Lunar New Year Masks.

Play Time

Please, please, please check out this adorbs video that my co-worker, Jacki, took while the SLP kids were on a field-trip to a gym.  Cuteness overload.

"Got to U.S.A."

 One of my favorite little munchkins, Jamie, showed up to school with this gem of a sweatshirt last week.  I got overly excited (natrually) thinking he might have actually traveled to Minnesota at some point.  When I asked him where he got the shirt, he gave me annoyed look and said, "Teacher, my mother gave a lady money and she gave my mother this shirt."  Duh, silly me.

I don't really care where he got it, I still love it.

Happy Birthday, Meagan!

 Three words:  Best. Cake. Ever.  This masterpiece came from Baskin Robbins and had not only chocolate ice cream and cookie lion-pirates, but banana ice cream and cherry poprocks in the middle.  Heaven.

Everland - Where Dreams Come True

Lunar New Year was simply full of goodness.  Every day was packed with adventure, and Monday might have been the most exciting.  We ventured to the Korean Disney World - EVERLAND.

This, is what we like to call the "Everland Face": 

Everland Face.

 

Upon arrival, we were like kids in a candy shop.  Or kids at Disney World, I guess you could say.  Ashley's first comment, "I feel like I'm Aladdin."  Would that have made any sense normally?  No.  Did Meagan and I understand exactly what she was saying at the time?  Totally.

After scoping out the zoo exhibit for a while, we moved on to the more exciting features - rides and rollercoasters.  Have you ever been on a rollercoaster in the middle of winter?  It's not exactly a desirable experience, but completely worth it in the end.

Lovin' Everland life...

 

Next up?  Checking out the Caribbean Bay section of the theme part once summer arrives.

Gyeongbokgung Palace

 After a fun night out in Hongdae, Matt, Meagan, and I filled up on coffee and headed into Seoul to check out Gyeongbokgung Palace (have fun sounding that one out in your head). 

We lucked out because the weather was beautiful that day, offering prime photo-snapping opportunities.  Although it was still bone-chillingly cold, we fought through it and had a great time.  The palace is beautiful.  I can't image how long it took people to paint the intricate designs that cover each building.  As you can see from the map, the place is huge, so we weren't able to cover everything in one day, but this is definitely a must-see for anyone traveling to Seoul.

The King's throne at Gyeongbokgung Palace.

The entrance to Gyeongbokgung Palace.

The banquet area of Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Hongdae or Bust

 The first night of our four-day weekend during Lunar New Year was spent trollin' around club-ridden Hongdae.  Both Rebecca and Meagan had friends visiting from other parts of Korea, so we spent the night indulging in samgyeopsal (big, fatty, bacon-like pork BBQ), and participating in some general merriment.

Happy Lunar New Year!

"The Suje"

This is the view I have on my walk to SLP every morning.  Good ol' Suji morning life is pretty low-key.

Morning walk in Suji.  SLP is ahead on the left.

Galbi Time

Almost every time we go out for dinner, we go to a pretty spectacular place we've deemed "Good Kimchi Place."  And by good kimchi, I mean this stuff is heaven-sent.  We now hate kimchi everywhere else, it's pure discrimination.

Anyway, "Good Kimchi Place" has typical Korean food - Korean BBQ ("galbi").  It's a little strange at first, cooking your own food on a small grlll in the middle of the table, but after some practice we've gotten pretty good at it.  Our staple is spicy chicken, but you can also get duck, beef, or pork.