Tea Fields and Tibetian Temples.....

Today was a great day!

We left early this morning for a relaxing day in the country. We took a bus to Boseong where we would then catch another bus to the temple. We found that we had time to spare so we headed to the Tea Fields to take a nice walk through the fields and indulge in some green tea ice cream....mmmm yummy!
We headed back and caught our bus to Daewon-Sa, the Tibetan Temple. Riding through the countryside in Korea is beautiful. Everywhere you look its green, and every once in a while you will see the farmers in their field working the crops... families helping to fertilize, water and care for the food that they are growing. It is so unlike Canada, where farmers use enormous machines in order to get as much product that they can squeeze out of the ground. Here watching the farmers work...there is an elegance...a grace about it.


As we turned down the road that would lead us to the temple I was amazed at the beauty of it. It was as if we were driving in a tunnel of trees. The sun almost completely blocked out by the branches which hugged each other above the bus...I can only imagine the beauty in the spring when the cherry blossoms are out.....


We arrived at the temple and decided to grab some food....we walked into a tiny family owned restaurant and ordered some bibimbap. The owner immediately went out into his field to get our food....talk about fresh....this is what he came back with.

As Jess and I were talking she told me a story about the last time she ate this. The girl that she was with saw this and said...

"This is what Angel's eat..." and I think she is right. How beautiful....and delicious!

We headed up to the temple and lazily walked around the grounds....it was so quiet and peaceful...with only the sounds of the waterfall in the distance and the crackling of sticks under our feet. We came upon a little pond with a waterfall and a small hut where we decided to take a rest. As we were relaxing in this hut we began to hear thunder and hoped that it would start to rain while we were in this amazing place.

After an hour we headed to the Tibetan Museum where we saw many artifacts.....the history of the country and its people....is phenomenal.....Tibet is definitely on my list of countries to visit.

So after a long day we got back on the bus to endure our 3 hour trip home....I finally arrived home at 9pm...it was a long day but well worth it.

I have posted all of the pictures on the "My space" website I used the last time I was in Korea. Please remember to check the date....they will be posted accordingly. There is also a link on the side that will take you there.

HAHAHA.....Funniest thing I have seen in a LONG time...

Check this out on You Tube ----> Retarded Policeman

So summer vacation has officially started....whew....that month and a half of teaching was...well...lets just say I am ready for a vacation....hahahah.....just kidding!

So this month most of my time will be full of relaxing, yoga, Taekwondo, going to the gym, having coffee with friends....taking some small trips here and there....

I really can't imagine being anywhere else right now.....ok well....maybe in mexico laying on the beach....or in Thailand...but thats soon enough.....

Miss you all!

Questions to Ponder....

So given my new goals as stated in the last blog....I have started doing some research on a topic that came up in part of the many discussions I had with a friend the other day.
The Divine Command Theory and from what I have been reading so far...it connects to discussions I have had with my dad numerous times.....

Would we still have morals if there was no God?

I have always been inclined to believe that God is not the only reason why most of us strive to be good people. I think that religion has put fear into our minds and our heats, and I believe that a lot of people now do things based on that fear. I do not believe that people by nature are selfish, I believe that people are genuinely good....but there are always choices to be made. I do not feel that I choose to be a good person because of what may happen to me after I die....I am not even sure I know what will happen....but regardless according to some beliefs your good works, and kind actions won't get you to eternity anyway....

The Divine Command Theory states that an action is declared morally good only because God said it was. So the question is...
"Is an action morally good because God commands it, or does God command it because it
is morally good?"

If this theory is true then our morality is based on the whim of a God we know so little about. In doing a little reading on this topic I found some interesting things to think about....

"Is torture wrong because God prohibits it, or does God prohibit torture because it is already wrong?"

Take a look at our world today....some people would say that torture is OK/necessary in order to protect their country.....who decides? What if God changes his mind? What if tomorrow God changed his mind and now declared that stealing was OK.....in fact...in order to be a good person you must steal from those around you? would you do it to follow your God's will?

I realize that for some of you...that the idea stated above will force you to think outside of the box and require you to put your thoughts about what you believe is real and what God really is aside for just a moment.

For those of you who are family reading this blog...please don't start praying for my lost soul just yet ( LOL ). At this point I am not sure where I stand on anything. I don't really know what I believe. I have been searching for a very long time....I guess some people would say there are some drawbacks to thinking for yourself....but I am searching.....and I know the answers are out there.....somewhere.

Confusing Times.....

