April 2009:

• Nicole Kelly, mine and Robyn’s good friend from University arrives in Jeju.
• Jason and I head to Udo island one last time to see the island during the spring.  Rapeseed fields cover the whole landscape making for an unforgettable 2 hour bike ride around the island.
• Jason leaves for travels through Nepal and Morocco, not certain if he is going to come back to Jeju or not.

May 2009:

• Weather became warm and I decided to expand my athletic capacities by preparing to train for my first 10km race (Jeju hosts numerous Marathons throughout the year).
• I begin biking 12kms three times a week to go to Samyang beach to improve my tan. Looking back at photos now, the colour I achieved was nothing short of orange leather-I finally understand how the look is made possible.
• Nicole, Debbie, Bridget, Amanda and I bike to Hamdeok Beach from Shin Jeju round trip during teachers day (yay! one extra holiday day in a year so sparse that the next holiday we had off was in October). It was my greatest athletic achievement to that date approximately 50kms (I couldn’t sit for several days).

• I negotiate a second contract with my director for another year with the possibility of going home after 6 months to enter Naturopathic College…. I later change my mind about my career plan and stay for an entire year and then some in order to fund the travels I have currently embarked on.
• Jason finds out he is going to come back to Jeju in July to work at Jeff’s academy, so we decide to stay together long distance and see where things take us. <3

June 2009:

• I complete my first 10km race in 58 minutes… I can’t even describe how proud I felt about something so dorky… I was known as the girl who volleyed the ball to the roof of the gymnasium at school, crowned Ms. Non-athletic by all of my friends and family, so just to have finished that race irrespective of the time was a huge accomplishment for me.  I really didn’t think I was capable of doing it, but I finished it in under an hour!!
• Robyn starts biking to Samyang beach to do swimming training, and has an unfortunate accident on her way there riding down a hill which causes her to seriously injure her knee.  The MRI indicated that it was a torn patella tendon which resulted in her being completely unable to move her lower leg (very scary!). Upon recommendation of a doctor at home, she leaves her contract 5 weeks early to get emergency surgery which is very sad for all involved.  Robyn wanted to stay for several extra months and travel further, and it was sad to see my Korean travel partner, co-worker and friend leave on such unfortunate terms. (Update on Robyn now,  her surgery went extremely well and her knee is now totally healed. Since leaving Jeju she travelled to Mexico for 6 months for an internship studying Howler monkey poop, and is back in Canada now.
• Nicole has her birthday which not many of us remember… we played pub golf (click here for an explanation). I was the officiator so I was in the best shape of everyone, but after secretly drinking soju from my “water bottle” I am surprised I managed to control the masses of power drinkers.

July 2009:

• Most of this month is spent tying up loose ends from when Robyn left so suddenly due to her injury.  We finally find a replacement (Brandon) after three weeks.
• Nothing that eventful happens this month except for all the great beaching and summer activities that Jeju offers (camping, beach parties, swimming, family mart pub crawls). I also run another 10km race and almost die because the course was mostly uphill (or seemed to be) and the path was not fully cleared of traffic… running in 30 degree weather  while inhaling car exhaust is highly ill advised for the athletically challenged.
• I also go to the Boryeong Mud Festival which I must admit was an experience, but I did not enjoy. It was something of a Frat party: a weekend of drinking and rolling in mud, that’s about it. I also had a splitting headache all weekend and had to sleep on the floor (traditional Korean Ondol) with a pillow made of cut up straws.  Not straw, like hay (that would have been tolerable), but  real plastic straws.  Oh Korea!
• Also Jason returns from his travels! Yay!

August 2009:

• After the stress of July, I am graciously welcomed home by my family and friends whom I came back to visit for two weeks.  One week was spent enjoying  my time at Niki and Kyle’s awesome new house renovated by my Dad, where all of my friends and family came to visit me (and it was AWESOME!!).  The second week  was spent in Mexico for Lindsey and Jory’s beautiful beach wedding.  I apologize to Jory’s parents who had to sit next to me at the head table for yapping their ears off after the wine hit my empty stomach a little too quickly.  Furthermore I extend another apology to Carly and mainly Lindsey for the bathroom drama that unfolded thereafter.  Other than that, it was good times had by all… amazing memories I know none of us will forget.
• On the plane ride home I am certain I have contracted Swine Flu at the height of its outbreak.  I do not know how I passed Korean quarantine upon arrival in Seoul because my temperature must have been 1000 degrees, however I made it back to Jeju only to go to work that afternoon.  I do not seek medical attention because if they quarantined  me I was sure to have lost my job on account of additional days absent after my vacation (things were a little rocky even before I left for vacation because I complained about all the additional hours I was now expected to work).  This week is hell on earth. I am greatly indebted to Dr. Jason for taking care of my every need, and tolerating the incessant whining and self pity that always accompany even the most minor cold I experience.

September 2009:

• Ashleigh and Stephanie who became two of my closest friends on Jeju leave for the same journey I am currently on L. It was sad to say goodbye, but they are two people I know I will see again.
• After Ashleigh and Steph’s departure, I take over their lives and start working all of their extra classes (4 hours a week to be exact) and also begin working as a KCTV reporter where Ashleigh had previously worked.

Most recent “hard news” story about Oranges
http://www.kctvjeju.com/popup/vod.asp?vodfile=http://www.kctvjeju.com/a/200911/091120n5.asx&num=16547
Fast forward to 6mins 30 seconds

My Story (written and edited by me) about the Foreign language festival
http://www.kctvjeju.com/popup/vod.asp?vodfile=http://www.kctvjeju.com/a/200911/091102n5.asx&num=16414
around 7 minute mark

Most Hillarious Story about Mosquitoes Oct/09
http://www.kctvjeju.com/popup/vod.asp?vodfile=http://www.kctvjeju.com/a/200910/091027n5.asx&num=16379
Fast Forward to the 7 minute mark.

Check out the above stories for some riveting hard news.

October- November 2009:

• Two relatively uneventful which I spent working and saving money for my upcoming trips.
• Ran another 10km race with Jason… this one was nice and cool and absolutely beautiful… I did it in 55 minutes and Jason in 42 I believe?
• Climbed Halla and ate Galbi once.

