I slept like a log last night. It was the best sleep I've had in a while. After dinner, I went back to our room, took a shower, and got my books out to do some studying while lying on my mat. Mrs. Shim had advised us against studying during this three-day weekend, saying, it was important that we get our rest, and that this was the only time she would ever tell us not to do our homework, study for our language quiz, or lesson plan. Enjoy yourselves, she said.
So I did.
I slept. Apparently with my books laid on top of me. Before I lost consciousness, I could half hear my roommates stirring in the room getting ready to go out for the night and I remembered thinking something along the lines of, "Christy would be going out right now. She would probably call me out on trying to sneak in a study session when everyon-..." and then I woke up to a very lovely day.
Blue skies, blue waters, wispy clouds, hot sand.
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| This bridge connects our hotel to an elevator leading to the beach. |
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| You can see a little bit of the beach curving far off in the distance! |
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| Other ETAs heading to the beach |
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| An ETA chillin' under an umbrella as everyone else frolicked in the waters |
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| The men playing football |
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| Apparently each of these umbrellas cost $10 each, so our time underneath these mini havens was quite short. |
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| Welcome to Donghae! |
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| I only got a glimpse of her, but this woman looked so serene just sitting there looking out on the beach |
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This sign reads "Kopi Hausuh!" I was on my way back to the hotel when I found another ETA perched on the balcony
studying. Seeing the concentration on his face I, of course, plopped down right across from him, and proceeded to disrupt his study session. We had very deep conversationsabout family back home, our expectations of our year ahead in Korea, graduate school, and journaling - among other things! |
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I explored the strip by myself feeling quite adventurous, until I realized that I had only
gone in a straight line the entire way. |
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| Hello awesome, enticing ocean. |
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| A life-sized doll singing karaoke outside a restaurant? |
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| This is where I had lunch with a few other ETAs |
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| We ordered chicken, which I approved of. |
After lunch, I took a long, awesome nap.
And then, later that day...
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Here are the ETAs all dressed up for dinner! We walked a few steps into a restaurant where we were served
delicious things. |
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| We had to cook the meat ourselves. There was no rice to pair off with the meat so I was still a bit hungry when I left. |
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We made up for it by ordering this huge bowl of papingsu. It reminds me of the Philippine's halo-halo, except
with a greater variety. This one is made up of a scoop of ice cream, a lot of shaved ice, and sliced fruit. |
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The store had a great atmosphere. There was air conditioner, and wifi, and tables and chairs, and yummy things
to eat! What else could an ETA ask for? Maybe a masseuse, but we'll get to that later. |
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| A couple of lovely ETAs with whom I shared the papingsu. |
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| After devouring our dessert, we took a night stroll! |
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One of the ETAs went on a walk with me around the beach, and we talked about most things under the sun.
She's strong in her faith and really encouraging to hear and inspiring to be with. I loved how naturally
she talked about her faith, and how openly she brought up the struggles she anticipated having in Korea.
She was very easy to talk to and to confide in. After talking our faces off about life, we ended up praying together,
for each other right on the beach. Afterwards, we dusted our knees, kept walking in the sand, and headed back.
This young woman is going to do work here in Korea. |
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| This is the sight of the hotel that greeted us on our way back. This photo does it no justice. It was stunning. |
MY QUESTIONS FOR YOU
When was the last time you just
relaxed and recuperated from life's various stresses? What does it take to get you to
really relax? Is it wading on the beach by day or walking along it by night? Is it talking with a friend? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
Gwapo kaayo ang mga picture Mi. How was the water was it cold like here in US or it's a lot warmer? Interristing sad and mga food. Are getting use to thier food yet? Maayo nga you give your self time nga mag enjoy sa beach.
ReplyDeleteMa, wala ko naka ligo kay gikapoy ko og isip nga mabasa ko nya magpa dry 2x pa. It was still fun just wading knee-deep in the ocean though! The water was cold at first, but you get used to it. I'm glad you like the photos :D Ang food kay lami man sad diri. Daghan og variety each meal! Ganahan sad tingali ka Ma.
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