Barb and Toby's adventures in Korea. Toby has unfortunately left the Land of the Morning Calm but Barb will continue to update you until we are together againin Canada.

 
Typhoon Maemi pounds South Korea, leaving 25 dead, 11 missing

Just to let everyone know, I'm fine. I don't think we even got strong winds in Seoul, but it is kind of scary. Hopefully all of our friends in Gumi are OK.
posted by Toby at 9/13/2003 06:06:00 PM   

 
Today (Wednesday) marked the beginning of Chuseok in Korea. Chuseok is one of the two biggest holidays in Korea. It's three days long (plus the weekend this year equals five). They call it "Korean Thanksgiving" in English, but I don't know how good a translation that is. The main purpose of the holiday is to get together with your family. Koreans go to the house of the oldest son in their family (or something like that) and pay respects to their living grandfathers, etc. They also go to the graves of their ancestors and offer them food and alcohol, etc. I'll try and be culturally sensitive and not call it strange. It does seem a little odd however, that in a country where Christianity is the dominant religion that everyone worships their dead ancestors. But to each his own.

Now while Christmas is a huge holiday in the west, Chuseok is pretty huge here. Almost everyone is supposed to go to their hometown (or where their family resides). Now, like Canada, lots of Koreans do not live in their hometown (I think there are only 10 people oringinally from Calgary). So that means a lot of people need to get home. Now despite an excellent intranational transportation system, a lot of Koreans still need to drive home. Today I heard on the news that there will be 20 million cars on the highways. Man, you thought long weekends in western Canada were bad.


posted by Toby at 9/11/2003 01:56:00 AM   

 
Uhh, I don't know what this is, but it's what my browser was set to at the PC-bang. Strange.
posted by Toby at 9/04/2003 12:01:00 AM   

 
I've developed a nasty habit of mumbling and muttering to people as I walk down the street. I have no idea how long I've been doing it. It's a verbal expression of frusteration at how people in Korea use the entire sidewalk even when there's no one else around by walking in a zig-zag pattern while sending text messages on a mobile phone while smoking. It's especially bad on the rather narrow paths near our apartment as many of the zigzaggers are not only not watching where they are going but also inebriated from the multitude of soju tents they've visited before lumbering home. My prattlings, by the way, are typically rather eloquent. Such poetic lines as "Stupid ass, can't even watch where you're going," and "Why wouldn't you walk me into that wall?" are quite commonly exhaled along with much head shaking and sighing. Well, I've decided that these grumblings must stop. Not only do they make me seem like a crazy, babbling creepo, they also show that I have been unable to adjust to a part of everyday life here - walking down the street. From now on, I shall take a deep breath, remember that peripheral vision is underutilized, and leave for work 5 minutes earlier. I am a hollow reed.
posted by Barb at 9/02/2003 02:25:00 AM