Selfies

Selfies are super popular the world over, but I feel that very few places really embrace them the way Korea does. There is really no shame at all in taking selfies here. It's actually sort of fun to watch people take one after another, twenty or thirty in a row with slight variations in pose, in coffee shops or whatever.

I myself have taken plenty of selfies. I feel like I've regressed back to an amateur level, though. I just can't keep up here.

Lyla

It's Lyla's birthday. Hers is exactly four months ahead of mine; she gets to scout it out for me.

I miss her so very much. That missing has mellowed out a little bit, at least, from the desperation I felt when I first got here. There are several reasons for this, surely: I've gotten accustomed to it. I have friends here now. We Skype semi-regularly. I'll have the prospect of seeing her again soon. I still miss her, tangibly,  though.

I consider myself so lucky to have found this kind of friendship in my life. I know that she and I will love and support each other, forever. I am 100% confident in this fact. That's not something that a lot of people have, but I think we deserve each other.

Happy Birthday!

Peep carnage

Sometimes you just need to maul something.

Baseball Game

Last night I went to my first Korean baseball game. It was... chill? I guess all the cheers, music, and chants have been suspended in solidarity with the ferry victims. It was Jenny's birthday. We brought in chicken and grape drank, no smuggling even required because that's just what you do here. The home team lost, but it was still a fun night!

Parents

Last week, as I left the school, it was raining. I didn't have my umbrella, so I just put up my hood. At the exit from the school yard, the mother of one of my students stopped and offered to walk with me to the post office (where I was headed) so that I could stay under her umbrella with her. It was a bit out of her way, so this was very kind of her. She was nervous about her English, but we managed to have a good conversation. I was really touched by her actions.

Last week, eight months into my time here, was the first time a student's parent bothered to speak to me. That includes responding to my hellos (or 안녕하세요s!).

The Taipei Zoo

spoilt monkey

Hippos make the best hippo pillows.

beautiful pigeon

colorful Taiwanese finch

The hyena wonders what you're looking at.

giraffes

Richard Parker ignores you.

Korean Beauty Standards

Korean beauty standards are an interesting beast. I don't have the time (years) or energy (infinite) to describe them extensively. Basically, they are very different from western standards. Cleavage is totally taboo, and shirts are usually buttoned up to the neck. Puffy eyes are considered to be cute. Hair should be smooth and totally tamed down. Makeup should be minimal, though eyeliner and bright red lips are also popular. More than sexy, women should be seen as cute and innocent.

Basically, whenever I get really sleepy and forget to wash my hair, I get a lot of compliments. Today was a big day for me, looks-wise, here.

Slacking!

I know that I have not been a good blogger during the month of April. Frankly, I've had too many other things going on.

I've been working out. I've been working, a lot. I've been doing my Coursera courses and helping my brain grow. I've been spending time outside with friends. I've been researching things that need researching.

I've come to a few decisions and those have given me a profound sense of calm and happiness. They should make me nervous, but I just feel confident and excited. I apologize for being cryptic, but I will make everything clear soon.

Ferry Sinking

A ferry full of high school students and their teachers has sunk on the way to Jeju, off the southern coast of Korea. Around 300 are thought to be lost. Nobody is sure yet what went wrong, but this is the largest loss of life in Korea for over twenty years.

It's all so sad.

Signage at the Taipei Zoo

I really loved my visit to the Taipei Zoo. It was a nice zoo, barely a torture zoo at all (I always feel bad for the birds, regardless of how calm they seem). There was a baby panda, but we were unable to see it because of the ridiculous, kilometer-long line. We saw many other animals, though, and spent a happy (and cheap!) day there. I really recommend it.

One thing I love about Asia is that the signage is often just ridiculous. It is adorable, or terrifying, or just plain weird. Not knowing what is written certainly helps add to the absurdity. This is true everywhere: metros, roads, and especially in public places like the zoo. This zoo, of course, was no different. Enjoy!

A Picnic

We had absolutely gorgeous weather this weekend. So we had a picnic. I brought some champagne and Easter eggs. Friends brought other snacks. It was a beautiful afternoon talking and laughing in the park.

I apologize for the spotty posting of late. I've had really lackluster internet access. That should hopefully be fixed soon. Fastest internet in the world, it is not.

Coursera

I'm on a regular Coursera binge at the moment. I can't stop signing up for them, and actually working to complete them, too. It's pretty great. I feel my brain growing.

Bing-Su

Here in Korea there is an absolutely delightful warm-weather dessert called 빙수 (bing-su). It's made mainly of finely shaved ice. The traditional version is topped with creamy red beans and jelly. There are also many other versions, such as fruit, coffee, or cookie flavored ones. These come with a bit of ice cream or sorbet.

The dessert is served to you totally pristine. You admire it, snap a photo, and then smush and mix it all together. It's cold, but not too cold, and sweet and light. The best part, because it is mainly ice, is that you can eat absolutely heaps of it without feeling like you want to die. The only downside is that you really need a friend with you to enjoy one, because they are almost always too big for one person.

It's one of my favorite Korean foods, and I look forward to eating several of them in the warm months ahead. 사랑해, 빙수!!

My Weekends

John moved away a bit over a month ago, to a suburb of Seoul. You'd think that would be upsetting, but so far it's working out kind of perfectly. I go to see him one weekend, he comes to see me the next. Sometimes we'll meet in other places (we're going to Seoul in two weeks).

So there are many bus rides, but those are cheap and frequent in Korea. I catch up on tv during mine, or nap. On the other end of the bus is my boyfriend, and we get to do the illicit thrill of mild pda, which is really only permitted in bus/train stations here in the ROK. Then we spend the weekend together. It's pretty relaxed: tv, reading, having a nap, hanging out with my friends here in Daejeon, going for walks, whatever. Sometimes we catch a movie or go check out a new restaurant.

So, mainly, that's how I've been spending my weekends.