A New Year

The New Year holiday is one where we've been groomed to reflect upon our lives and make changes that are meant to better ourselves. Pshh, how often does that ACTUALLY happen? I gave up on making New Year's resolutions long ago, but I'll never give up on reflection. Unfortunately, it's 6:30pm on New Year's Eve here in Jinju and I don't have the time to share my reflections with you. However, I will use my few spare minutes before I head out to celebrate to share a few photos of some recent happenings in my life...

Halloween in Jinju: This was the first time in quite a while that I've celebrated Halloween. Living in Korea makes me revert back to childhood enthusiasm for "American" or "Western" holidays... AND, my Aussie and Kiwi friends had never carved a pumpkin in their lives! What better way to celebrate Halloween than carving pumpkins with friends? We searched high and low and the local market and FINALLY found some pumpkins to take a knife to--though, they weren't quite like the pumpkins back home. And, of course, the whole of Jinju had a costume party at a local bar. A day hike inspired some friends and myself to go for a 'jungle' theme... With our very own lion, king of the jungle. ROAR!







My very first lead climb: Lead climbing is where the top of the rope is attached to you instead of on an anchor above you. So, as you climb up, you clip the rope in to previously attached bolts along the route. It adds an extra element of danger (and therefore excitement!), but is something I was very proud to have accomplished.



My dear friend Chris always admired my tie-dye shirt from Eugene's Saturday Market. So, when my parents came out for a visit, they were kind enough to bring a matching tie-dye shirt for Chris. He loves it, and we both happened to wear our shirts on a hike. Upon reaching the summit of the peak, we couldn't resist taking a picture together with our shirts--Korean style.



My other dear friend, Megan, left Korea at the end of November. These pictures are from the last few days we had with her before her departure, and these are the people I have spent the majority of my time in Korea with.





In early December, a few friends and I decided it would be a great idea to go camping the night before a hike. All ended well, but WOW it was cold! We were bundled up as much as we could be, and still didn't have a warm sleep. However, it could have been worse and the day after--clear blue skies, sunshine and the magnificent view--was well worth a cold night.





Christmas #2 in Korea: This year for Christmas, 16 friends and one friend's mother and myself spent Christmas day and night in a pension that we had rented (comparable to renting a condo I suppose). The pension was up in the mountains, inside of Jirisan National Park. We arrived in afternoon on Christmas day, started cooking and enjoyed an amazing meal together. After having given Chris a tie-dye shirt, people got jealous. SO, in another kind gesture, my parents sent me a package that included an order of several more tie-dye shirts for some friends. All of us sported those lovely colorful shirts all weekend and without a doubt, we were likely one of the more colorful bunches of people on Christmas.





Just another little taste of my life in Korea. Peace and love to all in the new year.

On War

I've been meaning to write about what happened recently with North Korea and the general attitude and vibe here in the South, as a handful of people have asked me about it... But, an extensive post will have to wait.

In the meantime, I will say that South Koreans, in general, don't have a lot of fear in them about any impending war with North Korea. True, they are outraged and disturbed by the attack on the South Korean island that happened recently, and so soon after the sinking of one of South Korea's ships. However, one must remember that the war between North and South never officially ended, making it such that the two countries have technically been at war for over 50 years.

These little exchanges aren't a novel experience for Koreans. And living here, I've chosen to follow the attitude of the people around me. If they're not worried, than nor am I. HOWEVER, the recent attacks this year have instilled the belief that should the North attack again, war is inevitable, and will eventually result in the unification of North and South (which is what most Koreans want, anyhow).

Certainly, I don't wish for war. But, it has been very interesting living in a country in such a position...

The moral of the story is that there aren't things to be scared of here. Yes, North Korea is a threat. Yes, an attack is more than possible. But, media is media and will hype up anything. I will let you know if or when there is ever something to be scared of. Until then, I'll keep on loving life in Korea :)

The Small Things

The notion that it's the "small things" in life that make the biggest difference is one that I am often reminded of here in Korea. I can't begin to express just how many times I've stopped and thought to myself "I love my life" for a reason triggered by something as minute as an amazing bowl of galbi-tang (Korean soup), the smile of a student, or the smell of fresh air as I stand atop a nearby mountain under the blue skies, looking out over this beautiful land.

