Death From Above?

I expected life in Korea to be a different & unique experience & I've yet to be disappointed, even w/out the many comforts of home.

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)!

Smiles & Hand Gestures Are Easy To Understand

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

Yellow Dust Does Wonders For A Paint Job

Fortunately, it seems, I've survived the Yellow Dust & stand steadfast in my ability to fight another day or simply await the next Asian perpetrator. I'm beginning to think there might be something to the sanitary face masks that seem so popular amongst the general populous of Asian folk over here.


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)

Children's Day

Every year, Korean's celebrate Children's Day & it's usually cause for revelry at their schools & academies on the day leading up to it. I've included a few video clips from the festivities. It seemed like a better way to get a glimpse of the kiddo's & a first hand look at the activities rather than attempting to paint a picture of the days events through words.

As I was in charge of Games & Entertainment, I went w/a couple of the simplest games I knew they could play while subconsciously preparing them for the glorious days of college - although, I'm quite certain the college experience for a Korean is drastically different than that of their American counterparts.

They also didn't think rock, paper scissors would be enough to sustain the kids interest throughout the day, even though they love playing it w/me after class! So, by default, I was left w/a more sobering version of beer pong, a carnival staple in ring toss & finally chum, chum, chum (basically, I say chum twice & on the third time I point right or left....if the kid turns their head the opposite direction I pointed, they win).

Most of the videos are of the kids either getting instructions on what they will be doing during the day or learning very simple phrases to negotiate w/the teachers as they buy food, drinks & 'trinkets' that seem to be the greatest things ever to a bunch of elementary aged kids. They also had to pay me to play games. The 'money' is what they earn over the course of three or four months for doing their homework, doing well on tests, or basically doing what they're supposed to do.

There are a few of the kids playing the games, too, which was funny to see how serious they became when things got competitive. It was almost devastating for them, at times but in the end it seemed everyone had a blast.

 

 The 'games' for the kids

                   Glen & his little brother Ryen

 

                   Martin asking 'How Much Is It?'

               The Phonics kids getting instructions

                 Danny, Sally & Grace playing 'pong'

                A & B Level kids getting instructions

                   C Level kids getting instructions

 A few Booster Level girls getting serious about pong

 Booster girls using Ping Pong balls for, gasp, Ping Pong!

It appears Mista A has worked his magic & charm once again. The kiddo's are buyin what he's selling in the education game. This is obviously a huge factor in getting them to pay attention, do their work & have fun as they learn a ridiculously complicated language!

Best of all, I even have a few kids who are incessant about giving me a hug first thing they see me everyday.  It ALMOST (ALMOST) makes me think about having kids someday but we'll have to see how things play out over here, first ;) I mean, I'm sure I'd be an awesome father & all but I have my reservations about bringing a kid into this dangerous, selfish, ego-driven world we all call home but who knows, right?

Goodies From Kids

As I was checking my email, facebook, sports updates & other seemingly necessary websites that tend mostly to consume more time than I'd sometimes like them to, I peered across my desk & noticed a collection of various candies nearly overflowing a coffee mug & it got me thinking about how funny the kids are....not to mention, how grateful most of them seem to be & their numerous ways of showing their gratitude in the simplest of ways.

It's nice to see a heaping stash of suckers, carmel, assorted candies, gum, an orange & a plastic spoon (not really sure why it was given to me but it's the thought that counts, right). I remember reading somewhere that it's the little things in life that have the biggest impact & I'm starting to think there might be some truth to it. None of these kids are poverty stricken but they're far from wealthy as well - mostly your typical middle class families.  It is nice, though, to see they've been raised properly & taught to be selfless rather than selfish, which is a quality I see less frequently from 'kids' of all ages - adults & children alike.

The kids really like to learn & make sure their teachers know it; plus their little random acts of kindness & sharing can quickly ones faith in humanity....it's not till later, it seems, these same innocent, fun loving kids become the adults who lose sight of what was truly great about being a child - the ability to live in the here & now w/out holding a grudge or doing something spiteful to gain an advantage but instead, having a good time & making sure everyone is involved. You ever notice kids seem to be the happiest of all humans? Think about it....a short life & memory not necessarily clouded by the things grown ups have consumed themselves with.

