Korean Times

Time to Say Goodbye

2008-09-01T16:22:00.006+09:00

It is time to say goodbye to Korea.

God, how I've learned! It has been an incredible journey. Rife with pleasure, confusion and pain. And I am so utterly grateful for the experiences I've had. I have discovered parts of the country that have uplifted me and brought me to a higher plane of understanding about humanity, life, culture, food, language...

With each country I immerse myself in, I feel uplifted. It has been a hard journey, traveling around so much, having to start over time after time. But it has been worth it. Because the greatest joy in my life, the most constant joy, has been discovery.

You see, I do not have a home. Sometimes, I feel like I have never had one. I am grateful to have come from a multi-cultural background. My mother, Italian, my father, Haitian. I wouldn't trade it for anything. But with such diversity, comes difficulty. Where do I belong? Who am I? Will I find a place which speaks to me enough to compel me to stay put? Or do I have the bug? Am I destined to travel for the rest of my days?

I do not know the answer. All I can say is that I'm going to keep looking. Perhaps one day I will find that one place. Perhaps one day, I will also find the person who completes the puzzle. Someone who will understand me, or will at least have the patience to try.

There is one thing I can always count on in this world and that is the joy and peace I feel when I travel. That feeling of discovery, that split second of pure agape, that will never let me down. Perhaps I truly am a global warrior, as a stranger once called me.

I have to hope that I can find that place, in my heart, where I can be at peace with this lifestyle, but until then, I must thank those people who have made my life here worth living.

To the many students I've had at YBM. You have taught me so much about Korea. You have patiently and open-mindedly shown me what family really means. The difficulties and duties involved, the precious link to one's family that can never be erased. You have shown me your conservative sides, yes, but also that inner part of you that wants to fly away for a day and do what it is your heart truly desires. Thank you for showing me that.

And so with that, I thank those who have opened their hearts to me more than the average Korean would. Thank you to Soo Hyong, who gave me my first gift: a bookmark to thank me for teaching; thank you to Mi Hwa who helped me discover Gyongbokgung palace and see how people once lived; thank you to K Young, who wrote me an adorable note thanking me for teaching him; thank you to Jae Woo who gave me a New year's card and another one apologizing to me for asking (cheekily) why I wore heels when I was already tall (I responded by telling him that it was vanity); to David for giving me flowers to thank me for teaching him (it lifted my spirits and he'll never know how much); to BongHwan with whom I share an uncertainty about the future, I loved our conversations on what would become of us in the future. I hope you follow the dream that comes to you; thank you to PaulKim who bought me an electronic dictionary so that I could communicate better in Korean; thank you to Harry who's words, gifts and spirit uplifted me; thank you to Kerry, who in his infinite good humor and confusion, alsways brought a smile to my face; to Jude and Bill, willing to accompany me on strange outings on the town to show me more of Korean culture (you guys rock!);to Drago, with a name that befits his dragon-like roar of a voice, always present and heard and seen with a wit to accompany his strength (congratulations on your nuptials).

And to the multitude of other students who gave me gifts along the way: vitamin C to help me get over my fatigue, drinks and sweets to thank me for just being me. And for all the others who told me that I was the best teacher they had ever had, a boost for the morale that I will never forget.

Bill and Jude

And among those students are Neo and Peter, two really cool cats who took a risk on a foreigner and agreed to accompany me on a weekend trip to Andong, not knowing how things would pan out. They helped distract me from the personal stresses I've been dealing with, and brought forth an energy and eagerness for discovery that I found I enjoyed just as much as if I had been alone. Most times I don't like to travel with others because I feel restricted by compromise, but not with them. They were awesome and I will hold that weekend close to my heart. They gave without expecting anything in return. As a result, I too, gave and it was well worth it. I laughed all weekend. Thanks guys for that.

Neo and Peter

And to MinJong aka Skitsch, who started off as my student and bloomed into a friend. An artist in her own right who can express herself, perfectly, in three languages: Korean, English and through the art of drawing. She will always hold a space in my heart. She who is pure and real and pushes forth regardless of the obstacles she is faced with.

MinJong

To Son Mi, my former Korean teacher/friend/taekwondo partner/guide who invited me into her family's world. She showed me what Chuseok was really about and in her unique and quirky world and way, showed me that is was possible to blend tradition and modernity into one person. She will be remembered with fondness and perplexion (love, regardless!).

Son Mi

To my Sabomnim, my Taekwondo Master, DuYong , someone who accepted to teach me for free. He is a good man, sweet, patient and funny. It was a good year of work and though I didn't get to the black belt, I got to brown, two belts away. Perhaps one day I will complete that training and reach that coveted black. Thank you.

Me, DuYong and Latisha, another student.

To Seung Hyon, who adopted me after Jong In and Seung Ah left YBM Guro. I could count on her to help me out in times of need. Her quirky personality, brisk at times, relaxed and playful at others, constantly confused me, but I enjoyed every minute. Thanks for letting me get to know you!

Seung Hyon

To Todd, a former co-worker who coaxed me out on several nights on the town, who introduced me to the wine club and who always found something to love. He will be remembered with a smile and though he is gone from this world, he made a mark on our lives here at Guro and I'll never forget him.

Todd

To Hayden, the founder of the Gangnam wine club, an Aussie in all his glory, with the heart of a poet. He is the kind of man I would want to have. Honest, sometimes harsh in his perspectives, but always caring and someone who gave me his time and lent me his ear when I was in the throes of despair. I wish you all the luck in the world to achieve all you have worked towards.

Hayden

And to Sewon, Hayden's significant other. I didn't get a chance to spend much time with her, but every time I did, I learned something: about peace, joy, innocence and the possibility that happiness is possible. Thank you for those lessons.

Sewon

To John, a friend that I almost didn't get to know. I'm glad I let him into my life. He filled it with sarcasm, humor and the infinite gift for gab. He allowed me to enjoy my last couple months at YBM without slitting my throat. Instead, we did the Korean Times crossword puzzles and had morning coffee at Belita, smoking like two chimneys during Christmas time.

John

To Keith, a recent friend who impressed me with conversations that made my mind work again. A newcomer to Korea, I hope that he will enjoy it as much as I have. That he will take the good and remember those and leave this beautiful and perplexing country one day, all that much richer for the experience.

Keith

To Steve, the consummate jokester and the one friend I knew before arriving here. He, who could always diffuse a tense moment, bring laughter to the Korean classes and imbibe me with impressions of Korea that would have taken longer to figure out on my own. He, who found his place here and who has a reason to stay. Thank you for allowing this girl to partake of your favorite Seoul spots, experience things by your side, and thank you for listening to me bitch from time to time.

Steve

To Seung-Ah and Jong-In, my two closest girlfriends here. Women who have always had my back. True friends that I could never have asked more from.

Seung-Ah who risked her sanity and accompanied me on my trip to Jeju Island last year; a moment that solidified our relationship. I like to call her my twin because we are born on the same day. She is the more realistic and grounded side of me. We have shared moments of truth that I cannot and would not want to forget.

Seung-Ah

And Jong-In, one of the only people in this world who has the capability of being completely open. Someone who was able to listen to all my mistakes, all my shortcomings, all of my darkness and never judge. She who could allow me to say and do anything, and I knew that she would love me regardless. These are friendships that you must always hold close to your heart. It is not everyday that you can experience that kind of purity. That kind of love.

Jong-In

And to all those other people who cannot be named because there are too many to count and too many of you whose names I don't know. You have all helped me make it here and have brought kindness to a girl who needed it from time to time; from the strangers who lent me their umbrellas on rainy days, to those people who took the time to try to understand me speak in Korean and smiled the whole way through. Thank you.

A kitchy portrait of my friends from YBM! It was Seung Ah's idea. I swear!

Thank you to you all. You have made this trip worth taking. I will cherish the memories and hold them close to my heart. Perhaps one day, my wanderings will take me back to Seoul and we can recapture some of the joys we once experienced.

This draws to an end my Korea blog. I hope that it has been somewhat of a journey for you, too. I could have written so much more and yet I let laziness, difficulty and distraction get in the way. I hope to start a new blog in the not too distant future.

I am a global warrior, it's time to write about other places, other things, other food, other experiences. I hope you will take that journey with me too.

Lots of love,

The Korean Art of Apple Cracking

2008-09-01T02:48:00.006+09:00

About a month ago, I went to one of three convenience stores where I have a good rapport with the owners, all women. One woman, after I had purchased a few things, took a Granny Smith apple and before my eyes, cracked it open with her own bare hands! I was in awe! She then offered me one of the halves and sent me on my way. I've been wanting to "crack" the mystery ever since.
Below is my first attempt at doing it. We all tried it on our way back from Busan a couple of weeks ago.

Here is my second attempt.

Finally, last Sunday I was with John and Keith and I wanted to show them this amazing woman. We asked her if she could demonstrate her amazing talent and she insisted I could do it too, ignoring my protests. Here we are attempting it together.

Oh my God! I can't believe it! I rock! The art and mystery of Korean apple cracking has been mastered.

Lamb skewers, Noraebang boogie, A night in Soondae Town, Wine Degustation

2008-08-29T16:17:00.007+09:00

Chinese-Style Lamb Skewers in Hongdae; a popular hang out since lamb is not readily eaten in Korea.

Seung- Ah, who got married in February, is pregnant and misses her beer!

The old YBM gang, save John, enjoying our alcohol! Poor Seung- Ah! She's taking the picture because she can't drink!

These cool cats, former students of mine, Bill and Jude, took me out for Soondae as a going-away meal.

Here I am in my silly bib. Tired from this past month of packing and arranging for my departure.

Soondae and Kop Chang (blood sausage and Tripe with a spicy veggie accompaniment)

My favorite wine bar in the world: Grandmother, located in Sinsa-Dong.

Grandmother: the owner is an interior designer who has very eclectic tastes. I love her style!

Entrance to Grandmother with John, MinJong and Keith standing under the umbrellas.

A noraebang night in Sillim. It was awesome!

Afterwards we enjoyed Pineapple soju in a real pineapple! The white stuff is crushed ice. Pretty nice presentation, if you ask me!

A Trippy Taste of Busan

2008-08-28T12:30:00.034+09:00

Above is the morning sky after the storm had passed

A couple of weeks ago I persuaded John, Keith and MinJong to accompany me to Busan for a long weekend of fun. We headed down on the midnight bus Thursday night. When we arrived on Friday morning, at 5:30am, we were assaulted by a heavy downpour chockfull of wind. We hailed a cab, all of us in varying stages of fatigue (me being the grumpiest, I admit) and headed out to SeongJong beach. The cab driver was crazy! We hydroplaned all the way to the beach, a harrowing 15 minutes of pure terror. I would keep asking him to slow down, which he would do for about 30 seconds and then proceed to speed up just as the highway was drowned in several inches of water. I still can't believe we arrived there without being killed.

We stayed in this Minbak, a one-room apartment complete with kitchen for us to share.

After a two-hour nap, in the early afternoon, we headed off for some food. We found a quaint restaurant on the beach with tables set out beneath a pine tree, over-looking the bay. We had fantastic raw fish and enjoyed our soju-coke cocktails as well. Deee-lish!

After lunch we walked over to a beautiful oceanside temple called Yong Gung Sa. This Buddha's belly is black from all the rubbing!

Yong means dragon, so how fitting that there was one greeting us upon arrival!

That night we had a barbeque on the rooftop of the Minbak. We bought all the ingredients and here is MinJong posing for a glamorous shot of our dinner!

The next day, on Jong In's recommendation (she is from Busan), we went to a famous Mul Hwe restaurant. It's a spicy raw fish dish served cold.

This is how it looks after you've mixed in the spicy sauce. It was really good!

After our lunch we headed out to TaeJongDae, a cliff famous for its views. On the bus ride over, we spotted a shipbuilding yard. Korea has the most advanced and successful shipbuilding business in the world, and Busan is it's capital; appropriate because it's on the South-East coast of Korea.

On the way up, we spotted a tree with a "Caution" sign posted in red. I attempted to look as though I hit myself against it.

One perspective from the lookout at TaeJongDae

On our way back to the city, we stopped by a Bondeggi stand. Being a fairly curious person, I have seen this dish all over Korea and having been wanting to try it for two years. The problem is the smell! It's horrendous! Bondeggi is silkworm larvae, enjoyed by children, most particularly. I've been too chicken to eat it in the past and without any people around me to encourage. But time was running out on my stay in Korea, so I resolved to finally try it.

Bondeggi in all its glory

Here is an image of myself, after the taste had permeated my mouth.

Intrigued? You want to see the video? Scroll down.

Beware, this image may disturb you!

After this experience, I had everyone smell it to try to assess how to describe it to you. I usually think I'm pretty good with describing things, but this time I was at a loss for words. The best I can say is it is salty and bitter. It's quite juicy and I could feel the legs as I was crunching down on the one worm I had. A foul-tasting delicacy? Who knows. I just know it wasn't for me.

John described the smell as funky socks.

Keith did pretty well and said it smelled like mushrooms growing in rotten wood as well as wet dog.

MinJong, the only one who likes Bondeggi

(and incidentally ate the rest of it for me) probably hit the nail on the head with the description of cat pee.

Try this at your own risk ladies and gentlemen!

Whale meat food stands

Later on that evening we headed to Jagalchi Fish Market, a gorgeous modern building full of every kind of seafood you can imagine. Out front, we spotted all of these stands selling whale meat. I hesitated, interested in what it could possibly taste like, but reason set in. I've made a promise to myself that I would not eat endangered species.

John and I had four king prawns (the man is holding it in his arm) and they were so awesome! Grilled to perfection and dipped in a sweet and spicy sauce. Heaven!

That night we headed off to Gwangalli beach, a place my friend Steve had recommended. The pictures didn't come out great but it was beautiful. Tons of restaurants and bars were right on the boardwalk and they had blocked off the street and put tables and chairs out. We could see the ocean from our seats. In the distance, a large bridge was lit and changed into the colors of the rainbow every few seconds.

Unfortunately, the picture was not a success, but I hope you will go there one day. It was wonderful!

We stayed out both nights, testing out some night clubs and bars, the guys proving to be much more the party animals than us girls, who left earlier. All in all, though, it was a great trip. Relaxing, flavorful and exciting.

Goodbye Busan! Til next time!

Lotus Lantern International Meditation Center

2008-08-10T18:05:00.035+09:00

In keeping with my need to experience as much of Korea before leaving it, I decided to partake in a Templestay, an element of Korean culture that is thriving. People of all backgrounds, religions and cultures go to temples across the country and spend a weekend among monks learning about Buddhism, meditation and quietude.

I didn't want to go to a temple in Seoul, wanting to head out of the city for some fresh air. I didn't want to go too far either. Some temples provide English instruction so I decided to go to GangHwa Island, about 1 1/2 hours by bus outside of Seoul on the west coast.

Lotus Lantern International Meditation Center is located in the countryside, removed from the road so that no cars, horns or other unnatural sounds can be heard. I arrived a day early, on my own, wanting an extra night of rest, exhausted by my job, the grueling and unnatural schedules and the difficulties of life in general.

Main Temple

I was shown to my room and, there, spent the rest of the night reading and sleeping. The next day, other people arrived and there were a good 40 people ready to partake in the adventure to come. I was lucky enough to get my own room (the three adjumas who were initially supposed to share my room aware of my fatigue and letting me have the room only to bunk in the library). I felt slightly guilty, but grateful for their senstitivity. Saturday afternoon was pretty relaxed. It was a weekend of torrential rains so we didn't venture out too much.

Apart from me, the other foreigners included one British/Australian man and two American GIs from a nearby base. They were nice enough, though I hadn't gone there to meet new people. We were shown the vicinities, an old temple and fairly new buildings amongst a gorgeously manicured garden. Two small ponds housed coi fish and small green frogs and the trees were chockfull of cicadas singing their hearts out. It was just what I needed.

Our "English" speaker was a Russian monk who, with very broken English, informed us that he had come to Korea 8 years earlier to immerse himself in the world of Buddhism. He was very nervous but I had tons of questions and it was nice to get some direct answers.

We attempted meditation that evening, a feat I have still not been able to master or even perform correctly. I can sit still, pain radiating through my back and legs, for 15 minutes, but during the process I'm just trying to get through the time hoping the gong will ring indicating the end of the meditation period. We were informed to count our breathing as that would help us clear our minds of other distractions. But I'm a multi-tasker, capable of counting, cursing the pain and thinking of other thoughts, all the while waiting for it all to end.

The closest I've ever gotten to what people describe as a meditative state was while doing tai chi. The breathing in and out, in conjunction with the complex and slow movements, enabled me to focus on just that. The only other time that I approached that experience was when I used to go to the gym in Montreal. I would run on the treadmill with music in my ears, focusing on my breathing and forgetting about anything else besides the movements of my body, the feel of my heart beating in my chest and the rhythm of my breathing. This allowed me to run without looking at the time. But that was years ago. Over the past 5 years or so, I have been unable to reach that level, though I continue to seek it.

After our meditative session, we had dinner. As you may well know, devout Buddhists are vegetarian and I was afraid that the food would be bland. I was knocked off my feet. It was absolutely delicious! Roots, vegetables and rice all prepared with the perfect ingredients to bring out flavors that exploded in my mouth. What a truly decadant surprise.

We had a free evening with lights out at 9pm. The next morning the gong rang at 3:30am heralding the morning prayer and 108 prostrations. I readied myself and headed out to the big meditation center, a log cabin stretched long with an altar at the head and statues of Buddha in different positions.

30+ people assembled, rubbing sleep from their eyes. Now, prostrations are a complicated matter. First you kneel then bend over until your head touches the mat, your hands around your head, palms facing up. You cross your feet (the dorsal of one foot placed over the other) and then you return to your kneeling position, put your hands together in prayer and propel yourself onto your feet without the help of your hands. About 5 years ago, I broke my right toe and it has hurt ever since. The pressure exerted in this action strains every little toe you have on each foot. Not the most pleasant of sensations when your feet are not in top shape.

We did about 10 of these prostrations as a morning prayer and I managed to keep up, gritting through the shots of pain in my toe. This was just the beginning! After the morning prayer, we were to do 108 prostrations, the idea being that they would help up balance "the scales of our ongoing accumulated karma". It was hell! After about twenty, my thighs were screaming. Pushing yourself up without the help of your hands is really difficult! I looked around me and noticed that a lot of Koreans were using their hands to help them up. I felt no shame in following their example. That would have been the only way I could finish up the punishing rhythm that the monks performed with incredible ease.

When I later spoke to my students about this experience, they gawked at me, impressed that I had done it. None of them had even attempted it and the resounding question was "what went through your head as you were doing it?" In theory, the prostrations, as repetitive actions, are known to be a meditative action, clearing your mind and body of negativity etc... They all looked at me in anticipation of my answer. I said, " I was just thinking, don't give up! Don't give up! You can do this!!!" The room exploded in laughter and everytime I got up from my chair to write something on the board, I winced with pain, the lactid acid doing a number on my legs. Giggles would erupt as they watched me and I would smile too. It was pretty darn funny.

After the prostrations, we had breakfast which was to be followed by a walk which I forced myself to do. I was not in the mood! But the sky had cleared enough for us to have a nice walk and check out some really old buildings, and structures hundreds of years old.

We were then treated to a calligraphy lesson, albeit one where we only copied words written in Chinese, Korean and English as to the precepts of Buddhism. It was still fun. Free for another little while, I asked whether I could take some pictures of the location. As you can see, they were more than happy to oblige.

We were then invited to have tea with the head monk of the temple. He was an amazing man; calm, with pretty decent English, who I was surprised to find had a really great sense of humor. I was told by the English/Australian that Buddhism was full of humor. It was nice. I asked a few hundred more questions and we were then free to roam around again until the next activity. This man had entered Buddhism after university. He had encountered a lot of death in his youth and had at that time first been drawn to the quietude and study of Buddhism. After his mandatory military service and university studies, he decided to pursue Buddhism as his calling and has been with the Jogye order for over 20 years.

Me and the head monk

Around noon, we had another prayer and several more prostrations in the original temple, had lunch and were free to go. The templestay was over. I was offered a free ride back to the city on a bus but opted for the city bus back. I had come alone, I explained to them in Korean, I needed to leave alone.

Me and one of the American GIs with the temple's dog Yon Gun (Lotus Root)

A New Link

2008-06-16T10:49:00.003+09:00

One of my students, David, is a fabulous photographer and has a beautiful blog. I encourage you to take a look at it when you get a chance.

Don't be turned off by the Korean language. Just follow the pictures!

Sokcho and Soraksan Hone Ja-Style (혼자 =Alone)

2008-06-12T09:13:00.109+09:00

Last weekend, I headed off to Sokcho, on the East coast of South Korea, for a beach/mountain experience. It was a journey in more ways than one.

I had heard about amazing Soraksan, one of Korea's most famous mountains. Though I had no intention of climbing it (the trek to the top of the highest peak takes 11 hours!), I wanted to walk around and see the beauty of these craggy mountains.

So I set off on Thursday night, after work, and arrived in Sokcho at 3am. I immediately located Samsung Motel (a fairytale, castle-like building) sticking out like one of two sore thumbs

(there's another castle motel closeby), and secured a room into which I collapsed. I didn't sleep well, though the room was clean and comfortable.

Samsung Motel

The next day, exhausted from my restless sleep, I stayed in bed for a while before forcing myself to take a shower and head out to the beach. It was a hazy but warm day and as I walked down the boardwalk towards the beach, I couldn't help but remember a similar walk, in 2005, when I was in Gold Coast on a free afternoon from my business trip.

Sokcho boardwalk

There weren't too many people around, which was restful and the ocean was quite nice. Nothing can compare with Caribbean waters, but this is the East Sea; it's a whole different ballgame. The smell of the salty air was refreshing and after looking around at the people and the sea, I settled down with my back against a low wall, in the sand, and read for several hours. The sand was quite coarse and chunky, as though it were a new beach. It was nice, though, like little crystals shining beneath your feet.

The water was a multicolored jewel. At times, bluemarine (where the seaweed floats below the surface), at times dark turquoise.

It was a very relaxing afternoon.

After a while I figured it was time to do some more exploring. I decided to walk from Sokcho beach to Daepo Port. I didn't know how long it would take, but I was up for the challenge and headed off. It took about 30 minutes. When I arrived...it was a whole other world.

Daepo Port

Noise, color, the smell of grilled seafood, everything was alive and I was instantly charmed. As I walked along the tiny street, I was assailed by the sights of dried, fresh and cooking fish. People were sitting down at street-side tables waiting for their food to cook as they drank their soju. Fish swam around in tanks along the asphalted ground.

Small boats had been converted into restaurants where people sat eating raw fish. I walked to the end of the road where the batter-fried shrimp was kept. I wanted to try everything. I wanted the raw fish, and the battered shrimp, I wanted grilled shrimp and grilled shellfish. How could I have them all? Impossible. I walked back along the road, looking for a boat restaurant that served grilled shrimp. None of them did. They only had fish and one woman directed me towards the open tables on the road. I settled myself down at one and ordered a 5,000won plate of shrimp. There were 8 shrimp. The woman serving me separated the heads and then told me to eat the heads too. I wasn't sure how to do that, but tried it anyway. I sucked out the juices from the head. Delicious! Nothing beats freshly grilled shrimp!

I also went for an order of grilled shellfish, 10,000won. A little cocktail of onions, shallots and sweet/hot sauce were added to some of the bigger shells and I was in heaven.