Well, this past weekend, that moment came at the sight of a squirrel. "Ah! Squirrel!" I yelped, excitedly and literally jumping up and down, grabbing my friend and making him look.

This wasn't just any squirrel. This was the second--yes, SECOND--squirrel I've seen while living in Korea. Korea's not known for it's abundance of wildlife. In fact, my first few months in Korea, the only wildlife I saw was magpies and white cranes. Then, after going on a hike in the mountains, I was relieved to see chipmunks. Birds and chipmunks. That's all we get here, so when I see a squirrel, it's a big deal.

Coming from where I do, and having spent two years on the campus of Miami University, which probably ranks number one for population density of squirrels on campus out of all universities in the U.S., one might think I'm a little crazy for getting so excited at the sight of a squirrel. But let me tell you, after one year of living in Korea, seeing a squirrel IS a big deal.

Musings, Observations and Rants

There's too much to catch up for me to go about in my typical long-winded ways on this blog so I thought I'd try something new: KISS. Keep it short and simple. So, without further ado:

Goodbyes are never easy. But, they are an inevitable part of the life I've chosen to live and I accept them for what they are. That doesn't make them any easier when they come...

Two nights ago I said the most difficult goodbye I've had to say yet during my year in Korea. Megan was my very first friend in Korea (well, along with our friend Chris, who himself will be leaving in a month). She lived closer to me than any other friend, a quick 10 minute walk away. We caught buses and taxis together, usually meeting on our designated corner to do so ("Meet me on the corner in 20?"). She was like my sister here, my partner in crime. We would see each other on our walk to school in the morning, heading in opposite directions and throwing up a wave of the hand from the other side of the street. Now, she's off gallivanting around Vietnam for a few weeks before heading home just in time for Christmas. Lucky girl. She will definitely be missed here.

Last week was Thanksgiving, and do not for a moment think that living in Korea and this lovely holiday of eating are mutually exclusive. Several friends and myself gathered together the Sunday after Thanksgiving for a potluck dinner at Megan's house (she's got the biggest place out of anybody here). We cooked together, played games together and ate together. We had a nice spread of foods, though few of them resembled anything one would find on your average Thanksgiving day table; we indulged in pizza, fried rice, tacos, chicken stew and chocolate cake. We DID, however, enjoy brownies made by the only person we know with on oven (she lives on the military base). AND, wait for it... the grand finale... By the end of the night, several slices of pumpkin pie had magically appeared (sans whipped cream, but beggars can't be choosers!). A local church held a Thanksgiving dinner and had about 150 guests, including many of my foreign friends here in Jinju. The lovely people who attended the church dinner brought the pie back for those of us who had opted out of the dinner. It wasn't homemade, but it was still quite tasty. We ended the night with homemade mulled wine--cinnamon sticks and all!

Walking to school last week, I realized something. There are no bumper stickers in Korea. Back home, I'm used to seeing them all over cars, especially the older ones. Here, they seem to just not exist at all.

Speaking of cars, Korea has to have some of THE worst drivers in the world. It's really quite possible. And, it's really quite frustrating. But more than the way it makes me angry when I'm trying to cross the street and a car will turn in front of me ,or plow through he intersection without warning, or the way cars run red lights constantly from every which direction... More than THAT, the thing that angers and simultaneously frightens me the most is watching child after child nearly get smacked down by a car in the middle of the road. And unfortunately, it's not just the car's fault. The children here don't know the first thing about looking around before crossing the streets. I've seen numerous children running along a sidewalk and directly out into the street without even so much as a glance. So far they've all been lucky; I am sorry to say that I don't have the highest of hopes to never witness such a tragedy while living here.

It's truly amazing how fast time flies here. I suppose anyone could say that about life anywhere at any point in time, depending on a number of factors. But really, life in Korea flies by without so much as the blink of an eye. Two weeks from today marks my one-year in Korea. I'm getting anxious for a break, and so are my students.

Lucky for me I GET a break soon, and will likely be heading to Thailand for two weeks in mid-January. Then, after another week and a half in freezing cold Korea, I'll head home in mid-February for a brief two-week family-, friend- and cat-loving, eating bonanza! I won't be teaching any classes again until the first week of March.