I was told before arriving in Gumi if you are fair, kind, fun & helpful as a teacher, they will show you inordinate amounts of love, affection & appreciation. This has definitely been the case so far. Some of you may know, I'm a big proponent of the high five & I started the 'blow-it-up fist bump' w/my golf girls well before every idiot in an Ed Hardy Skin-Fit T-shirt was doing it for no good reason. Language barriers aside, everyone can understand & appreciate a solid high five for a job well done....many of them even try to see if they can slap my hand so hard it hurts me (it never does) but they usually walk away rubbing their sore hand & saying ouch in Korean, vowing next time they'll make me regret wanting to high five them.

I suppose I should get to work on that pile of goodies but I'm not a candy or junk food guy. I'm sure I'll be able to find a good home for most of it, though!

Stay young, my friends, enjoy the little things & don't lose sight of what made being a kid so special....life shouldn't be so complicated & difficult!

SKITTLES!

I've realized & have certainly come to grips w/the  fact Koreans absolutely love bright, flashing, scrolling lights & neon signs - they're everywhere, advertising everything from munchy morsels, low low prices on peculiar & equally flashy clothing, to the more adult-themed points of interest.

As I've meandered my way around various parts of Gumi & Daegu (3rd largest city in Korea about 30 minutes by train to the south), I am continually inundated w/eye-gasms at the sight of all the advertisements & signs. I have gotten a wee bit better at reading (or at least guessing) what many of them say but still pay less attention to what the establishment is actually in business for & more time devoted to a near trance-like state with my eyes fixed on all the colors of the rainbow dancing & racing around the signs & on occasionally even the advertisement or logo itself. 

The pictures certainly don't do it justice in terms of the eye spectacle it becomes first hand but regardless, it got me thinking of the silly Skittles commercials I used to see on TV at the bar from time to time - conclusion of the commercial w/the 'Taste the Rainbow' line, followed by the fade away shot of some spectacularly colorful rainbow of fruit flavors.  It makes me wonder if maybe the good folks in the Skittles marketing department hired a Korean ad firm to head up their latest campaign in hopes of reaching that ever elusive Asian consumer demographic.

Either way, I can understand a bit of the appeal to entice future customers by offering near seizure inducing, gimmicky signs in an effort to raise profits while clearly saying 'We might well be the most gay friendly establishment you can choose to spend your hard earned Won!'  It also makes sense during the cold, dull, gloomy winter months when a simple splash of color could help raise morale of the local populous while subtly coaxing them in to buy stuff. Just in case the flashing lights aren't able to do the trick, many places also have ridiculously corny 

 inflatable characters that flail about or else it's an extraordinarily oversized inflatable beer can looking thing - which is actually pretty funny watching some of these things get thrown around when the wind really kicks up (there is enough weight in the bottom to keep them from completely running amok or tipping over & doing significant damage to items or patrons w/in close proximity). You can see a couple of the 'beer can' inflatables near the center of the pic to the left.

It reminds me of a more chaotic, geeked out version of standing in Times Square w/shiny lights enamoring folks day in and day out for no apparent reason other than selling mostly unnecessary wares. Given most Koreans fascination & desire to visit the NYC & specifically stand in Times Square, perhaps their over the top advertising antics is an homage to the eye candy offered up in New York!

The Hunt Is Over

In my seemingly endless search for a pair of trail running shoes to replace the oh-so trusty, durable & mind bogglingly lightweight New Balance MR790Z3's I've finally been fortunate enough to pick up an equally light yet sturdy pair of kicks. After wearing the MR790's on numerous adventures spanning multiple continents, they have finally worked themselves into a less formidable role as simple 'around town' shoes (I think they had a hand in my issues as they don't seem to offer much in the way of necessary support for the knees). Having spent a couple weeks scouring Gumi's finest retail outlets only to be disappointed by either lack of selection, style or appropriate size, I rolled the dice & made a quick Sunday trip to Daegu in search of some replacements.

After mildly 'mastering' the Gumi bus routes after valiantly huffing it to the train station on foot a couple weeks ago, I was able to figure out the train schedules & get a ticket on the 6:10 south to Daegu. It's definitely nice to be able to spend 7,200 Won (just over $5) in transportation cost b/w the bus & train - certainly a big fan of low cost, quality public transportation!

