Are you happy? (Or: Daecheon Mud Festival)

It's been five months in Korea. Five months of culture shock, new food, new friends, new travels. Just hair-stand-on-end newness. Nothing South African at all in a country that speaks one language and shares one cultural identity.

I feel right out of Gulliver's Travels, a stranger in a land of midgets! Where the rules operate so differently from my own - sometimes I'm the hero and sometimes I'm the freak. Like Gulliver, I don't know whether to marvel at what I see or idealise what I have left behind.

The Koreans ... their insane work ethic..and even more insane alcohol-work ethic... their refreshing openness, and shocking directness. It's easier to learn English words than to learn how to use them in a Western context. And just learning the English words is an uphill battle.

One thing I really admire about Korean culture is how young Korean guys treat each other. Teenage boys show such public affection for each other, hugging and walking arm in arm - surely the rest of the tough guys out there can learn something from Korean gentleness!




















On Saturday we went to the famous Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon beach. So the mud from this area is supposed to have many minerals that are good for your skin. But aside from that, people are always looking for an excuse to get muddy, so the mud fest would probably be popular even if it was just ordinary sand stuck to your face!




















As I arrived in the bus, I was able to watch a procession of Korean musicians playing traditional Korean drums. There was a definite carnival atmosphere. It seemed as if every white-skinned foreigner had crawled out from under a rock to attend on Saturday.

Now, so many drunken, loud, near-naked mud-covered foreigners can be a scary, scary thing. But we found our little spot on the beach among the masses. The sea with perfect - warm water and glimmering sunlight. Time to get muddy!




















So we walked in the mud bath and painted ourselves with mud paint. And the mud felt pretty good on my skin. (So perhaps the Boryeong tourism board didn't invent the medicinal properties of the mud entirely!) It dried into a white ghost-like chalk. After the required five minutes of mud on skin (to soak up all the goodness), we went into the stunning ocean, to wash off and swim. Swimming out far enough provided some escape from the madding crowd. Mud Festival was an awesome, crazy experience.

Now for the five month assessment:

Am I happy being in Korea? Happiness is such a temporary state, so influenced by the events of the day. Now its weekend, so I'm happy. Monday morning, I probably won't be. Life can't really be based on such fickle changes of mood and entertainment. Living in a country that is this foreign requires a certain amount of flexibility in the definitions. There are days when I miss home, and the lingering unease of disconnection from South African family and friends.

But I think I've learnt how to make Korea work for me. I've learnt the value of friendship, and the value of God-ship (the character of God), which is infinitely higher. I'm learning (the hard way, and the easy way) to rely on the Source, not on people.

Am I joyful? Am I at peace? Without knowing tomorrow's plan, I can only rest in the life He has given me, in the place He has put me, and the opportunities He has provided for me.

May He continue to hold my Korean adventure in the palm of His hand.

The magic of Shin seiki Evangelion

In 1995, a clinically depressed Japanese writer by the name of Anno Hideaki wrote 24 episodes of anime for a struggling company called Gainax. This series, in English called "Neon Genesis Evangelion" went on to become the most influential piece of anime of all time.

And I think it the best thing since pirates.

Evangelion is definitely not for children. Its graphic, brutal and emotionally disturbing. It draws on the psychology of Freud and Jung, the philosophy of Nietzsche, Sartre and Kierkegaard and the religious symbols and traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Buddhism. Some of the intertexual references in it are so subtle that they feel like the writer's secrets.

NGE allows you to be a voyeur into the dreams, ambitions and fears of the Japanese people, while seriously questioning some of your own assumptions as well. This soliloquy by Rei Ayanami (in Haiku form) is from one of the later episodes. Rei has reason to feel more than usual teenage angst...she's not exactly human..and about to face her origin.

What bliss to come back from a hard day's teaching and watch Evangelion on my laptop - furtively trying to trace the clues Anno has left behind.

Gyeongju- museum without walls

On Saturday morning I caught the early bus to Gyeongju. Being a history and culture nut, I really wanted to see this famed city, home of the 1000 year old Silla dynasty. So the three hours of bus-time solitude was welcome. I couldn't take my eyes off the view - despite the industrial progress and all the dirty cities, Korea is still covered in green woolly mountains, as green as a child's coloring picture. I was happy to arrive without incident and to meet up with my fellow South-African, Martie and her Australian friend, Georgia.




















