1: Mud Festival Characters

2: Daecheon Beach

3: Mud Beach

4: Clean after a bath

MUD!!

Mud Festival was hilariously awesome! Held at Daecheon Beach in Boreyong, it is the biggest event in all of Korea, with foreigners floccking to the site. Daecheon beach is a huge and beautiful sandy beach. No natural mud here and so the mud has to be trucked in from the real mud beach. We had a chance to visit the mud beach though, where we rolled around in the mud and got dirty! From mud fights to mud sliding, to mud wrestling, there was not a clean body in sight. After we got in this cemented-in salt water tub and rinsed off. Then they hosed us down to get the rest of the mud off. Back at Daechon Beach, it was a lovely night for beer drinking and lots of fireworks. The public display was amazing. So many colors and patterns, quite impressive! (I think maybe the beer might have helped!?) And of course there was oppertunity to buy mud goods and other souveniers. A highly recommended event and a fun time. Will I make it again next year......?

110% Humidity

Humidex is not the word! It's sticky! I swear humidty in Korea is measured by its stickiness. All five senses kick in because air is just so heavy. But it is not just when you go outside, it's also inside as well. You can't escape it! Thank God for air conditioners. I am running my air con a little more now in my apartment. Feel free to send funds to support the good cause. I don't want to melt!!

Well last week sure was a busy one at school! Open class is where the parents come in and observe their children at school, to see how well they do in class. The Korean teachers put a lot of pressure on this because essentially it is their reputation on the line. And so there is extra work in preparing different activities and games to get each child to speak. My first open class didn't go as planned. They were hyper and were acting up in front of the parents. "Sorry kids, no coookies for you." My second class was much more well behaved, sang their song, participated in the game. "Here kids, have some cookies and stickers."

Last week was also a shift change for our school. Three teachers came and three left. And so everyone was busy preparing the new teachers for their classes. Lots of questions were asked. I remember the feeling of everything new only a few months ago. Seeing the teachers leave put in mind how I would feel when my time comes to part from Korea. The kids made little cards and such. We had a welcome/farwell party for the staff where everyone stuffed their gob to maximum capacity. Roll me out of there!

As part of the school procedure, who can forget tests and report cards. Too bad they both had to come during the same time. Having just over 50 students, there was a lot of repetious phrases such as "Johnny is a bright and pleasant student who has a lot of potential........"

And so Monday came and with the busy schedule Friday was a welcome for sure. This weekend I had went to Gyeongbokgung, which is the royal palace where the founding king had resided. It consists of a series of hall and pavillions for the king to conduct his affairs. Near here was also The National Folk Museum. In contrast, it shows the lifesytle of the "ordinary" people of that period (Joseon dynasty, 1395). It showcases show traditional style huts as well as stone statues that guard tombs for spiritual purposes.