Picnic and fireworks.

Here are some pictures from our late fourth of July celebration that we had with some friends. We all walked down the lake and packed picnic dinners and drinks. It was such a fun day enjoying the beautiful weather with great friends.  After the sun set, we lit off some fireworks.

Our friend's dog, Foster.

Cafe Gourmet.

This weekend, Jess and I went to our favorite cafe, Cafe Gourmet.  It is a beautiful cafe with huge sunny windows, big wooden tables, delicious lattes, and comfy patio and balcony seating to enjoy the sunshine.  It is situated right next to the lake, so as you sit on the balcony you can look over the lake and people watch.

With the sunny summer weather, we decided to take Pippa to the lake, get some coffee, and relax.  We walked down to the lake in the morning and sat in the shaded patio area with Pippa.   The walking path around the lake and the cafe were pretty much empty since it was such a hot day so it was nice and peaceful.  Well, it was peaceful until they started doing construction on the balcony above us.  I swear there are no building codes here because the men were throwing huge wood planks (with nails in them!) over the balcony to a pile below.   We sat outside for about an hour, but then it just got so noisy so thought we might as well ask if we can sit inside with Pippa.  

The staff excitedly said yes!  They were so accommodating to Pippa; I was shocked.  For a country that still eats dog soup, I was extremely surprised that they were so laid back about letting us bring her in.  The one waiter kept coming over to pet Pippa and one other worker came over to say hi to her as well.  Jess and I stayed inside for about two more hours talking and writing in our journals.  I can't say enough how thankful I am for meeting Jess here and growing our friendship over this year.  It was the perfect day to spend with Jess, Pippa, and a good hazelnut latte.  

First, she started out on the ground...

Next she moved her way up to the chair...

Then inside...

And finally after her big adventurous day, she curled up and slept on my lap. Pippa better not get used to hanging out in cafes, this would definitely not fly back home!

Galbi...another word for heaven.

As most of you know, I've been a vegetarian for the past two and a half years.  I haven't been perfect in those two years and there were definitely a few times when we first came to Korea that I ate some type of meat without realizing it was meat until after.  However, the past few weeks I had been really wanting to try galbi, one of Korea's most popular dishes.  I mean, there is a good chance that we will only be in Korean once, so why not try one of its most famous dishes?  I didn't want to go back home and regret not trying it while we live here.  And to be honest, I had really been craving meat the few weeks leading up to this, so it seemed like the perfect time to try it.

So, we made plans with some of our friends to try it out on a Friday night after work. The galbi restaurants have tables with built in barbecues, so you barbecue your own meat.  There is the option to sit at a high round table or sit on the floor at a long rectangular table. Since there was five of us, we opted for the ground (plus you feel way more Korean sitting on the floor). You tell the waiter how many portions you want for the galbi and they bring out hot coals to put under your grill.  They also bring out a ton of side dishes like lettuce, rice, a fried egg, raw garlic, raw onions in a broth, a sauce to dip your meat in, and various types of kimchi.  Then they bring out the bowl of raw meat, tongs, and scissors.  You place one slab of meat on the grill at a time and when it is almost done you cut it up into small pieces and everyone grabs the pieces straight off the grill with their chopsticks.  You eat slowly, waiting for each piece of meat to cook, so you can really focus on the conversation and catching up with your friends.  

The galbi was way better than I ever imagined it would be.  So incredibly juicy and the perfect combination of sweet and savory.  It is also good put into what I like to call a gabli burrito, which is a lettuce wrap filled with a little bit of rice, galbi, sauce, and some onions.  Pretty delish.  I am definitely going to get some more before we go back home.

Cooking up that meat.

Bethany, Jess, and I waiting for the first round of meat.

Right before my first bite!

The aftermath.

We snapped a photo with the owner on our way out.  Can't wait to go back...maybe I'll be a galbitarian.

Seoul.

Last weekend, Doug, Jessica, and I went to Seoul. We spent the day getting a few last souvenirs, buying gifts to bring home, eating yummy food we only get to eat when we are in Seoul, and enjoying each others company.  I am so thankful to have met a friend like Jessica.  I know that this would have been an awfully long and lonely year without some of the friends we have made, like Jess.  Here our some photos from our day:

Getting a little pick-me-up after some serious souvenir shopping.  Jess got a free drink. By the looks of it, she was happy about it.

It started sprinkling when we were watching this man play the sax.  He did not even skip a beat and kept playing.  He was getting so into it, even shimmying his shoulders.

Last stop of the day, a pub so that Doug and Jess could get a good ol' American cheeseburger.  And, of course, so Doug could get a beer on tap!

A long-term state of mind.

