... but I just figured out that I can search for videos on Nate. I just got home from church (well, okay, I got home a few hours ago, but I had dinner and stuff, haha) and I decided I really wanted to find the Korean lyrics to "Blessed Be Your Name" ... which led me to a video on Nate AND lyrics ... so I decided to press my luck and search for other songs that I like that we sing in Korean at church (but I know the English versions of) and now I am going to try to learn them in Korean ...
Anyways, in the midst of my searching, I found "God of this City" (by Chris Tomlin) being performed in JAPANESE! It sounds really neat! I don't know how well the lyrics match up, so someone is going to have to let me know ... anyways, check it out if you feel like it ... and if you don't, then you don't have to. :)
http://video.nate.com/211375267
Sunday, April 18
Saturday, April 10
A lot of this probably doesn't make sense ...
Well ... again, I fail. Sorry about that.
I fail because I haven't been updating this regularly. Again, sorry. But no one really reads this anyways, haha ... so, it's all good, right? So, here's my update.
Right now, I'm watching "Red vs. Blue" on YouTube. Yeah, yeah, I know. But I'm so addicted to it. It's okay ... it comes and goes in phases, really. It's 1:01 AM on Saturday morning - thank heavens. That means it's the weekend!!! Wahoo!!! This week felt really long ... well, when it's Sunday night, every week seems like it'll be long. Then, really ... it flies by. Monday and Tuesday craaaaaaawl ... but then all of the sudden it's Wednesday night! Then, whaddya know - Thursday rolls around! Finally, it's Friday, which is "wear normal clothes to work" day. So ... when I say this week felt really long, what I really mean to say is that it was completely normal in every aspect of the word.
Last week, I adopted a Korean child for approximately thirty minutes. Well, not really - I was walking to H-Mart (for those of you who don't know my neighborhood, it's just on the next corner) when I heard a child wailing. I walked around the corner, and walking up the sidewalk was a little girl all alone and just bawling her eyes out. I stopped and stared at her, and she stopped and stared at me while crying ... and no one was helping her ... so in my poor Korean I managed to ask her if she was okay and what was wrong ... we finally managed to translate to each other that:
A.) I didn't understand much Korean (sorry)
B.) She was lost.
C.) I had a cell phone
D.) She knew her mom's phone number, but couldn't tell her where she was.
So after we realized point D, I called my friend Hannah who talked to the little girl and got her mom's phone number ... and called her mom to come get her. While we waited, I bought her an ice cream from GS. The end.
Random tangent - my Skype isn't working. I can't figure out why. So I just deleted it, and downloaded it again. Still won't work. Anyone help? It's kind of annoying ...
This week, we've celebrated Mindy and Stuart's birthdays ... and we're going to celebrate again tonight (Saturday night) at the Ice Bar in Gangnam ... gah. I'm old. We'll see how long I make it, haha. I may be the youngest, but sometimes I feel like the oldest fogey.
Speaking of old fogies ... :) ... Steve gets back sometime this weekend! I'm super excited ... I can't wait. (^_^)
Last week was Easter - Amanda, Seth, and I went to church in Gangnam, and then headed back down to Beomgye for brunch at Trevor's. It was uh-MAY-zing ... and a lot of fun. Afterwards, Amanda and I headed up to Myeongdong and went shopping. I think the last time I was in Myeongdong was with Heidi ... so it was neat to go back. I remember back when I first got here, and Myeongdong was like my comfort area ... where I would always go. Now, Gangnam wins, haha.
Anyways. It's late, and I'm tired. I'm going to try to write more often ... haha ... riiiiight. (^_^) Anyways. Loooves.
PS - My newest obsession. Can't see the vid? Head to YouTube and type in "YoonHa85" ... check 'im out.
< "Bedrock" by Lil Wayne >
< the original - "Bedrock" by Lil Wayne >
< "Heartbreaker" by G-Dragon >
< the orginal - "Heartbreaker" by G-Dragon >
I fail because I haven't been updating this regularly. Again, sorry. But no one really reads this anyways, haha ... so, it's all good, right? So, here's my update.
