First Snow!

Hooray, yesterday night brought the first snowfall of the year and it was gorgeous! It felt like a real snowstorm, with howling wind and swirling snowflakes galore :-) Waking up to fresh, untouched snow on the ground is quite lovely and makes up for the less enjoyable consequences.

There's more snow on the way apparently, so I'll make sure to take some photos later. Today I was mostly inside and only ventured out to return a library book and buy some food, including a roasted barley drink that I'm trying out in place of coffee. I've always been more of a tea person, but lately I've been wanting coffee for some reason. Maybe it's the aroma and comforting richness :-)

Yikes, it's only 9.30 and I'm falling asleep already! Ever since the sun started setting so much earlier, I've been unable to resist sleep at ridiculously early hours. Oh well, sleep is good. But I also want to eat more in the evenings, so I feel a little like a hibernating bear.

I have a couple more weeks of work left and then I'm taking a long vacation before (hopefully!!!) flying off to Korea. It will feel amazing to have oodles of free time - cooking, exercising, meeting friends, making Christmas cards (or at least writing messages in them) - there will be time for everything! I'll miss the students a lot though :-(

Alrighty, my comfy bed is calling me :-) Sleep is utterly irresistible :-)

Have a fantabulous winter-y weekend!

Cozy winter-y mornings...

...oh how I love them :-) It's so great to get up when it's still a little dark and completely peaceful, make some oatmeal and hot tea, and have a leisurely breakfast by the fireplace. It's quite cold here so I've been forced to sit by the fireplace a lot :-) It's a hard life :-)

November is suddenly pretty much half over, wow! When I went shopping there were Christmas decorations everywhere and there was already a festive feel in the air, but no Christmas music yet thank goodness. All the delicious Christmas chocolate is so tempting though :-) Yum yum!

Instead of chocolate, I ate a seafood pancake at the Korean store downtown and bought some kimchi, ramyun, gim (a roasted seaweed snack), and oyster mushrooms. Most purchases were healthy...the ramyun not so much but it brings back lots of great memories :-) Food is amazing that way - it's not just about momentary taste but rather it's right at the centre of people coming together and sharing good times and connecting...nice.

I'm hoping the weather will be cooperative today so that I can go for a long, refreshing walk. Winter walks are so much fun when it's not windy and/or rainy. Especially if you have a hot beverage in your hand, a warm hat on your head, and a friend beside you :-)

Have a terrific weekend!

'Tis November...oooh, darkness!

It's 7am but it feels like the middle of the night! Daylight Savings Time ends tomorrow and I'm looking forward to having some light in the morning!

Aaaaand, it's November already! That means Christmas lights and decorations will soon make the cold winter much more enjoyable and cozy :-) I never put up any decorations before late December but I certainly enjoy admiring them and feeling immersed in a Winter Wonderland :-) For me it's still the most magical time of the year :-)

Well, I had my EPIK interview at the Korean Consulate and it went well! Suddenly, it feels like going to Korea is more of a reality and not just a vapour-y dream. It's exciting...and hard to believe! Maybe soon my life will change so much I won't be able to recognize it anymore :-) It's amazing how quickly things have changed already in the past few months...in a natural, flow-y kind of way :-) Going with the flow feels great :-)

Happy First November Weekend! Stay warm and cozy :-)