Rakhi: The past week has been full of good news. Firstly, and most importantly, WE’RE GOING TO THAILAND!! Joel and I returned on Saturday night to discover an email from the company that we applied to saying that not only do we have the job but we can attend the orientation course on the 1st or 2nd May. This was music to our ears as we were worried that we may not get the job because of the overlap of the end of our contracts here (April 30th) and the beginning of the orientation in Thailand (April 28th).

After tomorrow evening, I’ll probably never see my co-teacher again. She is leaving the school to attend a university course for 6 months. My new co-teacher will be Hani, which I am really pleased about. However, on Friday, before I was told that Hani would be my co-teacher, it was suggested that I may have a temporary co-teacher who is a friend of the principle. He is an older male who speaks NO English at all…I’m not quite sure how that one would have worked out. Needless to say, I was quite relieved when I discovered the actual outcome. Phew. Anyway, tomorrow evening, Joel and I are going out for dinner with Yeon Hae and Bo Hyun, I guess it’s a kind of farewell and the end of an era as none of us will be working together again. Oh, apart from me and Joel, we’ll be working together in the same school in Thailand! Takhliprachasan School in the province of Nakhon Sawan, Central Thailand, where we’ll be teaching teenagers aged 13-18. The adventure continues…!

The week before last, Joel led me on a mystery date. I was very intrigued as we got off at Dongdaemun station, walked up the road, into a non descript building and up some stairs. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself in a little Indian/Nepalese restaurant called ‘The Himalayan.’ I have missed my mum’s cooking so much and we have searched for a decent Indian restaurant here- but to no avail. Bless his deviousness, Joel had done his research and come up trumps. The food was delicious, lots of fresh flavours and spices. Right up my street. In fact it was so good that we did the journey again last week and may well return again this week and next week and the week after and the week after that...

On Saturday, Joel, Sam, Shane and I headed out for a day at Seoul racecourse. Even though there was a foreigner lounge with English translation and race sheets in English, I didn’t get the windfall I was hoping for. With minimum bets of 100 won (6p) and a few well placed flutters, I didn’t do too badly and managed to leave the ground having broken even. It was really good fun. After the races, we went for dinner in Itaewon to the new Marrakech Nights, another of our favourite restaurants, and then went onto a live jazz club.

This week is my final doss week before the new term begins next week. I’m doing half day English camps until Wednesday. Thursday is Korean Independence Movement Day which in 1919 marked the beginning of the, er, Independence from Japan Movement. As such, it’s a national holiday and we have the day off! On Friday, I return to school for the beginning of the new term but no doubt I’ll have no actual lessons until the following Monday. Why the school just doesn’t start up then I do not know. Administration and organization here can be very confusing, disorganised and questionable.

Joel: Yesterday felt like spring. Only for about three hours in the mid to late afternoon, but it was an unmistakable feeling. I took my coat off on the tube on the way back from a shopping trip and kind of hoped that my action would signal an ushering in of the Spring (and so by extension, the Summer) season. I should have known, today it's been bloody miserable.

Last weekend was the Korean New Year, always celebrated according to the lunar calander in the same way as Chinese New Year. On Friday, I had a lovely surprise. The principal's assistant, "Tom", came up to my room at the end of the day with a gift for me. I don't mean to be ungrateful, it's a very kind gesture I know, but once again my principal's generosity came in the unwanted form of an six-tinner Spam giftset. We still have the last one sitting in the spare room. We tried to palm it off on Luke for Christmas but, unsurprisingly, he wasn't having any of it. So now we have two of the beauties. A friend told me that, in a similar position, he gave unwanted food gifts to homeless people around Seoul station, so I'm thinking I should really do that.

Like at Chuseok, Korean's spend new year with their extended families and pay homage to their ancestors, often making long journeys to their graves. Consequently, the world as we know it shuts down and the day has that eery Christmas day feel. To celebrate (not really the New Year, perhaps more the fact we had a bank holiday on Monday) we invited Shano, Justin and Sam over on Sunday night and Rakhi cooked up a full roast dinner. It somehow turned into a late night poker game and I'm still suffering a bit today actually.

On Monday, we joined one of the little badminton clubs we discovered in the forest behind Rakhi's school. There are about thirty members, we're the only non-Koreans of course and probably the only under forties, and although the surface isn't that great, our gym membership runs out this week so we had to do something to avoid becoming lazy wasters. It's a cool little place actually and I think we're a bit of a novelty. As the weather improves (it's outdoor) I'm sure it will be a top little place to go for an afternoon game.

