Since
coming to Asia nearly three years ago, I've
had the privilege of teaching English to Korean students and can only say that, without
doubt, this has been the most
amazing, educational and wonderful career
move of my life! Korean
people are incredibly friendly; Korean culture is profoundly
edifying; and Korean food is tantalizingly delicious!
I have learned loads about both Korea
and myself. And it's the kind of learning that books alone simply
cannot provide. Besides all the personal and professional growth, my
experience here has been made even more fantastic by the fact that I
have met a lovely Korean lady named Kyung Hye.
Kyung Hye...
Her
name is pronounced "kyung hay" and she is not only very beautiful, but she
is also intelligent, witty, sophisticated, and interested in many of
the same things as me: national and international politics, other
cultures, psychology, languages, philosophy, and music, to name a
few. Since becoming such a vital part of my life, Kyung Hye has been instrumental in helping me to
learn more about Korean customs, food, language, culture, and
history. And, best of all, on July 5, 2003, Kyung Hye and I became
husband and wife.
Some Korean Background Info....
The
abundance of natural and historical landmarks in this "Land of
the Morning Calm" is utterly incomparable! You'll see ample proof of that in
the sampling of photos that are included on this site.
As
shown on the map, South Korea is located on the Korean Peninsula
in eastern Asia and surrounded by North Korea, Japan, China, and
Russia, among other Asian nations. The climate is
significantly warmer than in Canada; however,
temperatures can occasionally dip to as low as -20 degrees Celsius
in winter. During summer, the high humidity, monsoon rains,
and average temperature of 36 degrees make it highly advisable to
exercise indoors, in air-conditioned gymnasiums. One of
Korea's most popular national sports is Taekwondo; however golf,
mountain climbing, soccer, baseball, road
hockey, & snowboarding are also very big here!
The
national flower of Korea is the Mugunghwa (mugung =
"immortality", hwa = "flower") and, because of
its incredible longevity (from June to October, all across the
peninsula), Koreans revere it as one of their most important
national symbols. The Mugunghwa is also known as the "Rose of
Sharon."
The Korean flag is called
Taegeukgi. Its design symbolizes the principles of Yin and Yang in Oriental philosophy. The circle in the center of the flag is divided into two equal parts. The upper red section represents the positive cosmic forces of Yang, while the lower blue section represents the negative cosmic forces of Yin.
The circle is surrounded by four trigrams, one in each corner. Each trigram symbolizes one of the four universal elements: heaven, earth, fire and water.
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