I have consumed more sweet, juicy, delicious mandarin oranges in my two weeks in Korea than in my entire 27 years of life combined. And I've loved every bite. They are the cheapest fruit I've found in stores. They sell them on the side of the road. They've been handed to me at workshops and at school on numerous occasions. I'm usually carrying a few in my bag when I go to school, and when I come home from school, and my fridge is full of them! It's utterly delightful!
It's New Year's Eve here now, and despite more sunny blue skies in Jinju, I'm soon heading to the beach to bring in 2010 with about 20 other foreign teachers, only four of whom I've ever met. Somebody did a very nice thing and reserved us a pension (like a condo) for a few nights and apparently it overlooks the ocean. Should be a New Year's Eve to remember!
In other news, Jinju continues to grow on me more and more by the day. It's an amazing combination of natural beauty and mass urban development. I can walk about ten minutes along any number of trails behind my apartment and be up in the hills, away from the noise of the city, surrounded by trees and bamboo peering down on Jinju or out to the layers and layers of mountains surrounding me. Or, I can walk ten minutes to the Nam River, which makes a nice S-curve through the city. Heading west along an isolated path, with no shortage of beautiful white cranes in the water, I end up at a large lake (reservoir?) surrounded by more mountains (or hills, depending on how you see them). Heading east I walk past a massive 16th century fortress, past downtown Jinju and over to the far east side of the city--a place I've not yet explored. Amidst all of the natural beauty Jinju presents, there is evidence of development around every corner. Bridges, highways, high-rise apartment buildings--they're popping up everywhere. Yet somehow, Jinju still seems like such a peaceful city and I truly cannot wait to experience this place to it's full capacity!
Sending my love and best wishes to everybody for the new year! Yay for 2010!!!
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