A day in Ganghwa Island

The highlight of last week was a day trip to Ganghwa Island on Saturday. I learned about Ganghwa Island in my history classes. There are many relics from prehistoric times found throughout the island, such as dolmens, and Ganghwa is also a place of historical occupation by the U.S., France, and Japan. American forces occupied the island until they essentially forced Korea to open its doors to international trade and diplomacy in 1876. The island was also the dynasty's capital (Koryo dynasty, I think) during the Mongol invasions. There is a lot more to be said about the island and if you're curious about Korean history, I encourage you to read more about it.

I met with Marisa, Sam from my internship, and my Korean friend, Sung-hyun, in Sinchon in the morning and we caught a bus outside of the subway station that took us all the way to Ganghwa. For an hour and a half bus ride on comfy seats I only had to pay 1,500 won! Just another reason to love the public transportation here in Korea. Ganghwa Island is located on the West coast north of Incheon and really close to North Korea (about 5 km more or less). Sung-hyun told me that when his family visits the northern part of the island they are able to catch a North Korean signal on their car radio.

After arriving on the island, we stopped by the local market for some lunch. The ajumma who runs the restaurant stall was very kind to us and ending up giving us hwaeteopbab (회덮밥), a Gwanghwa speciality, for free. She later came up to us and said that I reminded her of her granddaughter who is studying in Denmark (if I remember correctly). The dish was SO good and I'm bummed I can't get it outside of Ganghwa. It consisted of mixed raw fish, crunchy vegetables (they tasted like apples and radishes), and lettuce with a pepper and sesame sauce. You then take the dish and mix it with rice (and it was "purple" rice, my favorite!). It was very light-tasting and very flavorful. I couldn't even tell I was eating raw fish because it was so light. I'm also a huge fan of sesame so I was enjoying the fact that the dish was smothered in those seeds. We also ordered two huge bowls of a seafood noodle soup. The noodles were homemade and reminded Marisa, Sam, and I of chicken noodle soup. Like the 회덮밥, the seafood was not fishy-tasting at all, demonstrating how fresh it was. In addition to the regular panjan (side dishes), there was a special dish for Ganghwa which was another type of radish kimchi. The main difference was that the radish was a lot stronger, in comparison to most radish kimchi I've had so far. I was also a fan of that dish. After only paying 6,000 won for all of that delicious, comforting food, we met with Sung-hyun's family and Jeremy (who is dating Sung-hyun's sister and was in my Korean class before I switched sections). His family was beyond generous and ending up driving us around all day. They also brought their dog, Stein, who was the chillest and sweetest mini poodle I've ever encountered. I enjoyed cuddling and petting him all day, especially since I've been so animal-deprived being in Seoul.

Eating in the market.

Our first stop was at the Ganghwa Historical Museum. I was already quite familiar with the history of the island beforehand, but it was neat being able to see relics and artifacts I learned about in class firsthand such as the honey-combed patterned pottery. My friends were also quite surprised to find out how much history the island has since they never heard of it before I brought it up to them. After walking through the museum, we walked outside to see one of the famous dolmens on the island. Dolmens are prehistoric stone structures where a horizontal stone is rested on two vertical stones. Dolmens were typically tombs, and are important because they show when society started to become stratified into the ruled and ruling. Dolmens are found all over the world but the largest concentration of them are actually found in the Korean peninsula. What astonishes me is how a dolmen was made. First the two vertical stones were buried in a dirt mound and so the horizontal stone could be rolled up on logs. After the horizontal stone was placed properly, people then dug out the dirt around the vertical stones, giving its image of what you see below. I can't even begin to think about how time and labor-intensive making a dolmen of that size was. 

A dolmen.

We then jumped on a ferry to Seongmodo, an island to the West of Ganghwa. After driving the car onto the ferry, we walked up to the upper level to feed the seagulls. Several people were feeding the seagulls, resulting in a huge flock of them following and diving at the boat. We fed them with shrimp crackers that Sung-hyun's mother bought. I was too chicken to hold the cracker in my hand for them to take, so instead I threw crackers at them to catch. I was surprised to find that seagulls are quite good at catching food from a speeding ferry, haha.

Feeding the seagulls.

We then ventured to Bomunsa Temple on the coast of the island. Walking up a very steep hill to the temple definitely gave us our workout for the day. Even though at this point I've been to numerous Buddhist temples in Korea, this one still stood out. For starters, there is a display (I'm not sure which word to use) of 500 statues, which I haven't seen at other temples. There was also a huge statue of Buddha lying down in one of the temple buildings which was also unique.

500 statues of what we thought were Buddhist priests.

A lying stone Buddha inside one of the temple buildings.