After last weekend's train trip to Seoul and this weekend's bus solo to Gyeongju, I feel like Korea is my oyster, as far as travel is concerned. That's saying a lot for someone as directionally-challenged as myself .



















So shortly after arriving, we went to the East sea (the Japan side of Korea, not the China side of Korea), to a place called Bongi beach. There we saw the Underwater Tomb of King Munmu. The legend is that he wanted to be buried in the East Sea so that he could turn into a roaming dragon that would protect the coast from invaders... lets just say it put us off swimming at that spot! There were many people burning incense and offering candy to his spirit there, so obviously they take the idea of King Munmu prowling around quite seriously. We ate some expensive fish soup (and tried a sea snail snack..which was less than appetising).





















After our beach adventure we went back to central Gyeongju for more tombs! Seeing dead people is about as much fun you can have! So many of these Silla-dynasty kings are buried in these huge green grassy mounds. (They look like a scene out of Lord of the Rings). Each has a story attached to it, like the king whose body fell from heaven and landed in five parts, so each part was buried in its own special tomb! The kings are also protected by animal guardians, usually represented by stone figures. Pretty creepy...




















Just around the corner from the park, was the traditional Korean-style house where we would stay overnight. It really made me feel as though I'd finally arrived in the "picture-postcard ancient Asia" buried somewhere beneath the crazy traffic, laptops and spitting teenagers.




















With the rain falling, we headed to Bulguksa temple and wandered through the forest. Mount Tohamsan was considered a holy place by the Buddhists, supposed to ward off Japanese invaders. We chased butterflies, birds and frogs through the mist, never encountering any other people. Truly an enchanted place.

Returning somewhat soaked, we spent the rest of the evening being warmed up by some fantastic traditional Korean food and red wine drank out of copper bowls. (Not a expected coupling!) Then back to our Korean bungalow with its paper and wood blinds where we could fall asleep listening to the sound of the rain.

On Sunday we went to Yangdong folk village, which has buildings dating back to the 16th century alongside villages in which people live very much the same way as they always have (except some now have satellite discs stuck to their thatch roofs!). We walked quietly among the vegetable gardens and rice paddies.


From Yandong folk village, we hitched a ride on the back of old blue bakkie (truck). Nothing beats clinging on for dear life as you speed through the Korean country-side, wind blowing through your hair, with the Korean driver yelling at you (??) and my Aussie tourist friend trying to get me to take photos of her simultaneously. Exhilarating stuff!

We spent some time in central Gyeongju enjoying the unique architecture of the city before taking the bus back on Sunday night, munching walnut cookies and reflecting on all too short a visit. There are so many things I still want to see in Gyeongju: Mt Namsan and the Gyeongju museum ... I've barely scratched the surface of the place. So another visit seems on the cards in
the near future. I will keep you posted!

"Ek kan met hulle toor!"*

*Afrikaans for : I can do magic with them / they're magic / they're eating out of the palm of my hand.

So this week I feel really blessed to be teaching the kids that I do. Here in the village, kids don't have much opportunity to get a good education or get into the really good schools. So, of course, I hope our little hagwon can help with that in a small way. These are the photos of my elementary school students (all the ones who weren't camera shy!)

I guess everyone thinks their kids are the cutest. But I love how creative mine are becoming. I love that they are starting to have fun in English. I like it when they laugh at my jokes. Or bring me random presents of kiwi ice-cream and rice cakes and letters and art. Jesus loved the little children - even when they were naughty, when they were irritating, when He had to repeat the A,B,C's to them fifty times (OK, so I'm transferring here.)

I hope I can do a little of the same.

Seoul sisters

On Saturday I planned to go to Seoul with Martie, Cor, Kuyng Jung and their Australian friend Georgia. Of course, the best laid plans of mice and men fall before 200 dawdling high school girls being loaded into and out of the bus on the way. Suddenly the time of the bus journey doubled. And Jenni missed her train to Seoul. Sad Jenni.

Rather than go home, and plot the murder of high school girls everywhere, I managed to buy " a ticket, any ticket!" on a later train to Seoul. 5 brownie points for me for making it to Seoul on my ace. There I met Cara and we took the Seoul subway (its like a black hole.. you could stay in there forever) to Insadong. Finally meeting up with my original crew, we did some window shopping in the street markets and then had organic coffee at a coffee shop. I love the little winding streets and pretty restaurants and of course, its an awesome place to buy Korean gifts for friends; ornate chopsticks, silks, fans and such like.

