Doin it like Moses, Korean style.

The starfish wanted to say "hi". ps. I did not put them there.

yo, yo . I hope you all had wonderful week! It is a short week for me, because I don't have school on Friday (Korean Labor Day). I am going to buy a guitar tomorrow. I have always wanted to play, but I never had the time or patience to do it. Now I have the time, but we will see if I have the patience. Hmm... I will let you know. I know a few people who play here, so I am hoping they will feel like helping a musically challenged human. Yes, I am human. Maybe I will shock everyone and be an amazing player. Then I will call up Kenny Chesney or John Mayer (we are very close) and tell them to add me to their band. That sounds wonderful. Maybe I do have a plan after Korea...

Last weekend I went to a southern island called Jindo, which is connected to Korea by bridge. It was a quick weekend- overnight bus Friday night, arrived at about 430 am, and left Sunday afternoon. We had a hotel reserved but when we called to get the exact location, they told us that they gave our room away. In a panic, we called a few other hotels from our handy tourist info and luckily someone answered. Most of the places around Korea close at night. The people who work there live there as well, so they don't stay open to answer phone calls from desperate foreigners. We ended up staying at this youth hostel next to the festival- perfect location. Our room included blankets and a mat to sleep on. Yes, I paid to sleep on the floor. I don't know how Koreans do it. Some Koreans chose to sleep on the floor, especially older people. The younger generations mostly sleep on beds. One of my businessmen students sleeps on the floor every night at home- by choice. Strange. My back was killing me by the end of the weekend. Anyways, Jindo was having the 'Parting of the Seas Festival'. Yes, doin it like Moses. That's how I roll. For two days, Three times a year, the sea literally parts and you can walk to a nearby island. We didn't quite make it to the island due to the tides raising and not wanting to swim back to the beach. There was starfish EVERYWHERE. It was pretty cool. I think I saved at least 20 starfish from death-by-human-feet. I'm sure they were thankful by my heroic acts.



My group of friends I went with!



People were gathering seaweed and cutting it from the sea, being the tides were so low. They were also digging for clams, mussels, and other creatures.

Korean woman who was clearly very "smart". Her boyfriend/husband looked very annoyed. Check out her high heels.


Being silly.

chillin. Searching for seaweed and other unknown creatures.


Doin it like Moses, Korean style.

Korean grandmas being super cute. I want to steal one and bring her home. The statue represents the legend behind the parting of the seas. "According to the legend, an old lady, who was left alone after all the Jindo villagers took shelter in Modo (nearby island) when dangerous tigers showed up in Jindo, eagerly prayed to the Sea God hoping to meet her family again, and the Sea God listened to her prayer and parted the sea, granting her wish."


My first Korean mullet experience. SO hot.

Korean grandmas are known here for the HUMUNGOUS visors and elaborate hiking gear. They would fit in with the Colorado fashion.


Future Christmas card.


Well, my weekend has begun. It's Buddha's bday on Sunday, so I will be headed to a temple to see the celebrations. Have a wonderful weekend. Enjoy. Relax. Take your vitamins. Don't kiss strangers who look like they have the flu. love. xoxo

ps. My friend Reuben left this week and is headed back to MN to work at Youth Works this summer. Nan and Paul, if you're reading this, we (Brittney and I) think you should "find" a reason to fire him so he comes back quicker. K. thanks. Sorry, Reuben. Not. :)

6th month Anniversary. Awwww.

My neighborhood!

Hello! I have been slacking on this lately, sorry. Well, the cherry blossoms have completely disappeared here in Korea. They were beautiful! It crazy how time flies. I went to another cherry blossom festival here in Seoul! It was really cool. Somehow, the trees here appear to change colors at night- almost like lights were shining on them or that they were decorated with lights...hmmm... I wonder how that happens. Nature is so mysterious. ;) Here a few pics!



Even dogs with diapers need to see the cherry blossoms...






I had a day off a weekish ago and I went to the west coast of Korea and spent the day at the beach. It was so relaxing and a great change of scenery. It took about 3 hours to get there, so didn't have much time. We ate an interesting lunch of unknown creatures that the little town was known for. When they are ready to eat, the clam looking ones open up on their own. Strange. I am not a fan of rubbery textured creatures, so I was pretty proud of myself for eating it. I think the wine helped. ha. I felted really awful as the creatures were cooking because the were still alive. The seafood that you eat in Korea is usually VERY fresh. There are tanks outside the restaurant that are filled with crazy creatures- some that you would wonder how ANYONE would ever think of eating. The view from the beach was not clear during the day due to the yellow dust that is in the air these days. It is some sort of pollen from China that blows here every spring. I think it is almost gone, thankfully. You could feel it in the air. I acquired allergies here, which I have never had in my life. Some people where face masks here to avoid the dust. I'm a tough guy, so I don't need it.





Today, I have officially been in Korea 6 months! I can't believe how fast time has passed. I have done a lot of things that I never dreamed that I would do, EVER! Actually, I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would live in Korea. It wasn't that I didn't think it was possible, it just never crossed my mind. I have talked with my friends a lot here about this ride that we are on and none of us ever thought that we would do this. I am so grateful for this experience. I wouldn't change a single thing about these last 6 months, although I wish I didn't have to miss out on all of your lives back home. One of my closest friends got married yesterday- my first friend in my group of friends and I was so bummed that I missed it. Love you, Claire.

