Colorful Daegu!

The post you have all been waiting for is finally here!

Over the past two weeks, I have finally been able to explore and get to know the beautiful city of Daegu, and the photos below are some of my favorite moments....so far!

So, without further ado, let me introduce you to the amazing city that I will call home for the next 11 months! (Yeah, I've been here for a month already...WHAT?!)

Here are some basic facts about the city of Daegu:

• Daegu is the fourth largest city in South Korea, and there are roughly 2.5 million people who live in the city.

• Daegu is located in the south-eastern part of the Korean Peninsula. It is roughly 1.5 hours from the capital city of Seoul.

• Daegu has earned the nickname "Daefrica," a combination of Daegu + Africa, as it is the hottest city in South Korea. Summer temperatures are consistently in the mid 90s and above, but the winters tend to be mild compared to northern cities like Seoul.

• UNESCO has designated Daegu as a "city of creative music" thereby adding it to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. It is the birthplace of Korean modern music, the first city in Korea to have opened a music hall, and the first city to have brought a piano into Korea in 1900.

• Daegu is often considered to be the most conservative in its approach to values and life when compared to the other larger cities in South Korea

Most of the photos above are from a popular "downtown" area in Daegu. It's an area where the three main metro lines meet, and it is full of shops, restaurants, cafes, movie theaters and bars. There is even a 10 story mall!

I have a basic understanding of the subway system, but the bus schedule still eludes me. Twice now I have a missed a bus transfer...which I find very frustrating. Not only that, but the bus drivers are all competing in some sort of death race against everything else on the road, so riding the bus can be a life or death adventure.

I choose life.

The city itself is SUPER clean. There is almost zero litter in the subway stations, on the streets, in the parks...it's like...like...everyone cares about their city?

Novel concept, I know.

The one exception is that bagged trash is left out on the sidewalks in front of both residences and businesses for pickup. But it never sits out there for long as the trash pickup is very reliable. Incidentally, I have yet to actually see the trash trucks. I have NO idea how, or when, the trash gets picked up in the city. Seeing a trash truck has become my white whale, of sorts. I keep my eyes out for one every time I walk around, but they are EXCEEDINGLY elusive.

There are a lot of "green spaces" around the city, and they are a relief to stumble upon as they offer a type of restorative effect after spending all day walking around in the stifling heat.

I find myself wanting to take pictures of everything and nothing. The city is so different from what I'm used to that it feels impossible to fully capture it just in photographs, and yet I'm caught up in the challenge to do just that.

Deep down, I'm not really in love with the urban scene. One day, when I finally settle down, I want it to be outside the city on a few acres of land...with SO MANY ducks...like all the ducks. But, I have to admit, if there were a city that could sell me on the glamour of living the big city life, it would be Daegu. I don't know if it's the foreign factor or if it simply has something special that's all its own, but Daegu is pretty amazing.

Despite the fact that it's currently hotter than the sun here....