Monday, January 31, 2011

these are a few of my favorite things:







organizing.
realizing my intuition is often better than a recipe.
snow days.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

korea photos.

just a handful of photos to let you see what i've been up to. enjoy.





Monday, January 17, 2011

a whirlwind.

as these types of things often are...

we've completed over a week of classes with our wonderful students & spent a full day running around seoul. we've tried all sorts of new foods, seen mountains & tombs & rivers & fashion & art & towers & i can't even remember what else. we've met warm and kind koreans, opening their homes & taking us out for special meals & showing us their rich history & famous places.

i'm sorry this is so jumbled. so mixed up & seemingly random, but it's much like how our trip has gone. we have little information of where we are going or what we are going to do once we get there, but when we do finally get to where we are going, it's wonderful.

the people we've met are so kind and generous, giving whatever they have and welcoming us into their lives.

the history here is so rich & deep; and our tour guides (our students) are so appreciative & respectful of their heritage.

our students give us their full attention (most days) & participate in our crazy lessons.

i am so thankful to be a part of this whirlwind. perhaps i'll write more coherent thoughts later, but for now just know i am thankful.

Monday, January 10, 2011

korean dresses & the strawberry mam

sunday evening we went out with some of our students & one of their parents to a strawberry farm. it was all in these elaborate greenhouses and we were able to pick fresh strawberries & eat them right there - in january! the "strawberry mam" as she calls herself gave each of us a jar of strawberry jam & a jar of strawberry hot pepper paste - yum! after the strawberry farm we went to a korean/chinese restaurant & i must say i am a fan of this korean style of eating - a ton of food & very little talking. they just kept bringing plate after plate after plate. it was amazing. when we had finished gorging ourselves, we went to a traditional korean dress design shop & i was able to try on one of the beautiful dresses with a puffy skirt, hat & everything! pictures will definitely be posted when i get home - my computer doesn't want to read my sd card.

yesterday we had our first day of class with our english students. each day we will work with the students for 5 hours. yesterday, they had an opening ceremony where the vice principal gave a speech, then each student presented a "ppt" (powerpoint presentation) about themselves. it was a wonderful way to meet each student - they are so funny! one of the students promised to buy us a meal if his english scores improve. most of the day was spent doing informal interviews, getting to know the students and they english proficiency levels. we also had a few activities & spent the last hour playing word games - pictionary, scrabble slam & bananagrams - it was great!

i'm definitely looking forward to a full week of class & a weekend trip to seoul with our students!

peace & love from nonsan, korea.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

things are crazy & i love it.

we have arrived in nonson, korea. i love it here. the people are so warm & kind, the view is spectacular & the food...yum.

so far we have been "taking a lot of rest" & recovering from the incredibly long flight. we're staying on campus at chungnam internet high school. it's a very nice campus & most of the students are on winter break so it's quieter than most months. our first day of the language camp is tomorrow & we're so excited to meet our students!

today we went exploring a bit - had a traditional korean meal - sitting on the floor with a grill in the center of the table. i am very glad to be a vegetarian - the other teachers ate dog. we had a lot of different dishes to try - i loved "korean pizza" & tofu lettuce wraps with traditional sauce. after dinner, we hiked up to a buddhist temple, which was absolutely beautiful. then, had jujube tea at a quaint little tea shop.

tonight we're going to explore nonson with some of the parents of our students - visit a strawberry farm, traditional korean dress design shop & another authentic korean meal. can't wait!

much love.

Monday, January 3, 2011

once again.

it's been ages.

the holidays have come & gone. the house is un-christmased. i'm packing like a crazy girl, trying to get it all right. i'm heading to south korea on thursday for a little adventure. i'll be teaching english for a couple weeks, exploring a new culture & trying new foods. i can't wait!

i'll do my best to keep you posted here - but no promises. i don't have any idea what the internet situation will be like.

hope your days were merry & bright - and your new year holds the promise of hope.