Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Last Nite in Korea.. and information update for tomorrow

I went to Namdaemun today .. which use to be the biggest open market in Seoul, Korea but due to the economy like everything else it has down sized. To me it was still pretty big.. and interesting for that... the way people say unwrapped, raw chicken here is very gross! While I was waiting for Mom to come from the bank I saw a man cut up a raw octopus .. pull out its insides, put it in a bag and give it to someone! I wanted to throw up haha..


So tomorrow I will be getting up at 6am.. leaving at 7am.. arriving to the airport at 9am.. and leaving Korea at 11:10am. Then I will arrive to Tokoyo around 12:25pm and getting on the plane for Atlanta at 2pm.. and I will arrive at 2pm! (haha time change!!! booo) I have to wait around the airport until 6pm and I will arrive at the Gainesville Airport at 8pm. (May I remind u this is all on the 16th)

So I pray for a safe trip home! I am so grateful that God watched over me while I was here and that he allowed me to enjoy so many things on this trip. Also, being able to establish a relationship with each one of Mom's family members was truly special. I am going to miss everyone here but I am ready to come home! The culture here, the people, the food .. everything about Korea is the complete opposite here.. and while I was on this trip I started to thank God for all of the blessings he has given me.


God Bless You All and I will see you soon!!

Love

Jessica

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

coming to an end :(











My trip is coming to an end :( Today it rained a lot.. it has been raining really bad since yesterday! I went to my Aunt's English School and taught my 4 last classes there and it was really fun!! Afterwards, I went to dinner at my Aunt's (Mijin) house along with her daughter Jenny(Unji) and Mom... we had fried chicken!! it was yummy.. I didn't get a chance to see my Korean Grandparents grave because of all the rain.. but hopefully I will get a chance to go tomorrow because its suppose to stop raining in the afternoon.

here are some more pictures!

Love

Jessica








Sunday, July 12, 2009

good bye dinner :(











On Sunday after church I went to Mom's brothers house and we all had dinner together.. and we talked for a long time. Mom and I got back home really late.. but it was our "good bye" dinner.. our uncle is the chief editor of a popular magazine (which I have a copy of) and their closing deadline for the next issue is the 16th of July. So.. I will not be seeing them again :(




















church service

Caribbean Bay Waterpark
















So at this waterpark i went to on Saturday.. its a rule that u have to wear a hat in the wavepool.. so I bought a yellow hat!. The park has many strict rules.. another one is.. u have to wear a life jacket if u want to go past a certain point in the wave pool. No earrings allowed on the rides. There were so many rules.. I would be here a long time if I wrote them all out!
So the waterpark had many trees around it.. and mountains. There is the water park and next to it is a place called Everland next to it, which is like a mini Disneyworld! I had a lot of fun.. I was able to go with Mom and her family! FUN times :)










Friday, July 10, 2009

last weekend in Korea :(











So on Friday ...Mom and I went to this nice hotel and had dinner at the " all you can eat " buffet. The Bulgogi was amazing and so were the desserts! :) While I was eating the dessert I wished I could bring some back for Grandma Douglas because I know that she would have enjoyed them just as much as I did! The hotel we ate at was across the street from the biggest church in the world! So I called Grandma Douglas and told her that I got to see it. What's really amazing is that I could hear people singing inside from across the street :) and I called to tell her. So after dinner Mom and I walked around Sinchion and we had a drink together.. I tried the Korean Saju which is known to us as Japanese Sake. We bought some cute earrings together and sunglasses.. and we took pictures !!!


On Saturday, we are going to the most famous waterpark in Korea.. as long as it doesn't rain! I pray that it will not rain!!!

