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| On a cruise off the coast of Busan. |
What a fantastic past few weeks we've had! The highlight---a two week visit from my parents! The two weeks were packed with visiting my school, a trip to Seoul, viewing North Korea and visiting the DMZ, eating all kinds of raw (and sometimes still squiggling) seafood, and hiking in the beautiful mountains.
After 2 delayed planes, a missed flight, and a night in Tokyo, Japan, my parents made it to Korea! My school was kind enough to let me skip out on a few classes so I could meet them at the airport. Upon arrival, I rushed them to the apartment to drop off their stuff and then, after only 2 hours in Korea, they ended up in the principal's office. But rest assured it was on a positive note. He greeted them with tea, and true Korean generosity, offering them anything and everything they said was "beautiful" or "interesting" including a wooden tea table and teapot. My dad kindly declined at the time, but little did he know...
The next day we went to the ocean and Jalgalchi Market, an "aquarium" in which you can choose your dinner from a tank and have it ready on a table within 10 minutes! My dad bravely ate the still squiggling octopus.
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| No fear!! |
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Aaron and I were lucky enough to have 4 days off of school for Chuseok, Korea's version of Thanksgiving. Many things were closed for those few days so we headed to our favorite temple in the mountains. We also ate at a very traditional Korean restaurant on Chuseok and both my parents tried and spat out silkworm larvae as well as dozens of fermented vegetables (which they enjoyed a bit more than the silkworms).
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| The beautiful rice paddy fields behind Tondo Temple. |
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| At Tongdo Temple. |
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| Mom being interviewed by some English students at Insadong Market in Seoul. |
Our next adventure was to Seoul and to the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). Going to the DMZ was something Aaron and I have wanted to do since we arrived in Korea. We went on a tour through the USO (the United Services Organization). The border between North and South Korea is the heaviest guarded border between any two countries. Perhaps the most startling thing about the tour was realizing how close the DMZ is to the second largest metropolitan area in the world. It took us a mere 45 minutes to get to the border from downtown Seoul.
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| Standing beside a South Korean soldier in the Military Armistice Commission building. This is where joint meetings have been held for the observation of the armistice signed between North and South Korea. We are currently in "North Korea" at this moment hence why we weren't quite sure if smiling was an appropriate reaction. |
One particularly interesting thing you see when you look over the border is what the South Korean's call Propaganda village. Until 2004, this "fake" village blared North Korean propaganda from huge loudspeakers. Now all it boasts is the world's highest flag tower which stands 525 feet tall and flies a 600 lb North Korean flag. Apparently when the nearby South Korean village of Daeseong raised a South Korean flag, the North Koreans had to one-up them.
During their second week here they were finally over the jetlag and feeling good. We hiked, ate some pretty unusual sushi dishes including raw whale (which Aaron and I had vowed not to eat after seeing The Cove documentary), drank tea, norebanged (Korean karaoke), and toured Busan with my co-teacher. It really was fantastic having them here.
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| Drinking tea in Sanseong mountain village. |
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| Hiking up Geumjeong Mountain. |
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| On a coastline cruise with my co-teacher Ms. Park. |
And remember that tea table my principal offered them on the first day? On the last day my principal gave them a table, tea, and a beautiful traditional tea set. My mom got tears in her eyes after experiencing the incredibly generosity of my principal and the others she met here in Korea. Of all the things I will take away from my time in Korea, it is the incredible generosity of the people here. I'm thrilled my parents were able to experience it first hand as well.
