What makes a GREAT hiking fieldtrip?

Today, all classes were cancelled, and the whole school went on a hike at the mountain directly behind my school! It was gorgeous weather, and the kids were all excited to be out of class for the day!! Now that I'm a pro with hiking (this was my 3rd hike in 5 days) I've decided to tell you what makes a good hiking fieldtrip for elementary kiddos!

So, here you go...

... friends to hike with... (April, Stella and I)

... boulders to rest on...

...Parks along the way that have weird things to play on...

... GIGANTIC hula hoops...

... a plentiful amount of sticks to fight with...

...bars to hang on...


...lots of grass and blue skies...


... interesting sculptures to look at...

... places to hang out in the shade...


... fun mirrored sculptures to take pictures on...


... lots of trees to eat and hang out under...


...sculptures to sit on (even if you're not suppossed to!)

... gazebos to sit in with friends...


... cute kids who always want their picture taken...


...a good sturdy railing to sit on to enjoy the view...


... and lastly, but definitely not least; A good teacher to guide the way!

Let's meet for coffee... or acupuncture!

Jess is an AVID fan of Eastern medicine, and loves getting acupuncture as often as possible, so when we planned a dinner date with some friends near her acupuncture place, she asked if I wanted to come along! When I was living in the US, I was terrified of the idea of having needles stuck in my body, and didn't understand how it would help... but Koreans swear by it, and are usually healed of their ailments when they endulge in the procedure on a regular basis! So, even though I didn't have any ailments, I went along for the experience!

This is an upclose and personal picture of one of the needles, and the metal stickers they put next to them.


Jess was getting treated for her allergies... 2 needles into the nose, 2 on her legs, 2 in her hands, and 2 on her feet should do the trick! :)


Once they put the needles in, you have about 20 minutes to lay and relax. It's actually really serene... believe it or not!


These are my hands! If you double click on this picture, you can see the needles, the metal stickers, and the cigarette bud looking things that burn on the metal stickers. When they are almost burnt out, you have to yell for the nurse to come pull them off!


All in all, I had 10 needles! ...2 in my legs, 2 in my feet, 2 in my hands, 2 near my elbows, one in between my eyes, and one on the top of my head (That one felt really weird!) While I don't feel all that different, I still think I'll do it again! Heck for the equivalent of $4.50, it's nice to have the experience!