[little sage]

I've always taught in Daejeon, which is about 1.5 million people mostly jammed into blocklike apartment complexes, though the newer ones are looking nicer and nicer. I do think it's an efficient use of space and I wish there were less urban sprawl in North America. The number of superstores creeping across Southern Ontario is really sickening.

Anyway, I ramble. I would love to live in the country, but I find myself disappointed every time I visit the Korean countryside. It is so full of trash, I'm always shocked. The prettiest little places that I come across seem to always be marred by plastic trash, leftover food, broken soju bottles. It makes me so sad.

The countrypeople are really cool, though. Curious, joyous, hardworking and they know how to eat well. I spent 2 weeks volunteering on a little farm near Jirisan and stayed in a wee house in a valley. The hot water supply for bathing was broken so we had to boil water to wash, in February! The neighbours were especially cool. For a special holiday they prepared 5-grain rice and side dishes and delivered some to us even though we had never met them before! I think you would be hard pressed to find that kind of generosity in any city these days. It was wonderful and refreshing and made me think of a time when people actually needed each other to survive.

Cities are exciting, but city life is so anonymous. I vote for country life.