It makes me wonder why I'm still here
For some strange reason it's now
Feeling like my home

We spent this last weekend, the sixth anniversary of our togetherness, on the sub-tropical volcanic Korean island of Jeju. While the weather refused to cooperate completely, we did manage to see and do many things. We took off on a sunny Saturday directly from the airport here in Wonju. I found the airport rather odd. It is basically one gate, much smaller than even the airport in Regina. Once you pass through security, you take a bus across the street to the landing strip, which is also used by the Korean Air Force. The ride was smooth and short and we landed in low clouds and chilly temperatures. Our director had booked a car and GPS navigation to make our way around the island. I thought his driving might make for and interesting trip, and i wasn't disappointed. The decision to get insurance was a wise one, as we almost didn't make it out of the parking lot in one piece. Going on vacation with the director was like going on vacation with a grandparent. While you love them, they kind of drive you nuts the entire time. C isn't nearly as patient as i am and her frustration added to my amusement at times. While i acted as navigator, we drove around the coast. We managed to see a park filled with palm tress and take some nice pics on the volcanic rocks along the shore. After searching for somewhere that didn't exclusively serve fish for C, we drove a little farther and looked for a bed for the night. We managed to find something the director called "pension" style, and we were a little wary at first. Apparently, pension style motels are ones that are basically apartments for rent for a night or two. Once we saw the one we planned on staying in, we were glad that was it. The place was a hundred times better than our current apartment in almost every way. The only complaint i had was that the bed was too had, and woke up with a stiff back in the morning. It's time i end here. I'll post another pic or two tomorrow and write about the rest of the trip. No promises.
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As you can see, we saw our first professional soccer game in Seoul this weekend at World Cup Stadium. FC Seoul played to a 0-0 draw with Gwangju. There was a goal scored by Seoul, but after some deliberation by the refs it was called off. The game had a nice pace and i only spaced out for a little bit. We also picked up some merch while we were there. A new hat for myself and C and some team scarves. One hundred dollars later, we checked out the mall inside the stadium then headed to Itaewon for more shopping and Burger King. I spied a Team Canada jersey in the window of a little shop on the street and got it for probably a fifth of what it would go for back home. I almost bought the other one they had. We bought a bag full of socks for about $20 and another new purse for C from the street vendors. I don't care if most of the socks have the Yankees logo on them. I need new socks damn it. The Yankees symbol is all over tonnes of clothes on the street. After one pass on the street we decided to go home before the spending got out of hand.

We arrived at work to a surprise today. A white person. We thought we were getting replaced early or something. Nobody told us, but the new teacher from New Zealand has holidays and came to see her boyfriend that lives in Wonju. She sat on a few of C's classes, and then left without telling anyone which seemed odd. Maybe she was scared. I know i'd be if i saw the classes i have now.
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Bruises on the fruit/tender age in bloom

Spring is here and many trees in the city are in full bloom. Took a few pics on our walk to Subway this afternoon. The girl there speaks English, which is always exciting for us in Wonju.

We were planning on heading to Seoul today for some shopping and a soccer game on Sunday, but sleep is even more rare these days. I've had some kind of pseudo-cold that has hung around for weeks. I'm just getting over the cough and now i can't breathe whenever i lie down. Other then that i don't feel sick. Sleep over the past week has topped out at around five hours a night. That's okay. Sleep is for the weak. No matter how little sleep i get tonight i'll be able to get to Seoul. We're going to watch FC Seoul at World Cup Stadium, and get an English book on Thailand so we can really start planning our trip.

Next weekend we head off to Jeju-do with our boss (his wife can't come). Jeju-do is the island all the Korean honeymooners go to. It should be an interesting weekend since it is also the sixth anniversary of dating for C and me. Where has the time gone? Spending our anniversary with the boss will be awkward i'm sure, but without him we wouldn't be able to see and do as much. We fly right out of Wonju Airport next Saturday and get back Monday just before work. Should be a good time.

I've been told i should update more, and i know i should, but i just don't have much interesting to say. Maybe i'll compromise and post pics more with less commentary. We shall see.
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Believe it or not, there is actually a woman in the back of this tiny van cooking. We see these rolling restaurants almost every day on the street outside the hagwon. Which truck shows up seems totally random to me. This one specializes in some kind of octopus dish. We seen a few other kinds, including one that prepares the chickens in the truck and roasts them on a contraption on the back. They look and smell like the pre-made chickens you would buy at IGA, but i have a problem with buying my food off the back of a truck.

Work has been busy with the end of another term. Things are changing once again. A new library system that has kids borrowing books and writing book reports every week, looks like it will eat up a bunch of our time. I almost forgot the big news. It looks like we will be staying another 2-3 weeks longer than expected. The second teacher won't be able to leave New Zealand until the end of the month and we agreed to help out until she can get her. I don't mind, but C's family was really looking forward to seeing her. C still has her heart set on Thailand when we finish, so after that's done it might not be until the middle of June when he reach Canadian soil again. Sorry sis. At least i should be back for your birthday.
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Finally, some Korea-related stuff. Last Friday Robert decided he wanted to head out to the coast since the weather was supposed to be nice. He asked if we wanted to come along, if he could convince his wife to go. She is very shy and speaks no English. He managed to convince her to brave the awkward social situation and head out early (for me) on Saturday. The drive to the East Sea (AKA the Sea of Japan for those outside of Korea) only took about an hour or so. We headed further north and stopped at the 38th Parallel rest stop to this and other pics. Robert's wife also picked up some silkworm larva as we headed for Sokcho, which i was brave enough to try. Verdict: tastes like bugs. Actually, not much of any taste, but not something i'd crave at two in the morning. The harbour at Sokcho had some crazy wind, and we didn't stay long on the pier. After lunch, we took a short drive to Seoraksan National Park. It was too windy to do the cablecar, but we had enough time to check out the giant Buddha statue and a nearby temple. It was peaceful walking around the temple buildings while a monk rang a huge bell as the sun dipped behind the mountains. It was a great day that i'm sure i won't soon forget.
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