Winter Blues

Well we're in to December and with daytime highs in the 2-7 degree range and overnight lows firmly below zero the winter blues have set in across Korea. I'm not sure why winter is so much harder here, I know being away from home on Christmas sucks, but I've done it enough times to where it's okay, and with family scattered across the globe this year it's not like there's a big Christmas thing anyway. I miss Christmas at home, but thats not all of it. There's the New Years blues which are global, where we are encouraged to think about the year and all the ways we failed in it and how we need to improve. First of all a ridiculously unhealthy way to go through life but also, well, my 2012 has been amazing. Better job, accepted to school, travelled to Japan and England, have gone to the gym regularly all year, have made new lifelong friends and did a lot here in Korea tourist wise. At the risk of being boastful, it was an epic year. However that resolution nonsense does creep in despite all logic and I certainly think that contributes more than anyone gives it credit for doing, but that's not totally it either.

Without trying to blame Korea, I do think that it is Korea. It's an amazing place to be when it's warm outside. Mountains to hike, night markets to visit, patio bbq's to enjoy, temples to hike to, cities to visit and see, islands to go explore, ocean and beaches everywhere and sunny weather for days in a row. In winter the only real activity in Korea in drinking, and I'm not trying to be funny. Indoor activities are almost non-existent and of the very few that there are, chain smokers ruin them. There are noraebangs (private karaoke rooms for you and your friends - you can't see me making a gagging sound with my finger in my throat, but I am), PC rooms (where I can leave the comfort of my computer to go in to a smoke filled room full of loud Koreans playing Starcraft, Sudden Attack and all my other favourite games from 1996 and use their computers), screen golf (actually kinda fun for about 45 minutes), coffee shops (which often don't actually serve real coffee at all, but Americano's - and $4 ones at that) or bars and restaurants. Given that I have a percolator, a computer and an ounce of dignity at home three of those are out the window (anyone who says that they go to noraebangs sober and have fun is flat out lying*).

I do love a day at home, but two in a row and I have full on cabin fever. I do stay busy in the winter and virtually every weekend from now to Christmas I either have people visiting me or I'm out of town, and I am willing to get outside for a while despite the cold. However, I do find that my whole outlook changes remarkably come April and May. I've even started chatting with Mike about moving to Taiwan next year, where money is good and weather is never that cold (rainy, but not cold), but that is a long way off.

Anyway, not to make out like I'm all depressed or anything, far from it, but I do find it amazing how weather can really change your outlook and mood from day-to-day.







*To avoid a backlash, Noraebangs aren't THAT bad, I've had fun in them before. It just seems like something that you do once or twice, experience it, and never need to do again. Certainly a few beers does make it a bit more enjoyable, but the need so many people have to go there after every night out baffles me. Think about it, in a 5x7m room having Billy Idol screamed at you by a drunk guy. It's as fun as it sounds.