We then climbed a set of steep stairs to reach an engraving of Buddha in the side of the mountain. Sung-hyun told me that Koreans go up to make a wish at the Buddha because it is believed that the wish will come true. It was really impressive to see, especially since on the other side you were facing the sea. We had great views and overall it was very peaceful, especially after being out of breath from the hill and stairs. 

A Buddha engraved into the stone on the side of the mountain.

Another view of the engraved Buddha.

The view from the top of the mountain.

Posing by the lanterns at the top of the mountain.

To finish off our trip, we headed back to Ganghwa and headed to the southern end of the island to relax by the beach. Because Ganghwa is at the intersection of the Han and Imjin river and the sea, the water is not as salty so the air was actually very fresh. Also, because it was low tide, several people were walking in the mud collecting clams. The mud stretched pretty far, making it look like a scene from another planet.

A beach at the southern end of the island.

A photo of the low-tide. Doesn't it look other-worldly?

After exploring the beach, we set up camp for dinner. Sung-hyun's family was awesome and brought enough supplies to cook samgyeopsal along with kimbap, side dishes, and rice. They also brought beer and maekkoli that we enjoyed. Sung-hyun's father likes to camp so apparently they do this quite often. I was so thankful for their generosity throughout the entire trip and this was just the icing on the cake. It was so nice enjoying authentic Korean food while having interesting conversations by the seaside. Our conversations the whole day were about half Korean, half English, so I also got good practice using my Korean. This day trip has probably been one of my most fulfilling experiences while here and I owe a lot of it to Sung-hyun's family.

Enjoying samgyeopsal at the seaside.

We then took the bus back to Sinchon while Sung-hyun and his family headed to their home near Incheon. I was so exhausted that I went straight to sleep when I got back to my apartment. I then spent Sunday doing some much needed cleaning, laundry, and homework. I highly, highly recommend a day trip to Ganghwa for those in Seoul. It was such a perfect day and I wouldn't change anything about it if I could. Next weekend I plan on going to the cherry blossom festival in Yeouido so I will keep you updated with that event later!

Focusing on Korean while also enjoying the weather and the city

I've been really focusing on my Korean class this week, from reviewing an hour before class to memorizing the vocabulary and grammar points to already preparing for midterms. It might sound crazy that I'm already preparing for midterms (they're not until the end of April), but I'm not natural at picking up languages;  for most people, they barely have to dedicate time to learn a language and are very proficient. I, on the other hand, have to put hours in practicing to become even remotely good. If I want to do decent on the exams, I have to prepare in advance. I'm worried that I'll do badly on one part of the exam (I'm looking at you, listening) and if I don't pass the class, I don't get the credits so I wouldn't get a Korean minor. It wouldn't be the end of the world because I don't need the credits for my majors, but it would be a huge bummer.

After finishing up another long week of classes, I met up with my unofficial language partner, Sung-hyun, for lunch and coffee. I took him to my favorite 순두부 place and my favorite cafe, Pop Container (they have the best green tea lattes and who doesn't like sitting on bean bag chairs?). We spoke in English for lunch and in Korean when we were in the cafe, so it was good practice for both of us. I also felt very comfortable speaking Korean with him which is a huge plus because you can't learn a language if you aren't comfortable and confident. I'm going to go with him and a couple of my friends to Ganghwa Island on Saturday and he's really excited to introduce me to the sites there. I'm also just excited to get out of Seoul. I love the city but you need a break from it once in awhile.

After lunch I went back to my apartment to chill and work on homework and then I met up with Lea and her friend, Elana, for dinner and dessert. Elana just arrived from the U.S. for vacation, so it was cool introducing her to some Korean culture. We ordered shabu-shabu and then got chocolate bingsu for dessert. While waiting for Lea's boyfriend to arrive at the dessert cafe, I caved and bought myself a cup of warm ginger tea but it was so worth it. I think once I get back to the U.S. I'm going to start making more traditional Korean teas like ginger and citron tea.

Yummy chocolate bingsu.

On Saturday I met up with Marisa to go to the Hangang Park (the Han River is the huge river that runs through Seoul). I wanted to take advantage of the nice weather and I realized I've never been to the river in person even though I've seen it a bunch of times when I cross the bridges. Even though it was super windy by the river and so I felt dirty afterwards because of the dust, I had a good time. Being next to a body of water was very comforting and reminded me of home. I hope to go to the park again when it gets warmer.

Marisa and I and the Hangang Park.

Another view of the park. I can't wait for the grass to become green!

Posing by the river. It was so windy that day!

Afterwards we went to the nearby Times Square mall to do some shopping. I was on the hunt for some perfume (since the stuff I brought here ran out) and a light jacket. In the midst of shopping we noticed a Taco Bell in the mall and even though we already had lunch, we were hungry again (I guess shopping does that to you). I've been to Taco Bell three times in Seoul already, but this was something else. The best way I can describe is that is was a fancy, classy Taco Bell (very unlike my experiences in the U.S.) For starters, they put the sauce in the thing you order instead of giving it to you on the side. The nacho chips are also seasoned instead of being plain and if you order here, they leave the item unwrapped. And here's the best part: instead of pop, you can get draft beer for your drink! How cool is that? I didn't expect to come across such a thing in Korea that's for sure.

