So, here I am with my last email on Korea and my travels (for now).
I'm quite sad to leave Korea.. it's been a interesting and fun
1.8years of my life. Life is full of chapters, and this one is about
to close. I don't think things would be the same if I came back, with
different characters, people and experiences. This doesn't mean i'm
regretful of my decision to leave, but that I'm just sad to go while
things are so great here. Quit while you're ahead I guess..
Anyway,
SNAPSHOT OF KOREAN CULTURE
From my experiences so far, South Korea is like the Portugal of
Europe. Mainly overlooked by it's more popular neighbours (China,
Japan, Taiwan and Russia), Korea is a peninsula covered with many
forests, mountain ranges, and small village towns full of old people.
Korean people differ from the Japanese in that they are more
emotional, honest, outgoing, and individualistic. They can also be
depressed, hot tempered and introverted. When you first meet a Korean,
they tend to be shy and reserved, but once you get to know them, they
become the nicest people you'll ever meet. The Japanese tend to cover
their real feelings and thoughts, which means you never know if they
really like you or not. Koreans would just be blunt and tell you what
they think.
Living in Korea sometimes feels like living in 18th century England in
terms of etiquette and social conduct. People respect their elders,
they also bow to each other in greeting and farewell or when walking
by (even to complete strangers). Women are still treated differently
and unequally, though things are rapidly changing. Homosexuality is
unacceptable. Body contact between the opposite gender is usually
avoided, no one hugs or kisses in public, and expressive gestures such
as hugging friends are usually reserved for big occasions like going
away for a long time.
Koreans tend to criticise their country, but will defend it to the
death if overseas or if any foreigner tries to do the same. There is a
strong sense of identity and national pride, characteristic of
peninsular countries who were often invaded due to their geographic
locations. (Korea's been invaded over 3000 times in written history).
They are also persistant and hardworking. Only in Korea can you turn
one of the poorest countries into the 10 most powerful economies.. in
50 years! Sure, they had to put democracy on hold to do it, but
still...
Korean's also do everything in the extreme. They study, work, play
computer games, etc like fanatics. Add to that a hot tempered
emotional impulsive personality and you find most Korean's to be a
little crazy. But if they are on your side, they are with you forever.
COOL THINGS I LIKE ABOUT KOREA
-Ondol hot water floor heating system
-drink driver service - they drive you and your car to your home.
-free water and handtowels at restaurants
-soju
-Door bell on table service - you press this for service and they come
right away
-food street stalls - great for after drinking
-fashion
-hot girls
-cheaper dentists
-cheap Korean food
-hongdae, gangnam, sinchon
-mandu lady
-nambi, pool bar, deck bar, brix, helios, loft, geckos, bungalow,
playstation bar, samgypsal place in hongdae, and other drinking holes
- my friends
- some of my students
- my bachelor pad
THINGS WE CAN DO WITHOUT
-Bad smells
-rude ajummas
-drivers
- pollution
-extreme weather conditions
- no sidewalks in residental areas
-haebangchon hills
- mopeds riding on sidewalks
There's probably more I could write but I can't think of right now..
Anyway, that's it from me! I gotta get back to my farewell party (take
two) now. So Anneyonghi gaseyo!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
James' return to normality
Hi all..
UPDATE IN MY LIFE..
First of all, yes Korea's national symbol (Namdaemum, which is the 600
year old City Gate) has been burnt down, in a possible arson attack by
a disgruntled senior Korean. Just after the Lunar New Year too!
Wikipedia is on the ball and you can see for yourself at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namdaemun
This tears at the heartstrings of all Koreans, who are very proud
people. It's the equivalent of the Lincoln memorial, Sydney Opera
house or Big ben burning down! Even I'm sad and angry about it. :(
They are also furious at the lack of security at such an important
monument, and the incompetency of the fire crews who took failed to
control the blaze because they were trying to work out how to put out
the fire without damaging the structure! Hello?!! It's on fire!!
Better some damage than all of it, right?!
Secondly, yes I'm still alive and in Korea. :)
Lastly, I won't be in Korea for long.. :(
In two weeks time I'll be back in Melbourne Australia, to study my
Diploma of Secondary Education. This is a one year course, which will
enable me to either find work as a high school teacher in Australia or
- should I get the urge to flee again - enable me to find more
teaching English jobs overseas with better pay and conditions
(although Berlitz is a good company to work for, 6:45am classes are
killing me right now!).
Will I be alone in my endeavour? Wasn't I planning to get married with
Sammy and settle down you ask? Well, that plan has changed a little.
Instead, we've decided to try living together first in Australia to
"test the waters" before committing to something that we're both
admittedly a little scared of. Yep, we've gone the "modern marriage
way" and chosen to go de-facto instead.
So while I'm studying my DipEd, Sammy will study Cookery and should be
a chef in 2.5 years time. After that we are both free to settle in
Australia or travel around the world together teaching and cooking.
:) So my original 10 year travel plan to travel the world has not been
completely abolished as yet, just significantly altered. Plus, should
anything happen to the relationship, I am also free to go back to my
original plan anyway.
Right now, Sammy is in Australia preparing for her cookery course.
I'm still in Korea packing my things up and closing up my life here.
I like to thank my trustworthy reliable mates Nathan and Daniel for
helping look after her while I'm away. :)
I must admit I'm quite reluctant and sad to leave Korea. I mean, I'm
actually really happy with my life right now, and isn't that what
people want? I'm making good money, the work is fun, I have lots of
friends and an active social life. To leave that to go back to study
and hardship is not appealing (I won't be earning money at all while I
study but living of my current savings originally set aside for
travel). But I guess that nothing lasts forever, times change, and
good things come to an end, and I should consider my future.
So, my priorities in life at this point is to find a way to maintain
employment in my life, and to find someone to share my life with. I've
always believed that it doesn't matter what you experience in your
life, if you don't have someone to share your achievements with, it
doesn't feel quite complete. I don't want to be one of those people
who travel around the world experiencing many things and then die
alone with no one to remember them. It's a lonely life and life is too
wonderful to be lonely in. Sammy may or may not be the one for me, but
I can't just give her up without making sure first (she was going to
study in Oz anyway). Hence my decision to return.
So, see some of you all soon! ;) Let's not forget I also miss you all too!!
CRAZY BUT TRUE
-News readers bowl to the camera before and after reporting the news.
I feel so honored.
-Korean girls insist on wearing miniskirts in the deep cold of winter.
Now that's brave.
-Korean guys have outrageous hairstyles, like a black mop placed on
the head and styled and dyed (though not as much as Japanese)
manga-esque style. They must spend hours fixing their hair up!
-Koreans think the adjective form of "Fun" is "Funny" eg I had a
funny time! instead of I had a fun time!
- They also think that "hardly" is an adverb for very hard eg "I was
pushed hardly" instead
"I was pushed hard".
-Korean men always carry their girls handbags.
-Korean men sometimes have their own handbags - in the name of fashion
of course.
-Korean men can be very feminine and are not the least homophobic, yet
most are prejudiced against gays.
KOREAN DRINKING CULTURE
In Korea, drinking is used to build relationships, especially between
companies doing business together. As a result, many managers and
people working in sales end up with health problems, and is sometimes
fatal! However, even though many people want to stop, they don't, as
it is taboo to decline a drink from their bosses or clients, as that
is a sign of bad business or disrespect to elders. Social rules take
over common sense in this one.
KOREAN WEDDINGS
They typically consist of bride and groom inviting everyone they know
and their friends. This could exceed 500 people sometimes. People
would arrive wearing whatever they felt like, no formal suits needed.
They would say a few words to the bride/groom, then sit down on one of
the many banquet tables and eat the expensive food provided. The
ceremony takes place while everyone is eating, talking, and not even
watching the ceremony. It feels like having a wedding ceremony in a
noisy restaurant. Afterwards, people can take photos (but most don't)
or leave as they feel like. But they should leave some money as a
gift.
This money is counted and written in a book next to the persons name
by the family, who will remember how much they gave so if they are
invited to that persons wedding next time, they will give the same
amount (more or less). Theoretically this money should help finance
the high cost of the wedding. Unfortunately it doesn't as people don't
contribute as much as they should, leaving the families' quite poor
afterwards.
If that wasn't enough, the groom (and his family) have to buy the
house, whereas the bride (and her family) buy all the furniture.
Therefore, it is common for both families to save for a long time just
for the wedding and housing for their children. No wonder Koreans
aren't having much children anymore!
WHY THE SUICIDE RATE IS SO HIGH HERE
Korea and Japan have the highest suicide rates in the world! The
reason for this is, as some of my students have told me is that:
During teenage years, the intensive long studying from childhood to
adult, from 6am to 2am, consisting of normal school and lots of
private tutoring and "cram schools" and learning institutes, means
these poor kids don't have a life. Lots of pressure from parents to
excel and emotional teenage angst can drive many Koreans over the
edge.
All this hard study is actually not for anything practical it seems,
but to study facts and figures that will help them do well at the
university entrance exams. Thus, if a Korean does not achieve the
score they have been studying for all their life to get into the
university they want, this would cause them to commit suicide.
Then its trying to find a job in a very competitive country where
there is so many people and so few jobs available. Again, this stress
will cause major depression.
Then it's trying to raise a family, buy a house (Korean housing is one
of the most expensive in the world!), pay for their children's clearly
very expensive education, and their weddings, and save enough money
for retirement (retirement age in Korea is so young, at 55!). So
parents burn themselves out very quickly. This life style and stress
can make life seem so bleak.
So, it's no wonder these poor Koreans have one of the highest suicide
rates in the world.
Will attitudes change? Possibly, but it will take a long time. Korean
psyche is steeped in Confucianism, where education is most important
tenet, as is social position and tradition. But the effect of
globalisation is starting to change these views.
AN-NE-YO! MY ARABIAN HOMIES!
Koreans have a strong friendship with the Turkish nation. This is
because it is believed that the Turkish language shares similar
structures and forms to the Korean language (along with Mongolian,
Uzbekistan and parts of Central Asia). The reasoning behind how this
is possible stems from the history of man's migrational patterns: from
Africa, man came up through the Middle East and spread out through
Europe and Asia; Man then crossed the Bering Strait in Russia to
Alaska, or headed south to Australia during the ice age.
Anyway, clearly there was a migration that started in Turkey and ended
in Korea, via Central Asia. Some interbreeding with Mongolians and
voila! The Korean was created. Sounds more plausible than a bear
eating garlic myth. Interestingly the Koreans say they have no genetic
relation to the Chinese race despite being neighbours.
So what is the result? Well apparently Turkish people understand this
also, and embrace the Korean people whenever they visit on vacation.
They are very well looked after, and there is a strong feeling of
brother/sisterhood in the nations. This is why during a recent World
Cup soccer match a few years ago, the two nations playing against each
other were happy to shake each others hand and be friendly to one
another.
Further cementing this relationship also is that Turkey was one of the
countries that helped them a lot during the Korean war.
One could say that Australians, like Koreans, have a similar certain
"mateship" with the Turkish as well, due to Gallipoli in World War
I...
Anyway, I'll write my final essay, uh email on my last thoughts on Korea soon..
Till then,
James
UPDATE IN MY LIFE..
First of all, yes Korea's national symbol (Namdaemum, which is the 600
year old City Gate) has been burnt down, in a possible arson attack by
a disgruntled senior Korean. Just after the Lunar New Year too!
Wikipedia is on the ball and you can see for yourself at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namdaemun
This tears at the heartstrings of all Koreans, who are very proud
people. It's the equivalent of the Lincoln memorial, Sydney Opera
house or Big ben burning down! Even I'm sad and angry about it. :(
They are also furious at the lack of security at such an important
monument, and the incompetency of the fire crews who took failed to
control the blaze because they were trying to work out how to put out
the fire without damaging the structure! Hello?!! It's on fire!!
Better some damage than all of it, right?!
Secondly, yes I'm still alive and in Korea. :)
Lastly, I won't be in Korea for long.. :(
In two weeks time I'll be back in Melbourne Australia, to study my
Diploma of Secondary Education. This is a one year course, which will
enable me to either find work as a high school teacher in Australia or
- should I get the urge to flee again - enable me to find more
teaching English jobs overseas with better pay and conditions
(although Berlitz is a good company to work for, 6:45am classes are
killing me right now!).
Will I be alone in my endeavour? Wasn't I planning to get married with
Sammy and settle down you ask? Well, that plan has changed a little.
Instead, we've decided to try living together first in Australia to
"test the waters" before committing to something that we're both
admittedly a little scared of. Yep, we've gone the "modern marriage
way" and chosen to go de-facto instead.
So while I'm studying my DipEd, Sammy will study Cookery and should be
a chef in 2.5 years time. After that we are both free to settle in
Australia or travel around the world together teaching and cooking.
:) So my original 10 year travel plan to travel the world has not been
completely abolished as yet, just significantly altered. Plus, should
anything happen to the relationship, I am also free to go back to my
original plan anyway.
Right now, Sammy is in Australia preparing for her cookery course.
