Goodbye Korea, hello...destination #2!

Although the crew and I have moved on to our second destination, we are operating under some tight security regulations, so I can’t publicly reveal our current location. Unfortunately, you are all going to have to wait until we reach destination #3 in a few weeks before I can tell you about all of my amazing experiences here!

But as I mentioned before, we were lucky enough to visit the Korean Demilitarized Zone on our last day in Korea, which is the 4km x 247km buffer zone between the North and South. I’ll admit that nothing about the fieldtrip really interested me when I heard about it -  it seemed like a really weird tourist spot. But I’m so glad I went.

That's North Korea right there! Behind the yellow line.

Our tour guide was so bubbly and delightful and endearingly disheveled J And she was so proud of her country. I chatted with her on the bus on the way back from our tour and she told me about herself. She pretty much taught herself to speak English and became nationally certified as a tour guide after graduating from college. Her father has siblings who were trapped in North Korea during the war. Her family still wonders whether they are alive. It was fascinating to hear about the war from someone who was so personally affected.

Here is some pretty basic history about South Korea and the DMZ that I learned on our tour:

• The Korean Peninsula has always been an area of dispute as it is a port country between Japan and China. There have been wars all over the Peninsula for thousands of years.
• After WWII the Soviet Union occupied the northern region so as to keep some communist control in the Peninsula. The United States occupied the south.
• South Korea began free democratic elections, while the soviets nominated Kim Il-sung as leader in the North.
• Kim Jong Il, Sung’s oldest son, takes over after Sung’s death.
• Kim Jong Il is a cray-cray-crazy.
• He apparently has multiple wives and illegitimate children, whom North Koreans are not allowed to speak of.
• His government seeks beautiful women to be taken and trained as “dancers” for the government leaders.
• Kim Jong Il’s birthday is a national holiday in North Korea.
• It is illegal to fold a newspaper or magazine if the crease happens to bisect a picture of Kim Jon Il.

I realize this all may not be 100% true, considering where it came from and the limited communication that North Korea has with the outside world. But nevertheless, the whole situation is pretty mindblowing.

The most surreal part of the tour was a “village” in North Korea that is visible from the south. 

South Korean nicknames this village “Propaganda Village.” Until 2004, public speakers in this village would continuously play recordings of propaganda about the prosperity and happiness in North Korea with the knowledge that it was within earshot of the South. They hoped to convince the South Koreans to move North. Crazytown. For real.

Even weirder is the fact that the village is nothing but dozens of skeleton buildings – no floors, no doors, no furnishings. Only walls, windows and lights. No one lives there! The buildings are kept up by a skeleton crew and made to look real in order to preserve the illusion of activity and prosperity.

That was probably my favorite part of the tour. Afterwards, we had a great Bulgogi lunch. 

I like the communal aspect of Korean food. Everything is cooked together and taken from the same pot. Everyone is always reaching over the table with their chopsticks for the side dishes. There aren’t really even individual plates for each person. It felt weird to me at first. But I got into it.

I can’t wait to tell you more about what’s currently going on with me, but I have to wait. I’ll give you a hint though: big Buddhas, bunk beds, and bathroom troubles. Get ready!

Seoul, Day 1 - Aug. 23rd, 2011

I made it to Asia! YAY!

The travelling wasn’t too bad. It was surprisingly easy to get used to the time difference. I felt very little jetlag at first. We arrived at the Incheon International Airport in South Korea at 6:30pm, which would have been 3:30am in Pacific Northwest time (I think). I hardly slept on the plane so I was exhausted by the time we landed. Luckily we had some pretty sweet in-flight entertainment. I watched Water for Elephants, played Tetris and learned some Korean phrases and stress-relieving exercises. And I was lucky to have some good seat buddies:

So presh.

I got a taste of the Asian aesthetic value even before we left the United States. The flight attendants were totally angelic. They had their hair tied back in a neat bun with their makeup perfect and uniform. Sarah and I counted 3 costume changes. And they were all so petite. I felt like such a slob.

