Things I'll miss about Korea: The weather

One of the reasons that I'm leaving Korea is the weather. I can't go through another Daegu Summer - it's just too hot - but paradoxically I'm going to miss the weather here.

My gripe is with the Summer heat. I'm from an island where sunny days are valued highly and any hint at high temperatures gets people excited but here it really is too hot for me. Or rather it's too hot to be teaching in. If I didn't have to work in the heat I'm sure I would really appreciate Summer here.

Being from the UK and in particular the North I am accustomed to lots of rain and ominous grey skies that dominate the seasons and affect peoples mood. Here it really is much brighter. I don't know the statistics but it just feels like there is more sun light all year round and it really improves the way you feel. Also it doesn't rain much in Korea and when it does I actually appreciate and enjoy the change it brings.

In general Winters are colder than back home and there isn't much snow but at least it doesn't rain like in the UK. I don't enjoy Winter much here because of the absence of colour but Winter is distinct from the other seasons.

Spring and Autumn often feel the same but both signify welcome changes from the cold or the oppressive heat. They are my favourite seasons as they provide the most colour and give comfortable temperatures. A Spring beer outside a convenience store is one to be enjoyed.

Korea and Koreans often talk about this country having four distinct seasons and only now have I begun to appreciate them. I hope Manchester is kind to be when I move back home and gives me a Summer that I've been looking forward to for a while.

Winter already?

We had a nice few weeks of Autumn weather here in Daegu but yesterday it took a turn for the worse and it's much colder. I don't know if there'll be an upturn in tempteratures but for now we'll just have to deal with what we're served with. It's not super cold, just that for the past six weeks or so the weather has been about perfect. As I have said before, I'd rather deal with the cold than the six-eight weeks of insanity you go through in Daegu's Summer. Anyway, the cold reminds me of home and the fact that I'm coming home soon, making me pretty excited.

Cheering up

Being from the UK I am honour bound to talk about the weather far too much. Summer is over now, temperatures are down and from last week people are walking around in shirts, jackets and coats. In fact for weeks and weeks now to my dismay my students have been almost begging me to turn off the air conditioner.

It's amazing how much the weather affects my mood here. I'm more used to it than newcomers but Summers heat is much too intense for my North European disposition. Temperatures of 35/36°C are all too common in those nightmare weeks with the Feels like temperature sometimes being over 40°C. I don't know how the locals in Daegu put up with it all their lives. It's over and I feel like I've survived something.

Now the air is cool and the temperature is what it is and it's perfect for me. Being outside is not a burden now and work is less of a chore. There is no discomfort moving. No air conditioner on at home nor fan. There are no two or three showers a day (due to taekwondo), no sweating and no outrageous night time humidity that makes you feel like you can actually touch it, so thick it is because of pollution.

If the weather was like this all year round I could stay longer but it's not and I'm not going to do. I can enjoy the rest of my time in Korea and I'm really looking forward to the remaining months. One of my ex co-workers is leaving in a matter of days and it reminds me that my time will be up sooner rather than later - though I keep saying that! Time to enjoy the good things about Korea rather than dwell on what I don't like.

Lots of rain

I don't even need to look outside my window to see it's hot and sunny. The cicadas are in full swing and in full voice but I look outside and although a little overcast it is very bright. Set for another hot Summers day. But this Summer is a bit different.

Yes it's been hot, very hot but things don't feel the same. The rainy season is supposedly over (from my experience it lasts 2/3/4 weeks) but still it continues to rain on and off. Last week there was a typhoon which ended up having little effect on Daegu but it brought with it more rain. Perhaps nothing abnormal there but anything that shakes up this heat is welcome.

Yesterday it rained a lot. I nipped out to the shop and saw for myself how much it was raining. It rained for hours. This morning about 4:30am I awoke to another downpour and then thunder and lightning. I don't think I've ever heard thunder so loud it felt like I was in the centre of it all, though I did enjoy the 'light show'. I'm thankful I wasn't trapped outside in that thunder storm. Looking at my calender, maybe five more weeks of Summer to go.

Favourite summer sound

We're smack bang in the middle of rainy season here. It isn't monsoon weather, not by a long chalk but today the heavens have started to open. Up until now the rain had been limited to a little here and there, and more of a nuisance due to the effect it had on the air quality.

