100) One Hundred

So this is the 100th post- it’s nothing special besides being number one hundred. Yesterday afternoon Kevin and I went out to Seonyudo to take some pictures and experiment with his new camera (he just got a Canon 400D). So I was teaching him some of the basic functions of the camera. Afterwards we went to Hongdae to catch another jazz show.


I think I will really miss the jazz shows when I leave Korea- I have been going to see live shows nearly every weekend (if not multiple times on one weekend). Almost every show I have seen has been at least good, and some of them have been really great. They range from professional bands to amateurs, from club owners playing to famous Korean artists, from clubs so packed you can’t even get in the door to being one of three people in the club.


Part of this coming week is a vacation, and as of now Kevin and I are planning on renting a car and taking a trip…somewhere. We don’t know exactly where yet, but somewhere to take pictures. So hopefully that will all work out, and we get some great shots and have fun.

99) More Flowers

I went to a place called Ttukseom today. It is a really big park in East Seoul and home to the "Seoul Forest", so I thought I would check it out and get some pictures.

98) Flowers

Today I met Kevin at Seonyudo (a park/island on the Han River). We met there, then headed to Hongdae to catch a jazz show at Evan's. It was a very nice and relaxing way to spend a Sunday evening after a long Saturday.

97) Water Cock

Yesterday Kevin and I went out and did some shopping during the afternoon. I bought a new camera bag and a new lens. I think I will be done buying stuff for my camera for a while…it is getting pretty expensive.






After that I went to Hongdae to catch a Jazz show and try out my new lens. The big advantage of this one is that it can produce a very soft and blurry background. I went to a club called Water Cock (weird name huh? I had just explained the slang meaning of “cock” to one of my friends the other day, and then when I told her I was going to Water Cock she had a good laugh). But the club is nice- the music is good and there are never too many people there. So it is a good place to go by yourself because you won’t feel like a looser.



*This is a special section for Mrs. Bishop (because Chip has failed to write a new blog in about a half a year). Chip is still alive and well and living at my house. I have been inviting him along to these jazz clubs with me, and he accepts my offer, and then fails to show up…. Had he shown up, you would be able to see some pictures of him and probably hear some entertaining stories.













The pics of the children are from some of my new classes, and the flowers I saw on the way to school today.

96) Groove House

Last night I went to see a band that I really enjoy called Groove House, they are never disappointing. Chip and I were supposed to go together, but he never made it, so I ended up going with a different friend.










Groove house plays some great funky/disco/rockish music. Stuff like Stevie Wonder, The Jackson 5, The Emotions, etc. They have a lot of energy, and everyone can bust out some great solo’s, and vocals are really great too.

95) Some good times

^ Me, Eric and Ji Young in Myeong-Dong

Last night was Eric’s last night, so Eric, Chip and I went out to Don-Day (a calbi restaurant) for about the fifth time this week, and had a nice meal and some cake. After that we went to a nori-bong (which is like a karaoke room). I usually hate these things, but Eric had to check it out, and it was pretty fun because it was just the three of us, and we didn’t have worry about trying to impress any one. And indeed, we sang pretty badly (although I will say I have heard and done worse in my day).


^ Eric stretching in the street and some guy helping him


The time Eric spent here seemed to go by really fast, and I can imagine it was even faster for him. I think it was a good chance for him to relax and see a little bit of a different country and not have much of the stress that can accompany traveling. The first couple of days he was here, I had him come into some of my classes with me, and a lot of the kids still ask about him. One class thought Eric looked like the actor from Spider Man, and he ended up signing a bunch of autographs!


^ at Changdeokgung (a palace in Seoul)


^ Ji Young and Eric at a great cafe by my place

All in all it was great to have Eric here, and we had some fun. It is nice to be with people you have a history with. It had been a year almost exactly since the last time I was with a friend from high school, or anyone who I had known for more than just one or two years. It brought back some good memories of those old days…and some of those crazy things we used to do (or the things Eric used to do…for example: just yesterday he came out of the shower and proceeded to lay on the bed completely naked and read while Chip and I minded our own business). If there is one memory I will always have of Eric, it is that he doesn’t much care for clothes.


^ Eric being a tourist

94) 7/06 to 7/07 in Pictures

These are just some photo highlights of the last year abroad.