Wednesday 21 July 2010

Indulging my inner hippopotamus

Mud, glorious mud. Even as an adult there's something inexplicably appealing about it. A return to childhood? A break from the stresses of daily life? Or a chance to be 'at one' with nature without the need to hunt for suitable foliage to use as toilet paper? Whatever your motivation, if you're looking for mud look no further than Daecheon Beach, South Korea - home to the annual South Korea Boryeong Mud Festival.

Last weekend Boryeong underwent its annual transformation from sleepy Korean seaside town to a magnet for Korean and foreign tourists alike. Hundreds of thousands of people flocked to the opening weekend from all over Korea to wallow in the mud and experience the many delights the festival has to offer. Not only can you soak up its purported therapeutic benefits, but you can also unleash your inner brat and indulge in some literal mud slinging which, as I discovered, has its own mental therapeutic benefits!

The festival began back in 1998 and was the brainchild of a local cosmetics company seeking publicity and promotion for it's range of mud-based mineral-rich skincare products. In the 13 years that have followed, the festival has attracted millions of tourists to sleepy Boryeong, placing it firmly on events calendars both in Korea and around the world. The attraction to the event lies not only in the mud, but in the adjacent 3.5 kilometre stretch of beach which offers a place to relax, unwind and wash away the stresses of city life and, of course, the mud!

Setting off from Daegu early on Saturday morning, we made the four-hour journey north together with 2 busloads of foreigners and a large amount of beer. Two hours into our trip our peace was shattered by the introduction of the 노래방 (noraebang) machine, which and provided some ... interesting entertainment. On arrival in Boryeong we deposited our bags at our pension, changed and headed straight for the center of the action - Daecheon Beach.

The festival offers a huge range of activities, including a mudfall (think waterfall, just with mud!), inflatable obstacle courses and slides, mud wrestling pools, coloured mud body painting, a 'mud prison', 'self-mud-massage' stations and mud-flat skiing to name a few. A list of all the activities can be found on the official website which, in true Korean style offers some wonderful flowery language and some fabulous Engrish.

After arriving at the beach and finding the weather rather cold and windy, we decided to warm up from the inside out. Stripping down to our bikinis and dumping our gear in one of the free lockers, we headed to Family Mart where we purchased some drinks and headed down to the mud pit. We walked straight into an all-out mud war which proved to be a fun, albeit somewhat painful experience! The mud had been dumped in a car park and contained not only sand (great for exfoliation purposes!) but also gravel and small rocks. A number of brave (stupid?) people had parked very close to the area and in some cases the cars were so coated in mud you couldn't tell what colour the car was meant to be. I'm sure the mud itself wouldn't harm the paintwork, however the rocks and sand wouldn't have done it any good, particularly when hurled with the same vigor as what were pelted with!

 Mud slinging

Classy ladies (L-R): me, Jo and Michelle  
(photos thanks to Megan Preece Photography)

Our visits to the mud pit were interspersed with swims in the sea which were welcome relief from the crusty, fast-drying mud. One of our friends had purchased an enormous inflatable raft which provided endless entertainment - that is to say until it met an untimely end at the hands of a rock (or possibly a screwdriver).

Saturday evening was spent lounging down by the beach with friends - we briefly saw some fireworks and a few short performances on the main stage. I use the term 'performances' loosely, as the majority of what we saw consisted of randomly selected drunk foreigners showcasing their dubious dancing talents and apparent lack of dignity to a small, bemused crowd of Koreans. We also encountered a seemingly underfed and voracious mosquito population - I became a human pincushion that evening and even now, 4 days later, I have all the outward appearances of carrying some sort of strange disease. I am crimson from my sunburn and my feet and legs are covered with bites that no amount of antihistamines and cooling cream will relieve! Ah, Korea.

