Under the [bamboo], out of the sun...we'll be having some fun.

Buddha's birthday at the temple

Knives are beating out a rhythm that just makes you want to dance and vegetables are flying everywhere. As you watch, multiple stories are unfolding, winding and intertwining.  Laughter erupts as the principal cast of Nanta complete their outstanding acrobatics, dance and, just plain fun, performance. This was the highlight of a very wonderful holiday weekend.

Don't we look professional!

 

A couple of weekends ago, for Buddha's birthday, I went to Seoul to visit my friend, CG, and, then, further south with some other friends to see a Bamboo forest. On arriving in Seoul, after a quick lunch at Misoya, we headed to a nearby temple (Bongeunsa Temple, line 2, Samseong station) that was decked out in lotus flowers and lanterns. A sombre reminder of the recent tragedy was evidenced by ribbons of yellow and white. The temple, though small, had lovely grounds that consisted of a little wood, a giant statue of Buddha and several small building. As we passed these, you could see shoes outside, a very real reminder that these temples are not just places to sightsee but also where people come to worship and pray.

As we were leaving the grounds, I remarked to CG that I wanted to do a temple stay at sometime and I was really looking forward to learning how to make the lotus flowers. A few seconds later a lady called us over to a booth to do just that. We may not have been the best students but we were both proud of our flowers! Mine currently sits on top of my TV for all to admire.

 

 The rest of the weekend was spent sightseeing at some local tombs, partying it up in Hongdae, and wandering around Seoul Grand Park Zoo with some other friends. The highlight though of that trip to Seoul was definitely Nanta which we attended on the Saturday night. Despite the presence of very few words, the energy, acting and comedic timing that the performers have echoes through the theatre. There are several teams that perform the show, but each team has the same characters - the Manager, the Nephew, the excellent Head-Chef, the Sexy Guy and Hot-Sauce. We saw the performance by the black team and if the rest of the teams have even a fraction of their joie de vivre, what a treat one is in for! We went to the Myeondong Theatre (Myeondong Station, line 4, exit 6) for the 8pm performance. Afterwards, you can get items like t-shirts and mugs signed by the cast. Although I bought a mug I decided not to get it signed - I could just see me dropping it or it being smashed to smithereens on it's way back home to Ireland.

I returned to Jochiwon late on Sunday. Bright and early the next morning, BexC, Jules and I headed by KTX to Gwangju. There we got the bus to Damyang Forest. It's hard to tell how long the journey took as we were stuck in traffic for easily over an hour. It was Children's day so families were out in droves, add in some fabulous weather and I think we were lucky to get to the forest at all! After waiting in everlasting queues to get something to fortify us, we finally got to sit down and try some local cuisine which included bamboo rice (daetonbap). We also tried bamboo hoddeok, which is like a sweet filled pancake and bamboo ice-cream. The ice-cream had a slightly bitter taste, reminiscent of green tea ice-cream which I cordially dislike but it is ultimately much sweeter.

Juknokwon!

My beautiful travel friends....and yes, I'm that short.

As the sun beamed down, we proceeded to wander down the river awhile admiring the lush greenery and debating on whether or not we should get a family bicycle (as the short one, they'd have had to drive me around, maybe I should have encouraged the suggestion?). Eventually we made our way to Juknokwon which is the Bamboo forest. Despite the crowds, I felt a sense of peace there. I love being under trees and just looking at the patterns their shadows make. One thing I thoroughly disliked though was the amount of people who had, and were, carving their names into the bamboo. It just seems really cruel. After about an hour wandering around, it was time to find a bus and head home. This journey was much faster, but we made the mistake of getting off at the bus terminal in Damyang instead of going all the way back to Gwangju. We'd hoped to get a bus back to Daejeon or Jochiwon but it wasn't to be.

My flower

As the sun beamed down, we proceeded to wander down the river awhile admiring the lush greenery and debating on whether or not we should get a family bicycle (as the short one, they'd have had to drive me around, maybe I should have encouraged the suggestion?). Eventually we made our way to Juknokwon which is the Bamboo forest. Despite the crowds, I felt a sense of peace there. I love being under trees and just looking at the patterns their shadows make. One thing I thoroughly disliked though was the amount of people who had, and were, carving their names into the bamboo. It just seems really cruel. After about an hour wandering around, it was time to find a bus and head home. This journey was much faster, but we made the mistake of getting off at the bus terminal in Damyang instead of going all the way back to Gwangju. We'd hoped to get a bus back to Daejeon or Jochiwon but it wasn't to be.