Jo Gae Gu Ee- grilled shellfish

In the meantime, I had ordered a bottle of soju and some coke. I'm not a shotter, I prefer to sip my alcohol, so I made a mixed drink; pretty good, all things considered. Like a rum and coke. I sat there for at least an hour: eating, drinking, reading and smoking. It was a wonderful time. Koreans looked at me with curiosity. What was I doing there alone? Kids gawked at the foreigner, but I just smiled and enjoyed my meal. I still had a little space left inside me and so decided to try a local delicacy: squid soondae 4,000won. I've since come to the conclusion that the word soondae doesn't actually mean blood sausage. I think it actually refers to the encasing of food in some kind of tube-like product. For regular soondae, this means a pig's intestines. In that case, the intestines are stuffed with glass noodles, onions and other delicious spices and vegetables. Not at all like the French blood sausage. There is actually no blood to speak of.

With squid soondae, the same ingredients are used, but instead of using the pig's intestines as an encasing agent, they use squid. It's ingenious! And absolutely delicious! They fry it and serve it to you steaming.

Squid Soondae

Unfortunately I couldn't finish it all; I had already stuffed myself to the brink. By that time, I had gone through a whole bottle of soju and two cokes. I was rightfully tipsy and in my inebriated state, I decided to walk back to the hotel along a different route, so that I would see more. As you know, with alcohol in your system, you tend to relax and feel less stressed about your surroundings. I felt more comfortable asking people if I could take pictures of them working. They were all very gracious. I got some good shots. I walked up to a shrimp stand. There were two women there, frying up loads of shrimp. They looked like a mother and daughter team. I asked the older woman if I could take a picture. "Take it! Take it!" she said and went about her business. Her daughter laughed and I did too as I took the picture, thanked them and walked away.

Fried Shrimp

I took the main boulevard back to downtown Sokcho, but after what seems like a long while, I wasn't sure I was heading in the right direction. There was a police officer at an intersection, guiding the traffic. As he took a break, I asked him, in what I think was pretty good Korean, where the bus station was. He tried to answer me in English. We both laughed. It was an adorable scene: here is the foreigner, speaking in Korean and the Korean speaking in English. We were both trying hard. I thanked him and walked on. My instincts had been right. I found my way back and ended my first day in a happy, dazed state.

The next day, I had planned to go to Soraksan early in the morning. I didn't know how long it would take to do the things I wanted to do, but as per usual, I lingered in bed and had to remind myself not to feel guilty for staying in bed on my holiday. It's a constant struggle between my body and my mind.

I finally arrived in Sorak-dong around 12pm and decided to have lunch there before heading back on the bus to the entrance of Sorak National Park. I ordered some kind of Hae Jang Guk, expecting what I had had in Seoul in the past. Hae Jang Guk is usually made with the backbone of the beef and seasoned with sesame and other vegetables. It's a hearty, meaty meal: delicious. I was expecting the same here, but instead I received a seafood version in a clear broth. I was quite confused. The main ingredient was actually cod and it wasn't bad, but not as delicious as the original Hae Jang Guk.

Seafood Hae Jang Guk

After lunch I took the bus to the entrance of Soraksan National Park. I could see the peaks rising up in the sky, reaching for the clouds. There was green everywhere, the forests healthy, promising a great day ahead.

I wanted to go see the waterfalls. I had heard that there were two of them and that the walk, in total would take about 1 1/2 hours. Okay, I could handle that! It was actually a really easy walk. The path was well indicated and easy to follow, but regardless, I would not suggest people wear anything but tennis shoes to go there. There were women in heeled sandals! I mean, are you serious!!! I couldn't believe it. We had to walk in puddles of mud at times, at other times, manoeuver around rocks and over bridges made of planked wood. These women were stepping daintily, one hand held by their significant others for balance, as they tried to pick their way through. It was pretty ridiculous, but I guess there will always be women in this world who think appearance is more important than comfort. What can you do? :)

By the time I reached Biryeong Falls, I was covered in a light sheen of sweat. There were several people there already, dipping into the water. I decided to dip my feet in myself and do a little writing. I was not prepared for the insanely cold water! Oh my God! How in the world were the other people able to be in there waist deep?! It's crazy. I had to laugh out loud. I could barely put my toes in!

The waterfalls were nice, but I was a bit underwhelmed. I had had the impression that they were going to be more impressive. No big deal, it was still a nice walk through the forest and the trees were beautiful. It was quite peaceful, unlike hiking up Halla mountain last year, when there were often human traffic jams up the mountain and the exhaustion threatened to stop you ever 100 meters or so.

Guess how the water was able to stay up!

Afterwards, I headed for the famous cable-car. I didn't expect there to be a waiting line. Me and my naive ways...It was 3pm and the earliest time to take the cable car up the mountain was 4:10. I had to find other things to do with my time so I wandered around, looking for something to drink and a quiet spot to sit down and relax.

I noticed a man who was obviously some kind of artist, drawing onto small pieces of wood or seeds from trees. He used a type of electrical gadget to actual burn images onto the wood. It was beautiful!

Though I would have liked to have posed for a portrait, it would have been too expensive and too much of a burden to transport so I opted instead for a few small phone accessories to give out as gifts. He did an excellent job.

Eventually it was time to board the cable car. I had taken a cable car last year in Seoul, on my way down Namsan Tower on the night of Solal. It had provided us with a beautiful view of the city line. It was fun last year as it was, too, last weekend. You feel like you're floating above the earth and everything is spread out for you to admire. We live on such a wonderful earth and we too often forget to appreciate it.

I followed a path up to the peak of the mountain where there is a legend of two kings who built a fortress in one night atop this peak to guard against his enemies. Another story indicates that it was built in 1253 to defend against Mongolian invasion. Regardless of the story, I saw no indication of a fortress or any ruins there. So, with reason, I was quite confused. Nonetheless, the view was spectacular.

I scrambled up to the top of this peak for a spectacular view

Unfortunately, it was another hazy day and the pictures were not as clear as I would have liked them to have been. Having noticed that I hadn't any pictures of myself, I asked a foreign couple to take a couple. They were quite nice about it. I always feel awkward asking Koreans because most of the time, they don't seem to want to talk to me. Unlike in Australia or France, here people don't offer to take pictures of people. As a result, I feel discouraged from asking. Perhaps these are just my perceptions...

Earlier, when I had taken the cable car up the mountain, I spotted a gigantic seated Buddha on the ground beyond the forest. I decided to head there before returning to Sokcho. And what a masterpiece it is! What graceful lines, what a peaceful face. I think I could have stayed there, watching it for hours had I not been quite as tired.

Seated Buddha

Beautiful drinking fountain

I returned to Sokcho and my castle home where I relaxed for a few hours before deciding to have dinner at the Dong Myeong Fish Market. I wanted to eat raw fish but didn't want to return to Daepo. Though I loved Daepo, I wanted a new experience.

The owners of the motel were very helpful and suggested I take a taxi. I must say that the taxi drivers there were really nice people. We had a broken conversation during our 10 minute ride to the port. Was I here alone? Why was I here alone? I explained that I liked to travel alone and that my friends were busy, anyhow. I asked him if he thought that was strange. I knew he did, but I was curious to see how he would answer. "No!" He gave me a thumbs up. I guess he was trying to be encouraging. It was sweet of him.

As I walked towards the fish market I saw a group of fishermen working with the nets they had brought in for the night, wriggling with silver fish. I mustered up the courage to ask whether I could take pictures and was rewarded with a nod and a smile.

Next, I headed over to the main building; it was teaming with tanks of fish, shellfish, squid etc...I walked through, wondering how to go about ordering something for myself. I finally found a woman who looked me in the eye and so told her that I wanted to order some fish. You're alone, she asked. I nodded. She put a couple of fish, a couple of squid and this strange looking bright red and orange ball into a basket. She ushered me inside the building where she handed over the seafood to the women who prepared the food. I paid her 10,000won and watched the women cut, gut and skin my food. It was fascinating. As they they talked in low, serious voices their hands worked with incredible speed and precision, something they could have done with their eyes closed. There was a hardened element to them. I could only imagine being holed up in these little cubicles day after day, gutting fish and returning home with the smells of the ocean clinging to every pore of your skin.

My dinner in progress

The squid they cut by hand, but the fish was passed through a contraption that was like a paper shredder. It was quite interesting. I realized afterward that the fish hadn't been deboned. To my surprise I had to pay these women too. 1,000 won for the lettuce and sauce and 4,000won for the gut and cut.

My prepared meal

I paid and went up to the second floor. There was a restaurant there that served Mae Une Tang, a spicy fishbone soup. Out on the balcony were some tables with an excellent view of the harbour and multicolored lights skipping along the water.

This was where I wanted to sit and I was lucky enough to find a table for myself. I settled down, ordered some soju and coke and proceeded to eat my meal. It was quite good, especially the raw squid, but I didn't care for the orange/red thing. It tasted only of the ocean, very strong salt and not much else. I think the raw fish would have been excellent if it hadn't been for the bones. Granted, the bones were so small you just crunched through them, but the fact that I had to crunch raw fish bones was quite bothersome. I ate it anyway. Korean raw fish is eaten in the following way: you take a leaf of lettuce and put some sweet chili sauce on the leaf. You then add the seafood of your choice, wrap the leaf up in a little ball and then pop it in your mouth. It's such a simple combination of things, but surprisingly good. Korean cuisine is fabulous. I don't understand why it hasn't taken over the world with its wonderful flavors.

Before arriving in Korea, I had eaten at two "Korean" restaurants. One in Montreal (Canada), and one in Strasbourg (France). Though they were both good, none of them represented Korean cuisine for what it is. They had adjusted it so much to western sensibilities that they had bastardized it beyond recognition. I believe that if a real Korean-style restaurant was opened in Montreal, it would be an incredible success. I have seen no other cuisine where you can cook your own food - actually participate in creating your meal. It is such a rewarding experience and I really think westerners would love to have such a unique experience. Maybe I should open a Korean restaurant....hmmm. The only problem is that I'm an ideas person. I would need a detail person to work out all the rest (business terms I used in my Level 3 class this week. Forgive me, work always creeps its way in).

Back to the subject at hand. I was having a great time. Granted, I was stared at, but I had gotten use to it. I had a moment where I felt like the moment would have been perfect had Seung Ah and Jong In been there with me. I think we would have spent the whole night laughing at the beauty of where we were and what we were doing, but alone was good too. I decided to have the Mae Une Tang. I had seen a sign that said it cost 3,000won per person and I was pysched. I ordered one and emphasized that I was alone and that I wanted one. The young man nodded and came back 5 minutes later with the soup which you are to cook on an individual burner on your table. He told me that I owed him 6,000won. What?! Why? I had asked for one soup. He saw that I was alone and I had emphasized that fact in case he hadn't noticed. He told me that they only sold the soup for a minimum of two people.

The sign had said for one person, he had heard me say for one person. Why hadn't he explained that to me? I felt...completely drained. I was really upset. Though I love many things about Korea and I'm truly happy to have come here, this is one aspect of Korean culture I will not miss when I leave. No one does anything alone here. If you are alone, you are relegated to either eating at home, or eating at fastfood Korean restaurants. It is as though you don't deserve to eat at regular restaurants. You are punished for being alone in Korea. It is unnatural and therefore not indulged. You are the strange outsider, you shouldn't treat yourself.

The nice little bubble I had been in, burst and I felt utterly deflated.

All I wanted to do at that point was leave. I ate as much of the soup as I could, knowing I would never be able to finish it and then headed back to the hotel. As the cab driver had said, "You're alone? Why?" Why indeed.

The next day was Sunday and I would be leaving at 2:30p.m. I had read that the original Soondubu (soft tofu soup) came from Sokcho so I wanted to try it out. I had had Soondubu in Jeonju last year and it was really good so I was expecting something even greater since this was the home of Soondubu. I found a cab and asked how far it was. I had only managed to leave the motel at 11:30am so I didn't want to go somewhere too far. It would take only 15minutes and about 8,000won.

We headed out there. We were both silent, I guess language was a barrier. When we arrived at a restaurant, I realized that we were quite far away from the city and that it would be difficult to find a taxi back to the city. I asked him about that and he told me that when I finished eating he would come back to pick me up. I was very grateful for his generosity. He gave his cellphone number to the restaurant and they helped me inside. "Are you alone?" they asked. I smiled, "Yes, I'm alone."

I settled down at a large table that could fit 15 people and they brought out the side dishes and the Soondubu. I was really surprised. Where was the soup I had expected? I asked them whether this was the Soondubu. I pointed to a bowl of what looked like cottage cheese. They assured me this was the real thing. There was a little bowl of sauce on the side that I was to add into it for flavor. So I ate it. I was to realize later, from my students, that what I had had in Jeonju was Soondubu stew, whereas what I had in Sokcho was the original Soondubu, pure soft tofu. It was okay. Nothing special.

Original Soondubu

As I think back now, I had two surprises over the weekend with food. Things I thought I knew, I realized I didn't know at all. There are so many variations of food and names in Korea. There is just so much to Korean cuisine. You never run out of choices. I think back to Bangladesh and the curry we had daily, as well as the Dhal. It rarely varied. I don't think Bangla cuisine is very varied. I lived there for almost three months and most of the food had the same taste. They might have used different fish or different meat, but the spices were always the same and therefore the food always tasted the same. Korean food is so incredibly diverse that even after almost 2 years here, I'm still discovering new things. Granted, I'm not in love with everything, but the majority of what I have eaten I love. I will truly miss this food when I leave.

After lunch the taxi driver returned to pick me up. I fully intended for him to charge me double for coming to pick me up and driving me off. He asked me what I thought about my lunch. I tried to explain to him that it was okay, but different from what I expected. I'm not sure he understood. Opening up, he asked me if I was alone.

"Yes, I'm alone."

"Do you not have friends?" he asked with characteristic bluntness that Koreans can have at times. I'm used to it by now.

"I do have friends, but they couldn't come. They had to work." I didn't bother explaining that I wanted to come alone. I don't think he would have understood.

"Are you married?"

"No."

"How old are you?"

"29."

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No."

"Why not? You're pretty."

"I had a boyfriend, but not anymore. I was going to come here with him, but..." I joined my hands and then separated them to indicate we had broken up.

"I love him," I added, "but he doesn't love me."

"Why?"

"I don't know," I said and gave him a half smile. He had been looking at me from the rearview mirror. And to my horror, tears began to well up in my eyes and my chin began to tremble. I bit down hard to try to stop the movement and thanked God for having my sunglasses on. Perhaps he hadn't seen.

"Well, you will find another boyfriend." He had decided.

"Right now, I don't want one. My heart hurts."

He nodded and rephrased "It hurts" he put his hand on his heart, "doesn't it? It's hard."

I couldn't speak, overcome by emotion in front of this empathic stranger. As the tears slipped down my cheeks, I nodded.

We had arrived at the bus station, but it was only 1:30. He asked me what I wanted to do. I suggested he drop me off at the beach. He nodded and took me there. When he stopped, he indicated that I was to pay only 7,500won. I was touched. He had only charged me for a one-way trip. I gave him a 10,000won bill and asked him to keep it for helping me out. He thanked me and held out his hand. I took it in mine and we shook. I thanked him and walked out.

I went over to the same bench I had sat on earlier that morning before taking the cab to lunch and looked out on the ocean, my tears mixing with the wind. It would soon be time for me to return to my real life.

A Trip to Andong with the Boys

2008-05-14T10:46:00.117+09:00

Last weekend I went to Andong, capital of Jim Tak (a spicy steamed chicken dish), soju and traditional mask dancing. I was going to go alone as I had to Gyeongju, but when I mentioned my plans to my level 4 class last month, three of the students in my class wanted to go along with me. One of them couldn't go because he has a girlfriend and she wouldn't have approved (people are pretty conservative here), but the other two are single and were eager to go along with me. I hesitated at first because I didn't know how it would go, if things would be awkward and whether I would be good company since I haven't been the peppiest these past few months, but it turned out to be an amazing trip!

Neo offered to take us in his car and so met me and Peter in front of YBM at 9am on Saturday morning. It was my idea to go on Saturday morning and we paid for my mistake very dearly. The trip is normally about 3 hours long, but because of the atrocious traffic, it took us about 7 1/2 hours! It was crazy! We still had fun and they made incredible efforts to speak in English. They did quite well and I really appreciated their efforts. We chatted along the way, stopping at reststops along the way to go to the bathroom and have a bite to eat (fried potatoes, tobboki, semi-dried squid and odeng).

One thing I've been wanting to mention about Korean restrooms is the fact that in womens' bathrooms you can often find what they call a privacy bell. It's a little machine on the door of each stall that you press if you don't want anyone to hear you pee or poop. Sometimes, the bell sounds like the toilet flushing, sometimes it's music, but either way it's an opportunity for women to be modest. It's quite cute actually!

We agreed along the way to go to the Soju museum. We were pressed for time, however and didn't know whether we would get to Andong in time to visit the museum. We called ahead and found out that it was closing 30 minutes later than indicated in Lonely Planet. The last hour on the road was traffic-free, so Neo sped along and we managed to get to the museum 15 minutes before closing time. The museum is also a food museum and demonstrated traditional dishes that were and are still eaten for special occasions. There wasn't all that much to see, but we were able to see how the distillation process was done. Soju is a vodka-like alcohol made from potatoes or sweet potatoes. The percentage of alcohol ranges from 20% to 40%. The distillation process was brought over from Persia and Arabia and on through China before reaching the Korean peninsula.

Andong soju is very popular in Korea and is the strongest local alcohol. The museum allows us to do a tasting and the woman there kept the museum open later just for us. She was very helpful and friendly and gave us tips on where to stay for the night. The soju was strong and not too bad. I guess I've gotten used to the taste. Soju is definitely an acquired taste and is the drink that is most consumed in Korea. Not my favorite, though. Andong soju has a more earthy taste than other sojus and you could almost taste the ground. I guess it's because of the distillation process. In 1989, they stopped using the old distillation process and updated it, but Neo thought that was a bad idea because that's a selling point for Andong soju, the traditional process. Anyway, I think they are still doing well and Andong soju definitely still attracts its fair share of customers.

Neo, me and Peter trying Andong soju

After the Soju museum we went to find a motel. The business section of the city is full of love motels, places where people go to have affairs for a few hours. Most of the motels didn't want us because we would be staying a full night and I guess it wouldn't have provided them with enough cashflow. We finally did find a place and it was the coolest thing ever! I've never actually seen a round bed before, not in real life, but they had one in the rooms! It was so funny. What a cheesy yet luxurious place; and for only 40,000won!

After securing rooms, we were starving and really looking for the local delicacy, Jim Tak. We went to Andong Market and within it were dozens of Jim Tak restaurants. The one that had been recommended to us was full so we ducked into another place and ordered. Like many other dishes in Korea, Jim Tak cannot be ordered for only one person because they serve you a whole chicken.

Korea is not very friendly towards individuals, so I often have to settle for simple dishes because I can't order the larger dishes. But luckily, I went with the boys so there was no problem! It was delicious!

Awesome Andong Jim Tak

After dinner we wandered around downtown and decided to have a drink at a posh little bar called TOMO. It was nice and we chatted for a while before going to a noraebang (singing room). This place was amazing! It was brand new and there was a wonderful couch with a large flat screen.

This place was called multi-karaoke so people could not only sing, but could also watch movies or play video games. The guys were incredibly impressed and said that they had never seen a place like that in Seoul. Andong is very surprising. We stayed there for about an hour and then went back to our respective rooms and konked out.

The next day we met around 11am and decided to go to Sebiwon first. Sebiwon is a huge Buddha carved out of a rock face.

Sebiwon

The body was carved first and then with another rock, they carved out the head and then added it to the body. Next to the Buddha was a small temple and we went over to see. There were many tiny Buddhas placed behind a glass case with names written on each Buddha.

It was really cool and the monk there was super helpful. He explained that people had made wishes for enlightenment to people they cared for. It was quite spiritual. I had some questions about the bowing process and he demonstrated for me on a bench! It was amazing!

It has given me hope in strangers in Korea. Even the guys were impressed with how nice everyone was in Andong. Even the taxi drivers were nice (a rare occurence in Seoul)! What a treat!

After Sebiwon, we finally went over to the main attraction: Hahoe village, a traditional village where the home of mask dancing is. First we stopped for lunch and had GanGoDungOh, broiled salted Mackerel. It was very good, but I agree with the guys, the rest of the food was nothing to write home about.

We headed over to the village right after lunch and happened upon a graveyard of gargoyle/totems carved out of wood. The first time I saw them was in Buan, last September. At that time, we were driving and I couldn't bring myself to ask Son Mi's father to stop the car. They were pushed into the muddy shoreline and if I remember correctly, they were used to ward off evil spirits.

In Andong, the guys and I took lots of pictures and I was shocked to see some of them with penises attached to them. Korean society is very conservative and sex is never discussed in public. Here they had penis fountains. It was crazy! There are still so many things about Korea that are a mystery to me.

We then headed over to the mask dance. It was super crowded and it was very difficult to take pictures of the dancers/actors without having peoples' heads in the way. I did my best though. I bought a little booklet explaining what each story was about and that was really helpful. Here is how things panned out.

Imae: The Fool

The musicians

From the booklet:

Dance #1: Mudong Madang

Lady Kakshmi appears on the shoulders of another performer asking people to make offerings for their blessing and wealth. She is the personified long goddess, so can therefore not touch the ground. By welcoming Kakshmi, the villagers please the goddess and pray for peace and an abundant harvest.

Kakshmi

Dance #2: Chuji Madang

A male and female Chuji (lion) appear, dancing and playfully fighting. The female wins, promising the village high productivity and an abundant harvest for the year. The mask doesn't look at all like lions, but instead shows the creativity of people who had never seen any real lions. Lions are supreme creatures in Buddhism.

Chuji

Dance #3: Paekchong Madang

The butcher enters with his bag and tools and when he sees a bull come in, he dances with it and then kills it, cutting out his heart and testicles.

The bull sprayed real water at the audience!

He asks the spectators to buy either one.

The butcher

The act satirizes the authoritative attitudes of the ruling class toward sexual life, removing the sexual taboo. When the spectators laugh, the butcher has won over their sympathy.

Dance #4: Halmi Madang

An old widow appears. She had been widowed only three days after her wedding at the age of fourteen. She sits down and weaves a bit before dancing and bemoaning her ill-fortune, all the while asking for donations. The mask reveals the poverty and the face of a woman of the world as well as the conflicts between social classes and the pain of life for the common people. The open mouth on the mask indicates her readyness to take in food and pour out lamentations.

The widow

Dance #5: P'agyesung Madang

Young Pune dances and looking around to make sure no one is watching, squats and releives herself. Chung, a wandering monk, happens upon her and is arroused by the site.

Chung

He runs away with her on his back and is seen by Ch'oraengi, the busybody.

Ch'oraengi

This act criticizes religious corruption of that time period. (I bought the Chung mask for myself afterwards).

Dance #6: Yangban and Sonbi Madang

Sonbi

An aristocrat (Yangban) and a scholar (Sonbi) appear, each trying to outshine the other in his knowledge and status. The are mocked by the busybody, Ch'oraengi, and lose face. The butcher appears and offers to sell them the bull testicles. At first, they hesitate, but when the butcher informs them that it will increase their sexual energies, they fight to buy them. The old widow arrives and laughs at their behavior, thereby reconciling their differences. Ch'oraengi joins them and they all dance together. This act encourages the ruling class to reconsider its real place in society, while the commoners let off a little stem, alleviating conflict between classes.

All in all, I loved the show, but Koreans tend to talk a lot during shows and that was a bit off-putting. There were many kids complaining to their parents that it was boring, but I enjoyed the live druming and dancing. Peter liked how they used their shoulders when dancing. Traditionally, only men perform in these dances and such was the case on Saturday too.

