Samhwa Tourist Hotel Busan

... especially amazed with was the time and dedication that these Monks must demonstrate before becoming a Monk. Each Monk must sit underneath a tree for 12hrs straight. If they can not complete this task then they can not become a Monk. Any takers? I had an hard enough time sitting in the position (legs on top of each other, back straight) for 30 minutes.

Once we finished the Temple tour we then went and learned how to eat like a Monk. This was very interesting as well. Monks all ...

... I explained that very well, but it's really entertaining to watch!

June 11: Painting Day! This day took me by surprise, as my co-teacher once again failed to inform me ahead of time. Side note** She won't be here next semester, so I think she's seriously slacking on taking care of me.......NOT that I need that much help, but it's her job to inform me of holidays, or changes in schedule, or ...

... one of P*t's dorm-m*tes, *nd *lso * we*pons troop, like P*t *nd I, is *ctu*lly from Fort Worth. West side by Loop-820. Im*gine th*t. Sm*ll world. We, of course, hit it off right *w*y *nd h*d * lot to t*lk *bout. We *ll t*ke slices of the pepperoni pizz* to help rid us of the burden of h*ving to e*t it super cold l*ter, or throw it *w*y. But, like so m*ny things in Kore*, looks were deceiving. Underne*th the pepperoni *nd cheese, they h*d ...

... to come across is akin to the Dollar Store in the U.S. These are a great place to find dishes, Tupperware, stationary, etc. Grocery Shopping: Even in the smallest of communities, there seems to always be some sort of convenience store present. These stores are similar to a 7-11 in the states. In fact there are 7-11's in Korea...no Slurpees though :( Actually, fountain drinks are absent in general aside from movie theaters and fast food joints ...

... was in order. The news correspondent mainly interviewed the Canadian dude, with just a few visuals of the group (thank goodness). However, much to my horror and luck of the universe the correspondent spied the bottle of C-1 (Busan's brand of soju) sitting in a bag closest to me just as she was leaving. In my defense, everyone brought soda, chips, beer, soju, etc. to share, but the bag just happened to be closest to me!! I hadn't even had a drink yet ...

... at daily life in this very unusual axis-of-evil country. Back in Seoul I went back to the hostel and to bed relatively early. I slept in and then took a bus to Sokcho on the East Coast, from where I visited the Seoraksan National Park the next day. This a really beautiful national park, with high mountains and rocky peaks. I climbed one of those peaks, the Ulsan Bawi and had great views. On another hike I visited two waterfalls. The next day I took a bus down the coast and changed ...

... moment. Believe me, I've had some rough crossings in my time, but I've never been as glad to get off anything in my life. Still, I'm back on the Eurasian Land Mass for the first time in weeks, and theoretically I could walk home from here. Although I may have a bit of bother with the North Koreans. And the Chinese, and the Russians and the Channel Tunnel Border Guards probably. Maybe I won't bother then...... The taxi ride from the port to ...

... but then the teacher said it was gross... Moving right along... I think that those topics aren't as taboo here as they are in the U.S. Strange huh?? They all giggle and laugh at me, and of course a few comment on my eyes and hair. I feel kinda like a circus freak, but I'm being well taken care of.... Strange...



The bell system here sounds like a pokemon chime. No joke. Or from some crazy anime show. Or like a jack-in-the-box or ...

... the evening was the see-saw. Yeah, that's right, you heard me, see-saw. Apparently Koreans really like their see-saws, because it was quite the popular item. Once Mike and I were able to get a shot at it, we were also quickly hooked. In fact, our group had to pull us away from it, so we could enjoy some music together. Then, after the music was over, we went back for more. Even though the festival was over, and we were supposed to leave, we made friends ...

... for annie's hapkido competition. this was one of the highlights of my stay. i know she was concerned that i would be bored by the event, but i had a great time. to see over a thousand people engaged in a martial art competition, with demonstrations by topnotch experts, four year olds doing multiple backflips across mats, samurai sword fighting, and many seemingly impossible body moves, was an absolute joy. annie's team came third in their category, although she thinks (and i'm ...