tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46895510404201043042024-03-14T07:19:38.813-07:00"Not all those who wander are lost."Liz Wallishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066304543835511170noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689551040420104304.post-46546316299707172532013-03-30T02:46:00.000-07:002013-03-30T02:46:10.194-07:00Regional Athletics Competition
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Three weekends ago there was the regional athletics
competition for primary schools. Seventeen schools gathered to compete from
Friday to Sunday. The host village was Lentsweletau, a village nearby, which
was very nice and convenient for me. Usually the kids travel and sleep in the
classrooms of a school nearby the hosting school. Since Kgope is close, the
kids just slept at our school along with two other schools we hosted. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Leading up to the big competition we had small competitions
at school on a crude track marked around the soccer field at our school. I
should clarify that by ‘athletics’ they mean only running and jumping (long
jump, high jump) events. We only practiced for a few weeks, but other schools
had been training for months. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Leading up to the competition the kids were very excited.
The team was about forty kids although some came along but didn’t participate.
The events were supposed to start Friday morning, but in true Botswana fashion
there were transportation problems. I can imagine what a logistical nightmare
it is to transport seventeen schools. When the transportation did come on
Friday it ended up being a big truck that looked like was for cattle. We were
told it was the only option, so the kids all piled in. I was lucky enough to
score a seat in the front, and didn’t have to cram in with the well over fifty
kids in the back. I also got to enjoy this nice conversation with a gentleman
in the front (these are the highlights):</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Are you married?” – This was the first thing he said to me,
after checking out the rings I wear.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Do you have a boyfriend?” – I don’t know why he even bothered
asking, because he completely disregarded the answer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“He is far, maybe he is artificial.” - ? </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Why are the Peace Corps here? Are you a spy?” – This was
the first time I’ve been asked this, but I’ve been told it’s not an uncommon
question. I calmly asked the man why he thought the U.S. government would care what was
said in the front of a truck on the way to an athletic event.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“I want to come visit you at your house.” – Classic. When you read this imagine 'visit' in exaggerated air-quotes. I get
this a lot; the answer is always no.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">After this lovely conversation we arrived, and the
competition began. I won’t go into the details of each race, but we did fairly
well and it was fun cheering them on. The absolute highlight for me was the
singing. Most of the cheers took the form of songs; I love Setswana songs so I
was thrilled. There were many songs, but the song that became our anthem went
like this:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Siruru-bele, siruru-bele sa Kgope School (2x)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A o batla go bona, sirurubele, sirurubele sa Kgope School?
(2x)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It means: Butterfly, butterfly of Kgope School</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Do you want to see, the butterfly, the butterfly of Kgope
School?</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Saturday when we got back to the school after the day’s
events had finished I was dancing with the kids to that song. They always get
surprised and happy when they see me dancing, or hear me singing in Setswana. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For the competition they divide the competitors into
divisions by age. They couldn’t do it by standards because in each standard the
age can range greatly. My friend’s school had a seventeen year-old in standard
six. Our school took first in the senior boy’s long-jump and the intermediate
boy’s high-jump. We took second in the senior boy’s high-jump, and the
intermediate girls 4x4 relay. Overall we came in sixth of the seventeen
schools! It was an exhausting weekend, but a lot of fun. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Dirurubele di fofile –
the butterflies flew :)</span></div>
Liz Wallishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066304543835511170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689551040420104304.post-47981549730147200992013-01-24T11:07:00.001-08:002013-01-24T11:07:21.905-08:00Adventures in Kgope
<span style="font-family: inherit;">On January 4th I accompanied some people from the village to
check out potential tourist sites in Kgope. It was me, the VDC (Village
Development Council) chairman and his wife, some VDC members, the kgosi, and
some village elders. There were about ten of us in total and we piled into the
kgosi’s truck and took off into the bush. I always feel a little weird calling
the landscape ‘the bush’, like I’m not being politically correct or something,
but truly that’s what it is. There are lots of trees but they are all
relatively small and have low limbs making them look almost like bushes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We took the dirt roads into the bush: and I am using the
word ‘roads’ generously. At times there was a dirt bath wide enough for the
car. Other times there were two faint trails of dirt spaced apart like the
wheels of a car. The trees were frequently so close to the car that they raked
against it, and I literally mean raked because many of these trees had thorns
the size and sharpness of nails. You could hear them dragging against the
outside of the truck. Three times we had to stop because one of the men in back
of the open truck had their hats knocked off of their heads. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2LsNYl_6nF0Omqvzs4x4p1mt35-gGn1weVRO-3vJzlzutxBvcoA6xOEyyoYiUlmiKCIIwSTwEB5sfJQwZ3EupcsRVbhPz10Hxn6qzj7HqLD6Q8Ax47gbk6gIMQGzEv5EP9adZfz4OhLA/s1600/DSCN2612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2LsNYl_6nF0Omqvzs4x4p1mt35-gGn1weVRO-3vJzlzutxBvcoA6xOEyyoYiUlmiKCIIwSTwEB5sfJQwZ3EupcsRVbhPz10Hxn6qzj7HqLD6Q8Ax47gbk6gIMQGzEv5EP9adZfz4OhLA/s320/DSCN2612.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The "road" through the bush.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">After twisting and turning down the paths (and I had no idea
how they knew which path to take when it split) the car finally stopped in what
looked to me as an unremarkable stop. I was told we were going to see a
potential tourist spot, but nothing else. At this point we all had to go to our
knees and pray. I was told that failing to pray at this spot might mean that we
wouldn’t reach our destination. After praying, we took off on a small trail
through the trees. It was easy to follow the rest of the group although the
trail constantly kept me on my toes. On the ground were a lot of small rocks
that needed to be minded so I wouldn’t trip or stub my toe. Up higher were
branches that constantly had to be ducked because they had, like I mentioned
earlier, ridiculously large thorns. I’m sure I was doing an uncoordinated bob
and weave the entire time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When we finally reached our destination it was beautiful.
The ground was interesting. It was open rock that looked like it had been
formed by mud and smaller rocks being cemented together over time. Running down
the middle of a dip in the rock was a small stream. Occasionally the stream
would flatten and run through a patch of grass in the rocks, only to emerge and
tumble lower. Three of the men had brought water bottles to take the water with
them. I asked them why they wanted the water and the response varied from just
wanting to drink it, to something that definitely had to do with traditional
healing/witchcraft. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhD6bQ4Q0Hxl_1y4pb4uv2aueFbpHeNwdeU-pJoqRJX8D95KSXflljCE3VjxE63FkIg9R6m5mCBvXKIuRistkqlE5O9MZzbqfxvbITbCbeYQA6iL0AAXfZxhLsn6522Rxpl1xFLJvybg/s1600/DSCN2597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhD6bQ4Q0Hxl_1y4pb4uv2aueFbpHeNwdeU-pJoqRJX8D95KSXflljCE3VjxE63FkIg9R6m5mCBvXKIuRistkqlE5O9MZzbqfxvbITbCbeYQA6iL0AAXfZxhLsn6522Rxpl1xFLJvybg/s320/DSCN2597.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was nice hiking over the rock. It was nice just seeing
running water in Botswana. While we walked around a few people were collecting
a small shrub that was growing in the shade of the rocks. They said they could
brew a tea using the leaves that would lower blood pressure. It was a nice
afternoon. On the way back we stopped at one more place, and then headed back
to the home. We were driving on the road when suddenly the kgosi stopped and
pointed to the road. Less than thirty feet in front of us there was a huge
snake crossing the road; at least six-feet long. I tried to get a picture but
only caught the tail of it. They told me it was a python. They then proceeded
to tell me that ‘yes pythons can kill you but they’re one of the nicer snakes’,
also that this was a ‘small one’. I’m sorry, what? A small one?? ‘Oh yes, the
blue mambas are a lot meaner and more deadly’. Oh good.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIXkiVzNRBCUkwHFA3tQ6KIgPhEcNIk1Sph8EZHWRICrriWayQ0LP667532W3l_XPI8PRmS-4jkx8txe0o-Z5ilRyJKBm8ohb3QYsCueee8di1p0nOGUk2lX79lBWqDGXVxt_EAsSwqU/s1600/DSCN2605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIXkiVzNRBCUkwHFA3tQ6KIgPhEcNIk1Sph8EZHWRICrriWayQ0LP667532W3l_XPI8PRmS-4jkx8txe0o-Z5ilRyJKBm8ohb3QYsCueee8di1p0nOGUk2lX79lBWqDGXVxt_EAsSwqU/s320/DSCN2605.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
If you look closely, on the left you can see the last half of the snake crossing the road.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If that wasn’t eventful enough, about a mile or so later we
heard a hissing noise that was, not a snake, but the sound of the air quickly
leaving the back right tire. We had driven over one of those nail-thorns and it
had punctured the tire of the big truck. Nature here does not play games. The
irony was that as we were driving to the site I kept thinking encouraging
thoughts like: ‘you could get stranded out here and no one would find you’, and
‘how would you give them directions? Oh yes, take the dirt path until the thorn
tree, turn left on the other dirt path, now there’s going to be a fern blocking
your view but if you look carefully there are tire marks right past the brown
cow and it’s calf, if they’re still sitting in the same spot….’ etc. Of course
I’m being ignorant here because people know their way from experience. I am clearly
just blind to the signs, but still…</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The joke’s on me though because the situation was under
control. The kgosi and another man walked off into the bush almost immediately.
The rest of us hung by the car while the VDC chairman called people at his farm
(maybe a tractor could come get us), and the police officer (his car was out of
fuel) but we had no luck. I settled in for a long stay. About an hour or so
later the kgosi and the man came back with a tire and a pump. A farmer nearby
was letting them use his spare and was on his way with the jack. I thought that
was great community spirit. We were shortly after on our way, and made our way
home with no more problems (except the hats getting knocked off). It was a nice
trip and I’m glad I was able to tag along. Almost as glad as I was to be inside
the car when I saw the snake. Yikes. More adventures to come!</span>Liz Wallishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066304543835511170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689551040420104304.post-23594613793952612542013-01-02T05:18:00.003-08:002013-01-02T05:18:52.514-08:00Kgope!
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Where to start! As I’m writing this I’ve now been at site
for a little over six weeks. My village is called Kgope, and is a small place
in Kweneng North region. By private car I’m about an hour’s drive away from
Gaborone the capitol. Without a private car it can take anywhere from one and a
half hours up to forever (more on this later). The 2011 census says Kgope has
368 people although I’ve been told it’s wrong and there are around 550; like I
said, it’s small. Kgope is what people call ‘the lands’ meaning that it’s
mostly farms. In Botswana if you are a citizen you can apply to the Land Board
and after a long process they give you land. It’s a radical idea compared to
our private property America. This leads to many people having their house in
one village, and their lands in another. I’ve been told Kgope founded because
people decided to stay and live at their lands.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Needless to say, Kgope is very spread out. I know I haven’t
even begun to scratch the surface. I’ve been told some of the kids walk almost
10k to get to school. The good news (the best news!) is that there are a lot of
fresh vegetables and water rarely runs out. Life in Botswana really drives home
the fact that water is life. We are very lucky in the U.S. to have not only
easy access to water, but plenty of it. Botswana is in large part a desert.
Water is taken from boreholes in the ground. I am lucky in Kgope because I’ve
been told we rarely lose water and if so, it’s only out for an hour or so then
its back. I know people in villages where the water will be out for days, come
back for a few hours, and then be off again. In that time they frantically have
to fill up every bucket/container on hand. Enough about water right now though,
because like I said Kgope is fine on that front.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">In Kgope there is one primary school: Kgope Primary School.
For all other educational levels the children have to go to another village. In
my two years of Peace Corps service I will be primarily helping at the school.
My focus is Life Skills. I will try to explain this as best I can, but it’s a
bit vague and up for interpretation. In every school there is a teacher called
the Guidance and Counseling teacher. In primary schools it’s just a title and
that teacher also teaches one of the standards (remember these are grades).
Every class once a week has a guidance and counseling class. In primary this,
like every subject, is taught by the main teacher. The Ministry of Education in
Botswana has created a syllabus called Living; it’s a series of Life Skills books.
They want these books to be taught not only during the guidance and counseling
class, but infused into every subject. They believe that if children are taught
better life skills, it will lower their chance of contracting HIV. My main task
is to help with this ‘infusion’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
also supposed to help with community projects, and bridging the school and
community together. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">One good and bad thing is that ‘life skills’ is extremely
vague. Whenever someone asks me ‘what is life skills?’ I always have to think
about it. It could be almost anything. In upper levels Sex Ed would definitely
fit in here, but that would take some sensitivity to address it with the young
kids. I’d like to focus (if it’s even possible) on confidence, decision making,
and communication. I’m not sure how I’m going to tackle life skills yet – but I
have two years to work it out, right? </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Back to Kgope. There’s one school like I said, with one
class at each level. There’s a health post with one nurse, a health educator,
and a cleaner. There’s an agricultural office, one church (only the Roman
Catholics have their own building), one general store, one bar, two depots
(drinking places, but only selling the cheap Chibuku alcoholic drink I’m not
sure how to describe), and the kgotla. The kgotla is a traditional center for
village meetings with the kgosi (chief). In Botswana, instead of throwing out
the old system of governance, it was adopted into official law. Each village
has a kgosi who is in charge, and is (usually) the eldest son of the previous
kgosi. There is a book of law, and within that law he can rule on disputes in
the village. One example I heard of (from the police officer) was if a man was
beating his wife/girlfriend. They would collect evidence, and then bring the
two before the kgosi. If the man was pronounced guilty the kgosi could decide
to fine him, or order him lashed. Maybe it’s wrong, but I find something really
satisfying about the idea of someone getting lashed for beating another person.
It’d be like castrating child molesters: that’s justice you can feel. But I
digress…</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are two police
officers in Kgope and they’re both extremely nice. One has been here for many
years and one came just a few weeks ago. It’s nice for me because the old
officer is taking the new one around to show him the village. It’s the perfect
opportunity for me to tag along. They’ve been very nice about accommodating me.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
The last thing about Kgope I’ll mention today is my house. I
love it. The government provides housing for the teachers, and it worked out
that a house was free and I am staying in teacher’s housing. I’m right across
the (dirt) road from the school and can see the health post from my house too.
I have a kitchen, three rooms, and two-ish bathrooms; the toilet and a sink are
in one small room, and the bath tub and a sink are in another. I have running
water, but no electricity. I have a gas stove in the kitchen. I really don’t
mind not having electricity. At the moment I get by using my headlamp,
flashlight, and candles. Everyone keeps telling me to get a paraffin lamp which
I’m sure I’ll get around to eventually. At the moment I’m content with my
candles.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
One thing I’ve noticed about not having electricity is how
much more aware of the sun I am. You get a feel for exactly when the sun sets,
and what a difference it makes. It’s amazing that the sun can be setting for
some time, but once it hits the horizon it could be a ten minute difference
between light and pitch dark. I could write a whole blog entry on the sky here
and sunsets. When I look at the pictures I’ve taken of Kgope so far they’re
mostly of sunsets; and the pictures don’t even do them justice. The sky at all
time of day mesmerizes me. Try to think of how many times in a day you look at
the sky. Most days it’s probably not even once. That’s kind of sad isn’t it?