After the show, we wandered around the village and happened upon many a beautiful sight. Old buildings that had partially crumbled into ruin, a view of the river winding around the village, incredible trees sprouting in every shape and form. It was a very peaceful, if windy area. The sky was clear and calm and everyone was having a good time.

We decided to spend our second night in the village and so went about trying to find a minbak that wasn't too expensive. We tried about four places before we found something. It was a very old house with an almost equally old owner, an adorable withered grandmother who very obviously lived alone. It was kind of sad that she lived alone, but she was very sweet.

Our minbak with our very own grandmother!

We rented two rooms, each room 30,000won. What I found most amazing was that each room was fitted with a TV! Who would have thought! The doors were incredibly small and when I stood inside my room, my head nearly reached the ceiling. Traditionally, Korean homes were heated from the floor boards and in this house, both modern and traditional heating systems were used. Both, however, were heating from the floor boards. The boys had a traditional room in the sense that wood was burned under the room and therefore heated the room that way. It's really quite cool and their room was warmer than mine. In modern times, they use a boiler system with water to heat apartments. This system makes much more sense than how we heat apartments in the west. As heat rises, your feet are never cold in the winter and since I sleep on a mat, I remain quite warm in the winter. This house also used mats. The toilet was basically an outhouse with a modern seat placed on top. It smelled like a regular outhouse though!

After securing rooms, we went into town to buy some alcohol and then returned to the village where we had dinner at a restaurant. It was quite nice because we had our own room to eat in. It was 100% private in that we could screen ourselves into our room with papyrus doors and that was really cool. It was quite cold by that time and we walked our way back to the minbak where we went to the boys rooms and had some bokbunja (a Korean liquor made from wild raspberries; sweet but delicious). We went to bed and planned to leave at 7am the next morning.

That was the end of our trip and it was wonderful. There had been no awkward moments and we got along really well. The boys really took amazing strides to speak in English the whole weekend and they are really sweet and went along with everything I wanted to do. I didn't have to compromise a thing and that's quite rare when you travel with others.

The only thing that I would have wished to have done would have been to see the Mask Museum, but we ran out of time. Perhaps, if I return to Korea one day, I will get a chance to travel around and see some more things, but until that day arrives, I have to remember the good and the beauty I have seen up 'til now and cherish those memories to the best of my abilities.

Next month I plan to visit Seokcho, a coastal town where I want to eat raw fish as well as visit one of the most famous mountains in Korea, Soraksan. I look forward to that next adventure, but until then, I will keep these memories close to my heart as the clock counts down the months until I leave Korea.

Gyeongju on a Long Weekend

2008-05-12T20:10:00.047+09:00

On the weekend of May 3rd, I went to Gyeongju, the former capital of Korea during the Shilla Dynasty. Originally, I was going to go with a person who is very special to me, but things didn't work out and I ended up going on my own. But that's alright, I'm used to being alone and if there is something I know, I know how to travel alone. So I set out on a Friday night after work and took the bus from The Express Bus Terminal. It was a midnight bus and though I had heard that the trip would take 4 hours, it only took 3 and a half hours. Originally, I naively believed that I would stay up and watch the sun rise, but when I arrived in Gyeongju, I was dead tired and so set out to find a motel.

I walked around for a while, not having planned anything for this trip. There is a certain freedom in that. I finally found a guest house called Tae Yang Jang. It's very clean and quite cheap(30,000won). It was perfect. The owners were helpful and it is close to the bus station and quiet as well. I slept in really late, feeling a little guilty, but I had to remind myself to stop doing that to myself. I finally left the motel at 2:45p.m. and went exploring. I wanted to see the dance performance that is on Saturdays, but it started at 3p.m. and I didn't want to rush, so I gave it up. Instead I went to Gyerim Forest with a view on many ancient graves set under huge mounds. They are definitely conspicuous, but beautiful. The park was very peaceful and there were many gorgeous trees there. It felt good.
There were many couples walking around together, it was a very romantic place and I smiled at them and their lazy mini-holiday. That was just right. Perfect weather, perfect wood, who wouldn't want that?

After Gyerim Forest, I went over to Anapji Pond, a pond that had been constructed in 674 by King Munmu during the Shilla Dynasty.
The pond itself was quite beautiful, but the building around it was nothing special. I didn't stay very long. After the pond, I carried on to the Gyeongju National Museum. It is quite an impressive place, with many buildings dedicated to different things. At first I went to see what Lonely Planet called the Emile Bell. I don't understand why they called it that because it is not at all Korean sounding. Anyway, it is one of the most precious Korean National Treasures and I believe is the oldest bell in Korea.

Emile Bell

I've seen many bells though and so this one doesn't stand out that much more, but there were some interesting carvings on the bell that the camera did not pick up very well. You'd have to be there. The pressing interest in the museum was what had been recovered from Anapji pond. Apparently during the Shilla period, many random things were thrown into Anapji pond, I guess like a kind of garbage can. In a way it's too bad, but in another way, I'm really glad they did that because it allowed scientists to discover these treasures when they drained the pond in the 1970's.

There were all kinds of random things in there, including porcelain cups and saucers, candle snuffers and jewelry.

Strange things to throw out, but what can you do? After visiting the Anapji building, I went to see the golden crowns. In the Shilla period, crowns were made out of almost pure gold and had a few different shapes, most particularly a style that resembled antlers. They discovered a very well preserved crown by accident. They wanted to do a test run on one tomb, to see how they could access it without destroying it. The tombs were constructed in such a way that they were supposed to cave in if anyone tried to go inside. While doing this test run on a tomb that they thought was insignificant, they discovered the bones of a king as well as his crown. It was a great discovery and it looked absolutely amazing!

You will have to go see it sometime. Another plus, for some reason, is that the museum was free. I'm not sure whether it was a fluke, but still, it was a really nice little treat.

After the museum I started to walk back to the motel, but I was hungry so I stopped at a restaurant and had dolsot bibimbap, bibimbap served hot. It was quite good. I think I was the only person eating there alone. People stared at the foreigner eating and reading alone at a table. Koreans do not like to travel alone. It's taboo. Everything must be done in twos or groups. If people have no one to go somewhere with (including the movie theater), they tend not to go at all. Women will go to movies with other women, but men will not generally go unless they have a girlfriend. They miss out on so much...it's kind of sad, really.

Anyway, back to the subject. I went to the bathroom and when I went to wash my hands, the soap was on the counter and there was a Coca-Cola cap stuck in it.
I found that really strange, but then I realized that they used the metal from the cap to act as a receiver for a magnet. There was a holder above the soap where you could stick the soap and it suspended from the holder through the use of a magnet. Wow! I bet you Coca-Cola has no idea how inventive their products can be!

I walked back to the motel in a round-about way, not wanting to take the same path. I stopped at a convenience store to buy a few things and then set about trying to find the motel. What I hadn't realized was how incredibly difficult it was to find motels in this city! It was crazy! The streets have names, sometimes, but no one uses names to find anything here. You just kind of have to know. I tried to find it on my own and then ended up going around in circles for over an hour. By then, I decided to suck up my pride and ask someone. I had the motel's business card and started asking people how to get there. It took me another 30 minutes before I finally found it. It was really ironic. I have a really good sense of direction but Gyeongju really tested my confidence in that area.

I remember visiting Amsterdam several years ago. With the girls I traveled with I found a coffee shop that I really liked. I didn't retain the street name, nor did I remember the name of the shop. I just remembered that it was on a corner at the edge of a canal. If you've ever been to Amsterdam, you know that there are canals absolutely everywhere! About 8 months later, I returned to Amsterdam where I met up with a really cool friend, Walter. I wanted to show him the coffee shop I had been to so I took him on a little scavenger hunt for that one coffee shop. It took me about 30 minutes to find it, but I did find it and it was very cool. I was really impressed with my memory after 8 months, but here I was in Gyeongju and I couldn't find my motel less than 24 hours after arriving! It was an embarassingly funny situation. By the time I got back, my feet were killing me.

I went to bed and the next day forced myself to wake up earlier so that I could go to Bulguksa. My friend Steve had suggested that I hike up the mountain to see Seokguram Grotto over by Bulguksa. When I arrived at the bottom of the mountain after a 30-minute bus ride, I had lunch and set off to the tourist office. They informed me that the hike would take 1 hour. I cringed and she smiled. Koreans are expert hikers. People of all ages do it and they hike really quickly. It's quite embarassing for me because I remember lagging behind all the middle-aged people who hiked up Halla Mountain in Jeju Island a year earlier. It took me and Seung-Ah 4 1/2 hours to reach the top, but other Koreans did it in 3 hours. So when the woman told me it would take an hour, I was expecting a much longer trek. I was soaked in sweat as I hiked up the mountain, but it was quite peaceful and I had my MP3 player for company. I managed to keep a slow, but steady pace and to my surprise I reach the top of the mountain in 40 minutes! I've got some juice left in those muscles! When I got to the top, there was a Pagoda type building with a bell. I took a picture and then continued on to Seokguram Grotto. It was another 10 minutes, but the path was level, so it wasn't tiring. When I got there, there was a line a mile long.
Luckily the line moved quickly and I was able to get to the grotto within 30 minutes. It's considered a world heritage site and I can honestly say that I agree. Once you get inside it's magical and mystical. Unfortunately you can't take pictures inside, so you'll have to settle for a description.

The stone Buddha is recessed and in the foreground, to the sides, are reliefs of different people, but guarding the Buddha are two statues who look like they can really do the job. Well-lit, the fierceness in their stance and expressions is easily seen. They are the Deva kings. The Buddha itself seemed to be made of marble (though it is stone). It is so smooth-looking and it glows as though from the inside out. Even with the bustle of people being herded through, I was able to stand back for a moment and inhale that glow. You need to be there to understand. I'm glad I did the hike.

I walked back down the mountain and then headed to Bulguksa Temple. Temples are like churches, they all look the same after a while unless something extraordinary sets it apart somehow. I guess that's what religious places tend to be like. But the pond at the entrance was really beautiful and I spent a moment there, admiring the view.
The rest of the temple was like many other temples I've seen. Beautiful, of course, but nothing really different from what I had already seen.

When I got back to Gyeongju I thought I remembered the motel. I first decided to buy some Sansachune (a kind of Korean liquor; sweet). Afterwards, something came over me. A will I hadn't felt in a long time: fight. So, I decided to find my way back to the motel another way. The night before it had taken me about 1 1/2 hours. That night, it only took me 20 minutes! I'm was quite proud of myself, though I have to say that I was having some doubts as I went about trying to find it. I felt that there were many elements of deja vu working against me then. But it was an improvement!

The next day was Monday and I was leaving at 2:00p.m. I had some time to take a last look around so I left my bags at the motel and headed back over to the Gyerim Forest area. I finally went in to see Cheomsongdae Observatory.

It is the oldest observatory in Eastern Asia. On Saturday I didn't go in because I had seen a sign that said it cost 8,000won to enter and I found that ridiculously expensive so had decided not to go inside. But when I went back on Monday, I realized that the real price was only 500won. I'm glad I went back! While inside, I saw a man setting up a tripod to snap a shot of him and his family. I offered to take the picture for them, it would be easier that way, less time consuming; but he refused! You know, Koreans as strangers are not friendly at all and it kind of hurt because I was only trying to help! My students have told me before that Koreans are kind of afraid of people traveling alone, they find it strange. When I recounted that story to my high level students last week, the girls said it was because the man was with his wife and that she would have been upset with her husband if he had accepted my offer. I don't know if I believe that, but I just have to accept that I guess I'm not always appreciated. The male students thought that the man probably refused because he thought that I wouldn't take as nice a picture as the tripod automatic system would. Whatever...

I wanted to see the ruins of the castle Banwolseung, so I wandered over there after the observatory. The path had called to me on Saturday but I had prioritized other places. When I arrived there, there were no ruins left. The whole castle had been destroyed. The only thing left is an ice storage building which was pretty cool.

The forest area is pretty nice and quiet so I isolated myself and sat down for a while. It was a bit chilly under the shade of the trees so I didn't stay long.

After the ruins, I decided to walk through downtown for a while, check it out at my own pace. On my way back, I was taking some shots of the trees in bloom when a car stopped and asked me for directions to Chomseongdae Observatory. When I turned around, they realized that I was a foreigner and kind of gave up, but I gave them directions in my broken Korean anyway and they thanked me in English. It felt good to help out. It kind of canceled out the rejection to my offer earlier that morning.

As I headed back to the motel, I finally stumbled upon Daerumuun (Tumuli Park)!
This was indicated on the very attractive but poorly made tourist maps of the city, but I had not been able to find them anywhere! I paid for the entrance fee and it was quite an impressively large park. I wandered through it and took lots of pictures of trees. The trees in this country are fabulous. I'd love to make a photobook just on the trees I've taken pictures of in the past 10 years. It would be so much fun! I exited the park at the far end of the park and realized that the exit gave out on Gyerim Forest! It had been there in front of my face the whole time, but I hadn't see it! These are the things I love about traveling...the little surprises and discoveries.

All in all, a very successful trip. This past weekend, I went to Andong, but that's another tale. Soon to come!

Bu Huang - The Art of Korean Massages

2008-05-02T09:22:00.007+09:00

Back in March one of my co-workers told me about a massage place that gives 2-hour massages for the ridiculously low price of 70,000won. I was immediately interested in trying it out. I'm always up for a cheap massage.

The owner of the place was a student at YBM and she did the massage for me personally. Korean massages are not your relaxed Swedish-style massages where you fall asleep with the rhythmic movements of an artist's hands. No, Korean massages are rough and the massage therapists work into your muscles with fervor.

For roughly an hour I was given a dry massage. They provide a t-shirt and shorts and massage over the clothing. It wasn't relaxing and was kind of painful, but I knew I would feel better after the fact.

Later, the oil was brought out and a slightly softer version was administered to my aching muscles. I really enjoyed it, having been subjected to the rougher versions of massages in the past 5 years or so (Thai, Aryuvedic...).

Then came the Shiatsu-style massage. She got on top of the table. There were poles bolted to the ceiling and as she held on to them, she used her feet to give me a deep tissue massage. Interesting how the feet can work out those kinks. In addition to her feet, she used her elbows.

This little woman, small of stature and thin as a rail, had such power in her body it was hard to imagine how she was able to possess such strength, but my body felt the effects.

It was quite good.

And then the clincher...She used what we call in Korea "Bu Huang", which is basically cupping. In European history, leeches were placed on the skin and a cup was fitted on top of the leeches, creating suction. The leeches would then do what leeches do and suck out what was thought to be bad blood.

In Korean culture, bu huang is used in traditional Korean medicine. I used to go to a clinic twice a week to get treatment. Bu huang was among those treatments. They would prick my skin with small needles to get the blood flowing and then place glass cups over the skin. Some kind of suction device was then used. It is a painful process and as my skin is particularly sensitive, I would lie there, trying to breath through the pain, hoping this process would help relieve the chronic pain in my neck, shoulders and back.

In the massage parlor, she didn't prick my skin first, but she did use the cups to create suction on my skin. Not the best part of the massage, I must admit.

Afterwards, though, I did feel better. Two hours of massage will do that to almost anyone. The problem, however, was that my skin was so bruised that even wearing a shirt was painful. Imagine trying to sleep afterwards!

In the future, if I can, I will definitely do it again, but I'll forego the bu huang. I want to have a good night's sleep.

Another Korean Experience!

Chuseok - Or, Korean Thanksgiving 2007

2008-04-27T21:25:00.131+09:00

I've been wanting to express to you the time I spent in Jeon-Ju and Buan for Korean Thanksgiving for a long time, but I've been so incredibly lazy and I let my little life and world get in the way.

It was an amazing time and a great opportunity to visit another part of Korea. I was lucky enough to be invited by, my then, Korean teacher to spend time with her and her family in her home town. This brings back my first memory of being invited for Thanksgiving. It was my first year of university and I had been invited to Moncton (Canada) for what I would consider a “real” North American Thanksgiving. It was that; I’ll always have fond memories of it.

Thanksgiving in Korea is considerably different. Here’s how it went.

On the first day, we took the KTX (high speed train) to Iksan and then transferred to a regular speed train to Jeon-Ju. It was dark and raining by the time we got to Jeon-Ju. We were picked up by Son Mi’s parents who immediately took us to a restaurant. I, who hadn’t had a cold since April, was sick and getting sicker by the hour. I was hoping it would pass. We had dinner with her parents’ friends. They were celebrating a birthday. Five couples in total plus me and Son Mi. I tried Hong Oh for the first time.

Now, hong oh is skate (looks similar to sting ray, I think) that is marinated in this foul-smelling and fouler tasting ammonia-based something or other. It is basically rotten, uncooked fish prepared on purpose for this particular flavor. You eat it with a piece of pork and kimchi to make a trio. That particular trio is called “sam-hap”.

Sam Hap: fish on the bottom left

At first, it seems okay until the taste permeates your mouth. Afterwards, you can’t get the taste out for hours. Son Mi likens it to a kind of minty flavor. I wouldn’t say that exactly, but that’s the closest description I could think of. This is probably the first thing that I actually hated. I don’t like all Korean food, but most of it, I either love, like or can tolerate. This one, I’m happy to never eat again. The main course was some kind of fish stew. Kalchi (a kind of fish) stew. It was okay. Nothing special. After dinner I really needed medicine and her parents were nice enough to help me find a pharmacy open at 9:30p.m. I immediately took the medicine and started feeling better within the hour.

All I wanted to do was go to bed, but then her mother asked us to do some work. We had to separate the heads (and therefore poop) from the bodies of I don’t know how many pounds worth of myolchi (anchovies). It started off pretty tedious, but it was cool after a while because I got the hang of it. The anchovies were dried, of course, and we were doing this in front of the TV. The movie “The Island” was on, which I had never seen. Son Mi has a much shorter attention span than I do so she quit a few times as I continued. I felt a strong sense of duty was involved because they were housing me and paying for everything (transportation included), so I carried on, as I can when I put my mind to something. We went to sleep around 12:30a.m. and had to wake up at 7:00a.m.

The next morning we got dressed and then met up with two of the couples from the night before, and their kids. We left the city to go have breakfast at a restaurant famous for their soondubu (soft tofu stew). It was really good, but too copious for me that early in the morning.

Soondoobu

We returned to the apartment (by the way, the apartment is really extravagant and posh) and finished working on the anchovies. It felt good to finish all of them! We later went downtown to where the old buildings from centuries ago still stand. It’s the place in Korea where most of these old building (around 800) still exist in one place. It was where the aristocracy lived. We toured that area and I took lots of pictures.

Downtown Jeon-Ju

We walked around quite a bit and though it was drizzling, we kept on the lookout for cool experiences. We found an old house that was inhabited by a rich Jeon-Ju family. It was quite ironic to find a basketball hoop peeping out over the top edge of the stone wall; a weird sign of modernity set before such a historical backdrop. I had to take a picture. Even if you embrace the past, the present creeps up nonetheless.

A basketball hoop in a traditional home

After visiting that house, we turned up a small cobble stoned path where we encountered a cultural site. It was an area that celebrated the past of this wonderous city and one of the houses in that complex had traditional wedding hanboks we could try on. It was cool. The headdress was really heavy!

I was the bride and Son Mi, the groom

We were also offered some green tea and my favorite Chuseok treats “songpyon”: steamed rice cake filled with sesame seeds and melted brown sugar. Delicious!

Afterwards, we kept wandering about and came upon a paper shop. Basically they make all kinds of things out of paper, including ties! What’s so amazing is that for some of these, you would think it was real fabric! Jeon-Ju is know for this particular type of paperwork. They made some beautiful pieces and I bought a few as mementos and gifts.

After noon, we met up with her parents and had lunch. We had the ever famous Jeon-ju Bibimbap and I have to say it lives up to its name. It was excellent! I wasn’t really impressed the first time I had bibimbap because the vegetables were raw and the rice was cold (this was in Seoul), so it wasn’t really impressive. This bibimbap was served hot and the veggies had been steamed. It was great!

I was later to learn the difference between regular bibimbap and dolsot bibimbap, the latter which is served hot in a special bowl that keeps the ingredients warm for a long time. I never ate regular bibimbap again. Once you go dolsot, you never go back!

Jeon-Ju Bibimbap. Yummy!

Lunch being over, we got in the car and headed to Buan, Son Mi’s father’s hometown. There I met the extended family. Her father is the oldest of 4. Three boys and one girl, if I remember correctly. The grandmother lives with the youngest son, which is pretty rare, they usually live with the oldest son, but since he lives in Jeon-Ju, I guess she opted to stay there. The second oldest son has a mushroom farm. I didn’t meet him until the next day.

It was quite an awkward setting. The youngest son has a wife and three daughters. The two oldest (teenagers) are well versed in piano and were continuously practicing or studying. The youngest was around 7 and took taekwondo. She showed off her superior skills to us ( we were still beginners in the martial art at that time, so she knew more than we did!). They didn’t speak any English, except for the youngest son (who, regardless, pressured me to speak Korean) and the daughter (who was an English teacher and spoke quite fluently). Imagine stepping into someone’s home where you only really know one person and being introduced to 14 new people all at once. People grilling you with questions that you don’t understand, trying not to offend anyone, being helpful and dealing with a cold all at once! Oh my god! It was quite the experience.

But they were all very nice. We sat down to dinner around two low tables which couldn’t fit us all, so there was a very obvious split. The men sat down to eat first and since I was the invited guest I got to eat with them, while the women and girls waited until there was space. Here we are back to the sexist vision of who gets to eat first. The wife of the youngest son was basically the one only cooking for 14 people and I saw her cooking all afternoon and into the night with some of the other wives and children helping out from time to time. I offered my services but was politely refused. I felt bad just sitting there like a man waiting for the food to be prepared.

Anyway, after it was all over (it was very good, by the way) the tables were cleared and the games came out. There is a very popular type of gambling game that Koreans just love called "Go Stop". It’s a card game with specific drawings and designs on them that have their natural suites. But when you play, they are matched up with other designs and then you play this all with money. It was so complicated! And though they tried to explain it to me, I didn’t get it and they eventually gave up on me!

Another game was brought out instead, an old game from hundreds of years ago, played with a board and sticks. I forgot the name. Sorry! This is a very easy game to learn and lots of fun. I had found my groove and we played with the younger members of the family while the adults kept gambling. I was later (about a month later, by a student) given this game as a gift.
The next morning, we all woke up on our own (though I have to admit that the sound of the vacuum cleaner at 8am doesn’t really allow you to wake up when you want) and that’s when the women and female children of the house got down to work. We needed to prepare for the Chuseok dinner that night. It was quite the experience and I was stoked to take part and contribute to the process.

We made all kinds of fried foods dipped in a batter and fried in a special electrical pan. It was quite fun and the women were fairly helpful, though I think that they didn’t think I would be able to cook quite as well as them. I spent most of the time watching.

Fried fish and vegetables in batter

I guess this was inevitable because earlier in the day, we made "sook songpyon", which is songpyon made with a green plant whose name I keep forgetting in English. I much prefer the white ones, but they only made the green ones. This was a complicated process. The dough was pre-made by the wife of the youngest son, so we had to take a piece and roll it into a ball and then make a hole into which we poured a small amount of sugar and sesame seeds, the mixture also pre-prepared. We were then to close them up into a crescent shape, much like a moon. The first few I did were quite horrible compared to the others but as I continued, I think I got much better. The others didn’t think so, though, and were systematically laughing at me. It hurt a bit, but I guess that’s the lot of the foreigner trying to cook Korean food. That’s life!

Later in the afternoon, after the food had pretty much been prepared, I was kind of bored. Son Mi had gone into one of the rooms and was reading comic books and had left me in the living room watching Korean TV. I felt really out of place. Around 3p.m. or so, Son Mi and her father told me that we were going to go sightseeing.