I really do love my students; as I've said before, they make me laugh and smile on a daily basis. I literally walk through the halls smiling to myself because of them. HOWEVER, the past few weeks, they've gotten a little on the crazy side (hard to believe it's even possible for them to get even crazier). My worst classes have gotten ten times worse than my average class. It's like for every increment that my average class gets worse, the two awful classes get ten times worse. It's terrible.

Yet somehow, I STILL adore them.

I am expecting to move into a new apartment soon. And by soon, I mean VERY soon. TWO WEEKS soon. The not-so-surprising thing is that my school has absolutely NO idea where this new apartment will be. I'm pretty much expecting to get dragged to some apartment building on the second to last day, told that would be my new place, and then have to move the following day. It's the Korean way... I'll keep you updated.

I suppose that's all for now; though, there's so much more to say about my life here...

Endless Kindness

For the past two or three months, I have sporadically been giving English lessons to my vice principal one or two afternoons a week when I have a free period. I really don't know what I'm doing, teaching English to an adult one-on-one with a fairly basic level of English. She is obviously an intelligent woman and has no problem reading or writing; it's the speaking that is the problem (just like most Koreans and just like most anybody learning a new language). I feel really bad about not having a clue of how to teach her, but she's a very kind woman and I think we have a decent time just having conversations.

Anyways, my point here was to write about yet ANOTHER example of the extent of kindness that happens so often in Korean culture.

This afternoon, after having had to cancel our afternoon class, she came up to me and said "Stephanie, when you go rock climbing this weekend, eat this." As she handed me a huge box of something--I can't tell what it is just yet. Some kind of "bisuit" is what she said.

I need to start bringing her some little presents...

My vice principal is obviously well-liked by teachers here at school (unlike the former vice principal and current principal). She's kind and open and is willing to joke around and laugh with teachers. It's evident that she respects teachers and teachers respect her. This certainly makes life easier on everyone... And, as usual, I feel very lucky!

Da Boyz

I don't often write about teaching, or my students. I don't have the brain power to write any of that now, but I thought I'd post some pictures while I'm sitting here at my desk at school, in my third hour of doing NOTHING because there are no classes. Yet, they won't let me leave. Ahh, Korea.

This is one of my favorite first grade classes, mainly becasue of a few humorous students. Their English is good enough they're able to pull out some quick-witted remarks:



The following pictures are from late spring on a first-grade field trip up into the mountains and to a traditional folk village. They were there for three days, but I just went up for the day with a few other teachers:









Yes, I am aware there are girls in these two photos. These were the kids I had in my summer camps. I was luck this past summer and only had a week of camp, and instead of doing a camp only for our students, I did a camp for middle school students from all over Jinju (my one and only chance to work with girls!):





The rest of the pictures are from Sports Day at school about a month ago. Tug-of-War, basketball, table tennis, soccer, the students got to spend an entire day playing and watching these and more. Knowing my background in soccer, some teachers tried to make me referee the championship soccer game; I kindly refused to be head referee, but gladly accepted the position of sideline ref:









These boys make me laugh on a daily basis. I wish I could pick out a few from each class and just bottle up their jokes and their smiles and funny little things that they do during class and outside in the hallways and streets. I certainly am NOT ready to leave them just yet...

Ppeppero! Ppeppero! Ppeppero!

Korea never ceases to disappoint me with its cuteness factor. Today, November 11th, is 빼 빼 로 데 이 (Ppeppero Day). Ppeppero, akin to the Japanese Pocky, are long cookie sticks dipped in chocolate. I've been told that Lotte, the manufacturing company (and one which seemingly has a monopoly over food products here in Korea) just decided one day that 11/11 would be Ppeppero Day (take note of the four ones and their resemblence to these cookies). On this day, lovers are meant to give each other boxes of these deliciuos little snacks. In addition, students give to teachers and children to their friends.



