Korea Weather... not as bad as they say.

I thought that maybe I was just spoiled because we live right next to the ocean we get that lovely ocean breeze which means it's still in the mid-70F's everyday (22-25Celsius).

It seemed like all the other expat blogs were complaining and complaining about how hot it was, and I thought that it must be 90F+ elsewhere in Korea. Well, today I took the time to look up the temperatures, average and otherwise. While it is hotter elsewhere... mid 80F's, (28-30Celsius) it's never even once popped above 90F, which is what I consider swimming weather. So I only just figured out that unless some freak heat wave hits Busan, we won't be getting above 90F (32Celsius) this summer.

I grew up in Kansas City, MO... which is not the southernmost location. But having 5-10days in a summer at above 100F (37Celsius) is not uncommon. And yes, it's humid. I remember playing outside and feeling like I was swimming rather then running. I can't imagine living in Texas or Alabama in the summer (I've been fortunate to only visit in the winter, woot!).

Anyway... from all the talk I heard before coming here, I was expecting living in the tropics or something.

Guess not. Guess I shouldn't worry that much about the "freezing cold" winters I keep hearing about either.


Busan: Record High/Lows and Averages for July. (In Fahrenheit)

80 average is going to be real nice except the beach won't feel nearly warm enough...

Seoul: Record High/Low's and Averages for July:

 Average of about 2-4 degrees warmer then Busan doesn't seem so bad...

Kansas City, MO (where I grew up): Record high/lows and averages for July.

 5-8 degrees average difference from Seoul and about 10 degrees difference for Busan. (Not to mention... check out our records... when we go for records we really go!)

For those of you who don't know me... I'm actually pretty disappointed Busan's not going to get into the 90s, anything less makes me want to shiver when swimming...

But at least most of the time I'll be hot but not sweltering and being pretty happy we're not in say Vietnam or somewhere else tropical during the summer. :D

On another note... this rainy season has been disappointing thus far too. It's not even raining every day. And I have yet to hear thunder... though I did see lightening, once. Bring it on Korea Weather!! (except for this weekend, I have plans, the forecast can continue to stay sunny for this weekend, but I expect it to be rainy every other day!)

Something serious...

Am I a Me-gook slut/whore?

I'm starting to feel self conscious that maybe I am. It's hard to think otherwise when people are dressed like this:

72degrees Fahrenheit and this is what they were wearing. Plus gloves, hats, large backpacks and camping gear for what I'm pretty sure was a half-day hike for them. (Pretty sure because I can't prove it) And some of them were wearing scarves and face-masks too.

And I'm dressed like this:

Sorry it's fuzzy, I couldn't tell because it was so bright out.

Also, I was getting scoped out pretty hard core, like more then just being Caucasian usually gets me (Shannon wasn't being checked out so much). I actually had a guy blatantly try to look down my shirt (no subtlety at all). It wasn't that low! It showed a lot of neck and was lower then anything any Korean women were wearing, but come on!

Some background. It was 72degrees Fahrenheit, sunny, and we were planning on hiking up a mountain. I was planning on sweating. So I wore a tank top and shorts. I was also wearing a full coverage sports bra that I could've worn without a tank top at a US gym.

So here's my theory's:

1. All the Korean women were cold. Their body temperature is not the same as westerners, not to mention their petiteness (practically no body fat). So maybe they're all that cold, and they were all staring at me because they couldn't believe I was that hot (temperature!!).
2. They're all making fashion statements and couldn't bear to leave any part of their ensemble at home that day. http://www.asianewsnet.net/home/news.php?id=16328, and they all thought I was super poor, very unfashionable, etc and that's why I kept getting stared at.
3. They're all a lot more modest then me and thought I was a Me-gook slut/whore.   >.<

Here's the deal. I really like going hiking every weekend in this beautiful weather and Korea is genuinely beautiful and fascinating. There's a lot you can't get to by car and I want to see it. But I don't want to sweat to death either. I'll probably try wearing more clothes and hope that as it gets warmer, the Korean ladies start stripping off the layers so I don't feel so obvious. Come on Korean ladies, you like the short skirts (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13357023, Thank you Laura E for sending me this link!), let's transfer that you wearing short shorts hiking! Go go go!

Something adorable to end on.... Lizzie chasing her new toy!

If you noticed the mess, it's because you're a jerk. lol, j/j. Our sea shipment came just a couple of days ago, so stuff is everywhere!