Seoul Searching: Part 2

Looking back at my various blog posts, it's hard to believe I was training in Seoul almost seven months ago. Mesmerized by metal chopsticks and double (sometimes triple) parked cars, these sights are now my everyday landscape. Korea is gettin' to me, guys! As a caucasian woman in Ulsan, one with "big eyes" and "small face," two sought after features among Koreans, I am very much the minority and receive plenty of stares and double-takes. To order food or make a purchase, I have to do so in Korean. To buy pants...well, I just can't fit.

Seoul is very, very different.

Thanks to the high-speed KTX train, Beth, Tim, Sarah and I were able to travel across the entire span of the country in less than three hours. The Korean rail system was completed in 2004 after twelve years of construction throughout the country. It regularly transports passengers from Busan to Seoul at speeds of 190mph, and although it's a tad pricey at 50,000won each way it does guarantee a comfortable, quick and reliable transit to and from the city. The KTX station in Seoul is located in the center of the city and allowed us to easily jump on the subway to our destination, Itaewon. The mecca of Western food.

Starting the day of right by almost missing our train
due to necessary iced coffee and donut holes.
Stress on "necessary."

Once we emerged from the depths of the subway it was obvious that Itaewon was unlike Ulsan for many reasons. First, while walking to our hostel we passed a Taco Bell. TACO BELL. Ulsan has no Taco Bell, nor any other "Mexican" food for that matter. Second, there were foreigners as far as the eye could see, and not just small-faced caucasians. We saw Turkish people, African American people, German people. We heard languages that weren't Korean OR English! It was as if a seven month veil had been lifted. I remembered that a world exists outside of gimbop rolls and ESL teaching. The last difference, something I could appreciate, was the abundance of what Korea calls "Big Size" stores. As an American I'd call them normal size stores, but here anything over a size 4 is considered large. (Pshhh.) As the night went on we noticed more extreme differences only present in Itaewon, like the large transgender community. But after checking-in at our hostel we had one goal in mind: Western food. Mexican food. We weren't disappointed.

Good IPA. Check.

Happy veggie burrito. Check.

After the gastronomic greatness we called lunch, the four of us hopped into a taxi and went to Insadong, a traditional market street. Street food, traditional souvenirs, selfies. All the traditional ways of Korean people were present in Insadong. Keeping with traditional spirit, we ventured to the Gyeongbokgung Palace which is smack-dab in the city. Located in northern Seoul, the palace was the first and largest built during the Joseon Dynasty in 14th century. However, in the early 15th century, the original palace was destroyed by a fire and left abandoned for hundreds of years. In 1867 it was reconstructed, then again destroyed by Imperial Japan, then gradually restored until 2009. Although it was far from original, walking through the Palace was actually pretty neat. Korean palaces are much different than the image my Western mind constructs. (Thanks, Disney.) Basically just one walled space within another walled space, the Joseon Dynasty must have deterred intruders by painting everything using the same color palate, creating so much confusion and frustration that the enemy was like, "Eff this! Let's go." 

Our tour began in the open arena near the center.

I wonder if the Joseon Dynasty ever did cartwheels here.

Tim, Beth, and Sarah. Los Tres Amigos.

Outside of the Korean Folk Museum

With sight-seeing out of the way we could refocus on our true mission: Western food. And Western friends. By complete coincidence my Bloomington friends, Harry and Nicole, were on their Korea vacation visiting Harry's family in Seoul. Although they were staying in Gangnam district, they subwayed over to Itaewon to join me for a night of all-American greatness. Seeing the familiar faces of Bloomington buddies filled me with such joy! 

Indulging in a questionably green cocktail, 

the "Liquid Marijuana." When in Itaewon,
do as the westerners do!

Harry giving us a Korean lesson.

And showing me how Korean won 

vary in size depending on value. 

Mind blown.

Nicole and I put up a solid fight, but
Team Boys prevailed. However, 

under the umbrella of Team America, 

we're all winners.

