10ft...100ft....It's all the same to me

Here are a few pictures of Jonah, Sara, Brett and I jumping from my loft onto my bed. We were having a stressful day and decided to jump off and yell something. It was only about 10ft up, but I guess I'm a little more afraid of heights than I realized...it took me a little time and some coaxing to get me to jump. To my defense the bed is NOT, nor does it look, soft. Here are a few pictures and a video of Jonah...

The Sound of Music

This is Brian (one of my favorites) singing the Sound of Music song. Luke is sitting next to him enjoying it. I caught him one day singing in class and had to get it on video. He is so mischevious, but he is such a lover....always wanting to give me a hug. I might just have to bring him home!!! Enjoy!!!!

Scoot Scoot....

So for all my dedicated blog readers it shouldn't come as a surprise that I haven't "blogged" in quite a while. I am limited on the amount of time I have to write about my last month because in 4 days I will be leaving Korea for the Philippines...and I will want to write about that when I come back. So I am going to write about the last 4 or 5 weeks as briefly and detailed as I can. (I'm not going to lie...I have been dreading writing this for quite some time.)

Brett and I bought tickets to go to Jeju Island sometime around late April/early May. Jeju Island is like the Hawaii of South Korea. It is south of South Korea. The plan was to go with Bill, Jess, Ryan, and Diana. We were going to only splurge on the flight (about $180 round trip) and then sleep on the beach when we got there. "Ahhh...how nice it would be to sleep on the beach and wake to a beautiful sunrise!!" (Of course everything sounds better in theory!!!)

When June 12th rolled around (our trip dates were 6/12-6/14), Brett and I booked it from work to the airport. We met Bill and Ryan at Gimpo airport, and Diana and Jess were scheduled to meet us the next morning in Jeju. SOOOO....that meant I got to spend the night with three guys (something that might have seemed more exciting if I was still a giddy freshman...in high school.) Actually it wasn't too bad...they're great guys.




Bill, Me, Ryan, and Brett

Our flight was about 50 minutes, so that meant I had just enough time to open my book and read about 5 pages.



We decided it was best to stay near the airport because we would have to go back in the morning to get the other girls...and frankly we had no idea where we were. Of course none of us had done any research (I guess it's part of our "fly by the seat of our pants" charm.) We took a cab somewhere...and then walked to somewhere...and then decided to pull up a chair outside some restaurant. We weren't eating there, so Bill was convinced that if we spread out the map on the table they wouldn't make us leave. He figured we could pull the foreigner card, and it would look like we were lost or something.



We stayed there for about 1 1/2 hrs and I got to listen to the boys divulge some pretty embarrasing stories. Then the people at the restaurant called our bluff and made us leave. We walked around some more until we found a place to sit down and have a few drinks. We spent the rest of the night laughing and posing for the camera with some new Korean friends.






When 4 a.m. rolled around and the bar closed, we were out on the street again. None of the guys wanted to pay for a motel so Bill came up with the brilliant idea to sleep at the airport...great. Turns out that didn't mean sleeping IN the airport, it meant sleeping on the sidewalk halfway down the street, as the airport in Jeju closes at night.


The Hobo Deluxe -- I'm the lump in the front of the picture...and Ryan is the guy in the back.

I didn't realize how cold it would get at night. So I wrapped up in my beach sheet and tried to at least get 1 or 2 hours of sleep. Get to say I've done it...NEVER want to do it again!!!


what you look like when you sleep on a sidewalk and bathe in an airport sink

We rented scooters to ride around the island for weekend, so while I waited for the girls, the boys went and picked them up.


hahahaha

We ended up gaining two others on our weekend excursion...Connie and Brenda (they are both Korean and very helpful to have around.) Connie rented a car for the weekend with a navigation system...so we followed her around the island on the scooters. We looked like a regular gang riding those scooters in our vintage helmets...watch out Hells Angels!!!


