Election Day

Here in Korea, whenever there is an election, people get a holiday from work and classes!  This is so people will have time to vote, but for those of us who are not Daejeon citizens its a surprise holiday!  The election campaigning is nice here because its in a different language.  I think the most interesting part is that the colors for different parties range from yellow to blue and pink.  Its strange not just seeing red, white, and blue posters.  I saw people in red jackets stand on the side of the road and wave at people, and we also saw these trucks with either a video or a strange built into the side advertising one of the parties, but of course it was in Korean and sounded just like the trucks that broadcast food sales.  This election was for congressmen I believe, and all I know is the major party won. 

Riley had a paper to write, so I grabbed a camera and explored the woods on campus.  In Korea, almost all mountains (and hills) are left to the forests.  I think this is mainly due to the fact all the hill are really steep.  It would be really hard to build anything on the slopes, so there are hiking trails on all the mountains instead (with exercise equipment at the top).  The one on campus is small, but the flowers have started to bloom and I wanted pictures.  Also, for some reason all the egrets and herons in the area decided our mountain was where they wanted to raise their kids.  One part of the mountain is covered in giant white birds building nests.  While exploring and trying to get a good picture of the egrets, I went off the trail and scared up a Korean deer!  I have no idea how a deer lives on a mountain in the middle of a fenced-in college campus.  It was short and stocky, nothing like a white-tailed deer.  Two days later I met someone who hikes all the time in Korea and it took him 2 and a half years to see a deer.  It only took me 7 months!  Now I just need to see a Raccoon Dog...