Christmas Greeting

Since I'm all the way out here in Korea (and I really don't like writing Christmas cards), I thought I'd do something a little different for a Christmas message to my family and friends. So with a little help from my students and some sweet video software on my computer, I have prepared a video message for you all to enjoy. While I was making this video I also decided that an "outakes" reel was necessary since there are just too many priceless moments not to share. I really hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas-time and make sure to eat a lot of turkey for me.

Christmas Greeting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-u_ErNoacE

Outakes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_o47WhUzb8

Chomseongdan Altar, Mt. Mani

It's been quite some time since I've done anything 'tourist-like' here in Korea, so decided to visit Kanghwa Island this past Saturday. Actually I can't take credit for the idea, but my English friend David lead the way and I tagged along. Kanghwa Island is located in the North Western part of South Korea, which is about an hour bus ride from Gimpo. The main attraction for us was the Chomseongdan Altar, which is located at the top of Mt. Mani. As Korean legend describes, Mt. Mani is where Dangun, the mythical 'founding father' of Korea prayed to heaven. He probably had a more difficult time climbing to the top than we did since 918 stairs have been built to assists sight-seers. This was welcome to both David and myself as we didn't bring appropriate footwear for a serious climb. The recent snowfall left the path quite slippery is some places, making our trek a little more interesting. Some of the Korean's we met along the way were dressed in serious hiking gear and warned us of the 'treacherous' conditions. They were right to be concerned for us but we also met other Korean's walking up in dress shoes so we really didn't know what to think. The climb to the top only took us about an hour and we were rewarded with a very nice scenic view of Kanghwa Island to the East, and the sea to the West. It felt really good to reach the top and spend the afternoon outdoors. There are many other attractions to see on the island and I'm looking forward to going back to see them over the next couple of months. I'm also glad to be over the sickness that floored me for a few weeks, and that my new camera is working very well. My Korean adventure continues...

Korean Christmas Songs

Here are the links to some really adorable videos of my kindergarten class belting out some classic Christmas songs. If you're like most people you won't be able to tell what the heck they're singing so I'll help you out. The first song is "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" and the second is "Deck the Halls." Enjoy and don't feel bad about laughing. These kids can be a handful but they can also be the cutest things in the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0NJQ3CZDg4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PovgLefY3FE

Once I get things fixed with blogger then I'll add videos straight to this site. For now this will have to do.