A Journey in Korea
The first time I traveled internationally, I was a sophomore in high school, and the Spanish class took a trip to Mexico for a week. The French class I was in, no such luck, so I joined the Spanish class and had a great time. I remember really liking the soups and huge rolls that were served with each meal. Why don’t we get those at Mexican restaurants in the U.S.? Hmmm.
The second time I traveled internationally, I participated in a program where you go overseas and work for a while, and this group helps you get a job. So, I went to Paris to get my job. What was supposed to be three months turned into three weeks because I couldn’t find a job. Partially, it was because I didn’t have the ‘go in and ask for a job of a complete stranger’ mentality that some have. It was also because no one at the company hosting the whole affair told me that you NEVER try to get anything accomplished in Paris in August, because the place basically shuts down while all of Paris goes on vacation. It’s funny …if I had been ONE MONTH later, I would have had a job with a traveling theater group, guaranteed, but I didn’t learn about that until I’d gotten back, and by then, I was just completely turned off by the whole thing. Just imagine the life I’d have led if I’d become a traveling entertainment type in Europe. I likely wouldn’t be writing this now! An imagination exercise for another day, perhaps.
After graduating from college, I went to Peace Corps. That’s a whole LOOOONG story, so let’s skip to the one I thought I’d focus on today: Korea.
After Peace Corps, I wanted to go teach overseas again, and Korea is where the lady said people were making the most money. Having no preference for or against, I said AOK! I was supposed to be placed in a school in a shee-shee foo-foo suburb …think Beverly Hills. Instead, at the last minute, I was placed in a school in a shee-shee foo-foo neighborhood in the heart of the city …think Cherry Creek. This neighborhood would later be famous with some annoying song about Gangnam Style.
Living in a new country comes with plenty of hard lessons, but while those were certainly present, I came away very much loving my time in Korea. I thought I would share a little about my experience, especially relating to travel.
The four Asian countries I have visited all have a greater degree of cultural unity than we find in the United States. In the U.S., we revel in our uniqueness. It’s a point of pride. In Korea, things are much more uniform. This would lead to an amazing vacation for me and my gang! I reached Korea in November, and so the first season I dove into there was winter. Cooooolllldddddd. Siberia came knocking a lot. Brrrr. Eventually, when spring arrived, I was quite delighted. The flowers of March and April were glorious. Wow! Seoul had come into colorful life. In May, we had a long weekend where there would be no work, so my friends and I decided to do something about it. Korea, as you know, is a peninsula. We decided we’d take the train south to the western coast of the peninsula, to this beach town called Mallipo. In Korea, it is well known.
I and my gang of friends head to the town, assuming we’re going to see the swarms of humanity there. Long weekend, beautiful May weather, beach …sounds like a recipe for HOARDS, right?
Nope! There was literally no one there but the people in the stores and restaurants. Why? Well, it wasn’t beach season yet.
This was actually what we were told. Beach season did not begin, officially, until the first of June. In Korea, because it wasn’t beach season, no one went to the beach. We were told that during beach season, the beach is so crowded, you could hardly move. Everyone in the country, it seemed, would arrive on that first day in June, and then it would continue until the first day of autumn, in September.
As we were there early, we had the place to ourselves. It was amazing. All the restaurants were open, and we had a hotel, because they were all getting ready for the approaching wave of people. In the meantime, we had the place to ourselves. It was memorable, for all the right reasons.
Since that time, I have tried to keep in mind these nuances in the world of travel. It makes your traveling so much better if you know the seasons and the mindsets of those where you’re going. It makes the difference between having your own beach and having no beach space at all.
I love Korea and its people, and I have turned a lot of people on to its food. Ever since I went there, I have been fighting a one-Kevin battle to get people to think of Korea as a destination. Seriously! Everyone is ready to head to Japan or China. I hear that a lot, especially those two. Thailand’s been big for a while, and now Vietnam is a hot spot, but I never hear anyone say “I’m going to go see Korea!”
In 2019, I led a tour to see some Colorado sister cities in Europe. I was going to do the same in 2020, seeing one in Korea and three in Japan. You know what happened to that year, of course, and all the trips that had been scheduled.
Now, we are hoping to revisit the great adventure that was written, seeing Korea and Japan. On Wednesday, August 16th, from 6-7 p.m., we will have a virtual presentation talking about the tour we’ll be doing next year, but also about the wonders of Korea and Japan. Both countries are worth a visit. So, if you have an hour to spare, let’s learn about these glories of Asia together. Kam samni da!