Summer Camp, in Winter, at a Buddhist Temple

Last weekend I partook in a temple stay. What's a temple stay, you ask? Allow me to explain.

Some of the Buddhist temples in Korea allow people to stay overnight, or for many nights, to learn about Buddhism, meditate, chant, and practice other Buddhist activities. With a group of 10 other Pohang foreigners, I stayed at a temple about an hour away. For myself, as well as most of my group, I wanted to learn more about the religion, have an opportunity to have real conversations with Buddhists, and experience a side of Korean culture that has been distant from the modern-day Korea I live in. And for $50, I got just that.

It ended up feeling a bit like summer camp, only instead of sleeping in cabins, we slept in temples. And instead of eating unexciting camp food, we ate unexciting Buddhist food. Instead of singing campfire songs, we chanted prayers. And instead of intertwining God and Jesus into each camp activity, we intertwined the Buddhist principles of inner-peace and proper breathing in everything we did.

The temple stay started at 2pm with a lesson in archery. We were given instructions on how to properly hold and shoot the bow and arrow by a Polish girl who is, I'm assuming, living and volunteering there. I had done archery in the past at the two summer camps I used to frequent as a child, but I learned something new about shooting a bow and arrow. Our arrows were not tipped with sharp arrowheads, but rather with rounded butts. Our Polish instructor explained that if the arrow bounces off the target, that means our breathing was wrong. Only if we breathe properly will the arrow sever the target and stick. Out of the 6 or 7 of my arrows that actually made contact with the target, only one stuck. So clearly I need to work on my breathing.

Afterwards, we watched a performance of Sunmudo, which is considered a meditative martial art. Though it can be used as self-defense, it seems to be more used for personal growth and balance, literally and figuratively. Like everything else, proper breathing is absolutely crucial while practicing Sunmudo, and many moves require big leaping movements that end in perfectly still landings. It reminded me a little bit of yoga, capoiera, tai chi, and tae-kwon-do mixed together.

We then went for a hike up the hill to an engraving of Buddha in the side of a rock that dates back to some time between the 7th and 9th centuries. We continued on through the hills and forest. Although most of the trees have lost their leaves, the maples were still fully clothed and showing oranges and reds about as vibrant as autumn colors come. One fellow in our group asked a monk that day why temples are usually up in the hills. The monk answered that it is because once you walk up that hill to reach the temple, your body and mind are tired, and you are less likely to possess strong feelings, thoughts, and emotions that can disrupt your inner peace.

For dinner, we ate a traditional meal of rice, kimchi, vegetables, and soup. Buddhists are vegetarian, so this meal contained no meat, or any animal product that I'm aware of. We served ourselves and were asked that we not waste any food at all.

After dinner, we were given instruction in Sunmudo. One of the monks had us start with warm-ups, stretches, and the most bizarre exercises my body had gone through. Some of the exercises were quite strenuous, and that was just during the warm-up. Then we stood up and practiced some punching and kicking moves. Most required very quick movements, too quick for most of us to keep up with. At one point we had to do four rapid-fire punches followed by one powerful punch. I couldn't help but laugh at the entire row of people in front of me who were struggling to punch quickly enough so they all just jiggled their rear-ends four times with their fists out in front of them, and then punched once.

We all retired to our rooms at the early time of 9pm, which was a good thing since we woke up at 4am for early morning chants and meditation. Surprisingly though, nobody seemed cranky to be awake at such an early time and walking up a steep hill in the cold to chant words that meant nothing to us. We arrived in the dimly lit temple where a few monks were seated on cushions in the front, facing the large Buddha on the front wall. We all took seats on cushions behind them, with women on the left side of the room and men on the right. We had been taught the night before how to bow, which required getting down on your knees, placing your forehead on the ground, and making certain movements with your arms, then standing back up. They provided us with laminated cards with the words of each chant so we could chant with everyone, and we began, constantly bowing and standing and bowing and standing, and chanting to the beat of the head monk who kept a steady tempo on a wooden hand drum.

Oh the hand drum! Understandably necessary, as we need to chant to the same tempo together. But unnecessarily LOUD. So loud that each whack of the drum pounded my ear drums. I tried to ignore it. I thought to myself:

Inner peace... inner peace... breathing... BANG! BANG! BANG! Ugh, ok, inner peace... inner - BANG! BANG! Roman, ignore it, focus on happy things... peaceful things... pea - BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! I want to steal that drum and smash it into tiny pieces and grab the monk by the shoulders, shake him, and scream, 'YOUR INCESSANT DRUMMING IS SO OBNOXIOUS!'

