1st part of October!

The first weekend of October was a National Holiday for Koreans. They call it Chuseok. It is their harvest holiday, and they honor their ancestors. If you wanted to compare it to an American holiday, I think it would be a mix of Memorial Day and Thanksgiving. Koreans visit their ancestors tombs (I went to two different mountains with my family, where their ancestors had been buried), then eat together with their family. For this weekend, I went to Cheonan and visited friends. We made fried chicken, mashed potatoes, ranch dipping sauce, macaroni and cheese, and brownies. It was so awesome to have American food!

This past weekend, I traveled to Gyeongju to our annual fall conference. All of the teachers who are teaching through the same program as me, got together from Friday through Monday. We had sessions on Friday and Saturday- we talked about the challenges of teaching and tried to troubleshoot, shared lesson plans, talked about our host families, winter break opportunities, etc. It was so great to see all of my friend from orientation again! We even rode 4-wheelers, geese boats, and had a couple of drinks at a bar called "Oops" :) On Sunday, six of us traveled to Busan for the 14th annual Pusan International Film Festival. We saw Haeundae Beach, a film at the festival, and just took in the city. I really like Busan, and hope to go back.

Tomorrow morning, I am skypeing with one of my professor's Intro. to Ag. Ed. classes. I am so excited to talk to these students who are Ag. Ed. majors. I definitely remember being in their shoes a couple of years ago. I am also a little nervous, because I haven't spoken to a large group of Americans for a long time.

Next weekend, I am meeting some friends in Seoul. One of the girls is going to the doctor, then we are going shopping. It is getting pretty cold in Hwacheon, and I didn't bring a coat with me, so hopefully, I will be able to find one. Then on Sunday, one of the girls and I are going to look at prospective hotels that are families can stay in when they come to visit Seoul.

I hope you are all doing well. I miss you and love you.