Reconnecting with Friends and Family

This past week I was fortunate to have a friend from Duke visit me. My friend Michelle is teaching English in Shanghai for a college prep company and her company paid to fly her and the other employees to Seoul for a week. Unfortunately I couldn’t make it to Seoul on a school night but Michelle and I were able to meet in Chuncheon after I finished school on Wednesday. I can’t even put into words how wonderful it was to see a friend from home here in Korea. I don’t often feel lonely while in Korea but I do often times feel disconnected from my life prior to coming here. Since all of my friends and acquaintances in Korea were unknown to me prior to this year we often don’t really discuss our prior lives in detail. Therefore, it was really nice to spend the afternoon reminiscing with Michelle.

I originally wanted to take Michelle to some of Chuncheon’s famous sights but unfortunately, the weather caused me to change my plans. Chuncheon is mainly famous for it’s scenic beauty which wasn’t too visible or enjoyable with all the rain yesterday. Therefore, the two of us just went to the downtown shopping area and grabbed coffee and patbingsu. Afterwards, we got our nails done and then did a lot shopping. When we were shopping we met up with my friend Rachel and her sister, Rebecca, who is visiting from America before heading to Shanghai. The four of us shopped a little more before heading to dinner.

Our fancy patbingsu (shaved ice and red bean paste dessert)

We went to dinner on Dalkgalbi Street in MyeongDong. The street is really famous because it’s home to the original Dalkgalbi restaurant. Most Korean cities are famous for certain foods and Chuncheon’s claim to fame is dalkgalbi. You can go to nearly any other city in Korea and find a restaurant called ‘Chuncheon Dalkgalbi’. The dish is composed of chicken, cabbage, sweet potatoes, rice cake and sesame leaves cooked in a cast iron pan at your table. After you are almost done with the chicken and vegetables you can also order rice or noodles, which are then mixed into the dish. It’s really delicious and is pretty spicy. Therefore, we ordered some makgeolli, which is a traditional Korean rice wine, to cut the spice. The whole evening was a lot of fun and was a nice reminder of home to help carry me through my remaining month and a half in Korea.

Michelle and I on Dakgalbi Street

All four of us

Hwacheon Peace Forum

This weekend I participated in the Hwacheon Peace Forum, which is a program where the best 1st year high school students in Hwacheon and Fulbright ETAs travel to various famous sights in Hwacheon. The Peace Forum was started two years ago by my host father and is a great opportunity for the students to practice English and for the ETAs to explore a different part of Korea. Hwacheon is very remote and rural and very few ETAs visit even though Hwacheon is home to many famous Korean War landmarks and is very close to North Korea. The Peace Forum motivates ETAs to come to Hwacheon and allows them to learn more about the Korean War.

On Saturday 15 ETAs from all over Korea descended upon Hwacheon and were joined by me and another Hwacheon ETA as well as 18 extremely eager students. Upon our arrival each ETA was paired with a specific student and we were given time to talk and get to know each other before visiting the Hwacheon Folk Museum. The Folk Museum is across the street from my apartment and I had always been curious about what was in it so I'm glad I got the chance to go to the museum for free. The museum wasn't very big and didn't offer very much but it did allow us all more time to get to know each other.

From the museum we boarded a bus and started our drive to the Chilseong Observatory, which is on an army base within the DMZ (De-Militarized Zone). At the Observatory we spoke with a Captain in the Korean army and looked out at North Korea. We also saw a North Korean Guard Post, which was simultaneously monitoring us. I really appreciated seeing a different side of the DMZ. The two previous times I went to the DMZ I went near Paju, which is close to Seoul. Therefore the DMZ there is a little touristy and much more developed. In contrast, the Observatory was nearly empty except for our group.  I felt like this view of North Korea and the DMZ is a bit more accurate. The Captain really gave us a sense of the monotony and yet, danger, that comes with working at the DMZ. Unfortunately, it was really foggy and we didn't get too clear a view of North Korea. Nevertheless, we were able to see a North Korean bathing in the river.

My partner, Dong Hyun, and I with North Korea behind us.

