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. :)