Remnants of war...

While at Daecheon beach this past weekend (Sept. 8 - 10) we explored an abandoned bunker from the Korean War. The bunker was on a cliff overlooking the sea and wasn't blocked off at all - we were able to wander around it and explore inside, too. This bunker was used during the war and apparently there were battles fought here, too. It was all quite surreal and we had trouble wrapping our heads around the fact that in this serene and beautiful place war was a reality just 50 years ago.

Mudding it!

At Daecheon beach there is this amazing spa that features a typical Korean sauna/public bath (warm pool, hot pool, cold pool, sauna) with the added features of a salt water pool, a mud pool and a mud-painting station where you paint yourself with sea mud and let it dry, allowing the therapeutic minerals to absorb into your skin before you rinse off and start soaking in the hot and cold pools all over again. It's pretty heavenly!! The men and women are separated in Korean saunas because you do all of this completely in the buff! (strangely it feels pretty normal after the first 10 minutes or so...)

Off to the ocean!

This past weekend, September 8 - 10, we travelled about 2 hours west of Taejon to a place right on the Yellow Sea called Daecheon Beach. It was beautiful and very peaceful, with a lovely long sand beach, sunsets and pine trees (as well as some neon signage and lots of fireworks down the beach to add some zing!). Hannah and I went as part of the school's middle school retreat and Brian and Cora stayed in a nearby cabin with some other families. Rebecca opted to stay in the city so she could play volleyball on Friday and Saturday (her team won both games!). Swimming in the Yellow Sea was fantastic and we came home with some gorgeous star fish!

More ginseng pics...

More images from the ginseng market...

yum yummm... ginseng!

This past Saturday (September 2/06) we travelled by bus to the nearby city of Geumsan (pronounced Kumsan - it's about the same size as Peterborough and is 50 minutes away from Taejon). There we went to a huge market that featured ginseng in every manifestation possible: candy, chocolate, tea, bottled drinks, gum, deep fried and served up at concession stands with a honey dip and much more. We had no idea ginseng could be processed into so many products! This town is where 80 per cent of Korea's ginseng is harvested and marketed, so the entire downtown area had a market feel, with lots of outdoor stalls and umbrellas and crowded alleys where vendors sold all kinds of things (including live chickens, one of which met its end while we happened to be walking by - we think Cora is still recovering from that one!).

The city is gearing up for a big international ginseng expo, and in preparation for that there were some demonstrations going on, and we were interviewed by two Korean television crews, which was hysterical. The first featured two young women in matching outfits who were exceptionally energetic and the second crew bought us rounds of deep-fried ginseng and took all kinds of footage while we talked about exploring the market. It was all very entertaining and we felt like celebrities.

We travelled to Geumsan with another family (from Alaska - the Lindemans), a couple by the names of Steve and Sue from Toronto (Trent grads, too!!), and a young teacher from Minnesota named Nikole. It was a great day!

Gyeongju Staff Retreat

We spent this past weekend (August 25 - 27) in a city that was the capital of the ancient Silla dynasty in Korea. It's called Gyeongju and it's located about 3 hours south-east of Taejon. It was full of great things to see! We spent Saturday afternoon at one of the oldest Buddhist temple complexes in Korea and at a grotto temple that was up on a mountaintop. A large granite Buddha statue was in the grotto and the crystal in its forehead apparently catches the first morning light as the sun hits the peninsula. Both sites date back to the 600s and the views on the mountain were incredible.

On Sunday morning Brian actually hiked up the mountain with a group of crazy morning people. He also golfed on Saturday morning among the mountains and mist (his tee-off time was 4:58!). I opted to spend my morning hours relaxing at the traditional Korean sauna and public bath in the hotel (very therapeutic, also!).

There was lots of fellowship and worship throughout the weekend, and it was a great chance to hang out with people and socialize and relax. Ahhh...

Temple Details...

Here are some shots of details at the Songnisam temple complex!

Temples and mountains!

Yesterday we explored one of the biggest Buddhist temple complexes in Korea, at Songnisam National Park (about 1 1/2 hours west of Taejon). What a day it was!!

The scenery on the way to the park was spectacular - lush green hills and steeply-peaked small mountains, quaint villages, beautiful rows of onions, vegetables and rice fields. The ride, however, involved a lots of twisty turns, dips and ascents, so a few members of our family were quite green with motion sickness by the time we arrived!

