This is not the end

My final day here in Korea is finally coming to an end.  I'm about to leave to head back to California.  These almost two months has passed by so fast.  It is definitely a bittersweet feeling.  I'm excited to see my family and friends back home but I'm so sad to leave all of the friends and family I made here in Korea.  There is so much I still want to talk about but no time.  Basically, my trip here to Korea has been one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had.  I'm so glad that I decided to go and give the program a chance.  I've met so many people from all over the world and will miss them dearly.  I will especially miss all of the 형s (hyungs: older brothers) and 누 나s (noonas: older sisters) I've made on this trip.  They have been so kind and friendly to me throughout my whole stay here.  I can't even bring out the words to express the emotions I'm feeling right now.  I get very attached to older people that I see as an older sibling since I grew up with three younger siblings.  I will never forget my Summer here in Korea and would like to thank Dankook University and my school, CSULB, for this life changing opportunity.  For those of you that have been reading, thank you and hope you enjoyed my journey.  I'm definitely missing some things that I can't wait to tell any of you in person.  More pictures up on Facebook that will help show more of the end of my trip.  I hope to come back here again some time soon and travel to even more countries, so this is not the end.  Goodbye for now Korea, but we will meet again some day.  Redondo out!

Everland

Wow this week has gone by so fast.  My last full day here in Korea is tomorrow, so expect probably two more posts after this one.  The highlight of this week was Sunday when my friends and I went to Everland.  Remember my post in the past about Lotte World being the Disneyland of Korea?  Everland is actually a lot closer to being like Disneyland because of the name and the way the theme park is set up, for example Disneyland has Tomorrowland, Adventureland, etc., while Everland has Magic Land, Zoo-Topia, etc.  I would say however, that Everland has an edge over Disneyland because it offers more variety.  My friends and I said that Everland is a mixure of Disneyland, the San Diego Zoo, and Six Flags with a hint of Soak City.  We were so lucky that the park was not too crowded that day compared to what we've heard.  

 Entrance to the park

My ticket.  Yay for foreigner discounts.  

Some buildings you'll see.  

A giant colorful tree with dolphins flying around it.   

Funny looking fellas.   

Me and my friends that went.   

Taking the lift to Zoo-Topia. 

Talyn and I in our lift. 

View from the lift.   

 First thing we saw getting off the lift.  I love polar bears but the first thing that came to mind was "why are they here?  It is too hot :( "

Caught the end of the bird show. Definitely showcases more birds than the show in San Diego.  At one point  the white birds pictures above, kept flying out from atop of the hill for such a long time.   

I like this picture of the bird presenter at work.   

One of the rides we rode, called T-Express which is a popular one and recommended by many of our students.   

Got to see lots of lions.  

No tigers, but lots of bears too. 

 T-Express closer up.

Going up the upcoming stairs is where we ate lunch, and on those same stairs is where the Summer Splash performance takes place.   

First some performers come out on stage and do their thing.  Then the water show begins where people sitting on the steps get sprayed from behind by mist once in awhile.  Later they wet everyone with the cannon looking things up front.   

Daniel and Talyn getting wet from the mist.   

Floats continuing the Summer Splash parade performance.  We were not expecting to get wet that day but once we got soaked from the cannon blasts, we decided to just go for it and have fun.  At the end of the performance, they spray the entire area in this picture with water from above and all around and everyone runs through it and plays "in the rain".  We definitely did and it was worth it.   

The set for one of the shows we watched.  It was sort of like Zoboomafoo where they showcased different kinds of animals.   

Korean Tarzan and Jane.   

Then at night, they have a light parade like at Disneyland and they turn off all of the street lights for a better effect.  I think all of the costumes that were worn were really interesting and designed well.  The music was also really nice.     

One of the many floats in the light parade.   

Then an hour and a half or so after the light parade, they have fireworks along with a performance involving the mascot of the park, like Mickey Mouse in Fantasmic for Disneyland.   

Really cool colorful flames.   

A giant phoenix robot that turned into many colors and is the savior/guardian of the park and in the performance.   

Now the phoenix is blue with sparks shooting out.   

One firework shot I like.   

 Statue in front of the stage.  

Overall I had an amazing time at Everland.  I would have to agree with my students in that it is better than Lotte World.  There is just so much more to do and experience.  Ah I'm so tired from sleeping late the past couple of nights so I will talk more about Everland later.  Stay tuned for the final posts.  Redondo out!

Some activities

Short post today.  Here are a couple more after school activities I got to do this past week.  You know from the last post that I got to play some traditional Korean instruments.  I also got to learn a Korean traditional dance but didn't get to take any pictures.  Anyway, this past week I got to make a traditional Korean fan and mask.

Here is the fan I painted.  There were four different styles of fans to choose from and I liked the way this one looked.  On the way over to the room, the first image that popped into mind was this.  I have no idea why but I liked it.  It's Pikachu in traditional Korean clothing called a hanbok, with Korean colored leaves dancing in the background, and Korean writing saying hello.  This fan style is really nice because it provides so much wind.     

Here is the mask I decorated.  There were two kinds of masks to choose from and I thought this one looked fun to design.  We used acrylic clay to paint the mask which was really cool to use.  It's little clumps of colorful clay that you place and spread on the mask and dries after an hour and a half or so.  You can also mix different clay to make a color you don't have just like paint.  The nice thing about the clay is that it is clean, unlike paint.  I feel that the texture of the clay adds more uniqueness to the mask instead of just using regular paint.  Most of us were rushed to finish because we spent a lot of time trying to think of colors to use and getting used to the clay.  Towards the end of the activity, I still had most of the top part and the mouth left to do so I just spread and mixed colors that came into mind right away to make sure I didn't have too much blank space.  Once we finished with the clay, the supervisors stapled black fabric on the sides of the mask.  In the end, I am satisfied with how it turned out.  

One more week left here in Korea and it is going to be a packed busy week.  Stay tuned.  Redondo out!