Sometimes, I forget that I have this ...

Let's start with the craziest news I've heard of the day ... It appears that Lotte (or something like that) is auctioning off clothes worn by pop stars in Korea. This time? It's the boys of 2PM. Now, I like 2PM. They dance well. And, you know, their songs are catchy. Plus, I've actually seen them perform, which greatly enhances their appeal. PLUS their ex-leader is from Seattle (well, close to it ... more like Edmonds). So, you know, they've got a lot going for them. So, when I saw this article about the auction business, I was a little curious. Bidding closes on 10/30 - as of 10/25, ex-leader 재범's (Jae-Beom) duds were worth 2,036,430,000 Korean won.

Let me say that again. 2,036,430,000 Korean won. In case you don't realize what that means ... 2,036,430,000 won translates into roughly $1,712,580 (US dollars).

I couldn't believe my eyes. It's a shirt and a pair of pants that I guess he wore on stage ... once. 1.7 MILLION DOLLARS?!?



Dang. Well, I hope the money is going to a good cause.

Meanwhile, my favorite 2PM-er (택연 [Taek-youn]) has his clothes currently at 12,082,200 KRW (or approximately $10,160 USD).



Anyone have a few thousand dollars just laying around to spend on me? JUST KIDDING ... :)

Okay. Now that we have that nonsense out of the way ... I guess it's time for an update. Where-oh-where should I begin?

Okay, okay. Well, on October 10, all my dreams came true ... because ... I saw ... RAIN! That's right - saw 비, Mr. 정지훈 HIMSELF performing in one of the Olympic Park stadiums. Oh my stars ... it was fabulous. He is fabulous. The concert was fabulous. The opening act was fabulous (okay, well, not RAIN fabulous ... but MBLAQ wasn't bad). The company was fabulous - because, I believe in my excitement to tell you that I saw RAIN, I neglected to mention who joined me for the joyous occassion. My seatmates were David, Mindy, and Amanda ... and in another section (not too far away) were Matt and Yoon. So, you know, it was a great night all-around. :)





Okay. That's enough about Rain. But seriously though ... the concert was great ... and there are some videos up on my Facebook profile if you wanna check 'em out. Swooooooooon ...

Moving on. Saw another soccer game - this time it was a friendly match between Korea and Senegal. Had AWESOME tickets - Hannah teacher helped procure them ... front row. No lie. Got there in time to watch Korea score their first goal, too. Right in front of us. Pretty-freaking-amazing, if you ask me. PS, Korea won. ANNND I got to stare at 박지성 (#7, PARK Ji-Sung) the WHOLE night, which was a definite bonus.





The last big highlight?? Just got home from a weekend in 속초 with some of the coworkers. Now, for those of you who don't know, Sokcho is a city on the east coast of Korea ... takes about 4 hours by bus to get there. PS, if I NEVER ride an express bus again, it will be too soon. Just kidding, but only kind of. Anyways, the point of this weekend was to go to 설악산 (Seorak-san, or "Seorak Mountain") and see the beautiful autumn colors and perhaps do some hiking.

First, we began by dropping our bags off at our room - the 사조 Condo (or resort ... whatever). Luckily, we had a hook-up and were set up with a pretty sweet pension for only 45,000 won (roughly $40.00). YAY for having awesome friends!!!

After a little naptime, we headed out in search of FOOOOOOOD. Found it too, in the form of delicious crab and some kickin' raw seafood.


(Yeah, we totally devoured four of those ... while WAITING for the raw fish)

Mmmm ... deliciously fresh. Plus, we got to watch the SK-Kia baseball game while we were devouring that goodness.

One of my favorite parts about having raw fish in Korea is that afterwards, the restaurant will take the leftover parts of the fish (ALL of the leftover parts) and make a soup for you. It is usually quite delicious ... but a little disconcerting to have a ginormous fish eye staring at you.