Things have been great this past week...its been hot...I don't seem to have a lot of energy but everything is good.
Saturday met with a friend for coffee and ended up spending the day drinking coffee, eating good food, sitting in the park and having great conversation. It has been a while since I have had a good conversation...

Our conversations came around to the subject of...." What would be your ideal job...and what do you want to do after this...what are your goals?"

I was silent.....I mean I have goals....I always have goals....but they always seem to be short term ones...but for the long term I have no idea what I am passionate about....When I think about the things that I know how to do...or things that I love....I am not like that person who lives and breathes music or art....I don't think I am naturally gifted at anything...and to be honest I think I know a little bit about a lot of things....but not enough for it to matter!

I mean....I will have my personal trainers certificate, I am licenced to sell mutual funds, I want to get a yoga certification, and finish my nutrition diploma...but am I really passionate about any of those things? Do I have the drive to pursue any of that? and the fact that I have to ask myself those questions....shouldn't that tell me something?

I am interested in religion, and faith, and why people believe. I am interested in Philosophy and morals and ethics, I want to be a yoga teacher, I want to be fit and healthy and a more peaceful person....so I guess that fits in with all of the courses I am taking....but in terms of a career?

UGG I hate that word...career.....do I even want one of those?...

My Goals for this year.
1. learn Korean - take the Korean beginner proficiency test in October
2. become stronger and more flexible
3. lose 10 lbs.... ( this goal is VERY short term as in 1-2 months from now)
3. Continue with my nutrition courses
4. write a few articles for the local foreigners magazine
5. Study a few different religions - start a study group
6. Continue with my yoga practice
7. Learn Taekwondo
8. Start a boot camp in Mokpo

OK so those are my short term goals.......my long term goals are not as clear.....

I think my end goal is to still open my own health food store...I want to be able to teach people about health and their bodies and how to live a healthier lifestyle....but I need to get myself on track before that's possible....

Oh I don't know.......I wish I did.....I really wish I knew what I wanted.....

A peaceful message....

Sometimes all it takes is a peaceful message....to know that others are thinking about you in your time of need, sometimes that's all it takes to give you the strength to go on.
My Principal's wife is very sick and although I am not quite sure exactly what is wrong it is enough to make him emotional when speaking about her. My heart went out to him. I wanted to give him some words of encouragement and to let him know that my family's thoughts and prayers were with him. Often times I think, regardless of culture, we don't always know what to say....but something is always better than nothing. Please keep my principal and his family in your thoughts.

On a lighter note...the weather is insane here...I woke up this morning at 6am and it was 80F outside....SERIOUSLY.....so you can just imagine how hot it was when I had to walk to school at 8:30...I am a walking puddle.

Exhaustion.......

I am not quite sure if its the heat or the HEAT....but I am feeling as though some alien force is slowly sucking the energy out of my body. As I sit here in my office today I am having a difficult time keeping my eyes open to write this blog. This morning I got up at 5am..but that's no different than any other Monday....headed to yoga.... then went to the gym.....then ended up at school where....well...this is how I feel now. Pooped!
I love the heat here don't get my wrong...and when summer vacation hits...in about 11 days...I will be lovin' it even more...but for now when you have to be at school trying to teach kids who are also dying....let's just say it's not an ideal situation.

Other than the heat....things are going really well. Sloan ( my long lost sister ) is leaving this Friday to go back to Canada for the vacation. I am going to miss her as we have practically been inseparable since I got here.....she is amazing...and it has been so awesome to have someone to connect with here this time around. Sloan and I do Yoga three days a week, workout often together, spinning classes on Friday's, Coffee..... many times a week and we are both suckers for Heim Pizza.....the list goes on.....I will miss her!

But this month is going to be great..I have a ton of stuff planned. Yoga, working out, Taekwondo, do some travelling around Korea and visit some people I haven't seen in a while. I will post pictures soon but for some reason this past month I haven't really taken any pictures...strange.....

I find that I am constantly walking the streets of Korea with a huge smile on my face. The kids who run up to me, saying all of the English words they know in one run on sentence, the smells....even the "wall of ass" brings a cringe..then a smile to my face. I am definitely glad to be back.

This past Saturday we had a book exchange at Dunkin Donuts. A bunch of foreigners get together and they exchange their books. Its awesome. Good conversation, new books, coffee and a snack.....this Saturday me and some girls stayed and talked for a few hours.

Its definitely a new experience since the last time in Korea Mathew and I were on our own. We hadn't met many foreigners that we connected with. This time things are different. I have met so many good people.

