First Impressions

Pictures on Facebook

2008-07-02T19:49:00.000-07:00

Since it is so much easier and faster to load my photos onto Facebook and everyone can see them from there I'm going to start using that.
I have a hard time keeping up with loading my pics to blogger. It takes too long. I like the layout, but I want everyone to be able to see our pictures faster.

I will post links to my photos on The Fitch Follower site.

Day 2 in Seoul

2008-06-06T07:39:00.000-07:00

Brittany and Alex
Us in front of Starbucks. The only one in the world in a native language.

Insadong was packed that Sunday!
There were lots of "gift" shops and street vendors.

Changdeokgung Palace gate.

The bridge over the river or moat like thing in the palace.

The Confuncianist's believed they needed statue figures to protect the palace and the royal family.

The royal walkway. I didn't get the best picture to show the difference, but if you look in the top left corner you can see that the path steps down. There were 2 levels for the king and the queen. The king of course being the highest.

The king's receiving hall. This is where he and the queen sat on the throne.

The blue roof is the king's office building.

More of the main hall.

The "guardians" of the main hall.

The last king died in 1926 I think. There were others of the royal family that lived in the palace until the 1980's. So they of course had installed the electric lights for the early time of electricity.

The throne.

The king was "sun" and the queen was the "moon." The yin and yang harmony of Confucianism.

Looking at Seoul outside the palace walls.

The side of the roof of the main hall.

The figures of the middle in the courtyard helped determine where the court and officials stood and how close the people were to the king. The king always walked higher than everyone else.

The entry to the king's office.

The entrance to the queen's quarters.

I think this is the king's quarters.

You can see a raised pathway in this picture. I think the tour guide told us that there were covered walkways all through all of the palace. A person could walk through the entire palace without going outside.

Inside the king's quarters. There was some "modern" furniture.

Inside the queen's quarters.

The kitchen. Everything was modernized for electricity.

The entry for the ondol floors. Korea is famous for the heated floors. The floors were heated by fire.

This door was for a person to squat either out of or in front of inside. Then the servants would take the pot away.

The ondol chimney set away from the building.

This section of the palace was the most recently lived in. One of the princes wanted buildings built that were more common without the royal colors.

A view into the courtyard.

Inside the secret garden. This is the royal library where scholars would come to learn.

Cameron in front of one of the pools. Everything had Confucianism influence even the gardens.

The garden was huge.

The solide stone arch had significance when walked under.

If we had walked the entire path through the tour we would have walked 2.5 km. We may have walked half of that. Part of the tour was closed.

This is Juniper tree said to be over 700 years old. Our guide said that these are the trees they used to build the palace.

Some of the shops in Insadong. We were trying to walk fast so my pictures are blurry.

We headed back to the hotel to pick up our bags. We stopped at Subway to get sandwiches and grabbed a taxi to the train station. Traffic wasn't too bad so it didn't take long.

Train station.

On the KTX bullet train.

Going over the Han River in Seoul.

Our pottery.

2008-06-06T06:59:00.000-07:00

Pear Blossoms in Naju

2008-06-06T06:47:00.000-07:00

Some pictures I took from the bus earlier this spring of the pear trees. Unfortunately, it was a bit gloomy that day.

David's Engagement Party

2008-06-01T07:34:00.001-07:00

Our recruiter and the son of our boss David is getting married June 7. He and his fiance' came home in April for wedding arrangements. They had their traditional pictures taken. We got to see them - they were amazing.
Samonim and Maxonim had an engagement party at the church. They took a bunch of the pews out and set up tables in the Sanctuary since they don't have a fellowship room.
The ladies played in the traditional Korean orchestra. They sing and play beautifully. David's sister Muriel sang and David and his fiance also sang.
It was really nice.
We were of course worried a little about the food, but they had a great selection and we got to try a few new things. I found out that I like at least one thing that is sushi - its a shrimp over wusabi (sp?) sauce on rice - I forgot what it's called, but it was yummy. We also got to try some sort of root that was sweet and crispy. And the greatest thing was the beef that tasted like pot roast from home. Yummy!
It was a great party!

The ladies group.
Muriel.

David and his fiance in their traditional matching attire.

Flowers Cameron got me.

2008-06-01T07:29:00.000-07:00

He took me to the florist and had me pick out what I wanted. They had sunflowers which are my favorite. The girls who work there are so great at arranging them.

Day 1 in Seoul

2008-05-18T03:56:00.000-07:00

On a bridge overlooking a park-like setting.
Through the bridge.
North Seoul Tower.
A view from the lower part of the mountain.

We had to wait in line here to get on the cable car.

The cable car.

I hate to put this in here, but just a tidbit of info: this is the type of dog they use for dog meat. I'm sure this one is a pet, but not all of them are. This one shows a bit of loving, while most are quite thin.
The cable car going up the mountain.

The line was quite long waiting. We waited about 45 min, but it didn't seem that long.

A picture of the Namsan Park street sign.

A view of part of Seoul through the trees while we were in line.

They know how to pack you in.

Going up.

And up.

A smoke signal. Never saw one of those before. Prett cool. It reminded me of my favorite part in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

On almost all of the windows there were cities and the distance from the tower to the city.

Here is Cameron in front of the Brazil window. We found that the cities were not necessarily in the right direction of the city. It was still amazing!

Since there were people in front of the NY window I went for Chicago since Aaron and Janine live there.

Seoul is HUGE!

Looking down into the park. No cars are allowed in the park. It has a very natural beauty.

The tower next to the tower. I'm assuming an antenna of some sort.

One of my favorite pictures of us.

Cameron was trying to get a picture of us with some of the city in the back. These 2 are a little goofy.

The city through the park trees.

The smoke signal.

There were vendors selling portraits and photos.

Looking up at the trees while we were in line to get back on the cable car.

Going down.

Snack vendors. The lanterns were all over what we think was a temple.

Our worship leader TJ's wedding - our first wedding in Korea

2008-04-13T06:40:00.000-07:00

Our church Wolgwang Community Church - sanctuary and senior pastor.
TJ and his bride walking down the aisle. I know they said her name, but unless I hear a Korean name many times and I'm able to practice saying it back many times, I don't remember it. Now I know how foreigners in other countries and in the US feel about trying to remember new and different names. Its not easy!
If you look closely in this picture and the picture above you can see swirls on her veil - they are sparkles. Very beautiful!
Saying their vows.

