Every moment is new

I’VE MET HIM a handful of times, but for him, each encounter is the first…

There are places I love to walk.  Even knowing an area pretty well, there is always newness that strikes me.  There are peculiarities of buildings I’ve not before noticed.  There are gardens and yards whose beauty I’d previously overlooked.  Nowadays, I’ve been winding and wandering the neighborhood with the added enjoyment of roses that are blooming everywhere in pink, red, & yellow.  They even climb the fences that line the highways that traverse this gorgeous island of farms.  

[roses in the neighborhood]

Since living in Jeju City, a particular nearby hill, Sara-bong, has been a favorite.  At least twice, and sometimes five times a week, I ascend her west side stairs, take in the summit view of Jeju City’s north coast, and descend the switchback path on the east side.  Being a regular, there are other regulars that I recognize.  There’s a man I’ve seen about a half dozen times, always walking the opposite direction.  Once, at the base of the hill, he was riding a bike.  Every time we meet, it’s the same conversation.  I’ve met him a handful of times, but for him, each encounter is the first.  As we approach each other, he slows down with a smile.  We greet each other with Good Morning or Good Afternoon.   Standing quite close now, he always says, “Can I ask you a question?”  Knowing what the question will be, I smile with, “Of course.”  It’s always, “Where are you from?”  After I tell him, he enquires about my stay in Jeju:  how long I’ve been here, and what I’m doing for work.  I’ve learned that he’s a retired elementary school teacher.   He seems to be quite healthy, possibly in his sixties, but probably in his seventies with nice aging. 

 

[flowers @ Sara-bong] 

My 84 years-young grandmother’s mind isn’t the sharpest.  She remembers who we are, and sometimes where we are, but couldn’t tell you what she just ate for lunch.  If she’s continuously asking what I’ve been up to, it’s a nice time to jog my own memory.  She might not notice me repeating myself, but I try to fish for something different, some experience I’ve not yet shared with her.

 

[looking West from Sunrise Peak, Jeju-do]

For Grandma and the retired schoolteacher, every moment is new.  Keeping that in mind, we can rid ourselves of unnecessary emotional baggage.  We can move on from people, places, and experiences.  We all have our stories, but they don’t have to dictate the present.  We can choose to listen to our hearts, to live here now, and to do anything we dream.  To stop comparing the present to the past, to take each moment as a new experience… is to live more fully, to be more aware of the beauty of this present life.  It never tires me to run into the retired schoolteacher, who greets the new moment with a new, genuine smile.  

Solo night out

Ten minutes down the road, by foot, there lies the Jeju Culture and Art Center.  Dozens of times, on the way to the park or while out wandering, I’ve passed by without entering.  For the past seven months, I’ve noticed fliers for shows and exhibitions posted on boards throughout the city.  Finally, this past Tuesday, I had the chance to attend a performance that struck my fancy.  After work, I strolled down to see the Jeju Chamber Orchestra play Mozart.  The theater is quite nice and the seats are comfortable.  The cost of 10,000 won (less than 10 USD) was well worth it.  To anyone in Jeju for a little while, I highly recommend catching a show or performance at the center.  

I didn’t realize how long it’d been since I’d had the pleasure of hearing such quality musicians until the tears starting welling during the opening Overture “Die Zauberflte”.  I thought it was pretty cool that all three soloists (one horn, two pianos) were females decked out in fancy, sparkly gowns.  The icing on the cake was getting to see a French Horn solo for the first time.  Initially it sounded odd, but once I got over the strangeness of beauty in a petite Korean girl blowing into a super-shiny horn, I sat back and melted with the grandiose melodies.  

Rest & Digest

Returning to the Land of the Morning Calm, I knew what I was getting into with regards to food.  My favorite Korean staple is the Bi-Bim-Bap, a big bowl of rice, veggies, a barely fried egg, and a dollop of spicy red pepper sauce.  Mix it all together and it's a decent, filling meal.  The very spicy Soon-Do-Boo (tofu soup with egg) was another favorite during the chillier winter season.  Commonly, the food is based around either rice or noodles, much of it being peppery-spicy.  During my time here I've gotten out to taste a nice variety of foods, and have also enjoyed cooking for myself.  