The food on the plane was pretty good. We were served two meals. Here is a picture of one of them:

I chose a “traditional” Korean Bibimbap, which is kind of like a roasted vegetable salad with beef and rice. There are bean sprouts, carrots, zucchini  and mushrooms in this one.

The more I’m in Seoul, the more I realize what a perfect first stop it is. Nearly every sign has an English translation, and most people speak at least a little English. Navigating and purchasing things is no problem. The money exchange is also pretty easy. It’s basically 1 dollar to 1000 Korean Won. Its pretty safe here, and the tap water is probably safe to drink, even though we boil it anyway. I’m sure our program directors strategically selected it.

On Wednesday the 24^th, the entire group met up outside the hotel at 8:30am to explore Seoul. Because of the time-change weirdness, I woke up at 7:ooam so Connie, Sarah and I decided to go on a morning run. Such a great idea. We found a dirt track a few blocks away from the hotel, so we ran a few laps and enjoyed the morning quietness.

The next adventure was figuring out how to get breakfast. A few of us went to the Minimart next to our hotel and grabbed a snack because the plan was to find an authentic Korean breakfast somewhere Seoul. This turned out to be a mistake…

We weren’t expecting it to take nearly 2 ½ hrs to get downtown by subway. I was so hungry.

And it made A LOT of stops.

Finally we got to the city, starving and confused. Our group became smaller and we found a tiny shop with a good looking menu, so we went for it. It turned out to be really good. I got a curried seafood porridge, which was kind of like runny, curried risotto, with shrimp, mussels and scallops. 

The lifestyle is a lot healthier here. And everything seems more demure, which I like.

Then we journeyed in search of a marketplace we saw on the map, which was TOTALLY THE BEST! Here are some pictures:

I wanted to be Anthony Bourdain and try some food but we didn’t have time.

When we got home from our day in the city, we met up for dinner at a real Korean BBQ restaurant connected to our hotel. We sat cross-legged at low tables with grills installed in the middle of each. We grilled thick strips of pork and beef which we wrapped with kimchi, bean sprouts, pickled garlic, and some sauces in a lettuce leaf. I enjoyed it. Last, they brought out a big bowl of Bulgogi for the table to share, which is a beef broth soup with mushrooms, onions and rice noodles. It was a lot of food. And it was a LONG day. I slept so well.

Lesson Learned:

1. Find a seat on the subway ASAP. They go real fast. And you get tired standing.
2. Don’t get off the train unannounced to the rest of the group, and then tell everyone else to get off as the doors are closing. We got regrouped at the next stop, but there was a moment of panic.
3. Always bring a snack.
4. South Koreans produce the possibly cutest children on earth. They are all so precious and beautifully dressed. Here are some adorable kids from the museum at the Gyeongbokung Palace:

You go girl! Rock that visor.

They made me so happy.

The 3 essential phrases in any foreign language are “hello,” “thank you,” and “I’m sorry.” Luckily people cut us a lot of slack in Seoul because it is a fairly multicultural city, but in other places I don’t think it would have been this easy. It is so uncomfortable to be handed a plate of food or to be given a service and be unable to say “thank you.” At least if you know how to say “I’m sorry” you can apologize for your ignorance.

Good travel buddies are invaluable. Sarah and Kari were mine today J. Qualities = similar walking speed, similar interests and flexibility.

It’s really hard to explore in big groups. Just getting the word around to everyone is a huge challenge. It’s like the game “telephone.” Five people is manageable. And three is ideal, in my opinion.

Life is moving pretty fast right now. I doubt I'll be able to keep up this amount of detail in my posts, but I'll try. I don't want to forget anything.

Day 1 down. Tomorrow we go to the Korean Demilitarized Zone. I have no idea what to expect. How cool.

Freak Out #1

I have officially left home! At least one version of it. Last night was my last night in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

The last few days were the perfect end to a great summer in the Midwest, and it was all thanks to my wonderful friends and family. The weather was beautiful – too warm for some but perfect for me. I spent yesterday organizing and tying up some luggage loose ends. I was so happy to have made it to one final yoga class, and I’m glad my mom (reluctantly) agreed to join me. I was surprised by the amount of focus I had, despite my stress and sadness about leaving. Unfortunately, the same wasn’t true when I went to bed last night.

