Happy Birthday, Buddha!

Wow, it's been a really long time! For those of you who are regularly checking for updates, I'm really sorry! I'll try not to go this long without blogging again!

So, why the title? Why, it's Buddha's birthday, of course! The actual day of celebration is May 2^nd, along with my dad, but the festivities have been going on for a while. Almost 50% of Koreans are Buddhist, so it's a national holiday here (yet another holiday that falls on the weekend, so no day off work). The birthday is traditionally celebrated for the entire month of April by hanging lanterns in the streets. Then there is a major celebration, called the Lotus Lantern Festival, which I'll explain more below.

A few weeks ago, I finally had the opportunity to walk the Cheonggyecheon Stream with some friends. This is a stream that I should have explained a long time ago when I went to the museum for it, but I've been waiting on a piece of pottery, which I may never receive, before I did that blog, so I will probably post about that at a later date. Anyway, the stream was decorated with large lanterns in all sorts of designs. There were lanterns lining the middle of the stream, lanterns hovering above the walkways, and even a laser light show. Just before descending into the stream area, a photographer asked to take our picture with one of the lanterns. We were all walking over but he was pointing at me and another girl. I looked to the friend who could speak Korean, and she said that he only wanted the tall foreigners! Poor Tamra!!! But without my short friend, I would not have this lovely memory!

Here's a couple of the mouth of the stream, and some of the lanterns.

Tamra with the dragon, the laser light show (quite impressive, I must say!), and one of Tamra and I in the middle of the river, just after Tamra almost fell in...twice!

The rest of the group petered out after about fifteen minutes and decided to get get drinks. I, for one, had come to walk the stream, and by George, I was going to walk the stream! Thankfully, I had Tamra to keep me company. It was a lovely walk. After a while, we decided to go back up to street level just to see where we were. We happened upon a large open market of eateries. There were meats and foods encased in tubings that I have never seen and hope to never see again. The smell was quite overwhelming. Here's just “taste” of the carnage.

This past weekend was the Lotus Lantern Festival. Both the flower and the lanterns represent Buddhism. On the weekend before his birthday, many different areas have festivals and parades that are full of both of these symbols. I wish I knew more about this particular religion so I could enlighten you (oh, that's a terrible joke), but I really don't know much. I had mixed feelings about even being there, but it was an experience that I didn't want to miss.

The festival that I went to on Sunday with Tamra was held in Insadong and was the official Seoul festival. The streets were lined with booths and Buddhists. You could make a lantern, string up some prayer beads, weave a straw mat, or make a traditional painting. You can even get your shakra rubbed...whatever that means. And, of course, there was the ever-present festival stage with the traditional Korean performers. These drummers were by far the best I've seen yet.

We soon found ourselves outside the entrance to Jogyesa Temple. I didn't expect to see what I saw. The ceilings were lined with hundreds, or maybe even thousands, of lanterns. It was quite the sight. We followed the sound of music and found an extremely jovial crowd dancing and singing the traditional Korean song and dance. The hats reminded me of a certain Mexican cookie. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

For that last shot, I had gone up on a stage where I saw other people standing and figured it was a great place for a picture. What I saw when I turned around took my breath away. Behind me was the temple itself, and inside the temple were three enormous Buddha statues. It's difficult to put into words all the emotions that rushed through me at one time. At first, I was overtaken by the enormity of it all. Then my heart was saddened as I saw the people filing in and out of the building, kneeling, praying, and making sacrifices to a god that will never hear a word they utter. Even as I had Tamra take my picture there for the sake of posterity, I was unsure whether to smile, given what I was feeling in that situation. But then I remembered that I serve a God who is living and active in Korea and in my life. He will show me how to reach these people...so I smiled.

The final event of the day was the Lotus Lantern Parade. It had to be held at night because, well, you can't really see a lantern lit up during the day! We had scored what we thought was an amazing spot on the route. That is, until cell-phone girl and rent-a-cop took their places in the most inconvenient places possible. Now don't get me wrong, they didn't rain on our parade (ooh, sorry, another pun), it actually gave us quite a great amount of entertainment, but unfortunately, none of my shots turned out well because the police officer's vest is reflective and ruined the lighting. But the officer himself was such a cutie! He was like a little seven-year-old in a Halloween costume because he had such a baby-face and was smiling all the time! Cell-phone girl spent the evening taking pictures and video on her cheap cell phone. This wouldn't have been so bad if she had not also spent the evening maneuvering herself from behind us to beside us to in front of us. But I digress. The parade was still quite beautiful in parts. A little heart-breaking in others. I leave you with these last few pictures.

