Namsan Folk Village

넘산골 (‘Namsangol’, “Namsan Folk Village”), is a little piece of tradition in the heart of 서울 (‘Seoul’). Though small by the standards of the castles and folk villages outside of Seoul, it is wonderful little piece of history.

I join my friends in what I think is a desperate attempt at immersion (as only one of the Koreans who was with me spoke English). We walk a mile to the village all while talking in broken English and Korean, and upon arrival, we are greeted with the harsh smell street vendors and tour buses. The paths are crowded, flooded with Chinese and Japanese tourists, along with a few westerners and Koreans.

The beauty of the village, though, soon overcomes the smell. We are introduced to a large plaza and pond. It seems that the pond absorbed the stench for as soon as we passed, the smell was gone.

As we stumble down cobblestone paths, my Korean friends attempt to explain the history of the Folk Village to my friend and I, and all laugh my friend Nathalie or I correct them on their history.

We wander on gravel paths to the traditional buildings, all trying to get as close to inside as possible without actually entering the buildings. It becomes very clear though as we walk through the houses, just how tiny the Korean people used to be.

We marvel at the elaborate bedrooms,

And coo as we see a cute couple enjoying the view of the pond.

We laugh as we play traditional Korean games,

And goof off for pictures when we can

As the time approaches for the park to close, we pose together for one last picture together.

We all leave, hungry and tired, but excited from our trip into history. We smile and laugh, smelling tasty food as we pass restaurants. The trip was filled with excitement of traditional Korea, and we all vowed to come back together, and next time, with hopefully a little more knowledge of history.