What I liked about Korea after 5 years

I am not a list maker on this blog. If you look back through the years there have been only a few times where I have made lists. But I think it is important to "list" in some way what I have liked about living in Korea for this long. I am sure whatever I mention here might be useful to the newcomer to Korea and also help them see what makes living here worthwhile.


Getting around: You could be freezing your ass off outside in the icy temps or roasting hot in the summer, but the busses and trains will always be there. Seoul provides many means of transportation that generally come on time and get you to your location quickly. It's one of the benefits of living in a compact country and certainly doesn't hurt your wallet after using it often. Even traveling outside of Seoul one has subway and bus options. If not then a taxi will do!

Healthcare: For the longest time I told myself I couldn't leave this country because I get great healthcare. I have an auto-immune disease that requires medication and doctor's visits. Three months worth of my medicine costs me no more than 30,000 won. Plus my Doc visits were also cheap. I can't help but say I will miss the healthcare, however at the same time relent that it's not worth staying in the country for. However, it's a great service and shows how functional a National Health Insurance plan can be.

Networking: I learned a lot about how to open up to people and share your lives with them. Starting on the grounds of just being expats people seemed more open minded to be your friend. I really liked getting to know the artist community here, along with the KOTESOL folks. It seems there is always something happening where you can meet new people who share similar interests.

Access to Contemporary Asian Art: I really enjoyed being able to visit galleries, museums and exhibitions featuring contemporary Asian art. Mostly because you can't have such access to this back home, and also it was all in Asia. I felt like I had a better time understanding the works by living here. I'm sure I'll find a way to fill this void back in Seattle, but nothing beats the plethora of art on display here.

Food: Of course I can't avoid mentioning this. I love Korean food! I crave a warm boiling pot of dweanjang jiggae in the winter and cold naengmyun in the summer. I may not always want to eat Korean, but the food is so delicious and unique here I know it's going to be hard to find good places back home. If you have any doubts of coming to Korea because you might not like the food, well don't worry!

Neighborhoods: As you explore Seoul and other areas you start to get to know different neighborhoods. Like Hongdae or Jongno. For me I really enjoyed Samcheongdong and other parts of that area. Mostly I liked seeing neighborhoods expand and change throughout the years. Insadong is definitely not the same when I first got here. However, I think that's what made living here so lively. I could return to a part of Seoul I hadn't been to in a long time and discover something totally new about it. I wonder how much will change when I leave.

The Rural Route: Getting out of Seoul and seeing Korea as it is without the tall buildings and bustling streets is a really great site. I explored out of Seoul both on my own and with Ex's, and every time felt like I was getting a taste of real culture. People are really welcoming and friendly in this country and you can explore it with a beginner's hand at Korean. I am quite fond of my recent trip to Damyang and will always look back at that experience as a very positive way to enjoy Korea. Also not to mention my trip to Munkyeong and their tea bowl festival.

You know I could probably keep listing more and more, but I'm sure I've mentioned stuff elsewhere. If you have anything to add, please do!

San Francisco > Seoul > Seattle

Ever since I left my dad's house to attend community college in Humboldt County (Eureka, CA), it feels like I have been a nomad. I think it's a symptom of my age, where we don't settle in one place. But this allows one to explore and see the world as they move around. That is why as I find myself packing things up and heading to Seattle, I know I'll be ready for what's ahead.

I also find it somewhat iconic to be going from one big city to the next. In San Francisco I worked at an insurance company that was right in front of the Pyramid building, and a block from Chinatown. 

source

Living in San Francisco, for the most part, was where I gained my city feet and learned how to survive in the urban environment. Having come from Eureka, a town of probably just a thousand people set against the deep redwood forests, living in the city was certainly new. When I decided to come to Korea I wondered if I was prepared for Seoul life, a city of millions. 

I left the triangular tower and came to Seoul with it's iconic Namsan Tower set in the center of everything. 

