It wasn't long ago that I was writing about my winter break in Thailand, and here we are already reliving winter break part 2. When I came back to Korea this time around, it wasn't the job or pay that sold me on this gig, but rather the extensive amount of time off. Our school has thus far been off for Chuseok, late fall, winter/holiday break, Seollal, and next week is our first of two spring breaks. For anyone currently living in Korea under the hagwon schedule, my deepest condolences. I once lived that life, fighting for my 10 days of vacation, but no more of that, I'm growing very accustomed to my nearly 50/50 work to vacation mode. This is the lifestyle I'm accustomed to after all, in the past it was more like one year on, 6 months off, but I'll take these interspersed holidays with glee. None of what I've said so far should come as a surprise, but the plans I chose to make with my second winter holiday may shock some. Instead of running off to some tropical island, remember SE Asia is at my fingertips, I chose a stay-cation followed by a long weekend in Seoul. Winter in Jeju is a mixed bag of surprises, we went from ice rain to warm sunny skies, soon followed by normal rain and of course the bitterly cold wind. Through all of this I forgot that Seoul experiences a pretty standard winter, with most days hovering in the just above or below freezing range, and somehow I decided that was what I wanted for my winter break.
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Having grown up in a home with a Dad who only entered the kitchen to fill his drink, I never really imagined knowing a man that would know the difference between chopping and dicing, or maybe I should say 다지다 and 썰다. If learning a second language has taught me anything, it's that proper and even failed communication leads to full bellies. Okay that's not entirely true, but my life in Korea has been consistently filled with people trying to feed me. Needless to say, having an in-house chef has been a lot of fun.
The majority of my experience walking Olle trails has been a solo venture. The trails have always been a place for me to clear my mind, absorb and appreciate the beauty of Jeju, stretch my legs, and disassociate from being an adult. Recently though I've developed friendships with a few lovely individuals who share my passion of nature and happen to enjoy my company. The trails have allowed us to disconnect from work and technology, instead filling our time with conversation and contemplating what's next in these lives which hold so many choices and opportunities ahead of us. I was able to fit in a few trails on the warm days of December, before temperatures dropped and snow dotted the island.
Since moving to Jeju I've been curious to see how the winter would treat me. For anyone who knows me, you're well aware that this is my least favorite of the seasons, and if it were to last about a month I would be a very happy human. I've seen pictures of snow in Jeju so I knew that was a possibility, but I didn't completely believe it happens, after all - there are palm trees here.
This post should have been written a good 2 months ago, but apparently my motivation to write went into hibernation over the winter. With sporadic daily highs in the 50's and sunny blue skies I can feel a tingling of my old habit to share, and there is a lot to catch up on. We'll start with the obvious - a new olle trail, good food, and preview of the boy who keeps me well fed and taken care of.
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AsiaKoreaWhere to start. After living on and off in this country for nearly 10 years I have memories, experiences and stories galore. I'll now always be a bit partial to the Land of the Morning Calm. Filled with delicious foods, beautiful nature and friendly people, I'm always happy to return. Archives
June 2023
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