I got dressed and we set off. I didn’t know what we could possibly see in this area. It’s a small town. But I was amazed. Our first stop was at the great dam that had been built. This is, apparently, the biggest dam in the world. The idea is to make Korea bigger. So they have planned to cut off some of the ocean and turn it into land so that factories can be built in that area. It is quite a sad thing, actually. We humans have done so many crazy things to this earth, and here is yet another thing to add to it. The locals have been very much against this project, which started in the 70s, I think. They protested for years and the government stopped it for a while when they realized the consequences of such actions. In the end, however, they went through with the project because the damage had already been done and going backwards was no long worthwhile.

All the water to the right of the dam will be turned into land

After that sad experience, the sun started to come out (it had been raining earlier in the day and the sky had been overcast) as we drove out to the beaches.

Love this picture! Unfortunately, the power lines got in the way

The small roads were lined with delicately-colored gorgeous flowers called “gossmoss”. Some of the beaches were founded on stone and as we walked over the uneven ground, I took some interesting pictures of the wave patterns that had been carved into the stones over centuries. Tide pools were everywhere and quite a few people were enjoying the mild weather.

Sitting on the uneven ground. A man is fishing in the background

On the sandy sections, seaweed had washed up on the shore. Large sacks were placed there and people were picking up the seaweed the ocean had discarded. This would then be used for cooking soups. It’s always amazing to see how the earth gives with such generosity and yet we go to the supermarkets and purchase these same items for astronomical prices.

Washed up seaweed

The beaches checked off our list, we went to a movie set. When I was told about this initially, I was not at all interested in seeing it, but I was pleasantly surprised. Soap operas in Korea are a completely different affair from western-style soap operas. Over here, the most popular are shows that take place in the olden days, like during the Joseon dynasty. People are dressed in the garb of the time and the setting is in old castles. The Korean soap opera is not a sex-based affair, rather it focuses more on human life. This set had been built to look like kingdoms of that time period and I felt like I was walking into another time. It was quite cool, actually. Son Mi’s father paid for our tickets and we went inside and walked around. There is a popular show being filmed there these days, but since it was Chuseok, no one was working.

Movie set

After we left, Son Mi’s father had one last place to show me. He had saved the best for last, in my opinion. We went to a Buddhist temple called Nae So Sa. Usually temples are up in the mountains and you have to hike to get to them, but this one is about a 10 minute walk from the road set away from any towns. It was heaven on earth. Though there were many people, we walked through a tree-lined path, dark due the canopy of trees above us and it felt like we were entered another world, which would soon be revealed to us.

View of the tree-lined path from the entrance of the temple

When we got to the entrance of the temple, there was another, wider path lined with Japanese maples (one of my favorite trees in this world!) leading up to the gates. This temple was originally built in 633AD, but has been restored several times, usually due to wars. A fabulous tree towards the entrance is said to be 1000 years old.

1000 year-old tree

There was a peace there that made me want to come back on my own for a long weekend. Many of these temples in Korea offer a templestay, which is the opportunity to go and stay in a temple for the weekend. Many times, you have to be silent during those weekends. That’s no problem for me. I spend so much time alone and with my own thoughts that I don’t need to talk. The temple is surrounded by mountains and I saw pictures of it in the winter. That would be the ideal time for me to go there. Blanketed in snow, it is a silent haven.

View of the mountains from Nae So Sa Temple

Though I have never returned to Nae So Sa Temple, I still hope to have a templestay experience in Korea before I leave. There is no downside to it.

We (I, reluctantly) returned to the apartment after that, only to go out again to the cemeteries of Son Mi’s grandmother’s parents so that they could bow to them. The sun was setting and it was getting pretty dark so the pictures I took are not perfect, but it was really interesting.

Cemetary of Son Mi's grandmother's parents

In Korea, the burial system is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. People are not buried in coffins and then placed six-feet below ground. Instead, they are buried and then a mound is built on top of the body. In Korea, if your family has enough money, you are not buried in a communal cemetery. Instead, you purchase land on the side of a hill and bury your loved ones there. As we drove around in the countryside, you could see hundreds of mounds dotting the landscape next to fields of rice and other agricultural goods. This tradition is devoid of religion, but definitely stems from Confucianism. About 50% of Koreans have no religion, but even those who do still carry on the traditions of honoring the dead.

That night we returned to the apartment and had a large dinner. The next morning, bright and early, we set up the offerings for the Jaesa, the official act of bowing and honoring those who have passed. This Jaesa was to honor Son Mi’s grandfather. Traditionally, it is the men of the family who are responsible for doing the actual bowing etc… but the younger generations were also included in this ritual. They even included me in it! I was uncomfortable, but they were more than happy to show me how it was done. The youngest son even took a picture of me bowing. When bowing to the deceased, you must put your right hand above your left hand. When bowing to the living (such as during a wedding) you place your left hand above your right hand.

Here I am bowing in the far left

The tables were laden with food for the spirit. Fruits were placed in little piles and the tops were cut off so that the spirits could eat them. There is a special placement for every type of food. It is so precise that the newspapers put out an article every year at this time explaining the exact placement of every food item, including a helpful picture to make it foolproof. Son Mi's family consulted the picture in the newspaper to make sure everything was perfect.

Offerings for the deceased

The theory is that in the morning you do the Jaesa in the home. At this moment, the spirit comes to the home because you have called to it. There is an elaborate tea service prepared where the men drink the tea. This knowledge is passed down generations, men to boys. Today, things are changing and some families allow women to perform this, but in Son Mi’s house, they were still pretty traditional.

Interestingly enough, it seemed as though the women were completely exempt from the bowing. They made the food and that was it. Son Mi’s grandmother didn’t even bow to her husband. It was all kind of confusing for me because I don’t understand the intricacies of the roles of men and women, but I took it at it came.

After doing Jaesa in the house, we set out to the actual burial site of Son Mi’s grandfather. It was a hot and sunny day. There were two mounds on the plot. One was surrounded by a little cement wall, the other went without. I asked who was in the other mound. I was told that it was in preparation for Son Mi’s grandmother. That’s kind of eerie. Here we are, the whole family, bowing down to the patriarch of the family with another mound just waiting for the matriarch to join in the not so distant future.

We spent some time there and the family had a little picnic with the food that had been prepared and I took pictures of many other families that were doing the same thing in plots not too far away from us. We were in the middle of fields of rice, but we were also giving our respect.

Bowing to Son Mi's grandfather

We returned to Seoul later that afternoon and took an interminable bus ride there. It took us over 7 hours to return because of traffic (normally it takes 3 hours). And keep in mind that buses have special lanes on highways! It was crazy! All in all, a really cool experience that I will not soon forget. If you ever get to Korea, pass by Buan; a cute little town that might not say much, but take a little ride out to the coast and there are some sights that will make you smile. It was well worth it and I’ll be forever grateful to Son Mi’s really cool and wholly generous family for inviting me into their homes.

Next week I’m off to Gyeongju, the oldest town in Korea where the Shilla dynasty once had its capital. I will be traveling on my own, so I think it’s going to be a new and exciting adventure. I’ll keep you posted!

Buddha's Birthday May 2007

2008-04-18T11:06:00.008+09:00

Every May Buddha's birthday is celebrated in Korea. Last year I wanted to check it out and went with Jong-In, one of my closest friends, to the main Buddhist temple downtown. It was a wet, wet day, but we still enjoyed ourselves. It was quite beautiful, actually.

There were sculptures of baby Buddhas and shrines where incense was burned. People could pay a small fee and have their names strung up above us attached to a lantern. The colored lanterns represent good luck. I didn't buy a lantern, but I should have. I could have used that good luck. There's no downside to those types of things.

Hanging lanterns for good luck.

Baby Buddha. Isn't he cute?

Inside the temple, tons of people were bowing down and praying to the three golden Buddhas. It was beautiful inside and there were lots of interesting architectural details.

But the most touching moment was the shrine about the victims of the Virginia Tech Massacre. There was a list of all the victims and it brought tears to my eyes. People placed offerings of fruit to the victims.

Later on, there was a drum performance. Three men played traditional drums without any other instruments. It was incredible. Most of the people there were older men and women moving with the tribal beats. It reminded me of the kind of drum and bass we have in nightclubs in the west. The interesting thing is that in the west, this type of music is only appreciated by the youth. Here, middle-aged people were grooving to the sounds.

Life is so beautiful.

Trip to Everland

2008-04-18T10:28:00.011+09:00

It's been forever! I hardly remember what I've done since the last time I wrote.

I did go with some co-workers to Everland last May. It's the most famous amusement park in Korea. I hadn't been on any rollercoasters for years and years. It was lots of fun. Nice to be a kid again, eat junk food and hope to avoid throwing up on the rides. We all survived! The weather was perfect and we went on all the rides. Just a day of fun in the sun!

Enjoy the pictures. There are lots more on Kodak Gallery.

We had to get these silly fluorescent bracelets to prove we had paid.

These are the crazy uniforms workers at Everland have to wear to greet people. I would die in that pink outfit!

Jae Jin went crazy taking pictures of us all day. We went from posing to hiding as the day wore on.

Here we are in the rose garden. It was so incredibly cheesy, but we had fun.

Here we are imitating the sculpture behind us. Jae Jin was such a good sport. He's got a funky personality. At times, quite shy and yet willing to go outside of the box and do fun things. He's a cool guy.

Here we are practically upside down. This was the scariest ride to look at, but it was really cool while we were on it. We flipped around back and forth. What a thrill!

The end of our outing. Goodbye!

Jeju Island

2007-08-25T00:59:00.119+09:00

Seung Ah and I decided to go away on a long weekend to Jeju Island. None of us had been there before. We were pretty excited. I organized the logistical part of the trip and made our schedules, while she took care of the reservations.

Day 1

We arrived on a Saturday afternoon and the cab company we hired for the weekend was late. But we were really excited and when the guy finally arrived, he was very helpful. We hopped in and headed straight to our first destination.

One of the interminable pictures taken of us

I wanted to see this circus/horse show Lonely Planet mentioned was interesting (I trust Lonely Planet with all my trips) and so when we arrived at the Green Resort we went straight for the horses in the paddock. We were offered a ride for a fee (rather expensive, by the way). Here I was thinking that I would really be able to go for a stroll in the bright sunlight with the fresh green grass surrounding us. It was pretty hilarious, actually. After taking interminable pictures of us on the horses, the men then proceeded to lead the horses down a lane and back again. That was our ride! They were holding onto the reins the whole time! And to add insult to injury, Seung Ah, who had never been on a horse, got to canter in the paddock alone, but they held onto my reigns as my horse cantered regardless of the fact that I had taken horseback riding lessons once upon a time in my youth. I guess they didn’t want to take any chances with the waygook (foreigner)!

After the riding experience, the show was to begin, so we headed inside. The building was a bit run-down, as were the costumes the people wore, but they were amazing. According to Lonely Planet, these are Mongolians, but from what Seung Ah understood, they were Chinese. They didn’t even speak any Korean. The music during the performances ranged from meringue to classical to new age…interesting and strange. The average age of the performers was probably about 16 years old. I had a twinge inside when thinking of the child labor, but what can you do? The acrobats looked really tired, bored or upset and their costumes were both too big and too old, but they were truly incredible athletes. The pictures should prove that to you.

Green Resort Show

After the bedraggled look of the acrobats, the horseback riders seemed like polar opposites. They were positively glowing and that glow was particularly obvious in a six year old boy who rode horses as if he had been raised by them. His pride in accomplishing each feat brought spontaneous laughter and applause amongst the crowd, particularly when he would leap off the horse, raise his arm and smile triumphantly. Though he seemed way too young to be doing this, he also seemed to love it. I don’t know the truth about it, but it was a great show nonetheless.

After the show we headed to the first of two waterfalls we would see on the trip. The first, Jheongbangpokpo, is one of only a few waterfalls in the world that empties directly into the ocean. It was absolutely breathtaking. The sun was of the late-afternoon variety so the light was softer and shadows were cast upon the smoothed-out volcanic rock. Upon first sight, the view was reminiscent of those paradisal scenes in movies like The Blue Lagoon and The Sleeping Dictionary with the exception of 20 or so people already there admiring it.

Jheongbangpokpo

We stayed there for a while and then headed off to another waterfall, Cheonjiyeonpokpo. This is the biggest waterfall on Jeju Island, but there wasn’t much water. The rainy season isn’t during spring here, but rather in the monsoonal summers. The waterfall is in the middle of a beautifully tended park which would be nice to visit regardless of the state of the waterfall. As it is currently the rainy season, it would probably be best to see this waterfall now.

In the touristy part of the park I bought a summer bag made of cotton and dyed with onions, persimmons and wormwood. I’ve taken a picture. I also purchased a calligraphy made by a Buddhist monk. The man on the paintings was a well-known Buddhist wise man and the sayings are all related to finding happiness and well-being in your life. Pretty inspiring.

Seung Ah insisted we go to the Sex Museum afterwards, so we did. Among the other drawings and things, they had pictures of natural formations from around the world shaped as genitals. The most interesting thing for me was a reproduction of a traditional Korea home long ago where houses were still made of papyrus, like in Japan. When newlyweds would retire to their honeymoon suites, people would sneak up outside and wet a finger with their tongue. Then they would place that wet spot on the papyrus which would dissolve, creating a tidy little hole from which they could watch their own little live porno show. It’s was hilarious! As conservative as Korea is, there are those moments when you are surprised by these little stories.

After that busy afternoon, we were pretty hungry. We wanted to try some local food and the cab driver suggested we try horsemeat. Interestingly enough, I had spent 3 years in France and had never tried horsemeat though they sold them in supermarkets, but I was all for it here. Jeju Island is known for its horsemeat. We went to a restaurant that specialized in horsemeat and God help us, that’s all they served! We had the most insane experience! We ate everything they served us and believe me, they served us some pretty crazy things; from bone marrow tonics to raw vocal cords, raw liver and raw testicles (yes, you read correctly, and they were actually pretty good!).

Our appetizer: raw horse pieces

Day 2

On the second day there, we woke up at 6:15a.m. in order to get ready to hike up the tallest mountain in South Korea. This sucker is not a steep climb, but oh my God is it ever a bitch! For some reason I am still unable to understand, the trail we went up was lined with volcanic rock (by the way, Jeju is a volcanic island). So imagine hiking uphill for 4 ½ hours on a trail that is made up of craggy and sharp volcanic rock. What were they thinking?! If you ever go there, keep in mind that this is the Songpanak trail. I was cursing it the whole way up! When we got to the top we were soaked through with sweat, but the sense of accomplishment on reaching the summit was awesome. We could see three quarters of the island as well as the surrounding sea and that’s when I realized how small the island really is. In fact, Lonely Planet suggests that you take about 5 days and bike around the island. I’m not a biker, but in theory it sounds nice.

Finally survived the hike!

After a simple meal we were pretty beat, so we decided to head back down. This time we took another trail down which was actually even harder on the legs because, by then, we were so weak that each step jarred the knees, put stress on the ankles and forced us to rest on the way down in order to stabilize our shaking legs. It took us another 3 hours to get down. Every time we though we were done, there was another slope to go down and even some uphill moments every time we exited a ravine. We were practically crying from exhaustion by the time we got back to the entrance of the park.

It was 4pm by then and a new cab driver picked us up taking us to a place called mysterious road. This is a road that seems to be going downhill, but when you stop the car, it seems to be rolling backward up the hill! It’s a pretty cool optical illusion. After that little hiatus, the driver told us that Mini Mini Land was a worthwhile trip. We were so tired we just let him take us. That was probably the only regret I have about the trip. This place is like a Legoland except for the fact that the buildings aren’t made of Lego. Definitely not something you want to walk through after having hiked for 8 hours.

After that walk-through was abbreviated (I could barely walk, regardless of the fact that I was grinning through it), we headed to Songsan Illchulbong, hands down my favorite place in Jeju. It is a small coastal town and we stayed in a minbak there (the Korean name for apartment style rooms with their own kitchens). It’s the Korean equivalent of a bed and breakfast. Below the minbak was a restaurant and, for lack of interest or ability to walk far, we had dinner there. We were the only customers, but I had the best broiled fish of my entire life in that place. It was mackerel and it just melted in my mouth. I’ve eaten it since returning to Seoul, but have yet to taste one as good as the one on Jeju Island (it could also have been the fatigue rendering me delirious, but I doubt it). We also had a seafood soup and I ate my first sea snail in its shell. The shell was so beautiful that I adopted it. It tastes like lambi (conch). We also had what was my first taste of Raspberry wine (bokbuncha). It’s very sweet, but quite good. Later that night we crawled into bed and fell into an exhausted sleep, knowing we would have to get up at the crack of dawn the next day and hike up a crater.

Day 3

We woke up at 4:45a.m., slipped on our clothes and hobbled up the quiet, dark streets towards the looming mountain. We were in so much pain, but you know what they say. Get back on the horse. Songsan Illchulbong is known for its spectacular sunrises. The idea is to get to the top of this mountain crater and watch the sun rise, hence the early start up the mountain. What was good about this place is that they have placed steps the whole way up and it’s a fairly small mountain, in comparison to Halla mountain. But imagine the pain we were in as we walked up flights of stairs for about 30 minutes. All the adjumas (middle-aged women) and adjoshis (middle-aged men) were speeding by us. It was as though we had exchanged bodies for that walk up there.

View from Songsan Illchulbong

Unfortunately, the sky was too cloudy to see the sun rise, but there was a peace and a beauty on the top of that mountain that I’ll never forget. We could even see Halla mountain, the mountain we had climbed the day before, in the distance. It made the trip and the pain and fatigue completely worth it. We stayed up there for a while before finally headed back. This was our last day here and we wanted to make the best of it.

We returned to the minbak, took a nap and then headed out to the pier where we took a ferry to Udo Island (Cow Island). This island is an absolute pearl. Absolutely beautiful and pristine. By then it had started to drizzle (our luck had held until that time). The bus tours going around the island were a bit disorganized and there didn’t seem to be any maps of the island, but the drivers were dynamic and funny (Seung Ah was my translator during the whole trip to Jeju, bless her!).

There are three main beaches that Udo is known for. On that small island they have a black sand beach, a white sand beach and a coral beach. When we got to the coral beach we didn’t understand why it was called this, but we were told that during high tide when the sun is shining, the water takes on a coral color from the crushed coral/sand floor. We were a bit disappointed because we didn’t get a chance to see that.

Haenyos resting

The best part of this trip was the haenyos. Haenyos are part of the history of Jeju and Udo Islands. These are among the hardest working women in the history of this country. Traditionally, only women could become haenyos, or free divers. They would dive for fish and shellfish and could hold their breath for up to two minutes. Over the last 50 years, women have stopped carrying on the tradition and have opted for jobs that are less difficult. As a result, the only haenyos left these days are in their 50s or more. They are still diving. We saw a whole group up them under a gazebo; resting I guess. There must have been a good 40 of them. It was so exciting to see these legendary women in their wetsuits, with their masks on their heads. Later on, we were even luckier to see them working! They were splashing about in the water, the flippers making flapping noises as they reached for the seafloor.

After seeing that, (which was my reason for wanting to come to the island), we headed back to the ferry. By then it had started to rain steadily and heavily. We had an uninspiring lunch of seasoned galbi from a black pig (grilled pork; I’ve eaten way better in Seoul; I think it’s safe to say that if you go to Jeju, focus on the horsemeat and the seafood; don’t bother with the rest). I did get a chance to try yet another new thing that afternoon, an alcoholic drink called mackoli. It is made from rice and some kind of corn meal, I think. In any case, I wasn’t crazy about it because it tasted similar to beer, which has that bitter starchy taste. For those beer lovers, you should enjoy this.

After lunch, we went to a traditional Korean village which has existed for over 400 years. People still live in these villages and keep them in beautiful shape, offering to give free visits in exchange for your willingness to buy something from their little store. I was all for that. The folk-village was called Song-Eup and it was beautiful. It was raining quite steadily and we were given umbrellas for the trip. There we saw the legendary Harubang, which are statues dating back over 250 years that are spread out throughout the island of Jeju. The harubangs’ purpose is a bit of a mystery. They are quite reminiscent of the Easter Island sculptures. People don’t know why they were made, but they are really cute and the theory is that if you touch the nose of a harubang, you will have a boy. If you touch its ear, you will have a girl. It is also said that the harubangs that have their right hand placed above their left represent government workers and the educated population. The ones with the left hand over the right represented the warriors.

Harubangs

I gladly bought something from the store, a concentrated form of tea syrup that you’re supposed to mix with hot or cold water. It is called Omidjacha, or 5 flavors tea. It’s delicious: sweet and tart at the same time. It’s supposedly good for colds too. I’ve been drinking it cold, very refreshing!

After the folk village we headed to Stone Park. By then the rain was lashing away at us and our pants and jeans were soaked through, but we pushed on and into a beautiful world of ancient rock croppings and volcanic remnants. It was very green and very peaceful and interestingly enough, the rain meant that there were few people there and so I felt as though I had stepped into an enchanted land, devoid of others save Seung Ah; a world a thousand years old. It was really magical. We went to the Rock Museum there, but unless you are into geology, I wouldn’t recommend it. There was a lot of focus on the volcanic history of the island and the age of the rocks etc… Those of you Discovery Channel fanatics would probably love this, but it was a bit boring for me. I love science, but I prefer living things.

Stone Park

After leaving the Rock Museum and Stone Park, we headed to the Manjanggul, an underground lava tube. It was really cool but the steps going down were really hard on us because of the pain that we continued to experience. The pictures I’ve taken didn’t turn out so well because I didn’t bring my big flash with me, but hopefully you’ll get an idea of what it’s like to be walking through where lava once flowed. The ground and walls had smooth and rough grooves running through them and there was quite a bit of explanation as to what the different kinds of lava flows were called. I didn’t know there were different names, but I’m here to inform you that yes indeed, there are! I think I probably would have enjoyed it more if we hadn’t been so exhausted and in so much pain, but I’m really happy we got to go.

Manjanggul: striations left by a lava flow

We returned to Seoul that night and had an extra day off the next day to sleep and stretch. Just to let you know, my legs, especially my calves, were on fire for a week after that trip. I’ll never climb that mountain again! ;)

If you ever go to Jeju Island, a word of advice, climb Halla mountain on your last day; this will help you avoid being in pain for the rest of the trip.

P.S. Check out these pictures and another album full of pictures from our day in Everland, the most famous amusement park in South Korea. I went with Seung Ah, Jong In and Jae Jin. It was a blast. There are tons of pictures of this trip. Jae Jin went on a shooting spree!

A City of Beauty and Culture

2007-07-29T17:52:00.000+09:00

In March, I was excited to check out the Cherry Blossom festival in Youido, an island in the middle of the Han River in Seoul. I was dissuaded from going during the festival as it would be too crowded, but I was determined to go anyway. As fate would have it, I ended up being too sick to go during the festival and had to wait until after it to go. Son Mi, Jae Jin and I went on the Sunday after the festival was over. It was a beautiful warm sunny afternoon and the trees were covered in delicate white flowers bruised with pink blushes. It was a sight to see (click on the Kodak Gallery link to see more pictures). It was a wonderful day followed by a delicious lunch a 20 minute walk away.

Seoul is a humongous city chock full of cultural stimulation, if you know where to look. Unfortunately, I often miss the opportunities because the tickets are sold out or I’ve found out too late.

