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 . . .