Farmer's Music and Dance

Suwon Folk Village

Traditional wedding ceremony. The groom rides away on a horse, while the bride is carried away in the box...



On Saturday we took a much anticipated trip to the Folk Village in Suwon with some co-workers and friends. We've tried to go several times, but because of the rain we've had to wait it out. The folk village had lots of cool performances, exhibits, and craft makers. We had lots of fun taking pictures and enjoying the nice weather!

We have the next three days off for Choosok (Korean Thanksgiving) and are planning to head to Lotte World Amusement park again, hike around Seoul's Mountains, and relax!

Seoul Racetrack

I've been slow to post these pictures. A few weeks ago, Daniel, Lexi, Issac, and I went to the Seoul Racetrack and had a great time! The admission to get in was less than a dollar. This is the only legal form of gambling that Korean citizens are allowed to do, so it was a mad house! We didn't lose any money or make any, but then again we were only betting quarters and dollars.

Monsoon season has just begun here in Korea, so it doesn't look like we'll be able to head back to the track any time soon. Fall is supposed to be beautiful here with great weather. I can't wait for that! We're planning a hiking trip for September and starting to think about a winter vacation in Thailand...

Super Students!

This is a video I made for the second CDI April video competition. My summer intensive class, which met twice a week for four weeks, participated. They are my youngest students, ages 7-10 years old. All the CDI schools in Korea are competing, so hopefully we win! The best video gets a 50,000 won prize ($50 USD) for the teacher...cha-ching cha-ching!

Beijing and The GREAT Wall!

Daniel and I finally got to escape the hustle and bustle of Dongtan life for a 7 day vacation to Beijing, China. While there we stayed at a hutong hostel, which was over 300 years old. We visited Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City on Day 1, which were amazing to see! Its stuff you read about but never think you're actually going to see one day....
We also traveled to the Great Wall, which is about 3 hours outside of Beijing. We hiked 10km uphill and I was exhausted by the time it was all over! Wonderful views of the wall, both restored and unrestored sections.
We also got to see three shows in total, acrobatics, Kungfu, and a modern dance performance. Other highlights of our trip included eating Peking Duck, taking a rickshaw ride, and visiting the Summer Palace. Now it's back to work...

Hwaseong Fortress

For all you McMinnville people, pick up a copy of Wednesday's (July 21st) Southern Standard. Charlie Johnson did a piece on my experiences in Korea on the frontpage of the "Lifestyle" section!

A couple weeks ago, Daniel and I had the chance to visit the Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon. What I was expecting was a small fort, but no...this thing is HUGE! We walked for about two miles and only covered about half of it. We also had the chance to do a little archery practice, which was fun although, I don't think I need to pick up archery as a hobby. Daniel however, hit the target most of the time. A very fun...but HOT day! I included a little background info. about the fort from UNESCO below:

"When the Choson emperor Chongjo moved his father's tomb to Suwon at the end of the 18th century, he surrounded it with strong defensive works, laid out according to the precepts of an influential military architect of the period, who brought together the latest developments in the field from both East and West. The massive walls, extending for nearly 6 km, still survive; they are pierced by four gates and equipped with bastions, artillery towers and other features."

4th of July FUN!

This year's 4th of July was AWESOME! It is the second one I've spent out of the country, the first being in Costa Rica, and it was by far the coolest. Kim, a fellow teacher from Florida, organized an intense weekend full of surprises.

It started Saturday night with baseball in the park. The rain and the hoard of soccer players playing a game around us only added to the fun! Next, on Sunday we all joined back together (about 30 people) for the "Dongtan Amazing Race." Kim came up with a list of 90 scavenger hunt items and the team who did/found the most won. I only have pics of Daniel's Team so far, but as you can see two of the items were to take a group picture with a random soccer team and have a Korean perform a magic trick for you. The winning team (which was neither Daniel nor I) was slapped in the face with an octopus, scoring themselves 1,000 points and the title. After a potluck, we got together for firework and more "Olympics Games" in the park. One of the best 4th of July's so far...