Today was election day—a national holiday. Unfortunately, it rained. Spring is really here, with its rapidly changing weather…balmy one day, frigid and rainy the next. Maybe I do miss winter after all. There’s nothing worse than a rainy day off.
I couldn’t decide what exactly to do. I’ve been so ambitious lately, making extravagant plans for all my time off, but sometimes I feel it hasn’t been the best course of action. I end up spending it all on the bus. So after extensive deliberation, at the last minute I decided on Gongju. It’s not far, and it would be more of a sightseeing excursion than a hiking one, so if it did rain, as predicted, my plans wouldn’t be completely ruined. I got very wet walking to Seonggoksa, though. (There were no buses the last four kilometers and my umbrella was next to useless—it kept turning inside out in the wind.) I think I could wring out my shoes. The temple housed literally millions of Buddha figures, some of them 70+ meters high, but actually wasn’t all that atmospheric. It felt very new and almost gaudy, once you got over the awe of sheer size and quantity. Still glad I saw it, however.
I do feel down today, especially in comparison to yesterday. Dare I say that I miss work??? No, I think it is the weather, and the letdown of a day off. There’s the realization that I have to go back already tomorrow—the week is only half-done, unfortunately. I still don’t feel quite as settled and serene in my heart as I remember feeling toward the end of last semester—still a little surly, still a little resentful, still a little irritable. There’s been progress, at least, and I’m certain a few more days of sunshine could cure me completely!