Gyeongbokgung: Still Standing

Last weekend I went to Gyeongbokgung, the largest palace complex in Seoul. Though I've been before, the last time I went was almost two years ago, so when a friend asked me if I wanted to go together it seemed like a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

The palace is situated on some prime real estate, being located at the end of Gwanghwamun Square in the heart of Seoul. Notable neighbors include the Blue House, the home of the Korean President; the United States Embassy, which is one of the most heavily guarded buildings I've seen in all of Seoul; and the mighty Bukhansan mountain, which provides a suitably grand backdrop for the palace.

While Gyeongbokgung isn't as ornate or mysterious as some of the other Korean palaces, it more than makes up for that with sheer size. It is by far the largest of what are referred to as the Five Grand Palaces, and even with that said it currently only contains 40% of its original number of palace buildings (thanks Japan).

My friend and I took our time meandering around the palace, stopping to participate in a tea ceremony along the way. When our desire to immerse ourselves in historical Korea was satisfied, we left and headed for the Dongdaemun district.

Now while Dongdaemun is famous in it's own right for being a shopper's paradise, the place I really wanted to visit is tucked away in a small corner behind the enormous department stores and ritzy hotels. There, hidden from most, is a small community of Russians, Uzbeks, and other Eastern European peoples. I've heard this area referred to as Little Russia, and whether or not that's accurate, that's what I've come to call it as well. Once inside Little Russia, the signs change from familiar Hangul to almost alien Cyrillic, the smells and aromas become meatier, and you realize the old men sitting on plastic lawn chairs outside of convenience stores drinking cheap beer are no longer Korean. It's all really interesting.

We went to an Uzbeki restaurant and gorged ourselves on oily food, flaky cakes and strong beer. Afterwards, we did a little shopping so I could get some souvenirs (the kind you can drink) before making the long journey home. I've got to say, it's probably a good thing I don't live near Little Russia. I could easily see myself savoring lamb kebab and Russian beer on a daily basis.

Bongeunsa: Happy Birthday Buddha

Consider this an addendum to my Jirisan tale. Better yet, think of it as an epilogue. After departing from Gurye that morning, my train pulled into Yongsan station in Seoul sometime in the early afternoon, giving me the rest of the day to do as I pleased. I decided to stick around the city, and since the following day was Buddha's birthday I knew that if I went to a Buddhist temple I could probably see something interesting. So I went to Bongeunsa.

Bongeunsa is, from what I can tell, the biggest temple in Seoul, full of historical and spiritual significance. Now I'm not going to disservice Bongeunsa by prattling on like I know close to anything about it (or Buddhism for that matter). What I can share with you is my sincere respect for Buddhists and their faith, and how whenever I visit a Buddhist temple I can get a sense of the reverence present. The temples themselves are fascinating to me, and I can spend hours wandering around the various annexes and shrines.

When I arrived at Bongeunsa the sky was already dark, and the annual lantern festival commemorating Buddha's birthday was on full display. The quality of the hand-made lanterns was mesmerizing. I took my time examining each one, studying the intricacies of the wire frames and what must have been painstaking brushwork. Despite there being a decent crowd around me, and despite the temple being situated in the middle of one of the busiest districts of a city of nearly 10 million people, it was easy to lose myself in the art.

I left Bongeunsa hesitantly. I was feeling at peace amongst the warm glow of the temple lanterns, and the bright neon lights of Seoul seemed a little less inviting in comparison.

Gundam Base, Yongsan (Old Location)

EDIT 2015.12.12: The Yongsan Gundam Base has moved! The information in this post is no longer correct. Please check my more recent post for information and pics regarding the new Yongsan Base.

Remember that Gundam store at Gangnam station? It's a pretty cool place. You know what's another cool place? The Gundam store at Yongsan station.

It's easy to get there. Just take the metro to Yongsan station, which is located directly below the massive I Park department store. Go up to the 7th floor, navigate your way through all of the hobby shops and food courts, and eventually you'll find Yongsan Gundam Base.

Why make the effort to go to Yongsan when the Gundam Base in Gangnam is arguably easier to reach? Size and stock, mainly. There's more to buy and see at the Yongsan store. Plus, it's right next to a Takara modeling shop, so you have a wider selection of supplies to browse.

But enough chatter. Time for the pics.

Jirisan Day 3: The Short and Sweet Goodbye

The end of my trip to Gurye and Jirisan was pleasantly uneventful. After meeting with and enjoying dinner and cards with the couple I had befriended on the bus, I retired to my room in one of the many minbaks situated in Jikjeon village. Minbaks are practically Spartan accommodations, providing little more than a shower and a sleeping mat, but for $30 I didn't mind at all. I woke up sore and creaky from my hike, as expected, but also content and well rested. I departed the minbak alone for the bus stop at the edge of town where I would catch the first bus back to Gurye. I had little time to admire Piagol Valley, but I could easily see why my new friend recommended it so highly. What struck me most was the sky: it was bluer than any I'd seen living near Seoul, and I felt a little sad I wouldn't be staying an extra day to enjoy such fine weather. I could easily see myself relaxing in the valley all day, sitting by the river with some rice wine and reading a book.
I took the bus to the terminal, and from there a taxi to the train station. The previous day I had been extremely fortunate in securing a ticket home; as luck would have it somebody had cancelled their reservation just as I was checking the railway's website (the couple weren't as lucky, as they only managed to find standing room on a later train). After arriving at the station and acquiring my paper ticket, I wandered around town for a bit, getting some breakfast and enjoying the final moments before heading home. I felt good. I felt happy. This adventure had been a success. I boarded the train knowing that I'll definitely be returning to Gurye and Jirisan someday.