Being vegetarian with an adventurous need to try new things, I'll start with the least expected.  It was early November when my Korean Aunt AeSim stopped by for a visit.  After a nice walk overlooking the sea, she and her sisters took me out for some fresh, raw, Jeju fish.  Some of it was awesome, some I didn't care for.  I'm on an island, I had to try it.  Before I leave here, I'm hoping to be in the mood for a taste of another local specialty, sea urchin soup.  The fish in the photo is, according to translation, either snapper or bream. 



Next, this salad is the first thing I threw together after our kitchen was finally in working order.  Raw tofu with little green leaves, walnuts, almonds, carrot, seaweed, olive oil, and a dash of soy sauce.



I'd never cooked pumpkin before coming to Jeju, but I've always liked everything made with it.  Discovering my deep love of this vegetable would have been reason enough for the trip out here.  Excuse the blurriness, this is steamed pumpkin with tofu, brown rice, raisins, cinnamon, and a drizzle of maple syrup. 



Just a sandwich:  tofu with garlic, spinach, and strawberries on grainy toast. 



Overall, my experiences with restaurants here have been great.  Though many restaurants specialize in meat dishes, I've had some delicious vegetarian food.  I've been to a few pure vegetarian restaurants that were outstanding.  Here's a photo of a typical Korean table spread... including the pork being cooked in the center of the table.  The variety and quantity of side dishes (including egg, vegetables, soup, & tofu stew) was enough to keep me satisfied. 



This past fall, I had the opportunity to do an overnight temple stay.  The food is pure, non-spicy vegetarian.  The three meals we ate included seaweed soup, rice, and various vegetables and tofu.  Nothing too fancy.  Here, we learned proper eating etiquette.  Take only what you will finish, wasting nothing.  Lift the bowl, take a bite, set the bowl down.  Repeat.  After eating, we had to clean out the dishes.  Not everyone tried it, but I did it the "proper way":  wipe out the dish with a sliced radish (stabbed with a chopstick), eat the radish.  Lastly, rinse out the food bowls with a bit of water, then drink the water.  Yum.  



One of the cultural activities included in the temple stay was making rice cakes.  Not the sweet/salty crunchy puffed kind you can buy at Publix.  Glutinous, chewy rice cakes coated with crushed peanut (I think that's what it was) are a traditional Korean snack/dessert.  I'm not a big fan.  They're really bland and too chewy for my taste.  Here are some monks smashing up the rice.  



For special occasions, people buy cakes.  Two common flavors here are green tea and sweet potato.  The cakes are light and airy, and usually not too sweet.  Not nearly as delicious as the cakes back home, but they always look awesome on the outside.  Here's a typical bakery cake.  At least there aren't any cherry tomatoes on this one.  


Many things around here may be flavored with green tea.  Cakes, cookies, candy, ice cream, lattes.  In Japan, we found green tea Kit Kats.  



There's also a lot of Hello Kitty.  Thanks to Jen, we can even make Kitty-head waffles.  Delicious with peanut butter & Canadian maple syrup.  



Last, but not least, Jeju's famous Hallabong (named after Jeju's Mount Halla, which the nippily-tip of the orange resembles) .   Developed in Japan, it's a sweet seedless hybrid.  They're harvested in January/February and sold through May. Hallabongs are really expensive, overhyped oranges.      



Bon appetit!  

Un-lazy Sunday

Formed by volcanic activity, Jeju Island is a gem of the Pacific.  Populated with a mere 500,000 inhabitants, she boasts gorgeous beaches (each being unique from the next), rare, geometrically wonderful basalt rock formations, and hills in every direction. From almost anywhere on the island, including the roof of my living quarters, the 1950 meter high Halla Mountain can be seen.

 

Shortly after my arrival, I recall a conversation with a man named Moon. A group of us were enjoying a warm evening up on the roof. He informed us that, surrounding the centrally located Halla-san, there are precisely 368 hills.  Looking out towards Halla, there’s one hill that always catches my eye.  Her name isn’t important. I just appreciate her form. Locally, my favorite mini-mountain is Sara-bong.  A twelve-minute walk from my abode, she’s a pleasure to traverse.  And so I do, multiple times each week. 

