Good morning to you all! At least, I hope you are reading this in the morning…otherwise you are up quite late. I’m finishing up my last few hours here at work on Friday afternoon before I depart for my friend Sara’s in Janghueng (about an hour south) by bus, and then tomorrow we will head to Wando for some quality beach and hangout time with all our friends from orientation plus other foreign teachers who like to attend the annual Wando Beach Party. Should be a fun time – I haven’t seen the ocean in Korea yet – looking forward to swimming and relaxing in the sand.
I will head back to Gwangju on Sunday afternoon, teach Monday, and then head right back down to Janghueng for my six day weekend! It is the Korean Thanksgiving, also known as Chuseok, this week (T-Th) and we have Friday off as well. I am going to Jeju Island for the week with Sara and some other teachers from orientation – I am looking forward to a beach vacation! The island is supposed to be jam packed with things to do and beautiful scenery everywhere.
So, since I have a busy weekend/next week coming up, I’ll do my post quickly here before I head out for the weekend (because honestly, who gets quality work done on a Friday afternoon?) I don’t really have a new topic or theme to address today, so I’m just going to comment in general on how beautiful Korea is to me – I think just about every day there is a moment where I stop what I am doing and just take in the views and think, ‘wow, I am really in SOUTH KOREA right now.’
I took these pictures from the office, out of the window right by my desk – basically the view I look at every day at work – I can’t stop thinking about how lucky I am to be having this experience. Coming from a very fla
aat Minnesota (sorry Mankato, but your bluffs just don’t cut it compared to Korea’s rolling green hills,) I find the landscape gorgeous and thrilling every time I look at it. I can’t wait for the leaves to change so that I can see the fall colors. Although I have lived in the Midwest for most of my life, I still consider myself a mountain girl at heart due to spending the first six years of my life in Denver.
I spent some time last weekend researching places to go/see/do in South Korea – there are many national parks all over the country, with activities centered around going on mountain hikes, discovering Buddhist temples hidden among the hills, and visiting preserved folk villages. Korea is a very nature-oriented count
ry still rooted in its farming and agrarian traditions, and its people take pride in its natural splendors. I am so anxious to get out and explore more of my new home, especially with this gorgeous fall weather beginning. During the week, however, I am content with looking out my window at work, or enjoying the views during my morning runs or evening walks.
Since it is Friday afternoon and I still have some time to kill before I can leave, I want to end this post with a little humor. I have enjoyed numerous chuckles to myself while out walking or exploring, thanks to the variety of fashion styles I have seen while out and about. Now don’t get me wrong – most of these people here are more fashionable than I can ever dream to be – the clothes, the shoes, the accessories (I’m sure there are many more areas of fashion that I haven’t really paid attention to because I have no idea what is good and what isn’t.) It is great fun to people watch, especially downtown, and see what stylish outfits the young Koreans come up with. However, I live in a much older, casual kind of district on the outskirts of the city, so when I’m out walking around my neighborhood, I find people watching more entertaining than impressive in terms of outfits. Downtown, the young ones dress to impress. Around me, many dress very nicely, but there are definitely a few oddballs here and there. Please note that while it might sound like I am making fun of these people (which in a way I kind of am,) I’m not trying to be mean or condescending, I am just sharing my thoughts from my young, Western point of view. So, without further ado, here is the Buk-gu (my neighborhood) top three style icons:
1. Strongest Ankles in the Country – so there’s this lady who I have seen during my morning runs that jogs – not walks – but JOGS in three inch platform heel sandals. Not even kidding. She can barely even lift her feet off the ground, I imagine because her shoes are so heavy. I mean, I know most Koreans are short, but do you really need the extra three inches while out for a jog? I have seen her attempt this three different mornings – one of the other mornings I noticed her walking…hopefully giving her poor ankles a break.
