Jinju Lantern Festival

Yesterday some of the other Avalon teachers and I went to Jinju again, but this time to see more of the city than just the bus terminal. All week long was Jinju's annual Lantern Festival; we caught it on what I think was the last day. Here are some highlights:

 The best ones by far were the signs of the Chinese zodiac. The Rabbit looked particularly pretentious and pleased with himself, as us rabbits usually are. "Ah yes, 1987," he is saying, "it was a good year..."

Again, it was weird going to an event like this in a foreign country, because I couldn't shake the nagging feeling of sameness that has been following me since I got here. The Festival was a large section of the city cordoned off and full of families, tourists, Disney characters, a near fatal amount of kitsch, and weird snacks on sticks. In short, it was a festival, much like any other festival. At the end of the night, Matty and I sat on the plaza steps, eating pizza, and watching with their faces buried in their phones trip over the first step. That'll learn them to pay attention to the world around them. All in all, it was a good day.

In other news, after the windfall of my first paycheck, I did what any sane person would do and I bought a Kia!

Yes, that is a 5-speed Kia Soul. I didn't know they made bikes either, but at least I finally have my natural form of transportation back!