Sprinting Through May, June and July

Helloooo there readers!

Long time, no write! I hope you have been enjoying your time since I last posted in April. Time really flies when life happens! Also, I’m sure you’ll notice the new Belle accompanying me! Thanks to a friend living in Australia, Belle is back!

This post will be a sprint through the months of May, June, July and early August. So, take a deep breath, grab your popcorn, and enjoy the pictures with a dash of storytelling!

May: Jecheon & Daegu

My old college buddy H and her family invited me to join them for camping in Jecheon, about 2 hours north of Daegu.

Maybe it’s due to me not camping since I was approximately 12 years old, but Korean camping is intense. Huge tents, and so many accessories for cooking, eating and drinking, drying, etc. I believe it took them 3 hours to set up the big tent and my small tent (I hadn’t arrived yet) and all their accessories! At least there was a trampoline for us… I mean.. for the children… to jump and play. We spent the evenings grilling eel, lamb and pork, and drinking gin and tonics. It was a lovely weekend of relaxing with friends and beautiful views.

The remainder of May wasn’t too eventful.

My elementary had a teachers’ outing to a Samsung Lions baseball game. We sat on the grass overlooking the game, ate famous Korean fried chicken, cheered on the blue team, and teachers took loads of selfies and group photos to document it. It was fun to observe and attempt to join in on cheers and dance routines.

I then contracted COVID, and quarantined for 7 days. The first couple of days involved lots of coughing and sleeping.. but the remaining 5  days of quarantine were just plain boring. Out of five stars, I rate it -1 star.

June: Cheongdo, Busan, Miryang

Some friends and I rented a 펜선 (“Pension” aka guesthouse) in the middle of a rice field in Cheongdo. We spent an evening grilling, eating delicious foods, drinking, singing and dancing. It was a much needed girls’ night!

My friend M and I took a road trip to Busan. We visited 해동용궁사 (Haedong Yongung Temple), which overlooks the eastern sea. It was smaller than my expectations, but the temple was set in a beautiful location.

We did more touristy things: cable car over the port waters, Gamcheon Cultural Village, and dinner and dancing around Haeundae Beach.

It was a lovely weekend trip, and a great farewell tour for M1, as she returns to her family in South Africa!

I woke up early one Sunday morning craving an “American” breakfast. Sadly, the closest thing one can get to an American breakfast at 6:30am, is going to a McDonalds. I decided, instead of driving 10 minutes for my Mickey D’s, I would drive an hour and a half and explore a different area. I drove to Miryang, just southeast of Daegu, grabbed my bacon egg and cheese biscuit, and headed down the road to a cable car. The weather was overcast, and the mountains were barely visible with the thick fog. While other cable car riders complained about the lack of views, I reveled in it! If you know me, you know I love a foggy, misty view!

July: Goeje, Gachang

My friend HJ and I took a roadtrip to Goeje, a small, southern island of Korea. We spent the day driving along curving mountain roads, enjoying the beautiful ocean views.

On Sunday, we stumbled upon the island’s annual hydrangea festival. We walked through a short line of food and souvenir vendors, live music, and many hydrangeas. It made me feel like I was back on the farm in NC!

July was the first semester’s end for both my schools. Although middle school lessons tend to continue without time to relax, my elementary schoolers enjoyed making hot dogs and watching English movies the last weeks of class.

After school finished, I taught small groups of students for 2 weeks, leading into August. This was a welcomed change to just sitting at my desk for 8 hours a day. My students practiced their English while doing scavenger hunts around school, playing Scene It, and “Going on a Bear Hunt”. The final lesson, I taught my younger students Cup Pong and Flip Cup. They loved it!

Okay! Our sprint is complete! I will finish this post with some views of Gachang.

Stay tuned for my summer vacation in……(guess away!)