Can't believe it's been a month!

So, my last post was over a month ago! I honestly can't believe that- I knew I had been busy, but didn't realize I hadn't written for so long. For this post I am pasting part of my September email that I sent out to friends and family.

The first weekend of September, I traveled to Seoul. I met my friend Carolyn there, and we celebrated her birthday by exploring and shopping in Itaewon (this is the foreigner’s district in Seoul). We ate real hamburgers and French fries, and even had ranch dressing to dip the fries in! We also went to Olympic Park, where Seoul held the 1988 Olympics. We saw the “Peace Gate” and the flag plaza. I hope to go back to see the museum (we ran out of time). We also went to Techno Mart. This is a 10 story building, filled with electronics (boys, you would be in heaven). They have the “newest and best” electronics on display and for sale. It was very interesting.
The next weekend, my host family took me to where my host mom grew up- on a farm. I got to experience a South Korean farm that grows rice (on a large scale), hot peppers, onions, soybeans, sweet corn, and sesame (on a small scale). They even own their own combine- although it is a lot different than combines in the US. We also tended their ancestor’s graves. Cemeteries in South Korea are a new trend, so most people’s ancestors are buried in mountains. Therefore, there are no grounds keepers as in a cemetery. We took weedeaters, machetes, and rakes and cleaned up the grave sites. We did this because in a few weeks they will have Chuseok (their version of Memorial Day and Thanksgiving combined). They also took me to the Peace Dam. This dam was built in response to North Korea. The North had a built a dam that could hold enough water, that if released would flood Seoul. So, the Peace Dam was built to catch this water, if the North ever attempted this. (It is a different river/dam that the North actually did let water out of a couple of weeks ago). There was also a Peace Bell that was built out of ammunition shells from the Korean War.
The weekend of the 19th, all of the foreign teachers in Hwacheon went to Gyeongju on a cultural/historical tour. We saw two Buddhist Temples, royal tombs, royal palaces (rebuilt because the originals were destroyed during wars), and a museum. The best part was definitely getting to go inside of a royal tomb. These tombs look like huge mounds that stand over 20 meters high. It is very similar to the Egyptians (although not to the scale), and the inside I imagine looks similar. My friends Cait and Carolyn also came to Hwacheon for my birthday. It was great to see them again. We ate in Chuncheon with some of our Korean friends.
On my birthday, by host family took me out to eat (I had the Korean equivalent of spaghetti alfredo), and we had a birthday cake. My friends John and Nikki (they also teach in Hwacheon county), ate with us.
This past weekend John, Nikki, and I went mountain climbing with my co-teacher and her husband. The mountain was 947 meters high, and we could supposedly see North Korea from the top of it. We also went to a memorial site of one of the bloodiest battles that took place during the Korean War.
As we drove, there were huge areas of mountains that were sectioned off, because mines and bombs from the war are still there. After the war, people could come to this area to farm- the land was cheap because it was laden with mines that had never went off. Many farmers lost legs/lives because of these.
This month I have taken up learning how to play guitar. Nikki’s host dad is teaching me. It is really difficult, but a lot of fun. My host family has a piano, and I have re-started playing this instrument as well. I am also trying to jog most everyday. These are all great stress relievers for me.
During this month, Hwacheon has hosted many sporting events. I have watched a badminton tournament, a rowing tournament, an archery tournament and a women’s soccer tournament. All have been very interesting!
Teaching is going well. I love my students, they are hilarious. The teachers at school are very nice. I am slowly adjusting to being an ESL teacher instead of an agricultural teacher. (I have a newfound appreciation and respect for ALL ESL teachers!) I have already picked up a few new teaching techniques that I can’t wait to try on students in the U.S. The atmosphere in school is very different than that of a U.S. school, as students are always stressed out about testing and achieving.

I hope you are all doing well, and I will get better at keeping up with the blog! I love you.