I’m writing this from a hidden, second-story coffee shop that I chanced to come across as I was walking through Yeonnam-dong. The weather today is so deliciously warm and spring-like; and the windows and doors have been thrown completely open to welcome in trailing bits of wind. Sun and shadow have stamped themselves on the concrete staircase hugging the building outside. Beyond lies a framed portrait of the hidden back roads of Seoul. When I first peeked in, the place seemed deserted, unoccupied wooden tables and chairs the only inhabitants. But it’s incredibly peaceful. I like this cafe; it’s one of the scarce few I’ve been to that doesn’t play…
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ways to pass the time: films, reading & listening recommendations
I’ve probably been through a month of quarantine in total now, and though I’m about to come out of my mandated period of self-isolation many of you wonderful readers will still have to endure indefinite weeks of social solitude. Because of this, I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve been watching and reading and listening to in the past few weeks to keep myself entertained, along with some of those which are just general favourites. Besides, though I’ll soon be no longer under the yoke of self-isolation, the likelihood is that I’ll still be spending more time than usual indoors, so I’ll probably keep updating this space: I…
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the sound of spring in a silent city – pt. II
Part II – Paju, South Korea The end to my self-isolation here in Korea is within sight. Having arrived nearly two weeks ago, I’m over halfway through the government-mandated period of self-quarantine for arrivals from Europe. For this past week and a half I’ve been living in Paju, a city on the wider outskirts of Seoul, with my grandparents and uncle. The weather here has truly turned beautiful. In front of the complex of apartments in which my grandparents live there is a park, where snowy pockets of cherry blossoms are appearing around the lake and budding colour returns to branches that had been bare and lifeless. The sky is…