Here the sky is so vast and so beautiful it can’t be ignored. At night it’s
equally amazing. I won’t go into how many stars I can see at night, because
that’s a whole other wonder. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
I think this is a good introduction to Kgope. Everyone has
been very nice and I’m enjoying myself. I read a lot. All the time I’ve been
too busy to read for pleasure, is finally being equaled out by the massive
amount of reading I’m doing here (via the lovely Kindle Martin gave me). Life
is good.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
Don’t forget to write me letters!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
Elizabeth Wallis (or
Elizabeth Tshepo Wallis)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Kgope Primary School</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
Private Bag 24</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
Lentsweletau</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
Botswana</span>Liz Wallishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066304543835511170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689551040420104304.post-17644214241668771072013-01-02T05:15:00.002-08:002013-01-02T05:15:52.395-08:00Swearing In
<span style="font-family: inherit;">November 15th was Swearing In. When I arrived in Botswana on
September 13<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>th</sup> it was as a Trainee. The Swearing In ceremony
officially marks becoming a Volunteer. Swearing In was on a Thursday and
earlier in the week leading up to it, our training schedule was finally relaxed
a bit. I know I haven’t mentioned training very much, but it was exhausting. We
were at the training center from 8:30-4:30 every weekday and 9:00-1:00 on
Saturdays. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For Swearing In they wanted two volunteers to give speeches
in Setswana. One was to thank the staff, host parents, Peace Corps, etc. The
other was for the volunteers. After thinking about it for some time, and being
encouraged by some friends I decided to do one of the speeches. The other girl,
Kristin, and I decided that she would give the ‘Thank You’ speech, and I would
give the one to the volunteers. We would each give our own speech in English
and read the Setswana version/translation of the other one’s speech. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
After I wrote my speech I had lofty dreams of translating it
into Setswana by myself. The combination of our busy training schedule, and my
limited Setswana dimmed that dream. My LCF (Language and Cultural Facilitator
aka Setswana Teacher) Tiro was kind enough to translate it for me. After I got
the Setswana version of Kristin’s speech I practiced every night. I’m not even
exaggerating; I practiced that speech for almost a week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are some Setswana words that are not
for the faint of heart, and needed practice if I didn’t want to completely
butcher them. One such word was: ikiteileng. Another: motlhotlho. Kristin
definitely got some of the harder ones in the translated version of my speech
like: <span lang="TN" style="mso-ansi-language: TN; mso-no-proof: yes;">mmantswitswidi
(poet) and my personal favorite tlhakatlhakaneng (mixed feelings).<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="TN" style="mso-ansi-language: TN; mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On
Swearing In day the speeches were my favorite part. Kristin went first and I
read the Setswana version. Everytime I finished a section I got a huge applause
from our host parents and any Batswana in the room. It really helped because
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t shaking like a leaf (I’m not a big public
speaker). The constant postitive reinforcement was nice. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The best part was how impressed everyone was
with Kristin and I. They looked at us like we had just whipped Setswana out on
the spot, and were translating on the fly. One of the speakers at the main
table even mentioned he had a son looking for a wife. Classic. When that same
man stood up to give his speech it was in English then he randomly switched to
Setswana. He then proceded to look straight at me speaking in Setswana (since
of course, I had just proved with the speech that I was fluent). I just smiled
and laughed in time with the Batswana in the room understanding about a quarter
of what he said. I guess I was convincing because later other Volunteers
thought I had understood him. I love things like this.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span lang="TN" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: TN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-no-proof: yes;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I really liked the speech I wrote too
and it went over well. In a nutshell, that was Swearing In. It didn’t feel like
a big deal, more just like the end of training. I’m glad I was able to give one
of the speeches. I’m even more proud I made it through the Setswana one. I even
got a marriage offer; this is one of the many reasons I love African cultures;
that would never happen in America. It was nice to officially be able to call
myself a Peace Corps Volunteer. The next day we all left for our sites.</span> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>Liz Wallishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066304543835511170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689551040420104304.post-85017559542304201342012-12-12T10:13:00.002-08:002012-12-12T10:13:48.227-08:00Host Family Party
<span style="font-family: inherit;">With training coming to an end, we were told that we were
having a thank you party for the Host Families. We split into committees for
the party: Cooking, Ushering, Shopping, and Entertainment. I was on the
Entertainment committee and we spent a couple weeks planning what we wanted to
do. I really wanted to do an acrostic poem. For those of you who don’t
remember, those are the poems where you spell something (like in this case
‘Thank You’) then say ‘T is for ______, H is for _______’ etc. down the line. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe it’s just having been a kindergarten
teacher, but I thought it would be nice. I took it upon myself to write the
English, and then had help translating it into Setswana. My friend helped me
write the letters THANK YOU! on one side of a paper and RE A LEBOGA (we thank
you) on the other side. I got people to volunteer to read each letter and the
two sentences with it then at the end we flipped the papers and said “Re a
leboga” together. The families loved it; I think they were the most happy to
hear us speaking Setswana.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We also planned three skits. People seem to love skits. The
three skits were: cooking, washing clothes, and pets. We were trying to show
Americans in the funniest light possible. The cooking skit was about adding
crazy things to food, since some of the things we cook get a strange look. The
two volunteers who wrote it also stressed smelling food since here that’s not
considered polite. Culturally, smelling food is implying something is rotten
and so it is a big no-no. (Of course we learned this the day after I smelled
all the spice mixes in the house trying to figure out what they were – go
figure.) The pets skit was about how American’s love animals and treat them
like pets. Dogs are kept strictly outside the house. There are used mostly for
protection and are definitely not coddled. In the skit the two volunteers had
the American naming every animal she passed and trying to bring it in the house
as a pet. It went well.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
The last skit: washing clothes was done be me and my friend
Kate. She was the host mother, and I was the American. We joked about me being 25
and not even knowing how to wash clothes, when a Batswana would have learned
how to at five. Then I wrestled with a sheet in my attempt to wash it. My
favorite part was parodying a Setswana song. Let me preface this by saying: I
love Setswana songs. It’s a great way to learn the language and culture, not to
mention that the harmonies people sing here are beautiful. My favorite song is
sung by a woman working in a field. Translated, the lyrics go: Aunty, please
carry my child. I’m in the field plowing and I’m alone. You can see that I’m
plowing, and I’m alone. For the skit we changed the words to say: Aunty, please
carry my Sunlight (brand of soap). I’m trying, I’m washing, and I’m alone. It
was a big hit. Like with the poem, I think they liked the fact that part of it
was in Setswana.</span>Liz Wallishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066304543835511170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689551040420104304.post-87265472998283205942012-12-12T10:12:00.000-08:002012-12-12T10:12:00.803-08:00Site Announcement
<span style="font-family: inherit;">On October 19th we had a special day half day of
training. Everyone was only half paying attention because we were all focused
on the afternoon and site announcement. That was when we would find out where
in Botswana we would be spending the next two years. It was actually really
nice and they made the site announcement all official. They cleared us out of
the training classroom, and wouldn’t let us in until it started. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
While they were setting up, we went down stairs with the
LCFs (Setswana teachers) and they taught us some traditional games kids like to
play. My favorite was dodge ball-esc. Two people stand about 25 feet apart and
have a ball. Between them there is a shallow box, crushed cans, and a team of
four or so people. Using their feet, the people in the middle have to pinch the
cans and toss them into the box. In the meantime, the two on the outside are
trying to peg them with the ball. When the person in the middle gets hit
they’re out. Speaking as one who was in the middle – it’s a lot to keep track
of, especially when you’re the last one. I’m sure it’s also funny to watch as
the middle person frantically flips cans in between dodging the ball. It was a
lot of fun. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
That was the morning, then the long awaited site
announcement! When we got to the classroom the chairs were in a big U facing
the front where there was a map of Botswana with 34 pins in it for our sites.
It was easy to immediately see that we were all mostly together except for a
few on the fringes. Since my group is all Life Skills volunteers, we’re all in
the southern half of the country. The room was decorated with balloons and
streamers. After we had all taken our seats they told us to reach under our
chair and find the paper there. Each paper had a number on it, and that was the
order in which we were called to find our sites; I was number thirteen. I took
it as a good sign since we are Bots 13 (the 13th group in Botswana
since the program re-opened) and we arrived on September 13th. They
called our name, we went up to get our site, announced it to the group, pinned
our name on the map, and then we got to take a drink and a giant cookie with
our number on it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
My site is…. *drum roll*… Kgope! My school is Kgope Primary
School. Primary school here is Standards (Grades) 1-7. Some people are at
Junior Secondary Schools: Form 1-3 (Grades 8-10) and two people are at Senior
Secondary Schools: Form 4-5 (Grades 11-12). If what I just wrote doesn’t make
sense, what I’m trying to show is that instead of saying “Grades” they use the
terms “Standards” and “Forms”. Back to Kgope! Kgope is a small village of
around 500 people in Kweneng District. It’s fairly close to the capitol
Gaborone and another large town Molepolole. I’m the first PCV in the village
which is what I was hoping for. There will be no groundwork in place, but it
also means no expectations. It sounded like a perfect placement for me. On a
funny note, if you google ‘Kgope’ the only thing the Wikipedia page says is the
District and that there’s a Primary School; that’s me!</span>Liz Wallishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066304543835511170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689551040420104304.post-34134998220877133122012-11-12T07:02:00.000-08:002012-11-12T07:02:52.853-08:00Cultural Village<span style="font-family: inherit;">A couple weeks ago we were able to go to a cultural village to see traditional dancing, and learn more about traditional Batswana culture. It was nice to take a break from the training room. I wanted to post pictures but the internet is refusing. So I'll try another day. To continue the story:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">After the dancing, they did a mock-traditional wedding so we could see
what it’s like. One of the volunteers was a good sport and allowed us to marry
her off. Her birthday was the next day so we thought: ‘what could be a better
present than a Motswana husband” right? It started with the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">lobola</i> being negotiated. Lobola is dowry
for the bride. The standard rate is eight cows. The husband-to-be has to give
the cows, or a cash equivalent, to the woman’s family before they can be
married. Once lobola was decided in this mock-wedding they shook a bag of
bones/rocks and tossed them to see if it was going to be a good marriage. To be
honest, I didn’t really understand that part – but I guess she passed the test.
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
Then the new husband and wife went to their hut. Apparently
traditionally the older women in the village peek through the windows to make
sure the girl is struggling because that means she’s a virgin? It was definitely
awkward. The best part was that they told the guy and the girl how to act. So
in the “morning” after the girl comes out crying (success?!) and the guy came
out strutting. I think that meant the deal was sealed. It was a lot of fun
seeing it and everyone was a good sport.</span>Liz Wallishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066304543835511170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689551040420104304.post-87559495004794897322012-10-26T11:42:00.005-07:002012-10-31T08:15:15.111-07:00Fun with Setswana<span style="font-family: inherit;">As part of our PST we have 120 hours of language training.
Setswana and English are the national languages of Botswana and life is easier
if we know both. Being confident in our English abilities, we get 120 hours of
Setswana. I won’t try to go in depth and tell you about the language; I’m still
untangling it myself. I will tell you some things I enjoy about Setswana that
also help give some perspective on the culture here:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dumela. </i>It
would be un-Motswana of me to start with anything but dumela. Dumela is the
greeting here: THE greeting. Everyone must be greeted. You are considered very
rude if you pass someone (unless maybe in a city or large town) and don’t greet
them. If you want to ask someone a question in the supermarket, or an office,
it’s important to greet them first. As one Motswana speaker put it in training:
“greeting someone is acknowledging that they are not a tree”. This belief is
tied in with the word:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2) </span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Batho.</i>
Batho literally means: I am because you are. The culture of Botswana is
extremely communal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By greeting someone
you’re acknowledging them as being: as existing.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3) </span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Monna </i>and
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mosadi. </i>Monna: man/husband. Mosadi:
woman/wife. If you say “my man” you’re saying “my husband”, and vice versa. What
fascinates me about this is that it speaks to the culture. In Botswana you are
considered a “youth” until you’re 35 years old. In the language you cannot be
what we would consider an adult (man/women) until you are married. Before then,
you’re still considered a child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This also
is interesting to me because if gives insight as to why some young women have
struggled to be treated as professionals here: technically, we’re still
children.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ll try to post more “Fun with Setswana” when I riddle
more out. . .</span></div>
Liz Wallishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066304543835511170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689551040420104304.post-62700084264927868762012-10-26T11:41:00.004-07:002012-10-31T08:13:38.826-07:00Interesting Sights (First month and a half)<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1) </span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">A goat’s head in my kitchen. (I was not nearly
as phased as I thought I would be).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2) </span></span>A chicken go from clucking… to dinner. (Chickens
are stupid and cannibalistic. One walked right by where her friend had been
murdered seconds before, then later another tried to eat feathers plucked from
the dead chicken. It was also really interesting to see the inside of the
chicken. You could see what would have been the next day’s egg inside the hen.
There were round yolks of different sizes that you knew were eggs to come.) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3) </span></span>A cow folded up in the back of a minivan like a
beach towel. (I saw two legs sticking up, but otherwise it was folded really
nicely. I’m kicking myself for not getting a picture of this.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4) </span></span>An official school function where a dog sat down
in front of the table of speakers, and started cleaning its boy-bits.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5) </span></span>Two styles of traditional dance. In one the men
wrap their calves in (what looks like) animal skins, hairy-side in, and during
the dance hit their legs in a way that it reminded me of step dancing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6) </span></span>An albino spider the size of my palm (now
deceased). </span>Liz Wallishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066304543835511170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689551040420104304.post-52743089767142413722012-10-23T09:32:00.003-07:002012-10-23T09:32:53.320-07:00Tshepo (pronounced Tsepo)
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Two days after arriving in Botswana we were matched with our
host families who we are staying with throughout the ten-week Pre-Service
Training (PST). We had a matching ceremony and everything was very official. My
favorite part was at the beginning where the Batswana present sang the national
anthem, then they started playing our national anthem and after some confusion
we all joined in. (I should mention that one person here is called Motswana, two
or more are Batswana. There is no such thing as “Bostwanan”. It even causes
some confusion, because an American accent pronounces Botswana as Batswana.)</span><br />
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">All the host families are different, which means we’re all
having different experiences. I am lucky to say though, that my host mom is
awesome. My dad is a police chief and works and stays away from home,
occasionally coming home on the weekends. My host brother lives and works in
Gaborone (pronounced Ha-ba-ro-nae), the capitol. They are all wonderful people,
but most of the time it’s just me and mom. One of the first things she did was
give me my Setswana name: Tshepo. Tshepo means ‘hope’ or ‘trust’. Most people’s
names here have meaning. Mpho: gift. Masego: blessings. Dineo: gifts. etc. A
lot of the names we got mean ‘gifts’ it seems. I really like my name. Most
volunteers go by their Setswana name at site and I plan on doing that too.
Although Elizabeth is an easy name for people to say and remember, there’s just
something nice about having the Setswana name. It’s also really entertaining
for me to introduce myself, because nine out of ten times I say Tshepo as my
name, I get raised eyebrows and a friendly laugh in response :)</span></div>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARhbYk8I1Gr0GFTRQ0RQXOGa3O7qK9glZUr-l11gleS0EZsKbArQKxLmJc4x5EHzXUYdHrJa7dFp0iiNUxEP_EKUn7uVFSmTwWUs-thWUG_4ERlDRKYQ-2AoxU-YlzC-zb3VEyOx3KkY/s1600/DSCN2442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARhbYk8I1Gr0GFTRQ0RQXOGa3O7qK9glZUr-l11gleS0EZsKbArQKxLmJc4x5EHzXUYdHrJa7dFp0iiNUxEP_EKUn7uVFSmTwWUs-thWUG_4ERlDRKYQ-2AoxU-YlzC-zb3VEyOx3KkY/s320/DSCN2442.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Me in front of my host family's house</div>
Liz Wallishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066304543835511170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689551040420104304.post-13599818901879079202012-10-13T09:50:00.001-07:002012-10-14T11:07:39.865-07:00Peace Corps Botswana: Pre-Departure, the Flight, Arrival.<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As many of
you know, I have been applying to the Peace Corps for a long time. I submitted
my application March 2010. After being told I’d depart June 2011 then getting
delayed for a year for the death of an immediate family member; in May 2012 I
finally received my invitation to serve in the Peace Corps. The country:
Botswana. I’ll admit that my knowledge of Botswana before was entirely from my
International Corruption class. Botswana is a shining example in the world of
a country with a very low level of corruption. Knowing only this, I was excited
to get Botswana as my country of service; it was in Africa (which I was hoping
for), and it’s a safe enough country to mollify the folks worried about me going to Africa. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On September
11th I flew to Philadelphia for a day of training called Staging.
There I met the other 34 volunteers that would make up my group: Botswana 13.
We are the 13th group to serve in Botswana since the Peace Corps
went back. Staging was good although I can safely say that I was not at my
best. It could have had something to do with packing last minute – but really
it could be anything right? Some might ask what was I doing my last week if I
wasn’t packing? The answer is eating. Based on previous traveling experiences I
could safely predict that cheese, meatballs, and cookie dough flurries would
not be in my future anytime soon. So adopting the same philosophy that a
squirrel does when it’s getting ready for winter – I ate like it was going out
of style. No regrets.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On September
12th they woke us up at 2:30 in the morning to board a bus to JFK
(no one could reasonable tell me why the wake-up was so early). We got to JFK
with about four hours to spare until our flight. I got to see my Aunt Claudia
in the airport right before I went through security and though it was a short
visit, it was nice to see family right before I left. I also have to mention
that when I was leaving Albany, the lady checking me in for the flight to Philadelphia gave
my mom a special pass to go through security, and sit with me until boarding.
That was definitely a nice way to start this Peace Corps journey. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To put it
mildly: the flight was a beastly 15 hours. Luckily I was in the center four
seats and there were only two of us, so I was able to lie down for a while; I
watched four movies. We arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa, September 13th
and caught our flight to Gaborone, Botswana. We touched down in Botswana in the
afternoon, and were met at the airport by Peace Corps staff. They took us to a
lodge nearby and finally the luggage lugging ended. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Welcome to
Botswana.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUsxiU064-Sb5bsvyqONlZ649HSd3LFcMFzIfBEtmxblRMc8-cFdGRzN1VPiZ9S2NMP0wZJcDQDv1LziEHqkrkdk4tqWUJgb1lDNJI9gQq5da5T1EZZTOl-fx-w_OeIhsJZlbq7a_hevA/s1600/group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUsxiU064-Sb5bsvyqONlZ649HSd3LFcMFzIfBEtmxblRMc8-cFdGRzN1VPiZ9S2NMP0wZJcDQDv1LziEHqkrkdk4tqWUJgb1lDNJI9gQq5da5T1EZZTOl-fx-w_OeIhsJZlbq7a_hevA/s320/group.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This is my group: Bots 13.</div>
Liz Wallishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066304543835511170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689551040420104304.post-43937015147948945292012-09-28T08:13:00.001-07:002012-10-14T11:08:47.683-07:00Wrapping Up Korea<span style="font-family: inherit;">Though many of you know that I have started a new adventure,
I feel weird talking about it without wrapping up my time in Korea. My last
entry was from April and my contract in Korea didn’t finish until early July.
