Spring!

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!

Bikes, Beaches, and Buddies...

One of my favorite parts of Korea is the tea/coffee industry. There are many unique coffee shops and traditional tea rooms in the cities. Part of the drinking experience is the display and set up of the mugs and treats. They always provide a small snack or crackers to go along with the tea - it is all about the harmony of the flavors and colors. Below is a picture a in traditional tea room in Jeon-ju; we were sitting on the floor on mats at a beautifully carved wooden table and listening to the background music of the Gayageum (a traditional Korean string instrument). It felt like we were transported to a different time.



The days are getting warmer..slowly. Dan and I celebrated by buying bicycles!! They are second hand, very cheap, my brakes don't work, and Dan's wheel is falling off. Other than that - they are amazing! We thought about going back to the seller and giving him a piece of our minds about the quality...but we just couldn't formulate the right sequence of Korean words. Maybe next time.



With our bikes, we are like new people! We are able to go farther and faster, allowing our explorations of the Gunsan area to widen. We have a nice area to cycle along the river, and there are a few places to sit down and enjoy the water. Now all we need is warmer weather...(the weather is all I complain about...ask Dan!)



We found a nice little statue park that shows the timeline of the transitions of Korea into the modern world. At least - that is our interpretation of the statues. It could very well be just a bunch of statues grouped together with random meanings.


Nice day for a car ride...

We recently made some new buddies from New Zealand - Adam and Rebekah. They are also teachers and are very exciting additions to our daily and weekend routines! Lovely people. Here we were lucky enough to walk upon the Jinpo Maritime Theme Park in Gunsan - an thorough display of the might and glory of the Korean military and naval forces. We are posing with some of the famous war heroes of Korea past.



Dan and I ventured to the beach. In the summer, I've heard that this beach is packed...but in the freezing, windy winter (supposedly spring...don't make me laugh!) - we were the only ones there! We went to Daechon - only an hour bus ride from Gunsan!! We are extremely excited about the possibility of coming back here in the future. There is a beautiful, rocky coastline, and the water is clear. This is a famous beach in Korea because it is home to a therapeutic mud, and in July the city hosts a massive Mud Festival. We can't wait to return!!


A secretly captured photo of Dan on the coastline.


It was freezing...but we were on the beach, baby!


A picture of us with two of our friends - Sin-Ae and her sister In-Ae. They show us around Gunsan and order us food and drinks. They are very fun and have made our lives easier!

Another blog to be coming soon. Sorry for the large gaps in between. We love you!

Cultural information...

Two examples of how Koreans love having their pictures taken. However...they have absolutely NO problem taking our photos whenever they want. In the middle of class...while we are grocery shopping...standing in elevators...




The new school year is about to begin, which means that we will be losing some students and gaining some new ones! Some of the older students that we are losing are going to high school. High school in Korea is the hardest part of a student's educational life. They go to school from 7 am to 10 pm - literally not dismissed until after 10! They are served dinner at school and have forced study hours and tutoring sessions. No extracurricular activities, no sports, no Rally Day. How sad! They also attend different private academies on Saturday and Sunday to further drill in the newly learned information. Although they are one of the smartest nations in the world because of their rigorous school schedules...maybe there is a small price to pay for extreme schooling practices.

This is a photo of the first full moon of the new Lunar year. How exciting. We ate rice, beans and roots wrapped in seaweed for strength and luck in the new year.


Another interesting (yet strange) bit of Korean culture that I have yet to share with you is the social importance of one's blood type. Literally - everyone knows their blood type (even 4-5 year olds), and while it is quite important information to know in a medical sense, students will regularly ask Dan and me about our blood types. They are shocked to discover that we have absolutely no idea what they are!! Maybe it is something that we should know (sorry), but we think it is a very bizarre, although common topic of conversation. Celebrities have their blood types listed on their online profiles (unless it is a "bad" blood type), and news reporters will ask the people they are interviewing on television about theirs. There is a movie about a woman of one blood type falling for a man of another. You can and will be judged based on your blood types - how clever you are, your personality traits, etc... Watch out if you have a "bad" blood type - you might not be able to redeem yourself! I guess it is good that we don't know our own types...wouldn't want to be judged in the harsh world of the Korean Inquisition - a court where public appearance and social status reign supreme over all else.


Dan and I checking out our local fire station. This picture is dedicated to Bertie (Dan's nephew). Nee-nawww!

As the weather turns sunnier and warmer (WHOOOO!) we have begun to see an important Korean citizen rearing her head from the melting snow burrows...a woman known as the "ajumma." This term technically means "woman who is old enough for marrying," but it has taken on a culture that is the foundation and staple of all that is Korean. They are quite easy to spot on the streets, and are all quite similar in stature and appearance. All around a height of about 5'0", these short women literally control Korea. They are pushy, always get what they want, and are not afraid to poke, touch, or yell at you (especially if you are a foreigner). They have short, permed, black hair in tight curls next to their heads, wear MASSIVE duck-billed visors that enable them to stare at others without being noticed, and wear a strange array of colorful, terribly mismatched vests and pants. The color palette usually ranges from light purple to dark purple and always contains a floral arrangement. They are often pushing/pulling broken baby carts with bricks or stones placed in the seats for stabilization. On a number of occasions, Dan and I have been accosted by a troupe of these women and have nearly been prodded to death by their surprisingly strong fingers. Although very rude...we got a picture of a woman from the back.



