Greetings!

Greetings again!

Hope this finds you all doing well! This greeting marks the start of my 12th week in Korea! I'm celebrating, without much say so, with a fair dosage of ibuprofen, a handful of my madre's cure-all (garlic), and a fresh box of Kleenex. I know. I'll try to calm down a bit... but friends, it's a big week! Time to celebrate big! No time to waste!
(Though, for the second day in a row i was happy to walk to work without my jacket! Now that my friends is something worth celebrating over!)

Anyway, let me update you on something a little more exciting than my common cold.

Funny Story Update:

#1 In my middle school 3 class we have been learning about definitions and how people define ordinary words with personal meanings. Like mother and father. Love and happiness. Anyway, our essay tonight was on defining motherhood and traditional views on breadwinning and such things. Before we started i went through the new vocab list. Let's just say explaining "artificial insemination" to middle schoolers is pretty dang funny. And a hint awkward!

This Saturday i visited the Hongkik University, Hongdae area of Seoul. It was great! A very artsy, eclectic part of Seoul filled with many cafes, coffee shops and neat stores! Many second hand stops too...which aren't too common here. But, i am a fan of them! I walked into one and was met by a woman who spoke really great English. She thought I looked like an American actress, but couldn't remember who. ha!

I visited an art gallery and came across something that made my laugh out loud! You see, i'm kind of a large person. I'm ok with that. But when you rock 5'10" in a sea of people hoovering around an head shorter than you... you feel like a giant. And well, people look at you as such.

Yes Korea. Yes, i am! And you're short. OK!

Anyway, the architecture and design in this part of the city was great! A great mixture of modern, vintage, and oddball design. Just awesome. Thought i'd share some photos of the city!!

There are cute little cafes like this ALL over the place! Literally. I love it!

Then you have those a little more outlandish. Like a castle. I made my way around a corner and found this castle nestled between two very modern high-end clothing boutiques. Random. I guess it's home to a fancy restaurant. So maybe it's fitting.

But seriously, though! How do you compete with with a castle? A once small, modest cafe must take on a literary facelift of massive proportions to even compete! "We'll become a book! That's gotta work!"

A few blocks away i ran into some very peculiar sightings. A robot store front sporting the name "Vinyl". Drip Line Beverages. Yup. I don't know exactly what kind of drinks these are, and if i hadn't just enjoyed a latte i would have partaken. But, i shall be returning to investigate further!

Just when i thought i had seen everything. Korea, once again, has outdone itself! Some how i doubt Sanrio Surprise is qualified for the food industry, but what do i know? Hello Kitty! Welcome to the cafe craze!

Some interesting sights for you!

On a more serious note. A South Korean ship sank earlier this weekend. 43 sailors are still missing and investigations to determine the cause are still underway. Initially fingers pointed toward North Korea, however they are pretty sure it was not by missile attack. My prayers go out to the families who may have lost someone, join me. The sunken portion of the ship held the missing soldiers, but they estimated air supply would have run out by Monday night. The Korean Harold is covering the story closely... in English. So check it out!

Tis my long-winded update! Thanks again to all who follow... i hope you enjoy reading!

Until next time... Happy almost April!

LOVE!