Byes.

To end off, a few pictures of my very last night in Korea at our usual bar (see below for the name written in soju bottle caps!). This will likely be my last post as I am running out of time to do laundry during my grad program.

If you ever get a chance to go to Korea let me know and I will point you in all the right directions.

Ahn Young!

The international end of the table: Canada, America, China and Korea.

Farewell A-Class

Thank you all for reading about this little adventure of mine; it was a building year!

I have a few last pictures for you all before I sign off for good. It is taking a little bit to get settled back into Canada so I am sorry for the long gaps.

These are some of my favorite students on our last day together:

TPE

It is done. One year in Korea and I am heading home.

I am sitting in the Taipei airport using Kristin's computer to entertain myself for 4 hours left of my layover. There is a beautiful sunset here in the R.O.C; it's nice to know that God gives a great show in every country.

Getting here was a bit of a gong show. I'll write you the highlights while they are still in my head.

1. Katy's boss has taken her alien card on the pretense that he needs to return it to immigration to officially declare she is leaving the country.
2. Katy thinks she knows what time her flight leaves. Wrong by 2 hours the wrong way. Getting her to the airport with 45 minutes till take-off.
3. Katy is misdirected by a information booth sending her walking in circles for 10 minutes with all her luggage until she finds the right spot.
4. Aforementioned card is asked for by the ticket counter who is looking at her and looking at the boarding time like "You've got to be kidding me right?" Time is spent asking what they do if she doesn't have this card. They determine they have no idea so they send her through without it.
5. One of her bags is overweight; charge being $100. But there is no time to pay. They will charge you in Taipei.
6. Katy chugs her water in the security line and looks like a duoff doing so.
7. Immigration. Katy is directed to a small office where a man again asks for her card and is puzzled and then laughs when she mentions her boss took it.
8. Man asks for boss' number. Katy doesn't have it either. Man sends Katy outside to wait.
9. Katy waits. She is waved on 10 minutes later.
10. Katy books it to the gate.
11. Katy finds her seat and then looks for a compartment for her very large backpacking pack. It doesn't fit. None of the 3 stewardesses can get it to fit.
12. Katy's bag is transferred to cargo. This she will also be charged for in Taipei.
13. As soon as her bag is off the plane starts. They were waiting for her.
14. Great seat. Emergency aisle. Delicious pork for dinner. Sleep on and off.
15. Get off airplane. Walk under the 10 foot tall sign that reads "Drug trafficking is punishable by death in the R.O.C." She feels welcome.
16. Katy is charged nothing for the overweight luggage or the 3rd bag. Unexpected blessing.
17. She discovers that there is only one place to eat and 30 places to shop in the airport. She is lonely and her bag is heavy. Katy is joyed by free wireless.
18. Katy writes about herself in 3rd person bullet points.


Not home yet. Still an 11 and a half hour plane flight!

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War Mem and Pixar

Two very interesting exhibits; though very different. The first is the Korean War Memorial downtown Seoul. We only got to see the outside display but it was still very powerful.

These stones were taken from every province in Korea from rubble to symbolize the wide impact the war had on Korea.

The clock on the bottom is counting up. It reads 50 years, 6 months and 5 days since the two countries were separated.

A few days later we got a chance to visit Pixar in Seoul. It was a collection of art made as a byproduct of making famous Pixar movies as well as an insider look at the process. I thought it was very interesting, though a little slow. We followed it up with a delicious BFD (breakfast for dinner for those not as dorky as I am). I haven't had maple syrup in months; a bottle costs $25 at Costco!

The Death Curves

My dear friend Kristin posted a story about a crazy travel experience I had recently in Korea. She tells it in a way that I am too scarred to.

Please enjoy and always check before you get off the bus.

Jeju the second.

Only a few lingering pictures from Jeju; a beautiful waterfall and a bit of beach we stuck our toes in adding the Korean Strait or the East China Sea to the list of bodies of water I've stuck my feet in.

The first pool.

Which flows into the bigger waterfall, called the 7 Nymphs.

Often hiked by Korean women in heels.

And buff white women in flip flops!

Then we hiked up to an adjoining hill to see how far we had come.

Jeju the first.

A few weeks ago Kristin, her mom Gretchen and I jetted off to the southern most island of Korea, Jeju. It is the Hawaii of Korea and quite beautiful. This is the first collection of pictures: