Lantern Festival

    Lanterns symbolize hope and wishes.  They are filled with light and set across rivers or streams to make dreams come true.  After visiting the 2010 Seoul Lantern Festival, I have a new appreciation for the time, patience, and talent that goes into the heart of a lantern.  I viewed the giant lanterns along the Cheonggyecheon (stream).  The crowds were thick, but I was able to view the brilliant lanterns.  Much to my dismay, the lanterns did not float along the stream.  Instead, they were anchored in place. 

     The lanterns were grouped by themes: Lights of Seoul, Lights of the Global Village, Lights of Korea, Lights of Memory and Lights of Future.  The Lights of the Global Village was amazing.  There were mini replicas of world landmarks.  There was even one of the Statue of Liberty!  The Lights of Future had various animal lanterns and beautiful scenery.  It was a great night out in the city.

    

Seoraksan National Park

    
     On November 6, 2010, I went with a fellow co-worker on a trip to Seoraksan National Park.  I had gone with a tour group called Adventure Korea and was very nervous to take the hike.  The hikers had their choice of three different trails: difficult 4.72 miles round trip (for expierienced hikers), moderate, and easy (you ride a cable car).  Of course the whole bus raised their hands when asked, "which trail are you going on?"  Peer pressure.  I decided to try the difficult trail.  If you know me well, I have zero hiking experience and thought, how hard could it be.



View From The Starting Point

      Well, it turns out I'm out of shape and I would not like to see another set of staircases.  Ever.  My co-worker, Julie, and I set out at a decent pace, but lost the group.  We came to a fork in the road and took a left.  Suddenly, we hear, "Your going the wrong way (we were easy to spot, in a sea of Koreans)!"  This was just one of many awkard moments.  We veered off another time (towards the bathrooms), were the slowest and last people in the group (we passed people later during a photo spot), and lost my footing (once or twice). 
     The halfway point was Heundeul Bawi Rock (Unsteady rock).  The rock is a 16 ton boulder that looks as if it is ready to roll off the cliff.  I tried my hardest to push the rock off, but was not successful.  It is much like the story, The Sorcerer and the Stone.  Around the stone are Chinese characters carved on neighboring boulders and a small temple in a cave.  

Heundeul Bawi Rock

     After leaving the Heundeul Bawi Rock, the trail become very difficult.  I had to climb an 808 step-staircase with mobs of people!  The staircase to the summit (873m) was built for one person at a time.  You stood on the staircase and had to wait your turn.  It was intense.  I even had an empty Gatorade bottle fall from above hit me!  Once, I reached the top, I almost blew off!  It was worth it in the end.



The Summit



Jjimjilbang

     Jjimjilbang is an expeirence that I will never forget.  After the hike, we traveled to our accomodation in Osaek Valley in inner Seoraksan.  This was a traditional Korean hotel.  In other words, you sleep on a pad...on the ground.  The floor is heated.  I guess thats a perk. 

Traditional Korean Hotel

     After a traditional korean dinner, barbeque and rice, we headed off towards the jjimjilbang.  As usual, it was not easy to find in this little town.  We found a group of Koreans and decided to ask them where it was.  Neither my friend or I  knew the word for where is, so she said Donde estas (spanish).  The gentleman replied in perfect English.  This was just the start. 
     We arrived at the jjimjilbang and discovered that you can not wear any bathing suits!  You are required to go nude.  This was a shock.  I was with a co-worker and the last thing that I wanted was to turn around at work and think....I saw you naked.  We thought, how bad could it be.  You get a towel, and then your in the tub.  After much debate, we decided to do it. 
     Well, the towel thing did not work out so well.  They gave us korean towels.  Which is the size of an extra large wash cloth.  Thank goodness I got two.  The whole place would just have to look at my backside. 
     Once inside, we could not stop laughing.  It was just weird.  There was naked older people everywhere, walking around in the nude!  Here was Julie and I, foreigners with towels wrapped all around us!  First, you walked across stones (that hurt your feet) in cold water.  Next, you went to various hot tubs.  This jjimjilbang was built over a natural hot spring.  There were about 8 natural hot spring tubs.  Each were at different temperatures and had various minerals added.  All the signs were in Korean, so we had no idea what we were going in.  I went into a lot of them, even the purple one (I was praying my skin would not turn purple).  Then, we saw a murkey water tub.  We figured, why not.  It was cold and smelled odd.  Then, we looked at the sign: Carbonic Acid.  Warning: do not put your head under the water.  I got out of that one in a flash. LOL.
     Tradition is, that you go in the hot tubs first, to open your pores, then go in the cold tub to close your pores.  I tried this and almost froze.  After the cold tub, you rinse off.  Traditionally, you scrub yourself down with a harsh scrub.  I opted out.  We did look around and saw people getting a massage and scrubbed down by Koreans.  We quickly walked away.
     What I learned:
            1.  Keep your personal space.  Julie and I were always at opposite ends.
            2.  Do not go in the sauna that is over 100 degrees.
            3.  Bring a regular towel.
            4.  The natural hot spring had magic healing powers!  I haven't been sick since that evening.

