Let it Snow...

So, today was the first day it snowed in Busan! I like to think of it as a late Christmas gift. I’m convinced the reason it wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be to get through Christmas here (apart from being away from family) was because there wasn't any snow. As soon as one of the kids in my classroom hollered "Snow, teacher, snow!" I couldn't help but feel far away from home. It was like seeing a little piece of home which made me instantly miss it. I started to tell my students that my parents have a few feet of snow at their house and that they have to go outside with shovels and a snow plow to make room to park their car. I was depicting it on the board with my markers as best as I could. They were so interested in what I had to say that they couldn't take their eyes off me. And trust me, for this class, having their full attention was especially rare. The only thing they had trouble understanding was when I told them that you can walk on top of a few feet of snow and not fall through because of the different layers being compacted into one solid mound. They were truly amazed and in awe by it... the look on their faces was priceless cause they just didn't understand why you wouldn't fall through.  

As I sit here at school, I can see still see the flakes outside the window. They look like they would take a while to melt on your tongue, they're that big. The snow comes in waves of barely there, to obviously snowing, to not there at all. I don’t think they’ve ever had enough snowfall to accumulate anything on the ground, atleast here in Busan anyways. It makes me wonder what the foreigners from non-snowing places think when they come to school in Canada and see snow for the first time (in massive quantities, at that). My hairdresser here lived in Canada for 5 years and said that at first she loved the snow because she had never seen the likes of it before, but then quickly got tired of it (like most) and doesn't miss it at all now that she's been back. Most of my friends think i'm crazy for loving the snow so much - but there's just something so clean and pure about it that warms me from the inside out. Maybe it just reminds me of Marshmellows and Hot Chocolate - who knows:)  

As a side note, I've always wanted to visit the Hôtel de Glace in Quebec. I remember seeing it on a "unique getaway" show and have been curious about it ever since. The same show covered lodging located high amongst the trees in Costa Rica, which I found to be equally intriguing. There are so many places I want to experience! For now though, I think I have a good plan to pay off my debt and then take it from there. After taking this leap, I don't think i'll ever know what's in store for me until it actually happens now. Happy Trails... and Merry Christmas!! I'll leave you with the pictures I took at Nampo-dong (the outdoor market - which for the record wasn't an eighth as busy as it was the day I originally went) and a Christmas letter to Santa that one of my students wrote in one of my classes.

Dear Santa,

Hello. My name is Timmy. I know that you have a Rudolf sled. I know some good parking lots you can put your sled in for free. I want to ask you some questions. Where were you born? How do you make the presents? How old are you? What do you do in the summer? I’ll leave you some milk and cookies and Rudolf some vitamins because you’re heavy. Finally, show me the money! Good bye.

Sincerely,

Timmy