A Breath of Fresh Air

Since I've arrived in Korea, I feel like I've been going full speed, without many chances to just kick back and relax.  During the week, I spend 10 hours every day at my school teaching, prepping, copying, planning, researching, emailing, proofreading, etc.  After that, I either teach my advanced conversation club class, go to Korean language class, run errands, meet up with Fulbright friends, or Skype with folks back home.  Then on the weekends, I'm usually away traveling and exploring a new Korean city.  Needless to say, by Sunday afternoon, I'm wiped out and just want to crawl into bed.

This is one of the most rigorous schedules I've ever had.  Much of the stress is self-imposed, as I take everything very seriously and I am determined to be the best teacher, faculty member, home-stay guest, Korean language student, world traveler, and friend that I can possibly be.  But I can also blame the fact that I teach 4 hours above the required limit, spend 6 hours in Korean class every week, take on many additional duties at school, and want to maintain my friendships both in Korea and back home.  Some nights when I am struggling to keep my eyes open, I question why I do this to myself.  But then I remember that I wouldn't have it any other way.  My over-achieving personality demands this hectic schedule.  With high sacrifice, comes high reward and as a result, my work in Korea always feels rewarding and meaningful.

Scarecrows in Korea are actually creepy.

That being said, I do enjoy the occasional day, where I can just relax and catch up on "me time."  While Momma and Gramma started embarking upon their 20-hour trip back to America, I was in bed, lazily (but happily) sleeping in until lunch time.  The rest of Wednesday was uneventful and unproductive.  I almost felt a little guilty.  As my students slaved away during midterms, I was a happy camper just sitting at home, sipping peppermint tea and reading.  The next day, I met up with one of the other English teachers at my school.  We went out to lunch and then headed 25 minutes outside Daejeon into Chungcheongnam-do province.  There, we went hiking at Jangseung Park.

A 장승 (jangseung) is a traditional Korean totem pole, typically carved out of wood.  Jangseungs were customarily placed at the edge of villages to mark boundaries and frighten away demons.  This specific park has over 300 jangseungs, which native villagers carved by hand.  This park is really well preserved and maintained.  The faces on the jangseungs are incredibly expressive and often humorous.  They served as an entertaining distraction, while we struggled to make our way up the very steep hill.

There were cute, hugging jangseungs.

And inappropriate jangseungs.  >.<

Around the park, there were a lot of other things to explore.  At the base of the hill, there was an expansive garden with huge, and I mean HUGE vegetables.  There was also a small pond and a farm house with animals.  There were dozens of chickens and rabbits cooped up in the same cramped cages.  I desperately wanted to open the cage doors and let them escape from such horrid conditions.

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After the hike, we drove to a nearby lake and spent the next hour, walking along the man-made path.  Surrounded by mountains in every direction, it was such a lovely view.  I love living in an urban city in Korea.  But every once in a while, it's nice to escape the crowds and traffic and soak in the good ol' outdoors.

On Friday, October 14th, I woke up feeling terrible - awful headache, stuffy nose, and coughing up disgusting amounts of phlegm.  Despite my ailing state, I had to go to school and teach 4 classes.  It was absolutely miserable.  In the afternoon, I went to the ear, throat, and nose clinic and I learned that I had bronchitis.  That diagnosis immediately changed my weekend plans.  While I was planning on heading down to Gwangju for a friend's birthday, I wisely chose to stay home and rest.  Drowsy from my medications, I spent most of the weekend in bed.  I think it was just what I needed.  By Sunday night, I felt considerably better - not 100% perfect, but like a functioning human being again.

It was just in time to attend the 2011 Daejeon International Guitar Festival.  My host mother has played the guitar for several years and is a huge fan of live music.  She invited me to go to the headlining concert of this event.  While my host siblings complained and insisted on saying home, I jumped at the chance to attend.  So I spent the evening with my host cousin, host mother, and all of her friends from her biweekly guitar class. 

Unfortunately, I know little about the international guitar scene.  While I enjoyed myself, I think I would've appreciated the concert more if I knew the guest artists, recognized the songs, and understood the full significance of this concert.  Someone, like my dad - an avid guitarist, really would've loved it.  My host mother was mesmerized by the entire event.  She sat on the edge of her seat, humming along to every tune and gawking at the supposedly well-known artists on stage.  It was nice to finally see her in her element.  Her excitement rubbed off on me and I ended up having a great time.

