The Korean movie experience

I had my first Korean movie experience on the weekend. I had heard that the Korean movie experience is different than at home, with the three main differences being:

1. Koreans eat "squid snack" (think beef jerky made of squid) in the movies, giving the theater a very particular smell,
2. when their cell phones ring, they answer them, and actually have a conversation!!! I guess they don't have that preview like we do at home that reminds people not to provide their own soundtrack to the show, and
3. when the show's over, they head for the door like the place is on fire- no time for credits or anything of the sort.

So I was a little curious/nervous when we went to see The Bourne Identity. Fortunately, none of the warnings proved to be major issues- most of the people ate popcorn and candy, not squid, and nobody around me answered their phone during the movie. The part about people bailing as soon as it's over was true, but I didn't find it much different than at home- I feel that I am definitely in the minority in that I enjoy watching the closing credits of movies. I suppose it's one of my little quirks, and it's not that I'm all that interested in seeing who the gaffer was, or which catering service was used, but what songs were on the soundtrack, and where the movie was filmed. As far as the whole Korean movie experience goes, I give it "two thumbs up!"

Apsan

Saturday was by far the best day I have had in Korea so far. We had made plans to spend Saturday doing errands, and to go sightseeing on Sunday, but when I woke up and saw the beautiful day outside, I knew we had to get out there and do something! Although it is always warm here during the summer months, it is rare to see the blue sky- most days are bright, but the sky is often white, not blue. Saturday was an exception- it was warm, but not hot, a cool breeze was blowing, and the sun beamed down from a perfect blue sky. We have the great fortune to be surrounded by mountains in Daegu, so the choice of how to spend such a gorgeous day was easy (just like summer Saturdays in Alberta)- head for the mountains.

We headed for one of the best known mountains in Daegu, which also happens to be reasonably close to where we live. The mountain is called Apsan (Ap means "front" and san means "mountain" because the mountain is in front of Daegu), and it is a low tree-covered mountain with several hiking trails, Buddhist temples, and valleys to visit (along with a small amusement park, which I'd rather not discuss). The taxi dropped us off at the base of the mountain and we leisurely made our way up a walking path that runs parallel to a small stream. After exploring a couple of side trails we headed for the cable car and took a ride to the top of the mountain. We had lunch at a small traditional restaurant on top, while enjoying the bird's eye view over Daegu. It's interesting how the city is laid out (and I assume other large Asian cities are similar)- everything is very compact and there are entire square miles devoted to nothing but high rise apartment buildings. Anyway, it gave me a better feel for the city and where things are actually located. After a delicious lunch of bibimbap we wandered a couple hundred meters up the trail and just sat and talked and enjoyed the sunshine. People were very friendly to us, and most people said hello, or tried to practice their English on us. I was amused by the variety of people I saw on the mountain. The majority appeared to be serious hiking groups, decked out in hundreds of dollars worth of expensive hiking boots, packs, and clothes, and there were a fair number of average hikers as well- people in running shoes, dads with kids, that sort of thing. Then there was a small minority of women in high heels, as though they had been downtown shopping earlier in the day, but had succumbed to a sudden irresistible urge to go to the top of Apsan. It was amazing to me that they could even make it up the mountain in those shoes! Finally, on the way down we saw a bunch of men in suits and ties, wearing dress shoes. I know people here take their work seriously, but seriously...

The part of the hike from the top of the cable car to the higher point on the mountain follows part of an old fortress wall that was built during the Silla Kingdom period, probably in the 600s CE (common era). It was an amazing experience to go hiking somewhere that was built long before any European had even dreamed of setting foot on North American soil. After taking the cable car back down the mountain, we explored a Buddhist temple that we had spotted from above. A small group of monks in slippers, grey suits, and straw hats worked silently, clearing brush around the temple, and sweeping the stones off the brick pathways leading up to the temple. We carefully approached one monk to ask if it was ok to be there and take pictures, and he talked to us briefly, asking where we were from. When we replied that we were from Canada, he told us he had been to Vancouver and Whistler. When I asked him (along with exaggerated gestures) if he had been skiing in Whistler, he smiled and replied that he had, in fact, been snowboarding. I certainly had no idea at the start of the day that I would encounter a snowboarding monk who flies off to Whistler to enjoy his sport!