(my photo)

What really can prepare you to live in a city of millions of people? Everywhere you go, whenever you go is crowded or never really empty. Life flows on the streets so abundantly here that the buzz only dies down on certain holidays. But this doesn't mean it's a bad thing. It just means this is a city that beats and constantly spins to it's own rhythm due to the number of people and it's culture. I've often felt when visiting back home in my dad's small town an eerie feeling of the lack of people around. Seoul is a vibrant city with so much going on that you hardly need to dig deep to find meaningful experiences. 

Leaving Seoul behind is a hard decision as it is a city that has truly grown on to me. I have felt like I fit in here after so many years. But it's time to look forward and onward, and this time the place of interest is Seattle.

(source)

I have never been to Seattle, and in fact it will be the Northwestern most point in America that I will end up in. People tell me it's a fun and great city to live in and I believe them. From what I've read the place is buzzing with good food, live music and an eclectic scene of artists and creative people. 

Already I've found museums and parks that I want to explore, and with Canada right up top I might take an adventure there too. Since I'll be a student they have plenty of cozy cafes to warm up in with my laptop or books. And libraries!! Yes, Korea has libraries but you know..wasn't the same. 

It's going to be a new place to discover and I hope to get involved in the community and get to know what makes Seattle buzz. 

Anyway, just wanted to share this interesting set of facts about my life. Winter is here in Korea and I have to keep warm thoughts as the temperatures drop down. So here is looking ahead to the future and appreciating where I have been in the past. Cheers!

What Could Have Been and What Will Be

Yesterday I was busy in Itaewon checking in at the Chung Hwa Animal Hospital to have a chat and see what carriers they had for sale. It looks like the best option would be to buy Tom a sturdy carrier with plenty of room to curl up in. However, the one and only they had for sale was a bit out of my price range so I will be using Gmarket once again. Also I took care of ordering a name tag for Tom, which will include his name and my email address.

After I took care of cat stuff I headed to Jankura Artspace, which was just around the corner. I handed off copies of ArtAsiaPacific to Mike and got ready for his life drawing session in the evening. During which I had a great conversation with him about his art studio and life in Korea. When I started the drawing session I couldn't help but think what could have been if I were to continue living in Korea. My mind wandered down areas thinking that I could have gotten more into the art scene here, making a clearer name for myself. Perhaps I could have taught some art classes at his studio, and had a steady extra income that way. These thoughts permeated my mind while I enjoyed drawing the costumed model in a Belly Dancer outfit.

But then during one of our mini-breaks I overhead a couple of people talking. It turned out they were reminiscing on good times they had in Seattle. As I listened I started to think, "Hey if two people in Korea can look back fondly on their life in Seattle, then perhaps my move is really a good idea." One of these folks I had known for a while, but I guess didn't really know his background. As he sat back down to get ready for the session I informed him I was moving to Seattle, and he was quite enthusiastic. Also praised the University I will be going to with good remarks. Needless to say I felt a huge moral boost in my decision to leave Korea.

As the evening wore on I was told of the great Art scene there and the possibilities. Also was given a few tips on what neighborhood to live in and which to avoid. I don't really know anyone in Seattle, except for an old friend back home who actually just moved out of there. So I was really pleased to find someone out here who has lived there.

What will be?

What I look forward to is discovering the new city I will be living in and getting back into American life. I hear Seattle has a good music and art scene, so I will enjoy that. Surely I will end up too busy with school work, but for the most part I think I'll be able to enjoy my time off wisely.

I know I am going to miss Korea and I want to write about what I will miss in more detail. However, it's kind of hard to write about it when you don't really want to face that you will be leaving a lot behind.

This post was just to expunge my recent thoughts on the whole matter. Hope it wasn't too random!

The Why

Why leave this land that has so many wonders and where I have discovered a culture rich in beauty and taste?

