Buddha's (Belated) Birthday

Korea, along with many countries, actually celebrated the Buddha's Birthday (seok ga tan shin il) last Thursday, but I have been too busy/lazy to do a post about it yet, so here I am finally getting around to doing so. It was a public holiday in Korea, so I didn't have to work and took the opportunity to visit Gyeongju again with my friend Areum. Even though the weather report was threatening rain, the morning was positively beautiful, which meant that vacationing people from all over Korea headed to Gyeongju, perhaps the most popular domestic tourist destination, resulting in a little traffic jam. After my bus driver negotiated his way through that, Areum treated me to lunch at the most famous sun dubu jjigae restaurant in the city (sun dubu jjigae is a sort of very spicy stew made with soft tofu and, in this region of Korea at least, seafood. Sometimes, restaurants serve it with a raw egg dropped inside which quickly cooks in the rapidly boiling soup. It is fast becoming my favorite Korean dish). It was there that I encountered my first really xenophobic locals who were angered that the waitstaff served me and Areum before them, asking her "So, he gets special preference because he's American or something?" Incidentally, we were seated closer to the kitchen, but it didn't keep the angry couple from staring daggers at me for the rest of the meal. Oddly enough, it was a refreshing experience for me. After lunch we wandered lackadaisically around the city and the Bomun lake area, ending up here at the waterwheel:

It was then that the rain that had been predicted finally arrived. Having been overly optimistic, I had left my umbrella at home. Fortunately, Areum was wiser than me. We sought refuge in a tea house in the new downtown with an eclectic display of kitsch from all over the world. We tried a tea unlike anything I've ever had; at first, it had a mild, green-tea-ish flavor, followed by a natural sweetness. Quite enjoyable. It was then time for us to part ways, she north to Pohang and me south to Ulsan and the elaborate lantern displays lining the boulevards.

Land's End

This past weekend I had to fulfill my work obligations and take part in "membership training," which basically consists of a weekend retreat with my co-workers where we don't actually discuss work at all. Previously, we have visited Jirisan, and this time around the destination was Jeollanamdo, the historical site of the Korean political opposition on the southwest coast of the peninsula. We headed out early on Saturday and stopped for lunch at an old fortress that has been preserved as a historical site. Apparently, it was once the station of General Lim, one of the Joseon era heroes of Korean history for his fierce resistance to the Japanese invasion. While there, we also got to witness part of a traditional wedding, which was quite something to watch. From there we drove to the spot where the great 18th century thinker Dasan (author of over 500 political, economic, and philisophical texts) had been exiled and instructed his disciples in shirak, Korean pragmatic philosophy.

In the afternoon, we arrived in Haenam and took a cable car up to the top of Duryusan, the highest peak in the area. On a good day, one can see all the way to Jeju-do and see the outline of Halasan. Unfortunately for us, it was a high pollution day and Jeju was completely obscured.

Out of the blue, my director announced that he and I were going hiking while the rest of our co-workers rested and took me on a scramble up and down the steep side of the mountain on a trail that I'm sure is rarely used. Here is a look back at Duryusan from the helipad we hiked down to:

We headed back to the min bak where we were staying (basically a small country condo) and cooked our dinner of samgyeopsal and galbi. I was amazed by the amount of dishes that we were trucking around with us and our ability to recreate a restaurant-style meal on our porch:

The next day, we drove to ddang kkeut maul, literally "the end of the earth village," where we took a ferry out to Bogildo. On the boat ride out there, Jessica and I were intrigued by the sea of buoys that dotted the horizon. As we passed by them, we realized that they were part of a massive seaweed harvesting operation, which seemed to be the major part of the local economy:

Bogildo was once home to another important figure of Korean literary history, the great poet Gosan. Gosan spent his final days of exile in the wake of the Manchurian invasion in the 17th century on this island, which I wouldn't mind be exiled to if I had to be. This is the view from the pavilion where he liked to sit and read books, and a picture of the reflecting pond by his former home:

On our way back to Ulsan, we stopped by the green tea farm in Boseong for a brief visit. The Korean green tea industry has taken a hit as of late because of competition with China, so the farm, which used to be free to visit, now charges a small entrance fee. It was a surprisingly breathtaking site to see the terraces of green tea bushes and it certainly smelled of nok cha.

We enjoyed some soft-serve green tea ice cream (a first for me) and then wearily made the journey back to Ulsan. As my time here winds down, I am realizing I have less and less time to see all the sights in Korea that I want to, and it was nice to be able to see these parts of the country that I wouldn't have otherwise.

