for drinks and meals with Aussies, Kiwis, South Africans, Koreans, Americans, Brits and a Canadian here and there. It's pretty interesting learning about how other people live around the world and finding similarities to life in the Midwest. This weekend all we've got lined up is to visit the gym, grocery shop and meet for fried chicken and beer with some other teachers. Next weekend we're going an hour north to Chuncheon for a pub crawl, there are 40 people signed up to attend it so were excited to see the looks on the Koreans when they see a mob of foreigners walking down the street!

Spring Weather

This past weekend we took advantage of the warm, spring weather with a short trip on our new motorcycle. (In December we bought a 250cc bike off a guy who was heading back to England). This was our 1st official ride, and we took it out to B's old country school. It was a nice ride and the bike ran like a charm. We then met our American friend for lunch at a pasta shop, and chatted with him for a bit.
Sunday we headed to the pro basketball game with some old and new friends. There were 12 of us foreigners, sitting two rows away from the court, so we may have gotten our mugs splashed on TV a few times. After that we had dinner with a new couple just in from Australia.
B's busy training for his 2nd degree blackbelt at Taekwondo, which he'll test for in May. H is getting to the gym 5 days a week and enjoys working out!!
We're looking forward to the "official" spring, as there will be several festivals taking place. We look forward to showing our friends and family around the fun festivals!

Fire in Seoul

About a week ago, a fire at an apt. in Seoul left an American teacher severely burned on over 60% of his body. There was only one exit in his apt, and it was blocked by the fire. Unfortunately, he did not have insurance thru his employer , and right now his family is struggling to pay his medical bills.
They've set up a trust fund in the States for any donations as they are attempting to get him transported to Cook County Burn Unit in Chicago (where the doctors have agreed to provide free medical care for him until he is recovered).
This could easily have been any of the foreigner teachers over here, so we're all rallying around this young guy who we've never met in the hopes that he'll be able to get back to the US for the treatment that he needs. If you want to donate, or simply leave a kind message for the family, here are the sites:

http://billkapoun.com/

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8730028742





Bill Kapoun, an American teacher who was badly burned in a fire in Seoul on Sunday.

Tara's Visit

Our friend came to visit us for the second time in 9 months! She had a business trip in China, and since Beijing is so close to Seoul, she came over for 3 days. We hung out in Seoul for a day and a half, and took in an interesting "extreme dance comedy" show. We did a bit of shopping, and even saw David Beckham for a split second (he was in Seoul for a big soccer game).
On Friday we had a get-together at our place and drank some fruit soju and then introduced Tara to her 1st norae-bang (singing room). We had our own lil room and belted out songs for an hour and a half. The next day we woke up early and headed to the ski slopes. After skiing, we met up with our Korean friends Arnie and Jinnie who live near Seoul. The 5 of us had dinner and ice cream before they headed back. Then Tara and I headed to the "jim-jil-bang" which is a public bathhouse/spa. It was quite relaxing! This AM we put Tara on the airport bus and by now she's back in China ready to start her business trip.
In less than two months Tanya (H's high school friend) and John are coming to visit, and as soon as they leave, B's mom and brother are coming! We're going to be busy tour guides, and can't wait to see everyone! We're very grateful to have wonderful family and friends!!

Tara, B and I getting ready for a day of skiing at Phoenix Park.

Tara, Jinny, Arnie and us

Ski Bunnies

Our area is very mountainous, and there are several ski resorts around us (at least 4 within an hours' drive, and others a bit further away). In the past week, we've been skiiing 3 times! The first time, we had free lift tickets, so we only paid for ski rental. The past times, we've gotten a 30% lift discount so we've been saving a few bucks (15 each person each time). Phoenix Park seems to be the best in the area, and the past 2 times we've gone there. Our friend Vin has also come with (he's a boarding kind of guy).

Yesterday we were lucky as it had snowed the night before (at least 4 inches) so we had fresh snow on the slopes. It also snowed on and off throughout the day, so it was cool to ski with snow all around. We even progressed up to the intermediate hill, which was a bit freaky but something to be proud of tackling.
Today we're relaxing at home; tomorrow our friend Tara is coming for a visit! She has work in Beijing, which is only an hour and half by fligth away, so she's coming for 3 days! We'll show her a good time, and then it's back to school for us on Monday, the 3rd. We've basically been away from our school since the end of Dec, so it's going to be hard to get back into working again. We've had a great vacation, though, so we can't compain!

Our "new" car, a 1992 Hyundai Elantra.

B and I with our English pal Vin.

A few of the runs at Phoenix Park Ski Resort-they have close to 20 runs!

There was a ski competition on this course. It looked pretty cool!

Namdaemun, before and after