January Day

This Saturday Chris and I took the camera and went for a walk to a place called Chocolate Lake. We walked along the water by the rotary where all the boats are parked, and asked ourselves why we had never been there before. You know when you get that feeling almost of embarrassment when you realize what was right in front of you.
It was -26 ˚C with the windchill and our eyes were watery, our fingers burning from the cold...but it felt like a perfect January day. I don't know how the ducks keep from freezing their little pink feet right off, sleeping among the slabs of ice.



On the way back we took the elevator from the parking garage to cut through the mall, and when we got off and stepped into The Bay we felt like aliens from some other, frozen planet. I said to Chris "did you feel like you had walked into another world for a second there, like you were an explorer of some icy barren and undiscovered landscape and then were suddenly plunked into the ladies undergarment section of the mall?" and he said "yeah, I did!"

Sadly, I've been very unproductive in the crafts and art and painting department lately, and I have nothing to report. However, I am getting through the paperwork relating to Korea, and tomorrow I'll be sending a batch of documents to the school. So I'm only a few steps away from getting my "shit together" as they say. I've learned a few korean words (well, just one that I can remember, actually): Komapsumnida, means thank you. I figured that was a good one to start with.
This week I told my employers I was leaving. I had been dreading this part, as I hate leaving jobs. A few weeks ago I mentioned something about Korea, and then a few more times, until a couple of days ago when I finally said I'd most likely be leaving at the end of February. There has been tension in the air since then, and a few times I've found myself about to apologize. I stop myself though, because I've learned that there is only so much weight you should carry on your shoulders in these kinds of situations, and although I understand it sucks for an employer to lose someone, I have a bigger responsibility to myself than to them.
I've found a map that is specific to Buk gu, finally! Although I've yet to find my school on it, it's exciting to be able to see the street names of where I'll be living...a world away.

http://english.daegu.go.kr/AboutDaegu/AreaMap/2001pdf/map_main.htm Click on Buk gu and look for DongChundong.