Beginnings of Spring

Here are a few pics of early spring blossoms, all the more noticeable given the brown, dead backdrop:

Children's Day Presents

May 5th in Korea is Children's Day, a national holiday.

It is a day when many children go with their parents (including the father, whom they sometimes seldom see, but that is a different post) to a park, a restaurant, an amusement park, etc.

Many children get a gift of one kind or another.

Last week one of my 6th grade students said, "Teacher, last night I asked my mother for a Children's Day present."

I awaited the response, kind of knowing what it was going to be, since I have heard it from students before.

The 6th grade student continued, "But my mother said, "You are not a child!"  I was so sad."

I asked some 5th grade students about that remark, and they confirmed it, saying that as 5th graders this was the last year that they could expect to receive a present.

Not all that different from Western cultures, is it?

However, it's still a bit of a shock when thrown in your face . . .

Ansan Walking Path

Outside of Seoul, between Geumjeong (금정)  and Oido (오이도) on line 4 of the subway, lies Ansan (안산), which encompasses multiple stations.

Close to Jungang station (중앙역) there is a walking path that encircles a large hill; the path connects to the Home Plus parking garage:

You can walk for a few kilometers around the hill

on the path that also has several other connections:

It is one of the nicer (double-wide) paths that I have been on, and will be even nicer in the coming months as the brown vegetation turns green.  It's a great way to walk off a large lunch or to stretch your legs after viewing a movie at the cinema.

North Korea's Rockets

How is it that North Korea can continue to launch so many rockets into the ocean and nobody--not one news source that I have seen--has mentioned the environmental impact that these splashdowns might have?

So far this week, according to news sources (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-26703821), North Korea has launched a total of 46 rockets into the East sea.

What impact will these rockets have on fishing?  Who will be harmed by these acts in the future?

I think there is more to these news accounts than simply "North Korea is reacting to the U.S.-South Korean war games" [and acting like a big baby in the process].

Just my thought.

City Views

Since the weather in Korea is on a warming trend, more people have been getting out and about.

Here is a picture of a park with a soccer field in Gunpo city (near Seoul); the air quality has been poor over the last 10 days or so . . . this was one of the better days:

Here's you can see a city-center pedestrian area, where a lot of people go to shop and eat out:

Videos

Need a laugh?

Watch these short videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9j3-ghRjBs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etKCHLgW_o0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNJdJIwCF_Y

Another Barley Rice Meal

I wanted to try a different barley rice restaurant, so here are some more pics.  The place looks very different, kind of a western 'log cabin' decor.  However, the food is pretty much the same (though the meat was a bit too spicy for me):