monday string beans, sunday cicadas

Another day, another walk. I take a lot of walks, and the camera helps me to see things in a positive light. Instead of being aware that someone is staring at me, I'm busy looking for a good picture. Something I can take home with me that goes beyond the day to day, from the particular to the whole.


I've always liked how the vendors take the time to arrange the fruit in these perfect pyramids.




A lot of women here use parasols to protect themselves from the sun. They are very apt at holding their parasol while biking, one hand holding it and the other on the handlebars. It has been so hot lately, even when the sun is not out. My days of caring about pit stains are long gone, and I've become somewhat accustomed to being sweaty most of the time. Even my eye lids were sweating today.




These guys were having a heated discussion as they walked by. Maybe about all the homework they have, maybe about North Korea...probably about video games.




For the last few weeks I've noticed really loud sounds coming from the trees on my way to work in the morning. One day I realized it was so loud I could barely hear my iPod. It sounded like a million little bird-crickets (brickets?). I asked the Korean teachers and they told me the sound is made by cicadas. So since then I've been determined to see one. I've been pausing under the trees, attracting even more attention and curious stares than usual, to try and get a glimpse.
Today I tried again.
Staring up at leaves that were no more than two feet away from my face, I suddenly saw what had been in front of me the whole time--and jumped about 6 inches off the ground. Although I knew they were big, their size still surprised me. What unnerved me even more was the way in which they cling to the underside of leaves, upside down, like they're going to fall off (and into your hair) at any moment. Once I saw one, I saw others everywhere I looked. As the wind blew their leaves around threateningly, I slowly stepped out from underneath them.
There are several species of cicadas, and since seeing these ones I've seen different-looking ones (deceased) on the ground, so I get the impression a single area can harbor several species.
The batteries in my camera died just as I found these guys, and so I couldn't zoom in at all. I'll get a better shot soon.

Various items from July 12 and 13th

After trying in vain to create a cohesive posts with these photos, I'm admitting defeat and resolving myself to a Mish Mash entry for this week. Above, two men relaxing in front of the river this morning. I feel so silly. I finally figured out what all those seemingly abandoned chairs on the side of the road are for-- for sitting in! Why be uncomfortable when you can drag your lazyboy out?





Some shoes I found for a really reasonable price yesterday. I've never had yellow shoes before :)



I also treated myself to a pack of crayons. Here in Korea, it seems there are generally two kinds of crayons, this being one of them. The others come in a plastic tube and the crayon itself is pushed out of the top. Those ones also have harder texture, so I like the ones shown above better. However, it would be nice if they have more of a point on the end. I accidentally bought another pack of crayons, thinking I was buying markers. How frustrating to not be able to read packaging sometimes. Oh bother.



Sunny and I at Seomun Market on Saturday. Seomun Market is the oldest and largest tradition market in Daegu, and one of the oldest in Korea. Seomun means "west gate" because the market is located where the west gate of the Daegu Castle used to be. The market dates back to the Joseon Dynasty. Seomun Market is part of Deagu's main shopping district, which is primarily concentrated in the downtown core. This area has been the city's shopping district for centuries. The market is huge, composed of several blocks and buildings. You can find anything from furniture to electronics to western deodorant to dried octopus.



Sunny bought me some lunch and we sat to eat outside. We had Korean pancake, and sujebi, a Korean soup.



I also had my fortune told yesterday, something I've been wanting to do for a while. It's not uncommon for people here to get their palm read or their cards read on a regular basis, and the results are often taken seriously enough to affect their decision making. For example, a coworker recently mentioned that as a child her name was changed after her parents were advised to do so by card reader. Another coworker told me that her parents no longer approve of her boyfriend because a fortune teller suggested he was incompatible with their daughter.

Hope you're having a good weekend,

Between the drops

It seems the rainy season has started here, and this weekend was a dark and wet one. Although many people really dislike the rain, I enjoy it. Particularly at night, and as an escape from the heat of summer. The grass almost appears greener in the rain. The air smells fresh, and it feels easier to breath after a storm.


There is a quietness when it's raining too...I guess because people don't generally like to be out in it.





Walking by the river today I found this pretty blue bug. I wonder how long it took him to get up that far, and if he completed his mission before getting blown off, eaten, or worse, smooshed. I bet there's so much going on in his tiny, little, fragile world.


This crane was very dramatically and deliberately sneaking around in the water looking for fish, when I spotted him. His long legs made him look a little like a gangly teenager, but he got his fish.



This family looked perfectly happy to swim in the rain, going back and forth from one side of the river to the other. Actually I remember thinking as a kid, that swimming in the rain made the water feel warmer.





Another nice thing about the rain is that it makes you appreciate a cozy coffee shop and a cup of tea. The lady working here even gave me a towel to dry off with, and an umbrella to use on the walk home.

wig of curls

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place where you could sprain both your elbow and your chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?




And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.




...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to land
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.




Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig of curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.


Luckily, that isn't how the book ends.

Tere takes a walk with Darlene's rhinoceros

I packed up my sketchbook, notebook, camera and a snack, and went hiking today. Actually, it was more of a stroll... with a lot of breaks.
I came across this happy family along the way, smiling cheerily among the trees.





Darlene, I'm not sure if I told you that I brought this guy along with me to remind me of you guys. Here he is, enjoying a view of the forest from a totem pole--in Korea! He says hi.






I must have taken a wrong turn along the way, because I didn't end up at the top of the mountain. Instead I hit a dead end where someone had been growing vegetables. I found a log across from the makeshift garden (and the scarecrow complete with a motorbike helmet), to have my snack.





The ants and beetles fought for space on my log, while white butterflies hovered nearby. I thought to myself, This is probably the closest I will ever be to being in a jungle. I could almost feel things growing around me, feeding off the heat and humidity. So much green, and everything so alive.






And then I walked home...

the city

A second hand clothing store downtown. It seems that unlike at home, it isn't the younger generation who appreciates second hand treasures, it's the older one. These shops are filled with older ladies.





While waiting for Emily to get her bang trim at the hair salon.



At Min's friend's lovely coffee shop. He gave us ice cream and cookies with our coffee,



and let us walk his dog afterwards.