Sports Day

Yesterday was the 6th Annual Sports Day for all the kinder kids at Corem. There are actually 8 branches of our school, Corem, throughout the city of Busan. Every year the director of the company rents a basketball arena and all the schools are divided into two teams, blue and white. Then the kids compete all day in fun sports activities like relay races and tug of war. Photos

Track and field day was an event for the whole family. Mothers, fathers, grandparents and brothers and sisters were invited. They had events to get everyone involved. There was a shoe kick competition for the grandmothers and grandfathers and a team relay race with the fathers. It was a lot of fun to watch! The parents also helped the kids with some of games. There was a race where the parents pushed the kids in these little carts. Very cute!

Here is a photo of one of my students, Vicky, after the blue team (our team) won the whole competition! The kids were very excited : )

***Bob and Lindsey***

Korean War Memorial

Last Sunday we went to the UN Korean War Memorial in Busan. I am very interested in history in general and we were especially interested in this part of Korean history that is so intertwined with American history. Bob's grandfather, Emil, was a Marine in the war here. We heard that there was a wall at the UN Memorial that listed the names of every fallen soldier.

Before we planned our visit we called Bob's grandpa and asked if there were any names of friends and fellow soldiers he'd like us to look for and take pictures of for him. He gave us a small list of some of his close friends who did not survive the war and we found their names on the wall and sent grandpa the photos. More photos from the memorial

The memorial was very beautiful and SO well kept. There were gorgeous flowers everywhere and elegant architecture. It was a very peaceful and respectful atmosphere. The Wall of Remembrance (pictured above) was an especially beautiful sight. There was also a cemetery where 36 American soldiers are buried, as well as 2,300 other soldiers from the other 20 UN countries that fought in the war.

We saw many photos, letters, medals and other artifacts from the war, as well as a thank-you sign for each country that aided South Korea in the war. It was such an interesting place and I'm glad we got to spend time there.

***Bob and Lindsey***

Seoul

Two weeks ago, on Halloween, we took the KTX bullet train to Seoul for the weekend. It's a 3 hour ride and we topped out at about 150 mph. Once again, Korean public transportation did not disappoint us. The train ride was smooth, the cars were clean and as we've come to expect, everything is so straightforward and simple. They make it so easy to travel here!

We arrived on Saturday morning and checked into our hotel for a little nap. We decided to stay in Myeon-dong, an area that's popular with Korean college students for its great shopping. The area boasts Forever 21, H&M and other great boutiques. That night we met up with our friend Joon and his girlfriend for some sightseeing and dinner. Joon attended UNL for one year from 2008-2009 and had a few economics classes with Bob. He'd already had the chance to see our home in Nebraska, and we were really excited to finally get to see his home in Seoul! We visited a famous palace in the city and dined on delicious Italian food in a quaint neighborhood nearby.

We also presented Joon with his own Huskers football. When we learned we were moving to South Korea, we emailed Joon and asked if there were any souvenirs he'd like us to bring for him. He lamented that he'd forgotten to buy a football while in Nebraska. Unfortunately we had to let the air out of it in order to fit it in our suitcase, but we got it here! Joon says he gets up in the middle of the night to listen to Husker games over the internet. One year in Nebraska was all it took to turn him into a tried and true fan!

On Sunday we went to breakfast with a friend of Bob's uncle and did some more shopping in an area called Insadong. It is a great place to find traditional Korean souvenirs - pottery, paper fans, hand-made cards, etc. We picked out some great things for all of you back home!

All in all, we LOVED Seoul. It's such a huge city and there's so much to see and do. I'm not sure when we'll go back again, but we've already started a list of all we'd like to see. There's the Seoul Zoo, Olympic Village, museums, temples, restaurants...

Photos from Seoul

***Bob and Lindsey***

WOW!!!

Last night was the big fireworks show at Gwangan Beach. Bob, Will, Aaren and I ventured out to the show and man was it worth it! We arrived about 3 hours early to get a good spot on the sand. We spread out a few beach mats and played cards while we waited. They estimated about 1.5 million people attended the show. That's about 1/3 of the entire city!

It was the most spectacular fireworks show any of us had ever seen. It was an hour straight of fireworks set to music. There were three big barges in the bay shooting off the display. Here's a picture Will took. Look at how tiny the bridge looks in comparison to the fireworks! Fireworks Photos

The theme of the show was different places around the world. There was Asia, Europe, United States, Africa and then the final portion was about Korea. They used the bridge as a great prop for the show. They shot a lot of fireworks off the bridge and also had a feature where the fireworks "rained" off the bridge. There were also remote control airplanes shooting off fireworks and parachute fireworks with strands of lights that burned as they floated down to the water.

