Fireworks on the harbor!

On Thursday, after work, I got a phone call from Aaron while I was shopping for Heyran's wedding gift.  He had found out that there would be fireworks in the harbor off Yeongdo Island that night!  Who doesn't love fireworks?  And over the harbor near my apartment, yes please!

So, I met Aaron around 6:00pm, on the roof of a 15 story apartment building on the island (which happens to be where our friend Craig lives), and endjoyed the sunset with another 2 other Korean guys who had set up their cameras to photograph the show!

About 30 minutes before the show began, one of the photographer's wives came up on the roof with a bowl of semi-boiled sweet potatoes, roasted chestnuts, and some pineapple juice boxes for each of us!  She also laid out a mat for her and I to sit on while the boys prepared their cameras for the big show!  So sweet and thoughtful!  At 7:30pm, the show started, and Craig came up on the roof to watch it with us!  A couple other families who live in the building came up as well... all in their PJ, I might add!  The kids were darling and so excited about the fireworks!

It was a beautiful night, a beautiful show, a nice moment with friends, and a great memory of Korean hospitality and generosity!

Happy Wedding Day Heyran!

Yesterday was Heyran's wedding, my sweet friend and co-worker!  It's been the talk of the school lately, and I'm so happy for her!  In Korea, when you attend a wedding, you're expected to give money (usually the equivalent of about $50) in a white envelope with a 1 or 2 sentence hand written note on the front.  But, for Heran, I wanted to do something a little more personal and fun!  So, a couple days ago, I went shopping and bought her some sexy lingerie from Lotte Department Store and told her how girlfriends in America usually give their friends lingerie for their Honeymoon!  She absolutely loved it and was super appreciative, and I'm sure her new hubby will love it too!

So, yesterday was the big day! 

Her wedding was held in a pre-decorated wedding hall in a swanky area of town called Haeundae!

Okk told me there will be at least 2 more wedding ceremonies held here today!  Before the ceremony began, they had a slideshow of stunning engagement pictures, where Heyran was dressed in multiple wedding gowns, and her fiance in different tuxes!  In Korea, they don't buy a wedding dress for the big day, they rent one, and engagement pictures are taken in wedding attire!  SMART!

At Korean weddings, the groom and his parents stand at the entrance to the wedding hall and greet everyone coming in!  Monica helped me memorize a greeting for Heran's fiance!  It was basically the equivalent of:  "Hello Heran's groom.  My name is Chelsey.  Today you look ssooo nice and handsome. 

It's nice to meet you.  Be happy forever!" 

He can't speak English, so he loved it... and I felt VERY Korean as I rambled off my memorized phrase!  As a side note, I was THE ONLY foreigner there!

 I love how you're able to sit, visit, and take photos with the bride BEFORE weddings in Korea!   

Heyran looked stunning and sooo happy in the Bride's Room!

Me and my sweet friend and co-worker, minutes before she walked down the isle!

 The wedding began at exactly 1:30pm, and felt more like a rehearsal than the actual wedding, since a rehearsal is never done before the actual wedding in Korea.  The wedding planner would interupt throughout the ceremony to tell them what was next, or guide them to where they should stand. Here she is fixing Heyran's dress before she walked down the isle... and yes, those are people standing in the back!  People sat at the tables, but there were no more seats, so they stood, lining the back and sides of the hall. 

And yes, HE is wearing white gloves! 

Their wedding was beautiful!  Here, they are watching some of their friends from their church choir singing a song about love!  Very sweet!

I took this video towards the end of their ceremony, where you can see them bowing to her husbands parents and then walking back down the isle!  You can also see how the wedding planner is all up in their business, and the videographer and photographer are as well...  Kinda weird if you ask me! 

Congratulations Heyran! You're married... and to a doctor!!!  Way to go girl!

After the wedding, my co-workers (all 19 teacher at my school) and I went to a traditional sashimi restaurant for a late lunch, paid for by Heyran!  Instead of having a reception, the bride and groom give money to their guests to go have lunch somewhere nice!  I didn't happen to take a picture of the meal, but Okk took this picture of me, standing in the restaurant's courtyard, holding the owners sweet kitten!

"I found the one my heart loves." ~ Song of Solomon 3:4

Congratulations Heyran!

Gyeongu fieldtrip!

