Definitely Autumn

Well, I'd almost forgotten about the weekly update it's been so long.

I had a great trip home in August, and I'm well back into the new semester here.

The pic of the week is the view from my apartment. This is from the front, looking North, I guess. In the foreground are a group of allotments where locals grow vegetables. The group of buildings towards the right, just before the mountains, is Daejeon University. My own university, Woosong, is just a turn left at the junction on the main street that's visible, Daehak-ro.

Trip home to Ireland
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Well, since my last email I've been home to Ireland, even though that was a long time ago at this stage - August. I had a great trip. It was primarily family-focused, and mostly concentrated on catching up with my niece Robyn around her six-month birthday. I did get to Dublin for a long weekend, and caught up with some people. However, it was holiday season and a lot of people couldn't make it.

Work
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I'm back in the swing of things at work. I much prefer working in the semesters. In the summer and winter university breaks - called 'the intersessions' - we get very bitty classes. We have schedules that change from week to week, and we're always meeting new classes and new students, so there's no continuity.

Now that we're back in the semester I have a firm schedule until the second week in December. I now know all my students, and, for me, that's a much easier way to work.

Autumn is here
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One thing that Koreans are very proud of is that they have four distinct seasons. And it's true, although spring and autumn are brief compared to the long winter and summer seasons. We're now well into autumn. It's colder, although today is quite beautiful. Even on the 10th floor I have the windows wide open. It's currently (Sunday afternoon) 24 degrees. The mountains are changing to autumnal colours, and the Koreans are out hiking. En masse.

Mid-term exams
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We're actually at the mid-term now. And it's mid-term exam time. To give you an example of the level of some of my students, this is an actual example of the submission I got back from one guy. All they had to do was to match 8 supplied words with the gaps in sentences.

• My sister has been making poetry since we were kids. She wants to be a director.
• I can only run for a short time. I'll never be able to run a home movies.
• Don't put those marathon on your letters! They are from my collection.
• Jet Li signed coins for half an hour last night outside the movie theater.
• I enjoy all types of literature. But wildlife is my favorite.
• I saw an excellent program about the animals of South America. There were some fantastic images of autographs.
• I don't think collecting kites sounds like fun. I like to spend my money!
• People love to fly stamps in the park near my house on windy days.

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Well, that's it for this week. So until next week,

Annyeong-hi kaseyo.

Éamon

Today's headline in Chosun Ilbo - President, ruling party will push to cancel gov't office relocation plan