Yes, it’s been a while. As the Japanese say, “ひさしぶり (hisashiburi).” A few weeks back, participation in a quasi-Japanese tea ceremony, in which really really bitter tea is paired with a really really sweet sweet, created an elaborate vision in my head of a post about Japan being a land of bittersweetness—basically a place of ultimate extremes. Among other things, I was going to talk about overwhelming politeness and respect vs. the lack of contact and openness, the astonishing punctuality and high expectations vs. the boiling stress levels and cut-throat standards, and the striking cleanliness and safeness vs. the paranoia and excessiveness. Finally, I was going to top off that entry with the stark contrast yet workable harmony I experienced between Hiroshima and Miyajima.
the gate of Miyajima
But then midterms happened. And spring break planning/execution. More so the spring break factor; let’s be real.
So I’ll axe that now-passé stuff and cut to the chase: South Korea. I don’t really recall how or why it happened, but a couple friends and I decided that this was our destined destination for the highly anticipated Spring Break 2010.
Heading on Our Merry Way
After much debate and indecisiveness over modes of transportation, we finally had legit tickets and reservations to be on our way to Japan’s neighbor across the pond. Sure, we ended up with a ridiculously unnecessary long, confusing route, but it was (as we continually justified it to others and, more importantly, ourselves) more of an adventure that way. That being said, if we ever go from Japan to Korea in our lifetime once more...I think we can all agree that we’re flying. Personally, I am additionally determined to affix wheels on my measly one-shoulder-strap-only LeSportsac duffel.
Getting from Hirakata, Japan, to Busan (port city where we spent two nights before heading up to Seoul), South Korea, in summary:
Train from university town to Osaka = annoying (We messed up and took the wrong transfer so had to backtrack. And there were no seats to accommodate us and our overpacked, cumbersome luggage.)
Night bus from Osaka to Fukuoka = hell (I couldn’t move my legs for ten hours, save the conveni stops EVERY TWO HOURS, in which the bus would abruptly turn all of its lights on and sit in the cold, dark parking lot, wasting extended periods of time that we could have been using to, you know, get there.)
Jet Ferry from Fukuoka to Busan, South Korea = nauseating (Of course it just so happened that our day of departure had particularly high tides at sea. In fact, our ferry almost didn’t leave because of those tides. A smooth ride it was not.)
It was at the point on the ferry—as I was basking in my misery with my head firmly placed in my lap, eyes strictly avoiding the atrocious waves visible out my left window—that I realized that I have been bred in a culture of complaining. Just like the night bus, my friends and I were uncomfortable, fed-up, claustrophobic, what have you. Also just like the night bus, we appeared to be the only ones who felt this way. If any of the other passengers had any similar negative sentiments, they sure as heck weren’t showing them.
I guess we individualistic westerners have been taught to feel our pain and let it be heard. It was incredible, really; with the exception of us foreigners wrestling in our seats, blatantly expressing our desires to gauge our eyes out as long as it meant we could get off of that sickening boat and escape the sea’s tumultuous pathways, there was a mind-boggling peaceful hush among the cabin. For the most part, other passengers were either serenely resting their eyelids or nonchalantly enjoying the featured anime film (Yep, featured anime film. Fo’ serious.). Even the kids seemed calm, cool and collected. Let me tell you; we definitely felt defeated, not to mention exceedingly weak.
Ow, That Shocked Me
Probably to everyone’s surprise, we did eventually make it to our final destination. In the end, the transportation woes didn’t really matter because at last we stepped foot on Korean soil.
But as glorious and fun and exciting as this may seem, we were all immediately confronted with some shockingly uncomfortable feelings, unrelated to the physical discomfort experienced by our legs on the bus or our stomachs on that nightmare of a boat. Two months ago we all came to Japan and were bludgeoned with different rules and customs—different expectations and norms. No matter which corner of the world from which we hailed, it took some time and effort for all of us to adjust to the strikingly unique ways of Japan. Ironically we didn’t realize just how far we’d come until we took ourselves out of that polite, clean, safe and quiet bubble.