Woah, Blossom!

Once a year, there is a phenomenon that takes place in Korea. It creeps in stealthily and sneaks out without notice. This wonder, my friends, is the dazzling cherry blossom. It lasts for only two weeks out of they year, and sometimes less. You never know when it's coming, and you have to act fast when it finally does. I learned this lesson well two weekends ago when I went to the festival that was rescheduled at the last minute because the trees had not yet blossomed. But this week, we finally had the right combination of weather to make these little beauties appear. And now, only four days later, there is barely a hint that they ever bloomed in the first place.

I took in the sights at Yeoido Park (again) on Saturday with my friends, Lorainne and Katie. We initially went the wrong direction and thought that the one or two trees we were seeing here and there were it. But it was OK, because we were able to see this amazing statue of King Sejong the Great, the creator of Korea's written language of Hangul.

As we started in the right direction, we kept running into groups of officers who, we assumed, were out doing training sessions because, well, they didn't look all that official. I thought it was funny how much they looked like Robo-cop in their crowd-control gear, and I wanted a picture. I tried to be all incognito in case it wasn't OK to take a picture (yes, my mother's fear of police is alive and well in her daughter). Joke was on me because right after I took this picture I jammed my knee into a cement post and made a complete ruckus.

We finally made it to the festival area. It was wall-to-wall people, which wasn't too bad since the trees were so beautiful. The entire street was lined with them, and the street was actually shut down so people could meander and admire. The only downside of the day was the pushing and shoving. In the United States, I'm used to hearing “excuse me” when someone is trying to pass, and pushing is only seen at Toys-R-Us the day after Thanksgiving. That's not at all the case in Korea. In fact, the only place I hear “excuse me” is in my classroom. It's just part of the culture to snake your way through people, shoving them with your hand when they haven't “sensed” that you have places to go. The subway was so crowded leaving the park that I just kept saying to myself, “I am a tree, I am a tree.” No, I don't believe in transcendental meditation, but cracking a joke on a crowded subway train is a good way to make it through!

This final Yeoido picture is just a bonus. As we were walking back to the subway station, I saw this adorable little girl in an adorable outfit. Hello Kitty is all the rage here, and this coat is this cutest thing I've seen in a while. Pair that with the cute socks and she's almost as cute as my niece!

But that's not all folks! I have a friend named SuJin from my favorite coffee shop (I will blog about said shop in the future, but not today). SuJin and I have been talking about doing something together for a while, and she finally got a day off on Sunday! I didn't have any Easter plans other than church, so it turned out to be great timing. I really wanted to take in more of the blossoms, so we went to Children's Grand Park.

I thought this would be a park full of large areas of grass and park equipment. Boy, was I wrong! It had those things, but so much more! There was a botanical garden, kiddie rides, roller coasters, art displays, loads of trails, and a zoo.

In the above picture, we were wandering around the trails looking at the trees when the most amazing thing happened. The wind picked up and blew the petals off the blossoms so that it looked like it was snowing! It was quite the surreal moment. I hopped into the picture quickly but that one's on SuJin's camera. It died out just as quickly as it had started by the time I got my camera ready.

Next, we walked through the zoo. There were lions and tigers and bears...oh, my! (Bet you didn't see that coming!) I was slightly disturbed by their living conditions. It all seemed like too much cement for me. The painted backgrounds just weren't convincing me that the animals were happy here. I'm no animal-rights activist, but even I could tell there was a problem. Especially when I looked into how much fencing was not holding them in, and how the small gulf between human and tiger was not going to stop an angry cat.

I was quite surprised by the bird selection in the zoo. Owls; I get that. Peakocks; sure. Doves, OK, you're starting to lose me there. But the more we walked, the more confused I became. Turkeys? Chickens? Seriously? And here's the kicker...pigeons! SuJin was quite entertained by the stunned look on my face (she didn't understand the animal selection either). But we kept walking and saw some beautiful sights.

It wasn't quite as crowded at Yeoido, but it was still a lot of walking. We decided to sit down on the grass and relax for a while. Now, here's just a small example of what makes Korean people so wonderful (this excludes the pushers on the subway). SuJin not only bought me a bottle of water before I arrived, but she also bought us two kinds of Kimbap (refer to a previous blog for an explanation) to snack on for the afternoon! She's so thoughtful. Not only that, but when our day at the park was done, she bought me dinner on the way home! I am quite blessed with my Korean friends!

