MaeHwa Park in Bloom

This is the small park next to my building; I visit frequently for some fresh air and sunshine during the appropriate times of year. Spring is, of course, the most colorful time, and right now the azaleas are in bloom:





In addition to azaleas and some Chinese apricots (which is what maehwa means), there are stands of bamboo, and a lone peony shrub:


I have written about this little patch of green before (just click on Maehwa Park in the label cloud at right); you cannot travel more than a few blocks in Seoul's residential areas without stumbling across one of these postage stamp parks.

My Weekend Activities

Last night--Saturday--I got together with Andy (for the first time since New Zealand) and Greg for lamb skewers and makkuli in Bongcheon. It's been about three months (Wow!) since the last time I partook in this delightful ritual of ours, and I can assure you that it has lost none of its charm, deliciousness, or inebriating power, during the absence.

Still, I passed on third course in Itaewon, where Greg and Andy headed next, having visited that locale on Thursday for the trivia game at 3 Alley Pub--and left with what my Dad calls a "splitting headache". We came in sixth, despite knowing almost everything. I'm positive that you have to cheat to win nowadays.

Anyway, just as well, since the makkuli was particularly strong last night. I am famous for leaving Bongcheon just in time to get kicked off the subway at Sindorim, on its last run. I beat the odds, and made my line 9 connection at Dangsan with time to spare.

I awoke this morning feeling a little delicate, but as it was such a glorious day, I soon ventured forth into the Gang-seo (west-of-the-river) morning. A brisk walk around the neighborhood gets the heart started. The temperature was mild, the sky blue and clear, the wind a gentle breeze that mitigated the warm sunshine perfectly.

Later on, I couldn't resist sitting in the park (not the Hangang Park, but the little MaeHwa Park beside my building) for a couple of hours reading a book.


As a result, I am a hundred-and-twenty-some pages into The People of the Book, a novel by Geraldine Brooks. About a book. I love books. This one is about a Jewish prayer book called the Sarajevo Haggadah (which is a genuine relic, though the account is fictionalized), and its path across Europe beginning in the fifteenth century, framed by a modern conservator. Sort of like The DaVinci Code, but more like The Name of the Rose ...

Easter Sunday Constitutional

I took a nice long walk right after lunch today to enjoy the gorgeous weather and get some shots of the spring blooms. I also took some photos of more public art for a new post to be titled More Neighborhood Art, after I finish this one.

First up, cherry blossoms on the plaza in front of my officetel:


In the little MaeHwa Park next door, some fuschia azaleas are starting to bloom, and some little white flowers, too:




The park also has a shady pavilion and several stone tables for playing Janggi 장기, or Korean chess:


I'm not sure what kind of tree the next one is, but it has big fleshy blooms, like a magnolia. Below it is a cherry in full bloom:



A lone camelia bush in bloom, in the apartment complex next door:




Following are pictures of two trees next to each other that I feel pretty sure are some kind of magnolia, at least the white one. Stunning blooms the size of my hand.





One of my worries in coming to Korea was that living in a great big city like Seoul, I would miss out on the greenery and colors of nature I took for granted living in the countryside back home. I have been pleased to see that the city planners, apartment designers, etc, paid attention to the green spaces that so enhance quality of life.

The First Blossoms of Spring

Na ri na ri kae na ri
Ip beh tta ta mul ko yo
Pyong ah ri tteh chong chong chong
Pom na tu ri kam ni ta.

Lily, lily, golden bell,
Pluck it, put it in your bill.
Bunch of chickies, hop, hop, hop!
Springtime outing, off they go.

The Korean children's song 'Pom Na Tur Ri' celebrates the blossoming of the kaenari, the harbinger of spring here on the peninsula. Kaenari 개나리 is also known as the sansuyu 산수유 (borrowed from Chinese, I think), and the Japanese cornel dogwood or Asiatic dogwood (Latin name Cornus officinalis).



I noticed the first blooms on Monday, walking to school with Mr Hwang and asked him what they were. He told me, and sang me the song. You can hear the tune if you go to the webpage where I found the lyrics and translation, then scroll down: www.mamalisa.com.

Here is another shot of the ones along the hill, mixed together with some purple blossoms whose name I don't know:



Further floral news comes from the little greenspace next to my officetel. The name of it is MaeHwa Park, and the maehwa, or Chinese apricot, is another signal of the arrival of spring. The first scattering of blossoms is strewn across the patch of trees in the park.



I'll post more pictures soon, once the park and the sidewalk are in full bloom.

Let It Snow

Oh, the weather outside is frightful
But the ondol's so delightful,
And since there's no place like Seoul:
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

And so it has, with a quarter-inch coating this morning which had sublimed by lunchtime; then it started up again before dark, leaving another quarter-inch so far (here in Gangseo-gu, anyway). Here's a photo from MaeHwa Park next to the officetel:


Don't worry about me, though. In addition to the ondol (Korean warm-water floor heating, in case you missed it), and the Bailey's, I also bought a bottle of Chivas Regal

My lesson this week (actually, the next two weeks due to the interruption from final exams) will be on Christmas carols, our own festive classroom noraebang. With help from EFLClassroom, I have a PPT of Christmas carols w/lyrics, and some good links. And a felt Santa hat for $2.50 from E-Mart-uh.

This post comes with complimentary video. You'd think it's Dean Martin or Al Martino doing certain weather-related crooning, but you'd be wrong:

Neighborhood Art

I took a nice long walk today in the crisp autumn air with my camera, and snapped some photos of public art installations in my neighborhood. For some, I was able to find an inscription, for others, I have just indicated the location. See More Neighborhood Art! Cyber Interlocking Cube In Front of Home Plus In Front of E-Mart Forest Who Has Seen the Wind? A Key That Opens the East In Front of My Building Okay, it may not be Art, but that's a pretty elaborate design for sidewalk pavers! Bi-Won Building Plaza UPDATED (11/05/08): Added new photo and title for "A Key That Opens the East". UPDATED (11/07/08): Added photos of two installations at Bi-Won Building. UPDATE (09/22/21): I now live in Bi-Won Building, the art is still there!