Welcome winter - First snowfall in Gyeongju

8pm last night  and I had a piping hot shower and was about to get  into my bed attire , my over sized black and red ladybird onesie.  I was on the verge of closing the window as the wind  had suddenly picked up quite dramatically , but then a rather cold piece of fluff landed on my hand , "snow? , it  can't possibly be  , it is far too early for Gyeongju to get snow"  I  stuck my head out of the window , looked up  and saw thousands of little  shimmering white specks floating down from the dark nights sky.

Now  for most people who live in the Northern hemisphere snow has become a part of life

and by the sounds of things it brings more unhappiness and irritation than anything else. However, being a South African who rarely gets to experience such  magical moments ,  as  snow fall in Cape Town is very rare , I could hardly control my excitement.
Not wanting to waste one more second of being inside I grabbed my boots and my giant jacket "gooi  d" it over my ladybird onesie and ran outside.

-3 degrees , icy wind  and wet hair  , I will probably be bed ridden with flu  this weekend  as a result of my foolish decision  but hey it is a consequence I am willing to accept.  I stood in the middle of the road , tongue dangling in the cold night  air  in the hope that I would catch a  crystal flake. I could feel the cold pierce through my entire body but I was not going to let that ruin my first snow fall experience in Gyeongju. I gazed up and let the icy  snow flakes fall onto my face. A few neighbours came outside, I dont think they were expecting to find a giant ladybird in the middle of the road running around catching snowflakes. Heaven only 
knows what they must have thought . " Crazy weird waygook" is probably accurate. Even though they were not  enjoying  the snowy splendor as much as I was  , I saw a few of them crack a smile , perhaps it was because of the snowfall or perhaps it was because I looked so ridiculous . but nevertheless they  smiled.

 I admit that the snow fall that I experienced last night was microscopic compared to what my friends are experiencing  in other parts of Korea , but that doesn't change how I felt last night  .As I have said many times before , it is finding  pleasure , beauty  and happiness in the  simple  moments like standing outside with the tiny snowflakes falling all around us that make this life a beautiful and meaningful one.

So here is to winter in Korea  and  the many snow ball fights , snowmen and Christmas angels  that will be made <3
I am so ready for a white winter land Christmas.