The week of January 23 was the Lunar New Year. Although I know a little about this holiday I am including a link to a great website that (briefly) describes Korean customs for this holiday. Please check it out so you can better understand this important holiday and its interesting customs. It will take you about 45 seconds to read. http://www.newyearfestival.com/new-year-in-korea.html ... read more

What a city! Hong Kong is an amazing mix of ethnicities like I have never seen before. Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Chinese, Japanese, Western and Eastern European, Canadian, American, African... it's all here. And it all works. We are staying on Nathan Road (Kowloon, on the mainland, not the island), packed with massage parlors, restaurants, jewelry, purse and shoe stores. A block away are the famous Peninsula, Continental, and Imperial Hotels, as well as high end shops like Chanel, Dolce and Gabbanna, Hermes, Gucci, Dior, Prada, and Louis Vuitton. The stunning Hong Kong skyline you see in all the movies (like Batman: Dark Knight) is a five-minute walk away. The subway (30 seconds) runs to Hong Kong Island and Lantau Island. We are staying in the Chungking Mansions, which is a 16 floor building of apartments, hostels and ... read more

First, Daniel and I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. We might be on the other side of the globe, but you are all no less in our hearts and thoughts this season. Well, it's the holiday season!! You aren't hit over the head with Christmas here the way you are in the States. You don't see advertisements everywhere, decorations in October, or charities asking for donations every time you turn around. But there are signs of the holidays. The shopping districts are decorated (tastefully) and there are (fake) Christmas tree shops in places like Namdaemun (NAM-day-moon). At my school a couple of teachers have decorated and the children are certainly in the spirit of the holidays. Dan and I received some packages from our Moms which have really helped us feel like it's ... read more

As some of you know my best friend Shannon and her boyfriend Aaron came to visit a couple weeks ago. It was so nice to have a face from home and to be given the chance to play host for a week. It helped make Korea feel more like our home. Despite Shannon battling some serious jet-lag we all had a great week. They arrived on Wednesday night and we took them on base for pizza (yes, pizza- all that travel made them want some familiar food). It was so nice to catch up and start to fill them in on life in Korea. Their first night they had the pleasure of witnessing a drunk mother being restrained by her husband while her two children looked on (the first time I have every seen anything like ... read more

Dorothy had it right... there really is no place like home. I had my one week summer break from July 28- Aug 1, so I flew home to Mom and Dad's house and spent the most perfect, relaxing week with them. But before I carry-on about the excellence of the week, I'll back up a little and fill you in on some of the other details of my life. Dan is now at Fort Benning, Georgia, taking the Master Gunner course. The weekend before he left was his birthday so we decided to spend the whole weekend relaxing and enjoying each other's company. Friday night we just hung around our town, had pizza and beers, and watched a movie at home. Saturday we took the train into Seoul and saw the only English movie that was ... read more