stepping out

Sigh. A very long couple of weeks. Working very hard. Feeling overwhelmed by being here more often than not. It’s a challenge. All of it. I think I’ve been ignoring how hard it really is. And eventually, something has to break, right? So, in the midst of all that is wonderful about this experience, there are things that are hard. Really hard. I think more than anything, the shift in my community has been the toughest. I’ve met great people and Jim is, of course, a wonderful partner in this adventure, but my life in SF is missed, for sure. And working as much as I am leaves little room for balance. I haven’t really been exercising at all, so there isn’t a point of release each day. And we all know I’m prone to stress and impatience. Yoga is my salvation, and I can’t figure out how to make time for it.

This week has been better. I’m feeling more connected to why I’m here, more aware of where my impatience and frustration is really coming from, and more settled in the idea that this is, in fact, my life for the time being, so I may as well figure out how to make it work for me. I got up Tuesday morning and managed to go running for a bit before work. I found a track not too far from my house. So, I think with a little ingenuity I can swing some morning exercise to change my life a little.

Onward and upward, right?

So, more about the adventure. Two weekends ago, I went for a long walk around the city on my own. As I was leaving our apartment, I was bopping along with my ipod on, and an older Korean man kept trying to talk to me. As I got to the corner, he and I stopped to talk. He’s a retired teacher eager to hang out with English-speakers. He was super sweet and wanted to take Jim and I out for Chinese food. Haven’t called him yet, but we hope to soon.

I headed off to my destination, which I wasn’t really too sure of, and when I got off the train, I walked right past this beautiful photo exhibit of May 18th photos (see my post from May 24th). Stopped to take those in, took a few photos and went on my way (you can see the photos from this day and many, many others at http://www.flickr.com/photos/catiemagee/). I was headed to a park that I could see on my very disney-like map of the city. There isn’t really a street-grid like map of Gwangju that we’ve been able to find. The only map we have is this tourist-type thing that involves a sort of cartoonish version of the city with many building landmarks. Nothing—I mean nothing—is remotely to scale, so we have definitely walked hours thinking it would take 20 minutes to get somewhere. But I digress.

I was headed to a park, which I obviously couldn’t find with my Disney map. I was getting ready to cross the street when I looked up and saw this temple-like place up a small street. When I got to the entrance, there was obviously a serious operation behind the main gate. Just as I was about to walk on, not sure if I could go in, a man came running out speaking English to me and asking me to come in and take a tour with him. So, suddenly I was swept up by a man named Oh who sat me down and gave me the history of the Hyanggyo that I had just entered.

A Hyanggyo is a public school established during the Chosun dynasty in Korea to foster Confucianism by the government. The Hyanggyo is both a school and a Confucian shrine. The one in Gwangju also has classes in Chinese calligraphy. (I managed to snag some discarded calligraphy practice sheets that now adorn the walls of our little apartment.) The space was beautiful. I know very little about Confucianism. Oh was very helpful and kind and took me on a wonderful tour of the property. There was school field trip going on, so I had fun being the token English-speaker and playing with the kids. [And an added bonus—the weekend before, when Jim and I had visited one of the May 18th memorial museums, we had been given a beautiful hardcover photography book by a kind man who seemed to work at the museum. We thanked him profusely and went on our way. While at the Hyanggyo, I stepped outside with Oh, and he began speaking with a man who had been walking up the street to the institution at the same time as me. He looked so familiar. But why on earth would anyone in this city look familiar? I know about 10 people here, and hardly any Koreans. As he spoke to Oh, I realized it was the man who had given us the book! Turns out he used to be the principal of the Hyanggygo. Small city…]

Oh was heading out to attend a lecture, and I asked if he could show me the way to the park I had been trying to find when I stumbled on the Hyanggyo. He led me up to the park and showed me around a bit. We parted ways, and I set out to explore the hilltop park. It was a wooded area with lots of typical gazebo-like picnic structures everywhere and little benches lining the sloped hillside. I could see tons of older men gathered at the top of the hill. Seeing as there were no ladies anywhere and I definitely can’t manage a nonchalant, undercover vibe here, I decided not to explore. Or so I thought.

