New Semester Brings Typhoon

Hello to all my followers out there.
Sorry for the lack of an update, but as you all know, we often find that the routine is uneventful. However there have been a few interesting happenings in my life since BD (Wayne Rooney) left Korea just over a month ago.

As far as the weather goes, Korea is starting to let up on it's almost unbearable humidity, and starting to feel a little more like fall. The transition in weather has brought a continuous downpour of rain. For weeks at a time, it will rain on and off all day. There was definitely a time when the sun didn't show for days. The rain brought some cooler temperatures, and also typhoons (hurricanes). We English teachers can find ourselves in a bubble of ignorance when it comes to current events in Korea (unless it has anything to do with North Korea). Little did I realize that a major hurricane made it's way to Suwon in the early morning on a Wednesday a week ago. I awoke around 4AM to the harsh vibrations of the windstorm. There's a big willow tree visible from my bedroom window, and I could see it's branches being thrown around in every direction. My apartment, along with most people's, survived unscathed. There were quite a few broken windows and lots of debris, but nothing more.

In other news, my school has a bi-yearly festival in October. It is a two day event, and apparently it's a pretty big deal. Included in this event is a sort of variety show where students and teachers are encouraged to showcase their talent. The younger teachers at my school formed a makeshift band to perform at the variety show, and through the grapevine found out I played piano as a child. And just like that, my childhood dreams will be realized...I'm going to be a rockstar. There are a few Korean songs I have to learn, and we'll begin practicing together as a band starting this week. Hopefully our egos and musical styles don't get in the way of making some killer tunes. I can already see a Beatles-like situation brewing.

Lastly, I'll be enjoying my last extended holiday until Christmas next week. The holiday is known as Choseok in Korea and is similar to our Thanksgiving, although considered much more important. All the Koreans travel back to their hometowns to congregate with extended family. Most Koreans I talk to make it sound more like a pain in the ass than a holiday, complete with stressful dish preparation, bumper to bumper traffic throughout the whole country, and awkward moments with relatives. Not bad! My childhood friend Pat Stahl will be visiting during this week, and we'll be doing a similar travel path that my friend BD and I took this summer. Should be another wild and fun time! Hope all is well back home! I can't believe I've been here for over 6 months!