The Leaves are Changing!

It's fall here in Korea... FINALLY. A break from the constant heat and humidity and an introduction to the harsh cold of winter. As a result, the leaves are starting to change. This year, since I'm not working full time, I can appreciate them a little bit more with... MOUNTAIN CLIMBING! Korea has a lot of really cool hiking trails that I'm just now discovering. My classmate and I are going to attempt a pretty difficult climb later on this week. We are going to leave right after class at 1 and try to make it up and down the mountain before the sun sets. We're going to have to book it, but it's going to be sooo worth it. I'm really excited about it actually if the tone is not coming across in the writing.

We took midterms this past week. I've definitely had better scores, but I console myself with the knowledge that for most of them I just had some major brain farts. I just wish brain farts could be smelled, because in that case I would know when they're happening. My scores were as follows: Speaking 80.5, Listening 78, Reading 91, Writing 95.9. As usual, writing is my strongest point. And yes, the running joke that my listening needs improvement in every language blah blah blah. When my teacher gave my listening and speaking test back to me, she gave me a face like I had failed. She almost had me for a second. It doesn't cross the Korean mind that maybe a B or a high C is... I don't know, average and therefore acceptable? She kept saying, "Joe, I don't understand why your score was so low because you do so well in class." I'll add 'brain fart' to my list of Korean vocab words I need to know. Put it right in between 'stop staring at me' and 'why on earth are you walking so slow?'

I'm really enjoying the new church I'm going to too. It's very internationally focused. Trying to combine all of the cultures of the world under Christianity. It's a cool and exciting experience to see, and it's really giving me a heart for the people of the world. God has done a lot this year to show me how the rest of the world functions, and I will never forget all of the lessons I've learned and hope still to learn. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything else. I get to study a new language while learning about other world cultures and habits, and I also get to make friends with a lot of them. I like to think it has changed me for the better, but I guess I always like to think I'm changing for the better.

At church this week, we had a potluck. The idea of it was a combination of all of the different countries' harvest festivals: Thanksgiving... and all those other ones. (I'm so internationally savvy.) It was awesome! I got sooooo much free food that I didn't know what to do with it. So I quickly put it in my stomach and got more. I was going to take a picture of my plate as a representation of all the different food that was there, but my appetite shoved that thought aside a bit too quickly. I got to play a bit of piano after church today and fount out that I pretty much have nothing memorized anymore and have lost my ability to play by ear :( Oh well, nothing like starting from square one, right?

I was in Seoul with a friend and came across this temple with some kind of flower festival going on. I'm not much of one to stop and smell the roses, but this was something else. The way the had them arranged was just really cool to me. So now you get to at least pretend to enjoy the pictures. Actually, you don't even really have to pretend since I'm not there. Feel free to guffaw and cajole me all you like as you look at these pictures and experience complete and utter disappointment at both my writing and picture taking ability.