And with the flooding comes...

crayfish???  During the cleanup, which was done primarily while the rain came crashing down around us, we discovered crayfish! I didn't know what they were exactly when I first saw them. I've only ever seen crayfish cooked, and much larger.
Upon seeing them, Kyle said, "Mmmmm, dinner!"
Of course Kyle recognized them right away.  He may not remember my name when we're 80 years old and living in a nursing home, but he'll be able to tell you the diet of each different species of lizards.
Are crayfish common in Yongmun? You may be asking.

I still haven't gotten a clear answer on this.  I have no idea where these guys came from.  We live near a river, but not on a river.  I'd never heard of freshwater crayfish, but that must be what they were, because there are certainly no oceans near us.

Because Kyle loves being manly, he begged that I switch with him for the day, and let him clean outside in the rain, while I take over his classes.  Preschool students were called and told not to come in; being so little, the currents running through our campus could have quite easily washed them away.  I obliged my puppy eyed husband although playing in the rain had in truth, sounded fun to me, I just can't say "no" to those eyes. And instead taught his classes.

The flooding actually was worse than I'd expected, more than 17 inches of rain within two days.  Landslides killed several University students, and Seoul was an absolute mess for a few days. Life went back to normal the following day for us, however, more rain, more humidity, but less torrential.

Flooding has arrived

We got a call from administration this morning at 7:30 am.  Kyle didn't get the first call, but when they called a second time, Kyle got out of bed and answered.  "Hello" he croaked into the phone. There was a long pause, while someone spoke on the other side of the phone. "Why do we need to come in at 8:00 am instead of 8:30 am?" He asked, not wanting to get up earlier.  "Alright," he admonished before hanging up.
"The school is flooded, we have to go in early today." he tells me as he sits up in bed.
On my way to the preschool building, rocks, sediment and tree branches bedazzle the streets.  Thankfully the rain is now only a drizzle.  As of two weeks ago, we had three umbrellas; today we have zero.  We left two on a subway after toting them all the way to Mudfest (more on that later), and all the way back, only to leave them at the very last stop.  Even in Korea, the land of no stealing, they weren't safe. Our last umbrella was jacked, sitting outside Kyle's office.  Umbrellas at the village are free game as far as I can tell.  I can't tell you how many umbrella's we've gone through these past two years. Seriously, over ten umbrellas.

My coworker and friend, Lisa, ran into the rain without an umbrella, because her umbrella has also mysteriously disappeared, to capture some of the river. True grit!

Lightening flashed over head, as I stared dumbfounded at the river in the middle of the courtyard.  I looked around to see a spout of water shooting up from the ground. There was no way around this river except through it.  I took off my red, rainproof shoes that I've been wearing daily, and splashed my way barefoot through the cold water.  It felt delightful at 8:30 am on my poorly circulating feet.  I feel like I'm in the wilderness, crossing a unbridled river.  I'm told that the children have been told to stay home today.  Looks like a day of cleaning is ahead.  Its a nice change, a little shake up, to keep us on our toes.  Thank you monsoon season- hopefully you didn't do any REAL damage!