Good evening!
School has been catching up to me and making me more and more busy! Regardless, I still try to get out on the weekends and explore new things.

Last Sunday, where I left you, I was on my way to a hike.  We went up Mt Inwagsan, known as the mystical  mountain.  At the bottom was a temple, and on the way up, there were little shrines.  It was amazing to see the rocks balancing on the edge of the mountain! At the very top was a beautiful view of Seoul.  It looked as if the city went on for miles.  We could also see the Blue House, which is equivalent to the U.S. White House. There were two guards up there to make sure no one took a picture in the direction of the Blue House.  Imagine hiking up a mountain to go to work!  We made it back before the storm hit.  It came on Friday night but didn't affect us too badly!

This past Friday, we hiked up Mt Hwagaesa, the tallest mountain, which leads to Bukhansan National Park (on the top of the mountain).  We did not go ALL the way to the top (that required mountain climbing gear!)  We did get very high up to the point where the air was thinning!  There wasn't much of a view because of all the trees.  On the way down, we managed to stumble across a flowing lake and mini waterfall! It was a such a pretty sight.

On Saturday, our Ewha PEACE buddies took the international students on a farm experience! The bus ride took 2 hours!  When we finally arrived, we were broken up into 4 groups.  Our group started off making rubber band guns out of chopsticks, zipties, and of course, rubber bands.  The next station was pounding dok, or mochi (a ricecake).  We all got a chance to pound the rice to make it sticky.  When it was ready, it was rolled in soy powder, cut, and served to us.  It was delicious!  The third station was digging for sweet potato.  Our group dug up buckets full of sweet potato.  It was just like digging for gold, and was a lot of fun.  The final station was cooking potato pancakes.  We were well fed that day!

On Sunday was another hike! This one was to Mt Yongmasan.  At the bottom was supposed to be the largest man-made waterfall in Asia!  However, it was off that day =[  Anyway, the mountain wasn't as high as the others, but it was sure hot! We had a nice view of the river and downtown Seoul.  At the top, there was an old man selling icecream! He must be in really good shape to hike everyday and carry icecream!  We continued on to Mt Achasan, which was the next mountain over.  There wasn't too much a view at this peak, however, there were LOTS of people picnicing and drinking soju! They even set up tables to place their food on.  Amazing!

What gets me is that half way up the mountain (or sometimes at the top), there are workout stations! The workout stations are fully equipped with weights and even hula hoops.  The equipment is all well maintained and there are lots of people using them!  Even the old ladies here are in great shape! As my friends and I are huffing and puffing up the mountain, the old ladies are passing by us as if we are slow! Ha!

This upcoming weekend is Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving).  We wet next Monday and Wednesday off.  My mom and aunty are coming in tomorrow (Thursday night) to visit! I am very excited to see them! I have let them decide what they want to do, and it is my job to plan it and take them there! We will see what this weekend has in store =]

Aloha!
Another week has past, and there is going to be another typhoon on the way! It has just hit Okinawa and is now heading for Korea! Uhoh,.
I have done lots of exploring on these past two weekends! Last Saturday, I went to Lotte World with Jarenn Nagaishi-Choi (a FISH scholar) and Erin Fukumoto (another Freeman scholar!).  Lotte World was a part indoor and part outdoor amusement park.  It was fairly decent sized, with lots of rides and attractions.  At 7 p.m., there was a parade with fireworks going off in the indoor section of the park! Amazing!

Last Sunday, a few people from my dorm and I made our way up to the Seoul Tower.  it as approximately 800 stairs going up!  What a hike! It all paid off in the end, when we were able to see out from the top of the tower and the "Locks of Love."  The "Locks of Love" is where couples write messages to each other, and lock it up on the fence at the bottom of Seoul Tower.
After making it to the top, we decided to visit the National War Memorial and the National Museum of Korea.  The National War Museum was where they honored the fallen and talked about all the wars throughout Korea's history.  It was a great site to see, and a great place to learn about the history of Korea.
At the National Museum of Korea, we looked at artifacts and Buddhist statues.  The museum was very big and well kept.

This past Friday, I visited the Hangok Village, an old village that was kept in tact to depict how traditional Koreans used to live. I went to a traditional medicine doctor, where they took my pulse and gave me some medicine.  It was quite the experience!

Yesterday, my friend and I went hiking on the mountain that is located right behind our school.  At the top was a wonderful lookout area, where you could see most of Seoul.  Then we went to a baseball game! The energy was very high and fans were chanting a cheering! Those are the best kind of games to go to!

Today, I will be going on another hike, and I will hopefully be back home fast enough to beat the storm!!

I'll keep you updated!

Good morning from Seoul!
We had an orientation last Thursday, and our peace buddies walked us around the campus and it was POURING rain! Not to mention, our campus is on a hill, so all the water was gushing down the roads.  It was a great way to meet a lot of international students, along with local Korean students!

My first week of classes are finally complete, and i was fortunate enough to get into all of te classes that I tried for! There has been a few problems with the other international students in regards to registration.  I am taking financial management, strategic management, managerial accounting, and macroeconomics.  All these classes seem tough, but I should be able to keep up! Some of the professors are really enthusiastic about teaching us, which makes the class fun!

As for sightseeing, I took a tour of the Gyeongbokgung palace on Sunday, and saw beautiful structures, and learned about the King's daily tasks and events that were held in the palace.  I also went to Insadong, where there was a large flea market and was full of tourists! It was a lot of fun to see the local gifts and treasures that vendors have offered.

This weekend, I am going to try find another temple or palace, see the World Cup Stadium, and possibly the Olympic Stadium, although it is a little far away.  Hopefully I won't get too lost!