Right now, I'm watching "Red vs. Blue" on YouTube. Yeah, yeah, I know. But I'm so addicted to it. It's okay ... it comes and goes in phases, really. It's 1:01 AM on Saturday morning - thank heavens. That means it's the weekend!!! Wahoo!!! This week felt really long ... well, when it's Sunday night, every week seems like it'll be long. Then, really ... it flies by. Monday and Tuesday craaaaaaawl ... but then all of the sudden it's Wednesday night! Then, whaddya know - Thursday rolls around! Finally, it's Friday, which is "wear normal clothes to work" day. So ... when I say this week felt really long, what I really mean to say is that it was completely normal in every aspect of the word.
Last week, I adopted a Korean child for approximately thirty minutes. Well, not really - I was walking to H-Mart (for those of you who don't know my neighborhood, it's just on the next corner) when I heard a child wailing. I walked around the corner, and walking up the sidewalk was a little girl all alone and just bawling her eyes out. I stopped and stared at her, and she stopped and stared at me while crying ... and no one was helping her ... so in my poor Korean I managed to ask her if she was okay and what was wrong ... we finally managed to translate to each other that:
A.) I didn't understand much Korean (sorry)
B.) She was lost.
C.) I had a cell phone
D.) She knew her mom's phone number, but couldn't tell her where she was.
So after we realized point D, I called my friend Hannah who talked to the little girl and got her mom's phone number ... and called her mom to come get her. While we waited, I bought her an ice cream from GS. The end.
Random tangent - my Skype isn't working. I can't figure out why. So I just deleted it, and downloaded it again. Still won't work. Anyone help? It's kind of annoying ...
This week, we've celebrated Mindy and Stuart's birthdays ... and we're going to celebrate again tonight (Saturday night) at the Ice Bar in Gangnam ... gah. I'm old. We'll see how long I make it, haha. I may be the youngest, but sometimes I feel like the oldest fogey.
Speaking of old fogies ... :) ... Steve gets back sometime this weekend! I'm super excited ... I can't wait. (^_^)
Last week was Easter - Amanda, Seth, and I went to church in Gangnam, and then headed back down to Beomgye for brunch at Trevor's. It was uh-MAY-zing ... and a lot of fun. Afterwards, Amanda and I headed up to Myeongdong and went shopping. I think the last time I was in Myeongdong was with Heidi ... so it was neat to go back. I remember back when I first got here, and Myeongdong was like my comfort area ... where I would always go. Now, Gangnam wins, haha.
Anyways. It's late, and I'm tired. I'm going to try to write more often ... haha ... riiiiight. (^_^) Anyways. Loooves.
PS - My newest obsession. Can't see the vid? Head to YouTube and type in "YoonHa85" ... check 'im out.
< "Bedrock" by Lil Wayne >
< the original - "Bedrock" by Lil Wayne >
< "Heartbreaker" by G-Dragon >
< the orginal - "Heartbreaker" by G-Dragon >
Sunday, March 28
Another day ...
I didn't know how to title this, so I just put whatever, haha.
Dude, so, I just wanna preface this with a "I'm-so-freaking-excited" moment ... as in I'm so freaking excited for Rain's new music video!!! I'm so excited, in fact, here's the teaser.
Don't judge. You know you love me.
On to other things. I just finished watching "The Classic" for the fifteen-millionth time. I love that movie so much. I haven't watched it in a long time ... so you also get to see Youtube clips from that, too.
Next.
My last bit of Korean entertainment-related news ... I guess Daniel Henney is going to be starring in a reality TV show being shown on the Olive channel where he goes to Australia. Really? Whatever, man ... anything with Daniel Henney in it has already got me sold. I'll watch it. C'mon guys ... It's Daniel Henney! (^_^)
Life has been okay since my return. I say "okay" just because ... I'm tired. But really, it's going well. Today, I headed up to Seoul and met Ms. Amanda for lunch (mmmmm, gamjatang). Then, she took me to the wonderful Hannam Market, which I am in LOVE with and will be going back to next Saturday. After our stop in at Hannam, she left for Gangnam, and I met up with a friend in Itaewon where we proceeded to grab dinner and Starbucks. It was a lot of fun ... we'll have to do it again sometime ... soon. :)
Other than that ... last week was our first field trip of the school year. We took the kiddos to an art gallery (there was a kid's section) near Seoul Grand Park. Actually, I wouldn't mind going back there sometime soon to see the rest of the museum. That'll happen soon. It's on the agenda.
