More to Be Discovered

Korea never ceases to amaze me. As I countdown the weeks to my 1-year anniversary of being here, I am STILL finding places of beauty I never knew existed. This weekend is just one example. I went into Seoul yesterday on a mission with Gillian. Our first stop was Seoul Ink. No, no, no I did not get a tattoo this time around. However, this place was the cleanest tattoo place I have seen. The owner speaks fluent English and the tattoo artists are by far the trendiest and cutest I've seen.

Gillian getting to check out her tattoo

After we finished up at Seoul Ink, we headed over to our next mission of the day...FIND RODEO DRIVE! Well I'll just tell you in advance we completely failed on finding this one sign. We literally asked 10 people and were basically going around in circles. That didn't matter to us, because we ended up finding the best and my now favorite street in Korea, Garuso-gil in Apgujeong. This street is lined with beautiful trees, cafes, restaurants and shops.

http://www.soundslikeyellowphotography.com/

While in Apgujeong we stumbled upon some of the coolest places. First was a coffee shop called Coffee School. This place offered coffee from all over the world. Places such as Brazil, Columbia, Hawaii and Rwanda. Gillian had coffee from Tanzania and I had some from Costa Rica.

Next we found a gallery for a Korean artist, Youk Shim Won. Unfortunately the gallery was closed, but the store was the cutest.

http://www.soundslikeyellowphotography.com/

I then walked into a cute little stationary store that was selling preserved flowers. Weird, right? These flowers are able to stay fresh from 2-3 years.

Korean girls sure do love their hair accesories. Gillian and I found a boutique that showcased handmade headbands. These headbands ranged from small and cheap to gotti and expensive. Of course I had to try on this beaut worth $250.

http://www.soundslikeyellowphotography.com/

Next we headed to an uber delicious Indian restaurant, Namaste. We were in our element of samosas, curry, naan and wine. So good!

After dinner we decided to stroll the streets once again just to see what we could find. Of course we found King Kong hanging from the side of a building...

http://www.soundslikeyellowphotography.com/

Oh and this guy...

http://www.soundslikeyellowphotography.com/

To end our day, we stopped in Gangnam for one last, MUST DO! 

My weekends here are always full of fun and adventure. I love being able to discover new, exciting places. Not to mention experiencing all of this with lovely people who have turned into my family. Next week I'll be heading down to the beach to play in the mud. Yes, I said mud not sand. Mudfest 2012...I can't wait!!

Miss you all so sooo much! 10 weeks!!

-Jenn xoxo

Just a Short Little Field Trip

My favorite days at work are none other then FIELD TRIPS with the Kindergarteners.  On Tuesday we did just that. This month's trip was to the Dongbaek Fire Station.

Most field trips last from 1 to 1.5 hours followed by lunch the kiddos bring from home. However, this particular trip was a record breaking 12 minutes long. Yes, that's what I said. Due to the lack of rain here in Korea, they were extremely busy and all the firefighters were out on calls. So instead of learning about fire safety we did the next best thing...played dress up!!

While I'm on the subject of work, I suppose I shall make your hearts melt with just a few random picks of my students.

Elmo class...Matthew and Isaac

Snoopy class divas

Ethan in suspenders

Hope you all enjoy the pictures!! Miss you so much! Muah

-Jenn xoxo

Parting is Such Sorrow

As teachers coming to Korea it's to be expected that we all teach for a year and then part ways to new, exciting adventures. However, when coming here I never thought that I would have met so many amazing people that would make such an impact in my life. If there is anything that I have learned while being here, it is that the good times go by too fast. In the picture below I have had to say farewell to 7 people within the last 5 months. That's a lot of tears in such a short amount of time.


Christmas Party in Seoul


This week I will be saying farewell to two more people, Sarah and Erin. These people have been part of my experience in Korea from the very beginning. As many other people plan to do, they will be traveling the world and have big plans for their future. I'm so excited for them and I feel so blessed to have met them during my travels.



Erin <3

Sarah!!

One a lighter note, I started the countdown for my return home. Only about 12 weeks!! Ahhh I can't even believe it. What do I want to do first? What shall I eat first? What am I going to wear when I get off the plane?? These are a few of many questions that have been running through my mind lately. I miss you all more and more everyday. I'm ready to come home!!

-Jenn xoxo

Latin Festival and Open Class

This summer weather is really kicking my lazy habits into full gear. Most days after work I'm finding myself wanting to just be outside with a cold drink in my hand. I guess there's nothing wrong with that. Well let me catch you up on a few happenings from the last week.

