Hiking and Halloween

At the close of October and the onset of November, Dan and I find ourselves enjoying life in Korea more and more. It has become more than a routine and I know that I have settled into a very content attitude here (one I feel is hard to come by when living away from home). I hope it lasts a while. Last weekend, we hiked up to the peak of a nearby mountain with our friends who are teaching in Sanbon (Seoul), which is a 1.5 hour subway ride away. The sunshine and freshness of nature cured me from the week's weariness.

The last few pictures are from last Friday (Halloween). It isn't celebrated here, so it's hard to come by a costume, and that's my excuse for not dressing up. That didn't stop one class I had, who were beyond excited to come to academy that day! We watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" and had snacks, drew and colored Jack-o-laterns, and made origami ghosts. Pretty good for a 50-min class! (I confess, we did the drawings earlier that week...)

Here you are, more pictures than you could ever ask for:

Not the most comforting way to start a hike...

Dobongsan Peak, Bukhansan National Park

Hiking is super popular in Korea - so we bravely faced the crowds on the mountain,
remember we're the tourists, we're the tourists... this type of reminder helps to keep the sanity on the mountain.

Meditation?

Christina and me at the top.

The building with the blue top right in the middle is the hospital across the street from our apartment in Nowon!

Jared and Tina

Korea would not be Korea without its cute trail mascots!

Seoul/Namsan Tower in the distance.

The perfect place to rest one's legs after a long hike. >_<

I was definitely underdressed for one of my classes on Halloween!

The reason I go to work sometimes (besides the money): these kids.
Rose, Berry, Iris, Bruno (aka alien), Harry, Veronica, Julie