Below I’ve put two posts about significant things I did in Korea that I never
got around to writing about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have to say overall that I loved my time in Korea. When I
think about the things I did and the people I met, I’m very grateful I had the
opportunity to go. I had always thought about teaching abroad and I’m very glad
I did. I’m even gladder that I got the chance to do it in Korea. Korea is a
country I never thought about visiting. Though I would like to travel the whole
world, (honestly) Korea never held much interest for me. That’s one of the
reasons I wanted to go there the most, when I was given the opportunity. It
sounds strange, but I liked the idea of choosing to live in a country I knew I
would not want to visit as a tourist; and it was amazing.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you haven’t tried Korean food – you must. I’m sitting
here missing the food just writing this. If you don’t know where to start try <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">galbi</i> (Korean barbecue), or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bulgogi</i> (marinated beef); you can’t go
wrong with either. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have so much love an appreciation for the quirks of modern
Korean culture. What I once thought was strange: couples outfits, etc. I now
just smile and say ‘oh Korea’ fondly. I miss Korea a lot; I miss my friends and
my lifestyle there. The obvious follow-up question to that is ‘would you want
to live there?’ and the answer is no. Will I go back to visit: absolutely. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I had a great year there, but the wandering continues… </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY1XJbUN6vzVA_QSmUJ3CUTR4MBAZc7OURzUh2VePNFIL2mIezveWU-EkYBokEylLteTYyTtjXBbEA9iuS10px6zb9zGpjGomIz1AfnrY0cApyaAdHlaRBJUFHckGNUVC-mCCP5hAoMIg/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY1XJbUN6vzVA_QSmUJ3CUTR4MBAZc7OURzUh2VePNFIL2mIezveWU-EkYBokEylLteTYyTtjXBbEA9iuS10px6zb9zGpjGomIz1AfnrY0cApyaAdHlaRBJUFHckGNUVC-mCCP5hAoMIg/s320/015.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My final kindergarten class</span></div>
Liz Wallishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066304543835511170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689551040420104304.post-25401983057911973072012-09-28T08:09:00.002-07:002012-10-14T11:09:27.413-07:00A Korean Wedding<span style="font-family: inherit;">The weekend of my birthday was my former co-worker’s
wedding. She had left the school a couple months earlier, but not before
inviting us to her wedding. I was very excited to see a Korean wedding; it was
definitely a different experience. First off, there’s no sense of “I’m the only
bride in the world on this day”. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Let me explain what to do/expect at a Korean wedding. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The wedding was held on the floor of a large
reception/conference type building. When you get off the elevator you see a
large dining room to your left, a wedding hall straight ahead, and a small
decorated room and some tables on the right. First you want to go to the small
room. It’s beautifully decorated and there you see the bride sitting on a bench
posing for pictures with friends and family. We went there (all 6 of us
teachers) and took pictures with her. In a funny ‘Oh Korea’ moment, one of my
friends was moved away from the bride and to the back row because her face was
too small and it would make my friend, the bride’s, look big. Korean women are
really into having small faces. You know you’ve been to Korea when you receive
a compliment (or just a comment) on the size of your face.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">After taking pictures you go to the desk where you sign a
guest book and leave your gift with some men in charge of collecting them. You
always give money. Then they give you a ticket so you can get into the dining
room later. It leaves you feeling like you’ve just paid for your meal, but
considering the price of weddings, that’s not so bad. Then you go (we went) and
sat in the wedding hall. That room was spectacularly decorated and you could
see the wedding before just finishing their pictures. It seems strange that the
same room could be used for multiple weddings. Coming from an American
perspective, it doesn’t seem unique enough. You want everything to be tailored
to you, and in the Korean setting that’s not possible. At least at the wedding
I saw. Everyone has the same colors and the same flowers. I thought I would
really dislike the whole atmosphere because it’s not as personal – but I
actually liked it. The decorations were really nice. They had professional
pictures of the couple projected in a couple places and overall it was really
nice. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sarah (my friend) wore a white dress, but her parents were
dressed in hanbok, traditional clothing. The ceremony was short, and all in
Korean so I can’t comment on its content. My favorite part of the ceremony was
when the groom sang to the bride. It was really sweet. After the ceremony we
hung around for a few pictures. They did one with all the family, then one with
all the friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the pictures we
went to the dining hall. It was a huge room with galbi tang (beef rib soup) on
the table with the usual overload of sides. There was also a buffet set up
where you could get more food. Sarah and her husband changed into hanbok and
came around to see everyone. When we finished eating, the wedding was done and
we left. I don’t think Sarah and her husband sat down at all. It was nothing
like an American wedding that’s so focused on the reception. I had a great
time, and Sarah was a beautiful bride.</span> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_IkExnODaDXs5WnPtrwxFpPhbZ05H-fpSjoHv1qVaTH79XvseZmF7cVRHBZxacea-XoAv0eZibqBYHFTQ-20uWEhw0op43uEkQTgJ_N77Nimhyphenhyphen1czYtjQzMs_hnOnSJTiJA3Z7G6Sfgg/s1600/017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_IkExnODaDXs5WnPtrwxFpPhbZ05H-fpSjoHv1qVaTH79XvseZmF7cVRHBZxacea-XoAv0eZibqBYHFTQ-20uWEhw0op43uEkQTgJ_N77Nimhyphenhyphen1czYtjQzMs_hnOnSJTiJA3Z7G6Sfgg/s320/017.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMU7KQnlzoW4JL58miQukjdprZodKp0hgOpwXCg3Bnvc6LVDHL61W7Ol2QQXALeWWWJGgOOCLSsqjTWaoSRBQgakh35XsUypmnDCZ5bqVcvp6ySQJINnQspBUFBpIgHB1uWBeMQW1Vy0k/s1600/030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMU7KQnlzoW4JL58miQukjdprZodKp0hgOpwXCg3Bnvc6LVDHL61W7Ol2QQXALeWWWJGgOOCLSsqjTWaoSRBQgakh35XsUypmnDCZ5bqVcvp6ySQJINnQspBUFBpIgHB1uWBeMQW1Vy0k/s320/030.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsnRD2vRS4JIrxO8FbaMETRopTDbMkIZqLjzqMc6MtgvluRkt5BZ4COiVcdnh-4lu6-w8M9ZfOfWAA-wgD5d0-Xh54NTh3hCZrpHKDe9TY_ddYDBfNzxltNhP6QbFpiA2LsLnHKsySjE/s1600/034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsnRD2vRS4JIrxO8FbaMETRopTDbMkIZqLjzqMc6MtgvluRkt5BZ4COiVcdnh-4lu6-w8M9ZfOfWAA-wgD5d0-Xh54NTh3hCZrpHKDe9TY_ddYDBfNzxltNhP6QbFpiA2LsLnHKsySjE/s320/034.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Liz Wallishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066304543835511170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689551040420104304.post-78877001717143647832012-09-28T08:05:00.002-07:002012-10-14T11:10:20.929-07:00Temple Stay<span style="font-family: inherit;">In May I finally got around to doing a temple stay. Even
before going to Korea, a temple stay was on my to-do list. What happens in a
temple stay is that you go to a Buddhist temple and are able to stay overnight.
I’ve had limited experiences with Buddhism, but they’ve all been extremely
positive. What’s not to like about a religion/philosophy that at its core is
about being a good person, and not doing harm to others. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I went for the temple stay with twelve other people, none of
whom I knew. There’s a great company called Adventure Korea that organizes
trips for wayguks (foreigners). When I saw they had an upcoming trip to
Geumsansa temple for a one-night temple stay, I signed myself up. The temple
was a few hours down the west coast from Seoul, by bus. We arrived on Saturday
and they gave us time to walk around the temple grounds. There were about four
buildings (for praying) and a big bell. After we walked around we were given
our temple clothes. Everything about the clothing style was meant for comfort and
freedom of movement. If I didn’t look like such a block in them, I would have
loved to take a set home. The complete look was loose-fitting pants, and a
loose shirt. That night we did many things: met the monk who would be with our
group, had tea with him, had dinner at the temple, made a paper lantern, and
said the nightly prayer. We went to bed early because the morning prayer was at
4:00am.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sunday everyone got up for the morning prayer (they were
surprised since it was optional) and after that we did 108 bows. The number 108
is very significant in Buddhism. I don’t remember the exact math of it, but I
know it holds great importance. Every morning the monks do 108 bows. This bow
is not just bobbing your head. The full bow starts with you standing legs together
and palms touching. Then you put your knees on the ground making sure your
right elbow, then your left, are also on the ground. Your whole forearm on both
sides should touch the rug/mat. Then you touch your forehead to the ground.
While your forehead is touching the ground you bring your palms up, then put
them back face-down to the ground. Then you stand. Then you repeat 107 more
times. While we did the bows the monk held a bamboo stick he would slap against
his hand to signal us to bow again. Lucky for me, he kept count (I lost track
around 40). He told us while we were doing it we should think about our past,
or our family. I tried to focus on individual people for a couple bows, then
switch. When you didn’t focus on the strain of the motion, they were a lot
easier to do. When he signaled we were doing the last bow, I actually thought
we were only somewhere around 70. This was by far my favorite
part/accomplishment during the temple stay. I won’t pretend though, that I’m as
skilled as the monks: my legs felt like jelly when I walked down stairs. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">After we bowed, we meditated with the monk. Then we ate a
traditional monastic meal. The lesson of the meal was to appreciate simplicity
of food, and not waste anything. We had four bowls: one for soup, one for rice,
one for side dishes (radish, vegetables, etc.), and one for water to wash
everything. We served ourselves, but told beforehand that we had to eat
everything in our bowls; and I mean everything. At the end of the meal they
gave us some rice water to rinse the dishes, and we used a pickled radish to
help clean. After cleaning the three bowls (not the water one) we had to drink
the rice water and eat the radish. Of course, the rice water was not delicious:
it had pieces of vegetables and rice in it from the other dishes. The point
though, was that the bowls were clean and nothing was wasted; that’s the
Buddhist lifestyle. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">After the meal we made Buddhist beads. Really, we were given
string, and 108 wooden beads. They gave us an hour on the temple grounds to
complete our necklace. The way you are suppose to do it, is each time you put a
bead on the string you should attach a wish to it, and do one full bow. Maybe I
didn’t mention that I had already done 108 bows that morning. I was able to do
a full bow for 40 beads, but then I thought that Buddha would understand that
at the end of it all, I would like to walk from the temple and not have to be
carried. Overall, I really enjoyed the process of making the necklace. It’s
harder than I thought it would be to attach meaning to each bead. Since I think
Buddhist beads don’t hold the same superstitions as birthday wishes, I can tell
you what I was thinking. For each bead I tried to think of a friend or family
member. My wishes were usually health or happiness related. If I knew someone
was having trials, I tried to focus on that for them. I know this necklace will
be something I’ll treasure forever. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After the necklace was completed, we had tea, changed back into our clothes, and were on our way back north. I’m very glad I had the chance to do a temple stay; it was a great experience and one I always remember.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6tf7YighU2HFrcCX6q0GEhyphenhyphentFGD4gVHVgv7qyO2eSceYej3YkXv9UzIBZ41RAyIVNkYFBpUMI2h7VtTTt1KoXRf9UUJsTRrqKkrrdeqsUZBlHnDTc9KLvxPbMhwhIYKn3xakLz884FE/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6tf7YighU2HFrcCX6q0GEhyphenhyphentFGD4gVHVgv7qyO2eSceYej3YkXv9UzIBZ41RAyIVNkYFBpUMI2h7VtTTt1KoXRf9UUJsTRrqKkrrdeqsUZBlHnDTc9KLvxPbMhwhIYKn3xakLz884FE/s320/014.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiczyBqJ6Q1A7L_yB-F55JmJOtxTWLvzBNTKXhsDM_SIrLlCvzcVDgGOV7nF9tC4iD974U-kXQeIoinRkwS0IluFevPPObV4n_A164TVeRC2FppjBrKRNdUYOTRBhmORbhcMIEDhgFdzdM/s1600/028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiczyBqJ6Q1A7L_yB-F55JmJOtxTWLvzBNTKXhsDM_SIrLlCvzcVDgGOV7nF9tC4iD974U-kXQeIoinRkwS0IluFevPPObV4n_A164TVeRC2FppjBrKRNdUYOTRBhmORbhcMIEDhgFdzdM/s320/028.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBZCswgnXt3_HCwTqXcrRaF4f26tmRBXSSCVAxPuf-lVOx66ww7_3WnhLaoe8t1wwmFsvlJZBg6rd8jf4ad23nOL1Q0TVMjyGJWN74zhWjc0W8naeptfPWtYpEGyFaTOj7I5j3IVEewCE/s1600/096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBZCswgnXt3_HCwTqXcrRaF4f26tmRBXSSCVAxPuf-lVOx66ww7_3WnhLaoe8t1wwmFsvlJZBg6rd8jf4ad23nOL1Q0TVMjyGJWN74zhWjc0W8naeptfPWtYpEGyFaTOj7I5j3IVEewCE/s320/096.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghdAGT0xUC1RTL8t73mipWngZfqaTlkULDJOncJWrLx3sUodc-o_nbTGt6ki9adNG_gCXua2XrMlGRQ66DGSeLlQXw_otVWw3yKnbNuGbS4XGuFZJTnlYzdD_oHL4Mug3zT_N-Xf1AwGE/s1600/098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghdAGT0xUC1RTL8t73mipWngZfqaTlkULDJOncJWrLx3sUodc-o_nbTGt6ki9adNG_gCXua2XrMlGRQ66DGSeLlQXw_otVWw3yKnbNuGbS4XGuFZJTnlYzdD_oHL4Mug3zT_N-Xf1AwGE/s320/098.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I made this lotus lantern!</div>
Liz Wallishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066304543835511170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689551040420104304.post-2518757431647734502012-06-18T06:46:00.001-07:002012-06-18T06:46:06.065-07:00Getting Sick in KoreaIn early April I got sick. It started out as a cold and ended up as bronchitis. I just wanted to mention it because of the stark differences in health care in Korea and the U.S. At first when I got sick, I thought it was just a cold and that I would get over it in a couple days. As anyone who has worked with kids would know, they are germy little things and you can't help but catch things from them from time to time. In Korea the first thing you do when you're feeling sick is go to the pharmacy. It's the same as in Kenya. You go to the pharmacy, explain your symptoms, and they can give you some medication right there. It's a nice way to skip the high price usually charged by doctors (back home). <br />
<br />