To an unexpected degree, each of us experienced some level of culture shock—or reverse culture shock, if you will. Maybe the idea of reverse culture shock in a country like South Korea sounds a little far-fetched since Korea does vastly differ from each of our respective homelands, but the gap between Japan and Korea was much larger than expected. Compared to Japan, South Korea felt much more like our own countries. But at that point in time, our own countries were no longer the countries to which we felt totally accustomed.
When we saw a newspaper strewn across a sidewalk of Busan, we squirmed. When we saw the train conductor casually walk through the aisle with an opened can of soda in his hand, we gasped. When we saw little Korean children acting up on the subway amidst boisterous, expressive conversation and a chorus of ringing cell phones, we became strangely irritated.
And then we became ashamed—and weirded out—that any of this bothered us in the least.
Our initial feelings in Korea shined light on how quickly we had become used to the bubble of Japan. It also made me have uber sympathy for Japanese people who travel abroad. It must be truly brutal to see how the rest of the world functions when you’ve been under the false impression that people are always respectful and considerate to astounding degrees.
The other main shock in the beginning of our time in Korea was not a culture shock but more so a newfound struggle. In Japan, we do experience a perpetual language challenge, but Korea brought an iron language barrier into play; we couldn’t read or say ANYTHING, which was a drastically different feeling than Japan.
Eventually though we had to suck it up and look on the bright side: finally it was our chance to be dumb foreigners.
Korea is Awesome.
Thankfully in no time we did all ease up a bit. And being dumb foreigners even turned out to be fun! We came to love Korea. Like, LOVE Korea. Ohhh, what a fun, fun place.
In general, Korea feels a lot more real. People there are quirky. They’re funny. They’re raw. The overall aura of Korea is extremely full of life. Don’t get me wrong; Japan is a great environment to live in, but the vivaciousness and dynamism of South Korea was definitely a nice change. All we needed was a little time to adjust; then it turned out to be somewhat comforting to see people act in such open, genuine manners once again.
Korea’s Awesomeness: Some Specifics
Because the subparts that contribute to South Korea’s complete awesomeness emanate from various (read: various!) sections within, it is very difficult to cover all the bases. All I can do is hope that these (lucky number) seven selected South Korean experiences do justice in relaying the excitement and spirit of the nation.
1. The Food
Korean food is my new fave. First of all, every meal automatically begins with a series of little plates for the table to share, no matter what the table orders. I personally love this set-up because you can have a little of everything. It’s diverse, it’s different, and—when the main dishes come—it’s ON FIRE.
Really, dishes are served at boiling temperatures with spiciness levels that would be considered off the charts in most other countries. As excruciating as the heat and spice was, I enjoyed the rich flavors and the constant buzz inside my mouth, despite the fact that we all cried at least once every dinner (and then reached for the conveniently-placed table napkins that were obviously there for a reason).
The most popular Korean dish is undoubtedly kimchi, which is usually a spicy cabbage delight. Koreans do love their kimchi (and they’ve converted me); it’s EVERYWHERE! We actually even went to a kimchi museum. I’d like to think that the museum shows a good sense of humor, but none of us could really figure out if it was a joke or not.
We also even overheard Koreans shouting “kimchi” while taking pictures. I thought this was weird until it hit me that we Americans saying “cheese” is just as cliché/pathetic.
2. The Temples
Of course it wouldn’t be a complete Asian excursion without checking out some temples and shrines, and thus we acted accordingly. First we ventured to Haedong Yongkung Temple in Busan. It was on the water and was, well, beautiful.
I especially liked the roofs at this first temple and therefore took a million pictures of the design.
However, once we saw a little more of Korea, it became apparent that this design/color scheme was the norm across all Korean temples. This was kind of exciting yet slightly disappointing, too.
We also visited Changdeokgung Palace in Seoul, as well as a temple where we were able to pop our heads inside a Buddhist service. Upon our first attempt to enter the temple, we were faced head-on with this:
And so we wrapped around the building to find the correct entrance for we average Joes and walked into a room full of glistening gold Buddhas looking at us from all directions. In the front center was an especially grand one; this was the Buddha that each of the congregants was fixated on—bowing, kneeling and chanting toward. Magical would probably be the best word to describe that one.
