Summer fruit

That's right.... a watermelon is a whopping $14!!! I guess I won't be eating much watermelon this summer.

Korean baseball game!!

While Aubry and Alison were here, we went to a Korean baseball game. This was my first time and I was so excited. I had heard so much about the games here.


Upon reaching the stadium, you will find many carts selling your staple game foods :kimbap and dried squid! ewww....


Of course the teams are sponsored by corporations. LG and Kia happen to the owners of today's teams .


The closest I could get to a stadium hot dog. It doesn't come with ketchup or mustard. :(



My introduction to the game.


The fans are cheering and making noise throughout the entire game! There is hardly a moment of quiet during the game.


Of course there are cheerleaders at a baseball game!!!


Alison took this video. It gives a slightly better view of the cheerleaders.

Videos galore!

Alison took many videos while visiting and I am very thankful because it means I can share them with you. I like videos better than pictures because I feel like it gives you more of a sense of my life here. So watch them and enjoy!!


This video was taken on our Han River cruise. We boarded a boat and went on a tour down the river. 31 bridges cross over the river. I'm not sure how many we got to see, but it seemed like a lot. In pure Korean fashion, the boat had an on board magician. As if the tour was not enough, some people needed more entertainment. I found my own entertainment.... these old ladies who had drank a bit too much were dancing their hearts out. It was pretty cute.


This video, while giving only a very small view, is very typical. The river is lined with apartment buildings. Almost all Koreans live in apartments. In fact, I don't know anyone who lives in a house. There is no space for them, and they are too expensive. The view from the subway, the view from the river, the view from the roof of my building is the same: a sea of apartments. Everyday on the bus, I pass new apartment complexes going up. It is really quite amazing.


Alison took the video just as she was walking out of customs to meet me. It was my first time seeing them after 8 months apart. I cried. I won't lie.



A glimpse of my daily routine. Singing the days of the week song, except I must have been nervous to have guests in my room because I forgot what song I was suppose to sing. My goal is to act silly and keep the kids entertained because I know it is hard for them sometimes and they don't always understand me and they can get frustrated. They are not allowed to speak Korean in the classroom. So at 6 and 7 years old, the amount of English they can speak is amazing to me. They impress me everyday and I forget sometimes that this is not their native language.


Months of the year... another silly song.



Friday night in Beomgye (pronounced 'BUM GAY). This is the area where I spend the most time. It is full of flashing neon signs and too many people.



An area called Myeongdong. This shopping area is always packed with people, but there is so much street food and shopping to enjoy that I feel it is worth it to fight the crowd. This video shows it on an exceptionally packed day, but this is very typical of a Saturday or Sunday in the area.

Atlanta comes to Korea!!

Aubry and Alison came to visit me in Korea. I am so glad they came, but I cried to see them go.


Friday night in Korea.


I took them to an area called Insadong. There are many temples and tons of shopping to do. The shopping is most traditional Korean stuff, so it is a great place to get souvenirs. This is a statue at one of the temples.


Buddha's birthday is coming soon, so the city is decorating to prepare for the festivities.


Random snacks being made and sold. I don't know what this is, but I see it all the time. The large mass on the bottom right is the consistency of a think taffy and will be made into the candy. Please note that it is sitting uncovered, per Korea's lack of food safety laws.


Aubry is about to eat her first piece of Dok Bokki- one of my favorite snacks. It is a chewy rice cake with spicy sauce all over it YUM!


Aubry, Alison, and I tried to get a jumping shot at the Changdeokgung Palace. This is on of Korea's five grand palaces.


A tiny door in the palace. Clearly it was not meant for a person of average stature.


Look closely... don't be fooled by 'London Donuts'


This my Korean teacher, Joy. I couldn't run my day to day class without her help.


Birthday dinner at Tom Tailor's Mexican Restaurant. This place has kept me sane when I need a taste of home...



The entrance to another palace.



We went to downtown Seoul, near city hall to explore. There was some sort of fund raiser going on that involved giving out cucumbers. I managed to end up with 8 cucumbers, and the peeled ready to eat one you see in my hand. Holy cucumbers!


A favorite Korean street food. I have yet to bring myself to try either one, because the smell alone is enough to make me sick. On the left are tiny shells, you break them open and suck out the creature inside. The one on the right is steamed silk worms.... maybe one day I'll try them.


Walking through the park almost provides enough entertainment for one day. Here you see the nice Korean girl in her heels just chilling on the back of the bike, while her sweet boyfriend does all the work.


Then we stumbled upon this nice girl walking her cat on a leash.


Grilled meat on a stick... street food is one of the many things I will miss when I leave.

And who wouldn't want a corn dog with french fries cooked into the batter??? Just down the way, you can find hot dogs on a stick wrapped in bacon.


A night out in Itaewon.


Namdaemun market- you can find any and everything you could possibly want.


This guy was standing in the middle of a huge pile of clothes he was selling. Not really sure what was going on, but he asked for a picture.


Don't show cleavage, your shoulders, or part of your chest, but you are welcome to show the bottom inch of your butt cheeks- no problem. The picture doesn't show it, but her cheeks actually were coming out the bottom of these shorts.


I ate one. It was only O.K.

Intermission....

ladies and gentlemen- sorry for the long break in blog posting. my two best ladies have come to the ROK (republic of korea) to visit me!! we are having an amazing time and i will have tons of pictures to post once they leave.

thanks for waiting!!