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 :)