Saturday night I had a great sleep, although unfortunately the same can't be said for Kristin and Bosun. I've always been aware I'm a heavy sleeper, but that night I slept through multiple noisy attempts by drunks to access our room and bathroom and a further attempt at window entry by a drunk foreigner. Being a heavy sleeper definitely has its perks, however I do worry what would happen if my house ever caught fire!

Sunday was spent lounging on the beach, with our return to Daegu around 3.30pm. I elected to return on another bus with friends, as the one I booked for the tour departed at 1pm and I wasn't keen to leave the sand and sea that early! I have to say in hindsight that I would never book with Daegu Pockets on any tour ever again - this is the second one I've been on that has been poorly organised and totally unprofessional. This year they planned six buses and three houses, however managed only two buses and what I can only assume was one house because nobody would or could tell us where the other one was. It was (in my opinion) absolutely not worth the price they charged and it has to be said that certain members of their staff could benefit from a little remedial training in basic customer relations.

Overall it was a brilliant weekend and one I will remember for a long time to come. Unfortunately I can't say the same for another friend of mine who was involved in a freak accident shortly after his arrival to mudfest. A deliberately ugly slide tackle in a friendly ball game left him with a broken tibia and fibula (front and back shin bones in laymans terms). He had to return to Incheon by bus with NO painkillers and has since undergone surgery to insert a large metal rod the length of his shin. This incident has left me dumbfounded on three separate counts - firstly, the guy who tackled him knew the damage he did and apparently offered no apology or assistance; secondly, the surgery was done under local rather than general anaesthetic (Kevin was awake to hear every little thing) and thirdly, the hospital has offered him no appropriate pain relief medication such as morphine at any stage during this ordeal. He told me the pain has been excruciating and beyond anything he could imagine, however the Korean doctors maintain they don't provide pain relief because they don't believe in drugs. This is coming from a national health system notorious for over-medicating its citizens - visit the doctor for relief from flu symptoms and you will be prescribed a minimum of fifteen pills a day (and I speak from personal experience with three separate doctors). I can only hope Kevin gets through this ordeal safely and with his sanity intact. Having spent time in hospital last year for the same thing, I know exactly how hard it is to be away from family at times like this. That said, I can't even begin to imagine the same situation with cultural and language barriers thrown into the mix. Get well soon Kevin, we're all thinking of you!

High point: Buying soju in a plastic bottle from the local convenience store in my underpants
Low point: Being the main course in the mosquito feeding frenzy

Kristin (centre) and I (right) making a beeline for the water after being pelted in the mud fight

Tuesday 13 July 2010

The South East Beast

I've had a lot of questions around where and when I'm travelling, so thought I might as well save time and put it down on my blog! Hopefully this will provide some sort of incentive to write a bit more about my travels as they happen, but don't hold your breath.

Furthermore, if you have any recommendations (good or bad) for any destinations on this trip, please leave a comment below.

THE SOUTH EAST BEAST
(a rough itinerary)

August 16th - 18th
Hanoi, Vietnam

August 19th - 22nd 
Halong Bay, Vietnam

August 23rd - 27th
Hoi An/Da Nang

August 28th - 31st
Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam

September 1st - 5th 
Phnom Penh, Cambodia

September 6th - 10th
Siem Reap, Cambodia

September 11th - 13th 
Luang Prabang, Laos

September 14th - 17th
Vang Vieng, Laos

September 17th - 21st
Vientiane, Laos

September 21st - 23rd
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

September 23rd - 29th
Borneo and Brunei(exact dates for Brunei tbc)

September 29th -30th
Depart Kuala Lumpur for Auckland

September 30th
Touchdown - Auckland!


T minus 32 and counting!

Monday 12 July 2010

Young and unscrupulous?

Since I arrived at school this morning, I've received a plethora of gifts and letters from various students who wanted to say their goodbyes. My desk is now littered with candy, cakes, choco-pies, iced tea, hand-made paper flowers, cards, letters and even a balloon with my portrait on it. 

