2003-06-28 - 11:15 p.m.

June 27, 2003

Gratitude

In Corea, we don't have SARS or the West Nile virus. Not only that, but the native mosquito species is smaller and slower than what I grew up knowing. They're very easy to clap between your palms. If I do get bit, it doesn't raise a welt and their wings don't make that infernal buzz. Therefore, they don't keep me awake at night. They're rare, too, due to the vigorous recycling, I imagine, plus the good drainage system in Seoul.

I heard today that China and Japan are buying vast quantities of kim chi from Corea to combat SARS. Fermented cabbage is the rage; who would have thought it even a year ago? Japanese folks have sneered at Coreans for eating it.

Met Mr. Lee today (school principal), a true music lover. He's got a very eclectic collection,- from Jim Reeves, Joan Baez and Patti Page to classical works. Sweet man, too. His wife, Mrs. Han, is an early childhood education specialist and he's a retired high school biology teacher. They have a large building that's housing the school where I'll be substitute teaching next. They try to keep all classes under ten students.

On the way up there, I saw a small cluster of traditional houses tucked in a mountain valley which looked like a lovely place to live. The mountains which encircle Seoul are particularly tall and beautiful there. The rainy season makes all of the trees and shrubs lush and exuberent. The slopes look like a jungle.

This little village on the outskirts of Nokcheon deserves a camera trek and possibly a check with a real estate agent. It could be a good compromise for my yen to live in a village and still be near my friends in Seoul.

June 28

I bussed down to Asan and had another tooth extracted. The dentist didn't like the way it had responded to the entodontic treatment last week.

Got back home around 3 p.m. and took a nap. (I didn't sleep well last night and wound up going to the PC bang at 5:30 a.m.) Woke up about 6:20 and scrambled to get to the USO meeting half an hour late. Sure was glad I did. Afterwards, four of us went for a "gals' night out." We went to an Italian restaurant in Itaewon and stayed until nearly 10:30 p.m., sharing lively and educational experiences with each other.

Thanks for reading.

Happy Trails!

~ Sil in Corea

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