I arrived to school this morning to find two one foot-long, one-inch thick Ppepperos on my desk, covered in chocolate and colorful flower shaped sprinkles. These could have easily come from a coworker (which wouldn't be out of the ordinary, despite this "holiday" being geared more toward children), but I'd like to think that I've got a student out there who likes me well enough to secretly place chocolate cookies on my desk before school... :)

I've since had two students come to my desk between classes and give me a box of the classic plain chocolate dipped cookies. I was really hoping for the chocolate almond flavor, but beggars can't be choosers, right? I'll take what I can get when it comes to chocolate covered snacks!

In my first class this morning, one student had a little bag of Ppepperos and said to my co-teacher in Korean "Teacher, please have some Ppeppero." She happily accepted the snack from the student, only to find it empty. In our next class, a student called me over to his desk, where he was offering me a box of the chocolate almond flavor. After our first class I had my suspicions, but my hopes remained high that I'd be snacking on chocolate almond covered cookies 45 minutes later--only to find yet ANOTHER empty package.

Needless to say, these little pranks gave the students a good laugh.

South Korea has a handful of other little informal holidays like Ppeppero Day. There is a special little holiday every month, it's really quite fantastic! Though, rarely have I actually observed any of them. Here is some information I picked up off the internet:

January 14th – Diary Day
Couples are meant to give each other a diary or year planner book and note down all the rest of these lovely gift-giving days make new year’s resolutions.

February 14th – Valentine’s Day
In contrast to Western society, today is traditionally when women give chocolates to their men and confess their love.

March 14th – White Day
Men give candy to the women they love (Flowers, chocolate and cuddly toys, etc.. anything!)

April 14th – Black Day
A purely Korean day, for those singletons out there, who didn’t received chocolate or candy, console and encourage themselves by eating jajangmyeon (짜장면) – noodles with black bean sauce.

May 14th – Rose Day / Yellow Day
Couples exchange roses, and those lonely hearts gather for curry and companionship. Apparently dressing in yellow is also recommended.

June 14th – Kiss Day
The day when couples kiss each other.
There is one site puts it as: ‘Lovers confess their feelings to one another and kiss passionately.’ Just another excuse to make out really!!

July 14th – Silver Day
Couples can freely ask their friends to give them money to pay for a date! Couples exchange gifts made of silver, and announce their relationship to their friends. I’m thinking this is a good idea as you get yourself a free date day!

August 14th – Green Day
Couples are supposed to dress in green, and walk outside in the woods. Singles would drink a (green) bottle of soju to console themselves.

September 14th – Photo & Music Day
Couples take photographs together, go out with friends in the evening to Noraebangs (Karaoke) or night clubs, places with music in order to make their relationship public.

October 14th – Wine Day
Couples have wine on this day, because wine drinking is the thing to do in autumn.

October 24th – Apple Day
The Korean word for apple is called ‘Sa-gwa’ (사과), also means to apologize. On this day, friends, family and couples give an apple to each other to apologize for past mistakes.

November 11th – Pepero Day (Also called the Choc Stick Day!)
A new day that has taken off in South Korea, it is named after a pencil-shaped cookie stick covered in chocolate, given mostly by young Koreans as an expression of their affection.
The 11th day of the 11th month is specifically chosen as the number looks like a Pepero stick. Students exchange the treats with one another with the thought of growing tall and thin.

November 14th – Movie & Orange Day
Couples would watch a movie together while having some orange juice.

December 14th – Hug Day
Couples are meant to hug one another lovingly to stay warm in the cold winter months.

As you can see, there is a lot of emphasis placed on being in a relationship... You have no idea how many times I've been told "You need a boyfriend" or asked by somebody whom I've just met "Do you have a boyfriend?" It's a harsh world for young women here in Korea...

