War and Sand

The yellow dust is here! Doesn't it sound like something from a science fiction movie? It's a natural phenomena that occurs every year in Korea's springtime. It's been happening ever since the ancient times, when the peninsula's inhabitants thought that God's judgment was rolling toward them on the wind. In reality it is fine dust particles whipped up from China's desert and swept across the sea into Seoul and the rest of the country. It creates huge health problems here-people develop coughs and asthma. The mortality rate even jumps up by 1.4%. There are sirens to warn people to stay indoors if the sand concentration gets too hazardous. Otherwise, you're supposed to wear face masks if you step foot outdoors.

The yellow dust rolls over Korea!

After church today we ventured off our normal Sunday routine (go out to eat and go home) and visited the War Memorial. I'd never learned much about the Korean War, since I had a rather incompetent high school teacher who "didn't believe in teaching wars because they're too violent." It was a really fascinating process. The museum guide showed us all of the WWII documents for the Japanese surrender and told me that the Japanese visitors he's met had never seen it before since they don't display them in Japan. Go figure. What does Japan have to do with the Korean war, you might ask. Well, I'll tell you! Japan relinquished control of Korea (which had previously been a colony) as part of its surrender in WWII. The US and the Soviet Union then divided the country down the 38th parallel, with the US taking the South and the USSR occupying the North. Each of the occupying armies subsequently set up governments and left. It was from that point on that Korea was divided, with different ideals. War soon broke out.
Walking through the Memorial also gave me a really good idea of how much the UN really did save South Korea's butt. Without the UN's intervention, Korea would be one mega-version of what North Korea is today: a treeless, nutritionless state.
David really enjoyed playing in the exhibits (they let you walk up and touch all of the tanks, guns and planes.)

Facing off a tank.

Our friends Jacob and Amanda.

David loves tanks.

Riding tandem!

MacArthur's Incheon landing! (That's our city!)


Another big highlight of the day was going to Krispy Kreme! There are a plethora of Dunkin Donuts around here, but I've never been very partial to them. Krispy Kreme is my donut place through and through.
They even had cute little white tiger donuts because this year is the year of the white tiger on the Chinese calendar!

About to enjoy my Krispy Kreme.

White tiger donuts. :)