Having lived in Daegu for about 17 months now, I’m finally starting to realize some of the things I’d come to know as ‘Korea’ are actually more ‘Daegu’ things. First, let me give you a quick rundown of Daegu. It’s towards the center of the country, but in the southeast. It’s the fourth-largest city in Korea, after Seoul, Busan, and Incheon (near Seoul), but keep in mind that Seoul and Incheon together hold half of South Koreans. Daegu is in a valley that is known for having hot, humid summers and cold winters. So let me begin by talking about one consequence of Daegu’s geographical location—the fact that historically residents were a bit cut off from the outside. I’ve studied Korean since before I came to Korea, and I still have difficulty understanding teachers talking in
... read more