I think it's time for another countdown post.  We will officially be home in only 102 days!  102 days, can you believe it?!  Just yesterday I was thinking about coming home and the actual day that we will be leaving Korea and on the plane to LA.  I got butterflies in my stomach.  It was weird because I also was remembering when we left Spain and my feelings at that time.  When I left Spain, I was excited to come home (especially since it was the holidays!) and to see my family, but it was also bittersweet.  We both fell in love with everything about Spain.  The fact that we were so passionate about learning Spanish also made leaving the country hard because I knew I may never have the opportunity again to be fully immersed in a Spanish speaking culture.  Plus, I got to see Doug everyday in Spain, which was way better than a few times a month like during the school year.  And I was returning to UCLA, which was a lot more difficult than my studies in Granada.  Maybe something had to do with that, too ;)

But leaving Korea will be a lot different.  And that feeling doesn't mean I don't like it here-I know I will have moments when I miss Korea-but the circumstance is just completely different.  I think because so much has changed in our lives in this past year and we are excited to share that with our family and friends.  Maybe it is also because returning home means starting an exciting new chapter in our lives rather than returning back into our routines.  I feel like we will officially be starting our life together: getting an apartment, unpacking our stuff, decorating, getting a car, etc.  This past year (more like the past five years with school and moving around so much) has felt so temporary and being in a long-term place sounds so refreshing. I can't wait to actually live in a place for more than two years.  It'll be so exciting coming home after our first year of marriage and getting to start an awesome second year together with our families and friends so close by...

102 more days!!

Race Day.

This past weekend was our big 5k/10k run.  Doug, Jessica, and I have been running and training for probably about two months getting ready for the run.  We were really hoping for a beautiful spring race day since the weather was so great the weekend leading up the the race.  But, we were not so lucky.  That Saturday it rained, and I mean really rained.  On top of that, it was really windy.  You could see ripples of rain blowing towards you from the wind.  Luckily the race was on Sunday and not Saturday.  The weather cleared up a little bit over night but it was still really windy and cold.  We were not really in the mood for running when we woke up that day.  I was even thinking maybe I'd walk some of it since I just really really didn't want to run.  But, it is amazing what being around a crowd of people working towards the same goal as you does.

Lining up for the 10k race definitely started to get my blood pumping.  There were so many people running -over 5,000 people were registered between the three races!  When the race finally started I had my music playing and was feeling motivated.  The first five or so minutes was just weaving through the crowd, letting the fast runners pass you and passing the slow guys as I found my pace.  It was definitely still a challenge and one stretch of the course specifically seemed like it would never end, but seeing all the people running around me kept me going.  On the second half of the run, I kept passing an older Korean lady.  When she saw me pass her she put out her hand for a high five!  This lady was probably about 50-60 and was running with a huge smile on her face.  From that point on, whenever one of us would run by the other we would high five again.

I finally finished the race in 61 minutes and saw Doug, Jess, Thomas, and Bethany cheering me on since they had already finished their run.  I was so proud of Doug.  He finished in 29 minutes for his first 5k race, which is amazing!  After the races we ate sandwiches together and then headed back to our warm homes.  It was such a great experience to be able to run a race in Korea.  It was actually something that I really hoped to do while we were here, but didn't know if I would be able to register for a race since I don't speak Korea.  I am so thankful to our friend Amy that organized all of the foreigners and registered for us!  She is awesome!  Running through the countryside and seeing the mountains with pale pink cherry trees scattered among the green is something I'll never forget.

We snapped this picture before the race when we were feeling nervous and jittery!

Looking pretty excited as I cross the finish line :)

Thoughts on winter.

Let me tell you something about winter here: it is absolutely freezing.  Before going outside, you need to put on layers upon layers.  Sometimes, even that is not enough.  To make the matter worse, we have to walk everywhere here.  So, it's not like it is back home where it's cold until your car heats up.  It's cold on your walk to school, it's cold at school, it's cold waiting for the bus, it's cold on the bus, it's cold at the subway station, it is just really cold!

I think winter is why I haven't been blogging much.  I just don't have much to blog about since going outside is dreadful.  To make up for my lack of blogging, I thought I'd show a few things Doug and I have been up to these past few months!

We went to Independence Hall and learned about South Korea's past.  I thought I could get away without wearing a heavy coat.  I was wrong! 

I said "goodbye" to my first set of students as they graduated from middle school.  It's sad knowing that I won't have them in the classroom next year.  The student in the second picture is one of my favorites.  She picked her English name as "Paris"!

 We snuggled and played endlessly with Yeppi (and fell in love with her over and over again each day!).

 One day, Yeppi got her bone stuck in her collar and searched the apartment frantically for it.  It was adorable. 

Lastly, I turned 23 and had a great time celebrating with my friends.  

So, to sum it up, it has been a long, cold, but really great winter.  We have made some really great friends here in Korea and have had the best addition to our family (little Yeppi!).  Now, I'm counting down the days till warm weather and can't wait to be back in California for summer.