the star said…

[This is a story written by one of my Grade 1 (Grade 7 in North America) students for our annual English Speech Contest. I have copied it exactly as it was written, all errors included---but, impressively, there are very few. I not only liked the story and its theme of environmentalism, but she also performed it very well.]

Have you ever heard a star talking? Well, I did and I want to talk about it. Are you ready? I’ll begin.

When I was six or seven, my family went to a beach for vacation. The beach was beautiful; soft sand, white waves, lovely trees nearby. We played there like anyone else. We swam and made sandcastles during the day. We ate delicious food and slept peacefully at night. It seemed a lovely and ordinary holiday.

However, it was different. My parents woke me up at midnight and piggybacked me to the shore. I didn’t realize anything except they were carrying me to some place until mom said,

“Sumin*, look up!”

Stars embroidered the sky’s black cloth. The lights dancing against the black, coal-like sky. I just stared at them in silence. The only think I could hear was the cool sound of the waves lapping.

We walked by the shore, using the star lights as our lanterns and the waves and background music. That stroll by the clean and silent beach is one of the happiest memories of my life.

After some years, my family and I visited the same beach again. I remembered the bright stars and beautiful beach. But, it had changed. The shore was dirty and even made dangerous by debris of glass bottles, Styrofoam plates and paper cups. People had thrown junk onto the beautiful pristine sand and ruined it! I cursed an hoped those people never come to that beach again.

At that moment, I heard someone say,

“Who did you blame? Look at the sky and see how beautiful it is, just as in the past, But look at that shore, all ruined and dirty. While this shore was getting dirtier, what were you doing? Look. The skies, where human hands can’t reach, are the same as ever but the place where human hands have reached has been ruined.

Who was it that said this? There was no one at the shore except me. There was only a star staring at me. Yes, it was a star that just spoken to me.

“Who did I blame? Is it wrong to blame those people? “I wanted to answer the star’s question, but I couldn’t answer. I had done nothing for the beach. Does this mean that someone who has done nothing is the same as those people who made the Earth dirty?

That was it. I am the same as them. Sometimes I littered anywhere even though there were trashcans nearby. I was a part of the mess, even a small amount on this Earth made me complicit.

Now I realized the true meaning of the star’s words and felt remorse.

I made a promise in my heart, to clean up after the places where I stayed. Even now, when I go back home from institutes late at night, I stare at the star of Seoul in silence and believe it was the star who spoke to me. I try to keep the promise I made long ago with the star.

I hope you try to listen to the stars an promise them,

“I will help too.”

————–
* Name has been changed

street food

seoul’s top 10

Time magazine has released its list of 10 things to do in Seoul in 24 hours:

1. Gyeongbok Palace, the main palace from the Joseon period
2. Bukchon Hanok Village, a neighbourhood of traditional houses
3. Shinsegae Department Store (the flagship location), an expensive department store
4. Bugaksan Mountain, a mountain near Gyeongbok Palace and the Blue House (the President’s residence)
5. Itaewan, the foreigner neighbourhood
6. Namdaemun Market, a huge market with just about anything you could want
7. Cheonggyecheon Stream, the renovated stream the flows through downtown
8. War Memorial of Korea, a war museum
9. Seoul City Bus Tour, hop-on/hop-off bus tour to the major tourist sights downtown
10. Korean Feasts, a selection of yummy Korean food, like galbi, grilled marinated beef, and japchae, stir-fried noodles with beef and veggies

I’m not sure about this list. I don’t think Shinsegae deserves a spot on the list; neither, I believe, does Bugaksan. Korean food, especially galbi, is definitely a must, though I wouldn’t say it’s a Seoul thing—it’s a Korea thing. There were also a few surprises in what wasn’t on the list, like N Seoul Tower. And I definitely know it’s not possible to do all this in 24 hours. But this got me thinking about my own favourite things. What would I recommend as 10 things visitors must do in Seoul? No matter what’s on the list, doing 10 things in one day is not possible in a city this size. It would take at least a few days, if not a few weeks, to really see the city. Here’s my list:

