After a week

Depsite Jet lag, bad beer, and the unfamiliarities of language and food, Sally and I have found South Korea to be quite comfortable. There are mountains in all directions, dressed in foliage completely familiar in appearance yet ufamiliar in their identity, and though they pale in comparison to those seen in Montana, we consider ourselves fortunate enough to be in the presence of something familiar.

Adapting to the time change is definately taking the greatest toll on us thus far. There simply isn't enough green tea to keep you awake, and the only coffee you can find is instant coffee, which I think after countless tests, doesn't have caffine. But luckily in the entertainment front there are a few American tv stations that continually run an array of "Super Action" movies, because "action" movies just aren't extreme enough for the people here. Acccompanied by super action are any one of the romantic comedies starring Uma Thurman, Lindsay Lohan, or Hillary Duff. All sports viewing has been outsourced to Korean Soccer, who's announcers just under the Mexican announcers rank about second in auditorial excitement. Commercials and Korean music videos are an excellent source of comic relief. Most commericials never reach a plot Sally and I can comprehend. A man will be hiking through a scenic mountain range humming to himself when suddenly, a mcdonalds emblem flashes on the screen. BOOM! Commercial over. Ofcourse! He was thinkin Big Mac the entire time!

We haven't figured out how to reach the vast metrapolis that is Seoul, but have mustered up the gumption to walk to our local city of Gwangju, which packs a population just under 300,000 people. Most of the city was lost in translation, so the majority of our time was spent admiring what we couldn't comprehend and guessing what was what. We were fortunate enough to finally stumble upon a peoples market, where you can find anything from socks to squids. You could actually purchase both at the same stand if you wanted. We didn't yet see the infamous dogs and cats for sale, though we have heard the rumors that the bigger peoples markets around South Korea hold merchandise that proves a bit more challenging to the nerves. All in all, what we saw we expected: crazy drivers, colorful tents, scary looking food, and alot of people. Can't wait to see Seoul!






To our families and friends, we love you guys.