About 5 years ago, I was standing outside the Louvre in Paris, when I spotted a 

 group of elementary students who were on a field trip!  I remember thinking to 

    myself, 'Sheesh, fieldtrips in Europe are so much cooler than in California!' 

But then I went on a field trip with my Korean students on Tuesday and realized

                             that they have it even better in Korea! 

                      They actually take field trips to ANCIENT SITES! 

          First stop was Sokkuram Grotto, an actual World Heritage site! 

   It's a gigantic stone carved Buddha statue, which was built into a cave at the

 top of Mt. Toham in 751, 1,260 years ago!!  I wasn't able to get a picture of the 

    giant statue, but I did get some of my students outside of the temple cave!

This is the temple cave.  The gigantic stone Buddha is inside.

Outside, they have this gorgeous canopy of colored lanterns! 

Walking back down the mountain and stopping for a little break!

Lunch time is always a fun experience on Korean field trips!  Students don't bring 

sandwiches and chips!  They bring meat, rice, soup, kimbap, fish, fruit, and fried

                                                   chicken! 

And they're always willing to share it with you, but if mooching off your students 

food isn't your style, it's okay, because the parents always prepare the teacher's 

                       lunches for field trips!  How awesome is this?!

 Next stop was Bulgulksa, a compound of gardens, pagodas and pavilions, built in

535 (1,476 years ago)!  It houses one of the oldest surviving monasteries in Korea!

Oh, and for the record, these are the ancient toilets of the Silla Dynasty!  Ummm... no thanks!

 

Lastly was a trip to Anapji Pond, which was part of the ancient Silla dynasty palace complex. (57 BCE - 935 CE).

Hannah (one of my favorite 6th grade teachers, and 3 of her students! :)

 There was even a small bamboo forest that the kids loved!  Living in Yeongdo, they don't see many trees, squirrels, or spiders, but today, they saw plenty of all of them and were like little kids in a candy shop all day long!

This country is absolutely saturated in history, culture, and ancient sites!  I love that my students got to see some of them today, and that I got paid to go along!  Gotta love teaching in another country!  

Back to the hood...

Tonight I met Stella (my 1st co-teacher) in Goejeong, my old neighborhood, for some Bi Bim Bap and Tuna Kimbap (our favorites) at our favorite little restaurant in my old neighborhood!  I became very close with the 2 women who run the place... or as close as you can become when you don't share a common language! Anyway, when I walked in, it was as if I were the prodigal son! They were so excited to see me and told Stella they thought I had gone back to America and were sad I didn't come anymore! :)  Aaahhh.

It feels good to be missed!

Then after dinner, I stopped by the corner mart to say hello to David (the Korean man who owns the shop!) I gave him the English name David my second week in Korea, almost 3 years ago! I really didn't need to buy anything but I wanted to stop in to see him, so I picked up a beer for Aaron, and David put 5 packs of mixed nuts in my bag, for free, and said, with a big smile, to come see him again soon! Aaahhh.

It feels good to be missed!

Since I was in the neighborhood, I stopped into my favorite thrift shop, where I would go at least once a week in Goejeong Market! When I walked in, the girl who owns the place completely dropped what she was doing and yelled "Emo" (aunt) and came to meet me at the door! After a couple minutes of fumbling through a 1/2 Korean, 1/2 English conversation, and a lot of laughter, she told me she needed to run down the street to the bathroom and asked if I would watch her store! Now that's trust! Aaahhh.

It feels good to be missed!

Lastly, before I jumped on the bus back home, I stopped to see Beksuna (a sweet dog who lives in the front yard of a house in my old neighborhood!) It was like no time had ever passed! I knelt down and she came running out of her doghouse wagging her tail, licked my face, nuzzled her head in my leg, and made me feel like a million bucks! Aaahhh

It feels good to be loved, remembered and missed!

Feeling Stressed?

One of my Korean co-workers just sent this picture to everyone in the school, via e-mail, with a message saying that if the pictures move when we look at them, it means we're REALLY stressed, but if they don't move, or are moving really slowly, then we're not stressed at all!

At first I thought it was a joke, but it totally works!  When Okk looked at it, she said they were moving quickly.  When I looked at it, they were barely moving!  Now I HAVE official proof that my life and job over here in Korea aren't stressful at all! See, I told you!

Hope yours aren't moving either!