Thanks to Harry, Nicole, Western food, and R.Kelly's "Ignition Remix" I actually felt like I was back home for one evening. I'm completely comfortable living outside of the United States, but there's really no place like home and it felt good to enjoy that feeling after so long abroad. The next morning, Tim, Beth, Sarah and I woke up early for our last Western food hurrah. Quite possibly the most exciting of them all, we walked to Suji's New York Deli for some post-Saturday shenanigan breakfast. Man, who'da thought I'd photograph an omelet, home fries, and black drip coffee with such excitement? Certainly not me seven months ago. But now? Now it's a beautiful thing, very much deserving of a photo. 

It's no Runcible Spoon, but damn it was good.

Overall, my 24 hours in Seoul was a superb mini-vacation. It was nice to get away, but it also made me appreciate Ulsan's authentic Korean culture. It made me appreciate the small foreigner population, the fact that I have to speak Korean to get by, and the new appreciation I've gained for cuisine I took for granted at home. Ulsan is a good place for me in Korea. With the KTX, Seoul is never more than three hours away. And through Internet magic, friends and family are never more than just a click. 

Two Wheels, Four Wheels, and Guns: Bulguksa Pension Weekend

Tom Cochrane once sang that "life is a highway," but last weekend I observed the phrase in a more literal sense. Swiftly peddling (and muttering profanities) along the shoulder of Highway 7 wasn't exactly what I had in mind when my friends asked if I'd like to bike to our pension in Gyeongju, and it surely wasn't a road I wanted to ride "all night long," but it definitely made for an interesting start to our friend Michael's last weekend in Korea. And, as usual, it made one hell of a memory.

It all began at 7am. The plan was this: Meet DiDi by the river, ride to Shayla's, take the bike path until it ended, ride along Highway 7 to our weekend home in Bulguksa, (near Gyeongju--the marathon location) and have a day of good ol' American Father's Day FUN! This plan was great. No, it was better than great. The plan was grand. Our boring friends would meet us at the house with food and libations, the house had a pool...What could be better? Surprisingly bright eyed and bushy tailed as the gal with the longest commute, I met DiDi and Shayla and we rode along one Ulsan's convenient and well-manicured bike paths. Biking is pretty popular here. Well, let me rephrase that; dressing like a serious biker is pretty popular here. When biking, I seldom pass a cyclist without the full jersey, padded shorts, aerodynamic helmet, shades, gloves, cycling shoes, etc. Other than the cool clothes there is no real evidence that the Koreans log any substantial mileage, but I sure hope they do because Ulsan on two wheels trumps Ulsan on four. Anyway, with nothing more than ajumma pants, my backpack, and a prayer, I happily toted alongside my friends for about two hours, zigzagging through trees, past streams, even in the rice paddy fields. It was beautiful.

Shayla on the right,
Sarah on the left

Rice paddy fields with the city in the distance

A beautiful day for biking

Then the path ended.

What I quickly came to realize was that DiDi had never personally biked the route and only received rough directions from a friend. That friend failed to mention that for over an hour we'd have to bike on the shoulder of Highway 7. When the time came, there was literally no other option but to screw it and do it. So we did it. And I will say that Korea's highway shoulder is especially clean compared to the highways I'm familiar with in the USA. There was no litter, debris, or roadkill to be found. Regardless, the final hour of the journey was more stressful and dangerous than I would have liked, but we did all three make it in one piece and actually managed to beat one car to the pension. Biker bitches rule!

With a new appreciation of life, having just escaped death in Korea once again, there was nothing more appropriate than guns and camouflage. Never had I anticipated such an activity to be available here, but alas, I was proven so, so wrong. Mostly to honor Michael's departure from Asia (as well as honor the gun-shootin' papas back home on their special day) we puppy piled into the pick-up van and set out for our shoot out.

Fourteen of us, plus the driver, in the van.

I'm hiding behind Shayla and under Beth.

Michael, DiDi and I acting friendly off the battlefield.

With less than one hour decompression time before hauling ass to the paintball location, I won't lie, I was feeling a little frazzled. And scared. It had been over six years since I last indulged in the sport but the sting of the pre-welt paint pellet was fresh in my mind. (Well, not really, but I knew it would hurt!) Let's just say the girls were less than thrilled to partake, but it seemed the guys were sprouting chest hair all morning just thinking about it. Once we arrived we changed into our camo, sat through a questionable Korean safety orientation, and prepared ourselves for the battlefield. Each step closer filled me with dread, but I think I was doing a moderately acceptable job of hiding it. 

