Good afternoon. Morning. Night. Evening.
Hello. :)
The weather is finally started to get nicer! It was beautiful for a while, but then the cold kicked in. In Korea, this pre-spring cold is called '꽃샘추위' (ggoht-saem-chu-oui). So basically, here's the story:
As spring begins to come to Korea, the weather gets jealous (샘) of the beautiful flowers (꽃) that start to appear and because of this jealousy, the weather turns cold (추위) to smite the beautiful flowers.
Interesting, yeah?
From what I've seen and heard, it looks like the weather has been jealous of more countries than just Korea! I noticed that Detroit has been having just about the same weather as us... (See, it's kind of like we're still together!)
And so, March comes to a cold end. Will April be different? I sure hope so. I've been wearing the same friggin' coat since November.
Speaking of April, April 1st is a Monday... Should I message my friends and say that we don't have to go in to work that day? Maybe say I saw an article or got a call from my co-teacher? That might be mean, though... And I'd feel terrible if they actually skipped because of me. Not that any of my friends would believe me, anyway.
Right now my co-teacher is actually in Gyeongju. I went there a little while ago... It was nice! I even wrote a blog on it. ;) But, she's there with all ~120some sixth graders, so I don't know how it's really going. The nice thing is that I have no classes tomorrow! I still have to go in to work, but I don't teach since Fridays are when we teach sixth grade.
I won't just be desk warming, though! I've taken on an after-school position at a high school in Bucheon (my city). Wednesday and Friday evenings I'll be teaching art!! HOORAAAAYYYYYY!! :D So, tomorrow will be spent making demos and powerpoints for as far ahead as I am capable of doing. With Monday mornings dedicated to teaching the school different songs, I also need to prep for that...
Busy, busy.
And Korean is starting to become difficult, too. Man, I really hate grammar. Hate. Why do you use so many different attachments in one sentence, Koreans?! One or two, okay. Three or four, I've lost. I can understand it, but I seriously feel like I'll never be able to just make a sentence like that. 아이고. But it's still the beginning! Keep on truckin'.
Ha, I hate trucks more than I hate grammar.
Keep on groovin'. I like grooving.
Keep on groovin', everyone! Don't let the cold or grammar keep you down! ;)
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Monday, March 11, 2013
Back to the Yellow Sand
"It's happening," I thought.
The yellow dust, and the beginning of a new year in the same place. As I was perched at a table on the second floor of the McDonald's, I looked out the window and saw a man carrying out two ice creams.
"YESSSSSSSSS!" Haha, inside I was so happy. Finally it's getting warm enough that I can go eat ice cream with my friends again! This McDonald's was our meeting spot for so much of the first part of last year. But, then I remembered and it finally hit me- they're gone. The girls I used to meet at that McDonald's have all gone home.
I wished, then, that maybe I had also moved to Seoul, as a few of my friends who are staying have done. At least then I would be somewhere new. Seoul also has a large expat community, and with all of the activities going on it would be so much easier to make new friends... And they probably would have been in Korea for at least a year, if not more, by now. Ha, I think Seoul seems to suck people in.
But this is the life of an expat, I think. You come, you go. Friends come, friends go. It's kind of a sad and lonely thought, really... This lack of permanence.
Hmm.
But as my title says, I want to talk a little bit about the yellow sand. Yellow dust. Not bright yellow, or anything radioactive-looking... You won't become a superhero if you inhale it (bummer, right?). But these little brownish yellow particles... Are they harmful? Is the dust noticeable?
While the sky was beautiful this past weekend, a few of the preceding days weren't as lovely. The air was dirty, and, yes, you could tell.
It's around this time of year where the yellow sand from China finds its way over to Korea. It floats in the air, gets into your lungs, and sits on the cars and benches. But this is sounding a bit worse than it actually is. Last year wasn't so bad. Some people have nose/throat/lung issues because of this period, but it's not constant. Really, only some days are bad... Most days are fine!
Still, it's something to know about! Out and about, you may happen to see people wearing the face masks that you see either at the dentist or when people have a cold. If you're already sick or are easily susceptible to getting sick, then ensuring you don't breathe in any of this sand-dust will only do you some good. And, hey, you could even pick up a stylized one and pretend it's just a fashion statement.
Even after a year of living here, I still wasn't exactly sure what this yellow sand-dust was, and why it's considered such a big deal. Soooo, I did some research :) (.. by opening a few web pages)
There was a great Q&A posted on expats4korea, and so I am just going to quickly reiterate some of the points.
**A friend told me the links don't work, so maybe it's only desktop-friendly.
But! There are apps you can download.
I only know from my iPhone, but if you type "황사" (yellow dust) into the search section in Apps, you will find several options. If you type "yellow dust" you will only get one option and it doesn't look as good.
Yellow Dust Facts and Recommendations:
The yellow dust, and the beginning of a new year in the same place. As I was perched at a table on the second floor of the McDonald's, I looked out the window and saw a man carrying out two ice creams.
