Friends in Korea

Here's some shots of the gang and some fun times - some great folks mostly from Canada and the U.S. I'm blessed with an amazing crew of teachers and have made some great pals.








Older women with money...








Sarah and Jennifer (who's trekking the himalalays at the moment...)

Hwaseong Fortress Eh

Heya, a while back I hiked around Hwaseong Fortress. The same year as the French Revolution (1789), the King moved his father's tomb to the area called Suwon where I live. He soon began the two year construction of Hwaseong Fortress which is composed of stone and brick and was designed to defend the town which it encompasses. The wall which loops around the town has many posts where soldiers could fire arrows, guns, and cannons at the Americans, er I mean whomever was on the outside that they didn't want in. Pretty sweet place and you can walk around the whole top - about a two hour jaunt. It's kind of like Citadel Hill in Halifax on steroids, but in Asia and you can't buy cheezy t-shirts of the place.

Climbing Mt. Gwanggyo

Wow, what a busy Saturday - completed my report cards, met with my pastor for lunch, and hiked a mountain!

Mt. Gwanggyo is a popular mountain in Suwon with many trails that meander up from the edge of the city to an impressive ridge along the top. I completed the total 13 km hike in about 2.5 hours (the tourist book I have says it takes 5 hours... ( : ). Had a blast and hope you enjoy the photos!

After hiking back down, the sun was setting and I was in a totally different area of the city walking on some country road with no idea where to find a bus that would take me the half hour trek back to my place. I saw two cops parked next to a building and went over to ask directions. Of course, they didn't speak any English... they simply told me to get in the back of their squad car and took me to two different bus stops in town with their lights on - I think all of the Koreans at the bus stop thought I was either a celebrity or someone who just got out of jail and was getting a drive to the bus stop... The cops then flagged down a bus while their squad car lit up the bus stop and confirmed with the bus driver where I needed to go. I got on with everyone on the bus staring curiously, waved goodbye to the cops, and eventually got home. Great Korean hospitality...

Thailand Pics

Heya, here are some choice Thailand shots from my 10 day trip over Christmas. I visited Phouket, the Phi Phi islands, and Bangkok. It was an incredible time. I especially enjoyed cruising around the island of Phouket on my scooter and finding secluded beaches and seeing how the locals live. I also had a blast snorkelling around the amazing coral reef and seeing the many colorful fish. I also got my fix of sea kayaking which I absolutely miss doing around St. Margaret's Bay in Nova Scotia by my parents' place. The people in Thailand were very friendly and I had a couple of friends in the area that I teach with so we enjoyed some fine Thai food together. Enjoy the shots and hopefully you won't get depressed if you're enduring another blustery Canadian winter.

-Mark Bergman

February in Korea

Hey everyone! Welcome to my blog. I've been teaching English in Korea for over two months now and am having a great time. I've also managed to spend Christmas in Thailand and also visited Japan briefly.

I work 2-10 everyday, teaching two or three classes of cute Korean kids aged 8-13. I enjoy teaching and am blessed to work alongside 18 other foreign teachers that are a great bunch. I've also hooked up with a local church and get to play the drums every Sunday in the worship band - this is the highlight of my week. I also am enjoying some long hikes Sunday afternoons around some mountainous trails next to a lake in my area. So between the hikes and hard runs every second day or so, I'm staying in shape.

I miss the ocean and of course my family and friends. But there's a great crew here to hang out with and there's always something to do in my free time. Last Saturday, I spent the afternoon walking around a huge fortress wall here in Suwon (40 minutes South of Seoul). The wall was built in the late 1700s and literally runs for probably close to 10 km in a loop surrounding an old town. It has large posts every few hundred meters where soldiers would be ready with bows and arrows and other weapons should the enemy approach the wall far below.

I hope you like the pics. Check out the blog for more photos and postings. Take care!

MB