So the Americans do it too…

While I was living in China, I got a big laugh out of what we called “put your longjohns on” day – becuase that particular calendar day indicated that it was now officially cold, and “take your longjohns off day” which was also a calendar holiday marking the official start of warm weather. Nevermind that it had been sunny and warm for weeks already. If it wasn’t yet the designated day, your warm woolies stayed on.

In Korea, I’ve discovered the official “Air conditioner” Day ~ which is still another 2 weeks away despite the fact that I’ve been wearing T-shirts since April, and have been dripping in 30 degree weather for over a month now.

I had always chalked it up to being a quirky Asian phenomenon. Now, however, I’ve discovered that Americans have Memorial Day to start their 110 days of summer. The American Forces TV station here had a huge number of commercials during the Memorial Day weekend urging their service men and women to take appropriate precautions while enjoying their summer activities…. activities we’ve been enjoying (apparently without taking necessary precautions) for several months now. I was instructed to give my bike a safety check “after keeping it in storage all winter” … except for 1 snowy week in January, I never stopped riding it! Anyway, all this to say that Americans also seem to use a specific calendar day giving them permission to enjoy summer – even though it feels like it’s been here for ages already. I think maybe Canadians have such short summmers, we judge our seasons by the weather, not the calendar.

Happy Birthday Buddha…

Since today is Buddha’s 2568th (?) Birthday, and about 1/4 of the Korean population is Buddhist, today is a holiday.

A few moments ago, I was enjoying this holiday with a cup of coffee and a good book on my balcony – when my quiet morning was shattered by the most horrific racket I’ve ever heard. It was louder and more prolonged even than any rucus I’ve caused since I was 5.

Moving aside my bamboo curtains, I peered down to discover the source of the commotion. It turns out bricks are being delivered to the back of our building, and they are being delivered in the following manner:

An entire load of bricks is stacked on the back of a bongbong truck (A Korean style pick-up truck). The solitary brick delivery man is standing in the bed of the truck pushing all the bricks row-by-row off the stack. All the bricks clink-a-chink together, until they go tumbling and rumbling over the metal ridge of the truck and onto the pavement below. So it’s an entire prolonged symphony of “Clink-clink-chink – bricks, bang-clang-bang – metal, crash-bang-clatter – pavement.” Oh well, at least he decided to wait until 11 o’clock, and didn’t start conducting such noise at 5am.

Speaking of 5 am, that’s when the crazy rooster has gotten warmed up. Most roosters, as we all know, go “Cock-a-doodle-doo” in their own special rooster way. Not the nutcase that lives in the village beside my building. This lazy rooster wakes up early early early every every every morning, and cries out “Cock-a…..” “Cock-a….” So there I lay in bed, every nerve on edge, waiting in vain for the “Doodle-Doo”. It never comes. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that my life would one day be lacking in sufficient “Doodle-Doo”‘s, but lo and behold, that day has come.

No More Monkeys…

As a person approaches the age of 30, (give or take a couple of years), they should receive a reminder in the mail. This reminder should state “Monkey Bars were not made for people of your age.” Yes, today I forgot that I’m no longer 10 years old. We were hiking an exercise trail in Seoul (some of you may remember Participaction Parks – it’s a similar concept). When lo & behold, we saw some Monkey Bars, all my mature restraint and decorum left me, and I decided to play. Now I’m sore and bruised. ouch.