These birds were ebony black and had either a white stripe on their chests or tail. I also saw several stray cats. Many students have informed me that there are a total of five strays that frequent the campus and have seemed to become residents of the campus. The dormitory has one pet which is a giant golden retriever, named Nuri, who is one year old and only speaks Korean!
The coolest things that I saw in nature were the maple leaves because they are still red, even though all of the other trees and plants are bare. It was a nice splash of color in a sea of bare branches. I'm looking forward to spring in April when the trees start to bloom cherry blossoms. They say that Korea is known for having all four seasons and I'm glad to be here to experience the transition between winter to spring in my first days abroad.
I find the weather to be similar to California's weather in the winter, only 10 degrees colder. For example, when it is 44 degrees Fahrenheit in Seoul, then it will be about 54 degrees Fahrenheit in San Jose. It's always sunny in Seoul, but with the poor air quality and fine dust that blows in from China, the sky often becomes overcast, blocking the sunlight. When there is a dangerous amount of fine dust in the air, the government will issue a mass text message to everyone in Seoul to wear their masks to protect themselves from breathing in the fine dust. Wearing a surgical mask is important to keep you from breathing in much of the fine dust.