I didn't have the best seat for pictures. I think we were all standing for this one.

After the introduction as Mr. and Mrs. they thanked the parents. TJ bowed all the way to the floor. The parents were the only people sitting up front. There were 2 girls that fixed her dress, but they were not dressed as bridesmaids. The guests were dressed varyingly from traditional to jeans.

There was no "You may kiss the bride." I don't think I saw them kiss at all during or after the wedding. Very different from our traditions. This was still not the very traditional Korean wedding. Our friend attended on of those and it is extremely different. Maybe eventually we will be able to attend one sometime.

They asked everyone to stay for family and friends pictures.

The new couple with their parents.

The friends picture - you can see us in the top right corner. Charles, Ness and Matthew are almost in the middle. Neilen should be in it somewhere as well. Charles, Neilen and I are in worship team with TJ. I think we were the only foreigners in the picture.

They took a picture of her throwing her bouquet. I think one of the girls that fixed her dress during the ceremony stood to catch it. It was only her not a group of girls.

I had to get a picture of the dress. The veil was my favorite part.

The new couple with Neilen.

We stayed for the buffet after the wedding. They are wearing their traditional matching wedding attire.

The "reception" was in the cafeteria at the church. There weren't festivities like in the US. Lots of food. Some weddings have cake, but we didn't see any at this one. There were many things to choose from. We were able to pick what we wanted which was nice. We haven't been able to try much because most of the Korean restaurants we have been to haven't been buffets.

It was a really exciting and interesting experience!

The flowers outside school.

2008-04-13T05:57:00.000-07:00

Flowers Cameron got me from a street vendor in Gwangju.

2008-04-06T06:30:00.001-07:00

They are so pretty!

Plum Blossoms - Maehwa village

2008-04-06T05:57:00.000-07:00

Not sure what these say, but I think they are advertising the Plum Blossom Festival.
All of the white on the mountains are plum trees.
A canopy of blossoms.
The festival.
The view.

The village.

Currently our desktop photo and one of my favorites.

Crystal took this. We had an adventure looking for a tree with pink blossoms. We climbed quite high. It was amazing walking through all of the flowering trees. There were people everywhere taking pictures and enjoying the beauty of God's creation.

Behind this tree you can kind of see the path/road up through the mountains.

Both of these are favorites.

Crystal finally foung the pink tree.

My wonderful, most amazing and handsome husband!

I wanted to see his eyes.

I laid on the ground to take these.

The road up through the mountains. There were photographer stands everywhere. Many families were getting photos taken. It was a neat idea for a family portait.

Looking back up through the trees.

Pottery - Gwangyang Dosun Guksa village

2008-04-06T04:54:00.000-07:00

At the bus station before we met the group.

I took this to show the kind of brooms they use. You can buy "modern" brooms, but many people use these.
The volunteer director of the GIC. He was talking so the look on his face is a bit funny.
The view of from the bus on the way. We slept most of the way since we had a late night and an early morning.

Two birds singing outside the pottery shop.

All of the different kinds of pottery in the shop.

One of the potter's wheels is to the right of the man in the black shirt.

Some of the ladies that were working on projects when we got there.

The traditional kiln. They usually only lite it 3 times a year now.

The view behind the pottery shop.

Looking inside one of the kiln's "rooms."

The modern kiln.

Cameron making his pig.

My pigs.

Cameron's pigs.

Jennifer and Steven. They are missionaries to Korea.

Us. I have to say that my husband has rubbed off on me. I now own quite a few cartoon shirts. They are so cheap here its hard to resist.

Ness and Charles

New friend Crystal.

Making the body.

Yucky! I did not like how the clay was drying on my hands. It felt gross.

I was working on decorating mine with flowers. My favorite flowers are sunflowers.

Charles using the potter's wheel.

A plum tree field in the village.

Us on our way to lunch.

Traditional Korean lunch.

Not sure what all of this is, but we did try a few things. I listed them in the main blog.

Karl and new friend and Rebecca from church.

New friend Faith.

All of us.

Outside the restaurant - it is a family's home.

Dogs that were barking at us from someone's backyard. They are kind of cute.

The view.

The Korean tractor. Not sure if they use the ones like we have in the states. We often see these on the side of the highway.

Some houses in the village.

This one was quite beautiful.

Looking back on the pottery shop.

Naturally dyed fabric drying in the breeze.

Plum trees.

A lady working in the field.

Plum blossoms.

The whole pottery experience made me think of the song "Potter's Hand."
Artist - Hillsong United
Album - Various Songs
Potter's Hand

Beautiful Lord, Wonderful savior

I know for sure all of my days are held in your hands

Crafted into your perfect plans

You gently called me into your presence

Guiding me by Your Holy Spirit

Teach me dear Lord to live all of my life

Through your eyes

I'm captured by your holy calling

Set me apart.

I know you're calling me to yourself

Teach me, Lord. I pray

Take me, mold me, use me, fill me

I give my life to the potter's hand

Call me, guide me, lead me, walk beside me

I give my life to the potter's hand

I love that song!

We truly are molded by God's hands when we give our lives to Him. Sometimes it's painful and it's not always easy, but our goal is to be like Christ who is perfect.

My life is being molded by God!

Gross!

2008-04-06T04:48:00.000-07:00

Our sink was really slow so we decided to investigate. We found a lot of black goo. It was disgusting! My amazing husband cleaned as much out as he could. He said the smell was awful, too. We ended up getting drain cleaner. Cameron put it in and let it sit for the time given, but it didn't work. I was worried we were going to have to call the plumber. Then as Cameron was getting ready to go out and get more drain cleaner we heard a gulp noise and looked at the sink. It went down and was clear. We assumed that it hadn't been cleaned in a long time. GROSS!

Cameron washing the goo off his hands.

The tulip I bought.

2008-04-06T04:46:00.001-07:00

It was really pretty, but we think Cameron is allergic to them. He ended up really sick that weekend and we think it started with hay fever.

Pictures of Students at School

2008-04-06T04:36:00.000-07:00

Right now I have the kindergarten class for beginner phonics basically ABC's. Then Magic Time a beginner conversation and grammar class, 2 phonics classes after that, a grammar class and a conversation class.

