A Midweek Break

Today was municipal election day in Korea, so we had a wonderful midweek break. A bunch of the teachers and I decided to take a hike. So we went to Jiri national park better known as Jirisan. It was very nice to have some time to relax. I am little sad we had to spend so much time on the bus. But we hiked up a little bit...I took a swim, visited a hermitage, saw a bug, listened to the stream. It was a nice little trip. Here are some pictures. The water was amazingly clear. I even took a picture of myself for those who always complain for the lack of my face on this blog. Beautiful Im sure. Im back, ready to go back for two days to finish out the week, then I'm heading to Seoul this weekend.

Im starting to feel the warmth of the sun. Its getting humid and hot. Its nice for the evenings when its just beautiful and I can go to the park and kick the soccer ball around. I'm also trying to do some more running along the river. (So many new possiblities with a bike)

The Post Office

Thursday was our second school field trip. We went to the post office. Now hopes were high because I told my kids we were going to the moon. That I have learned can be a mistake. And nothing against post offices here, but for 3 to 6 year olds, if all they're going to see is empty rooms where mail is supposed to go and an occasional stamping...there's a little room for boredom. Even my most curious student, Joon, above in the blue, wasn't scoping each crack out like he usually does. Here are some of my boys making up for the lost excitement. Eventually we went to the park for a little food and play time. Field trips are great because your kids get to get outside and play. It was a little crazy keeping an eye a bunch of kids flying around a playground, but I did my time spotting kids on the caterpillar and flying them down when they got to high.
Monday was teachers day and all the teachers where gifted with presents. The best byfar was most of what I got...thank you notes. My favorite from Andy..."Luke Teacher Don't Do it crazy i like u from mussle man" Andy is becoming my class "mussle man" he loves to flex and scream to show his amazing strength. He also likes to bring in gigantic beetles to class. That was Tuesday I believe. He said his mom suggested he bring in this enormous beetle they found somewhere. It was great, even though most of my kids are scared of flies.

Its the weekend again. Weeks go by so fast. I have a bike now, so its great to get around the city. I'm always looking to increase my range within the city.
Last weekend I spent some good time cleaning and scrubbing mold off my kitchen ceiling. It's so nice now. We're getting a lot of rain from that tropical storm over here. And the yellow dust(Very fine sand blown in from the Gobi Desert) is still incredible. I should get a picture. After the rain the streets are just lined with yellow. I lost my voice for a few days last week because of it. That was fun.
Nothing too new. A new teacher should be on the way in a month or so. The World Cup starts soon. Everyone is getting ready for it. I even got a shirt for the Korean National team. Well see what response I get wearing it around.

And this is my favorite picture

Yeosu or somewhere thereabouts

Here's a number of pictures from my trip to Yeosu on Friday. It was only about a two or three hour trip. And we only stayed till Sat morning. It happened that Saturday brought a squall that I will call ultimate rain. But Friday was enough of a treat. I went with two other teachers you will see below. It happened that a majestic temple was built on a cliff in this small sea town. The climb up was fantastic. Theres one picture of it below. Some of these pictures give you an idea of the beauty around, but it was amazing...beyond words. With the oncoming rain clouds,the sea and sky ceased to declare their borders and melted into an infinite blue abyss that made it look the edge of the earth. But it gets better. It just happened to be Buddha's birthday that day and we were thus invited by these beautiful lanterns and a crowd of people that never seemed to form a crowd. As we looked around we were spotted by some monks who made sure we didn't leave without a big bag of fruit, Korean bread and some kind of green gew. We were also invited to eat dinner down in their mess hall. We had already eaten, but how can you turn down Buddhist monks offering Bi Bim Bap (good stuff). It was a good day. We finished it at a hotel. Just a plain room with a mat and a blanket and a view out to sea. And I just have to say...I love rain. I have no complaints.

Pictures from Dinner

Here are two pictures from a staff dinner we had on thursday. Yesterday was Childrens Day so we have a three day weekend. I just got back from a coastal town called Yeosu...Ill put up some pictures from that trip soon. Here I just wanted to show you the some pictures of the staff. I got most of us...excluding myself and maybe two other teachers. Its a diverse group. We have a lot of fun. The food was good. We weren't as loud as the first dinner(we were kicked out) ...I decided to not be as loud.

To My Parents

No I didn't forget. Would this face forget? ...almost...but my morning kids reminded me when they informed me that it was a new month. So to my parents I would like to say Happy Anniversary. Thirty years can seem like a long time...but its really only 10,950 days. Which if you're travelling at the speed of light can seem like only a few minutes. Perhaps you haven't been travelling at the speed of light, but you can appreciate the metaphor. My leg would also like to wish you a better day than it's had. Anniversaries bring a lot of hope...I believe that thirty years from now my leg will be healed. Essential traditions during anniversaries I know are kisses. And I believe that they should be shared with the children that can thank the anniversary for their existence. Because I happen to be away I would ask that you pass my kisses to my dear sister Abigail. Nothing would please her more I know than to receive kisses in my stead. Enjoy your day.
And by "old" in that picture I mean blessed, wise, and crowned with grey locks.