More Of Ulsan At Night

Here's a couple more pictures of Ulsan at night, these of the flowers skirting the pedestrian bridge to Seongnamdong across the Taehwagang. I'll be back after the latest Seoul adventure...

Yassin's Got Seoul

As quickly as he arrived, he left. Yassin's ever-so short three month contract in Korea expired this week and so I accompanied him to Incheon for his departure flight this weekend. Of course, this afforded us the opportunity to make another trip to Seoul, which I can never pass up. As per usual, we arrived in Seoul in the wee hours of Saturday morning and went for pancakes in Apgujeong. This time, I mustered the courage to try the cream cheese and mozzarella pancakes, which were surprisingly delicious. The sweetness of the maple syrup played well with the saltiness of the cheeses. From there, we headed to our hostel and while Yassin napped, I went out for a lunch of Vietnamese noodles and fried rice with Ja Young in Sinchon. Afterwards, we walked around Seonyudo, a small island in the middle of the Han River. The former site of a water purification plant, the island is now an eco-park of sorts with several different kinds of plants, many of which aren't indigenous to Korea. I think I even saw the same type of pine trees we have in Maine, although it's been so long since I've seen them I can't be sure! With Yassin finally awakened, we headed up to the National Folk Museum in the palace district where there was a special exhibition of Jeju Island pottery, known in the Jeju dialect as "heobeok":














Apparently, the art of making pottery on Jeju is dying out and so these artifacts represent a tradition that is slowly disappearing. We also wandered around some of the other exhibits that show what daily life in Korea was like during the Three Kingdoms, Unified Silla, Goryeo, and Joseon periods. What was remarkable in my opinion was the conscious depiction of class differences during these periods and the acknowledgment of how radically different life was for the yangban and peasant classes. We left the museum and had a dinner of bulgogi, a.k.a. barbequed beef, which is one of Yassin's favorite Korean dishes. From there, we headed downtown to Namdaemun, a labyrinthine open-air market that has existed (in varying forms) for several hundred years.














Most of the merchandise was cheap rip-offs of major labels, but it was still quite an experience. As Yassin put it, it's kind of like being in the Twilight Zone. Finally, it was on to Hongdae for a relaxing time at Gr8, the tobacco-free hookah bar I've mentioned on this blog before. Our friends Yu-ran and Sam-chul from Ulsan, who happened to be in Seoul this weekend, met up with us in Hongdae and joined us for a midnight snack of su je bi, a spicy soup with thick noodles. At this time, virtually every bar and restaurant was tuned in to the Asian Football Cup third-place consolation match between Korea and Japan, which is quite a big rivalry. Korea eventually won in a shootout and it seemed like all of Hongdae erupted in cheers.

This morning, Yassin and I hopped on the airport shuttle and made it to Incheon with plenty of time to spare. As I'm sure I will see Yassin again some time, I'm not sad to see him go and I know he really made the most of his three months here. Still, I will miss his company as my time here also winds down. I will be back in Seoul later this week when our hagwon goes on a very brief summer vacation, so expect more stories from the capital city next week.

Reunion In The Kitchen

On Friday morning, most of the members of my Korean language class reassembled at our professor's apartment for a lesson in Korean cuisine. As this week has (sort of) seen the end of the rainy season and the true beginning of the "dog days" of summer, samgyetang, a.k.a. ginseng-chicken soup, was on the menu because it is a traditional dish that Koreans eat to help fight the heat. In fact, last Wednesday was Jung-Bok, the second of the official three hottest days of summer (as determined by the lunar calendar, I believe), when many Koreans eat samgyetang and bosintang, which I already covered on this blog. In addition to samgyetang, we also got a lesson in making kimchi and gimbap (a sort of Korean version of sushi). Afterwards, of course, we got to eat the fruits of our labor. It was nice to see everyone again and to share in the experience of preparing some of our favorite Korean foods. Who knew that our teacher could teach cooking as well as language?

Ulsan At Night

This picture is actually from a while ago, but I just like how serene the Taehwa looks here and the perfect reflection of the moon, which was eerily red that night. Sometimes, you gotta love the pollution here (light and otherwise)...

Tension Release

Yesterday I got my first massage in Korea (in fact, my first massage ever). Having never been for a massage before, I have nothing to compare the experience to, but I can say that it was quite relaxing. Everywhere I travel in Ulsan, I always see signs for "Sports Massages" with a pictures of feet on it. I randomly chose a spot near the Hyundai Department Store in Samsandong and hope for the best. I just recently learned the names of the body parts in Korean class, so I was able to explain to the masseuse, who spoke no English, that my back was hurting. I paid 70,000 won for the hour and a half treatment and she handed me a toothbrush a led me to the shower. After showering, brushing my teeth, and changing into more comfortable clothes, she led me into one of the rooms and laid me face down on the table. The massage itself was performed with both hands and feet, which was a little strange (that must be why there is a foot on the business sign). She worked the tension out of (almost) literally my entire body, from my scalp to my toes. Although I couldn't understand most of what she was saying, I think she was trying to explain that I had a lot of tension in my stomach muscles and that that made my neck, shoulders and lower back tense as well. After a rub-down with something like Ben-Gay and steaming hot towels, I felt rejuvenated. I had been a bit skeptical before my visit, but I have to say it was completely worth it and that I feel much better now.