But I have been lucky enough to catch a few awesome things. Here they are:

Thanks to Jong In, one of the close friends I’ve made here, I was told about a Rene Magritte exhibit in downtown Seoul. I knew of Magritte because of the famous bowler hat paintings he had made. I was excited to see what else he had to offer. There was a lot. What an amazing man; so much symbolism in his art and the mixture of surrealism and symbolism reminded me of Dali’s work (which I had seen much of outside of Barcelona back in 2005). It was totally worth the trip.

Just a few days later I had the chance to see the Cirque du Soleil in all of its glory. I remember thinking to myself that it was funny that I had lived in Montreal for over 3 years, just steps away from the original Cirque, only to watch it for the first time half way around the world. The production was called Quidam, a wonderful mix of fantasy fit for children, comedy that was international in its humor, and acrobatics that left my mouth open in amazement. The beauty of Cirque du Soleil is the fact that there are no words and therefore no need to translate or adapt the shows to the different cultures. If any of you have the opportunity to see any of the Cirque du Soleil productions, I highly recommend it.

On June 24th, I went with Jong In and Son Mi to see a Korean musical. It is called Subway Line Number 1. It is the longest running musical in South Korea, having existed for about 15 years. Twice a week they have the show subtitled in English so we went on a Sunday evening. The show is actually a rock musical and you could see the musicians behind translucent screens in the background as the actors and singers performed for us. It was an awesome show and I’m glad that I saw it after I had been here for a while. I think it would have been a mistake to see it right away as I would have missed a lot of the subtleties of the humor in reference to the Korean culture. As it was, I laughed quite a bit and it was really cool. It ran a bit long, but I would definitely recommend it.

Last weekend I went to see the Orsay exhibit. Though I lived in France for three years and had been to the Louvre, I hadn’t had the opportunity to go to the Orsay museum in Paris. So, it came to me here! There were fewer paintings than I had expected, but the paintings that were there were definitely worth it. There were paintings from Van Gogh, Manet and Monet, but the best part was my discovery of some new artists. I fell in love with some of the paintings by Albert Bartholome (Dans la Serre), James Tissot ( Le Bal), Henri-Edmond Cross (L’air du soir), Paul Signac (Femmes au Puits) and Odilon Redon (Portrait d’Ari Redon au Col Marin). The colors and the pointillism movement which I had heard about but had yet to see live, were breaths of fresh air that I had badly needed. Check these out when you get a chance and let me know your own thoughts.

Fortunes and Futures Part 1

2007-04-24T09:56:00.000+09:00

About one week after Solal weekend, Seung Ah took me to my first fortuneteller! I’ve always wanted to go to one, but I’ve never had enough money and was always wondering whether it was worth it. This experience was very interesting. He wasn’t a fortuneteller per se, instead he did Chinese fortunetelling which is basically mathematical. He asked for my date and time of birth and with that gave me information about my past, my present and my future.

I’ll let you decide whether he’s any good. Here are his predictions about me.

My Past:

- He thought I moved or changed jobs in 2005
- I haven’t had a boyfriend since 2005
- I started to try to make money on my own since 2002 and I didn’t have any real financial trouble
- The financial trouble I perceived I had stemmed from the fact that I was unwilling to accept help from my parents so that’s why I struggled
- I had some trouble in 2006
- I was fated to leave my home in Haiti
- I have had bad luck with men

Who I am/My Present:

- I’m good at managing and teaching; I’m good at conveying information to others
- I have a hard time getting close to men
- I have a strong sense of justice, but society has a hard time following me
- I have a strong personality and I need to control my environment
- I don’t want to have children unless I’m in a stable relationship
- I’m more interested in happiness than in money
- My luck is described by two seasons: Summer and Spring
o Positive, active personality
- I’m eager to learn and to work
- When I meet a guy, I push him away, that’s why it’s difficult for me to be in a serious relationship
- Being a teacher is a good job for me

My Future:

- I won’t have a boyfriend in 2007, but my luck with men will slowly improve in the coming years
- I’ll meet a new group of people this year
- I’ll be studying and will keep learning things for the rest of my life but I won’t get any recognition for it from outside sources
- In 2008-2009 I’ll have a good man and boyfriend in my life, but it will only last for two years
- In 2012-2013 I will meet the man of my life and will ‘marry’ him (keep in mind that in Korea, living with someone implies that you are married because it is not acceptable to live with someone without being married)
- The boyfriends I will have in the future will be friends who will develop into more because I have a hard time getting close to men
- I’ll be traveling a lot in my life; journalism is a good job for me; I’ll never stay in one place for long
- I’ll be changing jobs every 2-3 years because it is what I will wish to do
- I’ll have financial luck in the future
- By the age of 40, I’ll be dissatisfied with my job and will have many offers with different companies that I will refuse because they will not mirror the kind of life I will want
- I will have kids, but I won’t want to depend on men
- I’ll have some problems with my colon and my joints and lungs, but nothing serious
- I’ll be traveling my whole life
- I’ll live a long life

So guys, what do you think? The only extra information I gave him about him was the fact that I came from Haiti. I also objected to his statement about my finances in my past. I found that a lot of the things he told me about my past were not accurate and I told him that I did have financial trouble and that’s when he added the bit on how it was because I refused help from my parents. He also knew that I teach here and that I want to be a journalist, but I didn’t tell him about all the traveling I’ve done nor about the traveling I wish to do in the future.

I didn’t tell him a word about me and my relationships so that came purely from him.

It was quite interesting all in all. I’m not sure I felt as though he was the real deal, but to be fair, he wasn’t quite the fortuneteller with a glass ball etc. He used the Chinese astrology counting system so he did a whole bunch of calculations and this is a field that people study, not that they are naturally born with. In addition, the fortunetelling was done in a brightly lit café where people order drinks and chat with chill music in the background…not at all the dark dingy little corner room I was expecting. I know, I know, I’m a bit on the overly creative side of things.

So I leave it up to you to decide what you think of what he said based on what you know about me. Seung Ah will take me to a palm reader she knows in the near future. I’m curious to compare both people’s prognoses about me. How similar or how completely different will they be? In addition, I’d be really interested in delving into the more obscure and naturally psychic world of fortunetelling to see what those people, with the natural talent, will have to say about me. Are they mind readers, do they really sense something from another world? Are they pulling things out of their asses? What’s the deal? I hope you enjoyed my little experiment. Tune in next time for Part 2 of Fortunes and Futures.

Love,

L

Solal Weekend - February 2007

2007-04-24T09:15:00.000+09:00

It has been an eternity, I know. I apologize. I would like to announce that I bought my first computer about a month ago and I’m extremely proud of myself. This is the first time I have been able to purchase something such as this with my own hard earned money. I have arrived! I am an adult! Yeehah!

So I write this on my new HP laptop and it is sweet. It took me a while to get down to the nitty gritty of writing this because I had a computer but no Microsoft Office which I have just recently acquired. Goodbye Notepad!

The subjects of interest this time around will give you an overload of cool stuff to digest. As most of you know, the Lunar New Year usually occurs around February of every year. My Korean students all looked at me quizzically when I asked them what they planned to do for the Chinese New Year. They didn’t know what I was talking about. You see how we Westerns are so ignorant in so many ways? What was I doing saying the "Chinese New Year"? It’s the Lunar New Year and yet in the west we merely associate it to China because we know more about their culture and Japan’s than any other culture in Asia. In Korea, it is called Solal and we got to have a four day weekend.

I hadn’t had any intellectual stimulation for a while at that point and decided to get my act together and do something different. I booked a tour for the DMZ (demilitarized zone) which separates North Korea from South Korea. It was a half-day tour instead of the full-day I had initially wanted, but interesting nonetheless.

To be honest, I had expected to get to the point where you see the South Korean and North Korean guards staring each other down. I was not able to get as close as that. We were actually fairly far away from North Korea and could only catch a glimpse of it in the distance. The experience here was not so much seeing North Korea, but rather all the lengths both governments go through to kind of keep you away from North Korea. I have thought somewhat seriously about visiting North Korea, under no illusions about how controlled the visit would be. I was naïve, however, about the DMZ trip. I thought that by being on the South Korean side things would be a bit more lax. I suppose that, in theory, this is true however things were so incredibly restricted that many times we were wondering what we could possibly take pictures of that would be compromising.

Let me breakdown the weekend for you. The holiday lasted from Friday the 16th of February to Monday the 19th of February included. On that Friday morning I had to wake up at 6:30 to get to the pick-up spot for my DMZ trip. We drove roughly an hour north of Seoul and stopped at an area where the Freedom Bridge is located. This is a bridge that used to be the only access road between North and South Korea. At the end of this bridge is a fence where Koreans and foreigners alike have posted notes of peace and love in light of the situation between the two sides of this divided nation. Under the bridge was a little park where people could sit. In the distance we could see that a family had set up a shrine to which they were praying. The tour guide mentioned that many families would come here to pray for displaced or missing family members from the Korean War. In addition, Solal is the period in the year when people honor the family members who have passed away. This holiday, along with Chuseok, is the most important in terms of family gatherings.

After the Freedom Bridge, we went to an area where we saw a video about the divided nation. It was so commercial and so ‘Western’ that I had no doubts the Americans had helped them develop the video. It was a bit on the cheesy side, to be honest. We then walked through an area where we could read about different situations that had occurred between the two Koreas, the conflicts and plots the North Korean government had to build and eventually attack and overtake South Korea through a series of tunnels. Four tunnels have been discovered up to today, the most recent having been discovered less than ten years ago. People have no idea how many other tunnels may exist. We had an opportunity to go down into one of the tunnels but we couldn’t take any pictures. You could see holes in the walls from dynamite which had been set off to create the tunnel. It was wet and cold down there and fairly interesting.

After the tunnel, we went to Dorasan, a mountain that overlooks North Korea. There was a beautiful view and we had a soldier give us a little presentation. We were not allowed to take pictures from inside, but could from the balcony. But, there is a catch. You could only take pictures from behind the yellow line. You guys, the yellow line was about 5 meters behind the edge of the balcony. It was a joke! The only thing you can see from there is the North Korean mountain range. It was so funny that I took a picture of the line so that you could get an idea how ridiculous it was. But again, that’s part of the experience.

After Dora Mountain, we went to Dora Station, the last train station in South Korea, which in theory should connect both parts of the country if and when they are ready to re-merge. The station is beautiful, but empty. It’s pretty useless for the moment. Over there is a picture of the former South Korean president and President Bush who are both inaugurating the station. I took a picture of that picture. Look closely at it, there is something odd in the picture. I look forward to getting news from you to see who has found the oddity.

The next day, I met up with one of the guys from the tour and one of the teachers from YBM and we went to see an awesome traditional sport: Ssirreum, Korean style wrestling. It was really interesting. An interesting and strange thing: the wrestling is separated into only two weight categories: under 100kgs and over 100kgs. So you ended up seeing someone who was 110kgs wrestling against someone who was 160kgs. That’s a huge difference! An interesting twist to Korean wrestling is that each player has a piece of twisted cloth that is wrapped around his waist and thigh. The opposing player can use only that twisted cloth to throw his opponent. This means that they cannot touch their opponent with their hands. They are required to hook their hands in the cloth and hold on to that and to use that grip to throw his opponent down. This is a very difficult system and it was really cool to watch. There was entertainment between each set where North Korean dancers performed for the audience. It was interesting to see and listen to traditional North Korean entertainment. There was a particular dance called the 4 Seasons where the women changed the colors of their clothes in front of our eyes! I know that there is an explanation to it all, but they would go behind a wall of girls and come back out in different colors. I don’t know how they managed.

At the end of the competition, the winner received some money and a traditional gift, a cow. In the past, cows were given to the winners. Normally the winner would ride on the cow but seeing as this was a calf, he couldn’t possibly do that. He was placed on a throne and was carried around by six high school boys who were very obviously suffering from the weight. It was pretty cute, actually. They were so out of it!

After the competition, Seung Hyon and I went to meet up with some of the other girls at Doksu Palace, another one of the oldest palaces located in Seoul, where we hung around. Afterwards, we went to have dinner in Itaewon (the foreign neighborhood), where we dined at a nice Thai restaurant. Some of them had never eaten Thai before. It was a success. After dinner, we went to Namsan Tower, the Korean equivalent of the CN Tower or the tower in Seattle. We took a cab up the mountain and it was all lit up. The lights were changing on the tower and it was absolutely beautiful. We watched the view from the top of this mountain and it was priceless.

All of Seoul was spread out before us and we could see the Han River weaving through the multi-colored lights. Afterwards we walked down to the spot where we were to take the cable car down the mountain and we walked by something quite fascinating. You know the smoke signal system from Lord of the Rings? Well, Korea had the same system in the past. They had a set of smoke signals spread throughout the country for the same reasons. I took a picture of the historical information about that. You can read it if you’d like.

So that was my Solal weekend! Enjoy the pictures on Kodak Gallery!

March and April: Spring Fever

2007-04-19T18:11:00.000+09:00

The month of March was a busy one, filled with work and a sense that things were just going from bad to worse. Throat infections have emerged, relationships have disintegrated and the pace of life has become work, home, sleep, work, home, sleep. Quite the monotonous lifestyle. My first four months here were pure heaven, typical of travels. I’ve experienced this in almost every new place I’ve been to. 2006, a year which had been so unhappy for me, seemed to end on a beautiful note. I had a new country, culture and language to sharpen my teeth on and my experiences continued to be beautiful. I maintain those impressions of Korea.

Of course, it is not perfect. There are aspects to the culture that I think I will always have a hard time dealing with. Those include the incredible rudeness people display in crowds. Apologies are non-existent 95% of the time so you just have to bite your lip and move on. Though in the West I would immediately demand an apology, regardless of the person’s age if they pushed me or cut me off in line, here I’m learning to keep my mouth shut and it is a difficult lesson for me to learn. I don’t want to be the abrasive foreigner who comes to a new country and expects everybody to be and act the way I do. The Koreans themselves don’t say anything when these things happen to them so I follow their example, though it pains me to do it.

I have, however, started to put my foot down when it comes to my apartment building. When people make too much noise after midnight on a weekday and that noise continues for long periods of time, I have decided to knock on their doors and ask them to keep it down. They don’t often open their doors, but they keep it down afterwards. That’s all I want, really.

But I think that this problem stems from an immense city with a large population. Saying sorry to strangers seems to be too much to ask because that would mean that you would have to constantly apologize and I definitely think that Confucious had a say in this attitude as well, especially when regarding how the elders treat younger people.

As I’ve mentioned before, however, once you get to know these people, they make a 180 degree change. They become the sweetest and most generous people I’ve ever met. It is a strange and sometimes confusing country to live in. But I don’t regret a minute of it.

Interestingly enough, my biggest issues and problems here have revolved around, not the Koreans, but the foreigners. I have had more drama in one month with foreigners than I have had in 8 months with Koreans. Yes, that’s right. I’m in my 8th month here. Crazy, right? Time flies.

I never thought about it in quite this way before, but in the end, most relationships have a shelf life. I had made some friends with whom I thought I’d be close and form a strong bond. But each of those relationships reached their expiration dates, much to my dismay and I had to re-evaluate my status here.

I have been able to count on the Korean women at work. They are awesome. We go out to see movies together. We have lunches and dinners and last weekend, we even went to Yoido, an island on the Han River where the cherry blossoms are in bloom. It was a beautifully sunny and warm day and we strolled along the avenue taking pictures of these trees. We then went to have lunch together followed by some frozen yogurt in yet another part of Seoul. It’s such a huge city!

And though I love these friends, there is a point which you cannot cross. The kind of intimacy of conversation that I was able to have with my friends in the West, I cannot have here. There are some invisible barriers that are erected that are not wise to cross. When people have problems here, they tend to keep it to themselves. When they talk about relationships, they give the absolute minimum information and then the conversation is over. And you know how talkative and analytical I am. I need to talk things to death in order to deal with problems. These are the types of issues I’ve been dealing with. Nothing too serious, but a definite sense of solitude that I will have to adjust to. Traveling is wonderful. Exploring a new world is pure magic, but along with those wondrous experiences also come the more sobering aspects of adjusting to a culture not your own. It is a humbling experience that never fails to keep me on the right track.

But separate from the challenges of a new cultures are the challenges that people face around the world, in any situation, at any time. And that is the shelf life theory of relationships.

A person recently told me that he no longer wanted to know me. He merely crossed me off his list. This is the first time anyone has ever wanted to eliminate me from their lives in such a way. It was a very difficult thing to swallow. I started to question myself as a result of his words. I was in shock, wondering how someone could think that I’m such a bad and mean person that they would not want me in their lives anymore. A friend gave me a figurative slap in the face. He became almost impatient with me as he told me that I should not even question my worth or myself as a person. And he’s right. He was part two of my wake-up call. Part one was a lovely Australian friend who let me ramble on until there were no more words. And he reassured me that my honesty, though perhaps a bit difficult to hear at times, is what makes me the person that I am. I have never hidden who I am. I am an open book and those that choose to ignore that side of me will do so to their detriment. I have nothing to apologize for. I have never set out to hurt others and that is a creed that I have promised to uphold. When someone asks for the truth, they must be prepared to hear my version of it as I must be when I ask it of others. So, I have to thank these lovely people in my life; people with whom I see no expiration date: thanks to Ben and Steve.

It is always a humbling experience when others indicate that their ideas of your worth fall far below your own perceptions of your worth. It is definitely important to listen to others and try to understand peoples’ reasons for acting in certain ways. It is also important to determine whether these words are words that you hear repeatedly from others. If they are, this is a reason for pause, but if those words are unique and negative and don’t represent a general impression of what others consider you to be, you must gather your wits about you and maintain your dignity and the trust that you have in yourself. Pain, as difficult as it is to believe at the time of infliction, does fade and we must take that to build upon and learn from.

This is undoubtedly an unusual entry. I have turned the camera away from the country and onto to me. I promise, it shall not always be this way.

Keep reading, I’ve got lots more to say about this fascinating country in upcoming entries.

Love,

L

Christmas Parties and Noraebangs

2006-12-28T11:07:00.002+09:00

Hello all! It's been a while and I meant to put this up weeks ago, but you know how life is...This has been a bit of a rocky New Year so far but I have faith that things will work out. For the first time, I've had trouble with some of my students. Three of them, in three different classes, all of whom are men and are in their early to mid 30s. For some reason, they have issues with me and it makes teaching them a bit on the difficult side. And for those of you who know me well, I'm a pretty sensitive person so it's a bit hard to deal with that kind of blatant rejection. I do have to tell myself that it's impossible for everyone to like me and it does work most of the time, but not always. But anyway, let me give you some fun stuff to read about and some fun pictures to look at.

'Tis a pleasure to be getting back to you not only with new pictures but also with some videos taken at the Noraebang on December 23rd, 2006. It was an awesome night. Let me start from the beginning:Our office decided to have a Christmas party for everyone. Earlier in the day, one of the teacher's, Son Mi, took me to a place that I will be forever grateful to her for: an outdoor local market close to my neighborhood. I had asked people for months about where I could go buy groceries because I found E-Mart so expensive! And it truly is. Though it's kind of like a K-Mart, the food section is ridiculously expensive and I cringe whenever I go to the checkout section. Son Mi opened up my world to a wonderfully fresh market where you can find pretty much anything and vegetables and meat are way cheaper than at E-Mart. I have found my new shopping district. Now, whenever I want to go to the market, all I have to do is hop on a bus and take a 10 minute ride and I'm there! Though I didn't have my camera and therefore didn't take pictures of the market, we nonetheless had lunch there and I tried something new: Soondae and Kope Chang with glass noodles in a hot and spicy sauce. Okay, so let me explain. Many foreigners hate Soondae because in truth it is blood sausage. But my images of blood sausage up until then was French style 'boudin', which is coagulated blood cooked in the intestinal pouch of beef (I think, or maybe it's pork?). I have tried boudin and was not really crazy about the texture nor the idea of literally eating blood. I was expecting the same thing here so I was a bit apprehensive but was willing to try anyway. As an appetizer we had some cold Soondae and liver pate. The liver was excellent, by the way. I tried the soondae and was surprised to find out that the intestinal lining was not filled with blood but was instead stuffed with glass noodles. Yes, there is some blood, but it wasn’t swimming in it and I didn’t feel like I was eating pure blood. It was not bad! Not something I’d order on a regular basis, but all in all, not bad. Our main course arrived and I thought we were going to have noodles with soondae and pieces of pork. Well, dear friends, Kope Chang is actually tripe! Yup, innards and innards for lunch. It was a surprise, like I said, but all in all, not bad. I’m not a big fan of innards but my grandmother used to make tripe in a sauce when I would visit her in the summers and it wasn’t bad either. So, though I think I’ll never be a fan of this type of food (innards etc…) it’s nice to eat different things from time to time. After eating, I bought onions, pork, beef, mushrooms, beans, broccoli and tomatoes for the incredible price of 20,000won. It would have cost me twice that much at E-Mart. Don’t you just love outdoor markets! Upon returning to my place we had some tea to warm us up and then Son Mi helped me choose something for the Christmas party, something Christmassy. It was fun to dress up since I do that so rarely. The party was lots of fun. There were only two of us there that were non-Korean speakers but that was part of the fun. We were nicely integrated into the cultural feel of Christmas in Korea. We had an interesting gift-exchange system that I would recommend to you guys in future years with large groups of friends or with co-workers. Each person bought a gift that could be used by a woman or man. Numbers were mixed in a box and people had to pick a number. The first number has the worst luck because they had to pick one gift and they are stuck with it. The last person, number 20 for example, could either choose the last gift on the table or choose any other person’s gift among the people who has already opened their presents. So the idea is that you can steal someone else’s gift that has been opened. I was lucky enough that no one wanted my nice scarf but there were many other exchanges that were pretty funny because people were running away from the people who wanted to take their gift. We had a blast. There was good music, good food and good company. After leaving the office we decided to go to a Noraebang, which is a Korean-style Karaoke. It was awesome. My first time to a Noraebang in Korean, there were 20 of us and we got a big room in a Noraebang a block from our work. We sang for hours and drank and danced and played drums with Moon Jong’s daughter. There were a lot of songs to choose from and pretty much everyone took a shot at the microphones. But the star of the night was our boss, Cane, whom you will see in all his glory in many of the pictures I have posted. You will also get to see short videos of me dancing and fooling around (incidentally also a bit sloshed) with the boys while they sang horribly and loudly into the mikes.

Hope you enjoy our moments of glory. Love ya! L

Korean Weddings etc...

2006-12-20T09:45:00.000+09:00

Hello all!

Hope you are well. I'm here to guide you through the new pictures I put up on the Kodak Gallery. You are invited to check that out as soon as your done reading this.

About a month ago, one of our teachers here at YBM, Son Hwa, invited all the teachers to her wedding. I was so excited to see a typical modern/traditional Korean wedding ceremony. So here it goes:

Most weddings take place in beautifully decorated halls in highrises. Seeing as she is Protestant (which they call Christian here; they make a distinction between being Christian and being Catholic) they had a spiritual Western ceremony with a very vivacious pastor who used his microphone to the full extent of its capacities. Even if you wanted to block him out, it was impossible. But I could see he seemed to really believe what he was saying and I learned a new word that day: 하나님(Hananim), which means God.

I was warned previous to the wedding that Korean weddings are typically very loud affairs and that I shouldn't get offended because a lot of people standing in the back of this open hall would be talking as if at a social event, which this kind of is. You see, the halls are not closed off and weddings take about 15 minutes. Actually, let me backtrack a little. First the bride goes into a tiny room for professional pictures before the wedding while the organizers hurry to set up the place for the new couple. Then the wedding takes place and basically anybody can attend it because the hall is open in the back where there is a hallway separating the ceremonial hall from the buffet area.

