Hope is on the Way!!!

The time here in Korea has flown by; however, somehow it seemed like this month has crawled by. Maybe cuz I was tired of trying to teach kids who didn't give a crap cuz they were waiting for break, or maybe I was looking forward to break myself, but time went by at a snail's pace. I started the countdown since the first day and Dec. for Christmas to come, and... It's finally here!!!

I'm SO excited!!

Only a few more hours to go until my Christmas present flies in all the way from NY!!! I can't wait to go pick Hope up, and then it's off to Taiwan tomorrow for some awesome Chinese food!

Only a few more hours...

But all-you-can-eat Brazilian BBQ Christmas dinner in the meantime, I think I can handle that :P

Seoul Lantern Festival

You'd think with it being winter and freezing everywhere that the festivals would stop. But no... Just a coupla weeks ago, there was the Seoul Lantern Festival. The purpose of this festival was to kick off the 50-day countdown til "Visit Korea: 2010", a big push for tourism in Korea.

For this festival, they set up tons of big, bright lanterns right along Cheonggyecheon, the famous tree-lined stream right in the middle of the city. There were a large variety of lanterns, ranging from traditional Korean drummers to Easter Island Statues to famous Cartoon characters, all of which were taller 6 feet. It was really pretty to walk along the river and look at the lights despite the bitter cold.

And of course, like in normal Korean fashion, there was a massive opening ceremony filled with celeb performances, fireworks, and speeches. In pretty much one of the busiest squares in town, hundreds of Korean locals packed into this tiny space just to get a glimpse. You gotta love Seoul...