Spring 2012

This is to finish off my posting about the past couple of months - Luckily, despite ‘the sloth,’ (see previous post) I’ve had bouts of healthiness here and there, during which I was able to enjoy some fun events with my friends. First, just prior to getting sick, I hopped on the Gwangju foreigner bandwagon to check out the opening home game of FC Gwangju, our semi-pro soccer team. Though the game was freezing, we cheered on the players in our yellow attire (covered by our coats) and enjoyed the camaraderie in the slightly warm sunshine.

The next event up for celebration was March 17^th, St. Patrick’s Day. I told my kids to be on the lookout for any foreigners wearing green on that Saturday, but other than that I’m afraid I didn’t really have much to explain about it. (Like…why do we celebrate this day?) Are you wondering how I celebrated? To answer your questions: Yes, by wearing green, yes, by drinking green beer, and of course, by making…green pancakes?

Yup, green pancakes to start off the day - I spent the afternoon hanging out in Gwangju at a pancake party with some friends, where my imported food coloring went to good use. Towards the evening, I met up with a different friend and hopped on a bus for a ride about an hour west, where many of my other orientation friends were gathering. A good time was had by all at each event. We played games, caught up on each other’s trips and vacations, all in our finest green apparel.

After St. Patrick’s Day I was pretty much down for the count for a couple of weeks, but luckily, I was feeling better right before I got injured, and had the unique opportunity to get out on a Saturday afternoon with some of my friends to visit Jindo, a small town about two hours south of my city, right along the coast. I joined the flock of hundreds of people for a singular, hour long event, before turning right around again and heading back. What could have been worth a two hour trip, you wonder? This.

This is a slightly inexplicable phenomenon that happens just once a year. It’s called the Jindo Sea Parting Event, though logically speaking it’s actually just the tide going out, revealing an actual path that you can walk on to reach a nearby island. You shuttle yourself down to the beach, stock up on your thigh-high rainboots, then wait for the tide to go out so you can join the hordes and literally walk on the ocean floor for the hour long window you have before the tide comes back in. 

It was really cool! I used to wish that the ocean would drain itself for a day or two, just so that I could explore what was actually out there – I figure this was the closest I would ever get to that dream. Walking around (and delicately sidestepping) live starfish, crabs, and even little octopi in my boots was a pretty exciting event for me. Though it is a big foreigner draw, the majority of people were Koreans, who took advantage of the newly revealed sand to dig for oysters, ready to cook up and eat as fresh as possible. It’s always nice to share festivals with Koreans instead of just feeling like a tourist.

Heading out to the deep, blue, sea with the hordes.

Yup, Moses paid Jindo a visit too - how else do you think it happens?

The day after Jindo was Easter Sunday. Of course, Easter isn’t a big holiday in Korea at all – they don’t even decorate for Easter here like they do for Christmas. I spent most of the week teaching my classes about the Easter Bunny, explaining how to decorate eggs, and even hosting a few Easter egg hunts during my classes. It was so much fun to see their eyes get really big and wide as I waited until the end of class to tell them there were eggs hidden around the room, then watch them bolt from their seats to find the (paper laminated) eggs and candy.

There was one priceless moment during my Easter classes that I’d like to share – most of you probably read it on Facebook, but it’s worth a second chuckle. Straight from my second grade (eighth grade) English class:

Me: Hey guys, do you know what holiday it is on Sunday?
Kid 1: Jesus?
Me: Yes! It's about Jesus. What happened to Jesus?
Kid 1: He die.
Me: Yes, on Friday, then on Sunday he came back to life, so we have a celebration!
Kid 2: OH! Halloween Day!

Thankfully, these days, our celebration of the return of the Savior doesn’t involve pumpkins and ghosts, but instead it involves family and friends. I missed being with my family, of course, but the good news is that I was still able to enjoy a fun day with my friends…going paintballing! Yes. Instead of an Easter egg hunt…I had a people hunt. Paintballing, which basically involves shooting small pellets filled with paint, so that they burst and splat open upon contact, is something I’ve wanted to try for a long time just for the experience. A group of about twelve of us went for a birthday event on a bright, sunny Easter Sunday afternoon, and we ended up having a blast. I was terrified at first, because the game is based upon spreading out among the trees, hide behind boards, and try not to get shot, while trying to shoot people on the opposing team. You wear protective gear and coveralls, but if a paintball nails you head on, you can get a pretty good welt that will last a couple of days.

I’m pretty terrified of all forms of violence, but after the initial two minutes, I began to enjoy myself. If you get hit twice or run out of bullets, you have to hold your gun above your head and shout “out!” while making your way over to the safety zone. By the second round, my friend Krista (third in from the left) employed this strategy: “Well, I’m not going to be the hero of the game, so I just figure I should shoot as much as I can to get rid of the paintballs, hoping I hit someone from the other team, and then I’ll just be out for the round.” It was a pretty good strategy – I’m afraid I went a little trigger happy when I would see someone in my line of fire.

