Friday was Buddha’s Birthday. Paper lanterns have been going up all over Daegu for awhile. I worked through the festivities, but I did get caught in some wicked traffic on the Apsan bypass. There were tons of people hanging out on the mountain, which conforms to my idea that mountains are much more sacred in Korea than they are in the U.S. There was music and food under rows of tents and lots and lots of people.
There is an election in Korea on June 6 (how do I know about all of these holidays, you ask? My Korean employees get holiday pay for them). Yesterday we got stuck behind a pedicab with a giant picture of someone smiling on the back. Later, we saw a convoy of cars filled with people in identical suits playing “if you’re happy and you know it” through a megaphone with Korean lyrics. My favorite is the flatbed truck that has a pavilion on the back with pictures of a smiling man plastered all over it. There are around 10 people on this pavilion waving and singing along with the campaign song, which is blasting from some speakers. Bobby says the truck passes by our house every morning. Elections seem like more of a party than Buddha’s birthday!
Friday night we broke out our new barbecue and grilled some burgers on the roof. Our view of the city after night fall is worth a million dollars, and coupled with deck chairs and beer it was a night to remember.
*No pictures, mea culpa. If it ever stops raining I'll get some of these campaign vehicles at least.
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