Why did I come to Korea?

I got asked this question last night. For starters, this question actually peeved me. Not the question itself, but the conversation that led up to the question.

I was at a dinner, welcoming incoming students to Korea University, where I started asking the age old question, “Why did you come to Korea?” Some replied it’s because they have family here, some said just to see, but the overwhelming majority said “K-pop”. There was no other reason for them to be in Korea. The sole reason they came was for the cookie cutter K-pop world.

The restaurant we went to happened to have music videos playing in the background. Anytime a K-pop band appeared on the screen, the large table of 20 went silent to intently stare at the screen filled with gorgeous boys or girls, occasionally letting out screams when their favorite idol did “idol things”. This left the remaining few of us in awkward silence while we watched these girls salivate over a TV screen.

When the question came back to me, asking why I came to Korea, they first asked if I was part Korean. I am not. Then they asked if I liked K-pop. I do not. Then they all looked at me perplexed. “Then why did you come to Korea?”

The question, when asked in such a way completely dumbfounded me. Why do people like to go to France, or Spain, or Australia? Are they going simply because they are obsessed with the pop culture there? What reason is there to go to another country other than for pop culture or family?

I took a moment to gather my thoughts before simply replying, “Just because.” I did come to Korea “just because.” When looking to study abroad, Korea wasn’t even on my map. I knew of North Korea, I knew my grandfather fought in the Korean War, and I butchered the pronunciation of Seoul. However, when asking about going to a different country, the man at the study abroad booth said, “Hey, what about Korea instead?” He then proceeded to tell the story of how he wound up in Korea. He didn’t choose it, as a matter of fact, he wanted to go to China, but he didn’t get accepted so it was suggested to him that he go to Korea instead. So he did. And he loved it. The story he told me was a story filled with love and passion. I thought to myself, maybe I can love Korea, too.

When the time came for me to actually study abroad, Korea was on my list, but it was not my first choice. Rather, I wanted to go to Japan.  However, in a twist of fate, I couldn’t go to Japan and had to “settle” for Korea. I’m not going to lie; I wasn’t excited about this at first. I really, truly wanted to go to Japan. I had been fascinated with Japan ever since I was a little kid, from the history to the culture to the fashion. I wanted to experience Japanese culture, not Korean.

Something my mother taught me was to always look on the bright side. Even if a situation is grim, there is one shimmer of light. So I went to Korea, knowing nothing about the language and culture, I made the decision that I must look on the bright side, and since I loved Japanese history and culture so much, why not give that same chance to Korea?

I have never regretted giving Korea that chance.

I didn’t come here for family or K-pop, I came here for the same reasons so many students study abroad every year—I want to experience and learn a different culture, and I have loved every minute of doing so. 

Bulguksa

Located just outside of the city Gyeongju (경주), Bulguksa Temple (불국사) is the largest Buddhist temple in South Korea, and one of the few to survive the Japanese occupation. It is classified by the South Korean Government as the “Scenic and Historic site no. 1.” While the first small temple was built in the year 528, the temple that we see today was built in year 751 under King Gyeongdeok (경덕). This makes it one of the oldest surviving Buddhist temples in Korea.  

My friend and I had the opportunity to visit the temple on Buddha’s birthday, one of the biggest Buddhist celebrations of the year. Because of the importance of the date, the temple was quite crowded. We came relatively early in the day and were able to avoid much of the crowds.

Leading up to the temple is along path, climbing up the mountain. On the path are local vendors, selling food, trinkets, and souvenirs. The trinkets and souvenirs are what you see at every temple with the exception of some vendors selling Bulguksa themed trinkets. One of the vendors at the top of the hill sold some delicious mook (묵).

The temple itself was covered in paper lanterns, with each lantern attached a prayer; a prayer for health, for a loved one, for a prosperous year. Seeing all the lanterns strung out throughout the temple made for a beautiful and colorful sight. You could buy the lanterns at the temple and put your own prayer on them. The lanterns started at the price of 7,000 won and went up in price depending on the level of detail and intricacy of the lantern.

