I'm alive!

Greetings to all three to five of you who actually follow my blog. I apologize for my recent lack of posting. I have no excuse except to say that Korea is so f#&$%^$ cold that its hard to motivate one's self to do anything.

In honor of the weather, and at the risk of being a complainer, here's a list of things I don't like about perpetual subzero temperatures...

1. My middle school. To be fair, I detested it already...but unheated rooms (particularly restrooms) make the experience all the more unpleasant!!!



2. Seeing goldfish and turtles frozen into hideous poses in a storefront aquarium...then returning several weeks later to find their creepily suspended ice encapsulated bodies not yet disposed of! How on EARTH is that good for business?!

3. Having no hot water in my apartment and thus having to forgo showering until I can make it to a public bathhouse...on the upside, I have acquired the rare skill of being able to perform ALL aspects of my toilette in the presence of complete strangers.

4. Fearing for my life every time I walk down a slippery sidewalk. After asking several Koreans what the elderly do in these hip-threatening situations, I've come to the conclusion that they are pretty much house-ridden all winter /: I've never lived in a cold climate so I don't know about other places, but salting/sanding doesn't seem to be high on the agenda here.

The first time I wiped out on a patch of ice, I was somewhat offended when my fellow pedestrians hurried past me completely unperturbed. Koreans aren't actually uncaring, rather they are obsessed with self-image and the concept of "saving face". For them, falling is embarrassing so no one wants to make it worse by drawing attention to the matter. I suppose a statement such as, "are you alright?" here would be interpreted, "let's dwell on your clumsiness".

There are, however, some good things about the winter...

1. I get to wear cool hats and gloves.