Insa-Dong, NamSan Tower, Gyeungbokgung Palace, National Museum of Korea

Mi and I hiked to the peak of Namsan and saw the tower until the lights. The next day my Windsor buddy Dave & I returned and did a straight vertical hike up Namsan the following day. I wanted to show Dave more places in Seoul, and we went to many landmarks within a few hours. The weekend was brilliant because the yellow-dust from Mongolia sandstorms combined with Chinese and Korean pollution was at a minimum for the entire weekend. Smog returned to our area today, but we were all teaching, it's just not so nice to look at through the grimmy school windows on the 5th floor.

I am grateful for all friends in Korea. This is the constant change in Korea, living each day as a foreigner isn't easy, so good friends are a valuable resource.
Well, here's some photo's of the weekend. God Bless all Souls!

Insa-Dong, NamSan Tower, Gyeungbokgung Palace, National Museum of Korea

Mi and I hiked to the peak of Namsan and saw the tower until the lights. The next day my Windsor buddy Dave & I returned and did a straight vertical hike up Namsan the following day. I wanted to show Dave more places in Seoul, and we went to many landmarks within a few hours. The weekend was brilliant because the yellow-dust from Mongolia sandstorms combined with Chinese and Korean pollution was at a minimum for the entire weekend. Smog returned to our area today, but we were all teaching, it's just not so nice to look at through the grimmy school windows on the 5th floor.

I am grateful for all friends in Korea. This is the constant change in Korea, living each day as a foreigner isn't easy, so good friends are a valuable resource.
Well, here's some photo's of the weekend. God Bless all Souls!

Insa-Dong, NamSan Tower, Gyeungbokgung Palace, National Museum of Korea

Mi and I hiked to the peak of Namsan and saw the tower until the lights. The next day my Windsor buddy Dave & I returned and did a straight vertical hike up Namsan the following day. I wanted to show Dave more places in Seoul, and we went to many landmarks within a few hours. The weekend was brilliant because the yellow-dust from Mongolia sandstorms combined with Chinese and Korean pollution was at a minimum for the entire weekend. Smog returned to our area today, but we were all teaching, it's just not so nice to look at through the grimmy school windows on the 5th floor.

I am grateful for all friends in Korea. This is the constant change in Korea, living each day as a foreigner isn't easy, so good friends are a valuable resource.
Well, here's some photo's of the weekend. God Bless all Souls!

Insa-Dong, NamSan Tower, Gyeungbokgung Palace, National Museum of Korea

Mi and I hiked to the peak of Namsan and saw the tower until the lights. The next day my Windsor buddy Dave & I returned and did a straight vertical hike up Namsan the following day. I wanted to show Dave more places in Seoul, and we went to many landmarks within a few hours. The weekend was brilliant because the yellow-dust from Mongolia sandstorms combined with Chinese and Korean pollution was at a minimum for the entire weekend. Smog returned to our area today, but we were all teaching, it's just not so nice to look at through the grimmy school windows on the 5th floor.

I am grateful for all friends in Korea. This is the constant change in Korea, living each day as a foreigner isn't easy, so good friends are a valuable resource.
Well, here's some photo's of the weekend. God Bless all Souls!

Bi-Bim-Bop Poisoning 8-9 people

Last weekend I blogged about our fantastic hike on Chiaksan (Chiak Mountain) but on Sunday night following the Saturday outing I started becoming ill. I was tired all day Sunday, whereas, I usually go out mountain biking for an hour or two normally. I couch-potatoed and watched TV most of the day. I felt sweaty and sleepy, but thought nothing of it. At 2am Monday morning, I awoke in a complete sweat. My t-shirt was soaked and I felt nausea, so I went to wash my face and brush my teeth to freshen up. I passed out and did a face first dive into the edge of the bathroom door before landing face down on the wood door frame (in korea, it's a 4"-5" thick wood beam) at the entrance to the bathroom. Mi found me there with my eyes open breathing rapidly but unresponsive. I must have been in shock for several minutes, then I revived and got up. "Time to go to emergency!" There I was treated for head injury and lacerations to my face, but not food poisoning. I had a CAT Scan, X-rays, Stiches, Blood work, I also had a bum-shot for Tetanus, all services for $240 USD. From 2:30am-6:00am, it was a long night. I rested at home Monday, but in the evening starting dashing to the bathroom. On Monday night, I had to go #2 every hour, then every 1/2 hour, then every 15 minutes...and it seemed to never end. Finally, by 5:15am I felt like I'd lost 50% of my body fluids. With my face plastered in stiches and bandaids, I went to a local hospital for 3 hours of IV hydration before returning to work for another 8 hours of ESL Fun! Apparently 8-9 others were really sick too. The source of the poisoning was Salmonella bacteria in the raw egg yolks served in our Bi Bim Bop. This is a popular rice and vegetable dish served at most Korean restaurants. Thanks for the rotten eggs! ^^++ Never eat uncooked eggs or poultry in a Hillbilly backhills restaurant anywhere! It's a most regrettable experience.
Hope all is swell back home. I just wanted to report: "I'm still alive!" ^^++

