October

I hope everyone had a great Halloween. All of my kids at school seem very baffled by this holiday and keep asking questions about it as though they are very suspicious of it all. I had a bit of fun with my 6th graders though by showing them Ghost Car. My coteacher also managed to spill her coffee all down me she jumped so much. We had a great time celebrating Halloween last weekend, although yesterday I had completely forgotten that it was Halloween.

My biggest achievement this month was reaching the top of Seoraksan, even if I was dragged, screaming and kicking and blackmailed by Percy Pigs. It was really hard at the time, and it was 50/50 whether I would finish, but I'm so glad I did now. Maybe I need to start doing more hikes, like our one in Igidae to try and get myself a little fitter.

There were lots of festivals going on this month, including the last day of Chuseok which we spent in Gwangju, a city that's known for its political activism in the 80s. We also travelled to Jinju to check out the impressive lanterns floating on the river for the annual lantern festival. I musn't forget that back in Busan there was the annual film festival, BIFF, where we went to the outdoor theatre and watched the Indian film, Barfi! Remind me to take a coat and gloves next time.

Something else new that I tried this month was eating goat meat, which actually turned out to be really tasty. I also shared some of my favourite cafes in Nampo after discovering the cute Vintage Cafe in the market.

Old friends made me feel at home by sending lovely gifts, and sadly it was time to say goodbye to a new friend, Pete, as his contract ended.

Such a busy month! Not to mention we were really busy at school with tests, the comical sports day with kids in sacks and running in flippers, a space themed event day and the cryptic message I got about dressing well, which resulted in my face being plastered all over Busan.

All topped off with the most bizarre taxi ride that I've ever had.

And as we're into the last two months of 2012, there's still loads to look forward to, a trip to the DMZ and Seoul and Winter Vacation! Exciting times!