Luckily for myself and everyone in the temple, the drumming ended and we were able to have about 20 minutes of silent meditation. The point of meditation is to clear your mind of everything and think of nothing. Obviously this is easier said than done. One of our instructors told us that a good thing to do to not think is to focus on our breathing, count each breath up to 10, then count down to 1, then back up and so on. Another monk told us to focus on feeling the air moving through our nostrils and brushing past our upper lip. So I focused on these things. I could probably count three or four breaths before my mind would wander. But even focusing on our breathing is thinking, so I'm not sure how that clears our heads. I decided if I was going to inevitably think, I might as well think of good things. So I did. 

Breakfast was quite an ordeal. Dinner was a very casual occasion, but breakfast required the most rigid and stressful procedure of the weekend. Everything needed to be done a certain way, from the placement of each of our four bowls and utensils, the cleaning of our bowls before and after eating, the way we accepted our food from the servers, the fact that we had to eat EVERY SINGLE MORSEL of food, and we had to eat it quickly. When we finished eating, someone came around and poured hot water in one of our bowls. We had to use a piece of kimchi to scrub that bowl, then pour the water into the next bowl and scrub, then into the next bowl and so on. After scrubbing all of our bowls, we were to drink the water and eat the piece of kimchi. It wasn't too bad, and was extremely resourceful! Having to eat every morsel of food is a good practice, something we should all be more conscious of in our own eating habits.

The final event of the temple stay was tea and conversation with one of the monks who spoke English. I was very much looking forward to this so I could ask some questions and learn more about the religion, but unfortunately the combination of the monk's accent and the reverb/echo of the large room made it very hard for me to hear him or anybody else speaking. I could make out about 50% of the words, which made for a frustrating and boring hour. Oh well, I'm told from my friends who could hear  that I didn't miss much. 

I'm glad I finally did a temple stay. It is considered one of those essential activities that foreigners should do in Korea, so now I can scratch that from my bucket list. It was educational, it was slightly challenging at times, and though it did not draw me closer to the religion, it did motivate me to reflect on my current life, think positively, and think about the moment and not worry so much about the past and future. 

One of the monks demonstrating Sunmudo.

We were required to wear these fashionable yellow vests and baggy grey pants during our stay.

Many of the statues looked like this.

The monk who led the tea and conversation time.

The 1100 - 1300 year old carving of Buddha.

Practicing for the Hunger Games.

Autumn Adventures

It's officially autumn here in Korea, but I fear it won't last much longer. I have been spoiled with over a month of lovely low-70s temperatures and almost no rain, which has made for many wonderful outdoor activities and adventures. The leaves have been showing off their vibrant yellows, oranges, and reds, and the rice fields have been exhibiting their tall blades of gold and green preceding their near-future harvest. During my entire life I have tried to get excited about autumn, but when I enjoy warm summers and dread winter, autumn has always bummed me out. This year has been a slight improvement, partly because the summers in Korea are not so nice, and I have had a lot of fun this season. But then Mary likes to remind me, in a creepy, sadistic voice, that "Winter is coming!"

Aside from my collection of easy jobs I have been working since my return to Korea, I have been able to partake in some fun activities, the most prominent of which is being the newest member to an ultimate frisbee team. We have two teams here in Pohang that compete in a nation-wide league composed mostly of foreign English teachers. This is the first year Pohang has had teams in the league, and with the exception of a few players, we are all new to the sport. So naturally we were expected to be mediocre at best. But what people from other Korean cities didn't realize is that Pohangsters (yes, that is what we call ourselves) are the most awesome group of foreigners in all of Korea. So of course our two teams have been kicking major butt this year, beating some pretty tough teams! I have struggled with the high amount of running/sprinting involved in this game, but despite that, I feel I have fared quite well for a beginner. The league keeps stats on all of the players, and I can proudly say I have averaged 2.8 points per game!

I have also done a fair amount of dressing up in fantastic costumes. The first of which was for a joint birthday party for two friends. A recent craze among the Pohang foreigners has been to purchase cute animal costumes. You can choose from around 50 different animals from a website, and our community probably has all 50 represented! (I was given a flying squirrel costume for my birthday) So these two friends decided to ask everyone to wear their animal costumes for their birthday party. It was an adorable night of the cutest and happiest animals the world ever saw.

