School Field Trip in Gyeongju

There are quite a lot of things happening this semester at school. A few weeks ago, I went on a school trip with the kids. Pretty much everyone in the school was there. It was a really fun and beautiful day! 

It was so green! 

School picture! 

The first thing we did was hike up a mountain to see the seokguram grotto. It's a big Buddha statue that is a part of the Bulguksa temple in Gyeongju. It was added to the UNESCO's heritage list in 1995 so it's a popular site for most people visiting Gyeongju. I really enjoyed the hike with the luscious green trees. It really felt like spring with all the bloom of all the different flowers.

We then took the bus down to a picnic area and ate kimbap for lunch. The kimbap was really good! It's so interesting that Koreans are so prepared for all occasions. The students all had their little mat to sit on and their food was all neatly packed in nice lunch boxes. After lunch, we went to see Bulguksa ("sa" means temple in Korean). The temple is surprisingly really pretty with lots to see. After being in Korea for a while, you start to think everything (including historical sites) looks the same. My co-teacher and I left after that and I took the bus from Gyeongju back to Pohang. 

my 2nd grade boys!

you can tell they're growing up; 5th grade

The students were also very excited to see me there! They were all surprised to see me and wanted to show me around. It made me so happy to see them outside of the classroom setting. I also got a chance to meet a lot of the parents (mainly moms). I was surprised to see so many parents because when I was little, my parents never went on any field trip with us (mainly because of work). I asked my co-teacher is it common for moms to stay at home. She said it used to be really common but it's starting to change now. I also teach in the countryside so I'm guessing most of their parents wouldn't have full-time, eight hours a day jobs like the parents in big cities.

Lunch time!

 Lee Chan Ho, he likes me but sometimes he doesn't care  about me. hehe 

4th grade; probably my best class!

the flowers were so beautiful!

cute kindergarten couples

It was a well-spent day and I really had so much fun! 

10k at Cherry Marathon in Gyeongju

with someTaLK teachers and our medals!

I've been looking forward to this day for quite a while. It's mainly because I don't have any big events to look forward. I ran a 5k in Gyeongju in October and thought it would be more challenging and fun to do a 10k this time. I signed up about 2 months ago right when I knew there was a cherry marathon. We ran along the roads with all the cherry blossom trees. There were still flowers but the colors were fading now. It was beautiful a few weeks ago. Honestly though, I didn't care too much about the view while running. I was more focused on which km I'm on and how long I have been running.

It was very festive and fun!

I felt pretty good during the run. I was on track with my goal. Last time I ran a 10k in the US, I ran/walked it in an hour 30 minutes. This time I wanted to run the whole thing and make it before an hour 15minutes. I made it in 1:05 and ran the whole thing! I think I will most likely do the half marathon in June in Pohang. It will be a challenge and I will have something to forward to. I will need to train though.

The cost was 30,000won for this 10k.

22nd Cherry Marathon 10k Medal

I got my shirt and racing bib from my co-teacher the Thursday before the race. They had it sent to her house since I have idea how to communicate with them. We got free food and beer after the race. Also got a medal!!!















It's nice to do something active with other teachers. It makes Korea more bearable.

Before and after the race, instagram!

Geumjeongsan in Busan

Hike at Geumjeongsan in Busan on March 17, 2013

A view of Busan from up top

beautiful stream where people rested

Since I had to pick up my laptop in Busan after it got fixed, I decided it wouldn't hurt to take another hike. My friend and I met up at the Ocheonjang station at around 11am. We pretty much just follow people with hiking gears to the mountain trail. Geumjeongsan is known for the fortress which was built during the war against the Japanese. We did see the fortress and some parts are still under construction.

The hike was longer than we expected. It took us about 4-5hours to finally get down. 

The view of Busan was amazing at the top. The weather was nice and everything went smoothly.

We ate some fried chicken after the hike then took the bus back to our cities.

To get there: Take Subway Line 1 to Myeongnyun-dong. From there, it is about a 15 minute walk west to the cable car.

one of the major entrances and a part of the fortress

a temple near the hike 

a part of the fortress under construction

picture booth for tourists

Jangsan in Busan

It felt longer than 3.6km

I'm taking advantage of the good weather and hike as much as I can before it gets too hot. The winter in Korea is really cold and the summer is very hot. I also heard that fall and spring are getting shorter. No fun. For the last two weeks, I went hiking in Busan. I had to get my laptop fixed in Busan so I figure it would be convenient to just hike there also.

the Waterfall 

On March 9th, I hiked Jangsan (san = mountain in Korean). We reached the peak after about 2 1/2 hours. It was pretty foggy that day so we couldn't see the view of Busan. The peak was about 650m. It was a pleasant hike; not too intense and it took us about 3 1/2 hours up and down.


