Well, December is just a few days away and the Christmas season is here. David and I have been planning a few trips for this winter and hope to go to Thailand within the month. We will have to remain here in Korea until June or July so we have been attempting to find some activities to help bide the time. One thing we have been doing for a little over a month is Taekwando. After a business contact introduced us to a facility we began practicing with a man named Mr. Nam. He is not much older than David and I and has been been a great instructor to have. Since I am a beginner and David hasn't taken Taekwando since he was 11 years old we started from the beginning. We have classes Monday through Friday for one hour after David gets off work. While some days it is a struggle to get there, we both have really enjoyed the lessons. This past Friday we had our very first belt test and we passed with flying colors. The test included two sets of movements and blocks called forms along with various kicking combinations and a bunch of yelling. The most challenging part for me was the breaks. We were required to break one board with our fist and another while doing an axe kick (a straight leg kick as high as you can go). Fortunately I was able to break both boards on my first try and just had some mild bruising on my hand. Since obtaining our yellow belts we have begun doing more advanced self defense moves and shall begin sparring exercises soon. Overall, David and I wanted to experience something that really represents the Korean culture. Taekwando is a martial art that every Korean is required to learn. Whether in school, after school programs or through the military, they will experience it at some point in there lives. We both feel very blessed to have this opportunity and it is something that we will take home with us to the States.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Church Thanksgiving
For the past couple of weeks David and I have been attending a new church here in Korea. While it may seem like a wonderful new development I must first explain how we ended up there. Let me back track by introducing Mr. Kim. He is an older Korean man that works for David's company, building their chemical plant. Mr. Kim has been a wonderful friend to David and myself, constantly taking us hiking or out to dinner. Well, during one of our hikes Mr. Kim invited us to attend church with him. We had heard about his church from some of the other expats and agreed to go and just check it out. We knew ahead of time that there would be no English translations for the service so we were under no allusion of visiting more than once or twice. That same day while having lunch he promptly gifted us two very nice Korean/English bibles and said he would pick us up for church the following Sunday. While the service was nice, we walked away having not understood a single word of the message and understandably did not anticipate ever returning. Much to my surprise however my wonderful husband guilt tripped me into attending another service in order to visit with Mr. Kim once more. Now this is where the catch comes in! During our next visit to the church Mr. Kim lead us into a room and placed two pieces of paper in front of us with Korean writing. He told us to fill in our names and address without explaining what they were for. As it turned out we had merely registered to be members of the congregation. Mr. Kim explained that we were now supposed to attend church every Sunday and we should not miss any days. I must say I was glaring at my husband quite a bit after that, but neither of us saw it coming. Since that time we have not missed a Sunday but I cant say that the pattern wont be broken.
In mentioning our church involvement however, I really wanted to talk about the service we attended last Sunday for their Thanksgiving/Harvest festival. The church had been planning the festival for a while because every week there would be a count down until the day finally arrived. They call it a Thanksgiving Festival because it is their time to give thanks for the harvest and the many blessing it brings forth every year. The first half of the service encompassed a variety of singing and Korean traditional dances. My favorite part however was a procession of elders each carrying a large offering of food to be placed on the alter followed by six family member that gave a speech on what they were thankful for-at least I think that's what they were talking about. We were able to get a few distant pictures but they aren't near as good as seeing it first hand. I also loved all the beautiful costumes that were worn for the dances. David and I really enjoyed seeing their various forms of worship and were certainly reminded of all we have to be thankful for. I am certainly looking forward to our more traditional Thanksgiving and you better believe we will be celebrating here in Korea as well!
Happy Thanksgiving
In mentioning our church involvement however, I really wanted to talk about the service we attended last Sunday for their Thanksgiving/Harvest festival. The church had been planning the festival for a while because every week there would be a count down until the day finally arrived. They call it a Thanksgiving Festival because it is their time to give thanks for the harvest and the many blessing it brings forth every year. The first half of the service encompassed a variety of singing and Korean traditional dances. My favorite part however was a procession of elders each carrying a large offering of food to be placed on the alter followed by six family member that gave a speech on what they were thankful for-at least I think that's what they were talking about. We were able to get a few distant pictures but they aren't near as good as seeing it first hand. I also loved all the beautiful costumes that were worn for the dances. David and I really enjoyed seeing their various forms of worship and were certainly reminded of all we have to be thankful for. I am certainly looking forward to our more traditional Thanksgiving and you better believe we will be celebrating here in Korea as well!