Then came Halloween. Two friends of mine had the brilliant idea of gathering a big group of foreigners in downtown Daegu (Korea's third-largest city) dressed and painted as zombies to do a zombie walk through the city streets. Approx. 100 of us showed up with faces painted and clothes representing various forms of zombies (I was a disco zombie) and we walked for about 45 minutes through the busy streets with one purpose: scare the bajeezus out of Koreans! Luckily for us, Koreans are easily frightened. We had them screaming, running, hiding, and then of course taking photos with us. We were quite the sensation, and fortunately the general public was more pleased and entertained than disturbed by our antics. Halloween is hardly celebrated or acknowledged here, so this was just one more thing we foreigners could graciously share with this country.

Like Mary says, winter is coming. And I can't help but be reminded about my dismal chapter last winter in Korea. But there are things to look forward to, such as the mosquitos leaving, being able to snowboard on the weekends, being able to stay home watching movies and not feel guilty, and spending the holidays in Taiwan. And lastly, I am looking forward to seeing this election season end! I cannot wait for news headlines to stop being about election polls, I cannot wait for the end of needing constant fact-checking because people can't seem to tell the truth, and I cannot wait until I can stop hearing the same political platforms that I've been hearing for the last year! Korea has a presidential election in December, and most people still don't know much about the candidates because the real campaigning has hardly begun. Doesn't that sound nice? Sounds like a dream come true to me!

I am going to spend the last remaining days of autumn enjoying this weather, enjoying the end of frisbee season and having picnics and walks along the beach and not having the moisture sucked dry from my skin by bitter cold.

My ultimate frisbee team, the Pohang-Overs

Psychedelic face paint courtesy of Mary

Disco Zombie

Pohang's Scariest Zombies

Slack-Lining at the Park (yes, I am balancing on a thin strap)

Cute Animal Party

Mary and I performed at a Breast Cancer Awareness Talent Show (hence the pink shirts)

Memoirs of a Kindergarten Teacher, pt. 3

For my third installment of my Memoirs of a Kindergarten Teacher series, I have a new kindergarten job to report on. Instead of teaching my own class of students, a class of structure and high academic standards, I am now a traveling kindergarten teacher, visiting approximately twenty-eight kindergarten classes a week, providing twenty-minute English lessons to students who understand practically no English.

Every twenty-minute lesson is structured the same way: I ask the students, "How are you today? Are you angry? (and I make an angry face with devil horns on my head) Are you sad? (I make a sad face and pretend to cry) Are you hungry? (rub my belly) Are you tired? (pretend to sleep) Or are you HAPPY?? (I put a huge smile on my face)" Then the kids are supposed to yell, "YES! HAPPY!" Then I ask, "How's the weather today? Raining? (NO!) Cold? (NO!) Cloudy? (NO!) Sunny? (YESSS!)" Often when I ask the kids how they are doing, the most common response is, "SUNNY!" Clearly some of these students are not understanding my question. But they are so gosh darn cute, so whatever.

Then I read them a book, having them repeat each word I read. Afterwards, we do a matching game based on the main vocabulary words we learn from the book. In an ideal class, the class's teacher will be sitting with the kids, helping them stay engaged in the lesson, and all of the kids will be participating happily. And sometimes I will get to teach this ideal class. However, more often than not, the teacher will be absent from the class, either literally or figuratively (by figuratively, I mean the teacher is physically present, but mentally she is focused on the screen of her smart phone and oblivious to the chaos being ensued by her students). When this happens, the students, who seem to think of me as more of a clown than an educator, run wild. And I mean wild. You think I'm exaggerating? After only a few weeks in this job, here are some of the things I have witnessed in this kindergarten jungle:

One boy pulled one of his slipper's off his foot and slapped his neighbor across the face. One girl pulled down her pants and shoved her bare bottom in the face of a classmate. Many students have run up to me and poked me in my private parts. One time all the students started chanting one word at me. I am not sure what this word was, but when I sternly said "Stop!" they proceeded to chant, "Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop!" Several students have broken into an ear-piercing scream for no apparent reason. One boy decided to just drop his pants to his ankles and grin at me. Kids wrestle. Kids do somersaults. Kids pull out the classroom toys and play. And all the while I am sitting on a tiny chair, saying "Shh! Quiet! Stop! HEEEEYYYY!"and finally resort to watching the clock until my 20 minutes are up. And literally, sometimes this will happen with their teacher present! I don't know if she thinks she is off the clock for twenty minutes and is purposely leaving all of the classroom management responsibilities to a man who speaks very little Korean, but if the class were to catch on fire, she might still be consumed by her smart phone (and eventually the flames!).

