Happy Sabbath

Went out to eat last night with Charles and Heeku.  I was planning on just picking up some handburgers in the marketplace but Heeku wanted a full meal.  I knew a place where they serve noodles and dankas.  Yummy place.  So we went there.

Got back in time for vespers last night.  Strangely tired.  The trip two days ago and the moving offices yesterday took a lot out of me.  Somehow I need to get the energy up to handle the elementary kids for three classes this morning.  Praying hard for a Sabbath blessing.

Changes

The school is renovating.  The high school has been worked on for the past week or two.  That got some students displaced.  Now they have decided to renovate the teacher's office.  This meant moving all the teachers out of there.  The middle school teacher's are being moved to my office.  I am now upstairs with the other foreign teachers.  Today had been hectic.  Thank goodness it is mid-terms and I have no classes.  Not sure what we are going to do next week.  Adjusting to this change and getting things unpacked and re-setup will take time.

Behind me is a window with the shade pulled down.  The shade has a picture on it.  That is why there is what might appear to you a ghost girl.  It is a picture, I promise.

Chuncheon Trip

Went to Chuncheon yesterday.  Four hour drive north and got to see some very pretty mountains.  The leaves are just barely changing color, but the valleys that we saw are yellow with drying rice.  Got to enjoy the famous chicken up there and went on a boat ride in a mountain lake that is damned up.  On the far end, walked 2.5 miles in order to see a temple.  I like temple hikes despite how much work it is to get to one.  Got in pretty late.

Travel Plans

Today the new vice principle is taking us to Chuncheon, a city east of Seoul and 50 miles south of the DMZ. Funny thing is, only in America would that seem such a short distance.  This place is supposed to be reknowned for their chicken.  Called Dakgalbi, this spicy chicken is the best tasting chicken in the world.  So in order to enjoy this famous food, I am going to have to somehow get past the spicy part.

Out of all the foreign teachers, I am as usual the most excited for this trip.  Though it was Willis' idea to go to this particular place, he has been traveling a lot lately and is a bit tired of it.  Charles, understandably, doesn't want to sit in a car for 4 hours.  Geoffrey, coming along, will get home really late and since he has a wife and kid, that doesn't sit well with him.  I pretty much called everyone's reactions except for Willis' and Keith's.  Keith sometimes doesn't like something and sometimes doesn't mind.  I guess this is one of those times he doesn't mind.  So my enthusiasm sticks out a lot compared with the others.

The vice principle speaks some English.  He likes to try to teach me Korean, but I seem incapable of pronouncing the right sounds or remembering what I just said in Korean.  Since I am going to be in the front seat, he will have 4 lovely hours to attempt to improve my Korean.  Not eager for that part.  Talking alone won't help.  I need to see it written too.

I'm bringing along my new camera and both lenses that came with it.  Super excited to say the least.  We are going north and the northern half of the country has the larger mountains.  The further north you go, the higher the mountains.  Daegu's famous Palgonsan Mountain is nothing compared to those we will see today.  I'm hoping that we don't just drive through (yes, through... tunnels... really long, long tunnels) the mountains but also are able to stop and get pictures of them.

Morning After - Midterms Too

I'm still super happy and feeling good from Tracy's visit yesterday.  Funny thing is that the more we hugged, the more I cried.  So the Korean teachers and staff were looking at me a little hesitantly.  My translator and her friend saw me in chapel and asked what was wrong.  I pride myself on not being anything but a happy teacher in front of them.  So this was a new side of me for them to see.

Mid-terms have started.  The nice thing about the next three days is that, besides having no classes and having more time to plan lessons, the testing is only in the mornings.  So the afternoons are relaxed for everyone except the students who are studying.  Tomorrow afternoon is a teacher's sports day.  I am eager to see what they do.  Maybe I will compete in badminton.  I like that particular game even though I am not good at it.  I have fun and feel like I got some exercise afterwards.

Visitor

I have had the most lovely surprise today.  When Lon Gruesback came, he brought along a teacher from when I was in high school.  She had always been there for me and we cried together when I graduated.  I haven't seen her since so all the stuff that has happened in our lives since I graduated high school was news for both of us.

I heard a knock and looked up.  There Tracy stood and I was sitting there thinking: white foreigner, normal hair... wait... she doesn't belong in this setting.  How did Tracy get from American to here?  I was so confused and sure I was not seeing her correctly.  We hugged and hugged while I kept repeating, "Oh my word" over and over.  Tears are a given.

There is very little that could have made my day brighter.  That was truly a highlight.  I also got a letter from my grandma that was very pleasant to read.  That made my day.  Was surprised that my last class was canceled.  The activity for it can wait until next time.  Today is just a good day.  All because of friend came to see me and hugged me.

Fall

Fall is here to stay.  It had been getting down in the 50s at night but it is lower now - the 40s.  It isn't as warm in the after either.  Maybe 60s I think.  Still, the sun is bright and shining.  If this fall and winter repeat like last year then I can count on no more storms.  I love rain and am sure that we won't have any for awhile.  The air has cleared up beautifully since the yellow dust and pollen from the spring and summer are mostly gone.

The students are so rambunctious.  They have a lot of bent up energy since they are sitting still and studying so much lately.  I had taught two classes today.  Happily caught up on grading and have returned almost all their papers.  Will return the rest in my next class.  The students like getting their work back because if they did well then they get a sticker to put on their "point tree."  The Point Tree is a paper with circles that form a tree.  When each circle has a star, they can trade it in for a package of cookies.

Brought a space heater in from where I was storing it in the apartment.  When it gets colder out, I'll be using it.  It is an American one I bought from a couple.  So the plug doesn't match the outlet.  Will have to go buy something so that I can use it.

Exciting news for today is that Lon Gruesbeck is coming to visit.  I am eager to see him.  He is a good friend and I look forward to his visits a lot.  Hopefully he travels safe.

You are probably wondering what I am listening to.  I always seem to be wearing headphones.  Let's just say all the chatter in the classroom is distracting and drives me nuts when I am trying to work in the office.  So I usually play music to give me a more comfortable environment.

I really like epic music.  It is kind of hard to explain.  Basically it is alternative rock.  However not just any.  I like what I have decided to call "symphonic rock."  Basically you have a symphony or orchestra playing music.  They can be accompanied by a rock band, singers, or a choir.  Or a mixture of all four.  I will include a link below that has all those elements, except it doesn't have the main singer since it is the instrumental version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzlGnDK0GqQ

You will notice it has a classical element to it with all the drama and epicness you would find at the finale of a really good action movie or story.