I'll write more later. Promise. Right now, it's getting late, and I have to be up relatively early in the morning.
~~~***~~~
Oh, and I believe a BIG FAT CONGRATULATIONS are in order ... to Chrey and Craig Nelson on their beautiful 9lb-4oz BABY GIRL born on March 25, 2010!!! Congratulations, guys ... I can't wait to see pictures of her!
Dude, so, I just wanna preface this with a "I'm-so-freaking-excited" moment ... as in I'm so freaking excited for Rain's new music video!!! I'm so excited, in fact, here's the teaser.
Don't judge. You know you love me.
On to other things. I just finished watching "The Classic" for the fifteen-millionth time. I love that movie so much. I haven't watched it in a long time ... so you also get to see Youtube clips from that, too.
Next.
My last bit of Korean entertainment-related news ... I guess Daniel Henney is going to be starring in a reality TV show being shown on the Olive channel where he goes to Australia. Really? Whatever, man ... anything with Daniel Henney in it has already got me sold. I'll watch it. C'mon guys ... It's Daniel Henney! (^_^)
Life has been okay since my return. I say "okay" just because ... I'm tired. But really, it's going well. Today, I headed up to Seoul and met Ms. Amanda for lunch (mmmmm, gamjatang). Then, she took me to the wonderful Hannam Market, which I am in LOVE with and will be going back to next Saturday. After our stop in at Hannam, she left for Gangnam, and I met up with a friend in Itaewon where we proceeded to grab dinner and Starbucks. It was a lot of fun ... we'll have to do it again sometime ... soon. :)
Other than that ... last week was our first field trip of the school year. We took the kiddos to an art gallery (there was a kid's section) near Seoul Grand Park. Actually, I wouldn't mind going back there sometime soon to see the rest of the museum. That'll happen soon. It's on the agenda.
I'll write more later. Promise. Right now, it's getting late, and I have to be up relatively early in the morning.
~~~***~~~
Oh, and I believe a BIG FAT CONGRATULATIONS are in order ... to Chrey and Craig Nelson on their beautiful 9lb-4oz BABY GIRL born on March 25, 2010!!! Congratulations, guys ... I can't wait to see pictures of her!
Saturday, March 6
Saturday, February 27
I'm baaack ...
Yes, yes it's true. I have returned to the motherland. :)
Well, duh.
After a two week jaunt (is that the word I want?) Stateside, I have returned to the land of kimchi, adorable children, drying racks, and baking in a toaster oven. It's pretty much ... heaven. Well, it would be ... if I wasn't jet-lagged. But that shall pass soon.
My trip home, though unexpected, was just what the doctor ordered. Even though it was merely 13 days long, it helped to open my eyes to what is important to me. Weird, right? But it's true, at least, a little. I returned to Korea with a renewed sense of ... well ... whatever. But I know what I hold dearest to my heart, and I also know what I've lost. My only desire is that I can find it again.
Enough talking in riddles and codes. So far, I've spent the majority of my time back sleeping. Well, I guess it makes sense - I had only just adjusted myself to the time difference ... and then I picked up and left again. I plan on going to bed as soon as I finish baking the last of my goods ... hopefully they turn out alright.
Today was a productive baking day for me ... well, okay, I didn't accomplish EVERYTHING ... I set out with the goal of making bread, cinnamon rolls, and a cake. Well, two out of three ain't bad. And there's still tomorrow for that cake idea. :) I also went to Lotte Mart (and let me tell you, there is not a single idea in the entire world worse than going to Lotte Mart on a Saturday afternoon). Oh, and I figured out why my bread didn't turn out as I wanted it to - wrong kind of yeast. My bad. At least I rectified it pre-cinnamon rolls, right?
Tuesday starts a new semester. Tuesday is the first day because Monday is a holiday, hah. Anyways. My preschool class will be the Tigers, and they are Blue Ribbon. That means they are one of the highest preschool classes (there will be two Blue Ribbon [BR] classes and three Adventure classes). Previously, I had an Adventure class (a higher level adventure, but adventure, nonetheless). I'm a little nervous because I've observed that the mothers of the BR kids tend to be slightly ... psychotic. I'm not looking forward to that. My co-teacher will be Nicole - she's amazing, so I'm happy about that.
