Weekend Update

This weekend Sean and I ventured into Seoul and explored the areas of Insadong and Myeongdong before meeting friends for dinner in Itaewon. Insadong is always my favorite neighborhood. This weekend it was teeming with foreigners and Koreans alike all shopping for gifts. There were tons of things going on in Insadong like reenactments from ancient times and lots of people dressed in traditional Korean clothing walking around the streets. We wandered around and tried to find this bird cafe I read about in my Lonely Planet until we discovered that my Lonely Planet is outdated and the place closed down a while back. We settled for some coffee bingsu instead.

in Insadong

outside the non-bird cafe

coffee bingsu

Myeongdong was also packed with people, so we shopped around and then people watched from a cafe balcony. I realized I don't think I have written about this yet, but it always makes me laugh. Koreans, especially younger Korean women and girls love to take photos of themselves with their cell phones while sitting at coffee shops and restaurants. Many people have a photo of themselves as a background on their phone. In America this would seem vain, but here it's trendy. Anyways, there was a girl at the table next to us at the cafe taking photos of herself on her cell phone for a good 20 minutes. That clicking sound kept going off and as soon as there was a lull and I thought she finally finished her photo session, another click would sound.

girl at the coffee shop, couldn't resist sneaking a photo

One of Sean's friends from home just moved to Korea with her husband who works for the Canadian embassy. They met us in Itaewon for dinner and we tried out a place called Marrakech Night. There was a buffet of Moroccan dishes, but the food was not my favorite. The conversation was good though, and it was great to meet some of Sean's friends from home.

Next week is Chuseok, Korean thanksgiving, and I have a whole week's vacation from work. Looking forward to it more than I can say.


Namaste

Typhoon Lagoon

Yesterday Typhoon Kompasu came barreling through the Korean peninsula. I was awaken around 6A.M. to the loud noises outside my window from the rain, wind, and debris flying through the air. The sky was dark grey and the trees were all bending, branches scratching against buildings. By the time I had to leave for school the wind had died down a bit, but it was still a little scary looking outside. I tried to find a cab to save me the 15 minute walk in the messy weather, but there were none to be found and a line of people waiting for one. I braved the weather and walked through the rain and wind to work. My umbrella was useless a few minutes in as it kept getting blown backwards by the strong winds. I arrived at school as wet as a dog and to my surprise no one was there except for a handful of teachers and office workers. Apparently there was a two-hour delay but no one called me to let me know. At least I was safe and sound indoors while the rest of the storm passed. There were lots of damages all around, but nothing catastrophic. Only 5 deaths were reported in Korea which is of course awful for those peoples' families, but thank God the death toll was not higher. My school had several broken windows and the giant billboard from the apartment building next door fell into the school. As of today the storm has completely passed and moved on to Japan. I survived my first and hopefully only typhoon and I am just so thankful that the repercussions were not worse.

Namaste

Strange Is Now Normal

I realize I have been slacking on the cultural and social observations in my blogs lately, but to be honest after almost a year here, most things are just normal to me now. Things that used to baffle me don't even phase me anymore. I walk around and observe things and think to myself "this should seem strange to me, but it doesn't". Here are a few things that occurred to me lately while walking around and thinking exactly that.

All restaurants in Korea that serve meat or seafood of any kind all advertise the same way. They show a picture of the meat right next to a picture of the live animal right outside on their billboard. I've never understood this. Is it just to ensure the customer that that is indeed the kind of meat they will be served? 'We say it's beef, but here's a photo of cows grazing in a field, just to make sure you really believe us.'

There is a little clinic that I pass by on my way to and from work where many men are always hanging around outside. They are in their hospital pajamas and are sometimes even seated in a wheelchair or have an IV hooked up to them. They are all smoking cigarettes. It is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen. They are being treated for one thing or another and obviously taking time off work and spending money to be healed, all the while they are polluting their lungs and bodies further with smoke from their $2 pack of cigarettes.

On another note, Sean showed me the movie 엽기적인 그녀, My Sassy Girl, a very popular Korean film the other day. I wasn't sure how I felt about it in the beginning because the main female character kept asking the male character if he wanted to die. Sean explained to be that it's just a thing Koreans say to each other playfully. By the second half of the movie I was more interested in learning what had happened in the past (it's kind of a mystery) and what was going to happen in the future for the characters. Of course the movie ended heart-warmingly and I ended up with tears in my eyes. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes romantic comedies and doesn't mind reading subtitles.

