cherry blossoms!!!

This weekend was cherry blossom weekend. Seoul had a few different festivals to celebrate the blooming of the cherry blossoms, the biggest one was in Yeouido, a small island in Seoul. I went twice! Friday night I went with two of my co-teachers. It was great to see the trees at night because they had them all lit up with different colored lights. I don't get to hang out with my co-teachers much outside of school, so it as really nice to spend time with them. We also went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant, yummmm. On Saturday I went back to the same area, but this time in the afternoon. Even though I was there just a few hours before, it was still just as fun! It was super sunny, lots of people everywhere, and little performances on every corner. Not to mention, the trees were beautiful! That night some new and old friends got together to have a girls night in honor of the beginning of spring/Easter (hence the bunny ears in the one photo).


I wanted to show you guys that every letter and card you send means something to me. I tape them on my wall to remind myself that I have great family and friends. Plus, it's less blank space on my walls! I have a little collage of photos too, just so I don't forget what everyone looks like ;) I'm still in the process of adding more pictures, those were just some that I happen to have either already printed or were on my USB when I went to the shop. As much as I love all the changes and new experiences the last couple years have brought, it never gets easier being away from home. So, thanks for sending me reminders!!!

Uniting Korea & 21K

Last week there was a big World Cup qualifying game in Seoul; North Korea vs. South Korea. Sports is one of the only reasons North Koreans can come into South Korea or any other country for that matter. I went with a group of friends to the game Wednesday after school. It was so so cold that night despite that fact that it's suppose to be spring (we tried many methods of staying warm including laying across each other!). The game was tied 0-0 until the last 3 minutes, just as we were trying to sneak out to beat the crowd. South Korea scored, winning 1-0. The stadium was really pretty crowded, but the support was completely one sided. North Korean players were allowed, but not fans. Speaking of North Korea, as I'm sure most of you have heard about the missile that was shot off Sunday. There had been a bit of buzz about it here before hand, but really everyone was pretty calm and unfazed.
Actually, when it was fired Sunday, I was in the middle of running a half marathon. I ended up making it to my half marathon and finishing!!! Despite the sickness and knee problems, I finished in 2:18. I wish I could have been healthy, because I think I could have done a lot better, but there's always next time! I did the race along the Han River in Seoul with a few running friends. We had a nice carb party the night before (pasta, bread) and a nice big meal and celebratory drinks after. I really enjoy doing the races here because they give you so much stuff! In the last race I got a whole track suit, this time in my race pack I got soap, make-up compact, a running shirt, and sun screen. I finished 18th out of the girls in the race so I got an extra prize. However, the prize was a gift box set of men's after shave lotion. I double checked with the people to make sure I got the right gift, but they assured me I did. It was strange, but whatever! Not only that, but we got medals and lots of snacks and drinks! Maybe I'll do one more race of some sort, just for all the stuff! The first 3 pictures are before; the last 2 are after.

March Madness

March hasn't panned out to be the best month. After my birthday trip things went downhill, but not to worry because things are looking up. Anyways, I got pretty sick for a while, with what I'm assuming is the flu. I spent 2.5 days in my bed literally not leaving my house and sleeping more than any normal person could force themselves to. The "sick" part faded after a few days but I have had a cough that refuses to go away. It has driven me crazy for about 2 weeks now. Just after getting over being sick I went to play soccer with some friends on a Sunday afternoon and sprained my knee. My teacher took me to the doctor and through some translating basically told me to just stay off it for a few weeks, do some physical therapy, and take some mystery pills. Unfortunately, I signed up to run in a half marathon this coming Sunday the 5th, and between being down sick and then my knee, my training has gone to hell. The thing that really made me angry is that before I got sick I was doing really well with my training and getting into some really long runs; I was hoping I could make a good time (for me anyways!) I think I'm going to attempt the run nonetheless with a brace and a few extra drinks of water. I think I can will my way across the finish line, though I know I won't be setting any records, I still really want to do it. I'll do another one someday to redeem what I'm already predicting to be a poor finish. I will say though, that my knee is feeling much better and my cough is fading ever so slowly, so I am feeling better. Though too little too late for the race I'm afraid, I am glad that I'm getting my health back.
Here are some random pictures of some going-ons. The first few are from a night out in Seoul (though these might actually be from Feb. I can't remeber): dinner, a cool cafe with coloring and tons of pop-up books, and ending in a lounge with a crazy decor.


These next few photos are from a Saturday afternoon in Seoul doing some touristy things. We went to the Deoksugung, a palace. The weather was amazing that weekend showing the first signs of spring. It has gotten a bit colder these last few days, but I have hope that my jacket will go back into my suitcase soon.