The temple was beautiful and extremely serene. I stood and marveled at the detail of the craftsmanship along the underside of the roof. Each board was brightly painted and decorated with flowers and patterns. Everything was very symmetrical, and the central walkway led up to a large building with a main central glass sliding door and a couple of smaller side doors. Through the central door I could see candles burning and a large, gold statue of Buddha resting quietly in the background. The peacefulness of the place made it slightly surreal, and very difficult to leave. Finally, in the fading hours of daylight we slipped away and calmly sauntered down the path, and back towards home.

Seomun Market

Last weekend we went to Seomun Market, which is one of the largest and best known outdoor markets in Daegu. We saw and smelled and experienced so much that it's hard to even begin describing it. We eased our way into the experience, wandering first through narrow alleyways of old men's pants and cheap women's dresses. Of course, this section wasn't exclusively clothing, because that would violate the first rule of Korean market organization: "Items in the market are randomly distributed throughout the market." For example, you could buy one item in four consecutive shops and come away with a pair of pants, some kimchi, a frying pan, and an umbrella. Makes perfect sense, right? Anyway, we wandered through a lot of average stuff, with the most interesting things being a pair of Nike shorts that Caroline bought (the label said "Made in the U.S.A." - we knew they had to be fake!). After wandering through the clothing "section", things quickly became more interesting.

After walking past dozens of colorful vegetable stands, we came to a pork butcher shop. There was no mistaking what kind of shop this was, as the pigs' pale, waxy severed heads were sitting on a table in front of the shop (two were "snout forward", one was "snout up"). I have known for a long time where bacon comes from, but this was just a bit grotesque. The pigs were like the ghosts of bacon past, present, and future, reminding me where my savory breakfast meat had/would come from. Curiosity kept us there long enough for a couple of pictures, but queasiness soon overpowered curiosity, and we moved on. We passed a truckload of apples (Daegu is famous for its apples), two grandmas serving bondegi (roasted silkworm larvae), and a variety of other vegetables. Then we arrived at the heart of the market.

We encountered the overpowering smell and sound long before we saw any of the offending creatures. The odor was like the inside of a small, filthy barn, and the noise was a cacophony of farm animal sounds, as though all the animals had sung "Old MacDonald" together, and were belting out their respective animal noises in unison. Large hens in cramped, dirty pens clucked in discomfort, ducks quacked ignorantly, small dirty kittens cried as they crawled over one another, and a box full of a dozen or more puppies whined as they shifted positions, looking for a more comfortable position that they would not find. In between the chickens and the ducks sat a short box of huge, fattened rabbits, with their ears limp and floppy, as though they were trying not to hear the noise around them. As I surveyed the scene, I kept telling myself that all those animals weren't for eating (were they?). Nearby, thick eels slithered in small circular tubs, and turtles clawed over each other awkwardly, like robots in a wrestling match. In the next stall, a woman carefully arranged her neat piles of chicken feet and chicken innards. Oddly, just a few feet away were rows of makeshift restaurants crowded with eager patrons and sending off the most inviting blend of sweet and savory smells. Like Toucan Sam, we followed our nose, away from the barnyard smells and towards the food (I mean the "already prepared" food). I'm so happy, because now if I ever get a hankering for something unusual, like chicken feet, or eel, I know just the place to go.

WalMart!

Thank goodness for WalMart! I can't believe I'm writing those words, but it's true. We heard that there was a WalMart in Daegu, so last weekend we decided to check it out. Unlike the huge big box stores at home that occupy vast amounts of land, this was a tidy little deal that was all stacked up- food on one floor, clothes on the next, etc. We took in every aisle in the food department, and bought a bit of Western food. We couldn't believe how Western the store was (which might explain why it's only about half as busy as its Korean counterpart, Emart). I was even happy to find things like "Shells and Cheese". And the worst part is, it wasn't even the real Velveeta stuff, just some cheesy (pun intended) knockoff made in Bentonville, Arkansas. Oh well, it's nice to know that if I'm ever dying for some food from back home, WalMart might just be there to save the day.

