And you see now, the korean in their natural environment.

So this weekend I went on a merry adventure down south to Jeollanam-do, a different province in Korea to get some adventure.
It started early, as it almost always does on Saturday, where we met up with the group (theres an excellent tour group that does trips through Korea) and started our 4 hour trek down south. Traveling so much has taught me that transportation is so much easier if you just sleep through it, so I did.
We got to Gangcheonsan (San means mountain) and started trekking. The first hour or so was really easy, just enjoying some nature, and a suspension bridge.
it was actually a little scary
we walked around, climbed some stairs to the top of a dam, enjoyed some views, and started the trek up. I guess the hike was only 40 minutes straight up (600 meters) but it felt like so much longer. I was, however, able to make it to the top with the first group, and without stopping which is a HUGE accomplishment for me.
The top was actually pretty cool. There was an old fortress wall that seemed to wrap around the top of the mountain, and you could follow from one side around.
See? wall. Neato.
So we did, and when we got to the end rested a little waiting for the rest of the group, and chatted with other hikers that beasted up the mountain, and took heaps of pictures before it was time to head down.

Lookie me!

view from mountain tops.
we took a seemingly endless path all the way down, but lead to some beautiful views, especially cherry blossom trees, and a fortress of sorts. I spent a long time trying to get pretty pictures but there was too many people, which was frusturating. But thats okay.



We finally got to the bottom, where some people went into the spa, but in korea, spa means (Sit naked at koreans staring at you) so I opted to reward myself with a beer instead. It worked out.
We went to a small town called Damyang to eat some galbi, which was different than what I've had here. I'm not sure if it was better, but it wasn't bad. We went back to our hotel (Hotel BOOM) where we were assigned roomates. We then just lurked this town (read:strip of 4 stores at the base of a mountain) where we hung out with some kickass people doing some light drinking before we called it an early night.

the next morning we got up, walked around a tad before getting on the bus to go to Hampyeong for the Butterfly festival. We got there and mad papparozzi followed the foreigners, which was weird. We went to a greenhouse to go look at butterflies, which was pretty. I really think Butterflies are neat.


We then made our way to a pen where we chased around chicken and rabbits trying to catch them. You know, EP from the BOZ had to give everybody (by everybody I mean immediate bystanders) chicken catching lessons since my technique is solid. It was so funny. I did get a bag of special rice for pouncing on foul and winning their game. So funny.
Chickenns
we then cruised around the park, had a KID PUT A MUDFISH IN MY FACE. A. MUDFISH. Cause he wanted to get a picture with spiderman. NASTY. got our face painted, hung out.
Lindsay would have kicked his ass
I was able to order lunch for 7 people in Korean and fight with somebody when they tried to overcharge us. I guess I never write about struggling with the language but its hard. Even being immersed in it, I just am not picking it up. So this was a huge victory on the EP front.

New Friends

We then got ice cream cones, boarded the bus, and drove back home where I chatted with my new friends and slept, and realized after a rough week, that Life really is beautiful, I am so fortunate to be able to live such an unorthodox life style,that I really do enjoy. So hopefully this is the return of the Erin you know and love :)
Patience and Faith,
erinj

Gleekin' Out

So I'm sure my mom's thrilled and my sister is punching baby kittens at the new revelation that I LOVE GLEE. SO FUNNY. I'm pretty sure I just set a record for quickest viewing of a television show. (probably not, but I ripped through 14 episodes in a few days). And although the show is hilarious (GOOD GOD SUE SYLVESTER) I'm not sure if thats what it is. When I was in the states, I could watch television. Easy. Here, I watch the 5th season of CSI and 2nd season of Cold case, cause its on in English. Not that I was that much a television watcher, but something new, and relevant, gives me some sort of connection to the motherland. Yes, theres the internet, but I dont always have the time to find a website to stream stuff. I'm almost at the 8 month point, and I miss my friends so much especially today (Although in almost three months is MANDMTIME!!!!!!!!!!!) that any shred of anything that I can have with my past life is clutch. I mean, life there is moving fast, and I'm here. Hell, I can't even call most times cause the time difference is so extreme. This is not to say I need to talk to everybody all the time, but, I guess I took having people close that would always reply to texts within a minute for granted. Love you guys.....
Pateince and Faith,
ErinJ