 

The paintball area was smaller than I expected but had plenty to hide behind. Since I bruise like a peach, I tried my best to duck and cover without shooting blindly into the trees. None of us moved around too much and the first game was over pretty quickly, but by the second game I was feeling more confident. Barely grazed on the arm in game one, I was totally welt free and felt a bit trigger happy, so using the scope was exactly what I needed to dominate game two, and DOMINATE I DID. Muahahaha. I shot Lauren right in the face guard and it was fantastic. She was the best sport and went out guns a'blazin' in our final boys versus girls round.

Girls won. 

So did Beth's hair.

Shooting friends:
Bonding time like none other

After the paintball our adrenaline was pretty high, but there's no better way to lower one's heart rate than ride an ATV, so that's precisely what we did. I traded a face mask for a helmet, hopped on the hog, did a lap for "practice" and hit the quarry. No signature, medical card, or proof of insurance required. I love Korea.

On your mark...

Get set...

GO!

Never too busy for the Victory sign with DiDi

Or Shayla

After putzing around for about a half hour we reconvened for a Father's Day scolding. The foreigners drove too fast and too reckless they said, and without any insurance to cover our speedy asses we got the boot. "Yes, Dad," we sulked with puppy dog eyes. SLOWLY and CAREFULLY, we drove back to base camp. As we returned we passed several Koreans on ATVs going no more than ten miles per hour, and I swear one was wearing loafers. The business was nice enough to give us half of our money back, however. Apologies go out to all the foreigners who will never be granted access to play there thanks to us. Meh. YOLO.

No one could be that mad

at a face that cute.

Three hours of biking, paintball, and ATV badassery all before 3pm worked up quite an appetite, so we shuttled back to the pension for an afternoon of pool party relaxation and the best BBQ a vegetarian could ask for. The house we rented was nestled in a little commune of similar pensions and came equipped with a shared pool, grilling area, and singular bathroom for fourteen. Perfect! 

I'm sure we scared all the Koreans.

But look at this spread!
Moments after the pension people brought

us rice because, you know, no meal

is complete without the rice.

Typical scene: DiDi smiling, me grabbing veg,

Lauren dancing in the background on a table.

The remainder of the day mixed as well as Peach Absolut and aloe juice, and I realized how lucky I am to have met such wonderful people here. Korea itself is a nice country, but time and time again I am reminded that it's not where you are, it's who you're with. And what you're doing, even if you're not sure exactly what you're doing.

Trying to do...something?

 Failing, obviously.

That's better.

Lady to lady.

Man to man.

Food to grill.

No better way to end the night than with Adam's middle finger, Michael's smile, and DiDi trying to drink the ketchup bottle. I wish Michael all the best back home in the states with his beautiful fiancé and exciting future! And, just like that, another friend said farewell. 

The 36 Hour Vacation

The restless sighs and Korean equivalent of "ho-hum" are just one indication of students' most stressful and least-anticipated time of the school year: Test Time! In Korea tests mean big business, because in Korea tests mean everything. My elementary babies and middle schoolers studied for over a month in preparation for midterm tests, some of which span two or three days and cover just about all the major subjects. (Imagine taking the SAT twice every year beginning in elementary school. Sounds fun, right?) To make sure they rock the midterm while keeping their brains intact, many students were absent from my ESL class last week. Now, this is totally understandable...but they missed MY achievement test. So here's a test for you:

Q: What is the Korean solution for missing a test to take a test?

     a. make up the test the following week
     b. make up the test on the holiday weekend
     c. say "oh, well!" and miss the test

If you chose answer choice B you are correct! Public schools were closed on Monday and Tuesday in honor of Children's Day and Buddha's Birthday, but to get the party started for kids we opened our doors on Saturday and Sunday to have test make-up. Hurray! My teacher friends from other schools planned a long weekend trip to the Geoje Island off the southern coast of Korea and I'd be damned if I missed it, so after wrapping up the achievement tests (giving kids strict instructions to play outside that afternoon) I met my friends downtown, purchased my $12 bus ticket, and began the two hour commute to the island. 

