Updates

October in Korea has treated us well...the weather has been beautiful, although definitely colder than we expected. Last night, Dan and I went out for dinner with the academy teachers, had some delicious korean barbecue and a birthday cake for me! This was followed by our first "Noraebong" experience in the bar below the restaurant. The Noraebong was outfitted with several private rooms. Ours had two mikes, two tambourines and an impressive book of songs in Korean, Japanese and English. But the best part was the video accompaniment: an entertaining late-eighties collage of neon-clad skiers in the alps, random cityscapes, hula dancers, Lassie running, etc. We all belted it out for a good two hours but Dan never stepped up to the plate - apparently we couldn't ply him with enough soju to sing in public.
In other news, last week I tried to take scissors away from a mischevious kindergartner and ended up with two stitches in my finger. But I discovered that the Korean hospitals are amazing, and very efficient. Plus, the nurses told me I was pretty, so that was nice.....
Anyway, we're off to a flea market today, and perhaps out again tonight. We have some celebrating to do!

A few pictures from October

A wild ride on Daechon Beach
Dan cleaning house

The Daejeon Hot Air Balloon Festival


Thanksgiving Dinner at Erin's place

what we've been up to...

Things are still going well in Daejeon. We just enjoyed a big holiday last week and have another one (Foundation Day) today - Wednesday - so we've had some time to explore the area a little more. The weather is just turning autumny - crisp, which is a welcome relief after a few steamy weeks. Some of the trees are changing already, and we've been told that the colours will be incredibly beautiful in the surrounding mountains near the end of the month. Of course, no Korean landscape can compare to Lake Weslemkoon on Thanksgiving weekend - but I won't tell them that! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone at home, and feel free to send any leftovers our way...! In the meantime, here are a few snapshots of our life in the fast lane: the first is of Donghaksa Buddhist Temple - one thousand years old, and now a college for female monks.
Then, one of my students, Anna, dressed in her traditional Han-bok for the Chuseok festivities last week,
Kevin and Melanie hunting chestnuts on Tuesday's kindy field trip to the country
My pretty new bike (and yes, that is the yellow brick road behind me...),
Four of my 5 year old students relishing the limelight
and a few of the YBM staff in our somewhat chaotic office!