Family is a Circle of Love

The most important thing I have learned over the past 6 weeks is this: The world is a small, interconnected place filled with people that share very similar values. From my experience, many westerners think of the world as being such a large place filled with completely different people, practicing different customs, and having different beliefs. The reality is that the world is really not all that big and people are not all that different when you take the time to explore, learn, and get to know them. One fault of human beings all over the world is the tendency we have to judge others before we have taken the time to get to know them. In the past 22 years I have traveled to many areas of the world and I have learned that people on all parts of the globe share one same value: family. Whether that family consists of mom's and dad's, brother's and sisters, grandparents and cousins or just good friends- family time is important regardless of how or where that family time is spent.

I spent the past four days celebrating an important Korean holiday with family. Not my family by blood- but the family that has taken me in and treated me like their own while I spend a year living in South Korea. This past Saturday was Chuseok; similar to Thanksgiving in the United States. My friends Christine, Britney and I ventured three hours south to the third largest city in South Korea called Jeonju. There we stayed with Christine's Aunt Shina and Uncle Bob that are currently living here. Christine's Uncle married a woman from South Korea. They live in the United States, however, they are here for ten months while he is teaching at a University on a Fulbright scholarship.

We arrived on Thursday and Christine's uncle took us to the Traditional Korean Village where we saw places like the Jeon-dong Cathedral, and a summer place for the King called O-mok-dae. The village was quaint and peaceful; a beautiful town surrounded by mountains. We spent several hours there and then headed
home to eat some delicious Korean chicken and many wonderful side dishes (all Korean meals are served with 3- 10 side dishes depending on where you are).

The next day we spent the morning eating breakfast, talking, drinking coffee, learning Korean and relaxing. Around 11:30 am we headed out to Martyr's Mountain to spend the day hiking. Our first stop on the hike was Dong-go Sa: a Buddhist temple. The temple was right on the side of the mountain and one of the most peaceful places I have ever been. At the top of the mountain stood the largest white statue of Buddha I have ever seen. Breathtaking.

We continued our hike only stopping for about 30 minutes to eat lunch. In Korea when people go hiking they typically bring along Kimbop (it is known as hiking food). If you didn't know any better you would think it was sushi. However, the inside is not filled with raw fish but lots of vegetables and spam (Koreans love spam). After eating our Kimbop we continued to hike up to several peaks for the rest of the day. The day consisted of good conversation, good exercise, and amazing views. In the evening we walked around forever trying to find a place to eat Bibimbop, a traditional Korean meal that Jeonju is known for, but were unsuccessful due to the upcoming holiday (most places were closed). We ended up eating at one of the few open restaurants in town, drinking coffee in the park, and then heading home where we were fed more (Korean holiday weekends are similar to American ones- everyone is always in the kitchen eating no matter how much everyone has already eaten) and we played games until late in the night.

On Saturday, the five of us headed in Gwangju, about an hour and 1/2 bus ride away where Shina's family lives, to celebrate Chuseok. My bus ride consisted of me mentally preparing myself for the day ahead. I knew I was going to have to try new foods and new customs that may be uncomfortable for me. As the five of us rode in the elevator 17 floors to Shina's brother's apartment I was very nervous about the day. However, the nerves did not last long. As soon the elevators opened we were greeted by screaming family members, huge hugs, and many smiling faces! I have never felt so welcome in a person's home in my entire life. Most of them did not speak any English (a few words here and there) and so we hugged and smiled a lot. We were greeted with a HUGE thanksgiving like meal right away. We all sat on the floor around a very low table filled with about 15 plates of different dishes. I was so scared and nervous to try the food because I did not want to offend anyone, but it ended up being the best meal I have had since I have been here! So delicious! I can't really explain so I will just show you the pictures. I am very proud of myself for taking a huge bite out of the middle of a fish as its eyes and fangs were staring me in the face!
After the meal they took us out on a tour of the city! It was so unexpected, but so wonderful! They were fabulous hosts. They took us to the May 18th (1980) National Democracy Park, and up the Mudeung San (mountain) where we sat together eating traditional Korean food, drinking Korean rice wine, and watching the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen. Eventually they drove us back to the train station where we said our teary good-byes. It was hard to say good-bye to some of the most wonderful people I had ever met so soon after meeting them. What a wonderful day.

Today we woke up, and were able to eat the famous Jeonju Bibimbop, and then we headed home to Suji. The break was so fun and so relaxing; just what we all needed! Every night we stayed up late eating, playing games, talking, and learning Korean. Uncle Bob and Aunt Shina worked very hard to teach us some basic Korean-and we walked away with a lot of new vocabulary. I now know how to say phrases such as: I love you, excuse me, I am sorry, Let's go, It tastes good, and I can count from 1-10. The weekend was a complete success! I only hope I will have more opportunities to spend time with Christine's Aunt and Uncle before they head home to the States in December. The Koreans I know here were right: Chuseok is the best holiday of the year!