July 17th - Korean Constitution Day

The rain came down hard on Seoul the past two days. The street flooded outside the apartment. I was stuck inside but it broke up the humidity so I like it. For over a month and a half now, the heat has been nearly constant, not cooling off at night. Sleep deprivation takes a toll if you don't start little projects.

So thanks to all those who have sent blogs to read through, pictures to look through, music to listen to and whatever. You may not realize it but I am probably your biggest fan.

Today is another one of those surprise holidays. This time I heard about it, then forgot. It’s Korean Constitution Day. Most shops are still open. People work through their holidays. The important thing is that school is closed. And I’ve got a chance to clean house and write home.

In Canada, if a holiday falls on Tuesday, taking the Monday in the middle off is a no-brainer. But no such luck. Everyone agreed that it was a good idea though.

As far as what’s been happening in Korea these days, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

North Korea is front page news everyday. But not the same way you read about it at home. That should be the topic of my next letter.

Japan is always a touchy topic here. The current gripe is Japan’s refusal to officially apologize for kidnapping Korean women during WWII and using them as “comfort women” to raise the morale of their soldiers. They also accuse Japan of intentionally omitting from their history books the atrocities that were committed in Korea.

As well, Koreans are going to vote for a new president in December and it seems that most of the candidates are facing charges for corruption. One related story is being called the “Korean Watergate” scandal. I like a good scandal, but these guys are lame.

Apart from these constants, everything else you read or hear about seems to relate to business. It seems to be the point of every story. Here and everywhere I guess.