Multiple Musings

Hello, once again. It's been an interesting week full of ups and downs, but mostly things are fine. I've been keeping quite busy and feeling really grateful for the people in my life and particularly for the awesome friendships I have.

Yesterday, when I went to Hee Young's house, her family was making Kimchi. Kimchi, for those of you unaware, is pickled cabbage, and is the national food of South Korea. The Kimchi needs several months to ferment, so families generally make tons of it in late fall so they'll have a nice stash for the following year. Kimchi is so important (and pungent) that in most homes it resides in it's very own refrigerator. When I walked into Hee Young's apartment, there were tubs of fresh cabbage everywhere and the smell was overpowering. I wanted to take a picture, but she wouldn't let me, claiming that their house was too dirty (in reality, I suspect that she didn't want any of her family Kimchi-making secrets divulged.

At one point while we were studying, she mentioned that I smell like America. I found this really interesting, since I (and other foreigners I know) definitely think that Korea has its own distinct odor. It's funny to think of America having a specific odor, though I am totally unable to detect it. If there's one thing that this experience has done for me culturally thus far, it has been to show me just how American I am. When I lived in Germany, I learned how flawlessly I could fit into a culture other than my own. Also, I've never really been the biggest fan of the old U.S.A., though on my various travels I've been quick to identify for myself things that I love about my homeland in contrast to other countries. Still, as much as I may, or may not like to admit it, I am very American indeed. Americans value individuality and competition an immense amount. We are quick to voice our opinions and desires. We are all more than willing to tell you how calcium supplements affect our skin, or why we can't stand the TV show "Heroes." We are constantly agonizing over making the right decisions for ourselves and our lives as individuals. Many other cultures (not just South Korean, mind you) tend to think more as a group. This means they think less selfishly, but also less ambitiously. There are advantages and disadvantages to both ways in my opinion, and of course there are many exceptions to the rule, but mostly it's just an observation that I wanted to share.

Anyway...

Yesterday evening, I was lucky enough to have a very nutritious and delicious meal cooked for me...



by none other than my coworker, Tanner. As you can see, he cooked with great relish! The meal was actually a prize for a contest that Tanner had held for fun, and though I hadn't participated, I was invited by my friend, Candy, to join in the smorgasbord



My friend and coworker, Chad, was also there. Here we are sharing some cozy pre-dinner coffee.


This is what my food looked like. It tasted like awesome. Seriously, that man knows how to marinate a thing or two. I've had the opportunity to share some great home-cooked meals with various friends lately, and it's been something I've been really enjoying. The cooking and sharing of food is an important ritual to me and one that should not be neglected.

After dinner, we looked out of the window to discover...



That is was snowing! Everyone went outside to frolic a bit.


As it turned out, the snow was not kidding around in the least. It fell quickly and before we knew it, the village was covered in a light layer, about two inches thick. This mean that things like a snowball fights of magnanimous proportions and...


sledding quickly ensued. Who know I could have this much fun with a cardboard box?



We also put together a pretty hefty snowman.


Here he is, complete with broccoli eyes, carrot nose, stick arms, and entourage of sexy ladies.

It was great to take a break from normal life (or whatever facsimile thereof you have when you live in a theme park) and just act like a kid.

No Words

Yesterday morning, my dear friend Natalie's mother passed away after a painful and difficult battle with cancer. Even though this was not unexpected, it leaves me shocked and wondering once again why such horrible things happen to good people.

Carla'nne was an incredibly intelligent, incredibly loving individual and a great mother. She spent her life saving the lives of others. I didn't know her very well, but I will remember her as a stimulating and witty conversationalist and lover of literature. I cannot begin to imagine how I'd feel if I were in Natalie's position.

Natalie,
As you know, you are in my thoughts and I wish against wish that there were anything I could do. I wish you and Gabrielle and your dad comfort and hope that you will be able to find solace in the many friends and loved ones who are there with you. You are an incredibly strong and talented woman, and I know that you will get through this, although your life will never be the same. I send you all my love.

As Promised...

Ladies and Gentlemen, it's good to be back. And it's time for an October re-cap.

At the beginning of October, I went camping in Paju with a whole slew of Village-dwellers:


One of the highlights was being driven to the campsite in the large bed of this truck. What is it with South Korea and cramming too many people into vehicles?


This is what the campsite looked like. It was actually adjacent to a grape farm, believe it or not.


We had lots of campfire fun...


And what campfire would be complete without roasting marshmallows?


This is the potato and onion that I cooked in the fire the next day. They came out deliciously. Seriously people, cook onions in the fire, you will be well pleased.


We also went for a nice afternoon hike on one of the surrounding hills. We found some pretty cool army bunkers...


And some lovely views.

The following "weekend" (I have Mondays and Tuesdays free) I trekked out to Soraksan, a national park on South Korea's east coast. It's a very popular spot for hiking and enjoying the autumn leaves.


I had a truly beautiful hike. Soraksan may be my favorite destination in SoKo thus far. The trail was super tough, though. I'd say it was more difficult than either trail that I hiked on Hallasan on Jeju Island.


Due to slightly poor timing and negligent planning on my part, I wasn't able to complete the hike to the highest peak, but I managed to get 8 very vertical kilometers (in each direction) under my belt.

And, as if that weren't enough Octobery goodness, my brother, Chris came to visit. He was in Seoul on business, so we only got to see each other for a few days, but those few days were indeed fun-filled.


Chris got a chance to meet young Mr. Dylan Thomas.


And of course we all conducted ourselves like the mature adults that we are.


We had the chance to visit the DMZ, the highlight of which involved exploring one of the tunnels made by North Koreans. Unfortunately, one is not allowed to photograph anything worth photographing in the DMZ.

And of course, no October would be complete...


Without a Halloween celebration. We had a raging Halloween party in the village, and...


I tied with one of my lovely compadres for "Best Costume!"


I went as "Blue" and Nadia went as "The Bird Flu." We were awesome. I love Halloween and I always will. You can quote me on that.

And, in much less festive news, our dear Dylan Thomas and I have parted ways. Our hopes and goals and certain aspects of ourselves as individuals are just too different for us to have any kind of sustainable future and it didn't seem right, knowing that, to continue being together. It was really the most amicable ending to an incredibly fun and worthwhile relationship that one could wish for. I will miss him terribly :( but it really is for the best. And as the poet himself said, “Though lovers be lost, love shall not.”

Fear Not!

All is well, here in lovely Paju, except for the fact that my computer has zero, I mean zero storage space. I will rectify this situation next week and then I'll post all sorts of delicious pictures and descriptions of the adventures I've been having. Check you in few :)