Pohang Market Pictures

I love going to the outdoor markets, and seeing everything so fresh and local is great. I especially loved seeing how the fish and seaweed are dried right there out in the open sea air. But this market was a little depressing too. There were just so many fish in total that worries of overfishing the waters kept rising up. Also, you can see all the live fish there (and crabs and shellfish and all sorts of other sea creatures) in tiny little aquariums with no space to move around, or sometimes just out lying on beds of ice still wriggling around. That last picture though is probably the most troubling... it might be hard to see in the picture, but they're carving and selling whale (and sometimes dolphin as well) in many of the seafood markets along the coast. So sad to see.

More Pohang Pictures

Pohang

Finally got to the beach this weekend to visit my friend Priscilla who's teaching over there. We've been trying to get together for months now but always had conflicting schedules. I'm glad I got to go in the springtime though, it's beautiful right now with all the cherry blossoms just starting to come out. Spring is finally here!!!!
I didn't have too much time to visit since the bus ride takes about 3 1/2 hours from my little town, but had a wonderful time there even if it was short. We were able to get lunch when I first got there- rice and oyster soup that was delicious! Then went for fresh made gelato at a little local shop, then took a walk along the beach with one of her Korean co-teachers and hiked up through their little hiking trails. I saw the very sad caged animals that the city has there in lieu of a zoo, the free art museum (the POMA) that was small but nice- good to see some Korean artists and their perspectives... even if it means a whole wall of paintings of kimchi :) - and the park area with a dirt basketball court and all the workout machines that they have here in parks and along hiking trails. It's great that they have such a wonderful emphasis on health here- I'll miss all the hiking paths when I leave. Then we went back to Priscilla's apartment and snacked on wine and bread and fruit and chocolate all night while we talked and I even got to meet her neighbors there. A fun, relaxing day at the beach. This morning we walked back along the beach and had stuffed pretzels for breakfast, then headed down to the big outdoor market and saw all the fish and veggies and everything before I had to catch a bus back home. Such a nice weekend. It reminded me a little of our trips to Fort Bragg (except a MUCH bigger city!) Great weekend, but I'm wishing I could still be at the beach :) Good thing I love my town too!

Sick :(

After months of being healthy here in Korea, I managed to get sick not once but twice last month. Nothing too horrible, but it means that I spent March sleeping in my apartment instead of being out around town. All of us here from the west keep marveling at how much medication everyone seems to be given for the simplest problems. The pills above are what I had to take 3 times a day for 5 days because I had a tummy ache one day... Luckily, I had theraflu to get me through my cold and didn't have to go back to the doctor. o.O

Snow In March

We had quite a late winter this year. They say it's been the coldest winter and the most snow they've had in Sangju in years and years. Lucky me :) So I'm just posting a few pictures of our (hopefully) last snow of the year that happened around mid-March or so. This is my view of Sangju from my apartment window. Gorgeous, beautiful snow! (but soooo chilly!)

Seollal Games

Seollal (Lunar New Year)

Seollal (Lunar New Year) was February 14th this year. I had planned to go to Seoul with a friend to see some cultural demonstrations, but she couldn't make it at the last minute so I went on my own. The tradition is to hike up a mountain or to the beach, stay the night, and make a wish for the new year as the sun rises... but it was still cold and snowy so I didn't do that :)
Instead I went to the folk village in Seoul and saw a few of the traditions associated with the holiday. Hanboks are the traditional dress of Korea for any important celebration like weddings, holidays, ceremonies of government or at schools and such. On seollal they make wishes for the new year usually by writing them down on little slips of paper... at the folk village they tied them all on hanging lines, it reminded me of the prayer pouches lined up in the monasteries. They also make ddeok (rice cakes) and ddeok guk (a beef and rice cake soup) to eat on the holiday. They play traditional games like yut nori (the stick tossing game I sent home for the boys,) a little hackey sack like game called jaegi, making and flying paper kites, see saw (which they jump on instead of sitting... (amazing watching the older women flying through the air on these,) and a hoop game where they roll metal hoops using a stick to guide it... much harder than it looks! They also have their fortunes told for the new year... I was luckily able to find someone willing to translate for me from the Korean. Apparently I will have great fortune in my profession (which here means being something like a doctor, nurse, or teacher) and will find luck in love around November or December of this next year... good to know :) A very fun day trip to Seoul! (And much warmer than sitting on an icy mountain all night!)