Sunday in Suwon.

This Sunday, Doug and I went on a trip to Suwon with one of my co-teachers and 13 of my students.  Normally, I wouldn't be too excited about going on a field trip over the weekend.  Come Friday I am in dire need to not see an energetic, hormone-ridden teenager for at least 48 hours.  But, these students are pretty much my all time favorites, so I was pretty excited to get to spend the day with them.

I was also really looking forward to it because the students researched different parts of Suwon and acted as our travel guides throughout the trip.  They were the cutest travel guides ever. Period.  My co-teacher, Jasmine, even brought a little clip-on mic for them to wear as they acted as the travel guide.  Also, Doug was invited to go! So, instead of spending our Sundays apart, he got to come and spend the day with me and get to know my favorite students.  And of course, I love seeing how middle school girls act around Doug.  They get really excited and nervous to talk to him and it's so funny to watch.  I'm almost positive that my students were more excited for Doug to come on the trip than they were for me.

So, we went to Suwon, which is about forty-five minutes north of Cheonan by train.  Both Doug and I were really surprised to see how beautiful it was.  Since Korea is such a small country, a lot of the cities and provinces look similar and have the same attractions (lots of temples, mountains, street food and shopping).  But, Suwon is unique because it has the Hwaseong fortress with a 5km wall around it.  We ate a Korean lunch together of bibimbap, noodles, and dumplings and then walked along the wall stopping at different points to listen to our adorable tour guides.

What I didn't realize was that we would be walking the whole wall, which included going to the top of a small mountain.  I wore flats that day.  The flats aren't uncomfortable or anything, but they definitely are not Hwaseong fortress wall walking shoes.  Bad decision on my part.  At one point, one student said to, "Miss Kaitlin, your shoes, so hard."  My interpretation of that was "Miss Kaitlin, why are you wearing those shoes? You must be in pain." And yes, it was slightly painful.  But, even the lack of support from my flats couldn't ruin the day for me.

The weather couldn't have been better that day and we were able to get some amazing views of the city by walking to the highest fortress.  Doug and I want to go back soon to do some exploring of our own.  We got some really good pictures of the day, too.  Stay posted, I'll share them soon!

Meet....

Pippa!  I know many of you know already, but we got a new dog.  After some serious consideration, Doug and I decided that the best thing for us deal with the pain of losing Yeppi was to open our hearts to a new dog.  We will always miss Yeppi and she we always hold a very special place in our hearts, but we needed something else to love to distract us from the emptiness that we felt.  We ended up going to a shelter in Pyeongtaek, which is about twenty minutes north of us on the subway.  

When we got to the shelter, a woman took us to a room with about 30 available dogs.  They were all small dogs and there were several Yorkies, Malteses, black Poodles, and mixed breeds.  We weren't able to get any of the dogs out and play with them before making our decision, so we took some time trying to get to know the dogs through the cages.  We both knew that we wanted a dog that didn't bark, so we narrowed it down to the two cages that had quiet dogs.  I was trying to decide between Pippa and the little Yorkie or Maltese in the pictures below.  I asked Doug what he thought and he said he wanted Pippa. Since Doug was the first one to see a spark in Yeppi, I knew he knew what he was doing when picking out a sweet, lovable, amazing dog. 

Disclaimer: The pics for this post aren't that great because they were taken on our phones and the dogs were moving so fast :) 

She got Pippa out for us and brought her into the shed/office where she worked.  We filled out some paperwork and that was that.  We didn't even have to pay a fee to take her home.  I was shocked at how simple it was.  We basically pointed to the dog we wanted and took her home.  She wouldn't stop moving; she was so excited to get out of that cage and come home with us!

She was a little fidgety on the subway.  Doug and I joked that she is like a baby because we couldn't sit down but instead had to stand up and gently rock to keep her settled!  Now, she is much calmer so it must have been all the excitement of that day.  She is settling in so nicely after spending a little over a week with us.  She is so curious and loves just watching our every movement. Also, she is a great snuggler.

  

I think we are going to need to work on her "acting like a lady" skills since this is her favorite was to relax :) I think she would've gotten along good with her sister, she liked to lay like that too...

Time flies.

The official countdown to home has begun!  Only 4 months and 1 day left till we fly home. We have the tickets booked and everything.  I look forward in my calender and know that these months will fly by.  I can't even believe how fast these past 8 months have gone.  This is not to say that we aren't enjoying Korea right now.  We definitely are!  The warm spring weather, colorful, lush landscape, and new friendships have completely taken away the winter blues.  But, we still can't help but to be excited about returning home to beautiful California and seeing our families and friends again.

I mean, who couldn't resist these precious faces?!  Seriously, cutest boys ever. I am constantly looking at their pictures on my phone to keep me from missing them too much (though it may just make me miss them more!). 

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 :)

Spring weekends.

I really love this spring weather that Cheonan has been experiencing.  After such a long and dreary winter, spring seems like a breath of fresh air.  On top of that, Korea is absolutely stunning in the spring.  There are cherry blossom trees in bloom everywhere.  Trees that I never before realized were cherry blossom trees have begun to sprout delicate soft pink flowers.  I can actually go to work now wearing only a cardigan.  I never thought this would be possible - winter seemed like it would never end!

Here are the cherry blossoms across the street from our building.

 That's our apartment building in the back.

Over the weekends, Doug and I have been spending a lot of time outside just trying to soak in the beautiful day.  Lately, we have been running and going for walks around a lake that is about one mile away from our apartment building.  The lake is located at the bottom of a mountain right next to one of Cheonan's universities and has a paved path all around it, so it is perfect for running.  There are always tons of families and students walking around the lake both in the evening and on the weekend.  We've been running there for awhile now and have always wanted to try a cafe that is overlooking the lake.  Finally, two Saturdays ago, we decided to go for a long walk to enjoy the cherry blossoms and to check out the cafe.