1. Cheonggyecheon (and the Cheonggyecheon Museum)
   Cheonggyecheon is Seoul’s favourite downtown stream, but the little-known museum dedicated to its history and development doesn’t get the attention it deserves. The Cheonggyecheon Museum is located at the eastern end of the landscaped stream (Yongdu Station, Line 2, exit 4), about 6 kilometres downstream from its headwaters at Cheonggye Plaza. The exhibits here detail its interesting history over the decades, from laundry site to highway to park, through videos, pictures, and 3D models.
2. Gyeongbok Palace, National Folk Museum, and Insadong
   Gyeongbok Palace is usually the first stop for any visitor to Seoul and, as the biggest and oldest palace of the Joseon Dynasty, it’s understandable. (I’ve visited 3 times myself.) Not only is the palace beautiful, but the National Folk Museum is located on the grounds as well. The museum offers a great introduction to the traditional Korean culture. If there’s room for only one museum, I would say this should be it. Nearby, the charming Insadong neighbourhood is a popular place to buy traditional souvenirs and sip tea in a traditional tea shop.
3. N Seoul Tower
   N Seoul Tower is what I call Seoul’s centerpiece—it sits atop Namsan Mountain in central Seoul, quietly overlooking the bustling city all around it. There are different routes up to the tower: cable car, bus, or hiking trail. No matter how you get there, the 360-degree view from the tower’s observatory is amazing, especially at night.
4. Han River
   The Han River. I’m wondering how it possibly could have been left off Time’s list. Was it just too obvious? The Han River divides the city neatly in half, inserting itself into daily life in such a way that it cannot be missed on any tour of the city. It’s the perfect backdrop for a walk or bike ride, or the setting for a romantic boat cruise.
5. Dongdaemun
   Dongdaemun is the largest shopping centre in Seoul, with dozens of multi-storey malls and thousands of specialty shops. Malls in Korea are quite unlike the Western malls I’m familiar with. Here, they’re designed more like markets, with stalls that are small, crowded, and open to the tiny aisles. Most stores don’t allow shoppers to try on clothes but do allow bargaining, adding to the market atmosphere. Dongdaemun is full—and I do mean full—of cute, cheap clothes and accessories.
6. Namdaemun
   For a more traditional shopping experience, Namdaemun is the largest wholesale market in the city. The 10 acres of shops and stalls carry just about everything, from clothes to groceries to electronics to housewares.
7. Gyeongdong Traditional Medicine Market
   As the largest traditional medicine market in the country, Gyeongdong handles about 70% of all oriental medicine in Korea. Even if you’re not buying, the market is a great place to wander around. The interesting aromas and textures from the collection of mushrooms, turtle shells, roots, vegetables, herbs and other medicinal necessities is a feast for your senses.
8. Noryangjin Fish Market
   The Noryangjin Fish Market is the (wait for it) largest marine market in Korea. The stalls are packed with all kinds of squirming and swimming seafood, like crab, lobster, and octopus. Good for more than just shopping, Noryangjin is also a great place for eating fresh seafood. If you’re up early, it’s especially lively before dawn when the auction happens.
9. Non-verbal Performance
   It might be difficult to take advantage of the performing arts in a country where you don’t speak the language, but Seoul has a lot of great non-verbal performances to see while you’re in town. Nanta, also called Cooking, is always rated highly, though I haven’t seen it yet myself. JUMP, about a family of martial arts enthusiasts, is also pretty popular. The Ballerina Who Loves a B-boy is, not surprisingly, a love story between a ballerina and a b-boy. Korean b-boys are world-renowned, so this show is a good opportunity to see the action.
10. Korean Folk Village
    Not exactly in Seoul, the Korean Folk Village is located in Suwon, about one hour south of the city, but it deserves to be included on the list anyways. The open-air museum has over 260 traditional houses to explore. There are also demonstrations of activities from the daily lives of traditional Koreans, such as craft-making and farming. My favourite, though, are the performances: farmer’s dances, nolttwigi (Korean see-saw), and tight-rope acrobatics.