My Spring camp is going okay. Many of the kids came to my summer and winter camps, and I can definitely see a development - for some in their capacity to speak English but for most in their capicity for cheekiness now that they are so used to having this clownish Englishman in their classroom. I'm convinced that when we play games they actually have no idea that they are learing English though. They're just so desperate to win. It's a bit of a double-edged sword though in that, as much as I want them to really enjoy the lessons, they love to get rowdy and become impossible to calm down again. Still, I'd rather that than than have them go home telling their folks my lessons are boring.

After my class today, Bo-Hyun took me aside for a word to tell me that she's been told her new role for the coming year - she's going to be a grade four teacher. So, for my last eight weeks here, I'm going to be working with a brand new teacher for grades five and six, and one of my favorite teachers, the one who's really into table-tennis, for grades three and four. So, yet more changes. The last thing she said though was that although she won't be the English teacher anymore, she wants to help us in every way possible to sort things out over the next couple of months. She's a complete star really because some things would be quite difficult to do with out the help of someone who speaks good Korean who is so generous with their time and energy.

Still no news on the Thailand job which is a tad worrying, but no cause for major concern just yet. It would be nice to have something good arranged before we go there but I have also heard that it's very possible to arrive and find a teaching position with better conditions than you can usually find when looking to secure a job from outside the country. It would be a risk of a sort but also an adventure however things pan out. We'll do plenty of research though, keep applying for things now, and give ourselves the best chance of finding good jobs there.

Oh, and if anyone wants the Spam, I'll put it on Spam-bay with a starting value of 100won. Come on people, put your hands in your pockets!

Joel: It's Tuesday afternoon and currently in my classroom the end of year cub scouts party is beng held - Bo Hyun is also the scout leader. There are over sixty kids squashed around eight large tables blowing out candles on huge fancy cream cakes despite the fact it's nobodys birthday. Beforehand there was a presentation ceremony in the main hall but now they're all stuffing their faces on crisps and chocolate in the English classroom, I'm tucked away in the little office. I popped through briefly and tried some cake but I think now I'll leave them to conduct the clean-up operation without me.

Our temple stay was a facinating experience that will stay with me for a long time. I went there with an inquisitive open mind and a healthy respect for Buddhism but was surprised by a number of things. The monks were far less serious than I'd expected and the two who spoke at length to us both demonstrated a real sense of humour. I suppose you need it to get up at 3:45 every morning - especially in winter. But they were cool. And they seemed less iscolated from the modern world than I'd probably thought. One of them spoke about the difficulties of dealing with pressure from friends to drink soju when eating out in Seoul. The image that gave me of this shaven headed Bangladeshi in full robes out in Hongdae isn't one I'm fully sure I've got fully accurate, but there you go. They clearly take their Buddhism very seriously there, despite a slight divertion from traditional methods in the use of electric kettles, PC's and DVD players, all of which were in use in the complex. I wonder if any of them would secretly like an ipod? I'm sure they could find some of their mantras on Limewire.

But it was great to experience first hand the lifestyle they lead there. The chanting, the meditating and the prostrations particularly. My legs were up to doing the 108 prostrations but my body just isn't supple enough to cope with kneeling for any sustained period of time. It was a real killer at 4:30 in the morning to be squirming around the floor of a temple trying to find a comfortable position that gives the appearance of apropriate respectfulness. I didn't even come close. My experience definitely enhanced my respect for and understanding of Buddhism but I suppose it did leave me feeling that, like all religions, it's only really going to be appealing if you're generally unhappy with your life and are looking for something else. I suppose I'm just lucky that, right now, I am pretty happy. Nonetheless, Buddism rocks dude!!!