Hospital escapees

The PC Bang that we go to is just down the street from a hospital. Every time we're here there are a few people that wander in wearing identical pyjamas. At first I only ever saw one person at a time, so I assumed it was a local crazy guy, but then they started coming in droves. It turns out that even if you've been admitted to the hospital, you are able to leave your room and wander around the neighborhood. On pleasant evenings you'll see a whole group of them outside the hospital, hanging out on the sidewalk, all wearing the same pyjamas, which, incidentally, are white with blue and red squiggles and polka dots. In fact, there are two of these hospital escapees next to me right now, smoking and surfing the net. I guess I should just be grateful that they are wearing pyjamas, and not the open-backed gowns that we have to wear in the hospital back home!

A country of spitters

Korea is a country of spitters. As far as I can tell, it's confined mostly to the men, but if I only had a thousand won for every time I heard the sound of... well... you know. It's like they are reaching into the depths of their soul to hock up some kind of elusive poison. I hear it all the time. When I'm in the house I hear the neighbors. When I'm in the shower I hear people on the street below. When I am on the street I hear men in the park. When I'm teaching classes I hear passersby outside. As the expression goes, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do", but I think I'll hold off picking up this particular habit.

Hello, Giant!

As I have written previously, one of the most amusing things for kids here is to dare each other to come up and say hi to us. It usually starts with a lot of nudging and whispering, a couple of nervous glances in our direction, and then the bold one comes and says, "Hello!" (Sidenote: they don't learn "hi" in school here, just "hello", and the standard answer to "How are you?" is "Fine, thank you, and you?") This week on the way to lunch a kid came up to me (all by himself, which was unusual) and said, "Hello, giant!" Then, obviously chuffed with himself, he gave us a few chuckles and continued on his way. I'm glad I can be such a source of amusement to kids here.

Typhoon Megi

So apparently I survived Typhoon Megi, which hit Korea sometime last week. Daegu is surrounded by mountains, so it didn't hit here with much force, but apparently it was pretty bad closer to the coast. People were even killed in the flooding and whatnot. All it meant for us here is a lot of rain (it poured for a day or two straight). The strangest part was that a public service announcement came on over the loudspeakers in the street (I assume they were built to warn of any impending invasion from North Korea, but they are also useful for public service announcements). As the rain poured down outside, I could hear the message coming over the loudspeakers. The funny thing is, I couldn't understand any of it anyway, so even if it had said to evacuate, or something of the sort, I would have just stayed put. I guess ignorance is bliss.

It's amazing to be part of the human family!

Like billions of people around the globe, I watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics this morning. Because of the time difference, they were on at 3 a.m., so I watched them for a while on Korean t.v. at 3, and then again on NBC starting at 9. I was amazed at the creativity of the costumes, music, and choreography. The show was beautiful and spectacular! Western civilization owes so much to Greece, and it was incredible to see the many periods of Greek history replayed in such vivid detail.

I loved the parade of the athletes as well. I was overwhelmed by the beautiful and varied costumes representing so many nations and cultural traditions. It was wonderful to see athletes from countries big and small joining together for one common purpose. To me, the Olympics is about so much more than just the sports. It is a chance to celebrate humanity, to glorify human achievement, and to set aside differences and emphasize similarities. The Olympics have traditionally been an excellent forum for symbolic gestures of goodwill, and this year was no exception. I was moved by the warm reception given to Iraq, and by the decision of the athletes from North and South Korea to walk together.

What a remarkable opportunity to celebrate human progress and to realize that we all have so much in common. It's amazing to be part of the human family!

Ben and Jerry's vs. the gym

Two significant events happened on the same day this week: I joined the gym, and a new Ben and Jerry's ice cream shop opened down the street from our school. Coincidental timing? I think not.

