Look at this stuff, isn't it neat!

What a week it has been! I spent Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) in Daegu and Mungyeong. On Friday night I took a flight through Asiana airlines to Daegu and was delayed by about an hour. I've had two great experiences with Asiana Airlines and would highly recommend it. Absolutely take Asiana Airlines, Singapore Airlines, or Korean Air if flying from the states. The Airline really treats you well in comparison to American Airlines from what I have heard and experienced. As another side note, do not order the tomato juice on Asiana airlines...its sugary and I find pretty nasty tasting. Anyways, I met my friend Brandon at the airport in Daegu where we hopped on a bus (thinking it was going to downtown Daegu) that took us about 35min in the opposite direction! haha! We just circled back around and made it into Daegu where it was nuts! There were people everywhere! So many shops, restaurants, bars, and clubs. We met up with Brandon's friend where we grabbed a few drinks and food downtown. We then found what is called "The Green Motel" in a side alley. We were told that this was the place to stay for the night from other teachers. The Green Motel looks incredibly sketchy from the outside and when you enter a nice couple greets you. It is 30,000won cash a night and you are just given a key. So easy and sketchy right?! The rooms are pretty decent and come with a mini fridge, dryer, private bathroom/shower, shampoo/conditioner, iced coffee/water in the fridge, and AC. Saturday morning, we went for a really nice American styled breakfast in Daegu. We spent the morning and afternoon in Daegu mostly just walking around the city, seeing shops and eating snacks. Daegu is the fourth largest city in Korea. It seemed as though Daegu is simply multiple universities, restaurants, and bars though. After Daegu we drove to the city of Mungyeong which took a little while since there was alot of traffic from Chuseok. Mungyeong is a nice small mountain-side town. We explored this town during the weekend and had a nice shovel dinner too one night. On Monday we explored the town of Sangju which is know for the omija berries and apples! It was such a cute little town and I really liked the omija berries! On Tuesday, Brandon was nice enough to take me back to the airport by bus and we had lunch in Daegu before my flight. We literally just pointed to two things on the menu and hoped for the best. We ended up being served the large part of a pig intestine and the bottom part of a pig belly. While this was tasty I wouldnt recommend it since it mostly pure fat. Needless to say, sometimes its just a guessing game on what you order! My flight back was nice and I ordered a coke instead of tomato juice. The line for taxes in Jeju looked to be hours long so I figured I was going to try and figure out which bus to take. I'm proud to say I took the right bus! The bus driver thought I was lost since I was the last person on the bus even though I kept showing him my address and map to show I knew where to get off at. The bus driver ended up personally dropping me off right in front of my apartment! He was so kind!

 It's Kasper!! On a hat! with bananas!! What a lovely hat!

 This guy and his dog were awesome! We watched this dog follow the guy till he got to the street...and then the dog just hopped right on with his owner! Notice the dog is wearing sunglasses and a bow tie! hahaa!!!

 Cheap and yummy iced coffee with a nice view

 Check out the price of these mushrooms!! Some of them were over 100,000won!

I only worked Wednesday and Friday since my students at Sehwa were off on Thursday. I used my day off on Thursday to get so much done. I first walked to the NongHyup bank to try and get online banking again (3rd times a charm right?!). The ladies were very nice to me in helping me complete the paperwork in Korean. Somehow, even with the language barrier, we were able to complete the paperwork in about 30min. I then walked to through Dongmun Market and bought a few things to add to my packages that I was going to mail out. I spent about an hour at the post office trying to figure out how to mail a few small packages. Once again, people were very helpful to me but it was still quite confusing. There were no envelopes like we have in the states only boxes. The price was rather expensive as well. In conclusion, I will likely only be sending out cards from Korea. Please email me your address if you'd like a love letter! (I will try and write neatly) After the post office I caught a taxi to Shin-Jeju which is kind of on the other side of the main city I'd say. I haven't explored this area too much but I researched and found a nice dental office that had good reviews and an English speaking Dentist. My taxi ride was about 8,000won so I will learn the bus route next time and save a few bucks! Anyways, I found the dental office and greeted the Dentist and his front desk staff. They were very kind to me and booked me a teeth cleaning (scaling) for Monday at 6pm. They scanned my ARC card and told me the price would be 14,000won. 14,000won!!! Lets hope my appointment goes well and I'll be getting my teeth often for sure! After the dentist I admit to trying out the Korean Burger King. In my opinion, I thought it was a slight step up from the American Burger King but still not worth getting again. I then went to the Emart next door since I had a 50,000won gift card for subscribing to internet in my apartment. Emart is basically like Target or Walmart back at home but bigger. I just some Korean shampoo/conditioner, body wash, face wash (nervous about this one!). olive oil, vegetables, chicken, and some other random items. Once I got home put my chicken that I had marinated over night in the oven! I put lemon, garlic, onion, carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, and some seasoning with the chicken and it turned out great! I was also on the phone with my bank to finalize internet banking for 45min. Also, I received confirmation about my winter vacation at the end of January. I'm so excited for this!!! I am planning to travel with two friends that I met at orientation that live in Busan. Now that we all have the same winter vacation time, we can plan! We are looking at going to Thailand and Cambodia during our two weeks time. Finally, I booked a flight to Busan for next Thursday night with a few other Jeju folks! We have a 3 day weekend so we will make use of it. I'm excited to see Busan!