cherry blossom streets

While Japan gets all the attention, Korea does have its own amazing display of cherry blossoms to boast about. Yeouido is the best place in Seoul to see the blossoms in bloom. A 7-km long street on the small island is lined with over a thousand cherry blossom trees—and today the sidewalks were filled with millions of Seoulites trying to get a picture of the delicate white blossoms before they fall to the ground like snowflakes. I biked the five kilometers from my apartment before taking a brief stroll under the trees. If you could get keep your head above the crowds, it was a beautiful sight.

After a short walk around Yeouido, I headed back home, where the path from my apartment to the Han River has a few beautiful cherry blossom trees of its own with none of the crowd. We only have a few more days to enjoy the snow-like petals before they melt away.

lights out in seoul

29 March 2009

Last night, between 8.30 and 9.30pm, people around the world turned out their lights for Earth Hour. For the first time, Seoul was an official participant this year. Today I read that lights were turned off at several landmarks, like COEX shopping centre, 63 Building, Seoul Station, the bridges across the Han River, and government buildings across the city.

I was at a friend’s house near Itaewan and went up to the roof to checkout the N Seoul Tower. A few of its lights were out, but it looked like the restaurant and observatory were still lit up. The apartments all around me were as bright as they would be any other day of the year.

I tried telling some of my Korean co-workers about the event, but the response was underwhelming. No one had heard of Earth Hour before. I didn’t read anything about it in the news, either. The message just wasn’t getting out. My friend, when I told her about Earth Hour, said it was a good idea but “at that time it’s in the middle of the dramas on TV.” It’s a little disappointing for a city of over 10 million. With all those voices working together, Seoul can really send a message to the world that Koreans think climate change is an important issue.

So, a little frustrated, I went back inside the darkened apartment and played cards by candlelight with my friends. I can only hope that next year the word will have spread and more people will participate. Maybe next year…

earth hour seoul, 2009

A message from South Korean UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon:

What is Earth Hour?

seoul food

sounds of the city

• the slurping of noodles at lunch
• the chewing of deok, Korean rice cakes
• the clicking of high heels on the floor and sidewalks
• the burping that interrupts conversation (not followed by any sort of “excuse me”)
• the rumbling of an approaching subway train
• the honking of impatient cars on the busy streets
• the whirring of a motobike as it passes you on the subway
• the smacking of a wooden stick against a student’s skin
• the monotone, muffled sales pitches heard on the loudspeakers of pickup trucks with bundles of fruit driving slowly by
• the quick-talking, microphone-happy salespeople on the sidewalks outside of their stores
• the quiet radios of blind people as they walk slowly down the length of the subway trains
• the horking and spitting anywhere and everywhere, by Koreans young and old
• the conversations in Korean that you don’t understand
• the classical music/chirping birds that signals the next transfer station on the subway is approaching
• the greetings each and every time you enter a store or restaurant
• the funny K-pop or English pop song ringtones on cellphones (like Wonder Girls’ “Tell Me” ringing on a businessman’s cellphone)
• the loud K-pop or English pop songs blasting from stores onto the sidewalk
• the robotic instructions from navigation systems in taxis
• the “Hello! How are you?”s from young school children that follow me down the street

cirque du seoul

“A city is a place,” anthropologist Margaret Mead once wrote, “where there is no need to wait for next week to get the answer to a question, to taste the food of any country, to find new voices to listen to and familiar ones to listen to again.” Seoul is by far the biggest city I’ve ever visited, let alone lived in, and there’s always somewhere to go and something to do. It’s amazing to live in a place where everything is at your doorstep: restaurants, shows, shops. While I’m here, I’m trying to experience as much of it as I can.