Anyway, I knew my time was fairly limited, seeing as I needed to catch a train back in order to snag a bus from the train station before the stopped running for the night. Otherwise I'd be huffing it back to my neighborhood at midnight. Fortunately, I was able to gather a little intel before I headed out & discovered there were a multitude of shops & shoes stores right outside the Daegu train station (much like in Gumi), which meant it should be a quick 'in & out' trip.  Especially considering there was a HUGE department store literally in the train station & they had tons of great options but they closed at 8.30 so I'd be pushing it to check out all the other stores & get back before they closed if I couldn't find what I was looking for.

Inevitably it seemed, however,  my efforts may be again fruitless as I was striking out w/proper sizes, styles, etc. Then I moseyed into the New Balance store & nearly struck gold! They had a couple pairs I'd been eyeing and the price was much better than I'd seen anywhere else over here. Although I liked the NB shoes, I was really in search of the adidas Kanadia 3TR's - a great shoe, very lightweight & versatile but seemed to offer more support which would go a long way in helping the old knees feel young again on the various upcoming hikes I've got penciled in for the coming months. 

adidas Kanadia 3TR

I opted to keep searching for the Kanadia's as I'd found a pair in Gumi that were perfect except the size - no matter what country I'm in, if all you have is a 7, we're definitely not doing business! The frustration mounted as I was able to find plenty of the Kanadia's but they were mostly all the same style/color, which weren't what I needed. The ones I was looking for were extremely breathable - the material offered great airflow throughout the shoe - & would dry quickly but all anybody had was the crappy leather version. They weren't terrible but I knew they'd never work for what I was planning on.

Nearly three hours had passed & I was still empty handed. I had, however, met a few extraordinarily helpful Koreans who enjoyed the challenge of assisting 'the American.' As it seemed all might be lost on this excursion, I decided to wander back to the NB store for one last look & try on a couple of the pairs I'd seen. It was ridiculously busy earlier & I couldn't even manage to get my hands on the shoes to test the weight, let alone get any help on sizes/colors or trying a pair on.  Upon my return, the crowd had dissipated tremendously, allowing me to get some help, try on a few pairs & ponder the options.

I weighed the options b/w a couple of great, higher end trail running shoes, sat back, relaxing as I figured I'd finally found a quality replacement, even though I was bummed about striking out on the Kandias. I was still pretty excited about getting a good pair after being so close in Gumi, just the wrong size. As I was churning the details of the decision in my head, I caught myself checking out some of the other shoes on the display wall & found a terribly gaughty pair of hiking boots done only the way New Balance can do them, especially here in Korea. The guy who was helping me noticed me eye-balling the kicks & asked if I wanted to try them on....oh, sure, why not!

To my surprise, they were unbelievably comfortable, extremely light weight & offered plenty of support w/out being to restrictive in terms of necessary mobility. I took a while to tread around the store w/the boots on & w/each step, I felt more & more confident these ridiculous looking things might just be the perfect replacement. I had two options for color, though & neither one really excited me all that much.

The first was a do-do brown looking thing that probably would be alright but I've never been a big fan of turdy looking earth-tones, especially not when it comes to footwear & these definitely fell into that category. Something just didn't jive w/the color scheme but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was. The second option was almost worse than the first but on a completely opposite end of the spectrum....brutally obnoxious yet delightfully vibrant blaze orange.

I had a serious decision to make, as of this point I'd gone all in on the boots over the shoes & it came down to choosing the lesser of two less than appealing colors.  The employees were giving the clerk who was helping me a healthy dose of ribbing as he attempted to make a truly concerted effort in communicating, best he could, in broken Korenglish (needless to say, my attempts weren't any better).

I pretty much got the gist of what he was saying & apparently he was picking up a little bit of what I was laying down because I had come to a decision & he was in agreement that it was a good one. To show his gratitude for my patronage & witty banter, he threw in a pair of NB socks as a gesture of appreciation, I think - or he really felt like I needed some new socks. Either way, the decision was made, the transaction was completed & the boots were feeling more & more perfect.

New Balance MO625HOB

I had the opportunity to wear them out when I went to Geumosan last weekend & they performed better than expected. They were definitely light weight & sturdy. Overall, I had no issues w/my knee whatsoever, which was a welcome relief and they were comfortable & breathed well all day.

