The funny thing about growing up in the Midwest is, you usually don't have to worry about too many weather "malfunctions" - granted, we have to put up with quite a lot of "interesting" weather conditions (especially come winter) and no two days EVER seem to be alike! It's always a guessing game of "will it rain today and snow tomorrow? will the sun shine brightly, reaching 80 degree highs on Wednesday and suddenly hit 50 degree lows with cool winds and rain on Thursday?"
Yes, the midwest certainly has had its fair share of weather malfunctions, but not quite to the extent of what is experienced here in Korea.
Upon my arrival during the first week of August up until just about a week and a half ago, the humidity level was INSANELY ridiculous here! Within days of arriving, Korea soon taught me that although I'd never considered myself a "sweat-er", I quickly became known as a "dripping damsel in sweat-distress"! ugh! gross....literally you'd walk outside and be dripping with sweat, just from stepping outside....that's it...instant gross-ness...BAM! I soon found myself wondering on days when I wasn't sweating or not dripping profusely, why it was my body wasn't covered in total humidity-heatness slime. While people around me were bragging of their "two showers a day" routine, I was soaking in the sweat and allowing my greasy-ness to muster into some sort of proud, sweating success story! Korea weather malfunction?? I think so...
But about a week and a half ago, someone honestly must have flipped a "weather switch" here in Seoul...the humidity packed it's bags and the cool, autumn air set in. The rain continues (despite the fall-like weather) and the storm season seems to still be in full swing....in fact, shortly after the "weather switch" was flipped last week, the rains decided to have a get-together that just about wiped out half of Seoul!
Exactly a week ago, school was canceled due to Typhoon Kompasu, a category 2 hurricane with winds up to 65 mph! The typhoon caused Seoul's area subway services to be put out of service, toppled trees and caused widespread power outages, as well as delaying many flights out of Incheon Airport. When I woke up that particular morning at 5:25 a.m. for a morning workout routine I've been participating in with other teachers at 5:45 a.m. each morning, I was hesitant to set foot outside. The winds were HOWLING, the rain was POURING down, and the lighting and thunder were more intense than I've ever seen or heard! It certainly was weather like I'd never seen.....
Despite my best conscience, I walked to my workout and barely made it to my destination and back without my umbrella being yanked from my hands and turned inside out! Once I made it back home, I found out that school was canceled (thanks to the numerous weather updates from my meteorologist father) and the "up-to-date email correspondence" from Seoul Foreign's Administrative team, announcing the day's cancellation.
I couldn't believe it....snow day...sick day...field trip day...cold day....TYPHOON DAY????? hahaha!!! wow....who knew? Here I was...a naive midwestern girl....experiencing her first TYPHOON aaaand her first typhoon DAY!!! I couldn't believe it! With the raging winds, the loud, pattering rain, the thunder crashes, the lightning flashes! People were running for cover! They were without power, without communication! People were lost in the chaos! They were doing whatever possible to take shelter and to find safety!!!!
By 8:30 a.m., it was all over.
Seriously.
It was over.
Here we'd canceled school and gotten all worked up about a storm that ultimately...was just a storm. We were lucky enough not to have been hit too hard and although everything had calmed down by the early morning, there were still many people throughout the Seoul Metropolitan area that were scrapping to make it through!
Looking back on it now a week later, the craziness and excitement of experiencing the "typhoon day" ultimately ended up being a nice, relaxing day off from work (considering we didn't have much to worry about after all)! Even so, I have to say that regardless of "how hard" or "how badly" we were affected by the storm, the mere fact that we experienced a "typhoon" is definitely a Korea weather malfunction MUCH different than any other weather condition I've experienced as a midwesterner! But I'm excited....because now I can add "Typhoon Survivor" to my list of other notable titles I've acquired throughout the years (aside from "POZitively Pink" and "Does Not Know Her True Hair Color")
And so...the typhoon has come and gone - I'm thankful to be safe and sound and I hope the rest of you back home are also staying safe and keeping healthy!
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