December 2009:

• I saved some money which my Grandma gave me several years ago, added a little to it and decided to surprise my grandparents with a week trip to Slovakia for Christmas.
• This was amazing, I ate good food, spent time with my family including my dad who was visiting, and was allowed the time to be absolutely lazy and do nothing but gain some Christmas pounds.
• Spent New Year’s with my dad watching the fireworks show at the Danube river in Bratislava

January 2010:

• Spent the month working, sleeping, teaching, eating good food every Wednesday during girls nights with my good friend Liz and Nicole and just enjoying the good life.
• Start volunteering with an open education platform doing ESL audio files and also volunteering blogs for a Seoul based website called work’n Play.

February 2010:

• Jason and I take a 3 day vacation to the mainland to go snowboarding at Yongpyong resort during Seollal. It was AWESOME… see my work’nPlay blog here.
• I decide that I am going to forgo my previous plans of becoming a naturopath and pursue a totally different career path in International Development.  Begin researching what it might take, and decide that in a few months time, I will apply to several Post Graduate Programs.

March 2010:

• Liz leaves! Wahhh!  Leaving me and Nicole to our own devices for 6 weeks before she departs as well. Wahhh!

April 2010:

• Nicole’s sister Michelle (I know, we are cool) comes to visit Jeju for two days before they had off to China together.  We go to the lava tubes together and do a funny hedge maze and later enjoy soju slushies at Fish and Grill. The next night we had an epic Noraebong goodbye and lots of farewells because we KNOW we will see each other as soon as I come back to Canada (although who knows how soon that might be).
• Jason and I start a 20 minute radio program called Jolt into Jeju on Arirang radio teaching appropriate cultural etiquette, explaining some of our own cultural mishaps and faux pas and doing a small Korean language lesson at the end.  Lots of fun and good experience.
• I finish paying off my student loans… YAYAYAYAYA!!!!!

May 2010:

• May 2010 I start inquiring about a 3 month extension on my contract so I can continue saving money for my trip now that my loans are paid…  I do not get confirmation until the 13 days before my contract officially ended in July.
• Weather is beautiful… beach season begins

June 2010:

• Enjoying the beach, enjoying the hot weather. Jason’s Birthday, I made between 40-50 strawberry and lemon cupcakes for his birthday in my oversized toaster oven.
• I also ran a half marathon… seriously now, the BIGGEST physical accomplishment of my life, I am sure ever.
• I found out information through Arirang about a wome’s shelter for unwed mothers on the island.  Because Korean society is extremely male centered and puts extreme importance on the family line, these women and their babies adopted out or not, represent one of Koreas most highly stigmatized and marginalized sectors of society.  I come once a week for a few hours to teach English and do cooking and baking classes with them.

July 2010:

• Jinny and I go to Busan for an awesome weekend of relaxing, shopping and drinking.  GOOD times!!!

August 2010- September 2010

• Working, beaching, enjoying a  Chuseok holiday spanning 3 business days which spanned over my birthday.  Hung out relaxed, and took a round trip tour of the island via Jason’s awesome car, the towner!

October 2010:

• Wendi and Jorge leave, but we know we will be seeing them in Thailand in January so it’s another farewell.
• The rest of the month is a whirlwind of tying up loose ends. Selling things, finishing off jobs, packing, cleaning and getting SUPER EXCITED for the trip I am now on through Southeast Asia.  For a blog of my travels please check out:http://travelpod.com/members/mishkabobala

I started uploading photos for this post during the mid of April (surprise, surprise a month later I actually posted).  Thus while it is May and still officially Spring, the photos above are representative of only a short period of this season here in Jeju (what we are currently experiencing in terms of climate is more like Summer… over the last 2-3 weeks we have consistently had temperatures hovering in the low to mid 20*s). 

The weather started to warm up here in early March which commenced the rapid blooming of both the Canola fields and the Cherry Blossom trees.  The canola flowers were present for approximately a month and a half, while the Cherry blossoms began blooming at the end of March, stood beautifully in their full glory for about 4 whole days, and then began to fall  like a gentle winter snow, all within a period of 3 short weeks (they are particularly sensitive to temperature increases). Needless to say, my morning runs through the park were actually something I looked forward to for a little while rather than being a thankless chore (I have been running consistently now, at least 4 days a week and there are no freaking results!!!).  It was especially beautiful on the days that the preschool teachers would bring their classes to the park and let the kindergartners play with falling flowers… I swear I caught a glimpse of young love in a couple of their eyes…

In order to appreciate the flowers in all their splendor, I spent a couple of weekends outdoors doing hikes, strolling through the streets and Jeju Arboretum (also known as Jeju Non-Spontaneous Plants Garden… check out photos from my “Dear Diary” post for clarification) and on the day of the Cherry Blossom festival which fell on the weekend of April 4th-5th, I had a  picnic at Jeju National University with Robyn and Soyoung despite a major Soju hangover from the night before (every moment here is precious!… I will not let my daily activities interfere with my relationship with Soju! [p.s. I am totally kidding and that relationship is finished... it just turned out to be too toxic for me].).  The picnic was lovely, but the festival was just another opportunity for vendors to sell things and for visitors to feel complete and utter clausterphobia as apparently everyone from the entire island decided to come and shop and perhaps frolick in the flowers for that perfect cutesy Korean photo.  I had enough after about an hour and decided to head home to recooperate in order to be in decent shape when I went to pick up Nicole from the airport (she was arriving in Jeju that same day).  Actually, come to think of it,  I don’t think I mentioned this at all prior to now.  My friend Nicole, whom both Robyn and I knew from University (she was actually my roommate as well during 2nd year!),  is now here teaching as well!  She came at the perfect time, because a week later, the Cherry Blossoms were completely gone, and all that is now left is a series of unassuming trees that bear no evidence of their temporary beauty.

Contrary to the deceptive name, Cherry Blossoms do not later bare any actual cherries here in Korea.  Apparently they are the same trees, however they are bred to be sterile and thus produce no fruit… probably just for their aesthetic qualities.  The rapeseed Flowers (also often referred to here as “Rape” with a perfume sold here in the Jeju Duty Free Shop of the same name… another example of Konglish gone horribly wrong) are also grown for their esthetic qualities and are not later cultivated to produce oil or any other product.  Jeju is after all a tourist destination, and while I am often in awe of a blatant lack of utility or resourcefulness of many aspects of Korean culture, the beautiful flowers of Jeju are certainly not something I am complaining about.