Thanks for keeping up with my blog! I hope everyone is well back home :)

Love

Jessica










Thursday, July 9, 2009

some more pictures









they call me "Teacher, Teacher, Jessica"

English Class
















Teaching at my Aunt's English School is so much fun! I am going to miss doing that.. I am realized that I really do love teaching, and interacting with young children. I am teaching them English and they are teaching me Korean it's really awesome! I will be able to go back on Tuesday because I ususally teach my classes on Thursdays, but I will be leaving this coming up Thursday. As a treat on of the students brought watermelon for the class to share which was yummy! I have learned so much from them.. the most important thing I have learned is being able to adapt to another culture's learning style. That is one experience I will cherish forever!! so here are some pictures :) from JJ's English School....










Monday, July 6, 2009

"Elephant Begging" in Bangkok, Thailand

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/07/05/thailand.elephant.begging/index.html#cnnSTCText


I was in Bangkok, Thailand for four days and I knew that the people there were harming the elephants for money.. it took this guy three years.

random pictures
















pics from the N Seoul Tower
















new pictures
















National Muesum of Korea & Itaewon

On Sunday I went to Mom's Korean church, which is very big! About 40 people excepted the Lord so the service was longer than normal, but it was nice watching. Afterwards we went to lunch and then we went to the National Muesum of Korea n Seoul and to Itaewon. Itaewon is a very popular street for foreigners and there are many shops there. I did a lot of walking around.. we took a bus to the service and we took multiple subways to Seoul. During the evening we went to the N Seoul Tower, the biggest tower n Seoul and we ate at the resturant inside. The view was amazing and the tower lite up the sky at night.. it was so colorful! We had a long day.. we left around 11am and we walked through the door at 11pm! I like Seoul because it's such a big city with so much to see and do!!! I am having a good time here and each day I am learning something new about the way of life over here.

Love you all,

Jessica D

Saturday, July 4, 2009

DMZ zone

Yesterday i went to the Mt. Odusan Unification Observatory with Mom, her brother and his family. I was able to see the penisula of North Korea from the center... and I tasted a sample of North Korean bread.. it has red beans in the middle it was very good. I tried a slushie that is very popular in south korea.. i didn't like that so much because it had crushed ice, fruit and red beans , cherries, and milk. Afterwards, we went to the biggest shopping mall in Seoul and it's called Coex Mall. There are alot of foreigners there, and it's a popular hang out spot for college students. Its a 2 hour subway ride there from Incheon... maybe one day I will go back during the day. Today is Sunday and I am about to go to church and then to the national muesum of South Korea.. it is located in Seoul.

Happy 4th to Everyone back home!

Miss you all,

Jessica D

Friday, July 3, 2009

happy 4th

Happy 4th to everyone! I am at Mom's place today we are going to go sighseeing.. and I am getting over food posioning.. I am ok. Mom wanted to take me to the hospital.. but after awhile it's starting to pass.

I am ready to come back!! haha I am not sure what made me sick but now I am pretty scared to eat...

I have kept a close eye on the news, and I am thankful for the prayers back home.

Love Jess

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

July 1st

So today is Mom's Bday and we went to Outback Steakhouse! The one here is not the same as the one back home because they have a shorter selection of foods to chose from! I ordered this seafood pasta.. I was so disgusted because it had octopus in it and I was reminded by the Father's Day dinner we had when dad put one of those things in my plate! I am glad that I was able to be here for mom's bday with her because we had a really good time together. Yet, I am starting to miss home ! The food here is starting to get to me.. eating rice everyday is not something I will miss either!!! I am learning so much here, and as each day goes by i think about how I truly appreciate all the little things back home. I never thought I would miss pizza, my bed haha, and also the freedom I had!!! Mom and I are getting along but she definitely is starting to annoy me with all of the questions .. haha like " Jessica, did you brush your teeth?" .... lol but I just bit my tounge and answer because I know she loves me.

Today, I went to Shinchon by myself and I met up with Christina, the friend I made while I was stuck in Japan. She is studying here for the summer so she will be here until August, so I will have someone to hang out with while Mom is busy. She is from New York so communication is no problem!

Well I am teaching English classes again tomorrow so we will see how that goes!

Thanks for everything!

Jessica D