I just had a really great Chuseok weekend.
In Korea, Chuseok is the biggest holiday. People who work 12-14 hour days 6 or 7 days a week, people who work through the flu, people who aren't allowed any days off - sick or personal... they get three days off at Chuseok (and again at Lunar New Year). And that's it. (Unless they're fortunate enough to work somewhere that gives them national holidays off as well.)
Chuseok even beats Lunar New Year. Yea, both holidays mean gifts and time off, but Lunar is in the winter and the country is covered in snow. Chuseok comes in the fall when the weather is perfect for doing anything you could possibly think of doing (okay, except snow skiing).
Chuseok can be compared to America's Thanksgiving, and is always celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. Everyone in the country 'goes home' during this holiday to visit family, cook and eat a big meal together, see movies, and do some carefree shopping during the time off from work. The main day of the holiday is the middle day of the three, and this year that day fell on a Sunday, so I only had Monday off from work. (Alternatively, had the main Chuseok day fallen on a Tuesday, I would have Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday off from work. Also, this year was a bit odd because the national holiday, National Foundation Day, falls on the Wednesday following Chuseok, so I had Monday off, worked Tuesday, and have tomorrow off. Most teachers were fortunate enough to have today off. I was not so fortunate.)
But back to the awesomeness that was this past weekend.
It all started on Friday when I received my very own Chuseok gifts. I received a nice cash bonus from work, along with a lovely spam, canola oil, and vinegar drink set. I also received a few things from students. From my youngest student, Louis, a boy who is about 4-years-old western age, I received a nicely wrapped candy set (courtesy of his mother). From Yoon, a lively little five-year-old girl, I received a nice toiletries gift set of shampoo, conditioner, body wash and toothpaste. And from Lydia, a quiet, shy girl about the same age as Yoon, I received a beautifully wrapped box of individually wrapped servings of mixed nuts to provide the body with energy. (I sure hope she doesn't tell her mother that Kate Teacher yawns a lot in class.) ...As you can see, all of the gifts are practical. (Yes, spam is a practical gift in Korea - they absolutely love it. I have no idea why.) Practical gifts are a must in this culture because there really is no space - physically or metaphorically - for stuff just taking up space. While I still find it strange after a year and a half of living here, and know I would be slightly insulted if someone I didn't know gave me toothpaste as a holiday gift at home, I know I will also go home and wonder why people in the states don't give more practical gifts, and wonder where the spam is.
After work on Friday, I hurried to the train station to try and get a standing-room-only ticket to Busan.
I had originally planned to meet my friend, Erin, in Busan on Saturday morning, check out the temples, beaches, and a spa down there, and then head back home, but getting a ticket last minute to one of the most popular destinations in Korea was completely impossible. So instead, I purchased a ticket to Gwangju and headed down with thoughts in my head of renting a car and taking a road trip around the southwest part of the country to see different temples, waterfalls, beaches, and whatever else we could see. But that, too, was impossible. Every rental car in the city of Gwangju (possibly all of Korea) was sold out for the entire weekend.
Option one and two both being impossible, and creative, fun-loving people that we are, we made the best of it and had a blast knocking some things off our to-do list. This included the following:
Saturday:
I got into Gwangju at the bright and early hour of 9am on Saturday morning, the only forward-riding seat left the entire day on any train into Gwangju. After inhaling some much needed coffee, we headed to the bus terminal, U-Square, where we realized renting a car was out of the question. We grabbed a nice, western-style lunch at TGIF (massive strawberry colada) and then decided it'd be a perfect day to catch our very first Korean baseball game.
It was indeed a great day for a game! The weather was cool, the sky was clear, and it was foreigner day at Mudeung Statium! It also happened to be the Kia Tigers last home game of the season. With both of these combined, I guess it was perfect to have an autograph session. I bought a baseball and got two autographs! Score! The game also wouldn't have been complete without the inflatable air bats to cheer with during the game, so we picked up two sets of those, as well. And why not some Kia Tigers headband ears to make the night complete? Check!
After the game, we decided on a traditional Korean meal in honor of the Chuseok holiday. We ate Korean barbecued beef, beef-bone soup, bibimbap, Korean-style salad, kimchi, pickled radish soup, and rice. It was so delicious.
Sunday:
Sunday brought more coffee and a trip from Gwangju to Damyang, which is just north of the city and easily accessible by city bus 311 in Gwangju for a little extra cash, 2200won one-way.