Runner's Wall

So I have been running, but thats not the focus of this blog

I feel like I was going so hard and so well and SLAM
It just hit me, or maybe it didn't, that I am so far from home. Maybe its with the holiday, a few recent events (both home and here) or the fact that there hasn't really been a break in a while and theres none in sight but I'm just over this whole thing. Maybe its the weather.
All in all, its very uncharacteristic.
But I get it. I live in Korea. But I just want to go home and see my friends and family, and eat, and sleep in a SOFT bed, and understand what is going on around me and being able to do normal things without making it such a production and drink lattes with soy milk :) and watch tv, and go to the movies and go into bookstores and have a real cell phone that I can text my friends on, and talk to people whenever cause there isn't a 12hour time difference, and not miss holidays.

I'm sure, like a bad virus, this will clear up in 5-7 days time with lots of fluids and rest but for now, I'm over it.
Send lovin'
EP

KA-CHA!

There is something nerve wracking about taking a test in Korean, on martial arts coreography, and having to speak Korean in it...
But I have my Blue Belt in TaeKwonDo!
Pictures Mon. Possibly.
KACHA

Stranger in a Strange Land

New Layout, hope you like it. I know, the banner should be a bit bigger, but I was tired of dealing with it, so thats a different dillema for a different day

Happy Easter! I love Easter. NOt only is it the most important day in my religion, but it is a lovely time of year. Kind of like that, schools almost done, its almost summer, but its spring so you get the nice weather and fresh start typa time of year. So I hope you enjoyed it with your family. I guess I spent it with my stand-in family, so it was okay.

Everyonce in a while it hits me, I live in Korea. And sometimes I feel like a resident, like I belong. On Saturday I went to a birthday party where I was the only one there who didn't speak or understand Korean. I do this alot (i.e. TaeKwondo, the street, taxis, life) but didn't expect it for the weekend, and it put me in a pretty foul mood. Luckily, Perogis (althouth not my grandmas) made it better, and life goes on. BUt it does put things into perspective

I have set some goals which be:
Get out of Seoul/Anyang at least one weekend a month. Whether it be planned trips with friends (I want to get to MudFest, Jejudo etc) or adventure korea, I want to see more of the country I have called home for 7 months. This month I plan on going down south for a weekend. But I've only been to Gyeongju, Busan and the islands of last weekend, which is pathetic.

Go into Seoul at least 2 weekends/month. Theres so much in Seoul I have yet to see, and I feel like I started strong on enjoying that city, but with the cold, became indifferent. Time for that to change!
(Please note; I feel like 1 weekend of relaaaaxing is good enough, but its possible I start really trecking around).
Things I would like to see in Seoul
A baseball game
A soccer match
Seoul tower
Thats about it. But I'm sure theres more I can do, and plan on finding it. :)

So thats really my life for now. Once again, Happy Spring, Happy Easter and GO RED SOX!!!

Patience and Faith,
ErinJ

High Fiveeeee

When my kids do something grand, but not grand enough to get a happy face I give them a high five. Or after I discipline them, I'll tell them I'm not mad at them, and give them a high five. ANd they love it. I have a few kids that if I give anybody else one they immediatly yell ME TOO and who can tell a 5 year old boy no? I don't.
I never really understood it.
But yesterday, at TaeKwonDo class I we were practicing jumping roundhouse kicks (it sounds cooler in Korean, but I cannot remember the words for it) and as I was going across the room doing these (not unlike Irish step dancing, when we had to go across the floor jumping) my Sa-Bum-Nim kept yelling good. And at the very end of my set, he looked floored that I could do it, yelled Perfect and put his hand up, to the point where I thought he was going to hit me (which is not unusual in Korea) but ended up giving me a high five.
And for whatever reason, I felt validated.
Whowoulddathunk?

Patience, Patience, patience and Faith,
ErinJ