The second time after I went to the pharmacy and explained that things still weren't better, and I had an intense pressure in my entire face, the lady's response was "go see a doctor". First, I have to say that I'm lucky in that there is a private women's hospital literally on the same street as my school. It was one of my busy days at school; I don't get any breaks after lunch except for one 20 minute break. I decided to go during lunch, and see if I could see a doctor in that hour slot. Everyone at the hospital was very nice, the doctor spoke a lot of English. I was in and out in under 40 minutes. The total cost without insurance: $13. My first prescription: $7. I ended up going back to the doctor twice more, but each follow-up visit only cost $9 each. The most expensive of the three prescriptions was the one when they finally gave me antibiotics which turned out to be a whooping $17. <br />
<br />
I want to show you a picture of the way the give prescriptions here because I thought it was cool. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRKIHX27i_e9rrpG-_mPBtRnQ3UJx2jlIhwtnqosZaTzJ6s08z-eC_UkyxGXMp5T-B31Wz-zE6SnBomgzVyR4pGJx6QNhZQ7xnN6PeVgUkvr6JSHfLP3NLc2IWqu9H2Mjzq5UgeeG2x0M/s1600/My+medicine+portioned+Breakfast,+Lunch,+and+Dinner.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRKIHX27i_e9rrpG-_mPBtRnQ3UJx2jlIhwtnqosZaTzJ6s08z-eC_UkyxGXMp5T-B31Wz-zE6SnBomgzVyR4pGJx6QNhZQ7xnN6PeVgUkvr6JSHfLP3NLc2IWqu9H2Mjzq5UgeeG2x0M/s400/My+medicine+portioned+Breakfast,+Lunch,+and+Dinner.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The pills are in their own little sealed compartments. They even wrote "M" "L" "D" so I know what meal to take each little pack with. (I think the dinner one had an extra something that might make you drowsy, hence why it's different)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Sometimes I really love Korea. On another fun Korea services note, tonight I got a new pair of glasses. I heard that they were cheaper here, and I haven't gotten a new pair in maybe five years. I went in, picked out the frames, and they checked my eyes free of charge. They assembled my new glasses in 15 minutes, the cost: $58. They even had glasses as cheap as $25 a pair. Part of me wants to stock up, but I know that's unresonable and just my bargain hunter-self catching the wind of a great deal. If you go to Korea though, I highly recommend getting some glasses. Although it's cheap, I can't really recommend getting sick...Liz Wallishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066304543835511170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689551040420104304.post-25180201361760280722012-06-18T06:25:00.000-07:002012-06-18T06:25:21.011-07:00Icheon Ceramics FestivalIn April I went to the Icheon Ceramics Festival. I really enjoyed it because after going to a couple museums here, I'm kind of getting into Korean pottery. At the very least, I know the history more and can appreciate the simplicity. There's not a lot to write about this particular adventure but I wanted to share some pictures from the day. There were a couple buildings that you could walk through and purchase pottery. There were a lot of amazing pieces, but I'm not exactly in a place in my life where making a lot of pottery purchases makes sense. I can't exactly bring them everywhere with me. So instead I appreciated their beauty from afar. There was also a tea set competition that resulted in a lot of modern and cool looking sets. I'll post the pictures of my favorites so you can see.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLPyxQVw-Yx4SJ9MU3m6tbMu0eAvn8m3Y20H4uQAeW-46FCvdN-FIfrtV8MlIJCsBY6_uSnECaKvoogl_yUj_HS9hbMt_qT4xVpzk_CrXOcGsyAy3OM0WC97Yy9LNGp0cVo_sWuh7rG8/s1600/Icheon+Ceramic+Festival+enterance.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLPyxQVw-Yx4SJ9MU3m6tbMu0eAvn8m3Y20H4uQAeW-46FCvdN-FIfrtV8MlIJCsBY6_uSnECaKvoogl_yUj_HS9hbMt_qT4xVpzk_CrXOcGsyAy3OM0WC97Yy9LNGp0cVo_sWuh7rG8/s320/Icheon+Ceramic+Festival+enterance.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The entrance</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYkzB3Q4sJUTVVmiu4bZKTkBIgDI-BLayGk1DpzMg2xotG8duICcrywTvwjmCpIYLueJRJfLCieGhXBUtYL1ZtMfRxyJ3Qx6GOMHZ8Ltb40OpfodwssZQbi7pumbEknJMKfdtVJ6MNamk/s1600/Icheon+Ceramic+Festival+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYkzB3Q4sJUTVVmiu4bZKTkBIgDI-BLayGk1DpzMg2xotG8duICcrywTvwjmCpIYLueJRJfLCieGhXBUtYL1ZtMfRxyJ3Qx6GOMHZ8Ltb40OpfodwssZQbi7pumbEknJMKfdtVJ6MNamk/s320/Icheon+Ceramic+Festival+4.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Inside the gate</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi05mFFeXlKfWyyArwkiOMfyyYtb6YRF8hfqR4N6jTG7F_WRwgk_1e5irfGPT77SJFh872zGWowWJx82XVUD07_SJYAvrcmZdNjCk1d6Lja6CiksX03fCvicRsEpiz2TjkLWkcYUgmfuZQ/s1600/Icheon+Ceramic+Festival+tea+set+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi05mFFeXlKfWyyArwkiOMfyyYtb6YRF8hfqR4N6jTG7F_WRwgk_1e5irfGPT77SJFh872zGWowWJx82XVUD07_SJYAvrcmZdNjCk1d6Lja6CiksX03fCvicRsEpiz2TjkLWkcYUgmfuZQ/s320/Icheon+Ceramic+Festival+tea+set+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
One of the tea sets from the competition</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhewMc8NIS7G8_OY2bhbjl8qWCAVoINS3on25m8OwCgiH83mdFKLlr1NgOAKk9DCgb3c_kCNKtm7Au9ecaldDCybmkYsL-EH8XNrcZVaNXry2uxNsMTk02HaRoECCHSGSPSED6u1pAnAWk/s1600/Icheon+Ceramic+Festival+tea+set+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhewMc8NIS7G8_OY2bhbjl8qWCAVoINS3on25m8OwCgiH83mdFKLlr1NgOAKk9DCgb3c_kCNKtm7Au9ecaldDCybmkYsL-EH8XNrcZVaNXry2uxNsMTk02HaRoECCHSGSPSED6u1pAnAWk/s320/Icheon+Ceramic+Festival+tea+set+4.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Traditional style, Korean ceramics</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDtqXeFX8A0xGZrl9OTeLZTHT2-QQDx3w8QxwbLzUrUp0Ea1x6kPg5PzxQNLeOFdX9frYyHQbGk7F92TBSzBhsP6evyP5M3Iq2P8U8usWSCYpJRk00dlc3bloZgmJMOx8Qs6YY_NwE4w/s1600/Icheon+Ceramic+Festival+tea+set+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDtqXeFX8A0xGZrl9OTeLZTHT2-QQDx3w8QxwbLzUrUp0Ea1x6kPg5PzxQNLeOFdX9frYyHQbGk7F92TBSzBhsP6evyP5M3Iq2P8U8usWSCYpJRk00dlc3bloZgmJMOx8Qs6YY_NwE4w/s320/Icheon+Ceramic+Festival+tea+set+6.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Competition piece</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsuCCLEmWv51P2KFenwQtd7aAzOBt6rXeAqm_2-EV7KfQdnlJ8qb4ZYeZiO6s4kaE8laZ2prahY4nx9109SDXGreCCrFd1LxdOUyhPa7ndGVB4u0dS5SZMmVTr73NQ2vqDC4mhMPFvK8Q/s1600/Icheon+Ceramic+Festival+main+building.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsuCCLEmWv51P2KFenwQtd7aAzOBt6rXeAqm_2-EV7KfQdnlJ8qb4ZYeZiO6s4kaE8laZ2prahY4nx9109SDXGreCCrFd1LxdOUyhPa7ndGVB4u0dS5SZMmVTr73NQ2vqDC4mhMPFvK8Q/s320/Icheon+Ceramic+Festival+main+building.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The main building where you could buy ceramics</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUBIGouNBStkfCw39nYwKW-v3kisH9XTrRVmdQivQHOYxdIl_W3s0ZzOa4Lb5mmB6i8KiyHwG68SCIhcBS2apuZzMN654GwIuY1SuCXRYQqQKKr13hzcVj3R9D-kuyIJaOWWb6SkBdao/s1600/Icheon+Ceramic+Festival+wall+of+ceramics+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUBIGouNBStkfCw39nYwKW-v3kisH9XTrRVmdQivQHOYxdIl_W3s0ZzOa4Lb5mmB6i8KiyHwG68SCIhcBS2apuZzMN654GwIuY1SuCXRYQqQKKr13hzcVj3R9D-kuyIJaOWWb6SkBdao/s320/Icheon+Ceramic+Festival+wall+of+ceramics+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A wall filled with ceramic pieces!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKwY-vdjVVqoNLcXuLLIXsUSS7JqiCwiZar5a8z9UARFbK90Oo5PRtRXhPzUbp3i3xxdIH_PCzfvrarr4rnwI1lKaf2klCVCu3VqvWT9u6axjiR0xs-l9Y8U0bTYKaqWpjmwCEGsHyXg/s1600/Icheon+Ceramic+Festival+wall+of+ceramics+close-up.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKwY-vdjVVqoNLcXuLLIXsUSS7JqiCwiZar5a8z9UARFbK90Oo5PRtRXhPzUbp3i3xxdIH_PCzfvrarr4rnwI1lKaf2klCVCu3VqvWT9u6axjiR0xs-l9Y8U0bTYKaqWpjmwCEGsHyXg/s320/Icheon+Ceramic+Festival+wall+of+ceramics+close-up.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A close-up of the wall</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68XgQQy_j5Q1iO9aQFs6Lz3TcRFsjZA6zoMrc_SuLV7EPweSlhgoyr-0o_TlMN4E45N0z-D4UlQ1L2zgd2phXQqU-CeP08fZuPighRgUsRSQDBbnX1qzMhGwrc73aktf8uRp0HAerzrQ/s1600/Icheon+Ceramic+Festival+art+piece+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68XgQQy_j5Q1iO9aQFs6Lz3TcRFsjZA6zoMrc_SuLV7EPweSlhgoyr-0o_TlMN4E45N0z-D4UlQ1L2zgd2phXQqU-CeP08fZuPighRgUsRSQDBbnX1qzMhGwrc73aktf8uRp0HAerzrQ/s320/Icheon+Ceramic+Festival+art+piece+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
One of my favorite modern ceramics pieces</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAAjCVnuk3hYIsMJN792OeTdC7fUXQcIeH_hXuuqs7mYyXbBtoAG3K6WQS6OFQNoSJHxWg8-k1fQKjVq7Zoox4H9N7rqKvw7tZ_Yt233Wffr2lYG-GPCI_FdgFmj48uDRN7F6ZBUjBens/s1600/Icheon+Ceramic+Festival+art+piece+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAAjCVnuk3hYIsMJN792OeTdC7fUXQcIeH_hXuuqs7mYyXbBtoAG3K6WQS6OFQNoSJHxWg8-k1fQKjVq7Zoox4H9N7rqKvw7tZ_Yt233Wffr2lYG-GPCI_FdgFmj48uDRN7F6ZBUjBens/s320/Icheon+Ceramic+Festival+art+piece+5.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Another cool piece</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2UWwEtmu8VJSvgMCV3q33ZAZwCtqjymfCtaO2xeRJWj1aDYPqP6uG9ANryKpKW7x9-q6ca85reCziPSslci2zBmPp3HHwuT4M0a2inBWT9DkWUM_6BqhdDTFIyaY7bwqKSRYxkmJNii0/s1600/Icheon+Ceramic+Festival+art+piece+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2UWwEtmu8VJSvgMCV3q33ZAZwCtqjymfCtaO2xeRJWj1aDYPqP6uG9ANryKpKW7x9-q6ca85reCziPSslci2zBmPp3HHwuT4M0a2inBWT9DkWUM_6BqhdDTFIyaY7bwqKSRYxkmJNii0/s320/Icheon+Ceramic+Festival+art+piece+8.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Another :)</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zNJn5uvLtIBtFDwNszG9-AiueFIgze6WLzbM-WsIMHMwGZb7GLPEzVIrW3NaoLpUu2tXphyphenhyphenrBn1m7Rt1JyGOqH32FfCF_wATeKHtTVjIi7q5kwZc3-X5YLPf-VdmMv9ccpxV7BueWvk/s1600/Icheon+Ceramic+Festival+wind+chime+tree+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zNJn5uvLtIBtFDwNszG9-AiueFIgze6WLzbM-WsIMHMwGZb7GLPEzVIrW3NaoLpUu2tXphyphenhyphenrBn1m7Rt1JyGOqH32FfCF_wATeKHtTVjIi7q5kwZc3-X5YLPf-VdmMv9ccpxV7BueWvk/s320/Icheon+Ceramic+Festival+wind+chime+tree+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A metal tree filled with wind-chimes</div>Liz Wallishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066304543835511170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689551040420104304.post-57442605364987477552012-06-03T06:29:00.002-07:002012-06-03T06:29:44.685-07:00My New Kindergarten Class: 6y-1When I first came to Korea and LCI (my school) I was teaching the 7y-2 class. The kids were seven years old and had been taking English for two years. As I wrote earlier, in February those kids graduated and are now first graders in Korean school. That meant that starting in March I was getting an entirely new class. I now have the 6y-1 class. These kids had never studied English before.<br />
<br />
I'll admit that getting settled with them took some time. I had been with my old class for eight months, and we had a rhythm. I was also spoiled because their English was already so good when I came. The first day with my new class we literally stared at each other. I was so nervous, and I'm sure the kids were thinking 'what in the world is this funny looking lady saying?'. They spoke to me almost exclusively in Korean. Whenever they said something to me that sounded like a question I just pointed to the bathroom because I was terrified someone would have an accident because I didn't understand them asking to go. The whole first week was a learning experience. On a positive note though, I do now know how to say 'bathroom', 'pee', and 'teacher help me' in Korean. <br />
<br />
The first thing I did was make signs with pictures for the class that said "May I go to the bathroom?" and "May I get a drink of water?". I figured even if they couldn't say it, they could at least point. It's worked very well, and has the added bonus of them not only now knowing how to ask, but doing so in a full sentence. From there we've kept moving forward. Now, three months later, their progress is amazing. It's so exciting and rewarding for me looking back on how we started and how far we've come. They're not reading yet but they are remembering some sight words. Whenever they speak to me they always use English (and a lot of gestures of course). One of our activities in class is poem and I do each poem for two weeks. Many of the kids are now able to memorize the poems! So far two that we've done that were the most popular were Fuzzy Wuzzy and Hickory Dickory Dock.<br />
<br />
It took me a little while to get attached to this class. In the beginning I was certain that they couldn't compare to my old class. They've wormed their way into my heart though, and I know I'll be sad to leave them in a little over a month. I can only imagine how they'll be speaking in a year's time. I'll attach some pictures of my class below. We went on a field trip to a zoo and there are some pictures from that too. (As a side note, one of the boys in the pictures left my class, and now I have two new boys not in the pictures that started last week). I have 11 kids in my class now. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc-K25DrIU5rFQyintIcE7-O7xfs9c7vtMJkT_s8b2EEAxv3rdDpSDFYOpNyZ0HEhWQ2CPHu9ozRUsqEkakYbHHT0dYwvi23fDLmEZ01n-mtJN2pObteECGrr0jjT3TFYKVHvhKB2mHD0/s1600/DSC03028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc-K25DrIU5rFQyintIcE7-O7xfs9c7vtMJkT_s8b2EEAxv3rdDpSDFYOpNyZ0HEhWQ2CPHu9ozRUsqEkakYbHHT0dYwvi23fDLmEZ01n-mtJN2pObteECGrr0jjT3TFYKVHvhKB2mHD0/s320/DSC03028.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8HbZf1VwQYWu1yFKBqUbUVxQLlbcdR3kpT1Hmq-EF71ba9KCKa1uUnovMXtu1-L_nu7Q5gumHDf-1mYLnyb5kblwFIeeSmcIdB0vuhYyjsoMzZ-_aEUKUfQljxSN_7ilEc044jS3zziA/s1600/DSC02870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8HbZf1VwQYWu1yFKBqUbUVxQLlbcdR3kpT1Hmq-EF71ba9KCKa1uUnovMXtu1-L_nu7Q5gumHDf-1mYLnyb5kblwFIeeSmcIdB0vuhYyjsoMzZ-_aEUKUfQljxSN_7ilEc044jS3zziA/s320/DSC02870.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidFDXco3mozH038s1GFpEqHm0XfBt1LssKeFNO9oEW5kDjzgkox1BZexQTXWiOVw7ptkrUPOzfmiH5lyua96HZjG0DgPP2RK_ApXg02NjLZAx8vyQ7Hj6Rx1iBk9LnGDn4e92CNGRPxj8/s1600/Mrs.+Chung+and+I+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidFDXco3mozH038s1GFpEqHm0XfBt1LssKeFNO9oEW5kDjzgkox1BZexQTXWiOVw7ptkrUPOzfmiH5lyua96HZjG0DgPP2RK_ApXg02NjLZAx8vyQ7Hj6Rx1iBk9LnGDn4e92CNGRPxj8/s320/Mrs.+Chung+and+I+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Me and the Director's wife</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-U2JoQ2s1CxdMpAEurIpizF2aaxOB1uoMhi9DT_iVaGNEGR3zZDz2uUMMC8siBr7GiLVl20GHXQDddjTxhwiopZsUWQyYj3U65lQ1RTpvv11CINfrJuvVvFD0_SfvWQ1U0IWwU9Q65o/s1600/LCI+school+picture+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-U2JoQ2s1CxdMpAEurIpizF2aaxOB1uoMhi9DT_iVaGNEGR3zZDz2uUMMC8siBr7GiLVl20GHXQDddjTxhwiopZsUWQyYj3U65lQ1RTpvv11CINfrJuvVvFD0_SfvWQ1U0IWwU9Q65o/s320/LCI+school+picture+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The entire kindergarten program.</div>Liz Wallishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066304543835511170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689551040420104304.post-85623488004398718672012-06-03T05:59:00.001-07:002012-06-03T05:59:42.481-07:00Namsan TowerI'm sorry that I've been on such a hiatus. I've been doing a lot in the last few months and I want to bring you some of the highlights. First: Namsan Tower. Namsan Tower is the Seattle Space Needle of Seoul. It's a tall skinny building/structure on top of a hill in the middle of Seoul. It allows you 360 degree views of the city. It was on my list of places to visit and in mid-April I went with my friend/fellow teacher Laura. <br />
<br />
