Incheon

This past weekend, I had yet another adventure!

I will make this short, simple, and sweet:

Saturday
- Caught a bus to Suwon to meet up with Justin (Camp Peniel friend) and then took another bus to Incheon.
- Got a little lost, but ended up finding Eileen (other Camp Peniel friend!)
- Ate a Black Monte Cristo for dinner... soooo stinking good...
- Saw Les Miserables! Great movie! However, I was not expecting 3 hours of non-stop singing...
- Went to noribang (private karaoke rooms). I was really nervous about this, but it was actually a LOT of fun! (pictured above)
- Sleepover at Eileens apartment!

Sunday
- Had breakfast at Holly's coffee.
- Went Eileens international church. It felt was great to be surrounded by fellow believers and worshiping with them.
- Had Indian food for lunch. Delicious. Spicy...
...Then, sadly the weekend came to an end... :( I took the subway home with a happy heart and a million KPOP songs Justin burned for me...(pictured above). He is trying to turn me into a fan. I will admit, some of the songs he gave me are really catchy! Here are two of my favorites so far...

And...

Alvin

This little guy is my favorite. He probably wouldn't be on my good list if he was actually in my class, but since he's NOT, I love him. He comes and finds me in the the teachers room or in the hallways to talk. Today, he told me a story about visiting his Grandma this weekend and how much he doesn't like his sister :) Who doesn't at some point in their lives?
(Love you, Katie!)

Anyways, he has this "special" move and I decided to record it... 7 seconds that encompasses his entire personality... :)

Lush

Last week, when I went to Gangnam (yes... THE Gangnam), Nyeasha took me into a beauty store called Lush. This store had shampoos, soaps, face masks, makeup, etc. It was fairly expensive, but fantastic! Everything there is made fresh from all natural ingredients. So, I decided to buy a little something... :)

^ Lovely right? I bought Cupcake face mask. It smells like chocolate and feels like mud. Pretty awesome :) ^

^ Lush logo... ^

^ As Nyeasha and I were walking out, the cashier came running after us to give us our free samples (Every beauty item you purchase in Korea comes with SOME kind of free sample... One time, I got a free sample of placenta cream for buying nail polish...) Anyways, it's body soap and she said it would boost our sex appeal... I haven't used it yet, but I guess I will let you know if it works or not! Haha! :D ^

Camp Peniel Weekend

Summer of 2009, I was lucky enough to work at a camp in Marble Falls, Texas called Camp Peniel. Some of the staff that I worked with also teach in South Korea. So, this weekend I had the pleasure of not meeting up with just one, but two of them! On Saturday, my Dongtan friend Nyeasha (met her in a coffee shop and we became insta-friends, how cool is that?!) and I made our way to Seoul to meet up with a group of people to go museum hopping! Here are some pictures from our adventure...

^ Nyeasha and I in the subway station... praying that we wouldn't get lost! ^

^ We found a bubble tea shop! (Bubble tea is a frozen drink that comes in several flavors with tapioca pearls... it has a unique texture and can be addicting!) ^

^ Nyeasha and her blueberry bubble tea. ^

^ Green tea bubble tea! ^

^ First museum, the Kimchi Museum. We got to try Kimchi at the end... and for once, I thought it was REALLY good... ^

^ Pots used to make and store kimchi in. ^

^ Nyeasha and I with Eileen, I worked with Eileen at Camp Peniel :) ^

^ Trying on traditional hats in the Kimchi Museum. ^

^ Streets of Seoul with beautiful mountains in the background...

 this picture doesn't do them justice :( ^

^ This adorable guy was performing on the street corner... the video below is him singing: Raindrops Falling on My Head. ^

^ I thought this graffiti was really cute... I don't like graffiti, but I can tolerate it when it's this sweet. ^

^ Gates of Gyeongbok Palace... stunning! I can't wait to see the actual palace ( preferably when the weather gets warmer!) ^

^ Second stop, the Hangul Museum. Hangul is the Korean alphabet. This is a statue of the king that created it. ^

^ When you first walk into the museum, you are greeted by a hallway with a mirrored ceiling... so, of course we took a picture in it :) ^

^ Group shot in the Hangul Museum. ^

^ Fun story: the boy standing behind me came up to Nyeasha and I and asked if we would answer some questions for him and his friends. So we stood there, filmed by the girl next to me, and attempted to answer Korean trivia questions. We passed... I think (?) and we believe they were doing it for some sort of scavenger hunt (?) *We had language barrier issues* Anyways, they wanted to take a picture with us before they left, so Nyeasha had to snag one too :) ^

^ After a LONG day, Nyeasha and I left for Dongtan, but had to snag us some dinner before we left. We both had Big Macs we were so hungry! ^

The next day...

Sunday, I met up with my other camp friend. I took a bus to a neighboring town, Suwon, and met up with Justin and some of his former Korean students.  We saw the movie, "Jack Reacher" (it was in English, Korean subtitles). I'm not a Tom Cruise fan, but I thought he was adorable in this movie. I almost felt like I was back in America as I sat there and watched it! I was really sad when it was over  :( Anways, after that we ate at a Korean cafe (while looking for a place to eat, one of the boys that was with us had his phone stolen... long story... ) and then we had some ice cream afterwards. These boys were so sweet and it was great getting to see Justin again... I guess that's why it's called "Sunday Funday!"



Magic show!