I had done a little research after the purchase & apparently this striking shoe is only available (at least for the time being) in Korea. NB offers similar styles back in the states but I wasn't able to find this model....might have to pick up another pair before I head back stateside or if anyone absolutely wants a pair for themselves, let me know, I'll gladly grab some more.

With a triumphant feeling bubbling inside me & a definitive glow of confidence & conquest showing on my face, I opted to celebrate this festive little occasion the best way I knew how....I dove face first into a delightfully scrumptious Whopper w/Cheese! I even opted to wash it down w/a good old Coca-Cola (I rarely eat fast food & it takes a very special occurrence for me to suck down a soda - needless to say, I was geek-ed out on sugar & tossed & turned till about 4am).

If this great find weren't enough, upon getting my return ticket at the train station, I stumbled upon an American serviceman, who'd been stationed at Waegwon (about half way b/w Gumi & Daegu) since October. He was just kicking it outside the ladies room w/a couple cold ones waiting for his fiance to finish her business. I asked about the North Korea threat & he said that's pretty much all they do is drill & practice for the worst case scenario. Part of their training is ensuring the safety of the numerous American civilians scattered throughout the country....nice to know we're a top priority if things do get hairy over here.

Anyway, he mentioned he was from Illinois & she lived in South Carolina, somewhere in the Western part of the state, near the Georgia border. Winds up they were headed to the US Embassy to get married the next day, how cool is that!

I'm not sure if it was a sugar rush, the giddiness of the new kicks or simply an opportunity to speak real English to a true blue American (most everyone I've met are either Canadian, British or South African) but it might possibly have been the most exciting 15 minutes of the entire weekend!

She had come over to visit him for 10 days & was heading home in a couple days. They wound up being a cordially polite couple but I'm sure I acted like a lovestruck schoolgirl the whole time.  And because of this simple conversation I realized how deprived I've been not interacting w/people I have something in common with - in this case, simply speaking English.

Interesting the things we take for granted, huh?  Be well, people!

Monkey Teacher

Small portion of a larger article on some of the things to expect when teaching in an Asian country:

Many Asian children find red and blonde hair and hairy arms and legs to be fascinating and can’t resist tugging on it or rubbing their hands on it....

I suppose it dawned on me but I never really grasped the inevitability of this until recently & it's quite ironic since the weather has warmed up, I've been able to shed some of the many layers I was donning on any given day in the classroom as a means of keeping my core temperature at a respectable level yet with this new found freedom, another, more interesting development has taken place - arm hair has become exposed in a slight capacity and this has turned into quite the fascination amongst the kids.

Now, I've always been a fan of having some scruff on the face as I just don't really like the clean shaven look & the ordeal of having to use a razor EVERY DAY is terrible (oh, how my life is such a struggle). The slight stubble has been a thing of curiosity amongst the kids & they'll occasionally sneak a rub of my face to really get a feel for the wonder of facial hair.  The fact that I also eat a few bananas every day, has helped to supplant in their little minds I most certainly must be sprung from some primal line of evolution but haven't fully shed the monkey side of things. Thus, the little ones have begun to call me monkey teacher.


As Spring has attempted to peek it's head around the corner, the temps were in the high 60's a couple weeks ago & I opted to remove my fleece to reveal a short sleeved polo but what really got the kids in a tizzy was the hair on my arms. They were absolutely enthralled w/it & would do anything in their power to find an excuse to stand near me & cop a feel. I decided to give the kids at the Sangmo school the opportunity the next day & the results remained the same....sheer infatuation!

At various points, at both schools, I had kids knowingly holding my arm/hand, rubbing the hair & attempting to twist it in their fingers or caressing my arm like a precious little puppy. The whole time, I'm thinking to myself....is today the day I'm fired? I mean, something like this in FL & I'm all over the news, tapped as some sort of creepy pedophile but Korea is certainly a different beast.  It's probably not a terrible thing but I suppose it could be deemed inappropriate; either way it's pretty funny how excited these kids get over something completely different than they're used to seeing! They've also taken a liking to my brownish blond hair, especially since it continues to get longer (last haircut was the day before I left Tampa, so maybe Dec 11th - I told Sarah, the girl who trims my locks, I wasn't going to get it cut until I was back) & even though it's not as 'spikey' as usual when it's much shorter, I can still usually get some great messiness going on & they often feel the need to touch, rub, mess it up or just try to get it to stand up straight, which it's usually able to do quite naturally.