Happy Thanksgiving
Monday, August 20, 2012
Jeju Getaway
The summer is almost over but David and I were finally able to squeeze in our trip to Jeju before heading back to the states for a month. Since our trip had been canceled twice before I was very excited to have finally made it happen. Jeju is South Korea's largest island that lies directly south of us. It was only about a half hour plane ride and an additional hour drive to our hotel on the south side of the island. We ended up staying at a pretty inexpensive hotel (Goodinn Hotel) to try and save a little money. Fortunately we didn't spend much time there and the staff were very friendly. With three full days on the island we decided to pick a different area to explore every day in order to maximize what we were able to see. Now the first day was a little disappointing to me in a few ways. The area we were staying in left a little to be desired. It wasn't very picturesque and I had a hard time with not being able to go somewhere for breakfast due to the late opening of all cafes in the area. We also couldn't see much of the coastline because of all the buildings and restaurants. But don't be discouraged because our later ventures definitely made up for these failings.
On day one we stayed in central Seogwipo and visited all of the natural tourist destinations. Our first stop was the Jeongbang Waterfall. This is Asia's only waterfall that drops directly into the ocean. While it was very beautiful indeed, it was also overcrowded and we couldn't get all that close to the falls. So, we ventured off to our number two destination, the Cheonjiyeon Falls. This was another grand waterfall which made for some more great pictures, but again not super exciting. After Cheonjiyeon we enjoyed a little snack over at the Duncan Donuts before heading out to Oedolgae. Oedolgae is a rather large rock column right off the coast. Korean legand says that a woman married to a seaman discovered her husband was lost at sea. She was so sad that she became the rock. Not a super exciting story but interesting none the less. After this point in the day we were pretty sweaty and ready for a swim so we went to a little area referred to as the Donnaeko resort. There is a mountain fed stream that runs through with large rocks surrounding each side. The water was absolutely freezing but it was a lot of fun. David especially loved climbing about on all the rocks and the water was crystal clear! After cleaning up at the hotel we visited an over priced glass museum and then headed to dinner. Hans Family restaurant, while also a little over priced it had some good western style foods so I was a happy girl. To top off the evening we visited the world cup stadium and saw a movie at the theater located inside it.
Day two was a bit more exciting but we ended up doing a lot more driving as well. Since we had rented a car it made it easier to get around. We traveled to the southwest side of the island which took about 40 minutes. We started off by going to Sanbada ATV. It was an adventure course in which a guide takes you around for half an hour. The course was a lot of fun and we loved being about to ride through the forest and get up close to the coastline. When the ATV was finished we took a tour of Mount Sangbansan and the Hamel ship. I was even forced by a little old Korean man to take a five minute ride on a horse while he led me around a track. After that we stopped off at the Chocolate Museum, just one of the MANY, Many museums on Jeju, but it was much better than the glass museum. The entire history of chocolate making was displayed and we were able to watch a few ladies making chocolate in the back. We also got to taste some of the best chocolate i've ever had! The best part of the day though in my opinion was the Aqua Planet aquarium on the upper East coast of Jeju. Apparently it is Asia's largest aquarium and it really was very well built. Not only did it have a whale shark but there were walrus, otters, dolphins and some really active sea lions. And as most people know, I LOVE aquariums so this was all very exciting in my opinion. For dinner we found a really cool restaurant called Geckos Terrace and they had a fabulous spread of western dishes with some really good margaritas and mixed cocktails.
