Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! I know it's a little late, but better late then never, right? I have to be honest, I was nervous about missing the holiday season when I left at the end of September. It's my favorite time of the year and it was hard to imagine being away from my family. Honestly though it was easier than I thought because it didn't feel like Christmas here at all. There were random Christmas trees decorating the department stores, but that was about it. The Christmas spirit is definitely missing here in Korea. Even children don't get excited for it. If they get presents, it's usually just one thing. There are no special foods that are eaten on Christmas either. Of course it could depend on the family, but in general when I asked my students what they ate they said just regular food. Although, a few students mentioned they eat cake on Christmas. . . probably a cake from Baskin Robbins, since those are the most popular here.
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| These statues can be found all over Jeju Island. They remind me of the famous statues from Easter Island. |
I did have a week off for Christmas so I took advantage of the time off and signed up for a trip to Jeju with the tour group called WiNk, or Discover Korea. This group is extremely popular among the foreign community. They offer everything from ski trips to DMZ tours for extremely affordable prices. It's very cheap to travel here with or without the tour groups. I love the groups because I always meet great, like-minded people. I already feel like I have a network of friends to go visit in S. Korea and Indonesia. I am constantly learning something new from everyone I meet. For example, one of my friends I met at the DMZ told me about I-herb.com, which is a website that sells Western organic and natural foods. A lot of baking items, like flour or oatmeal, are considered international foods here so the prices are ridiculous, but on I-herb I can order them for the same price as in America. I can also find seasonings and spices that you cannot find here. When I get my next pay check I am stocking up my cabinets.
http://www.iherb.com/
It even has free delivery. For those of you that have ever lived in a city where you didn't have a car to drive to the grocery store, delivery service for groceries is the best. They do that a lot here, but many of the websites are only in Korean. I have to work on that. . .Rosetta Stone is happening this week.
Anyways, I digress. I went to Jeju Island on the 28th of December and came back on January 1st. Jeju is an island located off the southern coast of S. Korea.
Everyday was jam packed with some type of adventure. It was still cold but our pension was so warm with the floor heating. (I haven't had heating in my place yet, so I am used to feeling like I am winter camping in my own apartment). We slept on floor "pads," but it was the best sleep I've had since I've been here. We hiked all over the beautiful island. I was surprised how many other people were also out hiking, because of the snow and ice that littered steps up to some of the mountains or temples.
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This was about a 20 minute hike up to the top of the mountain where there was a Buddhist Temple. As you can see there are no hand rails and many of the steps were icy. There were people of all ages hiking up the mountain. The older people put me to shame. A lot of older people are hardcore hikers here.
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| On my way up to the top of the mountain that you see in the distance |
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The Buddhist Temple at the top. It was literally built within a cave at the top of the mountain.
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The landscape is just beautiful wherever you go on the island. We walked all along parts of the shoreline and saw images like the ones below. Jeju, like Hawaii, was created by a volcano, so the landscape is very unique. It's an extremely popular tourist site here in the summer because of the beaches and all of the Natural Heritage Sites.
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The shoreline in Jeju. It's hard to tell from this picture, but the water was a beautiful tiel color. I cannot imagine how beautiful it is in the summer. Apparently, people cliff dive off here.
Popular activities in Jeju include skydiving, cliff diving, horse back riding, the beaches etc. There is a lot to do on the island for both the nature lover and the non-nature lover. We did a little of both. Loveland was the most unique tourist attraction we went to. I stupidly didn't know what to expect, despite the name. So, when we got there I was a little surprised by the blatant sexuality, because Koreans are very private about their affection towards one another. Holding hands is the only public display of affection that is acceptable. Sometimes you see young couples that cannot seem to keep their hands off each other, but the older people are very offended by it.
Anyways, Loveland is essentially a "sex" sculpture park. Some of it was outright hilarious. I found it particularly entertaining when I was walking behind some couples in their 50s or 60s giggling at all the sculptures. The ladies were even making sexual noises to add to the experience. Hilarious and a little awkward. I saw another side to the typically conservative Koreans.
