Chuseok in Jeju!

After being disappointed by the fact that LITERALLY all flights from Seoul to Tapei (and vice versa) were sold out a month in advance, I happened to notice that a tour company that caters to foreigners living in South Korea had scheduled a trip to Jeju Island.  So Jeju it was.  I enlisted Colin as my trusty travel companion.

I've been meaning to visit Jeju for a while.  In fact, I had originally wanted to teach on Jeju before coming to Korea, but I changed my mind once I decided I didn't want to work for a private institution.

Anyway, Jeju is THE getaway destination for Korean families.  I saw recently somewhere that the flight frequency between Seoul and Jeju is the highest flight frequency of any two destinations IN THE WORLD.  So yea...it's a popular place to go.

Jeju is stunningly beautiful.  I've been telling everyone at my school that it is one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited.  No exaggeration.

After a less-than-enjoyable cramped over night bus ride to Mokpo from Daejeon, we got on the 8:00 a.m. ferry.  Some people started the party early with some beers, but many of us just laid down on the deck and basked in the sun to try and recover from our severe lack of sleep.  Once on the island and checked in to our pension, we went directly to the beach.  We stayed at Hamdeok Beach, which is renowned for it's clear blue water.  I really liked the location because it was relatively isolated.

Colin and I ended up in a pension with about 7 other guys.  We lucked out big time because they were all really cool and a lot of fun.  We are keeping in touch with a couple of them.

After spending some time on the beach, we eventually moved to a seaside restaurant to have Jeju's famous black pig.  According to Wikipedia, "[the] pork is smoked over burning hay allowing the smoke to penetrate the meat juices resulting in a flavour quite unlike regular pork and a meat that is somewhat chewier."  The black pig is famous, 40 and more years ago, these black pigs were used to clean up human waste.  That is, they were housed beneath latrines, and they uh...ate shit.  The fact that they are no longer fed human crap has led some to believe that the flavor of their meat has also changed...haha.

The next day, we took a trip to Udo, which is a neighboring island.  Before boarding the ferry to Udo, we stopped at an inactive volcano called Seongsan Ilchulbong.  We were all quite hungover, so the hike up Seongsan Ilchulbong was a bit difficult, but it was worth.  It was a beautiful area, and since it lies right in the Korean Strait, we had a beautiful view of the sea.

We were scheduled to rent ATVs, scooters, or bikes to ride around the beautiful coast of Udo.  Most people got set up right away, but a group of us was taken to a different store, because the original store had ran out of ATVs and scooters.  However, once we got to the new place, they told us that we needed international licenses to drive them.  Luckily, the original store ended up getting some scooters back in the time that we wasted at the second store.  Not sure why, if the original store was working together with the second store, they would not have established the fact that they had different policies when it comes to renting out their rides.  Anyway, this was the only shitty part of the trip, and we got over it as soon as we were riding around the coast on our scooter!  Yea!

We spent about three hours going around the island.  We stopped for lunch and photo opportunities.

After Udo, we went to this incredible cave (called the Volcano Tube(?)) that seemed to go on forever and ever.  It was pretty incredible, but I think we were all so exhausted from the full day of activities that no one was very enthusiastic about it. 

We took it pretty easy that night, because we planned on hiking Korea's tallest mountain, Mt. Halla, the next day!

We ended up with quite a crew for Hallasan.  There was close to 20 of us who braved the mighty Hallasan that day.  We were clearly not the only ones with that idea, because the entrance was absolutely swarming with Koreans.

(side note: one thing that I think I've failed to mention in the past is that with any sort of outdoors activity (hiking, biking, camping...you name it), Koreans go absolutely all out when buying gear.  For example, when I got hiking, I normally wear a shitty old t-shirt, a smelly bandana, my hiking/running/yoga pants, my hiking boots, my shitty old backpack, and my cheap plastic sunglasses.  When Koreans go hiking, they have matching hiking shirts and pants, backpack, and hat, designer sunglasses, hiking poles, and of course, top of the lines hiking boots.

I often reference this segment from Portlandia when I think about Koreans and their outdoor gear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3SFqV0hMyo

Hilariously enough, I forgot my hiking pants, so I went hiking in my swimsuit.  I must say that our ragged looking group of foreigners garnered some amused expressions from the decked out Koreans around us.)

Unfortunately, the trail up Hallasan wasn't quite as scenic as I was expecting.  We were surrounded by forest almost all the way up.

Once at the summit, we took a much needed rest, took some group pictures, and shared a small bottle of soju before descending.  The descending trail was MUCH more scenic than the one up, which were all most pleased about.

All in all, it took about 7 hours to complete the 9.6 km up and 8.7 km down.

After getting cleaned up back at our pension, one of the guys in our room said that he remembered there being an incredibly good Indian restaurant.  Once again, we weren't the only ones with that idea.  It seemed like more than half of our tour group showed up to Indian restaurant for dinner.  Luckily, we were some of the first people there, so we got a table, but a lot of people had to wait.  It was really excellent food, I must say.