Jirisan Day 2: Nogodan, Piagol and the Treachery of Jirisan

Finally, the day of the hike.

I woke up later than I had hoped to, and I didn't arrive at the mouth of the trail proper until 8am. It was quietly hidden behind the entrance to Hwaeomsa temple and I actually had some trouble locating it at first, to the point where I almost started hiking up the wrong path. When I was sure I had found the right way, I paused to have a quick breakfast of trail mix and jerky, and then I was off.

Jirisan Day 1: Bus Rides and Hwaeomsa

I've known about Jirisan for awhile. Actually, I've known about Jirisan since first I came to Korea. As soon as I arrived, the other native English teacher at my new school asked if I wanted to accompany him and his buddy down to the mountain that weekend. It sounded fun, but I respectfully declined. I had been in Korea for less than a day and I wanted some time to acclimate.
Fast forward three years later, and I've finally paid Jirisan a visit.

Jirisan: Prolouge

This weekend is a four day weekend! Thanks Buddha, for having a birthday. My life these days is getting a little repetitive, so I think it's time for an adventure. But in Korea, that's easier said than done!

Korea is not friendly to people who like to make last minute travel plans. With such a large population on such a tiny peninsula, tickets to anywhere tend to sell out fast. Like, literally sell out the moment they become available. This is a little troublesome for me, as I don't know where I want to go until it's time to go. Luckily, I managed to scrape together a pretty decent travel itinerary just a few nights ago. My destination this weekend is Jirisan, the largest national park in South Korea, and my goal is to plant my boots on two of Jirisan's peaks.

Jirisan is big. It spans across three provinces, so choosing a point of entry is important. My plan is to take a bus from Seoul Nambu terminal to the city of Gurye, at the southwest end of Jirisan. After spending the night I'll begin scaling the mountain early in the morning, visiting Hwaeomsa temple along the way. On the maps below, you can see my intended hiking course (and just how little of the mountain I'll actually be covering). My path is red; in purple you can see my optional detour. It's optional because I don't want to bite off more than I can chew.

If all goes well, I'll descend before dark and find a place to stay in a little village at the base of the mountain. Then the next morning, I'll trek back to Seoul. Easy, right? I hope so. I did a ton of research, because when I'm on the mountain I don't want to worry about anything other than putting one foot in front of the other.

I'm excited! Getting some peace and quiet away from my students should help me unwind. I'm a little nervous, too. The height of the peak I intend to climb is 1,700 meters; the highest peak I've hiked up prior to this was only 800 meters.

But hey! That will just give me something to boast about in the future!

Show and Tell

I like pictures. I like taking pictures. A big reason I started this blog is so that I can share pictures. I don't even bother captioning my pictures, because a good picture speaks for itself. What's the old cliche? A picture is worth...

The whole concept of "show, don't tell" permeates many aspects of my life, actually. With my art, I don't want to explain my picture to you. I prefer for you to look at it and tell me what you see. When I talk to people, especially here in Korea, showing gets my point across so much quicker. And of course, my teaching is all about showing.

The other day, while I was preparing a lesson on prepositions (in, on, under, etc.) for my 4th graders, I did a quick search on YouTube for a funny related video to use as a hook at the beginning of class. Instead I found a video I'm actually not going to show you, because I don't want to give the guy views. Basically, it's a home movie, part of a series, wherein a young man gives lessons on English. This particularly lesson was about prepositions. Curious, I decided to watch a bit of it.

"Today, I'm going to teach you about spatial relations."

Stop. Just. Stop. What are you doing, guy? Already you've lost your students. He continues from there, going into more detail about what spatial relations are, what they pertain to, why they're important, etc. I guarantee, if I tried to begin one of my classes with a routine like that, half the kids would be asleep before I could ask them to open their books.

Why do I take issue with this guy's methods? For starters, if you're teaching basic words like "in" and "out" to your students, then I highly doubt they're going to have any clue what the heck spatial relations are. Oh sure, you can attempt to explain to them the meaning, but that won't do them much good if they don't understand the words you're explaining with! Those poor students are still struggling with "in the box" and "on the box", and you want to give a dictation on the etymology of prepositions? Seriously.

My approach is a lot more simple. So simple, you probably already figured it out yourself:
Step 1: Show the class a ball. Or better yet, a candy bar. That will get their attention. "Candy!" Say it out loud, make sure the class repeats.
Step 2: Show the class a box. "Box!" The class repeats.
Step 3: Put the candy in the box. "The candy is in the box!"
Boom, done, and in three steps.
Kids are smart. After doing a few examples of in, on, and under with the candy and the box, they're gonna put together what you're going on about. Once they understand the basics, you play a little game to let them practice their new language, and that's it. You've just educated your students, and you didn't even need to tell them what a preposition is. They experienced it for themselves. That's what I'm all about. This is gonna sound strange, but I'm of the mind that the fewer words you use to teach, the better. Teaching is about showing, not telling.

That all said, how about I show you some pictures? Those are more fun anyway. The weather is so pleasant these days that I often go for little strolls after work to explore my town and the surrounding countryside. I love my walks. They let me see just what a wonderful place I get to live in.