The tradition is to give about 10,000won (around 10 dollars) to pay for your meal. The buffet is huge and has a whole multitude of different kinds of food fit for a king. So we saw the fiery speech by the pastor/minister and then the tradition is to go take professional pictures with the newlyweds. First there are the pictures with the family, then there are pictures with co-workers and friends, so we got to be in that one! There is another roll somewhere in my plastic bag full of a dozen rolls of film with more pictures, but I'll just add them when I get around to developing them. After taking the pictures, we went to eat but only had about 30 minutes before we were kicked out (they had to prepare another buffet...). But we were to be treated by another amazing and, this time, very new experience for me: the traditional Korean Wedding ceremony.

Okay, so it was not exactly 100% traditional, but still... traditionally, the ceremony takes place at the bride's house (in the garden) and the groom comes into the garden riding a horse and the bride is being carried in a kind of man-held carriage of the olden days...now, most Korean weddings take place in halls after the Western style wedding is over and that's what happened that day. We went to a much smaller room where Son Hwa was already dressed in all her glory in this gorgeous red wedding hanbok.

Traditionally, red is a symbol for celebration and white a symbol for death, actually quite like India. Today, close family members of the deceased people still wear a traditional white hanboks, specific to funerals, but most other people have reverted to wearing black. So, there are a good number of pictures of this traditional Korean wedding with the appropriate explanations per picture. Feel free to make comments or ask questions.

After the wedding I went to have coffee with the Korean teachers. It was a really nice time that day. Aside from the Korean wedding, I have had some other cool experiences. My former boss asked me to check out the universities that they have partnerships with so I arranged to have a tour of Korea University, one of the most prestigious universities in Korea. It was a gorgeous campus and probably the most hi-tech university I've ever seen with amazing computer and multimedia labs. Anyway, I took some shots of the typical colors we could find in the city during the fall. Gorgeous colors!

My current boss invited some of the teachers to see a Premier League Soccer game at one of the World Cup stadiums a few weeks ago. And of course, it had to be the coldest day of the year so far that day with about -11degrees Celcius. We were jumping up and down trying to stay warm while the manly men plied themselves with beer to stave off the cold.

After the game, I was convinced to go out for dinner though I was tired and I'm so glad I was encouraged to do so. We went to a typical Hwe restaurant for dinner. Hwe is the name for raw fish in Korean. We had flounder which was excellent and when asked what follow-up dish we wanted, Todd suggested the wonder of wonders...live baby octopus (sannakji)! I was totally for it. So we ordered it and when it arrived, the little suckers were squirming all over the plate! It was crazy! I wish I had had a video camera to be able to show you how impressive it was. Some of the tentacles were even moving off the plate!

The dish was garnished with slivers of raw cucumber and sesame seeds and we had to dip the octopus in sesame oil before putting it in our mouths. We tried to get the things with our chopsticks but it was impossible. They were sticking to each other and to the plate so we had to take them with our fingers. They stuck to our fingers! I finally put it into my mouth, all for the extraordinary experience, and I felt the tentacles sticking to the inside of my mouth, suctioned fast. It was such a strange and alarming and cool experience all rolled up into one! I had to chew very quickly to get it to stop sticking. It was a lot of fun and it was actually quite delicious! We washed it down with sansachun, my new favorite Korean alcohol beverage which tastes a bit like white wine.

Well, those are my experiences up to date! There are a few extra pictures that are randomly added but are explained at the bottom of the pictures (as are all pictures, of course)

Love!

L

Comment Acceder aux Photos sur Kodak Gallery

2006-12-04T16:25:00.000+09:00

Bonjour!

J'ai reussi a creer un compte pour le site de Kodak Gallery ou vous pouvez acceder aux photos de la Coree.

Vous n'avez qu'appuyer sur le bouton marque Kodak Gallery et mettre:

username: leitainkorea@yahoo.com

password: traveler

A bientot!

How To View Pictures on KodakGallery

2006-12-04T16:22:00.000+09:00

Hi,

I created a new username and password so that you can access my pictures on Kodak Gallery without having to create your own username and password.

To access these pictures, just click on the Kodak Gallery link and then enter in the following information:

username: leitainkorea@yahoo.com

password: traveler

and you're in!

Enjoy!!!!

E.V. Chu-Seok

2006-11-27T17:13:00.000+09:00

In the first week of October, Korea was scrambling to prepare for one of the biggest holidays of the year: Chu-Seok. Chu-Seok is the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving, the harvesting time here and therefore also the time to spend with family, not eating turkey but instead kimchi and other delights. Chu-Seok fell on October 6th this year, a Friday, but was preceded by Korean National Foundation Day on the 3rd of October creating a week-long holiday for most office workers in Korea. People rushed to buy gifts and food and often went home to the countryside to spend this time with family. Some of my students admitted that they experienced stress during such a period, but most talked about feeling good during this time. I have been closely observing the Korean way of life and family is by far the most important thing in people's lives here. This love/devotion to family can be both healing and destructive as honor is prized above other things and people often feel forced to accomplish things or fit in merely from the familial and social pressures.

The pictures depicted here are some eye candy for the many places in Seoul that I visited during that week. Mi-Hwa, a sweet former student of mine as well as a former staff member of my YBM Guro location took me to Gyonbokgung Palace the day before Chu-Seok to show me a symbol of Korean history and culture. It was a beautifully warm day with a bright sun and I felt as though we had left the city to go into a new world. I didn't get a chance to go to the three museums on site that day, but I plan to do that sometime in the coming months. I truly felt the Asian pull that day and finally felt really ensconced in Asia since my arrival. This palace looks like the palaces you see in movies of ancient Chinese civilizations...it was awesome to walk through this gigantic area where kings and queens used to walk hundreds of years earlier.

After the Palace, we went to have dinner in Jongno where I had samgyopsal for the first time. Absolutely delicious and probably the dish I like the best here though there is so much to choose from! It is basically bbq pork, though not with the western bbq sauce you might be thinking of. Kalbi is also delicious but is beef instead of pork and is traditionally much more expensive than pork here. Here, you can have samgyopsal for two as well as Kimchi Kalguksu for about 20,000won. It's pretty cheap for two people.

After dinner we walked along the Chyungyechun Canal at night, the first time I was to see it lit up. It was gorgeous and I've taken pictures but the quality is not great online. The original pictures are nicer. This area of Jongno is known for being quite romantic and you will see tons of couples holding hands there. It can be a bit discouraging for us single ones, but it's still a nice sight to see.

After that, we walked down a bit and passed in front of Doksu Palace. We didn't go inside but Mi Hwa indicated that the sidewalk in front of the Palace is notorious for relationship break-ups. People have been known to bring their significant other there to break up with them. How sad and crass! Imagine your boyfriend telling you, "babe, let's go for a walk", and you find yourself in front of Doksu and you know exactly what will happen! ;)

Doksu is right next to the City Hall where the world filmed Korea watching the World Cup. Imagine that place with millions up people up and down the street and spread out on the grass here. There are many large screens on sides of buildings in this part of town for such occasions.

The next day, I was invited to Incheon to have Chu-Seok dinner with Harvey, a former teacher at YBM and his girlfriend Young-In. It was fun! I had song-pyon for the first time, a type of Tok (traditional Korean dessert made with rice paste and sweet, but not too much). This type of tok comes in green or white. The green version is made with some type of herb but I didn't like it as much. The white one has a sweet center made with sesame seeds and some kind of syrup. Yummy! After hanging out at their place for a while, we went to dinner where I had Kalbi for the first time. It was really good! That's the picture you see below.

Young-In is camera shy but apart from that, she's more outgoing than I am! Definitely not a typical Korean woman! The next day, Harvey and Young-In came into town (Incheon is a suburb of several million people about an hour's subway ride outside of central Seoul). We went to the annual Seoul Drum Festival which took place at another old palace in the north-western part of Seoul. It was awesome! There were musicians from around the world such as Senegal, Singapore, Italy and Japan. There were also many Koreans percussionists playing all kinds of music, from traditional (awesome but difficult to describe) to classical (western) to modern.

That was my basic Chu-Seok experience. The pictures you will discover by clicking on the Kodak Gallery link will also show you times I spent in Insadong at a teahouse with a French friend I made when I arrived. We went to a teahouse where we had gamjajin, a type of potato pancake, in a wonderful atmosphere of orange lamps and tons of plants. You will also see a picture of some of the teacher's from YBM who went out to have a girls' night out eating Kalbi and sampgyopsal as well as Hote-Tok, a delicious Korean-style donut.

We also spent some time in Insadong where we watched a man in a window demonstrate how to make Chinese pasta. It was the most amazing process! He took a wad of dough and proceeded to multiply the dough into spaghetti pieces! He mutiplied it into such thin pieces with this amazing rhythm that it was like a dance... And then we saw the same exact process done with...honey! Can you imagine! I took pictures of the making of the honey dessert called Kkul Tarea. They didn't come out perfectly but I think well enough for you to see how it's done.

I've labeled all the pictures so that you can know all you need to know. Feel free to ask questions if all is not clear.

Other interesting things:

1. I've discovered something I like better than Soju, though it's a bit more expensive: San Sa Chune.

2. The largest cut of bills in the Korean Won is 10,000, which is the equivalent of about 12 Canadian dollars. So imagine wanting to take out a hundred dollars or more. You end up with such a huge wad of cash that you feel like hiding!

I will try to take some pictures of my apartment so that you can see it in its finished glory, now that I have my stuff here! I love my place!

Till next time!

Love,

L

E.V. Personal Observations

2006-10-27T17:20:00.000+09:00

When you order coffee at a cafe, sugar comes in liquid form. I'm not sure what plant the sugar here comes from, but it's a cool concept that I have not seen used on such a wide scale before.
Ashtrays here are either filled with coffee or white napkins. This prevents the smoke from continuing to float after people have finished smoking and therefore prevents any extra smells. I think everyone should adopt this system! In addition, though many men smoke here, the restaurants are not very smokey and people don't smoke in your face. Most people smoke in the street but not so much in restaurants. I've heard that they will soon ban smoking in all restaurants though some restaurants have banned it individually already.
Gingko Biloba trees are everywhere here! They are beautiful trees with leaves that look like little green fans that produce a fruit which looks like a yellow cherry. The fruits have been falling from the trees that line almost all streets in Seoul recently and you can find older men and women picking them up everyday. I've found out that they often roast the gingko nuts as they would chestnuts and that apparently it's good for the health to protect against something or another. (Dad, I will let you explain to everyone what the health benefits are because I remember you being the first person to once talk to me about the gingko biloba; just sign up and post a message) I must say this though... for the longest time, whenever I was walking home in the afternoons I would smell what smelled like vomit always in the same spot and I thought it was pretty disgusting but having grown up with all kinds of smells in Haiti, I never thought to ask. I later found out that ripe gingko nuts, when they have splattered on the sidewalk and the sun has baked them a bit, give of the wonderful smell of vomit, just in case you needed a little pick-me-up. It was a revelation...
The older women in this country are called hadjimas, or aunts. They are referred in this way by all people as a general sign of respect to the elders although some Koreans have told me that it's no longer acceptable to call them such. I'm in a constant state of confusion because some people say some things are okay and others say they aren't... An interesting little observation Lori led me to discover is that when walking up hills, hadjimas will walk backwards in order to keep from getting too tired. I saw this one day and it was a pretty strange and yet very cool site. In Haiti, people walk in a zig-zag manner. It's so amazing traveling, you guys. You end up noticing the slightest little things that make this world so incredibly diverse and interesting.
The Fall here is amazing. It only started getting colder this week (October 23ish) and we've had a few showers but apparently Korea is known for having an average of 4 sunny days to 3 overcast days. I tell you, those odds are better than those of Strasbourg for me. All ready, in the two months I've been here, I've seen more sun than I did in 4 months in Strasbourg. Thank God for that!
The rainy season here is not in the Spring, as most would think, but in the Summer like in Florida. Guess why? In the summer it's typhoon season and therefore they can get torrential rains and it gets really humid as well. We'll have to see about that...
I have noticed a few times now, a great big cauldron filled with bugs that are cooking in the streets of Insadong and have realize that they consist of Bondegi, silk-worm larvae. The smell is atrocious but my curiosity is great. I will let you know when I have mustered up the courage to try it.
Learning Korean is so hard! I take 7 1/2 hours of Korean a week and I'm not moving nearly as quickly with it as I had hoped. I'm afraid that I will not reach my goal of understanding 50% by December but I'm not giving up! The Koreans seems impressed with my progress but I still feel bogged down by it. It does feel good to be able to ask for milk at the convenient store though!
The food here continues to amaze me. The more dishes I try, the more I'm falling in love with the food and the side dishes! People here are surprised that I tend to gravitate towards all the spicy dishes. I guess they aren't used to seeing foreigners grab the green peppers and bite into them as though they were carrots! But I will speak of food another time.
The people here continue to amaze me with their kindness and generosity. I have started to get even closer to the female Korean teachers here and I'm finding them such a welcome addition to my life. There is an easy bond here that has formed in 2 months in Seoul that I didn't find in 3 years in Strasbourg. It's funny how people are. Don't get me wrong, I did make some good friends in Strasbourg, but it was a long process and it was only as I was preparing to leave that my friendships started to solidify. The friendships here are solidifying at an amazing rate and I've been invited to spend a weekend hiking in a mountain close to the hometown of one of the teachers in 3 weeks. Her family lives in one of the oldest cities in Korea and I will hopefully get a chance to visit that city as well. I'm really excited as I have not really left Seoul since getting here.
And lastly, I am still enjoying my classes. The diversity of the students and the levels of the classes are a pleasure and though preparation takes a long time, I'm trying to mix things up and have incorporated music days where we listen and dissect music by Bjork, Sting, Brian Adams, The Cranberries, Sheryl Crow, Robbie Robertson and Sade. It adds some spice!
Keep the comments coming guys! I love to hear what you think!

V.F. 10 Raisons d'Etre Coreen

2006-10-27T16:53:00.001+09:00

10 Raisons d'Etre Coreen - Anonyme

La nouriture est delicieuse; on peut manger comme un refugie sans prendre du poids (tres vraie! J'ai perdu du poids depuis mon arrivee et les gens mangent enormement ici!)
On peut acheter une nouvelle voiture pour le montant de deux mois de salaire (apparement ceci etait vraie il y a 30 ans mais plus maintenant)
On peut grimpee une montagne dans la campagne sans avoir besoin d'equipment special (je vous tiendrai au courant...)
On peut connaitre les gouts musicaux des conducteurs de bus et de taxis en montant dans leur vehicule (je n'ai pas vraiment note ceci, mais peut etre je suis immunise)
Quatres saisons et 5000 ans d'histoire (certainment vrai en ce qui concerne l'histoire, et c'est une histoire fascinante, mais pour l'instant je connais qu'une saison et c'est geniale. Nous avons eu des temperatures dans les environs de 24 degres Celcius les mois de Septembre et Octobre. C'est geniale!)
Le soju coute autant que l'eau (ceci est vrai! Souvenez vous que le soju est une boisson alcoholise a base de riz ou patate qui a un gout un peu comme du sake japonais mais qui est bu frais)
Les lois de la rue ne sont jamais applique (je ne peux pas vous dire pour cela vu que je ne conduis pas encore ici, mais je compte passer mon permis ici a un moment donne)
On peut payer le percepteur avec l'argent de poche (je ne suis pas vraiment persuade par ce commentaire puisque j'ai du verse a peu pret 300,000 won pour mon premier mois de salaire qui est environ 250euros mais ceci inclus aussi l'assurance maladie et l'assurance retraite)
Tous les restaurants offrent une sorte de nouriture "d'endurance" (Eh oui! En Coree le concept de l'endurance dans la nouriture est enorme! Tous est promu pour nous informer des avantages des produits sur la sante. Mes etudiants hommes m'ont dit qu'en ete ils boivent souvent la soup a la viande de chien parcequ'en ete il fait tres chaud et ils ont besoin de l'endurance pour bien travailler. La viande de chien est un exemple de nouriture d'endurance. Je vais devoir en essayer un jour...)
Les taxis et le tabac sont omnipresent et bon marche (Disont que ce n'est pas difficile de trouver un taxi ici. Heureusement! Apres mes mesavantures a Strasbourg ou les conducteurs de taxis refusaient de me prendre au plein milieu d'hiver a 3hrs du matin, c'est bien de savoir qu'ici j'ai pas mal de choix et ce n'est pas trop cher!)

E.V. -Top Ten Reasons for Being Korean

2006-10-19T18:50:00.000+09:00

1. The food is delicious; you can eat like a refugee and still not gain any weight (so true you guys! I've actually lost weight since getting here and people eat so much!)

2. Can buy a new car for a couple of months' salary (apparently this was true 30 years ago, but not so much now)

3. Can climb any mountain in the country in a day without any special equipment (I'll have to let you know about that one...)

4. Get to learn the driver's taste in music whenever you ride the bus or take a taxi (haven't noticed it particularly yet, but perhaps I'm immune!)

5. Four seasons and 5000 years of history (definitely true about the history, and a fascinating one at that, but as for the 4 seasons, I'm still enjoying the incredibly mild 24 degrees Celcius and slowly changing leaves. What a wonderful Fall!)

6. Soju costs as much as bottled water (this is true! Remember, soju is Korean rice or potato based alcohol that tastes a bit like Japanese Sake but is drunk cold or cool)

7. Traffic laws are never enforced (don't know about that, but I do plan on getting a Korean driver's license, apparently it's doable)

8. You can pay the taxman with your pocket change (I'm not so sure that is still true; I gave approximately 300, 000 won for my first month's salary which is roughly 300 Canadian dollars but that includes retirement funds and health insurance as well)

9. Every restaurant offers some sort of 'stamina' food (Yes, Yes, Yes! in Korea, the concept of stamina food is huge! Everything is promoted to inform you of the advantages of the product on your health. My male students have told me that in the summer men eat dogmeat soup because it is very hot in the summer and they need stamina to keep working. Dogmeat is one example of stamina food. I'll have to see what that's like one day...)

10. Taxis and tobacco are ubiquitous and cheap (Let's just say that it's not hard to find a taxi. Thank God! After my experiences in Strasbourg where taxi drivers would ignore you and leave you stranded in the middle of winter at 3am, it's nice to know that you have a decent choice and the price is reasonable)

VF - Semaine 4 - La scene Etrangere

2006-10-12T10:59:00.000+09:00

Bonjour Tous le Monde!

Je sais que cela fait assez longtemps depuis mon dernier message mais j'avais un rhume qui me tuait et ensuite nous avons eu le Thanksgiving Coreen la semaine derniere et je n'ai pas eu de travail pendant cette periode. Depuis, je me concentre a trouver les meubles etc... pour l'apartement et je visite de nouvelles endroits chaque semaine. Je me suis beaucoup amuse pendant cette semaine de Thanksgiving Coreen et j'ai fait pleins de choses interessantes mais je vous expliquerai une prochaine fois avec des photos en plus.

Je voulais vous parler de ma 4ieme semaine ici et des observations interessantes que j'ai eu. Premierement, j'ai ete tres chanceuse and surprise de rencontrer une autre amie que je ne pensais pas voir ici. Lori et une personne sympathique que j'ai rencontre en ete 2005 a Miami. Nous avons passe beaucoup de temps a parler de Seoul, a l'epoque, puisqu'elle y vit depuis environ 5 ans. Elle est encore ici pendant un mois et j'ai pu la voir et prendre le temps de boire quelques vers et profiter pour dancer un peu a Itaewon.

Avant de la rencontrer ce samedi la, j'ai pris mon cours de Coreen habituel samedi apres-midi and heureusement j'ai aussi eu le temps de manger un peu avant. J'ai decide de m'arreter dans un petit restaurant dans le quartier de Sookmyung University et essayer un nouveau plat, bipimbap. Ce plat et tres sain et consiste de riz, un melange de legumes crus et cuits, un oeuf cuit, ainsi que plein de pate de piment rouge. Normalement les legumes dedans sont les suivants: concombres, epinards, d'autre legumes et une racine d'une fleur qui s'appelle balloonflower. Je n'ai pas trouver de traduction en francais pour cette plante mais je vous joint l'explication (la racine de cette espece (radix platycodi) est utilise en abondance en Asie comme anti-inflammatoire dans le traitement de rhumes et toux. En Korea la plante est connu sous le nom doraji -도라지 - et sa racine, seche ou frais, est un ingredient populaire dans les salades et la cuisine traditional). Ce plat est delicieux et on le melange avec la pate de piment et tous les legumes. Mmmm... On recoit aussi de petits plats (comme des tapas) a cote avec a peu pres 4 types de legumes prepares differement mais souvent vinaigre. Si jamais vous voulez essayer quelque chose de simple, sain et bon dans un resto Coreen je vous recommend ceci, particulierement pour les vegetariens.

En tous cas, apres ceci, je suis allez a mon cours et ce jours-la on a apris les parties du corps. Ce qui est comique c'est qu'en Coree, ils ont la meme chanson a apprendre aux jeunes les parties du corps qu'en Amerique du nord. Je m'attendais pas dutout a ca. Je me suis bien amuse en faisant les gestes et en chantant a haute voix!

Le soir, quand j'ai rencontre Lori, nous sommes allees a un nouveau bar qui s'appelle B-One. Ce nom est ce que les gens ici appelle le premier niveau du sous-sol. Effectivement, le bar est dans le sous-sol. C'etait tres beau, tres esthetique et moderne avec un DJ...super sympa.

Apres quelques Rhum et Cocas nous avons decide d'allee danser dans un bar/boite de nuit gaie qui s'appelle Queen. Imaginez vous qu'il y a une colline a Itaewon qui s'appelle Gay Hill (Colline des Gaies) ou tous les gaies ont tendance a frequenter. Il y a aussi une colline que s'appelle Hooker Hill (Colline des prostitues). Vous pouvez bien imaginer qui frequentent cette colline! Tres bizarre! En tous cas, a Queen, il y avait une combinaison de personnes tres eclectiques mais quand meme la majorite etait etrangers. Alors, pas quelque chose que j'aimerai faire toutes les semaines, mais sympa une fois pars mois. J'aimerais decouvrir d'autres parties de la scene de boites de nuits comme dans le quartier de 'Hongik', pres de l'universite de Hong. Apparement ils ont pleins de boites sympathiques, ce qu'on appelle des boites 'underground' avec de la musique 'live'. Bientot, j'espere...

En parlant d'autres choses, une de mes etudiantes du mois dernier etait enceinte de 8 mois. Je lui ai demande si elle connaissait le sexe du bebe. Elle m'a annonce que c'etait un petit garcon. Je voulais savoir si elle avait deja choisi un nom pour lui et elle m'a informe qu'en Coree, si le bebe est un garcon, ce sont les beau parents qui choisissent le nom. Typiquement, il vont voir un cartomancien ou une diseuse de bonne augure qui leur donnera le nom propice au bebe pour ammener a la famille le plus de prosperite possible. Quand les femmes sont enceintes de petites filles, les parents on le doit de choisir le nom des filles puisque les filles n'ont pas le meme status d'importance en Coree. Eh bien! Que peux-tu faire?

Je peux quand meme vous dire que la Coree du Sud est dans une situation assez precaire puisqu'aujourd'hui il y a un nombre insuffisant de femmes dans le pays qui mene a une baisse de taux de naissances et donc des problemes pour l'economie. Ils vont devoir trouver une solution a ce problem dans les annees a venir.

La meme etudiante dont je vous ai parle, m'a aussi explique que de plus en plus il y a une minorite de personnes qu'on appelle DINK: Double Income No Kids. Cela veut dire, Double Revenue, Pas d'Enfants. Je n'avais jamais entendu parler de ce concepte mais je le trouve tres interessant. Ce sont, en pratique, des jeunes couples qui decide de ne pas avoir d'enfants a cause du fait que c'est si cher, aujourd'hui, d'elever des enfants. Ils preferent, donc, de profiter de leur vie de couples sans famille. Eh bien, ci cela leur plait, je dit bravo...