Back in August (yes, almost 9 months ago exactly) I resolved to do 3 things while in Korea: 1) Learn to Speak Korean, 2) get into shape and 3) learn about Buddhism. I have been working on the first two tasks with sincereeffort (but varying degrees of success) since that time, however up until this weekend, my education in Buddhism was limited to books I flipped through and brief and broken conversations with lay Korean Buddhists. Nonetheless, this weekend was an exception when me and several other friends and acquaintances settled in at Yakcheonsa Temple in Seogwipo, for a 2 day, 1 night Buddhist temple Stay.

Yakcheonsa Temple is a part of the Jogye order of Korean Buddhism. Korean Buddhism or Tongbulgyo Buddhism has a distinct philosophy which upon its inception in Korea, sought to mediate the perceived internal inconsistencies of the Chinese Mahayana Buddhist tradition (which it is most closely related to), that shifted across the borders of China around 372 A.D.

These variations are less pronounced however, than the specific philosophical differences between Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism (the two predominant traditions throughout the world) which are divided more or less geographically between East and West Asia respectively. Mahayana Buddhism is distinct from Theravada Buddhism on several tenets but most essentially is perhaps a less esoteric Buddhism than the older and more conservative Theravada tradition (i.e. Mahayana is more inclusive as it asserts that the bodhisattva path is open to all people, not just those preserving and and strictly adhering to the original doctrine [i.e. Monks and nuns] and provides a specific path for striving bodhisattvas to pursue). A bodhisattva is an individual aspiring to achieve enlightenment and is considered a “future Buddha” as the term Buddha istelf actually means “enlightened one”.

Siddhartha Guatama, or original Buddha started out as a bodhisattva himself, and is not in fact a God whom we worship (though from the outside it may appear that way as it is his likeness that we see in the largest Buddha statues of Buddha halls and Shrines.These are used much like chants and mantras to help clear the mind and maintain focus during veneration and meditaion rather than for divine worship). Guatama Buddha was rather a living, breathing man who through his own reflections and experiences provided us with his Dharma path or the “Middle Way” to awakening or enlightenment (a path of moderation which avoids the extremes of self-indulgence and self- mortification).

 In early Buddhism, becoming enlightened or achieving “bodhi” carried a meaning synonymous with nirvana (the state of mind in which one is free from craving, anger and other afflictive states) though today, the two traditions of Buddhism disagree about the synonymity of these terms and other religious aspects of enlightenment such as a Godly awakening to the origin and functioning of the Universe. In fact from the small amount of historical information we actually have about Siddhartha Guatama, he never made any personal claims to some privileged esoteric  knowledge about God or the Universe at all. When describing his awakening to the 5 ascetics who became his disciples, he spoke simply of having a freedom of heart and mind from the compulsions of craving, calling this freedom the taste of Dharma. What Buddhism has become today in terms of a major world religion, is all a fact of scriptural interpretation.

Buddha’s Dharma is what we now consider a set of teachings or four enobling truths to be acted upon; those of anguish, its origins, its cessation, and the path leading to its cessation. He said that anguish was to be understood, its origins to be let go of (its origins being craving for something other than what is), its cessation realized and a path to be cultivated. These truths were not set out as 4 propositions to be believed (though they are often laid out that way), nor are they a series of linear steps to be progressed through in order to achieve awakening. Instead, they are a complex group of interwoven phases which must be acted upon in their own particular way, but together are a single continuum of action (i.e.one does not exist without the other). According Guatama Buddha, only through knowing these truths could a person truly become awakened.

This is where the aspect of meditation comes in…. clearing ones mind and being with ones self and all of the mundane realities we are usually distracted from observing while indulging in daydreams, fantasies, and thoughts about the past or the future, is said to be the key to living an awakened life. By spending time in meditation it becomes evident that most often we are fleeing the present (try to sit for even 5 minutes with the intention of thinking about nothing but what is presently around you). This avoidance of the present is actually a reluctance to face change and the difficulties that are part and parcel of it.  These difficulties can be translated into “anguish”… and this is where the Dharma path comes into play.

Whether enlightenment means seeing the world and living in it with a new set of eyes by letting go of craving, or it actually is an insight to God and the interworkings of the Universe, are things I do not currently know and can’t be sure I ever will know.  However, I went into my temple stay experience with an open mind knowing that the people that devote their life to this path in a religious way (with all the rigors involved in attaining their desired end), will probably be leaning toward the latter.

While I must admit the clergy was quite forgiving in terms of our own etiquette and behaviour on the temple grounds, no matter how appealing a life free of anguish may sound, the boddhisatva life is perhaps less than enviable. Out of the 24 hours we spent at Yakcheonsa temple, at least 10 were meant to be spent in silence, 4 were spent in veneration and though 6 were set aside for sleep, it was more like only 4 were actually realized… and this was only how we as visitors spent our time there.

We arrived on the temple grounds at 2pm on Saturday, and after checking in we were immediately taken to our communal room to change into more conservative temple clothes which consisted of simple Korean working clothes called Garot. Temple etiquette dictates that one not wear bright colors, excessive accessories, heavy make up, or revealing clothing. While Garot is certainly loose and comfortable, it is a far cry from being conducive to the temperatures during the summer months on a subtropical island, and again this is what we as lay Buddhists had to wear during our visit, while men who have achieved monkhood spend their days in layers of cotton robes. We were then taken into the Buddha hall where we received a short welcoming speech and a lecture on how to sit, bow and what posture to take to meditate. We were also shown by some willing (and unwilling) participants, how a monk is reminded of their goal if they begin to doze off during what are sometimes 13 hour long meditation sessions (it involves a long, flat bamboo stick and the shoulder area of ones back). We were then taken on a tour of the temple grounds. We were shown the temple and its shrines, an underground meditation cave and an ancillary building showcasing 500 of Siddhartha Guatama’s followers who too reached Buddhahood.