The temple site was incredible. There was an extensive complex of buildings, from residences for Buddhist monks to prayer/altar side buildings, one main temple, and a stunning 5-story historic temple (the only one of its kind left in Korea, originally built in 553). The workmanship on these buildings was so intricate, with layers of carved wood painted in detailed patterns of bright colours. There was so much to observe in each structure!

Towering over everything was an enormous 33-metre gold statue of Buddha. It was enormous and, at one point, the sun came out and it was if the whole thing was illuminated from the inside. Quite incredible.

We hiked up the mountain to a hermitage, which was also focussed around one main temple, with several smaller out buildings. It was closer to the mountain peak and was very peaceful.

At the base of the mountain were many shops and restaurants, and we feasted on a traditional lunch where we sat on the floor at low tables and dined on numerous small dishes of various greens, vegetables, mushrooms and kim chi. We also enjoyed some substantial dishes based on rice, potatoes (pancakes - the kids loved these) and beef (for some people in our travelling group!). There were lots of street vendors along the street selling herbs and sweets, as well, and they kept giving samples to the girls (and to some boys belonging to another family) because they thought they were so cute. Older Koreans really adore young children and are very demonstrative with their attentions. One woman thought Cora was so beautiful that she gave her a whole package of sweets, hugged her and lifted her right off the ground, gushing the entire time about how beautiful she was. It was very sweet.

The day was wonderful, and it was fantastic to get out of the city for the day and hike and explore. Hope you enjoy the photos!!

Some of Brian's Students

It's been a busy week here at T.C.I.S., so photography hasn't been a top priority, but here is a shot of one of Brian's classes. They're really a neat mix of entertaining and hard working kids. More photos of students to come...

Grocery Shopping, Korean Style

In search of fresh fruit and veggies, the Lavenders attended one of the main produce markets in O-Jung Dong. What an experience! While the market was held in a large hangar-type building, people often have to jump aside to make way for guys delivering produce on noisy motor scooters. Since the language of the market is 100% Korean we were blessed to have a veteran TCIS teacher as our guide. Still yet, we managed many of the transactions on our own. Dinner is going to be great!

On the way to the market

Now that our school orientation has wrapped up, we're on our own when it comes to food. That means a trip to the market!

These photos reflect some of the diverse scenes of Korean life that can be viewed within a 5 minute radius of our home.

The market itself was a unique experience: women shelling black beans, men husking corn, vendors selling so many fried and fresh snacks including dok (pronounced something like "tduk"), all manner of fish, and some mysterious organ meats.

On the way home, we stopped at a restaurant called Matzang for an authentic dish called dosa bibimbap. It's rice served in a scalding hot iron bowl topped with a mixture of green vegetables, a spicy red sauce, seaweed, sprouts, and carrots topped with an egg (sunnyside up!). Delicious!

More soon!

Good Morning, South Korea

Each morning when we open our eyes we are reminded of the great changes that have occurred to us in the past week.

It hardly seems possible, but we are actually living in South Korea!

Each of us has been kept very, very busy learning about Korean culture and preparing for the coming school year. The sights and sounds bear some similarities to home, yet, they are distinctly Korean. The food is fantastic! The Korean people are truly gracious, for the most part.

We will certainly offer specific stories throughout the coming few days and weeks, but this short note will have to do since we have yet to obtain an internet connection at our home. (Our days have stretched into the evenings, so using the school connection has been difficult)

The following photos include images of us departing from Toronto, arriving at Inch'on Airport, and exploring just a few of the neighbourhoods in Tajeon.

...Only a Day Away!

The last-minute preparations are going well. LeeAnne (the List Queen) has superbly organized everyone's lives for the forseeable future and has crammed every possible item into the allowable 5 shipping containers. Oops! We have 6? Hmmmm. Better not mention the 12 pairs of shoes....

Rebecca is all packed up (left photo). Hannah is still packing (hence, no photo available!) Finally, Cora is seen in this photo (right) attempting to lift her suitcase. Apparently it weighs 15% more than her own body weight. No kidding. Hey, has anyone seen the cat?

Wednesday is just a few hours away...