A Hot November Day

Let me introduce you to Korea's summer weather. All you must do is imagine a typically rainy and "puddly" November day in Vancouver. Rather than it being cold to the bone, however, imagine that putting a rain jacket on would just increase your sweat count. This is a July day in Seoul. It poured rain for the last two days, to the point where the outdoor basketball courts and bicycle trails by the river near our apartment were completely flooded. But no, this didn't stop the little kiddies from bravely navigating their tricycles through the happy puddles. It just made their smiles cuter and their chubby legs pedal faster.

The sidewalks in our neck of the woods slash Nowon (the name of our district) become a slight bit treacherous when the rains hit. Usually the sidewalks must be tread on cautiously anyway, due to their wavy nature - the bricks are not exactly evenly laid. Eventually, you stop caring whether your shoes are completely soaked. That is why I am so happy with my crocs that I purchased back in the US of A. They get a bit squeaky, but they hold up well in the rain. Apparently, everything north of the main river in Seoul is less affluent than the south side of the river. We live in the north, but we like the feel. Middle class is our middle name. Nowon has actually come a long way, according to one of our friends we saw today. It was a bit more on the ghetto side a couple of years ago. Thanks to increasing Korean efficiency and economic growth, our area is not crappy anymore. All we care about is that there's a kimbap (like a California sushi roll) place right across the street, a 7-11 in sight from our balcony, a store named "Wal-Mart" in the basement next door, and the academy where we work a 4 min walk from our place. This is the good life.

We reached our one-month mark last Thursday, which is hard to believe! We feel pretty settled... enough that we don't feel like complete noobs showing my parents around when they come in 2 days. We know how to get the attention of a waiter, order at least three different things that we actually like, say "how much is it?", thank you, and goodbye. We went to a giant bookstore today and bought yet another Korean learn yourself book. This one should hopefully work. $20 bucks says it does. :)

I finally uploaded some pictures for your enjoyment... they're not really in any order.

It's probably 8 am your time, so good morning! And in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening and good night! (lean back with double-chin smile)

... we might have watched The Truman Show last night. kthanxbai

Pre-riot. We decided to get lost.

The Cheong gye Cheon River (청계천)

This nearly 6 km creek runs through the middle of Seoul - a mere $90 million project that opened in 2005. It's so nice on a hot day to dip your feet in the creek!

Connor's happiness just can't be contained.