Weekend Relaxations

The monsoon season ended and now we have had about 2 1/2 weeks of plus95 degree weather. I wish it'd rain again :) Before this I had bragged about not using my air conditioner this year thus far. But now that I walk into my apartment and my little thermometer says, after 3 flights of stairs, 94 degrees, I turn it on.
So last Friday my director decided he would like us to go to the east coast on Saturday morning at 8 and come back on Sunday. So we rearranged our schedules and did just that. This is called "planning" in Korea. Everyone was crabby about it until we were on our way, and then we were all fine. It was awesome. The beach is about a 2-3 hour drive away and it is in our director's hometown, so he knows the less touristy areas. We drove along the beach on this little one lane road and these old women came up to the car asking us to stay in a room in these 3 room houses for the night. Of course I was on top of that and everyone went along I think just because I was so enthusiastic about it. So we stayed a 2 minute walk from the beach. The beach is lined with like small covered platforms about waist high that you can rent to keep your stuff, cook, drink, sleep, come out of the sun. So we rented one of those for the day. One of my students once said, "Teacher, did you know people swim in the ocean without a tube?" And I get it, it is uncommon for Koreans to be in the water without some kind of floatation device. Anyway, the Sea of Japan is NOT the South Pacific. It was FREEZING. It felt like Glen Lake in May... maybe even worse. Despite the cold it was wonderful to swim in the sea again. It was also wonderful to be able to make out the stars at night, man I miss home sometimes. Later in the day my director and I went to another place to snorkel and we jumped in and I just couldn't breathe, I thought I was having a panic attack, but it was even more cold and I just couldn't catch my breath. It was really sweet because it was so hot, but after being in the ocean I felt comfortable for hours. Unfortunately, not all the teachers at my school like the water, can you imagine? So it was kind of disheartening knowing some people were maybe bored and all, but overall it was awesome. This coming weekend we have a 4 day weekend and my director asked us to go with him and his family to Pohang again only to stay with his in-laws this time; he says the best beach in Pohang is there. No one else is going but I am. Sounds like the in-laws live in the country. I am hoping to get some good journal time in and maybe figure out what i am going to do next. I did talk with my director today and he knows I am not renewing my contract; he did extend an invitation to extend it if I want though. I pretty much told him I would, but I know that now that I have I will probably hear from Vietnam. So basically my new plan is... work here until December, go home for a nice long relaxing stretch, a month or so, and head out again to where ever. But don't put too much into that, I have a new plan about every other day. It makes me crazy, so I know it makes everyone else crazy too. I am sure that upon my return after my 4 day weekend I will have all new something for this place...