My final day of my wonderful holiday weekend was spent relaxing, watching TV and sitting on my friend's rooftop eating good food and chatting to some wonderful girls.  It was the perfect way to wind down from a busy weekend.

So you might think I'm mad to wish I could wipe Nanta off my accomplished list on my bucket list. Why? Well, I wish I could capture the excitement I felt watching it for the first time again. I'm really glad I went to see it and I am delighted that this long weekend afforded me the chance to accomplish two bucket list items. I'm even happier that I got to complete those bucket list items with some pretty fantastic friends.

PPS - I have lots of photos from this wonderful weekend which I will post in a gallery soon. In the meantime. I hope you like these. Also, if you go here you can see more photos in the original post. For those who don't know, Maggie Blogs and this blog are the same thing. From June I will include extracts from the full post on this site, which will then redirect you to Maggie Blogs.  

PPS the title of this post was inspired by The Drifter's "Under the Boardwalk". Admittedly, I've only ever heard the Bruce Willis version.  

There was an old lady who swallowed her fly

Do you ever get in your head that you want a particular book for yourself or as a gift? Has it ever happened that because of that, despite the fact the bookshop has millions of books you feel as if there is nothing there? Welcome to my world!

I'll be honest, this usually doesn't happen to me. Mostly, if I don't find a particular book that I am looking for, I spend hours wandering around looking for a substitute.  Sometimes, I will even change the genre completely. I've gone from searching for a Wilkie Collins to buying a Tintin. So, this winter, when I was in my favourite Irish bookshop (Chapters, for those in the know), I was alarmed to find myself becoming increasingly irritable in a bookshop. I mean, how is that even possible? I've spent entire Saturday afternoons in bookshops, never bought anything and still went home happy! I went to my next favourite bookshop (Easons) and again was getting more and more annoyed. I couldn't find a book that I was looking for or a substitute that I liked.

What was this infamous book? A first edition of a lost masterpiece? No. The newest Lee Child (Jack Reacher novels)? No.  50 Shades of Grey?  Not in a million years.  No, it was something much more elusive -  a book version of There was an old lady who swallowed a fly. We had a great copy when I was a kid and I wanted to share something with my nephew that was fun and catchy. My plan was that we would each have a copy of the book, so that when we have our Skype story time we both have a book to look at. I spent over an hour just looking by myself for the book in both the new and second hand sections. When this failed, I asked for help, and sadly that book hadn't been in stock for years. I didn't have time to order it as I was flying out that same week. So I began to comb the shelves to find a substitute. However, all the books that I looked at evaded my interest - the pictures were unattractive to me, the content either too wordy or barely any words and several stories uninspiring. In Easons, it was the same story and I was so frustrated with it that I decided to give up matching story books. I wanted these books because I don't own any children's books in Korea.When I have read to him in the past, I've had to bring books home from school and sometimes I didn't know I was going to get to talk to him that day so I didn't have a book. He wasn't impressed either with the stories I made up!

Eventually, thanks to one of my other sisters I got Chicken Licken and The Enormous Turnip. My nephew has his copy that he can follow along with at home, and I have my copy here in Korea. We tested it out a couple of weeks ago, and besides one or the other of us turning the pages too fast this went really well. This love of being read to doesn't stop at Skype. When I was home, he was read to by everyone! He loves kids stories, comics like Asterix and even factual books about trains and animals. His train one is a firm favourite. I think, in one day, I read it 3 times and his Mam easily double that! Whilst I was home, he got to go on the Luas (a modern tram) and a train to and from Athlone. I think he thoroughly enjoyed both trips as he was full of questions and chat about both modes of transportation. On the train, pulling into each station the announcer would say "Mind the gap" and by the end of the day, he was mimicking the phrase. He'll probably die of happiness whenever he is on the London Tube and hears the exact same expression. You might think I'm mad to believe that a negative experience in a bookshop is something that I am now glad has happened. You see, I realised that I had to "swallow my fly" to be able to find what I was looking for. Until I had put aside the absolute NEED for that particular book, I wasn't able to see the potential in all the other books. However, once I could the possibilities were endless.

