Hazy high-rises on the hills. Bare branches brave the brazen breezes of winter. Built into Inwangsan Mountain stands a colorful temple, its architecture a pan-Asian blend of Korean history. The intermittent drum beats of Buddhist prayer echo from the temple. Between my feet and the drum beats are wooden steps, stone walkways, and a man smoking a cigarette on the porch of a wide home. My destination is the wall built into Inwangsan, directly ahead. At the gates of the temple,

What's the single most unexpected thing about living in South Korea? Turning an air filter face mask into an everyday necessary accessory. Looking like a post-apocalyptic movie character or like Kitana (or Mileena or Jade or Frost...or maybe the Mortal Kombat world has an air pollution problem, too)... So, what's up with the face mask, anyway? Air pollution gets pretty bad here. You've probably got a smorgasbord of questions now, and so did I! So, let's go through them: What

I'm learning a different type of normal. It's a normal I don't completely understand, yet. There are a lot of things I don't understand, yet. But I've always understood me. Not all the time. But as a whole, I've felt confident with myself, my purpose, who I am. I'm not perfect, and I'm OK with that. I've always been interested in many things, but beyond all, art and stories. Other people's stories and what others have learned. In people who have stayed positive and optimisti