seoul forest picnic

an adventure with the kiddies from lily class and psa
we ventured out into the sun on a fine spring day
into the forest we went with games
in single file we sang the names
of that which we saw and counted while we walked
with idle chatter we talked and talked
our blankets spread, our toys strewn about
the day was merry without a doubt
we had food, balloons, wind toys and bubbles
so much to do we forgot our troubles

running, laughing, singing and playing,
we didn't care and the absurdities we were displaying.

till it was time to go home
back to the school and the drone
but that day was ours and the rest of the troop
we went just north of the river and picnic'd in 서울숲!

blossom go the cherry trees and youido suddenly has people

hibernation. everything does it. it's done and over with though. the cherry blossoms have called people out of their seoulite apartments and grudgingly dragged them out of dingy bars and skanky clubs to witness the beauty of spring unfurling day by day. 
youido is one of the more popular places to go and see the blossoms. the tiny island in the middle of the han supports streets lined with the trees making the scenic boardwalks look like it's snowing, with every breath of air that stirs the branches white swirls come down and enclose you in some of the most lovely smells... unless of course the breeze is mixing with the copious amounts of food vendors, but where can you not find them, eh?
so you can bike around the island in just a couple hours (slowly), watch people fly kites (fly your own), play in the water fountain/man made river next to the river or just relax with friends and a blanket on the grass with some  소주 and 막걸리 and pass the day in idle bliss.... unfortunately i couldn't really pass in idle bliss. stephen was back at home in ireland for his brother's wedding leaving me a bit sad and out of sorts, so i, just keeping busy and rode through it and onto other things, but i did stop for a while to take in the atmosphere 
and sights.

fountain park... you can see the 63 building in the far left. it big (when you're near it) and gold... oooo shiny

the open plan fountain spills off on to steps all the way down to the river

ajjuma

peacock kites are where it's at

not that it was a particularly hot day, but you could feel the heat in the sun... finally

ode to mrs. c - NOW! Bar in Yeongton, Suwon

NOW! bar, in yeongtong, suwon.. just off the 5100 bus from gangnam.
we seem to have alotta time for this place. mostly because inter suwon boy are located around there, so the boys are always there to have a beer, some pool and homemade dinner by mrs. c (the owner). this lady, the sweetest little woman in the world, she looks after these boys as if she they were 15 children of her own! granted they do come every sunday and thursday during the season, but still.. it's a great place with a good atmosphere and handsome soccer players, including my own (as he would say) "acting the maggot".
the pool is good, the beer is cass (you can make your own call on the quality of that), mrs.c's cooking (i can attest to this myself having both eaten and helped her cook) is fantastic, there are darts and even some 노래 to be had! on this particular day suwon's game was cancelled due to rain/ field flooding, so the next logical step was of course ingest a few pints... which ultimately always leads to something going on till the sun comes up the next day... it's hard to just have a few...

but we began that fateful afternoon... by calling mrs.c at three pm wondering why the bar was closed... needless to say she probably gave an earful to her backie, and he came running (still horrendously hungover from the night before) to open up for us. poor guy, we're lucky mrs. c loves us enough.

 

it's april. it's still cold.

so the days keep rolling by. psa is still holding up and it's still a nine to five. for some reason working it for the first year didn't seem so bad, i suppose though it wears on you.

to beat some of the funky weather blues stephen and i decided to visit seoul grand park and it's zoo. really though, april isn't the best time of year to be heading out to the zoo... but! the spring rain held off, though it threatened all day and the weather was cool but surprisingly not cold.

we just hopped on the 3000 bus right by gangnam station and the park is one of the stops on the way to suwon, though we ended up taking the subway home because looking and waiting for a bus didn't really appeal.

but here, enjoy the pictures. it was the cheapest zoo i've ever been to (besides in the free one in chicago), and the animals were at least out and about... as much as animals caged up in a zoo like to be out and about.

the park had and interesting balcony where you could feed the giraffes yummy leaves and get licked by their black tongues

desert foxes... too cute

pretty neat positive negative space animal sculptures... 

father ape

tarry forth at my bidding, young baboons

rafikki

the rhinos looked pretty sad and cooped up, but maybe it's cause the separated boys and girls

elephant trunk slide in the childrens park

alligator slide

weeeeee!

elephants steps like bombs dropping - Korean War Memorial

the Korean War Memorial, right off Samgajki station, blue bus 421 from Sinonhyeon.

i'm sure this brings back a few memories, if those of you whom i know have been here before (my grandmother, mostly) and have seen this place or the area around it, but it's not far from itaewon just a short walk north of the river, and a decent walk south of city hall/dongdaemun area... it was a great day for being outside, even if we didn't actually make it out till the afternoon.

caked in layers of paint fresh and peeling,hundreds of thousands names, painted bullet holes, red stars, nations flags, emblems of glory and destruction simultaneously mix with the sounds of children running and laughing with their parents combined with the uneasy feeling in my stomach as i looked at all the 'artifacts' of wars past, present and future. this is what the memorial brought to me. a feeling that hit much too close to home considering the circumstances we're all living in today. the tribulations every nation is facing as revolt is spreading like wildfire across nations and countries. 

Year Two: Korea 이년

life. it's here. it's now and it's going. here's the new place. it's swank, hip, it's lovely.. and in a pretty nice area. i'm happy, i'm loving what i do, where i am and who i'm with. there's not much to say past that. i can't get over the fact that life here has really taken off and i'm pulling a second year. i left behind so much and it was hard to do (i love and miss you all, more than i let on in my blog), but beyond that i have a huge expanse of what is now, and a winding road with lots of trees, bushes, flowers, birds, butterflies and dirt (hypothetically speaking, really it's a bunch of concrete) that keeps me guessing of what's around the corner, but enjoying every moment of it. my sky is blue (well not really, more like a grayish overcast smog), my air is warm (but not quite because it's still chilly here), and my belly full (this one's true)...

from the kitchen doors

from the living space

from the laundry room doors

from the window

the kitchen from the front door

from the front door through to the living space

from the front door to the bathroom

from the entry way/kitchen to the bathroom

from the living space doors to the kitchen/front door