Day three was by far the best day of our whole trip. After our hour long drive to the northeast and passing some beautiful scenery we made it to the Manjanggul Lava Tunnel. This was one of my favorite things because it is the worlds longest cave formed by lava. In it's entirety it is 7.4 Km long. An entire 1 km of that is open to public. When we descended into the cave it dropped about 30 degrees and the only light were these faint foot lights that had been installed. It was just such a neat thing to experience that I would love to go back again someday. Now if the cave wasn't enough we took a ferry for two dollars a person and went to U-do. U-do is an island on the East side with what many people say is Jeju's most beautiful beach. Upon arrival to the island we found out that we could rent ATVs or scooters for a mere 10 dollars an hour. Well, of course we went with the scooter! So we got to scoot along the island and stop at the beach for some snorkeling. The sand was nice and white and the water was so clear you could see to the bottom with ease. It was a vibrant blue and green color and icy cold. The cold felt good though after being in the heat for so long. The island also had a black sand beach with a big empty cave for David to go and explore. After we had exhausted our time on the island we took the ferry back and headed to Gecko's for our final meal on Jeju.
If we could have changed anything we would have spent most of our time by U-do and done some more cave exploring on the North side of the island. But with that said, we had a wonderful time in Jeju and I just wish I could have gotten myself a Jeju trademark....The old man statue!
On day one we stayed in central Seogwipo and visited all of the natural tourist destinations. Our first stop was the Jeongbang Waterfall. This is Asia's only waterfall that drops directly into the ocean. While it was very beautiful indeed, it was also overcrowded and we couldn't get all that close to the falls. So, we ventured off to our number two destination, the Cheonjiyeon Falls. This was another grand waterfall which made for some more great pictures, but again not super exciting. After Cheonjiyeon we enjoyed a little snack over at the Duncan Donuts before heading out to Oedolgae. Oedolgae is a rather large rock column right off the coast. Korean legand says that a woman married to a seaman discovered her husband was lost at sea. She was so sad that she became the rock. Not a super exciting story but interesting none the less. After this point in the day we were pretty sweaty and ready for a swim so we went to a little area referred to as the Donnaeko resort. There is a mountain fed stream that runs through with large rocks surrounding each side. The water was absolutely freezing but it was a lot of fun. David especially loved climbing about on all the rocks and the water was crystal clear! After cleaning up at the hotel we visited an over priced glass museum and then headed to dinner. Hans Family restaurant, while also a little over priced it had some good western style foods so I was a happy girl. To top off the evening we visited the world cup stadium and saw a movie at the theater located inside it.
Day two was a bit more exciting but we ended up doing a lot more driving as well. Since we had rented a car it made it easier to get around. We traveled to the southwest side of the island which took about 40 minutes. We started off by going to Sanbada ATV. It was an adventure course in which a guide takes you around for half an hour. The course was a lot of fun and we loved being about to ride through the forest and get up close to the coastline. When the ATV was finished we took a tour of Mount Sangbansan and the Hamel ship. I was even forced by a little old Korean man to take a five minute ride on a horse while he led me around a track. After that we stopped off at the Chocolate Museum, just one of the MANY, Many museums on Jeju, but it was much better than the glass museum. The entire history of chocolate making was displayed and we were able to watch a few ladies making chocolate in the back. We also got to taste some of the best chocolate i've ever had! The best part of the day though in my opinion was the Aqua Planet aquarium on the upper East coast of Jeju. Apparently it is Asia's largest aquarium and it really was very well built. Not only did it have a whale shark but there were walrus, otters, dolphins and some really active sea lions. And as most people know, I LOVE aquariums so this was all very exciting in my opinion. For dinner we found a really cool restaurant called Geckos Terrace and they had a fabulous spread of western dishes with some really good margaritas and mixed cocktails.
Day three was by far the best day of our whole trip. After our hour long drive to the northeast and passing some beautiful scenery we made it to the Manjanggul Lava Tunnel. This was one of my favorite things because it is the worlds longest cave formed by lava. In it's entirety it is 7.4 Km long. An entire 1 km of that is open to public. When we descended into the cave it dropped about 30 degrees and the only light were these faint foot lights that had been installed. It was just such a neat thing to experience that I would love to go back again someday. Now if the cave wasn't enough we took a ferry for two dollars a person and went to U-do. U-do is an island on the East side with what many people say is Jeju's most beautiful beach. Upon arrival to the island we found out that we could rent ATVs or scooters for a mere 10 dollars an hour. Well, of course we went with the scooter! So we got to scoot along the island and stop at the beach for some snorkeling. The sand was nice and white and the water was so clear you could see to the bottom with ease. It was a vibrant blue and green color and icy cold. The cold felt good though after being in the heat for so long. The island also had a black sand beach with a big empty cave for David to go and explore. After we had exhausted our time on the island we took the ferry back and headed to Gecko's for our final meal on Jeju.
