Another Saturday in the Mountains

      My week was action packed and I couldn't believe it was already the weekend. Although I was excited for a day with my new friends at Sangdang Church I was beginning to feel overwhelmed by a new culture, lack of sleep, school load, and well.... just life. These emotions were enhanced by a restless night of sleep and a missed alarm causing me to scramble out of bed, into my clothes, and out the door to join the group.

      As the day began I wished I could create a new expression. Everyone knows the saying, "I woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Well, I didn't "wake up on the wrong side of the bed," I was not crabby rather I was quite enamored by the beautiful sunrise. I do believe that on Saturday, "the bed woke up on the wrong side of me." Not only did my alarm not go off, I missed the bus, barely hailed a taxi in time, and forget my cell phone in the taxi and it was only seven thirty in the morning. The day turned out to be extremely fun. It was filled with countless laughs, new friends, singing, sweating, pictures, food and bikes. 

       In order to have a view from a look out bridge we had to wait in a long line of people. While waiting, I began to reflect on the wilderness of South Korea; sixty percent of Korea's land is mountains and thirty percent is inhabitable. This being so, the fifty million people in Korea live in well structured cities and on the weekend many escape from the city to be in their natural surroundings. The wilderness however, does not offer the serenity of Canada, Minnesota or northern Wisconsin. Quite the contrary, the country side if filled with buses, upon buses of people streaming up and down mountains. Initially this did not bother me, but as I was having a, "the bed woke up on the wrong side of me day," it was a little frustrating. Later on the in hike however, I had an epiphany and became thankful for all the people surrounding me. They are a testament to Korean's desire to be outside and healthy. In addition, they are a wonderful example of ..... if we care for God's creation it can provide for many. 

     This hiking trip ended differently from previous ones. On the way home we were taken to a bamboo forest. This was my first time seeing bamboo and I was not aware how hard it is. I learned that the latitude Damyang is the highest latitude bamboo can grow. After our journey through the bamboo forest we boarded the bus for a three hour drive home. It was not long before the microphone was broken out and the whole bus was singing for the WHOLE ride. When we arrived home my luck was still following me, the buses had stop running and taxi's were hard to come by. I was thankful for my day of fellowship with new friends but equally thankful to curl up in bed.

Pepero Day ~ "Not another Commercial Holiday"

 Right now you may find yourself asking, "What is Pepero Day?" Perhaps you are thinking back to your recent outings and what you saw in the news. Did you miss something? No fear, Pepero Day has not been smothered by Halloween, Thanksgiving, or  Christmas in the states. Rather, Perpero Day is, "not a commercial holiday" celebrated in Korea. Pepero is a stick candy that is very similar to a pirouette and is given as a special gift to friends, family and significant others. It is very similar to  Valentine's Day but celebrated on 11/11 due to the resemblance of the numbers. 

      Pepero Day was my first holiday celebrated as a teacher. It was a day when teachers receive so many treats that they don't know what to do with them!! So, I did what many teachers do with a surplus of treats, shared them with my classes. There is nothing better than adding to the sugar rush and excitement of students on special days! The energy and sugar created a great platform for teaching and a way to have a little extra fun with the kids. I made sure I planned interesting lessons to keep everyone involved and not running around the room. The most difficult part of the day was that it was not a Friday and we could not sleep off the sugar high... rather, rally for the final day of the week. 

SpaVille

  This week marked the end of Speech Contest where I was working additional hours helping the students prepare. It was a week that started with a surprise "late start" for foreign staff! Although we had the morning off I arrived at work early. After my first month of teaching I had a plan on how to make productive lesson plans, prepping for the week and creating new activities. It proved successful! Not only did the rest of the week run smoothly, but it ultimately provided me with more time to relax at work, think creatively, and impress my manager.

     The best part of teaching this week was teaching my elementary students about Paul Bunyan. It was fun to bring them on the journey that is so close to my heart. I think they thought he was real, and as big as a giant squid. The tales of Paul shall never cease.

      In addition to this week marking the end overtime, it also was the end of Natalie, my co-worker, and my first month. To reward ourselves we decided to go on an outing to a sauna, SpaVille. SpaVille was incredible, and soon to become a weekly routine. The outing began when Natalie and I were stumped by buying a city bus pass. To give you a visual, the moment was similar to the following excerpt from Zoolander:

      I am proud to say that Natalie and I "did not lose our cool" and we were "smarter than the machine." That is after we called a friend and found out the passes weren't in the machine after all rather, they were sold in a friendly kiosk nearby. The embarrassment of our Zoolander moment quickly ceased as we mounted the stairs for our first spa experience.
       Spaville is a public sauna and bath house. Image a complex with multiple saunas, lounging rooms, food, and most important a luxury bath room with different temperature baths. It was an experience to behold. Natalie and I found our quiet places and washed away all of the stress and anxiety that may have  compounded over the first month. Leaving refreshed and rejuvenated I was ready to do some interior designing in my apartment and relax.