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.
posted by TSF in Ulsan | 8:47 PM
4 Comments:
Hi,
I've enjoyed your take on South Korea during my stay here, and I am sad to hear (read) of your moving on.
Do you talk to your students about the futures of North and South Korea or with adults about the possibility of reunification? It seems that the South Korean gov't. is purposely withholding much of the truth from them. Here is a good link to some startling documentaries: http://www.tv-links.co.uk/show.do/9/5088
Number 4 made me particularly sick to my stomach after realizing how much complaining I did growing up in the U.S. with my lower middle-class lifestyle. With food, a free education, the freedoms to choose whatever job or lifestyle that interested me.
South Koreans who are younger, or who have been living abroad, seem more open to discussing the ills of the world with open minds. However, I can't get many to many older students (30+) to understand that the world is much bigger and complex than just this little corner of Asia.
Maybe you can write about the goals, dreams, and aspirations of those that you have come to know and teach in an upcoming blog.
Take care and good luck on your continuing journey.
John from Daejeon
Thanks for your interest in my blog, I often wonder who, outside of my family, actually reads this thing. In answer to your question, I don't really talk about the issue too much with my students, mostly because the majority are second and third graders and their English skills aren't well-developed. But during one of our one-on-one interview sessions we asked the students what they would do if they were President of Korea and many said that they would make Korea whole again. It seems to me that there is a lot of sympathy here for the North Korean situation, which is certainly one of the worst and saddest in the world and doesn't get nearly the attention that it deserves. The Sunshine Policy of the 1990s has set reunification solidly on the South Korean political agenda, but of course there are some issues that need to be worked out first, mostly economic. At any rate, I will check out the documentary you recommended as I will be the first to admit that my knowledge about North Korea is very limited. Thanks!
TSF
Yours, and a couple of other blogs, are like a window into my own life as an ESL teacher here in South Korea. While I like the diversity in all the blogs, I am glad that there are quite a few good ones (like yours) that focus on the positive aspects of living abroad and enjoying the unique experiences that so many people will never get.
My contract is up in three weeks, and I've decided to stay around for at least another year.
Yeah, take a look at those documentaries. They are definitely eye openers, and I wish I had some real answers, but acting like this isn't happening is a slap in the face of those that have suffered the most.
Again, good luck when you move on. I have to head on back to my kids now.
I also enjoy your blog on life in Korea. Last year my company sent me to Korea twice, once for two weeks and another for three weeks, both times staying in Gwangju, where there are very few non-Koreans. I didn't get to experience as much of the culture as you have, but I can relate to many of the things you've posted about.
Next time you're in a hurry for a meal, try a Bulgogi Burger at Lotteria!
Pat in Minnesota
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