Happiness is...

Biking!

At long last- 3 months since my bum has felt that sweet ache of a hard bike seat- 3 months since I've sped down a hill with the wind in my face and tears streaming from my eyes- 3 months since my trusty bicycle was violated- cut from it's lock and taken from downtown Hamilton without so much reflector left behind... *sob* Oh, it brings back sad memories- but it's time to turn a new page.

What can I say, I loved my bike! Well, I have found a nice replacement to carry me where I need to go for the rest of my year here in Korea. For only about $50 I bought a great used mountain bike from a store near my school- and as a result have been able to do some excellent Suncheon exploring. It's not much of a feat when you're basking in cool 5 degree-ish weather like I am! (Sorry to those of you at home experiencing that wicked cold snap.... I wouldn't want to be you! haha!) Beside regular errand-running, I've been able to take 2 trips to Suncheon bay, which is a good 7 km away. The first trip had Jen and I zig zagging around little cul-de-sac farmers fields running along the river- looking for the proper trail that happened to be on the other side. Made for some great photo ops along the way! Sucheon Bay is a beautiful sight, I can only imagine how great it will be come spring when everything is green again. It's one of the main attractions of Suncheon, aside from the temple and the Nagsan Folk Village, and has crowds of people walking along the boardwalks that weave through the tidal flat. Better yet- it has animals! I saw more ducks, cranes, and herons than I've seen anywhere in Korea so far, and it was certainly a comforting thought that at least some of the local wildlife have found a place to eek out an existance....

Turns out it's not as incredibly dangerous as I first thought it was to bike here either. It's no picnic, don't get me wrong, but there's a wide bike lane/sidewalk that runs the length of the main street through town, and after a short 1km stint you're back to the riverside trail. Getting back home is not always easy as leaving though- as I found out the hard way. That first leisurely bike ride to the bay turned into a grueling 4 hour trip that took Jen and I on the far west side of the city where neither one of us had ever been- through the old downtown- through Pungwa tunnel- and up 3 more big hills before we made it to our apartment. Both of us were so spent that we walked the last 1/2 hour, but hey we were happy!


January has been a great month, and I've had plenty of time on my hands. School's out for the month of January, and even though my month of vacation doesn't technically start until February, I'm free to do as I please. I signed on to do an online pilot teaching program, so I do that for 2 hours every morning, teaching grade 3 students in remote areas along the west coast. It hasn't been the easiest thing- as it IS a pilot program, and therefore full of kinks and bugs to work out- but despite that it's been nice to be part of a new program. My 5 grade three students are cute too, and hopefully their English skills will be better for it!

The most exciting thing this month has been the arrival of my dear friend Amanda Clozza to Korea! She came late December, but I wasn't able to head to Changwon, 2 hours east of here to visit until New Years. Changwon is a pretty nice city: it's Korea's first planned city, and has a more familiar grid layout like cities back home... heck she even lives in a house! We dined over Juk- a Korean type of pizza that is more like a potato pancake full of squid and all kinds of veggies. Clozza's first real Korean meal- eaten sitting on the floor and everything. It's so great to have a familiar face here in Korea too :)

After some New Years partying at a few of the foreigner bars in town we headed another 45 minutes east to Busan, Korea's 2nd largest city. The first time I've felt like a real tourist so far. We saw the UN Memorial Cemetary, Chungnyeolsa Shine, Haeundai Beach, and APEC house- not to mention figured out the subway and dipped our hands into the Pacific Ocean! I can hardly wait for summer to come- it will be a great place to be, and is far closer than Seoul.

The rest of this month has flown by, as is to be expected... big plans are in the works you see. Come January 31st I'm off! Thailand to volunteer at an elephant sanctuary; Cambodia to see Ankor Watt; and finally Vietnam and Saigon!
oooo just 10 more sleeps :)