Sunday

We woke up today to a text sent to both of our phones that said "Will you come to church today at 11:30?  If you come, you will get a gift."  Not entirely sure what to make of the text, we decided not to go.  I don't think either one of us were necessarily thrilled about the church to begin with.  We were excited about finding an English speaking group there, and were excited that it was so close to our apartment, but not the actual "church."  The text message confirmed our thoughts that we would not return, and seek other options.  A little later in the morning we listened to a sermon from Brushy Creek, the church we had been attending back at home.  So we will continue to search.

We finally got out of the apartment some time not long after noon.  It has been a very nice day in Yeongju.  Comfortable weather, sort of like Fall at home....not cold, but not hot.  Walked through a market close by and explored some of the narrow pathways that lead through "neighborhoods".  The houses in Yeongju are packed in tightly with no room for cars to pull up to the front door and unload groceries.  I like that.  Even though there are many cars and morning traffic scares me to death when I walk to the bus stop, I still get the feeling that this is a "pedestrian friendly" town.  When I say "pedestrian friendly" I mean that in the same way as New York City.  There are millions of cars and taxis that fill up the Manhattan streets every second of the day, but so many people walk and use public transportation.  This is something that I enjoy.

 My goal when we return home is to continue this habit of transporting myself without the use of a car.  I know Greenville isn't designed to cater to the walker, but its a worthy goal.  We're healthier from all the exercise we get.  We're able to save more money without spending our entire paycheck on gas, insurance, oil, etc.  It's just a better lifestyle.

Included in this post are several pictures from our day about town.  The first is a pathway between houses.  Next is what we refer to as the "fish market" near our house.  The vendors sell much more than fish, but there's enough fish there to smell your way to it if you're lost.  Third is another alley way leading into a group of houses right in the middle of town.  We've had a good time exploring these narrow passages.  They are one of the things that really give me the feeling of being on the other side of the world.  It's odd to me that I don't always feel like i'm so far from home.  There are so many of the same modern conveniences and familiar businesses.  I actually have to make an effort to feel like I'm in a completely different country on a completely different continent.  Odd.  Following that picture is the Fish Market again.  Jessica tried to snap a few shots of the lady and her octopus buckets.  We're never sure if people mind us taking pictures of their goods.  The last picture is a from a balcony we were able to climb to while we were wondering through the houses.