Back in Seoul

Okay, this is going to sound like the lamest thing ever, but it’s good to be back in Seoul and back to work. Let me explain…

All of last week at school the students took midterms, so I didn’t teach at all, but I still had to be there and sit at my desk. What did I do all week? Good question. When I have a whole week of unstructured time and no looming deadline, I am physically incapable of productivity. I stalked a lot of my friends from home on Facebook, followed the Twins’ almost playoff run, and did a little research on Thailand. I also threw together a last minute trip to Busan, a port city on the southeast tip of Korea. This is all I got accomplished in a week’s worth of work. I felt like a huge slacker, so I welcomed the actual work I had to do at school this morning. Although when I go back to the States to teach, I’m sure I will fantasize about the days in Korea when I could e-mail and Facebook at work.

Like I said, I decided last Tuesday that we should use our day off on Friday (it was a National Holiday, but my co-teacher wasn’t even sure what it was for) and visit Busan. Other than the beach, there wasn’t anything in particular I wanted to see, it was just a chance to see another city in Korea. I didn’t have any luck finding an available hostel or budget hotel online, so my friend Vicky’s co-teacher looked into finding us a yeogwan. “Yeogwan” means guesthouse, and like hostels, I think they are hit or miss. I’m sure there are nice ones out there, but ours was pretty decrepit, which was fine since we are all on a budget. My only complaint was the fact that the three of us women were supposed to share a double mattress on the floor with pillows that felt like they were stuffed with bricks. Needless to say, we didn’t sleep very well. It also was located about 45 minutes away from the Haeundae Beach area by subway, so it took us an hour to meet up with the other groups of S.M.O.E. people that somehow found accommodations near the beach.

Other than the sleeping situation and the lack of planning, I loved Busan. People were extremely friendly in passing, unlike Seoul where everyone is in hurry and will knock you over if you get in their way on the subway. It’s probably pretty common in a beach town verses a huge city, but the vibe was really laid back. We also were in awe of the beach view from our friend Brian’s friend’s apartment; it was gorgeous. (See pic. below) A few of my teacher friends were like, why do we live in Seoul? I found myself defending my new home. In spite of the fact that it’s overcrowded and the rush hour traffic is horrendous, I love Seoul. I’m glad I picked Seoul over Busan or some other smaller town. The commute to and from work is kind of a pain, but city life suits me. I also love that while I’ve seen a lot of the sights, I still have a lengthy list of things I want to do in Seoul. There is so much here and I love that.

It’s funny how you come to appreciate a place once you leave it. Going to Busan made me realize how much I love Seoul, and coming to Korea made me realize how much I love Minnesota. My parents dragged me there kicking and screaming when I was 13, so I spent most of my teenage years hating it, but I’ve really come to appreciate it since I’ve been here. I’ve been educating Koreans about the wonder that is MN since the day I arrived. For example, when a neighbor lady took me to E-mart, I pointed out the 3M symbol on the tape and proudly told her it was a Minnesota based company. I guess this is one of the unforeseen benefits of coming here. Travel is not only about experiencing new places, it’s also about recognizing the good in where you came from, which I’m definitely doing.

Busan at night

Haeundae Beach

Jagalchi Fish Market

Titus pretending to eat live octopus