Tomorrow, I will be heading down to Suwon for church. Oh, and then there's the going away party that Trevor is hosting - saying goodbye to Katie and Amy and Matt L. :( Sad times. They will be missed greatly.
Let's see. What else can I write about? My trip back? Well, it was pretty great. I'm already written about my arrival in San Fran ... and the first part of my trip (in Oly). Then, I headed up to Bellingham to attend my father's memorial service. It was a really nice service. Nick, Father B, and Leah all came up too (well, Leah came up because she had to drive me, haha). I spent a few fun-filled days in the 'Ham - catching up with some old friends ... then on Tuesday morning, Chrey and Craig put me on the Amtrak back down to Oly. Nick picked me up at the station ... we had Koibito (mmm, good) and then Bucket!!! I stayed in Oly until I had to be at Sea-Tac on the 23rd, catching up with friends, eating lots of cheese (and just eating lots in general), getting some shopping taken care of, taking stuff to storage, sending WAY too much stuff back to Korea (books and stuff like that) ... you know, the "house-keeping" things.
Now I'm back in Korea ... I'm pretty happy about that. I even got to see my preschool kids before they finished! (^_^) Now, we're just gearing up for another year.
Anyways. It's almost time for me to go to bed. :) I'm going to try to get back itno the habit of using this thing regularly ... hahhhhh. But, I'm going to try. :)
Loves.
Well, duh.
After a two week jaunt (is that the word I want?) Stateside, I have returned to the land of kimchi, adorable children, drying racks, and baking in a toaster oven. It's pretty much ... heaven. Well, it would be ... if I wasn't jet-lagged. But that shall pass soon.
My trip home, though unexpected, was just what the doctor ordered. Even though it was merely 13 days long, it helped to open my eyes to what is important to me. Weird, right? But it's true, at least, a little. I returned to Korea with a renewed sense of ... well ... whatever. But I know what I hold dearest to my heart, and I also know what I've lost. My only desire is that I can find it again.
Enough talking in riddles and codes. So far, I've spent the majority of my time back sleeping. Well, I guess it makes sense - I had only just adjusted myself to the time difference ... and then I picked up and left again. I plan on going to bed as soon as I finish baking the last of my goods ... hopefully they turn out alright.
Today was a productive baking day for me ... well, okay, I didn't accomplish EVERYTHING ... I set out with the goal of making bread, cinnamon rolls, and a cake. Well, two out of three ain't bad. And there's still tomorrow for that cake idea. :) I also went to Lotte Mart (and let me tell you, there is not a single idea in the entire world worse than going to Lotte Mart on a Saturday afternoon). Oh, and I figured out why my bread didn't turn out as I wanted it to - wrong kind of yeast. My bad. At least I rectified it pre-cinnamon rolls, right?
Tuesday starts a new semester. Tuesday is the first day because Monday is a holiday, hah. Anyways. My preschool class will be the Tigers, and they are Blue Ribbon. That means they are one of the highest preschool classes (there will be two Blue Ribbon [BR] classes and three Adventure classes). Previously, I had an Adventure class (a higher level adventure, but adventure, nonetheless). I'm a little nervous because I've observed that the mothers of the BR kids tend to be slightly ... psychotic. I'm not looking forward to that. My co-teacher will be Nicole - she's amazing, so I'm happy about that.
Tomorrow, I will be heading down to Suwon for church. Oh, and then there's the going away party that Trevor is hosting - saying goodbye to Katie and Amy and Matt L. :( Sad times. They will be missed greatly.
Let's see. What else can I write about? My trip back? Well, it was pretty great. I'm already written about my arrival in San Fran ... and the first part of my trip (in Oly). Then, I headed up to Bellingham to attend my father's memorial service. It was a really nice service. Nick, Father B, and Leah all came up too (well, Leah came up because she had to drive me, haha). I spent a few fun-filled days in the 'Ham - catching up with some old friends ... then on Tuesday morning, Chrey and Craig put me on the Amtrak back down to Oly. Nick picked me up at the station ... we had Koibito (mmm, good) and then Bucket!!! I stayed in Oly until I had to be at Sea-Tac on the 23rd, catching up with friends, eating lots of cheese (and just eating lots in general), getting some shopping taken care of, taking stuff to storage, sending WAY too much stuff back to Korea (books and stuff like that) ... you know, the "house-keeping" things.