Here's the direction we found online... in case anyone reading is interested in hiking Jangsan.

'Take Jangsan subway exit 10. Walk straight toward Daecheon Park (and the mountain obviously). From there just follow the road up past a few scenic little temples and a waterfall. Eventually the paved road will end and you’ll be in a large circle area with many trails branching out. Go up the steps and just follow the signs toward Jangsan peak. Eventually the signs will become pretty sporadic, so just kind of follow the trail up. Go toward the top. Remember Daecheon Park and Pokposa Temple, because there are a few possible trails down the mountain and you wanna go toward these.' 

Physical Park with exercise equipments

Group activities

It was a dangerous hike!

Caution!

Almost there but too foggy

Made it, we passed it and had to walk back. 

Daecheon Park at the bottom of the mtn

Spring = Good weather = Nikki's happiness

First cherry blossom in Busan

Yes, spring is finally here. This weekend, we will see the first of the cherry blossom season. I've been looking forward to this day for a few months. As I mentioned before, I didn't have a very pleasant and happy winter. Spring in Korea is a very exciting time because the flowers all bloom and the weather is warm.

One of the many pots of flowers for our new principal.

A few updates from the last time I wrote. I started a new semester and there were some changes at my school. We have a new principal. He's quite nice and seems more talkative than our previous principal. He came in my class a few times to check on my students... telling them to show me respect and to sit up right. He probably also wanted to see if I'm doing my job and good news is he seems to be satisfied with my teaching. I do have a group of new 1st graders and they are a blast. I'm surprised they are not as loud as my last class. They are more cooperative; maybe they are still fascinated with my English. This honeymoon stage might not last long. I think once they are used to me, they will start yelling and running around like typical kids. My schedule changed a bit and it took a few adjustments with taking the bus but things are quite settled this week. 

Flower blooming on my street

Fortunately for me, some things didn't change. I still have my co-teacher and my mentor teacher. I was afraid that I would have to work with a new co-teacher. There were news that my mentor teacher was leaving the school but she's staying for another year or so. Yay!

what a sight! 

The excitement of being in Korea is gone. I have to find things to do to keep myself from dying of boredom. I often go on a run twice a week. Running keeps me positive and happier mentally. I'm also training for my 10k on April 13. I also attend a Christian book club with a couple of teachers on Wednesday nights. We have a new group since new teachers just arrived in Pohang. On Saturdays, I try to go on a hike in another city. On Sundays, I would attend mass with the Filipino community and eat with them after. During my free time, I would read and watch shows online. So that's my typical week this semester. 

with some English teachers; checking out the blossom 

Cherry blossom in Gyeongju, Bomun Lake

with English teacher from my school 

A lot of Hong Kong, Some of Macau, and a little bit of Shanghai

One of many apartment buildings

So after planning and looking at flights for hours, I decided to go to Hong Kong for my week off. I originally wanted to go to Shanghai to visit my old college roommate but visa to China was too complicated. We decided to meet in Hong Kong instead.

the famous Buddha in Hong Kong

Cable car to the Buddha

I arrived in Hong Kong at around 7pm on Saturday. My friend was already there. We then took a bus to our hostel. Our first hostel was located at Fortress Hill on Hong Kong Island. We were a bit disappointed with it because it was old and we  had to share the room with 6 other girls. We didn't mind sharing it because it said so on the website but the place was really small and the bathroom was not that great. The hostels in Thailand was definitely nicer and we had our own place room and bathroom there. We managed though. We ate and walked around that night. On Sunday, we went to see the famous big Buddha on Lantau Island. Transportation is really convenient and cheap by subway. We just have to get this Octopus transportation card at the airport, put money on it, and use it almost everywhere. After we arrived at Tung Chung by subway, we then took the cable car to the Buddha. The view from the cable car was really nice. It was about $165 HK (about $20USD) for roundtrip. We climbed up the stairs, took pictures, then bought some postcards before heading back. That night we spent most of our time at the mall near the station. Hong Kong is known for shopping so you can find a mall anywhere.