Fruit of the Gods

"The Tiger and the Dried Persimmon

A hungry tiger was roaming the hills of a small village in search of food one very cold winter night. He came to the window of a village house, lit by lamp light. The tiger heard a mother trying to calm her crying baby, but even the threat of a fox and a bear outside the window would not quiet the baby. Then the mother told the baby there was a tiger outside the window, but even that would not quiet the child. "What a strange creature, this baby, that it's not even afraid of me" thought the tiger. This worried him, as he saw himself as the most ferocious animal in Korea. Then, the mother offered a dried persimmon to the baby. At once, the baby stopped crying. This worried the tiger, as he worried what kind of earthly creature a persimmon could be that it would make a baby stop crying. "It must be more powerful and ferocious than even me!" Just then, a thief, mistaking the tiger for a cow in the dark, jumped on the tiger's back. Both were very startled and the tiger began to run away with the thief still on his back, thinking the thief was the evil creature "persimmon." The tiger ran and ran, trying to throw the 'persimmon' off his back, but the thief held on tightly knowing that the moment he fell, the tiger would tear him to pieces. Finally, the thief was able to escape from the tiger's back by grabbing onto a low branch of a tree and climbing up to safety. Both were relieved and the tiger continued to run into the safety of the dark forest. Ever since, the tiger has feared persimmon."

Tigers disappeared from South Korea long ago, but the persimmon did not. We are in the thick of persimmon season here in Korea--the large, shiny and smooth red-ish, orange-ish fruits hanging off tree branches around every corner. According to the ancient Greeks, persimmons were the "fruit of the gods." In Buddhism, the persimmon is used as a symbol of transformation. I find persimmon trees to be especially pretty on Buddhist temple grounds, personally.

The first time I tried a dried persimmon, my tastebuds were not very pleased. In fact, I didn't take more than a few little nibbles before tossing it into the ocean off the docks in Busan. The texture is odd and mushy, the taste not very appetizing, and they are covered in a layer of something similar to powdered sugar. That was last winter, after I'd only been in Korea for about a month. I think I'll have to give them another try this winter, after spending a year here and having found a new and improved appreciation for the fruit.

Though, I'll start with raw persimmons. My vice principal just gave me a box full of HUGE and beautifully colored persimmons that she hand-picked over the weekend from her country home up in the mountains. I was also given three delicious persimmons by the husband-wife owners of a new local convenience store. All I bought was a small carton of milk and a bottle of water.

The kindness and generosity of Korean people is truly amazing and inspiring.

Here is a photo I took recently while walking through a temple on the outskirts of Jinju:



And, just for fun:

A Few Random Notes

1. How fortunate am I to get crab for school lunch? I'm not talking fake crab, or even little chunks of real crab. I'm talking halves of legit crabs--and I am free to take as much as I'd like. Try serving crab for school lunch back home and see what kind of reaction that gets.

2. The following data has all been collected at random: Over the months, when I think about it, I take a moment during class to count how many of my 34 (first grade) or 37 (second grade) students wear glasses. Without fail thus far, there have been no fewer than 20 students in each class who wear glasses. Today 24 out of 34 students in one of my classes were wearing glasses. Are Koreans' eye sight that terrible?

*(On a mostly unrelated note, but interesting--at least to me--nonetheless, when I asked my kids what they knew about Mongolia, they all had the same answer, hands down: "good eye sight!"; or, rather, something closer to "good see!" or "good eye!" Hmm, I had no idea.)

3. This morning, in my extra conversation class that I teach before school actually starts (yes, I DESPISE having to teach earlier in the morning and BEFORE my actual teaching begins for the day), I had the students play Beer Pong. Okay, we didn't actually use beer, or any other liquid for that matter. BUT, I used the same concept and had a number written on the bottom of the cups with a corresponding action for the students to do should the ping-pong ball land in that cup. My favorite, thanks to my high-school soccer coach, is always "star jumps." Naturally, I make the kids actually say "I'm a star!" with each star jump they do :)

4. It's a pretty amazing feeling to be able to feel so happy with my life on a daily basis. Even on the bad days, there is always something in my life here that makes me smile and explicitly think to myself "Life is good" and "I'm where I'm supposed to be right now." It's only 12:45pm Wednesday afternoon, and I've already had this happen twice to me today.

God, life is good.

Make that three ;-)

I've Got Sunshine...

I was sent home a half-hour early yesterday so the entire school could be sprayed down with disinfectant after a student's recent diagnosis of TB last Friday. Yes, as in tuberculosis.

Apparently we're getting chest x-rays tomorrow?

Another student, only days before, was diagnosed with leukemia. I don't know the health status of either of the students, but neither of these things is good news.

A few days ago I mentioned it was officially fall. Upon stepping outside this morning, it felt more like winter. HOLY HELL where did all this cold air suddenly come from??