I’d love to tell you that I valiantly captured the flag and won the game for my team, but actually Krista gets all that glory – because she did! Instead, all I came away with was a sprained knee. Yes, that’s how I hurt myself. However, I’d like to think that I get a few extra points for saying I sprained my knee while paintballing, instead of ‘I fell down the stairs,’ or ‘I tripped.’ At least I went out doing something cool.

I think that about catches me up to the present – I spent this past weekend in Seoul, and this week I’ve just been enjoying the lovely weather, cracking my GRE books open again, and gingerly testing out my knee to see when I can run again - hopefully next week. This weekend I’m looking forward to an adventure with Sara and our friend Cassie, as we will get our Buddha on at a nearby temple Korean Buddhist templestay. We will stay overnight, then wake up at the crack of dawn to spend the day being Buddhist monks – helping out with the cleaning, falling into the daily routine, and learning more about life at a Buddhist temple. I’ll keep you updated, but will probably have to delay posting for a while, once again due to my last round of GRE studying. Test day is May 27th - much celebration will commence.

One final note to end on: today marks my 20^th month in Korea, which means that I only have four months left, and will be on my way home seven months from now. I want these next four months to fly by yet I never want them to come at the same time. I’m not sure if I’m ready yet for the emotions, but I suppose I’d better prepare myself because the time is going to FLY, as always! For those of you back home – see you in seven months!!! Take care – love and miss you all.

Fairy Trees

Hello everyone and happy spring! After playing Hide and Seek with us for the past month, spring has finally come to Korea, and is best manifested in the glorious display of cherry blossom trees bursting out all over the country. You can’t look at a fully blooming cherry blossom tree in the warm spring sunshine and not be happy. It just doesn’t happen.

I’ve been away from posting for a while, which is kind of a reflection of the past month that I’ve now deemed ‘sloth month.’ In the beginning of March I was all ready to go with my studying and training and productive plans for the spring…and then right after St. Patrick’s Day I got hit with a bad cold that put me out for a week. Then the week after that developed a sinus infection, which lasted a week and a half, and then, to top it off, just when I started feeling better I went and sprained my knee.

Four weeks of sloth – pretty much the only good thing that resulted from all of the time I spent in my apartment is that it’s really, really clean and organized, and that I’m fully caught up on all my TV shows. And a newfound fan of How I Met Your Mother. Now, I have finally emerged from hibernation, and am ready to get out and enjoy the beautiful spring weather.

I decided to kick off my renewed healthiness (isn’t that funny how much we appreciate being healthy when we’re sick?) with a spontaneous, jam packed day of fun in Seoul. I had to miss out on a girls’ weekend trip a couple of weeks ago in Seoul, and then when I had to cancel my plans for the 10K I was supposed to run because of my knee, I chose to take my free day on Sunday and spend it in Seoul.

After waking up at the crack of dawn and arriving in Seoul in time to surprise Steve and Mary and attend church, (also ran into some fellow Mankatoans with their daughter at church who happened to be visiting their other daughter in Korea - which marks the occasion of me meeting one of my former Mankato swimming rivals for the first time without a swim cap on) I hit up not only Subway…but also Caribou Coffee. It was like a bright sunny afternoon back home all over again. Sitting outside in the warm sun with a friend of mine, people watching Seoul-style, and enjoying some familiar Minnesota comfort food, (coffee,) I decided that even though I was bummed about my knee injury and missing the 10K, I had to be thankful for being able to have such a nice Sunday.

I hopped back on the subway late afternoon, this time to hit up Yeouido, a business district in Seoul situated along the Han River.

Though Yeouido is home to skyscrapers and businessmen in suits, this weekend it was all about relaxing and enjoying the warm sun and the beautiful flowers that were in bloom.

It was jam packed with people posing for pictures, laying on the lawns and having picnics, listening to live music, and strolling along the tree lined avenue. It’s easy to think of Seoul as just a giant, busy, bustling city, so it was nice to see other people and families relaxing together and enjoying a nice day outside.

The next morning I was pretty sleep deprived, but as I grew closer to my school in the bright morning sunshine, my state of sluggishness quickly evaporated as I was greeted with this sight:

The blossoms were in full bloom, and I decided they looked like trees that only beautiful fairies could have created. I was mesmerized, and walked into the teacher’s office ten minutes late for the teacher’s meeting because I took so many pictures. (It’s not like I can understand anything at the meeting anyways – they all know that.)