My time in Korea, for the most part, was focused on a certain set of tracks. Those led by the fact that I was dating a Korean and we were getting serious. I thought that my life was headed down towards marriage and forming a family in Korea. It was something I was willing to accept and go through with, coming with the price of leaving America and my family behind. Intertwined with this was my love for the country, exploring and being involved in the art scene. But then last year these tracks suddenly stopped, I broke up with my boyfriend. Since I was heading down those tracks I tried to keep the momentum going, hoping I would find a new lover along the way. However, it seemed as hard as I tried life just wasn't going to deal me those cards.

Around the beginning of this last summer, as I found myself defeated again, I sat back and asked myself, "Where am I going in Korea? What am I doing here?" I began to see that trying to continue the personal path I was on before was becoming fruitless, yet my energy and love towards teaching had never waned. I also considered what is left for me here in Korea, both professionally and personally.

(my Public School classroom in 2008)

Professionally I could continue to find good schools to work at and build up my reputation and salary, perhaps getting a University teaching gig. But then I understood that this could last for only so long. Without a Master's degree I would eventually be up against the competition of those who have earned such title. Combine this with having already moved four times in Korea and have gone from one school to the next, I felt tired with the feeling of having to do this over and over. Yet I felt the passion for teaching in me and knew that making a career out this would be not only possible but best for my life.

I came to the conclusion through research and discussion to go back home and pursue a Master's Degree in TESOL. I realized that I would like to try to serve the immigrants and students who need English back home, then to keep pumping it out over here. Like a flower bursting into bloom this idea of mine started from a seed and grew into a new life goal.

Therefore my decision to leave Korea stemmed off the personal and grew into the professional. Throughout the beginning of when I was going back-and-forth on whether to stay in Korea or not, I truly did have a hard time coming to the idea that I would be leaving this country. It's not just that I'm leaving a comfortable way of life, it's that I will be saying goodbye to friends and relationships that I have cared about over the years here.

More so than anything I have experienced or gained here in Korea is that I will miss my students. So the decision to leave is even harder knowing I won't be here to see them grow up. All I can wish for is that they remember me.

Certainly I want to write more about what I'm going to miss and look back on the fond memories I have, so keep an eye out for that. But I hope what I wrote today show's you how I came to the conclusion of leaving my 4 year life in Korea. For the most part I am excited about my new journey ahead and can't wait to see how what I have learned here shapes me in the year's to come. If you have any questions about all this please do ask.

All right, thank you for reading.

Foreigner Joy will soon be foreigner no more

This is what I looked like when I first arrived in Korea, back in spring of 2008. At that time I was exhausted but also thrilled to start my Korean life. For the next four years I learned a lot about Korean culture, it's people and mostly myself. I've had two serious Korean boyfriends in that time, and they helped shape my experience here. So what am I getting at?

I'm leaving Korea.

I will write about how I came to this conclusion and what my plans are shortly. But first I want to say something to those who have been reading this blog from the beginning, or generally keep up with it. Thank you! Really, I was able to get through the tough times and enjoy my time in Korea so much more because I had this blog. Also being involved in the K-blogging community kept me from jumping ship even earlier. I know many of you appreciate what I write and do to represent Korean life, and so a part of me is sad that I will no longer be contributing after I leave. However, I think what I leave behind here on this blog will be helpful to other's in the future and certainly will remain as a great way for me to look back on life here.

With that said I also want to say something to those who might be saying, "I guess Joy has given up." "Korean life was just too hard for her anyways, she must not have tried hard enough to live here." When you live somewhere for four years, especially in another culture, you do spend a lot of time making it your home. There are folks in Korea who have been here a long time, made it a point to learn Korean, and have engulfed themselves in the culture by either marriage or other means. These are "lifers" and for a while there I thought I was one of them. But my life changed and wasn't really going down that track anymore (I'll write more on this later when I talk about why I have decided to leave). In short I want to say to those who might think I have "given up", that making a decision like this is not easy.

So why am I leaving and where am I going? I am going to detail the "why" part in a different post as I feel it would be good to give a better description of this then just, "It was time."

