Moving On...

Hey! I have moved my blog site for the Asia trip. My new location is reynoldsteaches.wordpress.com! Come and visit me there! Thanks!

Changing Blog Site

Hey guys!
I am thinking about changing the blog site for my Asia trip. It has come to my attention that some people are having difficulties posting comments (and I know how much you guys want to leave comments), so I'm probably going to try to change it up this weekend. I will let you know as soon as I find out! Thanks for being so patient! Ya'll are the best! Have a great weekend!

Can you hear me now???

I just added some e-mail addresses to my settings (family, close friends, etc). I'm posting this to make sure they get an email saying that I've updated my blog. If you guys can text me or post a comment saying you got the e-mail, that would be awesome! Thanks! I want to make sure everything works before I set off...I've also updated the blog a few times since ya'll started "following" me, so I want to make sure you are being kept in the loop. Thanks for your patience!!

Buddhist Temple Stay

Hi! We have been discussing it up on our discussion board for the last few weeks and I wanted to share with you guys some things that I'm really excited about.
On June 23, we are going to the city of Taegu near Mt. Kaya in South Korea. We will be there during the day at the Gyeongsan Girl's High School (where I will be presenting American school culture to the students, teachers, and parents). That afternoon we will travel to the Hae'in-sa Temple. It means Temple of Reflections on a Smooth Sea. I have been researching this temple and its history to better familiarize myself with the culture and traditions I will encounter.
The picture above is of the Daejeonkkwangjeon, the main worship hall. Hae'in-sa is an UNESCO World Heritage Site (named in 1995). It is also considered a Korean National Treasure. The reason for this is because it houses the Tripitaka Koreana. Back in the 13th century, Korea was at war with the Mongols. The Korean government thought that if they gave some sort of special offering up to Buddha he would protect them, so they set out to carve the Tripitaka. The Tripitaka was carved from 1237-1248. The Koreans carved in 25,382,960 Classical Chinese Characters the entire Buddhist scriptures. They were carved on 81,258 double sided woodblocks. The woodblocks were made of white birch, soaked and boiled at sea for 3 years, and then dried in shade for 3 years. They are still housed today at the temple.
We are going to the temple to talk with the monks and experience first hand how they go about their daily routines. We will wear traditional clothing, eat on the floor (vegetarian-without talking too much), go to ceremonies, spend the night, meditate, go on a morning walk (after waking up at 3am), and make a 108 bead prayer rosary. I'm really looking forward to this part of the trip. It will be a memorable experience that will benefit me in teaching my students. Talk to ya soon!

Hey! I know that I haven't written in a while, but things have been calm on the Asia front. We are finishing up the school year and headed towards summer! We have about 6 more weeks of school left, and I CAN NOT WAIT! I'm ready for my trip!!
Just the other day we got our itineraries for Korea and China! I'm so excited! I'm going to write it down for you right now so you can know where I'll be on certain days.
th-6/17: leave USA
fr-6/18: arrive in Seoul, Korea
sa-6/19: Kyongbok Palace, National Folk Museum, and Insadong neighborhood scavenger hunt
su-6/20: Korean War seminar, DMZ visit, and Korean performing arts program
mo-6/21: depart for Songnisan and Popchusa Temple, depart for Kyongju
tu-6/22: Sokkuram grotto, Kyongju city tour, Pulguksa Temple, Gold Crown Tomb, Pohang (steel mill), Ulsan (Hyundai shipyard)
we-6/23: school visit in Taegu City, drive to Hae'in-sa Temple, overnight stay at temple
th-6/24: drive to Seoul
fr-6/25: **60th anniversary of the outbreak of Korean War** morning school visit, National Museum of Korea, farewell dinner and Nanta program
sa-6/26: In transit
su-6/27: In transit
mo-6/28: In transit
tu-6/29: arrive in Shanghai, China, Astor House
we-6/30: Shanghai city tour, Urban Planning Exhibition, Shanghai Museum, Jade Buddha Temple, Shanghai Acrobats
th-7/1: drive to Suzhou "Venice of the East", West Temple, Garden of Fisherman's Nets, Humble Administrator's Garden, Silk Embroidery Research Institute, return to Shanghai
fr-7/2: Shanghai Expo, fly to Beijing, China
sa-7/3: Temple of Heaven, historical ceremonial sites, Dongye Miao, highlights of Beijing Opera
su-7/4: Olympic sites, Beijing University, Summer Palace
mo-7/5: Hutong Area, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City's Palace Museum
tu-7/6: Great Wall of China
we-7/7: Lama Temple, Dashanzi Art District (798 Factory)
th-7/8: depart for USA

I'M GOING TO ASIA!!!

I took a class through NCTA (National Consortium for Teaching Asia) during the Summer of 2009 at the University of Mississippi through The Croft Institute. As an alumni of the class, I was given the opportunity to go on a trip to Asia during the Summer of 2010. We were given four options: China, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan. Due to previous commitments, I chose to go to China and Korea. I applied for the trip and was accepted!!!
So, I will be departing from America on June 17, to head to South Korea. We will be visiting Seoul, the DMZ, and Gyeongju. We will focus on history, religion, contemporary life, and the current political situation in South Korea.
We will depart North Korea on June 27 and head to China. We will visit Beijing, Shanghai, and Suzhou. We will study the history and culture of China. I will return to the United States on July 8, 2010.
I am REALLY looking forward to this trip! God has provided me with the opportunity to learn and experience this so I can more effectively teach my students. I am taking it and running! I will post more as I receive more information. I will try to upload some pictures of the places we will visit. Talk to you all soon!