Pottery & hiking... a perfect Saturday afternoon...

On Saturday, October 17th, we struck off with our friend Sarah Lillo to the nearby mountain of Gyreongsan. Just 30 minutes out of town, you feel like you are in another world when you enter the mountain region. It is peaceful and beautiful, and right now the fields of rice gleam a striking golden yellow in the afternoon sunshine. First we sought out the pottery village we have heard about for four years and have never visited. Tucked into a village at the foot of the mountain, several pottery artists have clustered their shops together. We strolled through the shops and had tea at one, and we watched some older villagers thresh some dried stalks with old-fashioned implements. It was like stepping back in time. Then we drove to the base of some trails and hiked for two hours. The leaves are slightly more colourful than last week but the best is yet to come in that regard; the weather is perfect for hiking, though, and it was a wonderful hike. We topped it off with a feast of Korean food and agreed we had enjoyed a perfect Saturday. Now, if only we could get the girls interested in hiking again... :)

Concerts & coffee...

The autumn high school concert took place on Tuesday, October 13th, and Hannah had a whole new role to play. Rather than taking her place on stage with the strings orchestra she dressed in black and white to perform in the concert choir. The choir sang four songs and all of them were fabulous. After the concert Brian and I had tea at a lovely new coffee shop in the neighbourhood. Across from the side gate of our school, the Blooming Cafe is decorated in restful colours and features dozens of specialty teas. Ahhh... perhaps grading papers won't seem so bad if we work at the cafe...

Canadian Thanksgiving in Korea...

On Sunday, October 11th, about 20 Canadians (and a few favourite Americans) gathered together at the Midkiff home to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving. Costco was out of turkeys so we feasted on roasted chicken with all of the trimmings, several salads and some amazing desserts. In true Thanksgiving style, everyone rolled away from the table, stuffed to the gills, and wrapped up the gathering with a rousing game of Thanksgiving pictionary. We miss our family so much during holiday times and it is a blessing to spend time with some loved ones here to make us feel better.

FTL books arrive in Yanji...

In August Brian launched Freedom Through Learning and we have been busy emailing people and contacting organizations and schools ever since. The virtual warehouse is beginning to build and we even have a few schools from developing nations that have been registered! At TCIS we have connections with a community in China called Yanji (some of our students have parents who are missionaries there) and over the Chusok break about 30 people from our school community traveled to Yanji. Tucked inside suitcases and carry-on bags were sets of textbooks, hand-delivered by our colleagues as part of a Freedom Through Learning exchange. Here are some photos of books being delivered (it was quite a pile!) and there are a few more sets of textbooks now awaiting shipment the old-fashioned way (sponsors are needed, too, just in case you're interested). Check out the web site: www.freedomthroughlearning.org. We're pretty excited about how this little movement may grow... :)

Back to Bomunsan...

When Brian and I have a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, just time enough for a short hike, we'll head to Bomunsan. This past Sunday was a perfect day for this destination and we enjoyed the beginnings of a crisp autumn breeze as we made our way to the peak. An old fortress wall rings the top of the mountain. We can't complain about the weather, though - jackets are still hanging in our closets and may stay there for a few more weeks. And we have months of good hiking weather to come.

Stillness at Daechon Beach...

Over the Chusok break we spent a few days by the ocean, collecting shells and spending time thinking and praying. We also helped paint a cabin owned by TCIS and got to know some of our colleagues from our sister school, Gyeonggyi Suwon International School. Our hearts were with Brian and Doug the whole time, and I think our days on the ocean were like a gift... giving us time to reflect and be still.

Food & Chusok...

We never tire of admiring how beautiful a table looks when it is set with Korean food. All of the sidedishes surround some piping-hot soups and rolls of kim-bab... ahhh... our tummies are happy. On a related note, sometimes packaged foods in Korea are a bit different than what we would find at home. Take, for instance, the gift packages of Spam that were stacked to the ceiling at Costco two weeks before Chusok (Korean Thanksgiving).