Winter Wonderland

Late December and early January in Korea have been scenic and freezing.

With temperatures hovering between 2 and -5 degrees, it was only a matter of time before the snow fell, and then failed to melt. This happened dramatically as I was returning on Sunday from a weekend in Seoul with Sunny. You can see the snow starting to fall at the train station in the picture above.

So my village of Shingye-Ri was transformed into a winter wonderland, with snow both fresh and white.

The little river froze over.

And I braved the cold to try to get some action snow pictures.

My kids enjoyed the cold by playing in our school's bright colored ball pool. Aren't they cute?

I love how the traditional houses have snow collecting on their roofs.

The farmlands were also made unfarmable by a thick layer of the magic white stuff.

Not only does the snow look gorgeous, but it is fascinatingly powdery to touch, yielding beneath my fingertips. It was only a matter of time before I started making snowballs, and having no one to throw them at, threw them at trees and walls, like a kid.

You can see the tree outside of my apartment, dusted with falling snow, like icing sugar.

On the weekend in Seoul, I went to Insadong, an artsy shopping street which is the heart of traditional Korean crafts.

They even have a Starbucks, written in Korean traditional script.

Insadong has beautiful traditional houses, screens and delicious Korean food.

I bought a backpack-full of traditional crafts and gifts in Insadong, so perhaps, if you are good, you will receive a gift from this fascinating place.

I had to brave the snow to make it to church on Sunday. The steps of the Nazarene University were slippery under the falling snow.

Korea truly does have four distinct seasons, now that I've been in Korea for nearly a year, I've had the privilege to experience all of them.