April 2nd~ April 9th, 2010
Last week, Kristin came to visit all the way from Medford, Oregon. Jenni and I met up with her in Seoul late Friday night after work at the Imperial Palace Hotel. From there, we had a good night's rest and spend the rest of the weekend touring around Seoul. Places we visited were Namsan Mountain where we had a nice hike, Seoul Tower, a Folk Village near Namsan, Insadong Antique Market, and several other places. We also observed beautiful pieces of art at a photo gallery while meeting several of the artists~ their photos of the city were amazing and so creative. What made us adore the art even more, was when the artists explained their tricks and how the shots were taken. Quite inspiring!
My favorite place that we visited in Seoul would have to be the Insadong Market. It was such a perfect place to stroll the streets, observe all the beautiful crafts, sample food at different food stands (hodock pancakes, rice snacks, and songpyeong were popular), and it was also a perfect place to observe people in such a rich culture. We had such a great time.
The touring was perfect, because we weren't in a frantic rush to get to everything. Seoul, being the capital of Korea, as well as, home to over 10 million people, has so much to do and see. The Seoul subway is awesome and easy to figure out, plus so cheap (Steve, you would probably love it~Kristin said you loved organized trips!). Also, Kristin was able to try out several Korean dishes such as Galbi, Gimbap, Bibimbap, mandu (dumplings), soups, and other dishes. I was nervous that the food would be too spicy, but Kristin was a champ!
It was a fantastic time for all of us up in Seoul, but I was extremely thrilled to take Kristin to the southwestern region of the country where I live. The region is called Jeollanamdo and Gwangju, the city where I live, is the capital. This region is known for the rice production and also the best Korean cuisine~ yes, that's right!!! It is also known as the "country" or "sticks" where it's less developed in comparison to the rest of the country and supposedly people have a small town accent. A few of my friends find it funny to teach me expressions in the country slang, such as, "O-May" or "I-Go." I love it! I would hardly call this the country with my city being over a million and a half in population, but it does have a stronger hold on the Korean traditions and culture.
Kristin loved the personality of the city of Gwangju and the great access to the neighboring mountains. Plus, the air quality is so much better. Places we visited in this area were Mudungsan (Korea's third largest mountain), Damyang Bamboo Forest, Boseong Green Tea plantation, Gwangju's downtown, and we also spent time meeting up with my friends and touring the dong (neighborhood) where I live. Ha, also, it didn't take a lot of energy trying to convince Kristin to go to the jjimjilbang baths even with the naked factor. It is so therapeutic and fun! She really enjoyed it after her long flight here. Hiking Mudungsan was perfect, because the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, as well as, other beautiful flowers. On the mountain, Kristin was able to visit a small Buddhist temple and also witnessed the typical, hard-core hiking outfits and hiking sticks everyone uses on the mountain! Hiking is a serious matter here! he he.
On our trip to Damyang, Kristin and I went with my co-teachers from my hogwan to walk in a bamboo forest. We explored the area, visited an old school house with traditional Korean houses, and had lunch together at a traditional Korean restaurant. Kristin was overwhelmed by the amount of food and number of side dishes. "They just keep coming!"
On another morning, Jenni, Kristin, and I went to the Boseong Green tea plantation together. We enjoyed delicious green tea ice cream, while strolling through the plantation. It was so beautiful and fun with all the kids running around on their school trips. It is amazing how fearless kids can be running up and starting conversations with foreigners.
Since I couldn't get off of work on Kristin's visit, I still taught every afternoon. It worked out well, though, because Kristin made a few visits to my school and met several of my students. Yes, students are well behaved here, but since they have to go to school from 8am to sometimes 9pm with only a few breaks, they can be quite energetic! Kristin kept commenting on how fun, yet wild these kids are. "I don't know how you do it, Liz!" is what she kept telling me. The students really enjoyed her, although they wished she had brought her new puppy, honey with her (I have a few pictures of Kristin and her puppy in the classroom). Kristin's blue eyes and curly hair were also a huge hit. The compliments here can be strange to westerners, because often times we get told that "we have small faces" or "big eyes" which are considered to be beautiful physical features here. Sometimes, I forget how homogeneous this area truly is since I have almost gotten used to stares and gestures towards me out in public.
Overall, Kristin's visit was truly a blessing. She is such an incredible and wise sister. We had a lot of fun, especially making fun of the various designs (including leopard print) of "same-same" couple sets of lingerie and other items of clothing found in the shopping areas. Ha ha! Everyone here loved her and understood that it was difficult for me to see her go. My neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Hwang, commented on how much Kristin and I are alike and how nice our family must be. They really wanted to spend more time with Kristin and were sad to see her go, too. My volley ball friends were also fascinated by her. Bong Suk treated us with dinner and bought Kristin a beautiful painting from the Gwangju Gallery downtown. People here are just so incredibly kind.
I am so glad Kristin came and was able to have great cultural experiences. She loved having tour guides that knew more than just the touristy sites, yet, it was also awakening for me having her here to see and experience Korea with virgin eyes again. I love you, Kristin!