After our tour, we were taken to a meeting hall where we were given the opportunity to participate in the monastic eating practice of Balwoogongyang. Balwoogongyang refers to Korean Buddhist dinning etiquette where “Balwoo” refers to a bowl appropriate for the proper amount of food, and “Gongyang” simply means eating temple food. Balwoogongyang is not only a way of consuming food, but also part of Buddhist discipline. Through this practice, people share food and elevate their community’s unity by reconciling equality (all monks eat the same food at the same time in complete silence).  Additionally not even a single grain of rice is wasted in order to be mindful of the overindulgence afforded to some areas of the world, while hunger and starvation are what is prevalent in others (food is also considered necessary for the sustenance of life and not for physical satisfaction amongst the Buddhist clergy). Silence is commanded to the extent of refraining from making noise with ones bowls in order to remain focused on a clear mind and to maintain a practice of mindful eating. Our meal, (of course vegetarian to remain aligned with the Buddhist precept of “non-violence”) consisted of cabbage soup, rice, kimchi, bean sprouts, seaweed and two styles of pickled radish. Soup and rice were served from large communal pots, and the side-dishes were offered on a large platter to be shared equally with the four individuals neighbouring most closely to you. A stringent and timed, step by step process was dictated by the crack of a bamboo stick as the whole process was to be enacted in silence. To view an outline of the practice similar to the one we participated in see: http://koreaitour.com/koreaitour/english/experience_duringthemeal.htm

After dinner we reconvened in the Buddha Hall for the Evening service called “Yebul” in Korean. This practice takes place at the temple 3 times a day and is enacted in order pay homage the Triple Gem or “Tiratana”. The Tiratana refers to the Buddha (the enlightened one), the Dharma (the path) and the Sangha (the followers). Through this service, one commemorates the Buddha, remembers the lives of the many people who have followed Buddhism and makes a vow to follow their footsteps and to follow Buddhism with sincerity. The Yebul thus consists of the “Yae- bul-mun” chant and a series of bows used to bring about clarity of mind. We then seated ourselves in front of the Buddha shrine and spent some time attempting Seon (Zen) Meditation. Doing Seon meditation is to empty all thinking activity and bring oneself to the here and now and ones original nature (a task I can not say I was very successful at.. I spent most of my time thinking about how to stop myself from thinking). I’m not sure how much time actually passed, but despite my lack of mind clearing abilities, the crack of the bamboo stick shocked me out of my calm and relaxed state and back into the reality of the outside world. I think a peaceful feeling remained with all of us for a little while, and after the head monks closing remarks, we were all in awe of the beauty of the lanterns lit up outdoors, as we turned around and it was suddenly night.

The next two hours before we headed to bed were spent in free time, a question and answer period with the monks and a very summer-camp-like activity where we learned how to paint the likeness of the Buddha with water color paint. I am not certain of the significance behind this activity, however depictions of the Buddha are after all reminders to stay focused, and perhaps the activity of painting his likeness is an activity to help bring about that kind of clarity.

Bedtime was at 10pm and we were separated into 3 gender segregated rooms (there was a much higher ratio of girls than guys), and attempted to fall sleep as quickly as possible on blankets placed over the overheated hardwood floor. It felt like I had just fallen asleep when we were awoken to the clanging of the traditional wooden Buddhist instruments (called MokTak) and the accompanying Buddha venerating chant being hummed in unison by the even earlier rising monks. It was 4am, and time to dress for the morning service.

Morning service was much like the evening service aside from the 108 prostrations or bows we performed upon its conclusion. At about 5:30 in the morning, this activity left us all exhausted and in a sweat because each prostration is conducted by half bowing with hands positioned heart-center, kneeling on to a cushion on the floor, bowing fully forward with forearms and head on the ground, resuming heart-center position and lifting oneself to standing using only our legs… all 108 performed within a matter of less than 10 minutes… and all enacted with the intention of remaining focused. Needless to say my legs were quite sore the next day, leaving me wondering how an aspiring monk can complete 3000 of these before becoming a member of the clergy. Again we bowed to the Buddha statue as we departed the Buddha hall (as is proper etiquette when entering and leaving) and another beautiful surprise was before us as we turned around, the Sun was up and it was day.

Breakfast was next and consisted of much the same elements as the dinner the night before. My hunger was the only thing that enabled me to finish the mundane meal before me, and being the unawakened individual I am, I began to pitty the monks for their inability to enjoy such worldly pleasures as delicious food.

After breakfast we had another Q&A session withthe head monk who provided us with some basic concepts about Buddhism, and life as part of the clergy. Surprisingly a monk of the Jogye order enjoys relative freedom with holidays of as long as 2 months a year. The particular monk we were speaking with had the opportunity to travel to something like 60 different countries – bill footed by the Temple. Though this aspect of monastic life sounds rather exciting, much of his travels were dedicated to religious training and meditation retreats in which he would spend the majority of the day aside from sleep in deep meditation and self reflection.

At 9:00 we participated in a traditional tea ceremony or “Dado”. This was another opportunity for self reflection, and even with something as simple as a cup of tea every detail was attended to from the water temperature, to the way the cups were first rinsed and warmed, to the aroma of the dried tea leaves as they were placed into the teapot with a small amount of water, the amount of time the tea was brewed, its color, to exactly how the teapot was held, the tea served and then mutually enjoyed. Making and drinking tea is in line with the Buddha’s original doctrine as the posture taken while drinking tea closely resembles Seon meditation posture. Participating in a tea ceremony is supposed to provide yet another opportunity to practice Seon while having the pleasure of enjoying the tea itself. To see the step by step process, see: http://www.tongdosa.or.kr/english/templestay/program.asp and scroll to the bottom of the page.

After this we participated in a walking meditation ceremony in which we were each given a MokTak (a traditional instrument made of wood) which we too clanged in unison, and to which we chanted a Buddha veneration. Though this activity was supposed to be yet another method to clear the mind, it was slightly more comical than peaceful as most of us were in a Zombie like state, unsure of exactly what we were chanting (it was obviously all in Korean) and the loud repetitive sounds were doing more to strum a nerve, causing a bit of a headache for me, than to provide an opportunity for concentration. Nonetheless, it was an experience unto itself, and just another glimpse into the rituals and activities which the monks participate in on a daily basis.

After this event, the experience at the temple stay began to wind down in terms of spiritual and ritualistic eduction. We took some free time to explore the temple grounds, took a small nap, cleaned the rooms in which we slept, ate lunch (which again mirrored the contents of the previous two meals and was thus something I completely avoided this time) and then entered the Buddha hall one last time for the closing ceremony. The monks thanked us for our diligent participation as we did likewise for their time spent with us. We took some “commemorative photos” as a group (and as I believe Robyn pointed out, none of us would be surprised if we end up on next years temple stay program Brochures) said goodbye to the monks, and were on our way back home ready to appreciate living in the moment… specifically those moments right before sleep nestled comfortably on our own beds.