To get to the base of the tower your options are taking the cable car, the bus, or hiking/walking up the mountain. Laura wanted to hike so we did. I'm using the word hike loosely here because it was more like sets and sets of stairs. Here's how it looked "hiking":<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7UP9xpuMEQl2eaezzfwT64rIlQnTcJIkF30OfJj08_hivmaFSaZRPnBhoqsw_rBLLtaOCmfjFN-Z9vCBR0Q0ANDkHYeyvHQWlYbE4d-LeqW-asMAKY-j20pshPk5caRi_2oSTmat9gpw/s1600/IMG_1141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7UP9xpuMEQl2eaezzfwT64rIlQnTcJIkF30OfJj08_hivmaFSaZRPnBhoqsw_rBLLtaOCmfjFN-Z9vCBR0Q0ANDkHYeyvHQWlYbE4d-LeqW-asMAKY-j20pshPk5caRi_2oSTmat9gpw/s320/IMG_1141.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
The weather was perfect for our adventure. When you finish climbing all the stairs (I definitely had to take a couple breaks) you get to the top where the tower is. Even without going up into the tower itself there are amazing views to be had from up there. Here's a picture of the tower from the platform:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgXJF4zNK1UYPoZlBkZ16JoxU1b7w-Z0HREtttzes7eCCQXk-_8UP2hveaNL-YNJecj3JSx58__5hArbUIZBJruyPvdnbTOSToxh9cI7EqrcLFrY1_cVKFavX8hpnBc0tkK28h9QJKIN4/s1600/IMG_1170.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgXJF4zNK1UYPoZlBkZ16JoxU1b7w-Z0HREtttzes7eCCQXk-_8UP2hveaNL-YNJecj3JSx58__5hArbUIZBJruyPvdnbTOSToxh9cI7EqrcLFrY1_cVKFavX8hpnBc0tkK28h9QJKIN4/s320/IMG_1170.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Before we went up in the tower we walked around. At Namsan there's a long fence that couples attach locks too. It's a fun tradition; couples will go and "lock up" their love at Namsan. For all of the couple things that I think are over the top here, I thought this one was kind of sweet. It was overwhelming to see all of the locks. They even had a box to throw away the keys. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh87pxKhNR1wCLIJ0lCekPhnDp16Cps6QrM40bW6cA4gumcVRtqFUhXTzkIT9LebeTj7mmqJ-F2tuFwocIcE_jNusXIYwasgipFh5CfK0KpfKWDf43cbO8kyH4inbZJ4INXIf3l-u899t0/s1600/Namsan+Tower+love+sculpture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh87pxKhNR1wCLIJ0lCekPhnDp16Cps6QrM40bW6cA4gumcVRtqFUhXTzkIT9LebeTj7mmqJ-F2tuFwocIcE_jNusXIYwasgipFh5CfK0KpfKWDf43cbO8kyH4inbZJ4INXIf3l-u899t0/s320/Namsan+Tower+love+sculpture.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-FWfiYPbGxRlXdgsJHio2A0aepq6H4uCLZOu-VZBUUxUIO4lwv7ItR6TM9POEM_rPZFr2Sw1FWN5bS4OCfq4l0tGS6mGBbHjh8qhlSrRy9eB6iPtNFLVT09M0E6y2IdoRhpJ932nMr34/s1600/Namsan+Tower+love+locks+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-FWfiYPbGxRlXdgsJHio2A0aepq6H4uCLZOu-VZBUUxUIO4lwv7ItR6TM9POEM_rPZFr2Sw1FWN5bS4OCfq4l0tGS6mGBbHjh8qhlSrRy9eB6iPtNFLVT09M0E6y2IdoRhpJ932nMr34/s320/Namsan+Tower+love+locks+7.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXaO5GYeOex7kVSn9E5lFBeg172oxLToxadEzYFYKkzrBvwHR-dSKgBN9CQPcNj2P8uCxlTQBjVuRtEAD7Rc-ERCl7zseufp7ts8F0sY0TgdfhBoqz4vVUYVJink9RZLA9ZVTkc1PNqr0/s1600/Namsan+Tower+love+locks+9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXaO5GYeOex7kVSn9E5lFBeg172oxLToxadEzYFYKkzrBvwHR-dSKgBN9CQPcNj2P8uCxlTQBjVuRtEAD7Rc-ERCl7zseufp7ts8F0sY0TgdfhBoqz4vVUYVJink9RZLA9ZVTkc1PNqr0/s320/Namsan+Tower+love+locks+9.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I liked that underneath the new plastic locks you could see old metal ones rusting with age.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGq_kCQBYvPTRr5gx2PUk5wFf0K2CQH4dZ1p9o6g3mRccqJmu_siv8UD8KUofqLo2_hpbFwNFzkJwVu4hQL-gKlTcfv-1t5qTu-7Ppin6YZ4QWORtT9syWEXHYVwznBORXNunqo352KjU/s1600/Namsan+Tower+love+locks+13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGq_kCQBYvPTRr5gx2PUk5wFf0K2CQH4dZ1p9o6g3mRccqJmu_siv8UD8KUofqLo2_hpbFwNFzkJwVu4hQL-gKlTcfv-1t5qTu-7Ppin6YZ4QWORtT9syWEXHYVwznBORXNunqo352KjU/s320/Namsan+Tower+love+locks+13.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Seoul in the background.</div>
<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
After we looked at all the locks we walked around the platform. In the gift shop there was a wall where couples could buy tiles to write on in addition to the locks. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhenuxLlDUeGAiAesxhyogwn6O0-XiIZvtyrK__V4t4MNJsibxx34iQ2VF576z0DhhOLSnKB11LRw-jbrpVgTMgIB8Nk8VunU2V2sPTz-rwvgiSt1nOIgDJggtaRAHrK_P_HophU16OxT4/s1600/Namsan+Tower+love+tiles.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhenuxLlDUeGAiAesxhyogwn6O0-XiIZvtyrK__V4t4MNJsibxx34iQ2VF576z0DhhOLSnKB11LRw-jbrpVgTMgIB8Nk8VunU2V2sPTz-rwvgiSt1nOIgDJggtaRAHrK_P_HophU16OxT4/s320/Namsan+Tower+love+tiles.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim21FECHTZk9JRgHqwlESOQ6C_oSIQuIuQBgXpXdTK2NI9_BljGKqqKf5TDM0xgrHoyL2YGs682DTa0CpxJfJbgUIYa5KflZIxGcmQ1fFfLODi2vM5IULG7q1hNzhay2-KzLMYrjlmbmU/s1600/Namsan+Tower+love+tiles+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim21FECHTZk9JRgHqwlESOQ6C_oSIQuIuQBgXpXdTK2NI9_BljGKqqKf5TDM0xgrHoyL2YGs682DTa0CpxJfJbgUIYa5KflZIxGcmQ1fFfLODi2vM5IULG7q1hNzhay2-KzLMYrjlmbmU/s320/Namsan+Tower+love+tiles+3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Those pictures that you see on the tiles are big in Korea. There are little shops you can go into and take those pictures then doctor them with hearts, stars, cat whiskers, etc. So cute (Korea's motto). Finally, after a full dose of couples and love, we went up into the tower. Here are some pictures of Seoul from the top.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdCcSooHAAcFq-_KgYlphyphenhyphen_Mavg4N9sWLQDD3rbHqq1xlzw9-9W5QGT7hh0sOVuzYFkIOH03nwCXhAnENYc1U8F6QIIw03uT3CJ3T6s6Vv3fOi1chZdCVnrm6G7jXNGb76ph0ox015VXM/s1600/Namsan+Tower%252C+top+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdCcSooHAAcFq-_KgYlphyphenhyphen_Mavg4N9sWLQDD3rbHqq1xlzw9-9W5QGT7hh0sOVuzYFkIOH03nwCXhAnENYc1U8F6QIIw03uT3CJ3T6s6Vv3fOi1chZdCVnrm6G7jXNGb76ph0ox015VXM/s320/Namsan+Tower%252C+top+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmP2T9h9Heykw3Qtj3NcrbVmZq2lAp4C7yV_H3rfk6PbcRiz4opDpfYQZEHwcIYtAjVPsyNc8nBT4Suy0Z_BBVO8UQwmLP3WlmEncAsV4vZYvAg89wX541bEufu4wESlBAXgysMmgVy_o/s1600/Namsan+Tower%252C+top+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmP2T9h9Heykw3Qtj3NcrbVmZq2lAp4C7yV_H3rfk6PbcRiz4opDpfYQZEHwcIYtAjVPsyNc8nBT4Suy0Z_BBVO8UQwmLP3WlmEncAsV4vZYvAg89wX541bEufu4wESlBAXgysMmgVy_o/s320/Namsan+Tower%252C+top+8.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgysdGJVZdeulVsuE8gRQVimNR2-mWd5SUPF9QGOCsFL54WsybUetTNjUZu8r0Y-fxCSfip99c4YWEYeA_N9vdlHuiyq5Q-bhith1lmKKsjfjo2RIVQPwFDhwQMmwXn1kf8JVY9ZAoPaOw/s1600/Namsan+Tower%252C+top+11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgysdGJVZdeulVsuE8gRQVimNR2-mWd5SUPF9QGOCsFL54WsybUetTNjUZu8r0Y-fxCSfip99c4YWEYeA_N9vdlHuiyq5Q-bhith1lmKKsjfjo2RIVQPwFDhwQMmwXn1kf8JVY9ZAoPaOw/s320/Namsan+Tower%252C+top+11.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1lsCefunBuqITh8x2kK2e2pd1t2f6MbtV2tjyLEBDzWdyuiWWg7R8qmdjMt18glAcSOHEgK2QtfBxwUyan9J8i89afsUNdtiCznJT1bHKR67GTJBrRETuD6M4b4qGc80Dv_DxR4A2t4/s1600/Namsan+Tower%252C+top+13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1lsCefunBuqITh8x2kK2e2pd1t2f6MbtV2tjyLEBDzWdyuiWWg7R8qmdjMt18glAcSOHEgK2QtfBxwUyan9J8i89afsUNdtiCznJT1bHKR67GTJBrRETuD6M4b4qGc80Dv_DxR4A2t4/s320/Namsan+Tower%252C+top+13.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyBS-boLcY7w8y6sE-HIKRCcxIO_z5GrrN5Dsz-IRJdG-laujFXk4R6g8wQaGPO2kIdQ3OroFcJtmraDr2Vzmk6yUYfdQaBfjk64QnFOu2PdgSqapQJG5FS1LoE-RYxE4NFmMXbym910/s1600/Namsan+Tower,+top+18.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyBS-boLcY7w8y6sE-HIKRCcxIO_z5GrrN5Dsz-IRJdG-laujFXk4R6g8wQaGPO2kIdQ3OroFcJtmraDr2Vzmk6yUYfdQaBfjk64QnFOu2PdgSqapQJG5FS1LoE-RYxE4NFmMXbym910/s320/Namsan+Tower,+top+18.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirgNrZvTtpvLtekDO0OOD22rIuhyTReayQF-cJ2RPbwteOZZqM3ORDyObdiOBXN6FU7Q5FVgIMtwVFRl-vceLjvFXU-qxbl1MtTkIcymQVxsu9NijIbh0BEDyIgLhZdV75F95mFK-r1cw/s1600/Namsan+Tower,+top+20.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirgNrZvTtpvLtekDO0OOD22rIuhyTReayQF-cJ2RPbwteOZZqM3ORDyObdiOBXN6FU7Q5FVgIMtwVFRl-vceLjvFXU-qxbl1MtTkIcymQVxsu9NijIbh0BEDyIgLhZdV75F95mFK-r1cw/s320/Namsan+Tower,+top+20.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It was really amazing seeing Seoul from the top of the tower. I've visited so many neighborhoods in Seoul but I never really had an idea of where they were in relation to each other. It was cool being able to figure it out. Afterwards Laura and I were even confinent enough that we decided to walk down the mountain to a neighborhood called Itawon that we've been to many times. Itawon is the foreigners district. We definitely took the long way, but we successfully made it there. It was nice to end the day in a cute little bar drinking amazing drinks. Of course, I have to share those too :) </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyB_mkymMWSHoovvkgOVU3gG-_tXa8-7GjL7dFDho-L3I7AlFFUWuWPwMt5b1IUKhXK8QoV59Iiszqs2t41VOjh1znTbXmIB26EDvLtxXN0Uu7UAco4gRXm5S6J557YbYdh6OOY8GAxp8/s1600/Bermuda+Triangle+Bar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyB_mkymMWSHoovvkgOVU3gG-_tXa8-7GjL7dFDho-L3I7AlFFUWuWPwMt5b1IUKhXK8QoV59Iiszqs2t41VOjh1znTbXmIB26EDvLtxXN0Uu7UAco4gRXm5S6J557YbYdh6OOY8GAxp8/s320/Bermuda+Triangle+Bar.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The bar was called Bermuda Triangle</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiinMEKaPpxbqHlc1kL-nq-S7I2BYMuEVfALKtKNPYCRELhraoXhZ_6NjhAzxhGFRbsbQtTKkb25ElebHGHEmaj7WPrEIr79mQstY6Kzw-pnunMIShAUXkEvukizFVttX8dJcieby4hD4s/s1600/IMG_1220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiinMEKaPpxbqHlc1kL-nq-S7I2BYMuEVfALKtKNPYCRELhraoXhZ_6NjhAzxhGFRbsbQtTKkb25ElebHGHEmaj7WPrEIr79mQstY6Kzw-pnunMIShAUXkEvukizFVttX8dJcieby4hD4s/s320/IMG_1220.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjM8VEqfh_Dco-KJOFPjNi1Oybz9_DijQW53BRVB7OelUP_jH-Xs3C6X-AlKmddALMMmfUEqD6-0_nkkC6PuVsb-fOoq_HXKuUnMGvG6P3CRjuNJYzGmt_RrMnVCeS1l-50et8fgG6DBo/s1600/IMG_1218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjM8VEqfh_Dco-KJOFPjNi1Oybz9_DijQW53BRVB7OelUP_jH-Xs3C6X-AlKmddALMMmfUEqD6-0_nkkC6PuVsb-fOoq_HXKuUnMGvG6P3CRjuNJYzGmt_RrMnVCeS1l-50et8fgG6DBo/s320/IMG_1218.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
A mojito and Kiwi makgeolli (a Korean rice wine)</div>Liz Wallishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066304543835511170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689551040420104304.post-15254303878904888282012-03-30T05:52:00.002-07:002012-04-09T04:41:46.018-07:00More Couples ParaphernaliaCouples. . . where to even begin? It's well known now, how hilarious (and odd) I think the couple culture here in Korea is. In some earlier posts I was able to show you pictures I took of Korean couples walking down the street, and at Everland. Now I want to bring you, what I think takes the cake as the weirdest piece of a couple's outfit. . . couples underwear. That's right. At any store here that sells underwear, you can find a nice set for couples. In fact, almost every underwear window display shows couples underwear.<br />
<br />
This is one riddle I just can't crack. I can't figure out if you call your boyfriend/girlfriend in the morning to make sure they wear theirs? Do couples get a kick from knowing that extra layer is matching and no one else can see? I thought the whole point was for people to see! Couples underwear has me completely baffled.<br />
<br />
Korean dating has its own barriers too. Here most people live with their parents until they are married. It's too expensive to move out, and chances are you wouldn't move very far anyways. So when Korean couples are dating they both have parents to go home to at the end of the night. It's one of the reasons why "love motels" are so popular here. There are also places called DVD-bong (bong means: room) where they have a lot of movies and you can rent one and watch it in a room there with a large screen. All my Korean friends have told me those are big places for Korean couples to go. The rooms are VERY private. <br />
<br />
I still can't figure out where the couples underwear comes in. I feel like there must be no spontaneity in many Korean relationships. If you're wearing your couples underwear, then you're hoping to see the matching pair, right? I just keep picturing a couple going to a love motel thinking "I can't wait until be both get down to our underwear and we match!" What is that?! I don't get it! I also can't imagine being 25, 28, over 30, going out for a date and knowing first you'll have dinner, then you'll get ice cream, then you'll go the love motel, but you can't be there too long because your parents are expecting you home. All eloquence gone: that would suck. <br />
<br />
Anyways, I wont say anything more because I coule rant about couples for hours. You all are in luck thought, because I have pictures of couples underwear. I felt like the creepiest person taking these photos, but I think it was worth it. Enjoy: <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDdaY5go27UKVX6FgNmj5Fo_fk1MVly6W2rz0cTECd2D1oJG21uiDxm8E0KxlB8V96wY4wBEqKAdFo6WXyHDU7dMvNry_OUTGQ5iuVgznBf69e-TxxTBVLUS8b45Nm826qwtC6pmFBaA/s1600/017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDdaY5go27UKVX6FgNmj5Fo_fk1MVly6W2rz0cTECd2D1oJG21uiDxm8E0KxlB8V96wY4wBEqKAdFo6WXyHDU7dMvNry_OUTGQ5iuVgznBf69e-TxxTBVLUS8b45Nm826qwtC6pmFBaA/s320/017.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUbKwJY9FmVLJBYia0zfrwb1tSY1alkDR83kqFkSSclIxXuhx6XGrWWC7G5Uqxab9b2K_VDBe6TKP3_O7FCdrmhwowjJH_Pd9px8Jc_jmZ02DgyUzxPJUQGNGBvQrj9FaSH1rKeoiNABU/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUbKwJY9FmVLJBYia0zfrwb1tSY1alkDR83kqFkSSclIxXuhx6XGrWWC7G5Uqxab9b2K_VDBe6TKP3_O7FCdrmhwowjJH_Pd9px8Jc_jmZ02DgyUzxPJUQGNGBvQrj9FaSH1rKeoiNABU/s320/009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWeBKQB3kNtpOC3OzNth4wo2INmH7o_TMs24N3PG-p7bU-8mYnLqtNmvFZC9uLBIUtTjbtDO4xKj03zKQh1R2GVPZktEifjNshLGqxW0QkrmJ5L_vZMiQeuwEDQgeOBH1ZF6Imz6pAHE/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWeBKQB3kNtpOC3OzNth4wo2INmH7o_TMs24N3PG-p7bU-8mYnLqtNmvFZC9uLBIUtTjbtDO4xKj03zKQh1R2GVPZktEifjNshLGqxW0QkrmJ5L_vZMiQeuwEDQgeOBH1ZF6Imz6pAHE/s320/003.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpSFkbB9NLQ1Bn8JKgNgznWt3CZf7UaX5qB7Uba45emgh9ivPQ4FTNX5NdRwOvo3X2p6vI399m24sNAsgFxhugTeUGDua2xtFX_xcoskkextdxf1LZlsHgUA9tibBfAbeXwHr7myHJrfc/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpSFkbB9NLQ1Bn8JKgNgznWt3CZf7UaX5qB7Uba45emgh9ivPQ4FTNX5NdRwOvo3X2p6vI399m24sNAsgFxhugTeUGDua2xtFX_xcoskkextdxf1LZlsHgUA9tibBfAbeXwHr7myHJrfc/s320/004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi5srSKtYAZm3GCDC3c3k7S8sYcCtVDV5GIspU2blbfvOjbPj_VmTTJ3Z2fg4NaWChzeHyxSW40fucxJxTR8rR2xW8MvP-TddZgET8LCdJsjOJScugBM-QoAJ7Tymfm4RN-93zcbDwTus/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi5srSKtYAZm3GCDC3c3k7S8sYcCtVDV5GIspU2blbfvOjbPj_VmTTJ3Z2fg4NaWChzeHyxSW40fucxJxTR8rR2xW8MvP-TddZgET8LCdJsjOJScugBM-QoAJ7Tymfm4RN-93zcbDwTus/s320/008.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DQhqXKas1PFGoRlvoLeZ4g4Oa1lAHJyoaaeN4uQ5gBdCpC2ZnaS5pCf5hE-nqQPC8OIQtgDQMru-gY-VIJR6sMiIfmVe_-ihmaF2EmGD1d1zvg_bxiGnkv2ofdDY3e_yNeFxTB6wIs8/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DQhqXKas1PFGoRlvoLeZ4g4Oa1lAHJyoaaeN4uQ5gBdCpC2ZnaS5pCf5hE-nqQPC8OIQtgDQMru-gY-VIJR6sMiIfmVe_-ihmaF2EmGD1d1zvg_bxiGnkv2ofdDY3e_yNeFxTB6wIs8/s320/004.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTVyT-04u2nIlb5qb3IJSE9T5CAe3usEjwmlulwOhOMI6juJKVpYX8HRJLIcjlpDWKXkImhGzNM0-51mKTNIhO5BOAu0RAn0U3uIH-66CCd0VGMe7KD9FsZo6nrjJ_ze-vyRifs44wTM/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTVyT-04u2nIlb5qb3IJSE9T5CAe3usEjwmlulwOhOMI6juJKVpYX8HRJLIcjlpDWKXkImhGzNM0-51mKTNIhO5BOAu0RAn0U3uIH-66CCd0VGMe7KD9FsZo6nrjJ_ze-vyRifs44wTM/s320/002.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Couples phone charms.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-szissHhrJk4fIHkKS8TQDYi4PKfMFWNp5e-tvpdcpO-srLdXYeE6-runsc5MxWfJh1ccLZouTOduiT0ypPuilKP3DSn0iqA0oe3K6SEaFBHEscI3ITbgirSqvWQ1Kwx_2T2mZ4pJJ4/s320/006.JPG" width="240" /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The most modest couple pajamas EVER. I feel like if you ever get to <em>this</em> stage in a relationship, it's time to re-evaluate.</div>Liz Wallishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066304543835511170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689551040420104304.post-55547193837629627162012-03-28T06:39:00.001-07:002012-03-30T05:17:05.066-07:00GraduationSorry it's been so long since my last post. For the last week or so blogspot wasn't working so I could write anything. What I've been meaning to do is write about Graduation. Graduation was on February 22nd. I was preparing for Graduation since December. Each class had to perform a song and dance. For my class I chose I'm On My Way by The Proclaimers. I taught the kids the words, and made up a dance. We practiced every day. My kids were one of the oldest classes too so they each had to give a speech (which I wrote). I used their ideas for the speech but it was definitely outside anything they could come close to writing. Their speeches were about what they wanted to be when they grew up. I had two pilots, an artist, a nurse, a chef, a energy scientist, and a police officer. <br />
