pics are out of order....but you get the point Well it has definitely been a while since I last updated my blog…and I do have a fairly good excuse: I have been having an amazing summer and have been SOO busy, therefore I have a lot to catch up on.
First of all I have had visitors, visitors and more visitors.
Starting with Sarah and George who is one of my university roommates and her boyfriend. They were here visiting some other friends that were in Korea before heading to Thailand with them. Soo they paid us a visit for 2 nights and 3 LOVELY days.
We jam packed our time with all sorts of things to do including:
-climbing Palgong Mountain to see Gatbawi (a big stone buddha at the peak of a mountain that has a big stone hat on its head)
-went to Seomun Market (the largest and oldest traditional market in Daegu) - highlight: tried Korean delicacy – liver and intestines
-visited our office where Elyse was teaching summer camp at the Independent Center for American Studies (that’s our school name…rather long I know)… and also took them to ISU factory where I teach adults
-took them to some amazing restaurants and out for a night on the town
-visited the Daegu World Cup Stadium
Our second visitor was my dearest mother. She came for 10 days and I was actually lucky enough to get some time off when she was here. The factory that I work at everyday went on summer vacation so I got 4 whole days off. The second she stepped off the plane I had things planned.
-stayed one night in Incheon at a lovely European style hotel right on the ocean that had such a great beachy cottage feeling.
-in Seoul, we got to our AMAZING hotel that was right in the heart of the city with an INCREDIBLE view of the busy streets
-we took a city tour bus that let us get off and on all day
-stopped at a traditional market, a beautiful ancient palace and a traditional village
-went to an area called Insadong that has many locally made arts and crafts
-went to a beautiful green tea museum (that happened to be right beside a dump: unfortunate location, but the name is quite accurate….beautiful!
We then went to Busan on the KTX, which is a fast train that goes 300km/h. It took about 3 hours from Seoul and is the second largest city in Korea right on the coast.
While there we:
-yet again, got a pretty fancy hotel (regular $250/night and got it for $75/night because of the discount through the factory I work at)
-did fun things like ordered room service, took advantage of the complimentary fluffy cloud-like robes, drank green tea and relaxed like queens
-went for some amazing dinners in fancy restaurants that aligned the largest and most famous Haeundae Beach in Korea (that earlier that week broke a Guinness record for # of parasols on the beach at one time: a whopping 7,937 with an estimate of 1 million visitors per day) – and to be honest, I’ve seen bigger beaches….its JUST packed with people!
-visited the largest fish market in Korea which was quite the experience: I was sure I turned my mom off fish FOREVER! The smell is still indescribable, but definitely a cultural experience…that we will both NEVER forget!
-went for several beautiful walks along the beach up to a lighthouse that had a great view of both beaches: Haeundae and Gwangan beach that has a beautiful bridge
We then head back to Daegu because I had one day of work that week. Darn…I live a hard life over here. It was nice showing her around our city, bringing her to work with me one day, taking her to our favourite restaurants to try great Korean food and taking her up Apsen mountain. We also introduced her to all of our friends, which was nice. It was a little bit of a strange experience showing my mom how to do things and playing the ‘mother’ role around the city. It seemed a little backwards, but I liked it. I felt all grown up! She really enjoyed seeing where I have been living for the a last 5 months and definitely felt more at ease to see how adjusted we are in terms of getting around, using the language and knowing what’s normal to see on the streets (ie. Crazy drivers, harmless drunken men and pushy bible missionaries). At times I forgot what it was like for me in my first couple of confused months, but now I am totally adjusted and used to it. Either way, it was LOVELY having her here and I still cannot believe that she was here! IN KOREA…!
So the day my mom flew out, Elyse and I were lucky enough to have yet ANOTHER visitor. Our friend Lauren, who we have both known since we were little, came for a whole MONTH!
Now you can see why I haven’t blogged in a while….super busy summer!
More on the update to come! Xoxox miss you all
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