Bulguksa’s stone pagodas were a sight to behold, especially being draped in the colorful lanterns. People fought over trying to get the best shot of being in front of these historic beauties. As of right now, one of the stone pagodas is going through restoration and will be open again sometime next year. 

The temple itself had many prayer rooms for people to go to, each room offering a different thing to pray for (health, food, prosperity, etc.). In each of these rooms was a small Buddha, with a large Buddha in the main prayer room. It is considered disrespectful to photograph Buddha and those praying to him. Each prayer room has a sign forbidding camera use.

Since neither my friend nor I are Buddhist, we instead walked around the temple and observed. The entirety of the temple in quite beautiful, and nestled at the base of a mountain, it offers some pretty spectacular view, especially at the entrance of the temple.

 

Since we visited on Buddha’s birthday, entrance to the temple was free. However, on other days, there is a nominal 2,000 won entrance fee. You can get to Bulguksa by bus for 2,000 won (which is a little less than an hour ride), or take a cab for around 35,000 won.

Korean College Graduation Ceremony

I had the privilege of being invited to one of my close friend’s college graduation yesterday and had the chance to experience a Korean college graduation ceremony.

Korean graduation ceremonies are VERY different from American ones. While the ceremony concept is borrowed from the west, it has been very much streamlined in typical Korean fashion.

In the US, graduating from high school and college is a big deal, and we hold a graduation ceremony to celebrate it. For high school, students are lined in alphabetical order, are called up to stage by name, shake hands with the important people, and have our photo taken. In college, we’re separated by department and major, but have the same concept as high school graduation. For both, everyone is seated and quiet while serious orchestra music plays in the back ground. Once the ceremony concludes, there are cheers, perhaps some balloons dropped and hats thrown.

Think of a Korean graduation ceremony as something akin to a conveyor belt of this same western tradition.

Korea does separate students by department, but that’s about it. When a Korean student’s department is called, the graduating students line up single file. Unlike the US, they are not alphabetized, but rather just line up. When students walk on stage, most are goofing off and taking pictures with their friends much different than the seriousness presented at American ceremonies.  They go up to the stage, with their diploma already in hand, hand that diploma to the president of the university, have their diploma handed back, hand shake, rinse and repeat with all other important university figures. No name calling or official diploma receiving.

While this is happening, they have a live orchestra playing music. While watching my friend, I listened to several songs. These songs included: the Mexican hat dance, Russian dance music, and the music you hear while on a merry-go-round.  The list of odd music goes on, but the songs are nothing like you would expect at a traditional American graduation ceremony.

As for seating, think of chaos. At the front, the seats are sectioned off by department, but no one is sitting there. Instead, everyone is up and about chatting with friends and taking pictures. When my friend was trying to find us a spot to sit, she brought us up to the school department sectioned seating. At first, I refused to sit, fearful of being rude, but then looked around and saw that everyone else was doing it.

Once all students have “graduated”, a choir comes out, everyone stands, they sing the school song, some other song/songs are sung, and the ceremony is complete.

Once the ceremony is complete, like all graduations, you go outside and take pictures. Everyone smiles, they throw their hats up, and give each other congratulations on college finally being complete. You then go and return your cap and gown for the next batch of graduates.

While different, Korean graduation ceremonies, if invited, are quite the sight to see.

** Like in the US, make sure to bring the graduate some flowers as a small congratulatory gift. 

Jeju Island: Wrap-Up

Jeju Island is something you absolutely have to do if you come to Korea. The attractions are beautiful as well as affordable. Hotels may be a little pricey, but the attractions make up for that.

If you can, you must rent a car. It's the easiest and most affordable way to get around the island. On top of that, driving through Jeju is like eye candy. The scenic landscapes look like they came straight out of a coffee table book. If you have time, Just drive through the Jeju countryside, it's more than worth it.

