My first week in South Korea was full of first impressions. Learning the culture and language is one thing; to learn and capitalize on the climate and weather patterns is quite another. These first expressions of my first impressions of Korea display my first efforts in coping with a totally new environment.

Some observations from my experience so far about early spring in the Gimpo district of Seoul, South Korea:

• Visibility is almost always low, with a more or less dense blanket of haze, fog or smog cutting distant visibility to low, if not null.
• Most mornings, the sun sets the sky to matte hues of yellow and orange, but does not last long.
• On a good evening, the sky offers broad shades of red, pink, and purple after the sun sets.