Cherry blossoms are falling on my head

Cherry blossom season is a big deal in Korea. Seriously, a big frickin deal. Thousands of people go to Jinhae, home to the Cherry Blossom Festival every year, even on days not part of the official festival. My friends and I decided to skip the madhouse this year and instead go to Gyeongju, the beautiful former capital of Korea.

Unfortunately, we were not the only ones with this idea. There were people everywhere, couples, families, photography groups at every turn. I thought I was used to random people taking pictures of us, but I was mistaken. Still weird.

Anyway, this post should be about the photos. Enjoy!

Also there are a handful of photos from my friend's school, which is stunning at this time of year. Lucky... my school has a dirt soccer field :(

안녕!

Jeju

We got lucky with great weather!

A bit of housekeeping to start us off: I finally got an upgraded computer at work! Great, because it's faster, but not so great because all of my work for the last 7 months is gone. They told me to save everything, but didn't say where, and apparently I saved it to the wrong place. Not only are all of my lesson plans and powerpoints gone, but so are the blog posts that were ready to go on my computer (hence the late posting).

ANYWAY. Jeju.

When my sister came to visit, I wanted to show her a little bit of everything that Korea has to offer. We did metropolitan Seoul for 2 days, somewhat boring Daegu for 2 days, and 'beautiful paradise' (as it is known here) Jeju Island. It was my first time going to Jeju as well, and I was nervous as heck. My Korean is not where I wish it was, and the anxiety I have about being lost is ever-present.

Our flight was uneventful, beyond departing from the smallest airport I have ever been in (only 3 gates!!), and we took a bus to the opposite side of the island, where our hotel was. The hotel was a hole in the wall, which became evident when 2 of 5 taxis couldn't find it or were convinced it didn't exist at all. ...We got there eventually.

This message is for Caroline, in case I didn't say it enough at the time: I AM SO SORRY. I chose poorly and you had to suffer in a tiny, mosquito infested room for 3 days because I was a cheap bastard.

You can infer that the room was less than pleasant. The owner was very nice and his English was better than I have come to expect from guesthouses in Korea.


The highlight of the trip was undoubtedly our day to Seongsan Ilchulbong and Udo. Seongsan Ilchulbong is called 'Sunrise Peak', and we hopped in a taxi at 4am to see it for it's namesake. Nearly died climbing up that freaking cliff (seriously, I was seeing spots and could see myself bouncing down hundreds of steps, bowling over tiny Korean ajummas decked out in hiking gear). Naturally Caroline did the whole thing like it was her frickin job.... Making me look like a wuss grumble grumble grumble (which I am and totally admit to).

Worth it :)

Mentally did the Rocky fist pump dance thing

The town down below us. And this was about halfway down too

After that, we took the ferry to the nearby small island of Udo. Rented scooters to get around the island, which was so awesome!!! Took a few photos, stopped at the beach, then rented them again and spent most of the day zooming around getting sunburnt.

SO. MUCH. FUN.

The following day was originally meant for horseback riding and exploring, but given how sunburnt we got, we opted out of chafing thighs and sore butts. Instead I took Caroline to the highly-reviewed Jeju Stone Park and the Trick Art Museum, both of which were in the middle of nowhere that required taxis for all transportation. Again, let me address Caroline specifically: I AM SO SORRY. It was boring as heck and a waste of time and money. Ok, the stone park would have been way more enjoyable if it wasn't so far away or so goddamn darn hot (6/10 would recommend, but only if you're really interested in Korean history). But the day ended with going to really beautiful waterfalls near our hotel, so it all ended well.

Cheonjiyeon Waterfall, complete with tourists

Overall, I felt like this trip was more about seeing my sister than about me sightseeing, and I hope she had as much fun as I did. It made me realize that I've been so caught up in my own world and figuring things out here on the other side of the world that I haven't had time to really miss my family. I do now.

But I drowned that out with my Shanghai/Taipei trip :)

Stay tuned! 안녕!

My sweet revenge for her taking this photo: welcome to the internet sis!

So much for love thy neighbor

A couple of weeks ago, I went on a weekend trip to Seoul. What many of my friends and family didn't know was that the trip was centered around a day trip to the DMZ, the heavily armed and protected border between North and South Korea. Because there's so much danger and animosity brewing between the two countries (not to mention the rest of the world), I didn't want my loved ones to worry about me. The tour I was part of was operated by the US military, and believe me when I say that they had their shit stuff together.

We did the full day tour, which included a visits to the JSA, Dorasan station, a checkpoint observatory, the 3rd Tunnel, and a checkpoint with a fantastic view of the despotic country to the north.

Unsurprisingly, the highlight was the JSA, which stands for Joint Security Area. If you're familiar with the border, or the history between N and SK, you'll recognize these buildings.

The grey building directly ahead is North Korean. There were soldiers with binoculars looking at us,
 and cameras on the second floor taking pictures the entire time. Creepers.

This is where delegates/leaders from both sides meet, sitting at the same table. The building is constructed on the MDL (Military Demarcation Line), which designates the country border. Therefore, if you cross the line, you're technically in North Korea.

Main meeting table. The microphones on the table denote the MDL;
 even inside the building, everyone is distinctly aware of that line

This picture brought to you from N Korea. Look Ma, I'm in a dictator-run country!

These SK soldiers are only there for our protection, locked into the first stance of Taekwondo.
I felt weird taking a picture, but if everyone else is being rude too....

The 3rd tunnel is just what it sounds like: a tunnel. North Korea had started digging several tunnels towards the South with the goal of infiltration. However, a defector escaped to the south and told SK to start looking. Over the last 20 or so years, 4 separate tunnels have been discovered, and the 3rd one has been converted into a museum of sorts. You can walk all the way down the tunnel (which is freezing and extremely uncomfortable for tall people at >2m high), and at the end see the 3 steel blockade doors that lead to NK.

Pictures aren't allowed inside the tunnel, but this was an inspiring statue outside

There were several museums and stores that we stopped in, both to buy souvenirs and learn more about the history of events surrounding the DMZ. Of all the incidents that we read and heard about, the one that stood out the most to me was the 1976 Axe Murder incident. I won't go into detail about the event (read about it here) but the senselessness of it sticks with you.

Memorial to the soldiers killed during the 1976 Axe Murder Incident

The Bridge of No Return. This is where POWs are historically exchanged.

Dorasan is the last train station in SK before you reach NK. Prior to the violence and separation, the Korean railway system connected with other Eurasian railways, and you could take a train all the way from Busan to London. Thousands of miles of tracks stretching across 2 continents, and the only thing missing are the 4km from Dorasan-Panmun (NK).

 I bought a commemorative train ticket to Pyongyang

You might expect my biggest takeaway message from the DMZ would be one of fear, anger, or disgust for a history so heavy with lost lives. But honestly, the main emotions for me were sadness and hope. Sadness for the families ripped apart by war, over a (mostly) arbitrary line drawn in the ground, for the deaths of many brought about by the insanity of a few. But hope for reunification. There was a large segment of the museum dedicated to the history of reunification attempts, and I'll be honest: that's the only thing that made me cry all day. The video of broken families brought together again after decades of separation, of gymnasts so proud to compete in the Olympic games as one unified country, and students writing letters of hope for the future, that one day all of Korea can be united under one flag.

Now, every time my students tell me that they are Korean, and not South Korean, I can appreciate their conviction that much more.

Side note: My friend Roberta (you can see in some of the pics in this post) made a video about our trip. She included more pictures, some short video, and one of my favorite Korean songs. Check it out!