Done in Korea!

My Chungdahm teaching career is finished. I don't think it has totally set in yet that I won't have to go back. I was way too tired from the baziollion things I had to do this week to really pay attention to the fact that I most likely won't see many of my co-workers again or any of my students. It is harder to say goodbye to the Korean staff that I have met at school. Even if it doesn't happen there is the thought that you might run into some of your fellow foreign teachers back home or look them up if you find yourself in their hometown. I will miss the girls I worked with and hope to keep in touch!

I was a bit sad that the students I had this term were going to be my last. Not that they were horrible, but I had less of a connection with them than past students sans one class. On my last Thursday I had a "snack party" where I brought in cup of Ramen and they supplied cookies and we sat around to chat and watch the simpsons. The students surprised me by decorating my classroom with christmas lights and balloons. The gesture reminded me that I will miss parts of this job and that while I doubt I will teach again I really did like some aspects of my job these past few years.


The Christmas lights that my students brought in


When I had to take these down one of them popped in my eye.


Final Class party


The last weekend was a blur. I had to get my stuff packed, thrown away and well, gone by Friday night, which was a surprise. I ended up hauling my stuff in a cab to Nates in the middle of the night on Friday. I then spent the weekend hanging with my chingu and biting my nails, wondering what the next year had in store.

A few weeks of Fall

It seems as leaving Korea has turned me back into a tourist. I have been running around Seoul with a new teacher at our school, Kelly. It seems we are a perfect match for sight seeing as I am trying to see the last bits before I take off and she hasn't seen much yet as a newbie. So far, we have tackled another palace and the biggest buddhist temple in Seoul. I have to say that the fall leaves made all the pictures I took much prettier. Oh, how I love fall in any country!

Here are a few of the pictures I have collected as my Korean tourist career comes to an end. I don't think there are many sights listed in the Lonely Planet that I have missed these last couple of years. Korea has been well covered.

First stop was the Gyeongbokgung Palace in the traditional district of Seoul. The palace was built in the late 1300s, but as many national monuments a majority of the palace complex was burnt down during the Japanese invasion. Starting in 1989 Gyeongbokgung Palace was included in an initiative to rebuild many of the important buildings destroyed by the Japanese. When I was there I guess 40% was finished and it will be completely restored in the next 20 years.


Before the palace we stopped at a tea shop and I drank this delicious chrysanthemum tea.


The main building in the Palace Complex


Beautiful fall colors.


Palace Walls


Palace Pond and Pagoda




Big Pagoda


I love these rock men.....I always think their expressions are funny


Showing Korea some love!

A few weeks later, on a rainy and windy day we headed out to Bongeunsa, a Buddhist temple across the street from a popular mall in Korea. This had to be one of the nicest temples I have seen in Korea. It is obvious that a lot of money gets donated to keep the buildings up and things in good shape. At the charity shop there were some flashy brands for sale, leading me to believe that some of the wealthier Koreans call this temple home.


I love that I got out to take some pictures during the few weeks of fall in Korea.


Huge decorated doors at the entrance of the temple.


Prayer room windows


Temple Building. There were a lot of more interesting buildings to take pictures of but they were in use and it felt disrespectful to snap pictures of people trying to pray.


Tiger toe stones for good luck


Rock Buddhas... I have seen these all over Korea.


The largest Budha in Korea....


I am going to miss these Buddhist decorations. This is the entire ceiling of an underpass.