The gang solves the North Korea situation

I ride the bus everyday to and from work. It usually takes me half an hour or so to go one way and costs 1100Won (95cents American.) Yeah, thats right America, suck it; South Korea rules in public transportation. Anyways, there is this older man who gets on halfway to my town (Jeongok) and loves to sit next to me to chat. He is a Vice-Principle at some Elementary School and his English is soso. Enough for us to hold conversations but hard for me to catch every word he says. 

The second week here our bus was stopped by Korean military guys with full face-paint on and in full military garb. Once we came to a stop be waved for someone to come out of the road we were in a T intersection with. Out come five large artillery guns similar to the picture on the right. I start to freak out a little and ask him whats going on. He says not to worry that it is very common to see exercises like this in South Korea so close to the border. I calm myself down and he laughs and just keeps repeating do not worry. Do not worry, we want peace and not war. Do not worry, the North will never try anything against us. 


Fast forward to now. The South Korean Government has officially declared that a ship that was sunk two months ago was hit by a North Korean torpedo. North Korea has come out and said that they did no such thing; that this is the South fabricating lies and the North will never apologize for something they did not do. All the South wants is a apology and for the men responsible to be held accountable for the 40something South Korean lives that were lost at sea. The North is....well...the North are acting as North Korea always does: crazy. South Korea has said it will stop trading with the North until they admit they were responsible. In other words, tensions are starting to get a little high here. It's not so bad I feel as I should jump on a plane and head home but enough to where even the Koreans are starting to worry a little that peace between the two might break which leads me to the funniest thing that has happened to me since I have been here.


Yesterday I was riding the bus home from school. The previous week I was at camp so I did not see my older Korean friend at all during said time. He boarded the bus and I waved him over to come sit next to me. After a little small talk I asked him about the tension between the North and South being so high and what he though about it. He said those words I have been wanting to hear "Don't worry, Don't worry" except he added a little twist to the end I was not expecting.


"Don't worry, Don't worry. All Christian South Koreans go to heaven."






.........I had to hold in the nervous laughter.








Footnote: I am not worried and anyone reading this should not be worried either. The chances of something happening are relatively very low. 

Lotus Lantern Festival

This past weekend I happened to catch part of the famous Lotus Lantern Festival. This Festival is the start of a weeklong celebration of Buddha's Birthday (The next post will be on this so I will hold off on the explanations.)

The Festival is always held in the Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall. The lighting of a lotus-shaped lantern in Buddhism traditionally symbolizes a display of religious devotion to performing good deeds and lighting up the dark parts of the world that are filled with agony. Throughout the Goryeo and Joseon Dynasties, this practice has developed and been preserved in many forms of public performances such as the lotus lantern service (a national-level Buddhist memorial service) and the lotus lantern parade. The modern-day Lotus Lantern Festival is designed to bring multiracial, multicultural crowds together through an array of festive programs. This year’s festival will offer visitors the chance to make a lantern themselves, taste temple dishes, produce rubbed copies, and experience much more. 


Here are some of the pictures and video of the parade we got lucky and stumbled upon by pure accident. 
(And in case you are wondering this parade makes for a romantic time or first date)

One of the 4 Kings

Another one of the 4 Kings

There were plenty of dancers to go around

I have no idea

There was a hugeeee line of people holding lanterns behind this guy

Elephants bring good luck

And then for your viewing pleasure I took more video this time (I am going to try to make this a habit.)

Musings on South Korea

I haven't made an update for a while because I have been musing on how I would describe this place as a whole.
I have been trying to go out as much as possible and force myself to do things I would not normally do. Oh, I still follow the wind like I was made out of leaves but it has been blowing me all around.

For example, I went to a bath house Sunday. Without going to much into detail (as I plan a whole update about it later) lets just say wearing anything is not an option. Truthfully, this factor did not bother me one bit and it surprised me that it didn't.

The feeling of South Korea is one mixed between hopelessness and possibilities. The hopelessness comes from the farming environment that accounts for more than half of South Korea. This leaves most of the older people riding buses every morning to the Kimchi fields for a hard days work. With the money they make they usually spend it on sending their children to better schools and buying them all they can. On a side note the reason kids are pushed so hard here in the field of education is because all their parents, who live in that endless cycle of farming, want their kids to break the cycle and do something better with their lives. If anyone reading this has ever lived in a small farming town they know the ramifications of this cycle.

However though all of this I have never met such a collection of people who are always smiling, always joking, always curious, always respectful of their elders not so accepting of their 6 days a week 12 hours a day schedule. They truly take pleasures in the small things and are happy just being around each other. They don't care so much about politics or religion differences (like in the states) they are just care about having fun and enjoying the life you are given.

To say that South Korea's culture is one of family (whereas the West is one of individuality) would be completely accurate.

I am so use to caring about politics and it being an everyday event. I am very use to worrying about all the small things and how things will work out. I am not use to not checking news sites. I am not accustomed to letting go. However I find the things that always gave me problems are now starting to go up in smoke and it feels like a heavy weight has been lifted of my chest. I care more about finding the next adventure, no matter how small or big, than how America is fucked on healthcare.

Don't get me wrong, I still think and debate on things that make my heart increasingly heavy but being here has breathed fresh air into these tired lungs. My fear, and one of the few ones left now, is that when I leave here this feeling will not travel with me.

Love

South Korea: Loving every second of it.