I'm still in Korea packing my things up and closing up my life here.
I like to thank my trustworthy reliable mates Nathan and Daniel for
helping look after her while I'm away. :)
I must admit I'm quite reluctant and sad to leave Korea. I mean, I'm
actually really happy with my life right now, and isn't that what
people want? I'm making good money, the work is fun, I have lots of
friends and an active social life. To leave that to go back to study
and hardship is not appealing (I won't be earning money at all while I
study but living of my current savings originally set aside for
travel). But I guess that nothing lasts forever, times change, and
good things come to an end, and I should consider my future.
So, my priorities in life at this point is to find a way to maintain
employment in my life, and to find someone to share my life with. I've
always believed that it doesn't matter what you experience in your
life, if you don't have someone to share your achievements with, it
doesn't feel quite complete. I don't want to be one of those people
who travel around the world experiencing many things and then die
alone with no one to remember them. It's a lonely life and life is too
wonderful to be lonely in. Sammy may or may not be the one for me, but
I can't just give her up without making sure first (she was going to
study in Oz anyway). Hence my decision to return.
So, see some of you all soon! ;) Let's not forget I also miss you all too!!
CRAZY BUT TRUE
-News readers bowl to the camera before and after reporting the news.
I feel so honored.
-Korean girls insist on wearing miniskirts in the deep cold of winter.
Now that's brave.
-Korean guys have outrageous hairstyles, like a black mop placed on
the head and styled and dyed (though not as much as Japanese)
manga-esque style. They must spend hours fixing their hair up!
-Koreans think the adjective form of "Fun" is "Funny" eg I had a
funny time! instead of I had a fun time!
- They also think that "hardly" is an adverb for very hard eg "I was
pushed hardly" instead
"I was pushed hard".
-Korean men always carry their girls handbags.
-Korean men sometimes have their own handbags - in the name of fashion
of course.
-Korean men can be very feminine and are not the least homophobic, yet
most are prejudiced against gays.
KOREAN DRINKING CULTURE
In Korea, drinking is used to build relationships, especially between
companies doing business together. As a result, many managers and
people working in sales end up with health problems, and is sometimes
fatal! However, even though many people want to stop, they don't, as
it is taboo to decline a drink from their bosses or clients, as that
is a sign of bad business or disrespect to elders. Social rules take
over common sense in this one.
KOREAN WEDDINGS
They typically consist of bride and groom inviting everyone they know
and their friends. This could exceed 500 people sometimes. People
would arrive wearing whatever they felt like, no formal suits needed.
They would say a few words to the bride/groom, then sit down on one of
the many banquet tables and eat the expensive food provided. The
ceremony takes place while everyone is eating, talking, and not even
watching the ceremony. It feels like having a wedding ceremony in a
noisy restaurant. Afterwards, people can take photos (but most don't)
or leave as they feel like. But they should leave some money as a
gift.
This money is counted and written in a book next to the persons name
by the family, who will remember how much they gave so if they are
invited to that persons wedding next time, they will give the same
amount (more or less). Theoretically this money should help finance
the high cost of the wedding. Unfortunately it doesn't as people don't
contribute as much as they should, leaving the families' quite poor
afterwards.
If that wasn't enough, the groom (and his family) have to buy the
house, whereas the bride (and her family) buy all the furniture.
Therefore, it is common for both families to save for a long time just
for the wedding and housing for their children. No wonder Koreans
aren't having much children anymore!
WHY THE SUICIDE RATE IS SO HIGH HERE
Korea and Japan have the highest suicide rates in the world! The
reason for this is, as some of my students have told me is that:
During teenage years, the intensive long studying from childhood to
adult, from 6am to 2am, consisting of normal school and lots of
private tutoring and "cram schools" and learning institutes, means
these poor kids don't have a life. Lots of pressure from parents to
excel and emotional teenage angst can drive many Koreans over the
edge.
All this hard study is actually not for anything practical it seems,
but to study facts and figures that will help them do well at the
university entrance exams. Thus, if a Korean does not achieve the
score they have been studying for all their life to get into the
university they want, this would cause them to commit suicide.
Then its trying to find a job in a very competitive country where
there is so many people and so few jobs available. Again, this stress
will cause major depression.
Then it's trying to raise a family, buy a house (Korean housing is one
of the most expensive in the world!), pay for their children's clearly
very expensive education, and their weddings, and save enough money
for retirement (retirement age in Korea is so young, at 55!). So
parents burn themselves out very quickly. This life style and stress
can make life seem so bleak.
So, it's no wonder these poor Koreans have one of the highest suicide
rates in the world.
Will attitudes change? Possibly, but it will take a long time. Korean
psyche is steeped in Confucianism, where education is most important
tenet, as is social position and tradition. But the effect of
globalisation is starting to change these views.
AN-NE-YO! MY ARABIAN HOMIES!
Koreans have a strong friendship with the Turkish nation. This is
because it is believed that the Turkish language shares similar
structures and forms to the Korean language (along with Mongolian,
Uzbekistan and parts of Central Asia). The reasoning behind how this
is possible stems from the history of man's migrational patterns: from
Africa, man came up through the Middle East and spread out through
Europe and Asia; Man then crossed the Bering Strait in Russia to
Alaska, or headed south to Australia during the ice age.
Anyway, clearly there was a migration that started in Turkey and ended
in Korea, via Central Asia. Some interbreeding with Mongolians and
voila! The Korean was created. Sounds more plausible than a bear
eating garlic myth. Interestingly the Koreans say they have no genetic
relation to the Chinese race despite being neighbours.
So what is the result? Well apparently Turkish people understand this
also, and embrace the Korean people whenever they visit on vacation.
They are very well looked after, and there is a strong feeling of
brother/sisterhood in the nations. This is why during a recent World
Cup soccer match a few years ago, the two nations playing against each
other were happy to shake each others hand and be friendly to one
another.
Further cementing this relationship also is that Turkey was one of the
countries that helped them a lot during the Korean war.
One could say that Australians, like Koreans, have a similar certain
"mateship" with the Turkish as well, due to Gallipoli in World War
I...
Anyway, I'll write my final essay, uh email on my last thoughts on Korea soon..
Till then,
James
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
A week around the Hermit Kingdom
Annyeong!
Here is an account of a week travelling around Korea with my Korean girlfriend Sammy (So Hyun Yoo)...
Day 1: JEONJU CUISINE, DAMYANG AND THE BAMBOO FOREST
We left Seoul on a sunny morning, with poor Sammy having to drive us
through the whole of Korea since I don't have an international
license. Though the way people drive in this country, I'm not sure
people have any license at all. There's a saying that if you can drive
in Seoul, you can drive anywhere. This is true (with the exception of
Cairo, which is worse!)
Anyway, it is amazing what lies outside Seoul. Being inside, you think
the whole country is just one concrete jungle of polluted twisting
disorganised streets, apartment building clones, and traffic. But
venture outside the city and you'll find an amazing beautiful country
filled with mountain scenery (Korea is 70% mountains - a hikers
paradise), rivers, lakes, and old ancient stuff that should be tourist
sites but aren't really well known outside of Korea.
We stopped for lunch in the city of Jeonju, a few hours south of
Seoul, because I heard this city is famous for good quality
traditional food. One such speciality which I had was bimbimbap, a
rice dish topped with assorted fresh Asian vegetables and meat (raw or
cooked). Sometimes a fried or raw egg is added on top. It's all
arranged very nicely. Then you ruin it by squeezing a large amount of
red pepper paste and mixing it until it looks like a kind of reddish
fried rice. It's quite delicious and comes with a brothy soup and lots
of (free and with unlimited refills) side dishes (kimchi, salads,
seafood).
Korean style of eating always guarantees you're full - I love it!
So, stuffed from the nice lunch, we waddled back to the car and
continued to our destination - Damyang. This is an interesting
village, as it is famous for the bamboo forests that grow there.
Damyang is at the perfect latitude to grow bamboo, as the weather
conditions are ideal and always consistent.
We also visited an old abandoned large traditional villa, very
picturesque with stream, old stone bridges, and buildings of stone,
painted wood and paper walls. Sammy was my guide; there was no
mention of this in my guide book. The main entertainment room had 4
walls that swung vertically upward, turning it from a house to a
pagoda, which was good for hot or pleasant nights to drink and share
stories and music in the past.
Finally, we headed to our hotel for the night in a valley, surrounded
by other odd-looking kitsch novelty hotels. Some were shaped like
toadstools, others like castles or mountains. Most were lit up like
Christmas decorations at night! We chose the most normal looking one.
DAY 2: ADVENTURE ON JIRISAN MOUNTAIN
The next morning, we continued south for Jirisan, which is the second
highest mountain in Korea (1915m). We drove through stunning scenery,
ate fresh mountain food at a picturesque location, and observed
busloads of children being taken to a traditional Korean village in
the mountain. There are several of them here, where the villagers
still live as they did in the past, except with cell phones, cars and
satellite TV. They do still live in the old traditional houses, wear
traditional Hanbok peasant clothing, and address each other in
traditional old ways. It's like stepping into the 18th century here.
Anyway, the reason for the children visiting is actually not for the
history lesson, but to take them to "Etiquette schools" which are run
by the villagers. Basically, these kids are badly behaved and have no
manners or respect for other people. These "traditional people" are
used to teach and discipline them by, that's right, the "traditional
way".
So, we started our hike up to the very top of the mountain. The plan
was to hike 5 hours to a mountain hut near the top where we would stay
the night, before continuing another 1.5 hours to the top in time to
see the sunrise. The hike was a lot of fun but difficult. We would
walk along dirt trails strewn with oversized rocks, occasionally we
would have to climb over or around them. Sometimes we would walk over
precariously perched metal bridges with the sound of the stream below
running into pools of turquoise water where we would occasionally
splash ourselves to cool down. Some places along the way we saw
smaller rocks piled on top of larger ones like a mini pagoda.
Apparently they are from people who are making wishes. The last 2kms
was painful, having to clamber up a steep rocky trail; at times it
felt like actual rock climbing.
Finally, we reached the mountain hut, tired, hungry, and hoping to buy
some food for dinner, as we had (for some reason) not brought any with
us. To our disdain, we found the mountain hut only had a few things to
buy, so we had to settle for a small supper of canned tuna, rice and
canned peaches before settling down for the night in the crowded hut
full of smelly (but full because they had the sense to bring food)
middle aged men and women.
I swear that maybe I was in some sort of Korea's best snorer's
competition, and that I was sleeping between the two leading
competitors. The noise was deafening. On the left was an old guy whose
nose was getting a good workout; the guy on the right was probably the
weirdest snorer I've ever heard. His snore sounded like a duck
quacking.
I opened my eyes a few hours later (note, not awoken, since I didn't
get any sleep) to Sammy shaking me, suggesting that maybe we should
leave now and get there early, since we are not going to get any sleep
that night. I couldn't have agreed more! We left the snorers
convention and went up the mountain to the top incredibly tired,
hungry, and blind as it was still quite dark, and wary of the bears
that come out at night.
Finally, we made it to the top, and after a while waiting in the
freezing cold, we saw the sunrise. It is said that if you see the
sunrise on top of Jirisan, 3 generations of your offspring will have
good luck. My offspring? What about me? I did all the hard work! And I
think after the strenuous hike and sleepless night we just had, I
think the mountain should at least grant us 6 generations!
I was thinking in the back of my mind that I would propose to her on
top of this mountain when the sun rose, but considering our poor
condition, I didn't think it would be as nice as it could be. So,
after seeing the sunrise came the daunting task of coming back down
the mountain, which felt actually worse than going up due to no sleep,
no food, and tired sore limbs.
DAY 3: NAMHAE AND THE GERMAN VILLAGE
After a hearty much needed lunch, we drove further south to the
coastal Islands known collectively as Namhae (which means "South
Sea". 3 Islands off the main coast connected by large modern bridges,
it was quite nice to finally see some sun and surf (Seoul is on a
river, so you don't really see the beach there). For the first time in
a year, I was able to walk on the beach into the ocean! It doesn't
quite compete with the Great Ocean Road in Australia, but it was still
impressive.
We drove along the coastal roads enjoying the views, checking out some
museums and watching old women work in the rice paddy fields which
were terraced along the steep hills leading to the coast - looked like
giant curved steps had been carved on the side of the hills. We also
stopped to see the biggest oak tree I have ever seen! Finally, we
settled for the night at a German village.
Yes, that's right, German village. Apparently, during the 1960's,
Germany was in need of miners and nurses. So, many Korean people went
to Germany to make money. In the process they intermarried, or they
fell in love with German culture. In the end, some Koreans stayed in
Germany; the others came back with a desire to recreate what they
experienced. Thus, a group of Koreans designed and developed a whole
village in the German style, complete with German houses, flags,
gardens, and German people (who came with their Korean partners).
We stayed at a pension owned by a Korean, who I attempted to speak in
German (since my German at the time was better than my Korean). His
place commanded views of the harbour below, where we enjoyed a
(Korean) barbecue and beer, followed by a walk along the harbour. It
was quite peaceful and very quiet, which I felt wasn't quite German at
all (What? No German style pubs?)