Freak out #1: 12:00am – 5:15am. I didn’t sleep at all. My thoughts were in a bad place. I started to feel hugely homesick. Pre-homesick. 9 months is SUCH a long time. I really have no idea what I’m getting myself into. I don’t know how to travel. What the T F am I doing!?!

At 4:00am, I decided to read. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho has been with me since my mom recommended it before I left for college, though I have only read it once. “A fable about following your dream.” Today, I realized that the book’s message has inspired my path more than I knew.

A passage about a timid shop owner was particularly relevant. The protagonist, who is travelling through the shop owner’s village, gives him advice about expanding his business. He replies:

“I’m already used to the way things are…The shop is exactly the size I want it to be. I don’t want to change anything, because I don’t know how to deal with change. I’m used to the way I am.”

“Today I understand something I didn’t see before: every blessing ignored becomes a curse. I don’t want anything else in life, but you are forcing me to look at wealth and at horizons I have never known. Now that I have seen them, and now that I know how immense my possibilities are, I’m going to feel worse than I did before you arrived. Because I know the things I should be able to accomplish, and I don’t want to do so.”

I’m used to the way things are too. And I’m totally comfortable with them. But something in me recognizes the immense possibilities in the world. Something in me wants to accomplish bigger things. And I can’t ignore that.

Back to my last day.

Final dinner: Chipotle Burrito Bol. Forever my favorite fast food meal (at least in this country).

Pregnant camel? With snack access!

Packing with my dad last night was delightful. Thanks for your help dad! The extra set of eyes took away a lot of my anxiety. Yesterday afternoon, I painfully realized how small by backpack is. Mini freak out – but luckily Connie came to the rescue J. I feel a lot better now. We got it all in – with a little room to spare. And we discovered one of the many TOTALLY SWEET daypack clip-on attachment options. Check it out:

Mom and I figured out how to Skype from my MacBook to her iPhone. And thanks to Elliott, my iPod has been updated with some of his current faves, and a playlist specifically designed to maximize in-flight excitement before arrival in unexplored foreign lands. Can’t wait to crack into it.

I enjoyed a little piece of each of the Tom Heermans yesterday. That’s all I could have asked for on my last day in my homeland. Saying goodbye was really tough, but I’m learning (...or at least attempting) to keep looking forward. I have so much to look forward to.

Here are a few pics I snapped in the plane on my way out of Minneapolis:

It was kind of magical to see it all from above. The pictures of course don’t do it justice. I’ll miss the green and the water. And the Dome. Not really.

Now its just three days in Tacoma (one of which happens to be my GOLDEN BIRTHDAY!!), and off to Seoul.

10 Days Left

The countdown begins: 10 days until Asia. First stop = Seoul, South Korea. Nine months away from home, friends, family, TV, Wells Fargo, Chipotle, cell phone, Lake Minnetonka, concerts, yoga class, The Food Network, my kitchen, Elliott, my car, Gamma Phi, apples…

I have to stop before I get depressed.

As my ‘to do’ list gets shorter, anxiety starts to set in. I no longer have anywhere to channel my nervous energy, so it’s starting to just hang around in my chest. But for now, I guess all I can do is take everything in stride.  I’m not there yet. Nevertheless, I am expecting to lose some sleep over the next few nights. 

This summer has been a blast. Relaxing, creative and satisfying. It was exactly what I needed. It was great to see some extended family from out of town this week. Being with them reminds me of the support network I have always had, but often overlook. And they remind me of who I am. I am lucky to have them. 

Jumping out of my world at home and into the world of homeless travel will be tough for me. Especially now that I have gotten comfortable here. But I realize that I have more than I need for this insane journey. I'm ready to go. At this point, there is nothing more I can do to prepare myself for what lies ahead. I have courage. I’ve just got to have faith.