Parents' Day

In the wake of "Children's Day" on Saturday, and keeping in step with this month of holidays recognizing people in Korea, today is "Parents' Day." Unlike the States and other countries that separate a day for mothers and one for fathers, the Korean version celebrates the familial atomic unit, so to speak. Of course, reverence for parents and elders is an important part of Confucianism, as it is in many cultural systems. Children are supposed to buy carnations for their parents, or make paper versions of the colorful flower, and write notes to their parents expressing their filial affection. Here is a view of one of Mugeodong's many flower shops preparing for the event:

Sights In Mugeodong

Mugeodong, the University neighborhood in Ulsan where I spend all together too much of my time, is full of strange sights worthy of being recorded here. Usually, I forget to bring my camera with me, but this weekend I happened to have it along. First, the mannequins at "Bodyguard," a lingerie/underwear chain:

The mannequins are the same at every "Bodyguard," and they are always just as scary-looking. It was nighttime, so I'm not sure whether the pictures convey how odd they actually look.

Next, the "Ddong" store, the name of which anyone who teaches Korean children should recognize immediately. Unfortunately, they appear to be changing their display right now. Most of the time, there is a very scatological display that keeps in step with the name of the store:

Finally, this one is a clothing store. I'm fairly certain the name wouldn't fly back in the States:

Tina's Wedding

("Tina" the bride)

This afternoon I went to my second Korean wedding, this time for one of my classmates in the Korean class, "Tina." She is from China and met her husband while they were at graduate school together in Auckland, New Zealand. Another of our classmates came as well, as did our professor. The ceremony was virtually exactly like the previous wedding I went to as far as structure, but this time I understood a little bit more of what was going on. The highlight was definetely when the best man ordered the groom to do push-ups until his nose bled. Here is a picture of all of us (looking very confused) after the ceremony:

Children's Day

Saturday wasn't only the Cinco de Mayo celebration in my hemisphere, but also "Children's Day" here in Korea. "Children's Day" is celebrated in over 20 countries all over the world, most on different dates. The Korean version was created in 1923, during the time of the Japanese colony, officially adopted by the government in 1973, and became a holiday in 1975. According to one of my co-workers (and later confirmed by my professor), "Children's Day" was originally a time for children to have fun and feel special when Korea was a very poor country. Since most people didn't have much and times were extremely depressing (especially under the colonial authority), this day was set aside to maintain the innocence and happiness of the children. Nowadays, in my co-worker's opinion, it is a little redundant because sometimes it seems like everyday is "Children's Day." Young children receive presents (toys, school supplies, etc.) from their relatives and teachers and generally have a good time. According to some of my students, they are considered too old to receive presents when they reach middle school. At the hagwon, we handed out presents (an alarm clock) to all of our students and had a day of games and snacks, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Yesterday, I went shopping and ran into pack after pack of children and their parents, including three of my students, all buying toys. While I wish we had a "Children's Day" in the States because I agree with the sentiment of celebrating the importance of children (just watch "Children of Men" to see what life would be like without them), I also don't think we need any more reasons to celebrate conspicuous consumerism in America.

International Worker's Day

Happy Worker's Day! May 1st brings with the annual recognition of the successes (and failures) of the labor movement in just about every country except my native land and, for some, time to reflect on the relationship between labor and capital in this day and age, a.k.a. a holiday. Unfortunately, hagwon employees are not among those who get the day off, but other laborers across Korea do. Those who know me know that I'm "red" enough to revel in this day; in fact, I am proud that (at least during my first year), my undergraduate school was one of the only, if not the only, college in the States to officially recognize Worker's Day on its calendar and commemorate it with a day of panel discussions about labor issues. In subsequent years, our efforts were thwarted by an increasingly reactionary administration. The May 1st holiday remembers one of the darkest chapters of the American (and world-wide) labor movements, the Haymarket Square killings in 1886 (which actually happened on May 4th). Of course, exploitation of labor is still a world-wide problem and one which doesn't get enough attention, and the American labor movement is nowhere near what it used to be at the time of Haymarket. Although it is a day to celebrate the achievements of labor movements and the value of workers, it is also a time to remember what has been sacrificed and how much still needs to be done.

Yassin

My old university friend Yassin arrived in Ulsan this weekend for a three month sojourn, which keeps alive my streak of being surrounded by Rockers/Llamas wherever I go. Our tiny undergraduate college, Simon's Rock, produces some of the oddest graduates and for some unexplained reason, to which most of us will no doubt attest, each of us is our own tiny quantum singularity, pulling in all others from around the world. Thus, we have set up colonies in cities in several different countries. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only SRC colony in Korea, but I'm almost positive that there has to be another one so if there are any other Rockers out there on the peninsula, give a holla!