Reading to my nephew has a few distinct advantages over reading to my students. While he may not know all the words, I rarely need to explain anything to him. Another distinct advantage is he asks questions for what he doesn't understand. I hope that someday, my students will have fostered their independence in English enough to have the courage to question everything.  I know sometimes my students have questions but they don't have the vocabulary to make the question. And as annoying as "But, why?" can be, I wish for nothing more than to hear those two words frequently from my nephew and eventually from my students. But, why? Well, it shows their inquisitiveness and investment in the story they are being read. It challenges me to find the answers to give them. To expand their thinking, to encourage their love of the story and their desire to know everything. For my students, it will help them to build their confidence in English and in their abilities.

Digging a hole with a stick

As you can probably tell, except for the one frustrating day in bookshops (still shocked that could happen!), I had a wonderful trip home. Some highlights for me included seeing some friends, having Afternoon Tea at the Gresham Hotel, my niece's christening and getting to see most of my relatives, and just hanging out with my sweet, sweet niece, wonderful nephew and amazing siblings, brother-in-law and parents.You might think I'm mad to be quite happy to just sit at home and giggle at a baby's smiles. You might think I'm mad to be happy with a short and busy two weeks in rainy, cold Ireland instead of a warm beach in Bali. Well, I thought I was mad at first to go home again so soon after my last visit in August. However, even the lure of a beach couldn't drag me from meeting my new niece. So, considering how much I enjoyed both these trips home you might really think I'm mad to have decided that, should I stay in Korea a third year, I will not visit home again until the end of that contract. It was a tough decision to make but I decided to follow my initial goal for living in Korea, outside of teaching: to travel and see the world.

At the museum

Baba!

PS. This post was inspired by my trip home, a negative experience and a favourite childhood book: There was an old lady who swallowed a fly.

PPS. I've bought us each a copy of that elusive book! It's his birthday present!

Family

Let's get together, yeah yeah yeah and why don't you and I [drink wine]

I love cooking. I may have mentioned this before but just in case I haven't... it is one of my most favourite things to do in the whole wide world! It's such a nice way for me to unwind and relax. I love the chopping, dicing, slicing, stirring and mixing. I love following recipes and creating them. I love making mistakes and figuring out how to fix them. I love realising what spices and herbs go with food item I'm cooking and I love surprising myself when something I made up turned out just right. (And yes, I do despair when I make up something and it's just mank!)

In other parts of the creative world, I don't excel as much - sewing, knitting, crocheting and pottery have all passed me by. So, you might be surprised but I am a novice wood-turner. I did wood-turning for a few terms and it was one of my favourite hobbies. The only reason that I stopped the class was that I had decided to do my TEFL and to move abroad. It was one of the hardest decisions I ever made and the first time that I realised that following your dreams can mean sacrificing things that you love. Whilst the course itself was not expensive it was an entire evening every week dedicated to wood-turning would have cut into my study.

Coming to Korea initially, I let my interest in crafty stuff disappear in the excitement of wandering, travelling, eating and experiencing. However, once winter set in, I found myself craving some crafty time. I am pretty nifty with a scissors and some glue, and on top of being able to draw (and I like to draw), I found myself trying to find ways to while away those long winter hours. So,  I started drawing hands, again. When I took art many moons ago for my Leaving Certificate, my teacher informed us that for our first couple of classes, and for homework, we were just going to draw hands until we could do it perfectly. This exercise is a favourite of mine whenever I come back to drawing after having been away for a while. If I can't draw a hand, I can't draw that elaborate picture I had in my head either! Once I had my hands perfected to my satisfaction (they may not have quite pleased my Art Teacher!), I started to think of ways I could expand my horizons.

Although Korea has a lot of Christmassy ornaments in Daiso and Homeplus (and other shops too), none of them really reminded me of home. My favourite decorations that we have are our little wooden ones that I believe my mam got in Germany many years ago when she was au-pairing there. Over the years, I've started my own collection of ornaments from beautiful glass angels to little wooden decorations. I even seem to be following in my mother's footsteps with a slowly growing collection of nativity scenes.   Thanks to my travels these ornaments are beautiful reminders of trips with family and friends as they hail from America, Italy, Ireland and Scotland. My love of Christmas decorations is so well known by my family and friends, that one year, in a work Kris Kindle, I was absolutely delighted to receive a gorgeous carousel and some glass angels. I was so excited that despite our Kris Kindles supposed to being anonymous, my friend (once more a million thanks, Presc) had to tell me that it was her as I kept telling everyone I met that day thank you! Sadly, I don't have any of these things here with me in Korea. Firstly, I've too many to take on one trip. Secondly, some are too breakable for such a long journey. Thirdly, I don't want to lose them here in Korea.

