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.