Imperial Palace (Superior) Seoul

... made sure I lost 10 lbs before I crossed the ocean. I was asked to introduce myself and speak slowly into the microphone and look at the camera. I got a bit nervous and definitely didn't speak slow enough or look at the camera. They caught me off guard with the broadcasting room. And you know who was holding the camera? It was a little 6th grader following my every move with the camera. lol.
My English classroom has been newly renovated. Everything is BRAND NEW. It ...

... in North Korea, half in South Korea) and saw a tunnel that the North Koreans dug and when caught, denied digging. We had more nice dinners with Joo’s family and more long talks with her and her husband about Korea and Korean culture. Paul said we should return to visit the island off the south coast of Korea which ...

... It would be difficult to get used to.
After putting on a nice dress, we headed off to church.  As most of you know, I am not any sort of regular at church, but they go to church every Sunday, so I wanted to attend with them.  Their church was just recently renovated and it was enormous.  It held around a thousand people!  It was two levels and we sat on the second level.  There was a band and choir and the music was great!  I wore a little translator over my ear, so that ...

... beginning of Jongmyo Park it had begun to rain very hard and I had to take refuge under an old archway into the park.

Apparently as I stood under this archway, soaking wet, hair dripping water like an overflowing eves-trough, I was now someone to take pity upon. An elderly lady came out of nowhere carrying two umbrellas. When she got to me she tried to give me the large umbrella. I was shocked and thankful all at the same time. I thanked her ...

... was also a TV and an adjoining shower room/toilet/sink and then a communal space with a computer, microwave, fridge and water purifier. Despite the nice accommodation and Korean music TV the girls were eager to explore the market across the road. We wondered around, all the time me reminding them just to observe and purchase later when I went back to the room to use the net. Our walk included a stop at the local Lotteria for dinner, introducing the girls to this Korean burger joint ...

... American" as they could and I brought burgers, hotdogs and buns. Everyone brought their own side dishes and we had a great barbecue at Misaree. After eating we played frisbee, tossed the baseball around, and then played a rigorous game of pick up soccer. We even got to call it soccer for once, since we were all American for a day! It was a great day and everyone was so great ...

Spring is definitely my favourite season, especially when I am in Asia due to the abundance of cherry blossom trees. For a brief period, even the most mundane concrete jungle can be transformed into a beautiful sight, barely recognisable from what can be seen during the other fifty weeks of the year. Even the walk to work during this time was a pleasure, as it involved passing under a tunnel of pink and white blossom that couldn't help but put me in a positive frame of mind ...

... Some of those bars just GIVE you snacks too. And then there are bars in Itaewon, which are filled with Westerners and drinks/food are REALLY expensive! Drinks are about $7-11 in Itaewon, but you can get American type drinks......Long Island Iced Tea, Bloody Mary, Sex on the Beach, etc. Korean bars usually stick to Korean beer (sometimes imports like Heinekin - how do you spell that?!?!?) and Korean liquors like soju. I like soju! Maybe a little too much! Ha!

... to eat or drink, when all you wanted to do was take a nap. The only bad part about the flight was the fact that it is daytime the entire flight, so you don't get to experience night, which throws off your body rhythm. I forgot which airline I flew from Seoul to Hong Kong. I think it was China Air, but that was a nice flight as well. There were a lot of empty seats, so it was easy to stretch out. Arrive on August 25, 2008: - It was night time and they ...

... s. Her mother had prepared sushi rolls and strawberries for us. I found out that Misoo's father has been buying strawberries for me everyday because he saw how much I liked them. How nice is that! We sat at the table and hung out with Misoo's family. They are such a lovely family. So a few final reflections on South Korea..... *The people are amazingly nice. They are also polite. *Appearance is very important to Koreans. Plastic ...