Bi-Bim-Bop Poisoning 8-9 people

Last weekend I blogged about our fantastic hike on Chiaksan (Chiak Mountain) but on Sunday night following the Saturday outing I started becoming ill. I was tired all day Sunday, whereas, I usually go out mountain biking for an hour or two normally. I couch-potatoed and watched TV most of the day. I felt sweaty and sleepy, but thought nothing of it. At 2am Monday morning, I awoke in a complete sweat. My t-shirt was soaked and I felt nausea, so I went to wash my face and brush my teeth to freshen up. I passed out and did a face first dive into the edge of the bathroom door before landing face down on the wood door frame (in korea, it's a 4"-5" thick wood beam) at the entrance to the bathroom. Mi found me there with my eyes open breathing rapidly but unresponsive. I must have been in shock for several minutes, then I revived and got up. "Time to go to emergency!" There I was treated for head injury and lacerations to my face, but not food poisoning. I had a CAT Scan, X-rays, Stiches, Blood work, I also had a bum-shot for Tetanus, all services for $240 USD. From 2:30am-6:00am, it was a long night. I rested at home Monday, but in the evening starting dashing to the bathroom. On Monday night, I had to go #2 every hour, then every 1/2 hour, then every 15 minutes...and it seemed to never end. Finally, by 5:15am I felt like I'd lost 50% of my body fluids. With my face plastered in stiches and bandaids, I went to a local hospital for 3 hours of IV hydration before returning to work for another 8 hours of ESL Fun! Apparently 8-9 others were really sick too. The source of the poisoning was Salmonella bacteria in the raw egg yolks served in our Bi Bim Bop. This is a popular rice and vegetable dish served at most Korean restaurants. Thanks for the rotten eggs! ^^++ Never eat uncooked eggs or poultry in a Hillbilly backhills restaurant anywhere! It's a most regrettable experience.
Hope all is swell back home. I just wanted to report: "I'm still alive!" ^^++

Bi-Bim-Bop Poisoning 8-9 people

Last weekend I blogged about our fantastic hike on Chiaksan (Chiak Mountain) but on Sunday night following the Saturday outing I started becoming ill. I was tired all day Sunday, whereas, I usually go out mountain biking for an hour or two normally. I couch-potatoed and watched TV most of the day. I felt sweaty and sleepy, but thought nothing of it. At 2am Monday morning, I awoke in a complete sweat. My t-shirt was soaked and I felt nausea, so I went to wash my face and brush my teeth to freshen up. I passed out and did a face first dive into the edge of the bathroom door before landing face down on the wood door frame (in korea, it's a 4"-5" thick wood beam) at the entrance to the bathroom. Mi found me there with my eyes open breathing rapidly but unresponsive. I must have been in shock for several minutes, then I revived and got up. "Time to go to emergency!" There I was treated for head injury and lacerations to my face, but not food poisoning. I had a CAT Scan, X-rays, Stiches, Blood work, I also had a bum-shot for Tetanus, all services for $240 USD. From 2:30am-6:00am, it was a long night. I rested at home Monday, but in the evening starting dashing to the bathroom. On Monday night, I had to go #2 every hour, then every 1/2 hour, then every 15 minutes...and it seemed to never end. Finally, by 5:15am I felt like I'd lost 50% of my body fluids. With my face plastered in stiches and bandaids, I went to a local hospital for 3 hours of IV hydration before returning to work for another 8 hours of ESL Fun! Apparently 8-9 others were really sick too. The source of the poisoning was Salmonella bacteria in the raw egg yolks served in our Bi Bim Bop. This is a popular rice and vegetable dish served at most Korean restaurants. Thanks for the rotten eggs! ^^++ Never eat uncooked eggs or poultry in a Hillbilly backhills restaurant anywhere! It's a most regrettable experience.
Hope all is swell back home. I just wanted to report: "I'm still alive!" ^^++

