You haven't seen someone get hit by a car yet?

     It was an early late evening, my director had offered to drive me to preview my apartment (as I am still temporarily living at another teacher's place.) On the way, the traffic slowed to a crawl. A plethera of reflective police officers were waving flash lights directing traffic through a road block. My director explained that these are nightly drunk driving check points that happen spontaneously in different parts of the city. Our vehicle is directed to an officer who holds out a mechanical breathalyser, she rolls her window down and blows a determined gust into it waits for the OK, which is given, and we quickly speed away. It was uncomfortable and serious. There is a no tolerance policy of drinking and driving in Korea and this his how they combat something that has reached almost epidemic proportions. Koreans drink, they drink a lot. They now, however, will not drink, drive and kill people anymore. 

   Driving in general is a dangerous thing in Korea. One of the teachers asked me the other day if I had seen anyone get hit by a car yet, and was surprised when I said I hadn't (I've only been here 6 days!) Can't say I'm looking forward to that experience in the slightest.

  After the showing of the studio, we went to get some coffee at a local coffee shop. The clerk at the counter was of was a very enthusiastic business owner and was intent on sharing his coffee roasting knowledge with us. After a few "Nice to meet you"s He kept approaching out table with coffee beans in hand and talking endlessly about how his roasting process was best. (all which had to be translated) He sincerely was passionate about his beans. We had to feel the beans, smell the beans, taste the beans . . . His perseverance was teetering between comic and overbearing, but I am sure it will not be the last time I will encounter this sort of exuberance. There is a quality of pride in your work here that you do not find too often in the states.