<br />
Graduation was on a Wednesday but the Director's wife didn't check the dances until the Monday and Tuesday before. I didn't get it because she mostly looked disappointed and made changes to a lot of the dances. Luckily mine was okay (but she still didn't smile). I also taught an afternoon Drama class so I was preparing their performance too. The class is loosely called Drama because while we did read a play, there was no acting involved. They just had to memorize their lines and step forward at the right time. <br />
<br />
Before Graduation there were no dress rehearsals. We picked out the costumes from a magazine a couple weeks ago and they ordered them. The magazine/book had some of the most ridicluous costumes. Half the time the boys looked like girls. I'll try to find it and take some pictures... The day before Graduation we had one last rehearsal and the Director's wife looked stressed and upset the whole time. At that point though, there was nothing we could do.<br />
<br />
Graduation itself was held at a community center nearby. There was a small auditorium with a stage and maybe 150 seats. The costumes came, in all of their ridiculous glory, and graduation went pretty well (I thought). Not all of my kids knew their speeches entirely, but I was told that the parents would work on them at home. The costumes were a little small but my kids still looked adorable. Even drama went pretty well. Here are some pictures from Graduation (getting ready backstage):<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwYvJLu61ruliEqOo8LC_asWLogenozFu0C6Gq9O__oi0T5aIcZjxUyYIUbTW3QlthPsBvCjIP3P8XkEz-sMsxjT-29vqnKiRVSNlBvopaVEw0knB8uvGkvbXd8UHO0Nnv4NVUC1FQ38/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwYvJLu61ruliEqOo8LC_asWLogenozFu0C6Gq9O__oi0T5aIcZjxUyYIUbTW3QlthPsBvCjIP3P8XkEz-sMsxjT-29vqnKiRVSNlBvopaVEw0knB8uvGkvbXd8UHO0Nnv4NVUC1FQ38/s320/001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Ready to accept their diplomas!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bmt8OGp8DgI4eWvP_KEj3c6sA0d6LSpe9jpRdPmK_IW2YJ62iMiCaziiXFY2CZBgwho3rPIqiR7UTEHM9UpHUVQcWhryfb6MJVLU3yYmUkVCLvVKV3z-DuP4d6Mba_l_FiEC5G1hD5g/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bmt8OGp8DgI4eWvP_KEj3c6sA0d6LSpe9jpRdPmK_IW2YJ62iMiCaziiXFY2CZBgwho3rPIqiR7UTEHM9UpHUVQcWhryfb6MJVLU3yYmUkVCLvVKV3z-DuP4d6Mba_l_FiEC5G1hD5g/s320/004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Ready to accept their diplomas!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWyjzWtYFK8Q9ekxvrmkT5iiE_6dpj8L0GgwWIYgHofFV-htp3cgkSMWHwg4XdJhQI8jxxmKM2y77RstVbbUpUfF4nzHQrtWs-wXkjVJ0Cj1rS3mOi4mo_w4DEQlTIzgGOnsPdvNsbmHw/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWyjzWtYFK8Q9ekxvrmkT5iiE_6dpj8L0GgwWIYgHofFV-htp3cgkSMWHwg4XdJhQI8jxxmKM2y77RstVbbUpUfF4nzHQrtWs-wXkjVJ0Cj1rS3mOi4mo_w4DEQlTIzgGOnsPdvNsbmHw/s320/010.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
In their costumes for I'm On My Way.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDMAMnVKo7JKwW9aSKrSLWaTI4RS9VHMEn2-XdlXs0_x3qJTprlFZzLZmcg5sa8PSdMfMlTGwzyF4dqApI7IGT8xwrdUpOt2PntSy6OdJWP5eo5DpEJ7fKv-0nJ3YAoVE4lEi6wWoDeM/s1600/028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDMAMnVKo7JKwW9aSKrSLWaTI4RS9VHMEn2-XdlXs0_x3qJTprlFZzLZmcg5sa8PSdMfMlTGwzyF4dqApI7IGT8xwrdUpOt2PntSy6OdJWP5eo5DpEJ7fKv-0nJ3YAoVE4lEi6wWoDeM/s320/028.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
In their costumes for the school song We're All in this Together from High School Musical. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEdYtoEiN-EQhOt5H4FoxtP12Rq96jsOQcZXaKrLm15ULet-8OZRJvTL54l80InrB5rE5BXoUFdPxBdBCMQy70dM-Mfoqx_8-qcHwqOgrXvuEFhONhFgzSdBYjG4rOABzaZG9TNqmXPnA/s1600/041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEdYtoEiN-EQhOt5H4FoxtP12Rq96jsOQcZXaKrLm15ULet-8OZRJvTL54l80InrB5rE5BXoUFdPxBdBCMQy70dM-Mfoqx_8-qcHwqOgrXvuEFhONhFgzSdBYjG4rOABzaZG9TNqmXPnA/s320/041.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The beautiful flowers my kids gave me! (I don't know what the one in the middle exactly is)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Graduation was a great day, but also it was sad. My kids were 7y-2 so they were actually graduating and going on to Korean First Grade. I was very proud of how hard they had worked. Luckily, they all came back for afternoon classes at LCI so I still get to see them!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>Liz Wallishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066304543835511170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689551040420104304.post-27717246357240634252012-02-19T03:41:00.000-08:002012-02-20T04:39:45.889-08:00My ClassesI've realized as I look over posts I've written, that I haven't really talked about teaching very much; despite the fact that I spend over 40 hours a week at school. In fact I think I only mentioned it once. Where to start.... First: I'm really enjoying teaching here. Once I got over my original feeling of being overwhelmed I was fine. I feel like now I've really hit my stride. <br />
<br />
I've been thinking about my classes a lot because next week is graduation, and my entire schedule will change. My kindergarten class is called 7-2. The kids are seven years old, and this is their second year of English. Starting in March they will go to Korean first grade; that means I will get an entirely new class. Some of them will come back and take classes in the afternoon, but I'm getting ready for everything to change. I'll tell you about my kindergarten class first because I really do love those kids.<br />
<br />
In the seven months I've been here some students have come and gone. As it stands now, I have seven students. Four boys: Aden, Eddy, Peter, Sean, and three girls: Sunny, Katie, and Angela. Angela joined my class only a couple months ago, but the others have been their the entire time I've been in Korea. It's impossible to describe all of them, but we definitely are a class of characters. When I got to LCI (my academy) there was another teacher named Liz so on papers, and in everything else I was referred to as "Liz W". At first my kids thought that was really funny, and I didn't understand why until I realized their names are structured differently, and they didn't get what the "W" was about. Korean names are spoken with the last name first. I explained the "W" to them, and since then they have now become: Aden H., Eddy D., Peter P., Sean K., Sunny L., Katie P., and Angela O. I have also been given a variety of nicknames. The best is Liz Baby (I don't know how that happened) and the extended version is Liz Baby Superman Teddy Bear (yes they do really call me that). They even went so far as to name one of our two pet snails Liz Baby (the other was Transformer); at least they have great senses of humor right? I love it. <br />
<br />
One of my favorite things we do in class is Song. We start everyday with a song and work on it for two weeks. The best part is that I get to choose the song. In the last couple months we have done: Three Little Birds, Windy, Heal the World, I Want to Hold Your Hand, Hit the Road Jack, Love Train, Do You Remember, Little Saint Nick, and Jingle Bell Rock. Currently we are working on our graduation song and dance. Our song is I'm On My Way by The Proclaimers. They always do a great job with our song whether we're singing the Beatles or Jay Sean. <br />
<br />
After Song everyday I teach Themebook, which is their main lesson for the week. This month it is endangered and extinct animals, in the past it has been household items, things to do on the playground, seasons, etc. we cover everything. I also teach two reading books, a writing book, and math. One of my other favorite things we do is Writing Diary. I get really excited about it, and it's been fun watching the kids slowly warm to it since I would get so pumped. What it is, simply, is writing. Each week they have a different topic. Why I get so excited is because all the other books are about circling answers, or connecting dots, or True or False, rarely do the kids have to write their own sentences. It's very rewarding helping them, and watching them have to write on their own. We started Writing Diary in July where my only requirement was that they write at least three sentences. Now they write five or more on their own, I'm a very proud teacher. They've come so far.<br />
<br />
Other funner things on the schedule include: Cooking, Art, Science, P.E., Kids Excel, and Project. There's a special room for Cooking, and every week we make something simple from tortilla pizza to kimbop (Korean sushi, no fish). The kids love Cooking. Art is also fun, it's one of my favorite things we do, and every week we have set projects. One week they'll draw, and the next week make something. Sometimes drawing will involve making something with origami to put in the picture which I am always challenged at. That said, I can now make both a persimmon and a penguin with origami paper. The crafts range from ducks, to dolls, to spaceships. I think Art is so much fun because we just chill, put our songs on, sing, create, and have fun.<br />
<br />
Science is also a set project. I get a poster with instructions, and we go from there. We've made periscopes, cranes, thermometers, and done magic tricks. In P.E. I get to play whatever games I want with the kids. For Kids Excel they do a Reader Rabbit game on the computer. Project is a new period that started in September. It lasts for six weeks and involves a variety of projects focused on one topic. So far we've done Money, Dads, and currently are doing Graduation. It was a bit of a joke at first but has gotten better. The money one involved the kids bringing in different kinds of money and we even got to go to a grocery store to talk about what things cost. At the end of each Project the kids get a booklet with all the papers they did and pictures of them. The most important part of Project is getting the pictures of the kids working. It's a sad truth but that's the reality of a hagwon. Below I'll post some pictures of the kids during Project because you can see my classroom and me looking like a real teacher :) <br />
<br />
After kindergarten I have two elementary classes. My first elementary class consists of kids in their first year of Korean school. They went to kindergarten at LCI and were the top kindergarten class. They are some of the highest level students at the school and are all really smart. I have a lot of fun with them. Like my kindergartners, they know enough English that their personalities really shine through. I can explain difficult words to them and they understand. I love drawing pictures when explaining things to them because they think it's hilarious. Let's just say I'm no artist, but I do get the message across. Some of them recently have been reading the Harry Potter books (in English too) and right now that's all they talk about.<br />
<br />
I have that class Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 2:40-4:50. From 5:10-6:50 I have my last class which are three crazy boys. These boys are nine and never went to an English kindergarten but have been studying English for at least two years. They are hilarious. Okay, first I should say that their crazy, but over time we've come to terms with each other. They take a certain kind of patience and a sense of humor. We had our rough patches but we've come to an understanding, and I really like those boys a lot. I wish I could share their little -isms but they would not be done justice typed. Sometimes I just have to shake my head - like when they try to hide from me, or mutter things in Korean; but most of the time I just find them hilarious.<br />
<br />
Those are my classes, and I'm really lucky to enjoy them all. Most teachers have at least one class they struggle a lot with, but since the boys and I hit our stride, everything has been good. After graduation there's a chance that my schedule will completely change and I'll be given completely different classes. Time will tell. Until then, I hope I've given a little more insight into my classes here. <br />
<br />
Pictures of me teaching Project in kindergarten:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0CBzpN-8yitnmhVK1dsGQQHO6lO5l5wkdVC6RJSQFcSLbjKcFbdTZ59FKDCSME6eDMkt2X887ti_sgDYmuNtYpsFCZEkBud1F9cMAXsqkOTuQ7TRa27PWrad8QWh8hr-cNPhvPy51l4Q/s1600/DSC00683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0CBzpN-8yitnmhVK1dsGQQHO6lO5l5wkdVC6RJSQFcSLbjKcFbdTZ59FKDCSME6eDMkt2X887ti_sgDYmuNtYpsFCZEkBud1F9cMAXsqkOTuQ7TRa27PWrad8QWh8hr-cNPhvPy51l4Q/s320/DSC00683.JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Drawing: I'm sure, one of my infamous pictures. (Dad Project)</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSKDb2EKRHnVn0XTKKVMvGBs_qVU321MI6-u3A1s1XBqcYWU9y10tLVH_Z0oaVEcjChT2iCxKPwFNTZ8vnGe4Vw5jeRN6TcdOItMGdodTf8q6GwCurbyybY2CqCljoeyPcZk1BFwp0lo/s1600/SAM_6833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSKDb2EKRHnVn0XTKKVMvGBs_qVU321MI6-u3A1s1XBqcYWU9y10tLVH_Z0oaVEcjChT2iCxKPwFNTZ8vnGe4Vw5jeRN6TcdOItMGdodTf8q6GwCurbyybY2CqCljoeyPcZk1BFwp0lo/s320/SAM_6833.JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Checking their letters to their Dad (Dad Project)</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ABpUc3izEJSlJ2g4btvwEkVLGYZg8aHyoSRFxyd7F-PvoAwqrViycrEQhTB7P4Y_2SUxrCL9SY4VK5_NA6ixkEkCXRPO5TvdYAQjXAeCygsvNsqoceIYc-cbJIEiOEYI1UnmXK0zUQU/s1600/+%C2%A6%C2%A6%C2%A6-%C3%B70081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ABpUc3izEJSlJ2g4btvwEkVLGYZg8aHyoSRFxyd7F-PvoAwqrViycrEQhTB7P4Y_2SUxrCL9SY4VK5_NA6ixkEkCXRPO5TvdYAQjXAeCygsvNsqoceIYc-cbJIEiOEYI1UnmXK0zUQU/s320/+%C2%A6%C2%A6%C2%A6-%C3%B70081.jpg" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
"What can we buy with money?" Action shot in the grocery store. (Money Project)</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3aPyNXvY6iP6lVKPODmJyMhbyqxIOSANbBDrzrtSIzMPeFjLLghi7EH1Ux719ag7NjxRnMbetpUHBbjIp5_aBEglSt-hevXHm2QxeApu_g-MC6-ji-kT_TQoCo2LWHkCfrre60fUl88/s1600/SAM_7639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3aPyNXvY6iP6lVKPODmJyMhbyqxIOSANbBDrzrtSIzMPeFjLLghi7EH1Ux719ag7NjxRnMbetpUHBbjIp5_aBEglSt-hevXHm2QxeApu_g-MC6-ji-kT_TQoCo2LWHkCfrre60fUl88/s320/SAM_7639.JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A good view of the classroom, and what appears to be everyone paying attention. woo hoo! Starting at the back table from left is Sean, Peter, and Aden. At the front table from left to right is Angela, Eddy, Katie, and Sunny.</div>Liz Wallishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066304543835511170noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689551040420104304.post-68484201872041635282012-02-19T02:20:00.000-08:002012-02-19T02:20:15.168-08:00Valentine's Day and Other Holidays in Korea<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