My Sassy Girl

Happy September!

Namaste

Seoul: The City That Never Stops

Seoul is one giant tourist attraction. There are so many things to see and do and experience. Just walking around the city is a tourist attraction. For an American like me, it's so different to see a modern city with huge sky-scrapers and fast cars dotted with ancient temples and bell towers. It's just so unique compared to any city in the western hemisphere I have ever seen. There's a real feeling of being in two time periods at once and I find it fascinating.

I wanted to check out a traditional market in Seoul, so Sean went with me and we found our way to the Gwangjang Market near Dongdaemun. This market sells a variety of different things. There are clothing stalls, gifts, household items, food, etc. When we arrived at the market it was later in the evening it appeared to be closing down. The vendors were all closing their shops for the night, but as we walked through the building a little more we discovered a thriving food market. There were lots of little stands set up right in the middle of the market where ajumas were selling all kinds of yummy foods (and soju and makgoli of course). There were kimchi and mung bean pancakes, parts of pig heads, feet, skin, etc., stews with thick pieces of beef and potatoes, and many other unrecognizable things. We sat down and had a kimchi and mung bean pancake. They were delicious. We then traveled a little further into the market hallway and found even more set-ups with lots and lots of men in business suits eating, drinking, and generally being merry. It was a little after work watering hole for the Seoul business men. There were many more stalls of creepy foods such as sundae (sausage) and lots of pig feet and intestines. Not really my thing. I just couldn't stop thinking to myself that people in America eat that stuff because they want to win $50,000 on Fear Factor or something, but people in Korea eat that stuff because they ENJOY it. The Gwangjang Market after hours was definitely an experience.

mung bean and kimchi pancake

serving up some yummies at the market

Gwangjang Market

Sean wanted to surprise me, so he took me to a place I had wanted to see in Seoul for a while; the Banpo Bridge. It is one of the most well known bridges in the world because of it's beautiful Moonlight Rainbow Fountain. The fountain shoots of spurts of water recylced from the river and is set to music with lights to create a fantastic little show. The bridge is in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest bridge fountain in the world. So many couples and families gathered near the water to see the show that goes off at certain times when the sun goes down. It was a very calming and romantic spot, a nice distraction from the busyness of the city. After all, they say New York is the city that never sleeps, but Seoul is the city that never stops.

Moonlight Rainbow Fountain

the Banpo Bridge

Namaste

11 Down, 1 More to Go!

Today is my 11 month mark in Korea. I am in the home stretch of this whirlwind of a year and I could not be happier. I describe my time here in Korea as a roller coaster because that's exactly what it's been. There have been lots of ups and downs and many in-betweens.

As I look back at my time in Korea, there are lots of things I will miss, but many things I won't. The biggest thing I will not miss is the constant staring. I am excited to come home to normalcy- just being a face among the crowd. Standing out in Korea as a blonde average size girl causes gaping stares of unbelievable amounts. While I have come to realize it's not negative, it drives me to drink. For example, the other day while eating lunch by myself a group of teenage girls at the table next to me were constantly turning around to look at me and then speaking in Korean about me. It was one of the most frustrating meals I've ever had. I mean, can't I even eat in peace without the nonsense?! I dread escalators like a 5 year old child dreads a shot at the doctor. Maybe more because I will be stared at the entire way up or down like a caged animal. The constant staring, whispering, and uncomfortableness will feel wonderful to be rid of!

The thing I will miss the most is the abundant opportunity to learn. I have absorbed and learned more this past year than I ever thought possible through conversation, experience, reading, etc. It seems that each and every day I have learned a new Korean word, gesture, something cultural or historical. I have learned about the world around me, people, and places. In such an interesting and different place as Korea, you are bound to pick up something. The things I have learned about myself and the kind of person I want to be and don't want to be have been numerous. I am just grateful of all that I have seen and will miss dearly the learning opportunities all around me.

I am very much looking forward to the next few months of soaking up my time here in Korea, travel, and spending time with the people I love.