On Saturday night we slept in hanok, which is the traditional Korean homes. At the Hanok Village we also made ddeok. Ddeok is a super common Korean food and is basically rice that is pounded down until it is smooth. We were given two huge mallets and alternated hitting the rice cake with a partner. It was really cool to see how Koreans make ddeok and after we finished we were able to eat it! We also had Korean barbecue prepared by several of the students parents.

After breakfast this morning we traveled to the Peace Dam. The Peace Dam is an enormous dam across the Bukhan River, which runs into South Korea from North Korea. At the dam there is a large bell called the Peace Bell. The bell is a symbol of peace and was constructed out of artillery shells from conflicts in over 30 countries. Additionally, at the top of the bell there are doves carved without their wings. The wings of the doves were also carved but will not be attached until North and South Korea reunify. In order to ring the bell you must pay 50 cents and that money then goes into a scholarship fund for an Ethiopian student. Every year Hwacheon County gives one Ethiopian student a full scholarship to university to thank the Ethiopians for fighting alongside them during the Korean War. My host father works for the Hwacheon County Office and traveled to Ethiopia a month ago to deliver the scholarship money.

The wingless birds

Some of us ringing the Peace Bell

Our two last activities were watching a traditional Korean music show and taking a boat from the Peace Dam back to downtown Hwacheon. The boat ride was on Paroho Lake and was a really relaxing way to end the weekend. I was very impressed with how well run the program was because the other Hwacheon County Programs I participated in weren't always the most seamless operations. I was also very relieved that the students and teachers all seemed to really enjoy themselves because I was responsible for recruiting all of the ETAs. I hope the program continues to be just as successful in the future.

Dong Hyun and I on the boat

Chipping Away at My Korean Bucket List

This past weekend I had a three-day weekend so I decided to try to accomplish some things on my bucket list. There are quite a number of things I want to do or see before I leave Korea and it's about time I get going on these goals because I have less than two months left. One of the things I really wanted to do while in South Korea was to go to a baseball game. On Friday I traveled to Daejeon and went to a baseball game with two of my Fulbright friends and some of their Korean friends. It was a lot of fun to go to the game with all of them especially since I met their Korean friends last time I was in Daejeon. The weather was absolutely beautiful during the game and I really enjoyed myself. There are several interesting differences between baseball games in Korea and America. In my eyes the biggest difference is that Korean teams are named after the companies that own them rather than the city where they are located. Therefore we saw the Hanwha Eagles play, not the Daejeon Eagles. I think this is pretty funny since Koreans are so proud of their companies and believe that Korean companies are a source of personal pride and a part of their Korean identity. Anything made by a Korean company is automatically the best, no matter what. One great part of Korean baseball games though is that you can bring food and drinks into the baseball game even though they also have vendors inside the stadium. Almost every Korean brought their beloved fried chicken to the game and there were SO MANY chicken stands right outside the stadium.

I spent the rest of Friday and Saturday in Daejeon. On Saturday I went out to lunch with my friend and her host mom. The three of us then attended a taste test for a Korean restaurant that is revamping their menu. My friend's host mom is a school nutritionist and is working towards her PhD. Her professor is helping a really fancy Korean restaurant improve their menu and we were asked to comment on the food to help the process. The tasting allowed us to sample food from the two seven course set menus. All of the food was traditional Korean food and was really delicious. We had to rate the food on presentation, smell, taste and texture. It was a really neat experience especially since I hadn't eat some of the really traditional foods before.

My friends host mom and I

Lastly, I finally got around to visiting the Leeum, also known as the Samsung Museum of Art because the founder of Samsung created the museum to house the art he collected. I'd been meaning to visit the art museum for a while and just never found the time. The museum houses traditional Korean ceramics, scrolls, tablets and then Korean and Western modern art. I was mainly interested in seeing the modern Korean art because I really enjoy modern art and despite all my time studying art history and working at the Nasher Museum of Art I never really came across any Korean modern artists. I really enjoyed seeing how some of the Korean modern art united Korean culture and more Western modern art styles. For example, the artist Lee Dongi created the following:
                                             
 The building itself was also really visually appealing. Like other museums, the building itself is a work of art. Below you can see the staircase in one area of the museum. If you are ever in Seoul the museum is definitely worth a visit.

