Yongmasan

So since starting this herbalife I have been hiking quite a bit and I really do love it.  On the way up I am always tired and sweating profusely thinking what am I doing??  Then you reach the top, see the view and I love it.  I feel great after and can't wait until the next hike.  So today Lauren and I tried a new place we have been talking about since last year, Yongmasan Waterfall Park. We got there and it only looked like it would be a soccer field and then a track.  Followed by a play area and then it looked like a road we could climb up.  The the road got cut off by a gate and we thought for sure there was nowhere for us to hike up.  Then a small path emerged and off we went.  It turned out to be a great hike with amazing views.  Not the hardest hike we have done but hard enough we felt really good after.  Here's proof of the day! 

Great view down into Seoul!

This country loves stairs!  You climb up a bunch and are like "Yeah, I finished!"  then turn the corner and they just keep going.  I think Koreans just want to get to the top the most direct route!

Cute little stream!

Awesome photo spot.  Lauren called this a senior photo and I said with a much cooler background!!

Namsan/Seoul tower

So we saw this sign to a fort that wasn't too far away and decided to see what it was. 

This is the only thing we could find on that trail.  Looks kind of like a sani-hut but only a shovel and fire extinguisher inside.  We turned around and went back to the main trail. 

Only other foreigners we saw and they really stuck out because they decided the didn't need to have shirts on today.  It really wasn't that hot.  I was sweating like crazy but I always do!

Headed down!

There is usually a waterfall here (man-made) but for some reason it was off today!

Another great hike and looking forward to the next one!  Hopefully next weekend!

Goguryeo Blacksmith Village

So another school field trip to a folk village really close to Guri.  I heard this was built and used to make a Korean TV show which was very popular in Japan.  We took school and didn't learn anything about the village but the kids did get to make a clay thing and then we walked around for awhile.  It was actually pretty fun just being outside and playing with the kids.    

My Princeton girls: Jenny, Christina, Yejee and Sunny

My Princeton class!

Snack time.  These kids love sharing their food and you can get a whole meal out of them and you don't have to bring anything!  Not even close to a balanced meal though!

In this one area they had a really big horse made of tires.  So I decided it would be cool to put the kids up and take pictures.  Here is most of my class.  Sunny was too scared and Luke and Andy were in trouble from throwing a rock so they didn't get to be part of the fun!!

Front to Back: Jenny, Sam, Ryan, Christina and Yejee!

Then time to come down and I figured I had a good arm workout!

Kelley was actually a pretty good tour guide for not knowing anything about the place.

We found a really cool round table.  I said Wonderland of the round table!

Mygirls!

Typical Ryan

Beautiful scenery around the whole place.  We were surrounded by Achasan!

Half way through the year we had a level test for the kids and three kids tested well enough to come to Princeton and now I have a class of 8 kids.  I was a bit worried to go from 5 to 8 but the kids have been really good so far and now I have even 4 girls and 4 boys!!

Back left: Andy, Sam, Luke and Ryan

Front left: Sunny, Yejee, Jenny and Christina

I really enjoy most of our field trips because we get out of school and outside seeing new places.  I sometimes think I have more fun than the kids because I love going to new places.  

Apartment

So I saw that I have not posted pics of my apartment this year.  It really isn't much to look at but it is home.  So my apartment is smaller this year and really no windows this time but it is new and clean.  I live on the third floor and currently have a really crappy neighbor.  He is some man who makes so many noises and sounds like he is dying sometimes.  Here are some random pics from my place.

I actually began growing plants in my place and they surprisingly did really well. They did so well I had to move them out of my place because they were beginning to bring some flies in!  

This is what my counter looked like after mom sent a care package.  Very exciting day!

Here is my place right when I moved in.  I really didn't get any furniture provided for me this time and I had to buy everything.  

My address!

My place now!  Its cozy and looks clean and I actually like it.  I don't mind being home, I have the two windows but neither open to the outside.  One opens to the stairs in the apartment and there is another window outside that so I can just see the outside!

A cool sticker I bought and it easily sticks to the wall and is removable!

My apartment is actually pretty nice and I don't mind being there.  Location is amazing and I only have to walk 2 minutes to school.  I also live nice and close to Lauren and Nic this year so the few times I see her it is really nice because I am right next to home.  I have now been back in Korea for 6 months and six more to go!

Cheonmasan

Finally got to go hiking again.  It has been so hot and the weekends were always busy with something.  I was supposed to go to an island this weekend but lovely work made me work Saturday.  But it turned out to be a good thing because I got to go hiking again!  We (Lauren, Rachel and Sally) went to a mountain right by Rachel's moms place in Hopyeong; Cheonma Mountain.  It was a bit tough since it has been a long time since I have been hiking but we all did a good job.  

Right as we started the hike we almost stepped on this really long snake.  Everyone else ran away but I went back to get a picture.

It was an amazingly clear day and not too hot.  We had really pretty views.

It was a nice hike in the beginning because it was just a paved road.

Me

They had a spot you could fill your bottles up.  It was pretty good water too.

Nice stream!

Rachel taking a photo of us unaware! Lauren is aware!

Steps, always steps.  No hike is complete in Korea without steps!!

We didn't make it to the top this time.  Sally was tired as was I and luckily Sally voted to go down.  Some guy told us the top was still and hour away and we had been hiking for 2 hours already!  Great day and felt really good to hike again!

Rachel & Dana's Birthday

It was Rachel's birthday and Dana's was the week before so we went to dinner at the best restaurant.  The beef place.  Dana bought a cake so we got to eat it and it was pretty good!  In this first picture Dana will not let you take a picture.

Blow out the candles!

I don't know what Rachel looks so shocked about!

Justine and I were there too!