The weather has FINALLY started warming up in Gunsan, a nice treat from the 5 months of freezing winter that we have endured. The warm weather brings the long awaited cherry blossom trees to life! They line the streets and parks and really bring beautiful color to the city's surroundings. We spent the entire weekend biking around the city, picnicking in the parks, and enjoying the warmth of the sun. Dan even wore flip-flops! Here is one glimpse of the streets lined with the cherry blossoms:
Unfortunately...as we were biking one day, we got a little lost and turned around. We sadly happened upon one of Korea's infamous "dog farms". It was truly shocking and took us by surprise - there were literally hundreds of dogs in cages on a massive field. The practice of dog farming is looked down upon by most of the international community, and many Koreans have spoken out against it. It is still considered a "legitimate" business in Korea, and people (mainly men) eat it in the summer months. Some of our students think eating dog is disgusting, while others think it is delicious.
Many Koreans have dogs as pets, and there is only one type of dog that is bred for eating. Our students call it a "poo dog".
Seonyudo Island Trip!A few weeks ago, Dan and I took a trip to the nearby Seonyudo Island with 2 of our New Zealand friends. Although it was quite chilly, we had a great time biking around on the small group of islands located in the West Sea. We took a 1.5 hour ferry to the island from Gunsan, rented some bikes and cycled for a few hours through the small villages and fishing communities.
After our day, we had dinner at a local seafood restaurant, and were lucky enough to meet two EXTREMELY helpful Korean men (Jaden and Min Soo) who were camping on the island for the weekend. They joined our table for dinner and bought us drinks and shared stories with us. They invited us for snacks and drinks at their tents and we ended up singing songs through the night and planning future camping trips with them. Very funny times. Hopefully we will be able to meet up with them again!
A picture of our dinner party: Adam, Jaden, Dan, me, Rebekah, Min Soo!!
A few shots of the island...it was a little cloudy and foggy during the day. We will go back again during the summer and spend some time on the beach!
Our ferry ride on the way to the island. This journey was much calmer than our journey back. On the ferry back to Gunsan, we had to battle a huge storm and we spent the ride screaming with the Koreans as our boat was tossed about and thrown into the air by the waves. Amazing...but scary. I think I joined in the fun with nervous laughter.
Finally - we held a speech night at the school last week. Every student had to memorize a speech in English and perform it in front of their peers. We plan to do it once a month. Maybe next time, Dan and I will memorize something in Korean and really give them a show...or not :)
Goodbye and we love you!