St. Paul's Ruins in Macau

Macau buildings with Chinese lanterns

On Monday, we went to Macau. Macau is technically a separate territory but it's still under China's rule. We met up with my Hong Kong friend from Canada (she was a TaLK teacher) then took an one -hour ferry to Macau. We went through immigration and all. We were excited about our immigration stamp from Macau! I was particularly fascinated with Macau because everything is written in Chinese and Portuguese. Macau was one of Portugal's colonies so much of the buildings and food are influenced by this European country. We went to the famous St.Paul's ruins.
The church burned down a few times so what's left is only facade. Macau is still somewhat vey Catholic (due to Portugal's influence). I loved that the streets reminded me of Europe but they have a Chinese feel to it. Macau is also known for casinos and yes there were so many. It's pretty much like Vegas with less people.

Venetian in Macau

Ferry to Macau

Portuguese influenced in Macau

On Tuesday, we changed hostel to a nicer one. It was indeed much nicer and bigger. We still share the room but there was a garden and there were a really nice lounge area. We spent the day shopping and walking around the area. We took a ferry to Tsm Sha Tsui and we met up with my Canadian friend again for dinner at a mall..then spent the night walking around. A lot of walking, eating, and shopping. I didn't buy much though. I was trying to save as much as I can.

Tsim Sha Tsui area

On our last full day in Hong Kong, we went to the famous Victoria Peak (known as the the Peak to most people). We took the peak tram up to the top and spent time looking around, eating, taking pictures. We were in a bit of rush because we were meeting my Canadian friend again for a drink. After drinks and some American food, we walked around again for some shopping.

the Peak

Thursday morning, we woke up, packed and headed to the airport. My friend flew back to Shanghai first then I met her about 2 hours later at the airport in Shanghai. We took a really long subway ride to her home and I saw where she works. We ate food at her place that night. We had plans to go out but I was so tired and would rather just relax in her home. We spent the night looking at our pictures from Hong Kong and Macau. It was fun. The next morning, we took the subway back to the airport and I flew from Shanghai back to Busan.

our daily stop, Gong Cha 

I must say that this trip was mainly about walking, eating, and shopping. There is always a place to shop and I ate a lot. I think I was really deprived of different food in Korea. I pretty much went crazy with eating. We also drank milk tea from Gong Cha almost everyday. Gong Cha is a famous milk tea/boba chain in Asia. I first had it in Seoul and I loved it!!

I am glad I got to cover so many places in just 6 days. I was really worried about this trip so I'm grateful that everything went smoothly. There were laughters but there were also times that I just want to relax on the beach (my definition of a vacation). I'm not a big fan of walking. I am glad I went though. Hong Kong is very bright and crowded. It looks like a futuristic city that never sleeps. The weather was great (20*C) so I was happy. I am also grateful that I was able to travel with Maggie (my old roommate from college).

Thank you God.

YesInn Hostel at Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Island

a fellow TaLKer in Hong Kong 

Cable cars

at Maggie's home in Shanghai 

Posing with the kitchen, in Shanghai 

6th Grade Graduation

My 6th grade graduated on Tuesday morning. I attended the ceremony even though I wasn't required to. I really wanted to be there to celebrate with them since most of them were very fond of me. The ceremony took about less than 2 hours. It started with a few performances from the younger grades then followed by speeches. They were called up individually to receive their diploma. Once they go up, the ppt screen would show what they wanted to be when they grow up. One wanted to be a baker, one wanted to be a barista, one wanted to be a scientist..a boy wanted to be a celebrity...another wanted to be a pilot. I was really interested to see what their dreams and goals are. When I was in 6th grade, all I wanted was to get good grades and go to a good college... I wonder if my students felt the same.

When they played a video of them saying their last good byes and thank you to their parents and teachers, I teared up. I wasn't sure why because I didn't know them that long. I think it's because they're so innocent and just saying the simplest things... "thank you mom and dad"... "thank you teacher " "thank you grandpa and grandpa" (because it's the countryside, some the kids live with their grandparents not their parents).

I think being in middle school will be a big change for them. They will go to a bigger school (my school only has 80 students total) and they will have to wear uniform. Some of the girls are going to an all-girls school. They will probably spend more time studying than anything else they do.

I really hope them the best and I wish someday I can see how they turn out. Like most teachers, I want them to grow up to be good and happy people <3

Here's a video I made for/of them.