Our wheels


some of the gang


Jess, Diana, Me


hahaha...Ryan





The first beach we stopped at was Hyeopjae Beach. It was gorgeous...white sand and clear water!! I could see my feet all the way out. I realized then how far away from Galveston I was. We spent a good part of the day relaxing on that beach.






snails


the sky


if we were a band...





After a while, we decided to scoot to another beach. Somehow we ended up at Jungnum Beach.





The sand was a completely different color and texture. It was beautiful though. It seemed like we were on a different island. Connie brought some wine, and we all enjoyed it on the beach. About thirty minutes later, Brett realized that he had lost the keys to the scooter while we were enjoying the wine. Finding keys in the sand didn't sound very promising, add to that a rapidly setting sun and chances of finding the key became very slim.


me searching for the keys


everyone searching for keys

Group consensus: Look for the keys tomorrow...or send Brett an hour back to the airport to get new ones.

After dinner that night, we went back to the beach and started a fire. We hung out for about 2 hours...just enough time to finally get the fire going.







Bill, Jess, Diana, and Brenda decided they wanted to sleep on the beach. Brett, Ryan, Connie and I decided against it, so we stayed at a nearby pension (for $7 a piece.) I think that was one of the best decisions I have made in my life.

The next day Brett and I scooted back to the airport to get a spare key for our scooter. (We scooted on another one of the 3 scooters we rented.) Scooting is fun, but this ride wasn't so much. Brett had locked his sunglasses in our scooter, so he had to wear mine so he could see while he was driving. By the way, don't be fooled when I say we rode scooters. Those things can go!! I was sitting on the back of a fast scooter with tears streaking my face (since I had no sunglasses) and I'm pretty sure if I would have opened my mouth my cheeks would have been flapping and I would have had spit flying behind me. Oh...and the wind was FREEZING cold on the scooter (That's why I was dressed so sexy for most of the weekend.)



We did accomplish our mission, and got a key for the scooter, but unfortunately the man didn't have a key to the brake lock/alarm. (Brett lost that too.) So in place of a key we were armed with a hack saw. (I got to sit on it the entire scoot back to the beach.) Hahaha...poor Brett had to hack saw the silly brake alarm off...and it was going off the entire time. We looked a little ridiculous sitting outside the Hyatt resort...me in my beautiful attire and Brett trying to break into a scooter. All ended well though. We threw the still ringing alarm into the scooter trunk and rode off to another beach.

The third and final beach was Iho Beach. It was closer to the airport and not quite as spectacular as the previous two, but still nice.



The sand was a little darker at this beach. Brett and I had dinner here. We ate a bowl of bibimbap with raw fish on top. For our appetizer we were served kimchi (duh) and some snails. I had 2 but got grossed out because you could see something in them that looked like poop. Brett liked them though.


snails


pulling out "poopy" snails with a toothpick


eating a "poopy" snail on a toothpick


"the spread"

We laid on the beach for a little while longer then took the scooters back and said our goodbyes. Our flight left out at 9:30pm...we got back at 12:15 am...and woke up for Kid's College at 6:30 am.





P.S...Jeju gave me some sweet burn lines...



...maybe not as cool as Ryan's though!!!

Baseball, Birthdays, and Chicken Pox

Since China I have gone to two Major League Baseball games, had a birthday, treated the Chicken Pox, went to some "hot springs," and planned a trip to the Philippines. Before I update you on all this, I want you to hear two of the songs that I hear ALL the time. I hear these songs when I'm walking down the street, in cabs and buses, and my kids sing them in class. (Be warned -- they are extremely catchy.) Brett gets to hear me randomly bust out in song all the time. I only know the 8 English words they sing, but I think I do a pretty good job at making up the words that I don't know.

The first song is "Nobody" by the Wondergirls. This was one of the first songs I picked up on when I got here.



Hahaha...isn't that video ridiculous?!? The song is fun though. Who knows what they're saying!?!

The next song is "Sorry Sorry" by Super Junior.



Sweet moves, huh? Move over Jonas Brothers!!