I took these right after Lunar New Year in February.

My phonics class that finished the book.
In the winter they wear their coats in the classroom - it wasn't always that cold.

Another Phonics class - I still have this one - some of the students are different now, but not too many. During winter break we had many extra students.

Another of my Phonics classes - many of these students have changed.

My former Spin E - its a grammar type class - Tara is teaching it now.

They weren't too excited about getting their pictures taken.

Snow during Lunar New Year weekend February 6-10.

2008-04-06T04:31:00.000-07:00

The view behind our apartment.
It was so nice to have snow this year.

Choosing to use chopsticks at home.

2008-04-06T04:24:00.000-07:00

I think my stomach was feeling yucky or something so I was eating a bowl of rice. I look great - LOL!

Chinese/Lunar New Year Celebration - February 7, 2008

2008-03-30T06:31:00.000-07:00

We had February 6, 7, 8 off. We had our fellow teachers over for Lunar New Year on Feb. 7. I decided to make a new recipe - BAD IDEA - never try something new when you have company coming. I was humbled that night. We did end up with plenty of food, though. We had tons of fun!

Matthew playing with a Christmas toy one of my kids gave me.

Cameron has a blast with Matthew - the daddy thoughts are starting :o) It's so fun to watch him play with Matthew - I can't wait to we have our own little ones.

Tara and Ness after dinner.

Matthew likes to investigate everything. Keeping anything breakable from his fingers is key.

"Hello everyone!"

"I don't want to take a family picture right now - Tara is more interesting."

"Ok I will take one, but I have to have my friend Mr. Fork with me."

He was so cute peeking over the edge of the table while we were playing Yahtzee.

I think he was eyeing those dice.

We had so much fun. I think Tara and I kept warring over getting 2 Yahtzee's.

He is getting so big!

Look mom and dad - those slippers you sent for Cameron are finally getting some use. Just kidding - Cameron uses them, but Matthew likes them better.

He walked around like this and I think at one point he had both of them on backwards.

The happy family.

Cute couple. Charles and Ness.

Playing Yahtzee.

We got a couple of Krispy Kreme banks when they first opened. I put coins in and taped it shut so Matthew could play with it.

He is soooo cute! I'm so thinking I want to be a mommy!

We each won a game - Tara won the first game.

Proud momma.

Ness is now expecting - pray for her, she is in her first trimester and has been feeling quite sick.

He finally got them on right!

Cameron's 31st Birthday!

2008-03-30T04:39:00.000-07:00

Me adding mayo to something - probably chicken divan - one of Cameron's favorites.
One of Cameron's students brought him a whole cake for his birthday.
YUMMY!!!!

Chocolate cake with a kind of whipped cream icing - don't worry I let him have some of it, too - it was his birthday.
I of course got to eat all of the cherries.

The snow on the bus ride home from Incheon and in Naju. It snowed while we were in China. I was so bummed I missed seeing it happen.

2008-01-26T03:59:00.000-08:00

The snow started around an hour into the trip. Cameron woke me up so I could see it.

I was so excited!

The back of the church we saw from the train - this time from the bus.

In Naju.

Our Second Full Day in China

2008-01-13T04:34:00.000-08:00

Hot Pot.
Quail eggs.
Eating a quail egg. Its not that much different than a chicken egg.
Chris, Landon, and
Shelly and Caitlin

The 4 of us.

The steaming hotpot.

The hotpot restaurant. The bottom one was taken in a hurry so its a little crooked.

I was trying to get a picture of the long line of bikes that were parked here, but this man stepped into my picture. These are some of the probably thousands and maybe millions of bikes in Nanjing. It reminded me of Amsterdam in The Netherlands.

The gate to the temple where the shopping area is.

It was packed!

This is a lucky tree. I think people buy ribbons and then hang them for good luck in the New Year.

The temple - we didn't go in.

Chinese architecture.

I'm not sure what river this is. I know that the Yangtze goes by the area Caitlin lives, but I wasn't able to get a picture. Maybe next time.

My candy covered strawberries. I look like I'm thinking "It's mine, touch it and die."

On the bus ride towards where Caitlin lives. We sat on the wheel that was up and across from Raul and Caitlin. I didn't think about the riding backwards part until we had started. I had to turn around a little part of the way.

This is in the bread van (mini-van like thing that looks like a loaf of bread). There are many types of transportation for hire. This is another one. Unfortunately, this was at night so I didn't get a very good picture.

Dinner at the little Italian place. This was our final night as tourists. The next day we stayed at Caitlin's apartment and rested. I wasn't feeling good at all. Then we went to see Caitlin and Raul's school. My camera's battery power ran out so that is probably why I didn't think to take my camera. I found out that my camera eats AAs like they are a snack. Thankfully Caitlin let me borrow her camera for a lot of the trip. We had a good visit. Next time we will go for longer when we have more time and we are not sick. I think it was a bit tough on Caitlin since they didn't have much time off, but she was the best hostess she could be with her busy schedule. Thank you to Caitlin for a good visit.

End of Day 1 - New Year's celebration at the Fellowship

2008-01-13T03:56:00.000-08:00

We had a time of worship at the beginning of the service. Mary Ann gave a testimony during testimony time. She grew up in New York City.
The cell groups gave presentations. Many were cultural songs or songs put to the various languages in each group. It was a beautiful expression of how many languages God speaks. It was also a representation of how many Christians there are around the world. Here we were gathered together in His name!

Tehillah was dancing. She is so cute!

Some of the groups just had 1 or 2 people stand and present.

The countdown!

Happy New Year!

Everyone celebrating the New Year. I was turning as I was taking pictures - I guess I should have stopped each time. Don't worry I stopped to wish my husband and my friends a new year. Couldn't miss traditional New Year's kiss :o) with my husband of course.

We started the new year with a song. Then the groups finished up and we finished our party with a celebration song that is sung in many languages. I wasn't feeling the best during the whole thing so at time I had to celebrate from my seat. I hate being sick when something special is happening.

One of the Indian girls came up - she presented the tradition they have in India. They print verses on cards and they become promises for the new year. Each person takes a card and that verse becomes their promise to pray and accept all year. I thought this would be a good idea for future New Year celebrations.