Last Tuesday was Valentine's Day. I printed a coloring sheet for my kids so we would have some Valentine's Day related activity. A lot of the kids also brought in candy to share with me and the rest of the class. Behold my Valentine's Day gifts:</div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmjzYrjO8piRmNWlsJUQ2Qi7_wCQXCSv163wFFYGaq56aa0YOBDUiGvyicjlgcD40eQA2cUDnK9RKmvovjg45XqpKfdYjGl3Josvx6Xys-S4sQsJLu5hCHZaZw21yr5pgxuc6JyA9eKbk/s1600/Valentine's+Day+gifts.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmjzYrjO8piRmNWlsJUQ2Qi7_wCQXCSv163wFFYGaq56aa0YOBDUiGvyicjlgcD40eQA2cUDnK9RKmvovjg45XqpKfdYjGl3Josvx6Xys-S4sQsJLu5hCHZaZw21yr5pgxuc6JyA9eKbk/s320/Valentine's+Day+gifts.JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
Valentine's Day is celebrated here although it's a little different than in the U.S. Typically on Valentine's Day girls will give chocolates to their boyfriends. Then, on White Day (March 14th) the guys give gifts to the girls. My friend told me the gift is usually candy unless the couple is older in which case it would be a purse or something like that. Can you imagine a guy buying you a purse? Anyways, I wasn't surprised that Korea in its couply glory would want to make Valentine's Day mulitple days. I remember being told that technically every 14th of a month is a holiday for couples (although I don't think they're really celebrated). The only exception is April 14th which is a day for singles. </div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
Celebrating Valentine's Day reminded me of another holiday I had forgotten to share with you: Pepero Day! Pepero is a snack, and maybe you've heard of the Japanese version Poxy. It is a thin biscuit stick covered in chocolate. Sometimes it also has nuts on the outside or there is a version with the chocolate on the inside. We can complain about some holidays in the U.S. being created by greeting card complanies, but Pepero Day really takes the cake as a holiday manufactured by a company. Ready for this? Pepero is November 11th because.... yup, you guessed it: the date 11/11 looks like four sticks of Pepero! Brilliant! This year was ultimate Pepero Day since it was 11/11/11. All the kids in my class brought in Pepero to give to each other and to me. Here are my Pepero gifts:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-kp2CZxhzqlP6MOcd-1cZJ-WnOlNNy6aHbBwU_baSXaF3X0sE2UmQkYAMAtn8MSwc7tHlD4DPeTmlfokGorlcbOTRzAxCDJ4fFty8ADlDe1uvlonBuo2VOQLvM1EiikYG5z7PkfUjZ6g/s1600/Pepero+Day+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-kp2CZxhzqlP6MOcd-1cZJ-WnOlNNy6aHbBwU_baSXaF3X0sE2UmQkYAMAtn8MSwc7tHlD4DPeTmlfokGorlcbOTRzAxCDJ4fFty8ADlDe1uvlonBuo2VOQLvM1EiikYG5z7PkfUjZ6g/s320/Pepero+Day+2.JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As you can see, I recieved a variety of Pepero. The boxes in the middle are the "nude" ones (it literally says nude on the box) which have the chocolate on the inside. The bigger Pepero looked kind of like those breadsticks, but dipped in chocolate. My favorite thing by far though, was spotted when I was walking down the street. Outside a shop I saw literally, a baguette that had been dipped in chocolate. The ultimate Pepero! I can't imagine who would eat it but maybe that's not what matters. I'm sure couples gave each other Pepero, and the bigger the Pepero the more love behind it right? I'm just guessing here... :)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Since I'm discussing holidays I should also mention Lunar New Year. A couple posts ago I mentioned what I did that long weekend, but we did have celebrations in school. It was my second opportunity to wear the Korean hanbok. From what I understand, the holiday is mainly about bowing to your parents and grandparents. Of course, I got the kids perspective, and I guess they get gifts/money for bowing during this holiday too. We had some celebrations at school on the sixth floor (our gym/auditorium). The kids all bowed to us which was very cute. Here are some pictures from that day: </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWC5Kd51NiZ-E2Ap8YBywvDLLkDWl_DEvfGgYo7yytYBbLe3IvH698q2B_gdoWpXlx6AlIKTkuNxfJD4QAQjlZrMuJWZXxTalFoBai5h_Mkb-cBKwkDycJr0aITQI6NPjZrV9je0PDiKY/s1600/005+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWC5Kd51NiZ-E2Ap8YBywvDLLkDWl_DEvfGgYo7yytYBbLe3IvH698q2B_gdoWpXlx6AlIKTkuNxfJD4QAQjlZrMuJWZXxTalFoBai5h_Mkb-cBKwkDycJr0aITQI6NPjZrV9je0PDiKY/s320/005+(3).JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My boys :)</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLFE3GVIKeT5hPZOBkGZCMSM_JkryPWL2D-93gbjN_OumvjNBInATxGKeipGpsXk9C4otM9S6BVnmV7Jx4jnA_6_BMUljZT4ezqV2Ypk7PsGL5hSV-NL9pb4dNald_Xoqk4yKB9Z9vR0/s1600/009+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLFE3GVIKeT5hPZOBkGZCMSM_JkryPWL2D-93gbjN_OumvjNBInATxGKeipGpsXk9C4otM9S6BVnmV7Jx4jnA_6_BMUljZT4ezqV2Ypk7PsGL5hSV-NL9pb4dNald_Xoqk4yKB9Z9vR0/s320/009+(3).JPG" width="240" yda="true" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Sunny and I (she looks so sweet here, she's usually crazy)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcN2xzAhVYvuIpdDpL22G1k87Xhe2vN7AKD_znBFdjFXsg1ggdiEDhvhYm_qDArK5rQH3sCvWIMSadPG4W_NKFJnQK138cHyiHk53AqRPYrJZX8iEvx30skQyhkzZbge38nhwfhLgyo3s/s1600/tug+o+war+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcN2xzAhVYvuIpdDpL22G1k87Xhe2vN7AKD_znBFdjFXsg1ggdiEDhvhYm_qDArK5rQH3sCvWIMSadPG4W_NKFJnQK138cHyiHk53AqRPYrJZX8iEvx30skQyhkzZbge38nhwfhLgyo3s/s320/tug+o+war+2.jpg" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Tug o' war!</div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijom3vekJG8GVGymVRzCVj51nkd8iWEOkEyP3l2L72yWbrdrt0BhUJH8dKvH2yUIsfn2yCxe0irDgyzXVDQbkneWi3d2T4aNR68EOH1wiIezhtaAaYDQjZexnVvHaXdvRECJNeaaA-zls/s1600/016+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijom3vekJG8GVGymVRzCVj51nkd8iWEOkEyP3l2L72yWbrdrt0BhUJH8dKvH2yUIsfn2yCxe0irDgyzXVDQbkneWi3d2T4aNR68EOH1wiIezhtaAaYDQjZexnVvHaXdvRECJNeaaA-zls/s320/016+(2).JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Mr. and Mrs. Chung: the Director and his wife (Mrs. Chung is a big part of the school but technically doesn't have a title other than "the Director's wife") </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtsQAbyfT6NE881hek4a5iqK8QYWlckbEzhNNigGPLtIs1PVNb3PxJQcToooRSSa9AvShOqxKE6oMWzWBpNL9ipEjXSmk2fut2V3gapNLCODzKy1kHRnYuOP5nXPoMRlgv-lJmx5FvuKc/s1600/022+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtsQAbyfT6NE881hek4a5iqK8QYWlckbEzhNNigGPLtIs1PVNb3PxJQcToooRSSa9AvShOqxKE6oMWzWBpNL9ipEjXSmk2fut2V3gapNLCODzKy1kHRnYuOP5nXPoMRlgv-lJmx5FvuKc/s320/022+(2).JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My fellow teachers</div>Liz Wallishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066304543835511170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689551040420104304.post-41356385429279283642012-02-12T04:02:00.000-08:002012-02-12T04:02:50.150-08:00February 11thYesterday, February 11th, was the one year anniversary of my father passing away. The week leading up was not easy. Last year that final week was both a blessing, and the most difficult time of my life. Going into the 11th I wasn't sure how I would feel. Overall, it was a good day.<br />
<br />
At first I didn't know how I wanted to spend the day, but I did know that I wanted to spend the day alone. In the morning I packed my kindle and my guidebook and went to the cafe next to my school to have a waffle and plan my day. It was very relaxing and a good way to start the day. As an added bonus I got talking to the woman seated next to me. She was in her 40s and was working on English homework. She had a question and asked if I could help. We were chatting for a while and now I think I might have another language exchange partner; that or at least someone that can teach me how to cook Korean food! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdmgVQ5PXUweHl1jD75hLw1Pu1QkQBm-lDPCP02FZY1lzVWFCoIMaeQo7zKJfGp7-cggqPYg_bvOlufysK_HHSRkXzuuHgHlX_5ekKxcEa6Os2n1gpy2HIA5zZr5Ee8OeQyymhkePo0ww/s1600/cafe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdmgVQ5PXUweHl1jD75hLw1Pu1QkQBm-lDPCP02FZY1lzVWFCoIMaeQo7zKJfGp7-cggqPYg_bvOlufysK_HHSRkXzuuHgHlX_5ekKxcEa6Os2n1gpy2HIA5zZr5Ee8OeQyymhkePo0ww/s320/cafe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The cafe by my school</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
At the cafe I decided I would go to Leeum, the Samsung Museum of Art. I caught the bus to Seoul and was on my way. It was nice traveling alone for once. I felt I needed a quiet day and that's what I had. I got to Leeum just in time to catch the 3:00 tour in English. As luck had it I was the only one there, so I got a personal tour. The tour was an hour and half and she took me through the highlights of the museum.<br />
<br />
The museum itself is broken into three parts: Museum 1 - ancient Korean pottery, metal works, and drawings; Museum 2 - Modern art, both Korean and Western; and Museum 3 - a children's learning center. It was great having the tour, especially for Museum 1. Korean pottery looks so simple and is usually one color but it's really complex. Almost everything is inlaid with another clay. The pottery also changed across the dynasties. I learned a lot and definitely have a higher appreciation for their work. Museum 2 was also good. Modern art for me is hit or miss depending on the piece (obviously my personal opinion) but they had a lot of things that I liked.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisVt0SB1aq97Yo9_lxgT0wfjUCI7R_TW_5dFN1GJI2ewo3xSv4QySgD2lqTOzVwes9zgpN9STEBCUP6Mvl7ef6kKR83kpDyRZFHT9_zCB2Qvff1lYnNjDhgDlDYn6x6u2EPE5rbK0Z7_I/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisVt0SB1aq97Yo9_lxgT0wfjUCI7R_TW_5dFN1GJI2ewo3xSv4QySgD2lqTOzVwes9zgpN9STEBCUP6Mvl7ef6kKR83kpDyRZFHT9_zCB2Qvff1lYnNjDhgDlDYn6x6u2EPE5rbK0Z7_I/s320/004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
There were no pictures allowed inside but this is the outside of the museum. The building to the left is Museum 3, the middle round one is Museum 1, and the one to the right is Museum 2. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
After the tour finished I went back through both museums again. She had just done the highlights so we breezed past a lot of pieces. It was nice talking my time and inspecting everything. Although dad was never a fan of Art Museums it was a great way to spend the day. People all talked in hushed voices and it was very peaceful. I stopped on my way to the bus home to get a green tea latte (my favorite drink now) and that just completed the feeling that everything was going well.<br />
<br />
There was a small hiccup on the way home when I took the wrong bus. I've never done that before here. Luckily I ended up in a place I had heard of before that wasn't too far from where I live. Once I got over my initial panic, I was able to grab a taxi and get myself home. I ended the day with macaroni and cottage cheese which was a dad classic. It was a good day and went exactly the way I needed it to. I can't believe it's already been one year.Liz Wallishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066304543835511170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689551040420104304.post-991534368028935992012-01-31T05:27:00.000-08:002012-01-31T05:27:55.192-08:00Busan<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
Back in November I went to Busan with two co-workers. For all of you unfamiliar with Korea's layout (as I was) Busan is a large city on the southeast tip of Korea. Here's a handy little map: </div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2xoU03VCSOhIOlejpBJ_xiDi8yBSL0gc5cRKj1wTVFbCzrALw5-NHk6I7Z_IMoxbt4nK8zAepQ6inKZ181pk1Um8sotDYfECK7fdM5FM1pvDay898hvW2awR5P43XXRc4sqvGXrUQUm4/s1600/Korea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2xoU03VCSOhIOlejpBJ_xiDi8yBSL0gc5cRKj1wTVFbCzrALw5-NHk6I7Z_IMoxbt4nK8zAepQ6inKZ181pk1Um8sotDYfECK7fdM5FM1pvDay898hvW2awR5P43XXRc4sqvGXrUQUm4/s320/Korea.jpg" width="297" /></a></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
You can also see its distance from Suwon (where I live). Busan is the second largest city in Korea after Seoul and is a big vacation place for most Koreans. They have a lot of nice beaches and it's rumored to be so packed in the summer that you can't even move on the beach. Busan is known for its port too which is the fifth largest in the world. It was on my list of cities to visit and luckily some friends also wanted to go. </div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
I don't get a lot of vacation time here so we decided to go just for a weekend. The train ride takes a little over four hours. There's a fast train called the KTX that can get you there in two and a half hours but we booked too late to get that train (and it's more expensive). Our train left at 10:52am Saturday morning. I will forever remember that time - it's a funny story and I think speaks volumes about Korean transportation. </div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
We got to the station early and had plenty of time to collect our tickets, and grab breakfast. Korean trains/subway/everything is known to be extremely punctual so we made sure to stay on time. We were walking down the stairs to the platform around 10:48 and saw a train waiting. We ran down the stairs and hopped on the train just in time. As we were strolling through the train towards are seats we found ourselves in the first class section - that was indicator #1 that something was wrong. We showed our tickets to some passengers standing between cars and we were calmly informed we were on the wrong train. We had gotten on the 10:48 KTX train instead of our 10:52 train that was leaving from the same platform. How silly of us. Of course they would schedule trains four minutes apart. Oh, Korea.</div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
Long story short: we got off at the next stop (an hour away) and waited for our train to catch up to us. It was a nice journey once we got settled, and I enjoyed watching Korea pass by. </div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrImLyOlKVWjxvJhXkbypt-SmmS_KdYyesiPkbyLAfDjk6F8SzvJHlbcJmJftUK0nkYkLymGQ2s2zOPMpUSi-0nHyqILMYGyAW69OYYixrgREfOWlxpXCWDMUCMuRYZyBl8FCLl63LEQ/s1600/train+ride+to+Busan+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrImLyOlKVWjxvJhXkbypt-SmmS_KdYyesiPkbyLAfDjk6F8SzvJHlbcJmJftUK0nkYkLymGQ2s2zOPMpUSi-0nHyqILMYGyAW69OYYixrgREfOWlxpXCWDMUCMuRYZyBl8FCLl63LEQ/s320/train+ride+to+Busan+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
We got into Busan and set off to find our accommodations. We had booked three beds in a shared room with the help of one of the Korean staff at school. The place was really nice, it looked just like a nice apartment, where someone had decided to put four bunk beds in the bedroom instead of one bed. There were little lockers for our bags so we tucked away our stuff and went off to explore. We walked along the beach then went to meet my friend Laura's friend who taught English in the area. We had dinner with her and went out. One of my favorite things was the drink menu at the first bar we went to. Some of the drink names are... interesting...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVyKfcBMtFGtjZRVoXN8wln63V9gmhfJGmThnvLs1rlIWWZs2S6ZCjg1V-XduThA8ItGTaNd8hY7vK1TIsVDMk4cAn37VPeLAAbGITQcWaB-PHNcLxWryEqxTp4mQO1uusvyT30u15nhI/s1600/Fuzzy+Navel+menu+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVyKfcBMtFGtjZRVoXN8wln63V9gmhfJGmThnvLs1rlIWWZs2S6ZCjg1V-XduThA8ItGTaNd8hY7vK1TIsVDMk4cAn37VPeLAAbGITQcWaB-PHNcLxWryEqxTp4mQO1uusvyT30u15nhI/s640/Fuzzy+Navel+menu+2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