Since returning to school last week I've discovered there are going to be a few changes. On the last day before thw winter break, my principal declared at the staff meeting his intention to transform Bucheon-Dong into the best elementry school for English in the whole of Gyeonggi province (the rough equivilent of the North-West of England). He plans a lot of changes and when term started again last week, Bo Hyun was keen to find out my plans for next year so I told her we were leaving. The Korean teachers often change roles at the end of every year and she is currently deliberating about whether to request a different role herself. I think now, with the principal's new goal (I think he may be setting his sight a bit high but that's just me) and my departure bringing in a new native teacher (which could be a tricky adjustment for her if the new teacher is a bonehead) she plans to request to be homeroom teacher, which could leave me working with another new Korean English teacher for the last two months we're here. Of course, none of this is decided yet. The system works as follows: each teacher has to submit a form outlining the position they would like to begin in the the new term on March 2nd, then the principal decides who he would like to do each job before making an announcement on February 27th/28th. So, if you do the "math", that leaves approximately two days for each teacher to prepare for their new role, which could be massively different from the role they have now. Seems a bit crazy to me anyway.

Anyway, last night, I went out for dinner with all the teachers from my school. A kind of end of year dinner and a chance to say goodbye to some who are leaving. At he end, as we were about to leave, ther principal requested that I go over and have a drink with him. We shared a glass of Soju and then, with Bo-Hyun as translator, he asked about my plans. When I told him, he replied that he appreciated our situation and understood that we're a long way from home. Of course, we haven't mentioned a word about Thailand to anyone, partly because that's not concrete anyway, but it was good to get the whole thing out the way. I'm glad he didn't take offence to me rejecting his generosity and turning my back on Korea which, although it sounds ridiculous, I had thought was a possibility.

So now I have to prepare for an eight-day Spring camp to begin on Friday. I really can't complain. It means that I'll be back on three-hour days for two weeks. Could be much worse - much, much worse.

Rakhi: Despite having ten hours sleep last night, I am still feeling pretty exhausted after our weekend temple stay.

Joel and I arrived on Ganghwa Island at Lotus Lantern Temple just after 2:30pm on Saturday. Within five minutes we were changed into Buddhist garb (consisting of a grey waistcoat and matching baggy trousers), sipping green tea with other participants and awaiting the temple orientation. Once all the guests had arrived, HyeMun (hey-moon), a temple stay co-coordinator and practicing nun, lead us up stone steps to the temple.

Inside, the small temple was spectacularly colourful with ornate carvings indenting every surface and rows of pink lotus lanterns lining the ceiling. On the altar there was a huge gold Buddha and several slightly smaller ones, either side of the altar there was a glass cabinet with hundreds on tiny, identical gold Buddha’s on its shelves. Directly in front of the middle of the altar there was a beautiful pink silk cushion and a low table for the abbot of the monastery. To the left of the abbot’s cushion were three grey cushions and on the right of the abbot two. These cushions were for the five monks training under the abbot; all of whom we were yet to meet. We each took a cushion and placed them in a row behind the monks.’ We sat down and HyeMun told us a little bit about herself and the dos and don’ts of temple behavior. Do bow to the Buddha when first entering the temple. Don’t mistreat the cushion, this is your prayer space hence be respectful. Be mindful of central areas, do not walk in the middle of stairs or paths, these are reserved for the highest temple officials. She also taught us how to correctly sit in the lotus position, keeping the back straight to allow a straight passage of air into the body. HyeMun had some trouble with Joel’s ‘butt’ and back when she checked all of our postures individually, consequently he was told to practice more!

Buddhists believe that prostrations to Buddha (bows) bring merit in their quest for enlightenment by purging them of negativity. As part of the temple program, the following morning, we would be doing 108 prostrations; therefore, HyeMun showed us the correct way to do them. When prostrating, you must touch five parts of the body with your cushion. Firstly, your knees, secondly your right palm followed by your left and finally, your forehead in between the hands. By following the instructions in reverse, you return to a standing position with your palms together. Apparently, prostrations vary from country to country and according to weather patterns. In extremely hot conditions, Buddhists can simply kneel and place palms together. In cold conditions, prostrations are more intense. In Tibet for example, they lie with their arms and legs completely outstretched before returning to a standing position.

After the orientation, we were free until dinner time at 6pm. Most hermitages are located in peaceful settings and Lotus Lantern is no different. Joel and I had a little walk around the garden and the pond and glanced out at the surrounding forests and fields. It was suitably serene - a far cry from Yeokgok. After dinner, at 7pm, the moktak (a wooden percussion instrument which is banged by monks to mark important times of the day) rang out to signal evening chanting. In the dark we ambled up the stone steps of the temple, took of our shoes at the door and entered. Now, the pink lotus lanterns and candles were illuminated and there was also incense burning. We took up our cushions and offered three prostrations after which the monks began chanting. We followed their lead and copied everything that they did, bowing and prostrating when appropriate.