And this chaos leaves me with a dilemma: part of me wants to say, Whatever, I am still getting paid, whether or not these kids are actually learning. But as a professional educator who cares about teaching, I have a hard time not fulfilling the lesson, and I have a hard time letting these kids get away with such obscene behavior. But what am I to do? Well, I now know there are certain Korean phrases I need to learn, such as, "Be quiet! Sit down! Put your pants back on!" But if saying those phrases doesn't work, then what? Maybe I will resort to turning on a fan and closing all of the windows/doors in the classroom and see how they react. (for those of you confused by this statement, look up "fan death")

I don't mean to imply that this is how most of my classes are. The average class is somewhere in between the utter chaos and the class of angels. However, I do experience the chaos more than the serenity, and it makes me wonder what is expected of these English lessons.

Luckily I get to spend my evenings teaching well-educated scientists and businessmen who I can have intelligent conversations with. It provides much-needed balance to my life, the yin to my yang.

On a different note, in my last entry I pledged to find more to love about Korea. Yesterday, during a rock climbing excursion in the countryside outside of Pohang, an elderly couple slowly drove past us down the rode in a long tractor. The husband was driving while his wife was sitting on a stacked bundle of recently harvested rice grass. They were dressed modestly and had very weathered skin. They were born in a Korea entirely contrasting to what we live in today, an agrarian society where rice literally was the life source. A generation that lived through a Japanese occupation, a bloody civil war, a devastated country, famine, military dictatorship, and then modernization/westernization as fast as a blink of an eye. Despite the mad dash for the posh urban lifestyle of lattes and smart phones, this couple is continuing the lifestyle familiar to them. We waved to each other, and I found myself saying aloud, "I love that!" So there you have it, one more thing to love about Korea, the remnants of the old world, slowly driving by and waving from a tractor. It will be sad to see Korea twenty years from now when the old world is strictly just a memory or an exhibit in museums.

Fall has also been exceptionally beautiful, both with the autumn colors in the trees, as well as the soon-to-be harvest rice fields of gold and green grass painting the landscape everywhere outside of the city. Here are some photos I took recently:

The rice fields outside Pohang.

The rice fields outside Pohang.

The rice fields outside Pohang.

The rice fields outside Pohang.

Taken from Geoje Island, south of Busan.

Taken from Geoje Island, south of Busan.

Bogyeongsa Park
(Below-Right) Mary doing a handstand at Bogyeongsa

 

Posing on my new scooter

Taken at a temple in Gyeongju. 

 

And we're back!

Two months ago I wrote what I believed to be my last entry from Korea. I had a plan to spend only one year in Korea, then head home, plant my roots in the great city of Portland, OR, and begin my career as a high school history teacher. Little did I know that none of that would come into fruition, or not yet at least.

You see, at the heart of my gleeful adventures in this great country was a loving relationship I thought I could walk away from at the end of my year. I'm not sure I have ever been more blind to reality, because it turns out that the last thing I wanted was to walk away from something so beautiful. Three days away from Korea, my girlfriend and I were already talking about my potential return. It didn't take much for us to decide that this is what we want, so I booked a surprisingly cheap ticket back to Seoul and returned for another chapter.

I only plan to be here for five months until Mary's contract ends. Then, who knows where we'll go in this oyster of a world! Due to the brief length of time I have here, I could not find any contractual teaching jobs at a school. So instead I have found a handful of different sources of income, all involving teaching, but to a variety of ages and skill levels.

Every day, around 10am, I am picked up from my apartment by one of three people (all of whom are in the same family) and they drive me to a few different schools to teach 20 minute lessons to pre-K and Kindergarten classes. On average I teach the same 20 minute lesson to eight different classes. Usually this lesson consists of reading a picture book, having the students repeat each word I read. Then we follow that with a matching game relating to the book. It could not be an easier thing to teach! There are minor struggles of course, like the kids not knowing a lick of English, which makes classroom management tricky. But really, I am spoiled to have this job! And frankly I'm embarrassed by how much I get paid for this, but I am certainly not complaining!

For an hour an evening, four evenings a week, I go to the big steel factory to teach English to a group of 11 men and a woman who work in the head office. They all appear to be in their twenties, and their English is strong enough for me to have conversations with them. And that's really what we spend most of our time doing, having conversations. They say their biggest struggles are speaking and listening, and that's what they want to practice. So I facilitate some ice breakers, we play games, we have discussions about social issues, and we have fun. It is a very laid back atmosphere in this class, and so far I am enjoying it thoroughly.

