Newlyweds going Asian!!: August 2013

Hey gang,

We are still alive and kicking here in Busan. This is one of the hottest summers ever and one of the driest rainy seasons ever. The weather is in the low 90's but the humidity here is way worse than South Carolina. I thought Columbia was bad...A lot has been going on, though.

There was no school on Thursday, July 18 due to "sports day." The entire school staff met at 9am, had an orientation in which the new people had to speak on stage (Fleming and I included) and in which we received our teams. We were broken into 4 teams of 16-18. We were also given colored headbands. We then all got on buses and headed up a mountain. We took part in a nice 40 minute hike and then returned to the base for an intense feast. We had the most amazing grilled duck and ate all we could handle. It was fun to say the least. From there, we started playing sports. We played soccer volleyball in which guys have to use their feet and girls use there hands. It was a ton of fun. We then did some jump rope competitions and other games. It ended with me and a few other foreign teachers playing the top Korean big dogs in a game for 50 dollars. We won and had bragging rights! Sadly, my team finished in last place in overall points. Fleming's team won first place. She was rewarded with 15 dollars free money and something to hang over my head. I was named MVP of the day and given gift cards to a coffee shop. Pretty good day I must say! From there, things turned south. We felt it prudent to then get in taxis and head to the beach at 5pm for more fun. It was there that I went swimming in the Pacific and lost my wedding band........Yep, two months of being married and I already lost it....I didn't even realize it until the next night at the movies....Needless to say, I will be getting a new ring soon.

School has been going well. We are in the middle of summer camps. The Korean public schools are on break but the kids still take part in private academys and such. Our school has been the center of summer camps for kids from around the country and even some from other countries. Its been hectic but time goes by fast. The saddest part of summer and of living here is saying good-bye. In the short time here, we have met some really great people. Unfortunately, some of them have recently left as many contracts finish in the summer. It was great meeting them and always hard to see them leave.

We finally got our first paychecks and boy are we happy. We were scraping by and not having as much fun as we would have liked but now we finally have some money. Fleming just got a new smart phone and I will be getting one soon when I find a good deal. The phones here are amazing and so much better. You should see the phones that our kids have! It will be nice having phones to stay in touch and make plans with all our new friends. Its hard not having a cell phone and having to rely on preset plans. Things change so quick and its hard to keep up. It will also be easier to call people in America.

I have hit some bad luck here, though. I hurt my shoulder at the gym almost a month and a half ago and it was not healed. I am all but certain that I have some sort of tear. I will be going to the hospital this week to get an Xray and MRI. I fully expect to be in a cast soon and probably undergoing some sort of surgery....Talk about a terrible way to spend living abroad. This has been bumming me out alot because I cant do the things that I love like going to the gym, playing volleyball and other fun things.

Overall, things are good. We have good friends, great jobs and are having amazing experiences that we will look back on forever. Despite some hiccups, life is good. We very much miss everyone and hope that you will stay cool inside! God Bless.