Now I'm back in Korea ... I'm pretty happy about that. I even got to see my preschool kids before they finished! (^_^) Now, we're just gearing up for another year.
Anyways. It's almost time for me to go to bed. :) I'm going to try to get back itno the habit of using this thing regularly ... hahhhhh. But, I'm going to try. :)
Loves.
Tuesday, February 23
Almost Home
It is 1:33 AM, Tuesday morning - Pacific time, that is. For those of us lacking in the math department, that means it is 6:33 PM, Tuesday evening in Korea. Which means that, barring any unforeseen complications (knock on wood), I will be arriving back in Korea in around 24 hours.
It's been a trip guys, it really has. I've been reminded of the things I miss most about America, and the things I love the most about Korea ... and I've been able to take a step back and assess the pros and cons of each places. I've spent quality time with my amazing friends, eaten tons of food that is not readily available in my immediate vicinity in Korea (even when I wasn't hungry, I still managed to find room), shipped even MORE crap back to Korea that I don't really need, but that I want ... you know, that sorta stuff.
It's now 1:36 AM, and I am leaving for the airport in roughly an hour and a half. I don't plan on sleeping until I am in the capable hands of Singapore Airlines ... HAH! That's sucha lie. You know me - I'll be out before my plane taxis the runway at Sea-Tac (on my way to San Fran ... BOTHER!) ... :)
Well, while I'm babbling (it's now 1:38) ... yesterday (and this morning), I began two lists. The first list is titled "Things I Will Miss About America" and the second is "Things I Have Missed From Korea." Right now, they're about the same length ... I don't know what that says or shows or whatever ... except that I had too much time on my hands.
My suitcases are packed. I even weighed them. They're close, folks ... REALLY close. But I think I'll be okay *fingers crossed* ... because I would hate to have to spend more money ... in addition to the boxes I already sent back. Gah. Don't even ask about those boxes ... but when they arrive, I will be flooded with books, photos, momentos, cheez-its (Judy!!!), taco shells (Trevor!!!), Easter candy, peanut butter cups, and herbal essences shampoo and conditioner. Heavenly ... don't worry. I'll share the candy. :)
And I promise I will blog about my trip stateside. But I am not going to do that until I'm back in Korea ... so I can get my thoughts straight. Which, you know me ... it'll take a while. Oh well. Patience is a virtue an' all that.
It's 1:44. This is getting more ... spacey ... as the minutes pass by. Before we get on the freeway, we're going to 7-11 for slurpees. :) And by "we", I mean Nick and I ... since he is kind enough to drive me to the airport ... and was kind enough to pick me up ... and chauffer me around ... and entertain/babysit me. You know. He's a pretty cool guy and a great friend. Don't tell him I said that, though. Wouldn't want him getting a big head. :)
I have two songs that have pretty much set the tone for my two weeks back in the States - the first was played at my father's memorial. It's Carrie Underwood's "Temporary Home." Watch the video ... wait, don't watch the video ... okay, you can watch the video, just don't tell me about it. (They played the music video at the memorial.) The second is a "Nick Song" ... which means I first heard it due to Nick (you know, for those of us who REALLY need things spelled out). It's Matt Nathanson's "Come On Get Higher." In fact, both songs made such an impression on me, I bought both CDs. I can't wait to get home and load them onto my computer ... and listen to them over and over again ... kind of like I am now (poor Nick) ... because, you know how sometimes certain sounds or songs will TOTALLY trigger memories or thoughts about a certain time? I'm pretty sure these songs will be my trigger. Wow. Those weren't exactly coherent sentences. Oh well. You get the idea.
1:47 AM. Today I had Dutch Brothers. Mmmmm, Dutch Brothers. And yesterday, Starbucks ... with raspberry syrup. Remember raspberry syrup? Yeah, that made it onto my list of things I'll miss about America. :)
'Kay. It's 1:51. I'm going to go find other ways to entertain myself until we leave for the airport ... and I say goodbye to Seattle for who knows how long. Love you bunches, and can't wait to see you again. <3
It's been a trip guys, it really has. I've been reminded of the things I miss most about America, and the things I love the most about Korea ... and I've been able to take a step back and assess the pros and cons of each places. I've spent quality time with my amazing friends, eaten tons of food that is not readily available in my immediate vicinity in Korea (even when I wasn't hungry, I still managed to find room), shipped even MORE crap back to Korea that I don't really need, but that I want ... you know, that sorta stuff.