The groups finishing up there presentations. It was so great to see how other cultures worship. The Africans had such great rythm - some of them "set their feet" to dancing - it was an awesome sight. I'm going to try and load some videos on our main sight. I got many of the groups performing.

First day in China

2008-01-05T19:20:00.001-08:00

In a taxi. The driver is boxed in plastic.

We went to the Nanjing Massacre Memorial. I believe it has been 70 years. I don't know all the details exactly - if you are curious check out Wikipedia.
The sculptures were fascinating. The were very blunt in there expressions regarding the incident so be warned as you see this.

Some of the military were there that day.

It was really crowded that day. We chose not to go in the museum part - the line was really long.

The Peace Bell

A Chinese poem.

The were several mass burial sites in Nanjing - there were stones representing each site.

The name wall.

These stones cover the burial site - here they found 10,000.

These are real. There was a section encased in glass from the burial site. There is also a section covered by a building that shows bones and has markers describing what archeologists have found to be the causes of death - it was so sickining and sad. All of the bones they displayed were real and it was the actual burial site that had been uncovered.

The flame that burns for those that were in the open site. We were not allowed to take pictures inside that site - they also asked us to take off our hats in respect.

The end of the memorial.

Right outside the memorial is the Nanjing Embroidery Institute.

They had many works of art on display.

Cameron really liked this one.

Local houses and apartments. We found that the apartments looked more western in China than they do in Korea. There was much more of a western feel.

There are those things that just aren't the same. Some of the transportation was a bit different. I wasn't able to get pictures because my camera's batteries ran out. Many of these I took with Caitlin's camera. There were lots and lots of bikes. The vehicles varied much more in newness and oldness in China than in Korea.

On the bus. Raul, Chris, Cameron

Chris met us at the memorial.

Downtown Nanjing.

Yes, this is downtown. Caitlin said that Walmart is impossible because it is so busy.

They had a bunch of different sculpture like things promoting the olympics. I thought they were very neat.

When Cameron heard they had a Papa Johns he had to ask if we could go. We haven't seen one here, but there might be one or more in Seoul. It tasted just like home.

We did have to wait 45 min. or so to get in. Everyone was out for New Years Eve.

Proof we were in Nanjing.
Friends of Caitlin and Raul.

Mary Ann, Kennedy and their daughter Tehillah.

Chris and Raul

Caitlin, Me, and Cameron

Tahila wanted to take a picture.
She got it perfect the second time.

I have video of Tahila singing. I'm hoping to post it on the main blog.

First night in China

2008-01-05T19:10:00.000-08:00

Our IWU friend Caitlin and our new friend her fiance Raul. They met us up at the airport. We took a bus into Nanjing and then got a taxi to the area where Caitlin lives. Its just across the Yangtze River. I didn't even know that Nanjing was on the third longest river in the world.
Caitlin made meatloaf - yummy! and we also had Chinese food - in our opinion much tastier than Korean food. We just aren't into much of the Korean food. There was chicken with peanuts, cauliflower with green onions(?), sweet and sour pork, and a tomato and egg dish. It wasn't too far from what you get in the states.
Catching up. Telling Raul the story of how Cameron and I met.

Then Raul and Caitlin told us the story of how they met.

Bus trip to Incheon - Saturday - first day of vacation

2008-01-05T18:33:00.000-08:00

Rest area

Cameron looking very serious.
Our bus.
The sign in the bus window.

The top writing is Korean - Hangul is what they call the printing. Its really not too hard to write.

Me eating a muffin from Dunkin Donuts. I look angry, but I'm not - just in concentration.

If we are correct this is the highest level bus you can get and the only direct bus to the airport. Tickets are about $32 each.

Just pretend its first class on a plane.

Cameron was sitting behind me since there was an open seat. The bus wasn't full. I was trying to take a picture over my head without looking.

I looked for this one.

Doesn't look too much different does it?

There were people collecting money for a humanitarian organization - not sure if that is the norm or just for the holidays.

Incheon is an island in the Northwest of the South Korean part of the peninsula.

This area is known for its mud flats. It was really foggy that day so its hard to see.

And now our custom will be to take a picture at any Bennigan's restaurant we eat at.

This one is in the Incheon airport - its kind of a cafe style. Very delicious!

We stayed over night in Incheon to make our trip smoother. We would have had to get up really early to catch the bus in Gwangju and risk something happening and missing our flight to China.

Christmas Day

2008-01-05T03:23:00.001-08:00

We attended the main service at Wolgwang Church.
Our friend Susan translated into wireless headphone box things (kind of like what they would use at the UN or something like that). They had the songs on the screen in Korean and English.
The choir was really good. We always hear them practicing because the room we use is across from the choir room. I enjoy listening to them because I miss being in a large choir.
There were ladies sitting across from us wearing their hanbuk.
Charles, Matthew and Ness were sitting on our right.

I was trying to get a picture of how large the sanctuary is, but my camera only could fit so much.

Karen sat on my left.

These girls were singing with the choir.

This is the pastor. Susan translated his message in our ears. The sound quality wasn't so great so we didn't listen too closely. I know Cameron had a headache and I was getting one because I was really hungry.

This is a baby dedication - we are guessing there were around 14 or 15. They showed pictures of the babies on the screen as they did the dedication. They were so cute.

Then the ladies next to us got up after the dedication was finished and put little reindeer antlers on the babies and gave the families a gift.

Then the young adults and children presented a program. This little boy started off the singing. All by himself - he couldn't have been but 3 or 4. He did so well!

At the very center of this picture -his head is to the left of the guy in the pink sweater is TJ or worship leader. We didn't even know he was going to be in this - Cameron pointed him out.

I didn't listen to the translation of this. They did a reenactment of the death and resurrection of Jesus in sort of a pantomime way. It was really beautiful.

I was trying to get a front view picture of the hanbuk. They are very beautiful - made of silk and embroidery. I thought about getting one sometime before we leave, but they might be around $300-$500.

At one point they had all of us stand up - saying we were the reason they had the English on the screen. They welcomed us by giving us a gift for Christmas - a yearly planner. Its very nice - and it will come in handy. Then they had all of the Filipino ladies go up to the front - they are all married to Koreans - except Ness - 1 in from the left side (who didn't know what was going on). They honored them all with applause and gave them a gift as well - not sure what. It was very special.

