8 Kilmoters and 6 hours later

After a few weeks of staying within Gwangju’s city limits, Eric and I were itching to get out and explore some new sights of Korea. This past weekend our adventures took us to Wolchulsan National Park. Located about an hour and a half south of Gwangju, Wolchulsan National Park is home to rocky peaks, Buddhist temples, and steep trails.




After getting an early start on Saturday morning, Eric, Jimmy, Rachel, and I started our ascent around 10:30. From the beginning of the trek, it was obvious that the hike would be anything but easy. The ‘trail’ ended up being a steep inclined filled with jagged rocks, overgrown trees, and a mossy floor. However, the four of us were convinced to get our fix of exercise and the outdoors so we pushed on with few complaints. After about 1.5 kilometers into our hike, we escaped the tree cover to find ourselves at a suspension bridge. From the bridge’s platform we took in views of the neighboring town and crop fields as well the high peaks which still awaited us.



After crossing the bridge our trail changed from jagged rocks to steep, steel staircases. The stairs were so steep, using a railing was necessary just to help pull ourselves up the large spaces between each step. The four of us kept climbing, but as we approached each checkpoint we became disappointed at how little ground we had covered, considering the energy exerted. Nearly 3 kilometers after crossing the bridge we reached our summit point. At the summit we were engulfed in a low cloud and a swarm of dragonflies. At first it was difficult to get views of the land below, but once the cloud had pasted the views proved to be impressive. From the top we were able to see anywhere from the farmlands below all the way out to the coastal ranges and the sea, amongst the swarms of dragonflies of course. These insects were everywhere. When we looked out against the surrounding cloud, we could see thousands of black dots moving about. I have never seen anything like it.



After a twenty minute break we began our climb down. To make the journey less monotonous the four of us decided to take a different way down. 1 kilometer into our 4 kilometer hike down it began to rain and within minutes the rain turned into a downpour. Now, in addition to maneuvering down the jagged rocks we also had to battle against the swift streams which were overtaking our trial down. Puddles soon swallowed my shoes with nearly every step I took. The rocks had also become slick and we were working every muscle group, arms, legs, shoulders, back, etc, just to keep ourselves from falling. Needless to say, neither of us was fully successful; each of us returning home with various bruises, scrapes, and cuts. Despite it all, we had a great time and I would love to return to try to conquer the other peaks the park has to offer.

After the Hike:

Term One in Review

I am officially halfway through my first year of teaching. In all honestly it isn’t the first term I imagined I’d have. I always imagined I would somehow find work in the Northwest and spend my first year teaching literary classics, various grammar points, and the occasional modern novel or two. Instead, I moved to Korea where I teach English conversation, the occasional pop song, and I run vocabulary building exercises. It may not be the Language Arts position I was initially hoping for, but some of the things I have learned here, at Dae-Sung Girls Middle School, are things that I would never have learned in Oregon:

1. Being the minority. Being the only native English speaker at my school (accompanied by a total of 5 Korean teachers who can converse with me in English) I have learned first-hand what it means to be a minority. This statistic often means I can be overlooked, not included in plans, and ostracized. I rely on the good will of my English speaking co-workers to relay information to me. Being the only Native English speaker in my school means everyone notices everything I do, so I work my butt off to do things right the first time.
2. The importance of speech. When I walk into a classroom here, I cannot simply just talk and have my students learn. I have to perform: talking slowly and clearly, using simple diction with dramatic intonation. I must perform every lesson. This is the only way my students will understand my lesson. They need to experience it with their eyes and their ears. I may look like I am leading some strange dance class, but it keeps my students engaged and confident.
3. School Politics. Similar to American schools, there is a level of command which must be accepted and followed. Here the hierarchy is as follows: Principal, Vice Principle, Department Heads, teachers (in order of years of experience), and me. I am the newbie, thus I am asked (when I say asked, I mean I don’t always have a choice) to take on the extra class, hold a summer camp, etc. I should just smile and nod. Everyone has to pay their dues, when the next newbie comes along (unlikely in my situation), the tasks will no longer fall on me.
4. Myself. This experience has taken both Eric and I to the edge and back. During the last six months here we have experienced nervousness, joy, sadness, frustration, elation, triumph, isolation, and success many times over. Moving to Korea proved to be the most difficult and inspiring decision I have ever made. Living here on my own, removed from everything familiar has shown me that when push comes to shove, I have what it takes to make it work…even if that means dropping everything I know for a new life.