One of the most fulfilling parts about teaching this class is I have an opportunity to ask Koreans real questions about their culture and country and get substantial answers. One day, I asked them to think of one reason they are proud to be Koreans. Two men answered that Korea has never colonized other lands. One man answered that 60 years ago, dozens of countries banded together to support South Korea during their turmoil and provide aid to help the country get back on its feet after the war. And now, Korea has brought itself to a state of being able to provide similar aid to other countries who now need it. And the general answer among the entire class is that 30 years ago, South Korea was still considered third-world, but through a unified effort to work extremely hard, both in school and in their careers, and despite having no natural resources or a large population, they have managed to build the 15th largest economy in the world.

So the kindergarten loop and the steel factory are the only two jobs I have started working so far, but I also have two former co-workers getting me set up with potential tutoring jobs, one to two teenage sisters, and one to an elderly man. Those jobs will provide a significant increase to my wages, so naturally I hope they work out! I also have set up guitar lessons with two friends of mine.

When I made the decision to return to Korea, the only things on my mind were returning to my girlfriend and finding work. When I arrived, I hit the ground running! But now that I've had a handful of days off (this weekend was Korea's Thanksgiving, providing most people with a five-day weekend), I am realizing that there is so much more for me to take advantage of than just spending time with my girlfriend and working. This is like a 2nd chance to do some of the things I didn't get to my first time around. I am working half the amount of hours than before, and I am finding myself wondering, What can I do to occupy my time? I haven't figured out a plan as of yet, but one idea I have is to designate some of my free time for learning. Perhaps I will sign up for an online history class, or buy some more history books to study on my own. I have always been interested in learning more about Buddhism, and recently began reading up on it. Maybe I will occasionally visit a temple for meditation to experience that aspect of the religion. I can also devote some time to learning more of the Korean language. Mary is currently taking a class, maybe she'll be so kind as to share what she learns with me!

And of course there is always exercise! Mary and I have a goal to spend more time slack-lining in a nearby park. For those of you unsure of what slack-lining is, think tight-rope walking on a strap that is about one inch thick. Obviously it's great for building balance, but also works out your core. And although I absolutely loathe jogging, I also hate how out of shape I am as a jogger. So I am trying to motivate myself to make jogging a normal part of my schedule. I'd better get in that groove soon, because once it gets cold, it will be extremely difficult for me to get motivated!

I plan to keep my mind open for more ways to experience Korea in a new light than before. I want to take advantage of this 2nd chance. I would like to find new things to appreciate about this country and the culture. My general feeling during my first year here was I like it here, but I don't love it here. I would like to find things to love. And I want to keep my mind open enough to allow myself to love and not just dwell on the "like it, don't love it" attitude.

Hopefully my next entry will include a report of new things to love!

Final Thoughts from Korea

Can you believe it, a year has come and gone here in Korea?! This will be my last entry from Korea, and I think it's fitting to reflect on the year. 

First, I'd like to reflect on the fact that this has been a year of firsts! That's what I came here for, new experiences. And new experiences are what I had! Of course, the big first is living outside of the U.S. Along with that came all the new food (first time eating kangaroo, snake, crocodile, cow intestines, pig ears, crab guts, silk worm larvae, and pig spine soup). Sitting on the floor in restaurants. Getting covered from head to toe in mud. Using a "squatter" toilet. Visiting a third-world country (Cambodia). Camping on the beach. Camping in a graveyard. Visiting a Buddhist temple. Playing paintball. Going to a communal bathhouse. Driving a scooter. Learning a new alphabet. Having an international group of friends. Teaching kindergarten. Participating in a flashmob. Spending Christmas without my family. 

There are some admirable traits about the Korean culture that I wouldn't mind America paying attention to, including their respect for the elderly; the sense of community and sharing, even among strangers (many times while hiking or rock climbing, nearby hikers/climbers would share their food with us before we've even interacted with them); the safety of this country and the fact that I have never once had to worry about being harmed or stolen from; the consumption of all parts of an animal, minimizing waste of a sacrificed life (though I bit into many questionable parts of an animal, at least I know it wasn't wasted); the hard-working nature of all people, and the sacrifice/dedication they all made to bring this country into the 1st world (they make Americans sound whiny!); their high respect for teachers (can I get an "Amen!"). 