I miss you all. Hope your enjoying your summer!

Lots of love.

When the Daydreams take over......

From morning until night....my mind is somewhere else....maybe its because I have tuned out reality with my music...while I am walking....riding my bike....cooking, cleaning....
Maybe its the choice of songs....
Maybe its my hearts hopes....
whatever the reason, my mind is beginning to make reality out of this fiction, my heart is starting to believe in these possibilities.
I have never really understood the expression " lost time" before now.....but I am losing hours at a time caught in this daydream of mine. Images and situations that are so vivid, so real. I don't even have to close my eyes and I can be somewhere else, in another place....with voices, with feeling, emotions....
I wish it would stop.....I wish it would go away....

RULES FOR BEING HUMAN (Quote)

1. You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for the entire period this time around.
2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called life. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or think them irrelevant and stupid.
3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial and error experimentation. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiment that ultimately "works".
4. A lesson is repeated until it is learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can then go on to the next lesson.
5. Learning lessons does not end. There is no part of life that does not contain its lessons. If you are alive there are lessons to be learned.
6. "There" is no better than "here". When your "there" has become a "here" you will simply obtain another "there" that will again look better than "here".
7. Others are merely a mirror of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.
8. What you make of life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.
9. Your answers lie inside you. The answers to life's questions lie inside you. All you need to do is look, listen, trust.
10. You will forget all this
(anonymous)

Songs that make you hurt.... love....wish...and dream...

Glen Hansard - Falling Slowly Lyrics

I don't know you
But I want you
All the more for that
Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can't react
And games that never amount
To more than they're meant
Will play themselves out
Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You've made it now
Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can't go back
Moods that take me and erase me
And I'm painted black
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It's time that you won
Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You've made it now
Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got timeRaise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You've made it now
Falling slowly sing your melody
I'll sing along

My Apologies....

I am sorry it has been so long since I have written....life has been full of..well life. Just when you think you have sorted out our schedule....something else comes along to mess with it. Things are going so well here. I know I have said this before but it is such a good feeling to finally feel you are where you belong.

My days are pretty full...Monday Wednesday Friday its 6 am Yoga.
730 am workouts every morning
I will be starting my Korean language lessons soon which i am so excited for. I have been studying so hard.....often frustrated but also rewarded as well.

Life here seems to pass by so quickly. It is so hard to believe that I have been here for a month as of tomorrow. This past week has been a strange yet enjoyable one for so many reasons. The weather has been dreary, rainy and cool which makes it difficult for walking and doing everyday things...but yet its somehow peaceful....beautiful...and bright.

I woke up and headed out to yoga at 5:30am....and ended up finding my favourite part of Korea. The early morning sky, the mist, the cool breeze and the peacefulness....the quiet. There were few cars....barely any people and as I rode my bike through the streets with a smile on my face I felt peace. Close your eyes....picture complete silence....feel the sticky yet cool breeze on your skin and listen to this song http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=CoSL_qayMCc&feature=related
I felt as though I was riding along on the set of my own personal movie....I can honestly say that it was one of the best experiences of my life.

I have been moved by a few different songs lately...http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=hOPYKQPZi6k they have reminded me about love, about truth, about deep...aching feeling that moves you to your core. Walking along the streets.....full of so many people....yet somehow alone.....I often times walk with tears in my eyes....thinking about my life....I know I am capable of more feeling.... my hearts reality is only written in ink....or in the heat that courses through my veins.... in the rapid beating of my heat....its in my soul.....its in my dreams....

and every morning...i wake up....rested....peaceful...but still searching....

I couldn't really say it any better that this......

Marketa Irglova - The Hill

Looking up the hill tonight
When you have closed your eyes
I wish I didn't have to make all those mistakes and be wise
Please try to be patient and know that I'm still learning
I'm sorry that you have to see the strength inside me burning

Where are you now, angel now
Don't you see me crying
And I know that you can't do it all
But you can't say your not trying
I'm on my knees in front of him
But he doesn't seem to see me
But all his troubles on his mind is looking right through me
And I'm letting myself down deciding is falling you
And I wished that you could see I have my troubles too

Lookin' at you sleepingI'm with a man I know
I'm sitting here weeping while the hours pass so slow
And I know that in the mornin' I have to let you go
And you'll be just a man once I use to know
For these past few days someone I don't recognize
This isn't all my fault
When will you realize
Lookin' at you leavin'
'I'm looking for a sign