Lastly, I am most excited about the progress my students have made over the course of our first semester together. They have gone from repeating the phrase “I am fine thank you, and you?” after I ask them how they are, to coming up with new adjectives which fit their mood for that day. This may seem small to you, but it was hard work trying to undo the 4-7 years of conditioning they had for that particular phrase. I am also most proud of my shy students. While they still don’t always volunteer to participate, they will speak in front of their classmates if asked politely. I know this is especially hard for them, but I am proud and grateful they are willing to try. Who knows, maybe by year’s end they will become my leading volunteers; there’s no telling what next semester has in store.

Keeping it Local

June flew by in a flash and how could it not? Every weekend Eric and I found ourselves exploring new sights and taking full advantage of summertime festivities aka World Cup viewing parties. In lieu of our on-the-go weekends, Eric and I decided to keep things local for a Saturday afternoon; deciding to explore a new area of Gwangju.



Our hunt for the new and never-before-seen brought us to Chosun University. Chosun University is just one of the four large universities in Gwangju. CU, established in the 1940s, is known for its landscaping, boasting the city’s largest rose garden. Set on a hill, one enters university grounds at street level and has to climb up to make it to academic buildings and living halls. Walking on to campus, we were greeted by a large pond filled with large koi fish and an impressive display of blooming water lilies. From the pond we made our way to the rose garden. Much like Washington Park, there were rows upon rows of roses, each row offering a different breed of flower. It had rained the night before so aroma of the roses filled the air. The roses are in full bloom here, so every plant had multiple flowers and buds to offer.



After winding our way through each and every row, we decided to explore the campus. We climbed up a large number of stairs to reach the library, main academic hall, and other buildings on campus. All the while the grounds stayed well maintained and a variety of flowers and trees lined our entire walk. After exploring what the campus had to offer, we decided to head to the back gate area, the grouping of restaurants and bars next to the university. We wanted to see what night time outings this area could offer for the future. However, along the way we stumbled upon a sandwich shop called “Tospia” and much to our surprise Tospia offered paninis! Eric and I have not had real sandwiches, let alone grilled sandwiches, since we left the states. We knew when we saw this place that we had to eat there. Eric ordered the grilled Bulgogi (teriyaki beef) and I had a pizza one (filled with ham, cheese, onion, and tomato sauce). We ended up splitting our sandwiches, because once we saw what the other ordered we knew we wouldn’t be satisfied just eating on kind of sandwich. Then we washed our lunch down with fruit smoothies. All in all it was a great day; nothing extravagant, but it was the relaxing adventure we needed. I can’t wait to go back for more sandwiches. Next time I think I will need to get two for myself!

Paying Buddha a Visit

Located an hour outside of Gwangju is Songgwansa Temple. Nestled against Korea’s rolling green hills, Songgwansa is isolated from the rest of Korea’s ‘plugged in’ population. To reach the temple, you take a bus to the neighboring village. From which, you walk for 15-20 minutes into the hills. Out of the tree-filled hillsides emerges a grouping of small buildings, all painted in traditional Korean colors of red, blue, green and white.

Songgwansa was built towards the end of the Shilla Dynasty( 57bc-935ad) and this age is visible in the severely faded facades of some of the temple’s prayer houses. The main Buddha hall, the most important building, is front and center. The size of this hall exceeds that of its neighboring buildings. The outside of the main Buddha hall is ornate, boasting carved windows, carved moldings, and hand painted walls, doors, and rooftops. Mirroring the hall’s outside façade, the inside is filled with intricate painted walls, carved pillars and a stunning altar. The large altar is front and center housing three large, gold Buddhas. At the Buddhas’ feet are numerous lit candles and incense; creating a somber mood for the ongoing prayer service. The room is filled with both monks and visitors. Anyone is welcome to crouch down and join the prayer service.


Branching out from the Main Buddha hall are other smaller prayer houses and the monks living quarters. All of the prayer rooms house ornate Buddha altars and intricately painted walls. Here people can come pray and mediate on their own time. All of these prayer house are also open to anyone to use. Surrounding all of the buildings of Songgwansa are meticulously kept grounds. No leaf, blade of grass, or gravel stone is out of place. It is clear that the same amount of focus which is put into mediation is also directed towards the upkeep of the Temple houses and grounds. Songgwansa is a fully functioning temple. Here, monks live and devote themselves to their faith, expanding their knowledge of Buddhism, and to the upkeep of the temple grounds.


If I had to wrap up our visit to Songwansa in one word, I would say: quiet. Our time at the temple was the first time, in a long time, when our ears weren’t filled with city noises. Rather, we were able to hear the prayers of the monks, the chirping of birds, and the rustling of leaves; all of these things which happen far too infrequently in our daily lives.