Winter's cold is here. Give thanks for heated floors!

BCM staff Christmas dinner

White Christmas? Nope, it didn't stick.

Say hello to my little friends:

From Right to left: James, Henry, Cindy, Me, Sophia. A small party between several members of two English study groups. We had drinks at a cocktail bar in Hyehwa, called The Flair.

Later the same evening, playing Hello Kitty Jenga at a "game cafe". You get a coffee, pick out a game or two, and away you go. They even stocked most of the games I'd sold at Seeing is Believing last year! It's a testament to her multitasking ability that Sophia managed to pull that piece out without the tower toppling, while talking to her friend on the cell phone.

One of the bartenders doing her nightly cocktail routine at The Flair. It got good when they started lighting the bar on fire....

James, Henry, and I had "budejige" for dinner, or military soup.

These guys were busy at an outdoor stall in Insadong, making a traditional desert that used to be made specifically for the king. The crunchy center is wrapped in gooey threads, so fine that there are literally thousands of folds holding a single piece together. The guy doing the actually threading (for lack of a better word) would call out the number of folds as he separated the dough: first in Korean, then in English (for my sake.) I had to buy a package of course!

El (Baek Ji-hyun), in Insadong. I taught her the expression, "when pigs fly."

Still in Insadong: I got a free hug from that guy. Made my day. Also, notice the group of Koreans clustered around the white woman on the right. They were ogling her little white baby, with saucer plate eyes, in the stroller. Even the clown gave up his shtick to join them. Ha!

There was small procession passing through Insadong around lunchtime. The paraders were dressed in traditional clothing, depicting scenes that were common in the area, once upon a time.

Mindelleyonto, or Minto, for short. There's a large chain of these popular tea houses around Seoul. I visited this one with El. The first floor is a spacious lounge, for people to relax or study. Underground, however, are extra comfy booths, reserved for couples only, facing a movie screen at the front. Like a cross between some VIP lounge and a drive-in movie theater. They have an incredibly diverse drink menu. You simply use a punch card to order your tea, and pay at the end of your stay.

You...shall not...Cass! (thank you, Jared)

Kwangwoon elementary schoolyard.

Accident in the intersection just outside Kwangwoon. I think I've seen about three here already!

I went with my girlfriend to-be on a date to Namsan, or Seoul Tower, which boasts the best view of the city from downtown. El (Ji-hyun) is pictured here in front of a giant stack of luminescent teddy bears, at the base of the tower. I forgot my camera and my phone battery died, so we took a few grainy pictures with her cell phone. I'm sorry I couldn't get any pictures of the incredible view of the city at night! Next time...

To celebrate the end of exams, the Kwangwoon English staff was treated to a delicious, Parisian-style buffet dinner in Ibis, a hotel in Myeondong, (downtown Seoul), after which we were invited for a late evening of wine-tasting at Mrs. Jong's house, the grade 5 teacher. Her home is on a hillside in the center of town, with a staggering view of the city from her back yard, and her husband is a documentary film maker who frequently travels to exotic locations all over the world to make his movies. Fun night!