After dinner, we moved to a bar called, I kid you not, The Bar.  They served some of the stiffest and biggest drinks that I've been served in Korea.  No complaints there!  After a couple drinks there, we moved to a dance club called Larva.  It was super fun and the DJs were playing great dance music.  However, after a while it got quite crowded.  A group of us headed to a noraebang later in the night, and then we ended the night after that.

The next day, instead of going on a two hour tour of a couple places that didn't look too interesting, we elected to spend the afternoon on the beach.  We had gotten barely any beach time in before, and I wasn't about to miss out on that.

After that, we jumped on the ferry from Jeju to Mokpo.  We spent the night in Mokpo and then headed back to Daejeon the next morning.

Overall, one of the best experiences I've had in Korea, and one of the best trips I've ever taken!  Idon't know if I'll have an opportunity to go back to Jeju, but I would love to!

Right Where It Starts It Ends, Like a Sunset

My first year in Korea has come and gone and it feels like it was one of the fastest years I’ve ever had.  Maybe years just get faster as one gets older, but I’d like to think that this one went by so fast because it was so great. 

My first year has given me an innumerable amount of good memories and experiences.  Highlights include the Chuseok trip to Namhae, our magical “family” vacation to Gyeongju, New Year’s Eve in Seoul, the Cherry Blossom Festival in Sintanjin, Tony’s Birthday Weekend, Halloween weekend in Busan, the end-of-the-year teacher booze cruise, my solo trip to Busan, winter vacation in Vietnam, and the many hikes in the mountains with co-teachers and friends.  That’s just to name a few.

I have many friends that left the country for good after my first years.  Most of my friends that left I had known since arriving in Korea.  We had met at our orientation a little over a year ago.  Others I had met over the course of the year. 

It’s a very strange feeling because I’ve always been the one, or one of many, to leave:  after four years at university, after one year in China, after one year in Chile, and every time I have left Lawrence.  It’s odd to be one of the people staying. 

I think in one's own mind, people and places are intrinsically linked.  My hometown has these friends and family members, Chile has these friends, etc.  Not only are people of my life linked to various places, but many of them are linked to certain periods of my personal history.  Now, as more and more of my friends leave my hometown, the way I view my hometown as an abstract place changes ever so slightly.  It’s still home, but it’s just not the same home I knew when I was 16.

Now, to tie it all back, this readjustment period in Korea is just not about friends leaving, but it’s also about how my concept of life in Korea is experiencing a readjustment period as well, because the people I have been friends with have contributed quite a lot to my experiences thus far.

I wish all of them the best, but I will miss so much about my friends that have made Korea “Korea” for me: long talks with Kate, the freedom of Liz, the flamboyant extroversion of Tony, the quiet introversion of Xavier, the Minnesota motherliness of Rachel, the emotional attentiveness of J-Rich, the stoic non-stop party of Queenie, etc.  I’m lucky to have so many friends that are staying for another year, but the others will surely be missed!

I’m definitely experiencing what they call “a period of adjustment” as all of the broken social circles start reforming into new ones.  There is a feeling hanging overhead like an ominous storm cloud that is telling me, “This year is not going to be the same”.  It’s something that I’ve known for a while, but now that it’s a reality I feel like I wasn’t prepared for it in some ways.  But to look on the bright side, I have another year of wonderful experiences to look forward to.

 

 

 

D-Day In Korea

One of my best friends from university has visited me in every country where I have taught: China, Chile...and now Korea!

At the very beginning of April, my friend Mikey, came to visit me. We have been friends ever since our freshman year when we were next door neighbors in our dorm. Hard to believe it's been 9 years since then!

Mikey has spent the last year or so working in London with a big boy job. Before arriving in Korea, he had visited our mutual friends Kevin and Vicky in Thailand.

Mikey arrived at Incheon Airport (Seoul's International airport, a 45 minute train ride outside of the city) early on a Friday morning. Our plan was to spend the entire weekend in Seoul, and then come to Daejeon for Monday-Wednesday, because I still had to teach those days.

After arriving to our hostel, we laid down to rest for a while, but then started making some moves. Our first stop was to a tour of one of Seoul's most well-known tourist destinations, Changdeok Palace. I've written about it in these pages when I went there back in October or November with Daniel and Kate. It was incredibly beautiful at the time because of all of the fall colors, but everything was still somewhat unblossomed when I took Mikey. Still, it was nice.

After that we grabbed some lunch and headed to the N'Seoul Tower. It was my first time visiting the N'Seoul Tower. It provides visitors with the most spectacular and tallest view of Seoul. Since it was rather smoggy/foggy out, we decided against buying tickets for the elevator up the Seoul tower, and elected to just walk up the hill where it sits, and have a few beers at the restaurant/cafe.

On Friday night I took Mikey to some of my favorite bars in the Hongdae area of Seoul, including the amazing Magpie, which serves probably my favorite homebrewed beer in Korea. Magpie is generally my standard fix for quality microbrewed beer in Seoul. While I'm not too impressed by their Hefeweizen (too watery and not enough body), their IPA is delish. It always looks like their food is great, too, but I've never ordered any...

