Yoga

I've been going to yoga since October at the gym next door, but it's just been since the New Year that I've been going consistently and feeling a difference with my body. I love when they crank up the heat and I sweat it all out. Although I have NO idea what my teacher is saying, I just watch her really closely and I'm always one of the first people she'll come over to to correct if need be. Although I must say, she has done this less and less which means I am getting better. Hurrah! We always say hello, do a little bow, and say goodbye afterwards. I don't/can't really talk to anyone in the class unfortunately. But yesterday before class, one of the girls came over to me and said "tomorrow after class, we will eat something. okay?" Umm...okay sure!

So today I was very excited for my little dinner with the yoga class, and yet very nervous because 1) None of them really speak English at all and 2) Was I going to have to take the group shower at the gym with everyone before we went to eat? I mean, I don't want them to think I'm a dirty foreigner, but the group showers are very difficult to get used to!

Well, as class was ending today, the one lady brought two boxes of fried chicken, a box of strawberries, a bottle of orange juice, pepsi, and a pitcher of beer into the yoga room. Ohhhh! They spread out newspapers and handed me chopsticks and poured me beer. They asked my name, how old I was, where I worked, where I was from. They asked if it was my boyfriend out there and to "Come on." So I went and got Colin and he joined the fried chicken party. They asked if we were married, how many babies we want, and told us to go make a baby. HAHA.

Although most of their conversations were in Korean, and when they were asking us questions there were a lot of hand gestures and broken sentences, the point is that they really tried and we were able to communicate in someway. I was just so happy that they even thought to tell me about it, because they could have easily not said a word and let me leave for the night. I also love the fact that we were eating fried chicken and beer in the gym and that it was OKAY! The whole evening made me really happy and now tomorrow I will feel even more comfortable going to yoga. And also, eating at the gym made me get out of the group shower :)

Daedunsan

On Saturday morning we woke up earlier than usual and caught the bus to Mt. Daedunsan with some friends. It was an hour and a half bus ride directly from Iksan which worked out perfectly. We arrived at the mountain around noon and the weather could not be better for the middle of March. We started up the large hill to get to the starting path and ran into these smiling ajummas chatting on a bench. They made note of Rich's shorts and were laughing, so of course I had to grab the camera and take their photo. I think they were tickled that I wanted a picture of them!

David and Gi Ro opted to take the cable car half way up the mountain, but Rich, Colin and I decided to hike the whole thing. We took note of our destination and started climbing. I thought for sure it was going to take hours to just reach the middle. It was very steep and rocky, but it only took about 30 minutes until we met up with David and Gi Ro.

We climbed some more, then it was time for the scary cable bridge and cable stairs! Honestly, I had to just look straight ahead the whole time. And there were so many people on the bridge. People were pushing and trying to pass me. And any gust of wind made the bridge sway a bit. But, I just had to power through and made it!

We stopped to have some snacks that we brought, plus some ramyeon that you can purchase along the way

To the top of the mountain!

A view from the top

There are a few little food stations and rest areas along the way so we stopped for some kimchi chon on the way back down

A view of the mountain from the cable car on the way back down

It was a really wonderful day. Being outdoors in the warm weather with good people just made me so happy! I'm looking forward to more weekends like this now that Spring is here!

DVD Bong

Today was a Korean Public Holiday!! The holiday is called "Independence Movement Day." One of my Korean teachers seems to think it's like a Memorial Day.

WOO HOO!!! I love random days off! Although, it seems that most of our vacation days have been in the winter, or like today, a very windy and rainy day. Boo! However, we figured out a way to make the best of the chilly weather. We started off the day with brunch at a little coffee shop with some friends. They actually make delicious pancakes with whipped cream and syrup, little salads, eggs, sausages, and chicken sandwiches on a croissant! OH MY GOSH! We were in heaven!!! I pretty much devoured my whole plate.

After brunch, we went to the movie theatre to buy a large popcorn, left the movie theatre, bought some drinks at the 7/11, then headed to a DVD Bong. At a DVD Bong, there are tons of movies to choose from and then you are taken to your own private viewing room! There is a huge projector screen, a big comfortable lounging couch, and speakers. They provide pillows, blankets, and dimmed lights for a cozy atmosphere. We watched SALT which we thoroughly enjoyed. It was so much more comfortable and fun watching a movie at the DVD Bong than at a movie theatre or even at home. Most of the time we have to watch movies on our laptops. My only regret is that I didn't discover the DVD Bongs sooner. I will definitely be taking advantage of these while it's still cold outside!

Also, over the past few days (the past two months really), many people have been finishing their contracts and leaving Korea. It was a pleasure getting to know all of you this past year! Good luck in your travels and I hope we meet again someday! :)