DAY 4: TONGYEONG AND THE DINOSAUR PARK
We left Namhae with no clear idea of where to go next. We decided to
drive along the coast eastward and see where we would end up. On the
way we noticed a sign saying "Goesong Dinosaur Park". We had to check
it out!
Goesong Dinosaur Park is a modern large museum and dinosaur park on
the coast. The exhibits and specimens were impressive for a museum not
many people know about, and certainly allowed me to relive my
childhood days when I was fascinated by them.
What was also good about this museum is that you could walk down to
the coast past huge lifesize models of various dinosaurs. On the
coast, there were huge plains of solidified volcanic lava from ages
past, where, embedded in the rock, are thousands of dinosaur
footprints, of various kinds and sizes.
We continued along the south coast until we reached Tongyeong
(referred to as the "Naples of Korea" - Nice try guys!), a small
picturesque fishing town famous for handbags and their huge fish
market. Sammy bought a few good quality handmade handbags, and we
explored the fish markets where we saw all kinds of fish and unusual
seafood I never knew existed!
DAY 5: GAMPO - EAST COAST
The next morning, we walked along the harbour enjoying the sights. One
of the sights was the famous "Turtle Warships" designed by a great
Admiral and National hero.
These turtle warships consisted of a boat with a curved roof that
enclosed the whole ship like a turtle shell. This kept the crew inside
safe and dry. Portholes on the sides allowed for visibility and cannon
fire. It's almost like a water tank. The roof had spikes on top, which
would deter most enemies from trying to board and enter the boat.
Finally, there was a ram on the front of the boat, which could be used
to tip or puncture other enemy boats. The enemies at the time were the
Japanese, and these turtle boats were very effective at destroying
them during the Japanese invasions.
We then headed towards the east coast, driving quite a bit, getting
lost at one point, picked up an ancient hitch hiker, and finally
settling around the coastal town of Gampo. This town didn't have
anything special to see, but it did offer many rooms to stay right on
the east coast. Unfortunately for us though, they were all closed as
it was off-season. So, we settled for a hotel instead.
We explored the east coast a little more, visiting sites such as the
underwater tomb of an ancient king, which is marked by rocks 50m out
in the water, laid out in a way where you can imagine it to be a
dragon (but only if you squint, and have an overactive imagination).
DAY 6: GYEONGJU - CAPITAL OF THE 1000-YEAR ANCIENT SHILLA DYNASTY
From Gampo, we headed back inland towards the ancient town of
Gyeongju. On the way we went to Bulguska Temple, which is over 1000
years old and one of the most famous beautiful temples in Korea.
There were some huge stone pagodas, one plain, one decorated. I can't
remember the significance of them however.
We also visited the Seokgarum Grotto, which is one of Koreas most
valued national treasures.It was discovered one day when a shepherd,
caught in a rainstorm, seeked shelter in what looked like a cave. What
he found in there was something untouched for 1000 years. It was a
huge white stone Buddha, placed inside a hill, the interior lined with
stone in a dome shape, carved with ancient gods and protectors, so the
effect feels like you've walked into a hill to find a little temple
carved in stone inside it. Indeed it is a spectacular ancient
treasure which I think could rival some of the Ancient wonders of the
(western) world.
We entered Gyeongju, ancient capital of the the powerful Shilla
kingdom from 1000 years ago. The Shilla dynasty had such power in the
past that people liken it to the East version of Rome, with its power,
affluence and trade routes. In fact, they have even discovered Roman
coins and artifacts in some Shilla tombs, which proves there was trade
going on between the two countries at that time.
Then again, my information is largely supplied by the very nationalist
fiercely-proud Koreans.
We had lunch at a traditional "Sambap" place, Definitely one of my
favorite Korean meals, It's origins from Royalty banquets, Sambap
consists of not 1, or 5, but about 20 or more different dishes, of
various kimchi, meat, tofu, and seafood, eaten with rice and soup.
It's like a buffet for 1 (or 2). Your table is covered with so many
dishes you have nowhere to put your chopstick down! And the best thing
is that it's not really that expensive!
We then walked around a bit, observing many old buildings having left
their facades the same as it was 1000 years ago but only modifying the
inside. This is in order to preserve the beauty and the history of the
place by the government. The result leaves you feeling a little like
you've gone back in time (except they didn't have cars back then, or
soccer fields, or cell phone towers, or satellite dishes).
We visited some of the ancient Shilla tombs. These aren't just normal
tombs with gravestone as you'd expect. They were in fact huge burial
mounds that look like very neat circular hills (and in fact Koreans
treated it as such until they it dawned on them that those hills
aren't natural or normal, and after excavation and examination,
discovered they were actually tombs).
These are the Korean versions of Pyramids, where Royalty is buried in
a tomb of stone and left with many treasures, then covered over with a
sort of semi circular burial chamber, which is then covered with
stones and dirt.
We then went looking around for the famous Gyeongju bread, which is a
kind of bread filled with a red bean paste. There is one original shop
that makes it and a few varieties stemming from the original. To be
honest I don't know why it's so famous around Korea; I didn't think it
was mind-blowing stuff. But anyway we bought lots of them to
distribute to family and friends, which is what Koreans do when
they're in Gyeongju.
Afterwards, we went to a place called Anapji pond, which is a man made
lake designed by one of the Ancient Shilla kings as a place to
entertain guests. We walked around a series of colorful gazebos
located at various places around the large pond, enjoying the scenery,
the ducks, squirrels and various wildlife, and the sound of the loud
bullet trains that storm past just outside the peaceful park!
Anyway, Sammy had a nice surprise for me. She took me to a fancy 5
star hotel by the lakeside just in the outskirts of Seoul, as her
family had some sort of special membership that allowed them a great
discount on staying there So we had a nice view of the lake from
our nice balcony, where we enjoyed the sunset over Gyeongju bread and
wine.
Again, I was thinking of proposing to Sammy over the sunset, but I
guess suddenly I was overcome with shyness and I missed the
opportunity!
DAY 7: BULAT - A TRADITIONAL KOREAN VILLAGE
Originally we had planned to go to Seoroksan mountain and the hot
springs in Sokcho, on the north east coast, before heading back to
Seoul. But after Jirisan left us still with sore tired limbs, we
decided that we did not want to do any more hiking. So we had the
idea of trying to stay in a traditional Korean house in a traditional
rural village for fun. Sammy did some research and found a place that
would allow us to stay the night.
This is how, after driving a few hours through winding narrow mountain
roads, we ended up in Bulat, a tiny village nestled in the mountains
south of Seoul. This town is famous for making a kind of traditional
good quality paper using the old methods, which they then send for
sale in traditional Korean shops (I wonder how many times I'm going to
use the word "traditional" in this entry?) Anyway, I think I'm the
first foreigner to have ever visited the place, as I don't think
anyone else has heard of the place before or would even know how to
find it (as there's no public transport, and it's not easy to find by
car).
Anyway, we met a famous couple who featured in some Korean
documentaries there. This couple was famous because they decided to
leave their lives in modern Seoul in exchange for a more traditional
rural lifestyle. Adding to this is the small boy they have, who is
growing up in this traditional environment, in a village where there
is no one under the age of 30 (we were the youngest there). The film
crew were interested in his development without people his age and the
environment. He was clearly excited to see us!
They invited us for some herbal tea and homegrown food while we talked
about our lives (well they talked as it was all in Korean, I just ate,
played with the kid and the goats and had Sammy translate for me ).
They then took us to the paper-making factory, and showed us all the
equipment and process of making it. They also showed us some paintings
and sculptures using the paper, and gave us a few gifts.
Afterwards, they took us to the house where we were to stay the night.
It really was quite traditional, complete with paper doors and
windows, and a underground "ondol" heating system based on a fire lit
underneath the house, and having to sleep on the floor. At night we
could hear the sound of large insects scratching on the paper trying
to get in; I'm just glad it held or we would not have survived the
night!
The next day, after a nice breakfast at another villagers home, we
decided to walk to the lake near the village before heading g back to
Seoul. We walked along a trail until we came to the clear blue lake,
lying still and tranquil in the clear sunny day.
Afterwards, we headed back to the village, and visited the house of
the elder (who was a kind of local sheriff/mayor - the village
probably only consisted of 20+ people). He was kind enough to show us
his cow and his dog, who appeared in the documentary since they were
filmed as being best friends and always looking after each other.
However, we were disappointed to learn that since the cow had a new
baby calf, the cow and dog have stopped being close friends,
especially since the dog bit the calf, and now have to be separated
until the calf is big enough to look after itself without the mother
cow.
And so, after farewelling the villagers we have met, and after Sammy
managed to finally escape the little boy who kept following after her,
we left the village, back to civilisation!
Here is an account of a week travelling around Korea with my Korean girlfriend Sammy (So Hyun Yoo)...
Day 1: JEONJU CUISINE, DAMYANG AND THE BAMBOO FOREST
We left Seoul on a sunny morning, with poor Sammy having to drive us
through the whole of Korea since I don't have an international
license. Though the way people drive in this country, I'm not sure
people have any license at all. There's a saying that if you can drive
in Seoul, you can drive anywhere. This is true (with the exception of
Cairo, which is worse!)
Anyway, it is amazing what lies outside Seoul. Being inside, you think
the whole country is just one concrete jungle of polluted twisting
disorganised streets, apartment building clones, and traffic. But
venture outside the city and you'll find an amazing beautiful country
filled with mountain scenery (Korea is 70% mountains - a hikers
paradise), rivers, lakes, and old ancient stuff that should be tourist
sites but aren't really well known outside of Korea.
We stopped for lunch in the city of Jeonju, a few hours south of
Seoul, because I heard this city is famous for good quality
traditional food. One such speciality which I had was bimbimbap, a
rice dish topped with assorted fresh Asian vegetables and meat (raw or
cooked). Sometimes a fried or raw egg is added on top. It's all
arranged very nicely. Then you ruin it by squeezing a large amount of
red pepper paste and mixing it until it looks like a kind of reddish
fried rice. It's quite delicious and comes with a brothy soup and lots
of (free and with unlimited refills) side dishes (kimchi, salads,
seafood).
Korean style of eating always guarantees you're full - I love it!
So, stuffed from the nice lunch, we waddled back to the car and
continued to our destination - Damyang. This is an interesting
village, as it is famous for the bamboo forests that grow there.
Damyang is at the perfect latitude to grow bamboo, as the weather
conditions are ideal and always consistent.
We also visited an old abandoned large traditional villa, very
picturesque with stream, old stone bridges, and buildings of stone,
painted wood and paper walls. Sammy was my guide; there was no
mention of this in my guide book. The main entertainment room had 4
walls that swung vertically upward, turning it from a house to a
pagoda, which was good for hot or pleasant nights to drink and share
stories and music in the past.
Finally, we headed to our hotel for the night in a valley, surrounded
by other odd-looking kitsch novelty hotels. Some were shaped like
toadstools, others like castles or mountains. Most were lit up like
Christmas decorations at night! We chose the most normal looking one.
DAY 2: ADVENTURE ON JIRISAN MOUNTAIN
The next morning, we continued south for Jirisan, which is the second
highest mountain in Korea (1915m). We drove through stunning scenery,
ate fresh mountain food at a picturesque location, and observed
busloads of children being taken to a traditional Korean village in
the mountain. There are several of them here, where the villagers
still live as they did in the past, except with cell phones, cars and
satellite TV. They do still live in the old traditional houses, wear
traditional Hanbok peasant clothing, and address each other in
traditional old ways. It's like stepping into the 18th century here.
Anyway, the reason for the children visiting is actually not for the
history lesson, but to take them to "Etiquette schools" which are run
by the villagers. Basically, these kids are badly behaved and have no
manners or respect for other people. These "traditional people" are
used to teach and discipline them by, that's right, the "traditional
way".
So, we started our hike up to the very top of the mountain. The plan
was to hike 5 hours to a mountain hut near the top where we would stay
the night, before continuing another 1.5 hours to the top in time to
see the sunrise. The hike was a lot of fun but difficult. We would
walk along dirt trails strewn with oversized rocks, occasionally we
would have to climb over or around them. Sometimes we would walk over
precariously perched metal bridges with the sound of the stream below
running into pools of turquoise water where we would occasionally
splash ourselves to cool down. Some places along the way we saw
smaller rocks piled on top of larger ones like a mini pagoda.
Apparently they are from people who are making wishes. The last 2kms
was painful, having to clamber up a steep rocky trail; at times it
felt like actual rock climbing.
Finally, we reached the mountain hut, tired, hungry, and hoping to buy
some food for dinner, as we had (for some reason) not brought any with
us. To our disdain, we found the mountain hut only had a few things to
buy, so we had to settle for a small supper of canned tuna, rice and
canned peaches before settling down for the night in the crowded hut
full of smelly (but full because they had the sense to bring food)
middle aged men and women.