I want to say a special thanks to my friend Hayden for providing most of these pictures. Though I heckled you in the beginning for your expensive camera, you took the best photos.

In conclusion, get you butt in a plane/ferry and hurry to Jeju. Your eyes will thank you later.

Seriously, visit U-Do.

Jeju Island: Day 4

Day 4

Day 4 was our last day in Jeju and by far one of the most beautiful. We first took a canoe ride and then visited 3 waterfalls and some lava rocks. These four items (except the canoe) are located within a 30 minute radius of each other.

Stop 1: See-through Canoe:

While listed typically as a tourist gimmick, I still say the see-through canoe was a fun thing to do. For 5,000 won a person, you can rent a see-through canoe and paddle up to where a spring trickles out into an ocean. 

The see-through canoe is actually pretty dirty, so you can't actually see through it very well, but honestly, that's the last thing you're looking at. The canoe trip is filled lots of mini waterfalls and pretty rock formations. At the end, you're treated to a small water fall where the spring comes out of the rocks. 

The one downside is that you only have 25 minutes in the canoe, and the operators want you paddling pretty much every second of it. This is a real let down when you reach the climax of you ride and get to the spring falls. While we had plenty of time left on our rental time, we were quickly shooed away after a short stop to snap pictures. 

I recommend getting there early because even though we arrived at about 9:00 AM, we still had to wait 25 minutes for a canoe to open up.Yes, it's a tourist trap, but it's a damn fun one at that. 

Stop 2: Jeongbang Falls (정방폭포)

The first waterfall we went to is the tallest in Jeju. It’s a little bit of a hike and for those challenged in the field of balance, watch your step because the rocks to get to the falls are not stable. You can pretty much get right up to the falls. This is a great place to go if you want to get some pretty great photos.

Stop 3: Lava Rocks:

The least impressive of the scenic sites we went to. However, this is perhaps because I’ve simply seen better. If you’ve never seen lava rocks before, the hexagonal rocks may stun you. Plus, it’s pretty cool to see the Hanyeo (한여, female sea divers) actually dive where water is literally crashing against the rocks.

Stop 4: Cheonjaeyeon Falls (천제연폭포)

Cheonjaeyeon Falls is actually a 3 for the price of 1 kind of deal. 3 “falls," 1 ticket. This was also the most crowded place we went to. You start out the beginning of the hike and see some small falls and gradually make your way back. The falls are pretty but may not be worth the crowd (especially if that crowd is middle school students blasting pop music on their phones).

Stop 5: Cheonjiyeon Falls (천지연폭포)

Again, 3 for the price of one. These falls, however, were the most spectacular. My personal recommendation is that you start with the 3^rd fall, the one at the bottom, and work you up to the top. This saves the best for last and doesn’t detract from the beauty of the first two falls (you’ll understand when you reach the top fall).

The last fall (fall #1) is, quite simply, something that took my breath away. As a matter of fact, it was so beautiful that I almost started crying. We came at a time where the top fall was not flowing, which honestly, I’m thankful for (I saw the pictures of when it’s flowing, and it’s not nearly as gorgeous). The water was crystal clear, and the center was the bluest blue you can imagine. You were allowed to stand in the shallow end of the fall; the water is cool and refreshing. Be careful though, the rocks are slippery from moss. My friend learned this the hard way when he slipped and took an unexpected swim in the pond.  

  This is what happens when you step on moss.

It took us a while to tear ourselves away from this fall, but it was a great way to cap the end of our Jeju adventure. 

Jeju Island: Day 3

Day 3: The Hike…

If I could describe myself in one word, athletic would not be that word. Not to say I’m out of shape (though I could use a few sit-ups…and maybe a diet…), but I’m not the world’s most athletic creature. While I’m not athletic, I still love hiking, as does my friend who accompanied me to Jeju. This lead to the spectacular decision to hike up Hallsan Mountain. Did I mention that Hallsan is the tallest mountain in Korea? Or that my friend and I have just about zero mountain climbing experience? Yeah…

Now this is not to say it’s like scaling Everest, but for those who are not physically fit or experienced hikers, getting to the peak of Hallsan will be impossible. How do I know this? Gather around dear children, it’s story time.

