Week 6

Things are going well in Yeosu. Today marks six weeks in Korea. We are finally feeling very settled in and are looking forward to the holidays. We got a package today from my parents with American spices. It has been great weather here because we have a genuine Fall season. The highs are in the low 70's and the lows are in the 50's every day. The other great thing is that it really doesn't rain here. So, most days it is sunny and cool.

This past weekend we went to Dolsan Island to have dinner with Lahns family friend Jason and his family. There were about 10 people and we grilled steak, chicken and sausage. It was a great meal and we had great company. Jason had a wonderful family. His daughter and her two sons were there. They were 1 and 2 years old and adorable. His wife and son as well. After we ate dinner we relaxed and sang Karaoke! I, unfortunately was the only one willing to sing more than one song. That didn't surprise Anthony too much. My song list was as follows: Sugar Pie Honey Bunch, Bohemian Rhapsody, I Shot the Sheriff, Brown Eyed Girl and last but not least (because they like this one the BEST) Kungfoo Fighting. I had a blast and so did my 2 year old singing partner.

Well into week six we are having a great time and enjoying getting to know people better. This weekend will be spent relaxing in Yeosu.

Naganupsong and Suncheon Bay

This weekend Anthony and I took a day trip with our co-worker Adam. He is our age and has been here since April. We decided to go to the folk village of Nagan and also Suncheon Bay. Nagan was our first stop and it is about 1.5 hours from Yeosu by bus. The village is a fortress from the 1800's where the magistrates for Jeollanam-do lived. There are still many people living there in their thached roof houses day to day. We walked around the village all afternoon looking at pottery, going into small homes, looking at gardens and animals, watching the village weaver, and walking on the fortress walls. It was a really cool experience and unlike anything else I have ever done. We watched the weaver for some time. It was a day where you didn't bother to look at your watch because it was so enjoyable where we were. We got some pottery from a lady that makes it all in her home and some woven shoes. We decided to head back to Suncheon to go to the bay around 3:30.

The bay was perfect at sunset. There was a pier that we walked across to get to the path to hike up to the observation deck. Beneath the pier were tiny wholes with crabs. They were all feeding since we were there in the evening and it was beautiful. We hiked up to the observation deck at sunset. The picture below is the view!

Another Event at the Sports Complex!

Today we are hosting another huge event at the sports complex. It's the third since we have been here! There are food vendors, people in traditional costume, and sports. Soccer, tug of war. tennis and other sports games are going on all day. There are special chants that the groups do while having certain events. They even have special cardboard giant visor covers that say Expo 2012. Anthony and I definately got a couple for souvinors. The weather has been beautiful this week and hopefully it will remain that way through the weekend because we are moving into our new building for work. Anthony and I are also hoping to take a day trip somewhere close by. Stay tuned!

This weekend we stayed in Yeosu to rest and explore our new home. We had a great weekend filled with watching College Football on our new monitor, eating fajitas and exploring Dolsan-do. On Sunday our co-worker Lahn took Anthony and I to Dolsan-do Island with her family. She has two sons who are 8 and 10 and her husband is incredibly nice and giving. They have helped Anthony and I a lot since we got here. The island was beautiful. We hiked up to a budhist hermatage with an amazing view and then ended up going on a hike to the top of the mountain. It was a really great experience. It took about 2 hours to finish the hike and we finished in a small sea village. We ate lunch and then headed to the beach. Anthony tried to teach Lahn's boys how to skip rocks and we just relaxed for a while. It was very cool outside and the water felt great! Lahn and I looked for shells while the boys played in the water! It was just a really nice day. They invited us to dinner that night and we walked in Yeosu-dong. Everything is really going great here. We are liking it more everyday. Tomorrow will be four weeks since we got here! It is crazy that time has gone by so fast already. We will keep updating as much as possible.

Seoul

Seoul is AMAZING! Anthony and I spent the weekend in the Gangnam neighborhood in Seoul. We got there Friday and came back today and spent the entire time visiting museums, eating and exploring the city. It is by far the coolest city I have been to and definately the largest. Friday we visited the Korean War Memorial and Museum which was very interesting. The US presence in the war is apparent as we lost over 33,000 soldiers. We were able to go into fighter jets, cargo planes, and tanks. I have never seen missles in my life and it was really interesting.

On Saturday we got up and had bagels and coffee at noon and then went to the Changdeokgang Palace. It was SO cool. My first experience with an Asian palace was a great one. Within the palace walls is a secret garden and many beautiful buildings. Next we went to Insadong which turns into a pedestrian ave on Saturday and Sunday. It was by far my favorite neighborhood because off of the main road are these little alley ways that have vines lining the restaurant fronts and little birds cherping and hopping around. We went to a place called the Old Tea House and had green tea and rice cakes while listening to calming music. There is a natural spring that runs through Seoul and it has been constructed with walking trails, waterfalls and murals for the people to enjoy. While walking along it you wouldn't guess you were in the second largest city in the world, but then you look up and see dozens of high rises surrounding you. That is the coolest part about Seoul is that there are so many things to do that make the city seem small. For dinner on Saturday night we had Outback and it was AMAZING. A bloomin onion, alice springs chicken and Anthony's huge steak made for a filling meal and one that we will not have for a long time. It was a good day.

On Sunday Anthony was able to watch some of the A&M game and then we went to the fish market. I have never seen so much live seafood in one place! There were probably 500 stalls set up with fish, crab, lobster, 5 types of shrimp, clams, and anything else you can think of from the sea. All live and ready to be taken home to cook. Next we went to the Korean National Museum and saw artifacts and historical pieces from Korean as well as China, Vietman, and Japan. We finished the day back in Insadong with Indian food, which is way to hot for me as I discovered. So we resorted to street vendor food. It was a great alternative. We finished our great trip to Seoul at Top Cloud for drinks. It is a lot like the Rainbow Room in NYC, but more modern. Looking out over Seoul was a sight to see. It is such an enormous place. The candle light and jazz band created a really enjoyable atmosphere and I am sure that we will be back on our next trip.

Seoul is a city that people need to experience. The friendly Korean culture, the melting pot of people, museums and the dozens of different neighborhoods shape the city into one that is unlike any other place. While there you can forget that you are in Korea at all because it is so functional for Westerners and you see English speakers everywhere. We give it two thumbs up!