2. Nothing Holds Her Back…from wearing high heels – not even a hospital gown. I visited my co-teacher Mrs. Lee at the hospital earlier this week with some of the other teachers (she has some stomach/fever problems and was out for the entire week,) and while we were waiting for the elevator, out comes this lady wearing a hospital gown, dragging around her IV on wheels, and trotting around in a pair of very fancy looking three inch heels. Again, do you really need to feel that tall while you are a hospital patient? To me, being in the hospital gives you the best excuse to look like crap and no one will care…clearly she doesn’t share the same attitude.
3. My Heart Will Go On – ah, this is my personal favorite. I have seen this old adjuma (grandma) out walking at Muedung Park in her essential workout outfit – loose slacks, a shirt, and a short sleeved, gauzy button down blouse that is patterned with…wait for it…photos of Leonardo DiCaprio and movie stills from Titanic. Picture medium sized pictures of smiling Leo DiCaprio (Kate Winslet gets a couple, but Leo is the shining star) and accompanying images from Titanic printed all over the shirt. Now, having seen this shirt twice in the past three weeks, I have come to the conclusion that either this lady is a die-hard Titanic fan, a die-hard Leo DiCaprio fan, or she just liked the pictures and has no idea what the movie significance is. I personally like to think she is Leo’s biggest fan. I also can’t help but think to myself that Titanic as made in 1996, therefore she must have been wearing that shirt (unless she acquired it elsewhere) for the past fourteen years?
So those are the three most memorable characters I have encountered so far – I sincerely hope there will be many more to come. As I imagine it would be quite rude to take pictures of these people (although maybe that would counteract the rudeness they exhibit with all their staring, I have to keep telling myself they don’t realize it’s considered rude…) I will just have to describe them to you and hope you can get some sort of mental imagery. An honorable mention goes to the guy who tried to run with me every time I pass him – his particular trait of interest is that whenever I see him on the trail he is walking backwards…when he sees me coming he turns around, shouts something in Korean at me, and tries to keep up – I smile, play along for a few paces, but then he gets too slow and I just wave bye – he starts walking backwards again and waits for my next loop - repeat. We’re going to be great friends, I can tell. At least he smiles at me!
With that, I have about a half hour left at my desk here – going to finish up some e-mailing and head out for the week. Take care and feel free to send me an e-mail to let me know how you are doing. Bye!
I will head back to Gwangju on Sunday afternoon, teach Monday, and then head right back down to Janghueng for my six day weekend! It is the Korean Thanksgiving, also known as Chuseok, this week (T-Th) and we have Friday off as well. I am going to Jeju Island for the week with Sara and some other teachers from orientation – I am looking forward to a beach vacation! The island is supposed to be jam packed with things to do and beautiful scenery everywhere.
So, since I have a busy weekend/next week coming up, I’ll do my post quickly here before I head out for the weekend (because honestly, who gets quality work done on a Friday afternoon?) I don’t really have a new topic or theme to address today, so I’m just going to comment in general on how beautiful Korea is to me – I think just about every day there is a moment where I stop what I am doing and just take in the views and think, ‘wow, I am really in SOUTH KOREA right now.’