Quarter Century and so on

Since my last trip, I've stuck pretty close to home. I had to teach another English camp at work for 2 weeks and then this past week was the start of the new school year (much different system then the one I'm use to). Up until this week, the pace of life slowed down a lot. I was only working a few hours a day and then had long weekends where I would hang out with friends day and night, played soccer once (so fun!), watch movies, and sleep in late! But, life has started again, so I have to get use to business. Also, my birthday was last weekend (March 1st) which was also the last weekend before school started. I got a small group of friends together and we went on a weekend getaway to Seoraksan National Park, about 2 hours east of Seoul. My teachers had mentioned that I should go there sometime because the mountains are beautiful and there is a beach. They were right and the trip was a much needed change of scenery and really great before starting back. We did a bit of hiking in the park as well as rode a cable car to one of the peaks. We went to the beach the following day, and though too cold to tan or swim, it was nice to see the ocean and sand. We also did a bit of celebrating me turning a quarter century; and I still can't figure out how I got so old? They got me a cheesecake, yummm! and we stayed in a motel where I shared this amazing circle bed with my friend Rebekah. (We were so excited about the circle bed; hence the photos of us jumping on it). I had a really great birthday and I've enjoyed all the cards, emails, and packages too. Thanks! For some reason on my birthdays it seems to hit me hard that I'm near near home and family, but I stayed pretty occupied and didn't get too home sick. And now... I'm 25! yikes!


This last picture isn't from my birthday weekend, but just from a random subway ride in Seoul. I had a few friends from another city called Ulsan come up to visit and so I helped show them around Seoul a bit. This picture is a candid shot of me and Mallory and an old Korean man making our way across town. A pretty typical scene, hehe!

Winter Vacation 3: Bangkok, Thailand

The last stop was Bangkok. All of my friends had to be back to work for Monday, but I didn't have to back until Wednesday, so I went to Bangkok by myself. The first day I was there I took a water taxi (a feat to understand in itself) to see the giant Golden Buddha and the Golden Mount.


The next day I went to the Grand Palace, the main attraction in Bangkok, and to Wat Pho. The Grand Palace is HUGE and everything is golden and sparkly, and just WOW! You had to have your shoulders covered and pants on, but luckily I had all of the above. Wat Pho is known for its huge reclining Buddha that was, of course, golden as well.

I also went to the weekend market, which was probably my favorite part of Bangkok. It was a maze of stalls and shops with street performers and musicians on every corner. I wandered around for a few hours, bought a couple of things and enjoyed a Phad Thai lunch (I ate Phad Thai just about everyday I was in Thailand.) This picture doesn't do it justice, because it's difficult to photograph a market's feel.

I had a couple of others things I had planned to do in Bangkok, but a few unfortunate transportation mishaps made them not possible, but it's ok, because I enjoyed what I did get to do. I didn't want to walk around much after dark so every night I went to the movies and watched whatever they were playing in English. They had the nicest theatre I've ever been in with reclining leather chairs. And, it cost only about $4US per movie! I've been asked if I was ever scared or nervous when I traveling over there. I have to say that in all, I felt really rather comfortable. I, of course, played it safe and didn't go anywhere where I knew it would be sketchy, but everyone was nice, most spoke some English and whenever I asked for help, everyone gave me legitimate help. So, in all, my trip was... AMAZING! It was really difficult to come back to school the day after I'll admit. My teacher told me she could tell I was "different" after coming back. I think she meant that the vacation had done me good! It definitely did!

Winter Vacation 2: Phuket, Thailand

Phuket is paradise. Greece is the only other place I can think that I've been that I was at an equal level of awe. So after Cambodia, Rebekah and I met our friend Candice down in Phuket. On our first day we went on a tour of Ko Phi Phi. If you ever saw the movie, "The Beach" and thought it was beautiful, well it was filmed here. It was actually filmed specifically at Maya Bay which is where we went to first. We also went to a place called Monkey Beach, where as you'd expect, there were monkeys. They were probably the most well fed monkeys ever because everyone tried giving them some bread or a piece of fruit or something. We then anchored off for about 45 minutes and got to go snorkeling in the reef. They had some really beautiful fish; the kind you see in aquariums that are every color. We also passed by some viking caves while on the boat (6th photo) on our way to Egg Island. On Egg Island we got some time to just hang out, swim, snorkel more, and tan. You just rent a chair and then relax!

We happened to have a couple of friends who are also teachers in Incheon who were in Phuket at the same time as us. So, we met up with them a few times during our visit. They had been there for about a week, so they showed us good places to eat and good beaches to chill on/bury each other on. The first picture is another kind of tuk-tuk, but it's kind of just like sitting in the back of a truck, not a scooter.

The next day we went on another tour, but this time a sea kayaking tour by night. It started mid-afternoon and lasted until about 9pm. We rode on a big boat and then would go to different locations where a guide would paddle us around. We went into a few lagoons only accessible during high tide and into a few different caves. One of which was a bat cave; a little scary! We ate a really nice dinner and then we made flower offerings to release at sunset. It was made out of all plants and flowers and then we put candles on it. When we put it into the water we made a wish. I'm not gonna tell you what that was. Anyways, Phuket was amazing and beautiful and I finally got a little bit of a tan. It was pretty perfect!