The gym is a small but very convenient facility located on the top floor of the same building that our school is in. The school occupies the second floor, and the gym is on the fifth floor, so all I have to do to go to the gym is head up a few flights of stairs (talk about taking away possibilities for excuses!). The gym basically consisists of one big room with the machines and weights, a small office, and men's and women's locker rooms. There are several treadmills, bikes, and stairmasters, plus various weight machines and free weights. The treadmills look out onto the street the school is on, with the mountains visible in the distance- an extra bonus, I suppose. It's not the nicest gym I've been to, but it's very adequate and will have everything I need. Plus, you can't beat the location!

The grand opening of the Ben and Jerry's ice cream store was a sight to behold. On Thursday morning we encountered a ten-foot tall man on stilts walking down the street in long, lemon-yellow pants. An arch of brightly colored balloons adorned the doorway of the store, and as music pumped out from large, booming speakers, girls gave out balloons to the children and coupons to their mothers. The sweet smell of waffle cones drifted out onto the street, inviting passers-by to enter ice cream paradise (in my opinion, that's all the advertising they really needed, but I suppose I can see why they did all the other stuff too). A large inflatable clown stood in front of the shop facing the street, his untethered right hand waving wildly at passing cars. And I have been sentenced to walk past this ice cream shop every day going to and from work. With the coincidental timing of the new gym membership, I feel like a character from one of those old Looney Tunes cartoons with an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other! Let's hope that the angel is just a little bit stonger...

Phone numbers

This is just a quick post about a few interesting things I've noticed with phone numbers here. Korea, like Canada and the U.S., has mostly seven digit phone numbers. So what a surprise when I came to Daegu and found that the main prefix in my neighborhood here is 752-, the same prefix I always had growing up in Raymond! A small and random thing, but something that still got me a little excited in a weird sort of way.

What number do you call in an emergency? Well 9-1-1, of course. Unless you live in Korea. Then it would be 1-1-9. Now I know that some people find Korea a little backwards, which isn't necessarily fair (or true- they have the world's 12th largest economy), but 1-1-9? That's just too much!

While there seems to be slow but steady progress toward the warming of relations between North and South Korea (polls show that most citizens in both countries would prefer to be reunited), there is still military and political tension between the North and South. (This tension can be experienced firsthand with a visit to the DMZ: the "de-militarized zone", a two mile-wide strip of land separating the two countries). While things appear to be improving now, there have been a few incidents since the Korean War in which North Korea has dropped the proverbial cards-up-its-sleeve: like the time the South discovered a tunnel drilled from North to South which would have allowed the rapid deployment of tens of thousands of North Korean troops into Seoul in a very short time. The bottom line is that these two countries are still technically at war, and the South Korean government has measures in place so its citizens can do their part, including a national "report-a-spy" number: just dial 1-1-3.

Finally, while South Korea has been a fairly insular country and probably doesn't benefit from tourism the way other Asian countries do, they have made significant efforts to helping those Westerners who do venture here. At any time, from anywhere in the country, if you have a question, a very polite English-speaking Korean girl with a soft voice has the answer. Just dial 1-3-3-0. Need to know how to get downtown, and what bus you need to take? 1-3-3-0. Need to know how much bus tours of the city cost, and where they start? 1-3-3-0. Need to find an Indian restaurant in Daegu? You guessed it: 1-3-3-0. If you ever go on Who Wants to be a Millionaire and need to phone a friend, just dial 1-3-3-0. Chances are, they'll have the answer!

Feeling run down? Eat dog soup!

Caroline recently started subscribing to the Korea Herald, which is Korea's only English language newspaper. Reading it is an interesting experience- it's an opportunity to learn more about Korean culture, and there is usually coverage of international events that probably get little or no mention back home. One example is the fact that the U.S. Air Force recently went head-to-head with the Indian Air Force in a mock aerial combat exercise, with the Indian Air Force winning 90% of the fights using Russian-built jets. But I digress... what I actually wanted to write about is an article in this week's paper about how Koreans beat the summer heat. You might think that with Korea being a peninsula, going to the beach would be an obvious way to beat the heat. That's true, but there is an even more common practice. Eating popsicles, you say. Yes, that's also true, but there is still something else. Koreans beat the heat with heat- by eating special foods that are believed to have great health-restoring properties.

