Dear Yeosu,You are very beautiful and Gunsan could take a few pointers.
ugh...5 days off and summer vacation is officially over for me. Although it was very short, my days were full of Korean food, Korean friends, Korean family, and so much more Korean food.
I am going to attempt to take you through my vacation, highlighting ALL the food we ate and other high points, and I'll show you some pictures, but not all, I'll post the rest on facebook very soon.
So, about 2 years ago I met a girl named Ga Young, she was a foreign exchange student from Korea. I was a senior in college and researching this whole "teaching in Korea" gig when I met her at church one Sunday. I was so excited to meet her and ask her questions about Korea, talk to her about America, etc...From there we became good friends. Before I left in September I was able to see Ga young one more time. I told her about where I'd be teaching and we made a plan that when she visited her family in the summer of 2011 that we would meet up.
So, I saved up a few vacation days, and this past Thursday afternoon I hopped on a bus to make my way towards Yeosu, Ga Young's hometown. I had to transfer in a bigger city called Gwangju, but I was ok with it..I wanted to see Gwangju for awhile. It seemed like a neat city. I'll have to go back and visit it again soon.
Thursday night I arrived in Yeosu, which really resembled Gunsan except it seemed cleaner. Ga Young met me at the bus terminal and we went to pick up her mother at the cosmetic shopped she owns. Let the feasting begin! We met her father at the sumgyeopsal restaurant and we had the best tasting sumgyeopsal I've ever had. It's pork..pretty much, it's bacon that you cook in front of you, then you take a piece of meat, put it in a leaf along with any other side dish you wish to add to your "pork leaf burrito" and stuff it in your mouth...mmmmm..mashisayo ("it is delicious!)...notice the Korean way is to wrap the unsalted meat in a leaf with various vegetables rather than fill a tortilla with meat, cheese, sour cream, etc....and (I think) that's why Koreans are less obese.
It was interesting getting to know her parents. Of course there was the language barrier, so that was a little difficult, but Ga Young has really improved in English, so she served as an excellent translator. Thursday night, we shopped at Emart for food, drinks, and other various items like these SWEET water shoes for our mini vacation that would take place on Saturday and Sunday. After shopping, we got back to her house which was right on the water, above her father's dried fish store and we sat around (on the floor at their table) eating fruit and chatted, Ga Young's dad told me to make their home like my home :) Her brother and sister were able to practice their English and did quite well, even though they would never say so...notice our late night snack was fruit...where's the tub of ice cream?..those skinny Koreans.
Friday morning we woke up, got ready, and spent the day with the best tour guide in Yeosu, Ga Young's dad. First we drove around, Yeosu is very mountainous. Our first stop was at a beach called Mansunglee Beach, it's known for its black sand. The weather was a little hot, but so sunny and so beautiful and so NOT smoggy!
Our next stop was at an an old fort named, "Navy Command of Left Jeolla" Here a Korean warrior trained others to fight against the Japanese...unfortunately, the training wasn't good enough to keep the Japanese out :/
Then it was lunchtime. This may have been one of my highest highlights. I have found a new favorite Korean food, Kongguksu. It's only served in July and August. Basically, it's noodles, big ice cubes, in a cold white bean paste/soy milk sauce and then you add however much sugar you think it needs. Maybe it doesn't sound appealing, but seriously, head down to Koreatown during a hot summer day and order yourself a large tin bowl of Kongguksu...you won't regret it...well, you might...I've been Koreanized.
Ice cubes? noodles? white bean paste? soy milk? What the? How about some alfredo? Heavy whipping cream, butter, 2% milk etc...I'm telling you these Koreans are health nuts :)
You thought we'd stop and take a rest after quickly eating this enormous bowl of Kongguksu? No way, we did what any good Yeosuer would do, we boarded a speed boat and took a high speed jaunt round the South Sea. Surprisingly I kept everything down..seriously, that was surprising..It was not a gentle ride, the wakes were intense..I'm pretty sure we were totally airborne at least 5 times.
He was our speed boat driver. He spent half the time looking over his shoulder watching our reactions. He got what he wanted...I'd say I would equate my feelings to that one time I took an extremely dangerous and risky jeep excursion with a man named Russel in the backwoods of the state of Oregon.
