Whoa.

My how the time flies.

I would like to blame my absence on Korea and its terrible, terrible homicidal germs. I've been 3 different kinds of sick for the last 3 weeks; just as I start feeling better from one, another one kicks me in the face. Viral flu, an allergic reaction to "yellow dust" (clouds of dust and pollution from China that invade Korea's airspace each spring), and another episode of my stomach rejecting random food. I'm so sick and tired of being sick and tired!!!

I guess its partly my fault too - my schedule isn't helping things. I've picked up four extra classes during the week, so I'm currently teaching 26 classes a week. I travel into the city 3/5 weeknights (1 hr travel time both ways) and the weekends are booked solid between meetings, Sunday School planning, and the inevitable socializing with amazing people I don't get to see during the week because of my insane schedule.

As my co-teacher pointed out, I don't really know how to take care of myself. I prefer to think of it as not babying myself, using all of my resources wisely and making the most of my time in Seoul. But I might also be killing myself slowly...must find the elusive dividing line between the two...

But enough whining for now, eh? Lots of things have happened since I last updated, namely:

1) It's spring!
Ah - Korean heart-hands poses - these are all the rage. All cheesy Korean couples do cheesy Korean poses in and amongst the beautiful cherry blossoms that come around every spring. Let me show you a few notable poses:

Pose #1 - The Sniff

Rachel executes "The Sniff" perfectly in a grove of cherry trees, showing a pure expression of joy at the arrival of spring, and perhaps a renewed sense of meaning in the world. Tremendous.

Pose #2 - The Individual Heart

As you can see, Trevor has this pose down to an art. By fashioning a hand-made heart (get it???), Trevor conveys his love for not only spring and cherry blossoms, but also for the woman behind the camera, his lovely wife Rachel. Such emotion.

Pose #3 - The Couple's Heart

This is my favorite pose of the bunch. It takes not only individual artistic skill, but also teamwork in order to execute the perfect couple's heart. You can tell Jeff and Trev have been practicing in the mirror for this one. The look so content in their expression of love toward one another. One can only wonder what their wives are thinking...

*Note: This post serves as partial payback for Trevor and Rachel's shenanigans on my blog a few weeks ago, though I apologize for getting Jeff mixed up in this mess.