Chuseok! ...What?! I don't suck, CHUUUseok!

This weekend is the Korean holiday, similar to Thanksgiving, called Chuseok (choo-suck) – a 3-day harvest festival. Families get together, eat, hang out, whatever.. I'll find out for sure I guess this weekend and tell you how it goes. However, I'm not planning, nor was I invited by any family for the holiday, so I think I most likely may go to Gyeongju, the historical Korean city, and Busan to visit friends maybe.

In other news, next weekend (9,10,11) I was invited by work to go to Jeju...again...for FREE! Amazing...BUT I can't go. That weekend Nate and I have already committed to playing in the worship band for our church's first annual conference at a camping destination an hour away. It should be fun, but I can't believe we have to turn down an all-expenses-paid trip to Jeju!!! Dang it!

Hmm..that's all can think of for now. Haven't been up to much other than painting and hanging with friends. Take care guys. Love you.

Brandon

Halfway there!

Today is my 6 months in South Korea! I'm not sure how I feel about it exactly...is the cup half full or half empty? I really like it here. I've become comfortable mostly besides not understanding the language. I've made a lot of new friends, experienced interesting things already. Being in this country is also a good middle area between a few exciting countries. I've already visited Taiwan, next is China and Japan. I'd be a dufus not to visit them before March. Who knows where else I might visit.. Anyway, thanks for all the prayers and encouragement over the past several months leading up to this point. I think about you guys all the time. I love you. Take care!

Brandon

Jejudo!

A kid at our school came down with the Swine Flu, poor guy/girl, and school was cancelled for a few days. So Tipton and I immediately bought a ticket to Jejudo, or Jeju Island, for a last-minute mini-vacation. Jeju is basically Korea's Hawaii.
We stayed in the Shilla Hotel off Jungnam Beach on the south end of the island between the Hyatt and Lotte Hotel. It was a resort area so everything was sooo expensive! We ate an all-you-can eat buffet without realizing the price. Nor did we know at first that it was all-you-eat...$65/plate! woops. But hey, what can ya say when you're on a vacation on a sub-tropical island. Well I guess I could've asked Tipton if he wanted to wash or dry back in the kitchen.
The backyard of the hotel was a beautiful park with palms, pool, jacuzzi, bar, petting zoo, walking paths leading down to the beach, weird animal statues, waterfall, neat white yellow and orange catfish, asian people, russian people among others..
The second day we walked a trail to see a temple, an intricately decorated bridge, and two or three waterfalls. We wanted to see more of the nature stuff like that but didn't have a lot of time, energy, or money since we took this trip before pay day!