We sang Away in a Manger and then they gave the Benediction and we were finished.

We thought it would be a long service, but it ended up being around an hour and 15 min.

It was a blessing for Christmas day.

Some pictures of the sanctuary after the service ended.

Eun Ju and Beth

After the service we gathered together in our normal meeting room for lunch and a gift exchange. It was really nice because we got to try some new food - Korean and Filipino. I brought my sweet potato casserole (turned out better this time - since we have an oven) and I brought salad.

A group gathered in fellowship.

Philip (Korean) organized the gift exchange.

One of the Filipino ladies - I am frustrated with myself that I can't remember their names.

We went around that day and gave our names.

Steffan enjoying the babies.

Marc and Karen sat across from us in the big circle. Cameron and I ended up with their names at the beginning name draw. There were probably 40 or so people there - Koreans and foreigners. We felt bad because we didn't know there would be children in the gift exchange with us. There weren't very many child friendly gifts.

Charles and Matthew

Christine, Susan and Eun Ju

Many of the Koreans have taken English names to make it easier for us. But some have chosen to use their Korean name - which is hard, but it is good practice for us.

Charles started of the game with ladies underwear - not sure who brought those.

First we all wrote our name and put in in the bag. Then we gave our gift to the person whose name we chose. Then the second round - the chose 4 random people to do rock, paper, scissors ( a very popular game here) to get the next part going. This decided who was going to roll the di first. The di had: lost it, keep it, change it - each person in the circle had to roll it - making it very interesting and fun. Cameron and I both got change it.

This large pink pillow was really popular. The Filipino ladies all stole it from each other. Then one of the Korean girls took and it and that was that.

Charles did not end up with the women's underwear. I'm not sure what ended up with. Philip put Matthew in one of the boxes they brought to put all the gifts in - Charles got him and then Matthew kept going back to get in the box. I kept missing it. It would have been a cute picture.

Here we are with our final gifts. I got a really nice Korean style tea mug set and Cameron ended up taking back the travel chess set that we brought. I brought a Van Gogh print. The bookstore we like to go to in Gwangju has a bunch of different prints for about $10. I think one of the Korean boys ended up taking it. I'm glad I didn't try and take it back - I might have ended up with something strange. There were some very interesting gifts like toothbrushes and dishtowels. I think the church brought them to make it interesting. The hottest gift was the 10,000 won ($10) gift certificate to Starbucks - Beth brought it. I was amazed that ended up with the mugs since we chose so early in the game. It was really fun.

Me and Beth

Karen and me

Isn't she cute? Animal hats are huge here and sooo cute. She is also wearing the masks they wear when they are sick - I think she is wearing it since it is cold outside.

A bunch of us - my new friend Angie is standing next to Karen.

Never trust Cameron with my camera - LOL :o) He is always trying to get goofy pictures of me.

Christine and me.

Back in Naju - they put up lights in front of the South Gate.

Notice instead of a star they put a cross on top.

Our tree with all of the ornaments on it.

I made peanut butter blossoms to give away as gifts.

I noticed them sitting on the table in the shape of the cross - we didn't do it - it just ended up this way. Little reminders everywhere of the real meaning of Christmas.

Part of the banana bread I made.

The tea mugs that I got.

The chess game Cameron ended up with.

All in all it was a very good day. We were pooped at the end of the day, but it was very fun and a blessing for our first Christmas away from the states.

Christmas Eve at Yeong Kang Church/School

2008-01-05T02:27:00.001-08:00

The students waiting to perform.

Ladies from the church playing traditional Korean instruments and singing.
The are wearing the traditional Korean Hanbuk.

This is Junama.

The assistant pastor's wife is wearing her own hanbuk since she is new.

We had to teach all of our students a Christmas song.

This is one of my phonics classes. As you can see some of them were very shy. They sang Caroling, Caroling.

Lacy and Kylie - I no longer have them, but Cameron still has them.

Somanim - trying to keep the kids under control as my Spin E (grammar) class sang Away in a Manger.

Andrew and Lucy - more of my Phonics students.

Chloe, Tina, and a girl I don't know.

The church members were sitting in the back. I'm not sure they could even hear. The kids were so loud. It was a bit chaotic.

Moxanim watching the performance.
Cameron oldest class Side by Side 4.

Only a few of them showed up to sing The 12 Days of Christmas so he sang with them. He sounded great!

Moxanim and Somanim really enjoyed The 12 Days of Christmas.

Our Apartment

2008-01-05T01:28:00.000-08:00

A view from the front door.

Our tree - before the new ornaments we received in the mail.

The view from the bathroom.
The picture we got in front of the large tank at the Busan Aquarium.

Frankie and me.

Our refrigerator

I finally put up some pictures of Melvin.

Our bookcase and bathroom door.
The bathroom.
The tub!

The view from the front room window.

The view of the back windows on the "porch" area.
The school.
The playground behind our building. I think our complex has a couple.

The building behind ours.

Our "laundry room."
The other side of the "laundry room."
The livingroom and kitchen.

Our room.
Trying to take a picture of the window in my room.

The spare room where store stuff and hang our laundry to dry since its chilly outside.
The door.

The kitchen.
The pantry area.
The oven! Which has been used tons!

At the old Governor's Palace

2008-01-05T01:06:00.000-08:00

This is the gate at the old governor's palace. There is a huge courtyard inside the gate where the concert part of the Naju Festival was held. The gate is very colorful. The house part is neat, but its not as colorful. We had Tara take pictures of us for our Christmas cards. Hallmark has card templates that you can make online and they will send them for you. Don't feel bad if you didn't get a card from us. We could only send so many.

This is the South Gate. We were told that there are only 4 gates in all of Korea. North, South, East and West. Pretty cool that we have one in Naju.

This is our grocery store. Hanaro Mart. I couldn't remember if I had taken a photo of it.

Thanksgiving

2008-01-05T00:29:00.001-08:00

I made sweet potato casserole. I used Korean sweet potatoes which are more yellow than orange. I had to use the microwave since we didn't have an oven. It turned out fairly well. It tasted almost like batter. Everyone said they enjoyed it.

This is our church.