So back to Christmas in Korea....Daiso and Homeplus didn't have what I was looking for (reminder to self: Maggie you are in KOREA not GERMANY), so after a few minutes of anguish, I decided to make a game plan. I picked out a few things that I liked - some lights, baubles, snowflakes, beads and I got some very thin tinsel (my tree is tiny and I don't like big tinsel in any case). . I am not great at origami so a friend of mine helped me to make some penguins whilst I cut out tons of snowflakes. I like making snowflakes so much that I did this with a lot of my classes last year and I would make about 5 to each of my students one snowflake!. I spent hours folding candy canes, drawing ornaments and researching different advent calendars and  paper decorations. I spent so much time on it that my house for about 3 weeks looked like a stationery shop had exploded with all the paper, glue, stickers, bits and bobs. For the rest, I decided to make my own. A stack of origami paper later I was sitting in my house making old fashioned paper ring chains, Chinese lanterns and these beautiful stars.


That was last year and I saved most of my decorations both bought and homemade (St Joseph disappeared on Christmas day and has not been seen since). This year, I cleared my desk and made it my "Christmas corner". Boxes that held my Christmas presents last year now hold all my decorations, last year's advent calendar is up and pinned with an item a day (and in some cases several items a day). The crafty gifts I got for last year's Christmas are up there waiting their turn to be sewn, glued and/or painted.

Crafty folk

Crafty folk 

Crafty folk

Crafting is so much fun, but it is time consuming and, in my case, very messy for my small space! I struggle with trying to balance the hours of fun that I can have doing it with the state my apartment gets in while I am doing it (and stays in for days after). I struggle with knowing that the minute I start I may not be able to finish before bedtime, so that means I know I'll be up until 1.00a.m. With this in mind, I've tried to create a balance this year: for Easter, I only made these origami Easter bunnies and for Hallowe'en I only spent a few evenings working on my projects. The things I made were easy - bats, ghosts and pumpkins. The more elaborate designs (witch, wizard and crazy killer girl) were still made in a couple of hours. With Christmas approaching and the fact that is is my favourite holiday, I knew I'd be way more easily distracted by crafting. Luckily my friend and I had discussed setting up a Wine and Crafts club a few months before and with this thought in mind the first meeting of this club began on December 5th.  This meant, that not only could I spend some time crafting...I also got to do it in a controlled environment! There were 10 girls at this first event and that meant I just couldn't spread out the way I am wont!  Well, I could...but then I'd have spilt the wine! Despite this curtailment on my space, I still ended up making this gingerbread house with some help from one of the other girls:


So you might think
 I'm mad to have chosen doing TEFL over my beloved Wood-turning. You might think I'm mad to mix wine with crafting and you might think I'm mad to not just buy all the decorations I found in Daiso and Homeplus (some of them are quite nice, btw). Well, the most important concern there is around wine - the worst that can happen is that it spills on a craft. And yes, I could have just bought all the decorations but now I have memories for keeps and plenty of ideas on what to do with my students in afterschool classes and, hopefully, with my own children some day. But yes, I think part of me was mad to give up wood-turning in favour of TEFL. It was one of the hardest decisions I made when I started my journey to move to Korea. However, I can always take it up again and in the meantime, I can see the pieces I made anytime I go home!

PPS This post was inspired by my favourite holiday, Christmas, and my love of crafting.
PPS This post was inspired by the "Let's get together" song from The Parent Trap starring Haley Mills and a great night at Wine and Craft Club. Here's to the next one!
PPPS: No wine was spilt or crafts destroyed in the making of this post.

All my memories gathered 'round [him]

As I may have mentioned before (here, here and here), my brother came to visit! It was wonderful having him here and I really didn't want him to leave!

Selfie in Changdeokgung Huwon, Seoul. The Secret Garden Palace 

He was a great house-guest: he killed a cockroach for me that was crawling on my wall. I'd had enough of them at that stage (a story for another day) and I begged him to get rid of it even though he was still sleeping and it was 6.30am! He also helped me to rearrange my apartment and to do a thorough cleaning out of my big suitcase full of winter clothes. Whenever I needed help with anything he was willing and ready. The only time he was intractable was when he was curled up in bed and ready to go to sleep!