We drove around a little more and ended up at another beach called Bangjukpo Beach. This was very beautiful. It's known for it's clear water and white sandy beach. It was no Guam, but it was still nice :) Here we ate a little dessert called "poppingsu" From the top, you see there are sprinkles, a little cereal, pineapple, marshmellows, shaved ice, and underneath it all are these red sweet beans...I know right..what's with all the beans? I've seen it many times, but it was the first time I tried it. It was ok, definitely a healthier choice than DQ's medium sized triple fudge blizzard.
After our light and tasty dessert, we headed back downtown. Before going to mom's cosmetic shop for some chill time, we stopped at Dulsan Park. Dulsan Bridge, I think, is one of the most well known things in Yeosu. It lights up at night, and they are currently process of building at least 3 more to connect all the islands. In 2012 Yeosu will host some sort of Sea exhibition, it's a big deal apparently. Anyway, Dulsan park was nice. It's been in a few Korean movies and dramas..I thought the most interesting part of it was the palm trees that were growing there. I was a little surprised to see palm trees in South Korea..which is like seeing palm trees in Washington D.C. Nonetheless, I love palm trees because it reminds me of all those Maritatos in Florida...this is what I would do if they were these palm trees :)
Time for a break. We went back to the cosmetic shop and I met their little cousin Gyeong min..she was pretty cute, but very shy at first. Eventually she warmed up to me and started asking questions (in Korean) and would have Ga Young interpret. Just a few of the questions from the little 8 year old Korean, "Which one is better, Japan or America?" "North Korea or Ameica? North Korea or South Korea?"
Ga Young's sister, Ha Young, did my nails, then we went shopping a little, and then met up with Ga Young's high school friend. She took us out to eat at Mr. Pizza...mmmm..I LOVE Mr. Pizza. We ordered a Korean style pizza, 1/3 was shrimp and other various and random toppings, 1/3 was barbeque..also not what you're thinking..much less cheese and much more weird toppings, 1/3 potatoe..I didn't think I liked Korean style pizza, but I really do. We also ordered a side of spaghetti that we shared, and we also shared a salad. Koreans are all about the sharing. You'd never order your own bowl of spaghetti or your own bowl to take to the salad bar..that's why rarely when you eat out here do you get your own plate or bowl...I really think one thing Korea has taught me is to be a better sharer. This also is a reason why (I think) Koreans are less obese...it's just all making sense to me these days.
We made our way back home Friday night and sat around the table (on the floor) and ate ANOTHER poppingsu. I think this was a little different than the other one, but still delightful. It was quite the experience hanging out with ALL Koreans...kind of felt like a homestay experience. I think I can understand the highs and lows that foreign exchange students must go through when they live in homestays in America. The low is that you just really want to get to know these people but you just can't because of the difference in language. You want to express yourself so much more than just saying "it's delicious, thank you." And you want to ask more questions than just, "Hello, how are you?"
Saturday morning rolled around and we were ready for the little family vacation/family reunion on a nearby island. Ga Young's mom made some delicious fried and steamed mandu (like dumplings) and then we boarded a ferry and spent two hours traveling through the sea towards Yeun island.
As soon as we got to the house where all the relatives were, the eating began and really never stopped for the next 24 hours. I guess family gatherings are all the same no matter where you are in the world.
First, we ate more fruit..grapes, peaches, watermelon, apples, etc. Then maybe 30 minutes later they brought out the tables (floor tables) and served an incredible Korean feast! Every food that was served, the relative who was hosting us had either grown or caught it in the sea. It was alot of shellfish, vegetables in some sort of sauce, kimchi, rice. It was amazing...I'm not a huge shellfish kind of girl, but I think I'm starting to come around.
After our Korean "thanksgiving" like meal, we walked around the village for a little bit. When we got back, what do you think we did? We ate again. This time we had the snacks we had picked up from Emart on Thursday night. I love Korean snacks, cookies, chips, etc. After we snacked it up, then they brought out the boiled chicken! HOW are these small people eating this much???? They told us this was the best chicken around since it was an island chicken which are more muscular than mainland chicken..also, what was supposed to make it even more delicious was that it was killed THAT morning. A little gruesome, I know, but it really did taste better than most of the chicken I've had.