Wolgwang Community Church

The building on the right is also a part of it - I think it is a school, but it is also used for the different groups in the church.

The Food! We had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes (I made), salad (I made), carrots, cranberry sauce, creamed corn - there were also many Korean and Filipino dishes, but I don't know the names of all of them.
Christine and Susan with Cameron. Susan lived in New Jersey for a while.

Tara and some other Korean friends from church. I hate to say that I don't know every one's name.
The Filipino ladies.

Sonya (Canada) and Karen (Canada). Sonya is our new friend. Angela introduced us to Karen our first week in Korea. She is now a very good friend. She is a blinker as well :o) We have fun teasing each other about our countries. I always say I'm ok because I grew up so close to Canada.

Bonnie, Kellan (US) and Beth (US)
Kellan, Steffan (South Africa) and Neelan (South Africa)
Matthew - this is our new teacher Charles' son. Charles, Nes, and Matthew have been coming to Wolgwang with us.

Melissa and Chris (Canada) Dan (I think US)
Susan and Me
I can't remember all of the Filipino ladies names. Nes is holding Matthew and Presca is standing next to her.
Jonah (Philippines) and Beth (US)

The nativity in the gathering space at the front door of the church.

My handsome man! He has such a great smile!

Peppero Day and some other random pics

2008-01-05T00:10:00.000-08:00

Peppero Day November 11 - Pepperos are long cookie sticks - there are many different flavors and a few different sizes. Some are good and some are ok. Many of our students got us a box or just gave us one. We bought some for our students - I ended up miscounting so we have a ton left. We have been eating the ones the students gave us off and on for the last month and a half. I think we still have a few left. I think it will take us all year to eat the extra ones we bought.

The students look at you really strangely if you give Pepperos at any other time. I wanted to use the extra ones for the students birthdays, but Tara told us that its like giving out Easter Eggs or Valentines all year. Oh Well.

These are the variety of packages we got. The ones in the fancy boxes were not the best.

We thought there was a really long one in this box, but there were three stacked end to end.

This one is Cameron's favorite. It is a chocolate filled pretzel like cookie - just no salt.

Here is another Korean style outfit.

We got a humidifier for our room - its cool because you use a bottle in it instead of filling it. You just have to remember to replace the bottle every once in a while.

Beth's Birthday in November - Outback - the one by the bus station

2008-01-05T00:00:00.000-08:00

Us and Beth Steffan didn't want his picture taken.
But I got one secretly.

The birthday girl - our friend Beth. She went to Taylor University which is not far from IWU.
Friend from church Cherah and new friend Sharon.

We had a blast chatting with them.
Laura and Felicia - more new friends.
Dan -friend from church and new friend Pedro.

The whole party minus Steffan - who didn't want to be in the picture.
We had so much fun - it was such a blessing!

Finally proof we are in Naju....

2007-11-11T02:57:00.000-08:00

One of the lanterns hanging along the main streets in Naju.
The Korean flag outside our nearest police station.
Naju flag.

The Yeongsangang Culture Festival in Naju

This is the street where our bakery, dollar store, "stationary" stores, and Imsil Pizza are.
There are also a bunch of clothing stores - 2 of which I really like: NII (the Snoopy and Peanuts store) and Underwood. They are the best during sales.
Paris Baguette is further down - it is good too.

You can kind of see the lanterns hanging over the river - our apartment is in the distance on the left.

There were bunches of food vendors. Selling: roasted chestnuts, squid jerky, corn on the cob, sweet potatoes, rice cakes, etc.
The South Gate - about 10 min. walk away.
The grand stand inside the gate. Normally this is empty and a big open space.
The giant banner hanging above the bandstand area.

Roasted chestnuts.
Crab anyone?
Yummy!

Dried fruit - we almost got some - it was really expensive.

Some ladies making korean cuisine.

On one of the tents.
A crazy group playing drums to music recording. They all had crazy makeup on and the guys were dressed as women. It was quite a sight.

Handmade baskets.
Traditional wood cutting.

Tara and 2 of our students.

We met them as we walked through the festival.

Tom and Lacy

Traditional weaving.

Yarn making.

In this area there were people doing traditional crafts.

Furniture.

Pottery.
Tara is from Australia.

Cloth dying.

When we first got there there was a lady pounding dough with a huge mallet. I didn't get close enough in time to take a picture. I'm not sure what she was making.
Traditional games.

A market street. Not far from our apartment.

They were giving out slices of Naju pears.
The Naju pear mascot.

A house across from our apartment building.

These grapes are huge!

We went to the grand openning of Krispy Kreme in Gwangju.
We of course had to get a dozen donuts while we were there.

Tara and I being silly with our Krispy Kreme hats after we ggot home.

At school and around town - a little of this and that.

2007-11-11T01:30:00.000-08:00

There is a tiny convenient store in the subway.
The closest thing to Sprite. I think this one might be the one put out by Coke, but I can't remember.

Hanging out at the apartment.
Subway stop 113 Sangmu. We are hoping soon the subway will be finished and it will go up to 119 just past the airport in the "subarb" outside Gwangju. I am not a big fan of the bus because I sometimes get motion-sickness, but I ride it when I have to.

The map of Gwangju where we get of the bus to get on the subway.

The name brand "outlet" mall. Pretty much a regular mall. You will pay a lot for a pair of Levi or Tommy Hilfiger jeans over $100. There were a lot of name brands that we knew and a few that we didn't.

The garden we drive by on our way to Gwangju. I always enjoy looking at it. We have these flowers in the states, but I'm not sure what they are called.
The view from my seat on the bus while stopped at a light.A soccer game going on as we passed.A view of traffic.
Taking a picture of a bus from the bus. This is what the city-bus we usually take looks like. They are color coded so you notice them easier. This is the one that stops a lot - it goes back an forth between Gwangju and I think a city on the other side of Naju. An Asian-style building. Look a tree with red leaves! Fall.
My attempt in taking a picture of a gas station.

The university in Naju. I need to check on the name of it.

Korean style.
Adam and Leta's goodbye lunch. We had Chinese - not far from our apartment.
I'm not sure what the building is.
Behind the bus station in Naju. Some more Asian-style rooftops. The persimmon stand.
I took this from the bus while we were still in Naju. Here are a bunch of boys on their way to school on a Saturday. The stand behind I believe is selling fresh persimmons - which I have yet to try.