There are also some traits about this society that I don't wish to spread to America, such as their attitude and prejudices towards other ethnicities; their ignorance of the world (I know Americans are also guilty of this, but on several occasions people were confused as to why my girlfriend wasn't black when they found out she is from South Africa...); the high rate of alcoholism (I had never before in my life seen so many drunk men stumbling down the street as if the zombie apocalypse had begun); the obsession with smart phones (again, I know Americans are guilty of this, but Korea brings it to a whole new level, such as putting smart phones in clear, waterproof casings so they can chat with friends while on a water slide). 

And then there are the silly aspects of Korean culture that just make me laugh (sometimes out of frustration), for instance, being cut in front of in many lines because I wasn't right up against the person in front of me (something I eventually learned to prevent); having to wear life vests on water slides, even though the deepest the water gets is 2 feet (most Koreans don't know how to swim, so they are quite cautious!); seeing one city block with 7 outdoor gear shops and no customers inside them; seeing 6 people working behind the counter of a coffee shop and still waiting several minutes for my drink; the general fear of the sun (on the hottest of days, you'll still see Koreans wearing full sleeves, long pants, a big visor, and sometimes even fabric covering their entire neck and face so as to keep the sun off of their skin); no room for improvisation or customization (when I tried to order a peppermint white mocha at starbucks, they told me I could get a peppermint mocha, or a white mocha, but not a peppermint white mocha. When I asked if they could put both peppermint and white mocha syrups into my drink, they told me I could get a peppermint mocha, or a white mocha, but not a peppermint white mocha). 

Possibly the most fascinating aspect of Korean life and culture is the generational divide between the young and the elderly. 60 years ago, this country was devastated by war, followed by famine and a long-standing military dictatorship. 30 years ago, South Korea was still considered third-world, and had a GDP comparable to North Korea. However, they have since pulled themselves up through hard work and endless studying, and have built the 15th largest economy in the world and are as technologically developed as the rest of the world powers. When I look at Koreans age 35 and younger, I see fashion, smart phones, luxuries, plastic surgery, new cars, stay-home moms, and lattes. When I see Koreans age 60 and older, I see weathered skin, the same floral patterned pants and large visors, women who are permanently bent over after 50 years of working in the fields, men slowly riding their beat-up bicycles in a wobbly, zig-zag pattern that makes me wonder how they haven't zagged in front of a moving car, and men and women planting crops in any undeveloped plot of land they can find. I can see that many values and mindsets have been carried on along the generations, but the differences in lives lived between the two age groups is probably more drastic than in most of the world. 

So as I've learned so much about a foreign culture and country, I have also learned a lot about myself and people in general. I now know what it's like to be an immigrant, one who knows very little of the native tongue, and has to figure out the customs and manners through trial and error and help from friends. I have learned how to teach students who are still learning English. Living abroad doesn't always have to be such a difficult experience. I have learned that I actually have more culture than I thought. Kids are kids, no matter where you go. I can work hard, and play hard, and still function. I can work at the worst teaching job in Pohang and still be a happy person. After several months of not eating good donuts, Dunkin Donuts doesn't seem so bad anymore.

I am sure people will ask me for highlights or favorite events/experiences, but I know I won't be able to narrow anything down. When I look back on my time here, I'm sure I'll remember MANY events, experiences, traditions, etc. like all of the festivals, going to Pohang Steelers games (professional soccer), rock climbing, playing soccer on Thurs nights, playing in volleyball and ultimate frisbee tournaments, dancing in the flashmob, eating pizza and playing Settlers of Catan on Sunday nights, camping in a variety of locations, weekend beach parties with half of Pohang's English teachers, snowboarding in the beautiful mountains, hiking past the waterfalls of Bogyeongsa, organizing a scavenger hunt that around 40 people participated in, scenic drives on my scooter, my weekend trip to Seoroksan National Park, my 3-day weekend in Yeosu for the World's Fair, and my holiday trips to Cambodia, Japan, and Hong Kong (and soon Malaysia). How could anyone choose a favorite or highlight among that list?! 

I guess the only honest answer to the question of highlights would be to say the relationships I built here were the ultimate highlight, since without those relationships, the experiences would not be so memorable. What really made my experience great was my friends from around the world who introduced me to Korea upon my arrival, who shared in new experiences with me, who listened to me vent about my horrible job, and make me laugh after a long week, who explored and adventured with me, who encouraged me to get involved with new things, and who made me feel comfortable and loved. And I owe a lot of gratitude to my girlfriend, who took my experiences here to an entirely higher level, with our countless adventures, weekend expeditions, endless athletic endeavors, and uncontrollable silliness. She opened my eyes to new perspectives, pushed me to try new things, brought out the child in me, and was the perfect companion for every occasion. She was the best thing that happened to me here, and she is the hardest part about leaving. 