It's now 1:36 AM, and I am leaving for the airport in roughly an hour and a half. I don't plan on sleeping until I am in the capable hands of Singapore Airlines ... HAH! That's sucha lie. You know me - I'll be out before my plane taxis the runway at Sea-Tac (on my way to San Fran ... BOTHER!) ... :)
Well, while I'm babbling (it's now 1:38) ... yesterday (and this morning), I began two lists. The first list is titled "Things I Will Miss About America" and the second is "Things I Have Missed From Korea." Right now, they're about the same length ... I don't know what that says or shows or whatever ... except that I had too much time on my hands.
My suitcases are packed. I even weighed them. They're close, folks ... REALLY close. But I think I'll be okay *fingers crossed* ... because I would hate to have to spend more money ... in addition to the boxes I already sent back. Gah. Don't even ask about those boxes ... but when they arrive, I will be flooded with books, photos, momentos, cheez-its (Judy!!!), taco shells (Trevor!!!), Easter candy, peanut butter cups, and herbal essences shampoo and conditioner. Heavenly ... don't worry. I'll share the candy. :)
And I promise I will blog about my trip stateside. But I am not going to do that until I'm back in Korea ... so I can get my thoughts straight. Which, you know me ... it'll take a while. Oh well. Patience is a virtue an' all that.
It's 1:44. This is getting more ... spacey ... as the minutes pass by. Before we get on the freeway, we're going to 7-11 for slurpees. :) And by "we", I mean Nick and I ... since he is kind enough to drive me to the airport ... and was kind enough to pick me up ... and chauffer me around ... and entertain/babysit me. You know. He's a pretty cool guy and a great friend. Don't tell him I said that, though. Wouldn't want him getting a big head. :)
I have two songs that have pretty much set the tone for my two weeks back in the States - the first was played at my father's memorial. It's Carrie Underwood's "Temporary Home." Watch the video ... wait, don't watch the video ... okay, you can watch the video, just don't tell me about it. (They played the music video at the memorial.) The second is a "Nick Song" ... which means I first heard it due to Nick (you know, for those of us who REALLY need things spelled out). It's Matt Nathanson's "Come On Get Higher." In fact, both songs made such an impression on me, I bought both CDs. I can't wait to get home and load them onto my computer ... and listen to them over and over again ... kind of like I am now (poor Nick) ... because, you know how sometimes certain sounds or songs will TOTALLY trigger memories or thoughts about a certain time? I'm pretty sure these songs will be my trigger. Wow. Those weren't exactly coherent sentences. Oh well. You get the idea.
1:47 AM. Today I had Dutch Brothers. Mmmmm, Dutch Brothers. And yesterday, Starbucks ... with raspberry syrup. Remember raspberry syrup? Yeah, that made it onto my list of things I'll miss about America. :)
'Kay. It's 1:51. I'm going to go find other ways to entertain myself until we leave for the airport ... and I say goodbye to Seattle for who knows how long. Love you bunches, and can't wait to see you again. <3
Friday, February 12
Passive Aggressiveness
To the man who was sitting behind me on Singapore Airlines;
Congratulations. You managed to keep me awake for nearly the ENTIRE flight across the Pacific Ocean! Now, that's a real accomplishment, seeing as how I normally fall asleep on planes prior to taking off. I'm sure you're very proud of yourself, wherever you are. Highlights of the trip?
1.) I really enjoyed your snoring for the first portion (4 hours or so) of the flight. I realize that the snoring really couldn't be helped, so I don't hold that against you. Don't worry. But since I'm cranky, I thought I'd mention it.
2.) My favorite part? When I reclined my seat a little to sleep ... and you began kicking my chair. Real classy. Thanks for that.
3.) I also liked the part where you began talking on the phone or to yourself or whatever ... halfway across the Pacific Ocean ... leaning forward in your chair so that you were RIGHT IN MY EAR. That was great. I'm sure the other people on the plane did, too, since you so very kindly were talking loud enough to include us all in your conversation. I enjoyed listening to your conversation ... it was like a lullaby ... from hell ... in that I didn't sleep for more than ten or fifteen minutes at a time.