Saturday night was spent bowling, and then an early bedtime in preparation for our 5:00 AM wake-up goal ... *gulp*

Sunday morning came bright and early, and we stumbled out of bed and into the waiting taxis to take us to Seorak National Park. Now, we didn't do the mountain hike ... that would have taken the better part of a day. However, we did do a nice walk to 울산바위 (Ulsanbawi), which is a rock formation. Now, my pictures don't do ANY justice to the beauty that is Seorak National Park ... however, trust me when I say that it was BEAUTIFUL.





Maybe now I should mention who "we" included. "We" was Trevor, 슬기 (Seul-Ki), Judy, James-Matt, Seth, and I. It was a good group. I think all-in-all, we had a good time. :)

And that's all I really have for now.

:) Bed time. Love ya.

사명의교회

Sometimes, it's the small things that just make me realize how much my life totally rocks.

Take today for example. Amanda showed up at my place with a chai latte (mmm, thanks!) and we hopped on the 900 bus to head to Suwon for church (사명의교회). Now, it takes about an hour to get to the church I go to in Suwon. And once you get there, everything is in Korean. Why, might you ask, do I continue to go there when I don't understand Korean?

The people are incredible.

Let me say it again. The people I've met there are I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E.

Let's start with an example from last week, shall we? Last week marked the third time that I went to that church. Four weeks ago, my friend 슬기 brought me with her to her church ... and it left such an impression on me that I figured out the bus route and made the trek on my own the next week. Last week, Amanda and I went together. Yes, she has a farther distance to cover than I do, as she is currently staying in 강남. So not only does she have to do the hour long bus ride with me, but she was ALSO riding the subway from 강남 to 평촌. Craziness!

Anyways. Last week, Amanda and I sat down and were preparing ourselves for Korean ... which, by the way, singing the songs in Korean has improved my reading abilities a little (at least, as far as speed goes, haha). The music starts (the worship team is AMAZING, by the way) and the words are projected onto a screen on the front of the church. In addition to the Korean lyrics, some amazingly kind person added the English lyrics, too! Now, let me clarify something for you - I'm the only foreigner who goes there. Well, Amanda and I are the only foreigners. They did that ... just for us. Call me overly sensitive ... but I was so touched, I nearly cried.

This week, Amanda had to leave right after service ... and I ended up going with everyone to the pastor's house for a picnic. I was really nervous, being on my own. I mean, the people are really nice, but ... I can be shy. And so can they. So I worried about having someone to talk to and all of that ... but I really shouldn't have worried because by the end of the night, I had talked to pretty much EVERYONE there. Everyone was SO kind, and funny, and thoughtful, and made sure that I felt comfortable ... and I am so thankful for that. At the end of the night, I was sitting with a group of maybe ... six or seven other people ... just chatting. And it really wasn't difficult or awkward or anything - especially thanks to the fact that the boy who plays drums lived in the States for like the first eleven years of his life. Wisconsin of all places ... but still, haha. So he was kind of translating (when it was needed ... which wasn't often) ... And the pastor's daughter spent four (or six, I can't remember) years in England ... and then another year in Iowa. Iowa?! Seriously.

Anyways. Afterwards, it was really late ... and instead of taking me to the bus station, Sung-Eun (who I think kind of resembles MC Mong) drove me ALL the way home! Between his apartment and mine, it's maybe ... 30 minutes ...that's kind of far! But he drove me the entire way back.

I love going there. Everyone is so thoughtful. I really can't remember anyone's name ... but I will learn. And I will keep going there ... even though now I can't understand what is going on ... because ... eventually ... I'm going to figure it all out.

Anyways. That's my story now of how my life is amazing. Stay tuned - I promise eventually I will talk about the other AMAZING aspects of my life ... such as work ... the gym ... my (two) favorite cafe(s) ... the people (because they are TRULY amazing) ... and all of that good stuff.

Summer Vacation - Jeju-do!

Well, summer vacation has come and gone ... anyone care for a recap??? :)

If you recall, last summer I spent my week off hanging around Seoul, acquainting myself with this city in which I have chosen to live for an unspecified amount of time. Well, in order not to break with tradition, I spent this year's summer vacation with the same person ... in the same country ... but a new location.

