Field trip to Gayadae

In an effort to share Korean culture and history with the foreign teachers working within the EPIK program, the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education (MOE), offers free field trips for EPIK teachers. This is the only field trip Anne and I made it to, and I'm so glad we did because it sparked what was to become an invaluable friendship with Jill! Jill came to Korea at the same time as us, and had even been on my bus on the trip from Cheonan to Busan! She is an amazing woman that is all sunshine and strawberries- but has a cheeky side too! (which is what, I think, cemented the friendship!) 

Anne and Jill soaking up the Korean culture....^^

The mounds you see are tombs

So, Gaya (from memory) is one of the smallest towns on Earth in Korea and is home to historically famous people's tombs. It is also the home of  the gayageum, a traditional Korean instrument. You can learn more about it here.

We ate a traditional Korean lunch, complete with a variety of banchan, side dishes. The typical Korean meal generally includes a protein source- fish, meat or eggs, a soup, some rice and side-dishes. I LOVE korean side-dishes! They're mostly vegetables with different sauces and seasonings and I like having the variety to pick at in the one meal.

Part of our 'cultural experience' was making traditional Korean candy, Yeot. It's kind of like a taffy I guess... It starts out looking like treacle, then you have to fold it in the floury stuff (I don't actually remember what that was) and as it cools, you stretch and twist it, as you can see Jill and Sticky Bandit doing (I can't remember his real name- but he was dubbed Sticky bandit because of the gloves he wore on the bus and Anne's association of that style with the robbers from Home Alone).

It was a great day for meeting and reconnecting with people!