From the minute he arrived it was mostly go-go-go. I had planned on going around Seoul with him the day he arrived but instead we headed to the train. He was exhausted from his trip but I insisted (like the good sister I am) that we should go for a walk.  I didn't let him rest at all those first few days, as the very next day after he arrived we headed back up to Seoul for the Halloween shenanigans and to do some touristy things. During his trip, he saw two palaces, Changgyeonggung and Changdeokgung, went to Insadong twice, partied in Hongdae, went to a lantern festival, visited both my schools (and went to four Halloween parties) and went to Gyeongju and Japan.

Palace time! The 3 pictures going clockwise from the top are from Changgyeong
and going anti-clockwise from the top are from Changdeok.
Top left - "Why do you need to take my photo, again?"

We were both really impressed with the palace at Changgyeongung and we were really lucky in the time that we went. We went fairly early on the Sunday morning after the Freak or Treat walk. When we arrived there were only a handful of people in the palace and we were able to take a leisurely stroll around the gardens. It was the first time for both of us so we were able to just drink in all the sights, colours and quiet. We sat for a while just chatting and catching up as the weather was beautiful and warm with a soft breeze. In contrast, Changdeokgung was much busier and much colder. We hadn't planned on going there as we were headed to Jongmyo Shrine. Unfortunately we'd have had a long wait for the tour and neither of us wanted to do an actual tour. When we got to Changdeokgung though, I blurted out that not only would we take the entrance tickets to the palace but also to Huwon (the secret garden) for a Japanese tour. Yep, I paid for a 90 minute tour in a language I don't remotely understand! The autumn colours were fantastic but I would not recommend joining a tour where you don't understand anything. Whilst it was nice for us to chat and hang out, it meant that we probably wasted 45 minutes of precious sightseeing time waiting around for the tour to move on.

Desserts, BBQ, Jeon, Bibimbap and Kimchi galore!

While he was here, we went on huge culinary adventures as I tried to expose him to as much Korean food culture as I could. From bibimbap to Korean BBQ, any culinary (vegetarian) delight I could present him with I did. It wasn't only the savoury things. Any sweet that I delight on, we got to eat! I have waited impatiently for this colder weather to eat Hotteok and Bungeoppang. Knowing that they aren't very healthy helped me to resist eating them until he arrived. And boy, when he did, we went to town! Several times we burned our tongues on Bungeoppang (similiar to Taiyaki in Japan) and delved into the delightful sweetness of ggul tteok and bingsu.

Street food in Jochiwon.

One the night he returned from a day trip to Gyeongju, I was talking to my sister and telling her that I didn't think my brother had done enough exploring in my town. She insisted that when I met him off the train that night we should go for a 30 minute walk. I am so glad that we did as she instructed because not only did we get to walk around and see Jochiwon but we also got to eat street food that was pastries! We wandered down a side street of the traditional market and there was still a vendor selling mandu (dumplings), deep fried battered pumpkin and these battered things that looked like courgettes. However, when we bit into them they were seaweed rolls filled with buckwheat noodles and vegetables. I was so excited because I've been wanting to eat down in the market for ages and to try more street food.

We had plenty to talk about and there was never a dull moment in the two weeks. I think that my favourite part of his visit was just having someone to come home to. It was the same when my cousin visited last year. My home never feels lonely when I am there alone but someone else's presence over an extended period of time, like a week or two, creates such an impact on your space. With him gone, I felt really lonely and really sad. I still do to be honest and even thinking about it makes me want to cry. You see, both he and my cousin are family. They don't just bring themselves to visit me. They bring a little bit of all the people I love most in the world with them. They bring shared experiences, shared memories and shared connections. They bring home. It's nearly a year since I felt homesick and right now I feel so incredibly homesick. Not for Ireland. I'm homesick for someone else to share my space and to make my house into a home.

So, you might think I'm mad to let my brother's visit affect me so much. You might think I'm mad to feel that over a two week period my brother could have made such an impact on my home. You might think I'm mad to have bawled in Seoul station for a good 25 minutes. Maybe it is silly but home is where the heart is and my heart is with my family. I loved having my brother here and I think that his visit has only strengthened our relationship and has allowed us to look at each other with new eyes and open hearts.

