Travis and Dr. Kim

Here are our announcers, they did a great job! Travis is one of my coworkers, he reminds me of my brother Jake!

The Press.

This is just some of the press that was all up in our faces. I should be on every TV station in Korea!

The Mayor!

This is the Mayor of the Province we are living in. This guy is so a politician. He gave a speech in Korean and then turned to us and gave a speech in English. I was impressed. He is a very kind man. He promised us all Soju if we do a great job with this project! :)

UCCS Representing!

Dr. Lavonne Neal and Dr. Rob Danin giving a speech at the ceremony. Rob is our lead coordinator here in Korea. Dr. Lavonne Neal is the Dean of Education at UCCS. She came for the opening ceremony.

Tree Planting.

They planted a tree at the opening ceremony. All the VIP's threw a little dirt on to make it official!

Finale!

Fireworks ended the Ceremony! Let me tell you they scared the heck out of all of us...we had no idea it was coming! It was a wonderful Grand Opening and I am proud to be a founder of this project!

Beautiful!

I am standing under the airplane looking towards the center rotunda. The rotunda is on top, straight ahead is situational classrooms.

Looking up towards the dorms.

This is a photo looking up towards our dorm rooms. Girls are located on the 4th floor and the boys are above us on the 5th floor. It should be interesting!

Kindergarten play room!

They have this amazing kindergarten play room. I want to play in there everyday.

Transportation Room!

Here's me just chillin' in the transportation room. It has a real taxi cab and everything. This place is like an kids wonderland!

Colorado Crew!

At the hotel, it is named after a wonderful mountain back home! All the people from Colorado posed to make a memorable shot!

In the plane.

Kristin is walking to the back of the plane. As you can see it is not quite finished yet!

How fun!

Stephanie and I on the patio outside of the workout facility! I envision lots of patio tables and chairs to bask in the sun!

Looking out....

This is a shot from the patio outside of our work out facility. To the right of the bridge is the airplane, to help keep everything in perspective.

The Plane!

This is looking out across the bridge towards the airplane. It is hidden from view being painted!

Front and Center!

Here I am in the center rotunda of the village. I am so excited to be here...it is what I have been waiting for!

Drop off!

We went up to the Village today for a tour. Here is the clan waiting for further directions! Notice how the pillars are complete.

New Hair!

I got my haircut today! I am planning on growing it out, we will see how long that lasts! :) As you can see my amoeba is getting smaller.

My amoeba!

We went out to dinner for Chinese food last Sunday, it was interesting! As you can see, my flesh eating amoeba is still on my eye. It has been 6 weeks baby!!!! Maybe I should have it checked out??

I love this place!

This is my favorite coffee place. It is about a 15 minute walk to from my dorm, and well worth it! They give you a free banana with every drink.

50 cent face mask???

I think this may be part of my halloween costume. I guess you will have to wait to find out! I know the suspense is killing you, it's only a few more days.

Bein' Me!

I don't know what to say.....priceless!

Don't ask....

Beer, Broccoli and Bogdewiecz!

The crew.

Here we are leaving our home to see how the Monks live. It should be awesome!

To the Temple!

Here we are ready to experience the sleepover of a lifetime.

Isn't that nice of them?

Is this considered discrimination? Well, I know I like my toilet much better than the ditch they use.

Does this remind you of a horror movie?

So, we get dropped off at the bus stop and have to walk 15 minutes to the Temple entrance. I seriously felt like I was in a horror movie...a few foreigners walking down the deserted road...get axed!

Are you kidding?

Yes, this really is a women who came out and walked in front of us with an axe like item. What am I doing?

Golgulsa Temple

Here I go with an open mind and open heart. Bring on the Buddist Monks.

Room 201

This is where I slept. Yep, that's my bed over there on the left, doesn't it look cozy? All the women that were spending the night slept in this room. We were one big happy family!

Meditation

Climbed up the wrong side...oh well! I walked up the left side and it was peaceful and serene. I sat up top for a while chilled. In this photo I was walking down and looking over at the main shrine. That is where I will go next.

In the mountain.

This is one of the many areas in the mountain that have been made into prayer spots. They are all cave like, very unique for a Temple.

Main shrine.

Looking up at the main shrine. Amazing! You should see it in the morning.....breathtaking!

One way up to the main shrine.

Here is one of the ways up to the main shrine. I actually took the road to the left....talk about incline. It was a good workout to say the least and well worth it at the top.

Dining Room

Waiting for dinner time. You must only take as much food as will eat. You have to clean your plate, so choose wisely. Monks are vegetarians and the food wasn't too bad. Maybe too many rice cakes, thanks Mo!

Gift Shop.....

I wonder when the gift shop will open? Now, that is the question......

Peaceful

Just enjoying the beautiful view at Golgulsa Temple. I was sitting taking a rest before hiking up the next hill.

Kimchi

Kimchi fermenting and waiting to be eaten. Kimchi is fermented cabbage with red pepper paste and is a staple in every Korean's diet. I, personally, am not a fan. They eat kimchi for every meal during the day.

Chusok

We had yet another party. This is how I spent my Chusok Holiday. Well, there was a lot more food on the table a while ago.

I don't understand why you are still taking my photo.

My roommate, Kristin. She keeps me following the rules the best she can, it's a hard job.

Would you listen to me?

My other roomie, Nate. Sarah and Nate are engaged...awww shucks! He is my music buddy...go Team IPOD.

Weirdo!

My weirdo roommate, Sarah B. Yes, Keri she is a red head but she is a good one! You would be proud! I love the girl!

Pizza Hut

A wonderful evening at Pizza Hut. We had salad bar, cheesy bites pizza and cola. There was 4 of us and the total was around $50. Pizza Hut is very expensive here.

Chillin' in the park.

Just a picture of me in the park.

After the EXPO.

After the Expo we went here. It is a historical site. It was a very peaceful park, I would love to spend more time there. We walked around for about a half hour, it was a serene place.

Good-Bye!

When we were leaving all the workers line up on both sides and bow and say something in Korean. I assuming it is something like thank you for coming. We could learn a lot from the Koreans.

Just hanging out!

We went for a final walk around the EXPO and took a load off for some chocolate. Mo and Sarah are a bad influence on me.

Light Show.

At the end of the evening they do a light show and fireworks. It was memorable. I need a new camera, my pictures aren't turning out well. This is the best shot I got right at the beginning of the show.

Garden of Poinsetta's

A picture my parents should enjoy. I say the poinsettas and thought I should take a picture in them. It didn't turn out to well..but it was fun!

Dinner time!

Mo and I getting ready to eat some more Korean food. I had bulgolgi and she had bibimbap. We ordered a plate of french fries when we were finished...the bulgolgi just didn't cut it for me!