Last Year in Silla University

Two days before delivered baby Joshua, in front of Global Town (Students Dormitory).

If you remember my posting "Scholarship..." posted last year, as a result of the scholarship, I had to attend Korean Language Course starting the beginning of September 2010.

The placement test was on September 3.

First class was on September 6.

And my due date was on September 11, 2010!

Some people said that due date for the first pregnancy can be later than the due date. But, there are some people who delivered their babies earlier than due date. So, nobody knows when the due date is.

My condition was good so I decided to attend the classes on my last week of pregnancy with one requirement. San should go to school with me ^^. He could sit somewhere else in the same building while waiting for me finishing the classes. We even had our own university orientation after lunch.

It was uncomfortable for me to sit for 4 hours in the class. The lesson was too difficult for me, too, and it required lots of concentration and effort. But Teachers calmed me down and asked me to make myself comfortable preparing for delivery.

Joshua was born exactly on the due date. Doctor's prediction was exactly right!

The next day after I said 'good bye for a while' to my teachers.

The 15th Suwon Hwaseong Fortress Theater Festival

The 5th WSK Camp (3)

When we were in Suwon, that city host a special event that is Suwon Hwaseong Fortress Festival. The theaters were held in special places. Suwon is a unique place which designated as a world cultural heritage by UNESCO.

source: http://visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264395

We watched a theater in a place special stages built on a small river with the background of Hwahongmun.

Hwahongmun is a very beatufully designed water gate. The design show the practical function as well as the beauty of the castle. Clear water flows through the 7 water gates.

Can you imagine that night scene? We were sitting in seats facing the water gate of Hwahongmun with its exterior lights spotted on the building dramatically, feeling the calm breeze and hearing water sound from the water gate and river under our seats, accompanied with your friends or family. Perfect!

The theater performance on that night. Before the stage performance,
the artists walked around the river performing street theater

using 3 meter-high puppets and interacted with the citizens.

WSK members were invited to participate in the theater.

Together they moved the puppet.

Posing after the performance, WSK members and the artists.

A video of the street performance.

If San and Joshua were there with me, the night would be more perfect...

Mom, before and after delivery...

Pic was taken after I recorded my story for Busan e-FM. 2010, August 9.

On the last month of pregnancy I got total 20kgs >.< ,

mostly because of my body was swollen a lot.

Right after delivery, I lost 11kgs on the 5th day.

And lost total 18kgs a month after.

Walking, sleeping, and standing were difficult with my 'big size' body.

You know that in Busan, which 'san' means 'mountain' 

you will hardly see flat roads here.

San needed to push me from the back when the road was steep

or when I needed to climb stairs.

Pic was taken by Sam, our friend from Hongkong on the day

we visited Jagalchi Market in June, 2011.

I was almost back to my normal weight.

Joshua was about 8.5kgs at that time.

Many things have changed after I lost that 20kgs, but one things still remains.

San still pushes me from the back when the road is steep or when I need to climb stairs.

Because now I hold Joshua! ^^

Hwaseong Haenggung Nightscape

The 5th WSK Camp (2)

As a result of coming late to the camp, I wasn't able to see the Hwaseong Fortress but at least I could visit the palace inside Hwaseong Fortress. The tour is a night-tour. Again, because I forgot to bring my camera, the pictures quality are not so good.

The palace is a temporary palace where the king took rest in a long journey. 

It was also the place when King Jeongjo celebrate the 60th birthday of his mother, Hyegyeonghung Hong. It was a very big celebration at that time. Birthday tteok was served in a very large quantity for the feast.

Even though we visited this palace at night, the beauty of this palace was still can be seen. The palace is the biggest and most beautiful among the temporary palaces in Suwon.

The palace was destroyed in Japanese imperialism, but was restored by the Restoration Promotion Committee. The restoration construction was started in 1996 and was opened to public in 2008.

I found that many important places in South Korea were ruined or burnt during the colonialism of Japan. It is so pity to know that those valuable heritage were destroyed.

I have to give thumbs up to the South Korean government and citizen's effort to restore, re-construct and preserve their heritage. I realize that it is not an easy task to do. You need to do elaborate research and collecting funds for the project. It could not be done without the support from government and the people.  

In a corner of the palace, there was a rice chest with a story board next to it. I spent time to read the English version and found the sad story about the rice chest.

King Jeongjo's father, the Crown Prince Sado, when he was 27 years old, the father (King Jeongjo's grandfather) saw that he didn't fit to be a king, so he locked him in the rice chest, starving until he died. I didn't dare to imagine the sad scene. The rice chest is small for an adult size. I left the corner without taking any pictures there.

See the detail of the building! I love it. I love how the colors match each other, the ornament, the details...

This picture was taken from my cell phone. Quite nice, heh!

Cambridge Series - The River

Hai hai hai....

Today I want to share some pictures and stories of the "River cam" in Cambridge.

Cambridge River Tour website says, "For many a visit to Cambridge is a once in a lifetime experience and would not be complete without a traditional punt trip along the famous college backs. We ensure your trip is memorable for the right reasons". And, yes. It was a memorable experience to me.

It costed 12 pounds (20,600 won/168,000 rupiahs) for each to enjoy River cam's view. A punter services who also became our tour guide was included for that much. He seemed understand all surrounding river's histories.

"Let's go punting!".

I went along with four of my friends who also attended the course in Cambridge. They are two Brazilians, one Irish, and one Portuguese. However, there were also three Chinese, a family I think, who enjoyed in the same boat with us.

From picture above, you can see some bridges over the River cam.

The other bridges and some sceneries along the River cam.

It was really a beautiful and very clean river.

A very clean river, wasn't it?

It was a great experience to see some colleges' back. And the awesome cloud....God created it.

I could imagine that there is a great opportunity to be a student there, because they live near to a river. They can just relax to lower their studies' tensions.

See you next week for more photos and stories on Cambridge series!

-san-