Brain Matter

I have officially set the date! I am now registered to take the GRE in January of 2010. It was an intense feeling to make it so final, my heart was pounding as I was clicking "I accept" buttons and retyping my email address over and over again.

N8 convinced me to take the GRE kaplan prep course so that I can really "nail the test"! I'm hoping to lean on him a bit with some help because lord knows I don't know basic math.

"Now, if Julie has 3 apples and she eats on apple..." aaaaah! it just makes my head spin!

Its very intimidating to be in love with someone as smart as this fella...I've come a long way where I can now actually ask for help without bursting into tears of jealousy and embarrassment.

I hope to start the prep course in October and I'm really looking forward to being back in a classroom setting where I'm the student. This is just a small step towards finding out what I want to really focus on in the future. I have looked into Psych Grad programs in different Universities, but I'm also interested in an IPSL graduate degree (international partnership of service learning and leadership). Either way, the first step is getting GRE score under my belt.

In other news, N8's birthday proved to be an utter success this year! Most of our friends came out to join us for some outdoor activities even though it was raining-it actually was quite nice! but I'll leave those stories and pictures up to the birthday boy to post.

This weekend we are planning a hiking trip with some close friends to Meurang (?) Valley. I heard its an interesting hike, especially if you go off the trail and go along the river. We just need to spend some quality time outside and get out of the smokey bars! It should be good clean fun...but who's bringing the soju?

City of Champions

It has come to our attention that the city of Pittsburgh thrives without Nathan and I in its presence. We are sad that we missed so many great things this year (also including Emily's graduation *congrats!!*)
Either way, it was so nice to be a rep of Pittsburgh here in Korea and we were able to watch the game from a live feed online. What a world we live in!! It was a great game and it surely left a great big goofy smile on N8s face. He then proceeded to sing out lyrics to the song "Here we go, Steelers" but for the Pittsburgh Penguins-it was all quite catchy and it ran together well.
in other news, I have officially set a date for my lasek operation. The people in Seoul are very nice and the price is unbeatable! There is one price for the whole surgery, which is about half of what the surgery would cost back home. I was referred to this lasek center by a very happy customer, also a foreign teacher. Not only is the surgical procedure half the price from back home-but all consultations before and after the procedure are free, i get a year's worth of free eye drops, and since I'm coming from across the country they are setting me and N8 up for free at a hotel near the center!
I'm very happy with the Dream Eye Center and the doctor was very nice. The only thing that kind of freaked me out was that he explained how there are two types of surgery. And my eye condition requires an EK surgery. He said "IK surgery is quick and painless. EK surgery .... well is very good and extremely precise and better in the long run. But it hurts. A lot. Do you understand? Many many pains."
ah .... so I'm not looking forward to the pain, but its only a 10 min surgery!
I can't wait to see you all with my new eyes!!

*note to my dad-please don't think about this too much. it'll gross you out. I was thinking about posting a video of EK surgeries but I decided against it. JUST FOR YOU.

Booked

We have officially booked our flights to go back home!
(loud applause and roaring crowd)

Yes thank you, thank you! We are so pleased to have a set date on the horizon. We will be flying out of the Incheon airport at 11:30am on September 3rd to Tokyo, Japan. After a 4 hour layover we will depart to Chicago and then after a 5 hour layover we will arrive in Pittsburgh at 10:30pm on September 3rd!
20-some days of actually teaching classes are left in the semester and I have to admit I'm starting to slack. We are slowly falling into lessons that consist of bingo, PowerPoint games, and watching videos. During the summer break I will be teaching a 5 day course for Korean English teachers. I have to prepare at least 50 pages of lesson material and teach 4 hours per day. Its not hard work and its extra money so I'm excited to have this gig.
Nathan will probably be teaching a summer camp at his school which will probably last for a week or so. We are allotted a 2 week vacation and I think that we're just going to lay low, save some money and maybe travel to a Korean island-which sounds better than it really is... believe me.
Classes will start back up at the end of August so N8 and I may be dragged back into the classroom, and I know it will be an emotional roller coaster for the both of us. No matter how much of a terror these kids are, we love them!
Our contract ends on August 31st and then we have one last day in our great apartment and then head off to Seoul for the 2nd and stay the night in a hotel until we head out on the 3rd. We don't have much time for decompression so that will just have to happen during summer vacation and after our last day at school we will rush out of here...

soon to come-what we will miss/NOT miss

Summer in Gangneung...

is much better than winter. Because there aren't many great indoor activities, winter was long and boring in our hometown. It was cold, rainy, and it only snowed once!

On the other hand, our proximity to the beach and mountains simultaneously seems like it will serve us well in the summer. Here is a list of why summer in Gangneung rocks:

1. cheap road bikes (mine only cost me about $130). roads are wide and traffic respects cyclists
2. un-crowded beaches
3. high temperatures (70 and it's not even technically summer yet)
4. many mountains in a hundred mile radius
5. cheap transportation to get to the many mountains (For $6 you can get to three of Korea's most popular peaks)
6. the ocean has big waves! surfing is possible...
7. there is a flat, coastal road that runs right along for the beach for miles
8. marathons and half-marathons are ridiculously cheap, and you get good freebies and runner bags (only about $12 for the most expensive one!)
9. you are allowed to drink alcohol on the beach, or anywhere for that matter
10. grills are cheap, making BBQs very easy
11. fireworks are cheap and legal
12. schools make every excuse to have days off from school
13. water sports are popular and accessible. the best kayaking and whitewater rafting in korea is only a few hours away
14. paintball
15. futsol fields abound. beautiful, new sport turf (the kind with the fake rubber dirt crap) and lights stay on until 11:30

We have been taking advantage of Gangneung's features. For example, this weekend we went to Sokcho, a city about one hour north. We attended a beach party where there was BBQ, music, badminton, ocean, and lots of booze. We were there late in the night. The whole adventure only cost us about $20. And we went home the next day to enjoy Sunday at home.

Danoje

We're sorry for being so M.I.A. lately, its just been too nice to stay inside by the computer!
This past week was a very exciting time for our city, Gangneung. Each year, Gangneung hosts the Dano Festival which is a ritualistic event for the crop season. Traditionally, female shaman perform songs, chants, dances and exorcisms to cleanse the people and the earth.
The best part is that EPIK provided an all inclusive 2 day festival experience for EPIK teachers. I was allowed to leave early on Tuesday to meet up with other teachers downtown to see the tents, performances and parade. There were teachers from all over the place to come and see the festivities, which gave me a great feeling for this city that we live in.
We were allowed to take part in the parade which went through the streets of downtown. Each person in the parade had a colorful robe and held a lantern with a wish that you wrote out by hand and connected to the lantern. The parade ended by the river, where we sat our lanterns into the water and had our wishes carried off by the current. It was quite a sight!

Early the next day we went for a hike up a mountain that overlooked Gangnueng. We were able to see the whole city and the coast. On the mountain, there were a few shrines dedicated to the god figures in the stories related to Dano and also the mountain god. Many women were there as shaman to light candles and do ritualistic chanting in the mountains.
I was really happy to miss school, even though I love my kids, but sometimes its nice to get out and be outside on a beautiful day and see what your city has to offer. I think I also set a good example for the students on how you should take personal time/breaks for good mental health, right? haha!


Now the next thing in our horizon is Nathan's birthday party (paintball, white water rafting and homemade piñatas) and I'm considering getting Lasik surgery done next month. *Ee!*