Seoul

As much as I wanted to include a terrible pun in the title, I'll spare you the seoul crushing attempt at being witty.

That's all.

I promise.

Last Friday after work, we caught the bus with our six coworkers en route to Seoul. We took the local bus to Daegu, then another from Daegu to Seoul. Our trip was about 4 hours total and quite pleasant thanks to the "luxury bus" from Daegu. A luxury bus means comfy seats, ample leg room, and lots of heat. It also means very happy Laubers. We arrived in Seoul around 11:45 p.m. and caught the subway to Hongdae, a young and vibrant neighborhood. We met up with a friend of a couple of our coworkers who led us to our guesthouse, where six of us slept. After we checked in, it was finally time for dinner, so the natural choice was fried chicken. And let me tell you, I've had some delightful fried chicken in the south, but this fried chicken could hold its own at a county fair in the states. My father pretended like he didn't hear me say that when we spoke this week.

Some Hongdae nightlife and several hours of sleep later, it was Saturday and time to explore Seoul. Seoul is a city of over 10 million people and is noted for its population density, which is almost twice that of New York. Though the subway consists of 19 lines, it was not difficult to navigate.

Our first stop was the Insa-dong neighborhood, home to many traditional goods for sale and local art galleries. After warm bowls of bulgogi, we did some walking and shopping.

Next, we walked about ten minutes to reach Gyeongbokgung Palace, meaning "Palace Greatly Blessed in Heaven." In 1395, three years after the Joseon Dynasty was founded by King Taejo and relocated to Seoul, the palace was completed. The palace is located in the heart of the city and represented the sovereignty of the Joseon Dynasty. After the palace was destroyed during the Hideyoshi invasions of 1592-1598, it was not reconstructed until 273 years later in 1867 by the order of Prince Ragent. An effort to fully restore the palace has been ongoing since 1990.

Changing of the guard as we entered:

Andrew, Josh, and Stephen

Rachel, Lauren, and me

Andrew and his Zodiac sign, the dog. I'm a dragon.

After a few hours of exploration on the Palace grounds, we took the subway to Itaewon, known for its international flare. It was a very busy neighborhood from which we could see Seoul Tower beautifully lit. After dinner, we met a couple of Americans, who led us to a dive bar named "Roxy." Normally, I wouldn't take the time to tell you about a dive bar, but this one played "Wagon Wheel" and sold Jack Daniels. It was a sweet taste of home.

Our last stop of the night was Nori Bang, aka karaoke. Karaoke is very popular in Korea. So much so that there are businesses dedicated to renting rooms for hours on end for those who can, can't, and wish they could sing. Thankfully for you, there are no videos to share but trust that it was a grand time had by all.

We woke up on Sunday to snow flurries and raspy throats, ready to spend a few more hours in Seoul before catching our bus home. One cup of coffee and a cast-iron sized skillet burger later, Andrew, Stephen, and I headed back to Itaewon to an English book store for some shopping. Lauren, Josh, and Rachel checked out the local puppy cafe, where yes, you can sip on caramel macchiatos and play with cute canines. Cat person? There are cafes for you, too.

What we saw of Seoul was fantastic, and we're looking forward to seeing more of the city during our time in Korea. 

This week was our last of teaching students for a while. We will work until January 9th, then enjoy 3 weeks of vacation while our bosses take a group of Korean students to Boston for 2 weeks. I ended with 7 middle school boys and girls, who were the most advanced level of students that I have taught.

 Andrew's time in Cyber School has come to an end, so he will join the classroom when we return from vacation in February. 

We hope that you are all having a blessed Advent season. We have enjoyed seeing the cities nicely decorated for the holiday and are looking forward to another Sunday and Christmas Eve at church. The Christmas holiday in Korea is only one day, but our bosses are giving us the day of and day after Christmas off. Andrew and I have a one hour flight booked to Jeju Island on Christmas Day, where we'll spend 4 nights. Jeju is a volcanic island, known to some as "The Hawaii of Korea."

Merry Christmas to each of you! God's blessings on the new year. 

Recent Happenings

Greetings, friends. We are continuing to feel more and more at home here, and have continued to enjoy exploring our region of South Korea. It's gotten quite cold here, as it probably has where you're reading this, as well. Most days have been in the 20's or 30's (Fahrenheit), and we've had one pretty decent snow. Here's a quick update on some of what we've been up to the last few weeks.

Two weeks ago, we went to the city of Jinju to see our friend Lauren take the test for her black belt in taekwondo. Here we are, with the students, after the competition.

We spent the rest of the day exploring Jinju, which is a beautiful, old city. A fortress there was the site of two Japanese invasions, in 1592 and 1593. Both battles led to substantial losses of life on both sides. Much of the fortress is very well-preserved, and there is also a great museum there.

This plaque tells the story of an important moment from one of the battles:

The fortress sits along the Nam River, which runs through Jinju:

 Looking up at the fortress from the river:

Rachel and Lauren in front of one of the many pagodas:

Pagodas in Korea are not difficult to come by:

The outer gate of the fortress. There's a Baskin-Robbins across the street (not pictured):

Rachel and me by the river:

Bibimbop is a very common Korean dish, and we had a good one in Jinju. One would scoop rice into this bowl and mix the ingredients together to eat:

Last weekend, we enjoyed worshiping (in English) at an Anglican church in Daegu, pictured here:

Following the familiar Advent liturgy in a church on the other side of the world from home was a very powerful experience for both of us. We plan to return as often as possible.

This weekend, we are headed to Seoul with our six coworkers. It will be the first significant time that we've spent there, so we're very excited. Advent blessings to each of you.