So, October happened fast. Here are some highlights: More volleyball, a trip to Busan, the Jeonju Bibimbap festival, an American Halloween, and Moaksan. I'll start with Busan. Even though it is about a 4 hour trip from Gunsan, going to Busan was totally worth it. I spent but one weekend there, and it quickly became my favorite place I've been in Korea. It's the second biggest city in Korea, but it feels more manageable than Seoul (not to mention how much easier the subway system is...), is surrounded by beautiful mountains, and it has the BEACH!!! 
We napped in the sun on Haeundae beach, and then headed over to Gwangalli beach to see the lights on the bridge at night. It was a much more peaceful beach than Haeundae, and the lights were awesome. It was the weekend of the Busan International film festival, so there were lots of people and festivities around, but the weather was great, so rather than see movies, we spent our weekend relaxing on the beach, eating ice cream and catching up with friends. It was just what I needed.
Of course, Korea has no shortage of festivals, so a couple weekends later my friends and I went to the Jeonju Bibimbap festival. Bibimbap is a big bowl of rice, mixed with sautéed veggies, a big ol glob of chili pepper sauce, and an egg that is either fried and put on top, or cracked into the hot bowl of bibimbap so that it cooks in the hot food. Jeonju-style bibimbap is well known throughout Korea as being the most authentic, and the festival was stocked with the delicious goodness. Sara and I got to the festival and, because the two of us stick out anywhere we go here, we were immediately stopped by a university student who wanted to interview us about the festival. It was lucky that she did, because afterward she told us about the FREE bibimbap that they were giving away on the other side of the festival. We had to fight through a yelling crowd of ajummas, one of whom tried to shove me in a ditch, but we got our free bibimbap and fled the scene before things got more violent.
The next weekend I was back in Jeonju (I’m practically Sara’s roommate these days), and after relaxing all afternoon Friday at a coffee shop, Charlie and I decided to tackle Moaksan on Saturday. Moaksan is the mountain that overlooks Jeonju, and it’s the largest mountain in the area. Hiking in Korea, we learned, is much different than hiking in the United States. Koreans don’t bother with curving trails back and forth; no, they just drive the trail straight up the mountain. I understand now why Koreans use those hiking sticks all the time. I could have used some help getting up there, and especially getting down; I had a few graceful falls, but luckily made it down without injury. The hike was tough, the view was nice, and the leaves were beautiful. I think we both could have passed out on the bus ride back to the city.
That night, almost all of the Jeonbuk TaLK scholars gathered at Sara’s apartment for an American-style Halloween party. After a busy week at school, it was great to spend time with people who understand me when I speak English at a normal pace. Because of the hike, I didn’t exactly have time to get together a costume, so I threw on a devil-themed headband, and luckily my friend Dave and I got some chopsticks, and crafted a clever story about two walruses that got in a fight over cultural differences between England and the U.S. I came out on the bottom, left with but one tusk. The party was a blast, I saw some friends who I hadn’t seen since orientation, and it was great to spend some time with them. Since this week was Halloween, I decided to share some American culture with my kids. We carved pumpkins, and then trick-or-treated around the different classrooms at school. They had a really fun time, and now keep yelling “trick or treat!!!” at me every day, hoping that I still have some leftover candy.
On Tuesday I went over to In-yeong’s apartment for our weekly Korean/English language exchange and he took me by the outdoor market nearby. What did he buy for a study snack? Sundae (see Wikipedia: Korean Food), pig lungs, and pig liver. Apparently he and his wife really like it. I tried all of it, and I can’t say the liver was my favorite, but the sundae and the lungs weren’t half bad, as long as I didn’t think too much about what I was eating. The next day, I went back over to their apartment expecting to do another language exchange, but he and his wife spontaneously took me to the Iksan Chrysanthemum Festival (Iksan is a town about 30 minutes over). Afterward I took them to dinner to thank them for everything they do for me, and their meal of choice was a big stir fry mix of various meats, including ribs, chicken feet, and pig stomach, mixed up with onions in a spicy sauce. I’ve tried a lot of new foods this past week…
I’ve now been faced with the decision of “should I stay, or should I go?” I have to make a decision in about two weeks about whether or not to extend my contract, and I’m completely confused about what I should do. If I choose to stay, I’ll be back in the States August 1st, 2012, and if I choose to go, I’ll be flying home February 1st. I have a long pro/con list going in my head, and the scales tip one way or the other every day. Being in Korea is so great, but teaching elementary school to children who don't understand 90% of what I say is such a difficult job, and I am still having a hard time getting through to my crazy 3rd graders. My friends here are great, and the school faculty is so nice, not to mention getting to travel through Korea every weekend. The decision is gonna be a tough one. 