E.V - Week 4 - The Foreign Scene

2006-09-27T19:10:00.000+09:00

Hey everyone,

I know it's been a long time since I've written. I was sick with a bad cold two weeks ago and last week was Korean Thanksgiving so we had almost a complete week off. It was awesome and I got to do lots and lots of stuff. But that will be for my next entry and pics will follow.

I want to talk about my 4th week here and some interesting observations about what I've seen. First of all, I was really lucky and surprised to meet another friend here that I didn't think I'd see. Lori is a really nice person that I met last summer (2005) in Miami. She and I spent lots of time talking about Seoul since she's lived here on and off for about 5 years. She just happened to still be here and will be leaving next month, but I got a chance to catch up with her and go out for drinks and dancing in Itaewon.

Before meeting up with her, I had my usual Korean class on Saturday afternoon and thankfully had some time before class to eat a bite. I went to a restaurant out of the blue in the neighborhood around Sookmyung University and decided to try a new dish, pipimbap. This is a very healthy dish made with rice, raw and cooked vegetables, sometimes a fried egg on top as well as red pepper paste. Usually the vegetables consist of cucumbers, spinach, balloonflower root (The root of this species (radix platycodi) is used extensively in Asia as an anti-inflammatory in the treatment of coughs and colds. In Korea the plant is known as doraji -도라지 -and its root, either dried or fresh, is a popular ingredient in salads and traditional herbal cooking) and some other vegetables. It's really good and you mix it all together with the paste and just eat it all. Yummy. You also get kimchi side dishes (about 4 of them) which you dip into for a different taste. I highly recommend it, especially for vegetarians.

Anyway, afterwards I went to my Korean class and that day we learned body parts. And get this... you know the song: Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes? Well, they have a Korean version too and we had to sing it. It was fun! It's funny to go back to 'school' again.

We went for drinks in this really nice new bar called B-One, which is what people call the 1st floor basement here in Seoul. It is such a beautiful bar. Completely renovated with modern decor and good music with a live DJ... it was really cool.

After that we felt like dancing so Lori took me to Gay Hill, which is literally a hill in Itaewon where there are a lot of gay bars and clubs. There is also another hill called Hooker Hill and you can imagine what that means. Crazy, I know. We went to a bar/nightclub called Queen and danced for hours. The music was good and there was an eclectic combination of people though definitely predominantly foreign. Not something I would want to do every week, but fun to do once a month or so. I'd like to discover the nightclubs in more 'Korean' areas like in Hongik, which is the neighborhood around Hong University. They apparently have lots of underground places there and live music bands etc...

One of my students last month taught me another interesting lesson about Koreans. She is 8 months pregnant and I asked her if she knew the sex of the baby. She told me it was a boy. I asked her if she knew what the baby would be named and she said that it was up to her parents-in-law. When a woman has a boy, the parents-in-law often go to a fortuneteller to find out what is the best name for a boy, what will bring him the most luck and prosperity for the family. When women are pregnant with girls, the parents get to pick the names on their own as female children are not regarded with the same importance. Oh well, what can you do? But I can tell you that South Korea has entered a stage where there is a distinct shortage of women in society which is leading to lower birth rates and can cause problems for the economy. They'll have to figure out what to do about that.

That same pregnant student (she was in my Pre-Intermediate Business class, yes I teach conversational business English, who knew!?) also told me that they have a name for young couples without children and who chose to remain that way. They are called DINK: Double Income No Kids. Such an interesting concept, I had never heard of it before. Today, having kids is so expensive that many Korean couples opt out of that and choose to live their lives in other ways. More power to them...

Eng.V- Week 3- Learning a new language

2006-09-25T08:55:00.000+09:00

Note: You can see other pictures in the French version of Week 3, as well as on the Kodak Gallery website listed as a link on your right.

Well, another week and plenty of new things to share. Where do I start?

I have decided to attack the Korean language but it is interesting that as I'm pushing my brain to accept new sounds, the language box in my head has opened up and I have rediscovered Bangla, a language that I have not spoken in almost 4 years! Words I have not thought of in so long are popping up as I try to ask questions in stores. It's hilarious! I keep wanting to say panni everytime I think of water whereas the name for water is mul!

I took my first Korean class last Saturday at Sookmyung Women's University located in a very young and hip neighboorhood. The campus is beautiful! The course had started the week before and the four other people in the class (two Canadians, a Japanese and a Hungarian) had already learned the alphabet so I was way behind. But it's a free class once a week and I get to immerse myself for and hour and a half as well as meet new people.

Decorative Kimchi pots in Itaewon/Pots decorative de Kimchi a Itaewon

I've also been working hard at home with a book on learning Korean someone gave me and practicing everyday with the Korean teachers at work. They are an immense help and I have set myself a target of understanding 40-50% of Korean by December. In addition, my boss told me about another branch of this company that is opening up a Korean class three times a week for two hours each. He will readjust my schedule next month so that I can attend those classes. They are not too expensive so starting next month, I will be one of the first students in this new program. I'm very excited.

I think that with the book at home, help from Korean teachers at work, a Saturday class and 6 hours of Korean classes per week, things will move forward quickly. I'm already learning how to read and it's going quite well though I don't really know what I'm saying. I can spell my name though! Here is it: ㄹㅔㅇㅣㅌㅏ.

This type of writing is called Hangul (pronounced Hangoul) and was invented by some scholars and scientists in the 15th century at the decree of the Korean king. Before that time, Koreans used Chinese characters. Because Chinese was too difficult and learned only by the rich and intelligent, the Great King Sae Jong ordered a new written language that would be accessible to all. Today, the Korean written language is considered the most logical and the easiest written language to learn in the world. This does not mean that speaking it is easy!To be honest, as I know almost the whole alphabet now, I am able to read signs as I walk to and from work. Last night, on my way back from the store, I kept stopping and deciphering words outloud. A man stopped me and asked me in broken English where I was going. He thought I was lost! When I explained that I was practicing my Korean, he corrected me on one of the signs I was reading and then smiled and walked away.

Anyway, back to Saturday. After my Korean class I met up with Tracie, one of the teachers at my work who is very cool, and we went back to Itaewon (the foreign section of the city) to get myself a cell phone. It was expensive! For a used phone, I had to pay 85,000won which is the equivalent of about 90US dollars. For a new phone the price range is from 200,000-250,000won. Can you imagine! But the technology is incredible here and people now have cell phones that serve as TVs! So I got a cell phone by the Korean brand Sky and then went out for drinks with Tracie.

She took me to Gecko's, where 95% of the people are white or foreign. It was very strange. Only the bartenders and a few women were Korean. There are bouncers at the entrance who only check the IDs of Koreans! I guess they are more concerned with the souls of the Koreans that than of the foreigners. I don't blame them. It was a very odd sensation being there, knowing that I was in Seoul, but feeling like I was in Canada or the States.

On Sunday I met up with Steve, an old friend from those university days who has been living in South Korea for 3 years now. He loves it here and has settled in quite well. Though he's not fluent in the language, he knows all about the food. His mission was to show me some different neighborhoods in Seoul and initiate me to some real Korean food.He took me to a very artsy neighborhood called Insadong and you guys, I swear, I liked Seoul before but I LOVE it now! It is awesome! There are many many shops lining the main street including some well-known franchises like....surprise! Starbucks. But because Insadong is trying to stay as traditional as possible Starbucks is written only in Hangul! Very cool, I should have taken a picture...I only had one roll of film with me so I didn't take a lot of pics, but you get to see a few of them here.

Shopping complex in Insadong/
Centre d'achat a Insadong

There are many beautiful vine-covered restaurants in the little side streets off the main road (which is completely pedestrian by the way) and although there were a few tourists, the people clogging up this neighborhood were predominantly Koreans out on a Sunday afternoon stroll with their families or out buying interesting knick-knacks.

Apartment building in Insadong/Immeuble a Insadong

Steve introduced me to a Korean candy called Yot (pronounced with an aspirated t) which is made with pumpkin. It is really good and reminiscent of nougat. Very sweet though.

This is a type of yot (like taffy) but I didn't try this one. The man seems to be softening it up/

Ceci est un autre type de yot mais je ne l'ai pas essaye. L'homme semble etre entrain de l'adoucir

There are many types of Yot and in these pictures you see two kinds, but I only tasted the milky looking kind. The man at the stand was slowly manipulating the yot between his hands to soften it up for cutting (I'm imagining). There was a nice crowd around him, foreigners and Koreans alike.

After we left that neighborhood we went to Pagoda Park. It is located downtown and is dedicated to the Independence Korea declared from Japan in the 15th century. Statues dating back from that period grace this walled park where many older men spend afternoons in the shade of this little spot of greenery full of the memories of people long gone. When I return there I will take pictures and add it here.We continued walking and ended up in a section where there used to be an old canal that held stagnant water and let off a terrible odor. Seoul's mayor decided to renovate the canal and there was apparently a lot of protest to this as people didn't want money spent on such a thing. Today it is called Chungyechan a highly appreciated oasis boasting clear trickling water with flat stones laid across the water every once in a while so that you can cross sides. There are little waterfalls and lots of plants growing along the water and the atmosphere is that of freshness, peace and it is a great walk that stretches for a while through downtown Seoul. People have told me to return there at night to see it lit up.

By this time, Steve and I were hungry and he promised me some good traditional Korean food so I was very excited because apart from the Toengang Tchigae, I had not had any real Korean food. Steve took me to a hole-in-the-wall restaurant (that I will never be able to find again!) in an alleyway where there must have been 20 other little holes-in-the-wall. It was great! We sat down to bossam, a Korean dish consisting of boiled pork cut in slices that you eat wrapped in a raw lettuce or cabbage leaf.Imagine this meal... You have a very large plate with hot boiled sliced pork, next to that is tamudji kimchi (pickled radish) in a chili sauce covered with fresh oysters. You should take a leaf of lettuce or cabbage, dab on some bossam sauce (which consists of miniature shrimp in a chili paste, add some samjang as well (a sweet and slightly spicy red pepper sauce with some kind of bean in it), you can add a slice of garlic to the mix (readily provided among the dishes on the table) then you add the slice of pork, a little bit of kimchi and one or two oysters, you wrap the leaf in a roll and bite! It's delicious, though the oysters can give it a bit of a strange taste. Besides that main dish you also get kimchi dishes of cubed savory radish, sweet pickles and beansprout. Beansprout kimchi is yummy. In this particular restaurant, though it is not common, they served a soup called gamjatang, which is a soup that can either mean potato (gamja) or meaty bones. We had the latter. They basically put this soup with the vegetables in it on a gas burner on your table and you can heat it and cook the vegetables the way you want it. It's very tasty. In addition, we had keranchim, a type of egg souffle which is very light and tasty but made with little to no spices. This is cooked in a kind of cast-iron pot and served in it. And last but not least we were served puchingjae, which is a kind of vegetable pancake which is fried with green onions, carrots etc... it was very tasty too. So this is what is so interesting. There were two of us. Steve ordered bossam and we ended up with a feast that we were both unable to finish.

Steve went one step further and ordered soju, a popular Korean alcohol made originally from rice with additional ingredients such as wheat, tapioca, barley and sweet potato. If you've had sake, it is reminiscent of that though it is drunk cold. The initial taste is almost tasteless, actually. After you have swallowed it, however, it has a rather sweet aftertaste combined with a very strong sense of alcohol. Not bad, all in all.

Beautiful windows in shopping complex in Insadong/ Fenetres decoratives dans le centre d'achat a Insadong

As we were leaving the restaurant our waitress came up to me and pointed to my hair said some ending with pama. I turned to Steve who explained that she wanted to know whether my hair was permed. I looked around and there were about 5 other waitresses waiting to see what kind of answer I was going to give, as though my response was either going to win them or lose them 5,000won. When I said that it was natural, she thanked me and turned back to her colleagues. It was pretty funny! They must have had a bet going! I'm glad I could provide some entertainment!

So those were the highlights of last week. This weekend I hope to go explore another section of the city.

I'll keep you updated!

L

VF- Semaine 3 - Apprentissage d'une nouvelle langue

2006-09-22T14:15:00.000+09:00

Petit mot: Il y a d'autres photos dans la version anglaise et sur le site de KodakGallery. Vous verez le lien a ce site sur votre droite.

Bonjour a tous!

Eh bien! Encore une nouvelle semaine ici et j'ai pleins de choses a dire.

J'ai decide de m'y mettre a fond avec la langue Coreene, mais c'est interessant puisque depuis que je pousse mon cervelle a accepter des nouveaux sons, la boite a langue dans ma tete s'est ouvert et j'ai retrouve le Bangla (Langue parle au Bangladesh) que je n'avais pas parle depuis presque 4 ans! Maintenant, en allant demander quelque chose dans un magasin je me retrouve a vouloir dire des mots en Bangla. Chaque fois que je pense a de l'eau, je pense panni, quand le mot a utiliser est mul!

En tous cas, j'ai pris mon premier cours de Coreen samedi dernier a Sookmyung Women's University qui se trouve dans un quartier tres jeune et tres branche. Le campus est manifique!

Le cours avait commence la semaine d'avant et les 4 autres personnes dans le cours (2 canadiens, une japonaise et une hongroise) avaient deja apris l'alphabet alors j'etais bien loin derriere eux. Mais c'est un cours qui a lieu une fois par semaine et c'est gratuit alors j'ai quand meme l'opportunite de m'immerger pendant une heure et demi ainsi que de rencontrer de nouvelles personnes. De plus, j'etudie chez moi avec un livre que quelqu'un m'a passe et je pratique tous les jours au travail avec les professeurs Coreens. Ils sont si indulgents et m'aident regulierement. Je me suis fixe un defi
Sookmyung Women's University

de pouvoir comprendre 40-50% de la langue pour le mois de decembre. Pour m'aider a realiser ceci, mon patron m'a informe qu'une autre succursale de l'institut ou je travail va commencer a enseigner le Coreen a partir du mois prochain. Le cours aura lieu 3 fois par semaine, 2 heures par jour. Il va reammenager mes heures de travail pour que je puisse y participer. Les cours ne sont pas tres chers et je serai une des premieres eleves. J'ai hate.

Je pense qu'avec le livre a la maison, l'aide des profs a l'institut, le cours le samedi et les autres cours 3 fois par semaine, je devrais pouvoir apprendre le Coreen assez rapidement. Je commence deja a lire le Coreen, meme si je ne comprends pas ce que je lis. Je peux quand meme ecrire mon nom! Le voici: ㄹㅔㅇㅣㅌㅏ.

Ce type d'ecriture s'appelle Hangul et a ete invente par des scientifiques et des specialistes dans le 15ieme siecle suite a la demande du roi Coreen. Avant cette epoque, les Coreens utilisaient les caracteres Chinois. Parce que la language ecrite du Chinois etait trop difficile et que seuls les riches et les tres intelligents pouvait l'apprendre, le Grand Roi Sae Jong a commande une nouvelle langage ecrite qui serait accessible a tous le monde. Aujourd'hui, la langue ecrite du Coreen est considere par les scientifiques comme etant la langue ecrite la plus
Assise sur un banc manifiquement peint a Insadong/
Sitting on a beautifully painted bench in Insadong

logique et la plus facile a apprendre dans le monde. Ceci ne veut pas dire que la langue est facile a parler!

Pour vous dire la verite, comme je connais presque tous l'alphabet, je suis capable de lire les panneaux en allant au travail le matin. Hier soir, en rentrant du supermarche, je m'arretais regulierement pour essayer de dechifrer les mots a haute voix. Un homme m'a arrete en me demandant ou je voulais aller. Il pensait que j'etais perdu! Quand je lui ai explique que je ne faisais que lire les panneaux, il m'a corriger sur quelques mots que je lisais et avec un sourire il est parti.

En tous cas, pour continuer a parler de samedi, j'ai rencontre Tracie, une des profs a l'institut qui est superbe, et nous sommes retourne a Itaewon (un quartier etranger a Seoul) pour m'acheter un telephone portable. C'etais cher! Pour un portable a deuxieme main, j'ai du payer 85,000won qui est l'equivalent de 70euros. Pour un portable neuve, les prix sont dans les environs de 200,000 a 250,000. C'est la folie! Mais la technologie est tres avance ici et plusieurs personnes on des portables qui servent aussi comme de petits televisions. Alors j'ai achete un portable par la marque Coreene Sky et apres nous sommes allees prendre un vers a Gecko's ou 95% des personnes la sont des etrangers. C'etait assez bizarre. Seuls les serveurs et quelques femmes etait Coreens. Il y avait des videurs a l'entree qui demandaient une identification qu'aux Coreens. Je suppose qu'ils sont plus concernes par le Coreens que les etrangers...C'etait une sensation tres bizarre en sachant que j'etais a Seoul, mais en me sentant comme si j'etais aux Etats Unis ou Canada (je ne dirais pas la France puisque tous le monde parlait anglais).

Dimanche j'ai rencontre Steve, un vieil ami des annees universitaires qui vit en Coree du Sud depuis 3 ans. Il adore ca ici. Malgre le fait qu'il ne parle pas courrement le coreen, il sait tous sur la cuisine. Sa mission etait de me montrer des quartiers interessants a Seoul ainsi que me faire gouter des plats typiques. Il m'a amene dans un quartier tres artistique qui s'appelle Insadong et je vous jure, j'aimais Seoul avant, mais maintenant je l'adore! C'est manifique! Il y a plusieurs petits magasins sur la rue principale ainsi que des chaines de restos et cafes comme le cafe americain Starbucks. Mais parce qu'ils veulent preserver un peu l'aspect traditionelle du quartier, ils ont mis le nom en Hangul. Je retournerai un jour pour prendre une photo... Il y a plusieurs restaurants couverts de vignes et d'autres plantes dans les petites rue a cote de la rue principale (qui est pietonne) et malgre le fait qui y avait des etrangers dans les rues, la majorite des personnes dans ce quartiers etaient des Coreens avec leur familles en balade un dimanche apres-midi.

Steve m'a fait goute un bonbon Coreen qui s'appelle Yot qui est a base de citrouille. C'est tres bon, mais tres sucre et m'a fais penser au nougat. Il y plusieurs types de Yot; ici vous verez deux types, mais j'ai essaye que le beige. L'homme au stand manipulait lentement le yot entre ses mains pour l'assouplir (j'imagine en tous cas). Il y avait un bon nombre de personnes autour de lui qui le regardait, Coreens ainsi qu'etrangers.

Yot (dans le coin droit, la masse beige/in the right corner, the beige mass)

Apres ceci, nous sommes allees au Parc Pagoda. C'est en plein centre ville et est dedicace a l'independence que la Coree a declare du Japon dans le 15ieme siecle. Des statues de cette periode peuvent etres trouvees dans ce parc ou plusieurs vieux hommes passent leur apres-midi sous l'hombre des arbres et dans un endroit ou les esprits des combatants parlent encore. Quand je retournerai, je prendrais des photos pour vous montrer. Nous avons continues a marcher jusqu'a un canal qui, par le passe, etait plein d'eau stagnante et qui donnait une odeure epouvantable. Le maire de Seoul a l'epoque a decide de le renover et apparement il y a eu pas mal de protestations vis a vis cette situation. Aujourd'hui sa s'appelle Chungyechan et c'est un petit coin de paradis que les habitants apprecient enormement. De l'eau coule fraichement et est transparente dans le canal et est entoure par des plantes et des pierres qui croisent l'eau permettant de traverser sur l'autre cote. On m'a suggere d'y retourner pendant la nuit quand toutes les lumieres sont allumees.

Apres ceci, Steve et moi etions faim et comme il m'avait promis quelque chose de bon et de traditionel, j'avais hate de commencer. Apart le Toengang Tchigae, je n'avais pas vraiment essaye d'autre mets Coreens. Il m'a emmene dans un petit resto dans une ruelle ou il y avait au moins une 20aine d'autres petits restos qui n'avaient pas l'air tres chic mais au contraire, tres simple. C'etait fantastique! Nous avons mange bossam, un plat Coreen de porc tranche et bouillie que tu manges enveloppe dans un feuille de salade ou de chou crus. Imaginez...tu as une enorme assiette avec ce porc en tranches a cote du tamudji kimchi (radis marines en vinaigre et piment rouges) dans une sauce de chili couverts d'huitres crus. Il faut prendre une feuille de salade ou chou, mettre un peu de sauce bossam (des crevettes miniatures dans un sauce de chili), ajouter un peu de samjang (une sauce faite a base de poivrons rouge avec une sorte de fevre dedans), tu peux ajouter une tranche d'ail aussi (qui se trouve dans un petit bol sur la table) et ensuite tu ajoutes une tranche de porc, un peu de kimchi et un ou deux huitres et tu l'enveloppe dans la feuille. Derniere etape, prendre une bouche et voila! C'est tres bon, par contre c'est peut etre un peu bizarre avec les huitres. A part le plat principale, il y a aussi d'autres types de kimchi avec du radish en cubes, des concombres marines et sucres et des germes de soja. Le kimchi des germes de soja est tres bon. Dans ce restaurant en particulier nous avons aussi mange une soupe qui s'appelle gamjatang, une soupe qui peut dire pomme de terre (gamja) ou des os avec de la viande dessus. Nous avons mange la deuxieme sorte de soupe. Ils nous ont mis cette soupe avec des herbes et des legumes sur une bruleur a gaz sur la table et ils nous ont laisses le chauffer et cruire comme nous l'avons voulu. C'est delicieux. En plus de ca, nous avons mange du keranchim, un type de souffle d'oeuf qui est tres leger et savoureux mais qui a tres peu d'epices dedans. C'est cuit dans une sorte de fonte et servi dedans. Dernierement, nous avons aussi ete servi du puchingjae, une sorte de crepe de legumes frit avec des carottes, des onions nouveaux etc... c'etait tres bon aussi. Alors imaginez vous que nous etions que deux! Il a demande que le bossam et nous avons recu tous ces autres plats avec. C'etait la folie et on n'a pas pu tous manger.

L'entree d'une maison de the tres sympathique a Insadong/The entrance to a cool-looking tea house in Insadong

Steve est allee encore plus loin et nous a commander du soju, une boisson alcoholise a base de riz mais qui a aussi des ingredients comme du ble, du tapioca, de l'orge et de la pomme de terre douce. Si vous avez deja essaye le sake japonais, cela vous donnerais une idea du gout meme si le soju est bu froid. Le gout initial est pratiquement meconnaissable mais apres avoir avale, il y a un gout un peu sucre et fort en alcohol qui reste dans la bouche. Pas mal...

En quittant le resto, notre serveuse m'a approche et a signale mes cheveux et m'a demande quelque chose qui a termine avec pama. Je me suis retourne vers Steve pour lui demander ce qu'elle voulait dire. Elle voulait savoir si j'avais altere mes cheveux pour qu'ils puissent etre boucles. Il y avait 5 autres serveuses qui me regardaient attentivement, attendant ma reponse, comme si elles avaient pariees. Quand j'ai dis que c'etait naturelle, elle m'a remercie et s'est retourne vers ses collegues. C'etait assez comique. Je suis sur qu'elles s'etaient poses la questions pendant les heures que j'etais la. Je suis content que j'ai pu leur offrir un peu de divertissement!

Bon, voici les aventures pour cette semaine. La semaine prochaine j'espere explorer un peu plus la ville.

A bientot!

VF- Comment Cuisiner du Riz Gluant

2006-09-19T11:05:00.000+09:00

Bonjour!

J'ai appris comment cuisiner du riz gluant!

