That Buddha Temple on the Sea

Leaving Jeju was rather uneventful. Our Ferry made it to Mokpo late and we had to get up really early to catch the first bus out of there.  Because we wanted to make the most of our time but also didn't want to drag a butt load of luggage around the country, we had to go back to our apartment and pick up bags before we went to Busan.  It ended up being a day spent inside a bus. We were so tired.

 When we made it to Busan we were staying in a completly different area than we usually do. Seomyeon was a great area because it was between everything we wanted to do. We only had one full day to explore so we did as much as we could. We chose to go to Haedong Yonggungsa Temple (해동 용궁사) the temple on the sea just because its been one of our favorite places to visit on the Korean peninsula.

 On our walk to the entrance we ran into the Zodiac statues. Mom is a Ram and Don's a Monkey.

There are some cute wishing wells a way off from a bridge. If your coin made it in it brings you good luck... Nick made it in and everyone that saw cheered for him.

We made it to the beach and collected some sea shells. If you look at the left side of the picture you can see us. Nick's in a yellow shirt, I'm is coral Shirt and Valerie is in gray. 

We tried out some new ice cream.  Here in Korea we hove found out there are many ways to ice cream.  One way we have tried here is the type that is made with liquid nitrogen, which is quite fun to watch, like watching a science experiment in action.  That style is actually pretty popular, you've probably heard about it back there in the States.  That picture up there is of ice cream made in a very different way.  You've probably been to Coldstone or something similar where they take the ice cream and place it on a cold marble slab and mix ingredients into it, well these guys took it a step further.  They mix flavoring into a cream and then pour that onto a cold metal plate and then work it over until it's all frozen.  We liked this way better than the liquid nitrogen, which has a tendency to be buttery in texture.

Early the next morning Mom and Don left :( Vacation was over, it had happened so fast and it was so amazing. We loved having them here and showing them some of our favorite places and going to some places we had never been to before. They gave us the excuse we needed to travel Korea.

Workshop October 2013

This workshop was bitter and sweet, as we celebrated with our CEV family. Amanda and Brandon went out with a BANG! We had a great relaxing trip to Busan/Gimhae. We left CEV at 9:00 am in two vans, Busan bound. Our first stop was Busan aquarium. Nick and I almost visited here during Chuesok, but I'm glad we decided not to. We had such a fun time looking at all the sea creatures with our coworkers. We had a few favorite parts, actually the whole thing was fantastic. We got to witness penguins eating and swimming around, and later sharks, GIANT grouper, and sting rays eating. Then if that wasn't cool enough we got to hold real star fish, and see empty shark eggs. Then if that wasn't cool enough we got on a boat with a see-through bottom, and got to see/feed fish who in return feed the sharks in the tank! It was a pretty awesome experience.

 Before we left that area we ate some Indian food (spicy) and walked on the beach (of course I took my shoes of and played in the water) Before we knew it we were back in the van and on the road again to a HUGE Lotte Department store where we walked around for a couple of hours before we met up again. Nick and I were good and didn't by anything. We have made a new budget and so far it is working well. 

Once again we found ourselves on the road. Nick and I had the pleasure of riding in the same van as Richard, Suzie, and Sohee. It was interesting to see how much Korean I understood, and how lost I was in every conversations. They would throw out an English word every now and again to hook me back in to the conversations. I have been really practicing my numbers, telling time, and money. I feel that if I can get these down I will feel like I have accomplished something with the Korean language. As we drove to Gimhea in the rain from the Typhoon I couldn't help but think about life and how much I (and we) have grown here in Korea. Every time I turn my head I see a new challenge to face. It has been hard and rewarding at the same time.

We pulled up to our hotel and checked in. We have a little time to unpack and get ready for dinner. We drove to a different Department store and ate at a Vietnamese restaurant! We shopped around for a little then back to the hotel for the night. Nick went out to grab us some ice cream because he was in the mood for some chocolate. While he was gone I decided to take a shower and relax. He came back and rang our room bell, knocked, banged on the door and I didn't hear him. He freaked out a little because he thought I had fallen and was unconscious (or something) he went down and tried to get another key for our door. Needless to say there isn't an extra key for the rooms and when he came up the second time I just turned off the shower and could hear him banging on the door. He busted in and just hugged me for a while thankful that I was okay. 

Tuesday morning we met everyone at 9:00 am and did something that MANY teacher don't have the opportunity to do. We visited Richard and Suzi's Home in Gimhea. We felt very special to visit there and to eat breakfast. They have a really cute, well decorated apartment! When we finished eating we all jumped in the vans again and came back to Changnyeong to unpack and then we had a farewell lunch for Amanda and Brandon. Afterward we saw them off! I can't believe time is flying by so quickly, before we know it, our 1 year anniversary for being in Korea will be here. 

