Leaving KoKo

One week after returning from Jeju, I left Korea for home. The school I was working for was having some financial difficulty, and carrying 2 foreign teachers (higher paid) was becoming too much for the director. I was given the option to end my contract early, while still receiving my severance and return flight home. I had done what I wanted to do in Korea, and I was eager to return home and restart a relationship with an old flame that I had reconnected with while overseas. Considering that I didn't do anything exciting when I returned, and the old flame died out, it has turned out to be a decision that I have regretted. Oh well, it was only a couple of months. Overall my experience was wonderful. I came back to Korea to redeem my previous experience. All I had wanted was to go off on an adventure for a year and do something cool, and my first attempt went awfully. I HATED the fact that THAT was my living abroad experience, so I went back a second time for a do-over. It redeemed my experience and forever changed how I view my life in Korea. There were some problems with the director at my school; we had some arguments, a couple paychecks were very late, there were several agonizingly stressful times. I had my first (and only) panic attack over there. Those problems were small compared to my problems in Gwangju, and they occupy a small and insignificant space in my memory. Finishing my Korea blog has been really fun. I've enjoyed going back through my pictures and reliving my experiences. I have a co-worker who has also lived abroad. The other day she told me "when you live abroad, that sense of adventure never leaves you." It is true. I'm sort of pining for a way to go back. I was scheduled to go to Taiwan and teach English this summer, but I got promoted and decided to stay here. It was probably the best opportunity for me to ever go there (job was working 14 hours a week with free housing, unheard of in Taiwan), but it just never felt right. There's some reason for me to stay here in Utah right now, and my new job and volunteer work could be part of the reason. Now that I'm "stuck" in a career, the chances of living abroad seem slim, but I'll find a way to make it happen. The spirit never goes away. I might have to pass on teaching English again, I don't think I'll ever have THAT urge again..haha

all of the teachers at noreabang!

one of the students drew this on the board for me

jinhae- my apartment was somewhere right in the middle of this picture

korean base-a-ball game

my "mothers class" going on a ride up jinhae tower

special teachers field trip to coffee in gwangalli beach

the temple that was next door to my apartment

view from my rooftop patio

the school where I worked

Jeju Island

Jeju Island bills itself as the "Hawaii of Korea." Like Hawaii, it is a volcanic island. Like Hawaii, it has palm trees and is a little lusher and prettier than the mainland. Unlike Hawaii, Jeju gets cold in the winter. Didn't matter- it just kept the crowds away. Our first trip was a bus ride around the island. We stopped to see Jeonbang falls, one of the few waterfalls in the world that falls directly into the sea (well, almost):













From there we walked over to Cheonjiyeon falls, another pretty waterfall:

That night we found the El Paso restaurant for some Mexican food (yes, there is a theme developing):

The next day we went to Manjanggul cave, which is the longest lava tube in the world:

Inside of the cave. It's dark

 On our way back, we stopped to go through a hedge maze. I was surprised by how much fun I had here:

no, Ranell, your camera will not work as a map

finish!

The day after that, we went to see a famous rock that looks like a dragon head. I had more fun riding the statues:

Later on we went back to the south part of the island (aka where the waterfalls are). These waterfalls are called Cheonjeyeon falls, and they are a string of 3 falls (although the first one was dry):

the upper falls

middle falls- check out the jackass posing on top of the falls

bottom falls

After touring the falls, we made some stops in the Chocolate Museum and the Teddy Bear Museum (you're welcome, Ranell):














That night we lit sparklers to celebrate Ranell's birthday:

I will absolutely visit Jeju again. It's a fun island with a lot of sights. February wasn't the best time to visit, I would suggest the fall, as it would be cool and the waterfalls would still have plenty of water in them. There are 2 main towns on the island, Jeju city in the north and Seogwipo (hooray memory!) in the south. We stayed in Jeju City, but I would strongly suggest staying in Seogwipo instead. All of the waterfalls are there, and the town has more energy and things to do. It is more like a tourist town with fun coffee shops and good restaurants.

Love Land

Ranell and I spent the Lunar New Year holiday on Jeju Island, which is known as the "honeymooner's island." Our first stop was a theme park known as Love Land, which deserves its own separate post. I'll let the pictures do the describing:

this was one of those "claw" games you usually find at an arcade. Except they usually don't have prizes like these!

That's Scooby-Doo!

is this position even possible?

now I KNOW this position isn't possible..

See the little kid in the background?

morning wood makes for great bag hangers

and now for the WEIRD part of the park:

I think I'll pick a different chair..

goodbye, Love Land, I love you!