KOREA+REPUBLIC+OF

I think I need to start this blog off by apologizing for not blogging often enough.  Sorry everyone!

 

So I have been here for almost four months now.  I feel like have adapted to the Korean life style well and so now everyday just feels like another day.  In a good way!  A lot has happened in the past couple of months but nothing extremely exciting.  I have started to learn the language, done some more traveling in Korea, and visited some landmarks.

 

After being here for a little over a month I realized that I need to learn Korean.  I had picked up the key phrases like hello and thank you quickly but I needed to be able to communicate.  So I went home everyday for a week and studied the Korean alphabet until I could read.  Yes, I can read Korean now but there is one problem I have no idea what I am reading.  So now I am slowly learning how to speak Korean.  I think I am doing rather well because I am able to get myself places in the taxi and I can order my own food.  However, my goal for the year is to know enough Korean to hold a whole conversation without speaking English.  I think there is promise if I keep practicing but I guess only time will tell.

 

Korea has a ton of holidays which means lots of long weekends to take advantage of.  You may remember the pictures of the beach with tons of umbrella lined up one after another.  Well that was Honda Beach in Busan, one of the places I visited over a long weekend. The funny thing about that beach was that I got a chain email with pictures of it and the email said it was China.  However, I knew from first hand experience that it wasnt in China!  I actually sent the chain email to my friend Susan Loehrers brother because that is where he lives.  He responded by saying, I didnt know you could see my place from China!  I found the whole thing humorous.  

 

Well besides the beach Busan is know for its fish and the fish markets.  There were also a few pictures of the market.  It was the first market I had been to in Korea since I got here.  As you walk through the market you see people chopping and scaling fish.  I actually had the pleasure to see them skin an eel.  Ugh!  It was not pleasant but it was nice to see what a real Korean market is like. 

 

As for sight seeing I have really gotten into being a tourist while I am here.  I went to Everland with my coworkers.  Everland is a rip off of Disney Land.  If it hadnt rained all day I would have some pictures of their Everland characters.  They are a lot like Mikey and Minnie.  Also, I went to one of the palaces in Korea called Gteongbok Palace, a park next to the Han River, and a Korean Folk Village.   All of those pictures are attached.  These places are very beautiful and are helpful for foreigners to understand the history of Korea.  I plan to visit the other palaces soon (there are three) and go hiking in the mountains while it is fall. So I will make sure you get those pictures too. 

 

Well I am sure there is a lot more I can tell you and that you have questions but I dont want to bore you.  Please email me to let me know how your lives are going and Ill try to do better at blogging.  I miss all of you and hope all is well.  Happy Fall!! 

Posted from Korea:

posted Sunday October 2024