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Ask any Korean, and they will let you know that Korea has 4 distinct seasons. If you also come from a place with 4 seasons, you have a general idea what to expect. On the other hand, Korean seasons can be rather extreme.
In the winter months, the temperature in Seoul feels very cold.
The temperature may not be colder than much of North America, but the fact that most English teachers won't be driving cars means that you'll be in the elements much longer than you do in North America. A warm coat and even a scarf will be very useful considering the cold winds that you will experience while walking in Seoul. Bubbling hot soups 무료웹툰다시보기 and toasty warm street food are very welcome this time of year. One note of caution, the subways and buses are heated, so you can easily overheat if you don't layer your clothing.
Korean homes are usually heated with an ondol system. An ondol uses heated water to warm the floor of a room and they can be very toasty and warm. If you are trying to save money, you can set the timer to turn on when you normally come home and then turn off when you fall asleep. If you try to keep the ondol on all night, your gas bill will be considerably higher.
One of the highlights of spring is the flowering trees. Many cities in Korea have cherry blossom or apricot blossom festivals. The magnolia trees also add to the beauty of the season. You can spend a brisk spring afternoon looking at flowering trees, but at night, cherry blossoms are illuminated by lights and people walk underneath them and enjoy the seasons.
The downside of spring is the yellow sand, also called yellow dust. This can cause upper respiratory irritation and makes many people wear face masks when they are in the streets.
Summers in Korea are hot and rainy. The heat and humidity is so intense that businessmen and women are allowed by their bosses to come to work without ties, or to wear nearly translucent shirts and blazers instead of normal business attire. Your school's dress codes will vary.
Popsicles are a big part of life in Korea in the summer. Other popular treats are iced Americanos, green tea lattes, cold noodles (naengmyun), and chilled soymilk noodles (kongguksu). Koreans will also point you to hot foods, especially ginseng and rice filled chicken soup (samgyetang). The logic behind samgyetang is that when your core is warm, your body won't lose strength and you can fight the heat better.
It is not unheard of for there to be torrential downpours, flooding and landslides in the midst of monsoon season. You might want to have some rain boots and a good raincoat for this time of year. The rains are intense. In addition, you should definitely carry a good umbrella even if you don't think it's likely to rain. Otherwise, you'll have to buy one on the subway or a convenience store for a considerable markup.
One nice innovation that I noticed in Korea is what a friend of mine called the "umbrella condom". When you come in from the street and you have a wet umbrella, it's nice to know that the floor is protected from the excess water around your umbrella. One word of warning: don't leave your umbrella in the wrapper for too long. It might rust or get mildew. It's a good idea to dry your umbrella from time to time during the rainy season. One good place to do this is in the hallway of your office building or apartment building.
