Mt. Jirisan

This weekend, Daniel, Marilyn, and I made our first "Adventure Korea" trip...and it was a blast! Adventure Korea tour group takes tons of fun trips around the country and even some to North Korea. The trip this weekend included hiking up Mt. Jirisan and participation in the Hadong Wild Tea Festival. So on Saturday morning at 5:30am we got started on our trek to Seoul to meet the group. About 80 or so foreigners went, so two charter buses were our mode of transportion. The drive down to Mt. Jirisan took about 4 hours. The mountain is located close to Busan, in the southern most part of Korea, so it took awhile to make it there. Once there we were alotted 3 hours to hike up and back down the mountain, which was easily do-able. The mountain range extends across three provinces and has some of the most well-preserved forests in Korea. Our bus let us out at the car park at 1,090 meters...we hiked to Nogodan Peak, the third highest peak, which is at 1,507 meters. The hike was beautiful. There was still snow on the mountain, but it was around 80 degree at the base. It was so much fun!

That night we stayed at the Jirisan hot spa hotel. We slept on the floor with mats, which is very traditional here. Its not so bad because the ondol (floor) heating keeps you very warm! We got to hang out that night with other teachers on the trip. On Sunday we had breakfast with the group and then headed out for the Wild Tea Festival...more on that to come!!!!

Daniel and I made a video message at the top for all our family and friends! Just ignore the end...haha!

Weekend Report

This weekend was very eventful, both in the states and here in Korea. My little sister, Hayley, went to her senior prom on Friday. She's the blonde one in the pic, for those of you who don't know :) I got to help her pick out her dress while I was still in the U.S. She chose a beautiful gown, with an empire waist and light beading. She looks gorgeous in blue. Her date, Nik, looked very handsome as well. They went to Murfreesboro for dinner with their other friends, Callie and Josh. Her and Callie have been best friends since kindergarten. Wish I could have been there to see them off!


Daniel and I got to visit Lotte World this past Sunday. Lotte World is the second largest indoor/outdoor amusement park in the world. We got there at 11:30am and didn't leave until 10pm...and we still didn't ride everything! It was soooo much fun! Our Canadian friend, Marilyn, joined in later in the afternoon. The pictures are courtesy of her! Everyone there had on funny Mickey Mouse ears...even the guys! It was hilarious to see grown men in pink polka dot headbands :) Maybe you can tell in the pictures haha!

School, work, and life in Korea continues to go well. Daniel and I are constantly feeling a little down with sinus problems. The weather is so up and down here, that its really messing with us. No complaints though on those nice 65 degree days...its just the next 45 degree day that's a bummer. We are planning lots of trips with a tour group called Adventure Korea. We head to Mt. Jiri for hiking and a Wild Tea Festival this weekend, and a DMZ trip is scheduled for Daniel's Birthday weekend, May 15-16th!

Cakes and Babies!

Another new bundle of joy has arrived, Miss Linda Ovella Ford. Our friends, Steven and Robin Ford, just welcomed their first little one. She weighed 7lbs 15 oz and was 19 3/4 inches long. She has the most beautiful black hair I have ever seen. Can't wait to hold her come next March!!! I put a few pictures of the happy family...pre and post baby. Robin did a great job with the baby's room. She is an art major, so she did lots of stenciling and created an outdoor theme.

On a different note, this week has been busy as usual. Meetings at work, homework to grade, classes. The weather is getting nicer though, so that makes the bike ride in more enjoyable. Oh, last night I learned to bake a cake on the stove top. Kim, a master chef, taught all us girls how to make cake using a tuna can, tiny cake pan, and pot. We put the pot on low heat and then placed the pan on top of the tuna can in the pot. So it was kinda like a dutch oven. Nice! We made carrot cake with cream cheese icing....fron scratch!!! All in a TINY kitchen!

Daniel and I are gearing up to head to Lotte World this weekend. Lotte World is a medium sized amusement park located in Seoul. Ever since we passed it on the subway, Daniel has been dying to go! Should be fun!

Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival

On Saturday, we braced the hoards of Koreans and foreigners alike to attend the Cherry Blossom Festival in the Yeouido area of Seoul. It was a great day! Sunshine, cotton candy, pink blossoms everywhere....nice to finally feel some spring weather! The streets around the National Assembly building were lined with cherry trees that were all in full bloom. Just strolling around, checking out the booths (like glassblowing, kite making, etc) was relaxing and fun. We did get yelled at by an old lady (adjumma) for picking a couple of the blossoms. She told us, "They are for everyone." However, when we looked around everyone had a branch or two...even the Koreans. So we just got bullied, I think. It happens! We ate dinner at a fabulous restaurant in Gangnam where all the food was on conveyor belts and you just picked the plate up as it went along. Really fun! It's been a wonderful weekend....I don't want it to end!

The Dongtan Menace. . .

As promised, here is the video Sean made a couple weeks back...it's hilarious! We went for badminton in the park and had a great time! Mr. Competitive (a.k.a. Daniel Walker) kept everyone laughing! Let it buffer for a while, sit back, and enjoy haha!

Going to Gangnam

This weekend, Daniel and I made our second trip into Seoul. This time, we had no trouble! We caught a bus that got us to Gangnam Station (downtown Seoul) in 30 minutes. We wandered the main street checking out book stores, clothing shops, and whatever else looked interesting. We also saw, "Clash of the Titans," at the theater. I wasn't too impressed, but Daniel loved it. On the bus ride back, Daniel kicked my butt on some iphone Monopoly :( So time flew this weekend.

In Gangnam, we stumbled upon a cool market. Vendors were selling lots of the korean staple foods (fish, octopus, pork, peppers, rice) fresh and cheap. Whole pig heads, buckets of red peppers, and live octopus were just a few of the interesting things we saw! I have yet to try live octopus, but if it's anything like the bugs...I'm out!

Acting Day!

Every other week, we have Acting Day! This is the one day where the kids get to perform their skits in front of the video camera and class. They are in front of a blue screen so the background and music can always change to fit the script. They are supposed to memorize their lines at home, although most don't. However, my Tue/Thurs. class is AMAZING! They are only about 8-10 years old, but they are soooo smart! I only have 5 students in the class, which makes it go so much smoother. Here they are performing a script about making bread and helping others. There is a bit of lag time, sorry :(

By the way, I changed the settings to allow anyone to be able to leave a comment. I didn't know I could do that before, but now you'll all invited to share!