Last winter was bleak. It was cold, it rarely snowed, and I was in emotional shambles most of the time. If you couldn’t tell from my last post, my mood is very dependent on the weather. Thankfully, this winter in Korea feels light years away from that, even though it’s still freezing. While last week was an especially cold one, (waking up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit/ -12 Celsius is not fun) at least we had a blanket of snow over Seoul to brighten things up.
San Diego winters are categorized by pop-up ice skating rinks, festive foods and beverages, and Christmas decorations around the city. We decorate our houses with lights, make little gingerbread ones and sometimes drive to the mountains to snowboard. It’s all the best of winter, just without typical winter weather. While Seoul tries it’s best to look festive during this season, it doesn’t really do the job. To me, the decorations seem cheap and in general, out of place. In fact, they are. To Korea, Christmas is just another “Hallmark holiday” and is mostly celebrated by couples.
Snow changes all of this. Snow is exciting and festive. Snow makes you want to throw snowballs and smile, rather than just cry and complain about the freezing temperatures. Or maybe that’s just me.
During our snow storm last week I went outside to snap some pictures of the area around my school. I wanted to be able to share what everything looked like.
This is the area behind my school. Past that gate is a grassy area with a few tombs. Of who, no one seems to know..
What a little brat. Throwing a snowball mid-shot.
And lastly, I’ll leave you with this interestingly named after-school tutoring school (hagwon) I stumbled upon…
You dirty, dirty math.
You teach in a beautiful are! The architecture looks so pretty covered in snow.
Audrey | That Backpacker recently posted..The EngRish Edition: Maybe, it’s Park
Thanks! I love the little park area behind it.
Lovely photos – everywhere is transformed with a covering of snow isn’t it xx
“Dirty math” –Sounds like that hagwon gives a bit of jazz to an otherwise boring subject. ^^
And I like the pics of the Korean architecture covered in snow. Snow can be beautiful, but it loses its charm when you grow up in Maine and you aren’t a kid anymore, having to wake up a half an hour earlier than normal to warm up your car and shovel off the snow to drive to school in freezing cold weather.
Sarah @ Mapping Words recently posted..Postcards: Seoul’s beach train
Haha yes!
Yeah, that part of snow I definitely wouldn’t like. What a pain that must have been! Guess I’m lucky I never had to go through that…I probably would never make it to school
Awesome pics!!!!!!!! Snow does make everything so much festive and gets you in the “mood” however, driving in this weather is chaos………. if only I could just fly to work instead
I love the bright green colors in the third-to-last photo, and the Korean snowman is so cute! Funny how interpretations of snowmen are so different in other countries.
Edna recently posted..10 under €10: The best places to eat in Paris on a budget
Thanks! Yeah, they all just make two balls of snow here for a snowman. Funny!