Not every weekend is going to be filled with thrilling adventures and celebratory events.  But I've come to appreciate the smaller things about life in Korea, like exploring the beautiful outdoors or attending local festivals.  While I will remember all the cool touristy things I did during my grant year, I feel that it's these subtle aspects of Korean culture and society that I'll miss the most.

It's All in the Family

During our time in Seoul, we stayed with our close family friends.  My late grandfather and their family's patriarch were best friends back in the day and even today, our families remain close.  They were such gracious hosts and fed us the most amazing spread of food for breakfast every morning.  Tons of baked goods, fruit, and fresh juice.  In the photo below - standing: my Momma and their eldest son; seated: my Grandma and me, sandwiched between our adorable hosts.

The couple owns a famous silk shop, on the first floor of their apartment building.  They sell beautiful silk scarves, ties, and clothing.  The store also creates handmade hanboks, traditional Korean gowns that are worn at special events like weddings.  Everything was so beautiful.  I was lucky to get a few scarves to take home with me!  Can't wait to wear them soon.  Apparently, this store is pretty famous.  Even the Queen of Denmark came and got a custom-made hanbok to take home as a souvenir!

After the Suwon Folk Village, we started heading back to Gangnam-gu.  But first, we stopped at an amazing indoor flower market.  Ever since I studied abroad in the Netherlands and visited Keukenhof Gardens, I've been obsessed with flowers.  This market surely didn't disappoint.  Each of the vendors specialized in one type of flower and had their own partitioned space to sell them.  We didn't buy anything but we had a lot of fun, wandering around and "eye-shopping," as native Koreans would say.

Outside, there were even more flower stands.  Tons of colorful chrysanthemums were lined up in perfect rows.  Of course, we had to stop and take photos.  I mean, what else would you expect from us?

For dinner, we went to Ebishura, a notable buffet restaurant in Gangnam-gu.  While it's advertised as a seafood buffet, there were so many different selections that even a non-seafood eater, like me, had no trouble filling up a plate (or two or three).  I had an absolute field day!  It was actually overwhelming to walk around and try to narrow down the immense selection.  I was most excited by the salad bar and dessert spread.  Koreans eat a lot of vegetables but they're usually pickled, salty, or drenched in some thick sauce.  So I took advantage of this meal to stock up on fresh salads and steamed veggies.  Ahh, it was heaven!

Somehow, I managed to save room for dessert and consume more little tartes, cakes, pies, and mousses than I'd like to admit.  The meal was a little pricy but totally worth it!  The next time I'm in Seoul, I'll definitely return with friends.  Afterwards, I changed into elastic waistband pants, fell into a food coma, and promptly passed out.

On Tuesday, October 11th, we slept in and then headed off to Insa-dong, my favorite neighborhood in Seoul.  Some of you dedicated readers will recall my earlier adventures in Ssamziegil.  But it was really special to experience it again with my family.  We spent hours just wandering around, peering into the cute little boutiques, and ogling over all the quirky crafts.

After a while, we worked up an appetite and stopped for lunch on the top floor of Ssamziegil.  We opted for the 5,000 won (less than $5) lunch special, consisting of some spicy tofu soup and bibimbap, one of my absolute favorite Korean dishes.  In the afternoon, we continued exploring the streets of Insa-dong.  Everything there is handmade, artsy, and adorable.  In other words, it's perfect for me. ^^

Next, we continued our afternoon stroll along Samcheong-ro, a road on the opposite side of Gyeongbukgung Palace, where one can also find charming little cafes, galleries, and boutiques.  Overtime, I've learned the importance of wandering and actually soaking in the culture of a new city.  While visiting museums is a fine way to spend the day, I so much more enjoy being outside, avoiding crowded touristy areas, and spending quality time in areas that locals actually hang out in.

Eventually, we ended up in a quaint coffee shop located in a perfectly preserved historic building.  There, we sipped on iced americanos and snacked on a delicious waffle, while we chatted and reminisced about the past few days.

Soon, it was time to say goodbye.  Momma and Gramma's flight back to America was booked for early Wednesday morning so I decided to head back to Daejeon on Tuesday night.  After 3 straight days together, it was bittersweet to go our separate ways.  They had an amazing trip in Korea, visiting all the stunning landmarks, reuniting with family and friends, and seeing ME!

It's unbelievable how much Korean I've learned in 3 1/2 months.  It was so rewarding to be able to converse with them in Korean.  More than anything, their visit reminded me of how lucky I am to have such a supportive family and how important it is to keep up my Korean studies.  My family's the absolute best and I can't wait to see them again for Christmas!  ♥♥♥