As for where I am going...well. I decided to go back home and go to Graduate school. After spending considerable time researching I have decided to go to Seattle University and attend the M.A. Ed. TESOL program. You see I decided that I need my American life back and I also want to advance in this field. Now, I'm no fool and know that the American job market is tough. I won't be guaranteed work after I graduate. Yet I am willing to relocate myself again to where job opportunities may be. If there is a job in Arizona that would hire me, I'll take it! Perhaps I'll even head out again and this time to Japan.

So from now on I'll still be sharing posts about my remaining time here in Korea (I'll be leaving at the end of my contract in February). Also I'll talk about my move and my time here in Korea. Once again thanks for following me through all these years or weeks...it's been a pleasure keeping this blog. So time to move on...and get going!

Getting On Base: My Visit to Camp Casey

Located north on the blue line is the US Army Garrison known as Camp Casey. Throughout my whole time living in Korea I have never gone on any of the US Army bases here in Korea. Of course the main reason being that you can't just walk in, but need to have an Army personell escort you. Through some random act of the universe I was invited to go on base with my blogger friend Jennipal. She has a friend who works on the base and so invited me along.

It was a lot of fun meeting Jennifer, as we have only met one time long ago, randomly and briefly while we were at the same hospital. However, I had thought I had met her before but apparently had myself confused.

When you enter the base you go through a building that checks you in. Here you hand over your ID and passport, although US citizens don't need to. They keep your ID and give you a temporary one to carry around on the base.

After stepping out of the check-in room it was like walking out of Korea and entering into a small town in America. Grassy lawns and buildings with few signs on them makes you feel at home.

There were few cars moving about and mostly you saw Army guys and gals wondering around. It was a strange sight knowing Korea is just outside the walls.

Our first stop was the food court where Taco Bell, Burger King and a few sandwich shops were up for grabs. We chose Taco Bell, even though you can get it around Seoul these days.

photo = Jennipal

After our meal and admiring the fact that I paid in Korean won and got US dollars back, we headed to the pool to cool off. I was told I could use my US credit or debit cards and not be charged any overseas penalties  Oh the wonders of an Army Base!

The pool was amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed it with my friends. 

This summer I really wanted to go swimming and felt my prospects of that were slim, unless I wanted to join the pools at the Han river and swim with lots of children. So I was incredibly pleased and grateful to swim in a pool that didn't require a cap or goggles. Plus the whole vibe felt relaxed.

After our swim and fun times we showered up and enjoyed a tour of the Camp grounds. It was fun to see bunkers, army vehicles and barracks laid out amongst beautiful lawns and mountain scenery.

Everything was in English of course, including advertisement banners.

If you can find a way to get on base I would highly recommend it as it certainly is a way to "get away" from the hub-bub of Seoul. Although my friend's friend didn't have access to the shopping areas I still enjoyed my visit. Plus I feel like I got to experience something unique within this country.

For more pictures and blah-blah head to Jennipal's post of her take on the trip. Also for some old time pics of the base and to see some history check out this link.

Modern Design Museum: Hidden Gem in Hongdae

As I found myself on the edge of Hongdae, further away from the bustling restaurant, cafe and club streets near the station, I wandered up a hill. On my phone was a map I downloaded that had highlights one could find in the area. 

If you happen to be looking closely at this map then you could have found me in the B1 section. The main part of Hongdae being in the D2-1 quandrants.  I saw something up there that said "Modern Design Museum" and so headed in that direction. 

After coming to the end of a steep hill I noticed clearly a building marked with that name, and looked suitable to house the attributes of design. 

I walked up to the cafe entrance and saw a sign which read, "Push red button for museum entrance." (Yes, in English.) I must have been in Wonderland as there was no one around, and a red button beckoning me. I pressed, waited a while and proceeded inside the cafe. I was greeted by a young lady who asked for 5,000 Won, and showed me up the stairs to the 1st gallery.

