Work has been fairly slow, as we haven't had any students here since December 19th. We've been working on creating materials for the coming year, but have also had time for other pursuits. This has included studying Korean, a great deal of trip planning, and watching copious amounts of Netflix.
On the weekends, we've continued going to nearby cities for shopping and other activities. The weekend before Christmas, we went to Daegu with our friends Josh and Lauren. Josh and I did some skeet shooting while Rachel and Lauren shopped.
Later, we went ice skating. It was Rachel's first time on ice skates, though you'd never know it by how adeptly she performed. Helmets were a required part of the skating ensemble.
On Christmas Eve, we worshiped at St. Francis Anglican Church in Daegu, where we've been attending. The service was a joint Korean/English service, and included several baptisms. Although the liturgy was conducted in Korean, much of it was also displayed in English. A bilingual Christmas Eve service was definitely a first for both of us! Here we are outside of the small church.
Afterward, we strolled through Daegu a bit more, enjoying all of the decorations, including many decorated trees down the central promenade. The (very) much larger First Presbyterian Church also looked very pretty.
Are you tired of seeing me in that black jacket yet? Trust me, I'm equally tired of wearing it. But it does the trick.
Christmas Day is a national holiday in Korea, and our bosses were kind enough to give us Friday, the 26th off work as well. Since we had a long weekend -- though, sadly, not long enough to go home and visit our families -- we decided to go to Jeju-do. Jeju is the island province off the southern coast of the Korean peninsula. It is a volcanic island, leading some to refer to it as the "Hawaii of Korea"; it is replete with natural beauty. We stayed for four nights in Jeju City, located on the northern side of the island. We had a great time, and got to see many of the highlights of the island.
Since we traveled there on Christmas, Rachel sported a festive hat for the journey.
The flight there took less than an hour, but gave beautiful views of the Korean coastline.
Jeju is famous for its women divers, called "haenyo", which is literally "sea women". Although we did not get to see them dive, we ate at one of their restaurants and enjoyed the fruits of their labors. Our meal consisted of two very traditional dishes in Jeju, octopus and an abalone rice porridge.
After that, we hiked up the Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak, a volcanic crater located just off the northeast shore of the main island. This beautiful peak is full of geological interest due to its volcanic formation. The peak offered spectacular views down into the crater as well as back towards the island of Jeju. What follows are a sampling of our pictures from there.
Mt. Hallasan, located in the center of Jeju, is visible from most places on the island.
Looking down into the crater.
Rachel on the walk down, overlooking the town of Seongsan.
This cove is a place where the haenyo dive. You can see one of their diving shacks in the second picture.
The following day, we joined several hundred Koreans (as well as many Japanese and Chinese) in hiking up the aforementioned Mt. Hallasan. This is a volcanic mountain in the center of Jeju and, at 1,950m (6,400ft.), is the highest mountain in South Korea. Although it was snowy from the first step to the last -- some 19km later -- and we lacked much of the right gear (I was in running shoes), it was a successful hike with stunning views throughout.
Most Korean hikers, it should be noted, did not lack for proper equipment on this or, it would seem, any other hike. Hiking is an extremely popular activity in Korea and shops selling outdoor gear abound in every city and town. You'll notice, in the pictures, their fondness for brightly colored jackets and backpacks. You might not see that most also have proper hiking boots, crampons, trekking poles, and gaiters. I figure that this was at least four advantages that I didn't have. But, at least I have my health.
Rachel in traffic on the ascent.
A rest area, where hot noodles could be purchased.
Nearing the summit.
We ate lunch overlooking the crater at the top. Rachel is pictured eating a piece of gimbop, which is Korea's take on the sushi roll.
Another day, another crater.
So much company.
You can see the ocean in the distance, below the clouds.
The hike down was also quite scenic, of course, though a bit treacherous (again, given our equipment status). Rachel did a good job of body sledding through some of the steepest parts.
We spent our final day of Christmas vacation in Jeju City. We toured Love Land, an open air museum with dozens of statues showcasing couples in flagrante delicto and other aspects of human sexuality. I won't include any pictures, though I'm sure a google search would turn some up quickly. Consider yourself warned.
Also, I managed to catch the last couple innings of a (high school?) baseball game.
We spent New Years' Eve and Day in the coastal city of Busan, with our coworkers. It involved some intensely competitive beer pong.
And foosball.
New Years' Day was cold, but the beach was still lovely.
If you've gotten to this point, you've worked even harder than we did to climb Mt. Hallasan! Thank you for your interest in our travels, and please do keep us updated on how you are doing. We miss everyone back home dearly.
We're lucky enough to get a vacation the last three weeks of January while our bosses take a group of students to Boston and New York, so on Saturday we'll be flying from Seoul to Hanoi, then spending the rest of the month in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. I'd imagine we'll have more to write about when we get back.
May God bless and keep each of you in 2015.
