Rogue

Getting ready to set up a rogue's gallery in our guest bedroom. Nothing says welcome like the artwork of family and friends!

Obligatory Election Day Post

I have voted in Presidential Elections in three different states. The first two times my polling place was on a college campus, and today I voted at the elementary school our children will likely attend.

Elections are always such momentous occasions. Not only for our country, but also as a rite of passage for so many young people. I cast my first Presidential ballot as an undergrad, and I remember feeling SO proud as I walked around town with my "I voted" sticker. I had the opportunity to impact life in our country, and I had taken it. It was incredibly empowering.

When Obama won in '08 I was at the University of Illinois and you could hear the students shouting, singing and cheering long into the night. It was electric. For days the students floated on air. They had voted. Their voices were heard, they had made a difference. I have faith that my students tomorrow will be similarly excited.

Being in a neighborhood during the election isn't quite as exciting as being on a college campus. But it was still such a thrill to get my "I voted" sticker, to see the pictures of stickers from across the country popping up on Facebook, and to chat (very casually, of course!) with people at work about the election process. I didn't get quite as bouncy as I did after my very first election, but I do have to say the sky did look just a little more blue.

Debate? What Debate?

Things I did rather than watch the debate:

1. Wonder why the first boy I ever kissed showed up in a dream Sunday night.
2. Got my Miami on while driving on a super-busy highway.
3. Drank a glass of wine.
4. Started to have an allergic reaction to said glass of wine. :-/
5. Made a devious plan of goodness.
6. Practiced for our upcoming concert (www.vittoriaensemble.com :) ).
7. Aired a grievance in the ‘conscious complaining’ zone of my friend’s house.
8. Worried for a moment that her dog might poo on the floor (still better than the debate!).
9. Practiced my posture.
10. Didn’t remember that there was a debate on that I could have been watching. 

Am doing a one-month writing project with my friend Victor again. His list is here. 

Korea trip, part three

After hanging out at the cabin for a night, we went back to Suwon for a night and then headed down to Jeju Island for several days. We've described Jeju as being Korea's Hawaii. It's an almost-tropical volcanic island and a popular destination for newlyweds. We did a LOT of awesome stuff in Jeju, so here is a quick highlight reel..

One of the first things we did was see Dragonhead Rock. It's the big one, that sticks up.

Yeah, I still don't see it - do you?

Turned out that the first hotel we stayed at was down the road from the Korean Space Weather Center! Happy Chris :)

This is what trouble looks like..

Ridiculously cute trouble

 We spent a rainy morning at this spa. They had two pools with naturally carbonated water. It made bubbles on your skin as you sat in it! So cool :D Had a lovely 'conversation' with a woman who must have been almost 80. I love communicating with people when you have no words in common.

This little restaurant, famous for its kimchi jjigae, will always be remembered as "The place where Tim almost ate a giant beetle." The poor shop owner, after she saw him freaking out (no vomit! so proud!) said, "Aww... Him?? Why did it have to happen to an American?!"

We encountered these little guys at the Green Tea museum. They were part of a display to demonstrate the process of picking and drying tea. I *really* wanted to take one home with me.

Jeongbang Waterfall, said to be the only waterfall in Asia that flows right into the ocean.

We did a lot of walking to look at the coastline..

A little bit of joy

Sunrise Peak

Just before heading back to the airport we went to see Manjang Cave, which was pretty ridiculously cool. It's actually a lava tube. You're allowed to walk 1km in.

'Turtle Rock' which they say is shaped like Jeju.

At the end of the tunnel, a spot where lava poured through a hole in the ceiling.

That's the quick version of our adventures in Jeju! Coming soon.. Seoul & a Buddhist Temple :)

A storm of win!!

Click on the links to see Part I and Part II!

Korea Trip, part two

Silly forest spirits!

The first non-Suwon place we visited was the Yongsin Forest. My super-awesome sis-in-law snagged us a cabin, which was impressive because the rentals are based on a lottery and some people wait years to be able to stay the night there. Yongsin is about a 45 minute drive outside Suwon and is a popular destination for relaxing and getting the kids out of the city and into nature. They have walking trails, a kids park and lovely cabins.

There was a stream right next to our cabin, so of course we had to explore. While we were playing outside Chris found a cicada carcass and we had some fun introducing Johann to it.

Playing in the stream

Cicada!

The day we went to Yongsin was also my nephew's 2nd birthday. You might note the frosting on his chin and the misplacement of the cake on the tray, and guess what happened before we got the candles lit :)

Happy birthday!

I was still quite jetlagged and woke up before everyone else, so Chris and I went for an early-morning hike. It was so green and lovely!

Lucky ducks! These were all over - kind-of want some for the backyard :) 

Really neat pattern on the ground. 

Pretty morning light at the end of the hike

Korean playgrounds have some fun and unique toys in them, often involving two people and some kind of leverage. Here is a link to me playing on another one, in 2006.

Flyin' around with my bro

2-person swing: full body workout.

Next up: Jeju Island!

Korea Trip, part one

September: two weeks in Korea, two weeks sick. Have finally recovered from my cold and have a few minutes, so figured it was about time to post about our trip!

This was my second time in Korea. The first was the two months that I lived and taught there (see: adorable students) in the summer of 2006. It was the summer between my two years of grad school, and I was in somewhat rough shape due to a crazy school year and a very difficult breakup. Getting away from reality seemed like a great idea, and I believe it was the best way I could have spent that summer.

It was fun to go back 6 years later and in a much better mental state, to see how my perceptions of Korea have changed. One of the last things I did that summer was to go walking at Hwaseong Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Suwon, which was where I lived. I went by myself and spent almost three hours walking the wall, enjoying the sights and being pleased with how much happier I was than when I'd arrived (and getting an epic sunburn..).

This part always felt pretty Mario dungeon-level'ish to me

This time it was the first place I took Chris. We wanted to make sure we got moving on our first day to start combatting the jet lag, so what better thing to do than go somewhere that you can feel like you're walking through a video game?

So many stairs!

The fortress is about 3.5 miles long and has an impressive array of towers, battlements, gates, and views. It was built around old Suwon, but does not seem to have ever seen battle. A nice old gentleman (who spoke incredibly good English!) who was hanging out at the bottom of this staircase told us the story of intrigue involving a prince and the murder of his father that prompted the building of the fortress. 

Chris at one of the gates

 There are various places throughout that are designed to either hide things, or make things visible. This picture is of Chris at one of the gates which leads to a long projection off the wall that was to give the troops a way to see if their enemies were coming. There's a lovely pavilion at the end where some ladies were sitting eating their lunch and enjoying the view of Suwon.

Hidden entryway

Falling!

Throughout the fortress there are several hidden entryways to allow scouts or provisions into the fortress. Pretty intimidating from the outside, and with a very steep staircase just inside the door. So please, watch your step and beware of falling!







The Northeast Pavilion is my favorite part of the fortress. It contains a garden and pond and was favored as an area to hold festivals. In the direction we walked it is one of the last sights of the fortress and I think that's my favorite way to do it. coming around the corner to see this is just magical..

Northeast Pavilion

One of my favorite things about Korea is its combination of modern and ancient, all smashed together. Korea is someplace that has grown, almost too quickly for itself, but has managed to maintain its respect for its cultural heritage. There are so many places where you'll see skyscrapers next to ancient burial grounds, or cars that actually go under the fortress gates. It feels like you never know what you're going to see when you turn the next corner.


Next up: a couple days at a cabin in the forest, and one adorable boy's 2nd birthday!