So, I've made it a habit to wear long sleeves, which is justifiable as it's still only in the mid to high 60's over here. The real dilemma comes when the heat & humidity of summer set in & I'm forced to make some serious wardrobe decisions (they do have AC, though, so I'm sure I can get around it for the most part). Guess we'll just cross that bridge when we come to it.

I have found it quite interesting how they are so intrigued by my blue eyes, too. Some of them think it's some sort of crazy, demonic thing I've got going on but either way, it makes me chuckle. They're such curious little kids looking to figure out why I have such a peculiar look, so much different than themselves. The video below is from a day when they really took an interest in eyes, mine particularly....

Either way, still having a blast, learning plenty about Korea & it's unique culture....

So, with that - Monkey Teacher, out!

Festive Regardless

This one is long overdue....I start a few blogs, get carried away living, working, exploring or (most recently) recovering, then subsequently find pieces a few weeks expired but still feel compelled to finish them, regardless of the time that's passed since it's inception. I suppose this could be blamed partially on the improved weather - i.e. I can get out & play more frequently! 

Either way, here's one from nearly a month ago:

St. Paddy's Day has always been a rather lucrative day for me, given my chosen professional side job as a bartender, especially in recent years at MacDinton's Irish Pub in Tampa where the word insanity fails to adequately describe the severity of the debauchery amongst patrons or the sheer hours working behind the bar instigating said debauchery.

This year, however, was a far cry from the 18+ hour days of recent memory & was certainly a far less lucrative endeavor financially speaking. Rather than attempting to hunt down an order of corned beef & cabbage, I feasted on a couple very non-Irish meals.

Two of the girls from the Otae-dong school (Tues/Thurs) called me in the morning to see if I wanted to have lunch, as my social calendar was pretty wide open, they made their way to Sangmo (my neighborhood) and the hunt was on for a sufficient place to dine. Oddly enough, I'm literally surrounded by dozens of little restaurants but apparently nobody eats out for lunch. After wandering around for probably 30 minutes, we were finally able to find a place. Not surprising, it's menu consisted of traditionally Korean food w/pork & a various assortment of vegetables being the popular favorite, as expected.

I get a kick out of many of the restaurants, since many still 'allow' smoking in them. It's not especially common to have people lighting up regularly but regardless, it happens occasionally & seems to be no big deal, even though the girls did make a point that the culprits in this case were students (college) and simply didn't have much respect for the other patrons or the restauranteurs....wait till touchy, feely, PC really takes hold here, then they're in for it! Either way, the food was pretty good & something I've become more accustomed to consuming regularly.

James, had recommended we all have dinner together that night, so it seemed like another opportunity at fumbling through a chopstick endeavor but to my surprise, we wound up at a place downtown, near the train station that served pizza & pasta; a couple of my favorite entrees. There was a slight Korean influence to the food but overall a solid 'Western' meal. Most of their pizza's are either cheese or cheese and abstract veggies but they also have one with pepperoni's, so I was a pretty happy cat!

The pasta was, well, pasta. Spaghetti to be more specific. However, in both the pasta dishes, they had infused it w/clam shells & it wasn't bad but I don't see myself becoming a regular fan of taking my Italian favorites this way, it certainly offered a unique flavor, though! It's become customary, apparently, for the Director's to pick up the tab for these staff dinners but the restaurant had a wide array of delectably enticing desserts, so I grabbed a chocolate cake & brought it to school the next day for all to enjoy. It seemed to be a huge hit & it I've come to realize chocolate, in any capacity, is a favorite treat for Koreans any day!

As I have mostly forgotten my intended purpose of this blog from when I started it nearly a month ago, I do know that St. Patrick's Day isn't necessarily a world wide phenomenon yet but I did wear my green & threw out a few random Happy St. Paddy's Day to some confused natives who mostly nodded & smiled.

Who knows where & with whom I'll be celebrating next St. Paddy's day but I'm certain I'll enjoy it, as usual!