Besides the fact that our house smells like gas (no, no, no... not that kind) it has been a pretty good weekend. After getting home from taco night at Jeff's we walked into a gasoline smelling home. We think it's coming from the bathroom drain, but whatever it is it was making us sick within the 10 minutes of being home. Luckily we have family in town, sleepover at Jeff's! Our boss is coming in the morning to check it out, hopefully it's nothing serious.
On Friday we went out to lunch with our Korean co-teachers before school. We also got a little holiday shopping done at the local markets. That night we were anticipating a small bowling night with Jeff and a few others but many other foreigners joined in the festivities which turned out to be really fun. We bowled a couple of games and decided to move the party to the bar.
Saturday was pretty much a lazy and recovery day for us. Dave was able to watch the Gopher basketball game online which was really cool. I think for the most part we don't mind not having TV. It would be nice to be able to watch some shows and/or keep up with sports, but I don't miss it as much as I thought I would. After the basketball game we went out for a country drive. The scenery was gorgeous and the sky was incredibly clear. It's nice being able to go on a drive anywhere we please, that independence makes us feel more comfortable here. That night I went over to a friend's house (Jen) with another girl (Joelle) and we cooked spaghetti and garlic bread which was really delicious. Dave went out to dinner with a friend and then later met up with some others for a little bit. It was a good night and nice that we were both able to do something with other people for a change.
Sunday we finally got back on the mountain. We climbed the bigger mountain (Gorak) which took us about an hour to walk up and 45 min to walk down. It was perfect temperature and the trees were really beautiful. On our walk down the mountain we could hear a girl and her dad a little ways back practicing English "what is your name?" and "where are you from?" We knew they were practicing in order to talk with us, but we were just wanting to walk down the mountain in peace. They were tailing us for the last half of the walk down, and were only a couple of inches behind us. We tried not to give them any recognition and tried walking faster. We finally lost them when we turned to go a different way off the path in order to get to our car. The girl then yelled "HI!!" to us. Most of the time Dave and I gladly say hi to people who can say hello to our faces. But when they are tailing you down the mountain and not respecting your privacy it gets to be a little frustrating. Some people just see you and think "ooo, let me practice my English on them." It gets old fast. Luckily we were looking forward to taco night at Jeff's so it didn't bother us too much. He used the Peterson recipe and it turned out great.
Next weekend we are already starting our Thanksgiving celebrations. Being away from home during the holidays I have realized how big of a role media plays in our holiday preparation and celebration. Since you aren't bombarded by TV, movies, and shopping malls forcing you to celebrate the holidays it's up to you to recreate that desire. For me, I have little desire to celebrate the holidays because it's not surrounding me. I know if I was back at home I would already be listening to Mariah Carey's "All I want for Christmas is you." It's refreshing having the holidays become much more simpler and personal. Actually it's refreshing not having to rely on the media to fulfill your celebration desires. The one thing I will miss is the fact that my family will be together when I cannot be with them. It's comforting to think that holidays have that special ability to bring people together. Lucky for me I have Dave and his family here, it makes Yeosu a little less distant from states.
I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season. I've heard it's gotten a lot colder back home. Today was about 60 degrees and I am loving it! I have never lived in a place before where "winters" do not start until January and only last for a month or two, and I must say I was missing out, haha. I absolutely love the weather here. There is still enough seasonal change that reminds me of home, but it is far less drastic. The leaves have been changing colors for an entire month now. Unlike back at home where you are given an allotted week to go take fall pictures and enjoy the beautiful weather, we have been enjoying this cool weather for almost 2 months. I do think it will get colder this week, but it has definitely been a wonderful fall.
Well keep the e-mails coming and/or comments. We love hearing from you and life back at home. Until next time!
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