More photos to come soon!

***Bob and Lindsey***

A Bird's Eye View of Busan

Just finished another great weekend here in Busan. On Saturday we went to Nampo-dong, a HUGE outdoor shopping area about 30 minutes from home. This is not fancy department store shopping, but rather a large street market district where you can find anything and everything. I'm not sure how big the whole area is, but I think you could get lost for days in it (at least I could!)

We mostly did souvenir/Christmas shopping, and got some really beautiful pottery pieces. There seems to be a "department" for everything you can imagine. We turned one corner and found three blocks of nothing but lighting fixtures and lamps. Turn another corner and the streets are lined with men's clothing and accessories. There's also a furniture section, and sections for children's clothes, cooking and housewares, electronics - you name it. It's a great place to spend the day!

On Sunday we took a cable car up a nearby mountain for a truly spectacular view of Busan. You can almost see all the millions of people in the city from the top. The mountain park also featured a small amusement park with a carousel, swings and snacks and toys for the kids. More photos

The next few weekends are going to be busy too. Next weekend is an annual fireworks festival at the beach. Bob was so excited that we postponed our trip to Seoul so we wouldn't miss the show. We'll be heading to Seoul the week after that, October 30-31. Photos and details of all that to come!

***Bob and Lindsey***

Day 100

Yesterday was day 100 in South Korea...hard to believe isn't it?!

It was a great day that we'll remember for a long time. We had a beach picnic with the other English teachers at school and it was a blast! The weather has taken a definite turn for Fall in the past two weeks, so we put on our jeans and sweaters and went to our favorite beach, Gwangan. We spread out our beach blankets and feasted on wine and mandu (Korea's version of an eggroll) while we laughed and talked the night away.

We had fun people watching and halfway through the night a lady approached us selling some small fireworks. We figured since we missed 4th of July this year, we'd give it a whirl. Bob had a lot of fun lighting off fireworks into the water.We finished the evening with desert waffles, coffee and a round of the card game UNO at one of the many coffee shops along the boardwalk.

Day 99 was pretty special too. Bob and I went to lunch with the other married couple at Corem, Kadie and Ryan. The four of us usually eat lunch together on Tuesday and Thursdays, but this Thursday we went to a new Chinese restaurant up the hill from school. It was delicious and there was even a cute stray cat hanging around the front of the restaurant. I managed to capture a GREAT picture of him!

On the way back from lunch we cheered Ryan on while he played an arcade game on the street and won a small robot toy from one of those claw machines. (FYI: it is just as impossible in Korea as it is at home to win anything from those claw machines, so it was super exciting when he did!).

Then the four of us discovered a pottery shop with all kinds of handmade vases, pots, plates and other very beautiful crafts. It's the perfect place to find some unique and traditional Korean souvenirs. To top it all off, it was a PERFECT Fall day - warm, breezy and sunny!


***Bob and Lindsey***

Guam

We arrived home yesterday afternoon from our 4 day trip to Guam. We had such a FABULOUS time and are so glad we took the vacation.

Guam has a tropical climate all year round and the water temperature is always about 80 degrees. Needless to say we spent ample time in the water during our stay!

Here is the view of Tumon Bay from our hotel room. It was such a treat to look out each morning (and afternoon and evening!) and see the sparkling water, large coral reef and beautiful sunshine. The sunsets at night were amazing too. More Pictures from Guam

We snorkeled everyday and saw all kinds of bright tropical fish and other sea creatures. We bought some underwater cameras so we could capture all the wildlife. There were bright blue starfish, tiny hermit crabs, zebra-striped fish, bright yellow fish and even an eel eating another fish. We'll develop those cameras and post some pictures soon!

We also got the chance to go jet-skiing and parasailing while on our trip. It was a great experience and can't wait to do it again someday. We even made time for a little shopping in Guam. We went to K-Mart and got a few treats and snacks that we can't find in Korea (such as Pop-Tarts, Cheez-Its and Jello). Bob also stocked up on sandals while we were there. His feet are too big for any Korean shoes so he was happy to find some that fit!

Our trip felt like the perfect amount of time. The days were long and lazy, so it made the time go slowly and we didn't feel too rushed or disappointed when it was time to go home. We even missed Korean food and our students (a little bit!).

We also got some exciting news from back home. Bob's sister Kate and my sister Shannon booked their flights to South Korea for Christmas! They arrive on December 22nd and will stay until December 31st. We can't wait to see them and show them our new home.

***Bob and Lindsey***