In my many minutes of cramming on everything and anything "korea" prior to my arrival in the "land of morning calm" I discovered several things. I discovered two main things. First, korean people are extremely generous, kind and helpful. This has been affirmed and validated almost on a daily basis with some exceptions. A few days ago I was on my morning run and on my way home I passed a sweet looking older woman who met me with hands raised in the air and the cheers of a fan watching her country's runner snag gold at the olympics. Needless to say, I returned her support with a HUGE smile and bow. Second, most korean people love hiking and are known to take it VERY seriously.
Back home we toss about "hiking" as a casual weekend day-trip type term that evokes images of a nice day in the wilderness, perhaps a few snapshots, a little sweat and then a tasty picnic perhaps. I've discovered that in Korea, it's more like a showdown between man and mountain.
Apsan Mountain is the mountain I run next to every morning and even at 7am there are men easily in their 50's and 60's who are already making their way back from walking to the entrance (all free, no pass necessary) hiking to the top (1-2 hours intense), hiking down and then passing me.
I made my way to Apsan a few weeks back with my trail-guide, Genie who is worship leader at the church I go to. The first thing I noticed was how well-maintained the trails were. The trail began somewhat gentle but within about 20 minutes we were headed straight up. Along the way we passed groups of women working out at these outdoor workout centers that are all over the city, a group of yoga practioners, some casual dayhikers and then the not so "casual" hikers barreling up the mountain. One man was flying up the mountain with military cargo shorts, no shirt and flip-flops. What!!??!!
After about 1hr and 20mins we made it to the top where we were met by a meditating monk who, listening to his mantra for 5 minutes, began to sound like the hum of my refrigerator. We were also met with dazzling views of our city of Daegu on a surprisingly clear day. And even with that said, it's not that clear. Daegu is surrounded by mountains and this leaves little relief for the smog and clouds to go anywhere but to settle right over the city. Great vistas nonetheless.
We decided to take the cable car down which was a change of pace and then passed an interesting park at the base of the mountain that used to be an old village which was guarded by the two statues of "man" and "woman."
Overall, it was great to get up and out of the city, breathe some fresh air and marvel at the beauty of korea that is often masked by the city feel from the ground that I now reside in. More hiking to come for sure. Enjoy the pics.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
She had me at, "G"
This is my new object of affection, and apple of my eye. Everyone, i'd like for you to meet, "Chunsa."
Saturday, July 31, 2010
pictures to the stories
here are some pictures of my area, apartment, church and some other random things. enjoy.
One month and counting
hey everyone,
this monday will be one month for me out here in korea and i thought i'd check in and let you know how things are going.
a month in and i have successfully convinced myself that i am now living here and my trip out here was not merely a visit. i am comfortable with my area, i am comfortable with my job and with every passing day i am getting more comfortable with being a resident in korea. that's not to say that it is easy by any means, but i can confidently say that korea is now home.
the last few weeks have basically seen me sleeping and working. i signed up for the "summer session" term with the intention of getting more teaching experience in the new school's system and basically just tryin' to be a go-getter. 800 dollars and the loss of a few brain cells, i can now say that i survived summer session. am i glad i did it? yes. i was able to be in the classroom with korean students a lot during my first month on the job and the experience accelerated my understanding of how to teach them and what they are able to do. would i do it again? probably not. 12-13 hours on your feet repeating words over and over at the most booming volume your vocal chords can muster is exhausting to say the least. great pay thought. and that's not to say that the summer session wasn't sometimes a lot of fun. two of my classes had me cracking up in laughter constantly. in one class a pigeon always came to the window sill when the bell rang and stayed for most of our class. and in one class i caused quite the scene when i showed up with the seemingly innocent outfit of a yellow button down short sleeve shirt and green cargo shorts. after some laughter and whispering the following dialogue ensued:
girl- teacher......you're clothes...
teacher- my clothes? what about my clothes?
girl- ummmm.......they are......very interesting....
teacher- oh..thanks so jung (the girl's name). i like your outfit too.
girl- noooo..teacher...you are girl scout.
teacher- .......
at that moment i couldn't be embarrassed. we all had a great laugh. now i'm going back to my original schedule of 6 hour days and could not be happier.
i've been slowly dabbling in korean cuisine when i have time. a few nights ago i went out after work to a seafood place that specialized in raw fish. for about 10 dollars i had 2 beers and an ENORMOUS spread of raw fish, soups, side dishes of vegetables and other cooked fish. i also tried my first "still moving on the plate" delicacy and it was surprisingly tasty. the meal was awesome and the owner was super nice. it is about 5 minutes form my house so i can see that being a weekly staple in my diet. 2 nights ago i went out to a place called "the orange shop" by my coworkers. it is basically a small restaurant that specializes in most current favorites for good quality at outrageous prices. everything is about 3-4 dollars and is plenty filling and tasty. the other night i tried a cold noodle soup and it tasted great. cold soups are very common here in the summer.
over the past 3 weeks i have also gotten really involved in a church out here. it is about 35 minutes from my house on subway and is wonderful. it has a small congregation but i have met some great people there that i could see becoming great friends with. i am now a member of their worship team on sunday, their weekly bible study and the volunteer team that helps out at an orphanage on the edge of the city every month. this month we barbecued hot dogs and hamburgers for them and then had an intense game of ultimate frisbee at a nearby park where one kid (17 years old) failed to understand that it wasn't the XFL and kept clobbering one of the 50 year old men on our volunteer team. the kid was having fun so we were hesitant to really come down on him but after the 3rd clothes-line we had to draw the line.
on the worship team last week i was asked to help lead worship at a small korean church in a small town about 40 mins. outside of Daegu. they didn't speak english i don't speak korean but it was one of the most amazing spiritual experiences i've ever had. moving to see how god speaks to all nations.
last week i got my first paycheck and it felt good to see my hard work pay off. (jonathan, that was for you) first on the purchase list is a guitar. i went guitar pricing today and found that you can get a really nice korean model guitar for under $500 which is my limit. i'll most likely buy one on tuesday. i also just got my internet officially connected so i can stop feeling guilty about hijacking the signal i have been the last two weeks. to whoever was providing me with internet, i thank you and will buy you a beer if we ever cross paths. next on the list are cable and a cell phone which should get hooked up sometime next week. after that, bingo, bango, bongo, my life is in completely in place for the next year.
well, that was more than enough to bore you all to death but thanks for your prayers and i'll keep in touch as much as i can. i love you all and take care. 'til next time.
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