PS. Thank you Jody for visiting! I miss you tons!

PPS This post was inspired by a brilliant brother and John Denver's Take me home, Country Roads.

Brown paper packages tied up with strings

Presents. Who doesn't love them? I am a big present person. I love receiving them and sending them. Christmas is one of my favourite times of year not only because it's Christmas but my birthday is at that time of year, too. I love seeing what Santa or my Kris Kindle has given me. Ripping open the paper, or pulling the tissue out of the bag, never fails to delight me! I hate that my Mam keeps telling me that I should have outgrown Santa by now and that from this year we won't get "Santa" gifts anymore! I think with having my nephew this should all be continuing and not fading away!

Last year's haul!

Since coming to Korea, I've gotten a new appreciation for presents - and not just the ones at Christmas or my birthday. My family have been really good about sending me things like Barry's Tea (thanks to my Mam and Aunt), as well as goodies like my favourite chocolates or deodorant. However, my favourite things are the unexpected packages. This time last year, I knew my Mam was sending me deodorant so I was looking out for my package but when it arrived, I was absolutely thrilled to receive Hallowe'en decorations in addition to my deodorant!

This year's haul

On Monday, when I arrived in there was a stack of post on the table in the teachers room. I never look at it because there usually isn't anything for me. However, a few minutes later with a delighted smile on his face, my Principal handed me a white package. I grabbed it, recognised my Mam's handwriting and hugged that package tight! I was so excited that, even though I needed to prepare for my classes, I immediately ripped it open (carefully of course) and took out 4 packets of Hallowe'en decorations! I'd mentioned to my Mam recently that I needed some photos of Hallowe'en to use for a class and could she have my siblings email them to me. I never expected that not only will I have an amazing PowerPoint to show my kids but also a blooming fantastically decked out classroom! I can't wait to have this class at the end of October! 

My cousin

Even better than opening a package is receiving the gift of someone's presence. I was only in Korea a few months, and my Mam had been visiting her family in the US. when she arrived home, she called me to say that she had heard that my cousin, Princess B, was coming to Korea for a month and that she'd stop to see me and another friend of hers who was living and teaching here.  I was so excited, I decorated my house with a few welcome signs and informed anyone and everyone that she was coming! B stayed a week with me and it was amazing as she is such a brilliant, inspiring girl and on top of that, such an easy guest to have. I missed her terribly when she left as in the short time she was with me we got into a routine that felt completely natural: She kept my floor swept and I did the dishes. She really clicked with all my friends and thanks to her, I got to know Swaglu, who has since become such an important part of my life. Her encouragement of my adventures and advice on improving my life, whilst not always followed, is always remembered and kept close to my heart.

This last week, on Friday my brother told me that he was thinking of coming for a visit and on Saturday sent an email saying that he'd be coming next week. I was so thrilled I was dancing around my room, squealing "Joe is coming! Joe is coming!" and popping off text messages to the besties to let them know. I immediately began searching Skyscanner for reasonable flight prices and sending off print-screens to my brother. That evening, I got to talk to him and was a little disappointed to find out that it wouldn't be next week that he'd arrive. Thanks to my reading to quickly, I mistook his meaning to let me know next week when he'd arrive to him arriving next week. However, he hopes he will be here by the end of October/beginning of November for two weeks. I can't wait as I haven't seen him since I left for Korea over a year ago and he was doing mission work in Liberia when I was home in August. I now have another thing to look forward to this month besides Hallowe'en!

My brother and me.

So you might think I'm mad to still want Santa gifts, and you'd be in good company if you do! You might think I'm mad to be this excited that someone is coming to visit me - but having someone who is a piece of home whether they are a brother or a cousin, puts a different dynamic on your view of Korea and allows you to see everything anew through their eyes. It gives you the gift of innocence - similar to the innocent joy a child has at Christmas - as they gaze with unfamiliar eyes on the sights, sounds, smells of this country. I can't wait to experience it with him.

PS I should point out, my family is always good about sending little presents. When I was in college in America they would frequently send letters or packages to me. A huge thank you to anyone who has ever sent me a letter, a small parcel, an email or even just their love - I appreciate it all and it makes life here all the sweeter.

PPS - this post was inspired by the song "My favourite things" from Sound of Music.