3. The Markets
Painstakingly contrary to the majestic Buddhas of the temple were the eerie sea creatures—dead and alive—plastering a market we stumbled upon. Fish, etc. of all shapes and sizes were everywhere; my weak eyes truly had nowhere to seek shelter.
Just when I thought things couldn’t get any more disturbing, I saw a lady take a live octopus out of a tank and, before I had a chance to turn away, bag the live eight-legged creature for another lady who had her hand extended, full of Korean won bills (and hungry for dinner?). Gah, so not my cup of tea!
That innocent-looking black bag contains the octopus. That squid was next. Ew. Slash sad.
But other than this out-of-my-comfort-zone oceanic gala, we also were able to discover a book market, pet market, and (brace yourselves) FRENCH VILLAGE. Yes, a French village in Korea. It didn’t have quite as many striped shirts, berets and baguettes as we’d hoped, but there was some French right alongside the Korean. I guess I’ll take what I can get.
4. The Neighbors
When I first embarked on the journey to South Korea, I was sure I would steer very clear of the north...North Korea, that is. Of course Seoul is in the upper part of the country, but I dismissed the idea that I would go up any farther as crazy talk; I mean, why ever would I actively, knowingly put myself even further into the face of any danger? I assumed I wouldn’t. But you really should never assume.
It turns out there are tours that actually take foreigners in and around North Korea. It turns out Americans are not allowed to partake in these. It turns out Americans are allowed to partake in the tours and sites at the border, most notably the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). It turned out nearly everyone else with whom I traveled was dead set on doing something like this. Who knew?
For the record, I was maybe, kinda, sorta, a litttttle reluctant to do this border thing. Ok, maybe a lot reluctant. But after some more information and convincing, I just went with it. To my utter disappointment (riiiight) we weren’t able to go to the DMZ because of booking/timing issues so we ended up going to the Odusan Unification Observatory. And here you have it, folks: North Korea...
After looking at North Korea right across the river (“It is very close. It would take a person about fifteen minutes by foot,” boasted the informational video), we were able to view a bunch of exhibits/other informational things. What I thought was particularly interesting was the television they had tuned into a North Korean cartoon via North Korean satellite.
In the end, I was definitely happy I went to that border. Being there definitely gives a new perspective about the whole Korea situation; it’s really sad to see the developed and bustling South Korea on one side and the barren and anguished land right above.
5. The Nature
One day, we thought we would take a break from the manmade cities and sites and simply enjoy a hike at one of Korea’s national parks. The idea sounded far better in theory, but it was still nice. We got to see all the locals in their intense hiking gear...and then feel extremely under(over?)dressed in our regular street clothes, pea coats and all.
A little distance up one of the mountain’s many trails, we stopped to lunch on the kimchi onigiri and kimbab (Korean diet staples, obvs) we had picked up on our way to the park. Mmm, hiking is delicious.
6. The Stairs Towers
We did have one more little hike outside of the national park, but not so much in the leisurely sense. On our quest to get to the top of N Seoul Tower, we took a cab from the subway station to the tower since we didn’t really know the way. Evidently the cab driver didn’t know the way either though; she left us at the base of the tower’s hill mountain, blatantly on the wrong side. We were faced with staircases among staircases. Halfway up we saw a beautiful view of Seoul at night. Three-quarters of the way up we saw a stunning view of the trolley that we were supposed to be on. I’m still bitter about that one.
But perched atop the mountain inside of that tower was a little gem that made the stairs almost worth it: the Teddy Bear Museum. Contrary to my first intuition of the venue from merely hearing the name, the museum is not a play-by-play of the history of the teddy bear, nor is it a gallery of eccentric teddy bears from around the world. Instead, the museum chronicles the history and culture of Korea...with teddy bears. Don’t doubt yourself; it is exactly what you’re picturing now—scenes of teddy bear armies, teddy bear street vendors and shoppers, teddy bear emperors, et cetera, et cetera.
If someone had to guess what was in that tower, I wonder if teddy bear historical reenactments would ever come even remotely close to his or her mind.
7. The Nerds
If neither the kimchi museum nor the teddy bear museum caught your interest, you’re a member of a very tough crowd. But Korea is prepared. After all, the country makes StarCraft tournaments into televised sporting events. Yes, StarCraft as in the video game.