Changpyeong had been transformed over the weekend, and I loved it. I invited the high school teacher, (Emily from Virginia) who had the day off, to come visit my school and hang out for the afternoon when I discovered afternoon classes were cancelled.

At 2 PM Emily came trotting down the lane, and we enjoyed the beautiful afternoon strolling, taking pictures, and chatting with my kids who were all outside doing some yardwork for ‘volunteer day.’

There is just nothing like a warm spring day outside after being cooped up for a long time.

On the bus ride home, I was glued to the windows as I spotted more fairy trees here and there, shining a brilliant white against the new spring green on the hillsides. Sadly, the blossoms will only last a few more days, but I’m so glad I was able to celebrate them in all their glory. I’ll miss them next year, but will always remember Korea’s magical transformation in my heart.

Bonus Blog: Words of Wisdom.

I’ve realized that in my posts I don’t share as much about people as I should – I just talk about myself. Sorry. That gets boring – my life is enhanced by the people I meet and the experiences I have with them, not by my chit chat rambling about everyday random things.

So, as a bonus addition to my Hawaii trip, I’d like to introduce you to my 82 year old hostel roommate, Lidmila. Lidmila is Canadian citizen who emigrated from the Czech Republic, back when it was Czechoslovakia. She escaped to Cuba during the war, and eventually ended up in Canada. Her English is excellent, and greatly enhanced by her Eastern European accent.

I ate breakfast every morning with Lidmila, and she would always be the first one to greet me when I walked into the hostel (shared by eight women, two rooms of four.) She was in Hawaii to escape the Canadian winter for two months, though she said her family (two daughters and six grandchildren, most of them studying to be doctors) was worried about her on her own. (That’s why she was staying at the hostel, so she won’t be alone in case something happens.) Lidmila had great stories, great advice, and was great at listening. Another thing she was great at? Busting out the funniest one liners when you least expected it. She said she learned English by watching a lot of sitcoms, and it’s apparent that the humor wasn’t lost on her. By the second day of knowing her, I was already starting to write down some of her quotes, just because they were so funny and cute.

Here we are during a lovely sunset walk on Waikiki Beach. Lidmila came to Hawaii for the first time nearly 40 years ago, and was on her ninth trip back this past winter. I enjoyed hearing how much things have changed in Hawaii from someone with firsthand experience. She spent her days feeding the fish (with free bread heels she took after the hostel finished serving breakfast), staying inside during the hot sun hours under doctor’s orders, then swimming for an hour or two, and finally going for a walk in the evening. I looked forward to coming back to the room in the evenings and chatting with her to exchange stories about our days. Here, I’d like to share a few of her best quotes with you, as she really is a prime example of why meeting people can be just so much fun while traveling.

P.S. All of these quotes need to be imagined with an Eastern European accent – think ‘I’s’ that sound like EEEE and roll your Rs a bit. Also, keep a straight face - think deadpan humor. 

Me: “My ancestors? Well, I’m mostly Norwegian, then a little German, Irish, and Swedish.”

L: “Czech?”

Me: “Nope, I’m afraid not.”

L: (shrugs) “Eh, maybe next time!”

Me: “Lidmila, did you sleep well?”

L: “I always sleep well, I on heavy sleep medication for the past twenty years!”

Liliana (our Chinese roommate): “I made some extra food, please try some!” (leaves the room)

Lidmila: (leans over and whispers to me) “For three months in her country I eat the food – that is enough for me!”

Lidmila: “My head and mouth are confused. I am not.”

Liliana: “Lidmila sorry, I’m almost done with the microwave.”

Lidmila: “Eh, I’m here til March 20^th. I’ve got time!”

Me: “Oh, the Australian girl is gone?”

L: “Yes. She talk too much, but I usually don’t listen. Messy room too. I think her mother send her away to have a nice, quiet, clean house for one month.”

Me: “I hope you find the hummus at the grocery store – it’s above the cheese, okay?”

L: “Okay! I can ask. I have mouth.”

Me: “Diamond Head was a great hike! But even though I went really early, it was super crowded with Japanese tourists, so I had to wait in line.”

L: “Yes, they try to take over this place in 1941, now they doing it again.”

L: (telling a story about her childhood) “I remember my mom told me not to do it, but of course that is like telling me “DO EEET!” so I ran down the terrace and fell!”

Me: "Oh, did Lena (our 60 year old Swedish roommate) come back from her daytrip yet?"

L: "Yes. She is outside on the balcony now because she drunk. Many snore tonight, sorry!"

Lidmila’s best feature is her passion and joy for life – I spent many happy hours talking with her and listening to her stories. After laughing together over our peanut butter toast, she would always sum things up by saying, “Oh, life is fun. Enjoy life.”

Words of wisdom from a very special and inspiring lady. Enjoy life!