Koreans don't normally get vacations, so going out at night is a big way to relieve stress and have a good time. Everyone goes out at night - from young foreign English teachers to middle-aged couples (leaving the little ones at home), and clubs, bars and restaurants are open until the sun comes up. Because of this, Korea generally doesn't wake up until 10am. Try to get coffee before that and it just won't happen. The only things open and running before 10am are the 24-hour mini-marts and transportation, but even subways and city buses don't start running until 6am.
After one of the best Thanksgiving's ever spent in Daejeon with my family yesterday, I had to be back in Gwangju today for rehearsal and a tech meeting with the theater group I'm in. (More on that later.) This required me to wake up much earlier than normal and catch a train home at 9:40am. After a good solid four hours of sleep, I made the train with only minutes to spare.
I love the train in Korea, and for me it's one of the most peaceful places to be. Somewhere along the way I snapped this photo, which so effortlessly describes the feeling I associate with 'Korea: Land of the Morning Calm.'
No comments:
Post a Comment