Han Gang (Han River)

Here's another ancient group of photos I just unearthed. These were taken awhile back now, probably before Christmas time. HJ and I went on a river cruise of the mighty Han. The Han is clearly a large part of Seoul, as it pretty much splits the city in two. For me, spending time around the Han River is just so peaceful. It's bizarre how close the river is to all the business of the city and yet it really does feel apart from it all...

I think the selling point of the cruise, however, were the lit bridges. There seems an endless array of bridges across the Han, and at night time they flash all their pretty colours! It's incredible - you can take an ordinary looking bridge during the day and turn it into something kinda majestic at night. As you can imagine then, riding in a boat underneath these behemoths was spectacuar, and really quite beautiful...

If anyone was to come to Seoul I would absolutely recommend going to the Han Gang, be it night or day. There is a real sense of tranquility, something very different from the rest of the city. Well, hope you can enjoy these pics! (I realize that some are a bit blurry..finding a camera that performs well at night is quite a challenge).

Maybe I'll just leave you with a quick update of life here. Starting in March, I have now become a full-time teacher at Suji. This is great for me. It's a great feeling to have a full week of classes and kids to call my own. Before, I was working just three days in Suji, and the other two I spent in the office in Daechi. In a lot of ways, that was not such a bad deal either. Working in the office was quite relaxed, and the variety of work really sped things up. Yet, I did come here to teach, and so I think this is best for me. Generally, I have been quite happy with my new classes, so I don't have much I can complain about!

Sometimes I wonder if you wonder what I'm up to...so I thought I'd post a few quick things I've been spending my precious precious time on..

1. Watching Discovery Channel

-with a limited amount of English viewing pleasure, Discovery has really been like my family..it's okay..you can laugh!!

2. Watching Premiership soccer

-because of the many Koreans playing in the Premeier League in England, there always seems to be some sort of game on..so funnily enough, I'm probably watching more soccer here than I did in Canada!

3. Playing PS2

-alright, I'll admit...I do end up doing the PS2 thing once and awhile...my all time favourite game here has been Winning Eleven, which is a Japanese soccer game..fantastic!!

4. Reading

-teaching here can often be quite a solo thing..which means I have plenty of time to fill (eating, waiting, etc.) - so I've taken up reading in a bigger way..

-a few examples - The Life of Pi, Fever Pitch, The Romantic Movement, and I just finished The Girl with the Pearl Earring!

5. Studying Korean

-lately I've got more serious when it come to studying Korean..so that means my reading and writing are most definitely getting better - just don't expect much from my vocabulary!

6. Sleeping

-yes, that's right, because of my late starts, I can sleep in very late...so I try and make use of that wonderful morning sleeping time...kinda feels like payback for all those early mornings back in Canada!!

Okay, that's all for now folks! Hope everyone's not working too hard! Remember to have fun...

Cheers,

-Paul