Deok Jeok Do It

This past weekend was by far the best weekend I've had in Korea, possibly one of the best ever.  Well, that might be stretching it, but it was insanely fun.  We went to Deok Jeok Do for the weekend, because we had a three day weekend.  Deok Jeok Do is about a two hour ferry ride from Incheon.  There was a bit of drama at the start because a Korean official told Chrissy she couldn't board the ferry because she had a different ticket from everyone else.  We tried to reason with him but he just kept yelling at us and then pulled her away.  Finally we realized he was looking at her return ticket.  I don't know if it's the Korean language or what, but often it seems as if Korean men seem to yell a lot.  Luckily we figured that out because otherwise she wouldn't have made it to the island.  The ferry ride was smooth sailing, there were many beautiful islands we passed along the way.  There were food and drinks on the ferry which kept many entertained.  There were about 23 of us in our group, and another group of migooks went too, which probably made the group total close to 40 people.  A bunch of us newbies tagged along with some of the teachers who have been here for a few months.  It was nice of them to invite us.  

The weather was beautiful, probably in the upper 70s, low 80s, so we spent most of the weekend on the beach.  The beach had a very low tide during the day and to get to the water we had to walk through sand littered with crabs.  The beach was sandy with nice views of islands around Deok Jeok Do.  We spent most of Friday chilling on the beach.  Friday night we played some cards and had a bonfire on the beach.  Chrissy, Julie and I also did some night swimming in the sea.

Saturday was even better weather than Friday.  Jen, Chrissy, Ryan, Julie and I attempted to hike up one of the mountains (hills) on the island.  Our plans were quickly thwarted when we saw a large snake on the way to the hiking path.  Ryan counted himself out of the hiking expedition after that, and the four of us continued on.  We tried unsuccessfully to find the hiking paths.  An old woman who sounded like she was speaking out of a voicebox warned us about going up the mountain in shorts, and then tried to direct us to the path.  We then ran into some other Koreans who tried to tell us the path was the way we just came from.  We finally gave up and headed to the beach instead.  The weather was warm so Julie and I did a bit of swimming.  The tide was so low that we waded out forever and the water never reached past our legs.  The waster was cooler than Friday but still very nice.  Saturday night we again had a bonfire on the beach.  A bunch of us went night swimming and when we came back to the beach, someone had stolen Julie's pants.  Trying to solve the mystery of the disappearing pants took up the rest of my night.  We finally found them thanks to Chrissy and Ryan's bright idea to buy a flashlight.  

We stayed in a pension for two nights.  Basically it was a room with no furniture, a bathroom, and a balcony.  We slept on the floor with just blankets for cushion.  But for $10 a night, I'm not complaining.  I roomed with Jen, Julie, Chrissy, and Ryan.  We had a good time.  There was a small kitchen in the room which was helpful.  We brought our own food and with two meat-eaters, two seafood-eaters, and one vegetarian (me) it was helpful to have a kitchen.  Everyone was nice enough to cook for me and I basically ate eggs, fruit, and veggies for every meal.  Other rooms had gone to Costco (like Sam's Club) to get food so they had incredible amounts of food.  Our next door neighbors brought a five pound container of mayo, tuna, and bread and that's what they ate the whole weekend.  The mayo jokes lasted the whole weekend.  We fared much better with our food.  

On Sunday we had to catch a 12:30 pm ferry so we basically made breakfast and packed.  It was a great weekend (and inexpensive--only $100!).  Also, the group we went with was a lot of fun.  It was nice to get away from the city for awhile too.  Here are some pictures of the weekend:

Deok Jeok Do

I finally talked to my parents on Friday morning via Skype.  Have I mentioned that they are the greatest people in the world?  My dad didn't want to be on camera, so he kept scooting away.  My mom was dressed in Hawaiian jammies.  The dogs were barking in the background.  Typical.  My mom held Nelly up to say hello.  Sophie also made an appearance.  My mom was about to show me the Halloween decorations they put up but unfortunately I had to leave to catch the ferry to Deok Jeok Do.

On a sad note, I came back from the island and received an email from my parents.  My grandma Jo had a stroke on Thursday.  Apparently she is now blind in one eye and is a bit confused and suffering from dementia.  This was my biggest fear coming over here, that something would happen and I wouldn't be there.  Grandma Jo is one of my favorite people ever.  She is the matriarch of my dad's family.  I've always loved her for her sense of humor, her love for her family, her great personality and her quiet humility.  Before I left I went gambling with her and my grandpas.  On the bus ride she entertained me with stories of the family and people she gambles with.  She always has had a sense of style and at barely five feet tall I've always thought she was the cutest person ever.  If you're at all a praying type of person, please keep her in your prayers, or send good thoughts my family's way.  I know this is very difficult for them and I'm sad I can't be there.