Our Korean sized sofa. Dan looks massive!

Dinner parties, New Year II and New Friends

Our New Year started off very quickly - can't believe it is already February. We have been enjoying the cold weather (as much as humanly possible) but are ready for the warm weather to save us. All is going well with school, and the students are about to being a new school year in March. Currently, they are having a winter vacation break for 2 weeks at school, but will have another 3 week spring vacation after that. This doesn't have much of an effect on us, although we might receive a few new students and lose some others. We have been keeping ourselves busy on the weekends with explorations of different areas of Korea, visits to Seoul, and meeting up with friends.

Most recently, we have had a few "dinner parties" and have learned how to cook some traditional Korean dishes. We've learned a dish called 떡볶이 (Ttokbokki - rice cake and red peppers), 김치전 (Kimchijeon - a big cabbage pancake) and 떡국 (Tteokguk - rice cake soup). Needless to say...loads of rice dishes, but all delicious! There is a lot of focus on the beauty of the foods in terms of color, and the harmony of the foods that are paired together in meals. It is much harder to prepare/cook than the Western foods I specialize in, for example: cereal and milk, eggs and toast, cutting apple slices, etc.


A picture of our dinner party - much thanks to them. There is Ashley and her two children Su-bin and Su-gun, and Carol is one or our bosses very good friends. She was the master chef - the food was delicious!

In addition to our normal classes, Dan and I both have separate tutoring lessons - usually with older high school or university students. We really enjoy these lessons because we can talk to them and relax - it feels like we aren't even teaching!

One of our older students (Sin-Ae) took us out to lunch and coffee this past week. She is in the red sweater and next to her is her sister In-Ae. Not only was it the easiest lunch we've had in a while - because she ordered for us - but she also showed us a new restaurant and coffee shop in Gunsan - which we are always on the search for. After coffee, we had our first experience in a "Sticker Shop." These are very famous establishments found all over Korea, and they are basically very high-tech photo booths. You have the ability to decorate, draw on and choose thousands of different backgrounds. Quite amazing.

We recently had a holiday for the Chinese New Year and decided to go to Seoul. Many adventures, hundreds of pictures, but I though this one was best. This is the traditional dress in Korea called Hanbok. All children wear different unique and handmade versions of this type of outfit on special holidays. The one in pink doesn't look too happy about it though. I think he is just at the age of "no more Hanbok, mom."



Dan and I visited a very cool bar in Seoul called the Bungalow. It had an indoor beach with swings and hammocks. We of course had to do a photo shoot.



A snowy day in Gunsan is the perfect opportunity to make some new friends.



We miss everyone and we love you x

Travels to Taiwan

Our vacation to Taiwan was filled with warm weather, hot spring baths, tribal dances and a never ending supply of food (some appetizing...some not). We traveled to the small island at a very opportune time as Taiwan was celebrating Year 100 (not 2011) - for them it was the centennial of the creation of the Republic of China (which is Taiwan). Essentially, it was a massive celebration. Taiwanese culture has some similarities to Korean culture in terms of their foundational history and location in the world. Other than those obvious similarities, the two cultures are extremely different. Both Taiwan and Korea have been occupied for most of their histories (mostly by Japan and China). The Taiwanese speak Chinese...but literally EVERYONE speaks English - even more than Korea. It once again made us feel like inept Western travelers because all we can do is stare and point. O well!


This is formerly the tallest building in the world, but is now the 2nd tallest building in the world. Taipei 101 is still and engineering marvel that contains a giant stabilizing ball in its core that prevents it from falling during earthquakes. I don't know engineering, but that sounds pretty good to me.


The Bao'an Temple in central Taipei. This is one of the main ones but there are hundreds of smaller temples all around the city on street corners. The architecture and colors are amazing.

Taiwanese culture is much more relaxed than Korean culture in terms of social stigmas and hierarchy rules. The Koreans are extremely hard working people but are more reserved and passive in their words and actions. The Taiwanese seem to be more open and accepting of different beliefs. It felt like a more liberalized version of Korean culture, and it was very refreshing. Dan and I had an amazing tour guide - Mary (a Bush family friend), and she was able to zip us around to all of the important places in Taipei. The terrain of Taipei (the capital of Taiwan) is absolutely beautiful as the city is surrounded by mountains. We were able to venture up into the Wu-lai mountain village where the Atayal aboriginal tribe lives. We enjoyed a hot spring bath (water supplied from a under the Earth), the tribal dances of the Atayal, and of course...the food!

