From what my friend tells me this is the coldest day in December that Korea has seen in 27 years. That not only made my eyebrows raise but at the same time give me chills. Temperatures in the teens usually doesn't come around till January. But it looks like things will "warm" up next week, a bit.

To beat the cold my friend and I enjoyed watching a movie and TV in the comfort of my warm home. For dinner we had homemade bulgolgi and japchae, with lettuce for wraps. It was a warming meal and also quite wholesome.



Dipping the bok choy and other greens in to the gochujjang, turned out to be quite tasty. Fresh and live vegetables are probably what the body needs to keep healthy this frozen season.

Anyway, hope everyone is staying warm this winter and finding fun ways to enjoy it despite the low temps.

The fresh and beautiful snow came down on Seoul today, leaving a glimmering snowy path to travel on the way home. Certainly it had the kids in a frenzy and people just generally caught by surprise. I really think it came early this year and is a sign of what this winter is going to be like.



Either way the sight, sound and smell of snow is unforgettable. Since this is my last winter in Korea, I guess nature wanted to leave me something to remember.




I liked this young girl walking ahead of me with her polka dot umbrella.

I didn't really feel like spending the cash having a real Thanksgiving this season as I'll be back home and can eat whatever I want pretty soon. So instead I made blueberry pancakes with a friend, who had never made pancakes before. It was a good time! I found that box of Bisquick the local Lotte Mart supermarket for 9,900 Won and couldn't resist bringing it home. Maybe next up ...biscuits!

But mostly I am grateful for all the growing and learning I did in Korea. A place where the flow of life is non-Western makes one learn not just to survive but also fit in. I think I put in my best effort here. I embraced the culture by traveling to many sites around the country, engaged in cultural affairs and exercised respecting their way of life. Even though I'm leaving I know a piece of myself will always be dedicated to Korea and the hard work I spent living and surviving here. With that said I can't help but be grateful for my Korean life this Thanksgiving season.


I came to Korea as an eager 27 year old ready to see the world and explore. I was also full of a lot of ambition. What I encountered when I arrived in Korea were not just a set of challenges but situations where I realized my strengths and weaknesses. Even though I worked with some tough people, been left tired from working 10 classes at a hagwon, I never blamed Korea. I've always known that Korea is the way it is and there isn't much I can do to change it. However, the key was to adapt and fit in to this Korean life.

Who knows, maybe I will return to Korea someday if I really miss this place. Until then I'm going to keep positive and be grateful for coming this far and knowing I could have gone even further.

When most of the leaves are on the ground and not up in the trees, you know fall is practically over. Yet it is all still beautiful and I couldn't help but grab the camera and meander around my neighborhood capturing this moment.





The fate of these leaves is to end up in bags piled up high around the 'hood.















It was all a nice distraction from everything and imagery to hold on to as the temperature drops and the trees become stick figures.







The red berries and green leaves in this picture made me feel a little Christmasy, and all end with that picture on this post as this holiday is around the corner.

Some wonderful Fall foliage pics here to share with you as I talk about my final field trip for this semester. The kiddos were sent to the Korea National Arboretum up in Pocheon, which is slightly north of Seoul.

Our day was blessed with little cloud cover, warm air and wonderful colors along the way.

You might be asking yourself, "What is an arboretum, that sounds familiar?" Well this is likened to a collection of trees, so in essence this park was a tree-park. What does every tree park need? A museum to enlighten you on the varieties of wood out there and it's many uses, of course!




In one exhibit they reminded viewers the destruction that Japanese occupiers left on the forests here, which was kind of sad. However, the organization of the museum was quite nice and it also had a lovely lingering smell of fresh cut wood.




Also in the museum was a gallery space with shadow boxes full of hand crafted sceneries made from wooden items.


After our stint around the museum we headed over to a greenhouse for some humid air and to take a look at some greenery.







The most of this trip was spent wandering through the many paths admiring the changing colors in the leaves, and mostly for me taking in the fresh forest smell.










In fact the fresh air and Fall foliage reminded me of my small-town home back in California, so I became a bit homesick and nostalgic at the same time. But the kids constantly kicked me into remembering where I was, and Fall in Korea is certainly a special time.




We enjoyed lunch in a opening under the trees, where unfortunately bees also had a good time checking out what we brought.

For the final leg of our trip we walked up a trail admiring the forest once more, before heading back to the busses.



Now is the peak time for fall foliage it seems, as the trees are in full bursts of color. I can't help but think by the end of next week the trees might look like sticks, and winter will be around the corner. Time surely does fly!