Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
        Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
    Conspiring with him how to load and bless
        With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run
--John Keats, "To Autumn"

Gingko trees are on fire along the streets. Many elderly people collect the gingko nuts that fall at this time of year. 

We had intended to go to Seoul for the weekend to celebrate our third anniversary, but a cold bug hit, so we decided to stay in Chuncheon and go out for dinner on Wednesday.  We went to a little Italian-style eatery called Soho (strangely, an acronym for shared office, home office). 

But first, check out these flowers...I don't know whether the focal point is the blooms or the wrapping! 

Nate was not sure I would be into all the pink, but the florist was so excitedly wrapping these that he didn't have the heart to stop her.  The flowers were surrounded by five layers of tissue, netting and gauze!  I was pretty impressed.

We had a fantastic dinner.

I've been to the foreign import store in Itaewon twice.  The business thrives mainly on grocery items--from Kraft macaroni and cheese to earl grey tea to siracha and Reese peanut butter cups.  But it's not really the groceries that keep the store bustling with foreigners.  It is the desire for a taste of home.  

We all want things to taste or be exactly the same as we've always experienced them.  Most people are like that. 

Cliche: people don't like change.

And when things do, criticism of everything that's different ensues.  I've done my share of it.  But it is not very productive.  And you start to feel like a slug that is stuck in the mud. 

The self-help mantra, "Attitude determines altitude," may have some validity. Making the most of our time here will depend on attitude.

So in the spirit of being uncritical...and more generous, here are some things that are gratitude inspiring so far...

you get a hair cut that takes five minutes, costs ten dollars and doesn't look bad. 

figs are in season and sold by the roadside;  they are shaped like raindrops, purple and green ones, with sweet pink inside them.

an old woman waiting at a the bus stop smiles toothlessly and gives you the thumbs up as you pass her on your bicycle .

sometimes you get an unexpected smile from a stranger.

no one ever interferes with your picture taking.

Itaewon is the most multicultural place you've been.  There are equal numbers of black, white and Asian faces bustling down the sidewalk--this might be what heaven looks like.

you get invited to a wedding after knowing someone for only a month. she insists you take pictures with her in her traditional costume.

in the breeze, the ginkgo trees are fanning themselves with a thousand, yellow, fan-shaped leaves.

a student brings you hot coffee in a can with a cookie.

everyone is incredibly honest.  if you pay too much, you will not be cheated.

the caramel macchiato at cafe bene is the best you've ever tasted with clouds of perfect, velvety steamed milk.

volunteer profs at the university will teach you Korean for free.

people want to please and will do their best to answer any question you have. 

there are trails leading up from the main roads where you can hike and escape the city.

you can bargain with shop keepers for the best price on souvenirs.

new mothers try to get their adorable babies to say hello to you.

there is a green-tea flavoured everything--ice cream, cake, rice, latte.

the market is an archipelago of stands overflowing with vegetables.

the adoration of rice, respectful bowing

the hum of insects.

the smell of laundry drying in the sun room.

a thousand neon crosses dotting the city.   

Click on the story link above to hear a North Korean Grandmother speak about the heartbreaking situation in her country, and her lack of confidence in the newly promoted son of Kim Jong-il to make it any better.

People don't talk about tensions between the North and South--at least not to foreigners.  I've heard it is impolite to broach the topic.  It is also impolite to discuss the Korean War. 

Actually, it is impolite to discuss anything that might be viewed as criticism.  For example, I've been told that you should not discuss prostitution, poverty or the tremendously sad way many of the elderly live here.  Many Koreans have no pensions, so the elderly are the ones on the street, lugging huge carts of cardboard for recycling or limping along the sidewalk--unable to afford treatment for arthritis and other conditions-- or squatting on the side of the road selling boiled corn or wild greens. 

I've been told that these problems are seen as shameful and should not be discussed--even in an attempt to address them, so the problems are ignored. I am hopeful this is not true and that if I look hard enough there will be people doing good things to make lives better.  I am hopeful that there are churches in Korea that are expressing compassion in the social context. 

When I was in Mozambique,  the government couldn't decide whether to classify the orphanage/Bible college/ training center I was at  a 'church' or a 'social organization.'  The response was that the two go together.  If the church is not involved in doing justice and addressing poverty, it isn't really  the church.