The Seasons they are a changin'

In my 22 years of existence on this planet, I had never thought about the weather. Sure, I knew what weather was. Before I came to Korea, I  had known what seasons were in in theory; Due to the Earth's rotation around the sun, the weather changes and thus creates different meteorological events during the year. Yet I had never witnessed this phenomenon in person, nor had I ever realized how much weather really does affect your daily life. Fellow Angeleno David Letterman summed up our peculiar relationship with the weather quite well:
"Fall is my favorite season in Los Angeles, watching the birds change color and fall from the trees."
Our deciduous trees don't really get the memo that their leaves are supposed to change in the fall, and instead start changing somewhere around Christmas time. We can't drive in the rain, and I honestly think my beloved city would implode if it ever snowed. There's a reason it's called Sunny Southern California, the land of endless summer.
Summer ended here in September. Mother Nature has been prodded along by Father Time, and we're almost in winter.
Other than the temperature dropping, the trees did this really strange thing. They started changing colors. Magnificent colors: shades of reds, oranges, and yellows, as rich and fiery as the sunset itself. It was really quite a site to see, and for this sun kissed SoCal kid, the spectacle was absolutely breathtaking:

Fall foliage on my walk to school

I didn't really understand the appeal of the Fall season before I came to South Korea.  I think I understand a bit better now. 

                                                          My buddy John Mark and I in Jeongup, a city known for it's fall foliage

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Every third thursday of November, Americans  celebrate  the tradition-laden Thanksgiving holiday. Crisp Fall air, football games in the leaves, and Norman Rockwell-esque gatherings are common imagery surrounding one of America's most gluttonous and delicious holidays. 

For me, Thanksgiving conjures up  one of those turkey day images.  While the holiday is characterized by great family time, the most enduring memory of the holiday is  our car ride to my aunt's house.  The car is full of savory aromas from my dad's smoked turkey and my mom's superb pumpkin muffins. Its usually 70 degrees out, a light breeze blows through the palm trees, and the closest thing to the brilliant oranges, reds and yellows of autumn is the smog filled sunset that pierces the rush hour traffic on the 101 that always plagues our turkey day transit. 

For the second time in my life, that tradition was broken. Yet this past weekend, I was fortunate enough to celebrate Thanksgiving in Seoul with my fellow ETAs. We were formally invited  to the  private residence of the Honorable Kathleen Stevens, US Ambassador to Korea. We would have the opportunity to spend the afternoon with herself and the rest of the US Embassy staff for a full Thanksgiving meal, courtesy of the US State Department. 

As a US Diplomat, part of the job is to host a variety of different groups at your home for public affairs events. Important leaders of Industry, Academics, Politicians and the like all visit the Ambassador's home for a number of different galas throughout the year. Luckily for us, Fulbrighters fall into this category: they pulled out all the stops and treated us to a fantastic afternoon of food and company. 

 

Part of the dining room

One of the many sitting rooms

One of the funniest parts of the afternoon happened when a few ETAs and I wandered to the back of the house, away from the designated hosting area. We stumbled upon the Ambassador's living room (opposed to the hosting area where we were) and noticed she had a wide array of DVD's next to her television. The usual suspects were there:  The Presidents, a documentary by PBS, The Korean Conflict, US Diplomacy Abroad, and a few other documentaries that would interest a US Ambassador. However, next to a series on traditional Korean dance was something out of the ordinary: 

Stacked neatly in a row was EVERY single of  season Chapelle's Show, the hit series that ran on Comedy Central a few years back.  Needless to say, it was a bit out of character for the dignified Ambassador, but I guess we're all human, right? 

After that, every time I was within earshot of the Ambassador, I wanted to yell "I"M RICK JAMES, BITCH!!" at the top of my lungs. Luckily, I didn't. But I really wanted to. 

I know you know what that means, Ambassador Stevens. 

All in all, the weekend was delicious and much needed. I had an unforgettable Thanksgiving courtesy of the State Department, I ate delicious food, and I learned that our very own Ambassador has a funny bone for slapstick vulgar humor. With North Korea straining diplomatic relations as of late, I completely understand why she might need to laugh away her stress with the Robot Dancing man, Tron Carter, and Tyrone Biggums.  SHAZAAM!!!

In other news, word has it that Mother Nature will do yet another shape shifting transformation in the upcoming weeks. Those gorgeous fall leaves have fallen off, and there's talk of this bizarre phenomenon that will sweep the country next month. Apparently, it will get so cold that the rain will turn into these white crystals. I don't quite understand what they mean, but they say I'll need a mittens and a scarf, because it will get a tad bit chilly.  I can't wait to learn more about this "weather" stuff. Bring it on!

Oh yeah. HAPPY TURKEY DAY! Hope you have a safe and relaxing holiday! 

Until next time...