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

Shortly we are off to our final dinner next door in the beautiful little village called Heyri Art Village. We have grown found of the art villages numerous cafe choices, art galleries and restaurants. As well as the gorgeous and unique architecture. Ironically, we were taken to the Farmer's Table for Tanner's going away dinner. We had only been on campus for a few weeks but had become good friends. Thus it is only fair that we depart our English Village lifestyle by indulging from this fine menu once again. Tonight however it will only be the two of us, sharing a romantic dinner before blowing off fireworks and kicking back with a couple of close friends. A time for reflection is always the best thing when you are departing one place and beginning the next ... read more

On Sunday, we went out to the local Paintball field with 9-teachers from English Village. Dressed for the weather and happy for the event we shot paint at each other for three hours over four games. During the "kings" game I was belly crawling across the field at some point having to adjust my advancement because I was being heavily shot at I adjusted wiggling backwards when my shirt adjusted itself leaving me stomach bared to the ground. Although later on my favorite round for the day was the "cowboy round." You begin in a small 20-by-20-foot space back to back with your opponent then walk five paces counting out loud. Next you spin around on your heels and just begin shooting or dive behind a barrel for protection. Both players have around 15 shots in ... read more

It's Friday night, and it's time to party... to send off a friend who is departing during our 2-week hiatus in Vietnam. Devin, (our neighbor) has finally decided to return to the US to obtain his masters degree. So, we decided to have a dinner and Norebong (karokee) session, to send him off on his merry way. On this particular Friday, the marketing team, scheduled a film crew to work on the grounds. In 12-months of being at EV, film crews literally work here almost once a week starting in April. And I'd say from April to December, 15 of those crews have obtained permits to work until 11pm. But since no one from the marketing team is ever here past 6pm, the film crews just stick around until they are finished. Sometimes this is 1am, ... read more

There are two major differences when traveling by car instead of by bus or train in South Korea. First the ability to stop willy-nilly wherever the heck you desire and it is your responsibility to pay for gas and toll fees.Because gas prices in South Korea are charged by the liter (a quart), we were invited on a road trip to Gyeongju in Gyeongsangbuk-do. Gyeongju is famous for its artifacts, ruins and relics from the Shilla Dynasty, 57 BC to 935 AD. In addition to the Shilla Dynasty the surrounding mountains and valleys hold a plethora of antiquity. The Gyeongju National Parks have hundreds of hiking trails leading to Buddhist carvings, shrines, stone pagodas and temples. Amazing sights to observe are the large green mounds housing tombs rolling across the cityscape called tumuli. Starting from Paju ... read more

Being stranded in rural South Korea is nearly impossible with the massive network of public transportation possibilities. The Koreans understand not all people need or want an automobile because of this they have built a three-tiered bus system working eighteen hours per day. This three-tiered system uses express buses driving directly to and from major city cores to the countryside, standard buses picking up a few extra stops and going long distances. Plus the local buses running haplessly through the entire countryside but cutting short the major city centers. A bonus is using the T-money card, which works with all forms of public transportation, simplifying what you need to get on and off. One of the biggest advantages of this system is every bus route is color coded for even the most ignorant of bus riders ... read more