Hyun, my friend and former roommate from SMU, happens to be spending her summer vacation (from SMU) back in Korea with her family on Jeju Island ... and I decided to spend a few days there for some R&R.

Now, for those of you who don't know, Jeju is kind of like ... Korea's own little paradise. It's a small island off of the coast, about an hour's flight from Seoul. You can read more about it here.

[ Please note : if you click on the pics, they open in a new window and they are HUUUGE. Not even kidding. Just save yourself the headache, haha. ]

My vacation started on Saturday morning, sipping Starbucks and waiting for my flight at Gimpo Airport in Seoul. Already I was in a good mood because ...
A.) I was sitting in a Starbucks
B.) It was vacation
C.) I was on my way to the island, baby!

< Passion Iced Tea, a blueberry scone, a book, and the hand phone ... >

Also, I decided to use my mileage with Korean Air to first, purchase my ticket TO Jeju (that means no cash out of hand!) and then to upgrade BOTH of my flights to Prestige Class ... OMG. Greatest idea ever. Also most comfortable airline seat ever.

< Flying in style ... even if it was only for an hour. >

After arriving in Jeju, Hyun and I set off to climb a small hill in order to watch the sunset off of the coast. I haven't seen a proper sunset in FOREVERRR ...


< Hyun >

We then proceeded to walk along the coastline ... and stopped to find small crabs running on the rocks so that we could take them home and eat them. MMMM!

The next day, we went to mass at her family's church. I haven't been to mass in FOREVER, so that was great, even if I didn't understand what the celebrant was saying. Oh well.

< The church >

Then it was off to horse-back riding in the drizzle that remained a constant throughout most of my stay. Now, I haven't been on a horse in FOREVER ... but it's kind of like riding a bike, I guess. Except for the fact that I couldn't get my horse to move past a saunter. And every time we got near the gate, he stopped. EVERY TIME.

After horseback riding, Hyun's parents took us to the Guest House where we would be staying for two nights. Now, this place was my first real experience with anything resembling a hostel, and it was pretty neat! The manager/owner dude was really nice ... and spelled my name "Mar-u-she" (or something like that) in Korean ... gotta love it. :) And the guest houses themselves were super cute - shaped like little mushrooms. I enjoyed my stay there ... especially the BBQ they organized in the evening for EVERYONE and where I was able to converse with people, despite being the only foreigner in attendance. :)

< The guest houses >

On Monday, my third day on Jeju, Hyun and I went to Udo, one of many small islands off the coast of Jeju. The weather was REALLY nice, and we were really excited. After a ferry ride, we disembarked and walked about twenty minutes along the coast to find one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen ...


The water was clear, and AMAZING. The color was stinkin' gorgeous. The rocks (yes, they were volcanic) contrasted nicely with the white sand (erh ... crushed shells, haha ... at least, the first part of the beach we went to) ... it was AMAZING.

< Your's truly! >

Later on that day, we managed to meet up on Udo with some of my new coworkers - Rob, Katie, and Arezoue. After a delicious lunch, we traipsed down to another part of the beach (more sand, less rock) and spent the day in the sun. Oh, and Arezoue rode on one of the banana boat thingies.

< Katie, Rob, and Hyun >

< Arezoue >

After riding the ferry again, we decided to hike up this HUGE (looking) bluff or rock or something on the coast. Yeah, took less than thirty minutes to make the top. Wasn't as big as it looked. Still offered breathtaking views, though.

< At the top >

The next day, Hyun and I left the guest house and took a bus to Seogwipo City. Now, Jeju Island has two cities - Jeju City and Seogqipo City. Evidentally, Seogwipo City is where it's at. It's where all the money hotels are - Notably Shilla and Hyatt (I want to stay at the Hyatt someday!!!) Well, it started to rain. So we dropped our bags off at the World Cup Stadium jjim-jil-bang, and set off for E-Mart, haha. After E-Mart, we hopped in a taxi and headed towards some waterfalls.


< Hyun and I >

Then we decided to walk around a bit. Events of the day included ...

