Working Hollyday

 My first time working at a flea market in Korea, I sold mini-pumpkins (above) and bracken (below).  We made quite a few sales - bracken is very popular in Korea and is considered very delicious! It was the more popular of our two products, though the pumpkins sold well too. It was a long, tiring day, but we made out pretty good in the end. Always nice to have new experiences that will become repeat adventures in the future!

 Every Thursday, I go travelling with my students. This week, we went to a lovely rock pool along the coast. Sadly, the water levels were low, so we had to go to another beach to swim. But the views were absolutely gorgeous!  After returning to our camp, I went out with one of our staff members to a traditional market. It is held every 1st and 6th each month, continuing with the 11th, 16th, 21st, 26th, and 31st. We had corn on the cob, and I also had a couple skewers of delicious grilled chicken.  The stop and eat style is always a great way to fill-up on a variety of different foods. Eat as much as you want, show them how much you had, and then pay for what you had. Really cheap but amazing food. I recommend trying several different foods from different vendors to have a cheap buffet-style meal!  Once we finished up at the market, we went to a nearby beach to collect some shellfish for dinner. Jinny and I had quite the catch! Snails, hermit crabs, muss...

 The day started off with a short review lesson in English class, followed by about and hour and a half of moving some sacks of chopped hair to bed the trees in our greenhouse. It was hard work in humid weather, but it definitely got the heart pumping and had me feeling good.  After a quick stop back at camp to shower and change clothes, we went to the farmers market, where two members and I built a grill.  We used the grill we built to have a cookout in honor of celebrating our members' hard work. An appreciation cookout is always welcome. ^_^ Near the end of the cookout, the girls decided to go for a midnight swim in the ocean. Chilly but nice! As a final farewell to our departing member Soohyun (left), Soo-in and I joined her for a final dance at the Monkey Beach nightclub. Not many people (it was 1AM on a Wednesday) but certainly memorable! It's all about friends - family, really - here at our camp. A great day indeed!

 One of my favorite things to do with my students is to just hangout and chat casually.  Playing games and sharing snacks is always a great way to feel more comfortable around others.  It's also a good way to share some cultural elements and overlook standard classroom etiquette.  Being in a setting where we are all equals is something that I always try to achieve with my students. It makes it easier for them to learn and funner for me to teach! (And yes, funner is correct grammar. The more you know!) Achieving a level of comfort when communicating helps them to have a better chance at replicating these relationships with other foreigners, which is the ultimate goal of their studies and my efforts.

 I got to spend the morning back at our farmers market near the Jeju coast - such a beautiful location!  You can get several different types of drinks (made and bottled locally) that use local produce.  My strongest recommendation is to purchase the crunch choco snacks. A nice light but sweet treat that comes in several flavors. Cactus flower is my favorite, and I HIGHLY recommend it to any foreign travellers.  There are also a variety of other snacks including chocolate covered orange slices, gummies (called jelly in Korea), and some native Jeju black pig and horse (yes, horse) jerky. All are worth a try - especially to those who may find them a bit exotic! As I will always stress to travellers, food is really the best way to learn about local culture. This farmers market is the perfect example of that, with all products made in Jeju from locally grown produce. There are plenty of options to satisfy a variety of tastes, and you can always buy a gift bo...

 Last Thursday (6.29) I went out with my students to enjoy the many sites of beautiful Jeju.  The highlight of this outing was stopping for a late lunch at a Coca-Cola themed restaurant. So much classic Americana and memorabilia - a MUST visit for any Coke fans or travellers wanting an American experience abroad!  Friday (6.30) was mostly a work day but was finished off with a big party with staff and guests. Pizza and fried chicken with drinks a plenty. Really great camaraderie and friendship time!  And while it may be the rainy season, this weekend had some pretty nice weather. We enjoyed our new raised hut lounge - a true picture of island life!

To put together a documentary on the different people and jobs in Jeju, MBC Korea followed around our team today to show off the different things that we do here at our camp and affiliate businesses. Some were filmed working at a farmers' market, others at our restaurant, and I was filmed teaching an English class. Filming will continue for the rest of today and will carry through tomorrow and (I believe part of) Friday. Very exciting! I will be sure to share more in other posts, including viewing information. *Fun fact: this is actually the fourth time I've been filmed for television in Korea. Haha.