One of the letters I received was from one of my favourite and very sweet little fifth graders, who I think might have utilised Google translate or something similar to try and convey her thoughts in English. She's clearly spent a huge amount of time on it, and also wrapped up a gorgeous little gift of various candies for me in 'I love you' paper. The contents of the letter were wonderful, so I thought I'd share them for the sake of posterity. 

Dear Diana Teacher ~~
Hello Teacher
Hmm, first of all, reading this letter, you must bear it in mind that this is a whopping sentence.
D you know your 'the first impression' when we saw you first time?
Of course. You cannot know that.
We thought you to be younger teacher and not to be scrupulous. 
However, why!
We thought you to minded us after you said to us in English class
Oh my
As soon, it passed over half a year this and that
that is called one year is very long in English study respects or very short in human relations respects.
In friend relations respects, that is called one year is, that is to say a day
Time seems to be vague.
there is a difference in the flow of time with an exceptions to a set pattern notion. whoever passed away quickly, whoever passed away slowly.
Whenever passed away quickly, whenever passed away slowly.
That is why I am fascinated by freedom of time.
It is summer night even winds are hot. Keep your health, Rdieu. 
                                 ~Young-woo

I would love to read the literal translation of whatever she plugged into the translator - it's clearly deeper than your average 'thank you teacher, I will miss you'. I think she's put a lot of thought into it, but unfortunately much of it was lost in translation. Korean language differs from English in that it uses a subject-object-verb sentence structure, ensuring that anything you plug into a translator will not make sense when translated into English. Still, the sentiment is there, and I feel honoured that she has taken the time and thought to write it out for me. It's the little things like this I'll remember!

Parallel universe

It isn't until the realisation that life as you know it is about to change sets in and forces a gradual, yet significant shift in perspective.

Not a day has gone by in the last two to three weeks where I haven't wondered whether leaving Korea was the right decision. I've come to the conclusion that life in Korea (or rather the figurative rollercoaster ride it takes us on) is very much an inverse bell curve. It's starts out by welcoming you with open arms, offering new experiences, food and a culture unlike our own - opportunities abound and things are rosy. Next comes the period where you are no longer a newbie and you've settled in to your life - it's a little less bright than when you first came in, and many of its idiosyncrasies have made the transition from endearing to frustrating. You long for time to accelerate, for the ascent back to reality to begin. As you're nearing the end of your time here, things start to look bright again, and you begin to wonder whether signing that contract renunciation was a good idea. Is spitting in the street really that disgusting? My apartment isn't great, but it must be preferable to living with my parents or dirty flatmates. Perhaps I could stay and study the language after all. I'm going to miss kimchi...

Still, life must go on and reality beckons with that all-too-familiar finger. Whenever I begin to think that perhaps I should have re-signed, I have to remind myself that it's better to go out on a high than to remain here and be thoroughly sick of the place in another years time.

In retrospect - what will I miss? Quite a lot, I have to say. For starters:
  • The ridiculously low cost of living
  • The general expat lifestyle and (more importantly) the other expats!
  • The cultural challenges that keep me on my feet
  • Discovering new things around every corner - even after almost a year here I'm finding restaurants, stores and attractions I didn't know existed
  • Interaction with my students
  • Being 'different' and sticking out like a sore thumb. Sometimes it's not fun - you need to be mindful of the image you portray and how it reflects on all foreigners. Unfortunately not everybody does that (especially the US military!) so the rest of us normal, decent folk try to pick up the slack!
  • The food. 
  • The food
  • Did I mention the food?
On a more negative point, things I won't miss are the constant language barriers, the 100-decibel hoiking and spitting  in the streets and the driving. It has to be said, at times these things do serve as a source of mild entertainment (with the exception of the spitting which for the most part effects only my upchuck reflex) but I won't miss them in any way whatsoever.

I also have to say - I will greatly miss the Engrish I see scattered about town. Despite their best efforts to teach and learn English as a second language at all levels of education, it seems that for the most part what is taught doesn't translate to any practical situations - like advertising for example. If anything, the use of English in Korean advertising and marketing is almost cargo cult-esque: that the sentiment is there, however there lacks any real underlying understanding of substance. Still, it makes for great entertainment while you're out and about, and I am going to try and document as much of it as possible before I leave Korea.