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This guy was packing and so was his dog. Many of the sculptures looked like Disney characters, which added to the awkwardness.
Loveland: This was mild in comparison to most of the sculptures.
Another big tourist attraction on the island is the Trick Eye Museum. They have these all over S. Korea, but everyone is different. It's pretty unique and with the right group of people it can be a really fun time.
Doesn't she look like Jennifer Lopez? Random American stars will pop up around Korea, but most Koreans don't know who they are.
Jeju is very famous for their tangerines, which are in season in the winter. We got to go out and pick them, but it was bloody cold. They were delicious though. They combine their tangerines or mandarin oranges with chocolate, which is one of the most popular items bought by the tourists.
Jeju is also very famous for the women divers that come from here. It's a tradition that is being lost, because the women in their 60s and 70s made so much money they sent their daughters to college and now there is no one to carry on this historic tradition. There is still a small group of women left though, but once they are gone the tradition will be lost as well. The youngest are in their 50s and the oldest are in their 90s. They wear a wet suit now, but historically they did it nude. They still do not wear any type of snorkeling gear. It's a tradition that grandmothers passed down to their granddaughters They began training them when they were about 10 years old in shallow water or pools until they learn how to breath properly. Once they develop how to hold their breath they train them how to dive in the ocean to catch all types of seafood. We met one of these woman. She was amazing!!
The woman in the tiel sweater works at a restaurant during the day but also dives for seafood. She actually showed us a bunch of stuff she caught, which she cooks in the restaurant. She told us how her grandmother trained her when she was a girl. On the wall are photos of the Jeju woman divers.
Overall, the trip was amazing and as you can see from my pictures I had a great time and saw a lot. All of my pictures are posted on facebook, if you want to see more. I made life long friendships with some people and made some amazing memories that I will never forget. I am loving life.
I am still amazed and thankful for the kindness I receive whenever I go here. On the way home from the trip I almost got stuck in Suwon, which is about an hour and half from where I live. It was snowing hard and no taxis were to be found to get us to the subway. Thank goodness for an older Korean couple who drove us to the subway station or we would have been stranded on the side of the road. I made it to the subway in the nick of time. . .catching the last subway of the night. I got to the last subway stop on the line North, which is still about 30 minutes away from where I live. I was thrilled to have made it that far North. I knew I would end up having to take a taxi or something to get home the rest of the way, but I needed to get cash out first. As I exited the subway and started looking for an ATM I was approached by a Korean guy who asked if I needed help (in English of course). After a long day of travelling, I had no cash left and my phone was dead. I explained my situation and he told me he was also going to Bucheon to visit his parents. He immediately took my bags (but not in a "I'm going to steal them kind of way") and escorted me to the bus. His English was really good and I think he just enjoyed practicing especially since he said he studies by himself for up to 16 hours a day!!! Anyways, he was a major blessing that night. I might even go so far as to say he was my guardian angel.
I have to say most American guys could learn a thing or two from Korean men. Chivalry still exists here. I could get used to it. It's definitely an adjustment for me, since I am so used to being independent, but it's considered an insult if you don't let a guy help you. This guy on the subway insisted on holding my bags, scanning my transit card for me, and escorting me to my apartment building. He didn't once try to put the moves on me, or even ask for my number. It was sincere kindness. In America, I would never let someone hold any of my bags, but things are really different here. It's the safest place I have ever traveled to. I feel a hundred times safer here then I do back home.
It's a really common here to see men holding their woman's purse. I have to admit it was weird at first,but it doesn't phase me anymore. My friend's boyfriend, who is American, actually got reamed out twice by Koreans when we were in Jeju, because he was not holding his girlfriend's bags. Being American he didn't think twice about her lugging her own bags. My friend had to translate for him and she said it was embarrassing because one of the men actually told him he needs to learn how to respect women. He went on to say that American guys need to learn to take care of their women and that he should be ashamed of himself. There still are some chivalrous men in the U.S., but they are definitely a dying breed.
More to come. .
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