The end of October

Smells of ripe Persimmon mix with sewage and spoiled kimchi as the wind hastens itself in preperation for winter.

Had a Persimmon feast for dinner a few nights after walking across the city on an impromtu self dare.

You find what you need when you aren't looking.

On my ipod-accompanied journey I stumbled into many great stores, including an Art supply store and a second-hand store.

I gathered some discount acrylics and successfully bartered for the only coat that had sleeves that went past my wrists.

Sports Day at Yeonmu!

Once or twice a year public schools have a Sports Day. Students wear bright t-shirts that they designed as a class to show their spirit. Energy is high as students, teachers and parents enjoy this day, dedicated to a wide variety of physical activities. There is something for everyone: Traditional Korean wrestling, tug of war, strength competitions, chicken fighting, soccer, 3-legged races, running, funny costumes, basketball and handball. Obviously, with all these activities, you have to have a halftime show... complete with suggestive dancers and bouncy cheerleaders. Whatever the activity, today is all about school spirit, building community and getting the competitive juices flowing.

Mi Casa

Finally some photo's of my place to give you an idea of where I hibernate.

I actually cooked today, so you can imagine my apartment smelling fantastic!.... I made curried chicken with tons of garlic and red pepper. I cooked with the aromatic and rich sesame oil, throwing in some spinach, onions, mushrooms and peppers which I bought at the market. For me, cooking is a rarity, although I love to cook, a lot of the foods I love are ridiculously expensive. I typically I survive on cereal, fruit, tuna and ramen. In Korea, it is expensive to cook and when you look at my kitchen you will see that I don't have a lot of space to chop and stir.

I've actually noticed that it is just as cheap, often cheaper to eat at a restaurant than to buy ingredients and cook for yourself at home.

Class trip to Grand Park

~my attempts to take a picture where everyone is looking at the camera~



We swapped desks, books and uniforms for a day out in Seoul.
The weather was fantastic and the students were given freedom to choose their own adventure.

Fireworks on the Han

There were literally millions of people there and the subway was a rock concert mosh pit experience!!! Surprisingly, I didn't lose the 3 people I went with and of course, met new people along the way... it is humbling to have a conversation with a stranger when your noses are 3 centimeters away and you forgot to put on antiperspirant that day. The fireworks were exceptional and the "Ooooh's" and "Ahhhhh's" of the well-behaved crowd were like music.
Taking pictures of fireworks is tricky, their firey personality makes them prone to movement, they can't sit still but at least they never forget to smile.