I'm off to Ko Samui tomorrow. Before I go, I leave with with the photos from my going away/birthday party.

We ate delicious jim ddak in Seomyeon. My favorite Korean food ever!

We went to an arcade after to play some awesome games. This kid watched me play skeeball the whole time. A little awkward, kid.

We rode a 3D ride.

We found the best Noraebang above the arcade. I don't know the name, but the interior is like Mayan/Cambodian influenced. There was an incident when we got off the elevator, I thought we found a sex motel and we tried to run but the guy ran after us and stopped our elevator... Haha! I shall draw it sometime.It is mighty awesome noraebang, plus their song selection was more recent than any other place I've seen. I'm on a boat!

Happy cup says Drink Me!

	Ended the night kinda bruised; fell down on my rendition of Singing in the Rain.

Peterson and I are a bit “crunchy” (read: granola eating, nature lovers).  And in South Korea, we were in good company: hiking is practically a national sport. Even if you don’t like hiking, there are still plenty of pictaresque views to take in while living and teaching South Korea. Although we chose to live in Seoul, a concrete jungle in many respects, it certainly DID NOT limit our nature possibilities.  Here’s why:

• South Korea is 80 percent mountainous
• There are 20 National Parks in South Korea
• South Korea has an awesome public transportation system, which makes weekend getaways a must

Regardless of where you end up living in South Korea, there are oodles of nature spots to check out.  Here are some of our favorites:

Bukhansan National Park

Peter and I had our first hiking experience at Bukhansan National Park. In many ways, it was also an introduction to Korean culture/etiquette. (Korean ajummas are speedy hikers and will definitely push you out of the way if you don’t move!)

Bukhansan is ideal because it is centrally  located in southeastern Seoul. It’s also a convenient nature getaway when you only have an afternoon to spare. With around five million visitors each year, it’s tends to be one of the most visited. And for good reason! It may be one of the best views of this city.

This park also is  also home to Bukhan Mountain Fortress, which is where the royal capital was protected during the Goryeo and Joseon eras. Additionally, Bukhansan houses over 1,300 species of flora and fauna, and 100 Buddhist temples.

Achasan Mountain

Although Bukhansan was the closest National Park in our neck of the woods, we eventually wised up to Achasan Mountain, which was right in our background. This mountain was literally a five-minute cab ride/twenty-minute walk.  We made this trek a few times a month, especially on sunny weekends.

At 287 meters high, Mt. Achasan is a nice, easy hike with lots of fun scenery along the way, including bits and pieces of the Acha Mountain Fortress.  At the top of the mountain, you also have a great view of Hanggang River valley. There are also a ton of picnic places to nom nom along the way! I even had my Korean-hiking/picnic themed birthday party at this mountain. (It was a prerequisite to dress like a proper Korean climber).

Seoraksan National Park

In the fall, Peter and I traveled with a group of friends to Seoraksan National Park, which is located in the Gangwon Provence and about fifteen minutes from Sokcho city. Although this season is considerably packed with all kinds of hikers, we wouldn’t recommend any other time to go.  South Korea’s fall season, September and October, is the BEST time to check out the colorful fall foliage.

To see the best of what Seoraksan has to offer sans the crowds, we suggest visiting this park during Chuseok, or Korean Thanksgiving. Most Koreans will be visiting relatives during this three-day holiday, so it will be considerably less crowded. PLUS Chuseok takes place in September, so you should still be able to take in some of the beautiful color changes.

Seoul Forest/Olympic Park

Now I know I said 5 nature spots, but really both of these parks are tied between Peter and I, so it will have to count as one.

Seoul Forest (Lindsey’s favorite) Located on Ttukseom stop of the green line, was a bit closer to home.  Modern sculptures (including a hand you can climb through!) are scattered throughout the park. There’s also a farm within the park where you can feed deer and other wildlife. In the summer, the outdoor pavilion that has tons of outdoors concerts.