When I have at least an hour, I walk Sara-bong and ‘her sister’, the hill beside her.  On any given day, there are always a few dozen people enjoying the climb to and view from her peak. Today being a mild Sunday, there were scores of walkers out. I enjoyed the company of my friend, Jen.  When I go it alone, it’s usually with the added benefits of sweaty, faster movements. Today’s benefits were different.  Walking more slowly, without music, my senses were fully tuned-in to the smells, colors, and sounds of everything:  feet on the walkway, birds, blossoming plants, and the noises of other people. They're alive! 

At the base of Sara-bong, after descending the far side, we took a break.  For a cool, delicious drink, there is a stone fountain-type trough with multiple faucets and metal drinking tins, surrounded by stone sitting area. There’s a lovely pebble foot-massage path that I enjoy.  As my bare feet slowly walked from one end to the other, I could hear the rhythmic chanting of monks from the temple around the bend.  Continuing on, I escorted Jen around to the ‘sister hill’.  (I have a thing for sisters, and “Sara” is a girls’ name).  A treat for Jen, she’d never walked this path, from which the sea is always visible.  Winding around and down, we come to a clearing that houses exercise machines and rounded wooden bench-planks for stretching… or lying and gazing up at the sky, as I’m wont to do. Rather than turn around, we take it forward to the road, making the walk a loop.  This allows us to pass over a riverbed, walk through a small neighborhood, and ease our way back home via the sidewalk of a main thoroughfare. Oh, and I also had the chance to introduce Jen to my Greek (or is he Roman?) boyfriend.

Run-on sentence

Only in Korea can I go to the supermarket (where there's usually an annoying mix of Korean pop music either urging me to dance or pull my hair out), hear Boy George's "The Crying Game", and know that there's not one other person in the store who, at that moment, is also having visions of transexuals and Jim Carrey.  

Sweet dreams

In a dream, I was heading out with an old favorite college buddy from the 90’s, the adventurous, redheaded Becca.  We were going for a bike ride on a sunny, spring day.  She’s pregnant, but doesn’t hesitate to go out to the stairwell, lift her bike in through the hallway, and lug it down the stairs.  Outside waiting for her, I encounter a few strangers, presumably friends of hers.  They’re eating cactus.  Not the fruits or flowers, but the flesh.  I’m handed a huge, oblong piece, sliced open and ready to eat.  The outside of the plant appears to be the standard, light green cactus.  The innards are a lovely purple, light and almost pink, but still purple.  Not sure what you’d call the color, but it was gorgeous.  As I pulled the juicy flesh to taste it, the texture was stringy like a mango, juice filled like a grapefruit, and light like cotton candy.  Beyond being not too sweet, the taste was indescribable. 

Needless to say, I’ve been craving cactus for two days.  Luckily, I’m living in a place where there happens to be a special cactus, Baeknyuncho or "palm cactus", native to this island.  I’d tasted the chocolate they make with it.  Great flavor, but the chocolate isn’t anything to write home about.  Today, I bought the cactus tea.  70% cactus fruit, 10% honey, and I think the rest is water.  The sticky consistency of this pink-purple gel is like plasma.  The taste is perfect, on its own and with hot water, as tea.  I guess it’s just what I needed.  This weekend, ansha allah, my best girl & I will go west to check out this special, native, cacti... growing along a lovely trail for a Sunday.  

Twice Upon Two Times

ONCE UPON A TIME, in 1935, Yang Chang-bo was born in Korea.  In his mid-twenties, he lost his eyesight.  At the recommendation of Someone, he learned the shamanic techniques from a couple of shamans here in Jeju City.  Soonafter, his vision returned.  Yang Chang-bo is in his mid-seventies, has been a Shaman for 50 years, works as a caretaker of Shamanistic ritual, and makes lovely, whimsical paper art as part of his practice.  I was able to attend his opening at a nearby gallery this weekend.  Oh yeah... he wears pink pants. 

The above image is not my photo, it was hanging at the gallery.  

ONCE UPON A TIME, in the 1980's, Kim Young Gap came from Korea's mainland to live in Jeju.  He intended on staying not more than a few years, for the purpose of capturing the spirit of the island through photographs.  He became so enthralled by this place, completely immersing himself in this goal.  He became one with his surroundings... the island of Jeju... her Winds, her Seasons, her Spirit. With the help of friends and locals, Kim was able to spend years in the mountains, following what he realized was his purpose here. In 2000, Lou Gherig's disease crept in.  Unable to continue his work out in the mountains, Kim spent the last few years of his life transforming an old, abandoned school into his gallery.  He died in 2005.  

