Changes

Juana, Jessica, and Eric

The teacher in the middle, Jessica, has left our school and I'm going to miss her dearly. But on her last day, all the teachers had a secret going away party after work (without the school staff) and we had such a great time! We literally had to sneak away one by one so other people wouldn't find out. My school has become my family and the other teachers have become like brothers and sisters to me. I would be lost without them : )

Abri, Me, and Anlia

'Tis the season

Hongdae

I went to Seoul in an attempt to go the DMZ with some friends. However, with the recent "accidents" that have occurred between N. Korea and S. Korea, our DMZ trip was canceled. We decided to go up to Seoul anyway and get out of Ulsan for a breath of fresh air. And it worked! It was really fun to walk around different parts of Seoul and see another side of Korea. We stayed in Hongdae and this area has such cute coffee shops and boutiques! I would definitely go back again just to visit and relax. We also had a delicious dinner of samgyupsal and kalbi!

Kayla and me

Expectations

A couple weeks ago, I attended a choir performance at our local arts and culture center to see one of my students perform. It turns out that the performance was an hour of Czech children singing and maybe 4 songs by Korean children. It just shows that I never know what to expect here in Korea.

On another note, I joined the local gym and went this morning to workout. It felt really good to be active, especially since it's getting so cold here and all I want to do is stay warm inside! It was quite the site to see, though. Some differences I found between American gyms and Korean gyms: they give you clothes to workout in every time, there are public baths and saunas, and I'm pretty sure it's the only place where you'll see a woman in a shiny leotard walking on a treadmill eating chicken : )

Comfort Food

 I decided to make something for my friends this weekend and I chose Spinach Mushroom Pasta.

Although it may not look so appetizing, it was quite delicious and it sure did taste like home : )

Oh and here's some silly pictures of us in the elevator! Photos courtesy of Miss Anlia.

Better Late Than Never

 

Happy Belated Halloween!

 Anlia and Abri's First Halloween

 

The Three Little Pigs

Autumn

It's true...I'm a spoiled Californian and I'm getting really nervous for winter. It's only fall and I'm freezing! However, with the downs there's also the ups of living in a place that has distinct seasons. The trees are beautiful, the air is crisp and I get to stock up on a collection of cute gloves and scarves : )

 

I took these pictures when my friends and I went for a stroll through Ulsan's Grand Park. It was a perfect Sunday afternoon. 

Jazz Festival

There was an International Jazz Festival in Ulsan about two weeks ago. They had bands from several different countires like New Zealand, Spain, and Brazil. On Saturday, they put on a parade but it didn't really seem jazz oriented...

Foreigners

And of course, there were fireworks at the end : )