Being Amazed By How Beautiful Korea Is!

This week will be the first official full week of living in Boseong in my new apartment. Everyday I am continually being amazed at how beautiful Korea is and how beautiful it is to witness the simple way of life here. I am continually being reminded of back home and what I left behind. If it is the sound of the rain, listening to some great 94.7 alternative music online, or just sitting in a cute coffee shop drinking my tasty coffee. Leaving home and starting a new life by yourself can be kind of hard because you are leaving all of the people that you love and are close to. I knew that one day, the day of separating would eventually come and that I would have to grow up and become an adult but it is still hard to leave everyone behind. Luckily I live in a time where technology is everywhere and I can use the internet and Skype to continue to feel connected with everyone back home. Leaving home has also been great because I have met some really great people and have had so many great experiences. I am truly lucky to have been placed in Boseong and to be surrounded by an awesome community of other foreigners. On Friday, we had a welcome dinner for all of us newbies with the other teachers. We went out for dinner and then went to my friends apartment to hang out and play games. I had a great time of getting to know everyone and it was nice just being able to hang out with others and socialize. "^_^" 

As most of you know on Saturday August 25th it was my birthday! I had a great birthday exploring Suncheon with friends and had exciting adventures that I will always remember. I took my first train ride in Korea to Suncheon where I met my friends. Suncheon is about an hour away from Boseong and the best part is that a one way ticket only costs $3.40! Transportation in Korea is very easy and cheap. I am kind of bummed that I did not bring my camera to take pictures of the of the beautiful countryside of Korea. I will just have to bring my camera the next time I take that trip to Suncheon. After a bit of wandering around and figuring out where I was I found a taxi and got dropped off at my friends apartment. While I waited for them to get back I discovered this cute little bakery that served pastries, bagels, and coffee. When I first discovered this bakery I was jealous of my friends because I wanted one in my little town but I realized that it is probably a good thing that I don't have one because I do not need to spend my money on pastries all the time. :) Once I finally met up with my friends we went into town and got an ice cream cone  and tried to figure out how to meet up with my other friend who was lost in Suncheon. We eventually found each other and were able to start the birthday adventure. My friends Sarah and Matt helped plan my birthday and foundd where we should all meet and go out to dinner. We had a specific restaurant in mind that we wanted to find but did not know exactly where it was so we ended up walking in circles for about an hour before we found somewhere to eat. Along the way we asked people on the street where this specific restaurant was and most of them either just stared at us or pointed us to a direction that did not end up being the right place. We eventually found this lady on the street who pointed us to this restaurant down the street and took us there. Once we got there she said something to us in Korean and ran off… so we went to the door and it was closed. As we were about to walk away the lady (who showed us this place) came out of the restaurant and told us to come in. The restaurant was closed and she opened it up just for us. I have never had my own personal restaurant before so that was quiet an experience. The lady did not ever actually ask for what we wanted to eat she just started cooking as we sat there kind of confused on what was going on. We eventually got our food and it turned out to be a plate of ribs. It was not exactly what we were expecting but it was delicious and I had a fun time. The rest of the night we just hung out together, went to a Chinese restaurant, and then to a bar (where I met two other people who were celebrating their birthday too).

On Sunday I just took it easy. I knew that a Typhoon was supposed to hit my area in the next few days so I decided I should do all my running around before I am stuck in the house all day. I went into town and bought a few things like rain boots, paint, and other items that I needed for the house. While I was in town I discovered my new favorite hangout spot! It was this cute little coffee shop that apparently just opened a few weeks ago. This place reminded me so much of home. One of my favorite things to do back home was just hang out at coffee shops and relax… so when I found this place I was really excited. This is the place I am going to go when I need to get away and one day the coffee shop owner will know me by name. *^o^* After the coffee shop I went to the grocery store to stock up for the next few days. I have been enjoying cooking at home but I miss the food from back home. The only things that you can really find to cook with is korean food (not even other types of asian food). So for the past few days I have been having a lot of stir fry and rice. I have been trying to find beans or anything that I can make that does not resemble asian food but it is pretty hard to find and pretty expensive. I had the opportunity to go to the outdoor market and buy some vegetables. It was a great experience but I have noticed that it is really hard to buy and cook for one. Everything you buy here has to be in bulk. So when I bought potatoes from an Aujumma I got a bag full of potatoes…. that means I will be eating potatoes for the next few weeks. 

On Sunday afternoon I decided to go out and explore my neighborhood. As I walked through through my neighborhood I kept thinking to myself… this is going to by new home for the next year and how lucky I was to be surrounded by so much beauty. I love looking at God's beautiful creation and it gives me so much joy that I get to look at this everyday!

My Neighborhood

On Monday night Typhoon Bolvean hit my area. It was kind of windy in the mid-afternoon but it was not until night that the storm came full speed. Living in Oregon I have not had that many experiences in storms so being in this was a new experience for me. For those of you who do not know what a Typhoon is like let me tell you about it. Basically it is strong winds and rain. The winds were so violently strong that I could feel/ see the wind shaking my windows, doors, and building. The sound of all the crashing was probably the worst part of it because I could not sleep. I pretty much laid in bed all night long listening to the storm and just waiting for it to pass. All morning long my landlord kept making announcements over the intercom but I did not know what he was saying because it was in Korean so that made me a even more nervous. The storm finally passed Tuesday night and I was finally able to get a good nights rest. 

Since I have not been teaching yet I have been trying to keep myself entertained but it has actually been quite difficult. I have just been laying around the house and keeping myself busy with crafts, Facebook, and TV. I still have done quite a lot since I have been here so I guess I shouldn't complain too much. :) I know that once I start teaching I will be happy that I had a week off to relax but until then I will just continue to keep myself busy. 

My Cherry Blossom Tree Wall Hanging