112) New Lens

I just got a new lens the other day. It is a Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM, and if that means nothing to you, basically it is very nice zoom lens. I have been researching it for a couple months now, and decided I had to finally buy it. I wanted to have it well in advance of going to China, which I plan to do at the end of November or beginning of December.



These pictures are some sample shots with the lens I took today. I went to the same park I usually go to. I was surprised to see it absolutely filled with beautiful purple flowers. Hopefully I will be able to get back to the zoo sometime this week and play around with the lens some more!

111) From Above Pt. 2

These are some shots from the last two classes of the day. These kids are the oldest, but I think still just under kindergarten.

110) From Above Pt. 1

I have been wanting to get pictures of these kids for a while now. A week or two ago the teachers took pictures of the kids and me, and I was expecting to get an email with those, but it never happened. So Friday I brought my camera and took my own. All of the pictures in this post are from the first three classes of the day. I will post more of the last two classes later (I have five classes in all). These first two pictures are of one of my favorite girls…she is so cute, and always tries very hard to learn and participate.









These shots above are all from the same class. I think these kids are three or four years old. They are really a great class of kids, and fun to be with.


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The kids in these shots (above) are of similar age and level as the series above them. Mostly great kids, and a lot of fun!



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And these are the youngest kids I have. All under 24 months. They can hardly speak Korean, let alone English, but some of them are getting it. They know some colors, animals, and greetings! It is really amazing! But these kids can be a challenge on some days. On Mondays we just "play" and often some of the kids end up fighting over toys, or someone throws something at someone else. But all in all, it is really a great experience.

109) Not an Upgrade

I just moved this week…certainly not an upgrade! The look on the face of the movers pretty much said it all. When they got to my new apartment, and got inside, they looked at each other with confusion and mumbled something like “why did he move here?”. It’s not a bad apartment, but it just cannot compare with my old one- no view, not a nice bathroom, just sort of ordinary. But in the end, I decided it’s not worth putting up a big fuss about it, as I have about 2 ½ months left.


Friday night I went to see Groove House (post 96) in Hongdae, but didn’t take any pictures. I went with my friend and her friend. The band hasn’t played in about two months, so I just wanted to enjoy the show. Besides being a great band, they are also really nice people- they always make a point to say “hi” to me or come over and chat between sets.


Saturday I went up to the area around City Hall and Namdaemon market to check out prices on some lenses, and take some pictures (the pictures on this post of from around there). Then later that night I went to a club called M2 to visit my friend. I only planned on staying a short time, but it ended up being all night. On the bus ride home this morning an older man got on the bus, and discovered he had a hole in his pocket. So then he makes a phone call, and just starts shouting on the phone. What made it so funny was that this was about 5 am and the bus was silent, except for this guy, yelling on his phone. It took a lot of concentration for me to not just bust out laughing.

108) More Han River Pictures

I went down to the Han River this evening because I have been itching to get some more pictures lately. I spent most of the day packing and cleaning (or procrastinating) and eventually had to get out and do something. So I just went out and took some pictures, as you can see here. I went near the same area where the pictures from post 106 were taken, but a little further west.

107) Feelin' Fall

This is probably the last picture I will post from out my window. I have to move to a new apartment, which I am not at all happy about! I have really enjoyed to view from these windows.

Finally after a very hot and humid few weeks the weather has really cooled down! It was the kind of weather that caused you to sweat just walking outside for a few minutes. Usually I am the type of person that likes hot weather, and indeed I would have liked this weather if I was in a tropical place, the Bahamas, Cambodia, etc. but not Seoul. Not a pleasant way to start your day…sweating on the way to work.

Nothing too noteworthy this week besides the weather, and one great day in with the pre-kindergarten kids. I have been planning on bringing my camera to the school for a while, but have either forgotten, or decided not to. I was surprised to find it was going to be an un-official picture day on Friday. The Korean teachers took pictures of me with every class, and every kid. It was really cute how some of the kids were a little bit unsure on whether or not they could touch me, and some kids just climbed all over me. I hope to get some of the pictures soon (as they were not taken on my camera). I will probably bring my camera in there soon, and get some pictures of my own.

Last night I planned on going out, but took a nap that turned into an all night sleep. I actually really like it when that happens! Today I just went in for a work out at the gym, and then relaxed and listened to the rain in the sun-room, and read. I am actually kinda happy to spend the day home, doing nothing- because I finally had a Saturday with nothing to do and I will be out of this apartment soon.