One of my Korean friends said her favorite part of eating chicken is eating the feet. It was pretty interesting watching these Koreans munching on the chicken's toesies...made it a little too life-like for me.
Sunday was beach day! Our morning breakfast was basically what we had the night before...forget the scrambled eggs, cheese omelet, buttered and soaked in syrup pancakes, crispy bacon, or sausage links...pass the shellfish, seaweed soup, and kimchi please.
We headed out to the "beach" around 10 a.m. Here's Gyeong min and I beachball and floaties in hand and pink water shoes on our footsies..we're ready for some beach time!
Basically, our spot was very private. When we first arrived the tide was very high, but by 1 p.m. it was down probably 10 feet. Here's our little homemade tent when we first arrived.
The water was sooooo clear..maybe I've been living in Gunsan too long, but I didn't know the Sea could be this clear and beautiful!
Notice: the pink floatie and the homemade floatie.
Wondering what eel looks like raw? Well, here you go:
After eating, the cousins and I made our way to the rocky beach area and I showed these Koreans how we skip rocks in the Rock River area..they were very impressed with my skipping rock ability :) Around 3 pm, we boarded Grandpa's boat and we took a little ride around the area. Unfortunately, my camera died and I don't have any pictures of the beautiful blue water and cliffs :/ But here we are right before the camera took it's final breath.
We got back to the house, cleaned up, and were ready to get on that ferry and head back to Yeosu. Oh, you thought we didn't eat before we went? We did...I had another bowl of Kongguksu before leaving the island.
Myself, Ga Young and her brother and sister went for a little walk to work off 1/90 of what we ate. I love walking with Koreans. I noticed no one stared and I could tell no one would dare say anything about me since I was with people who could understand what they were saying.
Sunday night, I spent some time watching Korean TV with the family and then got into bed around 11. And after about an hour long pillow talk with Ga Young, we were snoozin' away.
Monday morning, I woke up, packed up, ate a really delicious breakfast that Ga young's mom made...there was like an egg and veggie omelet, fish, some sort of tofu soup, fried seaweed, rice, and kimchi. I said my goodbyes and thank you to the fam, and my "see you in America" to Ga Young and I started my journey back to Gunsan.
On my way back I got to thinking about this whole experience of teaching and living here in Korea. I've loved it so much, and I know I will appreciate it even more another 10 years down the road, but this past week I had to make a decision. To stay in Korea one more year or to go back to the U.S. of A. I thought and prayed about this decision so much. On Wednesday before leaving for my vacation time, I met with my director to tell her that I've appreciated this opportunity so very much, but that I will be going back to America come October.
So, on the bus ride from Yeosu to Gunsan, I felt this overwhelming peace that I made the right decision. It's going to be very difficult leaving these amazing people I've met and probably even more difficult facing all the unknowns ahead, but I know God is good, and his plan for my life is perfect :)
I don't know if you stuck through with this blog..if you did, you are a real champ..if you didn't I understand..I wanted to write all this down so I would always remember it..this blog is pretty much my journal.Hope you are enjoying your summer..and I'm serious, go to your local Korean community and get yourself some Kongguksu!!! Night night!
Oh Natalee, each time I think, "Wow, this was my favorite blog," only to see the next one, and think it again.
ReplyDeleteAll that food!!! And it sounds so great....what a food adventure you had. The only thing I think I might have passed on were the chicken feet.
You are so right "immersion" is really the only way to truly experience another culture.
What a beautiful city, no wonder you loved visiting there.
But you know, I always knew you were a secret "tree hugger."
I did not know you had made the decision to come home, it must have been so difficult, but you will never, ever regret this special time in your life.
Andy
Wow. That's a lot of food! :)
ReplyDeleteAnd what great experiences you've had over there! And even though I've never met you, I'm glad you're only staying a year :) God bless you as you move on with Him and see what He will have for your next adventure. Hopefully, it will include a visit to Elizabeth when I'm around, too!