the great city of busan 05:12

I spent the past weekend with my friends Will, Tim, and Kim down in Busan. It's Korea's second biggest city with about four million people. Everyone speaks in the Gyeongsando accent so it was kind of difficult to understand things. Generally, people down there are kinder and warmer than the people here in Daejeon.

On the shores of Haeundae, we met an old man who insisted he was Son O-gong (손오공, そんごくin Japanese) and if anyone knows who that is, he the monkey-king hero from Chinese mythology. If you ever watched Dragonball, you'll get an idea of who this is because the main character is based on the hero. He did though, take this picture of us.

We also visited what I thought was one of the most beautiful temples because it was right next to the ocean.

My friend Tim wanted to see if he could get his hands on oatmeal and so we went grocery shopping. It was there that we met a Canadian-Middle Eastern English teacher. He had a lot of hair sticking out of his ears and it really distracted Kim and I. We couldn't stop laughing. Tim and Will on the other hand got into an interesting conversation that ended with him advising us to go wine tasting in the wine section. He insisted that the Chilean wine was the "sexiest" and if we told the sample lady to fill up a glass, she would. We went, tasted, and left to find oatmeal. I didn't find it too sexy. By chance, we bumped into the English teacher again and he dragged us all to go and try some more. When the sample lady saw him coming, she rolled her eyes, sighed, and knew what he wanted. We knew he had frequented the wine section. She then poured full cups for us. Quite hilarious.

The last day, Tim, Will, and I went to "the best sauna in the world." Unfortunately, Kim had to go back to Jeju Island that morning. In Tim's own words, it was the most naked bodies he had ever seen since Schindler's List. We got to enjoy the Jasmine Tea baths, cherry baths, outdoor baths and salt baths. We were a little disappointed though because the Strawberry Milk bath that were supposed to be there weren't there. Nonetheless, a very relaxing time.

OTLed 04:40

OTL is a "word" that encapsulates very well what I have been feeling this passed month. If you look carefully, the letters OTL form a stick figure that is about to collapse from exhaustion. The younger generation of kids here in Korea use it to mean tired. I found it quite amusing. 

staying ahead 16:25

This is probably my first negative post since I have been in Korea. There is something called "nunchi" (눈치) here which means something like staying ahead of your friends, family members, co-workers, and acquaintances so as to keep them pleased to avoid any misunderstandings or bad feelings. One has to understand all the niceties of this society as well as people's feelings so that one knows what makes them happy, sad, tick, etc. I heard that it is kind of like a sixth sense. It is a way that Koreans keep harmony within groups even if it means telling a white lie here and there. For me however, I feel like I am walking on broken glass.

My boss has not been the most generous person since the New Year and it seems as though it is getting harder everyday. One of my co-worker was actually on the verge of tears because of all the work that was dumped on her. Now as a Korean, she has this sixth sense and so she is well aware of how to deal with it when it comes to talking to our boss. It is extremely indirect and it actually made cringe when I saw it. I wanted to give my boss a piece of my mind at the time but it probably would have made her cry too.

love 04:57

For New Years I visited my uncle and aunt in Gunsan, a small town along the Yellow Sea. Surprisingly, my grandmother was there and so it was a reunion of some sort. The last time I had seen them was back in 1995 when they visited America. My two cousins were also there. During my stay, we were confined mostly to their home because of a blizzard. This was my first experience with that much snow. It snowed about 8 inches on Friday night. I now understand why people hate snow. 

Since we were home most of the time there, we watched T.V., caught up with each other's lives (with my broken Korean of course), ate, and ate some more. Everyone was convinced that I was starving myself. They had never seen such an emaciated human in their life. They kept feeding me. I think I had at least four meals on Saturday not including the snacks in between. Feeling rather insecure after they almost convinced that I was, I weighed myself. After some calculations (they use kilograms here, not pounds) I figured I had lost close to 15 pounds since I first got to Korea.

All my stories have some sort of connection with a word that I learn and this story is definitely not exempt from it. There is a word called "jeong" (情). The Japanese and Chinese also use this word. It means "feelings." In Korean though, this word goes beyond the generic meaning of feeling. It can mean love, sacrifice, affection, passion, compassion, how well you click with someone, desires... It is used between a mother and child, the mother sacrificing her needs for her child. It is used between friends who share much in common and much of their lives together. It is used when one devotes their time and effort into a person or a project and they become attached to it. It is the connection between family members and their devotion and love to them no matter what the circumstances are. It is an extremely strong word and used sparingly. 

Though I do not know my family here in Korea very well, they treated me as though I had been a long time member. It is that "jeong" that comes into play. They worried about my health, kept feeding me, cried when they saw me go, and sent me away with a LOT of money because of "jeong." I think I understand this word now.