Resolution #17

Alright so here I am sitting in my room writing another blog. Nothing exciting happened this week just normal run of the mill week. I didn't even really do anything this weekend. I had a great night out on Friday with my roommate(see picture at top). Saturday I relaxed all day after my Korean class. Then today I went for a hike, got a foot and leg massage and then made this video. "The video being what?" you ask. As promised it is the video of my new apartment with Gina. It nothing spectacular but we sure love it!!! Enjoy~

Mustard Sucks...

So today we made a trip to the De Militarised Zone (DMZ) today. This completes #15 on things I want to complete this year. For those of you who don't know the DMZ marks the like line between North Korea and South Korea. There is an area that measures 2km on each side of the line that the countries aren't allowed to bring weapons to. First we visited Imjingak. This was a place that was built for those yearning for unification come to pray and wish. It is filled with various remainders of the battlefield.

Prayers and wishes for unification.The bridge. Its too foggy/snowy...This is the Bell of Peace built to represent peace of mankind in the new millennium. Lunch. Mmmm yummy.An igloo, random.A line which we couldn't pass to take pictures. Just beyond this line you can look through binoculars and see North Korea.Last we visited a place called Dora Station. It represents the hopeful unity to happen between North and South Korea. It will serve as a means to travel to/though North Korea. Presently they send 1 or 2 trains though daily for the exchange of goods. I really enjoyed my trip but feel like it didn't express the gravity of the situation. I can honestly say I don't know a lot about North Korea or how it is to live as a North Korean but because South Koreans are hopeful for unity and eager to forget the past they made this part of their country (a place that should be filled with sorrowing memories) almost equivalent to an amusement park. There was only one place that I really experienced the seriousness of the situation. We weren't allowed to take pictures there. In 1978 a tunnel dug from North Korea heading to Seoul was found. You can go down into the tunnel and see the door to the other side. At this point we were approx. 55 meters from North Korea. There was a whole lot of barbed wire in front of the metal door and we could see into a window that led to another metal door. I wish I could've taken a picture because it was the most serious place we visited all day. But that is probably why we couldn't...Anyway 2 down and I don't know how may to go. Every time I finish a resolution I think of another one to add to my list.

Skiing on Saturday and Sunday

So I know that I'm supposed to be doing things on my "resolution list" but I thought I would make the most of a good opportunity instead. The grand master at TKD asked Gina and I (yes I will put that video up soon...) if we wanted to go skiing and we said "YES!!!" So we went. It was a really awesome weekend. Erica (from America) also joined us and about 15 other TKD students (aka the kids). We all headed to a resort about 1 and 1/2 hours away from our home. Once we got there we got set up in our rooms for the night. Then headed to the slopes. We were such a mess of gear and kids and such by the time we got there that we didn't really have a lot of time to ski. Part of that is also due to the fact that like tons of people were there too. We had to wait in lines and ski slowly around people and all sorts of other stuff. It was still a great first day though. We ended the day with a trip to the water park. At this resort during the summer it is a waterpark and a hiking place and in the winter it is a ski resort and they open the indoor part of the water park. Lets just say that that was an awesome idea. We spent the day outside in the cold and snow and then the night inside warm water. Nice...then we headed back to our sleeping space and played hwatu and drank for a bit. Not too much though because we were surrounded by kids. Erica's first time skiing was this weekend and this is the part where she made a breakthrough, she didn't fall down right away. To be totally fair though I was the one who was teaching her how to ski and I a) am not the best skiier in the world and 2)do not really know how I do what I do on skis and last) just thought it should be easy. But she was really patient with my horrible instruction and then we made a train and she totally got it. By the end of Day 2 she was doing really well.

Day 2 was more skiing, since we already had our gear we didn't have to deal with that mess this time and since we went so early in the morning there were hardly any lines. It was really nice. We then ate some lunch and headed home. Let's just say I was exhausted by the end of the weekend. It was awesome all the same. How many times can you say that you went skiing with your Taekwondo Grand Master? you:0 me:1

Potluck at the Palace #1

It isn't on my list of things to accomplish this year but we did it anyway. We had our very first house party. It was AWESOME!!! It was potluck style where you could bring anything you wanted to. So we ate, drank and played some games. Totally awesome. One of the saddest parts is that this was kind of the first of many going away parties for Sarah Oh, who will be leaving us soon. Part of the crowd.

Lazy girls, just relax and have fun.

My Koreans: Sarah is in the front

My wife

Me cooking

It was a total hit everyone said so...The only thing that sucked was the next day. Be read for #2...

Resolution #3 Bowling in Korea

I have finished my first resolution of the year. We finished it last Saturday, not even a week after I returned to Korea. The resolution was to go bowling in Korea. Now I know you are thinking "why does it matter if she bowls in Korea?" and here's my answer...it doesn't. Since I have been aware that there were places to go bowling in Korea it has been on my list of things to do on the weekend. So there isn't some amazing story about bowling just that it has been an idea of mine for a while. Luckily enough a girl at work had her birthday last Saturday and thought it would be fun to go bowling. Some things about our experiences: there was a large group of 13 foreigners all in one place, we were drinking which wasn't allowed (this is the first that ever happened) and we were acting crazy. It was a lot of fun. Some of us were really good bowlers and some of us (*cough* Gina and I) were just there for fun (because we sucked). Anyway we all had a good time and we were entertainment for the nearby Koreans. Many of the Koreans standing near us were watching and laughing. It's only because we are awesome though. Gina taking pictures of the bowling crowd.

Me being awesome.

Hannah strutting her stuff...Hannah is one of the better bowlers.

Autumn...enough said.

Us drinking when we weren't supposed to (and didn't know it...).

New Year, New Blog and New Hair

First I wanted to start out the new year with new hair. I cut off the hair that I have been growing for the past 18 months to donate it to one of those wig making places. I cut off something like 10 or 11 inches. It was crazy. Here is my new 'do. Nice right?

Ok, so I am still stateside visiting family and friends. It has been awesome to see all of you that I was able to see. I will be leaving for Korea again in 4 days. Wow too soon but it is what it is.

This blog is a blog that will define the next year of blogs that I will write. I am going to share my list of "resolutions" for the year of 2010. As of now I have 23 "resolutions" that I am planning on completing before the end of the year and we will see how many I actually get through. I hope I get through a lot though...Here it is:

1. Travel outside Korea twice (Jamaica, Philippines, Germany, China, or Greece are some of my options.)

2. See a Korean Traditional Village

3. Go bowling in Korea

4.Bungee Jumping

5. Get lost on a Seoul City Bus

6. Teach Dambi a new trick in Korean and English

7. Find the spiciest Dukbokki in Seoul

8. Get my 2nd Degree Black Belt

9. Run a 10k (or maybe just a 5k)

10. Try 20 different beers

11. Ride in one of the 3D machines

12. Play in a Korean arcade

13. Go to a Casino

14. Go to the American Embassy

15. Go to the DMZ

16. Have a Barbecue party at my new house

17. Make a video of my new house

18. Go to a pool party (or just a pool)

19. Go to the library in Korea

20. Go to the Korean National Museum

21. Go to the Kimchi Museum

22. Go to a Meetup Meeting

23. Go ice skating

24. Make Jam

Some of these resolutions might not make since right now but as I document the different tasks I will give a more in depth explanation of what exactly I'm talking about and why I decided to do it.

To all my lovely followers. All 4 of you...Just wanted to let you all know that currently I am stateside. I am loving being home. I missed my family a ton. It took too long to get here though. I am not looking to the trip back. It will be brutal I guess.

Anyway, right now we have tons of snow to play in...Pictures to come. Everyone have a Merry Christmas.