This is what a pickup truck looks like here. I have seen only a couple that look similar to American pickups - and they did not have a full bed.
Shoes in the doorway at school.

Yeong Kang's cross. At night you see many crosses in the area. I have only seen one that was not red - it was blue.

To the right - not in the picture - is the school. Here is the PC Room. I believe there is also a Korean BBQ place (galbi). You can see there is another church right next to Yeong Kang.
This is the strip of stores we go to for chicken on a stick. There is also a toy/stationary store, a convenient store, a salon, a downstairs grocery store (which we use a lot), and I am assuming a music lesson studio upstairs since we hear a piano many times. Our apartment is on the right in the distance. We usually take the driveway/path right after the green patch in the distance unless we have to pick up a few things on the way home.
Some Koreans working in their garden right next to the path.
This is a PC Bong (or PC Room). No drug relation. The kids go to these to play computer games. They are all over the place. This one is right next to the school. Here they are loading into the van.

Some of the students after class. The very far left is Marizel - the Philipino teacher.

Many of these students are waiting for the van that the school rents as tranportation.
The complex that we are to be in hopefully this December.
The leftover rice grasses - not sure what else to call them.
The roof of the school - in the middle.
The fields behind the school after harvest. This is also a house we walk by everyday. We use the path in front of it. There is also an alleyway next to it to the right of the gate. We used to use it everyday, but we go a different way home now. You can see our current apartment building in the background.

Another trip to Daejeon - this time we took the KTX back.

2007-10-31T04:17:00.000-07:00

These are bit out of order. I have yet to figure out exactly how to do that without moving them around a bunch. If you go down to the bottom and come up the order will make a little more sense.

Maintenance vehicles in the train yard.
Golden rice fields waiting to be harvested.
I believe this was coming into Gwangju. I was on the wrong side of the train to get pictures of the big part of the city. Most people live in apartments, but many live in houses as well.

Cameron listening to music after a much needed nap.
I moved to the empty seats in front of us to take pictures.

The train empties out the closer you get to the coast. I'm not sure how far we are from the west coast, but it isn't too far. Mokpo is the end of the line. There were some beautiful views. Unfortunately, my reflection kept getting in the picture.
We were going through a tunnel when I took this.

Looks like an airplane.
Bales made from the rice plants.

As we came upon a small town I saw this huge church. It looked so out of place.

It was an amazing sight. I had to get some pictures.
Fields that have been harvested.

The tiny specks on he hillside are all monuments to deceased family members.
I was trying to get a picture of the statues for sale.

The Koreans put them on the graves of their family members.

A little view of the inside of the train.

Looking a little sleepy.

The land speeding by - the KTX can go up to 300KM per hour (180MPH).

We weren't going quite that fast - we don't think.

A couple of Koreans waiting for the train.
Both trains came in with such a screech we had to cover our ears.
Here comes the KTX - "bullet-train."

Ready for harvest.

On the way there.

Busan

2007-09-26T06:36:00.000-07:00

Saturday - after dinner we went up the hill at Amnam Park

This is the view of Songdo where our hotel is.

A sculpture on the hill.

Part of Taejongdae

Ships waiting in the bay.

Right outside the restaurant.
There are a lot of modern sculptures in the park.
The restaurant.
More art.

A view from our hotel room balcony.

One of the ports.

Part of the new bridge they are building.

I tried to take a picture with the night time setting. My hands aren't steady enough.

The entrance to PIFF Plaza in Nampo-Dong where the annual film festival takes place.

The shuttle on Taejongdae.

We met a really nice Korean guy on the shuttle.

The view from the lookout.

I got a snack - a cream filled waffle. Very yummy!

The town right before the Taejongdae Park.
UN Memorial to MASH units.
The steps to the memorial.

Views from Busan Tower at Mt. Yongdu Park in Nampo-Dong.

The lights were glaring on the windows.

Busan is the fifth largest container port in the world.

The language at the top is Korean.
We tried to take a picture of our reflection.

Busan Tower

The bell outside the tower.

The dragon representing the Busan people.

Look mom we can get Krispy Kreme - although we like Duncan Donuts.

The Busan Aquarium in Haeundae.

These were huge.

The piranha tank.

The Jackass penguin from South Africa.

The otters. The star tortoise.A really funky looking fish.
The white catfish.

The blowfish.
The puffer fish.
The lionfish.
You can kind of tell there are shrimp on the rock.

The sebra eel.
Another kind of eel.

The ribbon eel - these were freaky looking.

The electric eel.

The leafy sea dragon.

All kinds of jellyfish.

The giant spider crab.

I have a new friend. :o)
The garden eel.

More lion fish.
The stone fish.
Brain coral.

The grey nurse shark.

Barnacles
Moray Eel - looks like the ones from The Little Mermaid.

Ugly!

Lots of sharks! There are lemon sharks, grey nurse sharks, white tip reef sharks, black tip reef sharks, and zebra sharks in a huge aquarium with lots of other fish and plants - very similar to the Atlanta Aquarium.

We got to watch them feed some of the sharks, fish, and mantarays.Part of the Haeundae Beach right outside the aquarium.

We had Bennigans for dinner. We were going to go to Outback, but Cameron has been wanting to take me to Bennigans since we got married. He had his favorite Monte Cristo sandwich and I had steak! It was amazing!

Look Trump is even in Busan.
View of hotels and condos in Haeundae.

Gwangan Grand Bridge

The moon.

The subway.

Our bathtub - perfect for a bubble bath.

More views from our room.

Tuesday was sunny!

We stayed on the 8th floor seaside view.
Busan Beach Tourist Hotel - amongst a bunch of fisheries, but very nice!

Cameron's surprise to me!

2007-09-26T05:55:00.000-07:00

Our first check celebration cake! We bought it together.

Paris Baguette makes great cakes!

20 roses.

They wrap them really elaborately.

Keumseung Mountain

2007-09-26T04:39:00.000-07:00

Walking back.

Naju Lake
I took this picture for my parents - ferns!
Me on the steep trail.

Cameron on the steep trail.
The pagoda at the top.

Starting back down.
A view of Naju through the wall of the pagoda.

