Suncheon/ Changwon and Ashley is terribly lax on her journal writing. SORRY!!!

Here is Kimberly today at Outback where we went for lunch. I think she looks super cute here...
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Hello my dears!

Forgive me for my terrible laziness/business.  I really haven't gone to a pc bong in a month, I just haven't had the time.  Consider this a good thing, I have too much of a life these days.  I have much to say, but mostly I've just been busy with school and friends.  On the weekends I usually have too much to do to come to a PC bong for an hour.  Actually I'm at Kim's hagwon right now, so it saves me a little money.  Not that that's really an issue.

More than anything, Korea is a growth experience, where every day I am working toward something; every day I am working toward myself

This is at the market in Changwon.
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So anyways, update: I went to Changwon a couple of weeks ago and had a great time.  Most of the pictures here are from that experience.  We had so much fun, even though it was a terribly random adventure.  On the Saturday when I arrived, we went wandering through the city and just going into buildings and seeing what we found.  We took pictures as we went and had a good time.  For dinner we went to a mediocre Galby place, which was ok, and then we went to a Karaoke room and sang for so many drunken hours.  It was wonderful fun.

Here is a market
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The next day we slept in for ages and then decided we wanted to go to a bird sanctuary and see some nature.  Unfortunately, we ended up on the wrong bus and found ourselves in Gimpo, the next city over.  We saw a hill/very little mountain and decided to climb it, and found a nice view at the top.  We then had real burgers at a Western bar, which was delightful because I hadn't had one in five months!

Things have been very well at work.  I've received a new student again and have been working with him in preparation for his Toefl exam.  He's very intense, but he's nice to work with.  He's got a long way to go, but he works hard.  I give him a sick amount of homework, but if he wants to get into the best high school in Korea, he's got to work his butt off. 

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Korea has actually succeded in winning me over in a lot of ways.  I'm suprised that I've actually fallen for the country which truly is fabulously beautiful.  Most people wouldn't think of it that way, but I'm being totally straight up.  Korea is a gorgeous place.  Suncheon is much more of a country city than I first realized, and there's 250,000 people here!  And that's country!!! 

What is country about it, is that I went for lunch at my friend On-U's home with her and Lisa, and she lived in a beautiful apartment that overlooked a river and farmland, and it was still honestly in the city!  I was actually very sad because On-U is gone from our Hagwon, and I'll miss her a lot.  She and Lisa became my two closest friends there, although I've become closer with Min of late.  She's going to Seoul to continue her studies though, so I can only be happy for her.

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I've also lost my student Megan and close friend to Seoul, which was very sad.  But she needed to go to prepare for her University entrance exams which will happen next fall!!!!  Crazy eh?  But she felt that she wasn't focused enough here.  Anyways, my boss has created a plan so that I get to give her lessons over the phone every day, and we are both very pleased with this.  I think Megan is great and I really miss her, and I look forward to working with her again.  That will start on Monday.

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This coming weekend I am having friends come to visit to celebrate my birthday and I will take them to Nagan folk village and Songgwassa temple, where I've been totally dying to go.  I'm so excited for that!!!   I'm really looking forward to seeing them.  Its so strange to think that in less than two weeks I will be 24!  But then, I've always liked getting older.  This year I really do feel older, I've come so far and done so much here.  I'm sometimes amazed.  You have days when you are down, and days when you're homesick, but then you have days when you're increadibly happy.  More than anything, Korea is a growth experience, where every day I am working toward something; every day I am working toward myself.  And that, my friends, is absolutly increadible.

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Lots of love to you all,

Ash