6 months down, Cyber School has started, and we conquered yet another adventure.
Exploring More of Busan!
Another week passed where Luke and I did not teach, but instead prepared material for our first week of Cyber School! Then Luke and I headed to Busan for the weekend with some big plans - a big fish market, a baseball game, and an awesome hike!
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Being in the office only Thursday of last week, we had a long weekend ahead of us and still no set plans. Friday was a public holiday, Children's Day, which celebrates...children.
Staff "Harmony" Trip
After a long, sleepless weekend in Jindo, we all woke up early Monday morning and left CEV with our bosses at 9:00 AM to begin our staff workshop - aka our "Harmony Trip" - in Geoje Island.
Jindo Sea Parting Festival
We started with a super fun-filled weekend in Jindo, located about 5 or 6 hours south of Changnyeong. The group decided to take a trip with a travel company for the Jindo Sea Parting Festival.
Apsan Mountain With a Side of Carbs
Last weekend, L&I planned on having a lazy Saturday. The weather looked like it was going to be kind of rainy, and the next two weekends were gonna be big. Well, after a cup of coffee, I decided to go into Daegu.
Easter Picnic and Evening Class
On Easter Sunday, the teachers all went to a nearby park for a picnic. It was the first weekend of true spring weather - temperature in the 70's, flowers blooming and gorgeous! We dyed and decorated eggs and then participated in one of the teacher's family traditions: The Egg Crack Off. How it's played: two opponents hold their hard boiled egg and at the same time ram them into each other. The person whose egg cracks, loses, and the other player continues on in the Crack Off Tournament.
On Saturday morning, Hannah, Cameron, Luke and I rode into Seoul for the weekend. We had only been during New Year's and were dying to go again. We stayed in different hostels - both in Hongdae - but Luke&I walked with them to their place and then we went and grabbed lunch afterwards. We found a YouTube video of a couple people that lived in Korea and had a couple suggestions on where to go in Seoul that wasn't super touristy. We went to all of them.
I knew Koreans drank a lot, but I didn't understand it fully until last weekend when we attended our first beer auction. What's a beer auction you ask? Well, it's when someone...
As of March 30th, Luke and I have lived in Korea for four months! It is crazy to think we are almost halfway done with our contract. You can ask but no, we don't know what we are doing at the end of our contract. Not yet. Options are endless and it's extremely daunting to think about. We've experienced so much and had a blast while doing so but we still have eight months to enjoy, and a few more months to figure out our next move.
On Sunday, the entire staff participated in a race with our 60 year old bosses. And we all crushed it. Five of the teachers (myself and Luke included) ran the 5k, while three of the teachers, Richard and Suzi all ran the 10k! We left CEV at 8:00 AM and arrived at the scene of the race with an hour and a half to spare. Drums were banging, music was blaring, balloons were fleeing toddlers' hands and our staff was drawing stares from every direction. So many foreigners in one big group!
The weather has really started to warm up so running and more outdoor activities are becoming more frequent. Saturday was gorgeous and I needed to get out of the apartment, and I actually ended up running three miles. I know it's not much to some, but considering I haven't run much in quite a while, I was quite proud of myself. Later on, a group of us drew a Four Square court and played until dark.
Fun and Games and Photoshoots
With only a few weeks left of the cold weather, some of us took a trip a few hours north to go snowboarding last weekend. We took a 30-minute cab ride at 3:30 AM to get to the bus stop in Daegu, then took that bus to the ski resort, about 3.5 hours away, so that we arrived just as it was opening.
In Korea, Valentine's Day is still celebrated on February 14th, but it is when the women show appreciation to the men and get them chocolates and gifts. They have another holiday on March 14th called "White Day" where the men reciprocate and get the ladies something. In Korea, gift giving is a big thing, but there are many rules involved.
I know it's been a couple weeks since my last post but we're still alive and doing well! After getting home from vacation, we needed a bit to unwind and get back in the groove. It was really great getting together with the group again and exchanging travel stories...and being able to easily communicate again!
Week 3 of our vacation began in Bangkok, Thailand where we stayed right in the hustle and bustle of Kao San Road. Loads of bars, restaurants, spas and street markets lined the street where hundreds of people hung out 24/7. When we got there Saturday night, we walked around the nearby streets taking in all of the people (local and foreign), music, vendors, etc. We found some street food to split - Pad Thai, 4 spring rolls, and a 20 oz. beer all for under $4!