Jinju was host to Korean's national sports competition this year, which coincided with the famous Lantern Festival held every October. So, the city built a brand new stadium and sports complex, complete with facilities for soccer, track, basketball, tennis, roller blading, skateboarding, volleyball AND last but not least, rock climbing. SO, a few friends and I met up yesterday evening to hit up the rock wall at the stadium. It was my first time to this place (which is an $8 taxi ride away; or, I can take a bus, but the bus only comes by my house every hour or two, I haven't quite figured it out yet). But this place is incredible! It makes me just want to go, soccer ball, basketball, climbing gear in hand and hang out for like six hours doing all sorts of random sports-related activities. Oh, it's also right on the river so there's always the river path to run along.

Anyways, my point in that entire paragraph was to say that somewhere in between about 5pm and 8pm last night, the weather turned dramatically and now it's FREEZING COLD. Here's to hoping there's still a little warmth in the afternoon air under the sun... At least there's still sunshine.

Little Cleaning Machines

Who needs custodians and janitors when you've got 1,088 teenage boys?

Not Jinju Jeil Middle School. And not the rest of the public schools in Korea, either. I haven't yet figured out the pattern, but on most days after the final bell rings at 3:30 and classes are officially over, the boys start cleaning. They sweep, they dust, they wipe, they mop and they scrub. They clean the stairs, the floors, the windows and the desks. They empty the trash. They clean the classrooms, the hallways and the teachers' offices. Every afternoon around 3:45 I roll my chair away from my desk so the first student can sweep under my desk and the second student can mop. I think I'm the only teacher who every says "thank you." ("Thank you" is not nearly as common an expression in Korean as it is in English).

They DON'T, however, clean the bathrooms. Apparently they used to, but they did such a terrible job and would screw around so much that they since got banned from that responsibility. I'm sure they were very disappointed about that one. (We do actually have a few women who are here every day cleaning bathrooms; otherwise, the students clean EVERYTHING!).

About once a month, maybe less, Monday afternoon's sixth period becomes special deep-cleaning days. They spend an entire class period moving desks around in classrooms, wiping the blackboards clean, and climbing out windows onto the rooftops to clean the glass.

What a brilliant idea. But, I can't imagine this EVER working in public schools back home...

I'm Gonna be a Superstar

Okay, not really. Not even close, with my (lack of) talent. BUT, that doesn't mean I can't FEEL like a star during the midnight hour when my friends and I escape to a magical place called a "norae bang."

Norae = song, bang = room. Song room. Singing room. Karaoke room. Room where one can feel like a star for the night.

Koreans love their norae bangs. I'm convinced, in fact, that without norae bangs Korea and Korean culture just wouldn't be the same. It's not uncommon for a night out in Korea to end in a norae bang (for Koreans and foreigners alike). It's also not uncommon to end up in a norae bang with coworkers--principals and vice principals included--after a school dinner. The first time I sang in a norae bang was actually in front of my vice principal (who has an amazing voice) and about seven other teachers. A coworker picked out "Dancing Queen" by ABBA. Let's just say that Dancing Queen is WAY out of my range and I was humiliated. Luckily, they didn't fire me after my terrible performance.

One becomes accustomed to the norae bang session with ease after the first one or two times. Now, when my friends and I make the late-night decision to end the evening with a norae bang session, it goes a little something like this:

Walk half a block to the nearest norae bang (they're everywhere here). Enter, pay the fee (usually around $20 for one hour), order a few beers. Enter into our 'assigned' room, grab the song book, the mics, the tambourines, kick off our shoes and start singing. The norae bang employee will soon bring in a plate of snacks, usually consisting of something like peanuts, dried squid and other little crunchy snacks. People have their usual songs, like "Hotel California," "Piano Man," "La Bamba," The Beatles, Oasis, you name it. The options are endless (well, almost; we've only been able to find Journey once in a norae bang).

If there are enough people (I'd say more than six), the music never stops. There are songs in the queue so as soon as one finishes, the mic is passed on to the next star. The room is usually set up such that there is a big-screen tv in one corner or end of the room and then a line of seating (often time velvet lined and padded with cushion and pillows) around three walls and a table in the middle, thus leaving plenty of performing (i.e., singing AND dancing) space. We dance on the cushioned seating and it's more likely the dried squid will be tossed around like a ninja star rather than eaten.