Bi-Bim-Bop Poisoning 8-9 people

Last weekend I blogged about our fantastic hike on Chiaksan (Chiak Mountain) but on Sunday night following the Saturday outing I started becoming ill. I was tired all day Sunday, whereas, I usually go out mountain biking for an hour or two normally. I couch-potatoed and watched TV most of the day. I felt sweaty and sleepy, but thought nothing of it. At 2am Monday morning, I awoke in a complete sweat. My t-shirt was soaked and I felt nausea, so I went to wash my face and brush my teeth to freshen up. I passed out and did a face first dive into the edge of the bathroom door before landing face down on the wood door frame (in korea, it's a 4"-5" thick wood beam) at the entrance to the bathroom. Mi found me there with my eyes open breathing rapidly but unresponsive. I must have been in shock for several minutes, then I revived and got up. "Time to go to emergency!" There I was treated for head injury and lacerations to my face, but not food poisoning. I had a CAT Scan, X-rays, Stiches, Blood work, I also had a bum-shot for Tetanus, all services for $240 USD. From 2:30am-6:00am, it was a long night. I rested at home Monday, but in the evening starting dashing to the bathroom. On Monday night, I had to go #2 every hour, then every 1/2 hour, then every 15 minutes...and it seemed to never end. Finally, by 5:15am I felt like I'd lost 50% of my body fluids. With my face plastered in stiches and bandaids, I went to a local hospital for 3 hours of IV hydration before returning to work for another 8 hours of ESL Fun! Apparently 8-9 others were really sick too. The source of the poisoning was Salmonella bacteria in the raw egg yolks served in our Bi Bim Bop. This is a popular rice and vegetable dish served at most Korean restaurants. Thanks for the rotten eggs! ^^++ Never eat uncooked eggs or poultry in a Hillbilly backhills restaurant anywhere! It's a most regrettable experience.
Hope all is swell back home. I just wanted to report: "I'm still alive!" ^^++

Chiak Mountain Spring Picnic

We took a trip to Chiak Mountain yesterday with the entire school staff, enough people to fill a coach. The mountain is designated a Korean national park. The trees in the area were deciduous, and many were only bearing buds. Therefore, the view wasn't spectacular at all, but the ascent was physically challenging. Before the hike, we departed the bus and had a group "warm-up" exercise led by Miah, Lindsay, and Michelle. It was a stretching and aerobic workout, it was a funny way to start the hike. We all got warmed up, and had some laughs in the process. I set out with Ben, Lindsay, Michelle...and Lindsay and I reached the top of Chiak first, followed 15 minutes later by Ben and Michelle, then Aaron, Sean, and the rest of our fellow participants. The decent was quick, Mi and I hiked together and reached the restaurant just outside the national park entrance. We didn't know if the place was actually open, or it was ready to serve all us hikers. To our surprise, inside everyone was drinking Makkali Soju (fermented rice wine) and eating Kimchi. We joined the Korean staff, shuttle bus drivers, hall monitors, friends and a few parents for the appetizers. Then we ate delicious Acorn Tofu, served with red pepper sauce and leafy greens. We also had more Tofu and finally Bi-Bim-Bop and large bowls of rice and red pepper paste served on the side. It was delicious. After dinner, we played a Korean version of "foot volleyball" on a dirt sports lot, setup nearby the restaurant. It was a tough game to play, I took the first two hits off my chin (sorry Erin!!!) and couldn't serve inbounds. It was fun though, and we headed for the bus after losing two matches to the Korean pros. We sang kareoke or Noribon on the way home, and songs were in Korean and English, it was hilarious! I'm exhausted today, I have a cold and didn't go to church. Well, it was a busy weekend, but it was nice to have a trip somewhere without our own expenses. Hope all is well back home, miss everyone, wish I could return (my wish everyday) but I have to save enough to make this teaching worth all the effort. Cheerios and milk ~^^++

Chiak Mountain Spring Picnic

We took a trip to Chiak Mountain yesterday with the entire school staff, enough people to fill a coach. The mountain is designated a Korean national park. The trees in the area were deciduous, and many were only bearing buds. Therefore, the view wasn't spectacular at all, but the ascent was physically challenging. Before the hike, we departed the bus and had a group "warm-up" exercise led by Miah, Lindsay, and Michelle. It was a stretching and aerobic workout, it was a funny way to start the hike. We all got warmed up, and had some laughs in the process. I set out with Ben, Lindsay, Michelle...and Lindsay and I reached the top of Chiak first, followed 15 minutes later by Ben and Michelle, then Aaron, Sean, and the rest of our fellow participants. The decent was quick, Mi and I hiked together and reached the restaurant just outside the national park entrance. We didn't know if the place was actually open, or it was ready to serve all us hikers. To our surprise, inside everyone was drinking Makkali Soju (fermented rice wine) and eating Kimchi. We joined the Korean staff, shuttle bus drivers, hall monitors, friends and a few parents for the appetizers. Then we ate delicious Acorn Tofu, served with red pepper sauce and leafy greens. We also had more Tofu and finally Bi-Bim-Bop and large bowls of rice and red pepper paste served on the side. It was delicious. After dinner, we played a Korean version of "foot volleyball" on a dirt sports lot, setup nearby the restaurant. It was a tough game to play, I took the first two hits off my chin (sorry Erin!!!) and couldn't serve inbounds. It was fun though, and we headed for the bus after losing two matches to the Korean pros. We sang kareoke or Noribon on the way home, and songs were in Korean and English, it was hilarious! I'm exhausted today, I have a cold and didn't go to church. Well, it was a busy weekend, but it was nice to have a trip somewhere without our own expenses. Hope all is well back home, miss everyone, wish I could return (my wish everyday) but I have to save enough to make this teaching worth all the effort. Cheerios and milk ~^^++

