Hotel Charis Incheon

... I tried to tell them the next day the bed was no more comfortable then the floor, as it consisted of a box springs.

Up in the morning for breakfast which consists of soup and a variety of kimchees. It was sprinkling, so they push our start time by 30 minutes. So Ray wandered across the street and up this hill to a Buddhist temple.

Then we headed out to see ...

... small) potbelly. I really don't think I'm fat at all (what do you guys think? Leave messages here!). But in Korea, where everyone is borderline-anorexic, I guess I do stand out as being large-and-in-charge. Funny how that is. I think in Pakistan I would be considered too skinny!
I just thought I'd relate this quick anecdote :)

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I'm not sure what trip this happened on. It had to ...

... offer to swim in our complementary robe. They weren't keen for some reason. The gym guy wasn't too happy with us either, apparently gyming in jeans isn't allowed. Luckily, there was no dress code in the sauna.

This thing was HUGE. We steamed up in the wet and dry saunas and dipping pools of different temperatures while loads of asians wandered around with their bits hanging out. It'I think they must've been ...

... get there until around 3. We were supposed to meet at 7am but they got there early and I actually bumped into them around 4ish. I have to say meeting people from all the different places was awesome. Having never been away from home, I've never really had that oppurtunity. So far meeting everyone and spending time with everyone has been one of the Highlights of this trip. Next we get to the hotel, which is ...

... for goods needed in daily life. It is now a series of small alleys that are full of shops selling anything and everything that the average Korean or tourist might need. It contained fresh produce, quick cooked food items, toys, purses and everything else that one might imagine. This landscape of commerce was completely covered by humanity. Everywhere you looked were large thongs of people; shopping, selling, driving, and walking thru the area. This was what we imagined a ...

... of gelatinous custard!....So NOT yummy! It was at this time I made them both promise that I get to pick the restaurant next weekend! The week is going a little bit better. I have been staying at work for 12 hours every day this week trying to get organized and plan some lessons. It is really difficult to teach a class when you don't know which book goes with which class or when half the class doesn't have their books yet! Ahh! Yesterday went a lot better, although I ...

... walls.

At the courtyard, we met the tour guide, a tall lady garbed in a black hanbok (traditional dress), who rattled off a litany of facts and figures about each nook and cranny of the royal residence. I decided, however, to break away from the pack and tour the place on my own. From there, I started walking around the large area, visiting the palace's main attractions, including several temples and ...

... break. That is why I was allowed to leave Jan. 1 instead of Dec. 28. So, now Elena and I have to work this Saturday too! Booooo! At least it is only the kindergarten classes that we are teaching this Saturday and I only have one of those, so it wont be so bad. I just like to complain! Ha! Okay, I am off to my home. I hope to find a Costco this weekend, so I will let you know what type of American things can be found there....I am really hoping they have V8!

... spending all my time at work and I'm hoping to become functionally fluent in Korean. I already know how to read and write. I just don't always know what the things I can read mean. I am learning. Korean is grammatically similar to Japanese, and most of the words that are derived from Chinese character compounds sound like the Japanese word. 新聞 is shinmun, 水泳 is suyeong, 案内 is annae, 料理 ...

... I have ever had the privilege of having. My students make me smile the big toothy kind, always giving me notes or itty bitty hand made books that say 'I love you'. They probably mean they just like me a lot but whatever of it. We understand each other with out having to use complete sentences and in some variation of Konglish. I make an ass of myself in class and they appreciate it. They ...