Last week, Kristin came to visit all the way from Medford, Oregon. Jenni and I met up with her in Seoul late Friday night after work at the Imperial Palace Hotel. From there, we had a good night's rest and spend the rest of the weekend touring around Seoul. Places we visited were Namsan Mountain where we had a nice hike, Seoul Tower, a Folk Village near Namsan, Insadong Antique Market, and several other places. We also observed beautiful pieces of art at a photo gallery while meeting several of the artists~ their photos of the city were amazing and so creative. What made us adore the art even more, was when the artists explained their tricks and how the shots were taken. Quite inspiring!
My favorite place that we visited in Seoul would have to be the Insadong Market. It was such a perfect place to stroll the streets, observe all the beautiful crafts, sample food at different food stands (hodock pancakes, rice snacks, and songpyeong were popular), and it was also a perfect place to observe people in such a rich culture. We had such a great time.
The touring was perfect, because we weren't in a frantic rush to get to everything. Seoul, being the capital of Korea, as well as, home to over 10 million people, has so much to do and see. The Seoul subway is awesome and easy to figure out, plus so cheap (Steve, you would probably love it~Kristin said you loved organized trips!). Also, Kristin was able to try out several Korean dishes such as Galbi, Gimbap, Bibimbap, mandu (dumplings), soups, and other dishes. I was nervous that the food would be too spicy, but Kristin was a champ!
It was a fantastic time for all of us up in Seoul, but I was extremely thrilled to take Kristin to the southwestern region of the country where I live. The region is called Jeollanamdo and Gwangju, the city where I live, is the capital. This region is known for the rice production and also the best Korean cuisine~ yes, that's right!!! It is also known as the "country" or "sticks" where it's less developed in comparison to the rest of the country and supposedly people have a small town accent. A few of my friends find it funny to teach me expressions in the country slang, such as, "O-May" or "I-Go." I love it! I would hardly call this the country with my city being over a million and a half in population, but it does have a stronger hold on the Korean traditions and culture.
Kristin loved the personality of the city of Gwangju and the great access to the neighboring mountains. Plus, the air quality is so much better. Places we visited in this area were Mudungsan (Korea's third largest mountain), Damyang Bamboo Forest, Boseong Green Tea plantation, Gwangju's downtown, and we also spent time meeting up with my friends and touring the dong (neighborhood) where I live. Ha, also, it didn't take a lot of energy trying to convince Kristin to go to the jjimjilbang baths even with the naked factor. It is so therapeutic and fun! She really enjoyed it after her long flight here. Hiking Mudungsan was perfect, because the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, as well as, other beautiful flowers. On the mountain, Kristin was able to visit a small Buddhist temple and also witnessed the typical, hard-core hiking outfits and hiking sticks everyone uses on the mountain! Hiking is a serious matter here! he he.
On our trip to Damyang, Kristin and I went with my co-teachers from my hogwan to walk in a bamboo forest. We explored the area, visited an old school house with traditional Korean houses, and had lunch together at a traditional Korean restaurant. Kristin was overwhelmed by the amount of food and number of side dishes. "They just keep coming!"
On another morning, Jenni, Kristin, and I went to the Boseong Green tea plantation together. We enjoyed delicious green tea ice cream, while strolling through the plantation. It was so beautiful and fun with all the kids running around on their school trips. It is amazing how fearless kids can be running up and starting conversations with foreigners.
Since I couldn't get off of work on Kristin's visit, I still taught every afternoon. It worked out well, though, because Kristin made a few visits to my school and met several of my students. Yes, students are well behaved here, but since they have to go to school from 8am to sometimes 9pm with only a few breaks, they can be quite energetic! Kristin kept commenting on how fun, yet wild these kids are. "I don't know how you do it, Liz!" is what she kept telling me. The students really enjoyed her, although they wished she had brought her new puppy, honey with her (I have a few pictures of Kristin and her puppy in the classroom). Kristin's blue eyes and curly hair were also a huge hit. The compliments here can be strange to westerners, because often times we get told that "we have small faces" or "big eyes" which are considered to be beautiful physical features here. Sometimes, I forget how homogeneous this area truly is since I have almost gotten used to stares and gestures towards me out in public.
Overall, Kristin's visit was truly a blessing. She is such an incredible and wise sister. We had a lot of fun, especially making fun of the various designs (including leopard print) of "same-same" couple sets of lingerie and other items of clothing found in the shopping areas. Ha ha! Everyone here loved her and understood that it was difficult for me to see her go. My neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Hwang, commented on how much Kristin and I are alike and how nice our family must be. They really wanted to spend more time with Kristin and were sad to see her go, too. My volley ball friends were also fascinated by her. Bong Suk treated us with dinner and bought Kristin a beautiful painting from the Gwangju Gallery downtown. People here are just so incredibly kind.
I am so glad Kristin came and was able to have great cultural experiences. She loved having tour guides that knew more than just the touristy sites, yet, it was also awakening for me having her here to see and experience Korea with virgin eyes again. I love you, Kristin!
