Blast to the Past

I finally have an opportunity to catch you up on Momma and Gramma's trip to Korea.  From Mon, Oct 10th - Thurs Oct 13th, my poor students had midterm exams, which meant that I was excused from teaching duties and free to spend time with my family.  So after Busan weekend, the three of us headed to Seoul to visit my maternal great-aunt and her daughter (my mom's cousin).  For the entirety of our trip, we stayed at the apartment of close family friends.  On Monday, women from three generations of my family took a day trip to Suwon, a satellite city in the Seoul Metropolitan Area and the home of 민속촌 (Minsokchon), a recreation of a traditional Korean folk village.

When we arrived, it felt like we jumped thousands of years into the past.  Everything about the place seemed so authentic and old.  In tour books and websites, Suwon Folk Village is frequently referred to as "living museum": a term that I dislike, since it seems to evoke creepy wax figurines coming to life.  In reality, it is Korea's answer to Colonial Williamsburg, subtely capturing the nuances of traditional homes, clothing, rituals, performances, and customs.  At the village entrance, we were greeted by a wedding parade, complete with employees playing traditional instruments and young students on school trip dressed in traditional costumes.  It was absolutely precious.

Wishing tree

 Momma!

Momma's Cousin!

My Great-Aunt and Gramma! SO CUTE^^


The word “village” typically brings to mind tiny huts, ancient tools, and homely farmers.  But the Suwon Folk Village definitely surpassed my expectations. There were rows of straw and tiled huts, official buildings, traditional art work, massive vegetation, live animals, a gorgeous river, and people dressed as historical residents.  Not a single detail went unnoticed.  The Suwon Folk Village also serves as the backdrop to many historical dramas on Korean television.  It was super fun to pose with the all cut-outs of famous Korean actors and actresses.

The village was absolutely gigantic.  We spent the entire day strolling around the traditional houses, which accurately represent different economic classes.  In the section dedicated to nobility and royals, we ran into a huge crowd of Korean children, as well as a group of obnoxious foreign tourists.  In the royal courtyard, there was a reenactment of a public beating -  an American boy served as the criminal and a Korean middle schooler was chosen to deliver the "brutal punishment."  It was amusing to say the least. XD

Throughout the day, I saw nearly 10 school groups.  Apparently, its a really popular place for students to go for a historically significant field trip.  If there's anything that I've learned since being in Korea, it's that small Korean children are the absolute cutest.  Like seriously, cringe-worthy bundles of adorableness.  It's a good thing I don't work in an elementary school.  Otherwise, I'd probably be arrested for kidnapping some of them and trying to bring them home with me.

After gawking at small children, I got to sit in a traditional Korean bridal carriage.  It was kinda awkward and cramped, but at least I got a good photo out of it.  Then we sat down for lunch and ate 장국밥 (spicy beef stew) and 순두부 (soft tofu stew), along with many little customary side dishes.  I don't know what I'm gonna do when I get back to the States and can't easily find these delicious Korean dishes.  Perhaps I ought to start learning how to cook Korean food - now that would be a useful skill for the future.

More more more photos.  My family is the best.  It was so nice to spend the day with them.  Now you can see where I get some of my sillyness from.  What can I say - it runs in the family!

It's crazy to think that this quaint little "living museum" is less than 20 miles from Seoul.  Today, Korea is a highly modernized country, with 85% of its residents living in urban areas.  But this day-trip reminded me that not too long ago, Korea was once an entirely rural region with farms and fields, rather than skyscrapers and a web of transportation lines.  This visit definitely served as an enjoyable and interactive history lesson into Korea's past.

After a few hours, we made our way back to Seoul, but not without first stopping at a traditional tea house for fragrant chilled beverages.  It was a lovely trip and certainly unlike anything that I've seen in Korea thus far.  In the next blog post, I will finish detailing my Momma and Gramma's visit.  So much has happened the past few weeks so I'm a little behind on blogging.  But don't you fret.  I'm determined to catch up soon!

P.S. - Today was my birthday and it was one of the most memorable ones I've had in a long time.  Much love to those who helped make it a special day.  I'll talk more about it in another blog post.  Until then, take care! ^^