I swear that maybe I was in some sort of Korea's best snorer's
competition, and that I was sleeping between the two leading
competitors. The noise was deafening. On the left was an old guy whose
nose was getting a good workout; the guy on the right was probably the
weirdest snorer I've ever heard. His snore sounded like a duck
quacking.
I opened my eyes a few hours later (note, not awoken, since I didn't
get any sleep) to Sammy shaking me, suggesting that maybe we should
leave now and get there early, since we are not going to get any sleep
that night. I couldn't have agreed more! We left the snorers
convention and went up the mountain to the top incredibly tired,
hungry, and blind as it was still quite dark, and wary of the bears
that come out at night.
Finally, we made it to the top, and after a while waiting in the
freezing cold, we saw the sunrise. It is said that if you see the
sunrise on top of Jirisan, 3 generations of your offspring will have
good luck. My offspring? What about me? I did all the hard work! And I
think after the strenuous hike and sleepless night we just had, I
think the mountain should at least grant us 6 generations!
I was thinking in the back of my mind that I would propose to her on
top of this mountain when the sun rose, but considering our poor
condition, I didn't think it would be as nice as it could be. So,
after seeing the sunrise came the daunting task of coming back down
the mountain, which felt actually worse than going up due to no sleep,
no food, and tired sore limbs.
DAY 3: NAMHAE AND THE GERMAN VILLAGE
After a hearty much needed lunch, we drove further south to the
coastal Islands known collectively as Namhae (which means "South
Sea". 3 Islands off the main coast connected by large modern bridges,
it was quite nice to finally see some sun and surf (Seoul is on a
river, so you don't really see the beach there). For the first time in
a year, I was able to walk on the beach into the ocean! It doesn't
quite compete with the Great Ocean Road in Australia, but it was still
impressive.
We drove along the coastal roads enjoying the views, checking out some
museums and watching old women work in the rice paddy fields which
were terraced along the steep hills leading to the coast - looked like
giant curved steps had been carved on the side of the hills. We also
stopped to see the biggest oak tree I have ever seen! Finally, we
settled for the night at a German village.
Yes, that's right, German village. Apparently, during the 1960's,
Germany was in need of miners and nurses. So, many Korean people went
to Germany to make money. In the process they intermarried, or they
fell in love with German culture. In the end, some Koreans stayed in
Germany; the others came back with a desire to recreate what they
experienced. Thus, a group of Koreans designed and developed a whole
village in the German style, complete with German houses, flags,
gardens, and German people (who came with their Korean partners).
We stayed at a pension owned by a Korean, who I attempted to speak in
German (since my German at the time was better than my Korean). His
place commanded views of the harbour below, where we enjoyed a
(Korean) barbecue and beer, followed by a walk along the harbour. It
was quite peaceful and very quiet, which I felt wasn't quite German at
all (What? No German style pubs?)
DAY 4: TONGYEONG AND THE DINOSAUR PARK
We left Namhae with no clear idea of where to go next. We decided to
drive along the coast eastward and see where we would end up. On the
way we noticed a sign saying "Goesong Dinosaur Park". We had to check
it out!
Goesong Dinosaur Park is a modern large museum and dinosaur park on
the coast. The exhibits and specimens were impressive for a museum not
many people know about, and certainly allowed me to relive my
childhood days when I was fascinated by them.
What was also good about this museum is that you could walk down to
the coast past huge lifesize models of various dinosaurs. On the
coast, there were huge plains of solidified volcanic lava from ages
past, where, embedded in the rock, are thousands of dinosaur
footprints, of various kinds and sizes.
We continued along the south coast until we reached Tongyeong
(referred to as the "Naples of Korea" - Nice try guys!), a small
picturesque fishing town famous for handbags and their huge fish
market. Sammy bought a few good quality handmade handbags, and we
explored the fish markets where we saw all kinds of fish and unusual
seafood I never knew existed!
DAY 5: GAMPO - EAST COAST
The next morning, we walked along the harbour enjoying the sights. One
of the sights was the famous "Turtle Warships" designed by a great
Admiral and National hero.
These turtle warships consisted of a boat with a curved roof that
enclosed the whole ship like a turtle shell. This kept the crew inside
safe and dry. Portholes on the sides allowed for visibility and cannon
fire. It's almost like a water tank. The roof had spikes on top, which
would deter most enemies from trying to board and enter the boat.
Finally, there was a ram on the front of the boat, which could be used
to tip or puncture other enemy boats. The enemies at the time were the
Japanese, and these turtle boats were very effective at destroying
them during the Japanese invasions.
We then headed towards the east coast, driving quite a bit, getting
lost at one point, picked up an ancient hitch hiker, and finally
settling around the coastal town of Gampo. This town didn't have
anything special to see, but it did offer many rooms to stay right on
the east coast. Unfortunately for us though, they were all closed as
it was off-season. So, we settled for a hotel instead.
We explored the east coast a little more, visiting sites such as the
underwater tomb of an ancient king, which is marked by rocks 50m out
in the water, laid out in a way where you can imagine it to be a
dragon (but only if you squint, and have an overactive imagination).
DAY 6: GYEONGJU - CAPITAL OF THE 1000-YEAR ANCIENT SHILLA DYNASTY
From Gampo, we headed back inland towards the ancient town of
Gyeongju. On the way we went to Bulguska Temple, which is over 1000
years old and one of the most famous beautiful temples in Korea.
There were some huge stone pagodas, one plain, one decorated. I can't
remember the significance of them however.
We also visited the Seokgarum Grotto, which is one of Koreas most
valued national treasures.It was discovered one day when a shepherd,
caught in a rainstorm, seeked shelter in what looked like a cave. What
he found in there was something untouched for 1000 years. It was a
huge white stone Buddha, placed inside a hill, the interior lined with
stone in a dome shape, carved with ancient gods and protectors, so the
effect feels like you've walked into a hill to find a little temple
carved in stone inside it. Indeed it is a spectacular ancient
treasure which I think could rival some of the Ancient wonders of the
(western) world.
We entered Gyeongju, ancient capital of the the powerful Shilla
kingdom from 1000 years ago. The Shilla dynasty had such power in the
past that people liken it to the East version of Rome, with its power,
affluence and trade routes. In fact, they have even discovered Roman
coins and artifacts in some Shilla tombs, which proves there was trade
going on between the two countries at that time.
Then again, my information is largely supplied by the very nationalist
fiercely-proud Koreans.
We had lunch at a traditional "Sambap" place, Definitely one of my
favorite Korean meals, It's origins from Royalty banquets, Sambap
consists of not 1, or 5, but about 20 or more different dishes, of
various kimchi, meat, tofu, and seafood, eaten with rice and soup.
It's like a buffet for 1 (or 2). Your table is covered with so many
dishes you have nowhere to put your chopstick down! And the best thing
is that it's not really that expensive!
We then walked around a bit, observing many old buildings having left
their facades the same as it was 1000 years ago but only modifying the
inside. This is in order to preserve the beauty and the history of the
place by the government. The result leaves you feeling a little like
you've gone back in time (except they didn't have cars back then, or
soccer fields, or cell phone towers, or satellite dishes).
We visited some of the ancient Shilla tombs. These aren't just normal
tombs with gravestone as you'd expect. They were in fact huge burial
mounds that look like very neat circular hills (and in fact Koreans
treated it as such until they it dawned on them that those hills
aren't natural or normal, and after excavation and examination,
discovered they were actually tombs).
These are the Korean versions of Pyramids, where Royalty is buried in
a tomb of stone and left with many treasures, then covered over with a
sort of semi circular burial chamber, which is then covered with
stones and dirt.
We then went looking around for the famous Gyeongju bread, which is a
kind of bread filled with a red bean paste. There is one original shop
that makes it and a few varieties stemming from the original. To be
honest I don't know why it's so famous around Korea; I didn't think it
was mind-blowing stuff. But anyway we bought lots of them to
distribute to family and friends, which is what Koreans do when
they're in Gyeongju.
Afterwards, we went to a place called Anapji pond, which is a man made
lake designed by one of the Ancient Shilla kings as a place to
entertain guests. We walked around a series of colorful gazebos
located at various places around the large pond, enjoying the scenery,
the ducks, squirrels and various wildlife, and the sound of the loud
bullet trains that storm past just outside the peaceful park!
Anyway, Sammy had a nice surprise for me. She took me to a fancy 5
star hotel by the lakeside just in the outskirts of Seoul, as her
family had some sort of special membership that allowed them a great
discount on staying there So we had a nice view of the lake from
our nice balcony, where we enjoyed the sunset over Gyeongju bread and
wine.
Again, I was thinking of proposing to Sammy over the sunset, but I
guess suddenly I was overcome with shyness and I missed the
opportunity!
DAY 7: BULAT - A TRADITIONAL KOREAN VILLAGE
Originally we had planned to go to Seoroksan mountain and the hot
springs in Sokcho, on the north east coast, before heading back to
Seoul. But after Jirisan left us still with sore tired limbs, we
decided that we did not want to do any more hiking. So we had the
idea of trying to stay in a traditional Korean house in a traditional
rural village for fun. Sammy did some research and found a place that
would allow us to stay the night.
This is how, after driving a few hours through winding narrow mountain
roads, we ended up in Bulat, a tiny village nestled in the mountains
south of Seoul. This town is famous for making a kind of traditional
good quality paper using the old methods, which they then send for
sale in traditional Korean shops (I wonder how many times I'm going to
use the word "traditional" in this entry?) Anyway, I think I'm the
first foreigner to have ever visited the place, as I don't think
anyone else has heard of the place before or would even know how to
find it (as there's no public transport, and it's not easy to find by
car).
Anyway, we met a famous couple who featured in some Korean
documentaries there. This couple was famous because they decided to
leave their lives in modern Seoul in exchange for a more traditional
rural lifestyle. Adding to this is the small boy they have, who is
growing up in this traditional environment, in a village where there
is no one under the age of 30 (we were the youngest there). The film
crew were interested in his development without people his age and the
environment. He was clearly excited to see us!
They invited us for some herbal tea and homegrown food while we talked
about our lives (well they talked as it was all in Korean, I just ate,
played with the kid and the goats and had Sammy translate for me ).
They then took us to the paper-making factory, and showed us all the
equipment and process of making it. They also showed us some paintings
and sculptures using the paper, and gave us a few gifts.
Afterwards, they took us to the house where we were to stay the night.
It really was quite traditional, complete with paper doors and
windows, and a underground "ondol" heating system based on a fire lit
underneath the house, and having to sleep on the floor. At night we
could hear the sound of large insects scratching on the paper trying
to get in; I'm just glad it held or we would not have survived the
night!
The next day, after a nice breakfast at another villagers home, we
decided to walk to the lake near the village before heading g back to
Seoul. We walked along a trail until we came to the clear blue lake,
lying still and tranquil in the clear sunny day.
Afterwards, we headed back to the village, and visited the house of
the elder (who was a kind of local sheriff/mayor - the village
probably only consisted of 20+ people). He was kind enough to show us
his cow and his dog, who appeared in the documentary since they were
filmed as being best friends and always looking after each other.
However, we were disappointed to learn that since the cow had a new
baby calf, the cow and dog have stopped being close friends,
especially since the dog bit the calf, and now have to be separated
until the calf is big enough to look after itself without the mother
cow.
And so, after farewelling the villagers we have met, and after Sammy
managed to finally escape the little boy who kept following after her,
we left the village, back to civilisation!
Monday, April 9, 2007
In-SEOUL-ted!~ ^^
Annyeong, shiksa hashossoyo?*
*=hello, did you eat? = hello, how are you?
WHATS UP?
Yes I know it's been four months since I last wrote, but thats mainly
due to the fact that I've settled myself nicely in Korea and have not
really travelled to many places since, apart from hiking around some
mountain fortress walls of several fortress towns dotted around the
Seoul vicinity.
As many of you know, I also went back for a week to Australia to
attend a friends wedding and visit some of youse guys and family - It
was nice to be back home and should have probably stayed longer than a
week because it was over before I knew it!
Work has been same old same old, with a few extra teachers from
Australia beefing up the aussie contingent in Korea (as there are
hardly any here, they tend to go to Japan instead).
My work load is not too bad, as I am generally free for most of the
day (classes are usually in the mornings and at night due to people
working), but I would prefer not having to get up at 5:30am each
morning to teach a 6:45am class (and I don't think the students really
appreciate it too - however most of these students are made to by
their companies, and the students must attend at least 70% of all the
classes or else the student will have to pay for the lessons
themselves. English is such a critical skill to have to Korea as it
is usually one major factor that gets you a promotion).
It's also amazing that it was only less than a year ago that I didn't
know any grammar rules or how it works - now I can spout things like
"present perfect progressive" and "past participle" and actually know
what I'm talking about! I can finally know how to explain what
"unless" means, or the difference between "something" and "anything"!
YELLOW DUST PROBLEM
If extremely hot humid summers and freezing cold winters aren't enough
to drive you completely nuts in this country, it is usually around
this time of year that Korea suffers from
another environmental effect, this time partially man-made.