In an article called Pick Your Summer Energizer Carefully, writer Shin Hae-in describes the symptoms of summer fatigue as weariness, sleepiness, lack of appetite and energy, and recommends the treatment: eating boyangsik, energizing food that will dispel all these symptoms at once.

"Instead of turning to cold food to cool off from the heat, many local people... choose hot dishes such as samgyetang (chicken soup with ginseng and jujube) and bosintang (dog meat soup) as their summer pick-me-up."

"Other well-known boyangsik include broiled eel, chueotang (soup made of loach fish) and jeonbokjuk (abalone porridge)."

"This method of beating the heat with hot food is based on the Oriental medical theory which compares the human body to well-water. The theory is that like well-water, which stays cool in summer and warm in winter, our inner body actually gets cooler as the outer part heats up. This is due to the fact that the human body loses a large quantity of heat as perspiration evaporates."

The article goes on to say that while it is important to eat boyangsik in summer, you must choose which food you eat according to your body type, because choosing the wrong food could have a detrimental effect on one's health. According to the Sasang Constitutional Medicine Theory, humans can belong to one (and only one) body type, which includes personality. Dr. Gwak (I'm pretty sure that's prounced "quack") Chang-kyu of Kyung Hee University Kangnam Korean Hospital provides some insight into the four types:

"Soeum people are generally thin, diminutive, quiet people who frequently suffer from indigestion. It is recommended that they eat a typical boyangsik.

Taeeum people are tall and chubby with strong ambitions who often feel their heartbeats quicken after drinking coffee. Their recommended diet consists of food made with beans, vegetables, and lean beef, as they must be careful of fat intake.

Soyang people are whimsical people who are the best at keeping cool in summer. Because they keep warm easily, they should eat cool summer fruits which help bring down their body temperature, and pork and mud-turtle soup to strengthen their kidneys. Eating hot soup like samgyetang could be detrimental for soyang people, because it raises their already-high body temperature and could cause serious headaches.

Taeyang people usually display strong leadership, and they rarely suffer from minor illnesses such as the common cold. Normally they have large heads and broad shoulders. This group is extremely rare (one in a million), and they usually have a weak liver, so seafood and fresh green vegetables is recommended."

There's so much that I want to say about this, and so much eyebrow-raising "science" behind it that all I can do is smile and appreciate the cultural difference. But if it's hot where you live, and a Slurpee from 7-11 just isn't doing the trick for you, you might want to try some boyangsik!!

To read the entire Korea Herald article, click here.

I miss Philly

I miss Philly. I'm not exactly sure what sparked this. Since leaving I have often missed it, but this week I have been thinking about it more than usual. The other night I flipped on the tv and "Cold Case" was on (cop show set in Philadelphia in case you haven't seen it). This may have been what triggered my latest nostalgic episode. I miss walking down South Street and going for cheesesteaks ("whiz with"). I miss going to the art museum, then sitting on the steps and looking out over the city skyline as the sun goes down. I miss pretending to be a racecar driver while driving down winding Lincoln Drive. I miss seeing Boathouse Row all lit up at night, and I miss the rowers out on the Schuylkill in the early morning light. I miss discovering new places and seeing new faces, but most of all I miss my friends. So here's a shout out to all my friends in Philly. Thanks for all your emails- I miss you guys!

The laughter of children

I have slipped into a fairly regular routine now, and life here is beginning to feel almost normal. Nothing of note has happened in the past few days, but it seems that each day there are little incidents that make me smile and remember that I'm in a different place.

Yesterday was a bright, sunny day and in spite of the heat we decided to head downtown. Caroline had on a new sundress, and as we were leaving she was wondering aloud whether she should be wearing sunscreen. The answer came sooner than expected. We walked out of the gate and the very instant we stepped out onto the street a passing man on a scooter slowed down and yelled to Caroline in Korean, pointing alternately between her shoulders and the sun. Obviously, he felt that she should be wearing sunscreen!