Fancy Taco Bell.

After smelling a ton of perfumes, I didn't find one that I really liked but I did walk out of the mall with a new jacket. I got it at H&M since their clothes actually fit me (it sucks having long arms and legs in Korea as a girl) for 50% off, so I was happy with the purchase. 

After getting back to Sinchon, I spent the rest of the night working on homework. This week has also been pretty low-key. I'm working on booking my accommodation in Jeju and planning my day trip to Ganghwa. When I see you next I'll have more to talk to about but until then, see you next week!

Getting back into the swing of things

After two weeks of class, I'm starting to get back into the swing of things and getting comfortable with a regular routine. Having long productive days again are tiring, but I feel like I'm taking advantage of my time here (no more days of sitting inside watching several movies like I did over break). On Monday I have 6 hours of class, starting at 11 and ending at 6. On Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday I have my internship from 9:30 to 2:30 and then Korean class from 4 to 6. And on Wednesday, my "short" day, I have class from 12 to 1, 2 to 3, and then Korean class from 4 to 6. I then spend at least an hour on homework every night, usually more, especially since my Korean class is more challenging this semester so I need to take more time to prepare for class and review what we learned. This then leaves my free time for the weekend, which I always spend half a day doing errands like laundry, cleaning, and grocery shopping.

Like I said, Korean is a lot more challenging this semester and it's hard to stay encouraged when you struggle in class sometimes. To make things worse, the level 3 classes contained too many students so they chose 3 students from each class to create a new section. I was one of the 3 that were chosen, and as much as I miss my old class and had to get used to a new class vibe, I do like my new class. Although, in my opinion, everyone's ability is a lot better than mine so I went from being comfortable in class to being one that struggles from time to time. I think with enough studying though I'll keep afloat, and as long as I'm learning, everything will be worth it and okay.

My history classes remain very interesting, but I did not realize how much work I was getting myself in to. I knew going into the classes that I would have to write a weekly essay and a summary of the readings. Each paper has to be around 1,000 words, and in my head I thought that was around 2 pages. Nope, 1,000 words is more like 4 pages. So each week I have to write 8 pages for one class, multiply that by 2, that's 16 pages a week. Then multiply that by 10 for 10 weeks of class, and that's 160 pages I have to write. That's basically a novel! The writing isn't difficult by any means but that just means I have to spend that much more time for those classes.

My internship is also proving to be challenging because my new "supervisors," essentially the leaders of the organization, are in Geneva for a United Nations event until the end of March. They sort of left the other interns and I high and dry, so we've had to create work for ourselves. As a relatively new intern, that's proving hard to do, so I've had to think of ways to keep me busy. I'm working on two grant proposals at the moment and starting the third, but unfortunately the third one requires a lot of information from the supervisors since they know the most about the organization and about how life, like realty, works in South Korea. All of the interns are in the same boat though so we'll find a way to get through this together.

This past Friday I met up with a classmate, Jeremy, and his Korean friend, Sung-hyun, to get dinner. We ended up going to a Western-style place that was recommended for its quality and good portion size. We ordered bacon carbonara, pork steak, and seafood risotto. Sung-hyun wanted a language partner to practice his English with and I agreed because I wanted to practice my Korean more outside of class. Speaking of language partners, I also was assigned a partner like last semester. Her name is Hansol, and oddly enough like my last partner, she studied abroad in Canada for a year. She's really nice and we have similar career goals so it is easy to have a conversation with her. We plan on taking some trips together in the future, with one dinner trip involving eating Korean raw beef, something I've meaning to try since I've been here but I just didn't know a good place to go.

On Saturday I started off the day by Skyping with Henrik and doing errands. I then had the wonderful opportunity to meet another friend from India, Seo Ha (she changed her name from Ji Young), and later we met up with more of my friends. Just like with Hisu, it was so nice catching up with her after all these years. We talked about our future plans and what we did after India. And of course we reminisced on things we did together in India like field trips and hanging out with friends. I was reminded again that it's been 9 years since I lived in India, and I can and can't believe that much time has passed. I guess a part of growing up is realizing that time will go by much more quickly.

Seo Ha (Ji Young) and I! 