4.) Oh, and then how even after I moved my chair forward again ... and you still continued kicking it. OH! And how whenever you got up, you would pull yourself up by using my chair ... thus creating a sort of sling-shot effect that would rocket my body forward a few inches after letting go. Yeah, that was great too.
Thanks.
The irritated, sleep-deprived girl sitting in front of you.
~~~
Okay. All complaining aside ... my flight over the Pacific was actually quite nice ... minus the man sitting behind me. Singapore Airlines was really nice - it wasn't full, so the seat next to me was empty ... the food was good (I had THREE choices for dinner ... THREE!) ... the flight attendants were very kind (except about letting you go to the bathroom when the fasten seatbelt sign was on ... which it was ... for like, 80% of the flight) ... the entertainment selection was great (I watched part of "Good Morning President" [Korean], "Wall-E", and another movie ... part of an episode of "Bones" ... created a music playlist with nearly 100 songs [complete with some Korean music [like Brown Eyed Girls and Dong Bang Shin Ki] ... and played Bookworm Adventure) ...
My experience at the San Fran airport? Not as stellar. My flight was delayed getting into San Fran - not because we were behind, but because there was a back-up on the tarmac or something. So, we flew in a gigantic circle, above the airport (and clouds), for nearly an hour. Awesome.
Then, I booked it off the plane in order to go through immigration, retrieve my luggage, go through customs, recheck my bags, and find where I needed to be to catch my connection. In under two hours. Or so I thought.
Immigration was a breeze. Getting the bags? Easy. Customs? I called it. I so called it. I got yanked from the line, taken to the special x-ray, AND they opened both of my suitcases ... took out all of my stuff ... opened the presents I had spent 5 hours on Monday wrapping (PS, that's what I did after finding out about my father because I couldn't think of anything else to do) ... grilled me on the contents of my things ... and then smiled and said "have a pleasant trip". Thanks, America. First time I've been back in 20 months. And you wonder why I don't come back more often. Thank you, racial profiling.
Oh, but I made it to my flight on time. Wanna know why? Because it was delayed nearly an hour, too. Have I mentioned how much I hate the San Fran airport? I realize that none of this is particularly their fault ... but it's 5:15 in the morning ... I woke up an hour ago and couldn't fall back asleep ... and so I'm just grouchy.
~
Being back has been nice though ... everything has changed so much (and yet, so much is the same, too). I've really enjoyed surprising people - the best reaction is a tie between So (who stopped dead in his tracks and just stared at me), and Yoshiko (who jumped nearly a mile and had to hold on to the table while her face turned bright red). For my first night in, Nick and Father B took me to Casa Mia, which was great (there was cheese, everyone ... lots and lots of cheese) ... I've gone to prayer and mass ... had Dutch Brothers ... sat and talked with Hiroko and Kaoru for like, two hours ... overall, it's been good.
Now, I'm just preparing. Later today, Nick and I are heading up to Southcenter. Hopefully we'll see Hannah, and then we're going to meet up with Leah, and it's like when your parents are divorced and you are visiting one ... you know, the swap at a designated location? :) Leah's going to drive me up to Bellingham ... and we're going to stay there ... because tomorrow is the memorial. I don't think I'm ready for it ... I'm definitely not ready for it. Minus the thought of the traffic we're going to encounter ... because the Olympics start like, tonight ... I'm just not ready. Because it's so ... final.
Well, I'm going to try to go back to sleep. Thanks Jen, for letting me stay at your place ... and using your computer ... and your amazing bathroom ... there's a bathTUB, people!
Loves.
PS - everyone looks TALLER.
Congratulations. You managed to keep me awake for nearly the ENTIRE flight across the Pacific Ocean! Now, that's a real accomplishment, seeing as how I normally fall asleep on planes prior to taking off. I'm sure you're very proud of yourself, wherever you are. Highlights of the trip?
1.) I really enjoyed your snoring for the first portion (4 hours or so) of the flight. I realize that the snoring really couldn't be helped, so I don't hold that against you. Don't worry. But since I'm cranky, I thought I'd mention it.