Okay, now the update. The weekend after China, Bill and Jess came to Incheon and we all went to a Major League baseball game. Our friend Yumi went as well. It was our hometown team - SK Wyvers (whatever that is)- against the Heroes (not sure what town.) Brett and I had gone to the baseball game the night before with Jonah and Sara, but we decided to go again the next day. It was the PERFECT weather!! In Korea, they have cheerleaders at the baseball games, and the entire game they are leading chants. We spent most of the game yelling the chants with them...but in English not in Korean. Since we couldn't understand what they were saying we just made up what we thought they were saying. S K CHAMP-IONS!!!!




The field...check out the backdrop!!!


The scoreboard (still have no idea what it says)


Yumi, Me, and Brett


Brett and the ridiculously loud clappers from the kid in front of us!!!

My birthday was on Friday, May 15th. The plan was to go eat at On the Border (the one with Mexican food, not the one that divides Korea) Friday night, and then spend the weekend at the beach with Bill and Jess. However, Brett started to get these weird bumps all over on Thursday, so he went to the doctor to get them checked out. It was the chicken pox!!! So on to plan B: Brett stays at home and I do everything as previously planned without him. I was pretty sure Friday at school would be an easy day. We had an outdoor field trip/picnic at the Incheon Grand Park, which meant that I didn't have to teach Kindergarten. Ha ha ha...I was wrong about the easy part!! I ended up lugging 6 backpacks and a kid on each hip around the park because all of my little babies were tired. We were way behind everyone, and all I heard was "Teacher, I'm tired," in the sweetest most pitiful voices. I was exhausted by the end!!!


Luke and Jeney (on the bus before the field trip.)


Brian and Toby (Toby is a relatively new student. He is "mixee." His dad is from England and his mom is Korean. Koreans have a strange fascination with "mixee" kids, and everyone at the park wanted to touch him. The Korean helpers at the school thinks he looks like Brad Pitt and David Beckham!?!?!?!)


Mike from Brett's class and Peter (who was obviously pumped!)


Whiny Grace (who is always in her own world)


"Teacher, Teacher...Helicopter!"


Me and Peter (after snacktime)


Grace, Brian, Luke, Me, Peter, Jeney, Toby


with our class helper, "Donna"

After an exhausting day at school, Jonah, Sara, Laura and I met up with friends Yumi, Jessica,Karel, and Brigitta at On the Border for a birthday dinner.




I had chicken enchilada suiza




They even sing the English version of "Happy Birthday" to you in Korea...and yes, the food was delicious.

After dinner, it was apparent that plan B was a failure. I was sooooo tired and it was raining like crazy. The forcast said it was supposed to rain all weekend, so going to the islands was called off. Instead, I went home and spent the weekend watching movies with Brett (who was not able to leave the apt.)

The next weekend, Brett made it up to me by taking me to Outback Steakhouse!! It was delicious...






It's the same "vegetable" we ate in China. There is no English word for it...so it's just called "vegetable."

We were bums for the rest of that week and the next weekend, and we played it low key. The first weekend in June we went to Asan to enjoy the "natural" hot springs with Bill, Jess, and Diana. I don't have a lot to write about on that. It was definitely not very natural. It was more like a small water park with water that had been died green and red. I think all the Koreans were scared that we had the pig flu because everywhere pool/hot tub thing we got into usually cleared out pretty fast. I don't really have many pictures from this, but Bill does and as soon as I get them from him, I will post them.


Us leaving the hot springs.


Bill, Jess, Diana, and Me on the bus back to the train.

We went to Hongdae that night, which is the party district of Seoul.


Diana La and I


Me, Jess S., Erin, Jess, and Diana




Check out Brett's sweet moves! Love it!!!!


End of the night self-portrait.

We have a vacation July 25-August 2. We have planned a trip to Boracay, Philippines. Here is where we will be....www.myboracayguide.com.

Next post....Jeju-do (Jeju Island, South Korea)