Blogs from Sokcho, Gangwon-do, South Korea, Asia

On our final morning in Danyang we awoke to steady rain which didn't look like it would let up anytime soon. We packed up our room, had breakfast and then set off towards Sokcho, via Gangneung. The majority of the trip from Danyang to Gangneung was on rural roads; it took about three hours and along the way we passed farms, mountains and industrial estates... We drove straight through Gangneung and headed on towards Unification (Tongil) Park which is just outside the city on the coast. Unification Park houses the North Korean submarine which was captured during the 1996 Gangneung Infiltration Incident. The submarine was used to transport a reconnaissance team to the South, but it all went wrong when they tried to collect the team and the submarine ran aground. The 25 North Koreans abandoned ... read more

Chuseok holidays had arrived and myself and a friend had organised to go away hiking in the north of the country. Chuseok is basically Korean thanksgiving, most people travel home to be with their families and pay their respects to their ancestors. People prepare food as offerings and then go tidy their ancestors graves. My co-teacher Shasha told me that she would be very busy cleaning, cooking and visiting all her families houses - she doesn't consider it much of a holiday! It is customary to give and receive gifts at this time, so in the days leading up to Chuseok I was given an presentation box from my principal containing three bottles of olive oil and six cans of tuna; two pairs of sports socks from the vice-principal; a box of white lotus tea from ... read more

Chuseok, "The Korean Thanksgiving", is an especially wonderful holiday because us teachers get the week off and some of us get exciting gifts like Spam, toothpaste, and corn. Maria gave me a box of songpyeon and corn, which was sweet and she helped me write out the directions in Hangul for getting to Sokcho. Sometimes when I attempt speaking Korean, people still don't know what I am saying so having it written out can be incredibly useful. I had decided to go to Sokcho to see Mary Rosenberry, a fellow Placervillian. Sokcho is farther north by the sea and surrounded by massive mountains, most famously Mt. Seorakson. The bus ride from Daejeon took 4 hours and was non-stop. Oh fantastic, non-stop, but wait I have to pee! That was an uncomfortable bus ride. Adding to the ... read more

There are so many unique experiences on offer in Gangwon-do! You must try the Jeongseon railbike - you get to pedal along an old railway track at the foot of the mountains. It makes you feel very small! Then you can take the seatrain to a famous beach - it's the world's closest trainstation to the water! ... read more

Hello everyone!! Another month, another entry! So, February is an interesting time of transition for the school system here. On the second week of February, school commenced again and then a week and a half later it was finished and spring break started. Many English classes were canceled, and I started to forget I was a teacher (I kid). Just before the spring break I found out that my new co-teacher was an amazing teacher from Jangsu (the school I went to on Fridays). I was so excited because I knew her and she is a fantastic teacher and wonderful person. She also happens to have very good English, which is even more amazing because she has never lived in an English speaking country. I also found out that my original co-teacher was leaving the school. ... read more