My final thoughts are this: when I first decided to come out here, I had no idea what to expect. I wasn't pee-in-my-pants excited about coming to Korea, but I didn't feel bad about the decision either. I was coming mostly for the challenge and new experiences. In the end, I have absolutely no regrets. It was a year unlike any other I have had and will probably ever have. Though there are things I didn't get to do that I had hoped to do, I know I didn't waste my time here. I learned, I lived, I loved. What more could I want from an experience?! 

 My co-workers presenting me with a birthday cake.

 Teaching my kindergartners about how plants grow.

 Showing my kindergartners how much more flexible they are than me.

 Picnic in the park with my kindergartners.

 Enjoying the mud festival with my girlfriend, Mary. 

 Driving my scooter in style.

 Photo opp with the mayor of Pohang after Mary and Courtney convinced me to run a 10k with them!

 Best Star Wars costumes of the night!

 "Give it to me!" Pohang Volleyball Tournament

 Showing this Buddha how laughing is done.

 Enjoying a weekend at Seoroksan National Park.

 Enjoying one of many temples.

 Hanging out at the rocks with my good friend and climbing buddy (and one of the best friends a guy could ask for!) Courtney.

Trying to get past that ridiculously difficult section on the rock! Grrr.

Bittersweet: Never as Good as Sweet

I have a sweet tooth, period. Some people complain that some things are too sweet, to which I reply, "Impossible!" When I make chocolate chip cookies, I use milk chocolate, not that bittersweet or semisweet stuff you're "supposed" to bake with. Bittersweet? Semisweet? Liking those is like saying you only like to be mildly happy, or that you like your weather partially sunny with scattered showers.

I know you don't care to read about my culinary opinions, but I promise there's a point to all of this. For the first several months of being in Korea, though I was having a good time, the thought of coming home always had a 100% sweet taste in my mind, and I counted the months. But as I have had fantastic weekend after fantastic weekend, and more importantly, as I have developed meaningful relationships these last couple of months, the thought of coming home in less than two months leaves a bittersweet taste in my mind, and I don't find it enjoyable! I am still excited to return home, see friends and family (and dog) whom I love, be in the city which I love, eat the foods I love, and hopefully start a job that I'll love. And then I think about the people I love here, and how badly I don't want to leave them, and there's that bitter taste.

I've had great friends in Pohang for almost my entire experience here, I always knew I would not enjoy saying goodbye to them, yet I never dreaded my inevitable departure. But something is changing... Maybe it's that I am on the home stretch, and it's hitting me that the end is nigh. But I occasionally get emotional thinking about the goodbyes I have to make soon, and it's not what I expected to feel.

Many people here have told me that I will come home and regret not staying in Pohang, and will likely return for another year. I can understand why they would believe that, since it happens oh so often. Though as much as I am not looking forward to saying goodbye, I do still feel it's the right thing for me to return home and begin the next chapter.

So here I am with seven weeks left in this country. I think about the things I have done, and the things I have yet to do here. I know that if I departed right now, having left certain things undone, I would have no regrets, because I know I've made great use of my time here. But since I still have seven weeks, I'll make the most of them! I'm planning a trip to Seoraksan, Korea's most beautiful national park. I'll spend my birthday weekend at Korea's annual Mud Festival, where I will be rolling around in mud, playing mud games with all of my closest friends. I still have more rock climbing to do with Mary, Courtney, and whoever else can join. And who knows what else, maybe see a Korean baseball game, or explore the city of Daegu. I still have time and a sense of adventure, so as far as I'm concerned, the world is my oyster for these last 7 weeks!

Spoiled by More Fantastic Weekends

As I mentioned in my previous post, the weekends have been full of adventures, and things haven't slowed down since my last entry. Recently, I made another rock climbing trip on a mountain outside of Ulsan. Three friends and I woke up early and drove our motorcycles/scooters 2 hours south to the top of a scenic mountain which contained a rock face with over 100 climbing routes. We had a blast of course, and conversed with some Korean climbers who shared their food with us and invited us to join them on future climbing expeditions. I am thrilled to be able to climb real rocks after a year of climbing in gyms!

We also continue to have incredible beach days. Recently, a volleyball net has been installed on the beach, and the foreigner community can't get enough of it! We had a news crew filming us playing a couple weekends ago, and the city business bureau asked my friend to organize a city-sponsored volleyball tournament to promote beach activity! So on Saturday June 9, three friends and I will be competing, and winning, the volleyball tournament!

