Returning to tomorrow

G'day from Korea. At the beginning of 2007 when I first went to Canada, I stole half a day of time. To the Americas and Europe, Australia is in the land of tomorrow, between 10 to 18 hrs ahead. I lived all of 2007 from my perspective, in the land of yesterday.

On Friday I had to give my stolen hours back.

I grudgingly left the UK on Thursday, though I was looking forward to seeing Steph and Tauri, who I had the pleasure of hosting in Calgary towards the end of the Canadian summer. I was met by Steph in downtown Seoul and am now enjoying their 220 degree views of the city from their downtown apartment as well as the "Australian network" on cable TV with mostly ABC news, sport and arts programming.

I pushed through the jet lag to have a Korean BBQ dinner in the neighbourhood, deftly handled by Steph. I am hugely impressed by her competence with the language. Of course this she finds funny, after 10 months intensive training in Australia and 18 months being immersed in Korean culture I suppose it would be alarming if she couldn't call for a taxi or order dinner. I'm still impressed though, and grateful to have such handy friends.

Tauri is also ploughing ahead with language school and is giving presentations to his class in Korean in the next week or two. His chosen topic? Australian animals. His mission? To inform and entertain his class in Korean that wombats do poo in cubic squares. It's true. It's how they mark their territory and it can't roll off a rock. Fantastic stuff. I love my country.

Check out cubical poo at http://www.pbase.com/gehyra/image/38902120

With Korean BBQ you cook at your table and eat the meat and rice wrapped in salad lettuce and sesame seed leaves. It is tasty, healthy, fresh and extremely cheap. It is also social, with everyone sharing all the dishes.

It snowed all day. It was the first snow I'd really seen since Canada and that was a comfort. I've given my time back but not reversed the seasons. Not yet, not yet.