The roof of the pagoda.

In the distance - the beginning of Gwangju 30 km away.
A view of the mountains - this is one of my favorite pictures.

Leta and Adam
Us - tired and sweating! Naju is behind us.

The town behind the mountain.

A distant mountain.

Naju City
Through the trees.

Cameron standing in front of family grave mounds.
At the halfway point there is an excercise area.

Our apartment is the one that looks like stairs.
Naju City - this isn't even halfway.

Look how steep.

Leta and Adam at the start of the trail.

At School

2007-09-26T03:33:00.000-07:00

My other tutor student Jessica. She is my highest level.

From the front: Tina, Joe, Bruce, Joshua, Ken

In the back Honey and Clara
Cameron's 6pm class.

From the front: Ken and Mary, Annie and Andy, Lucy and Bruce.

Daniel and David

Joan being silly.

Cameron's 7pm class.

Katie, Michelle, Claire

Ariel, Joy, Ashley, Joan

My 7pm class - all girls.

Kathy, Caitlin, Noel (holding Stacy), Nicole, Subeen, Tiffany

My tutor student and Rex's sister - Angel.

My tutor student Rex.

Cameron's first class.

Joey, Joe, John, Harbeen, Pete, Connie, Jerry, Jake, Anna, Jayde

My 6pm Michelle, Katie, Joan, Tina, Ariel, Claire

Joy, Stacy, Ashley, Noel

Boys being boys!

My 6pm class boys - Andy, David, Isaac, Daniel

Marizel and Leta

My 4pm class.

Luke, Jake, Tom1, Kathy, Jane, Jerry

Moses, Elaine, Pete, Connie, Tom2, Joe, Jayde

A future student. Leta holding Oonoo (sp?). Junama's son. She is Somanim's sister-in-law.

My 5pm class.

Jenny, Joseph, Kelly, Jim, Julie

Joey, John, Alan, Ben, Aileen, Matt

You can see Paul in this picture - Lacy covered her face.

My 3pm class.

Kylie, Charlie, Lisa, Danielle, Lacy

Jason, Angelina, Paul, Mike, Scott

The shoe shelf and the pile outside the door.

The door where the kids leave their shoes.

One of the spiders outside the school.

This one is probably 3 or 4 inches. They are not supposed to be poisonous, but I still keep my distance. The spiders eat the bugs so they are left alive.

The door to the office.

Finishing a quick lunch. Chicken on a stick with a stawberry smoothie.

A great smile! Cameron preparing for his lessons.

The School

2007-09-18T09:10:00.000-07:00

The school - not the building on the left, but on the right.

Notice the cross on the tower - all the churches have these - they light up red at night.
Roasting red hot chile peppers in the sun.
The front of the school/church. This part is the sanctuary.

The part in the back is the school.

Misc. pics.

2007-09-18T08:55:00.000-07:00

Not sure why this so blurry.

This is Angela and Karen. We went to an Italian restaurant for lunch. Karen goes to the English church.

A street of shopping in Gwangju. Mostly people walk, but there are those few crazy people who try and drive through this mess.

Fruit - as if you didn't know.

This is some of the fruit you can get in Naju. Grapes - you have to pop out the center, you can't eat the skin - plus there are seeds, but they taste amazing. Apples - some of the apples here are almost as big as the Naju pears. Naju Pear - they are round like apples here and I think some are bigger than grapefruits - they are very good.

A little bit of Naju City

2007-09-18T08:46:00.000-07:00

The river behind our apartment.

Our apartment building and part of our convenience store.
The school/church is the red brick building in the top left corner.

Rice fields! We walk through them everyday.

The path we sometimes walk.

Galbi

2007-09-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

Muriel - David's sister and Somanim's daughter.

Also teacher during her breaks from college.

Yum! Galbi is a marinated pork - grilled, then you put it on a piece of lettuce, with a grilled piece of garlic, a little bean paste and then wrap it all up and stick the whole thing in your mouth. It's amazing!
Somanim and Leta

They also bring bunches of other salads and vegetables. It's a free-for-all. Grab your chopsticks and dig in! (we are still working on the chopsticks part.)
Angela and Adam
Yum!

Sunday in Gwangju

2007-09-18T08:21:00.000-07:00

We went to English church. It is near the Worldcup Stadium.

Cameron thinks I'm the crazy picture taker :o)

Craig and Tara - hilarious and fun.

Tara met Craig at an English camp. Tara is leaving, but will be back to teach at Yeong Kang Academy in October when Adam and Leta leave. She is from Australia.

Having fun at TGIFridays!

Daejeon - Costco

2007-09-17T21:27:00.000-07:00

Leta and Angela met us there.

A little tired after shopping.

Pizza at Costco - yummy! - just like home.

At the train station - trying to make sure we are in the right spot.

Ice Cream!

2007-09-17T21:13:00.000-07:00

Ice Cream!

Cameron still enjoying his milkshake!

Angela - our temporary roomie - enjoying a chocolate ice cream bar.

One of our favorite snacks to cool us off!

A vanilla milkshake.

Delivery!

2007-09-17T21:11:00.000-07:00

Delivery - Cheesy Don Cas
a fried pork and cheese dish - served with rice, corn, and "slaw"
they bring pickled radis and radish kimchi with it

Dinner at Adam and Leta's

2007-09-17T20:31:00.001-07:00

Queen of the castle.

Sophie - on her perch.

Cameron and I - looking tired.

I'm wearing a new Korean shirt.

Graphic tees are the "in" thing.

Adam, Leta, Angela

This is after work - around 10pm.

We were pretty tired.

She liked my purse.

Sophie - their cat.

Our apartment

2007-09-17T19:57:00.001-07:00

The view from the front hallway.

The view from the porch.

The towers in the background are where we will live in October.

Our sofa.

The computer we use everyday in the living room.

Our bathroom.

The living room and closet.

Our bedroom.

The fridge and extra bed.

The other side of the porch.

Our porch and laundry room.

Most Koreans don't have dryers so they hang everything.

The kitchen and "extra" room.

Our arrival!

2007-09-17T19:49:00.000-07:00

In front of the airport.

Waiting for the bus at Incheon International airport with our contact David.

Our flight - Korean Air - lots of inflight entertainment and service.

It was very pleasant!