School's Out for the Summer!!

I think Alice Cooper said it best when he belted this summer anthem! School was finally out and we were able to get a few days off to enjoy the summer sun. Most teacher's traveled to another Asian country, but again like the last vacation, I stayed in Korea. I had good intentions of going to Vietnam with about 20 of my closest friends, but my vacation days didn't quite match up. Boo!

Anyways, I traveled by bus for about four hours to the second largest city in South Korea after Seoul - BUSAN!! The great city of Busan is located on the eastern coast and it is a big travel destination for many families in the summer mainly because of its' not one, but two easily accessible, beautiful beaches.

I went to Busan with my Korean girlfriend Soh who actually grew up there. It was really fun to have her show me around her old stomping grounds! We stayed at her parents apartment and I became instant best friends with her mother, who knew maybe 3 English words. I quickly learned she is a classically trained pianist and we ended up spending the better part of an afternoon singing every English song she had in the house from Moon River to Fly Me to the Moon. We really bonded when she found an entire song book of Mariah Carey's best hits. Soh's mother also prepared lunch for us each day which was some of the most delicious food I've had here (Mom food is always the best)!!

We were originally supposed to stay only 2 days but we were having so much fun that we ended up staying 5 days. It was a blast and I got to meet a lot of Soh's old high school friends. Soh was the only one who really knew any English so I got really good at reading body language. Somehow I managed to keep up with a lot of the conversation even though I could only pick out a few of the words they were saying. Needless to say, I was commended for my efforts!!

You could say Soh and I spent most of our time hanging out on the beach and partying until sunrise but I promise you, it was time well spent! My most ludacrous thought about Busan was to see skyscrapers right on top of the beach. But I must admit it was very beautiful at every angle and time of day.