Transpacific Post: Korea

Last week I went to Korea with two of the other teachers. We spent five days in Seoul sightseeing, eating Korean food, and visiting two of my college friends who are from Seoul. They were excellent tour guides, teaching us about Korea, introducing good food, answering our endless questions, and giving lots of ideas of things to see and do.

Incheon Airport, where we landed, is on the west coast of the country. Beautiful sandy islands and the border with North Korea were visible from the plane window, and after circling a couple times we landed. We took a bus into the city, less than an hour away, and then with the help of some police officers found the bed and breakfast where we were staying. It was right downtown: a bit of the royal palace was visible from my window, and the Blue House, where the president lives, was just up the hill. There have been some protests related to the military lately, so police were everywhere in the area. They were there more for deterrence than in response to an imminent threat, but it was still a bit strange wheeling my suitcase down the middle of a formation of officers with riot shields.

The next few days were full: the aquarium, the palace, walks through various neighborhoods, a boat ride on the river at night, museums. On Sunday we went to an English church service where most of the people were Korean-Americans or foreigners living in Seoul, and then we went to a huge Korean-language church.

Perhaps my favorite part of the trip was Monday, when I went with one of my friends, her dad, and some of their friends to a national park. We drove for two or three hours to the east side of the country--South Korea is half the size of Nebraska--hiked through paths full of trees and waterfalls, and then continued on to the sea. After watching fifteen-foot waves roll and crash under a full moon, we went to a fish market. We picked out live fish and other sea critters to eat, and then we ate them raw after the lady cut them up on the spot. In case anyone is wondering, sea squirts do squirt water when you pull them to the surface, and they taste sort of like rubber and ammonia.

While there are a lot of similarities between Japan and Korea, the two countries have a very different feel to them. Though still compact compared to America, Korea is much more open and spacious than Japan. People seem to be more straightforward and willing to speak their minds. Fashion appears to be more important in Japan; there were far fewer suits and dresses in Korea from what I saw, and more people going out in jeans or shorts compared to the always impeccable Japanese. Still, I've been in Japan for just nine months and spent only five days in Korea, so these are all just first impressions.