Time Flies

안녕!

Time flies when you're having fun. On 16th August 2015, I got on a plane to South Korea. On the 17th, I landed in Seoul. Then on the 18th I got the bus to Gangneung, on the North East coast. Read about my first day here. 

A lot has changed since then. The first day nerves are definitely gone. My love for Gangneung is still going strong and I would love to stay here forever. Our plan is still to stay until 2020. But, things may change in the future.
I have done a lot in the past year and here are my favourite chapters.

1. Getting Monroe,
our wee dachshund.

I've always wanted a dog, but I wasn't sure whether to get one in South Korea as I wasn't sure how long I would stay. However, I saw this little guy being sold on Facebook because his owner bought him and then moved back home, leaving him with his friend to sell. He was only 4 months old when I got him, I don't understand why people buy dogs when they know they won't stay or take them back with them. I've had him for almost 6 months now and I wouldn't change him for the world. He will come with me back to the UK. I can't leave him here, he's too cute.  

2. First Christmas
Hosted my first Christmas in Gangneung. Although, I was pretty sick with the cold. David did all of the cooking. There was a pretty big feast, I kind of wish I ate more thinking about it.

3. Salmon and Ice Fishing
There are many festivals in Korea. It's like the home of festivals. The most fun was the Salmon festival and the ice fishing festival. Both were pretty hands on.

The salmon festival involved getting into a secure river to catch the salmon with your hands.
The ice fishing was in Jinbu, at the river which was pretty frozen. I didn't think it would be that thick, but it was. You drill a hole in the ice and put a line down there, hoping to catch something.

4. Visiting Gumi and Daegu
During Seollal, the Korean new year, I went south to Gumi and Daegu. We went to Gumi because it was David's first city in Korea. Daegu was next to it, so it was nice to visit too.
We ate a lot. My favourite place was the buffet at Cosie's. Oh and the steak...

5. The Avalon Summer Trip


The trip was definitely one to remember. We ventured south and visited many places. There was also a party bus. If you don't know what that is then it's basically a party in the aisle of the bus. They blast music and people pretty much "dance" jump around while the bus is moving.
We visited places like the Boseong Green Tea fields, Yeosu, Hanok village and the bamboo forest.

6. Danoje
One of the biggest festivals in Gangneung is Dano. It is huge! It's located by the river and both sides are filled with tents. Many food places and so many souvenirs. There were stages where you could watch singers, plays, dancers and ssireum fights.

7. Tokyo
I also ventured outside Korea and went to Japan! Tokyo. It was amazing, I loved every moment. The food was so delicious there. There was a big difference with the taste in food. For some reason, I found Japanese food much saltier. Korean food is on the sweeter side I think. If not, spicy.

8. Visiting the South and North Korean Border
The DMZ tour is pretty cool. The tour company we went with was a bit of a let down, the guy was great but the amount of time in certain places weren't planned well.
It was interesting to see the 3rd infiltraton tunnel and also the fully functional train station for Pyeongyang.

9. My Mother's Visit
My mother came to see me in Korea. Although things didn't go to plan due to one anomaly. We got to hangout sometimes and eat some delicious food. It'll be two years before I see her again.

10. Meeting Some Awesome People 
Last but not least, the awesome people I met this year.
Thundercats roll out. Ho!
Miss Rafifi and Bags.
The Gangneung Community
And of course my Avalon Family.

And finally, enjoying it all with stinky baws.
Here's to many more years in Korea ^-^!