If we could have changed anything we would have spent most of our time by U-do and done some more cave exploring on the North side of the island. But with that said, we had a wonderful time in Jeju and I just wish I could have gotten myself a Jeju trademark....The old man statue!
David and the old lady statue
Jeongbang Waterfall
Cheonjiyeon Waterfall
Oedolgae
Donnaeko
Glass Museum
World Cup Stadium
Sanbada ATV...they make you wear dust masks lol
Mt. Sanbangsan
David at the Chocolate Museum
Outside the Aquarium
The rainforest area
Whale Shark!
Manjanggul Lave Tunnel
On the Ferry
U-do
David let me drive for a few minutes
U-do Beach
Exploring the cave on U-do
Monday, May 28, 2012
Gumo Island Adventure
Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone!
I have a lot of fun things to talk about today and a bunch of wonderful photos to share. The Lord has truly blessed David and I this year and I am so thankful that we are able to share in our excitement with all of you. Last weekend our good friends Joy and Grant came down to visit us from Seoul. They stayed for two days and we had the pleasure of taking them to Odong Island as well as the World Expo. While David and I had already been to the expo I will say it was much better the second time around. There was less of a crowd and we were able to get in to see a very large number of the various country exhibits. Just a few to name include Qatar, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, USA, Spain, Romania, and Israel. Each exhibit was unique in its own way. The US had a very moving video about the ocean and what it means to different people. Qatar had women doing Henna and a traditional band performing; Romania had a really good cafe with all Romanian foods and Israel had a wonderful undersea experience with lots of special effects and lighting.
Now this past weekend David and I were scheduled to do our open water certification dive for our Scuba cert. Unfortunately we had to cancel our trip do to the three day weekend for Buddhas birthday. Whenever there is a big holiday here travel becomes about 80 percent more difficult. Being that David had Monday off work we wanted to enjoy the long weekend and have a memorial celebration of our own (ignoring that of the Buddhist holiday). South Korea and Yeosu specifically, is surrounded by almost two hundred islands. With that in mind we decided to do a little exploring. David and I first took a ferry over to Gumo Island for a bit of hiking. This was my first time on a ferry so I was very exciting. The cost was a little pricy for the one hour trip but we decided to take our car anyways and load up with a delicious picnic and all our hiking needs. Upon arrival to the island we were able to hike along most of the outer perimeter. It was a pretty big Island that is inhabited by several fisherman and farming families. While things are very basic and bare there, hiking was even better. Everything was just so natural and scenic. All the paths were dirt and there were trees, fauna and water everywhere! At some points you feel like you are in Hawaii while other places its as if you are in the jungle, the forest and then a more arid climate such as California. It was a beautiful Island and we really enjoyed getting to see all the high cliffs and deep green waters.
So if all that weren't enough, we took another short ferry ride over to Dolsan Island and took to the beach! Now it wasn't as nice as the Florida coast but it had its perks. Its was a smaller beach with rocky areas on either side and island out in the distance. The water was very clear and also very cold. The sand was nice and the sun made things all the better. The only down side in my opinion is that no one wears a swim suit. They wear shorts and t shirts to swim because sun exposure is a big no no to the Koreans. While I'm not opposed to wearing a one piece and some shorts, even that would have looked out of sorts compared to the full attire of the natives. Either way though, David enjoyed wading in the cool water and lounging out on the beach for some much needed sunshine.
To leave you with a final thought....one of my favorite verses from Philippians 4:8 says "Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praise worthy- meditate on these things" While life isn't a walk in the park, I choose to find the good in everything. This past weekend I saw God's creation all around me and it was most certainly lovely and praiseworthy!