Namaste

Masks, Crabs, and Temples

There is really only one word that comes to mind when I think about the Korean countryside: green. The countryside is just an abundance of green everywhere you look. Green hills, grasses, trees, shrubs, plants, leaves, vines, etc. dot the land. It is absolutely breathtaking and refreshing.

green grass

I was fortunate to visit the Korean countryside again this past weekend. Sean’s brother is visiting in Korea and I tagged along for a short road trip to the eastern province of Gyeongsangbuk-do. We were able to see and do a few great things considering our weekend time constraint and the fact that it is monsoon season.

Our first stop was Andong, a city known exclusively for traditional Korean masks. There is a large folk village there complete with traditional homes, museums, souvenirs, and more. In this folk village people still live like they did hundreds of years ago. The government provides money for preservation and restorations. When we arrived, it began pouring rain, so we visited the mask museum indoors first and saw lots of masks from Korea and all over the world. There were so many and they were all unique with their own colors, shapes, sizes, textures, and uses. The rain let up and we hopped a bus into the village to have a look. The scenery was gorgeous and the homes were interesting. Each home was surrounded by a mud and rock wall and the roofs were tiled in the traditional Korean way. We were only able to see a small part of the village before the rain dumped down again and we made a sprint back to the bus stop.

unfinished mask

Korean masks

ajuma visor mask

outside the folk village

wood carving

wood carvings near the folk village

The next stop we made was in a town on the East Sea called Yeongduk. Yeongduk is famous for their snow crabs. As soon as we got near the water we saw tons of buildings with huge crab structures attached to the walls and roofs. They were all equally humungous and ridiculous, competing with each other for the most flashy in order to draw in customers. We chose a less flashy restaurant. After selecting our crabs we sat down and waited for them to be cooked and prepared for our lunch. After breaking apart the crab, we began to dig in (literally) with our hands and utensils. The snow crab was delicious, but a difficult food to eat. The lady at the restaurant even took the liberty of making fried rice out of the left over parts of the crab, AKA the guts for us.

fresh snow crab

guts inside the body, uh thanks

Our final destination was Gyeongju. Gyeongju is revered in Korea as one of the most culturally rich cities. It used to be the capital of Korea way back in the time of the Shilla Dynasty. There are multitudes of tombs, temples, and world heritage sites. We visited a couple of them. One was the Bulguksa temple, a huge temple and grounds that were built beginning in 528A.D. As we walked up the pathway and stairs to the temple it was apparent that it was not an average temple. It was huge. There were many temples within the walls of the grounds and we could hear the drone of the monks performing prayer services inside. The smell of incense filled the temples and drifted outside into the courtyards. I was surprised at the large amounts of tourists peering inside while the religious people were conducting these prayers, but perhaps they are used to it. This temple sight is a UNESCO world heritage sight. The sky showed signs of another approaching downpour, but we wanted to see one more sight before heading home. We hiked our way up to the Seokguram grotto only to find another steep hike into the mountains. As more storm clouds covered the sky, we decided to head back instead, so we didn't actually get to see the giant famous stone Buddha statue that sits at the top. However, we did get to see a beautiful view of the city, some smaller temples, and a large bell tower.

Bulguksa

inside the temple grounds

brotherly love

ok, so I snuck a photo

the inner courtyards

bell tower at Seokguram

The more I see of Korea outside of Seoul, the more I like. This really is a scenic and beautiful country.

Namaste

Wanderlust

Wanderlust. Some people are infected. Some are not. For those of us that suffer, it is a deep longing and desire to be somewhere other than the current place you are. It is like someone or something is tugging on your heart strings and your mind begins to race. You may begin to feel an overwhelming anxiety or excitement at the mere mention of a passport stamp or the sight of an air plane in the sky. There is absolutely no cure for wanderlust and the only treatment is travel.

I have been spending my extra time lately reading through my Lonely Planet and surfing the Internet researching for my next travels. Sam and I have booked our flights for our upcoming backpacking trip this fall. It will be the second backpacking trip we have taken together and I cannot tell you how excited I am. I feel so blessed to travel with such an amazing travel buddy as her. When we finish up by Christmas, we will have traveled to 15 different countries and lived in 2 together! (outside of the States)

We will be leaving the beginning of November and traveling up until a few days before Christmas. Our trip outline is not set, but we are planning to visit the following countries: Indonesia, (Peninsular) Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. I am anxious beyond words to travel again.

"Tourists don't know where they've been, travelers don't know where they're going."

-Paul Theroux

Happy August!


Namaste