Jinju Namgang Lantern Festival

Okay folks, so it's been a week since my last post but I have a valid excuse.  My Momma and Gramma are in Korea and I've spent the last few days with them in Busan and Seoul!  I'll save our adventures for another day.  But for now, I need to catch you up on the Jinju Namgang Lantern Festival, which I attended the first weekend in October.  While Jinju is a small, remote city, it holds enormous historical significance because it was the site of an important battle during the Imjin War.

In October 1592, Korean and Japanese soldiers fought a bloody battle in Jinju.  During this battle, locals flew lanterns in the sky and floated them on the Namsang River to communicate with soldiers outside of the fortress.  For over 60 years, the town of Jinju has commemorated the spirits of the 70,000 lost soldiers by floating lanterns on the river.  Since 2000, the city has continued the tradition and expanded this custom into a full-fledged festival that attracts thousands of visitors every year.  I read so many amazing things online about the festival; I knew I had to attend.

So on Saturday, October 11th, I taxied it over to the Express Bus Terminal on the other side of Daejeon to make the 1:30pm bus.  Anticipating that this would be a popular route, I arrived over an hour in advance.  But much to my dismay, I learned that the next 2 buses were sold out and I'd have to wait for the 3:30pm bus.  Cue anger and frustration.  But eventually, I made it to Jinju and I'm so happy that I did.  I made it just as the sun was going down and it was an unbelievable sight.  Just imagine - over 50,000 beautifully constructed lanterns glistening in the darkness.

And these weren't just your run-of-the-mill paper lanterns, they were incredible works of art; many of which were larger than me!  I especially loved the reenactment of the battle scene, which included a gigantic fortress and lantern soldiers surrounding the wall.  There were so many people in attendance.  I was literally pushing people out of the way to get a better look at the lanterns on the river.  Along the way, I saw several amusing Konglish signs and even made my own wishing lantern!

WORLD PEACE!

Eventually, we found an opening in the crowd and waited anxiously the festival to begin.  At precisely 8pm, the gigantic lanterns on the water lit up and a spectacular fireworks show began.  Objectively, it was one of the most impressive fireworks displays that I've ever seen.  The designs were super intricate and visually stunning.  But I was more amused by the reactions of the Koreans standing next to me.  Echos of "Ooooohs" and "Wahhhhs" filled the air and I couldn't help but share in their excitement.  Here are some pictures and a short video clip of the fireworks show.

After the fireworks ended, I got to admire all the amazing lanterns on the water.  There were at least 50 of them, spread out all over the river.  Frankly, it was a lot to take in.  So many vibrant colors and creative designs.  I was in awe and spent the next hour, trying to soak it all in.  Seriously, photos cannot do it justice. 

Then, I made my way over to a floating platform to release my wishing lantern.  There, an employee was waiting to light the candle and gently place my lantern on the water.  It was really beautiful to see all the glowing lights on the river.  That is, until one of them caught on fire.  Considering I'm still here to tell about it, let's assume that it all worked out okay.

The next day, we woke up and went to Jinju Fortress, located on the other side of the river.  It was awesome to see all the lanterns in the daylight and truly appreciate the expert craftsmanship.  Okay, so the term "fortress" is misleading.  More accurately, it's a sprawling barricade wall that was built to protect the city from intruders.  Anyway, there were even more lanterns scattered around the inner fortress area! 

As we made our way up the fortress wall, we got an even better view of the river and all the lanterns on the water.  They really did an amazing job with this event.  Not a single detail went unnoticed.  They even placed lantern soldiers at the South gate to protect the fortress.

As we continued on, the lanterns got even more intricate and impressive.  Here are some of my favorites!  The lanterns are apparently very multifaceted.  They can carry a member of royalty, perform acrobatics, play see-saw, arm-wrestle, and make traditional garments out of silk.

The incredible sights kept on coming.   Eventually, we made it to the general's look-out point and got a near aerial view of Namsang River and the city of Jinju.  From there, I saw lanterns resembling Buckingham palace guards, a Spanish matador, the Statue of Liberty, and the Sphinx. 

At the top, there was a Buddhist temple and a display of cannons and weapons.  I took a ton of pictures over the weekend and loved every second of it.  Hey, if the whole lawyer thing doesn't work out, I think I could make a career out of being a travel photographer or blogger.  ^_^

That concludes my 24 hours in Jinju.  One day was all it took but I really enjoyed my time at the Lantern Festival.  It's surely one of those things that I'll always remember about this grant year.  On the bus ride home, there was only one seat left and the man ahead of me quickly scrambled to fill it.  I was left with the tough decision: hang around an hour for the next bus or pop a squat in the middle of the aisle.  Desperate to get home, I opted for the latter and more uncomfortable option.

After a half hour of squeezing in between seats, my legs fell asleep, my back ached, and I was utterly miserable.  As I braced myself for another 90 minutes of hell, two young men came to my rescue.  They offered me a seat and took shifts in the torture chamber, expecting nothing in return.  I was quite moved by this selfless act.  It's comforting to know that even in a place that feels so foreign, kindness is a universal language that can transcend all cultural divides.

What is Beautiful?

As one of the most homogeneous countries in the world, South Korea has adopted a strict set of standards to define beauty.  This demanding list includes milky white skin, big doe eyes, a painfully slim figure, a perfectly angled nose, endlessly long legs, etc.  It is common knowledge that most Korean pop stars have gone under the knife at least once: a startling fact that is simply accepted, rather than questioned.  But this obsession is present not only in the entertainment industry, but also in mainstream culture.  South Korea boasts the highest rate of cosmetic plastic surgery in the world, with 17% of Korean women having undergone some cosmetic procedure, and nearly 53% considering plastic surgery.

