new stovetop accomplishments

cookie sandwiches and brownies.  we thought it couldn't be done, but it can.  the brownies only take about 2 hours to "bake".

guacamole burgers and guitar hero

some friends of ours had a housewarming bbq party.  they bought a grill from the states and had it shipped to korea, so the party was based around that grill.  ryan and i brought ground beef we had mixed with cajun spice and garlic cloves.  we also brought a few avocados to turn our burgers into guacamole burgers.  it was amazing.  ryan had been craving a guac-burger for quite some time now, so the moment it touched our lips, the sounds we made started to turn inappropriate.

the party was fun.  we played a lot of games, including rock band.  it was my first time playing, and as soon as i played the first song, my guitar ran out of battery, go figure.  but ryan kept our family name alive by continuing his skills.  he soon became a part of a girl band.  they were the champs of the night.

this was connected to the apartment complex across the street from theirs.  pretty amazing!

jump up, jump up and get down

this past weekend some friends invited us to go to a play with them.  they took us out to dinner and then we saw "jump."  it's an off-broadway comedic martial arts production.  it was pretty amazing to see what these actors could do with their bodies.  one man literally ran up the wall to the ceiling and did a back flip down to the ground.  i'm not going to lie, it kind of inspired me.  i really want to get into martial arts (especially after being addicted to the ultimate fighter reality tv show).  after the show we went to coffee and ryan and i taught them how to play "hearts".  oh, i forgot to mention that these friends of ours are korean and the man speaks a very small amount of english.  it was a lot of fun though.

our neighborhood

these photos were all taken about a block from apartment.  there is a back street that leads from our apartment to the main street and all of these shops are in that alley.  local shops are constantly on microphones yelling at passer-byers to purchase their products.  there is lots of sea food, clothes, kimchi, rice cakes, fried street food, and shops that sell stickers, (which we use to bribe our students to do whatever we want them to do).

we love our neighborhood.  

the new school year

we have decided to stay in korea for an additional 6 months after our contract has ended.  it was a tough decision, but we love it here.  we love our jobs, our new students, the new english program we created at school, and all of the adventures we find ourselves on while living here.  it is scary to think about trying to find a job in the states with the economy the way it is.  especially a teaching job.  plus, how could we leave these cute kids?

karaoke...nielsen style

of course we had to take ryan's parents to karaoke while they visited us here.  it wouldn't be the full korean experience if we hadn't.  karaoke rooms are everywhere here.  we can stand on the corner of our street and see 6 karaoke bars within 200 yards.  and nothing beats karaoke in korea.  you get your own room, you can sing as many songs as you want, you can stop singing in mid-song if you aren't feeling it, and you can put on the best performance while using props such as tambourines, all the while dancing around on the chairs and tables.

in the above duet we sang "hero" by enrique iglesias, ryan and i were so captivated and moved by the lyrics and our love for one another, that we nearly ended up passed out on the couch by the end of the song.

kim and gayle put on a wonderful performance, slow dancing with each other while singing their duet to "can smile without you" by barry manilow. kim even sang a solo song, "play that funky music white boy".  as he approached the front stage, he turned his hat around backwards and popped his colar.   we ended the night with a quartet, "september" by earth, wind and fire.

ryan and i were very proud of both of them.