I started my exploration of the country in Seoul where I given a wonderful tour by a friend of the family. The tall skyscrapers, throngs of busy people, and large, efficient subway system were exactly what I had imagined experiencing in my first visit to a large Asian city. I was excited to throw out some random Korean phrases that I had learned back home such as "I'm hungry" and "where is the trashcan?" I was thrilled to be told that I have excellent pronunciation. I don't even think they were saying it just to be nice!
I visited the usual temples and tourist sites in Seoul and waved hello to North Korea at the Demilitarized Zone but one of the most intriguing experiences in Seoul and my first Korean television appearance was when I went to a ProLeague match. I'm sure most of you have never heard of ProLeague so I will explain. It is professional video gaming and works very similar to a professional sport in the US. Fans go to a "stadium" to watch two teams compete. The uniformed players (mostly teenagers who are paid to do this and devote about eight hours a day to training) compete head to head up on two booths on the stage. The action gets projected up on the main screen for the audience and three commentators talk strategy and statistics. At least that's what I'm assuming they were talking about since it was in Korean. The whole thing is nationally televised. Not many westerners frequent the matches so it was no surprise that they had to get a close-up of the westerner sitting in the audience. I saw myself on television during a rerun about a week later waving at the camera. I had a hard time following what was going on in the match but soon figured out that depending on which side of the audience of screaming girls was louder was the one that was in the lead. And then all of a sudden without warning there is a winner! The thrill of victory! The agony of defeat! All I could do was shake my head and say to myself "only in Korea..."
My next stop was the southern coastal city to which I owe my existence, Busan. My parents met there over 35 years ago while my father was in the Army and my mother was teaching on the base. The American base doesn't exist anymore but I finally got to see the city that I have heard about all my life. I met up with some more "extended family" who were very generous in showing me around the city and introducing me to some very delicious food.
Can't make up your mind as to what to have for dinner in Korea? Not a problem! You can get a little bit of everything. Literally. Whenever you order something off the menu your table automatically starts to fill up with tiny side dishes that also double as your entertainment for the night. It's possible to spend a few hours sitting around with friends and throwing out guesses as to what it is you just put in your mouth and most likely the Koreans can only tell you the Korean word for it. But of course the most famous, beloved and recognizable side dish guaranteed to be served with every meal is good old kimchi. I don't really get why the Koreans love this spicy, garlicy fermented cabbage so much but they go absolutely crazy over it.
So when I got to my third Korean city, Gwangju, and heard about the kimchi festival that would be taking place while I was there I knew this was something I had to witness. My visit to Korea coincided with peak festival time in the country and I had already seen some very enthusiastic Koreans enjoying festivals in Seoul and Busan.
I was visiting a friend of a friend who introduced me to the wonderful world of English teachers living in Gwangju. (Thanks Kent, Leah and Stuart for your hospitality!) Westerners there get to experience something akin to celebrity status. While at the kimchi festival my companion and I were assaulted with paparazzi-like photographers and were interviewed for both a radio and television program. I did my best to praise everything about kimchi but I wonder what their reaction would have been if I had told them the truth: all kimchi tastes the same to me and it's OK but in my opinion not necessary to eat with every meal.
If I had to pick one other thing that I thought Koreans love as much as kimchi I would say hiking would have to be it. Hiking is "Good for health!" But a Korean would not be caught dead on a trail unless they were wearing an outfit made of some high-tech fabric, top-of-the-line hiking boots, an oversized visor to keep the sun off the face and walking sticks even if it's only a two hour hike. And it's not as if they're hiking in the middle of nowhere. The trails can get very crowded when they all march up the mountain at the same time.
Drunken business men, people stopping me on the street to try to help me find God, soju (an alcoholic drink), taxi drivers blatently disregarding traffic lights, plastic food in restaurant windows, convenience stores on every corner (literally), neon crosses on churches, a world-class Biannle exhibit in Gwangju and free McDonalds delivery are a few more things that I will remember about my visit to Korea. But by the end of my two weeks there my legs were getting a little cramped up from all the sitting on the floor and that's when I knew I was ready for my next stop: China.
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