Our First Week in Korea!

Front of school

We arrived here at 8 pm August 5, 2012.  Daegu Airport is only 5 minutes' drive from Daegu International School so it's quite convenient.  We traveled here with four other teachers and their families and more came in the next day.  We received a warm welcome from the staff and our apartments are comfortable.  Many of us teachers live here on campus and some in an apartment complex off-campus (there are 33 teachers at the school).  James is the resident hall director and in charge of dorm life for the teachers + 25 students living here. 

Outside DIS

Our school buildings are beautiful and well-made, with state-of-the-art technology and engineering.  All the new architecture here is elegant and functional.  Here we are going for a walk past our school to the nearby park.  Notice they are building a huge new apartment complex down the road.  It is very quiet though because the building is happening behind the wall on the top floors.  It is quiet pretty much everywhere here.

Around the corner and up the hill on the 1/2 mile walk to the park.  One of the coolest things here are the  many vegetable gardens. People who live nearby tend this one and sometimes sell veggies on the side of the road to the park.

At the park there is a walking path around a lake (2 miles long).  Perfect for exercise!  Here is a view of the countryside and part of the city of Daegu looking east in the morning, from the start of the walking path (1/2 mile from our school). Besides exercise the park is a really beautiful place as you will see.  I plan on bringing my paints some day.  Right now it is pretty hot (upper 80's) and humid.  We've had just a little rain this week.   

This is looking west at Lake Dansanji in Bongmu park from the start of the walking path. There are motorized duck boats and a water ski boat that people rent regularly, they also go tubing pretty often.  Something fun to do one weekend.  There is also a hiking path that goes along the foothills around the lake (4 mile walk) that we will try later. 

A Buddhist burial mound.  There are several of them around the lake. I have no idea how old it is, but I think very... I wish I knew what the sign said. 

About halfway around the lake there is this really cool workout machine area. There are various stretching and weightlifting machines.  My favorite is the inversion table, to stretch out the back.  Ahhh.

More of the workout area, with one of the light poles with speakers that play peaceful music all along the path.  There is uninterrupted music all along the path, usually classical.

Another view of Lake Dasanji in the morning while walking around. These mountains are around 1000 feet tall.  This is the southern end of the Mount Palgongsang area.

The northern tip of the lake, about halfway around the 2-mile walking path around it.

Marly and her new friend on the lake path.  You can see the new construction in the back.

Here is what the walking path looks like most of the way.  Many local people walk it every day.  Great exercise and such a relaxing place.

 A newer-looking Buddhist burial site.  There are  also several of these around the lake.

There is a Butterfly House and museum along the path in Bongmu park.  Here is the entry.

Lots of pretty butterflies in the gardens around the butterfly house. 

Swallowtail butterfly, Bongmu Park

Levi inside the Butterfly House.  There were a lot of smaller white butterflies flitting around.

Butterfly House, Bongmu Park

Love the turtle

Exiting the Butterfly House

There are beautiful gardens all around the butterfly house and museum, like these roses.

 Entrance to the Butterfly Museum, next door. 

There's a very nice playground in the park.

A Korean magpie, common around the lake.  They are about the size and shape of a crow and pretty shy.  The dark feathers are purple.

Marly had her first ice skating lesson two days after we arrived. Other than being really big, the rink and lessons were very much like back home. The rink is by Daegu Stadium where World Track & Field is run and is part of the same complex.  It is a very big rink so they have public skating on the outside while the inside is coned off for figure skaters. Marly and another girl aged 9 share the same lesson with Coach Jennifer.  Good motivator. Mar will be back.

Here the girls are learning their sit-spins.

HUGE rink!  Look at all the lockers.

Snack bar just like home, with popcorn, ice cream, and lots of noodles-to-go offered.

On August 7, our co-worker took us to Donghwasa  Buddhist Temple, further up north in the Mt. Palgongsan area. The giant Buddha is 100 ft tall and holds some of Buddha's remains.

On the walk on the road uphill to the temple.  Looking over the side we saw lots of little groups of people picnicking on the rocks in the river below.  Lovely!

It was worth the long walk up.

Buddhist monks and novitiates were everywhere.

Beautiful place!  The temple was founded in the year 500 in the Silla Dynasty. WOW that is old!

Worshippers inside the temple

Another view inside the temple.

Here we are at Donghwasa temple.

A monk-novitiate heard James talking about magic tricks and motioned to us to watch him make an airplane.

He flew it over the edge and it kept doing loop-the-loops.  I think it was supposed to hover in the air over the trees but the monk kind of explained that the wind wasn't cooperating that day. Nice guy for trying anyway.

At Donghwasa temple there are several different Buddhist shrines for worshipping- here is the view into one.

These guys were guarding an entry.

Here's what the temple looks like from the outside.  The newest building is from the early 1700's.

It was nice to go on this trip with our new friends!

Tiger lilies growing wild on the path down from the temple.

Here is a view of the downtown area with lots of shops and restaurants, that we went for dinner (American food) one night.  The food and games were good (darts, foosball).

On August 9th we were treated to a trip south to the World Expo in Yeosun.  The bus was so luxe!

Very clean and comfy.  No fumes.  The drivers stop every hour at rest areas for potty breaks. 

On the way to the Expo we saw HUGE mountains, much bigger than the ones by our local park.  About 4000 ft. tall.

World Expo was amazing.  So many pavilions!  Some had very long waits. We waited in line for a few, and went to some with shorter lines.

Some acrobats practicing before their show.  The circle structure behind them lit up at night in a synchonized show. 

International Pavilion area with TV screen ceiling showing undersea world, and plants on the roof in the back!  We got some fantastic Korean food upstairs here (Bi bim bap) that the kids liked too. 

Another view of the International Pavilion ceiling at World Expo in Yeosun.

This dancing dude was inside the Posan (huge steel/Building company)'s pavilion. Really fun light show and effects and then he came out break-dancing before the bubble drop.  Hilarious!

Levi at the Posan pavilion

Giant marionette at World Expo.

There were lots of interactive displays at World Expo.  The overall theme was ocean conservation. 

Bob kept us entertained at the entrance to the China pavilion.

We were treated to a VIP tour at the USA Pavilion. The show on the big screens began with some moving (filmed) speeches about ocean conservation by Hillary Clinton and President Obama.  Monterrey Bay Aquarium was one of the sponsors.

Mutters at World Expo Yeosun, Korea 8/9/12

This was the coolest thing! In the Kid's Zone at World Expo (for which our wonderful boss waited on line for an hour for tickets) they started us with mounds of FLOUR (yes, flour) that we were invited to play in.  Everyone dived in (including adults). Some more than others.  It felt SO good to walk in!  

Of course James had a blast.

This was in the Flour area as they were telling us to brush off and move to the next area of the Kids' Zone:  

.....Which was- GRAIN!  The floor was about 2' deep with a whole grain, either flour or barley we think.  It was like a massage to walk in!  We had fun "burying" each other.  That's me trying to put bunny ears on Levi but he's gotten too tall.

Everyone turned into a kid here, even the adults.

It was a fantastic first week in our new home!