Olympic Park. (Peter’s favorite). Olympic Park was created for the 1988 summer Olympcs, and really commenced the economic growth of Seoul. This park is extremely large and hilly, and also houses an art museum. It’s a great place to bike (you can rent them there) and a nice place to lounge. In the winter, there’s even an ice rink (conveniently next to a Lotteria)

Haeundae Beach/Geumjeongsanseong Fortress

While traveling in Busan for a last-minute getaway, Peterson and I got to take advantage of the two most scenic parts of  Busan: Haeundae Beach and Geumjongsanseong Fortress. It was nice to experience a semi-tropical environment like Busan. Although it was September, it was plenty warm to swim in the Pacific Ocean.

Besides the beaches, Geumjeonsanseong Fortress, turned out to be an unexpected treat. Although this was a fairly easy hike, it was definitely an entire day of hiking. We started at Beomosa Temple and worked our way through a few of the gates along the way. This can definitely become an all-day affair, so I suggest eating a good breakfast and bringing lunch and tons of water (especially in the summer).

If any of these getaways are too much of  ”hike” from where you live,  remember to check out what the Korean public transit has to offer. Most of these places we listed have an easy route, either via bus, train or subway. Also, be sure to do a bit of exploring in your own Korean backyard. Either way, if you are a nature lover, you will have your pick of scenic places.

Hey friends.  Steve here.  I thought I'd drop in and write a little about our job so that you can have some insight into what we do on a daily basis.  Obviously, we love to travel to new places and meet up with friends, but we have to work sometime, right?

We begin our day waiting for the school shuttle.  It picks us up every morning a few blocks from our apartment.  The bright yellow shuttle is full of students when it arrives and the driver and adults on the shuttle all tell us "Good Morning!" when we step on.  They are very excited to see us every day and when I get the front seat the driver looks over at me constantly, smiling and repeating, "Good Morning!"  He tries to tell me stories of the things happening on the streets of Jinyeong, but I don't understand much of it.  He did an excellent job of pantomiming a motorcycle crash that I guess happened earlier this morning.

We have about 30 minutes to get our classrooms and materials ready for the day.  We sometimes get on the computer to make a quick homework assignment or class activity.  Sipping coffee, makin' copies, you know the usual morning drill.  At 10am our classes begin.

I teach two straight class periods with Sun class, the 3rd year 7 and 8 year olds.  They have been at the school for a while and their English is pretty good.  They know the routines and classes and teachers all pretty well by now.  I start class by doing a run-down of what we'll be doing and reviewing the class rules.  I spend some time teaching them some conversational phrases and having them practice with me and each other.  We do some flashcards for a while as well.  The "flashcard game" requires them to be quiet and raise their hands when I show each new card.  I call on the first hand up and they put their answer into a sentence: "He is a police officer."  Each day is a different book or workbook or journaling activity.  I go through a little lesson on what they'll be doing and then go through some workbook pages with them.  If all goes well with their behavior and they still have all 3 of their stars, I'll play a game with them, or they can do coloring pages, or use the colored folding paper that they really like.

After those two classes it is "Specials" time.  It isn't called that necessarily but that is just what I've learned to call it from school back home.  Each day is either Science, Art, Theme day, Cooking or Gardening, or Assembly.  During this time all of the classes come together and Nikki and I lead some sort of activity for all of the kids.  This usually involves some prep time beforehand, as all of the students are together and we have to hold their attention for 40 minutes.  We usually start off with a song or some little lesson and then have them do an activity at their tables.  The Korean teachers are there to help out, and they really are a huge help for us.

After this Nikki and I head to lunch.  We usually eat whatever is offered for school lunch, which is hit and miss.  Some days the lunch is really good and filling, other days it is sketchy and we leave still hungry.  Not much different from school lunches across the globe I suppose.

After Lunch we are pretty busy.  We both teach a few classes in a row of kids from the pre-school beside us.  These kids have very little English skills and we only see them once or twice a week.  At 430pm we are finished!  We usually spend about 30 minutes getting things ready for the next day and cleaning up a little, then we walk home.  We are usually pretty tired from the busy day.

Our class sizes are pretty small.  My Sun class has 6 students and that is pretty normal for class sizes.  When classes from the school beside us come over there are about 11 or 12 students.  Our Specials class has about 30 students, which is all of the students who attend English Friends.  We give homework a few times per week in a homework folder or workbook that the students take home with them.  Some of the afternoon students have already attended elementary school, then our classes, and then go on to another activity or practice, such as tae kwon do.  These are very busy little kids.

