Restaurant

Welcome to a very uniquely-shaped dining experience!  Architecture is typically boxy and basic in Korea, but Jeff, Phobi, Ji, and I managed to find an exception to the rules.

If you glanced up, you caught a glimpse of ... the moon?

The dome-shaped ceiling was also host to some spectacularly non-ancient hieroglyphs!

If you dared to look down, it was all water!  Seriously.  The restaurant was situated right along a lake, and they made sure to make great use of it!  The restaurant was glass-bottomed. And just in case there weren't enough fresh-water fish swimming underfoot, they had a centrally-located aquarium that was stocked and florescent.

Our food was the delicious, traditional Korean barbecue: loads of veggies and different cuts of pork all cooked up on the grill right in front of you.

When the meal was over and it came time to leave, we wound our way away from the tables and found the check-out counter.

They kept the eclectic theme going, as we found a giant American buffalo nickel hanging above the cashier.  

With the great location, creative design, and yummy food, we couldn't help but wonder... why were we the only ones here?!

My Favorite Playground Equipment!

Jeff and I decided to take a break from the busy city on a beautiful, sunny day!  We just intended for a hike, but Korean hills/mountains often have little surprises waiting for you up at the top!  And who doesn't love swing sets! (Even if they are set ridiculously low to the ground and you hit your feet each time you pass by.)

Money

Jeff and I have been talking finances lately and have been learning quite a bit from family members, friends, and blogs (whoa, Mr. Money Mustache!).  As a result, we've gotten all excited about researching, exploring, and planning our best course of action for the remainder of our time in Korea.  (It's been quite the project, as you can see by my notebook full of ideas, options, and number crunching - along with my scrap papers on which I jotted down my monthly spending habits.)  I'm determined to make a dent in my student loans, yet!

We've all heard it a million times - "Every dollar counts!"  Hence, we started our collecting jars.  Jeff's jar is on the left: his leftover cash at the end of each week that he had budgeted but didn't spend.  Mine is on the right: all of my leftover change from convenience store purchases, etc.  

As you can see in the "Before" photo, my jar was teeming with coins!  Unfortunately, I can't take any credit, as the girl who lived in my apartment before me, for some heavenly, unknown reason, left a TON of change in a hat.  Before she moved, she mentioned leaving me a few household goodies instead of throwing them out.  I was in for a super pleasant surprise when I came across all of the change she had been collecting in a big , fat safari hat!  I deposited the chunk of change at the bank for a grand total of twenty-some dollars, and have started fresh.  As you can see by my "After" photo, rebuilding the stash has been slow going...

Before

After

New Student

One of my sixth grade classes had an extra surprise in store for me today.  I was about to wag my finger at one of the boys for bringing his milk into class (no food or drinks allowed!), when he quickly guarded his milk carton.  It turns out, we had a new student, in the form of a tadpole, visiting our class today!  (I was a bit concerned when I first glanced  in at it, though, as I was still under the assumption that he had brought milk to class.  Not something a person typically hopes to see in their beverage!)

Mt Achasan in the Spring Time

Makgeoli Scooter (Located just off the

winding drive that intersected our 

hiking trail, we found this scooter

with a crate full of rice wine for sale.)

Jeff and I visited a spot we haven't been to since last fall.  Instead of enduring a 2+ hour subway ride (round trip) to Mt. Bukansan, we decided to stay a little closer to home and give Mt. Achasan another try.  We had clambered up this mountain with a small group of friends when we first met, and hadn't been back since.  Since we were by ourselves this time, we toured around a bit more, and went a bit further along the trail.  It was a tough decision to head back down to town, given how GORGEOUS the scenery was.  Much better than our previous visit.  Everything was green, and all of the flowers in full bloom!  Annnnd, a major bonus - the mosquitoes weren't yet out to bite!

Rex the Magician

I visited my host family last night, and ended up being treated to dinner and a show, with Rex the Magician!  He made handkerchiefs disappear, coins multiply in value, and balls disappear into a box.  Beyond adorable.  Especially now that I'm accustomed to how insanely rambunctious he is!  

JE NI PUH!

So, I walk out of my building this morning, and wait at the crosswalk as I always do.  When the light changed, I started crossing the street, and was surprised to hear my name.  The woman in the car I was walking towards was calling my name and checking if it was me or not.

"JE NI PUH, JE NI PUH!!"

Well, yes, I'm Je Ni Puh, as they pronounce it.  But who the heck is she?  She points at herself and says, Seonil (the name of my elementary school).  Then she proceeds to wave me into the passenger seat of her car.

What did I do?  I got in!  And it shaved 10 minutes off of my morning commute.  :)