The pictureless post

Places and cultures are all different. I'm taking this chance to highlight some unique things I've experienced here in Korea.

The school where I work is located somewhat near a military base. Not close enough for me to see it but close enough that for one day a week the doors in our school rattle as mortar rounds are being fired across the nearby mountains. On the way to school this week I saw 2 tanks driving in the road coming from the opposite direction. I've never seen that in the states.

Our school is surrounded by rice patties. They are all dried from the long cold winter. As I speak I can look outside my classroom window as the patties are being burned. These burning fields are not 40 yards from the school where children are playing outside. That's something new for me.

Couches. Its not uncommon for a family in Korea to have one. It is uncommon though for them to sit on it. Generally when going to someone's house I end up sitting indian style on the floor rather than on the plush couch near me. This leads to legs falling asleep and me shifting around a lot. It's not a big deal it's just different.

Another difference is in the heating of homes and buildings. Many Korean building heat their floors. Never once have my feet touched a cold floor. Even in the morning when I first crawl out of bed. My toes are warmed.

Groceries store bags. Free, you would think. Not so in Korea. One must tell the clerk how many bags one wants and then must bag ones own groceries. I'm not so good at guesstemating how many bags I'll need so this can be somewhat problematic.

They are many more differences I'm sure. But I have time for only a few. This is what I love about traveling. I get to experience new sights, sounds, smell, and tastes.