After the evening chanting, we were taken to the grand meditation hall where we would have the chance to speak with a monk from Bangladesh and practice meditating. The monk gave us a simplified history of Buddhism and its beliefs, and tips for meditation- one of the most important aspects. Again, on cushions, we sat in the lotus position with our backs straight to allow unobstructed air flow. The monk shared with us that the longest he has meditated was two and half hours: he challenged us to meditate for just one minute. He turned of the lights and everything became silent as everyone focused on their breathing. I never realised how difficult it is to turn off one’s mind. I tried and tried to focus solely on counting but every second (or less) a new thought popped into my head. Time and time again I tried to banish my thoughts and connect mind and body, but it was hopeless. Furthermore, the lotus position was becoming incredibly uncomfortable, not just for me but for all the other novices who I noticed shuffling around. After half an hour, the lights came back on and meditation time was over. Although I hadn’t succeeded in clearing my mind and connecting it with my body in time and space, I still felt relaxed and calm. Enlightenment was a long way off for me though!

After meditation, we just had enough time to fit in another green tea before we were instructed that it was lights out time. I haven’t been in bed at 9pm on a Saturday night since I was a wee nipper.

At 3:40 in the morning, the moktak sounded for pre-dawn chanting. I got up from my floor mat, washed quickly, pulled on my grey uniform and along with the other participants, stumbled in the darkness to the illuminated temple. Again, the monks lead the chanting and we followed. After the first chant, it was time for the 108 prostrations chant which we were all dreading. In actual fact, the 108 prostrations were fine and actually invigorating. What was difficult though, was kneeling whilst the monks chanted a mantra 108 times (‘108’ for the 108 defilements of Buddhism) taking nearly twenty minutes. After over one hour of pre-dawn chanting, the two Russian monks lead us back to the meditation hall where we were to complete another half hour of meditation before breakfast. This time, I was more successful, perhaps because my brain was still asleep, and I managed ten seconds without any interrupted thought- nearly there!

Joel was especially good at the 'lying down' meditation!

Once we had completed the meditation, had breakfast and washed up, a Vietnamese and an Indian monk took us all on a post-breakfast walk through the forest and to the tomb of a famous Korean poet. When we returned to the temple we were taken back to the meditation room where the Russian monk taught the customs and traditions of Buddhist tea ceremonies; an art form of its own. Tea is to monks what wine is to an oenophile and this Russian monk was certainly enthusiastic and knowledgeable about his tea. The final part of the program was calligraphy writing where we copied mantras in Chinese script. By this time, 11am, nearly 8 hours after we had already been awake, my fatigue was becoming noticeable in my sloppy calligraphy and I was ready to call it a day.

The immersion in temple life was very educational and eye opening. Especially discovering what a monk’s daily schedule consists of and being able to follow it first hand. It was an unforgettable experience.

Rakhi: Like Joel, I was also slightly dreading my return to full time employment. However, when I arrived at school this morning I discovered that I have no lessons today! So here I am sat at my computer, listening to music, surfing the net and writing this! Hooray! It seems a little pointless to have to stay here until 4:40, but I’m not complaining.

Joel has informed me that he has done the deed. That is told Bo-Hyun that he is leaving. I told Yeon Hae just before and she was fine about it. She's going to be a homeroom teacher in March anyway so it makes little difference to her. I also told Hani, who will be taking Yeon Hae's position as English teacher, and she was disappointed that I wouldn't be working with her. This morning I bumped into one of the grade 5 teachers on the way to school and she asked me what my plans were so I told her that I was leaving Korea and she told me that she was sad- aaah. It's good to get it out of the way.

It was lovely to hike up the hill behind my school yesterday, we made some great discoveries. The badminton courts for one but also a fresh water spring where there were groups of people filling tank after tank up with water. The view from the top of the hill was remarkable in that the main things that stood out were hundreds of eye sore apartments. It’s astonishing to think of the number of people that live in each. I think it will be lovely to go back up to the top and take advantage of the seating area for a game of cards and a few drinks with our guests- speaking of whom, we are very excited about them coming over! It’s a crying shame that Simon and Rachel’s visit coincides with the Seoul marathon; I was so looking forward to it. With all the training and hard work that I’ve put in, I really think I could have run it in 2 hours or less. Oh well, there’s always next time (seriously though, thanks guys!).

