seeing the sights

Counting down the days until all this is over and I suddenly feel the urge to visit the places I feel like I should visit. In contrast with the vow of not acting like a tourist, now I want to act like a tourist before I leave. Yes, contrary, thy name is M. Any visitor worth his salt will tell you that if you have a few days to spare, the thing to do in Seoul is to visit the Five Grand Palaces of the Joseon Dynasty, plus a few other World Heritage sites. Finish that off with trying on the Hanbok, the Korean traditional dress and maybe lunch at Insa-dong, the antiques district. 

Gyeongbukgung (gung means palace) is considered the main palace, and with its majesty and grace, it bears this title well. Visiting this palace was perhaps the first tourist thing I did when I came to Seoul. The trip was in fact, characteristic of the pbali, pbali life in Seoul. We had just come from the district office issuing alien registration cards one station away. Feeling cooped up in our dorm and wanting to explore a little, we asked our coordinator what sights could be seen near the station. And lo and behold, a station away, and conveniently, with an exit directly into its grounds was Gyeongbukgung.

 Armed with a camera with a dying battery (and not yet harboring illusions at taking super nice photos like you do), my group mates and I set about exploring the grounds of the palace.  It is a little awe-inspiring to enter these ancient grounds and walk around places where history was made. For me, the idea that something this ancient  could stand the ravages of war and time, to be preserved and restored, was awe-inspiring. It makes me a little sad that in good old P.I., the same things could not be said. Seeing ancient structures stand proudly in the midst of all the towering symbols of modernity is something else. (And to digress a little, now I am convinced I need to bring my friend to Gyeongbukgung when she comes to Seoul, if only to take better pictures haha). 

Fast forward to September and said urgency pushed me to visit another palace (I was in fact, waiting for autumn to come, much nicer to walk around on a cool day, plus I wanted to see the foliage change colors). This time, it was a much smaller palace, Changgyeonggung, which was tucked in a quiet street in Jong-no, and required quite a walk from the nearest subway station.

Enter its gates and you will notice Changyeonggung bears a quiet dignity and is much cozier and less harried than Gyeongbukgung, which is a major tourist destination. Instead, here you see families and couples walking around the buildings and grounds or having a little picnic under its trees. The buildings in this place bear the ravages of time, as for some reason, the government opted not to paint over the building but to open them in all its timeworn majesty. Perhaps a factor to this decision is the fact that the main hall, called Myeongjeongjeon, is the oldest extant main hall of all the palaces in Seoul. 

 Myeongjeongjeon (if it looks familiar, maybe you are one of those who love Korean historical dramas and have seen this used as a setting) 

stair guardian

details on the main hall's ceiling

I still have a few places I want to visit on my list, and as I count down to my last ten weeks in Seoul, I hope to make more wonderful memories and continue to see more of what it has to offer. Meanwhile, me and my trusty camera will find time to play tourist and visit as many places as I can before I leave for home. 

I see this all over the place, even in the buildings in Royal tombs. Maybe they serve as guardians? I find them fascinating, is that weird?

When in Seoul...

Kyung Hee University

Two months and two weeks have breezed by it seems, as I settled into my new life. Immediately, I was thrust into the routine of four-hour language classes twice a week, and four-hour lectures on Korean culture, history, and their copyright system. The theme for the next six months appears to be: when you can, try something new. And as I struggled to memorize the Korean alphabet, familiarize myself with the culture and the food and just settle and fit into my new life in general, I began to forget to see things from the eyes of a tourist, a stranger, but to embrace what Seoul had to offer.

Amidst the hurried and harried pace of  student life, one stumbles upon gems such as this pond at the back of the Main Building of KHU

   

A dragon and a bell (Korea House)

 I easily slipped into a daily pattern of going to school and the office,  and most days, I would spend the end of the day just sitting in front of our dormitory doors, chatting with friends, and struggling to communicate with words but succeeding with gestures with the sweet old ajusshis who guard our dorm. Before I came here, I had read accounts of people who came to Korea and came away with impressions of rude people who were always in a hurry, and yes, Korean life appears to be on express bpali, bpali most of the time, but for the most part, the people I have met have all been very kind, and eager to help. Maybe because I live in essentially what could be called a university district, and the people around our dorm are used to foreigners, but aside from the occasional little shove you get if you're too slow or are in the way of the subway door, I have not encountered rude people.  Or maybe its because I'm also Asian and my default action when I cannot be understood is to try to gesture instead of speaking more loudly in English, especially when my paltry supply of Korean words run out or the little old ajumma talks too fast. 

 Life in Korea has been and continues to be an adventure. From eating yummy pajeon and drinking sweet makgolli in some of the restaurants that serve the best pajeons in all of Seoul (and discovering that these restaurants are in fact, located at the street next to where our dormitory is located, and yes, it took me about a month and a half before I figured that the street near Hoegi station that people were talking about was in fact, the street after ours), to trying soju and beer, to learning to eat pickled radish and appreciate fiery kimchi and its various permutations, to discovering cozy little family run restaurants that serve spicy but tasty soups nestled in the side streets along our area, to getting on a train armed with nothing but your transit card, some cash, and the subway map on the way to exploring wherever your fancy takes you, I will always be forever grateful for the fact that this opportunity landed on my lap. 

Some days, when I reflected on how my life has been, I realize, the Universe, or what ever force or Being out there that determines what we deserve or what to give us, does give you what you ask for, not when you ask, but when you need it. Things work out for the best most times, and patience is the key. As funny as it seems, living in pbali, pbali Seoul has taught me that, and I continue to learn and live its lessons every day. 

The city lights compete with a luminous moon (Seoul at night, viewed from Namsan)

Seoul at Night (viewed from Banpogyo)

through a glass, darkly (a bird's eye view of Seoul from the viewing deck of the Seoul N Tower)