The Great Leap

As the calendar ticked over from April to March, it was as though the great hand in the sky had flipped the climate light switch. Overnight, the humidity rose by 50 percent and the temperature by 15 degrees.

It took the city of Busan a little longer to catch up to the change. On May 2, I got on the subway at 8 a.m. and the heaters were still running. In the morning rush hour, we were packed into the cars like cows to slaughter, and we silently sweated and suffered together. By the time I boarded the train again at 11 a.m., Busan transportation has caught up, and the air conditioning was gently cooling the passengers.

The hasty transition caught me by surprise, too, and I'm playing catch up. Jackets and boots have been put away. Flip flogs and tank tops have reemerged. Trips to the pedicurist are in dire need.

Hair, worn down all winter, is now tied up and off the neck. Steamy, relaxing showers have been replaced by cool, refreshing ones, and the number taken ever day has doubled along with my gym-going efforts so as not to embarrass myself on the beach.

Windows and doors are thrown open to welcome in the balmy breeze. Thankfully, the mosquito population is still recovering from the winter, but I have great faith that they'll be after my blood very soon. Just today, I saw a large bug crawling along the outdoor hallway and thought, "They're baaack."

It's no longer painful to wash my hands are work, where there is no hot water. For unlike Colorado, where cold water is icy year round, here, as the temperature of the air climbs, so does the temperature of the cold water nozzle. It's now impossible to get anything more than tepid water from the kitchen tap.

As spring settles into summer, I'm a busy as the bees in the cherry trees. For reasons that I can't spell out in this public blog, my Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings have gotten a lot busier and will remain so for the duration. This, in addition to my job, the fun stuff, the occasional load of laundry and the gym (the latter of which didn't actually happen in April due to a hectic schedule paired with not one, but two tangles with bronchitis and excruciating medical procedures on my feet) have me swamped.

To add to my load this month is my new job search, as my current teaching contract finishes May 31. Just 17 days of work left! I have enjoyed the job and this city. I have not enjoyed my most recent roommate. So, I'm looking for a new school in Busan. There is a grand master plan in the works, but I hesitate to divulge it for fear that this blog may be read by those who ought not read it. Ask for details if you're interested and wish me luck in the hunt!