  

The photos I was fortunate to have seen there this past Sunday were some of the most awesome photos I have ever seen.  The images hit me in the deepest part of my gut, flooding me with an overwhelming urge to shed the kind of tears that only such an immense beauty can produce. Unbelievable depth, magical movement.  There were sparks of life in those images that I cannot begin to descibe.  Moving.  I've always wished there were ways to express the emotions, the elation that occurs while gazing up at the sky.  Kim Young Gap did it. If you're still waiting to experience God, go stare at one of Kim's photos.  

 

on aMuseuMents

Jeju Museum of Art...  

A nice variety of interesting art housed in a sweet building.  I was really impressed and haven't had that much fun at a museum since Dia: Beacon.  Free admission.  

Unbeknownst to us, the tourist magnet of Loveland is situated just beyond the museum perimeter's fence, in the adjacent lot.  We had to check that out, as well.  Worth the price of around $7 just for the laugh factor and seeing the amusement of others gawking at the larger than life depictions of naked people & genitals.  

Had I known about Loveland being next door, I would have done the visits in reverse order.  Then, the impressions left by the beautiful installations of Jeju Museum of Art wouldn't have been tainted.  Gotta go back. 

Props to Jeju Air

The flight from ICN to CJU is a quick 50 minutes.   I awaken from my cozy, window-seat nap to the sound of cheery flight attendants.   Extra smiley, it seems they’re engaging the passengers with some sort of entertainment.  One attendant is donning a Mickey Mouse eared headband.  Another is holding a basket of what appears to be chocolates.  I don’t understand a lick of what they’re carrying on about, but it’s as though they’re saying something to the effect of:  “Ah, ladies and gentlemen, we are commemorating the n^th anniversary of the introductions of Mickey to Korea, so let us celebrate!!  If you pay attention and are swift with your clever responses, we will reward you with these cellophane-wrapped, boxed, gift-wrapped delicious waxy chocolates!!”   They seem to be explaining the rules of “rock-paper-scissors” or, as they say in Korea, “rock-scissor-paper”.  As if anyone on the plane would not have known the rules of this game since they were toddlers.  Here, it seems to be the common way to solve any sort of conflict:  who goes first, who gets the better seat, who gets to (you name it).  So they conduct the most expansive game of rock-scissor-paper that I’ve ever seen.  All of the passengers participate.  Game after game, there are great rounds of applause, and people are eliminated.  Finally, an individual seated toward the rear of the aircraft is deemed winner.  I didn’t see what prizes were handed out, but the game is over. 

I resume my rest against the bulkhead.  Moments later, I realize those silly crewmembers are up to something again.  One passenger is fishing through her belongings and pulls out a camera.  She hands it to the flight attendant who then takes a picture of the woman and the two other individuals sitting in her row.  The woman who fetched the camera is wearing a pilot’s cap; her two row-mates are wearing wigs of multi-colored clown hair.  The attendants are going from row to row, as if it were as standard as the complimentary beverage service, handing out props and offering to take photos.   I’ve seen a lot, but this was so randomly bizarre, I was laughing hysterically.  If only all people had as much fun as those who work in the service industries.  High-five to Jeju Air!  

Two more days

[I accidentally removed several photos from these blogs... oops].  


This past Friday: Stacey, Donae & I visited Yakcheon-sa, the largest Buddhist temple in Asia. Quite ornate, amazing colors. Noticed great acoustics as the monks chanted and periodically made rhythmic tappings with a stick. At one point, from the third story windows, we could see a man outside heaving a large wooden log into a bell. The paintings on the wall were... different. There was one depiction of a meditating man being decapitated. From his neck, spewed a tall reaching fountain of water, upon which his head floated. Stacey and I are quite curious about this, and would like to look into its possible meaning. I mostly enjoyed sitting in a tiny temple situated on a shady hill nearby. The gentle fragrance of incense brought calmness to our beings, and we three sat in silence before the altar for a few moments. Here's the main temple:

After the temple visit, we took a taxi to the nearby Jungmun Beach, where the waves were high & lovely, the sunshine intense, the water clear & blue, and swimming temperature ideal. The sounds of air-raid-like sirens alarmed swimmers, followed by an announcement suggesting that swimmers get out of the water- as the waves were too strong. How annoying. What ever happened to quiet signs which read "Dangerous Currents, SWIM AT YOUR OWN RISK"?

