World Go Round

Recently I went to a place called Korea, maybe you've heard of it?

(not quite THIS Korea)

I went to Korea because it is quite close to Japan... and frankly it's just not on the way to anywhere. Meaning if I didn't go to Korea now, then I would probably never go. I am interested in Korea though, don't get me wrong. I went with two of my friends so we arranged our accommodation and what not together. We did not, however, plan any kind of activity to do upon arrival so many days were severely under planned and uncoordinated - but that's way I like it.

We were able to visit a lot of interesting and beautiful places in Seoul. From huge market-like areas for shopping, to tall towers for viewing the city, to the quirky/chic areas for people watching and the nightlife areas for drinking. Seoul is of course a huge city but because of the wonderful subway system it's extremely easy to get from point A to point B without much difficulty.

I could probably talk about the city and what we did for quite a while but you can do all that yourselves if you're interested in going. Instead I'll point out some nice things that I thought of or learned along the way and maybe by the end you will want to check it out a bit.

(Because THEY certainly seem interested!)

One thing I experienced which hasn't so much been a problem lately was the language barrier. I don't speak Korean as you may or may not know, so my ability to communicate was unfortunately limited to saying hello, thank you, and gestures. A lot of people could speak English but it always makes me feel self conscious to have to rely on it - it makes me feel lazy. Like I should learn their language because they're learning mine.

The Korean writing system (Hangul) is extremely easy to get the hang of and because it is a phonetic alphabet, it means that anyone can read it and pronounce it even if they don't understand what it means. English is harder because of the language's history and therefore, it's many exceptions to rules. Many words can be spelled similarly but pronounced differently. Before going to Korea I didn't learn Hangul but by the end it was possible to read some station names just from picking up some of the common symbols on signs. It makes me wonder if I should go ahead and learn it now?

(I don't think I could explain this in any language)

Korean people put a lot of effort into their outward appearance. I guess we all do to an extent but it's particularly noticeable in Korea, I think. A kind of cosmetic surgery to turn 'single' eyelids to 'double' eyelids is quite popular (as it makes the eyes seem bigger), beauty products are quite cheap and effective, and of course the fashion in Korea is of a very high standard. Everyone there is just so beautiful!

Because Seoul is such a big city then it stands to reason that Seoulites are used to seeing so many foreigners. In Japan I live in the countryside where foreigners are not so common, which means the Japanese people here are more excited to see us (foreigners) and will often try hard to speak and include us in things. People in Seoul don't really care so much and I think find foreigners to be more annoying than anything else. I can't really blame them for that though!

(Foreigners. Annoying Koreans for YEARS)

The conflict between North and South Korea was not particularly prevalent in my opinion. We went up to the Demilitarised Zone (the area between North and South Korea) and did a tour around the various places. When we went on the tour we weren't able to go to some of the places because of the recent tension between the two sides but we were able to at least learn a little about the situation. You may know this already but the capital, Seoul, is actually extremely close to the border. The people of North Korea have had to go through a lot and will probably be stuck in famine for a long time more. Our tour guide was extremely bright and cheerful though (oddly so?) which meant we could learn a lot but not be dragged down too much by heaviness of it all.

All males in South Korea must join the army for 21 months. If you are born with one Korean parent but live in a different country, you must choose to either take part in the army or lose your Korean citizenship. If you are a celebrity you must still participate in the army. There are exceptions for the handicapped and (oddly enough) for those who bring national pride to Korea, for example, gold medal winning athletes. However the general rule is mandatory army service. The range for this service though is quite varied and soldiers can be stationed all over the country in any manner of job. Some could be lucky ... some could be forced to hide in the freezing mountain border to watch North Korea.

(or be forced to to this. I don't envy you chicken soldiers)

Kimchi is one of the most popular foods in Korea and is served with everything. It's like spicy, fermented vegetables (usually cabbage). Upon ordering a meal, several plates of various kimchi related foods will be served as sides. In 2010 there wasn't much rainfall so the price of cabbages skyrocketed in an event deemed a national tragedy by Korean Newspapers. They've solved the problem by importing cabbages from abroad, but it's an indication of how important kimchi is to Korea. I didn't mind the flavour... not the best thing in the world but definitely a nice addition to a meal - super healthy too.

Alcohol in Korea has all the standards plus some special Korean kinds as well. Soju is a distilled drink made from a rice base (or other starch based foods) and is both cheap and delicious. Sugar is added in the manufacturing process to make it sweeter so it can be drank by itself no problems. The other famous Korean-made alcohol is Makkoli which is basically a Korean rice wine. It's not very strong (6%?) but it's quite sweet and very easy to drink. It's usually served in a communal bowl in the centre of the table so people can ladle it themselves. Traditional, no?

Otherwise the rest of the food in Korea is generally quite spicy (not too bad though!) and is usually quite meaty in content. A typical Korean style restaurant will have many tables in a big room with a miniature barbeque built into each table. The rooms will often spill outside with plastic tents/annexes used to protect people from the outside conditions. It's a wonderful, lively environment where the positive atmosphere from one group can easily liven up the next group. Alcohol is plentiful and the food is even more plentiful.

(Korean dining = meat + kimchi)

The Korean entertainment industry responsible for the 'Korean Wave' across the world is by all means quite impressive. K-pop is becoming more and more popular and Korean drama's have been popular throughout Asia for quite some time now. I put K-pop up there with J-pop (which I will talk about in a future blog) but there are some big differences between them. K-pop is sexier, J-pop (Japanese pop) is cuter. I have only watched one Korean movie so far; Old Boy. It's a very good movie and has won many awards but is possibly not the best movie to use to gain an insight into Korea culture. It has ... heavy themes. Here is some K-pop for y'all!

(Korean amazingness)

I don't know many people from Korea but I have one friend who I was able to meet up with a few times there. It was important for me to experience the nightlife from a local's point of view and not just see the sights of the city. So this way I could learn more about Korea from a Korean person and see some of the better bars and nightclubs around town. Plus frankly, having a good time was probably higher on my list than learning about Korea's ancient history. I don't remember the names of the era's Korea has gone through - but I CAN tell you the names of the bars I visited...... sort of. Obviously the activities performed in a bar impair that sort of thing.

So all in all I had a wonderful time in Seoul. Aside from the DMZ up north we didn't really leave the city so if I go back again it might be nice to check the rest out. Down south there is a city called Busan which has been described to be a bit like Melbourne which sounds nice! As I mentioned before though, Korea is a little out of the way. I DO want to go to Mongolia one day though...

(Artists interpretation)