Happy Ppeppero Day!

Do you think that the United States is the only country with contrived holidays that are all about commercialism?  You'd be wrong.  Korea does too.  Ppeppero Day is like Korean Valentine's Day.  It is celebrated on November 11 each year.  Couples exchange boxes of Ppepperos, long battons of pretzel filled with chocolates.  Here's more about that holiday: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepero

Also, here are some adorable Jindo puppies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRUBDTDeMAs&feature=related   Jindos are Korea's national dog.

City Living: Street Cats, Tiny Trucks, and Korean Carrots

Steet kitties.  Meow!  There are a lot of street cats in our neighborhood.  Garbage is plentiful in the streets and on the sidewalks here, so the cats eat a lot of leftover food.  When garbage does end up in bags, kitties often tear them open or spread around the contents.  One day, Scott and I found a terrified kitty on the inside steps of our buildings.  We managed to eventually shew it out of the bottom door.

Binge drinking is not only a Western problem!  Scott and I have encountered many red-faced students and grown men on the streets and in the subway.  Certain hard liquors are ridiculously cheap here which doesn't help, I'm sure.

Rooftop gardening

Don't be fooled.  This truck may look cute and innocent, but it will run you down and the driver will imagine that it was all your fault.  It's very dangerous for pedestrians here.  Being a pedestrian here is one of the most unappealing parts of being in Korea.

High-speed train travel is one of the best parts of being in Korea.  I particularly like that people are very quiet on the train.

It might be hard to make out, but that that is a big moving railroad track layer.

Super fat Korean carrots.

Scott's toupee.   Hehehehe!

I guess that the library was clearing out old books.  There was a huge pile of books out in the street one day next the library.  They used some kind of crane-type vehicle to bring the books down from the upper floors.

Finally, I got it in the mail.  Well, earlier this fall.