On the morning of Friday, October 21st, I finished up some last minute packing and then bolted off to the KTX station to meet up with fellow Daejeonites. From there, it took a little over an hour to arrive in beautiful Gyeongju, which is in the southeastern corner of Korea. There were over 30 of us on the same train. It was kinda surreal to see so many familiar faces on board. Upon arrival, we hopped on the free shuttle bus to the hotel, checked into our rooms, and grabbed a quick bite to eat before the official opening of Conference commenced. For the rest of the afternoon, we sat through several brief presentations and shared lesson planning ideas in small groups. The evening was purposefully left open for us to just relax and catch up with each other.
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| So much Fulbright Love ♥ |
The next day, we had an early start. A delicious half Western/half Korean breakfast was served at 8:00am and then we split off into small peer-led discussion groups. The morning's discussions were about teaching, while the afternoon's topics focused on cultural and lifestyle issues. I signed up to lead one of the discussion groups and present some material about teaching club classes. I absolutely lucked out with my club classes. It is such a joy to teach a small group of bright, highly motivated students. In turn, they motivate me to be a better teacher. My presentation addressed several issues: how to deal with mixed level students, how to form meaningful relationships with students, and how to utilize open-ended creative projects to maximize critical thinking and engagement. Then, I opened up the floor for free discussion. Overall, I got some great feedback and my peers had tons of wonderful ideas to share during the session.
On Sunday, we got a break from all the workshops and lectures and spent the day touring the majestic sights of Gyeongju. For those of you who don't know, Gyeongju is a pretty big deal. Not only is it the home of 2 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but it also was the capital of the ancient Silla Dynasty (57 BC - 935 AD), which ruled most of the Korean Peninsula between the 7th and 9th centuries. To this day, there are a vast number of cultural and historical treasures that remain in the city.
The first stop on the grand tour was Seokguram Grotto, which is a hermitage that lies on Mt. Tohamsan. The grotto rests 750 meters above sea level and is said to have been built by Gim Daeseong, the chief minister during the United Silla period. Way up in the mountains, it boasts an incredible view and exemplifies some of the best Buddhist sculptures in the world.
We also ran into an adorable elementary school class on a field trip. Naturally, I stalked them and snuck some pictures when their chaperones weren't looking. Then, I found a bunch of wishing tablets, where people from all over the world had written sweet messages of hope and encouragement. I've noticed that Koreans take wishing very seriously. I swear, every tourist attraction or festival tries to include some kind of wishing tablet, where visitors can leave messages for a nominal fee. As we were leaving Seokguram, I found an opening that overlooked the entire city of Gyeongju. It was a breathtaking sight.
After that, we headed to 4 kilometers west to the Bulguksa temple complex. In 1966, the world's oldest wood-block prints, dated between AD 704 and 751, were found in the complex. The pond and foliage at the entrance-way served as an excellent backdrop to a barrage of picture-taking.
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| An accurate depiction of Charlie's Angels |
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| Me with my roomies for the weekend! |
Bulguksa is the head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and contains 7 of 307 National Treasures of South Korea. This temple is considered a masterpiece of the golden age of Buddhist art and has been classified as the No. 1 Historic and Scenic Site by the South Korean government. In 2005, Bulguksa, along with Seokguram Grotto, was added to UNESCO World Heritage List.
The entrance to the temple, Sokgyemun, has a double-sectioned staircase and bridge that leads to the inside of the temple compound. The stairway is 33 steps high, corresponding to the 33 steps to enlightenment. Immediately past the temple is the Great Hall of Enlightenment, which encases the seated gilt-bronze Vairocana Buddha. The temple complex is incredibly expansive and filled with what I am sure are all important Buddhist icons. I wish I knew the historical relevance of all these structures. But alas, I am just a lowly foreigner.
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| Degrees of Koreanness (L-R): Full x 2, Half x 2, Quarter, None! |
As I was leaving the temple complex, I ran into a garden of wishing stones (no surprise!). The little garden was utterly peaceful - something about the juxtaposition between spontaneity and organization drew me in. I followed the example of the children around me and began building a pile of my own stones. According to tradition, one is supposed to make a wish upon completion of a pile, but avoid knocking over someone else's, as that results in bad luck.
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| My pile of wishing stones! Taller than everyone else's! ^^ |
After Bulguksa, we stopped for lunch at a nearby restaurant and then headed to the Gyeongju National Museum, which was full of ancient pottery and sculptures, but uneventful to say the least. Next, we visited Anapji, which is a man-made pond in Gyeongju National Park that was once part of the palace complex from the ancient Silla Kingdom. Although there wasn't that much to see, it was nice to just walk around and enjoy the lovely view.
From there, we made our way to Cheomseongdae, which translates to "star-gazing tower" in Korean. Dating back to the 7th century, Cheomseongdae stands as the oldest surviving astronomical observatory in East Asia and one of the oldest scientific installations on Earth. Our beloved tour guide and former Orientation Leader, Jim, accidently referred to it as an "observatron," rather than an observatory. Needless to say, we got a good laugh from it and the name stuck for the rest of the day.
Last but not least, we visited Tumuli Park Belt. There are many clusters of tumuli or royal burial grounds scattered throughout Gyeongju. But Daereungwon (대릉원) is the largest with an impressive 23 burial mounds from the Silla Kingdom. The area has been landscaped into a beautiful park, which thousands of tourists and school groups flock to every year.
The most notable burial site at Daereungwon burial complex is one named Cheonmachong, because it gives visitors a chance to take a peek at the interior of the tomb. The tomb's name comes from the Cheonmado painting (Painting of a Heavenly Horse) that was found inside the tomb during excavation work done in 1973. The gold crown found inside the tumulus is the biggest and most magnificent of all the gold crowns found to date, and is widely recognized as a symbol of the Silla Dynasty.
After a long day of sightseeing, we made it back to the hotel, just in time for an amazing buffet dinner. The rest of the evening was spent hanging out and just enjoying each others' company. The following morning, we all ate breakfast and went our separate ways. Though it was bittersweet to say goodbye again, I really enjoyed my weekend in Gyeongju. I'm so glad that I was able vist this historically significant city and experience it with my close Fulbright buds. I'm already looking forward to Spring Conference, which will be held in Jeju-do (aka the Hawaii of Korea). Can anyone say, SPRING BREAK: JEJU-DO?! ^^
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