Can you believe 2018 is already one month old? I write here from the refuge of my Cheongju flat, protected from the hungry winter winds that largely have kept me inside the last few days, save for a “beer day” I had around the 충대 area of Cheongju. It’s safe to say that the …
Hello hello. The end of school has arrived in a flurry, akin to the occasional snows that sneak into Cheongju and dissipate on the same day before sunset. I finally feel like I understand how the school works, the scheduling, how students feel depending on exams, holidays, school events, and the weather. If you boiled …
This is Halloween, Halloween, 할로윈. The aura of Halloween is very different here roaming the streets of Cheongju versus in suburban Chicago. The stores strangely enough were stocked with spooky spiders, masks, and jack-o-lantern buckets, though I haven’t seen as much enthusiasm for costume wearing. **Addendum: I saw kids trick-or-treating later in the day and …
Good morning/afternoon/night to whom it may concern, I left you on a cliffhanger; WhAt HaPpEnEd DuRiNg ChUsEoK? That was supposed to be my nonverbal method of creating suspense. I made a comparison that Chuseok is the Korean version of Thanksgiving and we all know that holidays are truly exciting because of juicy family gossip and …
It is Chuseok Eve (well the afternoon before) and the house is filled with the smells of culinary trial and error, the pitter patter of knives on wood carving boards, and the omnipresent devil dog barking at dust bunnies and anything with the audacity to move or make sound. The coming of fall has been …