The second part of our vacation was just that, a vacation. Korea has always felt like this surreal world that I have worked, lived and tried to survive in. When I was in Seoul with my family I could finally relax and enjoy Korea completely as a tourist. I don’t have living room furniture at my homestay, so I don’t watch TV. My time in Seoul was the first time that I had watched more than a few minutes of Korean television and also the first time since America that I had seen satellite English television. I was always pretty happy to go back to the room at the end of the night to watch tv.
It was funny being in Korea as a tourist because I was able to enjoy both the culture of Korea and western comforts. It was amazing after showering with a rough hand towel for six months to wrap myself up in a warm, soft towel bigger than I am. On Christmas, we went to a seafood restaurant that was recommend and had a wonderful meal. The eight courses included a variety of identifiable foods, some tasty delicacies and other filling treats. One of the things that I really like about dining at nice restaurants in Korea is that you are put in a private room. I felt like we were the only people in the restaurant that night.
After dinner some of my eta friends stopped by and shared drinks with my family. I felt like introducing my friends to my family was bridging the gap between my two lives. I know that my Mom likes being able to put a face with the names from my stories and my friend Christina says that she understands all of my rambling family stories better now that she has met my clan.
My family had done their research and we toured most of Seoul in the week that we were there. I was excited because I had still not seen many of the tourist spots in Seoul and we were able to explore them as a family. We went on the DMZ tour together that was similar to the tour that I went on with my friend Julie a few weeks prior. Another group tour we took brought us to President Lee's Blue House, a Buddhist temple, Gyeongbuk Palace and the Korea Heritage museum.
After a quick few hours of seeing so much, we were dropped off in the expat area of Seoul, near the US military base that holds the majority of the 30,000 US troops stationed in Korea. It was in this area, Itaewon, that my Dad was able to get a Korean Phillies hat made. That was definitely his best purchase the trip.
We spent another day visiting museums such as the National Museum and the Korea War Museum. The war museum was especially interesting because it chronicled the many different types of wars that Korea has survived throughout history, many of which I read about in a history book that I studied with my coteacher last semester. The museum was also very enlightening about the Korean war and offered pictures and video clips to go along with the information displayed. The wars contextualize a lot about Korean culture and presently held beliefs of many Koreans. Korea has so many different aspects that I am trying discover both as a tourist and an expat. This vacation was a great opportunity for me to check more sights off of my tourist list.
The Griswold Korean adventure was a huge success. My family was able to explore Korean culture with me as both their guide and fellow explorer. We were able to create family memories that will last a lifetime and catch up on the past six months that we have been apart. I eagerly packed my suitcase at the end of the week because my next winter vacation stop was AMERICA!
No comments:
Post a Comment