They are really kind hearted kids, though.  They love to participate in activities like reading, singing and coloring.  We make all kinds of pictures and crafts everyday.  I feel a little silly sometimes but I really like making crafts and coloring right along with them.  Of course, there are times when they can be excited and loud and squirly.  This is to be expected.  Often they will work hard for things like stickers and colored paper and playground time, so things are never too bad in the behavior sense.  It is hard to stay mad at someone who, when they see you in the morning, yells your name and runs to hug you.

As far as curriculum goes, it is all very basic English.  Sight words, basic conversation sentences, vocabulary, and grammar are what Sun class usually covers.  Nikki teaches the younger classes and they do more songs and games and poems and phonics activities.  There are 3 Korean teachers here who also teach classes and they are always helpful when we need to translate something or need anything else.  They have been very accommodating and tolerant of our rookie mistakes.  It has taken me most of this week to grasp a few of the daily routines like homework folders and other little responsibilities, but the staff here are good to only give me gentle reminders.

I hope to bring my camera in next week to take some pictures and videos of our classes and students and then post them up here.  Cheers!  - Steve Teacher

Seoul is a wonderful place to go exploring. With several historic palaces, dozens of Buddhist temples, and more shopping than you have money, you might be wondering ‘why go anywhere else around Korea?’ The simple answer is to get off the beaten path, and to explore some places tourists / foreigners don’t go as often.

All of these day trips are easy to reach from Seoul’s excellent public transportation system.

1. Jayu Park and Chinatown, Incheon. A great place to learn some history. During World War II, General MacArthur led the Incheon Amphibious Landing Operation to get back control of Incheon – an important port city. Within walking distance is Korea’s only official Chinatown – recently remodeled and easy to find. Being right on the coast means you’re not far from the airport, and there’s plenty of seafood for when you’re hungry. This is one area that hasn’t seen a lot of renovation – check it out to see what Korea might’ve looked like decades ago. Incheon station, line 1, walk 5 minutes towards the Chinese gate. Walk up the hill and up the stairs to reach Jayu Park.

2. Bukhansan, northern Seoul. Parts of this monstrous mountain are outside of Seoul proper, and the area feels far further from the big city. Head up this northern mountain and walk alongside the ajosshi (literally, married man) and ajumma (literally, married woman) with all their gear and brightly-colored clothes. With around 100 mountain trails, there’s more mountain than you’ll have time to conquer in one day, so read the maps carefully to make sure you don’t get lost! Go on the weekdays if possible, or watch out for large crowds – hiking is a huge pastime here. Start from Dobong station (line 1, exit 2), Gupabal station (line 3, exit 1), or Suyu station (line 4, exit 3).

3. Gwangneung, Namyangju. One of 18 neung, or royal tomb clusters honored as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Gwangneung holds the remains of King Sejo and Queen Jeonghui from the Joseon Dynasty. Although there are 17 other tomb clusters around the Seoul area, these are one of the few that allow visitors to get up close and personal with the stone statues near the tomb mound. Bonus: The Korea National Arboretum is in the area. Cheongnyangni station (line 1, exit 4, bus 707 to the end of the line, then transfer to bus 21).

4. Yongmunsa, Yangpyeong. This Buddhist temple is part of a larger entertainment complex, complete with some amusement park rides. Get closer to the temple to see a 1,100 year old tree – one of the oldest in Korea, and a National Monument – and the Gwaneumbosal Bodhisattva, the Bodhisattva of Mercy (above). Yongmun station, exit 2, (Jungang line) walk to the bus terminal and catch a bus for Yongmunsan.

Yes, this was taken from the ride itself – the advantages of point-and-shoot cameras…

5. Seoul Grand Park, Gwacheon. Go ahead, find it ironic that the park named after Korea’s biggest city isn’t actually inside that city’s boundaries. When you’re done, hop on line 4 and go just south of Seoul proper to a large park, the world’s 10th largest zoo, an art museum, and an amusement park. The place is so big it takes the trolley some 20 minutes to run a full loop. Since there’s easily enough here for three day trips, pick your destinations carefully if you’re limited to a single day. Seoul Grand Park station, line 4.

© Chris Backe – 2011

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