Food was certainly something I was skeptically intrigued by but overall, it has been a decent transition. I can certainly see why there isn't much obesity based on eating habits - lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, a minimal amount of meat & plenty of roots, 'shrooms, innards and the like. I've discovered most everything is edible in one capacity or another, just depends how hungry you really are!
There was some reservation about my limited abilities in speaking Hangul but I was convinced my ability to quickly assimilate w/a wide array of people as well as utilize my innate gift of gestures would get me through the first few weeks/months until I was able to properly order cocktail, challenge the neighborhood kids to a game of 'footie,' summon a cabbie to deliver me to my desired destination or even request the company of a lovely Korean 'lady friend' (not to worry, I haven't done it, but I now know how if I ever needed to)!
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| Smiles & Hand Gestures Are Easy To Understand |
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| See, It Worked! |
There are certainly a couple things I wasn't planning on....and I suppose that's part of the whole adventure but still seems a tad unsettling. I don't think anybody saw the catastrophe from the nuclear disaster coming until the earthquake actually hit & subsequently put the reactors in a serious state of 'oh shit!' The warning of radiation fallout from Japan was a definite surprise but I have always liked a good challenge.
As it was explained to me, wind carried the radiation to various parts of the world but it was mostly contained to immediate areas surrounding Japan - i.e. Korea & China. Thinking to myself, great, Gumi is one of the most significantly windy places I've ever been. Nearly every day there's a substantially healthy breeze whipping it's way through the concrete canyons of my fair little neighborhood....even Forest City, IA & Chi-town pale in comparison to gusty little Gumi! So the warning was a slight possibility some harm could come from contact with the rain....alright, no big deal. I'd definitely know if I was in trouble when my face started melting off or my clothes mysteriously deteriorated before my eyes - an umbrella seemed like a ridiculous option as it would simply stave off the inevitable for only so long. Plus, I haven't seen any of these guys cruising around, so I suppose I'm OK for now.
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| Haven't Witnessed This Yet, So I Think I'm Good |
Recently, James warned me about the latest Korean villain - Asian Dust, Yellow Dust, Yellow Sand, Yellow Wind, or China Dust Storms (take your pick, although I've heard it mostly called Yellow Dust, so I'm gonna stick w/that for the remainder of my little excerpt). Alright, no big deal, I was ready for this. Nearly a decade in the swirling vortex of Florida had prepared me for most anything what w/it's Yellow Pollen, love bugs, hurricanes & the like. Little did I know, though, the prep time was all for not. It seems neighbors on all sides have their own little ways of messing w/this seemingly peaceful (well, South Korea anyway) little peninsula I'm fortunate enough to call home for another seven months.
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| Yellow Dust Clouds From '08, Nice! |
This fantastic opportunity to fully participate in a seasonal meteorological phenomenon that pretty much hits all of East Asia (see satellite image above) is delightfully brought to me all the way from the Gobi Desert in Central Asia (see map below); basically southeast Mongolia & Northern China.
**For those geography deficient or academically curious readers, my recommendation would be to simply Google 'Gobi Desert' - I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the amount of information & exciting visuals you will be immediately inundated with! I've also included links at the bottom of the page for further perusal & knowledge gathering....The More You Know, right?
Alright, back on topic....I've been told the real dilemma stems from some serious Yak packs stirring up massive amounts of sand in their travels through the desert along the Yellow River, hence the name. It just so happens that while the Yaks venture on their little journey, the spring winds really start howling & picking up steam as they whip through the desert basin. As the power of the wind intensifies, it captures huge amounts of sand being kicked around and carries it whichever direction it happens to be blowing. Seeing how this lasts for nearly a month, the sheer area effected can be huge. It has even made it's way across the pacific to the interior states/provinces of Western North America on occasion.
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| Working Up A Mess Of Goodness! |
As this incessant little beasts furious journey meanders across the Far East, out into the Pacific Ocean, Yellow & China Sea, its nice enough to gather a few delightfully harmful friends to accompany the sand. After a bit of research, I discovered sulfur, soot, ash, carbon monoxide and other toxic pollutants, metals (mercury, cadmium, chromium, arsenic, lead, zinc, copper) and carcinogens all join in. Not to be left out, various bacteria, viruses, fungi, pesticides, antibiotics, herbicides, asbestos hitch their goodness onto the party. I was certainly not comforted by the fact the sun's UV ray's DO NOT sterilize our little dust cloud contaminants.
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| Kinda Like The View I Had In LA |
James said some of the acid and high alkaline content being good for the soil & maybe some crops but overall, the remainder of the crap whipping its way southeast, isn't a particularly good situation for anyone or anything. It can usually end up resulting in sore throats, asthmatic symptoms and generally lousy respiratory issues....not to mention the visibility becomes a funky yellowish green haze & basically everything is covered in a lovely brownish yellow layer of muck.
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| Yellow Dust Does Wonders For A Paint Job |
http://www.lakepowell.net/asiandust.htm (somebody w/way too much free time on their hands)
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2933695 (fairly recent news article)
http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/32120 (article from 3 years ago)
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