This is known as "Yellow Dust", which is basically sand from the Gobi
Desert in China that decides to go on vacation and scatter itself all
over Korea using the wind.
Now normally this wouldn't be so bad a problem, except this sand is
usually toxic and causes respiratory and skin allergy problems. It is
toxic because the sands are tainted with industrial chemical pollution
from Chinese factories in the desert.
Even I felt a little itchy and had a sore throat one particularly bad
yellow dust day, which often leaves the city bathed in a slight yellow
fog.
One way of avoiding breathing the dust is to stay indoors, street
washers wash the streets, and people wear paper masks over their mouth
and noise.
THE FORTRESS TOWNS SUWON AND NAMHANSAN
These fortress towns have massive walls that stretch of kilometres
around the city, kinda reminiscent of the Great Wall of China in
appearance and majesty.
Guard towers are located at regular intervals along the walls,
allowing for more spectacular views of the surrounding forests and
mountains beyond and below.
Inside the fortress walls lies the town itself, a collection of old
traditional style houses that have been there for several hundred
years and virtually unchanged (except for the addition of cable TV
and/or converted into a traditional style restaurant).
In the town of Suwon there is also a small palace featuring terrocotta
and wooden slanted roofs, the wooden beams holding it uniquely
characteristic of Korean culture, being colorfully painted in green
and cheerful brightly coloured patterns and murals (Japanese roofs are
unadorned, bland and drab in comparison).
Korean culture is famous for bright colors of white, red, yellow,
green, blue and black the most prominent in architecture, paintings
and traditional clothing. In fact, the social status or occupation of
a Korean in ancient times was displayed by the color clothing they
wore.
Inside this palace were courtyards containing courtyards containing
open buildings containing models of traditional costumes, weapons and
furniture. One courtyard contained traditional games that visitors
could play with, such as throwing rings around a pole from a distance,
the throwing of several large sticks up in the air and the way they
land determines the winner, and finally, a simple see-saw meets
trampoline, which differs from the child safe see-saw versions we know
of today, since these ones involve actual jumping up and down on a
see-saw and flying high in the air, careful how you land lest you end
up with the board coming up to meet you between the legs, or landing
too heavily on the ground resulting in back and neck pain!
THE CLAWS COME OUT
While at a Berlitz party with other teachers and students, I see one
of my female students standing alone, who shares a class with her best
friend. Her best friend was elsewhere talking to another teacher, so I
decide to talk to her. Feeling mischievious, I ask her:
"So, who do you think is better at english, you, or your best friend?"
"She is."
"O.K, what about who is more smarter?"
"She is."
"Really? O.K then, so who would win in a fight between you two?"
"Her, for sure."
She then starts to walk back to her best friend, but not before
turning her head around and saying:
"..But i'm prettier!!!"
Korean girls can be so "catty".
KONGLISH ANYONE?
Konglish is a collection of Korean words that have adopted English
words to describe or explain things that do not really exist in the
Korean language. Here are some examples:
"handy (phone)" = cell/mobile phone.
"eye-shopping" = window shopping.
"hwaiting!" = fighting! = Go (sports team)! Pretty much what you say
when you cheer your favorite team.
"one room" = studio apartment.
"apartment" = apartment building, rather than the apartment itself.
"big liver man" = brave/strong.
"one shot!" = bottoms up, said when taking a shot.
"cut out the film" = to pass out/black out after much drinking.
"make a promise" = make an appointment.
"make a meeting" = to go on a date.
"make a booking" = to go on a date that results in more adult
activities, what us westerners may call a "booty call" (in possibly a
love motel)*
"sexy bar" = topless bar (Korea are still conservative enough that
there are no strip bars)
"booby booby" = what one says to a girl in a club if they want to
pursue intimate relations with said girl (in possibly a love motel)*
"children's day" = a day when all the managers are at training outside
of work and employees are less stressed, and relax as a result.
"100 years guest" - usually referring to the son-in-law, who is always
welcome at the parents-in-law's house.
"skin-ship" = close friendship**
*A love motel is a series of hotels scattered around Korea that allows
you to rent one of their rooms for 2-3 hours at a reasonable price.
The reason for this is that most Koreans live at home, so to do
anything of an adult nature, Korean couples would go to these places.
Love motels have a seedy feel to them, especially with the drapes
covering the entrance to the parking area under the hotel so no one
can see the cars and couples that enter and leave.
**Even though Korean culture is quite conservative, it is quite ok for
close friends (usually of same gender) to touch each other by stroking
the arm/leg/thigh, and even holding hands or having their arms around
each other walking down the street. Hence the Konglish phrase
"skin-ship", a friendship so close there is skin contact.
Despite knowing this, it always catches me off guard whenever one of
my students reach out and stroke my arm/hand/thigh affectionately in
mid-sentence!
Another sign of good friendship is when they will carry your bag or
backpack for you, even when you try to decline or physically resist
their tugging at your bag!
Anyways, till next time,
Ciao!
*=hello, did you eat? = hello, how are you?
WHATS UP?
Yes I know it's been four months since I last wrote, but thats mainly
due to the fact that I've settled myself nicely in Korea and have not
really travelled to many places since, apart from hiking around some
mountain fortress walls of several fortress towns dotted around the
Seoul vicinity.
As many of you know, I also went back for a week to Australia to
attend a friends wedding and visit some of youse guys and family - It
was nice to be back home and should have probably stayed longer than a
week because it was over before I knew it!
Work has been same old same old, with a few extra teachers from
Australia beefing up the aussie contingent in Korea (as there are
hardly any here, they tend to go to Japan instead).
My work load is not too bad, as I am generally free for most of the
day (classes are usually in the mornings and at night due to people
working), but I would prefer not having to get up at 5:30am each
morning to teach a 6:45am class (and I don't think the students really
appreciate it too - however most of these students are made to by
their companies, and the students must attend at least 70% of all the
classes or else the student will have to pay for the lessons
themselves. English is such a critical skill to have to Korea as it
is usually one major factor that gets you a promotion).
It's also amazing that it was only less than a year ago that I didn't
know any grammar rules or how it works - now I can spout things like
"present perfect progressive" and "past participle" and actually know
what I'm talking about! I can finally know how to explain what
"unless" means, or the difference between "something" and "anything"!
YELLOW DUST PROBLEM
If extremely hot humid summers and freezing cold winters aren't enough
to drive you completely nuts in this country, it is usually around
this time of year that Korea suffers from
another environmental effect, this time partially man-made.
This is known as "Yellow Dust", which is basically sand from the Gobi
Desert in China that decides to go on vacation and scatter itself all
over Korea using the wind.
Now normally this wouldn't be so bad a problem, except this sand is
usually toxic and causes respiratory and skin allergy problems. It is
toxic because the sands are tainted with industrial chemical pollution
from Chinese factories in the desert.
Even I felt a little itchy and had a sore throat one particularly bad
yellow dust day, which often leaves the city bathed in a slight yellow
fog.
One way of avoiding breathing the dust is to stay indoors, street
washers wash the streets, and people wear paper masks over their mouth
and noise.
THE FORTRESS TOWNS SUWON AND NAMHANSAN
These fortress towns have massive walls that stretch of kilometres
around the city, kinda reminiscent of the Great Wall of China in
appearance and majesty.
Guard towers are located at regular intervals along the walls,
allowing for more spectacular views of the surrounding forests and
mountains beyond and below.
Inside the fortress walls lies the town itself, a collection of old
traditional style houses that have been there for several hundred
years and virtually unchanged (except for the addition of cable TV
and/or converted into a traditional style restaurant).
In the town of Suwon there is also a small palace featuring terrocotta
and wooden slanted roofs, the wooden beams holding it uniquely
characteristic of Korean culture, being colorfully painted in green
and cheerful brightly coloured patterns and murals (Japanese roofs are
unadorned, bland and drab in comparison).
Korean culture is famous for bright colors of white, red, yellow,
green, blue and black the most prominent in architecture, paintings
and traditional clothing. In fact, the social status or occupation of
a Korean in ancient times was displayed by the color clothing they
wore.
Inside this palace were courtyards containing courtyards containing
open buildings containing models of traditional costumes, weapons and
furniture. One courtyard contained traditional games that visitors
could play with, such as throwing rings around a pole from a distance,
the throwing of several large sticks up in the air and the way they
land determines the winner, and finally, a simple see-saw meets
trampoline, which differs from the child safe see-saw versions we know
of today, since these ones involve actual jumping up and down on a
see-saw and flying high in the air, careful how you land lest you end
up with the board coming up to meet you between the legs, or landing
too heavily on the ground resulting in back and neck pain!
THE CLAWS COME OUT
While at a Berlitz party with other teachers and students, I see one
of my female students standing alone, who shares a class with her best
friend. Her best friend was elsewhere talking to another teacher, so I
decide to talk to her. Feeling mischievious, I ask her:
"So, who do you think is better at english, you, or your best friend?"
"She is."
"O.K, what about who is more smarter?"
"She is."
"Really? O.K then, so who would win in a fight between you two?"
"Her, for sure."
She then starts to walk back to her best friend, but not before
turning her head around and saying:
"..But i'm prettier!!!"
Korean girls can be so "catty".
KONGLISH ANYONE?
Konglish is a collection of Korean words that have adopted English
words to describe or explain things that do not really exist in the
Korean language. Here are some examples:
"handy (phone)" = cell/mobile phone.
"eye-shopping" = window shopping.
"hwaiting!" = fighting! = Go (sports team)! Pretty much what you say
when you cheer your favorite team.
"one room" = studio apartment.
"apartment" = apartment building, rather than the apartment itself.
"big liver man" = brave/strong.
"one shot!" = bottoms up, said when taking a shot.
"cut out the film" = to pass out/black out after much drinking.
"make a promise" = make an appointment.
"make a meeting" = to go on a date.
"make a booking" = to go on a date that results in more adult
activities, what us westerners may call a "booty call" (in possibly a
love motel)*
"sexy bar" = topless bar (Korea are still conservative enough that
there are no strip bars)
"booby booby" = what one says to a girl in a club if they want to
pursue intimate relations with said girl (in possibly a love motel)*
"children's day" = a day when all the managers are at training outside
of work and employees are less stressed, and relax as a result.
"100 years guest" - usually referring to the son-in-law, who is always
welcome at the parents-in-law's house.
"skin-ship" = close friendship**
*A love motel is a series of hotels scattered around Korea that allows
you to rent one of their rooms for 2-3 hours at a reasonable price.
The reason for this is that most Koreans live at home, so to do
anything of an adult nature, Korean couples would go to these places.
Love motels have a seedy feel to them, especially with the drapes
covering the entrance to the parking area under the hotel so no one
can see the cars and couples that enter and leave.
**Even though Korean culture is quite conservative, it is quite ok for
close friends (usually of same gender) to touch each other by stroking
the arm/leg/thigh, and even holding hands or having their arms around
each other walking down the street. Hence the Konglish phrase
"skin-ship", a friendship so close there is skin contact.
Despite knowing this, it always catches me off guard whenever one of
my students reach out and stroke my arm/hand/thigh affectionately in
mid-sentence!
Another sign of good friendship is when they will carry your bag or
backpack for you, even when you try to decline or physically resist
their tugging at your bag!
Anyways, till next time,
Ciao!
Saturday, December 30, 2006
North Korea, Thanksgiving and Seoul much more!
Annyeong Haseyo!
It has been a while since I last wrote, I've been very busy this last
month with work and socialising with friends and workmates (my center
is now dubbed "the gayest Berlitz centre in the world" due to the high
number of gay people working there (now and in the past). However, the
students and local Korean staff have no idea, and it is kept secret
since Koreans can be quite prejudiced conservative people. Though with
some of the shenanigans my colleagues get up to, I'm surprised no one
suspects anything... )
STUDENTS HAVE THE STRANGEST NAMES
Some examples of "English" names my students have made for themselves include:
-Shape
-Daisy (for a guy)
-June (also for a guy)
-Green
-Ring Ding (could you take a Chinese prosecutor with a name like that
seriously?)
-Tomohawk
-Sooggie
-Zephyr
-HB
-Tom Cruise
-Yeerik (what are we - Norwegen?)
-Hans (or German, Ja?)
GIVING THANKS TO FOOD
I've also experienced my first Thanksgiving dinner at a friends house,
complete with 30 pound turkey (ordered from the US army base), ham,
sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce and, since there were Koreans invited,
kimbap (which is Korean sushi) and soju (korean vodka). A bit of east
meets west, and probably the strangest and most energetic Thanksgiving
to date (according to my American friends). What's Thanksgiving about,
I'm not quite sure, something about thanking the American Natives for
saving the founders of the modern US from starvation, and turkeys
being a native bird in the US. Whatever it means, as long as there is
good plentiful food, I am happy.
NO WHITE CHRISTMAS FOR ME...AGAIN
Christmas day was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, no clouds in
the sky, and it was quite warm. Which was exactly what I didn't want!
I wanted miserable, cloudly, cold winter with lots of lots of snow!!