Though the experience did not leave me feeling particularly more spiritual on account of the large number of people and the inevitable dynamic that a first time encounter with something foreign and unknown creates, it was certainly an experience I am so thankful to have had and to have learned from. If nothing else it has inspired me to learn more about Buddhism as both a religion and a philosphy, and to perhaps reflect on my own views of religiosity, spirtuality and what awkening actually means. Thus far, I must say that as a world religion Buddhism seems to be the one I would be willing to align myself most closely with. However, having said that, it is the original philosophy which impresses me and not necessarily the ideologies and belief systems that have have become associated with it. This is where alignement with one religion or another becomes tricky, thus I intend to move forward from this experience not as a self proclaimed Buddhist, but rather an individual with a great amount of interest in Buddhism, while remaining weary of delving blindly into any form of ritualism or faith.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2298544&id=120804479&l=a2d02b030f

It has now been just over a month since Katarina and Hugh (and baby Bubak) left and both Robyn and  I miss them dearly.  These two individuals made the first portion of our stay here in Jeju more comfortable and memorable than either of us could have ever imagined.  Their kindness and generosity has been unparalleled, and to show them our love and appreciation, we wanted to send them off with a bang.  Saturday March 7th was a Surprise Goodbye party hosted by Robyn and I,  to simultaneously celebrate Kat and Hugh’s advancing age (JUST KIDDING) and to highlight Katarina’s skills in cradle robbing- Hugh is 5 whole days younger.

Unfortunately the Surprise was slightly botched because they were both supposed to arrive at once, but due to a miscommunication of sorts,  we “SURPRISE”d Katarina all by her lonesome, and then some 5 minutes later, subsequently “SURPRISE”d Hugh when he and Jenie arrived together.  No matter, the rest of the evening unravelled famously with Robyn’s ever popular Jello Shooters and my Oatmeal cookies- all 100ish of them baked batch, by batch, by batch, by batch, by batch, by batch…. by me and Jason in my toaster oven…. over a span of 8 hours… now that’s love.  The highlight of the evening was likely the elaborately wrapped gift box containing many a travel necessity, newlywed sweatshirts (it’s common in Korea for couples to dress in matching clothing when they’re newlyweds, and since living in Korea was Kat and Hugh’s several-year-long honeymoon, it only seemed fitting) and the priceless and ever-desired Obekwan necklace and keychain (Actually you canput a price on them… a whole 50 cents.  Obekwan are 500Won coins we had made into the respective accessories).  

Two days later we continued the birthday celebrations on Katarina’s actual birthday- March 9th, at Bagdad with a lovely dinner and a stop in at “Photo Maru”, our favourite place to get airbrushed glamour shots taken while wearing Disney ears and clown wigs. And finally, after another 5 days (once Kat and Hugh and Bubak had already moved in with me before they made their great departure back to Canada), Hugh celebrated his Birthday in style wearing a Farmer’s hat all evening, drinking tea and playing board games in my lavish apartment (let us not mention the classy photo of me when Hugh let me borrow it).  It certainly was no frills, but it was another great night to remember.  

Only three evenings thereafter and Kat, Hugh and Bubak were on a plane back to Canada…. or wait, first to Seoul… and as a result of first flying on a domestic flight, they didn’t realize that THEY FORGOT BUBAK’S MICRO CHIP DOCUMENTS until they were already on the mainland!  For a minute it looked like I was going to have one last Hoorah in Seoul with them because Bubak would not be able to enter Canada without these papers (i.e. I was going to fly to Seoul to bring them to them), but as luck would have it (I kinda would have liked to see them again), we found a delivery service capable of delivering the docs just in time for their  final departure. 

And that is how Jeju ended an era. We all miss you here so dearly… it’s just not the same… already counting down the days ’til we reunite back home.

xxxooo  

 While I can understand the shame that a face-saving culture may feel when crimes against humanity are commited by their own people against their own people, it is appalling that in a highly developed, democratically run country, the re-writing of history can still actually be an issue.  I am well aware that what we learn about the world through the News is always percieved through someone elses eyes and  is always angled to accomodate share holders and viewership (just look at the portrayal of Barak Obama on America’s most highly viewed news netowrks as he has returned from the G-2o meetings in England, apparently what was most newsworthy was whether he adhered to proper etiquette upon introduction to the Queen), however a blatant re-writing of history is something I believed existed in only the most repressive societies with autocratic or totalitarian regimes.

Mr. Byun told me that his own father was among the people marching in protest of the current Conservative governments attempt to cover up the attrocities commited by the Conservative capitalist ideologues against the Communist minority in Jeju in the late 1940′s. Hundreds of Southern Communists were killed for their alignment with the North’s Socialist liberators and thousands more unafilliated civilians were murdered in the process.  Myoung Bak’s current government is attempting a “burning of the books” for the modern era, renegging on the previous governments commitment to understanding and admitting the aweful truths of the last half century in Jeju… if humanity is not given the opportunity to admit to and learn from its mistakes, history will continue to repeat itself and the ancestors of those lost, Mr. Byun and his father included, will never have the opportunity reconcile with what was stolen from them.

This is more of a “visual” blog entry as the beauty of the plants and animals speaks for itself.  My good friend Jason and I took a 40 minute drive in the good old towner (a van equivalent to clown-mobile) to the east end of the island to a botanical park called Hallim Park at the end of February.  We got to see a variety of plants and animals NOT native to Jeju… basically it is just a tourist attraction that the founder proudly advertised as a development to bring business and money to Jeju.  For this accomplishment, he is revered in an almost heroic way as there is a giant statue of him at the entrance to a small museum chronicling the creation of the park… apparently he had quite the green thumb… I guess gardening goes a long way in these parts.

In order to make the task of updating everyone about the events of the past month I will do up several, event specific mini-blogs.  Chronologically, the first occasion to make mention of,  is me and Katarina’s February20-22 trip to Busan (and yes I know, I promised to update directly after the weekend, yet its been over a month now… but I am sure its not anything you all aren’t used to by this point).  Yes, much as the title of this post would imply, this was my third trip to the city… but I’M NOT apologizing. I love it there, and I have to admit it’s probably not the last time I will visist.  It has nothing to do with the tourist attractions, or historical sites, but purely because of the unpredictable things that tend to happen there and the general atmosphere of the city… (realistically, the span of six or more blocks dedicated to nothing but thrift stores and the occasional boutique, may also have something to do with it).