La plupart des coreens ont un auto-cuiseur de riz alors ils mettent le riz et l'eau et ils laissent faire mais si vous n'avez pas ceci, comme moi, voici ce qu'il faut faire.

Premierement, le riz gluant est tres different du riz basmati ou riz jasmin qu'on connait. Nous connaissons le riz qui est assez long et fin. Le riz gluant et petit et gros et ressemble a des petites pates, presque comme des spaetzles miniscule. Soyez vigilant en achetant le bon riz a paris store ou un autre type de magasin d'aliment asiatique. Vous pouvez cuisinez ce riz pour faire des sushis ou des plats typiques asiatiques a manger avec des baguettes.

Mettre la quantite souhaitez de riz dans une casserole et secouer pour distribuer le riz dans toute la casserole.
Mettre la main dans la casserole, plat contre le riz.
Versez de l'eau froide sur la main et laissez l'eau monter jusqu'au debut de la main (ceci veut dire l'eau devrait couvrir les doigts mais pas la partie ou la paume commence).
Couvrir la casserole.
Laissez bouillir et quand l'eau a plus ou moins evapore mais le riz est encore trop gluant, reduire le feu et laisser evaporer encore pendant 5-10 minutes. Trouvez un covercle avec un petit trou ou vous pouvez laisser l'evaporation echaper.

Maintenant vous avez du riz gluant. Bon Appetit!

VF- Semaine 2

2006-09-19T09:43:00.000+09:00

Bonjour a tous,

Alors, une semaine de plus dans cette ville et je commence a m'y habituer. J'ai quelques experiences typiquement 'Leita' que j'aimerais partager.

Je ne suis peut etre pas tres chanceuse en amour ou argent, mais je peux dire que je suis tres chanceuse en ce qui concerne les rencontres avec des nouvelles personnes et le fait de pouvoir trouver des esprits sublime. Plusieurs personnes m'avaient prevenu du fait d'etre bouscule et d'avoir me sensibilites affecte par leur tendence a etre mal eleves. Je dois avoir une bonne etoile puisque j'ai eu que des bonnes experiences depuis mon arrivee.

Commencons avec l'appartement. D'accord, j'ai un probleme d'eau chaude puisque j'ai qu'une minute et demi d'eau chaude avant que l'eau devient tres froid, mais mon patron va essayer de regler ceci. Je verrai, mais j'ai bien l'impression que je vais devoir vivre avec cette situation pour l'annee a venir. Je crois que la citerne d'eau pour mon appartement est trop petit donc... Bref, en parlant d'autre choses... Vous savez comment les dechets de certains sont les tresores d'autres? Eh bien, lisez...

J'etais un peux inquiete de l'idee de devoir acheter des meubles pour l'appart et prennant en compte l'etat de mes comptes (quel surprise!) je me demandais comment j'allais me debrouiller. Eh bien, grace au superviseur de l'immeuble, cher M. Son (qui doit avoir 65 ans), j'ai trouver des solutions. Il parle autant l'anglais que moi le coreen mais nous communiquons assez bien, si vous pouvez l'imaginer.

Je suis allee dans son bureau un jour pour faire un coup de fils and nous avons discutes. Il m'a demande mon age, d'ou je venais and comment je m'appelais. Ensuite il m'a explique (meme si cette explication a pris 10 minutes de recherche dans mon petit livre de traduction) que la soeur germaine de sa mere vit au Etats-Unis. Vous aurez du nous voir! Voici deux personnes, separes non seulement par age et culture, mais aussi par langage, entrain de sourire comme des fous parce que nous avons pu nous comprendre! C'etait superbe.

Le cher M. Son, ou Son-shi comme nous dirons en coreen, m'a trouve des petites perles dans la cave a me preter. J'ai recu une sorte de pendoir sur roues ou je peux pendre mes vetements pour le boulot et il y a quelques jours il ma demande avec notre langage de coreen/anglais/langage de signes si je voulai une etagere. Alors voila, quel gentilesse! De plus, mon patron est venu voir le probleme avec l'eau et je lui ai dit que j'avais vu une table a l'exterieur d'un magasin et je voulais voir combien cela coutait. Il est allee avec moi et l'homme au magasin m'a donne cette petite table basse gratuitement! Que puis-je dire? La vie n'est pas toujours facile, mais de temps en temps, nous sommes chanceux.

Cela pour vous dire un petit mot, prenez ces moments exeptionelles et cherisez-les. La vie sera encore plus belle.

Alors, maintenant en parlant des petits observations que j'ai pu faire de Seoul et ses habitants:

Les gens ici sont tres genereux et cela vient naturellement; les professeurs Coreens au travail nous offrent quotidiennement des petits pains et autres casse croutes et le superviseur de mon immeuble, Son-shi, m'a deja offert du cafe et des fruits depuis que nous nous connaissons; mes etudiants mon offerts des boissons et des bonbons et les receptionistes mon offerts des sucreries et des fruits; tous ca pour aucune raison!
Les coreens son des personnes tres gentil quand vous commencez a leur parler; je suis allee a E-mart (comme une Galerie Lafayette mais un peu plus petit) et j'ai demande a une femme d'a peu pres 60 ans qui travaillant la ou se trouvait le riz. Riz = Sal. Elle m'a pris par le bras et m'a ammener j'usqu'a la section de riz avec un grand sourire. Plus tard je cherchais quel savon a lessive a acheter et la vendeuse voulais m'expliquer un produit (il y a une laveuse par etage dans mon immeuble et c'est gratuit) mais je ne la comprenais pas alors elle a parle avec une autre dame qui a disparu et est revenu avec une autre vendeuse qui parlait anglais. Elle m'a tous explique, encore avec des sourires de tous les cotes. Et avec cette explication, j'ai fini par avoir un panier a lessive et deux sachets d'assouplissant gratuits!
Les Coreens prets beaucoup attention de leur sante. Souvent ils boivent des boissons ameres parce qu'elles sont bon pour la sante. Partout on voit le terme "well-being" ecrit en anglais. Cela veut dire bien-etre. La phrase coreene pour ceci est Annyong Haseyo, ce qu'on dis pour dire bonjour ici! La culture a beaucoup de termes liees au bien etre et la majorite des gens sont en bonne sante et ils sont actives (j'ai remarque ceci depuis mes etudiants et parce qu'ils y a beaucoup de centres d'exercise prets d'ici ainsi que des saunas).
Le recyclage. Ici les dechets sont separes dans une maniere assez interessante. J'ai lu dans certaines parties de "Lonely Planet" (comme un guide du routard) avant d'arriver ici et il dit que les coreens ont bien accepte le concept de recyclage. Chaque personne doit acheter un type de sachet poubelle pour les dechets generales, un autre type pour les dechets organiques et ont peut mettre les dechets a recycler dans n'importe quel sachet. Chaque communite a des sacs poubelles de differentes couleurs. Je me demandais pourquoi le gouvernement forcait les gens d'acheter des sachets pour les dechets et non pas pour les articles a recycler mais et toute verite, c'est logique. Tous le monde jete leur dechets mais pas tous le monde recycle. Vaut mieux faire payer les sachets que tous le monde a besoin. Si quelqu'un jete ses dechets dans des mauvais sachets, il peut avoir une contravention. En plus, si quelqu'un veut jeter des meubles, il doit acheter une etiquette dans un supermarche et la mettre sur l'article. Sinon, la personne peut avoir une contravention. Ce pays est manifiquement organise.
Le Metro est tres propre et bien reflechi. J'etais un peu perdu au debut puisque ils annonce plusieurs destinations sur une ligne au lieu de la destination finale mais apres l'hesitation initiale, c'est tres simple et tous est ecrit en anglais ainsi qu'en coreen. Les trains sont tres larges et il y a certains sieges reserves pour les handicappees, le femmes enceintes et les viellards. Je peux vous promettre que personne prends ces sieges a part les gens concernes. Le train peut etre completement rempli et une douzaine de personnes peuvent etre debout dans la cabine, mais personne prendra les places reservees. Je trouve ca vraiment bien et respectueux.
La protection contre le soleil. Ceci est un sujet assez interessant puisque dans les autres pays asiatique ou je suis allee, les femmes semblaient particulierement obsedees par la blancheur. Ici on voit de temps en temps des femmes utiliser des parapluies quand le soleil brille et des fois ont voit des femmes avec des sortes de visieres en plastique teintes qui commencent au front et terminent au menton, mais c'est plutot l'exception.

Bon, ca suffit pour l'instant. J'espere que vous avez eu un petit gout de Seoul!

Annyonghi Kyeseyo!

E.V. How to Make Sticky Rice

2006-09-15T15:25:00.000+09:00

Dear All,

I have learned how to make sticky rice!

Most Koreans own a rice cooker and so just dump the rice and water and let the rice cooker do the work but if you do not have a rice cooker (which is my case) here is what you need to do.

First of all, sticky rice is very different from the rice we are used to. We are used to rice that is fairly long and thin. The rice here is short and squat and almost looks like little pasta. Make sure to buy that type of rice if you want to make sushi or have a typical Asian dinner with chopsticks.

Put in the quantity of rice you want in a pot.
Place your hand in the pot on top of the rice.
Pour cold water in the pot.
Stop pouring water when the water reaches just below the knuckles of your hand (not your fingers!)
Cover the pot.
Let boil and when the water has evaporated but the rice is still too moist, reduce heat and let evaporate for 5-10 minutes with the cover on. Find a cover that has a little hole in the lid for some evaporation.

Now you have sticky rice!

Eng.V - Week 2

2006-09-15T14:31:00.000+09:00

Hello one and all,

So one more week has gone by and I'm getting into the groove of things. I've got some nice little 'Leita experiences' I'd like to share.

Though I may not be lucky in love or money, I can say that I'm very lucky when it comes to meeting people and finding kindred spirits. People have warned me of the general sense of feeling pushed around and having your sensibilities stretched to the limit with what Westerners would call rudeness. I must have a lucky star because I have had really good experiences since my arrival.

Let's start with the apartment. Okay, so the only problem with it is that the water vacillates between scalding and freezing and I only get about 1 1/2 minutes of nice hot water before one extreme hits me. My boss is trying to find a solution for this, but I think I'm just going to have to deal with this for the next year. I think that the heating tank is just really small and therefore the hot water runs out really fast. Bref... on to the great aspect. Okay, so you know how some people's trash is another's treasure? Well, read on...

I've been a little worried about all the furniture I would have to buy and considering the fact that I'm currently broke (no real surprise!) , it's been on my mind. Well, the building super is just plain super! His name is Son and he has to be around 65, and he is the sweetest man you can find. He speaks about as many words in English as I speak in Korean but he and I communicate quite well if you can imagine that.

I came down to make a phone call from his office last week and he and I had a conversation about how old I am, where I come from, and what my name is. He then explained to me (though it took about 10 minutes of searching through my little lonely planet phrasebook to understand) that his mother's younger sister lives in the states. You should have seen us! Here are two people, separated not only by age and culture, but also by language, grinning from ear to ear because we've managed to exchange basic information! It was great.

Dear Mr. Son, or Son-shi as you would say in Korean, has since found little pearls in his storage room to give to me. I have received this portable hanging apparatus where I can hang up my skirts, jackets and pants for work. And it's on wheels! A couple days ago he asked me in our Korean/English/sign language whether I could use a shelving unit. Of course! So now I have a shelving unit! My boss came to my apartment to see about the water problem and I told him that I had seen a low table at a store between work and home and asked him if he would go with me to ask about the price. So we went and the tables were lying upside down outside. I found out that it was just a frame and that there was no table top but the man working there found a table top that I could just place over the rectangular frame and guess what?! He gave it to me for free! What can I say? Life is not often easy, but every once in a while, you just get lucky.

This is my little blurb to tell you, grab those rare moments and cherish them. It makes life that much more amazing.

So, now all I need is a dresser drawer and I'm basically set. With the boxes coming sometime in October from France, I will then have my own little home in Seoul.

Some preliminary observations on Seoul and its people:

The people here are very generous and it comes naturally; the Korean teachers at work offer us breakfast foods daily and the building supervisor, Son-shi (at my apartment) has given me coffee and fruit since we've became acquaintances; students have offered me drinks and cookies and the receptionists have offered me sweets and fruit for no reason at all!
Koreans are very nice people once you start to talk to them; I went to E-mart (a Walmart equivalent located a few blocks from work) and I stopped a woman working there and asked her to tell me where to find the rice. Rice = Sal . She took me by the arm, smiling, and took me right to that section; later, when trying to figure out what laundry detergent to buy (there is one washing machine per floor in my building and it is free), the saleswoman there was trying to have me understand something that I was just not getting; she spoke to another saleswoman who disappeared and came back with yet another saleswoman who spoke English and then explained everything to me. I then proceeded to receive a free laundry basket (on wheels!) and two free samples of fabric softener! All of this with smiles and a warmth that you just can't fake.
Koreans are very health conscious. They will often drink bitter things because it is good for the health. Everywhere you go, you will see the term 'well-being' written in English. The Korean phrase for that, if I've understood correctly is Annyong Haseyo , which incidentally is what you say to people when you say hello. The culture is rife with the concept of well-being and most people are very fit and do some form of exercise (I've noticed this from my students and there are lots of saunas and gyms around too).
The recycling world. Trash is separated in a very interesting fashion here. I read in Lonely Planet before arriving that Koreans have embraced the concept of recycling and do so diligently. One must buy a specific type of trash bag for general waste, another specific trash bag for organic waste and can put any recyclables in random bags but separated by material. Each neighborhood has different colors, for example for regulare waste my trash bags are white and my organic trash bags are yellow. I wondered why we would have to buy bags for regular trash and not for the recyclabes but it makes sense. All people throw out trash, but not all recycle; make them pay for what they can't avoid. If someone throws general waste in any type of bag, they can be fined. In addition, if someone wants to get rid of furniture, they have to buy a special sticker at the store and stick it on the furniture for it to be picked up. Again, if not, they will be fined. This place is wonderfully organized
The Metro (Subway) is wonderfully clean and well thought out. I was a little confused at first because the signs when entering the stations do not indicate the last destination of that line, but rather 3 or 4 major stops on that line so you need to look a bit more on your map before getting used to the idea. The trains are quite wide and there are specific seats for elderly, handicapped and pregnant women. I can promise you that not a soul who does not qualify as one of those types of people sits there. The train could be full and there may be 20 people standing up but those seats are empty. I respect that.
Protection from the sun. This is an interesting concept as women in the other Asian countries that I have been to seemed excessively obsessed with remaining as white as possible. Here you will see a few women using umbrellas on sunny days and the occasional woman wearing a tinted plastic visor stretching from the forhead to the chin, but otherwise, they are exposed.

This is all for now. I hope you have gotten a bit of a feel for Seoul!

Annyonghi Kyeseyo!

English Version - Week 1

2006-09-14T19:06:00.000+09:00

Thank you to all of those who helped get me here. You are awesome!

Annyong Haseyo!

I hope you guys are doing well! As some of you know, I arrived in Seoul on Friday September 1st 2006 after almost 20 hours of flight: from Montreal to Vancouver to Seoul. Seoul is 13 hours ahead of Montreal and 7 hours ahead of Strasbourg.

I was picked up from the airport and taken to a motel where I was to stay until I found an apartment. I found it on Tuesday and moved in on Wednesday. For those of you who knew my apartment in Strasbourg, this one is smaller and has way less storage so I'll have to buy a shelf and some drawers second hand when I have some money. The apartment did come with a bed (single) and two gaz burners (still no oven!) and a fridge. An interesting point, there is no bath nor shower. The hose for the shower is above the sink and the water poors directly to the floor of the bathroom! This means that your toilet gets wet while you shower. Not very practical but I had already experienced such a thing in Bangladesh in 2002; over there I had neither hot water, nor bathroom tiles but plentry of spiders the size of my hand. Over here, there are no spiders, the floor is tiled and there is hot water so I'm in paradise!

For the moment there is not that much going on because I had a cold upon arrival here and spent my first weekend in bed watching Korean television. I have to tell you though, over here the Koreans know how to do things right: they subtitle English movies. Yes!

The language here is pretty difficult and the words sometimes pretty long with sounds I'm not in the habit of pronouncing. I'm afraid that learning this language will prove to be more difficult than learning Bangla, but I'm up for the challenge.

The people here are perhaps not the most friendly that exist, as they will easily push you in the supermarket or on the street without saying they are sorry (it's not really part of the culture to apologize), but the people here have been really indulgent with regards to me. The first night I arrived I spent about 20 minutes trying to buy food to go in a little restaurant with not more than 5 booths and the people there were very patient with me as I looked through my little Korean phrasebook to find the words I wanted. Since that night I have the opportunity to try a fantastic little soup which is a variation of miso soup (Japanese) called toenjang tchigae which has the added elements of crab, clams and an Asian form of cucumber that can be cooked. But beware! If you do not like spicy food, stay away! For those of you living in Strasbourg, there is a decent Korean restaurant in the Krutenau, for those of you in Montreal, there is a great one close to Concordia university.

On to other things...I started work on Monday. I work Monday to Friday in the following way:

6:40-7:30am
7:40-8:30am
a break of 3 hours
12:00-12:50pm
a break of 6 hours
7:20-8:10pm
8:15-9:50pm (this last course is offered two or three times a week and I teach it every day)

Saturday. 9:30-1:30pm (this is only for the first two months as I am obligated to teach on Saturdays in my contract. Afterwards I can decide to stop if I want but if I want to make extra money, I can work on Saturdays with an overtime salary)

I know that this sounds a bit crazy but for the moment it works okay. Seeing as how I'm new, I got that crappy shift in the middle of the day, but schedules change every month with the start of new classes. And surprise! I actually like my classes. The students are motivated, very respectful and the ages range from 24-45. The majority are here to improve their english for work which I find awesome. They work hard here and I can appreciate that.

I found an apartment 10 minutes from work and I wake up at 5am every morning. For those of you who know me well, you know this sounds crazy but I like waking up that early and taking my time getting dressed. I feel good here and the people I work with are pretty cool.

In the months to come I hope to take a class in Korean, join a fitness club (there is one in the building I work in) and take some day trips (Sundays for the moment) to explore Seoul a little bit as well as the immediate surroundings. Fall is supposed to be the most beautiful season here.
Don't worry about me! Things are going well in my new life and I'm feeling as though, if things continue on this path, I can easily see myself staying another year.

With love,

Annyonghi Kyeseyo (goodbye!)

L

Version Francaise - Semaine 1

2006-09-11T14:18:00.000+09:00

Annyong Haseyo! (bonjour!)

J'espere que vous allez bien. Je vous donne de mes nouvelles et j'espere que vous serriez indulgent avec mon francais (compte tenu que je n'ai pas d'accent sur ce clavier et que mon francais ecrit n'a jamais ete extraordinaire).

Je suis arrivee a Seoul, Koree du Sud, le 1er september 2006 apres pres de 20 heures de vol: de Montreal a Vancouver a Seoul. Seoul est 13 heures en avance de Montreal et 7 heures en avance de Strasbourg.

On est venu me chercher a l'aeroport et on m'a paye plusieurs nuits dans un hotel a cote de l'institut en attendant que je trouve un appartement. Je l'ai trouve mardi et j'ai ammenage mercredi. Pour ce parmi vous qui on vu l'appartement a Strasbourg, le nouveau est un peu plus petit et avec un quart d'amenagement (Guillaume, tu as fais un boulot superbe sur l'appart a Strasbourg!). Il y avait qu'un lit, deux plaques a gaz (je n'ai toujours pas de four!) et un frigo. Un petit point interessant, il n'y a ni bain ni douche ferme. Le tuyaux pour la douche se situe au dessus du lavabo et l'eau circule directement sur le sol. Cela veux dire que la toilette fini par se mouiller pendant la douche. Pas tres pratique mais j'avais vecu une experience similaire au Bangladesh en 2002 mais sans carrelage, sans eau chaude et avec la presence de plusieurs araignees la taille de ma main. Ici, pas d'araignee, et j'ai du carrelage et de l'eau chaude. Le paradis en comparaison!

Pour le moment je n'ai pas grand chose a vous raconter puisque je suis tombee malade avec un rhume pendant mon vol et a passe la fin de semaine au lit devant la television Koreenne. Il faut que je vous dise, par contre, que les Koreens on le bon sense de mettres les films Anglophone en version originale avec soustitrage! Oui! Merci beaucoup!

La langue ici est assez difficile et les mots longs, parfois, avec des sons dont je n'ai pas l'habitude de prononcer. J'ai bien peur que je vais avoir plus de mal a apprendre cette langue que le Bangla, mais j'y tiens.

Les gens sont peut etre pas les plus gentils au monde dans le sense ou ils basculent facilement le monde au supermarche ou sur la rue mais pour vous dire la verite, ils one etes que indulgent avec moi depuis mon arrivee. La premiere nuit j'ai passe une 20aines de minutes a essayer de m'acheter quelque chose a manger pour emporter d'un petit resto de pas plus que 5 banquettes et les personnes la ont etes tres patients avec moi et mon petit livre pour me debrouiller en koreen. Depuis cette nuit, j'ai goute une soupe superbe dans un autre resto qui s'appelle toenjang tchigae qui est une forme de soupe miso (japonais) mais avec des crabes, des palourdes et une forme de concombre asiatique qui se laisse cuisiner. Mais attention! Cette soupe n'est pas pour ceux qui n'aiment pas le piment! C'est bien epice. Pour ceux parmi vous a Strasbourg, il y un resto a la Krutenau qui n'est pas mal. Pour ceux parmi vous a Montreal, il y a un resto juste a cote de Concordia qui est tres bon.

Autrement, j'ai commence a travailler lundi matin. Je travaille de lundi a vendredi dans la maniere suivante.

6:40-7:30
7:40 -8:30
une pause de 3 heures
12:00-12:50
une pause de 6 heures
19:20 -20:10
20:15-21:50 (ce dernier cours se fait deux ou trois fois par semaine, j'ai un cours chaque soir.

Le samedi je travail de 9:30-13:30 mais cela que pour 8 semaines selon de contrat. Apres cette periode, je peux decider de continuer pour gagner plus d'argent (je suis payee en temps supplementaire, ou je peux arreter).

Je sais que cela a l'aire absoluement fou, mais pour l'instant je le trouve franchement pas trop mal. Vu que je suis la nouvelle, je me retrouve avec un cours en plein milieu de la journee mais les emploi du temps changent chaque mois quand les cours recommencent. Et surprise! J'aime mes cours. Les etudiants sont motives, tres respectueux et les ages sont assez melanges de 24 ans a 45 ans. La plupart sont ici pour ameliorer leur anglais pour leur boulot et je trouve ceci extraordinaire. Ce sont des bosseurs ici et j'apprecie ca.

J'ai trouve un appartment a 10 minutes de l'ecole et je me leve a 5:00 chaque matin. Pour ce parmi vous qui me connaissent bien, cela est absoluement inattendu et meme folle de ma part. Je sais, mais je me sens bien ici et j'aime prendre mon temps le matins. Les gens avec qui je travail sont gentils et je me sens dans ma place.

Dans le mois a venir j'espere pouvoir prendre des cours de Koreen, me joindre a un centre de "fitness" qui est situe dans l'immeuble ou je travaille, et prendre des journees (les dimanches pour l'instant) pour voir un peu Seoul et les proches entourages.

Ne vous inquietez pas, meme si je n'ai pas vu grand chose pour l'instant, j'aime beaucoup ma nouvelle vie et je me dis qui si les choses continuent sur cette bonne voie, je me vois bien rester ici une deuxieme annee.

Avec beaucoup d'amities,

Annyonghi Kyeseyo! (au revoir)

Leita