monday is here again. it's rainy, cold, & depressing here in SK, but as i gathered pictures to share with you on the blog, my day got a little better. i'm really, really thankful for all of the opportunities i have to travel and explore and see new things while i am here. i know it's the chance of a lifetime and i am infinitely grateful. even though there are still good and bad days, i count my blessings for the time i have here.

that said, i'm back to work after another long weekend. i am so spoiled here that it kills me to have to work a full 5-day week. hahaha. it seems SO loooooong. i swear we have more holidays and long weekends than normal weeks. anyways, on friday our entire program took a cultural trip to icheon. here's a group shot: it was about a 2-hr bus ride each way from cheonan, but we had a good day overall. we visited a pottery museum and tried our hand at making some of our own. i was the ultimate failure, but some of the other teachers really showed us how it's done. i was impressed. we ate lunch there and visited a famous park in the city. while we were at the park, a woman and her husband came up to me and asked in korean where we were from. i responded, in korean, that we were from america but worked as teachers in cheonan. in perfect english, she replied "oh i'm sorry! how are you enjoying korea?" it's always such a pleasant surprise to meet a korean with a level of english sufficient for carrying on a normal conversation. we had the most pleasant discussion about teaching and korea, and they suggested other places in icheon we might want to visit. it was probably my favorite part of the entire day. i have met so many genuinely sweet people here in this country. i love walking away from a first meeting with a smile on my face.

on saturday, soo-in met me for an american breakfast. it was SO good. i made her chocolate chip pancakes and scrambled eggs, and she was in heaven! soo-in supplied the fruit, so we had grapes and kiwi and cherry tomatoes. hahaha. in korea, they love cherry tomatoes and eat them just like they would oranges or grapes. i wish i had a picture of our huge spread, but we were too hungry and devoured it all. sorry. we have heard rumors of a place in seoul that serves american breakfast, so there is a chance that i will be making a trip there next weekend! :) i never realized how much i cherished pancakes and eggs until i came here. for koreans, there's no real distinguishing between breakfast/lunch/dinner. for every meal you eat something like rice, kimchi, side dishes, etc. there are no specific breakfast foods like waffles or french toast or hashbrowns. i miss it!!

my friend andy recently edited some pictures from a trip we took to independence hall several weeks back. independence hall is a sort of memorial filled with korean history. the admission was free and the place was amazing...filled with beautiful exhibits. i felt like i was inside of a national geographic magazine or something. here are a few of his awesome shots:



and, of course, our band shot. hahaha.
this week will be full of visiting with korean friends. tomorrow, a teacher from my school is taking me to dinner for my birthday. 2 weeks after the fact, and the celebration continues. hahaha. these people are too, too sweet. on friday, i will get to have one last dinner with my missionary friends before they return to india for another year. :( it's really sad because i am not sure if/when i will be able to see them again. i've known them a short time but they are near and dear to my heart. i am really looking forward to spending a few hours with them before they leave.

i hope that all is well back in the states. as always, i'd love to hear from you. leave a blog comment, stop by my facebook, or drop me an email at whcasey@gmail.com. everyone take care and enjoy your week! :)