it's about time!

Hello everyone! Again, I apologize for the lack of writing these past few weeks. I have been busy and feeling a little run down lately so my urge to sleep has taken over my motivation to write! I have posted a few pictures to again catch everyone up on my latest adventures. I am truly hoping to be more disciplined in my writing in the near future... but no promises! Anyway, here are some photos from the past few weeks:

Here is an attempt to recreate an act from the Cirque de Soleil, which was recently in Seoul. Adam and I got the pleasure of attending a going away party for a girl we had met here in South Korea. The Heather Ann Rocks party was a great way to spend a Friday night! We played charades and met a bunch of really neat new people. I might be joining a running group (quit laughing!) that meets on Sundays. I was supposed to start today, but I guess I might have conveniently slept in! I am going to give it a shot soon though... Saturday night was also another evening well spent. A friend of Adam's was in Seoul this weekend giving lectures at a medical conference. He had emailed Adam this week and wanted to meet up for dinner on Saturday. Rob took us out for a wonderful dinner at his hotel. He is a wonderful person and we all enjoyed great conversation over some great cuisine. I felt pampered because I got to eat one of the best steaks I've ever had! Beef is very expensive here and it feels like a special occasion when i get to eat it now in comparison to when I was living back in the States. This weekend was very relaxing!

I spent Saturday afternoon walking around and browsing the market stalls in Insa-dong. Insa-dong is a part of Seoul that is known for its traditional art galleries and trinkets sold in little shops and stalls all over the streets. Here is some traditional candy that is made and sold right on the street. I'm not sure what it is called but it basically tastes like a peanut roll.

Here I am modeling one of the many hats to choose from at a street stall. I figure this might be a good look to protect me from paparazzi! Here is a cherry blossom. The past few weeks have been prime time for the blooming of all the cherry blossoms. It is a beautiful sight to see all the trees in bloom. I guess this weekend was the Cherry Blossom festival because this is when the blossoms are at their fullest.

Here is a little shop in Insa-dong that sold traditional Korean pottery and ceramics. I think this one might have even been an antique store, but I am not sure.

On April 5 we celebrated Arbor Day at our school. Arbor Day used to be a national holiday in Korea and all schools used to be canceled. A few years ago the government decided to recall that day as a holiday and now it is just another school day. However, our school principal wants to keep the tradition of planting alive so we celebrated it as a school. All the kids brought in plants or seeds to be planted. Since we don't really have a yard at school to plant in we used big bins. My kids especially enjoyed digging in the dirt and getting dirty! This past week I also had a parent observation day. The parents came into school and met with the principal and talked curriculum and then observed me through camera and microphone. I was nervous because my kids can be very energetic and rambunctious, but I think the observation itself went well, despite the fact that someone threw up all over the bathroom during that time, which then somehow managed to clog the toilet and made it overflow all over the bathroom floor so I had to stop my lesson to get someone to clean up the huge mess!

Welcome to the jungle! Here is a picture of the three of us about to enter the "reptile section" of the aquarium.

A few weekends ago Adam, Trena, and I got cell phones. One of our Korean friends was nice enough to help us get a cell phone plan set up. After we got our phones we headed over to the "63 Building" which is the tallest in Korea. Can you guess how many floors it has? Yep, you guessed it, 63! On the first floor there is a little aquarium, and IMAX theater, a few restaurants and some stores. We went to the aquarium and saw a really neat IMAX show, "The Mystery of the Nile." There is also an observation tower on the top which we went to also.

Here is a picture of some tiny jellyfish at the aquarium.

Here is a Spider Crab (I think). This is a crab found near the waters of Japan mostly (once again, I think, but I am not positive). I do know that it is the largest crab in the world. I am not sure if you can tell from the picture, but this crab is huge! It was probably about 3 feet across. The biggest one on record is over 6 feet long, how about those crab legs for dinner!

Here is a neat picture (thanks to Adam) of Techno Mart. Techno Mart is a huge store! 6 floors of any kind of technological item you could imagine...TVs, cell phones, cameras, appliances, computers...etc. On the top floor is a food court, a couple of coffee shops and a huge cinema complex. This picture doesn't even do the store justice...just try and imagine the fish market picture I put up a on my last post and switch the fish over to appliances and whatnot...That is how crazy this store is!

I guess that sums up most of my last few weeks. The teaching has been getting better every week. My kids are really starting to understand the routine of class and I am amazed at how much English they seemed to have already picked up! I truly love my students and even when I am having my most tiring or frustrating moments I realize why people keep teaching. It is a wonderful feeling to see your students learning and understanding and becoming empowered by what they are learning!

Also, I have finally gotten my first paycheck! Yay! Maybe now I will have the chance to do a little more exploring now that I have some money to travel with! It was a great feeling to finally get paid! On that note, I wish everyone reading this the best of days! Thanks for being interested in my life so far, and feel free to drop me a line anytime...I love hearing from those of you that actually write me!