29 August 2013

Summer in Korea

Summer in Korea is a different experience than I have ever had anywhere else.  For one thing it is always humid.  Not just a little humid but on average around ninety percent humidity.  The average temperature in the heat of summer (from about June to mid-August) was pretty much a steady ninety degrees Fahrenheit.  That isn’t that hot compared to Arizona, but throw in the ninety percent humidity and then it is pretty bad.  Plus air conditioning in South Korea isn’t constantly on everywhere you go.  The air conditioners here aren’t all central, but instead it is usually wall mounted air conditioners.  At school how it usually works is that during the morning no air conditioners are supposed to be turned on.  After lunch the air conditioners are allowed to be turned on.  The reasoning behind this is they are trying to save power.  I don’t know if anyone is familiar but Korea usually does do rolling blackouts to save energy.  This is especially true this year because some nuclear plants that produce the power have gone off line.  I am not sure exactly why they are no longer working but either way it has been said that there is possibility of rolling blackouts.  They are trying to avoid the whole country from losing power at once.  There haven’t been any blackouts yet, but it wouldn’t surprise me if there were some in the future.     

So over summer camp it was pretty warm.  Luckily I am out by the beach (can see it from my window now) and so that means it is a little bit cooler compared to in town.  During summer camp I did have the windows open and hoping for a breeze.  With no air conditioning in the morning sometimes the students do complain that they don’t want to learn.  I see their argument, but I am always visible hotter even if it isn’t the case.  This is because I sweat a lot easier than Koreans.  This is true for anybody from the West.  I have heard the argument that Koreans don’t have as many sweat glands as people from the West.  I don’t know how true that is but no matter what us foreigners always look hotter because of the sweat.  I am enjoying the summer weather because it isn’t too bad and bearable.  I know that the winter time will be a lot harsher to handle.  
           
Another interesting thing about summer in Korea is the constant noise.  In summer time there is a bug known as Cicadas.  These bugs could possibly live other places, but this is the first time I have heard them.  They are a bug that comes out in the summer to mate.  They are only out during the warmest months.  I have never seen the bug because they are high up in the trees and don’t bug people like a mosquito or fly would.  They simply make noise all day long (usually stop at night around 9:00p.m.).  Someone told me they live underground the rest of their lives and when they are making the noise they will die by the end of the summer.  If that is true that means it is the old male (females don’t make noise) Cicadas that are the soundtrack of summer in Korea.  I read somewhere that some grocery stores play the noise in their music loop that way people will buy watermelon and other summer related items.


It is actually starting to cool down already.  In the morning it is pretty nice.  By lunch time it is kind of warm, but then they kick the air conditioning on.  Fall supposedly happens around the mid to end of September.  Plus fall is a really short season and then it kicks into the bone chilling winter.  Last week was orientation.  Basically we were locked down on this campus and went to classes from about seven in the morning to eight at night.  There wasn’t that good of information on teaching, but I was able to meet some more foreigners.  This week is my first full week back at school with regular classes.  This weekend there is a going away party in another city for a friend I plan to attend.  Plus the weekend of the 6th of September there is a 5K color run up near Seoul.  Basically it is a 5K race but you need to wear white because people on the side will be throwing color stuff all over us.  Now it is off to play some football (a.k.a. soccer).     I will write later next week sometime.    

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