This is my third Christmas on the other side of the world where it is
cold (one in England, the other in Germany), and still no White
Christmas, no snow! Even the snow from the week before had completely
melted away!
Anyway, Christmas was a spread out smaller affair, starting with a
Christmas Eve buffet lunch at the Grand Hyatt hotel (it was expensive,
but hey its 1) Christmas, and 2) The Hyatt!), followed by Christmas
day spent with a smaller turkey, ham and DVDs with friends, ending
with a night in with - that's right - Sammy, over a bottle of wine at
my house. Christmas, sadly enough, is not a grandious affair in Korea.
Koreans generally spend Christmas by going to church (if they are
Christian), eating Christmas cake, and - if you are in a couple -
spending time with your loved one..
JAMES VENTURES INTO NORTH KOREA
I thought it was about time to go visit a place I've always been
curious to see after I first heard about it. This is the DMZ
(DeMilitarized Zone), which is the front line between North and South
Korea, who are technically still at war. In fact, small fights and
deaths occur frequently, to the point that no one really reads or
hears about it except through Koreans who have undergone compulsory
2year military service. Anyway, the interesting thing about this
place is that even though it is a DMZ, an 4km wide area where no
weapons are allowed, it is probably the most fortified area in perhaps
the world, but so cleverly concealed you can't tell. Also, because no
one really sets foot in the place (except ironically, the military),
it has also become a beautiful nature preserve, where rare and exotic
animals and plants florish without human intervention.
Anyway, tourists are not allowed to visit the DMZ except in one place,
which is called JSA (Joint Security Area). This area is where the DMZ
shrinks to a point where the border is, allowing both North and South
Korea to build a town (called Pammujemun) together with the UN, that
both countries protect and control. This town is used for diplomatic
and political meetings. The border goes right through the center of
the town. It was also the scene of a brutal axe murder of a South
Korean officer by a gang of North Korean soldiers which led to the
most expensive tree cutting operation in the world (more on that
later).
To visit the place, you must be a foreigner, and you can only go as a
tour group. So, one cold early morning, I went to the US army base
with some friends to join the tours they conduct of the area.
The tour started with a briefing on the history of DMZ, JSA, and the
stories that have come from it. The Axe Murder Incident was due to
the layout of the town, which featured several guard posts belonging
to either North or South Korea. The location of these guard posts were
scattered around in each other's country (North has more guard posts
in South Korea territory than vice versa). The view from from one such
isolated South Korean guard post in North Korean soil to another North
Korean guard post was obsured by a huge oak tree. Thus it was
necessary to lop the branches off so SK guardpost can see the NK
guardpost. (the NK guardpost had no problems seeing the SK one).
So one day, a SK captain, 1 SK soldier and an SK tree surgeon went up
to the tree to perform the tree pruning. All of a sudden, about 20NK
soldiers ran up to them in a planned ambushed and hacked them to
pieces with their axes. It is unclear why they decided to do this, but
the result was the closest NK and SK have been to the brink of war
since the ceasefire. The next day, huge battalions of soldiers, tanks
and helicopters converged onto the JSA, to observe the cutting down of
the huge oak tree and as a display of force - the tension must have
been incredible for the poor tree cutter. And it is because of this
incident that NK and SK soldiers are not allowed to cross the border
Anyway, we were driven from the US Army base to the JSA. We were
warned we were not allowed to take photos of certain places for
military reasons, and that we had to have our passports checked to
make sure we were foreigners and not spies or South Koreans.
One interesting thing I noted was the wire fences along the border
that contained white stones in the fencing. This is because it is a
cheap and easy way to tell if there is a breach or interference in the
border fencing, since the stones will drop out it the fence is
tampered with. (Though I didn't dare point out that the intruder could
just simply replace the stones, rendering their idea useless).
We also passed the Rapid Response Unit Camp which is about 1km away
from JSA. Apparently these highly trained soldiers, in event of
emergency, could be dressed, equipped in full battle gear, and reach
JSA in a jeep in 38 seconds!! Very impressive!
The first thing you notice upon entering the JSA is the stance adopted
by both NK and SK soldiers. The NK soldiers were brown uniforms and
stand to attention as normal. The SK soldiers however take an
aggressive stance. Wearing blue uniforms, helmets, and big dark
sunglasses to appear aggressive, the SK soldiers stand legs spread
like an A frame, and the arms sticking out along them. It looks like
they are about to do star jumps. Also, they don't stand directly
exposed to the North Korea side, but half exposed, the other half
hidden behind a building or obstacle. This is to prevent snipers from
trying to shoot them.
You can also see the border, which is a thick line of concrete running
across the town. Since the Axe Murder Incident, NK and SK soldiers
cannot cross this border (in the past they were allowed to. Our guide
joked that a stray dog running back and forth across this line is a
dog that is continually defecting.) However, there is a UN building
that tourists are allowed to go in, which is built with half of it in
NK and the other in SK. Meaning effectively you can cross the border
into North Korea here.
It's sad, but I was a little excited to have the chance to step into
the other side of the room and technically enter North Korea. It
didn't really feel any different. I was told sometimes the NK
soldiers would come down and look through the windows at us. They
would also make throat cutting actions to any SK soldiers inside,
which the SK soldiers consider hilarious, if they were allowed to
smile or talk that is.
We were also shown the two opposing towns across from each other near
the border. Freedom Village (SK), and Propaganda Village (NK), named
because of the way they would play propaganda on loud speakers
encouraging SK people to defect to NK. The two villages also have huge
flag masts proudly flying their nations flag. NK naturally had to have
one almost twice the size of SK's one. At 170m high and supporting a
30m large flag, the NK flag is the biggest flag in the world!
We also had a look at one of the many tunnels that NK had tried to dig
through to SK, so in an event of war, NK could invade SK straight to
Seoul through them. These tunnels were found by accident (NK denying
that it's a tunnel, claiming its a coal mine instead - not a smart
move considering there is no coal within), and it is speculated that
there is one more tunnel that already reaches Seoul, but has not been
found yet, and no proof to accuse NK of it.
At the conclusion of the trip, we went to an observatory overlooking
the pristine conditions of the DMZ. Here we were told no photographs
due to snipers picking us out. We were also told we could see a huge
golden statue of the NK president from here, though visibility due to
mist was poor.
I also heard stories from the trip (and from my students -most who
have done the compulsory military service) of many NK people defecting
in the night. Even NK soldiers would defect, crossing with all their
weapons etc. One student recounted a scary moment, where, late at
night, he and his officer were filling in paperwork in their guard
post when they heard a voice behind them saying "I want to defect to
SK". They turned around to see a NK soldier with a rifle. If the NK
soldier was there for anything else than defecting, my student would
not be here today!
NO SUCH THING AS OVERDRINKING IN KOREA
As the festive season ends, it is worth nothing that Koreans are the
biggest alcoholics in the world, where it is customary for them to get
completely sloshed on a night out, mixing all kinds of alcohol in
great abundance at at least three different places. Generally this is
how Koreans build friendships and consolidate busines relationships,
because they believe being drunk helps people become more intimate
with each other. Which kinda makes sense considering that most Koreans
are shy and conservative people on the outside.
Anyway, I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!~ ^^
It has been a while since I last wrote, I've been very busy this last
month with work and socialising with friends and workmates (my center
is now dubbed "the gayest Berlitz centre in the world" due to the high
number of gay people working there (now and in the past). However, the
students and local Korean staff have no idea, and it is kept secret
since Koreans can be quite prejudiced conservative people. Though with
some of the shenanigans my colleagues get up to, I'm surprised no one
suspects anything... )
STUDENTS HAVE THE STRANGEST NAMES
Some examples of "English" names my students have made for themselves include:
-Shape
-Daisy (for a guy)
-June (also for a guy)
-Green
-Ring Ding (could you take a Chinese prosecutor with a name like that
seriously?)
-Tomohawk
-Sooggie
-Zephyr
-HB
-Tom Cruise
-Yeerik (what are we - Norwegen?)
-Hans (or German, Ja?)
GIVING THANKS TO FOOD
I've also experienced my first Thanksgiving dinner at a friends house,
complete with 30 pound turkey (ordered from the US army base), ham,
sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce and, since there were Koreans invited,
kimbap (which is Korean sushi) and soju (korean vodka). A bit of east
meets west, and probably the strangest and most energetic Thanksgiving
to date (according to my American friends). What's Thanksgiving about,
I'm not quite sure, something about thanking the American Natives for
saving the founders of the modern US from starvation, and turkeys
being a native bird in the US. Whatever it means, as long as there is
good plentiful food, I am happy.
NO WHITE CHRISTMAS FOR ME...AGAIN
Christmas day was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, no clouds in
the sky, and it was quite warm. Which was exactly what I didn't want!
I wanted miserable, cloudly, cold winter with lots of lots of snow!!
This is my third Christmas on the other side of the world where it is
cold (one in England, the other in Germany), and still no White
Christmas, no snow! Even the snow from the week before had completely
melted away!
Anyway, Christmas was a spread out smaller affair, starting with a
Christmas Eve buffet lunch at the Grand Hyatt hotel (it was expensive,
but hey its 1) Christmas, and 2) The Hyatt!), followed by Christmas
day spent with a smaller turkey, ham and DVDs with friends, ending
with a night in with - that's right - Sammy, over a bottle of wine at
my house. Christmas, sadly enough, is not a grandious affair in Korea.
Koreans generally spend Christmas by going to church (if they are
Christian), eating Christmas cake, and - if you are in a couple -
spending time with your loved one..
JAMES VENTURES INTO NORTH KOREA
I thought it was about time to go visit a place I've always been
curious to see after I first heard about it. This is the DMZ
(DeMilitarized Zone), which is the front line between North and South
Korea, who are technically still at war. In fact, small fights and
deaths occur frequently, to the point that no one really reads or
hears about it except through Koreans who have undergone compulsory
2year military service. Anyway, the interesting thing about this
place is that even though it is a DMZ, an 4km wide area where no
weapons are allowed, it is probably the most fortified area in perhaps
the world, but so cleverly concealed you can't tell. Also, because no
one really sets foot in the place (except ironically, the military),
it has also become a beautiful nature preserve, where rare and exotic
animals and plants florish without human intervention.
Anyway, tourists are not allowed to visit the DMZ except in one place,
which is called JSA (Joint Security Area). This area is where the DMZ
shrinks to a point where the border is, allowing both North and South
Korea to build a town (called Pammujemun) together with the UN, that
both countries protect and control. This town is used for diplomatic
and political meetings. The border goes right through the center of
the town. It was also the scene of a brutal axe murder of a South
Korean officer by a gang of North Korean soldiers which led to the
most expensive tree cutting operation in the world (more on that
later).
To visit the place, you must be a foreigner, and you can only go as a
tour group. So, one cold early morning, I went to the US army base
with some friends to join the tours they conduct of the area.
The tour started with a briefing on the history of DMZ, JSA, and the
stories that have come from it. The Axe Murder Incident was due to
the layout of the town, which featured several guard posts belonging
to either North or South Korea. The location of these guard posts were
scattered around in each other's country (North has more guard posts
in South Korea territory than vice versa). The view from from one such
isolated South Korean guard post in North Korean soil to another North
Korean guard post was obsured by a huge oak tree. Thus it was
necessary to lop the branches off so SK guardpost can see the NK
guardpost. (the NK guardpost had no problems seeing the SK one).
So one day, a SK captain, 1 SK soldier and an SK tree surgeon went up
to the tree to perform the tree pruning. All of a sudden, about 20NK
soldiers ran up to them in a planned ambushed and hacked them to
pieces with their axes. It is unclear why they decided to do this, but
the result was the closest NK and SK have been to the brink of war
since the ceasefire. The next day, huge battalions of soldiers, tanks
and helicopters converged onto the JSA, to observe the cutting down of
the huge oak tree and as a display of force - the tension must have
been incredible for the poor tree cutter. And it is because of this
incident that NK and SK soldiers are not allowed to cross the border
Anyway, we were driven from the US Army base to the JSA. We were
warned we were not allowed to take photos of certain places for
military reasons, and that we had to have our passports checked to
make sure we were foreigners and not spies or South Koreans.
One interesting thing I noted was the wire fences along the border
that contained white stones in the fencing. This is because it is a
cheap and easy way to tell if there is a breach or interference in the
border fencing, since the stones will drop out it the fence is
tampered with. (Though I didn't dare point out that the intruder could
just simply replace the stones, rendering their idea useless).
We also passed the Rapid Response Unit Camp which is about 1km away
from JSA. Apparently these highly trained soldiers, in event of
emergency, could be dressed, equipped in full battle gear, and reach
JSA in a jeep in 38 seconds!! Very impressive!
The first thing you notice upon entering the JSA is the stance adopted
by both NK and SK soldiers. The NK soldiers were brown uniforms and
stand to attention as normal. The SK soldiers however take an
aggressive stance. Wearing blue uniforms, helmets, and big dark
sunglasses to appear aggressive, the SK soldiers stand legs spread
like an A frame, and the arms sticking out along them. It looks like
they are about to do star jumps. Also, they don't stand directly
exposed to the North Korea side, but half exposed, the other half
hidden behind a building or obstacle. This is to prevent snipers from
trying to shoot them.