When we finally made it to the cafe, we were able to sit up top on the balcony, enjoy the sunshine, and people watch.   I ordered one of the best iced lattes I have ever had in my life and can't wait to go back this Saturday to get another one.  We sat for a few hours talking, looking out over the lake, and enjoying our coffee.  Maybe twenty or so minutes before we left, a girl sitting at the table next to us handed us a drawing and said "gift".  She had drawn our faces with some flowers around it!  It was so sweet and we now have custom artwork hanging in our apartment ;)

Here's a really corny picture of my holding our new drawing...we were pretty excited!  We really love the cafe and I think it'll become one of our favorite places in Cheonan.  We already can't wait to take Doug's parents there when they visit.  Below are just a few more cherry blossom pictures to enjoy!

Puppy Cafe!

This past Tuesday, Doug, Jessica and I decided to go out for an after work treat since Wednesday was a national holiday and we were off from work.  So after work, we decided to try out a place called "Play Dog".  Basically, it is a cafe where you can go and play with dogs, hang out, drink coffee, and order dog treats to give to the dogs.

I have heard of these cafes becoming popular in Seoul, but wasn't sure there were any in Cheonan.  Being a dog lover, I knew I would have to try out one of these places before coming home to the States where a dog cafe would never pass the sanitary requirements to become a legitimate business.  Luckily, I noticed one in downtown Yawoori (a block or two away from where we live) and we thought that with Yeppi's passing it would be the perfect time to get some therapeutic doggie time in.

When we first walked in, we where greeted by fifteen or so barking dogs and the strong smell of ammonia from dog urine.  Yes, this wasn't the most appetizing smell that I would want to sip my coffee to, but we'll only be in Korea once!  I was actually lucky to even get Doug to go with me, since when I mentioned going before he was completely appalled by the idea of having a cafe and  multiple dogs in the same room.  I think he also was missing having a dog around the house.

Although the place smelt like dog pee, it was surprisingly clean (for being a dog cafe).  The dog wrangler, as I like to call him, constantly wiped down tables and cleaned up fur or any messes on the floor. (We later found out that he was the owner of ALL the dogs - and it was he clear he was their pack leader by the way he managed the dogs!)  The room was empty in the center for the dogs to play and roam, with table along the walls of the cafe.  It was pretty empty, being a Tuesday night, so we sat down and ordered a couple of lattes.  Jessica immediately took a liking to a sweet and snuggable little Pomeranian.  I was like a kid in a candy store for the first fifteen minutes or so trying to pet any and every dog there.  A big shepherd-like dog quickly laid under our table and all the dogs followed him and laid down around us.

The bigger dogs kept trying to steal my umbrella!

Pretty soon after we got there, a group of Korean girls left and put down the little brown toy Poodle puppy they were hoarding over at there table.  I scooped her up right away and spent the next half hour or so letting her nap in my lap and snuggling with her.  She was so precious and so tiny.  Jessica was trying to get me to sneak her in my purse on my way out, but I knew I couldn't steal a dog.  That's got to be a crime, right?  Even if the dog wrangler has so many dogs he may not realize one is missing...

She was like a little ball of fur.  Look at that face!

 This big guy was precious.  It definitely made us miss hanging out with bigger dogs.

The Basset Hound was hilarious.  She didn't realize how heavy she was, so she was constantly trying to snuggle up in your lap.

Jess took this picture of the Golden Retriever.  She asked the dog wrangler if we could play with it, so he let it out of her cage for us.  We couldn't resist those eyes.

The poor Basset Hound.  All the bigger dogs would play fight with her.  I think she liked it, but she looked like a chubby walrus trying to keep up with the other dogs.

I think Doug enjoyed his time there even though he was skeptical :) 

We ended up staying for about an hour or an hour and a half just chatting and playing with the pups.   Even though the dogs could be a bit rambunctious at times, it was surprisingly relaxing and definitely an experience I won't forget.  I'm pretty sure I'll go back when I need my next dog fix!  

Sweet Yeppi.

As you know, Doug and I have had a rough week with Yeppi unexpectedly passing away on April 6th.  I think we will always be left wondering what exactly happened to her that made her go from appearing perfectly healthy when we went to bed to being violently ill and fighting for life. What we do know though, was that she was such a fighter throughout her tough life and even in her death.  She was the sweetest little dog and brought such joy to every moment that we spent with her.  Everyone who met her and spent time with her fell in love with her instantly and I know Yeppi would have loved all of our family back home.  She was such a gift in our lives and gave us a beautiful five months together of never-ending snuggles, kisses, and adorable "welcome home" dances.  In honor of little Yepps, I wanted to share a few of my favorite memories with her so those of you back home can get to know her like we did.

 It was love at first sight.  We couldn't stop thinking about her after our first volunteer trip to the shelter.

Bringing Yeppi home and finding out that she loves running around the apartment after a bath.

Celebrating Doug's birthday after our first week with Yeppi. 

Taking many winter walks together.

Finding Yeppi trying to stowaway in our bags the night before we left for Busan.

Doug and I realizing that Yeppi doesn't like her winter boots.

 Waking up to this little face all wrapped up in the blankets patiently waiting for us to get up.

Settling into the new apartment and Yeppi peeking out from under the coffee table.

Coming home from work and scratching her belly on what turned out to be our last day together.

We love you Yeppi and miss you!