South Korea - Part I - Seoul

Travelling to South Korea was a very momentous trip for me to take. It is one that I knew I would take at some point in my life. For me, going to Korea is going back to where it all began. Where at just a few tender days old, I was left at an orphanage with the hopes of a better life than she could provide. Maybe she cried or maybe she just never looked back but there she left me, in the care of strangers to fend for myself. So with more baggage than the airlines allow, on a rainy November day in San Francisco, I travelled back to the country I was exported from 31 years earlier.

Because I look Korean, Koreans speak Korean to me, naturally. As we boarded the plan, the flight attendants said hello to me in Korean (Annyong haseyo - Ahn-n'yohng hah-say-yoh) and to Cory just a regular hello. I knew that the trip would be challenging in so many ways for me. Just one of them: the expectation of me being able to communicate and then the awkward realization when I responded in my very western accent "I'm sorry, I don't speak Korean".

Our first full day in Seoul, I awoke very early and headed to the gym for a run. As I stepped on the treadmill, I was a bit confused as it took me a second to figure out that it was in metric. I was thinking I was super fast! The night before, we arrived late in the evening so I did not realize that our hotel was across from an ancient temple. As I ran, I was looking upon a large, beautiful statue of Buddah. It was such a sight. If it wasn't for the temple sitting next to the hillside, I could of been at my gym in San Francisco.

We only had three days in Seoul so I wanted to make sure that I saw as much as I could. Little did I realize that Seoul is as large as it is. We were staying at the InterContinental which was in the southern part of Seoul. I had read that their subway trains are cheap and easy to navigate. One things the tour books don't tell you is that if you look Korean, they will expect you to speak Korean. We headed to the subway just a few blocks from our hotel. I had read that you can buy your ticket - more like a prepaid card that just deducts the fare - from a machine. Great, don't have to try to communicate. Yeah, not really the case. So Cory and I tried to buy a ticket from the guy behind the glass window. The funny thing was, he just kept looking at me and saying the same thing in Korean, over and over. And I just repeated, "I don't speak Korean" over and over. It was as if he was hoping if he just kept saying the same thing, eventually I would understand! It was truly awkward and made me feel bad about myself. There I was, standing without a clue, in a sea of people that I resembled, but yet, I still felt so foreign. Luckily, another thing I had read is that all young Koreans are taught English, but rarely have the opportunity to speak it with Westerners. So if they see the chance to practice, some just may. Thanks to a lovely young lady who took pity on us, we bought our tickets with a little help from our new friend.

We spent the afternoon in Insa-dong. It is an older part that also has been revitalized, in part, due to tourism. It has small art galleries as well as the typical tourist shops. Cory and I were walking down a street and heard the familiar sound of aluminum bats! We had travelled thousands of miles to happen upon batting cages. So we each took to a cage and attempted to hit. Some things are universal.

There were many little streets that just wind up and down. We found a quaint place for lunch at the end of a beautiful, shaded courtyard. We took our shoes off and stepped into a cosy little place. There were only Koreans in there. The menu was only in Korean with a few pictures, but it smelled delicious and we were both very hungry. We sat on the floor and smiled to the older women who took our order. We pointed to some meat and she smiled. Cory and I have had Korean food before so we managed pretty well. Didn't make fools of our selves. The only tricky thing that we did not know is that their chopsticks are flat, not round like we're used to. And they are metal. So we had to adjust to slick and flat sticks to eat with. I was worried that I would go hungry because I was having a hard time using them. We were pleasantly surprised at our bill. We had had a sizable lunch and the bill was less than $20 USD. And in Korea, you normally do not tip. What a treat.

My mother's dear friend's son Adam moved to South Korea about 15 years ago. He and his wife, Jeong-il and their son Noah live about an hour outside of Seoul. Adam was nice and gave Cory and I many suggestions on what to do while in Korea. Thanks to Adam, we were directed to some amazing places outside of Seoul. But while in Seoul the three of them came up for a few hours to see us. It was such a treat. We learned so much from them about culture and etiquette that we would have not learned otherwise. Adam speak fluent Korean. And their son, Noah can switch between English and Korean in the same conversation! We really appreciated their time.

While in Seoul we went to the National Museum of Korea. Walking up to this building you just could not believe your eyes. I tried to take a picture to capture the size of the building but I just could not. Koreans are an extremely proud people, and this building represents that. The building itself is beautiful. Simple and clean lines cut through the horizon as you walk up the gentle slope off of the street. Once inside, the beauty continues. The lobby is large, yet inviting and welcoming. Speaking no Korean, we all walked up to the information desk and happily saw "English" and a young woman sitting behind the familiar words. She happily handed us a map of the 10 Highlights in the museum. I think it would take days to make your way through the entire museum. The museum is free but there are a few exhibits that do charge. But all the 10 highlights are free. And they take you through the museum giving you a chance to see almost all of the museum. Here are some pictures from the museum:

Ten Story Pagoda
This is made of marble, which made engraving easy. Buddhist teachings are inscribed on the pagoda in an attempt to spread them to the world.




























Buddah
Iron
Unified Silla Period
8th Century













Buddah
Stone
Unified Silla Period
9th Century









Here's something funny that I was not able to capture on film. At the museum there were school children there touring. While we were looking at some pieces they saw Cory standing there and they became excited. They surrounded him and all began to say "Hi" and "Hello". Then they politely asked him, "Where are you from?" and awaited for him to answer and then they said, "How old are you?". They were happy to get the chance to speak English. Some children were too embarrassed to speak to him but you could just see their eagerness to do so. This happened several more times throughout the trip. Cory felt like a superstar!




We visited the Hanok Village in Namsan. A Hanok is a traditional Korean house. They are beautiful and unlike any home in the US. It was very interesting to see how they once lived. In Seoul there are not many homes like this in use today. There are now about 10 million people in Seoul, and the city has been built up like any other urban city.

Lastly something that I did not think I would do while in Seoul (or actually ever in my life) is Karaoke. After a dinner with some of my brother's friend, one of them who is Korean and her family lives in Seoul, we went to a Karaoke bar. It was just like in the Bill Murray move "Lost in Translation." It was a small room with TVs and two books, one English and the other Korean, with thousands of songs to choose from. Cory happily sang and reluctantly I sang one. It was fun; however, I always imagined that if I was to do Karaoke, I would be very drunk. Unfortunately, I was stone cold sober! And I still did it! Thank heavens there are no pictures but just know that I did do it!