The Modern Design Museum is arranged in such a way that you can get a very good idea of how design entered and endured through Korea's modern history. You'll see that the use of design from the beginning was for filial and political use, mostly. But as time went on and Western culture seeped in more, the elements and "things" of design permeated it's way into the culture. 

Before entering the actually gallery you are greeted by this small guest table, with stamps and postcards for sale. I left a little something behind for their pleasure. 

The gallery space is sectioned off into different time periods but mostly categorized by how design had an affect on Korea.

Section 1: Inception Stage (Introduction of Western modern culture...) 1876-1910

The first area you walk in to is full of small photos, pins and memorabilia that any antique enthusiast would roll over in glee about. 

Mostly, you could tell, they were trying to show the earliest form of how Korea was promoted to the world. The use of small flags amongst others represents this, which you can get a sense for in the following slideshow.

The incredibly delicate and historic looking photographs were very illuminating. This is an archive definitely worth checking out in your free time. It gave me a greater sense of this country's history.

Section 2: Stationary Stage (Slump of Korean traditional culture and the beginning of the corporate) 1910-1945

The next section featured more commercial type items, like postcards and newspapers. Here you got a feel for the propaganda machine in high gear. 

It was fun to see familiar things yet in an older light, such as these traditional playing cards.

Everything had this real used feel to it and the collection was very well put together, organized on view in such a way you could really grasp the concept. These dolls, scene behind glass and featured in a traditional style book case, were ultimately captivating.

Section 3: Incubating Stage (Begininning of understanding the design usefulness) 1945 - 1961 / Section 4: Early developing stage 1961 - 1976 / Section 5 Developing Stage: (Systemizing design and development through international sports)1976 - 1988 / Section 6: Take-off stage 1988 - 2000 / Section 7: Maturing stage 2000 ~

One moves on from the second floor to the third where they start to enter a part of Korean history where things move upward economically and the role of design becomes more important towards developing an international image. 

Everything from small tin-toys, to rice-cookers and TVs seemed to infiltrate themselves into Korean households. It was actually kind of humorous because I could have sworn I've seen some of these old items at use in some places. But all together I really enjoyed this section because it gave me a broader sense of how Korea developed into it's modern self today. I also started to see how important household appliances are and their significance in the change of a traditional society into a modern one. 

From rotary phones to keyboards and wireless phones, it seems the conveniences of today opened themselves up to Korea, just as it had everywhere else.

When you get to the final room, the one with sports paraphernalia (the 2002 World Cup), you come to a full understanding of how design made its way through Korea's tumultuous modern history.

After I left the gallery space and headed back down to the cafe, I couldn't help leaving inspired. I mostly feel an affinity to the early postcards that were on display. Already I have inspiration for some new art works. Let's hope I don't take too long to create it.

I purchased a few postcards, said my goodbye and went on my way. But I am here today to tell you to check out this museum. For several reasons:

1. It's a hidden gem amongst the glut of cafes, couples and Hongdae crowds.
2. Since it is a hidden gem you likely will find yourself as the only person viewing the place. I was there on a Sunday afternoon, and was the only one. Otherwise, you won't find yourself fighting for elbow room here. 
3. The cafe looked very inviting.
4. There is a park nearby, worth exploring.
5. The history! By golly... this place will give your head a swirl.

Directions:

View 근현대디자인박물관 Modern Design Museum in a larger map




Step 1: Go out exit 8 and face this way:

Step 2: Make your way to the rotary:

Step 3: Go left and head towards a street you can take on the right, that features a Family Mart.

Step 4: Find the road on the right that has the Family Mart.

Step 5: Head down the road, alllll the way to the end. You will pass cafes and boutique clothing shops. Plus the Prince Coffee Shop drama place. 

Step 6: Find the crosswalk, cross it. Once on the other side make a little U-turn to find a road that is going uphill.

When you see the following, then you know you are in the right spot!