I left Korea in late June. As I settle into a new job in Bowling Green, Kentucky, as the head of the Communication department at Western Kentucky University, I find I miss all the good friends I made in Korea. All of you are in my heart. Every one of you brought new life to me. Thank you.
I'll be starting a new blog about my life now in Kentucky, called The Grass is Bluer. (Kentucky's the 'bluegrass state'). Take a look and follow my journey along with me.
There's a little island paradise just off the southwestern coast of Korea called Jeju Island. Sunyoung's family owns a small house there and so, she and I had our adventure of going there for the weekend. It turns out Sunyoung has never rented a car in her life and has never driven in bad weather and has never driven more than 100 kilometers in one day. Correction, had never, until last weekend.
We arrived at the Jeju airport on Friday, the 10th of June, in the middle of a torrential downpour. After finding the rental area, we stood in the pouring rain, under umbrellas, for 45 minutes (with a brief respite in one of the workers' cars) until our car was ready. I was wet from head to toe. Sunyoung cranked up the GPS and off we went, slowly, in the dark (around 9 p.m.), feeling her way out of town and onto a winding mountain road. 30 kilmometers and 1 1/2 hours later, we found ourselves in the development where her family's home is located. The GPS took us on a wrong turn, so, facing volcanic stone walls on either side of a one lane road, we parked the car close to a stranger's house and hiked to her home. It took a while and flagging down of a stranger's van in order for us find the house. Once in it, I was surprised to find the two bedroom, two bath home had two pieces of furniture--a dining room set and a sofa. Sunyoung and her family sleep on pads on the floor. And so did I.
On Saturday, we decided to visit the Korean film museum, set up by Shin Young Kyun, a famous actor who played in 400+ movies. But first, brunch at the Silla Hotel. What a luxurious spread! I highly recommend it on your next trip to Jeju Island. Everything was beautifully displayed, well-cared for, continuously restocked. They had everything from abalone porridge to smoked salmon to Edam cheese to all sorts of fruits and baked goods. We ate enough to keep us full all day! As we drove, I counted six Velosters, the most I've ever seen in one place--I think they are rental cars now. On the way to the film museum, we stopped at two stunning waterfalls. One was 40 meters high. The other dropped straight on to a beach. On the beach was the most interesting cafe I've ever seen--under a blue tarp, women gutted and cut up live fish for a raw fish cafe. Chairs were small pads on the rocks. While Sunyoung was tempted, I was not, so we just took pictures and moved on.
On Sunday, we headed to the Lotte Hotel, to do a comparison taste test of its brunch with Silla. While Lotte's was good, Silla won over Lotte, hands down. Lotte's service was slower, with many empty containers. Nevertheless, we enjoyed omelets and pineapple and multigrain rice. Afterwards, we went to a Presbyterian church, worshipping with about 200 other people. Since it was in Korean, my understanding was limited, but I appreciated being in the midst of people who care about the same faith that matters so much to me. When church was over, we headed back to the Lotte Hotel, took pictures of the Dutch windmills near their pool area, and walked on a trail above the beach. Surfers were out, but the surf was not, so they just took little, short rides. We headed over to the Dak Paper Doll museum, which, oddly enough, was located under the stadium where the World Cup soccer matches were played in the early 2000s. In the museum, there was one funny tableau featured of a little boy, with his pants down, ready to defecate into a brick outhouse, fending off a boar with a long stick. Turns out the boars ate the p**p and then the people used the boar's p**p to fertilize the fields. As my Dad used to say, what goes around comes around. Later, we enjoyed iced coffee drinks in the stadium, watching the play of sun move over the field. We ended the day on the hunt for the replica of the ship that wrecked the Dutch adventurer Hamel on the island for 14 years back in the 1600s. When he got home, he wrote the first cultural description of Korea intended for Western audiences. So, fittingly, this Dutch woman took her place next to him on a bench and Sunyoung snapped my picture.
Coming back to the house on Sunday night, we ran into peasoup thick fog. Sunyoung drove well, staying in her lane, putting on the flashers, and getting us back safely.
On Monday, we got up early, cleaned the house, drove to Jeju in half the time that it took on Friday night, got on our plane and headed home.
I leave for the states next week Tuesday. This week, I'll be giving exams, grading, going on goodbye dinners and receptions, and getting ready to come home. The time has flown, but I'm ready to be with my kids and friends in the states again.