Vacation Season

We have entered the seasons of vacations which is nice but it is bittersweet since it is the herald of the end of summer and the start of the cold weather.  The weather isn't the only thing that is changing around here, actually our little English Village is morphing as well.  We recently bid farewell to our British friends who came to the end of their contract and are now beginning their new adventure being repatriated . 

It has been weird not having them around as they seemed like such a staple here in Korea, but that is the way of the temporary job.  Soon our Canadian friends will be going back home as well and it'll just be us Americans here.  I will miss the diversity. 
That weekend one of our korean friends took us out to a fantastic chicken restaurant in Chang-nyeong. I'll tell you what, I will be going back there again the chicken was so good. During the meal I decided to get a little crazy and try one of the little dried fishes they served us as a side dish.

I am definitely one wild and crazy gal!

The beginning of fall also brings Korea's biggest holiday, Chuseok (추석).  This holiday is comparable to the American Thanksgiving as it is a harvest festival but it is so much more than that.  Chuseok is a three day holiday that involves remembering the ancestors.  During the holiday Koreans travel to their ancestral hometowns.  Interestingly enough this translates to an abandoning of the major cities and a swelling of population for the small towns that dot the countryside.  The people then go and pay their respects to their ancestors who are attributed with granting a successful and prosperous harvest.  They then go to the grave sites of their next of kin to clean and maintain those sites.  Afterward they gather together for a feast of the harvest and family time. 

For us, though, Chuseok is a great long weekend.  We decided that we have been away from the beach too long , so we made reservations to stay near the beach in Busan.  Before the holiday though I spent some time and decorated my classroom because, dag-namit, it needed to be done.  Checkout the pics to see the transformation and the awesomeness!

It was so ugly before I started, you have no idea!

I painstakingly forced Nick to cut those suckers out and then hang them for me.  It was hard work!!

The finished wall! Ain't it purdy?

I also had Nick tack all those stars containing the state names and their Capitols claiming I was to short to reach that high.

We decided to leave Chang-nyeong on Tuesday night to try and beat traffic we thought would be worse on Wednesday. Once we arrived we hit the subway and an hour later we arrived at Haeundae Beach. We found our hotel, dropped our stuff off and went to the beach. It was so beautiful and the weather was perfect. We sat and listened to the ocean for a while.           

The subway ride was an hour long... we got bored :)

Our hotel was amazing! It offered free juice, water, popcorn, breakfast, slushies, and more. The only thing we had a hard time with was the bed because it was hard and uncomfortable.

           We explored a few new places near the beach. We went to Haedong Yonggung Temple. It was really beautiful! As we walked around we saw a Buddha, Nick told me to rub his stomach so I did. After, we walked around him we read the sign that he was the ‘Buddha of Granting a Son’. We both laughed really hard, but it will be hilarious if our first child is a boy!  We will have only our selves and our inability to keep our hands to ourselves to blame. The temple was so beautiful, but what made it so beautiful was the ocean

 Korea needs more of these monuments

 The infamous Baby Boy Buddha.

If you learn one thing from this blog it should be to not go around touching strange Buddha's bellies.

 And of course the obligatory billion stairs that are required at every temple! (Cursed stairs)

           After the temple we decided to explore a little. We didn't go back the way we came. We took an ocean side road that was BEAUTIFUL! We ran into men fishing and deserted beaches. We saw a lot of crabs and other creatures. We finally popped out and took a bus back to our hotel’s area.

Let's play Spot The Creature! Ten Points to the First person who can Identify the  mobile creature in the picture!

           The next day we spent the whole day at the beach playing in the waves and sand. Nick dug a huge whole which later turned into a small pool and he made two little friends. They played and dug together. The little boy spoke good English with his parents’ encouragement. The little girl was shy and didn’t say much. After the long beach day we went back and got ready for a date. We purchased tickets to go see Korean traditional music and dance. We loved getting more into the Korean culture as we watched the performance and although we don’t know most of what was being said, we still laughed with the audience and had a great time.

           The next day we went to the largest department store, Shinsegae Centum City. There we went cloths shopping and ice skating. Nick only fell twice, Lauren zero. After we went back to our hotel and did a bunch of nothing.

our "Do Nothing Bed"

 The largest "Department Store" in the World... It's really just a mall.

Nick Modeling some FABULOUS orange skinny jeans

 He could maybe pass for a European here

Nick being an uncoordinated penguin on the ice skating rink.

           Saturday morning we went shopping for some food at Home Plus and E-Mart then we headed back home. We really enjoyed our vacation time, but we especially enjoyed learning more about the Korean culture.

P.s. This blog was mostly written by Nick!