Blogs from Ganghwa, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, Asia

With the promise of a mud beach, a much-needed vacation (after only working in S. Korea for little over a month), and a girls' slumber party, I headed over to Ganghwa-do where one of my new friends out of IMOE (Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education) had been placed. Our third party wasn't able to make it because of a last second hweh-shik(company dinner). I nervously followed my friend's directions from the Bupyeong Subway Station, guessing my way out of the maze-like exit and making it out to the main street (you know you are successful when you come out to a McDonalds and a big roundabout street). I crossed the street to the square. Note: You may think that automobiles at lights are stopped, but after one too many cars have jerked in your direction or ... read more

...turned out to be unpredictably cool? There's an island on the West Sea called Ganghwado - it's right up there in the northwest and about 1/2 hour bus ride from Gimpo. It's rural and historic. CDI Gimpo has lots of unexpected little catches. A bad one is that we don't get our plane tickets reimbursed until after we've done one full term (3 months - at the other schools it's a week at most). A good one is that we get Wednesdays off. In the southwest of Ganghwado is a mountain/park called Manisan. At the top is this huge stone altar - "Chamseongdan" or altar of the sky, something like that - that supposedly was built in 2333 B.C. by Dangun, the supposed "first Korean". Manisan is 2 short bus rides away, and today (Wednesday) was ... read more