Do you know South Korea?

This is an excellent video artfully showing life here in S. Korea. The images you see are so familiar to Dani and me; it's like this guy took some of our memories and put them to video (with some decent music too!). I give this guy kudos for a job well done!

Do You Know South Korea? from David Dutton on Vimeo.

Also, thanks to Eat Your Kimchi for posting the link!

Truly a new year

It has been awhile since we have posted anything....but we still plan to keep this blog going. We have move apartments and jobs, so the transition has kept us very busy. Above is a picture of our neighborhood (Guro-Digital Complex) from the Wikipedia page about the area. We didn't move far from our old hood (in fact, it is somewhere in the background of this photo), but this place certainly feels more vibrant!

In the mean time, Dani and I are enjoying our new jobs and getting acquainted. I am at a publisher of children's English books and muti-media for private schools throughout Korea. Dani is at an all-girls middle school, and she says the students are behaving quite nicely.

May God bless this year as we seek Him more!

2 Year Anniversary!

On January 10th Todd & I celebrated a huge accomplishment--being married for two-whole- years. We've been very blessed so to celebrate this blessed event, Todd took me on a surprise date! We went all the way across town to a place we've blogged about before--Lotte World (check a few blogs back). But that wasn't where we were going. Nor was it to the microbrewery we passed and later came back to. Nor was it to the hand-gun shooting range. Though I knew at the slightest look of interest on my part to either brewery or range, Todd would change course immediately and head in either direction. I only hope he would have gone to the hand gun range before the microbrewery, but no matter, it didn't happen.

I kept my head down and headed straight because I knew we had come to go....ICESKATING!! And with 10 gatrillion people in Seoul, ice skating is an evasive sport full of bodies scattered across the ice, children racing and twirling into you, grown women and men holding onto any stable body close by so as not to fall, and senior citizens out-skating us all! Above us was the Lotte World indoor amusement park (you can see 3 stories up) and we were below it all going round and round in the cold. It was beautiful!




And after a visit to the microbrewery (apparently anniversaries are about both people in the relationship--go figure ;)--actually, this may have happened before the skating.) we headed out for an Italian dinner at a restaurant owned by an award winning chef! And I think those were edible flowers on our pizza. Ah, l'amour! I am blessed with a great God and wonderful husband!

Learn about Korea

Not too long ago we had a workshop for Native English Speaking Teachers. During the workshop we had a "Korean cultural presentation" to increase our all-things-Korean savviness. They showed us some videos from the Korean Spirit and Culture Promotion Project. This appears to be an educational campaign to give Korea worldwide attention. (Of course, we will use this info to impress our Korean friends, for the random cocktail party or for correctly answering trivial pursuit/Jeopardy question.) But don't get us wrong, this info was really impressive.

Here is a link to the video section of their website: kscpp.net videos


The most interesting video we found is about Hangul ~ the Korean language. Written Hangul is considered by many linguists as one of the most efficient, intuitive written languages still in use today.



So if you're bored (or simply interested in other cultures) watch some of these videos. You may be surprised by what you learn...we certainly are.

A New Year!!!!

Some photos from the last two weeks...
You know, because there were some holidays and all.



~Traditional Tea House on New Year's Eve:









~"Nor-a-bahng" (Singing Room) Christmas Night:





~ Christmas Day get-together with the English Ministry







~ Christmas Eve Dinner with Friends

Cold

Update (12/17): Snow outside our apt window! Yeah, it's exciting because we are from Southern California...




At School (12/8):





These pictures were taken a few days ago now...and that day was warmer!

Yes, the snow is beautiful. It left and then today it got colder.

Today it is 17 degree fahrenheit.

Walking starts to hurt after a few minutes.

Ahhh, California dream'n ....yep...

LotteWorld!!!

Ahhhhhh! Lotteworld!!!


Rumor has it this is the largest indoor theme park in the East....perhaps in the world!

Dani and I enjoyed the Holiday Festivities while becoming slightly ill on their various "Adventures" (amped-up roller coasters) and Tasty Snacks (see photo above). All in all, it was a great time! Really!

This place has a lot to see and do all with a bit of familiar themes (see our post on Seoul Land) from a theme park back home.

This place is impressive; the indoor structure can be used when it is really hot and really cold, as it does get here in Seoul. But the outside part, which is an island in the middle of a (man-made?) lake. The "Lotte" company (which owns half of Seoul) has done a nice job creating an entertainment facility that's fun for the whole family.

Sans the peanut butter covered squid....