And on that note, I'm going to leave you with a little excerpt from Alex Garland's 'The Beach'. I watched the film again recently and the final scene really resonated with me for some reason. I guess we all find our own parallel universe - the time has almost come for me to exit this one and return to reality. Apropos The Beach ... next stop, south east Asia!

And me? I still believe in paradise. But now at least I know its not some place you can look for. Because it’s not where you go, it’s how you feel for a moment in your life when you’re a part of something. And if you find that moment, it lasts forever.   - Alex Garland 

Wednesday 7 July 2010

The end is nigh!

It’s hard to believe that in just 39 days, Korea will no longer be reality and instead become just another memory. It’s been one hell of a journey!

It seems like only last month I arrived here, wide eyed, culturally ignorant and apprehensive about my new home, new job and the prospect of making a whole new set of friends. Korea has been kind to me – I’ll give it that. My job is a breeze – the hours are short, the kids are fantastic and I couldn’t have asked for better Korean co-teachers and colleagues (except perhaps the principal, but that’s neither here nor there). In the last year I have heard a lot of horror stories about bad relationships with co-teachers, uncooperative schools and diabolical, undisciplined students but I have to say I’ve not experienced any of these kinds of problems. That said, I have had some issues with a new co-teacher this semester but these have been due to differences in teaching styles and have not been on a personal level. It has been immensely frustrating, but in hindsight I think that perhaps in a strange, masochistic way I have relished the challenge and approached it as I do most things – head on. This job doesn’t offer a lot in the way of challenges, so you have to take what you can get – even if it isn’t perhaps the challenge you were looking for!

I’ve met some amazing people in the last year, and I hope to stay in touch with all of them. I’m especially going to miss Jo and Jeannine who have been my drinking buddies, dancing partners, agony aunts and best friends through everything. I’ve always maintained that when traveling, it’s not where you are that makes it but rather the people you’re with – I still stand by that, and Korea is a perfect example.

There are a lot of uncertainties around my return to NZ, and it would be fair to say I’m pretty nervous. I know without a doubt I’ll just slot back in where I left off – get a new job, buy a car, see old friends etc, but it’s the return to all that which has me nervous. Will it be enough? Time will tell I guess. One thing is certain – I’m really looking forward to seeing my family again, it’s been too long! I also believe I’m getting far too soft in my old age – I was thinking the other day about leaving Korea and got all teary. I taught my last 6th grade Wednesday classes yesterday and got all teary. I think about going home and how I’ll feel the moment I see my family again, and I get all teary. I think about all the times I got teary and I get teary. Good god, what’s happened to me? Still, if Steve Price can do it on national television then I can do it anywhere!

It’s going to be very strange to be back in New Zealand, where everyone speaks English and I’m just one more kiwi in amongst 4.2 million other kiwis. During my 3 years in the UK and my year here in Korea, being a New Zealander has been my defining quality. It’s how I’ve been identified and differentiated. On reflection, going home will, in a way, be a loss of the identity I’ve known for those four years. That’s not to say I’ve no other defining qualities (after all, I drink soju, I’m immensely clumsy and am rather opinionated) but it’s going to be a noticeable change for me anyway.

Anyhow, 39 days 'til I bid you adieu, Korea. Don’t disappoint me!

Saturday 3 July 2010

Deflated and happy!

As Danny Bhoy so eloquently put it, you often don't know what's in your own back yard - unless you're Fred West. So, with that in mind, today Jo, Michelle and I ventured west on our bicycles to explore Daegu a little more.

It was a stinking hot afternoon, with temperatures around 33 degrees (that's around 91 fahrenheit for you non-metric folk). After meeting in Seongseo, we headed to Hands Coffee for some respite from the heat. Yes, that's right. Within ten minutes of setting off from home, it was already hot enough to seek out air conditioning. We were melting.