Happy Thanksgiving

    I had a great Thanksgiving.  Today was not only Thanksgiving, but also my pre-kindergardeners birthday party.  All the pre-kinders have one birthday celebration at the end of each month.  All of the students who have a birthday in the month of November say a mini speech in front of all the classes.  The teachers work one-on-one with the birthday students to prepare their speeches.  After the speeches, the classes that have a birthday student sing a song.  My students sang, "If All The Raindrops."  They were great!  Next, comes the group birthday song and cake.  It was a lot of fun!

     At the end of the work day, the teachers had a feast.  Our campus director treated us to Thanksgiving dinner.  I had turkey, mashed potatoes, beans, carrots, stuffing, ham, rolls, apple pie, pumpkin pie, and cherry pie.  It was very delicious.  We had it in our school library and played Christmas music in the background.  It was nice to share it with my friends and new family.  After dinner, we sat around and chatted, just like home.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Stinky Tree

     I could not figure out what the nasty smell was on my walk to school each morning.  Every time I walked along the river, I became overwhelmed by a rotting fish, mixed with a hint of skunk smell.  I just assumed it was the river, until the smell followed me one day. 
     I stepped on a tiny yellow fruit (the same size and consistency of a grape tomato).  The putrid smell comes from this fruit that is produced by a tree.  Unfortunately, this tree lines the path I take to work.  I now walk cautiously. LOL.

Halloween

     Halloween was a great celebration at Poly.  All of the preschool, pre-kindergarden, and kindergarden students dressed up in various halloween costumes.  Although there was some variety, there was an overwhelming amount of Spider Men and princesses.  The male teachers had secretly ordered costumes for each other and did not find out what they were until the day of Halloween.  They were good sports about their costumes.  I was fortunate enough to have Sean send me a Queen of Hearts costume.  The students did not know quite who I was, but they loved the costumes.  It was also a big hit with the Korean Teachers (KT's).  They were taking my picture all day long.

My Male Co-Workers!

     The students had a very busy day.  They started the day with a short power point presentation on the background and history of Halloween.  Next, they voted on a face for their jack-o-lantern and the students each took a scoop of pumpkin guts out of the pumpkin.  The teachers worked together to carve the pumpkin (actually, I did not help at all). 

     Throughout the day, the students stayed with their KT's and went to various stations.  The stations included, face painting, a bat craft, halloween game, trick-or-treating (the businesses in our building), and the Haunted House.  Each teacher was assigned a station to work at.  I was lucky and got to be in the haunted house!  The only reason I was picked, was the fact that I was the only one small enough to fit in the coffin. 
     The haunted house was amazing and really scary.  There were four other teachers in the room and we each had a part.  My job was to pop out of the coffin and grab the students.  We had a riot.  We scared the kids so much that some of them cried and it took at least 20 minutes for a student to even enter the haunted house.  Some of the features included: a moving bloody hand, hands grabbing student's feet, and student with their head missing (dressed in the Poly gym uniform).

     The end of the day included a celebration.  The students voted on the best jack-o-lantern of all the classes and a teacher costume contest.  I made it to the last round, but lost to the giraffe.  A few of my students in the elementary program dressed up in costume.  The KT's delivered candy to them, while in class.  It was a great day.

DMZ

     On Saturday, October 23, 2010, I traveled to the DMZ (Demiliarized Zone).  I am very fortunate to experience this current piece of world history and cold war.  The experience was surreal and allowed me a personal perspective into the North Korean territory and mindset.
     North Korea is one of those issues that we hear a lot about in the rest of the world., especially before I came to South Korea.  I definetly had my reservations about this life changing experience, due to the high threats from Kim Jong-il.  I asked a few South Korean aquantances their feelings about the current situation.  All of my friends could not believe that I was visiting this place and had no desire to go near the DMZ.   However, there are mixed feelings. Most Koreans of the older generation see nothing else but eventual reunification, but, the younger generation have various opinions.
     The dress code is strict for the tour.  Flip flop, shorts, tank tops, baggy clothes, torn jeans, and writing on your clothes are prohibitted.  One of the first protocals that must be followed at all times.
     I started my trip from the USO office in South Korea.  It was about an hour drive to the first check point.  It was at this point that reality struck me.  I was going into an area that is heavily guarded on either side and could strike at any time.  Checkpoint one and two consisted of both barbed and razor wire.  There were South Korean guards on watch and a few baracades. 
     Once we arrived at the United States and South Korean base camp, we signed our lives away.  Literally.  Next, we had a briefing (with a US military rep.) and boarded another bus.  This bus is kept on Camp Bonifas, where it can be searched for and deemed clean (no guns, bombs, etc.) for the tour.  Our bus driver was a South Korean soldier (armed) and the tour guide was an American soldier (armed).  Both of these soldiers are part of the United Nations Command military personnel.
     The first stop was the MAC (Military Armistice Commission) building.  This was the best part of the tour!  You climb a set of stairs and walk through the building, to the outside.  When you come out, you are staring at a North Korean soldier.  He is atop a set of stairs directly across you.  I was not able to make any eye contact, gestures, or point our cameras at him.  We were briefed that he may wave, take out binoculars, and make gestures to us.  We were under strict orders to not make eye contact.

