Ok, it`s been quite some time since we last updated our blog. We apologize to all of our faithful followers (particularly Mrs. Waszczylo!) who have been waiting to hear about our travels and adventures.
Let`s turn the clock back a few months to get started.
Back in June we were just getting into the full groove of the Korean life. We were realizing that we had become active members of society, and felt like we really belonged. With June came our new co-worker at the school. Pat, from London Ontario, has been with us for nearly two months now. It`s nice to have another English speaking Canadian at the school. We helped him to get set up, and showed him the ropes as best we could. It was fun to FINALLY be the people who were giving advice, instead of seeking it, as we usually had been doing.
An interesting event that we got to attend was a Korean wedding. Our co-worker, Juliet, invited us to go her brothers wedding. We accepted, since this seemed like an opportunity we couldn`t pass up! The wedding took place at a military hall, only 20 minutes from our home. We felt that it was odd we had been invited, since the hall only had capactiy for 150 people. During the ceremony we noticed that there were several similarities between a Korean wedding and a Western style wedding, but also some differences. For instance, the bride and groom were serenaded by a duo during the ceremony. It was a neat addition, and felt like it added to the special day. One point that we found really bothersome though was that there was constant chatter during the entire wedding. It seemed as though no one around us was overly concerned with what was happening at the front of the hall, and was just there to fill a seat. Laughter, talking and cell phones could be heard through the duration of the ceremony. How rude!
Finally, upon leaving, the groom was forced to endure a `humiliation` which his military friends made him complete. This involved pushups, squats, loud yelling/chanting etc. Not our idea of a typical wedding.
Later in the month, we celebrated Mireille`s birthday. Although this seemed like a daunting task for JP to coordinate, he knew that he wanted Mireille`s only Korean birthday to be very special. Luckily, one of our few friends offered up his apartments rooftop bbq pit and gazebo. It turned out to be an incredible night, where we made new friends (whom surprisingly all brought nice gifts for Mireille), and a lot of fun. It was certainly a birthday to remember!
As the weeks rolled by we have found ourselves less motivated to get out and see the city/country. We`ve been spending some weekends just at home, taking it easy and recharging our batteries. The gruelling Korean work schedule is starting to catch up with us, as we expected it would.
Early July Mireille`s aunt/uncle/cousins made a big trip all the way to Korea, to take part in an international tae kwon do tournament. It was being held in a city 2 hours away by train. Knowing that we wouldn`t have many opportuinties to see family while in Korea, we couldn`t let this one pass us by. We hoped on a train to Cheongju, and took part in the fun. Although Cheongju was a very small city, it was still neat to see. The tournament had an incredible openining ceremonies act, and we got to see some great martial arts. Mireille`s cousins competed hard on this world class stage. Unfortunately we didn`t get to see any of their fights, but we heard the results. Mireille`s cousins Sonia won a gold medal in the overall female teams event! way to go!
The next weekend we spent as tour guides, as the Paquette family came to the big city of Seoul. It was starting to become apparent to us at how accustomed to the city we actually were, once we realized how much we could show them. This was another great weekend!
Finally catching up to today, we just came back from the annual Mud Festival! This is exactly what it sounds like...a yearly, week long festival, where people go to a beach, and play in the mud. Mud is transported in from large mud fields, and dumped onto the beach. Activites are set up, such as mud slides, mud wrestling, mud painting, mud obstacles courses, and mud eating (kidding). This was a really wild and crazy place. There were many foreigners there, from canada, US, England, Ireland, and all over! We heard so much English we felt like we were back home. What a great experience.
Well that brings us up to date. This coming week we will be heading to Bali. We finally get a week vacation, and we intend to have a great time! We promise our next update will come much sooner than this one!
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