Egypt Does Not Own the Nile

Egypt lays claims to the Nile river that are beyond reason, and may set off something approaching a continental war. If you don't know about it, read up . . .

Non-Whining, or The Weather Is Close to Rockin'

It's really only fair, since I was whining about the weather before, that I say we are moving very nicely into fall weather, which is the best in Korea. Sunny, warm days, cool nights, no precipitation. That's the plan, anyway. I'm not quite sure we are there yet, but we're on the way, and I'm loving it:)

Thank you Mother Nature, and I withdraw any possible negative comments I might have somehow made about your stature or well-being.

Home Cooking

My friend Ken and I made some good dinners this past week, in part using his oven (a rarity in Korea). Here are some pics:

Gangneung Beach Harbor Pics

These pics were taken from a forested hilltop overlooking the beach I always frequent.

In an earlier posting, you can see the hilltop from the vantage point of the marina (ie, from an opposite angle).

Another Julie-ism

There we were. The Friday before vacation week, this week, the week I had been looking forward to for a long time.

Our Fridays are special days, at least for this class, my young advanced class--three girls who are fluent in English.

Since I teach them five days a week I always try to make Fridays special.

At first it was doing simple magic, and stories, but now I do a half-lesson and then we play a game.

We also have a snack. Sometimes the kids bring somthing, but I always try to have a different type of food, often something unusual (for them) from the foreign food store that I go to in Seoul: coconut milk, raisins, cashew nuts, imported cookies, etc.

Last Friday, however, I bought some Korean food--some stuffed rice balls--and an apple. The apple is perfect for four people, as I can quarter and clean it quickly.

Anyway, when we were getting a game set up and eating our apple slices, Julie happened to look directly at me when I was stuffing a wide apple slice into my mouth.

I was a bit embarrased, so I made a point--once I had finished chewing the piece--to say directly to Julie, "Ha ha, I have a big mouth!"

Now Julie, this precoscious little girl, who has her quiet moments but often can be a speed-talker, said to me, "My mother says I have a big mouth too!"

I almost fell out of my chair.

Little gets past her, but this parental comment did. As she proceeded to show me how wide she could stretch her mouth, I thought to myself, "Your mother was not talking about size. She was telling you to shut up!" But I would never say that to her. It does make me want to talk with her mom though.

Korean Thanksgiving

This week is Chuseok, or Korean Thanksgiving, vacation time. The dates change every year, and sometimes every one feels ripped off, especially when the holidays (it's a 3-day stretch) fall on Sat./Sun./Mon., for example. Last year was like that. This year, however, is the best possible scenario: the holidays fall on Tues./Wed./Thurs., so many schools and businesses, like my academy, also have taken Mon. and Fri. off, so we have a 9-day stretch. Cool!

I left Seoul early Sat. morning in order to be any traffic (there is a massive exodus out of Seoul as people return to their hometowns, typically to their parents' grandparents' houses; it's been reported that 400,000 vehicles, carrying several million people, will leave Seoul in a 1-2 day period).

I went to the beach on Sat. (where I was the only person swimming. Korean "beach season" is over, so nobody swims. But the day was hot and the water was nice, so I dove right in. Crazy foreigner.)

I'm staying with a friend on the east coast; his Korean wife recently went to England to do a 1-year M.A. program in English/teacher education.

When I get back to my place I will post some pics . . .

Fireworks

"Where are the fireworks?"

"They're over there, next to the microwave rice and instant noodles."

Thanks!"

Neighborhood Dryin'

Grilling Dinner in a Restaurant

The Artificial Harbour

A Gangneung project for the last five years or so.

Someboy Got Married

Somebody got married, and apparently somebody's daddy was rich and gave them a nice, new car . . .

Still Raining

It's September 1st and still raining almost every day. I can't remember this happening before, and I've been in Korea for several years. Usually the rainy season ends by mid-August.

The forecast for the next 10 days shows one day with a 20 % chance of rain; the rest of the days are all 60-90 %. So it's gonna keep raining for a while.

Sometimes I wonder if I did something to piss off Mother Nature.

Or maybe the North Koreans are seeding the skies/cloud, hoping to cause a deluge that will flood the South.

But that can't be true, because they flood the South anyways, sometimes adding landmines (unintentionally or not) to the released rainwater.

I always carry a mini umbrella in my backpack. That's kind of sad:(

It's also still hot (and, of course, humid), though the heat shows some signs of abating, at least at night.

Sigh.