     These are South Korean Soldiers.  They can be identified by their black armbands.  The North Koreans are required to wear red arm bands to be identitfied; however, they have recently discarded this rule.  Notice the position of the South Korean soldier, half covered by the building- this is to make it easier for him to duck behind the building in case of enemy fire. The soldiers are stationed here largely to aid defectors.

     Next, we went into the building were the North and South Koreans and United Nations representatives hold their meetings.  The main table splits the south and north side (right down the middle).  There are two South Korean Soldiers who stand in a tense, statue like state.  One guards the left window, the other the door that leads to the south.  They stand at this post on one hour shifts 24 hours a day.  There are also mini flags in a glass display case and a plastic UN flag on the table.  They were put there, when the North Koreans decided to shine their shoes and blow their noses in the real ones.  I actually stood in North Korea!


Bridge of no Return

     The Bridge of No Return runs next to the Military Demarcation Line. After the Armistice Agreement in 1953, prisoners of war from both sides were exchanged on this bridge. The name came from the fact that the prisoners of war who voluntarily chose to go to North Korea instead of staying in the South would be unable to return to South Korea

        
     The large pole in the background is a giant flagpole at the North Korean Propaganda Village.   The North Koreans originally built a small flag pole; however the South Koreans built a larger flag pole.  To show the mentality of the North, the had to "out show" the south and erected a giant flag pole.  Although amusing, the village reinforces the grim reality of the country. 

     The reality of the current situation between the North and the South struck me when I went to see the third tunnel.  As with many sites around the tour, photographs are prohibetted, so I do not have a photo of the tunnel.  Four major tunnels were found in the 1970s, all allegedly built by the North Koreans (which the North vehemently denies). Its funny though, because when you walk through the tunnel, you can see the dynamite holes that face toward the south (proving the north built the tunnels).  The tunnels are wide enough for several soldiers to walk and some are wide enough for tanks. Military analysts speculated that the tunnels were intended for a second sneak attack by the North Koreans, allowing them to move large numbers of tanks, troops, and supplies under the DMZ completely undetected.
     You need to be in great shape when going into the tunnel.  It is a long walk deep into the ground.  You need to wear a helmet, because the ceiling is low and you will bump your head.  After a long walk, you come to the end.  It has three baracades to stop the north from penetrating.  It is a little scary, because the end is blocked with razor wire.  Don't slip on the wet ground into the razor wire!  The walk up is rough.  It is a sharp incline and I broke a sweat.  Little did I know that you can take a tram up! Go Figure.  Oh yeah, I drank north korean spring water from inside the cave.  I didn't get sick, so I guess it was ok.

     North Korea.  Photgraphs are stictly prohibitted on this observation deck.  You can only take photographs from inside the yellow square (hence, the far away photo).  If you take a photograph outside of the designated area, the South Korean soldiers confiscate your camera and erase all of the photos!  However, I did sneak a few photos.
     Among the main highlights, I saw the world's most dangerous golf course.  It is a one hole golf course, surrounded by land mines on all sides.  The Pagoda at Freedom House, The sunken Garden, Check Point 3, and the 1976 Ax Murder Incident.  The most gruesome of which was the site of the 1976 Ax Murder Incident.  The incident is as follows:
     A tall poplar tree was near the UNC checkpoint 3 and the Bridge of No Return. The tree limited visibility in the direction of checkpoint 4 for the soldiers working at checkpoint 3. So, five South Korean civilian workers were dispatched to trim the tree under the supervison of a UNC guard force.
     Suddenly, two North Korean officers and dozens of KPA soldiers appeared demanding that they should stop the trimming. When the workers continued and ignored the request, another group of North Korean guard forces arrived by truck and began attacking the South Korean workers and soldiers by wielding clubs and axes. During the incident, the JSA Company Commander, Captain Arthur Bonifas, and First Platoon Leader, First Lieutenant Mark Barrett, were brutally axed to death by North Koreans.

    
What a great Trip!