On Saturday we woke up kinda late and hungover. Additionally, the weather was a bit shitty, so we decided it would be a perfect idea to head over to the National War Museum. While the main attraction for most Americans is presumably the Korean War part of the museum, the museum actually has exhibitions covering ancient battles, before Korea was a proper country. I also went here a few months ago, but I know Mikey particularly wanted to see it.

After an hour or so at the National War Museum, we met up with my friends Dana and Rachel, who had come to Seoul earlier on Saturday to visit the Tim Burton art exhibition. It was the last weekend it was showing, so they tried to catch it late Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, there was a long wait, and they were told that it would be in their best interest if they waited until the next day. In any case, we met up with Dana and Rachel for Korean BBQ for dinner. Afterwards, we went out for some drinks, hitting a different microbrewery than the one we went to last night as well as an Irish Pub, among other places.

On Sunday, our main goal was to attend the Tim Burton art exhibition. We got tickets, and they told us that we would have to wait for our number, which would be 2-3 hours (you can probably get a picture for how popular this exhibition was). So we walked around the Dongdaemun Market area and grabbed some lunch in a tent. We ate grilled chicken, sundae (Korea's version of blood sausage), and something else, but now I can't remember...I think samgyeopsal (pork belly)? I also told Mikey he had to try makgeolli (a milky, rice liquor, which I looooove).

After lunch at the market, we made our way back to the art exhibition. As soon as we walked in, we saw that our numbers were being called on the LED sign. Yeesssss, perfect timing!

The Tim Burton exhibition was really cool. For those who don't know who Tim Burton is, he has written and directed several movies such as 'Edward Scissorhands' and 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'. He has a style unlike anyone else. His art (movies, drawings, etc.) is dark, while at the same time somewhat cartoonish. The exhibition included some of his first notes and drawings as a kid and teenager, which I thought were particularly interesting. I'm very glad we had a chance to go to that, but there was just sooo many damn people there, it was hard to actually get a good look at anything.

I took Mikey to my classes on that Monday.  The girls went crazy over him.  He constantly had girls come up and talk to him, and kind of just follow him around.  It was really hilarious.  One of my girl students said, "Teacher, leave.  We want Mikey to be our new teacher." 

On Monday night we went out to eat with Daniel, Kate, and Liz.  Afterwards we went to a fun bar named Any Beer.  Any Beer is a sit-down bar, and you can play games at your table via a touch screen.  You can also play games against other tables, and strangely enough, SPY on other tables.  We were accosted by two young Korean men at some point.  They were clearly very drunk and insisted we take shots with them.  We obliged them for a while, but then I think they finally got the picture through our body lanuage that we weren't interested.  Actually, I think Liz probably made it very obvious to them after a while...haha. 

After we left Any Beer, we took Mikey to one of our favorite places in Korea...noraebox!  We just had to take Mikey to noraebox: the karaoke room that is the size of a bathroom stall.  

That Tuesday and Wednesday was pretty uneventful for the most part.  On one of those nights, one of my co-teachers, Mr. Choi, took us to a premium buffet.  They have tons of sushi, as well as many other dishes (Korean, American, etc.), all you can drink beer (and pretty much any other beverage you want), etc. 

Before Mr. Choi picked us up at my apartment, I told Mikey, "I'd like for us to treat Mr. Choi tonight, because he's treated me so much in the past, and treated me so well."

Mikey was all for it, but I warned him, "Mikey, in this country, the older people almost always treat the younger people...so what I'm saying is there might be a physical struggle for us to pay the bill."

Mikey said, "Alright. Well, here's the plan: when the bill comes to our table, I'll grab it immediately."

Of course, this conversation is all paraphrased, but this is pretty much what was said.

So, as expected we had a great meal.  As we were eating dessert, the waiter came and dropped the check off at our table and Mikey immediately lunged for it.  Mr. Choi, eyes wide, practically lunged across the table to grab the bill.  Mr. Choi was holding on tight and Mikey finally let go.  However, Mikey was quick enough that he had actually taken the bill from the leather case it was brought in before Mr. Choi had lunged at him. 

I told Mr. Choi, "We just want to treat you, because you have treated me so much in the last 8 months."

Then I asked, "Are you mad?"

Mr. Choi, suddenly languishing in defeat, sighed and said, "Not mad, just disappointed.  It's not the Korean way!"

After Mr. Choi dropped us off at my apartment, Mikey gave Mr. Choi a big hug.  Hugs are simply just not done in this country (except between family and significant others), so I held my breath for a second.  I could tell Mr. Choi was a little surprised at first, but he embraced Mikey after a second, and smiled. 

Afterwards, Mikey said, "Do you think it was bad of me to hug him?" 

I laughed and said, "I'm sure it's fine."

Mr. Choi told me later he thought Mikey was "a really good guy", so I guess the hug didn't ruin everything!