 The tags aren't too visible, but these huge seedless yummy grapes were around 9,000won...but I got them discounted at around 2,300 won! hehehe

 Okay...I admit I tried Korean burger kind...don't try it!

 I bought this neat honey stuff at the market...its great in tea!

For a few days I had an awful dry cough but didn't feel sick. This was the cough medicine I took from the clinic that cleared my cough quickly!

On Friday I taught at Ara Elementary. In the morning, there was an odd alarm sounding. The other English teachers said that this was the fire drill the POE requires them to do. The alarm was nothing like what we have in the states! In the states the alarm and near deafening while at Ara Elementary the alarm is half as loud. Upon going outside to the field, one of the male school workers was holding a hose and spraying in front of the school as part of the demonstration. This was interested and slightly humorous. The teachers all wear a yellow sash so that the students can see them better. A few students were then selected to test out the fire extinguisher. All of the kids were so excited! haha! On a more serious note, I thought this was a great demonstration done by the school. In the states, we have a deafening alarm and are told to go outside on a field only to come back in shortly after. How many people have actually used a fire extinguisher? I haven't and most people likely haven't either. Even though its made to be a simple tool to use, I still think this was a great idea to demonstrate to the students.

After school on Friday night Amy and I had dinner in Shin-Jeju and I figured out the bus route. This was a fun night! Oddly enough, there was also a belly dancing performance happening. On Saturday, a few of us took an hour and half bus ride to Sunrise Peak which is located on the East coast of the island near Udo island. This was such a beautiful hike! I was huffing and puffing for about 20minutes but then we were at the top with such pretty views! We hiked along Olle Trail number 1 for some time. Jeju Olle is a series of walking trails that for the most part are along the coastline of Jeju Island. Please see the following link for more information about the Olle Trail.
http://english.jeju.go.kr/index.php/contents/Tour/MasterpieceJeju/walking_hiking/jeju_olle_trails

Jason informed us that this duck boat was used in the Korean film "Castaway on the Moon"!

 Check out those beautiful teeth!

 At the top of Sunrise Peak!

 the Korean couples seem to wear matching clothes pretty often and use these selfy sticks

 Udo Island

 some random ladies shirt haha!

 We walked down there where we took a boat ride for about 10min around the peak. It was a short but nice ride!

 On the boat!

 After the hike we had these ice cream cones!

 Look at this stuff, isn't it neat!

EWWW!!!!!!!

Tonight (Saturday night) we are planning on going to city hall for some noraebang! woooo! Thanks for reading :)

Dino's on the run!

Herro Herro!

It feels as though the weeks are just passing by so quickly! I have been in Korea for just over a month now. Crazy how time flies by!

Classes are going well. On Thursday, the homeroom teachers were present during my classes as requested. I've noticed that it helps to have a Korean adult present in the room (especially male) to help with classroom management as I don't understand much of what the students are saying in Korean. For the first time I was able to actually teach my full lesson instead of concentrating on classroom management and discipline. On another note, I've mentioned it before, but it sure is different being on the other side of the table as a teacher. All those times where I had "excessive talking" or any other "bad" behavior in class, I can understand now as a teacher. I used to be that student that talked all the time! However, some students here are far beyond just "excessive talking" sooooo I was definitely a good student most times.

 One of my 6th graders right before class. I must have a talent show this year!

 A selfie pic right before class!

 Tried out some Korean nail polish and its so nice! Dries fast and doesnt chip too easily

 Sunset walk along the water

 My first homemade green smoothie! Ginyip, ginger, banana, blueberries, cucumber, bean powder, orange

On Saturday I visited Hallim Park and Hyeopjae Beach which is located on the north west side of the island. Hallim park was really pretty! There were various types of gardens, animals, and caves. The bonsai trees were pretty neat. Some of them a couple hundred years old! I find it interesting to walk through the caves as well and see  gigantic lily pads! Jason, Amy, and I also tried some cactus and rosemary ice cream. Both were great, but the rosemary was much better! I wasn't a big fan of the animals portion. There were different types of birds such as peacocks, ostriches, turkey, and smaller birds. Most of the birds seemed to be within some sort of closed off area but there were quite a few birds on the loose. This was rather interesting and reminded me of Jurassic Park/World. While walking along, you never know what is going to pop out from behind the bushes in front of you. Jason responded well to this by stating that the park must allow certain birds out of their cages when they showcase good behavior. haha!!! Ostrich on the run anyone? hah!

 giant lily pads!

 check out that color!

 neat little flowers huh!

 these were so big! I wonder how long it took to grow these

 hungry fish!

