The Beautiful Simplicity of Nature

“Sometimes I do get to places just when God’s ready to have somebody click the shutter.” ~Ansel Adams
Today was a lovely day to go frolicking through Seoul.
The morning rain was just heavy enough to make everything smell wonderfully fresh.
The wind was just strong enough to whisk great oak leaves through the cool, [...]

Run, Run, as Fast as You Can

Wow… what a whirlwind this past week has been! My cousin, Kelly, has already come and gone since my last blog post and my mom arrived here last night.  I finished all my open classes at the kindergarten and gave final exams to my hagwon students.
And today, I.  feel.  lighter.  Less stressed.  ::sigh of [...]

Seoulin’ it Down

The first half of our trip was so go-go-go, we decided to slow things down a bit for Dad’s second weekend here.  It wasn’t entirely by choice… we sort of just… didn’t have one. ;-p
You see, Dad’s last weekend here was Chuseok, Korea’s harvest day or Thanksgiving.  EVERYTHING was sold out- plane tickets to anywhere, [...]

Korea with Me is a Marathon

When I got home from taekwando last night, my little room seemed much bigger… and much quieter.  I miss my daddy.
It was fun hearing some of Dad’s observations while he was here, especially when they matched up with my own.  He was here for 2 weeks and we were quite the busy little big bees.
“Why [...]

Weekend Goods

This past weekend was pretty fun…  Friday, after we returned home from the school field trip, I just hung around here.  Oddly enough, I felt like doing some yard work.  So I picked some weeds out by “the Jew,” scooped dog poop, did some house and zoo cleaning, read my book… even practiced violin for [...]

Welcome to Wherever You Are

Namyangju, Seoul, Jochiwon, Busan, Jeju Island, the DMZ…
Korean deliciousness, sunsets, World of Warcraft, scooters, volcanoes, lava tubes, Love Land, islands, beaches, Soju, national parks, temples, freedom, friends, SoKo, Nick and I…
A photo montage with a little help from Bon Jovi:
(Now remember, many of these photos are from Love Land, a sex-ed theme park on “Honeymoon [...]

Deoksugung Palace

Today, I headed into Seoul to check out my first royal palace.  I was hoping to explore the palace grounds before seeing the Changing of the Guard at 3:30, but the official ceremony never took place.  It was canceled today because of a protest/ memorial service for the late ex-president Roh Moo-hyun held in front [...]

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

For the past several weeks, I’ve been floating on Cloud 9.  I wake up happy, I go to bed with a smile on my face, and everything is perfect in the hours between.  Even my friend back home said I sounded happy when I called him up this morning.  “That’s because I am.” I replied.  [...]

Towering Over Seoul

It’s Sunday evening and I’m completely exhausted.  Had a jam-packed weekend…. Again.
Friday night, I went clubbing with some friends in Gangnam.  The hardest part about living way out here in the country sticks is that when I go to meet friends in Seoul, unless we book a motel room, I know I’ll be out and [...]

Don’t Put All Your Eggs in 1 Basket

Last night (Fri) was a blast!  I met up with Heather and a bunch of her friends in Itaewon down in Seoul.  Heather and I grabbed dinner at Outback Steakhouse (Yes, I thought of you, V!).  Man…. it was delicious… and so American. 
We split the crab pasta and beef quesadillas, and slung back [...]