to Teancum received 9/2/09

Rose writes:

"Dear Bug,

I am sending you some more jell-o things* in the next box.

I just went to see the biggest statue of Buddha in the world. It was really big, and very pretty, but not very old--it was finished in 1992. I like old things best. So I really liked the beautiful buildings of the temple much better. They were really old. And there are some flagpoles here that were set up by the Kingdom of Silla, a long time ago--about 450 years after Jesus Christ, so they're more than a thousand and a half years old.

The mountain is so pretty. There's a natural spring that makes some rocky streams all running through the trees, and some of the water comes up in a fountain at the temple. There are a bunch of water dippers hanging there so you can have a drink if you want. I wanted--it was so hot! (The weather, not the water.) Also there was a place where you could pay money to have the monks pray for you for different amounts of time--1 year of prayers was about $100. I didn't buy any prayers, because I can pray on my own for free, but I did buy a cell phone charm.

Love you!

RoseE"


*a Korean soft drink: carbonated beverage mixed with jell-o