It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas In Korea!!!

People who know me know that I really enjoy the Christmas Season... After all, how many other people would put a Christmas tree with lights on top their car just to spread Christmas Cheer!!!

Unlike in Canada, Christmas doesn't begin the day after Halloween here. All the hustle and bustle that this festive time of year brings is completely non-existent in Korea. Also, it is almost a complete absolute certainty that Daegu will not get any snow before the 25th (it's too far South the Koreans say). My Korean Friend Stephanie put it best when she said, "It not an event in Korea".

Below I will share some moments where it felt a little bit more like Christmas in Korea....

Last weekend all the teachers at my school planed a weekend trip to Snowboard at Phoenix Park. I surly thought carving up the sweetest (artificial) powder in Korea would finally get me in the Christmas Spirit. Little did I know that we would encounter what could only be described as a Korean blizzard on our way north to the popular ski and snowboard park... and... of course I almost died ... again... this was actually my closest brush with death since I got to Korea...

After being on the road for about one hour the snow started to fall. Small flakes at first... I was ecstatic because the students that I teach told me that it doesn't really snow in Korea!!! Well they were definitely wrong... as time past the flakes got bigger and bigger and started to pile cover all the trees and coat the road in a white cover that was so typical of the winter roads in Canada. Then absolute mayhem ensued.... KOREANS DON'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE ON ICE AND SNOW....

CARS, TRUCKS, AND SUVs were sliding, curling, and ping ponging between the cement walls that cover surround both sides of the Korean Interstate!!! It was kinda like we were trapped in a really game of pinball!! Probably the most rank accident that I've ever witnessed occurred as the SUV in front of us spun out, smashed into the cement wall and then slid to the other side of the 3 lane superhighway before smashing into the opposite wall and spinning out into the middle of the road again- facing oncoming traffic!!!

We had an in car snowball fight and things were really feelin like Christmas... finally!

After passing about 7 cars that were smashed in to the concrete- we made it to our destination... just as we parked the car and got out to snowball fight and celebrate that we were still alive the two cars smashed into each other in a head on crash and the cars came literally inches from smackin up our car!!!

The next day it seemed like every 10th car had its bumper hanging off... (check out the pic below).

Never the less I survived, managed to carve up some wicked powder as the storm really dumped the fresh stuff on the hill, and I was filled with new found Christmas enthusiasm!