On Friday night on the way home from work we stopped for a while in a small park that we pass through each day on the way to and from work. In the daytime a large fountain sprays out of the ground, which generally attracts a lot of children (and Caroline). In the evenings, the fountain is turned off, but the park serves as a gathering point for many families from the neighborhood. Old men and women sit and gossip on the benches around the central square while young families push babies in strollers and groups of children eat popsicles and play made-up games. We sat down on a low pillar and watched a young brother and sister having the time of their life playing together. First they took turns racing around the square while the other shouted out each passing second in staccato rhythm. Next they hopped on one foot from one end of the square to the other. They then rounded out their training session with a series of crunches, with the slightly older brother helping keep his younger sister's feet down by placing his feet on top of hers. It was amazing to see such pure joy coming from children engaged in such innocent, simple fun.

As we were watching the Olympians-in-training, we noticed a larger group of children playing off to the side. And then they employed a tactic that we have encountered many times here. Like a shark circles its prey, they started circling us. They kept their distance at first, all the while casting furtive glances in our direction. Then their circle became smaller and smaller until the children were right in front of us. Suddenly, true to the pattern, all of the children pushed one single child forward- the spokesperson for the group, or maybe the bravest. "Hello!" he shouted exuberantly, inciting waves of wild laughter in his amused co-conspirators. "Hello," we replied, causing even more giggling among the group. "What is your name?" Caroline asked the oldest girl. And before they knew it, we were having a conversation. They spoke English with varying degrees of proficiency, with the oldest girl serving as translator. We asked them their names, their ages, and their favorite color, and they, in turn, played with Caroline's hair (which intrigued them) and touched my whiskered face (which also intrigued them). We played with them for about ten minutes, then continued home, made happy by the vibrancy of children.

Open house dance party

We had a funny experience today- one of those times that makes you think, "This is what traveling's all about." We had gone to Duryu Park, a large, lovely, tree-filled park in the middle of the city with a stadium, swimming pool, cultural center, and tourist information center. Our goal was to visit the tourist information center and learn a bit more about Daegu and what there is to see in the surrounding areas. It was another blasting hot day, so we lingered in the tourism center, and Caroline picked up a few things at the gift shop afterward. Outside, we enjoyed a cool drink and an ice cream (and were joined temporarily by a street rat), then headed along the walking path through the park towards home. The air along the path was fragrant and cool and trees bursting with pink blossoms exploded like fireworks in the crepuscular light. A few minutes later we happened upon a rest area where hundreds of people were sitting on benches, drinking soda, eating ice cream, and relaxing in the dying minutes of daylight. We could hear music coming from around the bend, so we decided to follow it, and discovered a scene that made us laugh and smile. In a small stone area was a group of elderly Koreans surrounding a motorcycle that was spitting out popular Korean tunes. The DJ was an old man wearing a cowboy hat, a plaid shirt and suspenders, and he was conscientiously replacing the cassette in his motorcycle tape deck each time a song ended. There were about a dozen people- men and women- all dancing and swaying to the music, some dancing alone, some in pairs, and some in larger groups. We stopped to watch, mesmerized by the music and dancing, and smiled politely at other onlookers who noticed us. Apparently we stayed a little longer than was acceptable, because all of a sudden several people had us by the arms and were leading us toward the makeshift dancefloor. We laughingly accepted and moved out among the group and moved to the music. Everyone seemed thrilled that we were dancing. In just a few seconds, someone had taken our bags to hold, someone else brought us drinks and dried fish, and someone else offered us some candies. We danced and one particularly lively fellow danced with Caroline in some surreal form of Korean Saturday Night Fever. I ducked away from the dancing for a minute, trying to take some photos on the digital camera of Caroline and her geriatric John Travolta. When I smiled at those beside me, I was greeted with a thumbs up sign and encouragements of "Korea number one". One guy kept pushing Caroline and I together and saying "I love you" and pointing at the two of us. We stayed for about five or ten minutes- long enough for a fairly large crowd to assemble, but good guests always know when to leave, so with deep bows, and many expressions of "Kamsamnida" (-thank you- one of the only Korean words we know), we slipped away onto the darkened path.