This past Saturday: David invited us to join him to Mosulpo, where he teaches students twice a week. The drive down was hilly & scenic... and included Mysterious Road, the optical illusion of a gravity road. We had the car in neutral and it appeared to be rolling uphill! Kind of like the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz, CA. I've googled the phenomena, which occurs in various parts all over the world. Apparently these areas are all optical illusions, rather than areas of "strange gravitational/ magnetic pulls". Worth checking out. We continued on, picked up 5 of David's students, and proceeded to the Glass Castle museum/theme park of glassworks & mirrors... brilliant! It's mostly a sculpture park of amazing glass pieces/installments. In the center, there's a cafe where we stopped for ice cream. The entire back wall is domed glass, and water runs down the outside making it seem like a rainy day. But the sun was out... giving it a gorgeous sun-shower effect. This is one outdoor piece, made of several glass panes, lined up:

After dropping the students off, we went to the Chocolate Museum... but it was closed. We drove on, stopping at a very interesting store/house to buy some drinks. The entire front wall was made of recycled drink cans. Very neat.

The drive home was lovely, as David so thoughtfully drove the coastal road, heading up the West coast at sunset. Amazing views... sun setting over the water... very huge windmills on the edges of the land. Beautiful places... great company... thank you. life is good.

Home on the Range

... Home on the Range was one of my choices for karaoke the other night. Don't ask me why. Sometimes, with certain people, a night of karaoke seems to evolve into "I can pick a cheesier, funnier, more dramatic song than you..." There were a few moments when my laughter prevented me from being able to sing.

09.17.09

Jogging will get me hot & sweaty… ideal conditions for showering if the only option is a cold one. It reminds me of being at DLI (Navy, language school) on P.T. (early morning exercise) days: if one didn’t manage to catch the first wave of showering, one’s shower would surely be cold. But here, there won't be the slightest possibility of getting a warm shower, until they get the water heater hooked up. My last hot shower was in NY, September 4th. Trying to stay positive… at least the days are still sunny & warm. We’ve gotten plenty of beach time- I think I’ve swum in the ocean half a dozen times since my arrival. It’s a 25-minute, less than a dollar, bus ride to the very beautiful Hamdeok Beach.

All these beach opportunities… how? I have yet to start teaching. The private school I’ll be working in (and also live in) isn’t even completed yet. They’re still doing construction. Very poor, very poor planning. School’s tentative start time will be the first week of October. Apparently, we’ll be paid from September 15th- which is when it should have opened (the recruiter who hired us was 150% certain of this LOL). Normally, teachers are put to work immediately upon arrival. When I arrived in Bucheon two years ago for a job… it was about 1 a.m. and I was required to attend a meeting that morning around 8 or 9, obviously feeling a bit useless and extremely disoriented. This time around, we have weeks of free time before actually teaching. So here I am, with the company of two fun females- Stacey from Nova Scotia, Canada and Donae from Washington State. We’ve had the luxury of relaxation on this gorgeous island.

There are a couple of Koreans who have been showing us the ways of our area. "David", our school’s director (principal) has taken us to restaurants, the beach, markets, his friend’s horse farm, a live music club, and of course, a ‘norae bong’ for karaoke (singing several tunes to include John Denver & Richard Marx). "Jennifer", an assistant who’ll be living a few doors down on our hallway, has taken us to cafes & shopping, given us useful information and has been a great, fun new friend.

I predict it’ll be a great year ahead, though slightly bumpy for the school until they get everything into proper order. I won’t be working the sweet 5-12 p.m.-older- students-evening-shift as promised, but rather doing the 9-5 M-Th, 9-2 F. Not the hours I’d hoped for, but I’m excited to be teaching the little ones again (K-6th). I’m grateful to have this job, these new buddies, and a very reasonable, likable director. Life is good.