Hallsan Mountain (할산)

My friend and I woke up early, 6:00 AM, to get to Hallsan at 8. My friend and I prepared the best we could, lots of water, chocolate (for energy), trail mix, and beef jerky. The purpose of starting our hike at 8:00 AM was to get to the half-way point of Hallsan by 1:00 PM. If you don’t make it by 1 PM, you’re asked to turn around because you won’t be able to make to the peak and back before dark (this time varies depending on the time of year).

While we got to the park at 8, our actual hike didn’t actually begin until about 8:30-9:00. The first hour of our hike was easy albeit a little rocky. The path was literally rocky. As someone who suffers an acute case of clumsiness, this was a death sentence. While we were fast-paced to get to the half-way point by one, we were trying to go slow so that I wouldn’t break an ankle…or kill myself.

I should mention that this part of the hike was quite beautiful.

Hour two is where things started to get bad. You see, it was supposed to be the “easy” section of the hike. Yet climbing rocks at about a 20% incline is pretty difficult, especially for the athletically uninclined. By hour two, I was officially out of breath. My companion said he wasn’t (liar).

More pictures!

 Caterpillars are fun!

Hour 3 hits, and we have now officially reached the 1/3^rd point the trail…as well as the end of the “easy portion”. My friend and I took a breather, ate a little, drank a little, and proceeded to the “medium” part of the journey. Medium, yeah right. If stairs at a 60% incline that go up for stories at a time is considered medium, than yeah, I’m really out of shape…

 It is after about 30 minutes of this stair walking where I finally quite. We sit on the stairs, and I quietly contemplate my defeat (aka cry wo-manly tears of exhaustion). We managed to even snap pictures of our (my) exhaustion faces.

I'm sexy and I know it

The worst part of this moment of weakness was to see all the ajumas and ajushis pass us, allof whom seemed barely phased by the intense climb. That really takes a chip out of your pride.

I admitted to my friend that I could take no more, and we began to make our way down the mountain. Once we made our way down the mountain (an additional hour and a half hike), my friend finally admits that he too is exhausted.

We then eat our lunch while looking at the mountain that defeated us. We then made a promise that we would come back to Hallsan one day and defeat it (not to mention show up those ajuma and ajushis that we are not two out of shape 20-somethings)!

TL;DR Only hike Hallsan with the intent to get to the top only if you are an experienced hiker. If you are not, you will be met with crushing defeat. 

Jeju Island: Day 2

Day 2

The morning begins very early at about 7:00 am. My friend and I rush to get ready and gobble down some breakfast. We then make the hour drive to the other side of the island so we can hop the ferry to fabulous U-Do. We managed to catch the 9:00 A.M. ferry with literal seconds to spare.

The U-Do ferry:

The ferry dock to get to U-Do is right next to Seongsanilchulbong, Jeju’s famous volcanic crater. The ferry is very cheap, about 7,000 won for a round-trip, and that includes the 1,000 won U-Do entrance fee. The ferry takes about 20-25 minutes to get to U-Do and visa versa. Make sure to get there on time! The ferry departs every hour on the dot.

U-Do

One word to describe U-Do: Absolutely, stunningly, gorgeous. Maybe that was 3 words… In any case, U-Do is a beautiful, volcanic island, which is famous for agriculture, Hanyeo (한여) or female sea-divers, and black pig samgyeopsal.

The best way to get around U-Do is to rent an ATV or scooter. You can also rent a bike or take a guided tour. Scooters cost around 7,000 won an hour depending on the dealer. ATVs cost a little bit more. Bikes cost 1,000-2,000 won an hour, but I wouldn’t recommend renting one unless you plan on biking U-Do for the whole day (which you may want to do if you want to see all the sights and are athletically inclined…which I was not). Guided tours are 15,000 won and take you around the whole island in 2 hours.