These stairs reminded me of the Guggenheim in New York

From Hwacheon to Seoul

You may or may not recall that my friend Rachel and I won a grant from the Fulbright Korea Alumni Fund earlier this year. The grant allowed us to each take five students on a full day trip to Seoul. We wanted our students to learn more about the relationship between South Korea and America while experiencing Seoul. Since my town is very rural and many families are working class a lot of my students have never been to Seoul even though it is very close. Rachel and I worked extremely hard these past few months putting together the perfect field trip for our students.I was able to take five of my sixth graders and Rachel took five of her 3rd year middle school students.

The trip began with us traveling by ITX to Seoul. Rachel and I didn't really think anything of taking the ITX, which is a high speed train that was built last year, but the kids LOVED it. None of my five students had ever taken the ITX before and they could not stop raving about it.

We then took the subway from the ITX station to the American Center Korea. The American Center Korea is run by the US Embassy. At the center the students first learned about different online resources for studying English. Then Rachel and I arranged for a diplomat from the US Embassy to come and talk with our students. Our kiddos were unbelievably excited to meet a real diplomat and Borchien Lai did a great job talking to our students. He talked a lot about what it means to be Korean, particularly when it comes to foreign-born Koreans or people who are half-Koreans. Since Korea has the most homogeneous population in the entire world many of my students have a really hard time understanding what it means to be Korean-American and understanding that people who look foreign but hold Korean citizenship are Korean. Borchien also addressed the numerous ways America and Korea work together. Although my kids were sometimes a little shy they all participated in the conversation with Borchien. It was helpful that I had them prepare questions for him because they were very nervous and shy and weren't able to generate much on the spot.

Some of the kids with Borchien 

The whole group

After we left the American Center Korea we proceeded to Outback Steakhouse for a western lunch. Because western food is very expensive in Korea this was a real treat. All of the kids enjoyed their lunch. Three of Rachel's middle school girls also had a salad for the first time in their lives. They were nervous they wouldn't like it so the three girls decided to just order one because they couldn't resist the chance to try a salad. Unfortunately, they didn't really like it because the dressing wasn't creamy enough. I should have expected this given that my host mother puts ketchup and mayonnaise on raw cabbage and calls that a salad.

The last stop on our trip was the War Memorial Museum. Rachel and I prepared a photo scavenger hunt at the museum so once we arrived the students broke into teams and explored the museum on their own. We then met up to watch a 3D movie together and to go on a tour of the museum. The tour was supposed to be in English but it was a little difficult for my 6th graders so the guide used a lot of Korean as well.

By the time we finally finished at the museum and began our long journey home the kids were exhausted. We met at 7:30AM and did not get back to Hwacheon until 8:40PM. All of the students and parents were really pleased with the trip. I was so excited to hear my students gushing about the day to their parents when they were picked up at the bus stop. I hope the trip was something they will remember for a long time.

A Spiritual Weekend

This past weekend I invested in myself by planning a relaxing weekend that allow me to reflect on my time in Korea and on my life in general. I cannot be more glad I took the time to connect with my inner self. On Saturday morning I headed to Yongjoosa Temple in Suwon, outside of Seoul. Yongjoosa Temple was founded in 854 but was burnt to the ground in the 1630s by the Chinese. The temple was then rebuilt in 1790 by a King in the Joseon dynasty to honor his father who was viciously murdered by the grandfather before he could become king. The dual purpose of the temple as a place of worship and a place to honor Prince Sado, the King's father, makes the temple pretty unique architecturally. There are some aspects of it, such as the gates, that are typical of royal palaces. There are also several inscribed messages about filial piety.

The temple has an education building across the street from it that organizes overnight Temple Stays, which is what I did at the temple. The Temple Stays allow you to learn about Buddhism from a monk, learn to meditate, share a monastic meal and more. One of the highlights of the program is waking up at 3AM to the sound of the temple bells and walking to the temple to pray with the monks. It was unbelievably empowering and calming to be bowing and praying alongside the chanting monks in the early morning. It was especially meaningful since I had learned about the purpose of the bows and did group exercises to reflect on my life the previous evening. After the morning prayers at the temple with the monk we performed the traditional 108 bows. The entire temple stay group arranged our pillows in a circle and rotated as we bowed 108 times. You are supposed to ask for forgiveness or offer a prayer/wish with each bow. I was really surprised by how spiritually moved I felt by the entire experience.