I had been last year in May, but was anxious to go back, especially in the cooler fall weather. We arrived in mid-afternoon and checked out a bit of the Bamboo Forest Park before heading over to Metasequoia Road, which is famous because it's a pedestrian road lined with metasequoia trees. It's so beautiful that a lot of Korean movies have used it in filming, hence the reason why it's so famous.
We stayed long enough to get some sunset photos, which was botched due to the cloud cover and mountains in the way, but we still got some nice photos.
Dinner Sunday night was at Bottle, a chic downtown restaurant. I had been craving a nice piece of salmon the past few weeks, and Bottle delivered. The salmon was smoked to perfection and served over a bed of pesto rice, topped with a few spinach leaves, and minimally drizzled with a lovely vinaigrette. Unfortunately, I was so enthralled in devouring it that I forgot to snap a photo. Their sangria was also excellent, but the best place for sangria is most definitely Jino's. Jino's, however, was closed for Chuseok.
Monday:
Because I had to work Tuesday, my last day of Chuseok vacation was Monday. Fueled by even more coffee, we set off for the Gwangju Biennale, the famous Asian contemporary art museum that only holds its international exhibit once every two years for 66 days. Of course we couldn't miss it! I saw everything in the five inside galleries, but because my train left at 5pm, I couldn't see the outside night exhibit of words projected on the side of the museum.
There were two very memorable exhibits. One I call the 'disappear' exhibit, which begged us to view pieces of a canvas and fill in the blanks with our imaginations. Art, life... it all disappears. It is only the memories we have and our imaginations fill in the blanks. So why not create a piece of art that does the same? Take a minute to read the plaque I've posted here and you will gain the perspective of the artist.
The other memorable exhibit was that of a film. I didn't read the plaque information for the exhibit, I just wandered in at the right moment and heard this line: Poetry expresses will while song sings life. I believe that is a very powerful line.
After the art exhibit, I enjoyed a pastrami panini at Virgin Star (most likely the best cafe in Gwangju) cafe and boarded the train back to Daejeon.
I worked today, which was easy because only about one third of our students showed up the entire day and I just filled each class with activities so the absent students wouldn't miss out on anything important. However, tomorrow I am off, and I am currently in the works of finding something awesome to fill the day with. In addition, I've already purchased a bus ticket and will head to Jinju this Friday night and spend the weekend in the country's most beautiful city, to check off another Korean to-do: the Jinju Lantern Festival.
In Korea, Chuseok is the biggest holiday. People who work 12-14 hour days 6 or 7 days a week, people who work through the flu, people who aren't allowed any days off - sick or personal... they get three days off at Chuseok (and again at Lunar New Year). And that's it. (Unless they're fortunate enough to work somewhere that gives them national holidays off as well.)
Chuseok even beats Lunar New Year. Yea, both holidays mean gifts and time off, but Lunar is in the winter and the country is covered in snow. Chuseok comes in the fall when the weather is perfect for doing anything you could possibly think of doing (okay, except snow skiing).
Chuseok can be compared to America's Thanksgiving, and is always celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. Everyone in the country 'goes home' during this holiday to visit family, cook and eat a big meal together, see movies, and do some carefree shopping during the time off from work. The main day of the holiday is the middle day of the three, and this year that day fell on a Sunday, so I only had Monday off from work. (Alternatively, had the main Chuseok day fallen on a Tuesday, I would have Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday off from work. Also, this year was a bit odd because the national holiday, National Foundation Day, falls on the Wednesday following Chuseok, so I had Monday off, worked Tuesday, and have tomorrow off. Most teachers were fortunate enough to have today off. I was not so fortunate.)
But back to the awesomeness that was this past weekend.
It all started on Friday when I received my very own Chuseok gifts. I received a nice cash bonus from work, along with a lovely spam, canola oil, and vinegar drink set. I also received a few things from students. From my youngest student, Louis, a boy who is about 4-years-old western age, I received a nicely wrapped candy set (courtesy of his mother). From Yoon, a lively little five-year-old girl, I received a nice toiletries gift set of shampoo, conditioner, body wash and toothpaste. And from Lydia, a quiet, shy girl about the same age as Yoon, I received a beautifully wrapped box of individually wrapped servings of mixed nuts to provide the body with energy. (I sure hope she doesn't tell her mother that Kate Teacher yawns a lot in class.) ...As you can see, all of the gifts are practical. (Yes, spam is a practical gift in Korea - they absolutely love it. I have no idea why.) Practical gifts are a must in this culture because there really is no space - physically or metaphorically - for stuff just taking up space. While I still find it strange after a year and a half of living here, and know I would be slightly insulted if someone I didn't know gave me toothpaste as a holiday gift at home, I know I will also go home and wonder why people in the states don't give more practical gifts, and wonder where the spam is.