2.) My favorite part? When I reclined my seat a little to sleep ... and you began kicking my chair. Real classy. Thanks for that.
3.) I also liked the part where you began talking on the phone or to yourself or whatever ... halfway across the Pacific Ocean ... leaning forward in your chair so that you were RIGHT IN MY EAR. That was great. I'm sure the other people on the plane did, too, since you so very kindly were talking loud enough to include us all in your conversation. I enjoyed listening to your conversation ... it was like a lullaby ... from hell ... in that I didn't sleep for more than ten or fifteen minutes at a time.
4.) Oh, and then how even after I moved my chair forward again ... and you still continued kicking it. OH! And how whenever you got up, you would pull yourself up by using my chair ... thus creating a sort of sling-shot effect that would rocket my body forward a few inches after letting go. Yeah, that was great too.
Thanks.
The irritated, sleep-deprived girl sitting in front of you.
~~~
Okay. All complaining aside ... my flight over the Pacific was actually quite nice ... minus the man sitting behind me. Singapore Airlines was really nice - it wasn't full, so the seat next to me was empty ... the food was good (I had THREE choices for dinner ... THREE!) ... the flight attendants were very kind (except about letting you go to the bathroom when the fasten seatbelt sign was on ... which it was ... for like, 80% of the flight) ... the entertainment selection was great (I watched part of "Good Morning President" [Korean], "Wall-E", and another movie ... part of an episode of "Bones" ... created a music playlist with nearly 100 songs [complete with some Korean music [like Brown Eyed Girls and Dong Bang Shin Ki] ... and played Bookworm Adventure) ...
My experience at the San Fran airport? Not as stellar. My flight was delayed getting into San Fran - not because we were behind, but because there was a back-up on the tarmac or something. So, we flew in a gigantic circle, above the airport (and clouds), for nearly an hour. Awesome.
Then, I booked it off the plane in order to go through immigration, retrieve my luggage, go through customs, recheck my bags, and find where I needed to be to catch my connection. In under two hours. Or so I thought.
Immigration was a breeze. Getting the bags? Easy. Customs? I called it. I so called it. I got yanked from the line, taken to the special x-ray, AND they opened both of my suitcases ... took out all of my stuff ... opened the presents I had spent 5 hours on Monday wrapping (PS, that's what I did after finding out about my father because I couldn't think of anything else to do) ... grilled me on the contents of my things ... and then smiled and said "have a pleasant trip". Thanks, America. First time I've been back in 20 months. And you wonder why I don't come back more often. Thank you, racial profiling.
Oh, but I made it to my flight on time. Wanna know why? Because it was delayed nearly an hour, too. Have I mentioned how much I hate the San Fran airport? I realize that none of this is particularly their fault ... but it's 5:15 in the morning ... I woke up an hour ago and couldn't fall back asleep ... and so I'm just grouchy.
~
Being back has been nice though ... everything has changed so much (and yet, so much is the same, too). I've really enjoyed surprising people - the best reaction is a tie between So (who stopped dead in his tracks and just stared at me), and Yoshiko (who jumped nearly a mile and had to hold on to the table while her face turned bright red). For my first night in, Nick and Father B took me to Casa Mia, which was great (there was cheese, everyone ... lots and lots of cheese) ... I've gone to prayer and mass ... had Dutch Brothers ... sat and talked with Hiroko and Kaoru for like, two hours ... overall, it's been good.
Now, I'm just preparing. Later today, Nick and I are heading up to Southcenter. Hopefully we'll see Hannah, and then we're going to meet up with Leah, and it's like when your parents are divorced and you are visiting one ... you know, the swap at a designated location? :) Leah's going to drive me up to Bellingham ... and we're going to stay there ... because tomorrow is the memorial. I don't think I'm ready for it ... I'm definitely not ready for it. Minus the thought of the traffic we're going to encounter ... because the Olympics start like, tonight ... I'm just not ready. Because it's so ... final.
Well, I'm going to try to go back to sleep. Thanks Jen, for letting me stay at your place ... and using your computer ... and your amazing bathroom ... there's a bathTUB, people!
Loves.
PS - everyone looks TALLER.
Sunday, October 25
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.
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.
Sunday, September 13
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 4
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.
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. :)
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