Hotel Dadaepo Busan

<br> Today is the start of a 3 day holiday known as Chu-suk. Koreans are celebrating the harvest season. This morning my uncle took me to a market to buy stuff for the celebrations. Wow, not only was the market huge, there were thousands of people all around buying things from chestnuts to socks. Everything was for sale and I mean everything. Towards the back of the market I noticed some dogs in cages. These dogs were not family dogs ...

... ending city behind e*ch *nd every one of them, *nd took *bout 40 minutes, or the equiv*lent of going from Pl*no to Downtown Ft. Worth. Or, it is the equiv*lent of going from Ogden to Orem, for my Ut*h folks. As we get closer, we get b*ck on the phone. P*t h*s * Kore*n n*tion*l with him *nd we put the c*b driver on the phone with her. After * quick convers*tion, he h*ngs up, gives b*ck the phone, turns * corner, *nd drops us off right *t their ...

... I knew what was coming.... Karaoke time!!!! In Korea, it's not called karaoke, it's called "nore," or "sing." It was singing time.... I KNEW I couldn't escape like the last time!! He immediately brought me the book... I don't know why, but I was struck with fear!! I've sang karaoke before...but this was different... 1) I was with all my co-workers, principal, and evil vice principal--can't forget him! 2) I ...

Hey there one and all! <br><br>First, I wanted to tell you about the dinner I had with my students. I have a particular group of favorite girls. They're my after-school group, and I've fallen in love with them all. :) When we began the 2nd semester, I was told that unfortunately, I wouldn't have any of the same students because the 3rd graders (the oldest) will be too busy for an after school class. Obviously my co-teachers underestimated my ...

... flavor in fact. Kind of like eating brown flavorless jell-o...why?? Right?? <br><br>It was a nice day in the countryside. I enjoyed experiencing a little more of the culture, and being surprised at new things. Though always beautiful, temples tend to get pretty redundant, so when there's something new it's always fun and interesting. A few more weeks, and fall will be in full swing. I heard it's a great time of year here. I'm looking forward to it. We'll see what the winter's like...

... 000 kids below who are my students--I had this overwhelming mix of feelings combining ownership and pride! Not "ownership" in a negative way. Like, these are my students. There were a whole bunch of them down there, but I could fix on one face, and recognize it. I was proud of myself for that. The students have a tendancy to all look alike--same haircuts, uniforms, etc. The only time I DON'T recognize them right away is when I pass them on the ...

... the shiny granite floors. There's always little women running around cleaning and scrubbing away. The drivers are insane. Every off-color stereotype you can think of?? Yeah. It's true. I'm afraid in the streets. Honking their horn is just a suggestion for you to move over, if you don't--most wouldn't hesitate to just keep right on going. And the women drivers?? OMG.... You can buy silk worm larve roasted on the ...

... of our closest Korean friends at Haeundae beach, Korea's notoriously most crowded. A sea of umbrellas covered the sand, making it almost invisible. The water was so packed with rafts (life boats for the many Koreans that can't swim), that moving a couple feet in either direction meant running into someone or something. Eventually, we found a hotel after literally hours of searching, everything being expensive, booked or both. The next day we decided ...

... other passenger, 12 car train, steady stream of various 4 letter words, 2 intense door punches, 1.5 hour train ride before a stop to correct my mistake, and a Korean savior in unknown location, Korea. Vagueness is my guise for not one of my finest moments. But once I was in Busan I had an incredible time. Both ceremonies were beautiful and fascinating. The western ceremony had a steady stream of bubbles shooting out ...

... at 280kms per hour) and from there a taxi back home. As we drove into our street it looked like it was about to rain which actually cheered us all up slightly. Our week spent travelling around the coast of our temporary "homeland" had been fantastic and really opened our eyes to a completely different side of Korea. The friendly people, the beautiful countryside, the delicious (ahem) food - we had seen and done loads and returned knackered but refreshed, ready to face our second term at school.