Nov 1 Update on Korea!

Matt and I have been back in Korea almost a month now. Many of our friends were shocked and happy we came back a second time, especially considering the conditions and circumstances we left in.
When we arrived in Seoul SK, it was late and we were exhausted. We had missed all the busses and trains to our home town, so we had to stay in a hotel. I will post some pictures of it because it was REALLY nice. After getting up extremely early, we caught the first KTX train (also known as the Bullet train) to Gyeongju. What is normally a 5 hour bus ride ended up being a 2 hour ride going up to 200 miles an hour on the train. IT WAS AWESOME. I took lots of pictures and videos to make a little movie about it. This is one of many projects I keep procrastinating on
From the KTX train station you would think normal travelers would go home and get to settle in before reporting for work....... I guess we didn't learn that lesson the first time we arrived because once again we hit the ground running. Ha, 'running' is so wildly exaggerated because we looked like the walking dead, ALL of our luggage dragged behind us, heading for Matt's office and his waiting classes. With cheeks red from embarrassment, a mountain of luggage around me, I sat at Matt's desk repeatedly explaining to everyone that 'Yes, we are back' and 'We literally just arrived'. I should have said... 'yeah, we got back a few days ago, but I am so use to have my truck load of luggage with me that I just carry it around with me everywhere now.'
Miserable and tired, I thanked my lucky stars that Matt only had to work 4 or 5 hours before I could blissfully pour my butt into bed....... well, not a bed..... a hard mat on a hard floor. AAAHHHH Welcome to Korea!!!

Since then SOOO much has happened. We have been to several cities, made lots of new friends, experienced Korean bath House (me of course), had our Birthdays, went to a Korean movie theater to see an English movie with Korean subtitles, ate all kinds of food such as whale (very disgusting), and most importantly, BOUGHT A REAL FREAKING BED!!!  Cue the angle choir- aaaahhhhhhhhhhhh

I really like it here. The bath house was a little awkward at first, but man was it nice. They really  have a smart thing going there. There are 5-6 different pools of various temperatures, dry and wet saunas, and lots of areas for scrubbing/washing. One of the pools is full of green tea.... my favorite. Cleanliness is very important here  and they take it very seriously. Snubbing and exfoliating is extremely important. Because there is no sense of modesty or embarrassment with the concept of bath houses, nudity is so normal and accepted in this area that it never seems weird. After a while, I really enjoyed the experience and never felt awkward at all.  It's so ingrained in the culture and atmosphere that it makes you feel relaxed and unconcerned about nudity. I have never felt this way when i went to a western spa in the  states. We (my BF and i) were there for about 2 hours, and I never felt more indulged, relaxed, and of course.... clean.        


We really enjoyed our Birthdays here..... or at least I did. Matt did a great job in making mine special. We went traveling in a near by large city that is so nice. Matt found a huge electronic store that he got so excited about. Poor guy..... he wants a gaming PC here so bad, but computers are VERY expensive here. For his birthday we explored our downtown and went to the movies (he wanted to see the new James Bond movie) Also, finally we can have drip coffee once again. I got Matt a coffee pot and A LOT of coffee :) I think he is happier now   lol.
Lately, we have also had some great Korean meals with friends. I'll try to post some pictures for yea. I am still learning all the Korean terms for food here. Basically though, restaurants specialize in a certain meat and certain cut of that meat, so it is very specific when you choose a restaurant. Matt doesn't have very many options, but he seems to be fine with it. All the meals are very focused on meat, and little side dishes are shared to provide veggies and other things. Each table comes with a little grill in front of you, and you cook the meat how ever you like at your table. It's very fast, and different. Matt is so funny, he says, 'Why are we paying for a meal if we are still doing all the work cooking it" Bless his heart, he misses out on the best part....the meat here is so freaking good! It's different, but it's totally worth it.

I am still going to Yoga...... when I can get my butt out of bed. Oh, did I mention I have a REAL BED? Yoga is so refreshing here, and afterwards, I sit with my girls at our local coffee shop....... all afternoon. My God this whole not working things is freaking amazing. I have been knitting my heart out lately too. I have one girlfriend who has become my recent student, and I have even been hired to knit some items for Halloween Costumes. I have found not one, not two, but THREE yarn shops in my town!
With my girlfriends, yoga, real coffee, yarn shops, bath houses, a REAL  Bed, and of course my honey bun, life is so nice right now.
I wonder what I will be writing in 3 weeks when i start work.......