Contrary to the schedule, window shopping was an unrealized item on the itinerary, and despite the amount of restraint and self control I did demonstrate, it’s a miracle I didn’t have to buy another bag just to lug all of my stuff home. I watched “Confessions of a Shopoholic” last night, and some flashbacks from that weekend resonated with me as I watched Rebecca Bloomwood rooting through all of the bargains at the Sample Sale (though her one pair of gloves cost what my entire shopping spree did).  I was actually very good for most of the weekend, but once we hit the 10hour mark in the shopping district (yes.. actually… but over a span of two days), my urge to “buy, BUY, buy” could no longer be kept in check (someone recently told me that there have been some evolutionary theories suggesting that women’s “natural propensity to shop”  is a result of some biological urge to comodify for the sake of genetic protraction… I am not wise to the details, but for all current intents and purposes, I will buy it -no pun intended ). 

Other than shopping, Katarina and I spent one evening in our hotel room getting drunk and celebrating Kat’s acceptance into her PhD program, off of ONEbottle of cheap wine, like a couple of teenage school girls.  For any of you planning to visit Myeondong (correction Nampodong, Myeondong is in Seoul) on a Friday night, opt for the Korean table wine a la Love Hotel… apparently what we thought was the bustling downtown district, shuts down at 10pm on Fridays.  No matter, we had a great time and also had the opportunity to discover Hugh’s incredibly thoughtful gesture hidden in Kat’s makeup bag…. he sold his bicycle and left the profit in a little envelope for Katarina to spend on a lovely celebratory breakfast and dinner for the both of us the following day.

In between these indulgent, culinary events and most of our time spent perusing the 1,000Won bins of the used clothing shops, we also encountered the usual, unusual Korean (or other) things (or people) such as a bare breasted statue feeding her naked baby situated on a deserted side street directly next to a convenience store (see exhibit A below),  Big Bang, Korea’s biggest pop quartet being on scene at a sporting store endorsing some product… seriously, being there in that moment gives us a major bragging rights (Exhibit B), a couple of Japanese tourists who asked us to take our pictures with them, just by virtue of being foreigners (Exhibit C),  a waving, bike riding delivery man (Exhibit D), the owner of Market Fresh who informed us the business was going under and wanted to personally take us on an evening drive around the shores … a little strange, but I think he was using us to practice his English (Exhibit E), the top I will be wearing to my next formal event (if you’re lucky, maybe even to your wedding lindsey)-sweater included (Exhibit F), an ad for… you guessed it… a HOSPITAL (exhibit G) and last but not least, Katarina’s awesome, out of this world virtual horse race which I almost got a hernia watching and video recording (Exhibit H).

Our weekend consisted of shopping, eating, cafeing, arcading, more eating and more shopping, and then from all the shopping we had to get our pedicures done.  God it’s sickening… but it was so good.  I look at it this way… first of all, I single handedly kick started the Korean economy, and with the way the Won has waned in the last few months, my 20o,000₩ weekend probably cost me in the upper limit of $12.

Thank you so much Kat for such an awesome weekend… thinking back makes me miss you even more.

I have to admit, it’s been quite sad without them, but I am faring relatively well considering they were my family away from home.  Luckily I still have Robyn and some other good friends here on the island to take care of me, and so the separation anxiety probably hasn’t hit me yet because my mornings have also been occupied by my new exercise routine, correspondence that was long overdue (sorry mom), and the cleaning that was necessary after having 3 extra bodies livining in my apartment for 5 days (Kat, Hugh and the love of my life Bubak,  moved in with me between their contract end dates and their day of departure) .  I have had a little more time to think in the last week though, and that has been hard (when my mind is left to its own devices, a depressing reality about the privilege I have in life and how I am not using it to its greatest potential  always tends to set in, leaving me feeling guilty and a little depressed about the state of the rest of the world), but I suppose that kind of thinking really isn’t a bad thing because it’s important to recognize where there is need for personal improvement and act on it.  I think that if anything good can come from Kat and Hugh leaving, it will give me more time for self reflection and I can focus my energies on figuring out what exactly I am going to do with my life and if I am going to adhere to the original plan.  (To stay or not to stay in Korea is the very first question).

In any case, I will certainly be updating more often as I have a lot to catch up on and a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks, so expect to hear from me again very soon.  For the time being I am formally letting you know that I am alive and well and am sending my love to everyone.  I hope everything is great back home.

xox Michelle

Another week has gone by and I don’t again know  how the time has flown.  I constantly have so many activities going on that I rarely have time to breathe let alone update my blog.  I am actually currently at work on my one hour break, after what was a wonderful morning catching up with two of my favourite girls in the world, talking to family, exercising and packing for Busan again.  Yes, I am now headed to Busan for the third time in what is now almost 7 months of being in Korea.  As I mentioned in my last post, Katarina and Hugh are leaving in just over 3 weeks (WAHHHH!!) and Kat and I are heading to the mainland for one last ladies weekend.  Itinerary: window shopping, drinking, cafeing, perhaps museum hopping and getting in some good quality time together before the Kuruc/Durant duo leave Robyn and I on this island to our own devices.  Too bad you couldn’t come too Robyn!

I’ll be sure to write an updated post regarding our activities early next week, but before I leave, I wanted to briefly mention my whereabouts last weekend.  So where was it that I spent my Valentines day last Saturday, February the 14th, you ask?  Well, Burning down an orum actually.

In Korea,  after the (Lunar) New Year,  several provinces celebrate The Fire Festival, which literally involves the torching of an entire hill.  Though this custom has a long tradition, and a history I don’t know much about, the basic idea behind it is to burn out any traces of bad from the previous year, and present a clean slate for the present and the future. I think it stems from old farming practices, but a spiritual/symbolic aspect has been interwoven into this custom too.

To set the hill ablaze, dozens of people with torches walked in a procession toward the Orum, and upon the end of the countdown, the hill was set on fire with the added help of fireworks and other flammable substances.  The event was really quite spectacular and was made to look a lot like a Volcano exploding… something that is fitting for where we are, considering the fact that we are living on a Volcanic island with a dormant Volcano, smack-dab in the middle.