It’s not always easy. Even though posters cover some subway platform walls, bus stop shelters, and every flat surface in popular university areas, I usually don’t hear of concerts or shows I’m interested in until it’s too late. Or in the case of Celine Dion, I couldn’t find anyone who would be brave enough to join me. This time, though, I heard about Cirque du Soleil coming to town well in advance and managed to collect a few friends who could join me.

Last night, we went to see Cirque du Soleil’s Alegria at Olympic Stadium in Jamsil, where the parking lot had been transformed with a big top tent. We got lucky and managed to score 4 seats in the 4th row, great seats in what was already a very small, intimate venue. The show opened with a few words in Korean (the audience was impressed) and then continued with one amazing act after another: trapeze, contortion, fire acts—this show had it all. And it was all done in ridiculously extravagent costumes. It was awesome.

I continue to read event listings in English expat magazines and check out the posters when I walk by. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with everything that’s going on. That’s the thing about this city: it’s got everything you could want, you just need to know where—and when—to find it.

“fighting!”

It was a busy few days for me as I ran not one, but two 10K races this weekend. Running is new for me; it’s something I’ve just picked up since being here.

I did my first 10K was in mid-May. As it was my first race, I was told just to finish—concentrate on running every step—and not worry about the timing. No, I wasn’t anywhere near the front of the pack, but I did manage to run the whole thing.

The run started at World Cup Stadium and ventured off along the river. It rained a little bit—just enough to cool us down, but not enough to make the trail slippery or make it uncomfortable. At first, we were all running as a big group; it was hard to find space for my feet. But it was exciting to be racing a clock, actually running for a purpose instead of just to move somewhere. After a while, when the real runners found their way to the front as us amateurs slowed down, there was finally some room for all of us.

Running along the river trail was beautiful. The Han River is a view that I will never get tired of. I live really close to the river, so I did all of my training runs on the trail near my house. I discovered that running from my apartment to the 63 Building in Yeouido is about 10 kilometres (well, it is according to my caveman calculations, anyways), so I run there and back for my long weekly runs.

“This amazing view of the river reflecting all these lights just opened up in front of me all at once.”

I remember one of my first runs, when I was running towards the river under a bunch of overpasses and I just stepped onto the river trail, and suddenly the view of the river opened up to me. It was late, maybe 10 o’clock, and so the sky was dark but the tall apartment buildings across the river were full of light. So this amazing view of the river reflecting all these lights just opened up all at once. I actually gasped out loud—a full, deep intake of air, and then a “Wow.” That was then followed by some quick sideways glances to make sure no one heard me. It was just that beautiful, I couldn’t help it.

And so I was running along the river once again. I was running to the sound of my feet hitting the pacement, counting each kilometre marker as it went by: 1, 2, 3…that went by quickly…4, 5…halfway done…6, 7, 8…almost there… I was trying to find the ninth kilometre marker when I first saw the spectators. They were standing along the edge, pumping their fists in the air and shouting something like “Whiting!”  or “Piting!” The people kept coming, more and more were standing at the sidelines cheering, “Piting!” to everyone running by. Even though I wasn’t sure what they were saying, it pumped me up and I kept going, now with a smile on my face. Then I turned a corner and there, suddenly, was the finish line. With a quick burst of energy and a few dozen “Piting!”s, I crossed the line.

It wasn’t until later that I found out the crowd was yelling, “Fighting!” (pa-ee-ting or hwa-ee-ting, in Korean)—the Konglish expression for encouragement. It doesn’t really have a direct translation, but it’s meant to be like “You can do it!” or “Go for it!” or “Don’t give up!”

It’s come to be something I look forward to when I race; I know that I must be nearing the end when I hear it, and it gives me that one last burst of energy I need to cross the line. It’s what I needed to hear this morning, as I was nearing the finish line at Olympic Stadium. “Keep going!” they said. “Don’t slow down, just keep fighting!” And I crossed the line with my best time yet.