End of the Year

I have been a little neglectful of this blog recently so here are a several pictures from the past autumn and early winter. A nice way to close out 2009...

Thanksgiving in Korea

Friends

The boys out for my friend's leaving Korea party

My friend, Ally, and I doing the classic Korean picture pose

Josh and Beth at the ice skating rink

Standing next to a statue of a dog, my animal for the Chinese calendar

Hiking

One saturday morning a few of us went hiking. It was a fun time and took most of the day. This was a good time of year to go, the leaves on the trees have been changing colors and were quite beautiful.

Long Weekend

We had a long holiday weekend. Luckily it was nice weather and we took the opportunity to have a picnic and do a little hike. At the end of the trail was a cool looking tomb, where a King's father and cow were buried.

Campus

I'm teaching at a University in the mountains of South Korea. Its an expansion campus of the main university and they are still finishing construction on a few parts. Its a beautiful place and the semester has barely started. Here are some pics of the campus.

The Quad

View from my lecture hall

Athletic facilities

View from my apartment balcony

Grad School

This is my favorite photo of the year. It sums up the good times and fun experiences I've been a part of during my time in England. Although graduate school is invaluable for me, it is times like these that make life worthwhile. My classmates and I sharing a laugh...

Vienna, Austria

Derek and I had a fun time in Vienna. We toured around the city seeing all kinds of fun things. On the last full day we took a trip outside the city. We rented bicycles and were able to ride up and down the Danube river enjoying the country side.


In front of the Natural History Museum


From the Freud museum, which is located in the house he use to live


Derek and I both had a go with the lion in the Natural History Museum


We met a Canadian friend one night who we shared some drinks with


The Imperial Palace in Vienna, where the Hapsburg dynasty once resided


The maze at the Imperial Palace was difficult to get through


Touring around on bikes


We came upon some ruins of an old castle, so we took a hike to the top


A photo of the Danube river valley

Prague, Czech Republic

Derek and I went to Prague, it was a crazy time. Prague is a beautiful city that seems to come from a Disney film. It was very clean and quite Gothic looking.




Derek in the terraced vineyards of Prague


The Jewish cemetery




The Church of St. Nicholas




The Old Town Square of Prague with the Statue of Jan Hus and the The Church of Our Lady before Tyn in the background


The Prague Castle by night with the Danube river in the foreground


The famous astronomical clock


Derek in front of the Basilica of St. George of the Prague Castle


The statue dedicated to the writer Franz Kafka

Rome

For a little end of the term celebration my classmate Chu and I went to Rome for a couple of days... can't wait to go back!


Sitting on the edge of the Tiber River with St. Peter's Basilica in the background


Chu is hanging out with the weirdly dressed Vatican guards


In front of the Parthenon


Chu and I at the Roman Forum, the center of Ancient Roman life


The two hour line to get into the Vatican Museum


It was worth the wait... Chu and I in the Sistine Chapel listening to the audio guide;the artwork behind us shouldn't need an explanation


It was a long day for Chu... he took a quick nap while I enjoyed a coffee in the Piazza Novena


Colosseum, sweet!