the moon is white in seoul, yellow in jeolla, and red in busan

It's officially sweltering here. Though I spend all day indoors, I'm somehow finding myself sunburned on my arms and face when I get home in the evening. Which means that the sun is intense enough to redden my skin during the twenty minute drive to work at 7:30 or 8 am, or the twenty minute drive home at 6 or 7 pm, or I need to stay away from windows when I'm circulating in the classroom.

Been pretty busy this week. Finished up my last week of doing graded assignments ever, with the performance test this week, and got all the grades into the spreadsheet. I really spend more time than is worth it worrying over the grades I assign these students, but I can't deny that school is basically their life. I've been keeping occupied in my off-time by absorbing as much Korean popular culture as I can, namely watching Korean movies and collecting Korean music on my computer. It's not like I won't be able to find this stuff in the States, but it seems better to get it while I'm here. Watch for accounts of me ingesting obscene amounts of Korean food at every sitting in the next few weeks because it's authentic (and cheap or free). Seriously, I have been thinking a little about things I'm going to miss when I go home (though I'll try to spare you some kind of sappy list), and one thing (besides, yes, kimchi) is two dollar breakfasts of rice cake and dumpling soup at hole-in-the-wall bus terminal restaurants (it feels strange to not call it ddeok mandu guk, but I think it's probably annoying for you miguks that I resist translation sometimes--the three of you that read this that is).

Anyway, what else to say? The job search has declined from promising to irritating, but I have a sweet, cheap apartment waiting for me in Portland. I'm looking forward to the rainy season starting. I'm going to Yeosu tomorrow evening to hang out with some other ETAs, and get a little break from the scene here. My students are still cute, if not cuter. South Korea is going to the World Cup. And I guess that's all.