Blogs from Gwanak-gu, Seoul, South Korea, Asia

Gwanaksan is a popular hiking spot in Seoul. There are many trails and it is easily accessible from various subway stations. I started from Sadang station and came out of exit six. I took the same route I had done previously, when walking the Seoul Trail, and headed up through the streets of small apartment buildings to reach the start of the trail. Last time the steep driveway up to the temple was a killer, but this time it wasn't too bad. I headed past the temple and instead of heading around the base of the mountain headed upwards. The mountain is only 629 metres high, so the trails aren't too long. The trail we took up was quite steep and rocky. However, it wasn't too bad. There were some cool rocks that had a lot ... read more

Well, my time in Korea is rapidly coming to an end. I thought I was ready to leave, but as I sat with my students on my final day of work, I felt myself welling up. The kids were being extra kee-owa (meaning "cute," the first Korean word I learned,) and I started thinking about the daily routine of my life in Seoul that I had grown so accustomed to. How had it become normal for me to receive daily hugs from adorable little Asians as they said "I love you Yenny teacher!"? How was dancing with a group of kids to "Summer Lovin" and singing at the top of my lungs part of my daily life? How was walking into a classroom with twenty pairs of eager eyes staring expectantly up at me, just an ... read more

Ok, so classes are going well, I'm learning a lot about Korean culture and how the education system works. In politics I'm learning so much about Chinese philosophical thought and how it relates to modern government. Today we discussed Laozi in comparison to Mencius and Xunxi. Pretty deep. The impression I'm getting, from the students in my class, is that if you're not smart and if you don't work hard, you're a nobody. We were discussing the grade B+ - I didn't say anything but they implied that if they got a B+ it would be a pretty poor grade. Maybe that's because I'm attending a pretty good school in Korea, but the stress that's put on these students... wow I don't envy them. Saying that though, they're all super cultured and into international politics. From ... read more

Here it is. The gradual step towards leaving a country that I have called home now for almost 2 years. When I say gradual I mean just that. I have signed a 6 month contract with my company that will keep me in the land of the Morning Calm until August 5th 2010. I am staying with the same school and company that I have been with for the past year, and teaching relatively the same kids. It has been hard to really sit down and hash out a new blog, since most of life around Korea is staying pretty constant. The big trip I took recently was back home to Portland, and well I saw a good majority of you all and you know how the trip went. It was great to see family and ... read more

The title speaks for it self of how hot and humid it has become. It seems that the weather here in Korea is just as sneaky as our short tempered neighbor to the North. Well last time I wrote, North Korea hadn't detonated a nuclear missile, and we were just beginning our heat wave. This is where I will begin, there has been a lot happening lately, including yours truly's 26th birthday. So I woke up one morning (as I usually do) and opened the computer to check the news and emails. As NPR loads, I notice the head line..."North Korean Detonates Nuclear Missile". Well I sat there for a second taking in just the headline and what that meant. Then I went on an adventure in my head of what happened. What played out was ... read more