This last one was taken right outside the gates of the park. I just threw it in here for my dad. When are you comin' to visit!?

This whole cherry blossom experience is quite a metaphor for life. When you see an opportunity come your way, seize it! You never know when the winds of change will come and blow it all away.

Dr. Fish and Branches

Have you ever had a pedicure? I mean a really, really great pedicure? It's so relaxing and refreshing; a time to chill with your girlfriends and be pampered. Well, I got a pedicure this past weekend. It would not fall into the category of really, really great. In fact, it was the most agitating and stressful pedicure I've ever had, and I would do it again in a heartbeat! You see, my feet were not touched by human hands the entire time. It's a fish pedicure. No, seriously! You put your feet into a tank of water and just sit while hoards of hungry, tiny, piranha-like fish go to town on your dead skin. It's the CRAZIEST thing ever!

I went with two friends of mine, and I was expecting a clinic-type environment, but what I got was a very posh coffee shop. I was pretty surprised. I had to go up to the counter and order a pomegranate tea and a Dr. Fish (an order of beverage is required for the foot treatment). We sat back and chilled until it was our turn. We were all excited all morning, and when the moment came, the fear struck! I am quite ashamed of the video I took, but for your viewing pleasure, I will post it. I will have you know that this was only the first few seconds of the Dr. Fish experience! I did eventually leave my feet in the tank and let the little fishies have their lunch. I only freaked out when they made their way in between my toes. That just could not be tolerated! I can't say that it was more or less effective than the traditional method, but it sure was more exciting! Oh, and what was the cost? Only 2,000 won, which is the equivalent of about $1.80, plus the price of tea.

Afterwards, we headed to Yeoido for the cherry blossom festival. One of the people from training planned a group event, and about twenty people showed up. It didn't take long to see that cherry blossoms were just not happening. We walked and walked and walked to the festival site. The walking was nice because there were many people doing large-scale art work on the sidewalks and it was so interesting. When we finally made it to the festival site, it became quite obvious that the festival didn't start until next week, and all those people doing art projects were just preparing for the street showcase next weekend. No worries though! We took a detour to a park and just sat and talked until it became too cold to be outside anymore. Some would have called the event a bust, but I really enjoyed all the walking in an area that wasn't nearly as congested as my own, and it was a great to spend time with people.

Enjoy the pictures and please don't hold the video against me! I'm much more brave than I seem here!

Alien in a Strange Land

I have been officially recognized as a temporary resident of the nation of South Korea! What does that mean? I am finally eligible to be billed. In Korea, you really can't do anything without an Alien Registration Card (or ARC, as we foreigners so affectionately refer to it). Even the nationals have a similar ID card that they also have to carry around with them and be prepared to present for all types of situations. It really is quite an ingenious system.

So, the first order of business, now that I had an official status in the country, was to feel human again. How was this to be accomplished? I needed a cell phone and internet! For the last three weeks, my only contact with people outside of the school building has been taking my laptop to the local coffee shop and logging on for as long as my battery would hold out. It was a great way to get to know the nationals, especially my great friends at the coffee shop, but it was starting to get a little expensive!

Because I live in an office-tel, I only had one choice for internet. My boss at work, who is able to accomplish things at the speed of light, made the appointment for me to have my cable internet hooked up this past Monday. The appointment was for 4:00 (I got to leave work early!). The guy showed up at 3:59 and he was out the door at 4:02! No joke! It was amazing! No fee, no tip, fastest internet I've ever experienced! Since then, I've been up until WAY past my bedtime reveling in the freedom to log on whenever I want.

The cell was a different matter. I told my friend at the coffee shop that I was finally able to get a phone, and he was more than willing to help me. He even said he would call a friend who knows English better than he does to help out. Little did I know that this friend was the owner of his store! He actually owns four or five Ediya coffee shops, and he's not only willing to spend a Saturday night helping a foreigner get a cell phone, but let his employee take time off work...twice... to help me out! Amazing people. Long story short. The bank messed up and I had to go back again on Monday. My coffee shop friend came with me again, during work hours, and it was all settled. Cell and internet all in one day! The cell is LG, which is a Korean company, for those who didn't know, and it's way better than the LG I have at home. My friends at the coffee shop were so happy for me that they gave me a congratulatory waffle and sent me “happy cell phone” text messages. This alien feels loved!