Rain

Satellite image of Typhoon Soulik, Friday evening (28storms.com)

That is one enormous typhoon. It's at least six times as large as the island itself (the red arrow is pointing near Taipei). Fortunately, the worst part of Typhoon Soulik has already passed through Taipei and is now heading toward China, and before it touched down, it was downgraded to a medium-force storm rather than super-strong-hurricane-of-epic-proportions. Unfortunately, there has been one reported death in the capital so far. I'm praying that proper precautions and evacuation procedures have saved many more lives.

In other news, Typhoon Soulik resulted in the cancellation of my original flight to Taiwan. Stephanie and I have been scrambling to figure out how we're going to get to the island, and the current state of affairs is a confirmed flight for tomorrow morning as well as waiting list positions for a another flight this afternoon. I'm hoping we can get onto today's flight, since I'd like to be in Taiwan as early as possible. Please pray for our safe and successful travels!

On the other hand, with all the free time we now have, Stephanie is baking bread, and I'm helping clean the apartment we're crashing in. This is turning into a nice lazy Saturday afternoon, which is pleasant. I need some time in a quiet place, especially since yesterday was... not the best of days. Still, I can't wait to be in Taiwan!

Heat

It's hot today, there's no denying that. But is it hot enough to warrant advising the general populace not to annoy anyone for fear that it might result in violent crime?

The 불쾌 지수 (bulkwe jisoo), or Discomfort Index, will tell you just that. During the Korean summer, when the temperature and humidity level both reach a certain unbearable point, the Discomfort Index indicates that it's just too hot to risk doing anything rash. Then, weathermen will not only tell you that it's 85°F (29°C) with 85% humidity, but they will also tell you not to give anyone grief, because the heat can literally drive someone crazy and cause them to hurt you. They also caution against going outside or drinking anything caffeinated.

When it comes to heat-addled brains, some may find it odd that Koreans have a unique expression for symptoms of illness directly caused by heat. 도위 먹다 (dowee meokda) translates to "eat heat". It refers to the manifestations of nausea, fatigue, and various bodily aches which are claimed to be brought on by uncomfortably high temperatures. I'm not aware of anything comparable in the US. I mean, we have heatstroke, but that is a legitimate medical condition, whereas 도위 먹다 sounds to me like crankiness. Perhaps those who eat too much heat are the ones to watch out for when the Discomfort Index is too high!

Today, I received a text message that appeared to come from a national or regional alert system (소방방재청): 폭염경보 (pogyeom gyeongbo), or "heat wave warning". It read: 11일 11시부로 폭염경보, 물을 자주 마시고 카페인음료 삼가, 잦은 환기, 한 낮 외출은 자제 하. My rough translation: "July 11th, from 11am onward, a heat wave warning. Drink lots of water and avoid caffeinated drinks, stay in a ventilated area, and refrain from going outdoors for the day."

Korea takes its weather seriously. Not that I wouldn't expect the same sort of thing in the US, especially in perennially scorched California, but I just find the Discomfort Index so... I don't know, endearing? Quaint? Fitting for Korea? I can't think of the right word at the moment. Probably because it's too hot.

On the other hand, I'm also mentally preparing for even worse weather. I am planning to fly to Taiwan this weekend (God-willing, as long as Typhoon Soulik doesn't wreak complete havoc on the island), where the temperature and humidity are both considerably higher than in Korea. After this week and next, I'll be quite relieved when I'm finally back in California, land of sunshine and a super-dry atmosphere. And cheap fruits, and Chipotle, and my family, etc.

온도와 습도가 높으면 불쾌지수도 높아요.
When the temperature and humidity level are high, the Discomfort Index is also high.

더워 죽겠네!
It's so hot I'm dying!