The next morning we went back to the beach early. I have this thing, like it's an accomplishment to stand in different bodies of water; so we went to Haeundae Beach (one of the most famous beaches in Busan). We wanted to see the beach too, but now I can officially check the Korean Straight off my list. </div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9goKOW5d3SDiRMSyC6Iw2Ko5hTGHS4lHjz9CoVjNYDHNQvC4MlaaWDMiQOhqxNRgbxuFxFIm0rg3lWuwj9mlZjLVjRDDxoB0CdbIVmaStH9jbN5bn5Ru9zFMModlTE5HSp5Pgx0QXYVw/s1600/Haeundae+Beach+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9goKOW5d3SDiRMSyC6Iw2Ko5hTGHS4lHjz9CoVjNYDHNQvC4MlaaWDMiQOhqxNRgbxuFxFIm0rg3lWuwj9mlZjLVjRDDxoB0CdbIVmaStH9jbN5bn5Ru9zFMModlTE5HSp5Pgx0QXYVw/s320/Haeundae+Beach+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
Haeundae Beach</div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
After the beach we decided to go to a jjimjilbang (I pronounce it Jim-ji-bong). Jjimjilbangs are traditional Korean public bath houses/saunas. My guidebook says it's one of the things "not to miss" if you want the full Korean experience and I had been working up my courage to go for some time. Since I was traveling with two girls and they both wanted to go I figured it was time to let peer pressure win. Busan is also known for having some of the largest jjimjilbangs not only in Korea but in all Asia. We went to one recommended by my guidebook called Hurshimchung jjimjilbang. </div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here's how it works: you don't pay anything to go in (you pay at the end) and they give you a bracelet with a number in case you purchase anything inside (like drinks) or get any extra spa treatments. The men and the women are of course separated and you go into your respective locker room where everyone is naked. In fact, you feel a little weird wearing clothes. So what can you do but join them? The main room of the jjimjilbang had a dozen pools. Each were kept at different temperatures and had different properties. Some had jets, some had minerals in the water etc. You hop from pool to pool staying wherever you want as long as you like. </div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
Most Koreans have been going to jjimjilbangs from a young age so there's nothing out of the ordinary to be around lots of other naked people. In fact, after a few minutes you kind of forget about it. It's all the same when you get down to it, right? Wanting to go for the full experience we paid for an extra experience, that no doubt will sound weird, but basically involves a woman scrubbing you down. You lay on a table and she just scrubs you down; she has a special brush, soap, all of that. But at the end of the day it really just is a woman scrubbing you. I will tell you though, it would shock you how much dead skin comes off and how soft it makes your skin feel. After that we went back to the pools and at one point we had three young girls coming up to us practicing their English. It was really cute and surprisingly not awkward; like I said you get over the whole naked thing in the first couple minutes. Okay, maybe you don't get over it but I will admit you kind of forget about it until you look down :)</div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
The jjimjilbang not only includes the pools but other sauna rooms. For that part they gave us robes and it was mixed men and women. We went down into a big open floor and on that floor there were little huts that looked like igloos, they were maybe thirty feet around each. There were three and each one had different health benefits. One was really cold, one hot and one even hotter. There was also a separate room with charcoal in the walls and a sign that said the oxygen level in that room was higher than normal. I guess that also has beneficial health properties. Overall we were in the jjimjilbang for over three hours. It was an interesting experience and I'm glad I got up my courage and went.</div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
After the jjimjilbang we had a couple hours before our train back. We went to the Jagalchi Fish Market. We got there later (around 5pm) so a lot of the market was closed, but you could still see how busy it must be during the day, especially in the early morning when the fish comes in. This is a traditional stand at Jagalchi and a selection of what they offer:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHrEAoiywBMICn9qCrw4CmPEial146mf1keeHPB_pvdUWx7WeUvWjDEWksiPwL3JFMnO-uQJswTkLeYftqSepdtmuEjXFjALTFBQEbh6-IbJ7Vx-XuF5jUWUZGadI3LhH4KIbleCZ8EZI/s1600/Jagalchi+Fish+Market+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHrEAoiywBMICn9qCrw4CmPEial146mf1keeHPB_pvdUWx7WeUvWjDEWksiPwL3JFMnO-uQJswTkLeYftqSepdtmuEjXFjALTFBQEbh6-IbJ7Vx-XuF5jUWUZGadI3LhH4KIbleCZ8EZI/s320/Jagalchi+Fish+Market+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCQGOF-UhT7y6Y9TV8hqThgfhz-vlULecgKlcox9AzE7zYmEXNcbgBufRBEW7Nw6RbXdDEwXX6cbp-48_80FUPS7hftepGLyZtmZ2dAxjdydHV_sUt_5Wcf_PUQdZ7dlcQS3Fx0ZvIrg/s1600/Jagalchi+Fish+Market+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCQGOF-UhT7y6Y9TV8hqThgfhz-vlULecgKlcox9AzE7zYmEXNcbgBufRBEW7Nw6RbXdDEwXX6cbp-48_80FUPS7hftepGLyZtmZ2dAxjdydHV_sUt_5Wcf_PUQdZ7dlcQS3Fx0ZvIrg/s320/Jagalchi+Fish+Market+4.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZDpT-9OI8kbw7nm3sopVOq8d87cvd4g9w-aRc1VQjV7z5GosVerQoKxrD4W2Mc8b3P_3bJOEHdm9ZMTzx3Yx2heJdX9R5X5Q0kfIKb48ZXts2dkivqRS-M_8WPHpYc_kdMNzRKW_6bDM/s1600/Jagalchi+Fish+Market+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZDpT-9OI8kbw7nm3sopVOq8d87cvd4g9w-aRc1VQjV7z5GosVerQoKxrD4W2Mc8b3P_3bJOEHdm9ZMTzx3Yx2heJdX9R5X5Q0kfIKb48ZXts2dkivqRS-M_8WPHpYc_kdMNzRKW_6bDM/s320/Jagalchi+Fish+Market+6.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
You pick what fish you want and can get it cooked or sashimi on the spot. We found a stand and bought two fish. One was a flounder but I'm not sure about the other. The man took the live fish out of the tank, clubbed them, and told us to follow him upstairs. Immediately the fish were handed to a women who started cooking them (we opted to have them grilled). These were our sides and the delicious fish:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlzoCzrmjjzTpVxl0EnCSR7czoDv0McoOde1t8ZGGEEDllwen6Xzt3nVDTp5ix6DXFRJ7NAO08005rAD4zmOCe1YAMJnzn0W17_QJNiccoJbUC3J_T61FqdtJ54JMrVEG3vTwkfisoJiw/s1600/Fish+dinner+sides.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlzoCzrmjjzTpVxl0EnCSR7czoDv0McoOde1t8ZGGEEDllwen6Xzt3nVDTp5ix6DXFRJ7NAO08005rAD4zmOCe1YAMJnzn0W17_QJNiccoJbUC3J_T61FqdtJ54JMrVEG3vTwkfisoJiw/s320/Fish+dinner+sides.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The drink being poured is makgeolli, a fermented rice wine.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQ6iwJ7duBYitbfnz2j1BYCJ1sy5sNdUOsNaOTJchz_669OKtkeG6-CikHvCGT0bOFCmuy78Rr5wrzy2yxIVeMOUYE52c0TEn2hzaoBXdMVgzPMWHYeUYIxjpo2z_wSiSNTz0_hMHy6Y/s1600/Fish+dinner+before+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQ6iwJ7duBYitbfnz2j1BYCJ1sy5sNdUOsNaOTJchz_669OKtkeG6-CikHvCGT0bOFCmuy78Rr5wrzy2yxIVeMOUYE52c0TEn2hzaoBXdMVgzPMWHYeUYIxjpo2z_wSiSNTz0_hMHy6Y/s320/Fish+dinner+before+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After dinner we caught our train back to Suwon. It was a busy weekend but I loved it. I will definitely try to go back to Busan before I leave Korea.</div>Liz Wallishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066304543835511170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4689551040420104304.post-11025047301795866282012-01-29T06:45:00.000-08:002012-01-29T06:45:32.158-08:00Trick Eye MuseumAs many of you know I went to Hong Kong for Christmas and my winter break; that blog entry will be coming along soon. In the meantime I'll tell you about a little fun I had after the New Year. I came back from Hong Kong on the 31st just in time to meet my friend Becca from the U.S. who came to visit me for a week. We had a good time despite the fact I was working that week. My favorite thing we got to do was go to the Trick Eye Museum in Seoul. I had seen pictures a friend had posted from the museum and it looked like a lot of fun. <br />
<br />
The museum has famous paintings repainted with a twist in the style of trompe l'oeil. All the paintings look like they are 3D but are in fact flat on the wall. There was writing on the wall helping you to know where to put your hands (or body) for the best effect. All in all, it was a lot of fun. Here are some of the best shots:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLf1_MVYklhbZKHgGEjTZ5-vScx72BkVYpdM9WIHadh3WCx5U_WXYpD36RnFtweUBxztRN4OiYgDwedDhTkPSsxIsQlvOfGPmufnoidBmDqqJtBqJXDXUQGC3ZSj3RMikRiJKYlpRRqPM/s1600/IMG_0168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLf1_MVYklhbZKHgGEjTZ5-vScx72BkVYpdM9WIHadh3WCx5U_WXYpD36RnFtweUBxztRN4OiYgDwedDhTkPSsxIsQlvOfGPmufnoidBmDqqJtBqJXDXUQGC3ZSj3RMikRiJKYlpRRqPM/s320/IMG_0168.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Y-UaU5FCV4Px5O0Pj-B7ZcvqNePGKSZr1CxizLmT2-e3-kZy3ZiRgcynS-p3BbqFsffqBQXRwY1OV0iTCYEgo_fpS7MRy9B0BznqsMFOKxA-Ggr3NRbSYLUQHilDBn9WLuohh8H3tLM/s1600/IMG_0182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Y-UaU5FCV4Px5O0Pj-B7ZcvqNePGKSZr1CxizLmT2-e3-kZy3ZiRgcynS-p3BbqFsffqBQXRwY1OV0iTCYEgo_fpS7MRy9B0BznqsMFOKxA-Ggr3NRbSYLUQHilDBn9WLuohh8H3tLM/s320/IMG_0182.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjceQOavswd1yXlxOpfHd5il8I8-DE4tGZUBgrJ9JCoYLVJ9aWyTgmvf_MQI-MlK8t1jgULErH6LQu5L1nueIolT5zfwam5vohoQPMo9Rrp8vfK_UbH4X35Lhm9rJSr-eoYL0z541kKVXs/s1600/IMG_0198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjceQOavswd1yXlxOpfHd5il8I8-DE4tGZUBgrJ9JCoYLVJ9aWyTgmvf_MQI-MlK8t1jgULErH6LQu5L1nueIolT5zfwam5vohoQPMo9Rrp8vfK_UbH4X35Lhm9rJSr-eoYL0z541kKVXs/s320/IMG_0198.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslzY2D6oMJA_5ajfTRfqpHJJAs_fJ-D1m7BPRVJdF-q4K_Pr0XztXoDwHVOa6jmGyiz3d9BUueFXgyOjYKOAuKPFQb6RDVhOI81mp4eB2cM73AT7pti8ndYJYHX0Pmr1g4ih0hakqcB8/s1600/IMG_0206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslzY2D6oMJA_5ajfTRfqpHJJAs_fJ-D1m7BPRVJdF-q4K_Pr0XztXoDwHVOa6jmGyiz3d9BUueFXgyOjYKOAuKPFQb6RDVhOI81mp4eB2cM73AT7pti8ndYJYHX0Pmr1g4ih0hakqcB8/s320/IMG_0206.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_fJPjQZiC-LkCRTcam9JqYzhSmQXLZgNWTD5Ae9WBn_u6dXi5o8XixQQdry8nBLZqGSk17FEf-0xsCXeoeSycdFhsIETWQmTPGKJkK5cNXfYQZ5jZwK9tY30pBbyMXhOF1k65jvJ7hc/s1600/IMG_0209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_fJPjQZiC-LkCRTcam9JqYzhSmQXLZgNWTD5Ae9WBn_u6dXi5o8XixQQdry8nBLZqGSk17FEf-0xsCXeoeSycdFhsIETWQmTPGKJkK5cNXfYQZ5jZwK9tY30pBbyMXhOF1k65jvJ7hc/s320/IMG_0209.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKDw5D0VfC9k-zTB9MhMGNsOwiKhjokF2lPTOOw6f_DmjeNuLtVl4tSxhpoD9wZfYg7VZoOl5dQD92Rk_NoeRo4PcW94T6gOy6T-gJ0C5LWTfwbx-1udIW1V4laMBtNILcwaf4p9jx0IA/s1600/IMG_0219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKDw5D0VfC9k-zTB9MhMGNsOwiKhjokF2lPTOOw6f_DmjeNuLtVl4tSxhpoD9wZfYg7VZoOl5dQD92Rk_NoeRo4PcW94T6gOy6T-gJ0C5LWTfwbx-1udIW1V4laMBtNILcwaf4p9jx0IA/s320/IMG_0219.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSSVsKOoGvavc5mJS7aPOL1r92WifERIwhJDwKVUwDQ66OJ5ydZTfgg83msfGQGgY27ndAxPezwEYq2u8swUBRJbxLc6UihewJ18bNH0xUukDPz1J4MY5xR_9mMCRKbtgfErmAYFDLhhc/s1600/IMG_0237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSSVsKOoGvavc5mJS7aPOL1r92WifERIwhJDwKVUwDQ66OJ5ydZTfgg83msfGQGgY27ndAxPezwEYq2u8swUBRJbxLc6UihewJ18bNH0xUukDPz1J4MY5xR_9mMCRKbtgfErmAYFDLhhc/s320/IMG_0237.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSUiv19MJKvbtPRhw1Dq3SPXtmtWp9F9vutLN4_bYWnFUghTV48PHfkluwZuuVHgzGZ_Quqbwu5ryxJphBJ-Rc_6Bt97KAFRpmtXyC_K85tBp5es8y7rij6l7yqbYyeOfbisNbzDETtD4/s1600/IMG_0242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSUiv19MJKvbtPRhw1Dq3SPXtmtWp9F9vutLN4_bYWnFUghTV48PHfkluwZuuVHgzGZ_Quqbwu5ryxJphBJ-Rc_6Bt97KAFRpmtXyC_K85tBp5es8y7rij6l7yqbYyeOfbisNbzDETtD4/s320/IMG_0242.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKSwFbOLaDYWOZwBRxBi9WOvGU6-M_uvKIvPmS_J0PU7a1yXL72YZffwgZMz8_DBqs7f26wgwuouXjvYXOlf1U5N6N_Px5DYVZJvHq3X4MgInV6gcAgP-iOgPfQBxo5zbbRuL_zY6Q3I/s1600/IMG_0261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKSwFbOLaDYWOZwBRxBi9WOvGU6-M_uvKIvPmS_J0PU7a1yXL72YZffwgZMz8_DBqs7f26wgwuouXjvYXOlf1U5N6N_Px5DYVZJvHq3X4MgInV6gcAgP-iOgPfQBxo5zbbRuL_zY6Q3I/s320/IMG_0261.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJ1IoF3n2UBtY59sWrjmP1uo-29-aFQQKOHfwlJwXzAzlRcxec-B0j5sbMc6zGzR4oO_BrJ7U08_OORtHQGu7kNYZKW5bdsNbeFsFn8hj1MqsUoOA9n-x6FJxq6Ay7k2FA0-QEmJj9Zc/s1600/IMG_0264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJ1IoF3n2UBtY59sWrjmP1uo-29-aFQQKOHfwlJwXzAzlRcxec-B0j5sbMc6zGzR4oO_BrJ7U08_OORtHQGu7kNYZKW5bdsNbeFsFn8hj1MqsUoOA9n-x6FJxq6Ay7k2FA0-QEmJj9Zc/s320/IMG_0264.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nLZZ6ef1T09vxCCdMCZQMflrGAMT9BW-Y_mFefkKC-4eWnDDcwX46vxwoAZAy5ZYJ0FbgDYu1VIQMiUjnzOxQTu1QTwuvFw-PFWFK66Jax1G3Nu64_VJnxG7czp5ir1pH7gfTSVs65g/s1600/IMG_0274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nLZZ6ef1T09vxCCdMCZQMflrGAMT9BW-Y_mFefkKC-4eWnDDcwX46vxwoAZAy5ZYJ0FbgDYu1VIQMiUjnzOxQTu1QTwuvFw-PFWFK66Jax1G3Nu64_VJnxG7czp5ir1pH7gfTSVs65g/s320/IMG_0274.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGwjepS3OgH832qayTNfoRhYNiD5v-2emAOKZVDX8ztV5KEyDkE1QOJWOpmzx0UNnkumLbGvGkfVIfNujzG1B0n8C5nx1uDxCB4l55yun2lG4IkQSHl5qsxXbx2Q3D0MAiszh4OE8797w/s1600/IMG_0297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGwjepS3OgH832qayTNfoRhYNiD5v-2emAOKZVDX8ztV5KEyDkE1QOJWOpmzx0UNnkumLbGvGkfVIfNujzG1B0n8C5nx1uDxCB4l55yun2lG4IkQSHl5qsxXbx2Q3D0MAiszh4OE8797w/s320/IMG_0297.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO2b29r9at0vFZhWMdOGRZCG17zcpFc7zcrokp2misgXUj3mvAu3vixBfl66sYYZEk7pYzebQBXofMcVDyiuNdi_mGAp4iG15kMXcv2qHgsvsPuWXQopbG0CNY1lOSvFH6cMX-j-80MOE/s1600/IMG_0300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO2b29r9at0vFZhWMdOGRZCG17zcpFc7zcrokp2misgXUj3mvAu3vixBfl66sYYZEk7pYzebQBXofMcVDyiuNdi_mGAp4iG15kMXcv2qHgsvsPuWXQopbG0CNY1lOSvFH6cMX-j-80MOE/s320/IMG_0300.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJMhfWO_n0avFl_DhIE5FVtNbxTebtbQCdPnFKhlHFnfxqjymdGVNYSPM7S3V-JQSrsS1qk1ffHR7ofgv1KbSEm67SPoWS6_tz1IkWnXvJyHp867LVODZgAw05Jn4bHHgXd7SWN3SNm8/s1600/IMG_0311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJMhfWO_n0avFl_DhIE5FVtNbxTebtbQCdPnFKhlHFnfxqjymdGVNYSPM7S3V-JQSrsS1qk1ffHR7ofgv1KbSEm67SPoWS6_tz1IkWnXvJyHp867LVODZgAw05Jn4bHHgXd7SWN3SNm8/s320/IMG_0311.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This was a different part where they had aprons with different body types you could try on. I went for the abs ;)</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhreHa7CycYKMGIRrYLYl_E6odQeu-CWXRb7t_oKg0mynEaFbcLxLP5L3ZW9DF-l9awKia3Z9NUFEKyXYZ7_EZoaxjstnRrWMgEXkkqBDWbqKRmhPCwFua4SjerdlmtITFAGm_PU1veqoY/s1600/IMG_0370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhreHa7CycYKMGIRrYLYl_E6odQeu-CWXRb7t_oKg0mynEaFbcLxLP5L3ZW9DF-l9awKia3Z9NUFEKyXYZ7_EZoaxjstnRrWMgEXkkqBDWbqKRmhPCwFua4SjerdlmtITFAGm_PU1veqoY/s320/IMG_0370.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtAGJGTkf-H4Bn5lVT_Lj4A0g3QstXSeq7tOJYcPmNeTQFN6bfQ_n8cbjjTgXyD7h7Mx-ZeR5CZqJ3Vkc41o-M01-RD3GDGZxUIBvCgRpq2YSZi6vBftPdrXPxfYfuXma3ZeCqDPCG6e4/s1600/IMG_0383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtAGJGTkf-H4Bn5lVT_Lj4A0g3QstXSeq7tOJYcPmNeTQFN6bfQ_n8cbjjTgXyD7h7Mx-ZeR5CZqJ3Vkc41o-M01-RD3GDGZxUIBvCgRpq2YSZi6vBftPdrXPxfYfuXma3ZeCqDPCG6e4/s320/IMG_0383.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Liz Wallishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066304543835511170noreply@blogger.com1