My friend and I decided to rent a scooter, which ended up being a much better choice than almost going on a guided tour. We rented the scooter for two hours for 14,000 won total and were able to stop and go at our leisure (though the stopping and starting the scooter brought us some trouble at first before some locals helped get us going).

We were able to get some pretty fantastic pictures though!

 P.S. Dorky red hats are included with the scooters with the dded bonus of the person seated in the back carrying everything! Also, don't wear a dress...

The only regret we have is that because we rented the scooter for only two hours, so we weren’t able to make it to the peak of U-Do, which is hiking only.

The Peak

However, we had enough time to stop for lunch and get some yummy peanut pizza.

 My god, you won’t believe how delicious this was.

U-Do has other things to offer other than views. You can get on a speed boat and scream while you feel you’re about to get thrown out, or eat some seafood just caught by U-Do’s famous Hanyeo. Not to forget, U-Do is filled with white sand beaches as well as rocky beaches. We ended up visiting the most famous white sand beach, which is about a 10 minute walk from where the ferry lets you off. The water is cool and refreshing albeit a little rocky.

Two hours was plenty of time for us to get around and see all that U-Do has to offer without tuckering us out too much. All-in-all, U-Do is a must-see! It’s completely affordable and has some truly breathtaking sights and fun, not to mention delicious, things to do!

Stop 2: Seongsanilchulbong (성산일출봉)

Seongsanilchulbong (Lord, that’s a mouthful), is one of the world’s 7 wonders of nature, and there’s no mystery why; Seongsanilchulbong is simply beyond breathtaking.

To get up Seongsanilchulbong, it’s about an hour hike up some pretty steep stairs. Have no fear though; there are several rest stops along the way that offer some pretty spectacular views! Once you get to the top, the killer hike is totally worth it.

Seongsanilchulbong is a must see on Jeju. It’s also the most famous sunrise spot on Jeju (and perhaps Korea). The sunrise is said to be absolutely amazing and a sight not to be forgotten. However, my friend and I were unable to get ourselves out of bed at 4 AM to go and see the damn thing…

Long story short, you must go to Seongsanilchulbong (even though it’s hard as Hell to pronounce)!

Stop 3: Adorable Flower Stop!!

I wish I could tell you where this was, but to be honest, we stumbled upon this just driving around. Behold the cuteness!

There were lots of couple shots to do here, so make sure to bring a significant other!

Jeju Island: Day 1 (Part 2)

Stop 5: Dolhareubang Park (돌하르방 공원)

Featuring a local artist’s collection of Dolhareubang statues (considered the guardians of Jeju), this park was the least impressive of the day. The park consisted of essentially Dolhareubang statues, and that’s about it. While some of the Dolhareubang statues had the artist’s own take on the traditional Jeju art, the 6,000 won entrance fee is just not worth it.

It did have a fun and free arts and crafts room, though!

While I would say the museum is definitely worth skipping, the drive there was stunning, and you get to see outside of the general tourist Jeju.

Stop 6: Manjanggul Cave (만장굴)

This was really quite fun, especially if you love volcanoes or geology. The ‘cave’ is actually a lava tube,

the longest in the world, but only 1 kilometer is open to the public to walk in. Inside the tube, the park points out and explains the different features that the cave has to offer.

The walk ends with a lava column.

Be warned that the tube is not very well lit, and watch your step! There are a few areas with a paved path but the rest is just natural lave tube, so it’s easy to trip and stumble. Also, be sure to bring a jacket. It’s a cool 15-18C (55-60F) in the tunnel.

Costing 3,000 won for 25+ or 1,500 won for 24 and younger, this a must see!

All in all, day 1 was exhausting! I recommend splitting these up into two days and trying not to do so many at once. You’ll get to your hotel/hostel at around 8 pm and just want to pass out. But you’ll pass out with a smile.