I took these pictures from the office, out of the window right by my desk – basically the view I look at every day at work – I can’t stop thinking about how lucky I am to be having this experience. Coming from a very fla
aat Minnesota (sorry Mankato, but your bluffs just don’t cut it compared to Korea’s rolling green hills,) I find the landscape gorgeous and thrilling every time I look at it. I can’t wait for the leaves to change so that I can see the fall colors. Although I have lived in the Midwest for most of my life, I still consider myself a mountain girl at heart due to spending the first six years of my life in Denver.I spent some time last weekend researching places to go/see/do in South Korea – there are many national parks all over the country, with activities centered around going on mountain hikes, discovering Buddhist temples hidden among the hills, and visiting preserved folk villages. Korea is a very nature-oriented count
ry still rooted in its farming and agrarian traditions, and its people take pride in its natural splendors. I am so anxious to get out and explore more of my new home, especially with this gorgeous fall weather beginning. During the week, however, I am content with looking out my window at work, or enjoying the views during my morning runs or evening walks.Since it is Friday afternoon and I still have some time to kill before I can leave, I want to end this post with a little humor. I have enjoyed numerous chuckles to myself while out walking or exploring, thanks to the variety of fashion styles I have seen while out and about. Now don’t get me wrong – most of these people here are more fashionable than I can ever dream to be – the clothes, the shoes, the accessories (I’m sure there are many more areas of fashion that I haven’t really paid attention to because I have no idea what is good and what isn’t.) It is great fun to people watch, especially downtown, and see what stylish outfits the young Koreans come up with. However, I live in a much older, casual kind of district on the outskirts of the city, so when I’m out walking around my neighborhood, I find people watching more entertaining than impressive in terms of outfits. Downtown, the young ones dress to impress. Around me, many dress very nicely, but there are definitely a few oddballs here and there. Please note that while it might sound like I am making fun of these people (which in a way I kind of am,) I’m not trying to be mean or condescending, I am just sharing my thoughts from my young, Western point of view. So, without further ado, here is the Buk-gu (my neighborhood) top three style icons:
1. Strongest Ankles in the Country – so there’s this lady who I have seen during my morning runs that jogs – not walks – but JOGS in three inch platform heel sandals. Not even kidding. She can barely even lift her feet off the ground, I imagine because her shoes are so heavy. I mean, I know most Koreans are short, but do you really need the extra three inches while out for a jog? I have seen her attempt this three different mornings – one of the other mornings I noticed her walking…hopefully giving her poor ankles a break.
2. Nothing Holds Her Back…from wearing high heels – not even a hospital gown. I visited my co-teacher Mrs. Lee at the hospital earlier this week with some of the other teachers (she has some stomach/fever problems and was out for the entire week,) and while we were waiting for the elevator, out comes this lady wearing a hospital gown, dragging around her IV on wheels, and trotting around in a pair of very fancy looking three inch heels. Again, do you really need to feel that tall while you are a hospital patient? To me, being in the hospital gives you the best excuse to look like crap and no one will care…clearly she doesn’t share the same attitude.
3. My Heart Will Go On – ah, this is my personal favorite. I have seen this old adjuma (grandma) out walking at Muedung Park in her essential workout outfit – loose slacks, a shirt, and a short sleeved, gauzy button down blouse that is patterned with…wait for it…photos of Leonardo DiCaprio and movie stills from Titanic. Picture medium sized pictures of smiling Leo DiCaprio (Kate Winslet gets a couple, but Leo is the shining star) and accompanying images from Titanic printed all over the shirt. Now, having seen this shirt twice in the past three weeks, I have come to the conclusion that either this lady is a die-hard Titanic fan, a die-hard Leo DiCaprio fan, or she just liked the pictures and has no idea what the movie significance is. I personally like to think she is Leo’s biggest fan. I also can’t help but think to myself that Titanic as made in 1996, therefore she must have been wearing that shirt (unless she acquired it elsewhere) for the past fourteen years?
So those are the three most memorable characters I have encountered so far – I sincerely hope there will be many more to come. As I imagine it would be quite rude to take pictures of these people (although maybe that would counteract the rudeness they exhibit with all their staring, I have to keep telling myself they don’t realize it’s considered rude…) I will just have to describe them to you and hope you can get some sort of mental imagery. An honorable mention goes to the guy who tried to run with me every time I pass him – his particular trait of interest is that whenever I see him on the trail he is walking backwards…when he sees me coming he turns around, shouts something in Korean at me, and tries to keep up – I smile, play along for a few paces, but then he gets too slow and I just wave bye – he starts walking backwards again and waits for my next loop - repeat. We’re going to be great friends, I can tell. At least he smiles at me!
With that, I have about a half hour left at my desk here – going to finish up some e-mailing and head out for the week. Take care and feel free to send me an e-mail to let me know how you are doing. Bye!
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