Cultural Outings In Ulsan (!)

Today as I was riding home in a taxi along the Taehwa river, I noticed a giant plastic bubble floating in the middle of the river. I was so intrigued by this very unusual sight that when I went over to my friend Brandon's apartment later I suggested we walk down the riverbank path to check it out. Sure enough, the giant bubble was part of the "Taehwa-river Eco Art Festival," a group of sculptures by Korean modern artists and Ulsan University art students arranged in one of the many parks along the river. Besides the "Water Pavilion" there were nine other sculptures, all fascinating. I especially liked "Meul-e Nugak," a sort of house constructed out of glass jars filled with water, which gives it an interesting effect when hit by the floodlights at night. There were also some fish constructed from pieces of compact discs ("Recurrence"), a boat made out of giant pencils ("Drawing"), a sculpture of a child drinking the river water from a long, blue straw (aptly titled "A Child Drinking Taehwa River"), a maze of screen-printed and painted tapestries ("Suda"), an arrangement of reflective jigsaw puzzle pieces, some with photos of city life in Ulsan ("Koong!), a giant armchair made of grass and sticks ("Rest"), painted balls with butterfly wings suspended high in the air ("The Wings of Icarus"), and a tower of wooden rods with giant ball-bearings trapped inside ("Neo-Genesis"). It was a real surprise for me to see modern art in Ulsan, where there is usually a dearth of anything remotely cultural. Brandon and I were approached by the organizers of the exhibition, two art professors at Ulsan University, who shared my dissatisfaction with the state of art in the city. I hope that this is the beginning of a trend to bring more cultural opportunities to Ulsan. Here are some of the pictures I took:

Last Class

Yesterday was my last Korean class at Ulsan University, and so we had a farewell pizza party, played Korean bingo with the advanced class and had a chance to say good-bye to each other and to our fantastic teacher, Yoon Hye-Sook. I had so much fun in this class over the past six months; for me, learning Korean was an adventure and never at all stressful or frustrating. Which is not to say that Korean is an easy language to learn, but my classmates were always enthusiastic and the teacher made many jokes so it became something I looked forward to every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I am the only member of my class who will not be continuing on with the intermediate classes in September because I am returning to the States, so it was also a little sad for me. Korean class has become such a part of my routine that I'm not sure what I'll do in the mornings now! As our final project we all had to write a page or so about ourselves in Korean which the teacher compiled into a sort of "yearbook." While I'm sure all of us made a slew of spelling and grammatical errors, it's kind of amazing that we've come from barely being able to read and write in hangeul to being able to compose an entire page. I hope to continue studying Korean in the future, although I fear losing some of my ability. I guess I will have to practice even harder! Here are some photos from Nguyen Ducanh (one of my Vietnamese classmates):

Young Street

I was sorting through photos the other day and came across this one that I was saving for a rainy day. This is a view of the infamous "Young Street" in Seongnamdong, a covered walkway with neon lights flanked by stores and restaurants of every size shape and color. Some stores cater to those with more "Western" tastes (Starbucks, McDonald's, Levi's, K-Swiss, etc.) and others offer some of the craziest deals on the newest trends in Korean street fashion. There also several bars, of course, and a decent (by Ulsan standards) hip-hop club. A series of alleyways lead off from the main drag where shoppers can find vintage jeans and t-shirts and surprisingly good Korean food. This is what gives Seongnamdong it's charm and makes it my favorite part of Ulsan.

Pop Star Wars

I've meant to post this for a while now and keep forgetting to. Stephen Colbert is a bit hit or miss these days, but this particular bit is a major hit in my opinion, especially if you know anything about contemporary Korean pop music. The premise of this clip is that Colbert was named the second most influential personality on an on-line Time magazine poll behind the ever-so-popular, ever-so-typical Korean R&B singer, Bi (a.k.a. Rain, who I like to call "the Korean Usher"). The perceived slight prompts Colbert to prove (as only Colbert can) that he is a better Korean pop star than Rain could ever be. I had personally never heard of Rain before coming here, where, like any Korean celebrity, he is televisually ubiquitous. However, apparently Rain has a following in the States, and even sold out Madison Square Garden, or so I hear. Anyway, the Colbert clip is especially funny to me because of the research he much have done for it. He actually sings in Korean, although it is even worse than my Korean! But the joke about the bibimbap at the end is classic. It's an old clip, but I thought I'd share it here with anyone who may not have seen it yet.