 He was just sitting outside the fence...OUTSIDE hahaha

 old bonsai!

 caves at Hallim

 a group had asked to take a picture with Amy! Tall and blonde isn't to common here

Hyeopjae Beach is absolutely beautiful! By far my favorite beach! The water seemed crystal clear yet had such a nice blue color, nice white sand, green shrubbery, and black volcanic rock along the coast and water providing such a lovely contrast of colors. I would for sure come back to this beach but seeing Hallim Park once was enough.

In the evening we went out for such a nice dinner! Perhaps a dinner once a week would be nice. I believe we were eating bulgogi which is a thin sliced marinated grilled beef. We ate so much! The price is 15,000won each and you get all these side dishes, some makkoli (Korean rice wine), and a good amount of meat.

On Sunday we ventured off to Seogwipo by bus which took about an hour and half. We arrived at Wonang Pokpo Waterfalls which ended up being a bit of a hike. While the waterfall was really pretty, I admit I wasnt too impressed. Many folks had really talked the waterfall up so perhaps I was expecting more. There were massive rocks you had to carefully crawl around on and make sure that you don't slip. The swimming hole was rather small and absolutely freezing! Freezing to the point where your body will turn red. Needless to say I didn't jump in. Anyways, I'm not too keen on crawling around on rocks where I can possibly injure myself and I'd rather take a nice swim in the sun sooooo this waterfall is not on my list to go back to again either. After the waterfalls, a few of us walked downtown Seogwipo which was nice! We ate some pork mix at a nice restaurant for 7,000won each. We also walked through a market that may have had a bit cheaper prices than Dongmun Market. On Sunday I baked mackerel fish with some of my neighbors in my new oven! It was 3 big fish for 10,000won. We marinated them overnight in onion, garlic, lemon, and some seasoning. The fish turned out great I just need to learn how to better use my oven.

On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I taught at Sinchon Elementary which is my main school (sorry if I repeat myself throughout my blog). I can really see a divide from 3rd and 4th from 5th and 6th. Perhaps since the older students are about to "graduate" from Elementary school and about to hit their teens. I'm finding it much easier to get the younger ones interested and involved versus the older ones. I'm proud of my stamp sheet system as it seems to be working well. I enjoy seeing the kids get excited over it (its the little things that matter right?!). I was a bit let down to find out that a few students had already lost their sheets this week. -_- YOU HAD ONE JOB! haha! I'll give them a new sheet but they will have to make up their lost stamps. On Tuesday I worked with the after school TALK teacher making volcanos with the 5th and 6th graders! This was simple and fun. The TALK program is similar to the EPIK program except there seems to be a longer orientation, less hours worked per week but less pay,  and more freedom with the curriculum since they teach after school. Many of the after school programs are elective classes that the parents have their children attend instead of a Hagwon (or perhaps both).  I think its a great program since its a free elective for the students to learn more English in a fun way. After making volcanos, I went with the TALK teacher, Cat, to hike Sarabong Peak and explore the park a bit. What a lovely park and its right by my apartment! There were a few big bunnies out that seemed to be the size of my nephew Winks!

 This little lady was in front me in line at the bank. haha!

 Beautiful sunset hike at Sarabong Park

This little dude was just chilling on the steps. He was pretty big!

Some of my 5th grade boys making a volcano!

 Random picture but this is the face lotion I bought here for 1,000won from a lady leaving..its amazing stuff!

 "I'd rather have a beer" ...I get milk every morning...Koreans are obsessed! Theres all sorts of flavored milk here...banana milk anyone?

On Wednesday evening I cooked a veggie stir fry which turned out so great!


This weekend is Chuseok in Korea which is similar to our Thanksgiving back in the states. After my lessons on Thursday and Friday I have a short presentation and game on American Thanksgiving and Chuseok. I'd like to learn what the students do for Chuseok so I will report back in my next blog. I am flying out this Friday evening for Daegu Korea!! My first trip here to the mainland! I'm super excited yet pretty nervous since I'm headed their alone. I will be meeting with my friend Brandon who I met at orientation. We will visit Daegu and his town just north of Daegu called Mungyeong.  I'm looking forward to a nice weekend and seeing a different part of Korea! Of course, I'll update you on my travels in my next post! Send me letters! I will start writing letters this week and mailing them off when I get time to head to the post office. Once I figure out how mailing packages works at the post office, I'll send goodies to my readers and anyone who mails me love letters or packages of course! I suppose I'm a bit old fashioned in the sense that I enjoy receiving and sending letters. Also, its nice to have something other than crappy bills in the mail! As always, thanks for reading :)