Jo had decided not to bring her bike as it looked like rain, however we managed to convince her otherwise and headed down into Seongseo subway station to hire one of the station bikes. This little system is yet another one of my favourite things about Korea - you simply turn up to the station, hand over your identification (in our case, our alien registration cards) and hey presto - you've 'hired' a bike! 

Of course it wouldn't be a true Di afternoon if I didn't create some sort of unintentional drama. So, I decided to avail myself of the free tyre pump upstairs at the station and reinflate my back tyre which was starting to look a little sad. And of course, in true Korean fashion, it was considerably more complicated than we initially thought, and all I succeeded in doing was allowing every last little bit of air to escape out of my tyre, leaving me to ride on the rims. Not quite my aim obviously, but at least I wasn't alone in my mechanical oblivion. One of the subway staff had come upstairs with us, and set about attempting to rectify the situation. He had no luck either, and after insisting he get his car and we drive it to the bike shop (a very generous offer which we declined), he summoned a colleague from the depths of the station to assist. The second guy was ex Korean army which apparently still wasn't enough to qualify him in the tyre re-inflating stakes. His determination however was admirable, as was the steady stream of sweat that quite literally poured off him.

After realising that we were fighting a losing battle against the bike pump, we abandoned my bicycle at the station and 'hired' another one with the intention of heading to the local bike shop after our ride. The subway workers were so sweet - the ex army guy disappeared and re-appeared with my rented bicycle, I didn't even need to go back down into the station for it! Free, AND hand delivered. You can't ask for more than that! 

We finally set off from Seongseo and headed west towards the river. As far as Korean city rivers go, it's quite a pretty spot. The eastern side of the river is lined with trees and cliffs, while the western side is undergoing considerable urban development. We rode along the side of the river and spent some time relaxing on the rocks, together with approximately half of Daegu's oversized ant population who seemed to take quite a liking to Jo's feet.

Returning home, we stopped to look at a very old abandoned riverside Korean house I found on my last ride out to the river. In true 'dynamic Korea' style, the beautiful old house has been demolished and in its place lies a pile of rubble. As is the way in this country, there will most likely be a brand new high-rise apartment building or store in its place within the next three days. The Korean ability to get things done never ceases to amaze me! They can quite literally raze and rebuild an entire apartment block in a matter of days - it's incredible. It definitely keeps you on your toes - it's entirely plausible that you can eat at your favourite local 불고기 restaurant, only to find on awakening that it no longer exists and the new 8-storey building which appeared in its place houses a Samsung megastore, 3 PC bangs, a luxury jimjjilbang and six hagwons. Ah, dynamic Korea!

But, I digress. Our return home was relatively uneventful save for a calorific encounter with an icecream freezer at Gangchang station - Korea's ice cream selection has never failed to disappoint, and today was no exception. Cookie dough cones with chocolate and nuts - disgustingly unhealthy but a great 'reward' for a hard afternoon's cycling in ridiculously hot and humid weather. In other words, any excuse!

We stopped by the corner store on the way home and picked up a few small bits and pieces to say thank you to the kind subway workers who tried to help us. I then wheeled my poor, flat-tyred bicycle through the streets of Seongseo and up into Keimyung where I finally reached the bike shop and had my tyre reinflated (in about ten seconds flat, might I add) and checked for leaks. I also had the brakes replaced, as the screeching from the front ones was beginning to attract neighbourhood dogs. The entire exercise cost me the princely sum of 10,000 won (around GBP5, or NZD11) including labour. Yet another reason to love Korea!

Tonight will be a very lazy night in with a DVD, as my body is suffering from sleep deprivation once again thanks to the 2010 World Cup (and soju). Tomorrow promises great things, beginning with a trip to the pool in Yongsan to awe/terrify the locals with my rather ugly and ill-fitting one-piece swimsuit. 아싸!