A Winter Wonderland In Korea
I'm spending Christmas in Korea. It has been a tradition since college. Everywhere is covered white with snow, which is bad for traffic but good for romantic dates walking through downtown.
Every year I come back, Korea seems to be changing. Nothing is ever the same. When I was in grade school, we were told to walk on the left side, a relic from the Japanese occupation. Now, we're told to walk on the right side, a sign of things to come. People don't just make phone calls with their cell phones anymore. They make video calls. All the cement and all the high rise cranes are created to find their home here. There's skyscraper building projects in every corner of the city. Pretty soon, the 10 million residents of Seoul will all be living in the clouds.
Usually, my time here during the holidays is a time of reflection, of contemplation, and of pondering of the past. This time, I've decided not to do too much of that. Instead, I'm thinking forward, thinking ahead. There will be less internet surfing, less facebook'ing, and alas, less twittering. No more dwelling on the past. Vicarious living is out.
More living and risk taking.
