If You're Ready for the Summer Let's Go....

"Summertime is always the best of what might be" - Charles Bowden

Oh man, oh man... when everyone has been counting down to summer break, you know the struggle has got to be real.😫 Well, let me catch you on up before I get lost in my summer vacation...😏

So, I left off with my stories in May. I pretty much covered June, as I have previously talked about my birthday and my visit from Ty, but I've gotten into some other things in the month as well.

Since the weather has been so hot, it just calls for weekend visits to the beach. So, my friends and I chill, watch sunsets, and enjoy good company. Also, I had another visit from a friend, and I showed her a good time.  Good vibes only...

Tragic timing... I've always had a goal to hike Hallasan mountain. I woke up one morning, very adventurous and ready to go. I get to the mountain, I start my trek. I was told it was about a 2.5 hour trek. Boy was I tired. I had two resting points; after I made it to the 1400m mark... I noticed I lost my American phone😑. Yes, I clearly didn't care... let me tell you why. I was so determined to make it to the top. I was already tired and didn't want to turn back around. I kept going and had to utilize my Korean phone for pictures (the quality isn't that great). I finally made it to my stopping point, rested for a bit, then turned back around in search for my phone. Get to the area... couldn't find it. I searched hard and wide. Went to the information desk, no luck. After 45 minutes of searching, I'd declared my device lost.

With a lost phone, life keeps going. July finally comes... My brother came to spend time with me on the island; I fall into some island adventures with my teacher friends; I support my students in their Ping Pong Tournament and I close out the first semester with summer camp.  During summer camp, I taught my students about Egypt and Greece and had them use their creative skills to create a pyramid and a Greek helmet.

 

Oh, I forgot to mention... I went back to Halla to hike another trail and look for my phone. I know, wishful thinking after almost a month of not being able to find it. The crew and I did some fun activities to close out the month: an escape room and a pool party. We didn't make it out the room. We died with 33% remaining. Tragic.

 

Until next time... which will be about my summer vacation, stay tuned!

Road-tripping from Coast to Coast🚗

"Because the greatest part of a road trip isn't arriving at your destination. It's all the wild stuff that happens along the way." -Emma Chase

God has a way of putting things together. He'll have you run into a "random" person at an event, allow some time for intellectual conversations, and end with contact exchange, saying you'll meet up again soon. (Majority of the time, it doesn't go much further than what occurred at the "meet up.) Fast-forward to three months later... Ty and I cross paths at another event. No more excuses for a "Hangout in Jeju."

As Ty was coming to visit me in Jeju, I felt the need to show her a good time. Now, as a "local," I'm all about/for public transportation. It's cost efficient... that's about it. She mentioned how a co-worker of hers suggested that she rent a car during her visit here. Let me tell you, best decision ever. The amount of hours spent on the road, the spontaneous adventures, road trip conversations and karaoke... it was phenomenal. I knew my Korean drivers' license would come in handy during my stay here. So, first night... we had some dinner, chilled, then met up with some other friends for karaoke.

With two full days to explore Jeju, time was precious.  First up, the Jeju Submarine Tour. I read some reviews about this tour, and they weren't so convincing. But, we went anyways because we've never done it before. At the end of it, we really enjoyed ourselves; going underwater in a submarine, looking at coral reefs, fish, and other sea creatures swimming around. It was a very beautiful and clear day, so it made it even better. Next on our list was Udo Island.  Along the way, we stopped at The Museum of Sex and Health. It was an interesting museum, with focus on education and information.

So after a hour or so of driving, singing and girl talk, we made it to the area of the port, starving. I didn't realize it, but it was that "break time" for restaurants, so nothing was really open. We decided that we'd eat on the island. Get to the port, we find out that the last ship was gone.😑 Luckily, a Korean lady informed us that the other port still had a ship to sail. I had 15 minutes to drive to the other port that was 12 minutes away. We made it though, with about 2 hours to explore the island. We rented a 3-wheeled electric bike, rode around half the island, found us a little cafe to eat at, and enjoyed the sun, ocean, and calm breeze. After leaving, I drove along the coastal line to chase the sunset.

Day 2. We had some places to cross off the list, but first thing was lunch. We couldn't do a repeat of the previous day. There's a life drawing class here on the island, and I invited Ty out to experience it with me. It was quite interesting and unique. After we left there, we went to Mazeland. Found ourselves lost a couple of times, but we managed to make it through. Last stop, LoveLand.

 

It was a fun-filled weekend with many memories made. I got to learn and see a little more of the island, but most importantly, have a wonderful time with my dear friend, Ty.

Until the next adventures...