I've been making it a point to have at least one day on the weekend full of activities. That's just what I did last Saturday. First stop was the dentist. I found a really nice office in the Bundang area called hus hu Dental Clinic. I highly recommend them to anyone in Korea who may be looking for a dentist. The doctor speaks English and the office is pretty swanky. Not to mention, I got a routine check up and cleaning for only $45. Korea -1, America - 0.

Afterwards, I met up with some people in Seoul to attend the Latin American Festival. If you haven't already noticed, I LOVE festivals. The festivals had vendors from several countries selling booze and food, along with Korean dancers attempting to tango to music by Beyonce. Oh and how could I forget the Mariachi band? It was so fun!

Moving along to this week. On Tuesday we had open class at school. This is basically a chance for the parents to come and observe our classes for a short period of time. I'm happy to say this day went very very well! My students were well-behaved and I got great reviews from the parents. It's so nice to hear that your students talk about you at home and enjoy having you as a teacher. It was at this moment I realized how important my job is and how much of an impact I have on these kids.

ballet performance

ballet performance

Nemo class

Snoopy class

Snoopy class

I should also tell you all sorry for some of the grainy pictures. While in Namhae a few weekends ago I broke my camera. Saddest thing to happen to me in Korea yet!! Hopefully I'll purchase one before Hong Kong in July, but for now you'll have to do with pictures taken from my Ipod. Boo! Any way, I have been DYING to get to the beach and relax, so I will be doing just that this weekend. Tonight I will be heading down to Busan. Ahhh I can't wait!! I miss you all so very much...you have no idea.

-Jenn
xoxo

Weekend Trip to Namhae

Korea celebrated Buddha's Birthday on Monday, May 28th. So myself and several other "about to lose our mind" teachers were fortunate enough to have a 3-day weekend. I joined Erin, Gillian, Wassim and a little over 150 other foreigners and headed down South for Namhae. A weekend that was supposed to be full of adventure and relaxtion, turned out to be a weekend of headache and poor planning. Korea is generally pretty amazing when it comes to offering reliable travel groups; however, for anyone already in Korea or who is planning to come here I do not suggest using When in Korea (WinK). I'll explain why...

We left Seoul around midnight on Friday to get to our destination. The plan was to arrive at a jimjilbang close to the harbor and sleep for a few hours before we were able to ride the ferry to our next destination. As we arrived we found out that the jimjilbang was booked and no one could get in. By this time it was 4:30am and we were forced to sleep on a cramped bus for about two hours. Gillian and I felt daring so we decided to venture out around the creepy harbor and find a restroom. (FYI - the buses in Korea don't have restrooms) We conveniently found a little restaurant where an old woman lead us to her apartment above and allowed us to use her own restroom. I mean only in Korea would that EVER happen!

After napping, it was finally time to board the ferry and head over to So Mae Moor Do Island. The 1.5 hour ferry ride was absolutely beautiful! It reminded me so much of Thailand.

Finally, we arrived to So Mae Moor Do. So blissful!

We were told we could walk around, drink, and eat for a few hours. Well WinK neglected to inform us that by walking they really meant hiking and there was nothing but crackers and junk food to eat on this island. So while Gillian and I had on flip flops and dresses, we certainly hiked in style and rocked that island.

The hike was definitely worth the view. It was simply breath taking!

On our way back to the harbor most of us were exhausted from lack of sleep. The ferry was equipped with floors that one would find in a jimjilbang, so most of us literally just crashed on the floor next to each other and passed out. Again, that would only happen in Korea!

That evening we had a pork bbq and hung out around the beach. Although the beach wasn't amazing, it was still a beach and I was extremely happy.

Sunday all 150 of us got up and went to the Garlic Festival. Yes, that's a right! The Namhae area is one of the largest producers of garlic in Korea. Here we were able to try black garlic, along with drinks made of garlic. It was all very interesting! Oh and not to mention, I got to pick some.


photo creds to Erin

After stuffing our bellies full of garlic and smelling absolutely wonderful, we headed over to another island where we were to go sea kayaking. Of course with our luck, the kayak company over booked. So unfortunately for myself and several others, we didn't get to go kayaking. Instead, we walked over to the beach and hung out for a few hours until everyone finished.

To end our weekend vaca, everyone went out on the beach and shot off fireworks. So much fun!

Despite the organizational issues that occurred, I had a great weekend getaway. I went with 3 other fabulous people who helped make the trip amazing. It was also so nice to meet new people and be by the beach. This warmer weather is really making me miss home. And by home, I mean Norfolk/Virginia Beach. Only three more months to goooo! Can't wait!

Jenn xoxo