Seoul at Night

Mt. Nam is a mountain in the center of Seoul.  Stacie and I hiked it at night to see the city.  It was very beautiful. At the top of the mountain are many restaurants, a huge observatory tower, and usually many events or concerts.  It is a very popular date spot in Seoul.  The pictures below are looking off the North side of the mountain.  It is less crowded and easier to get a clear picture.

Seoul Tower

 

VIDEO:

Seoul with Stacie

Stacie and I spent three days sightseeing in Seoul.  We visited some famous Palaces, neighborhoods, parks, and other historical sights.

Cheongyecheon River

Gyeongbuk Palace (the biggest in Seoul)

King Sejong = Most famous King and inventor of Hangul (Korean writing system)

Jongno Tower (Samsung Building)

Uam Park

Uam Park is a local historical site with origins dating back to early 1600's.  Uam was a politcal philosopher and statesman during the Baekje Dynasty.  Here are some pictures of his little getaway/ retreat settlement located at the fringes of Daejeon.

Bo Shin Tang

Bo Shin Tang = Dog Soup

Pretty delicious.  Kind of like a roast beef stew.  Supposedly it is very healthy for you.

Summer Camp + Stacie's arrival

The summer is hot and humid here, but not as hot as the recent heatwave in the American Northeast.  My friend Stacie came to visit me for a few weeks.  While I am dreading this weather, for her, it is a pleasant break from 100+ degree days in Philly.

In Korea, students go to school almost the entire year.  The students' "summer vacation" is nothing more than a change in their schedules and a slight decline in their workload.  For me, my job was to create a small 2-week unit for the students who wished to work on their English.  My class included games, cooking, mystery reading and writing, music, and a Disney movie.  

My afternoon class only had a handful of students.  The students were 2nd graders, a nice change from my 1st graders.  At night, I would go to the school dormitory and have conversations with the students.  

Stacie is a guacamole expert.

Mixing up some guacamole (Salsa on hand just in case)

School Field Trip

Two weekends ago, I was invited on a school field trip to a Buddhist Temple and mountain park.  It is called Songnisan.  The field trip was organized to provide an outing for the students' mothers.  This was an opportunity for them to spend time with their children and fellow parents.  The trip took about one hour to reach the destination.  After exploring and eating a buffet lunch, we returned to Daejeon.  Along the way we stopped by a traditional Korean home where we were given another short tour.  The weather was extremely hot and humid, but also sunny and beautiful.

Semester-end luncheon/ceremony

Today we had a lunch/ceremony to celebrate the end of the semester.  We had a kind of stuffed chicken soup.  We honored 3 teachers who will be leaving Daejeon High School.  Unfortunately, they are all in my small circle of close office friends.  The picture shows our current cafeteria.