Chiak Mountain Spring Picnic

We took a trip to Chiak Mountain yesterday with the entire school staff, enough people to fill a coach. The mountain is designated a Korean national park. The trees in the area were deciduous, and many were only bearing buds. Therefore, the view wasn't spectacular at all, but the ascent was physically challenging. Before the hike, we departed the bus and had a group "warm-up" exercise led by Miah, Lindsay, and Michelle. It was a stretching and aerobic workout, it was a funny way to start the hike. We all got warmed up, and had some laughs in the process. I set out with Ben, Lindsay, Michelle...and Lindsay and I reached the top of Chiak first, followed 15 minutes later by Ben and Michelle, then Aaron, Sean, and the rest of our fellow participants. The decent was quick, Mi and I hiked together and reached the restaurant just outside the national park entrance. We didn't know if the place was actually open, or it was ready to serve all us hikers. To our surprise, inside everyone was drinking Makkali Soju (fermented rice wine) and eating Kimchi. We joined the Korean staff, shuttle bus drivers, hall monitors, friends and a few parents for the appetizers. Then we ate delicious Acorn Tofu, served with red pepper sauce and leafy greens. We also had more Tofu and finally Bi-Bim-Bop and large bowls of rice and red pepper paste served on the side. It was delicious. After dinner, we played a Korean version of "foot volleyball" on a dirt sports lot, setup nearby the restaurant. It was a tough game to play, I took the first two hits off my chin (sorry Erin!!!) and couldn't serve inbounds. It was fun though, and we headed for the bus after losing two matches to the Korean pros. We sang kareoke or Noribon on the way home, and songs were in Korean and English, it was hilarious! I'm exhausted today, I have a cold and didn't go to church. Well, it was a busy weekend, but it was nice to have a trip somewhere without our own expenses. Hope all is well back home, miss everyone, wish I could return (my wish everyday) but I have to save enough to make this teaching worth all the effort. Cheerios and milk ~^^++

Chiak Mountain Spring Picnic

We took a trip to Chiak Mountain yesterday with the entire school staff, enough people to fill a coach. The mountain is designated a Korean national park. The trees in the area were deciduous, and many were only bearing buds. Therefore, the view wasn't spectacular at all, but the ascent was physically challenging. Before the hike, we departed the bus and had a group "warm-up" exercise led by Miah, Lindsay, and Michelle. It was a stretching and aerobic workout, it was a funny way to start the hike. We all got warmed up, and had some laughs in the process. I set out with Ben, Lindsay, Michelle...and Lindsay and I reached the top of Chiak first, followed 15 minutes later by Ben and Michelle, then Aaron, Sean, and the rest of our fellow participants. The decent was quick, Mi and I hiked together and reached the restaurant just outside the national park entrance. We didn't know if the place was actually open, or it was ready to serve all us hikers. To our surprise, inside everyone was drinking Makkali Soju (fermented rice wine) and eating Kimchi. We joined the Korean staff, shuttle bus drivers, hall monitors, friends and a few parents for the appetizers. Then we ate delicious Acorn Tofu, served with red pepper sauce and leafy greens. We also had more Tofu and finally Bi-Bim-Bop and large bowls of rice and red pepper paste served on the side. It was delicious. After dinner, we played a Korean version of "foot volleyball" on a dirt sports lot, setup nearby the restaurant. It was a tough game to play, I took the first two hits off my chin (sorry Erin!!!) and couldn't serve inbounds. It was fun though, and we headed for the bus after losing two matches to the Korean pros. We sang kareoke or Noribon on the way home, and songs were in Korean and English, it was hilarious! I'm exhausted today, I have a cold and didn't go to church. Well, it was a busy weekend, but it was nice to have a trip somewhere without our own expenses. Hope all is well back home, miss everyone, wish I could return (my wish everyday) but I have to save enough to make this teaching worth all the effort. Cheerios and milk ~^^++