It is likely that this obsession stems from the Confucius tenet that humans ought to strive for what is thought to be better.  In this arduous quest for good looks, women are often convinced that sacrificing is necessary and worthy in order to bear the fruits of beauty.  And this suffering is not for nothing. With good looks, Korean society believes that one can attract a better-looking partner, which leads to a better lifestyle and better-looking children. More importantly, good looks improve chances for competitive jobs, which is especially critical in today's competitive market.  Essentially, they believe that physical beauty equals happiness. 

This sentiment is unquestionably shared and accepted by my students - young, wistful 16-year olds with hearts full of hope and desire.  Not a day goes by that I don't hear a student say that her face is ugly, or see a student running laps between classes because she "needs to exercise" and "lose weight."  It breaks my heart every time I see another student with scars on her eyelids, having succumbed to pressure to Westernize her appearance.  For this reason, I decided to teach a lesson that presented different ideas of beauty from around the world, provided insight into how the media dictates these standards, and gave students a platform to think critically about the difference between inner beauty and outer beauty. 

One of the primary objectives for this lesson was to have students make a "What is Beautiful" poster.  The poster template featured a silhouette of a (intentionally full-figured) woman.  On the inside of the woman, students were asked to write things that they think are beautiful on the inside; i.e., beautiful personality traits.  And on the outside of woman, students were asked to write things that they think define outer beauty; i.e., beautiful appearance traits.  Overall, this was an excellent way to reinforce the lesson, review personality/body part vocabulary, and keep students engaged.  Here are some of the things that my students wrote that illustrate why this lesson was absolutely necessary.

Ideal Size = Nearly 5'8" but only 105 lbs

:(((

22-Inch Waist?! That is both unhealthy and unrealistic!

Although it is highly influenced by Western media, Korea's standard of beauty is certainly idiosyncratic.  In terms of appearance, the eyes are the key to the mystical realm of beauty.  The majority of women going in for surgery want a second eyelid fold: a feature that seems so insignificant but holds much weight in terms of Korean beauty.  In addition, students tell me that having "smiley eyes" is very desirable. They think it is especially cute if a small fold appears under the eye when one smiles. Strangeeee...  Also, I've learned that Koreans love to compare things to eggs.  For example, having an egg-shaped (oval, as opposed to round face) is beautiful.  But one would never want to have "leg egg."  Now what is leg egg, you ask?!  Well, this fancy term refers to any kind of protruding muscle in the calf or thigh area.  According to my students, this would only make the leg look fatter.  >.<

In addition, Korans love to describe the body in terms of "lines."  For example, the V-line refers to an angular jaw or the sharp tapering of one's face.  This, of course, is very beautiful.  As is the S-line, or curvaceous hour-glass figure, which is very rare for slim Korean women, but highly coveted.  An X-line is a non-existantly skinny waist.  The W-line is a voluptuous bust and the U-line is a concave lower back.  Haha, got all that?!  Perhaps the most unusual thing that Korean teenagers think is beautiful is a prominent straight collarbone.  According to one student, it should pop out so much that you can pour water into it.  Naturally, this would require one to be on the cusp of emaciation.  But I kept my mouth shut.



My students also wrote plenty of hysterical things on their beauty posters.  I feel like this is going to be Round 2 of "Students Say the Darnest Things."  Please enjoy!  I take full responsibility for teaching the words "pooch" and "muffin top" to one of my advanced classes.  Hey, they asked me what the appropriate slang words were.  And I, as the knowledgeable native English speaker, had a duty to respond with the most accurate answer.  Unfortunately, I cannot take credit for bust cliff or cherry mouse.

In addition, I learned that it's important to be fashionable, but not have obesity.  Cellulite (which I taught one class) is a universally undesirable trait, as are leg muscles.  Having good scent and smooth skin is a surefire way to win a mate.  But you must remember to trim your fur and schedule a dentist appointment to ensure that your teeth are well-arranged!  HAHAHA!  XD

That being said, my students also had some incredibly encouraging things to say about beauty.  Despite the overbearing emphasis that Korean society places on appearance, many students acknowledged that having a natural body and natural face is beautiful to them.  It's comforting to know that amidst the barrage of advertisements and societal pressures to be "perfect," they can still find the beauty within.  After the students finished making their beauty posters, I had several students present their ideas to the class.  Then, I had the students speak candidly about what is more important: outer beauty or inner beauty.  Every class reached the same conclusion - inner beauty is more important because it won't change, even as our appearances fade.  This made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Lastly, I had students turn their poster over and write a few sentences about what they learned in class that day.  I really feel like I got through to my students and challenged their ideas about what they consider to be beautiful.  Several my classes even ended in resounding applause from the students.  I don't remember the last time I ever felt this proud.  Here are some excerpts from my students' reflections. 

Below are some of the more memorable reflections.  As you can see, I have some serious jokesters and philosophers in my classes.  But the last two reflections really spoke to me and nearly left me in tears.  "When I have a daughter, I should teach her that good personality is more important than good appearance." and  "I just think that I am ugly, but today I think maybe I am beautyful." 

I can easily say that this lesson was the most successful lesson that I've taught (and probably will ever teach).  This is the first time, in which I felt like a real teacher - not just one who reviews mindless information, but one who can have lasting impressions on students' lives.  Down the road, students may forget obscure English grammar rules but I truly hope lesson will stick with them for years to come.  ♥♥♥