Last weekend was a 3-day weekend to celebrate Buddha's birthday. A friend of mine coordinated a trip down to Yeosu, on the southern coast of Korea, to visit the World Expo and surrounding areas. 7 friends and I took a bus first to Busan, where we had about 5 hours to kill before catching our next bus to Yeosu. So I got to explore Busan for the first time. We took cabs up to an old fortress on a mountain and walked around for most of that time. We got to see some old buildings that looked like old mansions or small palaces. It was such a treat seeing old buildings that weren't temples, because frankly, the temples all kind of look the same. (I'll post pictures below)

We arrived into Yeosu in the late afternoon. We found a small island close to the Expo and walked a bridge to get there. We ended up spending most of the evening on that island, walking the paths and sitting on the rocky cliffs by the shore, toasting the world with any positive thought that came to our minds.

Around 10pm, we headed back into town to find a place to sleep. We knew it would be hard to find a motel with the Expo going on, so we hoped to sleep at a jimjilbong (a large bathhouse that is a common place for people to sleep). Unfortunately, the one jimjilbong in town filled up while we were trying to get in, so we split up to look for a motel. We found one motel room, and tried to fit all 8 of us. We were woken up around midnight to the hotel manager knocking on the door, who realized we had a lot more than 2 people sleeping in there. At first we were worried he would kick us out, without refunding our money, and we'd really struggle to find a place to sleep. But because the people of Yeosu are apparently the kindest people in Korea, the man let us stay for a minimal additional fee, and then brought us extra blankets, toothbrushes, and a large bottle of water! This was just one of several examples of the people of Yeosu being incredibly kind towards us.

The next morning, we ventured to the World Expo. This year's theme was conservation of the oceans, and every country present provided information about their roles with the ocean. Most countries did a great job of making me want to visit, and some countries like Cambodia, Vietnam, and Angola had highly entertaining musical performances, but only one country (United Arab Emirates) mentioned anything about their roles with conserving their marine habitats. All the other countries just seemed to brag about how much fish they catch and trade with the world. All in all, I had a lot of fun with my friends there, but the event itself was slightly underwhelming.

We caught a bus to the nearby town of Suncheon that night to avoid the madness of finding a motel again. This time, we were successful in finding a jimjilbong to stay in. This was my first time in a jimjilbong, which I'm glad I finally had, since it's such a staple of Korean culture. It was a large building with a men's bathing room, women's bathing room, and a large co-ed common room where people sleep on floor pads. My guy friends and I were commenting, as we were soaking naked together in a pool, that a bathhouse would probably never work in America, since our society is so uncomfortable with showing our naked bodies to strangers, and even to our close friends. In Korea, however, this is nothing embarrassing or awkward.

Monday morning, we took a bus to the Sucheon Bay Ecological Park, which was located at a marshland. We walked along wooden walkways, winding through the tall grass of the marshes. It was a pleasant and peaceful experience. We then took a path up to the top of a mountain where we enjoyed hazy views of the marshes and nearby rice fields. While on the top of that mountain, we noticed a sign that said "Beach 4km", so like a moth to a flame we were drawn to the beach. We didn't realize that the trail became somewhat vague, and that the beach would not be sandy but muddy. On the way, I ended up sticking my whole foot into the mud, and then my friend Mary fell thigh-deep into the mud. We proceeded to wipe mud on our faces like tribal folks, and continue on our trek to the beach. Because of the mud, we realized we REALLY needed to find this beach to be able to wash off before catching a bus back home.

After walking along a very muddy coastline, we finally found a pier that we walked to the end of and jumped into the water. It was pretty mucky water, and several Koreans tried telling us not to get in the water, but we needed that mud washed off our bodies! I would normally listen to words of caution by locals, but since most Koreans don't know how to swim, I figured I could take their warnings with a grain of salt.

From there, we returned to the bus station and headed home. It was a long weekend of a lot of hiking, riding in buses, bonding with great friends, and sleeping communally. As I write this 24 hours later, I still feel completely wiped out and ready for a good, full night's sleep!

And in a few more days, the next adventure begins: The Busan Sand Festival, camping, and climbing on the coast!

The Fortress in Busan

The Island in Yeosu

The World Expo

Ukrainian Jugglers on Stilts at the Expo

Cambodian Musicians at the Expo

The Marshes in Sucheon

Rock Climbing in Ulsan

My Great Friend and Co-Worker Mike

My Great Friend and Usual Climbing Buddy Courtney

My Great Friend Usual Climbing Buddy Mary