Our school usually has the Kindergarten program go on one field trip a month. Since graduation is next month and it is either too cold or rainy to go outside, we brought in a magician. I had no idea what he was saying the entire show (it was in Korean, obviously), but it didn't matter... because it was still the best thing ever! I think I may have had MORE fun than the kids did...

^ This lucky kiddo had birds placed all over him. ^

^ The magician had kids come up at do Gangnam style. It was the highlight of my day and has been all week! SO CUTE. Keep an eye out for the little boy in the middle with sailor-like outfit on... he had to have been my favorite to watch. ^

DMC

A couple of weeks ago, I joined a gym with some co-workers. I know... really exciting ;) However, it's really cool because it's in the Dongtan Multicultural Center... a massive building with a library, a nadatorium, music halls, etc. Every time I walk in I see a guitar class in session or little girls coming out of their ballet practice. The gym is smaller than most, but it has HOT showers... something my apartment does not have! Well worth the 40,000 won a month! :) Here are some pictures of it...

^ I love this attempt at English... multi-culture = multure. ^ 

^ Gym floor... and my favorite pair of orange sneakers! I really don't like having to take my shoes on and off all the time :( ^



^ A mat at the gym... a swear LG makes everything here. ^



Christmas in Seoul

This was my first Christmas away from home... over 7,000 miles away from home! It could have been a really sad and lonely time for me. However, the Lord always provides for his children. In October, the Lord sent the Whitten family back to Korea for another term with the U.S. Army. I don't think it was just coincidence that we arrived two months apart. Their daughter (Jenny) and I were great friends in college and I was even a bridesmaid for her wedding in South Carolina last year. This family was gracious enough to let me stay with them for the holidays... an entire week! Words cannot express how grateful I am for their time, love, and generosity. I had an amazing vacation... It almost felt like I was with my own family!

One of my wonderful co-workers let me borrow her phone while she went to Thailand for Christmas(in exchange for some motion sickness pills and Reese's Peanut Butter cups). So, I was able to capture a couple of photos.

^ My "room" in Hotel Whitten! Those sheets are the ones Jenny used back at Texas State. I lived in the dorm right next to her! ^

^ Christmas dinner with the family. This is their son, Mark. He was spending his Christmas break from SHSU with his family on the base. I was blessed to have Mark show me around and hang out with me... he is so funny! In this picture, we are eating Ja-ja-men. It was really good! ^

^ One morning, we went to the Korean War Museum. It was really beautiful and had some great exhibits! ^

^ In front of the museum... depicting North versus South Korea. ^

^ One morning, I went venturing by myself into Itaewon. Itaewon is the foreign district of Seoul. I love it and it is right outside the base. So many great restaurants, shopping, and people! ^

^ Momma Whitten came to pick me up at the gate after my venture into Itaewon. She decides she wants to look and see if the animal clinic has any dogs up for adoption... and what do you know... we walk out with this little monster :) His mom had to give him up to go for Navy training. After several name changes, he ended up with the name Rocky and I am his Aunt Sarah! ^

^ One afternoon, Mark showed me the Hans River. Most of our tap water comes from this river, but you do NOT drink it...^

^Another shot of the Hans ^

^ Mark and the Hans, he is so Korean :) ^

^ We worked up an appetite from our excursion... so we stopped for some Kimbop... Korean "sushi". It is SO tasty and cheap! ^

^ We also had some Dukboki. I loved it and have had many versions of it since this picture was taken! ^

^ One afternoon, Pappa Whitten, Mark and I went bowling on the base. I swear, the base is like a mini America! (I'm pretty sure I ended up in last place both games... Sorry Mom and Dad, I did not take up after you.) ^

^ New Years Eve, Mark and I went to Lotte World. Korea's version of Disneyworld. It is an indoor/outdoor amusement park. We believe half of Korea was there that day too... it was so busy, but we still had a lot of fun! ^

^ Outdoor part of the park. Unfortunately, the rides outside were closed because of the snow, but we still walked around... and found some really good food and candy to eat. ^

^ I believe these little babies are called manjoo? They are Korean pastries shaped like little ears of corn and are filled with custard. They are soo, soo good! I would almost say they are the equivalent to Twinkies... except these are hot and fresh... and hopefully wouldn't survive through an apocalypse. ^

^ One day it snowed so beautifully! The snowflakes were huge! ^

^ We got lots of snow! As pretty as it was, it caused me a pain in the butt to drag a suitcase through! ^

^ Mark and I made a legit snowman. His name was Alfred :) ^

And then... I had to say good-bye to my favorite family in Korea and go back to school :( Thankfully, I will get to see the Whittens from time to time, but not Mark (the Army only provides children one plane ticket a year). However, there is always next Christmas and hopefully Jenny and her husband, Eric, will get to come as well!

My Apartment

Here are some pictures of my loft. It's not the best apartment, but I can't complain too much because I don't have to pay rent. I do have to pay for my utilities though. Unfortunately, the building itself was contracted and built by a man who makes churches... not apartments... so the rooms don't retain heat, mold has a tendency to form, and hot water is pretty much non-existent. This makes living here in the winter... suck. Oh well, once the next few months pass, living conditions will be much better!

^ Entrance to the building ^

^ Front door to my room ^

^ My kitchenette ^

^ What you see as you walk in ^

^ My desk ^

^ Mini fridge and washer machine ^

^ Bathroom ^

^ Shower shoes made by Satan ^