After work on Friday, I hurried to the train station to try and get a standing-room-only ticket to Busan.
I had originally planned to meet my friend, Erin, in Busan on Saturday morning, check out the temples, beaches, and a spa down there, and then head back home, but getting a ticket last minute to one of the most popular destinations in Korea was completely impossible. So instead, I purchased a ticket to Gwangju and headed down with thoughts in my head of renting a car and taking a road trip around the southwest part of the country to see different temples, waterfalls, beaches, and whatever else we could see. But that, too, was impossible. Every rental car in the city of Gwangju (possibly all of Korea) was sold out for the entire weekend.
Option one and two both being impossible, and creative, fun-loving people that we are, we made the best of it and had a blast knocking some things off our to-do list. This included the following:
Saturday:
I got into Gwangju at the bright and early hour of 9am on Saturday morning, the only forward-riding seat left the entire day on any train into Gwangju. After inhaling some much needed coffee, we headed to the bus terminal, U-Square, where we realized renting a car was out of the question. We grabbed a nice, western-style lunch at TGIF (massive strawberry colada) and then decided it'd be a perfect day to catch our very first Korean baseball game.
It was indeed a great day for a game! The weather was cool, the sky was clear, and it was foreigner day at Mudeung Statium! It also happened to be the Kia Tigers last home game of the season. With both of these combined, I guess it was perfect to have an autograph session. I bought a baseball and got two autographs! Score! The game also wouldn't have been complete without the inflatable air bats to cheer with during the game, so we picked up two sets of those, as well. And why not some Kia Tigers headband ears to make the night complete? Check!Sunday:
Sunday brought more coffee and a trip from Gwangju to Damyang, which is just north of the city and easily accessible by city bus 311 in Gwangju for a little extra cash, 2200won one-way.
I had been last year in May, but was anxious to go back, especially in the cooler fall weather. We arrived in mid-afternoon and checked out a bit of the Bamboo Forest Park before heading over to Metasequoia Road, which is famous because it's a pedestrian road lined with metasequoia trees. It's so beautiful that a lot of Korean movies have used it in filming, hence the reason why it's so famous. We stayed long enough to get some sunset photos, which was botched due to the cloud cover and mountains in the way, but we still got some nice photos.
Dinner Sunday night was at Bottle, a chic downtown restaurant. I had been craving a nice piece of salmon the past few weeks, and Bottle delivered. The salmon was smoked to perfection and served over a bed of pesto rice, topped with a few spinach leaves, and minimally drizzled with a lovely vinaigrette. Unfortunately, I was so enthralled in devouring it that I forgot to snap a photo. Their sangria was also excellent, but the best place for sangria is most definitely Jino's. Jino's, however, was closed for Chuseok.
Monday:
Because I had to work Tuesday, my last day of Chuseok vacation was Monday. Fueled by even more coffee, we set off for the Gwangju Biennale, the famous Asian contemporary art museum that only holds its international exhibit once every two years for 66 days. Of course we couldn't miss it! I saw everything in the five inside galleries, but because my train left at 5pm, I couldn't see the outside night exhibit of words projected on the side of the museum.
There were two very memorable exhibits. One I call the 'disappear' exhibit, which begged us to view pieces of a canvas and fill in the blanks with our imaginations. Art, life... it all disappears. It is only the memories we have and our imaginations fill in the blanks. So why not create a piece of art that does the same? Take a minute to read the plaque I've posted here and you will gain the perspective of the artist.
The other memorable exhibit was that of a film. I didn't read the plaque information for the exhibit, I just wandered in at the right moment and heard this line: Poetry expresses will while song sings life. I believe that is a very powerful line.
After the art exhibit, I enjoyed a pastrami panini at Virgin Star (most likely the best cafe in Gwangju) cafe and boarded the train back to Daejeon.
I worked today, which was easy because only about one third of our students showed up the entire day and I just filled each class with activities so the absent students wouldn't miss out on anything important. However, tomorrow I am off, and I am currently in the works of finding something awesome to fill the day with. In addition, I've already purchased a bus ticket and will head to Jinju this Friday night and spend the weekend in the country's most beautiful city, to check off another Korean to-do: the Jinju Lantern Festival.
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