Fire Festival and a little hope

Last night Bethany and I went to the famous Jeju Fire Festival with a couple of friends.  When we moved to Seoul we were really disappointed that we were going to miss it this year after we had missed it last year, but as a bright side of our misadventure, we finally were able to see it and boy was it amazing.  We took a free shuttle from the city to the Oreum (small mountains all over Jeju) that they were planning to light on fire.  When we arrived we were greeted with large crowds and many street food vendors.  Korean street food is delicious and very diverse.  We immediately got a corn dog with french fries in the batter, it was awesome.  We walked around and looked at some of the exhibits they had on display.  They had many wind chimes that were made from recycled materials, horses, and a stage with singing, dancing, and just general entertainment. Bethany was roped in by some adjashis (Old men) and given some fish and a shot of soju.  Before they lit the hill we sat down in a large tent and had some roast pig and Korean vegetable pancakes.  Finally it was time to light the hill on fire. Lighting the hill on fire, along with pyres full of hand-written wishes-- signifies healing and good luck for the new year. On the stage they called up everyone who was born in the year of the horse (Mom and dad it's your year) and they were given torches.  They lit the torches and walked towards the base of the hill. There was a fire work display and then people lit the pyres that people had written their wishes on.  Soon the entire hill was on fire.  We were fairly close and the heat that was coming off the hill was a welcome sensation since it was freezing cold.  We watched the hill burn for awhile and then it was back to the shuttle bus and then to town.  All in all in was one of the most amazing experiences I've had in Korea.

On a side note, Bethany and I are looking for work.  We are currently being inundated with recruiters in our search to find a job.  We have several interviews today and even a few offers already.  One of the recruiters even has epik positions (public school) starting in April, and May.  I don't think we'll have trouble finding a new job, the question is whether or not we can find the right job so we don't end up at a school like the one in Seoul.