Monday, Nov 4

On days when I don’t go anywhere other than class, this is about all I see.

A peaceful start to the week. I had the tutor in the morning so didn’t go out to chase leaves with my camera.

My brain is overfull of Korean. You know how you do pour-over coffee? Like you have to pour sloowwllyy or the grounds just fill up and the water overflows. My brain is like pour-over coffee. You can only keep pouring stuff in if you do it SLOWLY, or it just spills over and is lost. Right now everythings coming at me fast and furious and my brain is just DONE. Lots of overflow…little retention. BUT, I made it further than I usually do. This feeling usually starts right after the midterm…but now, next week is already the finals!

Thank goodness, cuz I really need a vacation! From obligation and from new vocabulary and grammar.

Tuesday, Nov 5

Yongsan Park

Got back out there this morning, early early. Went to a park in Yongsan. I’ll probably do a separate post on it so won’t share all the pictures now. Took the bus there…well, took the WRONG bus there, which I realized soon enough that it only set me back like 20 minutes. Then cuz I had to now take a different route, I didn’t really realize that the new bus was not a straight run to the park…so when I got to the stop, I started walking in what I thought was the direction of the park…oblivious to the fact that I was walking through a little sidewalk construction area and they had to hurry me out of their path. A few minutes later I realized my mistake and had to walk BACK through the construction area, all bow-ing and cheh-song-hamnada-ing as they were glaring at me like weren’t you JUST in our way a few minutes ago? Ha. Well, yes. Yes, I was.

Walking to the RIGHT bus from the WRONG BUS…

Eventually I made it to the park and had a leisurely walk and sit and took more unspectacular pictures. Ha ha. I can’t quite get the location and timing right. I’d prefer to shoot autumn foliage in the warmth of afternoon sun, but it’s dark when I get out of class, so morning is my only option. I try to go early enough that I at least have low light coming through the trees and making shadows, but…morning light tends to be cooler.

I ubered back home in time for lunch, picture-editing, and then off to class.

Oh it was FINALLY cool enough today to wear a long sleeve tee with a unbuttoned light flannel shirt over it…and not sweat. Much. Everyone else on the busses was in their puffer coats with scarves and hats. Ha ha.

I’m feeling anxious for Americaland with tomorrow’s election.

Wednesday, Nov 6

NO.

WORDS.

Thursday, Nov 7

After giving my knee a couple day’s rest(ish), I headed back out early this morning to a nearbyish park.

AND I broke my old record of two route errors…and made THREE route errors…and never even made it to my destination because all the mistakes cost me time and I had to be back for tutoring by 9:30. UGH. I did a lot of walking around trying to re-route myself…or not realizing that I was even going the wrong way, or had calculated the route wrong in the first place…got reprimanded (or something loud) by one bus driver when I didn’t understand that he wanted me to get off the bus in sort of the middle of nowhere…

This is how early I headed out this morning. It was still dark. The streetlights were still on. The city was empty. The bus was empty. It was delightful.

Sigh. So, after THREE HOURS of traveling and walking, I made it home just in time for the tutor…and all I have to show for it is a picture of a really big leaf.

Friday, Nov 8

Finished the week off with a rooftop hangout with some friends from the building and shhh…alcohol. Not supposed to have alcohol in the building. Technically we were not IN the building, but ON it, so…hopefully we’ll be okay.

Saturday, Nov 9

Jangchungdan Park

Had a stellar transportation day, ha ha. I made no mistakes. I planned well so I was able to go several different areas without encountering any hills or stairs, which enabled me to walk more without winding up crippled at the end of the day. Go, Me!

I went back to two areas I’d been to previously, but the foliage hadn’t been to peak yet. And 10 days later, it’s STILL not! At this point it’s a race against time because one good rain now and I think a lot of leaves, not yet turned, will fall. I don’t see any rain in the forecast til Thursday, so I’ll try to get a couple more little trips in before then.

I have a lot going on this week ahead with tests almost every day so I won’t be able to get out every day, but…

It was a fun day – the weather is beautiful right now – clear, sunny, and just cool enough that I don’t sweat when walking but not so cold that I have to wear a jacket. The places I went were near central Seoul and the biggest palace, so there were lots of people walking around, taking pictures in hanboks (traditional Korean clothing), enjoying cafes, etc. It was just the right amount of people activity without being too crowded.

At the end of the day I went back out for a little walk around campus to see if there were any pretty trees. And got ice cream on the way back.

Sunday, Nov 10

Well, I’d had plans, but…

I have it so ingrained in me that if I can’t go (wherever) first thing in the morning – when the public transport is not crowded, when it’s not hot, before the sun has come up, ha ha – then it’s not worth going. So if I wake up just a few minutes late (which happens when I forget to set my alarm, ugh) I easily talk myself out of going. And I’m not talking about leaving at 11am instead of 7. I’m talking about leaving at 8 instead of 7. I mean, really??  How can I get over this?? I think it’s part of the bigger personality flaw characteristic, which is like, “don’t do it unless it’s PERFECT.” I need to get over that, right??

Of course (here we go), on the flip side, If I DO go when it’s later, then I’m aggravated at having to stand for an hour on the crowded bus, at there are already being too many people in the bucolic shot I wanted to take, the sun is too high (not as pretty photo lighting), there’s no available seating at the coffee shop, it’s warmer so I sweat…it’s really not as enjoyable an experience as it could have been if I’d left earlier.

I guess it comes down to that age-old question: do you do The Thing You Wanted to Do, even though it will be imperfect and you will be disappointed…or do you just skip The Thing and have FOMO. SOMETIMES you have the opportunity for a do-over, but not always.

Well, I did NOT do The Thing…I did relax, had a nap, worked on a presentation I have to do on Wednesday, did an hour of remote work, and did my homework for tomorrow. Had delivery McDonalds breakfast.

Tomorrow is another day. I have the tutor at 9:30 but, like last week, I plan to get up super early and go to a nearby park for pictures and be back in time for tutoring. This is what I tried to do the other day when I went all over the place on wrong busses. I believe I have a more correct route now.

You guys have No Idea how much I miss my car!!! The LUXURY of being able to walk out your door to your own personal transportation where you always get a seat…you’re in charge of the music and the temperature and the route. You can go anywhere, not just to places where trains and busses go. And at the end of the day when you’re exhausted, you don’t have to drag your body home from the train station or bus-stop. You just drive right up to your door. Ahh. You don’t have to lug around 10lbs of STUFF that you MIGHT need…you can just keep it in the car. Sigh.

Yeah. I’m probably not really cut out for traveling. I like comfort and convenience.

I feel like I always end up whining on Sundays, ha ha.

And on that note, see ya later love ya bye.

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