38th Parallel and a River Treat

I laid my eyes on North Korea this Saturday. I went up to the Demilitarization Zone at the 38^th Parallel. The two mile span on either side of the border is weapon free and undeveloped on both sides. Paddy fields to the south, untouched nature to the north. It is said to be the most diverse and well preserved piece of land in the world.

We climbed through the 2^nd Tunnel which North Korea constructed in 1973, allowing 1,600 soldiers an hour to infiltrate into South Korea. There is also a small museum which gives a glimpse into life in North Korea, food supply, clothing distribution, and housing shortages.

We were in need of a pick me up after the DMZ tour, so rafting we went. The rapids were quite strong, our guide kept giving warnings of falling in. By his disgruntle attitude all day I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to lose a few of us in the rapids. We did get him smiling by the end with rocking the boat and rafting donuts. The water was cold, but the splashing wars were full force. We didn't have the excitement of bum tapping the guide, or river treats this rafting trip but the rapids and beautiful scenery made for a great afternoon.

Lotte World [Childhood] Adventure

Alex and I ventured to Lotte World to see what all the fuss was about. We crossed the magical threshold; instantly the air tasted like candy and music made me feel giddy like a child. And we were children for the day, running from ride to ride. The indoor portion reminded me of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with hot air balloons floating around the ceiling. The outdoor park offers some great thrill rides, not for those with weak stomaches. My favorite, Gyro Swing, suspends you upside down over the river. No hands, of course!

Lotte World offers a bit of something for everyone.  There is shopping, dining, ice skating, a Folk Museum, and special effects movie theatre. Alex introduced me to makali at the Folk Museum.

After which we ran into two co-workers from school. Joy and Jenifer, Lotte World veterans, grabbed us by the hands and lead us to the must do's of Lotte World!  

MISO

"a beautiful love story"

Betty, a Korean teacher at ECC invited me along to see MISO, a traditional Korean theatre performance. Near City Hall in Chongdong Theatre the magical progression through a Korean romance unfolds in the intimate setting. The performance is set in four chapters following the seasons. Each season representing a new phase in the courtship. The dancers dress is traditional hanbok in an array of color and elaborate hair pieces. A singer and traditional percussion quartet frames the stage. Along with the 13 female dancers, two lovers, and singer there is a percussion troupe that make the show come to life with loud rapid beats and enthusiastic dancing and performing. The men wear hanbok and head pieces with a 15 ft ribbon trailing behind. They have mastered a beautiful technique that synchronizes the music and dancing with their costume. This fluttering ribbon and feather head piece accentuates the music and stage dynamic.

Betty wasn't a huge fan of the show; she said being Korean she had seen it all too many times before. But as a beginner in Korea I loved it, the dress, the music, the dancing. It was a beautiful performance and a glimpse into Korea's past.   

Family in Korea (^_^)

Last Sunday I met with Jin, my Aunt Inye's 26 year old niece. She lives just outside Seoul in a village near Macheon Station. We meet in Insa-dong, the artsy, cultural, tourist hub of Seoul. We settled into the floor at The Old Tea Shop to share life stories while birds fluttered around above our heads and we sipped traditional Korean tea.

Jin is an only child, much like myself. She still lives with her parents in her childhood house. Her parents and her own a bakery in the village; Jin puts in over 12 hours every day along side her parents. She studied design in university and has dabbled in many different areas of the creative field. When I meet her she was wearing accessories that she had fashioned herself. In our many email correspondences she also shared with me Hanbok, traditional Korean dress, she had designed and made.

In the near future Jin plans to go back to school for either English Literature or Social Work. Her dream for further on in life is to own a tea and guest house much like the one we spend the afternoon in.

I think Jin is a true Korean; she likes spicy food and prefers to sleep on the floor except she doesn't like to have her picture taken, and that is so not Korean.

Our Sunday together consisted of peering into the windows and open doors of traditional Korean houses, strolling the grounds of the Changgyeonggung Palace, drinking tea, and shopping in Insa-dong admiring the creative world around us. The language between us made communicating difficult at times, but there was a pinky promise to learn the other's language a bit more and a trip to Japan next summer! (^_~)

Summer Play

[armed and ready]

The first semester of school at ECC came to a close with a water gun fight of the roof top for the kindi bunch and a spelling bee contest for the elementary students.

In the morning I arrived at work and was sent back home to change into proper water gun fighting attire. I returned armed and ready to seek some revenge on the class clowns. Unfortunately, I think the students had a similar idea, and their water gun skills and equipment surpassed mine.

