Blog 20 - 21st June

Soccer is huge here and across the road in the Hoam House outdoor coffee shop everyone gathered during the week to see Korea beaten by Argentina. The warm evenings and atmosphere are wonderful, both relaxed and exciting at the same time.

I'm a member of two book groups here. This one is mainly Korean women and we read English nonfiction. I can't ever imagine reading a book in Korean and continue to admire the locals who are so adept at English. Last time we began on the apartment roof to discuss Driving Over Lemons by Chris Stewart about an Englishman settling in Andalusia, Spain. We then went below to Jo's mother's apartment for a feast. Jo is the one with the scarf around her neck and glasses. This is the routine every time! How lucky am I?

Here is my other book group of expats organised through the Seoul International Women's Association (SIWA). We have just finished Letter from Peking by Pearl S Buck - not recommended as it was a bit dated.

We caught the train to Gumi ( 2 hours south of Seoul) to visit Damien's swimming club mate, Hong Seoung Eun and his family, Kim Yong Suk and son David. Damien had attended their wedding in 2003 and had not seen them since. Hong proudly took us to lunch where 39 side dishes served, every one delicious and different. Such fun hanging out for a Saturday with a Korean family.

Of course a trip to Gumi is not complete without a visit to the local temple. This one is called Jikjisa and has a temple stay associated with it. Temple stays are very popular here. The only problem is getting up at 4.00am for meditation! The feeling was so relaxing and gardens were beautiful and green. Here is the website if you are interested when you visit.
www.jikjisa.or.kr