You can also see the border, which is a thick line of concrete running
across the town. Since the Axe Murder Incident, NK and SK soldiers
cannot cross this border (in the past they were allowed to. Our guide
joked that a stray dog running back and forth across this line is a
dog that is continually defecting.) However, there is a UN building
that tourists are allowed to go in, which is built with half of it in
NK and the other in SK. Meaning effectively you can cross the border
into North Korea here.
It's sad, but I was a little excited to have the chance to step into
the other side of the room and technically enter North Korea. It
didn't really feel any different. I was told sometimes the NK
soldiers would come down and look through the windows at us. They
would also make throat cutting actions to any SK soldiers inside,
which the SK soldiers consider hilarious, if they were allowed to
smile or talk that is.
We were also shown the two opposing towns across from each other near
the border. Freedom Village (SK), and Propaganda Village (NK), named
because of the way they would play propaganda on loud speakers
encouraging SK people to defect to NK. The two villages also have huge
flag masts proudly flying their nations flag. NK naturally had to have
one almost twice the size of SK's one. At 170m high and supporting a
30m large flag, the NK flag is the biggest flag in the world!
We also had a look at one of the many tunnels that NK had tried to dig
through to SK, so in an event of war, NK could invade SK straight to
Seoul through them. These tunnels were found by accident (NK denying
that it's a tunnel, claiming its a coal mine instead - not a smart
move considering there is no coal within), and it is speculated that
there is one more tunnel that already reaches Seoul, but has not been
found yet, and no proof to accuse NK of it.
At the conclusion of the trip, we went to an observatory overlooking
the pristine conditions of the DMZ. Here we were told no photographs
due to snipers picking us out. We were also told we could see a huge
golden statue of the NK president from here, though visibility due to
mist was poor.
I also heard stories from the trip (and from my students -most who
have done the compulsory military service) of many NK people defecting
in the night. Even NK soldiers would defect, crossing with all their
weapons etc. One student recounted a scary moment, where, late at
night, he and his officer were filling in paperwork in their guard
post when they heard a voice behind them saying "I want to defect to
SK". They turned around to see a NK soldier with a rifle. If the NK
soldier was there for anything else than defecting, my student would
not be here today!
NO SUCH THING AS OVERDRINKING IN KOREA
As the festive season ends, it is worth nothing that Koreans are the
biggest alcoholics in the world, where it is customary for them to get
completely sloshed on a night out, mixing all kinds of alcohol in
great abundance at at least three different places. Generally this is
how Koreans build friendships and consolidate busines relationships,
because they believe being drunk helps people become more intimate
with each other. Which kinda makes sense considering that most Koreans
are shy and conservative people on the outside.
Anyway, I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!~ ^^
Monday, December 11, 2006
Seouly Moley!
Yoboseyo!
WEIRD KOREAN SAYINGS
"A wife like a fox is better than a wife like a bear". Huh?
"The smell of 'jun-uh' (type of fish) makes even the daughter-in-law
come back home". What the?!
The love of son-in-law is mother-in-law." Sounds disturbing to me...
UPDATE ON MY LIFE
Well, winter has finally arrived in the Korean Peninsula (actually,
more like assaulted since it happened all of a sudden). It's bitterly
cold, and we're not even in the coldest months! If North Korea nukes
us at least we'd be warm (though we won't be around long enough to
appreciate it). I find it hard to comprehend how with the temperature
and weather extremes from hot and humid to dry and freezing, Korean
people still manage look so youthful and vibrant, and have such good
skin. There must be a secret they're are hiding from me and the
world...
Not much has been happening of late, except that i'm working pretty
much every day now (although by choice - and what a dumb choice that
was). I'm also doing a language exchange with a Korean girl I call
Caroline, who for helping her with her English, I get to practise and
learn Korean in return. With this and learning Korean through the
computer, I've learnt quite a lot so far (ku goshi che yonpilul
anissoyo - that is not my pencil!)
I have also done some sightseeing, and have plans to visit North
Korean territory next week when I head off to visit the DMZ
(Demilitarised Zone), which is the most heavily fortified front line
in the world between two countries at war (and yet also happens to be
a tourist attraction - go figure).
Anyway, one place I visited was Inwangsan mountain, which is just to
the north of the city center. Yep, it's surprising, but you can
actually go up to wilderness even in the middle of the city!
Inwangsan mountain is famous for this shamanistic shrines and buddhist
temples, where buddhisim and shamanism is still practised today. If
you're lucky you would see worshippers performing drumming and singing
ceremonies complete with traditional garments, food offerings and
dancing - rituals that have not changed from when it was first
created. Inwangsan also offers some lovely hiking trails where you can
see a Salvador Dali-esque landscape of naturally sculpted rocks - some
with uncanny resemblences to human forms - and views of the city and
ancient original city walls below amongst the mountain foliage. Oh,
and this is probably the only tourist sight in the world that involves
entering via walking through a massive construction site where you
have to dodge huge cranes and bulldozers operating around you and
workers playing with water hoses.
Seosomum prison is a disturbing place. It was a concentration camp
used by the Japanese to torture and murder Koreans fighting for their
independance during the Japanese occupation. The Koreans are very
bitter against the Japanese for this, and is evident in the depiction
of them in tacky dioramas complete with awkward mechanical puppets,
badly recorded sound effects and flashing lights which are great for
inducing seizures. There's even a torture room where you can witness
first hand what they went through. In all, I was quite deeply moved
(and 'tortured' - ha ha!) by what I learnt in the place.
Finally, the War museum, which is absolutely marvellous and definitely
a must see if you are into seeing big tanks, war planes, missiles,
missile launchers and submarines. The grounds of the war museum looks
like some giant kid had left out all their army toys scattered on the
grass and walked off!
But what puts the war museum on top of my list of things to see in
Korea is the military perfomances they put on every Friday afternoon.
Here you can witness the military rifle twirling (performed by hot
girls in short skirts), sword and spear fighting (performed by not so
hot guys in traditional war uniforms), traditional and modern day
drumming, and all other kinds of entertainment - and it's all free!
CANDY DAY!
Yay!~ ^^ The Koreans - ever creative - have come up with a way to
celebrate the fact that the 11th of November (i.e 11/11) looks like
peperon, a type of cylindrical wafer biscuit stick with one end dipped
in chocolates and nuts. So on this joyous day, friends and family go
around giving each other this delectable type of candy!
KOREANS HAVE THEIR OWN SCARY MONSTERS TOO!
Just when I thought Koreans couldn't be any more inventive, I learn
about their own "scary" creatures that go bump in the night.
My favorite has to be the hwanjangshil gwinsin, or toilet ghost. This
ghost is actually a red hand that comes out of the traditional
hole-in-the-ground toilets when one reaches for the toilet paper, and
asks you "do you want red toilet paper, or blue toilet paper." If you
answer, you die instantly! Apparently you could get away with saying
"I don't use toilet paper, I use a bidet"!
Also running rampant in the ghostly realm are the Chenyeo gwinsin, or
virgin ghost. This is usually the spirit of a girl who died before
getting married, and is not happy about it. Described with having long
white hair, a pale white face, and a drop of blood on one side of
mouth. Her counterpart is the Mongal gwinsin, or male bachelor ghost.
This ghost has no face. Blamed for bad circumstances and events
occuring after their deaths, the only way to
be rid of them is to perform a ghost wedding ceremony so that they can
finally get married and find peace (Find peace?! And I thought that
getting married was the cause of more discontent! )
Finally, the Gumiho, which is a fox with nine tails that can
transform into a beautiful girl. This "foxy lady" (pardon the pun)
then lures young men in the mountains to bed where she then eats their
livers. Everytime she eats a liver she becomes closer to her goal of
eventually becoming human!
NEED A CHEAP THRILL? CATCH A KOREAN BUS
There is not much else that compares to the thrills and hazards of
catching a Korean bus. Often seen careening down the street at
breakneck speed - yet somehow managing to fly through narrow gaps of
traffic that had opened for a split second, and avoid accidents,
scratches, dents or pulverised vehicles (or people) - buses develop
your sense of balance: They are also a good workout for your muscles
as you brace yourself lest your arm joints be wrenched off at the
sudden change of direction from forwards to sideways.
Yet it seems that no one seems to mind, even old people take it in
their stride (forced that is, since they are litterally flung to the
back of the bus after having just entered it).
However, despite these shortcomings, buses are very reliable,
frequent, and although fearing impending disaster whenever you enter
these metal boxes of doom, you somehow arrive safely at your
destination (albeit with bruises and dislocated limbs, that is).
AJUMMA!
Ajummas are a type of old Korean woman, often the victim of
stereotyping. They are usually stereotyped as old, ill manned, short
unattractive married women, over the age of 30, with badly permed hair
and bad dress sense, and that their function in life is only to serve
their husband and family. They are usually considered rude and
uncaring of the world around them. Ajummas are generally seen running
and serving at "ma/pa shops" (small grocery shops), or street food
stalls. These street food stalls can range from a small setup serving
basic street fare, to the "portable restaurant" street stall complete
with several plastic tables and chairs all contained in a clear
plastic tent to keep out the elements which takes up the whole
pavement.
WEIRD KOREAN SAYINGS
"A wife like a fox is better than a wife like a bear". Huh?
"The smell of 'jun-uh' (type of fish) makes even the daughter-in-law
come back home". What the?!
The love of son-in-law is mother-in-law." Sounds disturbing to me...
UPDATE ON MY LIFE
Well, winter has finally arrived in the Korean Peninsula (actually,
more like assaulted since it happened all of a sudden). It's bitterly
cold, and we're not even in the coldest months! If North Korea nukes
us at least we'd be warm (though we won't be around long enough to
appreciate it). I find it hard to comprehend how with the temperature
and weather extremes from hot and humid to dry and freezing, Korean
people still manage look so youthful and vibrant, and have such good
skin. There must be a secret they're are hiding from me and the
world...
Not much has been happening of late, except that i'm working pretty
much every day now (although by choice - and what a dumb choice that
was). I'm also doing a language exchange with a Korean girl I call
Caroline, who for helping her with her English, I get to practise and
learn Korean in return. With this and learning Korean through the
computer, I've learnt quite a lot so far (ku goshi che yonpilul
anissoyo - that is not my pencil!)
I have also done some sightseeing, and have plans to visit North
Korean territory next week when I head off to visit the DMZ
(Demilitarised Zone), which is the most heavily fortified front line
in the world between two countries at war (and yet also happens to be
a tourist attraction - go figure).
Anyway, one place I visited was Inwangsan mountain, which is just to
the north of the city center. Yep, it's surprising, but you can
actually go up to wilderness even in the middle of the city!
Inwangsan mountain is famous for this shamanistic shrines and buddhist
temples, where buddhisim and shamanism is still practised today. If
you're lucky you would see worshippers performing drumming and singing
ceremonies complete with traditional garments, food offerings and
dancing - rituals that have not changed from when it was first
created. Inwangsan also offers some lovely hiking trails where you can
see a Salvador Dali-esque landscape of naturally sculpted rocks - some
with uncanny resemblences to human forms - and views of the city and
ancient original city walls below amongst the mountain foliage. Oh,
and this is probably the only tourist sight in the world that involves
entering via walking through a massive construction site where you
have to dodge huge cranes and bulldozers operating around you and
workers playing with water hoses.
Seosomum prison is a disturbing place. It was a concentration camp
used by the Japanese to torture and murder Koreans fighting for their
independance during the Japanese occupation. The Koreans are very
bitter against the Japanese for this, and is evident in the depiction
of them in tacky dioramas complete with awkward mechanical puppets,
badly recorded sound effects and flashing lights which are great for
inducing seizures. There's even a torture room where you can witness
first hand what they went through. In all, I was quite deeply moved
(and 'tortured' - ha ha!) by what I learnt in the place.
Finally, the War museum, which is absolutely marvellous and definitely
a must see if you are into seeing big tanks, war planes, missiles,
missile launchers and submarines. The grounds of the war museum looks
like some giant kid had left out all their army toys scattered on the
grass and walked off!
But what puts the war museum on top of my list of things to see in
Korea is the military perfomances they put on every Friday afternoon.
Here you can witness the military rifle twirling (performed by hot
girls in short skirts), sword and spear fighting (performed by not so
hot guys in traditional war uniforms), traditional and modern day
drumming, and all other kinds of entertainment - and it's all free!
CANDY DAY!
Yay!~ ^^ The Koreans - ever creative - have come up with a way to
celebrate the fact that the 11th of November (i.e 11/11) looks like
peperon, a type of cylindrical wafer biscuit stick with one end dipped
in chocolates and nuts. So on this joyous day, friends and family go
around giving each other this delectable type of candy!
KOREANS HAVE THEIR OWN SCARY MONSTERS TOO!
Just when I thought Koreans couldn't be any more inventive, I learn
about their own "scary" creatures that go bump in the night.
