Pictures from Vacation

Riding the cable car up to the Seoul Tower

A lantern fish tank at the COEX Aquarium

A view of Jungmun Beach on Jeju IslandLily Pads at Hallim Park on Jeju Island
At the top of Mount Halla on Jeju

Going up Mount Halla into the clouds


Austin mingles with the natives on Jeju
I think Austin really liked the Korean BBQ! (with Stanley)

The sweet smell of vacation and the stench of the Monday after...

So I am back at camp after taking a week off for my FIRST set of visitors. My sister Melanie and my nephew Austin arrived on Friday the 8th and were able to stay for 9 days. I was only able to take the week off from camp due to the kindness of my fellow teachers who had to cover all 15 of my lessons. I felt a bit guilty while I was away, but Melanie had purchased the plane tickets back in April when we were under the impression that we would be able to take time off. Anyway- LONG story there- but I was grated the 5 days off and left here to get to the airport on Friday to meet them. We went straight from the airport to the hotel we were staying at in Seoul which was the same hotel where I lived in March and April. It was somewhat surreal being back there, but since I was most familiar with that area, it made more sense. We spent Saturday and Sunday in Seoul. We packed in a trip to a folk village, the Seoul Tower, the COEX aquarium, Insa-dong (shopping area) and a movie. I was impressed with the lack of jet lag that they displayed, but my sister is never one to rest. She wants to see all she can while she is travelling.
Monday, we flew to Jeju Island off the south coast of Seoul. It was rainy when we arrived, but we did a little walking around Monday night. Tuesday, we decided to conquer Mount Halla. It was almost 5K up the mountain and then another 4K on the way down. Of course, it took us most of the day, so after dinner, we just hit the hay. On Wednesday, we went to Hallim Park which includes some lava caves, a botanical garden and some other nice displays. We enjoyed it, but since the sun was out, I was itching to get to the beach! We stopped by a waterfall that was close by the beach and the view was breathtaking. Finally, we hit the beach for a couple of hours. It was really crowded, but with sun and sand, I am a happy camper. The sea was kind of rough, so we didn't spend too much time out there. After the long ride back to the hotel, we went out for a quick bite and fell back into bed.
Thursday, we flew back into Seoul and headed straight for Gapyeong, where I live. It took all day to travel back and we didn't get here until about 7 pm. The students last week were middle school girls and you would have thought my nephew was Brad Pitt the way they were screaming over him. It was really funny. Friday, we waited for my fellow teachers to finish work before heading to Chuncheon. (where I normally go on the weekends). We ate a FANTASTIC meal of Korean BBQ and then headed back to spend the night at camp.
Saturday morning we went back into Seoul and did a little more shopping and then went to a show called "Jump". It was a "martial arts comedy" that was really great. We ALL loved it. The last dinner was at Outback on Saturday night which is always a treat for me.
Sunday, Melanie, Austin and I went for breakfast and then headed to the airport. It is about an hour and a half bus ride, so we left a little after 12. I said my goodbyes and left them about 1:30 (crying halfway to the train station). My friend Gail met me at the train station and we came back to camp. There was a snack cart on this train ride (rare) so we were able to have a couple beers on the way home and catch up on everything I had missed.
So, today was back to the grind. The day has been dark and rainy and started off with bad news for us all. Our fellow teacher Adam is leaving to return to Canada next month because of an illness in the family. We are all devastated to see him go as he is a huge part of our team. Anyway- I am working on the pictures from last week now and will try to post them tonight or tomorrow. Thanks for the emails that I have gotten. Keep me posted on all the news from home. Even though you may think it is insignificant- it is AWESOME for me to be included in the "daily grind" at home. Miss you!

Weekly Dinner Party

So I feel like I should write SOMETHING each week to keep you posted on what's going on. Some weeks there are things that happen and some weeks, it is just same old same old. I know you understand, as it is the same in your life too. Well, this week nothing happened. It kept raining and raining. The kids came and went. There were good days and bad days. etc. etc. etc. Anyway, I thought I would share something that we have started doing on the weekends that is really nice. Those of us who stay here on the weekends have started throwing weekly "dinner parties". Everyone tries to cook something that they like from home and we get together and dine as a group. It is so much more fun that cooking something for yourself and eating in the room. Of course, it can be quite frustrating as most of the ingredients you want cannot be found in Korea. Also, not having a proper kitchen can be challenging as well. But for the most part, we do really well. This week the menu included, BBQ chicken breasts, mini pizzas, chicken spring rolls, toad in the hole (a UK dish), au gratin potatoes, corn soup, tuna noodle salad and apple pie. Really awesome. I made the au gratin potatoes and anything with cheese is always a hit. last week I did guacamole. Anyway- here are the pics of us dining out on our screened porch.
Not much else went on this weekend. We wasted our time and money on Friday night watching The Mummy 3. Saturday night we stayed in and watched The Shining. We did have a sunny day ALL day today- which just was such a welcome break from the rain. Anyway- Melanie and Austin will be here Friday night, so I expect this week will drag. But, next post will have news from their visit and lots of pictures. Until then, take care and drop me an email. I AM ALMOST HALFWAY!!!! :) :) :)