Some of the Koreans who participated in the Temple Stay

Another really powerful component of the temple stay was learning about the Buddhist belief of cause and effect. The monk who worked with my group continually stressed that the only way to lead a fulfilling life and to help other, particularly your family, is to first help yourself and find your own inner happiness. One way to do this is by offering compliments because Buddhists believe that if you continually offer positivity that positivity will then return to you. In order to witness this we were asked to compliment the various members of our program whom we had only known for a few hours. Each person took a turn receiving compliments from all the other members of the group. We then embraced and bowed to each other. Buddhists believe everyone is precious and unique and therefore should be celebrated and bowed to by others. The exercises were initially a little awkward but it was remarkable how quickly we all become comfortable with each other. The positive effects of the exercises were readily felt by all of us.

Another wonderful aspect of the weekend was learning to meditate. We learned how to meditate both sitting and walking. Buddhists believe in valuing all forms of life and therefore spend a lot of time connecting with nature. We went on a walk in the mountains behind the temple and were instructed on how to meditate and connect with nature. It was a really powerful experience, especially for an earthy, environmentalist, like me.

We listened to traditional music before having tea with a monk

After my wonderful weekend at the temple concluded I had time to go on a short hike in Seoul before heading home. I then took the subway to Mt. Achasan in Seoul- I still can't get over how AMAZING it is that you can take the subway to so many incredible hikes right in the heart of Seoul. I then climbed Mt. Achasan before walking along the mountain's ridge to Mt. Yongmasan. The entire hike up Mt. Achasan and down Mt. Yongmasan only took 2 hours but offered incredible views of Seoul and the Han River. I was continually stunned by the incredible views throughout the hike. Moreover, I was surprised by how kind Koreans were to me when they saw me hiking alone. Many Koreans came up to me offering me directions. I ended up chatting with an older Korean couple on my way down the mountain and they eventually invited me to come home with them to drink makgeoli and eat dinner. I really wanted to go but unfortunately their home was too far away. Maybe next time!

The Korean couple that invited me to dinner

Sports Day

This past Friday my school had Sports Day, which is probably the most highly anticipated day of the entire school year for Korean students. All Korean schools, elementary through high school, celebrate Sports Day one day a year. On Sports Day the students are all placed on one of two teams and they compete in various races and games to win points for their teams. The events sometimes are about actual athletic skill but other times are wacky races to allow even the most uncoordinated students to have their moment in the sun. Many of the students' parents also come to Sports Day and they are even parent specific events where the parents can win points for their child's team.

My students had been prepping for Sports Day intensely for the past two weeks. I actually had a large number of classes cancelled because of preparation for Sports Day. Every morning the students would practice running and they would practice for the opening and closing ceremony. Then during the day the individual grades would practice their dances because each grade performed a dance in between various events.

I was extremely excited for Sports Day and was heartbroken when it was raining Friday morning. About a half an hour into Sports Day we were forced to take a break because of the weather. We resumed activities about a half an hour later but then had lunch early because the weather worsened. Luckily after lunch the sun came out and the rest of the day was beautiful. I think everyone was relieved- some of the parents even broke out some beers and soju to celebrate.

Each of the teachers were assigned particular roles for Sports Day and I was fortunate enough to be in charge of stamping the hands of the third place winner of every race. The job was exactly what it sounds like- I stood near the finish line with the first and second place stampers and had to hastily grab the third place finisher and stamp their wrist with a big three. It was a pretty entertaining job simply because I don't think we'd ever do something like that in America where we give people ribbons simply for participation. Unfortunately, my job also involved a lot of tears especially from the 2nd and 3rd graders. Some students would burst into tears before they even finished the race. It was really cute and luckily, tears always warranted a stamp which immediately quelled the tears.

Since pictures can probably summarize the day better than words can here are some photos.