I have a lot of fun things to talk about today and a bunch of wonderful photos to share. The Lord has truly blessed David and I this year and I am so thankful that we are able to share in our excitement with all of you. Last weekend our good friends Joy and Grant came down to visit us from Seoul. They stayed for two days and we had the pleasure of taking them to Odong Island as well as the World Expo. While David and I had already been to the expo I will say it was much better the second time around. There was less of a crowd and we were able to get in to see a very large number of the various country exhibits. Just a few to name include Qatar, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, USA, Spain, Romania, and Israel. Each exhibit was unique in its own way. The US had a very moving video about the ocean and what it means to different people. Qatar had women doing Henna and a traditional band performing; Romania had a really good cafe with all Romanian foods and Israel had a wonderful undersea experience with lots of special effects and lighting.
To leave you with a final thought....one of my favorite verses from Philippians 4:8 says "Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praise worthy- meditate on these things" While life isn't a walk in the park, I choose to find the good in everything. This past weekend I saw God's creation all around me and it was most certainly lovely and praiseworthy!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
May Madness
Happy Spring everyone! I have just returned from a short but great trip back to Seoul to send my mother in law and aunt back to the US. David and I were fortunate enough to have received our very first visitors since we got to Korea. My mother in law Wendy and David's aunt Bonnie flew in about two weeks ago and came to stay with us in Yeosu. I have to say their trip came at the most perfect time because everything has started to come alive here. We had the most perfect 70-80 degree weather and David was able to get a day off work so that we could do some fun activities. We started out by taking them to Odong Island for some light hiking and and a beautiful view on the water. We also visited the Nagan traditional folk village in Suncheon as well as the Suncheon Eco Park which is one of the top five biggest marshlands in the world! Apart from those two adventures we did some shopping around town, saw Mirror Mirror in theaters while enjoying some delicious Korean popcorn and we ventured out to a few Korean restaurants. I believe that Shabu Shabu was a big hit because it is a large pot of seasoned water that cooks at the table and you just have to add a whole bunch of cabbage and greens along with thin strips of beef. It is actually very tasty and healthy at the same time. At the end of the meal we cook our noodles and the make a sort of rice porridge with the remainder of the liquid. The day we attended the World Expo was also a big adventure. The World expo is a giant convention of sorts that happens every three years at a different location around the world. It just so happened to be here in Yeosu this year so me managed to show up for the rehearsal day at a fraction of the cost. Unfortunately, so did the rest of Korea. While the grounds were very beautiful and well constructed there were just too many people to really enjoy ourselves. We have decided that if we go back we will have to make reservations for the different country exhibits so that we wont have to wait in all the long lines. Apart from all that fun there managed to be a bit of down time thankfully in which we were able to explore the beach and do some walking around our apartment community. They really seemed to enjoy all the coffee shops and bakeries which I cant blame the for, they are wonderful! This last Friday we then took the three and a half hour KTX train into the city so that they could experience a bit of Seoul before they had to go to the airport on Sunday morning. While in Seoul we visited the most northern royal palace as well as the famous Namdaemun outdoor market and Myeongdong shopping district. We basically walked until our legs about gave out. Friday night our old Korean instructor Isabel met us for some Mexican food and Ice cream so that she could meet Wendy and Bonnie. Isabel of course was a big hit and showed them a good time. Saturday night in turn we met our good Korean friends Rahni and Min Seok for Korean BBQ and Karaoke. I must say that we had a wonderful time and I even got up and sang which is a big deal! Sadly our time with them had to come to an end and we are back in Yeosu once again. We took an exorbitant amount of pictures though so I hope you enjoy some of the highlights.
Since it was Mothers day this past Monday as well I must mention That I have been extremely blessed to have such an amazing mother and Mother in law as well as step mother for that matter. I am blessed three fold and am so eternally grateful to my father in heaven for all that he has given me! May God bless you and all the mothers out there.
Since it was Mothers day this past Monday as well I must mention That I have been extremely blessed to have such an amazing mother and Mother in law as well as step mother for that matter. I am blessed three fold and am so eternally grateful to my father in heaven for all that he has given me! May God bless you and all the mothers out there.
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