We went to get BBQ for dinner and then went to Boss Bar for drinking, the same place my KLI class and I went last semester for some fun. I had fun playing Korean drinking games but I also drank way too much soju. I forgot that if one doesn't drink a lot of soju for a long time and then you drink a lot all at once, it hits you hard. Luckily the morning after I had Korean "hangover food" which cured my headache and tiredness. Seo Ha spent the night since she lives in Yongin (about an hour and a half away from Seoul), and so she was able to take me to a restaurant in the morning for the hangover. We ended up ordering a slightly spicy boiled pork soup which hit the spot so well. From now on I'm going to do it the "Korean way" and eat other types of "hangover foods" (which usually includes spicy soups), because it really worked wonders. We then went to a cafe where we talked some more. We plan on meeting up again in the future especially when Hisu gets out of his army service in June. I can't believe I'd ever have a little India reunion in Korea but it looks like it's going to happen!

I spent the rest of my Sunday relaxing and working on homework. My weeks will probably be very similar to this one except when I take day and weekend trips. Now that it's getting warmer (it's supposed to be 68F on Thursday!), I should probably get started on planning those. My history classes are also giving me good ideas for day trips as well. I think visiting Ganghwa island is in the near future (and I'll explain why later). Anyways, I will see you next week!

Basketball, Suwon, and starting classes

Last Friday I went to a basketball game in Olympic Park with Lea. I got free tickets because of how I met a basketball player's wife a couple of weeks ago with my mom (as I mentioned in my last blog post), which was really nice because who doesn't like free things? The game was entertaining to watch, especially noting how a basketball game in Korea is a lot more elaborate and cheery than a basketball game in the U.S. After the game was over, we were able to walk to the VIP section to say "Hi" to Shawn and her kids. We also finally got to meet her husband, who plays for the SK Knights, which was really neat. He's definitely the tallest person I've meet in person being 6'11". We got invited to more games which I definitely plan to take advantage of in the future.

Our seats at the basketball game.

Over the weekend, Lea invited me and her friend Victoria (who ended up being in my KLI class this semester) to take a day trip to Suwon. Suwon is the capital of Gyeonggi-do, the province that surrounds Seoul. After a little over an hour on the subway, we got to the city and then we took a short bus ride to Hwaseong Fortress. Back in the 1700s during the Choson Dynasty, King Jeongjo tried to make Suwon the capital of the dynasty instead of Seoul (but failed), so he build a fortress encompassing the whole city. Suwon has since expanded past the old walls but the fortress still stands. It was much bigger than expected and I really enjoyed seeing the architecture and how the fortress was laid out. It was also refreshing to visit a new place, something I haven't done as often over break because I had visitors.

One of the gates in Hwaseong Fortress.

A view of part of the wall.

The stream that runs through the fortress.

Another view of the fortress.

After walking around close to an hour, we grabbed lunch and then caught the dragon trolley which we took up a nearby hill/mountain to see the city of Suwon better. There was also a giant statue of King Jeongju on the hill which was impressive to see.

The trolley we took to the top of the hill.

A statue of King Jeongjo of the Choson Dynasty who built the fortress.

We then headed to the toilet museum in Suwon. Yes, you read that correctly. The toilet museum was created when the former mayor, nicknamed Mr. Toilet, passed away. He had his house built into the shape of the toilet and after he passed away they converted it into a museum. He got his nickname from being born in an outhouse and also from being a huge promoter of public restrooms in Suwon. I was amused by all the fake poop and statues in squatting positions while I was there, but I did learn a lot about the history of toilets. It was definitely the most unique museum I've been to, and I'm glad Lea dragged me along because otherwise I probably would've never visited Suwon let alone the toilet museum located there.

Posing by a giant statue of poop outside of the toilet museum.

Bathroom signs from around the world.

Toilets from the past.

A giant "squatter" toilet that is typical in Asia.

This week also marked the start of my classes for the semester. My history classes are taught by the same professor and so far I'm really liking the classes. The first two weeks are the same for each class so I only have to attend one, which is nice. The professor isn't super lively, but he's very thorough and knowledgable which I enjoy because I learn a lot and can take good notes. I've enjoyed the reading we've done so far as well, especially since I'm starting to learn about places I've visited in Korea, like Gyeongju, the capital of the Silla dynasty. The professor also posts all the readings and assignments online which is great because I don't have to worry about finding a way to bring back my textbooks to the U.S.

My Korean class also went well. The vibe in the class is different this semester because everyone in the class is much more on the same level of ability rather than last semester where there was much more variety. Additionally, unlike last semester all the material this time around is new instead of being half review and half new stuff. The class also all speaks in Korean when asking questions and when giving explanations, versus last semester we would squeeze in English when we really couldn't understand the explanation of a vocabulary word or grammar point. While the class is more challenging than last semester I think I'll learn a lot, which is why I came to Korea in the first place.

I'm starting to feel like I'm fitting in to the PSCORE family by hanging out with my co-interns and getting more involved in projects in the organization. I think I'll get nothing but positive experiences from this internship. I'll see you all next week!