Despite the freezing cold that evening, the event was quite amazing and I am glad I didn’t miss it.  Near the end, there were also traditional singers and dancers dressed in Hambok which I will post photos of when I return. 

Have a great weekend everyone, TGIF, and hope to talk to you all soon!             xox

Michelle

Ammendment: From my guidebooks and a little bit of research on the internet, I have confirmed that the origins of this Festival are indeed  found in early farming practices which used the yearly razing of old grasses to maximize the space on which to graze herds of cows. Jeju-do has traditionally been an island of Farmers and food producers, and while the island is certainly lush, it is incredibly small and covered predominantly by trees and local plant life privy to a mountain ecology and not large or even moderate scales of farming. Even today there is a clear lack of green pastures and thus the burning of  these dry grassy fields became a useful practice for raising the quality and increasing the size of graze lands, eliminating pests and even paying hommage to the fire God of the local poltheistic religion. In Jeju-do specifically, the people believed in the purifying and metamorphic powers of fire and thus through this tradition, the people hoped to pacify the fire God who could help bring the people propsperity and fertility. The Jeongwol Daeboreum Fire Festival translates to: Great Full moon and actually takes place on the first full moon of the lunar New Year. I would argue that the timing of this tradition undoubtedly held both agricultural and symbolic/religious significance relating to starting anew.  Here are the additional long promised photos.

The long awaited post has finally arrived and I will be amazed if anyone actually gets through it… it is 8 pages long and perhaps (or certainly) documents more than anyone cares to read. However the purpose of this blog is also to provide me with something to look back on when my time here is over.  So either grin and bear it, or wait until I post the photos (but with my track record you may be waiting a long time).

Also, I started writing last Thursday with the naive idea that I could finish in one evening, so I am including my thought processes of that day as well (just to solidify the “dear diary” status of this post). You should also know that after writing the first part of that post, I ate 3 more chocolate bars in one sitting and thus have this week been out for a run 4 times. Cold or no cold. It had to be done.

It is Thursday night and I am in my resident position (in my bed) thinking about what else I could possibly eat, believing that I deserve whatever my heart desires because I had a bad day with Young Jae again today. It reminds me of Tuesday night (the last day of my 4 day, Lunar New Year long weekend), an evening that I am not proud of, but one in which out of  what I believe was the anxiety of having to return to school and deal with Young-Jae the next day, I ate 3 chocolate bars in one sitting (and sadly no, they were not the bite sized ones, though I did have one of those too… don’t anyone dare comment).  To make matters worse, I literally busted a button off my pants earlier last week (while sitting) and because I am STILL sick (it has seriously  been 45 days) I have been leery of heading out for a run out of fear of over exerting myself and making matters worse again. 

Yes mom, I did go see a doctor… not for the cold specifically but rather for a minor eye infection for which I was prescribed antibiotics and 3 other sets of pills that serve only God knows what purpose (and yes I am taking them all despite my belief that it is a little more than overkill).  Unfortunately the doctor thinks the cold is viral and will eventually pass on its own, so as I continue to say no to alcohol, late nights and light to moderate exercise (and YES to chocolate)  I feel like I am turning into the Slovak version of Jaba the Hut on account of my immobility and insatiable appetite for junk (sorry for the stolen reference Kat, but you would understand if you could feel your body expanding as you spoke too). 

 Enough said, I am finished with the weight references because as we all know, it is clearly not healthy to have an obsession with ones appearance, especially in a day and age where we model ourselves against… models….  but I’ll also argue that having dinner and eating an Aero, a WonderBar and 3 Reeses cups  (plus a mini Coffee Crisp) thereafter… is unhealthy too (… again…  don’t say a word… you brought them for me mother).  Jinny and So Young argue that this common behaviour of mine results from some kind of void… in their eyes, one that needs to be filled by “the love of a man”…. I argue against this because that void has been thoroughly dealt with over the last year and any guy in my life is now a mere compliment to my already existing happiness and fulfillment.  But perhaps there is an ounce of truth to the void theory because I recently learned that Katarina and Hugh (and my little princess Bubak) will be leaving in mid March. Additionally, I am still dealing with the aftereffects of my mom and sister leaving… and what is the next best thing to love, family and friendship?  Well I would argue chocolate, so I will sit here eating more of it as I attempt to tell you all a little bit about Niki and Mom’s visit (I know it’s long overdue).

Well I guess I will continue where I last left off… that being Niki and I’s visit to Loveland. If you haven’t all figured it out by now based on Niki’s Facebook photos, Loveland is a theme park here in Jeju dedicated to the pseudo-artistic depiction of sex. I had never been there before myself, and to say the least the whole experience did nothing short of make me blush… particularly when we caught other Korean tourists taking pictures of us “participating” in the hands on nature of some the exhibits. Being a little shy in this department, I was surprised to find that of all of the things to see there, my favourite part of the whole gig was the“gift shop”. Not because I was feeling particularly inspired myself, but rather because in a fit of side splitting laughter, it inspired Niki to buy a pair of mens underwear (if you can call a white mesh g-string underwear) as a gift for a special someone… Kris. No, not for her boyfriend Kyle, bur rather for her Family/Other/Brother in law. Really though, I can’t think of a better Christmas gift, and I truly hope the gift-that-kept-on-giving as it sat on my coffee table for two weeks, continued to delight, when it was finally in the hands of its rightful owner.

The next day was Friday, and alas I had to go to work for one silly day until the weekend.  Niki and mom headed to Seogwipo on the South side of the island with Katarina and Hugh, and upon their return we all met for Dinner at an American Style restaurant called Youngu’s.  While the food was decent, it is still unclear as to whether Kat and Hugh got food poisoning or if they caught something from the servers, but it is safe to say that we won’t be going back because to suggest that Kat and Hugh were very, very, very sick, is a huge understatement.  Before we were alerted to the disaster that would unfold for Kat and Hugh in just a few short hours, we ventured to a Noraebong for a truly unforgettable evening.  Kat and I sang our usual Stevie Wonder duet,  Hugh and I sang some Air Supply with  some serious improv, Mom surprised us by singing to many a Queen song, and near the end of the night, Niki broke out the Celine and sang with so much gusto, that people were actually knocking on the door, probably trying to check if our Canadian claim to fame was actually in house.

