First Pot of Coffee

This coffee maker was the first item on my shopping list! It was so nice to have my first cup of coffee! Simple accomplishments like getting a coffee maker in a new country feel like huge accomplishments!

Bird's Eye View

This is a view out of my apartment window. It's a great view of the city. My ears pop twice on the way up and down the elevator each day. At night it's also quite a sight to see.

National Flower

On my first day out and about I saw this beautiful flower. I later discovered it is the national flower of Korea. It is the "Rose of Sharon" or "Mugunghwa" in Korean.

Korea's basic stats: Thanks to the CIA Factbook!

"Location: Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea. Background:Korea was an independent kingdom for much of the past millennium. Following its victory in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, Japan occupied Korea; five years later it formally annexed the entire peninsula. After World War II, a republic was set up in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula while a Communist-style government was installed in the north. During the Korean War (1950-53), US and other UN forces intervened to defend South Korea from North Korean attacks supported by the Chinese. An armistice was signed in 1953, splitting the peninsula along a demilitarized zone at about the 38th parallel. Thereafter, South Korea achieved rapid economic growth with per capita income rising to roughly 14 times the level of North Korea. In 1993, KIM Young Sam became South Korea's first civilian president following 32 years of military rule. South Korea today is a fully functioning modern democracy. In June 2000, a historic first North-South summit took place between the South's President KIM Tae-chung and the North's leader KIM Jong Il.

Climate: temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winterTerrain:mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west

Religions: no affiliation 46%, Christian 26%, Buddhist 26%, Confucianist 1%, other 1% "
draft