A welcome respite from the heat, today is set to reach 25°C maximum. What a shame it couldn't be like this on a work day. The forecast says we're in for a few more days of similar showers. What great weather in my opinion. We had planned to make it to Busan but don't feel like walking around getting wet. Instead we'll just lounge around and have another lazy day.

The only dampener (ho, ho) is a hole in one of our walls. We recently had a new air conditioner fitted and there is a small leak where a pipe lets the water run out but today the water is slowly dripping in. Luckily we've noticed this and have attended to the matter. Just under two weeks now till our vacation starts. I fully expect to be seeing more downpours when back home. The sound of rain is very soothing, don't you think?

Summer?

Has Spring finished already? My taekwondo master says Spring is over and we are now in Summer and it's hard to disagree. Even though it's set to rain a little this week we've seen some glorious weather over the last few days with temperatures around 28°C. With blue skies, no clouds and a nice breeze this is some seriously great weather. It's a great time to be outside but sadly in the coming weeks it will change from warm to very hot and go up to 38°C or so and get very humid. My mood changes in the Summer months but this is my final one here so I'm trying to stay positive and think of some exciting things that are going to happen. So how long till Autumn, about four months? Can't wait.

The beast is awake

The strangest Spring in all of my time in Korea. Temperatures hit 24°C as today brought fantastic weather to what was predicted to be a lousy grey week. Sweating for the first time in a while in the taekwondo dojang on Monday and Tuesday I could tell that this week was significantly more humid as well. And despite all this, one Korean teacher covered herself with a blanket today in the office. If she was cold today I suggest she goes to a doctor and gets her blood checked out because she must be more reptile than human. It's still only April but Summer is coming.

Easter temptation

11:05am here in Daegu, South Korea. Brilliant weather again. I don't even need to open my windows to know that today will be a fantastic days weather. Sunshine pours into my apartment reminding me of my old place that could only ever illuminated by a light switch.

The weather forecast says today may reach 19°C, the highest temperature of the year so far. Barely a cloud in the sky. I check the forecast for my home town back in England and the forecast is possible rain for five days. Again.

Thoughts for another day. I digress.

Today is Easter Monday, but there is no four day weekend here in Korea. I'm not religious but being a child born on Good Friday a long time ago I take an interest in the time period. I do miss the time off work that I would be having back home but I get that back at Lunar Year and Chuseok. Am I really missing much? Repeats of Ben Hur and other other Biblical films starring Charlton Heston. And fat kids eating chocolate.

Yesterday we went for a wedding anniversary celebration dinner. We went to the same hotel buffet that we went to over Christmas. The meal was overpriced - hence the legion of empty seats - but enjoyable. I basically ate meat, meat and more meat and desert. Lamb, duck, rabbit, chicken, pork and beef were available as well as lobster and the usual seafood. I think the roast beef was the best I've ever had. Happy Easter.

Yellow skies at night. Again

Today saw the best temperatures of the year, around 17°C. Alas, a perfect day was spoiled by annual return of the yellow dust from China (Hwangsa 황사) - the first of the year I believe, to reach Daegu. What a poor time to arrive because it really was quite warm. Hopefully it won't be here for long or won't come back any time soon. After going out shopping, today's skies were discoloured by the dust and I started to feel a little ill. Luckily we weren't exposed to too much of it. Oh how I miss the relative clean air of home.

Evidence of Spring

Finally some welcome sunshine today. I have been waiting for blossoms to emerge around the are where I live and today caught a sight of Spring. The weather forecast says the temperature will go down a little next week so I'll be enjoying it while it lasts. The weather has been strange lately, rain, snow, intermittent sunshine and grey skies. It almost feels like home.

It's snowing again in Korea

A few weeks ago we had bright sunshine and temperatures in the mid teens. Ever since then the weather has regressed back to Winter with more rain than is seasonable. I opened my window today to find snow. It's March 10th and its snowing. Snow in Daegu is rare. Snow that sticks is even rarer and thankfully it's already melting but leaving us awash with grey sludge. Spring officially starts on March 20th but that looks a long way off right now. Just what is going on with the weather and is Spring ever going to come? Here are some pictures that I took on the way to taekwondo.