Yesterday, the weather was quite mild so our mini hike was fine. The weather last week however was windy and very cold, although the sun still shone everyday. Apparently, taking the wind chill factor into consideration, it was -14° last Thursday. It was so cold, my face hurt! I don’t suppose it gets like this in Thailand. Now we have decided that we are definitely going I am very excited. Apparently, it’s really easy to turn up and get teaching positions but obviously the security of a good contract before we arrive is preferable. The second company that we applied to just yesterday, have already responded and seem keen so it’s reassuring to know that we have more than one option to consider.

Another great discovery last week was the jimjilbang (jim-jil-bang) nearby our apartment. Jimjilbang’s (Korean spa/sauna) are everywhere in Korea, people love them and I knew that there was one near us but I hadn’t been to it. Like all jimjilbangs, the sexes are separated. Once you pay, you go into the right bit, undress and then hop into one of the many tubs. In the ladies bit there were a few different hot tubs, a Jacuzzi, a hot lavender bath, a cold pool, a room with water pummeling down from pipes in the ceiling (like a sort of hydrotherapy massage) and a couple of steam rooms. You can even pay a small amount to be scrubbed from head to toe and have all your dead skin removed. You can also pay a little more to hire clothes and go up to the unisex sauna area where there are a variety of hot and cold saunas, running machines, a restaurant and more. It was heavenly on such a cold day and over the final dregs of winter it’s going to become a weekly fixture.

Joel: It's Sunday evening and I've developed that vague sense of dread that comes when you're a school kid about to start a new term. I haven't worked a full day now since December so the week ahead seems a little daunting. Not that it's going to be too difficult to get through. I think I've just got a bit (more) lazy over the past five weeks.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to tell Bo-Hyun that we're planning to leave at the end of our contracts. Best to get it out of the way I'm thinking and tell the school before they ask. Our plan for the year has now become a little firmer. We're still waiting to hear about the four month contracts in Thailand but we've applied for another similar scheme and have decided that if neither come off we're going to head there anyway and find jobs when we get there. But that's a last resort. The plan became pretty final yesterday when we handed over the cash in "Bandi and Luni's" bookshop and walked out with the Thailand "Lonely Planet".

One plan that won't be followed through though is the marathon. The dream is over - we've pulled out. I think I hit the treadmill a bit hard after Luke left and developed a dodgy knee. I've now not been able to run for two weeks and with only six to go till marathon day I think it's a bit much to ask of myself. We're both a bit relieved actually that the pressure is now off. We commiserated ourselves this weekend by getting through a few bottles of white wine. So it's not all bad. Also, on the plus side, we'll be having some more guests. Neal and Lyndsey will be heading over at the end of March and I've just had confirmation that Simon and Rachel have booked flights to come here mid-March. So the Johnson-Cartwrights followed by the Foulds-Parrys hey? Simon has already suggested that I get a fumigater in between the visits. We can't wait to see all four of them. It's going to be an action packed month.

Yesterday, we went to Seodaemun Prison in the north of the city. It was built by the Japanese around the turn of the century to house and torture the leaders of the Korean resistance to the Japanese occupation. It's now a kind of museum and tribute to the "patriotic ancestors" of Korea. It was pretty harrowing to read about and walk around a place where so many barbaric things have taken place. To add to the uneasiness, it was a cold, miserable, grey day and by the end we were both pretty glad to leave. Rakhi swears she could smell the death up by the execution building. One thing that stood out for me was that among the few people who were visiting there were quite a few fathers with very young children (I'm guessing aged 6 or 7), making them watch grusome re-enactments of Japanese guards torturing young women and such-like. It was as though they intended for their children to begin to detest the Japanese as early as possible in order to keep their own hatred alive. There were scrawings on some of the cell walls demanding "never forgive" and asking "when will they be made to pay?" Clearly, feelings are still very strong, but it raises the lots of questions. What purpose does maintaining this long-held hatred serve? When is it time to consign such feelings to history and move on? I think it's now. But I'm sure it's not going to happen anytime soon.

Today, we walked out into the countyside behind Rakhi's school and climbed a hill. On the way up discovered a number of outdoor badminton courts that we'll definitely return to and at the top we found a couple of little pavillions with tables and chairs and great view over Yeokgok. A perfect place for a spring picnic I think. And a great place to take our springtime guests.