Because of Kat and Hugh’s unfortunate situation the following day, it meant that the duo was out of commission for the weekend and the onus of showing the ladies a good time on their last weekend here was left up to me. And what a disaster I turned out to be in fulfilling that role. Saturday was supposed to be somewhat of a spa day where we were going to go get our hair and nails done. I took mom and Niki to a hairdresser I had been raving about to them without any prior personal experience, but rather just by virtue of the amazing haircut Kat received there for the whopping price of $10. We all went in requesting our respective hair cuts, and Niki and mom also indicated that they wanted “highlights” added to their hair which we believed was a universal term for the procedure. Jinny was currently not available for phone conference to confirm that they knew what we wanted, but they all smiled and nodded enthusiastically, which to us indicated that they understood our request. I don’t know why I didn’t clue in right away, but things looked fishy immediately when they started spreading blue paste all over Niki and mom’s heads without a cap or a foil in sight. At that point, neither of them looked concerned which may merely have been a result of my expressed confidence in the place, and thus (against my better judgement), I didn’t say anything and let the disaster continue in hopes that this was indeed some Korean method of highlighting hair. As the minutes passed and the color was starting to take its effect, the energy between the three of us became more and more somber and the tension began to build. Somehow mom broke through the language barrier and it suddenly became evident to them that mom did NOT want a bleach blond head and they immediately rinsed out the bleach, leaving her with hair that was definitely well cut, and color that looked decently touched up. But for poor Niki, we were at the point of no return. Things were too far gone to salvage the old colour, and as Niki’s head turned deeper and deeper orange, we all sat their pale faced, just hoping that the bleach blond would eventually appear. Well that moment never came, and even after a second full application (which the hairdresser had the nerve to charge us for), Niki was Carrot Top in Eastern European prostitutes disguise (I love you Niki, but even after 3 “just show me one more time, maybe my vision was bad”, there is no way of sugar coating it or putting it nicely). Needless to say, that was the end of spa day and we headed home for a couple of shots of Soju, because even for someone as easy going as Niki, the color of a Jeju orange on your head, is a bitter pill to swallow.

The next morning, Niki gathered enough courage and good will to leave the house and visit one more beautiful corner of the island before her departure. With a hat on head and a camera handy, we spent a few hours on Udo island, ready for any moment where the mood would strike and Niki would let her “golden” locks out from under the chapeau (Michael Buble style) for that perfect photo op. Jinny also joined us and while I had already been there once before, the scenery of the island was no less beautiful.  Upon our return, Katarina came over with a wonderful Mexican dinner for all of us to share (though unfortuantely she didn’t get to enjoy any of that culinary delight on account of being ill), and the three Bobala ladies went downtown for their last evening together.  We visited Town & Kitchen, my favourite tea house, and after spending a good couple of hours there, mom decided to head home for her beauty sleep, and Niki and I decided to attempt to relive the Noraebong magic just one more time.  No one came banging down the doors this time, but it was so much fun even with just her and I, that we ended up staying out until 1am (On a Sunday) singing the night away.  Since that night Niki, I honestly haven’t been back… it just won’t be the same .

The next day was Monday and it was a sad day indeed because it was officially time for Niki to head home.  Before her departure, we got to have brunch with Mr. Byun and Mrs. Kim at the KAL Hotel which was nice for us all because they served a fusion of Korean and International foods including what I believe was REAL cheese cake! Because I had to work, I couldn’t be there to see Niki off at the airport, so we met on my break to have coffee and to say goodbye.  I procrastinated the goodbye part so much that all it chalked up to, was a quick hug and a “talk to you soon” as we ran from the cofee shop to the Hogwan for my class that was to begin in about 12 seconds.  It was definitely a sad evening and a sad Tuesday that followed.  When I got home from work on Tuesday night, I asked my mom hypothetically where abouts she thought Niki might be at that point in her travels, and we both agreed that she was probably preparing to land for one of her fist stop overs in the U.S.  Well, we were wrong because about an hour later, we got a phone call from Niki saying that her flight was delayed and she was stuck in Tokyo for another night. The poor girl ended up in transit for something like 48 hours, but thankfully she eventually made it home safe and sound.

The rest of the week spent with mom was relatively anticlimactic.  We were both still knee deep in our colds and mom was physically and mentally exhausted from all the running around we had been doing over the first two weeks of her stay.  We did visit the 5 day market together and had a couple of coffee dates in the Shi-Cheung or City Hall area, but other than that our only big night was the Friday before she left.  We took her to a Black Pork Galbi restaurant (I am sure I have mentioned this before, but Black Pig is native to Jeju and it has a very unique and mild flavour) where it seemed as though yet another man fell in love with her because the Ajashi from the neighbouring table decided to join us to spend his time flirting with my mother.  Despite this semi-awkward  but truly hilarious occurrence, our dinner was delicious as usual, and it seems that we finally found a true Korean food that mom REALLY enjoyed.  we then headed to Led Zeppelin for one goodbye drink, yet the good wine and good company turned it into something more like four.  Mom met some of my friends and acquaintances from the other side of town, and as always, trumped me as to who’s company they preferred.

It’s unfortunate because it was just as she had to leave, that Korea really started to grow on her.  I think that my mother really is more of a creature of habit and familiarity, than she herself would believe. Wouldn’t you say mamo?  In any case, the next morning was mom’s day of departure and thanks to the insane snow storm we had, we really weren’t sure if the flight from Jeju to Seoul was even going to depart.  Luckily, the transfer from hereto Seoul and Seoul to Denver went without a hitch, yet much like Niki, all smooth sailing ended after the 2nd connection.  Unfortunately for mom, her flight from Denver to Toronto was delayed and as a result she missed her flight from Toronto to Timmins and had to spend the night in the airport until the next morning.  The fun didn’t end there however, because when she finally made it home, she was welcomed by a flood of water 3 inches deep in her basement… a scenario which could have been much worse had she been gone any longer.

And so (FINALLY) ends the story of Niki and Mom’s Korean vacation. When Niki got home she promptly visited our hairdresser Beata for a major fix-up and mom has had the pleasure of dealing with the insurance company in order to repair all of the damage in the basement.  I on the other hand have been doing little more than eating numerous chocolate bars and writing/attempting to write this blog entry for almost a month now. My next task is uploading the photos… lets see how long that takes me