Trip to Boseong-gun in South Jeolla Province with My 1st Homestay Family

TRAVELING FROM INCHEON TO BUSAN
After a relatively incident-free direct flight from Seattle to Seoul/Incheon, I arrived back in Busan very early Friday morning. The day was spent more or less sleeping after a sleepless night of waiting for the airport bus limousine to arrive at 10:30 p.m., tossing and turning on said bus for the whole five hours of travel back down to Busan, and then standing streetside at Nopo-dong for 30 minutes trying to hail a taxi in the rain.

To be fair, it was mostly Russel who stood streetside trying to hail a taxi in the rain while I sat dry with my luggage under an awning. Thirty minutes more of commute brought us to the home of my new homestay family, where I didn't even bother to unpack my toiletries before crashing on the newly-made bed they had prepared for me. 

WELCOME BACK TO KOREA! DINNER
Fast-forward to the evening and I am woken up and told by my new host mom, Connie, that she has invited a handful of folks from church and my former host family for dinner! What a thoughtful gesture!

FIRST HOST FAMILY STEALING ME FROM MY SECOND HOST FAMILY 
No, not really, but...

During dinner, my host family convinced me to go on a family trip with them. When? That very night. I was exhausted and disoriented, but this was the same trip my family had been wanting to take me on for what seemed like all of last year but it never materialized. So I said, Yes!, packed a change of clothes, toiletries, and a gift I had prepared for them from the States. My host sisters' excitement served as a kind of energy injection into my system.

TRAVELING FROM BUSAN TO BOSEONG
We traveled for three hours, arriving at my host dad's sister's house a few minutes shy of midnight. Her house was beautiful and comfortable and somewhere in Boseong County, a place famous for its green tea leaves. I slept soundly with Juhyeon and Seoyeon and woke up the next day to a full day of adventures! I will post more on this trip later but, for now, enjoy this video I created through SnapMovie (thanks for the new obsession Juhyeon!), offering a brief glimpse into our afternoon coming home that day. 

The War Memorial of Korea: The Korean War Room in Yongsan-dong, Seoul

TRAVELING FROM BUSAN...

It took me seven hours to travel from Busan to Seoul yesterday. My Fulbright co-teacher, awesome as usual, helped me purchase my bus and KTX tickets online, draft a travel itinerary I could follow even blind through the country, and arranged for me to leave in the middle of the school day just so I could arrive at my destination around dinnertime, (which was nice since I was leaving school before lunchtime). It would have taken me longer, but I could have done all of the travel arrangements on my own. However, there must be something either really endearing or really lost in the way I make simple, quiet inquiries because doing so seems to activate something deeply accommodating and, I would even say, motherly in Sookhee. 

If I got lost at any point on my journey, she said, I should call her. See? What did I tell you?

...ARRIVING IN SEOUL

After a bus ride (from Yeongdo to Nampo), a subway ride (from Nampo to Nopo), another longer bus ride (from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal to Kangbyeon Station), and another longer subway ride to Hongik University, I arrived in Seoul in one piece. I dropped my things off at the Orange Guesthouse before meeting a friend for dinner. He also graduated from the UW-Seattle and is now finishing up a Masters in Seoul National University - at 22. Gabrielle joined us after for drinks and conversation. It was rather late when we arrived back in the guesthouse and I knew that her goal of waking up by 6 a.m. on a Saturday was simply not going to happen. 

I was right. 

& STAYING AT A GUESTHOUSE

The white sheets that enshrouded me in my sleep were stiff. I woke up slowly, enjoying the heavily overcast daylight seeping through the cracks on the window and penetrating through the solid curtains. Gabrielle and I only bolted awake when Hope, another ETA, called to say she was on her way to the guesthouse. 

We had the Fulbright Final Dinner to attend this evening, but before then the three of us had the entire afternoon to do as we pleased in Seoul. Gabrielle suggested we visit the war memorial and, not having any strong opinion on an alternate activity, we went. Unlike Hope and I, Gabrielle is not renewing her contract and so was especially eager to see and experience as much of Korea as she could in the few days she has left (Yes, we are down to just a few more days until our contract ends!). 

WAR MEMORIAL OF KOREA

"Telling the Moving Story of the People of Korea"

Opened in 1994, this war memorial exhibits and memorializes the military history of Korea on what was once the army headquarters in Yongsan-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Out of the six indoor exhibition rooms, we only had time to explore one. On our way to the memorial building, we passed some of the 13,000 war memorabilia and military equipment on the outdoor exhibition center. 

