Not So Minor

을왕리 Beach
After Busan, our tans were looking so good we couldn't let them die after only a week so a group of us ventured to Eulwangri Beach near Incheon on the next Saturday morning. We started out the day with a walk to a "stair path" Anna had seen. The trail to this path took us up rather muddy and rocky cliffs that required us to use all of our spiderman abilities to climb. The other three did fairly fine, unfortunately, my broken/dislocated finger wasn't cooperating and I barely--and ungracefully--completed the climb. The climb to the "stairs" took us to the top of a hill that overlooked the water...can you say gorgeous, I can. There also was what some in our group dubbed a "bunker for Japanese attacks." Literally, at the top of this hill was what appeared to be a watch tower and an underground, sandbagged bunker. I felt like we had stepped onto the set of some famous war movie that I probably haven't seen, but it was even better because it was real and we were there. We posed for lots of pictures and in one of these poses, Anna thought grabbing my broken finger would be a good idea. It probably was a sensational pose but sadly I reacted to quickly with tears and embarrassed laughter...the pictures of that are pretty good though. After I stopped being a baby, we journeyed onward toward the illusive "stairs" and ended up walking down some more beautiful paths, slipping on the muddy path, and concluding it all by petting puppies. I'm still not quite sure where these "stairs" are or if they were the cover story to make us go climbing...but either way it was worth it. We spent the rest of the afternoon playing Frisbee on the beach, swimming the length of the beach with Anna, watching the boys sleep for hours, and seeing the sunset on what is claimed to be the best spot in Korea. Oh and there was something about getting our feet stuck in quicksand-like mud and washing it off at a nice restaurant and then being yelled at in Korean...but who wants to hear another annoying foreigner story? After a long day in the sun, we were exhausted and headed to a dvd bang in Sukdea for the final activity of the night. I've heard the movie was good but I wouldn't know as I peacefully slept through the whole thing. After that hour nap, we all went home to actually sleep although Anna and I aren't known for doing that quickly when we're together so maybe I should say: "after that hour nap, the boys went home to sleep while Anna and I talked into the wee hours of the night.


Gosu Caves, Ferry Ride, and Chungju
In honor of the great Ashley Gordon, we ventured one Saturday to the place she used to call home: Chungju. Before we could arrive in said town we had to check out the Gosu caves nearby. Some in our group were hoping for extreme spelunking in which one had to crawl and carve their way through the cave; however, in typical Korea style, these caves were safer than living in a bubble. You walked along well laid metal pathways and cushions were placed on the ceiling in places where you could potentially bump your head. Despite the over protectiveness, the caves were still quite beautiful and it's always stunning to look at God's handiwork. Plus, the company wasn't too bad. After the caves we eventually made our way to a ferry that would take us into Chungju. Ben and a group of Norwegians just narrowly made the ferry ride as well so our crew was finally complete. The views from the boat were beautiful and it felt like we had stepped into a different country with the blue water, the gorgeous mountain ranges, and the crystal clear sky. Most enjoyed some conversation, while Heidi and I in typical foreigner fashion wandered off to take photos of ourselves. While photographing, we stumbled upon a dance floor overloaded with old people...of course we had to join. We danced with any of the men that won the tug-of-war match over us until our we couldn't take the groping alone anymore and went to find our friends...who we then took to the dance floor as well. We weren't there long but really after a few butt grabs, a few chest bumps, a tug or two we were happy to check the experience of on our list and return to the views and conversation. When we arrived in Chungju we checked out a 4d ride, bought crazy Konglish shirts at a sweet shop, had what Ashley calls the best galbi in Korea, and had drinks at an amazingly cute outdoor garden shop. After an hour wait at the bus station that was filled with some excellent Duncan conversation, we ventured home exhausted.


Reuben Departs
After 3 years in Korea, it had come time for Reuben Haggar to depart this land for more adventures and students in need elsewhere (aka. Beijing). To make the most of the three days we had left with Reuben before his departure we began planning early, only, to have a tropical storm approach and try to ruin all of our plans. But we were not to be deterred. Reuben and I began Friday night with plans to finally see the 63 Building but instead took highly necessary photos for his blog (okay maybe a little deterred). We then met up with the crew for a little galbi action in what Reuben and I call "our neighborhood." Afterwards, I went home to read the luxurious hunger games while the others ventured for untold activities. At 3am, the girls and I were reunited in my house where we spent some time talking (eh, we're girls) and then we fell into glorious sleep. Bright and early the next morning, Reuben, Anna, and I met up with Shawn and Abi to mail some packages and enjoy lunch on base! After our necessary base stop, we rejoined Heidi and Duncan and began our tropical storm filled day. We weren't going to let the storm stop our planned hiking expedition...so off we went. We spent most of the afternoon exploring a mountain-whose-name-I-can't-recall, getting attacked by birds, looking at beautiful green fields, climbing fortress walls, and sharing life together. After all these adventures, we returned to Seoul for warm showers and fall clothes (yes, in late June). We then returned to the rainy streets, for some dokgalbi which was beyond delicions and gelato. Ben and the Norwegians joined us for a little 고럐방 action, in which I may have finally developed a love for the pastime due to my ability to belt out "Smack that" (thanks Angela...). And we were able to hear Reuben belt out some of his favorites while also witnessing those epic dance moves of his. And the night ended with some crazy dance moves until the wee hours of the morning followed by a 5am Mcdonals breakfast run (which only Anna and I managed to make). After an hour of sleep, we went to church in the morning and ended the goodbye activities with a tour of Gwangahmun and galbi for dinner. The goodbye weekend was unfortunately concluded. I've typed and re-typed sentence after sentence trying to summarize how hard it is to say goodbye to someone whose friendship you value so much...but my words don't do the emotions justice. So I'll just say that I am grateful for Reuben's friendship, grateful for the lifelong memories that he's now part of, grateful for the lessons he's taught me about life, and grateful for the fact that Beijing is only a short plane right away. See you in September.