Welcome to 장마 2010! The rainy season officially started yesterday, and if anyone was out and about around 10pm last night, you certainly saw the first of it.
While the rainy season has an official start date, don’t expect that to mean that you’ll start getting drenched every day, although that may happen, so keep an umbrella on hand. Korea 4 Expats has some good tips on keeping your clothes and shoes from rotting in the cabinet, and basic safety reminders.
You’ll notice that your laundry will start taking days to dry now that the monsoon season has hit. Besides pointing an electric fan on your laundry rack, running the dehumidify function of your air conditioner (제습) can help your clothes and your house dry out.
If you don’t have air conditioning, most public buildings do, so don’t be afraid to go spend some time reading a book in the subway stations. Nature’s best air conditioner is a forest, so heading out to a mountain is also a very popular traditional way to cool off.
In any case, remember to be careful walking around on anything made of granite, have some shoes that don’t mind getting wet and that staying hydrated is often the best way to keep yourself from overheating.