PPPS - the first 5 people to comment on this post will get a small Korean gift from me.

A time for thanks, a time for rest

Chuseok is the Korean name for their Thanksgiving Harvest holiday. Chuseok, usually, is sometime in September but changes yearly due to the Lunar Calendar. In fact, last year it spilled into October. Tombs are visited, special food is had and time is spent with your family. One of the many activities that take place at Chuseok is the Ganggangsullae dance.

In May, the Public School teachers in Sejong went to Jindo Island on a culture trip with our co-teachers and the Office of Education. Whilst there, we ate like Koreans all day (3 Korean meals in the day) and visited several sights including the place where the sea parts (just as in the story of the parting of the Red Sea). The highlight for me was dancing the Ganggangsullae. This is a dance where everyone holds hands and form a circle that winds in and out. From a distance it looks as if more people are dancing than there actually is. This dance was actually used to make invaders think that there were more Koreans fighting than was actually true. It was a lot of fun and you chanted Ganggangsullae all the while.

Last year, instead of participating in any traditional Chuseok activities, I  went to Geoje-do. Geoje-do is an island near Busan in the Southern part of South Korea. I'd a wonderful few days there with my friends - 1 couple and two single guys. Whilst the two single guys partied plenty, the rest of us did a little more sightseeing such as walking along the harbour near where we were staying and taking a tour boat out to Oedo Island. Every evening we spent time hanging out and drinking soju or going to Noraebang. It was so nice to just relax and spend time with wonderful friends.

Photo courtesy of Aletia.

Photo courtesy of my friend, Aletia. 

This year was a little different. I headed North to Seoul with two of the newbies and a friend of theirs. Originally, we were meant to go to Sokcho but we (me) left it a little late to get anything booked. This holiday I didn't participate in any traditional Chuseok games but I believe I participated in what appears to be a traditional Chuseok family day out - Lotte World! LotteWorld is the Korean version of Disneyland and from what I saw (I've never been to Disney), heard and read - its design, layout and, indeed, logo is very reminiscent of that park. It was packed with families that included the very young and the very old. People patiently waited over two hours for rides and, as the day progressed, the crowds intensified. Food was corn-dogs on sticks and ice cream filled choux.

The park is split in two - an outdoors area and an indoor area which includes an Aeronauts Balloon Ride that I was dying to try out. However, on the two occasions I went up to do so the wait was OVER 2 hours. Not happening! I did one ride by myself which was a cheesy kids ride called Fantasy Dream. It was slow with nothing scary. It reminded me a little bit of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the one with Gene Wilder) when they are on the boat ride. I could have sworn, as we meandered our way down, that I'd seen an Oompa Loompa waving merrily at me and cautioning me to be wiser than I am now. The highlight of this day out was definitely the Comet Express which was an underground ride that we were cautioned was quite tame (all the better for me!). However, it turned, twisted and jumped us along through space. It was quite fun and one of the girls took a video, which I am pretty sure is just me screaming the whole time. The other ride that I went on that was a lot more exciting than the Fantasy Dream was the Atlantis ride. I couldn't open my eyes for fear of seeing us fly over the edge. I also couldn't open my mouth as I was pretty sure my stomach would fall out. Whilst I never want to go on this ride again, I'm glad that I did because I can officially say that I am NOT a scary rollercoaster person.

The rest of Chuseok was spent wandering around various parts of Seoul like Insadong (think Templebar in Dublin or the Old Market in Omaha), Hongdae, City Hall and Itaewon. We even got to spend a little time at the beach but as the water was pretty mank, we soon left. As it was Chuseok, and as I'd originally planned to holiday by myself, I took some time out a few of the evenings just to read. Whilst the girls explored Itaewon, I sat myself down in Ediya with a Chai latte and delved into the world of Jeffrey Deaver. On Saturday, the art exhibition I wanted to attend was too busy so instead I read The Piano Turner and wondered if I would ever be brave enough to explore areas of the world so cut-off from everything that I know.

So you might think I'm mad to have not spent Chuseok playing traditional games and eating traditional foods. However, I thoroughly enjoyed each trip and the company that I had. At the end of the day, Chuseok is spent in the company of family. My family aren't here - but the family of EPIK teachers is and that's who I spent my time with.

PS - this post is inspired by two very different and wonderful Chuseoks.
PPS - Thank you to all those who I spent Chuseok with last year and this!