The church held a traditional Korean theme last Sunday. We all had the chance to try on some traditional Hanbok garb. I felt like a Samurai or a Ninja. It was cool. (oh wait, Ninja and Samurai were Japanese. Never mind)
The members of the English Service at Gohyeon Church.
So, when we are not teaching we have found other life enriching things to do. The men go and play screen golf which I never thought could be so entertaining. I have never been a real golfer. In fact the only times that I had ever hit a golf ball, was at put put courses and when my friend and I hit some balls into the west cow pasture from his back porch. First you choose a real course from a world map, then you can warm up by hitting some balls at the virtual driving range.
Next you choose from a real set of clubs, watch an electric arm place the ball on the tee, and then step up and smack that little white ball like you are outdoors. The high tech sensors read the trajectory and speed and calculate your results: distance, slice, fade, elevation, flight path and so on. When the ball come to a rest, the hitting platform adjusts for the slope on which the ball landed. Putting is always a trick as well. The game is complete with statistics, replays of your swings, birds chirping, and automatic scoring. Nothing like golfing in air conditioning in the summer.
My friends who are seasoned golf connoisseurs claim that it is quite accurate, but at times blame a bad hit on the game. Someday when I play on real greens the truth might tell. I doubt Ill score much better though.
My friend Mark is one of the real gofers (Caddy Shack). He played quite a bit in South Africa, but now that he is here, this is getting him by.
Chelsie has taken up Tae-kwon-do at an academy named Su-namu Han-ke (Fragrance of the Pines, directly translated). Tae-kwon-do is a marshal art which originated in Korea. Chelsie attends five times a week in the evenings.
She enjoys it very much. Growing up, her whole family trained in the States, but she has always wanted to study it here. She says that there alot of similarities in the patterns that she is learning so it is not completely new. They undertake some rigorous exercises and she says that the language barrier has been a challenge to overcome. There is another girl from South Africa which is training as well.
I was able to come and observe the other day. Although I didn't get to see some kung-fu man break a dozen boards with his head, I did get to see Chelsie test and get her yellow belt. She restarted the program when she started here. She had earned her brown belt at home but restarted the program here.
The kiddos that take Tae-kwon-do are some of our students at ECC English school. They think Chelsie is pretty cool since she is learning to punch and kick.
Although these shots were taken a while back, I have been wanting to include them into a blog. It seems like the entertainment blog would be an appropriate place to insert them. 
Can you spot the music rooms on this bustling street?
You are given a very thick book with a section of English songs to choose from.
The music begins and the time flies. Below is our friend and co-worker Fiona Teacher.
This a Dan, who is now back in Canada sadly, singing his hear out.
A couples song. Dan and Lindsay and us.
Dan and I singing a Simon and Garfunkel classic, "The Boxer".
Next you choose from a real set of clubs, watch an electric arm place the ball on the tee, and then step up and smack that little white ball like you are outdoors. The high tech sensors read the trajectory and speed and calculate your results: distance, slice, fade, elevation, flight path and so on. When the ball come to a rest, the hitting platform adjusts for the slope on which the ball landed. Putting is always a trick as well. The game is complete with statistics, replays of your swings, birds chirping, and automatic scoring. Nothing like golfing in air conditioning in the summer.
My friends who are seasoned golf connoisseurs claim that it is quite accurate, but at times blame a bad hit on the game. Someday when I play on real greens the truth might tell. I doubt Ill score much better though.
My friend Mark is one of the real gofers (Caddy Shack). He played quite a bit in South Africa, but now that he is here, this is getting him by. 
Chelsie has taken up Tae-kwon-do at an academy named Su-namu Han-ke (Fragrance of the Pines, directly translated). Tae-kwon-do is a marshal art which originated in Korea. Chelsie attends five times a week in the evenings.
She enjoys it very much. Growing up, her whole family trained in the States, but she has always wanted to study it here. She says that there alot of similarities in the patterns that she is learning so it is not completely new. They undertake some rigorous exercises and she says that the language barrier has been a challenge to overcome. There is another girl from South Africa which is training as well.
I was able to come and observe the other day. Although I didn't get to see some kung-fu man break a dozen boards with his head, I did get to see Chelsie test and get her yellow belt. She restarted the program when she started here. She had earned her brown belt at home but restarted the program here.
The kiddos that take Tae-kwon-do are some of our students at ECC English school. They think Chelsie is pretty cool since she is learning to punch and kick.
Although these shots were taken a while back, I have been wanting to include them into a blog. It seems like the entertainment blog would be an appropriate place to insert them. A popular way to party with a group is to go to a Norae-bong, a singing room. It is like a private karaoke room. They are very easy to spot on the busy streets of any nightlife part of town. (Below: NO-RAE-BONG. Norae = music, bong = room. )
Can you spot the music rooms on this bustling street?
You are given a very thick book with a section of English songs to choose from.
The music begins and the time flies. Below is our friend and co-worker Fiona Teacher.
This a Dan, who is now back in Canada sadly, singing his hear out.
A couples song. Dan and Lindsay and us.
Dan and I singing a Simon and Garfunkel classic, "The Boxer".
An once again Dan and I, the crazy boys, throwing down some beat with the disco ball enhancing the club like atmosphere. 
Here are a couple videos that I thought would make this posting a little more real.
Here is a closer shot of the part of town that we tromp around the most. The 
As you might have already noticed from the maps and pictures, we are surrounded by mountains here. This makes for great hiking at a moments notice. We have made friends with a number of other English teachers in the area. Hikes are a great way to exercise and get some fresh air before school in the afternoon.
The fishing and agrarian culture in the valley below.
We are told that the rice patties will begin to green as spring and summer come. 
We have had some trouble getting our photos to enlarge when you click on them. We hope to solve this problem soon. Sorry.
