Seoul State of Mind
Watching the breathtaking sunset at the Han River in Seoul….
you can get a small glimpse of Namsan Tower too…
………………………………
…………..aaaah the peace
Masquerade – Mask Making Festival
Earlier this year, Mannam Gwangju organised a mask making festival. Awesome!
We hand painted many masks and had a huge gathering…some designs were pretty amazing…
Face painting was also very popular…the staff were great!
So this event was aimed at the foreigners staying in Gwangju as well as the children from the orphanage…We entertained them with various performances like singing, dancing, and also Phantom of the opera inspired songs.
Mannam is just too….awesome. Their vision is just…inspiring. I will continue to work hard and support them <3 We can all donate money to charity…i mean its easy. Money is also renewable…but what really makes a difference is giving our time….as we cannot get it back. Giving one hour of your time can make a life changing experience to people who need us…
Cold Stone…nom nom
These few weeks hace been HOT! Right now i will say its like SUmmer in the UK….28-30 degs at most. Heard it will get hotter…and more ‘disgusting’…not looking forward to the invasion of mosquitos either…
What better way to fight the heat with some ice cream?
BUT! no no….this is not just any ordinary ice cream. I’m talking about Cold Stone ice cream!
One of my personal favourites is the green tea flavour ice cream with crushed oreos and pralines <3 <3
How it works is they use a cold slab of ice (like a cold electric cooker) and uses mixing tools to mash all the ingredients together in front of you.
You can easily spend hours there as its a great place to hang out too.
Farewell…
MMMM so my good 2nd school full of amazing and genuine and hard working kids is getting a new ‘full time’ English native teacher…I guess i can understand their frustration as i am only there 1.5 days a week. Not to boast as to how much im loved there …but the kids do complain that they don’t see enough of me. ^_^ So i guess i can understand the school would want a teacher who is there at least 3 times a week…but boooo that means i won;t get to see them anymore >.<
Here are some last day memories with my kids from Hwang Ryong Middle School…i will miss them!
The pictures above are my 2nd grade students…one of my favourite classes…super CUTE!
Below are my grade 3 students…the seniors…amazing personalities and always making me laugh! haha
Unfortunately i didnt teach grade 1 that day….they also didn’t know it was my last day and just greeted me casually down the hallway…some will say ‘see you thursday’…i just laughed quietly…though slightly sad…i kinda wanted to say ‘suckers….’ -___- but no… im sad…really.
Well i guess that leaves me with 2 schools left filled with miniature demons…>_<
Cherry Bomb
Spring was blooming but the winter chill was slightly there….the trees were still naked and leafless…I then woke up the next morning feeling slightly ‘warmer’ than usual. I dressed and got ready to meet some friends downtown…I stepped out of the appartment block and then boom! Cherry blossoms everywhere! WTF
Strange how there is a sudden outbreak of cherry blossoms everywhere in Korea…which provided such a scenic neighbourhood….and better….the heat! I dnt need a frickin jacket anymore!
The long walks to the bus station becomes much more pleasurable…the view is very jaw dropping. You can’t help but feel happy like a hippy while strolling past each tree.
So the Cherrry Blossom festival is hitting the country…people either go to Gurye or Jinhye for the cherry blossom viewing…but to be honest? I seen pictures from friends where they travelled hours just to see the cherry blossom festival…and the scene is just as beautiful as my neighbourhood…
However these cherry blossoms only last for 1 week…before all their petals fall off…better hurry and snap more pictures as they get uglier and uglier with each passing day…until they turn…GREEEN >.<
Speaking of 'cherry bomb' im craving some Dr Pepper…
Making A Difference
I have become very close with the Mannam volunteering group…they all have become like a second family to me. Hence i am very proud to have become one of the core members of Mannam. Above you see the boss Vicki (the centre holding the brown evelope) whom i call ‘어머니’ which means ‘mother’….she has taken very good care of me…always making sure i’m fed well, and not too exhausted from volunteering activities…Thank you Vicki and all other caring members =D I feel very lucky.
Ok so not long ago i visited the orphange with the members to spend the day with the kids. Now most of these kids’ parents did not die…rather they were abandoned….very sad. So once you hear what they go through you cannot help but feel your heart break for these kids. It makes matters worse when they all turn out to be AMAZING children.
After a round of playing games in the main room we played a treasure hunt game. Brightly coloured cards were hidden around the orphanage hence we in our groups go and find the ‘treasure’. The competition got a bit out of hand….kids would do anything for those cards…even climbing on a basketball net…crazy haha
After running around the orphange like a kid for an hour or so…we then hand made some donuts! Not as tasy as Krispy Kremes but still tasty none the less….its amazing how delicious a simple food can be after a hard days work…
Meet *Ha Young and Shin Young*. I was in charge of both these girls. Great teenagers…great hearts. They dream to become nurses together because they like to help people. Shin Young particularly enjoys learning English and self taught herself….her level is pretty amazing =D
So all day i spent time with the girls alongside another Mannam member. We got to know each other very well! They were also verrrrrry competitive and was determined to win every game.
Making donuts…
HUNGRY…
Family photo…haha
And finally a thank you card from the Shin Young…I actually taught her the useful phrase ‘No pain no gain’. It made her laugh and she knows its the reality too. May it become a motivator in her life…
Ha Young and Shin Young…may you find success in life and always be happy!
I understand why people volunteer now….its very rewarding….makes you feel content…
There are many underpriviledged children who are unhappy from their past experiences and family situations…sometimes i feel we really take our parents for granted and forget how ‘lucky’ we are for them use up their time, money, blood, sweat, and tears to raise us to become successful children.
Volunteer guys! I recommend it!
…oh and give a BIG hug to your parents (>_O)
Sea Parting Festival Pt.2: Mose’s Miracle
The name of this ‘Mose’s Miracle’ (Yes, ‘Mose’ is what Koreans call him not ‘Moses’) was adopted from the famous story of Moses saving Jewish slaves from Egypt by splitting the sea into 2 to escape, and then drowning the Egyption soldiers. This natural phenomenon only happens 2-3 days a year. People all over Korea gather to come witness this amazing occurence and celebrate with a huge party. The main event of this festival is of course walking through the sea, towards the Island and back. Long colourful boots is needed of course….its very muddy and wet!
So the legend goes that once upon a time, the people of Jindo Island were frequesntly attacked and killed by tigers, so they took a raft and moved to a nearby Modo Island.
However and elderly woman named Grandma Ppong was accidently left behind. The old lady longed to be reunited with her family and prayed for help night and day to the Dragon King of the Sea. Then, one night, the Dragon King appeared to her in a dream and told her to cross the sea by walking on the rainbow that he will provide for her. When she awoke the next morning, she ran to the sea and a rainbow-shaped opening appeared in the water between Hoedong-ri and Modo-ri.
The people of Jindo Island still perform an annual ritual dubbed the Yongdung Festival for the Dragon King in remembrance of the sea-parting miracle and Grandma Ppong.
Notice the people wearing very colourful boots and jackets? Well it represents the rainbow path. So it is believed that Koreans walk this path to wish for love as well as for their children to be healthy.
Bless you Grandma Ppong =D