This is our whole group at Mary's apartment having cake and ice cream for Dan's birthday. From left to right: Dan, Rachel, Julie (Mary's sister), Peter (Julie's husband), Mary's mother, Jennifer (Mary's friend) and Mary! They were extremely hospitable and took off work for 2-3 days to show us around Taipei. We would have been lost without them!


The Atayal tribe doing their harvest dance. They make all of their own clothes - amazing colors!

Taipei is also known for its night markets, open at around 6 and closing around 12 or 1am. Tons of stalls of food, games, and trinkets to buy. My favorite was the exotic and tropical fruit stands. I've literally never seen some of this fruit...and it was all delicious. Another popular food in Taipei is called stinky tofu. It smells like animal poo. Not kidding - it is difficult to eat, but we had to eat it as it is the only place on Earth to do so.

A juicy grilled squid. We shared one. And by shared I mean I had a bite and Dan had to eat the rest.

We had a great time, learned some Chinese, and more importantly learned how to use the bizarre crouching toilets of the East. But now, back to school. Until next time - we love you!

When the snow started to fall and the icicles started to form in Gunsan, Harry Potter came to town. They make perfect wands. Accio, summer! (This picture is dedicated to Jeffrey, Emily and Claire.)

Christmas time in Korea

It has been far far too long since I last wrote. I apologize - the time has really flown by! I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season, and although we will really miss all of the fun and Western Christmas hype, we are excited about spending our first Christmas/birthdays/New Year/basically every holiday with each other.

Christmas in Korea is not a hugely celebrated holiday like it is in America or England. There are Christmas displays at the big stores and a few Christmas lights have been turned on around the neighborhood, but in general, December 25th is just another day. We have heard from our students that the day is usually spent with friends at the movies or restaurants. Either way, Dan and I have been getting into the spirit regardless! Although we have no tree - there are no real ones...and we thought the plastic tree was a bit big to carry back with us...we did buy a lovely and hilarious Christmas CD, complete with Korean techno-remixes of all our favorite tunes - from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer to Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire. Classics.

On a more exciting note - it snowed last night!! This morning, there was a beautiful layer of snow on the ground. I'm sure it will be less beautiful when I go outside and realize how freezing the air is.

A view of the snow from the warm 12th floor.

School has been going well for us, and we have acquired some new skills and abilities. For example - sometimes the students can understand us! Just kidding...but really, it is very thrilling. I have been practicing my Korean reading - it is going well, and I can now read very (very) slowly. As good as that may be, I still cannot translate the words. Oh well. Recently we have been learning and practicing with the Korean number systems (something that is assumedly very vital to living in a country), and so far, have been very successful!

This is a productive tutoring lesson with Daniel. He is a MUCH more fun teacher than I am (or so I've heard)!

We are planning on doing some traveling over the next few weeks, we have some time off school, so will keep everyone posted. We love you and wish you Happy Holidays!!

Something that Korea does very well - coffee shops! There are hundreds of amazing and unique little coffee shops. Our favorite new activity is finding new ones to enjoy and completing crosswords. No Starbucks here, baby!

A photo from the ground in Wolmeyong Park, near the apartment. Amazing tree colors, but unfortunately the fall season has ended!

An artsy part of town in Jeon-ju, a city close to Gunsan. We venture here on the weekends. This rendition of Mona Lisa was painted on the wall of a building - pretty cool.

Quick Update...

Hello and Happy Thanksgiving!!

We are sad that we cannot be in America to celebrate this Thanksgiving with everyone...or to watch the Saints kick the Cowboys in the butt. We are also sad that we are not in England to play in the snow!! We just wanted to give a quick update on the status of the Korean peninsula. As always, there is a bit of tension between North and South Korea. The events of the past few days have definitely heightened those tensions, and have put many countries around the world on alert.

In Gunsan, we are quite a distance away from the actual contact site of the missile, so in those terms, we are very safe. This tension is common, and the South Korean people are normally nonchalant about it. The emotions of anger and fear are a bit more visible this time, and it is because there are dead civilians, and I believe one of them was from around this area. I think that this is also on of the first times that actual missiles have hit land since the end of the Korean War in the 50s. So, obviously, people are not pleased with that either. However, Dan and I are taking all preparations as we have been in touch with our Embassies (that word looks strange pluralized...I don't even know if that is correct. I apologize). We will be keeping everyone updated on the situations.

On a stranger and funnier note...

When we got home from school the other night (around 10ish) there was an absolutely rancid and putrid smell on the elevator. Barely keeping our gag reflexes in check, we stepped off the elevator onto the 12th floor and were greeted with quite a surprise. On the ground before us, there were literally hundreds of tiny fish (like anchovies) strewn around on the floor. It is as if someone was trying to dry them out or something. Truly. The. Strangest. Thing. Ever. Ever. I cannot describe it better...so I have posted some pictures.


Oh, wait...do you need a closer look?


What the hell is going on here?!? Gotta love it.

Other than the tensions from the North and the dried fish at our front door...we are doing great! We miss everyone and love you x