Jeoji Oreum and Beach Day with the House

Today the whole of Jeoji House took a trip to our namesake oreum and the Hyeopjae Beach. Once again the weather was wonderful -- clear and sunny, without a cloud in the sky. There was a slight cool breeze playing around us when we reached the top of the oreum for lunch and a rest.

The beach was also very nice, albeit windier. I went swimming in my clothes since I managed not to bring a bathing suit, but a lot of the students ended up doing the same. We had a recklessly fun time just running around through the water and sand. I felt so free, being off campus. It was nice to bond with some of the girls in the house outside of a boarding/ academic context.

To see more, go to our house blog.

Olle Trail #6

Today with the hiking club I went up the cliffs at the start of olle trail #6 on the Southern coast of the island. It was a pleasant day for hiking: the weather was warm with a cool breeze, and the day was clear and cloudless. We could see the outline of Mt. Halla very clearly from where we were situated. 

Only thing was that the trail we were on was quickly deemed the "Land of the Spiders." There were massive tons of the large, multicolored spiders that are often seen along the olle trails. I've never seen so many spiders in my life.

Unexpectedly, it was the girls who had no issue with the spiders. Instead, it was the boys who screamed bloody murder every time they saw one from a distance of 10 feet. Not gonna lie, it was pretty funny, but thank goodness no one came in contact with a spider or else we'd have a panic attack on our hands, I swear.

Norebang 노래방

This week for our day off I suggested that we go into the city to do Norebang, as we could also get some shopping done at E-Mart. This was a good idea. We spent the afternoon belting out hits from the '90s and '00s, and dancing around like freaks. 

Unlike Japan, apparently norebang is primarily a nighttime activity, so it was a bit more challenging than expected to find a place open in the mid-afternoon. I remember being able to go into karaoke in Japan after 1pm or so and we could stay there for five hours for just 5,000 yen (about $5) a piece. We could even order beer while we were there. This place didn't serve alcohol, but we didn't need it. We cut loose. Singing is such a stress reliever, and it's so nice to get off campus each week. 

The karaoke room we were placed in had a small stage at the back, flashing lights, and mirrors. The technology wasn't too advanced--we had to look up song numbers in a song book--but the sound quality was pretty sweet and they provided us with TAMBOURINES. Heck yes!

Following our time at norebang, we went to Wa Bar, a western-type bar, for a beer or two, and then later went home for Hawaiian pizza <3

Birthday Weekend

I just celebrated my birthday this past Saturday and I had a lot of help from my friends here to make it AwEsOmEeEeEe! I got to go into town on Thursday and go shopping for a dress and makeup. We went to the underground shopping mall, but unfortunately it wasn't very big and they mostly sold sweaters and pants, so no luck there finding a dress. I did end up getting a lot of make up though. Then we went to an Indian restaurant for lunch and I gorged on lentil curry, naan, and rice. Wow it was delicious. I can't wait to go back there.

The next day my friend loaned me a dress and we went out on the town to celebrate my 23rd. Unfortunately Saturday I had to work, but I got the chance to go out for fried chicken and later in the night I did Scottish dancing with the year 9 students. I'd upload a video of it but it's too embarrassing how bad we were... Anyway, it was definitely one of the highlights of my birthday and a lot of fun.

On Saturday night, the girls in my dorm gathered together for registration and we also had birthday cake. As per the British style, I made a wish not when I blew out the candle, but when I cut the first slice of cake. The girls then surprised me with a big birthday card they made. It was so nice, I thought I would die of happiness :)

Birthday messages on the house white board!

Big, awesome Jeoji birthday card <3 <3 <3

Overall, a pleasant weekend :)

Typhoon winds and heavy rain are hitting tonight and into tomorrow. It's supposed to pour all day long and then get sunny later in the week. Two weeks until half term, woohoo!

O'sulloc Tea Museum

Yesterday my friend and I biked to O'sulloc Tea House, which is about a 10 minute bike ride or 30 minute walk from the school. We met up with some friends there and explored the place. It was my first time to the cafe and museum, which is based on a large green tea plantation. 

There are two cafes on site. The first cafe is more popular with the tourists, and there I had some of their green tea ice cream. The second cafe is a bit more removed, and we took time there to sculpt natural soap and eat lunch. I had mugwort and red bean buns, which are more desert than lunch but still delicious. 

Can't wait to go back and try the sausages.