< Teddy Bear Museum >




< Walking around the Hyatt >

< Seeing the chapel (at the Hyatt) where parts of "꽃보다 남자" were filmed >

< The amazing beach near the Shilla and the Hyatt ... it looked INCREDIBLE even though the weather was stormy! >

< A fresh seafood dinner, caught and served by one of the famed women divers of Jeju Island >

That night was spent getting all sauna-ed up at the jjimjilbang ... World Cup Stadium, by the way, in Jeju is an AMAZING place - not ONLY is there a jjim-jil-bang, but there is also a water park, the Love museum, and a gym ... amongst other things. CRAAZY.

On Wednesday (the day before I left), the sun shone brightly and we packed up our bags (again) and hopped a bus for Hyeopjae Beach where I was to receive the worst sunburn of my life. Really. You don't get to see pictures of the sunburn (just know that I'm still reaping the "benefits". You do, however, get to see this AMAZING beach.


< My two traveling companions - Wada-san, my faithful puppy - and my teddy-bear >


And that was pretty much my vacation. It was AMAZING, and I can't wait to go back and do EVEN MORE things that I'm sure I missed out on. And to eat lots of halla-bongs. :)

More pictures on Facebook - or just click here.

Three months worth of updates ...

I admit it.

I fail. Again.

I said that I would update this more often. Yeah, that was over ... three months ago? Fail. Fail, fail, fail.

Okay. What has happened since April?

Well, for starters, I hit my one year mark. That's right, I have officially been in Korea for one year and counting. Wahoo! Annnnd I signed on for another ... and couldn't be happier. I really, truly, honestly love it here. I have been blessed to meet some amazing people and experience some wonderful things, and the good times just keep on comin'. Here's to another year!

I got to see In-soo and Hyun for the first time in OVER A YEAR. It was GREAT! Hopefully another year won't pass before I see them again. I really miss my friends, so when I get to see them, I'm SUPER excited. Unfortunately, even with my friends in Korea, it's hard to meet up because of conflicting schedules. But, we'll make it work ... sometime. Fingers crossed!!! :)


[ Hyun, In-Soo, me, and Nick after dinner and pat-bing-su in Beomgye ]

Had a nice work retreat at Songnisan for a weekend. I had been there once before, and it was really cool to go back. That was the weekend that the former president died. We went and visited Cheongnamdae ... the Korean version of Camp David on our way back to Anyang. Pretty sweet.


[ Hannah, me, and Heidi at Cheongnamdae ]

Nick came and visited - it's really great seeing people from home. Went to Japan for three wonderful days and got to see Daisuke for the first time in over a year. That was awesome! Highlights from Japan (other than spending time with Daisuke and Nick, of course)??? Well, we went to the Kaiyukan Aquarium in Osaka which was my biggest goal because I LOVE AQUARIUMS!!! They have not one, but TWO whale sharks!!! Then, we spent a day in Kyoto, which was awesome and I can't wait to go back there. I want to go in the fall to see the trees change colors. And the spring. And winter. I think I just need to spend a lot of time in Japan, haha. Oh, and I ate a whole shrimp head. Daisuke did, too. Osaka Castle was really neat, too, and I can't wait to see the cherry blossoms blooming at some point. Overall, my Japan weekend was pretty-flipping-sweet, and I can't wait to return!!! :)


[ Daisuke, me, and Nick in Kobe ]


[ Whale shark at the Kaiyukan ]


[ In Kyoto ]


[ The shrimp head ]

Saw an AWESOME B-Boy show in Hongdae called "Ballerina loves a B-Boy Part II". For your information, Part I is currently showing on Broadway. In the states. It was an AMAZING show - and I actually wouldn't mind going again. The dancing was incredible, and there was no dialogue (so translation, really not an issue). Great, great show. Highly recommended if you are in Seoul. www.sjbboys.com if you wanna check out their site.