I walked around the other way. Met an old man who wanted me to come sit and talk with him for a while. He had three gold teeth and some sweet orange shades. Clearly we couldn’t get too far seeing as I have no idea what anyone ever says to me. But with some rather elaborate hand gestures, one of which actually involved him moving his hands out from his crotch, pantomiming giving birth to a baby, I realized he was asking me how many kids I have. It was wildly hysterical to watch this 70 year-old man with rockin’ shades and pimp teeth trying to show me what the hell he was talking about.

I walked around the corner after taking a great photo with him, and stumbled on the gaggle of men that I had thought I was trying to avoid. I was definitely a little nervous, not knowing what they would think of me intruding on their space. But then I looked down and saw that they were playing the same card game I had learned the week before. “Kododi?” I asked. A man smiled. No, something else. But they were definitely down with me being there and taking some shots. Super cool old dudes playing cards, drinking water (of all things) and betting coins on this crazy card game. [Jim and I played at home last weekend, and definitely have a piece of paper that says “Official Made-up Rules” since we have no idea how the hell this crazy game actually keeps score.]

I hung out with the old dudes for a while longer and then made my way out of the park. One the main steps to the park I fell into another huge crowd of old men. Everyone, sitting, spitting, smoking, talking, chilling out in plastic chairs outside of cars. Just hanging out. They were definitely fascinated by the girl from Me-gu (America).

Managed to finally get myself downtown where I had planned to have a late afternoon tea on Art Street. Found some nice little shops with traditional Korean/Buddhist gear for Jim’s birthday, and hit up the lovely tea shop I had been salivating over the last time I wandered down the street.

Art Street has tons of galleries and traditional artisans, peppered with small, intimate tea shops that serve lovely tea on lovely plates in lovely cups to their patrons. After a long say of walking, a kind woman led me to this gorgeous little sanctuary in the back of the store. I sat down, sun streaming through the open door, a small kitchen with walls lined with tea cups and bowls and pots. The most delicious green tea was served to me in this gorgeous pale green teapot and cup. Traditional style—loose tea in the pot (one with the handle on the side that juts out horizontally), steep for a few minutes and pour through a strainer into a bowl to avoid the bitterness green tea can take on when steeped too long. Then, from the bowl into the tiny tea cup that sat upon a beautiful round wooden coaster of sorts. All served on top of a lovely crisp cotton mat. Truly lovely. A sweet reward after a long day. I finished this great article I was reading about the train line between Beijing and Lhasa that recently opened (Jim and I have been plotting about a possible trip to Tibet at some point…), and I headed home. An epic day.

Wow. So much to tell! And that was two weekends ago! Since then, Jim turned 30, we discovered the crazy Gwangju Folk Museum that has life-size replicas of traditional Korean life [alà the Arizona Historical Society museum in Tucson that has showed us “Arizona’s dynamic past” as kids, complete with a replica of a copper mine and a stagecoach. Definitely the best field trip in grade school. My favorite bits of Korean history trivia I picked up—1) sometimes, after a man and woman were married (by arrangement, of course), the woman was required to remain at her home for 1-3 years for “training” to be a trustworthy, dutiful wife, waiting for her husband to come get her; and 2) Koreans are very dedicated to their shamanistic ways—exorcisms being the most common aspect of that tradition and the Buddhism that took root in Korea, despite the force of Confucianism to keep it down, found its strongest followers among the peasants and took on many of the shamanistic and traditional beliefs of the people. Fascinating.] And we had another round of live octopus and fabulous sashimi followed by a silly hour of singing in the nori bong (karaoke bar with private rooms)—“easy lover” and “shot through the heart” rule!

But I’ll tell you about that all later. This is plenty to keep you interested for now. Do check out the pics on Flickr. I’m still getting them all named, but you’ll be able to follow most of them based on the blog tales.

Much love to all of you.

Feeling better after a day off for Korean Memorial Day and ready for the weekend. Looks like we may all head to the beach! Finally!

xoxo

catie