We then went to Itaewon and booked into a semi-dodgy, but cheap motel. Itaewon is called "the foreigner ghetto" with good reason. Its the only place in Korea that has so many white, brown and black skins! Jenni from the Shingeri hamlet (foreigner population: 3) stares at the foreigners more than the Koreans do. (Do I really look as strange?) Whether you're being checked out by the Pakistanis, or accosted by the street vendors trying to sell you a suit, or ducking out of the way of the African-American basketball players (in full uniform, nogal), Itaewon is great for international food and the fruitiest foreigners to even populate a single suburb.

So next was a house party at Cor's German friend Andrea. She has this sweet roof on her apartment overlooking Seoul. We made it just in time for sunset. It was a clear day, and the view was spectacular. The German food (lots of potatoes!) and Soju-punch were just what the doctor ordered. Got to meet lots of new German and Austrian people, which is pretty easy for us South Africans to relate to. They drink a lot, eat similar food and we can even understand each other's language. And Martin brought his grandfather's homemade Schnapps. (Lumka! You can get drunk just from inhaling the fumes!)

Then it was out on the town in Itaewon. We visited the most liberal street in Korea, first for some Humus and pita and then for some beer at the Queen bar. The street was packed with all sorts of men, women and men-pretending-to-be-women doing things that most of conservative Koreans would really frown on. Luckily I'm not a really conservative Korean.

Slept for a good four hours in the motel before being woken up by some Korean men returning at daybreak and announcing it to the world! So I Seoul'd out and took the early train back to Cheonan, making it in time for church. A night on the town and praising God in church the next morning...just shows you: you can do it all, with a little luck and liberal use of eye drops...

The Click Song

I've been regretting not bringing more South African music with me to Korea.

So this is for all my Xhosa-practising friends. You guys are doing great!

There is a famous Xhosa song called "Qongqothwane" or "The Click Song" in English. It was first sung by Miriam Makeba. It uses the "q" click, which is the cork-popping sound made with your tongue against the roof of your mouth.

The words go something like this:

Igqirha lendlela nguqongqothwane.
Igqirha lendlela nguqongqothwane. (x2)
Sebeqabele gqi thapha yi hayi nguqongqothwane.
Sebeqabele gqi thapha bathi awu nguqongqothwane.

(The witchdoctor of the road is said to be a black beetle.
It has come by a steep mountain, this beetle.)

To hear this song, as well as the other Xhosa clicks (the 'x' and the 'c'), please follow this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Mwh9z58iAU

Trust me on the sunscreen.

So Saturday I got my first taste of a Korean beach with Jackie, Betsy, Adam and Elisa, Jason and Houston. The weather was perfect and the beach, practically deserted. Having summer in the middle of the year is a great idea!

We had some good tofu-and-clam soup and swam in the pleasantly cool water. Afterwards, it was time to explore the rock pools and marvel at how the ocean had cut almost perfect steps into the surrounding rocks. I looked out over the wave-less, calm sea and wondered about sharks. I looked at the seaweed and hoped it wasn't the same kind we ate so regularly.

Of course, my local beach in Buffalo City (Nahoon beach) isn't covered in mist from the evaporating swamps! Or Koreans carrying each other into the water without anyone protesting. Or ajumas under umbrellas. Or women in high heels and wet jeans. Or nifty beach mats with incorrect English, asking "Do you want to plat with me?" We soaked up enough sun to prevent SAD until winter. And none of us got horribly burnt.

But it was a good day. We lay like corpses in the back of the bus during the three hour ride home. I had to hold myself back from asking "Are we there yet?" at each stop.

So, I'm happy that I'm slowly starting to explore different places in Korea (especially the beautiful and uncrowded). But I'm also happy that I'm meeting and making friends with some interesting, intelligent and open-minded North Americans. Life is full of happy surprises. Clearly they export their best.

Sunday I became a member of K.N.U International English Church. I had to earn this by a rather traumatic process of shaking hands with everyone in church. I still think that women should never shake hands unless they are wearing pinstripes in the corporate world. Now that I've finished my lifetime hand-shaking quota on Sunday, we will have to find some other way of greeting. (Remember, you need three hugs a day to survive, and eight to thrive). As a member of the church, I am hoping to make friends and influence people... at least as far as their opinions on dancing are concerned.