Here is what our day looked like:

The entrance which we actually saw after exiting the museum

This is the layout of the place we toured this afternoon.
Interestingly enough, maps don't mean much to me until after I have gone through the length of the trail. 

Children playing "feed and then scare the living daylights out of pigeons!" in the courtyard

AND NOW... LET'S FOLLOW GABRIELLE AND HOPE THROUGH THE CORRIDORS

These two look like they know where they're going

Both of them wore flats for the museum trip...unlike someone else. Lesson learned! (I think)

Natural light streaming in through this hall on our way inside the main building

Beautiful cityscape visible in between the columns as we walked

Both the U.S.A. and the Philippines were part of the UN Forces

and this is after we took a right turn. More columns - this time bearing the individual names
of brave men and women who fought in the war

Name plaques

"Our Nation Honors Her Sons and Daughters Who Answered the Call 

to Defend a Country They Never Knew and a People They Never Met" 

Source: The Monument of the Korean War Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

This is what the inscription on the wall said. The collage is imperfect, but perfection is not the point. 

Washington State

Philippines!

A majestic ceiling with, you guessed it, more natural light pouring down on us below

Trying to take everything in

First Lieutenant Jin Du-Tae 

The museum was huge and our time was limited so we chose to explore a small segment of the

THE KOREAN WAR ROOM 1

"Invasion of the South and Counter Attack"

I am always fascinated by maps detailing the series of events that led to the division of the Korean peninsula!

Children standing over the remains (demo) of a soldier from the Korean War

Gabrielle scrolling through the timeline of the war

These were cool to see!

Families were displaced

Attesting to the awesome city that is Busan

"Stand or Die"

Busan highlighted on the map

I breezed through this exhibit room and waited for Hope and Gabrielle on a seat overlooking this view

I sat out the other two exhibits while these two finished exploring them. They left their bags with me as I read a book of essays

Heading out of the war memorial

We exited the war memorial at around 4:45 p.m., began to make our way to Hotel President, and arrived just in time for dinner. 

Visiting Geoje Island, a World Renowned Shipbuilding & Ocean Tourism City

HOLY JOY CENTER GOES TO GEOJE-DO

After finishing ship ministry at the port of Busan, Russel and I decided to join church leaders on their trip to Geoje-do (Geoje Island). A church retreat is scheduled to take place there next month in June, so the objective was to visit the church's rest house and assess its suitability for accommodating a large group. 

Our group photo taken by a kind and obliging passerby

TRAVELING TO THE CITY OF GEOJE

While flipping through a tourist magazine, I stumbled upon some interesting facts about this island city:

• Geoje is a world renowned shipbuilding and ocean tourism city, hosting Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co., Ltd and Samsun Heavy Industry Co., Ltd)
• It is South Korea's second largest island
• It consists of 10 inhabited islands and 64 uninhabited islands
• Its abundant natural beauty places it among the best scenic attractions of Northeast Asia
• Its regional products include oysters, citrons, bamboo sprout, mushroom, and anchovy - all exported to the U.S. with no quarantine

Ah, Korea, I am in love with your beauty!

Beautiful view from our perch on the observatory deck

TOURING THE REST HOUSE

Touring the grounds in the full heat of the afternoon sun

 

Professor Gabriel's little girl admiring the view (that or looking at the puppy in the dog house longingly)

The two-story rest house, complete with balconies galore

The women, satisfied with the rest house's condition, sit together to chat before the trip back home

The pastors and deacons chillin in their temporary man cave

The kitchen looks good

Professor playing hide and seek with the kids

Little Samuel and his dad

The second floor, where worship service will be held

The very green view outside. This photo does it no justice

After the brief tour of the house, we all piled back into the vans and headed to a restaurant for dinner. We were all famished and the food and company did not disappoint.

OFF TO THE RESTAURANT FOR DINNER

Our group encountering a fun graffiti wall!

Professor's got some artistic skills!

The men checking out a ginormous heart with love letters attached to it.
Question: What happens to the love letters and notes when it rains??

Sam and his dad, again

Professor Gabriel writing a note in his language

Former ship captain, Pastor, & Professor

Moksanim & Samonim cooking that delicious seafood dish

Two men cooking, they're doing it right

After dinner, we were treated to coffee and patbingsu. Our church spoils us just a little...

The men + Kayla (because she loves her daddy that much and doesn't allow him to be in pictures without her, lol!)

It was dark by the time we got back to Yeong-do, our own very small island. The day was tiring but it did me good to see some more of Korea's natural beauty, to inhale that fresh, salty air, and to be in the company of men and women who are showing me what it's like to serve Christ together in a family and community setting.