I have a lot of exciting things to do in the next 6 months here in Korea and Asia- I can't wait!!! I'm going to do my best to live in the moment and enjoy my time here.

I hope you are all well. I just read about the Swine flu that is going around-scary. Be careful. Take your vitamins.

Did you know...

- I got head butted on my back by a granny who wanted me to move out of her way while I was waiting for a crosswalk sign to turn green.
- During holidays, it is customary for your family to visit your husband's family first and spend the most time there. Basically, the wife's family gets the shaft. Lame...or wonderful if your wife's family is rather annoying.
- Of few of my businessman students had a wild evening out last week and the oldest student,50ish, passed out during class. It was hilarious and tried so hard not to laugh.
- One of my 4th grade students pointed to his middle finger and told me that he knows what it means and then proceeded to say it. I had to turn around and compose myself- put on a serious face and then scold him. Geez... teaching cute, clueless kids is so hard sometimes.
- My middle schoolers gave me a test to see if I was a psycho path. Apparently, I passed and I am a full-fledged psychopath. I like to remind them daily. Sadly, they aren't afraid of me.
- It is common for most Koreans to begin dating in college, because they don't have time to date in highschool- too much studying.
- It is common for a couple to invite 4 of their single friends (2 girls and 2 guys) to dinner, sort of like a blind date. At the end of the "date" the females will write the name of the guy that they like on a piece of paper and then they will start dating if the feeling is mutual. I guess there used to be a popular dating show that followed those rules and it has been adopted into the Korean dating culture. strange.

You Ate WHAT!!!!!

Hello! I have been without my computer for the past week, which has completely sucked! I never realized how dependent I am on it these days. It's my only source to the outside world- phone, tv, news,etc. So, I hope all of you have been well. We found out that my gpa's cancer has not spread, so they will be removing a portion of his ear and he SHOULD be CANCER-FREE!!!! :) woohhooo. He is quite the fighter. Thanks for all your prayers. He said that he could feel them.

Last weekend I went south to a cherry blossom festival. Apparently, it is one of the largest in the world. We took an overnight bus Friday night and arrived in Jinhae around 5:00 am- southern coast. We hadn't made any arrangements for a hotel, so we ended up walking around for a good hour or two before we found something that was available. As much as I love adventures and living in the moment, I do not enjoy walking around at 5:00 AM looking for a place to sleep. Brittney and I talked about how we felt we were having deja vu- simular to our unpleasant sleeping experience in Tokyo. However, this time we were not alone and we were only followers, not leaders. Phew. The festival was a lot of fun. I felt like I was on vacation, which was greatly needed. The blossoms were beautiful, but my favorite part was being in the harbor and smelling sea air. AMAZING. It has been about 4 years since I have been along the coast. The harbor was filled with old navy ships and the navy base was right next to the harbor. I saw a lot of cute navy boys in their uniforms. Oooolala. Now I know how my gpa hooked my grandma. ha.


The Jinhae experience was very.. interesting. I had a great time! I tried food that I never thought I would eat, EVER! I was pressured to try octopus. When I say octopus, I mean octopus that was still moving. It's like how chickens still run around with their heads cut off (gross)- octupus do the same thing, but with their tentacles. It was very amusing. Thankfully, I washed it down with a shot of Soju. The Korean alcohol of choice. ha. I have attached a video for your viewing pleasure. The piece I ate was very small, but it still counts. I was terrified. There wasn't much flavor, but the texture was awful. You have to chew it really well before you swallow, or otherwise the tentacles can attach and stick to you. People have actually died from eating it so fresh and choking. ha. I'm a badass. I also ate stinky tofu soup! It was really stinky but SO good! The old woman (in her 70's/80's) said her soup was famous. She goes to the mountains and gathers wild vegetables that she makes into side dishes. It was so good!




Click on video. I look and sound like goon. I was really afraid and finally gave into the pressure. Beware. Don't judge me. I guess you can, if you want.


Octopus!!!


Creatures unknown. The mussels were delicious!




My friend Brittney and Dianne at the pier.




Ahhh... I told you couples like to wear matching clothes. haha. I love it!


Yes, here is proof that Koreans DO eat bugs. grody.


ahhh how cute.












Ohh la la. They were calling me.










So, it was a great trip! I have made a few decisions about my future plans. I will be leaving Korea Nov 13ish and then I will be traveling for about 5 weeks in Southeast Asia with my friend Brittney and possibly others. I'm currently trying to get Brad Pitt to join us, but he isn't sure if it will work with his schedule. We are planning on going to Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia. We have A LOT of planning and research ahead of us and I can't wait!! I'm so excited! I'm not sure where I will go after that, but i'm sure it will come to me..eventually. If you have any advice, jobs, traveling advice/tips, Easter candy (ahhh I am CRAVING it) or anything else that would be beneficial, please pass it along.


I will be posting another blog ASAP. I am almost caught up! Love you all! :)

xoxo

ps. Grandpa- the navy pics are for you. :)