Norae bangs are like a black whole, or a vortex of fun where time seems to stand still. My latest norae bang session? We walked out after almost three hours to daylight. Yes, it was almost 7am the next day. Thankfully, we were handed complimentary cans of coffee on the way out.

Norae bangs are the perfect ending to a night out on the town.

See for yourself and tell me you aren't just a LITTLE jealous that YOU can't also be a superstar singer for the night (even my parents joined in on the norae bang fun during their visit!):

Rockin' Out

I've been slacking... But, that's typical.

It's officially autumn in Jinju. The nights are cold, the morning air is crisp and the afternoons remain warm under the sun. The leaves have yet to turn, but I am told that will happen in the next few weeks. Jinju weather right now is really quite refreshing.

Summer in Jinju was, in one word, epic. I hardly had time to bat an eye between all the beach days, baseball games, festivals, picnics, bike rides, hikes, rock climbing trips, late night norae bang sessions and Mongolia. Mmmm, rock climbning. Rock climbing has become an addiction--no, an infatuation--for me and a handful of friends here.

I was first introduced to climbing during the summer of 2009 and it was love at first sight. Unfortunately, after spending over a week in Squamish, British Columbia, climbing was absent from my life for the next ten months or so. Until, of course, Korea brought it back.

Below is part of a blog post I wrote near the end of my Squamish trip. Sitting here moments ago, I recalled writing this while still in Squamish and thought it would be interesting to re-read what I wrote when I was being introduced to the sport.

"Seductive Squamish: Adventures on the Rocks
It's now my eighth day in Squamish, British Columbia, and impressed is an understatement of how I feel about this place. It's breathtakingly beautiful, with the town nestled between massive rocky peaks and an endless green of fir tree after fir tree. I know I have been lucky; I've seen nothing but sunshine and blue skies until today, where I now take refuge in the Squamish Public Library from the chill of overcast skies and intermittent drizzles of rain.

I could not think of a better place to be introduced to the sport of rock climbing. Throughout the past week, I have tested my mind and body in ways that until now have been unfamiliar to me. It's as much a mental game as it is physical, demanding from your mind an intense focus on each move, with a need for problem-solving and piecing together a puzzle, all while hanging on by fingertips and the tips of your toes, shifting your weight until you find the right balance to stay on the rock.

No doubt, there is an adrenaline rush that takes you right up to the top of the rock (although, I never truly notice it until I've reached the peak, and then even more when my feet are safely back on the ground). The rush of feeling you get on the inside is indescribable, and nothing like that of finishing a race, winning a soccer match, or reaching the summit of a long hike."

I include this because I was trying to think of how to describe what climbing feels like to someone who has never done it before. Having always been an athlete, I've had plenty of experiences that demand an incredible amount of physical and mental exertion, concentration, focus and confidence. I'm familiar with pushing my mind and body to new places, above and beyond what I had expected from myself. I'm used to challenging myself and being challenged by people around me. But, that still doesn't even begin to cover what it feels like to climb.

I guess I'll just post some pictures of this year's climbing adventures instead.

These are from Sancheong, about a half hour north of Jinju. This was my very first outdoor climbing trip in Korea:









The next two photos are from what we call the "Sea Wall," about 45 minutes south of Jinju in Samcheonpo. This is a great warm-weather climbing spot since the ocean is right there. That means we swim, climb, swim, sunbathe, climb, swim, etc. Good stuff.





Probably one of my favorite places in Korea thus far, Yongseo Pokpo (Forgiveness Waterfall), is a few hours away but a place we've returned to a few times. As you can see, all the climbing routes are right there next to the falls. Like the Sea Wall, we can climb, swim, climb, swim; AND, there are places to pitch a few tents to make a great weekend out of it. As you can see in the last photo, we gave night-climbing a go after we'd already had dinner and sat around a campfire for a little while.













The rest of the pictures are from my most recent climbing trip up north to Chuncheon, near the North Korean border. There were six of us total and we did a four-pitch climb; this was also the first multi-pitch climb for three of us, so it was an awesome weekend.