[ During the B-Boy show ... yes, pictures were encouraged! ]

I went to a soccer game with ... like, seven of my coworkers. Saw the Korean national team play Iran at World Cup Stadium in Seoul. PS, the Korean team is making it's SEVENTH consecutive World Cup appearance next year - all I gotta say is "DAEHAN MINGOOK" (for team cheers, check out http://www.reddevil.or.kr/song/song.asp#). Oh, and I saw Ji-Sung Park (of Manchester United) score Korea's only goal in the tied game. Pretty-freaking-sweet - soccer (ahem*football) games are prettttttty intense. Loved it!!! :)


[ Korean team #7 - Ji-Sung Park!!! ]

I figured out that yes, I can enjoy 노래방 even without BAHK - strange, huh? For those of you who know me pretty well, you know that I'm pretty self-conscious in front of people and I especially don't like to sing BY MYSELF in front of others. However, thanks to Heidi, I have discovered a love of karaeoke rooms - something that before, I would only do willingly with ... well ... Hannah, haha.


[ Maria norae-bangin' it up in Beomgye ]

This past weekend was Mudfest in Boryeong. Yes, I went - with ten other people or so (not including those we met up with THERE). It was pretty crazy. Good times were had, and I'm glad I went, because I got to spend time with some freaking awesome people, who I will miss greatly.


[ DN (Dave Nail) and DK (Dave Kelly) - two of Brian's friends - in one of our hotel rooms ]

Speaking of missing people - within the next two weeks, FIVE of my coworkers are completing their contracts. This Friday will be Heidi and Angela's farewell ... I believe sometime early next week will be Erica's last day, and then NEXT Friday will be Hannah and Brian's. I'm so sad - but I know that I was (and still am) blessed to have had them in my life for this past year. And it's not good-bye --- In Heidi's words, it's "smell ya later". :) I think at some point in the not-so-distant future, I will have to spend some quality time in Toronto. :)


[ Hannah and Heidi at the War Memorial Museum in Samgakji ]


[ Brian, the two main dancers from the B-Boy/Ballerina show, and Hannah ]


[ Angela, while hiking Songnisan ]

But, don't get me wrong - I'm totally excited to meet new people. However, I will never forget the lessons I've learned and the friendships I share with the "old" ... I will really miss you guys.

I now have nine preschool students - I used to have ten, but Laura left to go to a different school. Every day, I am amazed by how perceptive and freaking amazing my students are. They never cease to amaze me. I love them to pieces, and I don't know what I'll do when they gradate from preschool in February. Thank goodness my school also has kindergarten ...


[ After July birthday party - the only two birthday kids were Nathan and Robin - my students! ]

It's rainy season again - I freakin' love it. Really. I actually walked home tonight from the gym in the rain ... sans umbrella. Got some strange looks, too, probably because I had an umbrella in my hand that I was just swinging around. I know, I'll get sick and regret it. But the rain is SO nice. Especially that pouring down, Korean drama-esque rain (like in "The Classic") ... uh-MAY-zing. And it's not cold rain ...

... Cold rain. That reminds me. Not that you need to know this, or even care, but I just took the second coldest shower of my life - second only to the shower I took THIS MORNING in cold water because for some reason, my water heater decided it just didn't want to work today. At all. Perhaps it's seasonal, because I seem to recall taking a lot of cold showers last summer too, and not all by choice. Oh well. I'm sure that I will get it fixed or figure it out or whatever soon. No worries!

That's pretty much what's going on with me - oh, yeah! In two weeks will be my summer vacation and I will be spending a good five days of it sunning myself in Jeju (if it rains while I'm there, I'll kill something). I'm pretty stoked - I've wanted to go to Jeju Island for a while now, and will get to spend it with Hyun (former roomie) who is FINALLY back from the States for the summer. We're gonna go horseback riding, haha - I haven't done that since I was a kid. It's gonna be awesome.

And that's pretty much ... all I have. I know I haven't been keeping in touch. I kind of suck at it. I'm sorry. Buuuuut ... know that I love you all. And I think about you every single day.

I'll try not to let another three months go by before I update this again. :)


[ On top of the ferris wheel at the Kaiyukan aquarium in Osaka ]

::: End update :::