We arrived in Geoje at about 7 o'clock Sunday evening and planned to rent a room in a love motel. The brightly lit neon signs and strange English phrases make them easy to spot. To Koreans, love motels are a cheap place to do the dirty. To foreigners, they are a cheap place to crash when traveling. The rooms are garishly decorated (a friend said her most recent love motel had a realistic mural of a woman wearing a G-string painted above the bed) and available for rent by the hour or the night. Super convenient for a nap or a full-night sleep! I was eager to see what interior decorations awaited me in Geoje, but apparently every other person was too. For over an hour we walked in and out of motels looking for an available room...Nothing! Not one. Things began to look bleak, but we kept our spirits up knowing the worst case scenario would probably leave us sleeping in a church or a 24 hour DVDbang.

Then, in the distance, we saw it. The 24 hour jimjilbang. Hallelujah! Perhaps better and cleaner than the love motel (although debatable), the jimjilbang offered us with a sauna, pajamas, pillow and blanket for the unbeatably low price of $8! Now, I've sauna'ed before in Korea and feel fairly comfortable traipsing around other Korean women in my birthday suit, but this was my first time actually sleeping overnight in a jimjilbang. The whole process is, like many things in Korea, very confusing. Aside from the men and women's sauna and locker rooms, there are co-ed community rooms where people can lay around doing things they would probably do in their own home: watch TV, play cell phone games, argue. But here, you can do it as a family in someone else's space wearing someone else's pajamas. (Uh...what?) Anyway, it was perfect for my crew, and I was lucky enough to partake in the first ever sauna for Beth and Jae. So proud of them!

Jimjilbang Queens!

The group packed up and moved out fairly early Monday morning in search of a fulfilling Korean breakfast. There's nothing like sunshine, yellow dust, and bibimbop to get the day started! Normally I crave something sweet like cereal or fruit for breakfast, but a night of jimjilbanging culminated in roughly 5 hours of logged nap time rather than a solid night's rest. Mentally, I had been awake for hours and could absolutely stomach something savory for my first meal. 

Bibimbop is possibly the most well-known
Korean dish, and it's definitely my favorite.
Cheap, filling, and easily made vegetarian.
Mmmm.

Dunkin Donuts is possibly the most well-known
Korean donut, as well as Michael's
second breakfast.

Fat and happy, we found a taxi willing to transport all five of us to the beach. Although it's illegal, some cabs will let crazy waygooks puppy-pile into the backseat. This is especially true if the cab has a plush, checkerboard ceiling cover and Pororo window decals like ours. Keepin' it classy. Cab transport is usually a quiet affair since most of the foreigners don't speak Korean, but my friend Jae is Korean-American and received an ear-full of Geoje history from our driver. To me the conversation sounded something like this:

Old taxi man: korean korean korean korean
Jae: "Ne."

Old taxi man: korean korean korean korean korean korean

Jae: "Ne."

Old taxi man: korean korean

Jae: "Ne, ne."

Old taxi man: korean korean korean

Jae: "Neee."

Old taxi man: korean 

Jae: "Ne."  *giggles*

Old taxi man: korean korean korean korean korean korean korean korean korean

Jae: "Ne. Ne."

All I understand is yes and a giggle. Story of my life.

Twenty minutes later, THE BEACH!

Geoje Island, Gujora Beach

My post-marathon feet really needed 

some all-natural sand exfoliation.

Take One

Take Two

Got it!
(Jae, Beth, Lauren, moi)

Beach sleep > Jimjilbang sleep

Various shades of white people.

Secluded sand castles...

...until these Koreans chose to do jumping 

pictures right behind my friends
and their castle.

A glorious day with Baby Jae.

Thanks to my flexible friends, good weather, and one sweet jimjilbang owner, the 36 hour vacation was a complete success. Ulsan is a great location for weekend trips like this, especially on short-notice, with little time, and for little money. Having the opportunity to experience new places is something I am always grateful for, but new places are not nearly as memorable without new friends. And new double-chin pictures.

Photo posted without Beth's permission.
Shhhh.