On one of our first nights in Seoul, we turned on our hostel room's TV to be faced with this:
This was our first taste of Korea’s StarCraft culture. At a glance, the screen appears to show an oddly normal game of StarCraft—almost as if you and I were playing the video game in our everyday living room (Almost. I mean, for that to happen, we’d actually have to know a thing or two about how to play the game, let alone own the video game itself.). But notice the announcers at the bottom right...and then the strategy diagrams to the left. This is not your average video game session; this is a legit, competitive, spectator sport.
A couple nights later we were able to get up close and personal with this StarCraft scene. Oh-so-tragically the timing of our trip did not coincide with one of the major StarCraft tournaments, but we were able to pop into an apparently-very-important player selection night. Even though I heard about Korea’s StarCraft stadiums and surrounding hype before I set foot in there, nothing could prepare me for the real thing. It was like a Hollywood event—red carpet, cameras hustling and bustling from all directions, obnoxiously bright lights, even more obnoxiously (but in a cute way) obsessive fans and all.
That’s right; these video game players were treated like full-fledge athletic stars. They were even dressed from head to toe in athletic gear, as if they were going to actually exert physical energy or something. Anyway, after their poses for the cameras on the red carpet, they each proceeded to the stage to voice their opponent selection. It was intense.
We didn’t stay the whole time, but I think we got a good sense of everything. Plus, I don’t think the event went on too long after we left; many of the “stars” probably had school the next day!
And We Can’t Forget the Little Things
Additional joys of Korea came not from direct experiences but more so overall sensations. Sure, we had tons of fun with the planned sites and activities, but here are three Korean vibes that added to our overall enjoyment and therefore deserve to be added to the above list, ultimately making ten specific sources of Korea’s awesomeness in all.
8. The I’m-in-the-Future Feeling
So many things in South Korea are just so sleek and, well, cool. At a movie theater, we met a robot that offered movie information and ticket help. It literally came up to us in the lounge area to offer its assistance.
Subway stations are especially new and hip-feeling, with clean, colorful walls, sharp televisions blasting dynamic commercials, and cutting-edge interactive maps and diagrams. The interactive maps are basically touch screen GPS systems in the shape of giant iPhones. Any passerby can go right up to the machine, glide his or her hand around the screen to find a certain region or landmark, and then zoom in or out on the location in order to find how to get there and/or the surrounding area. It really is helpful...and can be used in lots of places besides just subway stations. For example, a mall we went to used the same map technology for its store directory, which was fun.
At first, South Korea's abundance of chain restaurants doesn’t seem so great, but even these places manage to be sleek and cool in this country. Let’s just say I now know where Dunkin’ Donuts is investing all its money.
9. The Sign Excess
Long story short, we saw a lot of unnecessary (and therefore funny) signs along our Korean journey. Case in point:
It says, "Warning: Steps Ahead"...at the bottom of the stairs. It's blurry because the train we needed to get on was coming. Oops.
10. The Self-Esteem Boost
Last but not least, South Korea simply made us feel better about ourselves—in a laughable way. First of all, the large numbers when dealing with Korean money made us feel rich. The one dollar to 100 yen ratio was getting a little too comfortable; the one dollar to 1,000 won ratio made things exciting again. When we exchanged our money in Fukuoka before getting on the ferry, all of us had a little trouble closing our newly-bulging wallets. That’s a pretty good feeling.
On a final note, we were watched and spoken to as if we were celebrities. It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Japanese people often stare at us foreigners merely because we do vary from what they see every day, but many Koreans acted in a whole different manner. One instance I’ll never forget is when a schoolgirl’s eyes met our group in a convenient store. The girl’s whole body immediately froze before breathing in an enormous gasp that coupled with aggressive tapping on her friend’s shoulder, signaling that turning around to “see us” that instant was imperative. Then, both girls smiled and stared as we awkwardly smiled back and chose which pack of gum to buy. I felt so un-human and weird. Now I almost feel bad for celebrities actually. And I understand why they can be so screwed up. I can strangely add THAT to the things I learned whilst in Korea.
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