[the students unite]

[he may be completely soaked but his face says it all]

[it was every man for himself]

[primary target: unarmed, wild student. teachers screamed "get him" from every corner]

[Koreans don't do anything half way, full equipment is a must in this game]

[the students enclose minnie without any ammunition.  its payback for the time spent in the thinking chair]

Beach Days in Busan

This Eastern port city is the second largest city in South Korea, but is little in comparison to Seoul. The sand beaches grace the coast, fresh seafood restaurants, and a night life they compare to Miami.

It is a popular place for Koreans to go for vacation. The beaches are packed with koreans, umbrella, and yellow inner tubes. You have to pay for your 3' square of space on the beach, and they line 'em up and stack 'em deep. Your lucky to be touching sand and seeing sun. In Spain women repeating “Masaje?” walk the beach offering beach goers massages. In convenient Korea a constant stream of fried chicken and beer is being pushed in your face.

Our first night in Busan was a massive rain and wind storm. Malcolm and I ran for the water, despite the precipitation. John stood 6' tall on the beach under his umbrella. Not knowing what to do in the beach town with such weather we went to the bar with the best view of the shore. Perched on the 15^th floor facing Hyundai Beach we played darts and pool until we braved the elements. We did not prepare enough in advance to claim a room in the vacation destination so we took the cheap way out and stayed in Vista jimjibang. We may of slept on the floor amoungst a hundred koreans, but for 7,000 Won ($5.75) we had a place with a view of the beach that would cost a pretty penny in the western world.

Our second day was beautiful with blue sky so we laid lazily on the beach all day until we grew hungry and had Chinese Shabu Shabu of fresh seafood and meat, cooked in two type of soup, one mild broth and the other spicy. It is served with rice, noodles, and green tea. In the evening we spent time on Gwanghali Beach which overlooks a beautiful bridge. Koreas filled the beach drinking Soju and setting off fireworks.

The sun and sand of Busan was a refreshing break from children and florescent lights, Monday was the end of summer vacation and back to work; at least it was done with a bit of a tan.  

Go Rock! Go Green!

Tucked in the mountains two hours south of Seoul was the three day music festival of Jisan Valley featuring popular Western and Korean musicians. The line up included Basement Jaxx, Patti Smith, JET, Oasis, Fall Out Boy, Jimmy Eat World, and Weezer. My favorite Korean groups were Windy City, Deli Spice, Lee Houn Choul and the Run Run Runaways, and a Korean-American female vocalist Priscilla Ahn. After the main acts finished at midnight the electronic session began and continued on til 4AM. 

The venue in situated in in a valley of Korean mountains and forest. The winter ski resort was perfect for the festival with its large space and natural setting. The green grass held the dancing and mashing to the chilled out spectators in the rear. The woods to the side was filled with the tents of the campers. It was great to get a break from the lights and cars of Anyang, and sleep in the woods.  Our tent did however tent collapsed on us the first night and the second night I slept curled around a tree trunk. Malcolm and John made a manly quest up the mountain Sunday morning, to sleep at the peak and nearly “perish” in the heat

The energy of the festival goers was impressive and the variety of music kept things exciting. Basement Jaxx put on a performance that had everyone in such high energy. Brandon and I found ourselves in this circle of dancers that repetitively formed a large circle and then all rushed the center to jump around and dance to the techno tunes. After their performance I spent the night in a circle of Koreans with three guitars and a set of bongos and improv tunes. Wonderwall was a hit, everyone was in anticipation for Oasis on Sunday night. It started with me and two Koreans, as the night went on the group got bigger, the number of instruments got greater, and the communal drinks the center followed the same trend. 

The late night scene in the electric tent suited my craving for a East London night dancing at 333. The dance moves weren't as wicked but the DJ's did a great job and everyone was into the music and dancing the night. The people at Jisan were there to have a good time and enjoy the moment; camaraderie with the people next to you made for great memories and good times. 

On Sunday Patti Smith rocked out on the stage like it was the 70's. The Koreans were confused if she was man or woman, but regardless they loved the Woodstock like performance. She ended her set with a quest for world peace and plucking off her guitar strings in the heat of the moment. JET took the stage and rocked out with great music and good looks, most people hadn't heard of them but it didn't spot the dancing and enthusiasm. By the time Oasis took the stage the entire space was filled. Everyone sang along to every song, ams raised and legs swaying.   

Malcolm's article about the concert can be read here on the Seoul Times website.