Spring Sprang Sprung

I'm back to work on keeping a chronicle of my adventures.  March and April included some fun changes of pace and scenery.  First, the school news:  I've got some new coworkers with whom I teach English.  I'll wait to introduce them once I get my next disposable camera developed.  My vice principal has returned from her one-month teacher training.  We are still waiting to hear if she'll be promoted and fast-tracked to another school (as the head honcho principal).  Our school has just broken ground on a gymnasium.  Lastly, you can now meet my students if you so desire.  After some real personal effort, I now have webcam/webcast capabilities in all of my classrooms (via Skype).

This sea dragon guards the port city of Busan.  I went for a visit during the weekend of Saint Patrick's day.  

Got some spectacular views from the Busan tower.  It is MUCH taller than the tower in Daegu (featured earlier in the blog somewhere).  The city is not decorated green for the holiday.  Many building owners use the green color chemical to bond and seal the roof because it is cost effective and energy efficient.  In the upper left of the photo is Hyundae Beach where I went to see the fireworks festival earlier in the year.  

This gives you a better view of the East Sea (Koreans don't like to call it the sea of Japan).    Busan is Korea's second largest city behind Seoul.  It was a hoot, and I can't wait to get back to Hyundae Beach in the hot summer weather for some people watching and also the Sand Sculpting Festival.  

This illustration was created by one of the students.  Their assignment was to design and advertise a sale (with emphasis on adjectives, descriptive words, and new vocabulary).  This student obviously has a gift for marketing.  

These next few images come from an evening trip to the local cherry blossom festival in Jinhae (very close to Daegu).   

The cherry blossoms themselves are white, but at night the festival organizers arrange color-changing LED lights that make the whole area seem like the forest from Alice in Wonderland.  It was a very cool spot to stroll during the night.  

Daisy:  What kind of a garden do you come from?
Alice: Oh, I don't come from any garden.
Daisy:  Do you suppose she's a wildflower?

This was the same area in Jinhae, only this photo was taken during the fading light.  My shoes got wet, but the photo facing up the tiny river came out well.  The weather has been heavenly recently.    

More photos and videos are coming soon; however, I am quite busy and I appreciate your patience (looking at you now Henry).  Last but not least, a special happy birthday to my mom!  In her words "old enough to be wise, and wise enough to be Solomon"  click the video link below to see a short video I put together from clips I recorded around my school.

In Korean, Happy Birthday = 'CHO-uhn SENG-eel chook-HAHM-ni-DA"