"YESSSSSSSSS!" Haha, inside I was so happy. Finally it's getting warm enough that I can go eat ice cream with my friends again! This McDonald's was our meeting spot for so much of the first part of last year. But, then I remembered and it finally hit me- they're gone. The girls I used to meet at that McDonald's have all gone home.
I wished, then, that maybe I had also moved to Seoul, as a few of my friends who are staying have done. At least then I would be somewhere new. Seoul also has a large expat community, and with all of the activities going on it would be so much easier to make new friends... And they probably would have been in Korea for at least a year, if not more, by now. Ha, I think Seoul seems to suck people in.
But this is the life of an expat, I think. You come, you go. Friends come, friends go. It's kind of a sad and lonely thought, really... This lack of permanence.
Hmm.
But as my title says, I want to talk a little bit about the yellow sand. Yellow dust. Not bright yellow, or anything radioactive-looking... You won't become a superhero if you inhale it (bummer, right?). But these little brownish yellow particles... Are they harmful? Is the dust noticeable?
While the sky was beautiful this past weekend, a few of the preceding days weren't as lovely. The air was dirty, and, yes, you could tell.
It's around this time of year where the yellow sand from China finds its way over to Korea. It floats in the air, gets into your lungs, and sits on the cars and benches. But this is sounding a bit worse than it actually is. Last year wasn't so bad. Some people have nose/throat/lung issues because of this period, but it's not constant. Really, only some days are bad... Most days are fine!
Still, it's something to know about! Out and about, you may happen to see people wearing the face masks that you see either at the dentist or when people have a cold. If you're already sick or are easily susceptible to getting sick, then ensuring you don't breathe in any of this sand-dust will only do you some good. And, hey, you could even pick up a stylized one and pretend it's just a fashion statement.
Even after a year of living here, I still wasn't exactly sure what this yellow sand-dust was, and why it's considered such a big deal. Soooo, I did some research :) (.. by opening a few web pages)
There was a great Q&A posted on expats4korea, and so I am just going to quickly reiterate some of the points.
**A friend told me the links don't work, so maybe it's only desktop-friendly.
But! There are apps you can download.
I only know from my iPhone, but if you type "황사" (yellow dust) into the search section in Apps, you will find several options. If you type "yellow dust" you will only get one option and it doesn't look as good.
Yellow Dust Facts and Recommendations:
- Why the dust is bad: Recently, mixed in with the dust, toxic waste and oxides such as aluminum, iron, and silicon are also floating over in the storms. So, the chances of having skin and/or respiratory reactions has increased. And, if the storm is bad enough, visibility is decreased and the dust can irritate your soft tissues (eyes, nose, mouth) and even pinkeye can be a common result.
- When it happens: March, April, and May. Of course, because of wind and weather patterns, some days are bad, and some days aren't. Thankfully, because it takes two or three days for a storm to reach Korea, the news can warn people in advance about when the storm is likely to hit.
- The warning system: There is a three-tiered warning system. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) has a website where you can monitor the dust levels in correspondence with the tiers. Some cellphone companies also provide a messaging system that will send a text if dust levels are dangerous (in Korean).
- Level 1- low health concerns, no health alerts. Those with respiratory issues should be careful and avoid strenuous outdoor activities.
- Level 2- moderate health concerns, health advisories. The young, elderly, and those with respiratory issues should stay inside, and people in general should not partake in strenuous outdoor activity.
- Level 3- high health concerns, health warnings. The young, elderly, and those with respiratory issues MUST stay indoors, and people in general are also advised to stay inside. If you do go out, wear protective glasses, masks, and clothing.
- What to do:
- Wear a mask (황사마스그)
- Partake in nose-washing
- Use yellow earth (황토) paste packs to help your skin
- Seal windows and doors (some strips are made for this)
- Keep windows and doors closed
- Avoid outdoor activities
- Wear glasses instead of contacts
- Brush your teeth and wash your hands when you come back inside
- Drink plenty of water
- Wash food that was exposed to the air
- Don't burn candles or smoke inside
- When the storm passes, wash objects that may have been exposed
So there it is, everyone! Let's be safe and healthy this season.
If you have any comments, tips, questions, or stories of your own please feel free to share or tell me :)
~~~
AH. 아 참! I said I would write about the Buchies Award night, but then never did... I'm thankful it's getting sunny outside because I have been seriously lethargic and slacking on those vitamins. So I'll just write something super quick (sorry, it won't do it justice)...
Cathy made an absolutely wonderful powerpoint of our meetings and adventures. It was shown at The Park bar where we've spent a lot of our time (bar time, not time in general) and where we hosted the awards night. Then, we went on the the awards! There were a lot of great awards handed out- Best Dressed, Most Likely to Not Know Where We're Going, Worst Subway Mishap, Most Likely to Stay Forever, etc... And then we ate our cakes!!
I went with Erin, Anna, and Heejae to a little decorate-it-yourself cake shop near Bucheon station early that day. The cakes were deliciousss!
But it was a fun last night with everyone. (Come back, guys! I miss youuuuu)
Aaand, just in case you're wondering... I won Most Likely to Marry a Korean and Master of the Korean Language. ㅎㅎ
;)
Till next time~ xox
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