things you see in korea (some of my fav!)

gardens and farmland are all throughout this beautiful country...whether it's in a big open field or in the nooks and crannies of the city, koreans know how to maximize their space.
mountains, mountains, mountains everywhere. this photo is from the winter, but now the mountains are bright green and smile at me every day on my way to work.
this is "chungdo" a city that is considered much more rural. people who live in the country are very hospitable. they are known to invite strangers in their home to allow them to stay with them or feed them meals even though they live quite humbly themselves. while we were there a few elderly people were giving us presents of free peaches and plums. the people are so very kind and the land is very beautiful.

kids run around the streets freely. they have no fear of strangers or crime because korea is so safe. i even see 7 and 8 year olds ride the bus or subway alone. these kiddos ran past peter and i on a walk and yelled out their english they've been learning at their hagwons: hello! how are you! thank you! (this happens all the time and pete loves it!)

we have an amazing market that comes right outside our apartment door selling all kinds of goodies from freshly made donuts to fish. i usually stop here to buy fruit, veggies and eggs. they even sell kitchenware, books, freshly made korean popcorn style snacks. it's rockin' good. nothing beats stepping outside your apartment door to be greeted by an amazing farmer's market!
here's a view of a seat on the KTX train--korea's speed train. i'm sitting in first class because a lady wanted to sit in my coach seat. pretty sweet. they have a rule that you can't talk in first class which makes it an excellent napping opportunity.

nope. it's not the lighting. that car is pink. pepto pink.
my favorite car in korea. i just want to scoop down and pick it up and put it in my pocket. a little grandma walked in front of it and practically blocked the entire view of the car. seriously, it's tiny.
the rose bushes in korea are amazing! either the koreans really know how to prune these bushes to get the most buds for their branches or they are just amazing roses because every bush i see is just bursting with these brilliant beauties.

election day

korea is having a rather large government election this coming wednesday. posters are plastered everywhere with headshots of all of the candidates. the hype of the election is extremely entertaining to me. campaigners line the roads with cards, pamphlets and posters indicating their candidate of choice. the candidates themselves wear sashes (think male beauty pageant) and stand on busy street corners and humbly bow to the lanes of cars hoping to score some votes from the drivers whizzing by.

printing in korea is rather cheap so there are dozens of HUGE color banners hanging from tall buildings advertising the promises of each of the candidates. i must admit i am completely ignorant about this election. i am trying to learn a little, but as of now i'm merely judging the candidates on "how good of a smiler" they are.

my favorite part of this election are the party trucks that buzz by with a bunch of people standing in the back waving to the fast-beat of a Korean tune. They all wear white gloves have permanent smiles and they sway back in forth of a bongo truck saying things like "vote for soandso!" the trucks zoom around on these big and small side streets parading the flag of each candidate. all the candidates have their "truck". I've seen at least 20 of them driving around and they all have their party team in the back waving or rather swaying with jazz fingers spread and big smiles. i'm not sure how a crowded truck with people jammed in the back giving me jazz fingers with white gloves on makes me want to vote for someone, but i guess the koreans dig it or i wouldn't see 20 trucks whiz by.

here are some pics of the festivities. i wanted to take a pic of one of the party trucks, but they were too fast for me!

goodness! a month gone by!

Hello all.

wow. how time goes so quickly, eh? well, we have some more changes in the air. peter has moved to busan to start his new job and i am staying in daegu to finish mine. after looong conversations peter and i have decided that i should keep my job for the next school year and we're praying and hoping that he will be restationed here in daegu this coming winter. the idea of living apart is quite daunting to me. it's hard to live with someone and then suddenly be alone, but i'm hoping it allows me the time to reflect more and feast on God's word. i got a brand new amazing bible (ESV study bible---i highly recommend it!) to keep me company.

i've also been to long beach and come back for my third task force meeting for work. i've made some great friends with people which has made these long trips so much more exciting. i have really enjoyed the work we've done together and I'm hoping we'll be able to offer some really helpful recommendations for the department of defense school system.

i'm missing all of you so very much. i'll post some more soon!