My favorite has to be the hwanjangshil gwinsin, or toilet ghost. This
ghost is actually a red hand that comes out of the traditional
hole-in-the-ground toilets when one reaches for the toilet paper, and
asks you "do you want red toilet paper, or blue toilet paper." If you
answer, you die instantly! Apparently you could get away with saying
"I don't use toilet paper, I use a bidet"!
Also running rampant in the ghostly realm are the Chenyeo gwinsin, or
virgin ghost. This is usually the spirit of a girl who died before
getting married, and is not happy about it. Described with having long
white hair, a pale white face, and a drop of blood on one side of
mouth. Her counterpart is the Mongal gwinsin, or male bachelor ghost.
This ghost has no face. Blamed for bad circumstances and events
occuring after their deaths, the only way to
be rid of them is to perform a ghost wedding ceremony so that they can
finally get married and find peace (Find peace?! And I thought that
getting married was the cause of more discontent! )
Finally, the Gumiho, which is a fox with nine tails that can
transform into a beautiful girl. This "foxy lady" (pardon the pun)
then lures young men in the mountains to bed where she then eats their
livers. Everytime she eats a liver she becomes closer to her goal of
eventually becoming human!
NEED A CHEAP THRILL? CATCH A KOREAN BUS
There is not much else that compares to the thrills and hazards of
catching a Korean bus. Often seen careening down the street at
breakneck speed - yet somehow managing to fly through narrow gaps of
traffic that had opened for a split second, and avoid accidents,
scratches, dents or pulverised vehicles (or people) - buses develop
your sense of balance: They are also a good workout for your muscles
as you brace yourself lest your arm joints be wrenched off at the
sudden change of direction from forwards to sideways.
Yet it seems that no one seems to mind, even old people take it in
their stride (forced that is, since they are litterally flung to the
back of the bus after having just entered it).
However, despite these shortcomings, buses are very reliable,
frequent, and although fearing impending disaster whenever you enter
these metal boxes of doom, you somehow arrive safely at your
destination (albeit with bruises and dislocated limbs, that is).
AJUMMA!
Ajummas are a type of old Korean woman, often the victim of
stereotyping. They are usually stereotyped as old, ill manned, short
unattractive married women, over the age of 30, with badly permed hair
and bad dress sense, and that their function in life is only to serve
their husband and family. They are usually considered rude and
uncaring of the world around them. Ajummas are generally seen running
and serving at "ma/pa shops" (small grocery shops), or street food
stalls. These street food stalls can range from a small setup serving
basic street fare, to the "portable restaurant" street stall complete
with several plastic tables and chairs all contained in a clear
plastic tent to keep out the elements which takes up the whole
pavement.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Seoul'd on Seoul!
Yoboseyo!
Yes I'm still here, alive and well, (especially with the North Korea
threat - thanks for your emails expressing concern),
WHAT'S UP IN JAMES WORLD?
Well Autumn is upon us here in Seoul and the weather is noticeably and
thankfully cooler now. The skies are also mainly clear and sunny. If
any of you plan to visit Seoul, now is the best time to do so (or next
March).
Things haven't changed too much since I last wrote. Chusok (Korean
Thanksgiving) came and went. It is a time of year where people go back
to their home towns and visit their ancestors graves, spend time with
family (like Thanksgiving, but with rice cakes instead of turkey), and
put up with grueling long hours in heavy traffic (a 2hr trip could
take 8hrs during Chusok), since everyone tries to leave and come back
to Seoul in the 4 day holiday. Imagine most of 10.3 million people
(half the population of Australia) leaving the city at the same time!
Imagine also a city like New York or London with hardly any people,
and you can imagine what Seoul was like during this time!
I had plans to visit friends in the port town of Busan, but because of
the traffic and all buses/trains were booked, I had to settle for
watching DVDs (Korean and English) on my computer, drinking with
friends, and relaxing at my cosy apartment.
Work is same old same old, though the split shift (working morning and
evenings only) is draining me a bit. I usually sleep in the middle of
the day and the middle of the night for 2-5hours, which makes life
feel a little more surreal due to sleep deprivation.
A WORRIED SEOUL
People are a little concerned about the nuclear test. When there were
missiles launched from North Korea a month or so ago, people didn't
care, but this nuclear thing has changed things. Previously, the
current South Korean government have been looking in trying to reunify
Korea and send them much aid and assistance as a humanitarian and
diplomatic approach. Now it will be interesting to see what
eventuates. People in Seoul are complaining that they sent aid and
building materials, which they probably used to build the bomb instead
of helping the starving North Korean masses. There are even some
protests about the failure of the current government to prevent the
tests from happening.
Of course too, are the speculations about the nuclear tests being a
fake, or at the most, a fizzer.
Apart from that though, life goes on, no mass hysteria or people
evacuating.. but it's early times yet. I'll keep everyone posted on
any developments..
DO I LOOK LIKE THIS GUY?
I've been told I look like this actor called Shin-Ha Kyun (see shinakyun.jpg)
http://koreanfilm.org/actors2.html
What do you think? Do you think it resembles me? Every Korean I meet
thinks so... ^-^
EXAMPLES OF KOREAN ADVERTISEMENTS - SOJU
Featuring a cute Korean actress called Nam Sang Mi drinking my (and
Korea's) favorite alcoholic beverage. She's adorable!!~ ^ ^
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp5OWngD9T8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRiG7KEcvT4
Many Korean ads tend to be cute or silly, almost childlike with cutish jingles.
And here is something bizzare yet a hilarious example of Korean quirky humour:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4cQ3BoHFas&feature=Favorites&page=1&t=t&f=b
KOREAN EMOTICONS
Koreans use different emoticons to express their mood when writing
emails/text messages. The emoticons are a mix of western and korean
characters (so I hope you can see them). Here are a few of them:
^-^ = happy (^ represents an eye arching upwards when an Asian smiles.)
(^?^)/ = Yay! (note how it actually takes longer to write it than
the word yay!
?? = sad
?? = very sad
^-^* = nervous (the * is sweat down the face)
^-* or ^-~ = wink
@.@ = wow surprising
Also, a ~ following a word represents a longer positive sounding tone.
example: great~!
A FEW FACTS ABOUT KOREAN SWIMMING POOLS
I don't think swimming is a cultural thing in Korea, because no one
seems to be able to do so. Hence;
-Swimming pools are not very deep! Even I can stand in it! There seems
to be no such thing as a shallow or deep end.
-There is something called a pool break which occurs every 2 hours. It
means that people must all leave the pool for 20 minutes so they can
rest, for if they wear themselves out having fun in the pool, someone
"could drown".
-Head caps must be worn. No exceptions! This saves them having to
clean hair from the pool. They never counted on one of my friends, who
is quite hairy all over his body. Maybe he should wear a wetsuit?
RABBIT ON THE MOON?
OK, another cultural difference. Whereas we westerners see a "man on
the moon", what do Koreans see? That's right, a rabbit! But not just
any rabbit though, nope, it is a rabbit making rice cakes of all
things.
These Koreans have quite a vivid imagination sometimes. Bears eating
garlic turning into people, rabbits cooking rice cakes on the moon,
etc...
KOREAN WIFE = PERSONAL ACCOUNTANT?
Despite the fact that wives traditionally stay at home and look after
the kids and serve the husband, while husbands work and do as they
please, it turns out that wives are not as helpless or powerless as it
seems. Wives usually are the ones who control their husbands bank
account - in fact some of my married male students have no idea how
much money they actually have in the bank! "I don't know how to pay
bills" says one. "My wife handles all that. All I see of my money is
the pocket money she gives me." Pocket money!?! For a 45 year old?
(on a completely unrelated note, I had one of my female students help
me pay my phone and gas bill, because I didn't know how to (come on it
was in Korean!) I jokingly told her she'd make a good wife. Probably
wasn't the best thing to say.. ) ^-~
Anyway, stay tuned for more developments!
Yes I'm still here, alive and well, (especially with the North Korea
threat - thanks for your emails expressing concern),
WHAT'S UP IN JAMES WORLD?
Well Autumn is upon us here in Seoul and the weather is noticeably and
thankfully cooler now. The skies are also mainly clear and sunny. If
any of you plan to visit Seoul, now is the best time to do so (or next
March).
Things haven't changed too much since I last wrote. Chusok (Korean
Thanksgiving) came and went. It is a time of year where people go back
to their home towns and visit their ancestors graves, spend time with
family (like Thanksgiving, but with rice cakes instead of turkey), and
put up with grueling long hours in heavy traffic (a 2hr trip could
take 8hrs during Chusok), since everyone tries to leave and come back
to Seoul in the 4 day holiday. Imagine most of 10.3 million people
(half the population of Australia) leaving the city at the same time!
Imagine also a city like New York or London with hardly any people,
and you can imagine what Seoul was like during this time!
I had plans to visit friends in the port town of Busan, but because of
the traffic and all buses/trains were booked, I had to settle for
watching DVDs (Korean and English) on my computer, drinking with
friends, and relaxing at my cosy apartment.
Work is same old same old, though the split shift (working morning and
evenings only) is draining me a bit. I usually sleep in the middle of
the day and the middle of the night for 2-5hours, which makes life
feel a little more surreal due to sleep deprivation.
A WORRIED SEOUL
People are a little concerned about the nuclear test. When there were
missiles launched from North Korea a month or so ago, people didn't
care, but this nuclear thing has changed things. Previously, the
current South Korean government have been looking in trying to reunify
Korea and send them much aid and assistance as a humanitarian and
diplomatic approach. Now it will be interesting to see what
eventuates. People in Seoul are complaining that they sent aid and
building materials, which they probably used to build the bomb instead
of helping the starving North Korean masses. There are even some
protests about the failure of the current government to prevent the
tests from happening.
Of course too, are the speculations about the nuclear tests being a
fake, or at the most, a fizzer.
Apart from that though, life goes on, no mass hysteria or people
evacuating.. but it's early times yet. I'll keep everyone posted on
any developments..
DO I LOOK LIKE THIS GUY?
I've been told I look like this actor called Shin-Ha Kyun (see shinakyun.jpg)
http://koreanfilm.org/actors2.html
What do you think? Do you think it resembles me? Every Korean I meet
thinks so... ^-^
EXAMPLES OF KOREAN ADVERTISEMENTS - SOJU
Featuring a cute Korean actress called Nam Sang Mi drinking my (and
Korea's) favorite alcoholic beverage. She's adorable!!~ ^ ^
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp5OWngD9T8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRiG7KEcvT4
Many Korean ads tend to be cute or silly, almost childlike with cutish jingles.
And here is something bizzare yet a hilarious example of Korean quirky humour:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4cQ3BoHFas&feature=Favorites&page=1&t=t&f=b
KOREAN EMOTICONS
Koreans use different emoticons to express their mood when writing
emails/text messages. The emoticons are a mix of western and korean
characters (so I hope you can see them). Here are a few of them:
^-^ = happy (^ represents an eye arching upwards when an Asian smiles.)
(^?^)/ = Yay! (note how it actually takes longer to write it than
the word yay!
?? = sad
?? = very sad
^-^* = nervous (the * is sweat down the face)
^-* or ^-~ = wink
@.@ = wow surprising
Also, a ~ following a word represents a longer positive sounding tone.
example: great~!
A FEW FACTS ABOUT KOREAN SWIMMING POOLS
I don't think swimming is a cultural thing in Korea, because no one
seems to be able to do so. Hence;
-Swimming pools are not very deep! Even I can stand in it! There seems
to be no such thing as a shallow or deep end.
-There is something called a pool break which occurs every 2 hours. It
means that people must all leave the pool for 20 minutes so they can
rest, for if they wear themselves out having fun in the pool, someone
"could drown".
-Head caps must be worn. No exceptions! This saves them having to
clean hair from the pool. They never counted on one of my friends, who
is quite hairy all over his body. Maybe he should wear a wetsuit?
RABBIT ON THE MOON?
OK, another cultural difference. Whereas we westerners see a "man on
the moon", what do Koreans see? That's right, a rabbit! But not just
any rabbit though, nope, it is a rabbit making rice cakes of all
things.
These Koreans have quite a vivid imagination sometimes. Bears eating
garlic turning into people, rabbits cooking rice cakes on the moon,
etc...
KOREAN WIFE = PERSONAL ACCOUNTANT?
Despite the fact that wives traditionally stay at home and look after
the kids and serve the husband, while husbands work and do as they
please, it turns out that wives are not as helpless or powerless as it
seems. Wives usually are the ones who control their husbands bank
account - in fact some of my married male students have no idea how
much money they actually have in the bank! "I don't know how to pay
bills" says one. "My wife handles all that. All I see of my money is
the pocket money she gives me." Pocket money!?! For a 45 year old?
(on a completely unrelated note, I had one of my female students help
me pay my phone and gas bill, because I didn't know how to (come on it
was in Korean!) I jokingly told her she'd make a good wife. Probably
wasn't the best thing to say.. ) ^-~
Anyway, stay tuned for more developments!
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