I learned a fun Korean phrase last week from one of my co-teachers..."Goat sem chewee," which roughly translates to 'the winter winds are jealous of the spring flowers.' Sounds more like poetry then an everyday conversation starter, but it is a saying here for acknowledging the winter weather dragging on into the spring. I've had fun saying that to pretty much any Korean I meet, and they usually are surprised a foreigner knows this saying. They're then usually more surprised that I can't understand Korean (he can't say 'hello' but he knows goat sem chewee?).

This segways perfectly into my past weekends activities. The Cherry Blossom Tree is a staple symbol of spring in South Korea. For two weeks of the year, the tree blossoms these really cool white flowers. Not really sure what happens after that, but this two week period is generally considered the beginning of spring. It came later this year, but Seoul has a large festival every year to mark the occasion. There's a large park right on the Han River, and the cherry blossom trees are everywhere. My three buddies and I hung around the park for most of the day. There was plenty of good people watching, as the sappy romantic Korean couples were out in considerable numbers. There were also plenty of performers (circus acts, live bands, ballet, you name it) out giving a free show. Afterwards, we headed to Hongdae district, which is a really cool area for nightlife in Seoul. There's a huge university located there, and the feel is very much like a dinkytown or uptown. Lots of friendly Koreans and English Teachers, and no army people (Hongdae is a designated neighborhood they aren't allowed to go to).

I finally got a cell phone last week, and it has definitely made things easier, at least in coordinating meeting up with friends. It was interesting not having one for a while, and sometimes I didn't mind it. I've got internet in the apartment now, so I should be available at more times to Skype (not just during school ours).

It'll be a short week of teaching for me this week. I have my school district (GEPIK) new teacher orientation from Wednesday to Friday. I have heard from the veteran teachers that it is a good opportunity to make some friends, and some of the things they teach us I'm sure will be helpful. Enjoy the pictures and see you next time.

Pictures:
A little girl climbed this tree so she could see over the crowd that encircled one of the street performers. So resourceful.

Me and the blossoms. Just complete bliss.

This is actually a 'Female' only parking spot. You see, the Koreans don't give much thought to if they are politically correct or not, and they have special parking spots for women drivers. The parking spot is a full meter longer than a normal spot, and much easier to parallel park...I guess women drivers here aren't so good...which is so weird because back home it's not like that at all.