Happy Independence Day

I may be one of the least patriotic Americans on the planet, but I do so love the 4th of July. In my hometown, it is always a fun time with a parade, cookouts, and fireworks. Of course, we have to make some concessions over here in Korea, but my friends and I were not deterred by being on the other side of the planet. Yesterday, I threw a belated Independence Day party at my newly empty apartment for seven of my friends, mostly Koreans. The menu (all prepared by me) included classic American potato salad, burgers with a special glaze (ketchup, steak sauce, sugar, oil, tabasco, and garlic), and BBQ chicken made with my homemade barbeque sauce. All of this was done without the use of a grill, so it made things a little more difficult. We washed it all down with some Budweisers and MGDs, which taste surprisingly good when one hasn't had American beer in many moons and the Korean variety smells like feet. After sunset, we trekked out to the small lake in Cheonsang and burned some sparklers, our lame stand-in for fireworks. All in all it was a good time, but no substitute for the real thing!

Gyeong Dong Tae Won Happenings

Recently, there has been a lot of activity in my apartment complex, much of it beginning in the wee hours of the morning, which causes me much distress (just kidding). The apartment buildings are getting a fresh coat of paint, which seems a little misguided because it is the rainy season and it tends to rain just about every day. Here is a view of the painters (I think OSHA would have a field day this one!):














And of course the cars are protected:














When I first arrived, I often wondered how people moved all of their belongings into these apartments high in the sky, especially since we don't have service elevators. There is an answer to that question-- this:














Every once in a while we get a new tenant and there is the constant sound of the mechanical platform zipping up and down its mechanical arm. These are the pieces of the Korean quotidian existence that I won't know that I'll miss until I leave.

Gajisan

Yesterday, my director and I went for our last hiking adventure together as employer and employee, as he will be retiring from the hagwon next week. Hopefully, we will be able to go hiking more in the future; he has introduced me to so many of Korea's beautiful mountains and to the outdoor adventuring culture that is so popular here. But this was a nice coda to our time together this year. He took me and two of his friends to Gajisan, the highest peak in the Yeongnam alps and one of the 12 scenic areas of Ulsan. I am always amazed by his stamina and the pace with which he hikes. Here is a 48 year old man who runs marathons and thinks nothing of attacking a 60 degree ascent! Initially, he wanted to take us on an eight-hour excursion, but at lunch it became evident that I was going to be a drag on the team as my body was giving way. I was coming down with a cold and suffering from exhaustion and even though I was willing to take on the Korean "Fighting!!" mentality and persevere, he took pity on me and changed our plan and instead took us to Sari-am, a small temple tucked away in the side of a mountain that is one of the three most famous temples in Korea where people visit to pray for their dreams to come true. Of course, not being a Buddhist, I didn't offer any prayers, but the view was incredible, even through the fog that had settled over the valley and the peaks. I am very thankful to have met my director; unlike many hagwon directors that I hear horror stories about, he is a truly generous and kind man who wants me to have a great experience in Korea, both in and out of the classroom.

Samul nori

On Thursday, my Korean language class had a special "culture" class, which allowed us all the opportunity to participate in samul nori, a style of Korean music. Samul nori is actually not a relatively old musical style; it is only about 30 years old. But its origins lie in rural "farmer's music" traditions and the shamanistic/clowning tradition of the countryside. It involves four percussive instruments (the "samul"), each of which represent a sound in nature. The most important one is the kkwaenggwari (thunder), which acts as the conductor and sets the pace for the other instruments. It is a small, gold and cymbal-like in appearance and is played with a stick and a cupped hand which can be used to manipulate the sound. The jing (wind), which is like a gong, and the buk (clouds), which is a large drum, keep the rhythm. Finally, the janggu (rain) is played with two sticks alternating between hitting two stretched skins on the side of the drum. In my opinion, it is the most difficult to play from a novice's view. Together, the players follow one of three paces set by the kkwaenggwari player, each of increasing speed. The result is a rhythmic, trance-like sound that is quite infectious. It reminds me of Moroccan gnawa music, except that it sounds completely different. Apparently, samul nori was an important part of the opposition student movement in the late 1970s and 80s, when President Park Jeong-hee had banned most forms of "traditional" Korean artistic and religious expression in the name of "progress" and "modernization." After a short concert played in the Yeongnam style popularized by the most famous samul nori player, Kim Duk-soo, we broke into four different groups and the musicians instructed us in how to play the instruments. I chose the buk, which seemed to be the easiest. However, I was overly enthusiastic and really wore out my arm with some expressive drumming! Afterwards, our groups reassembled and played all together. All in all, it was a great experience. Here is a picture of me playing the buk: