During his journey my dad kept a relatively detailed account of all of his/our activities that he used to update the family on his whereabouts. Rather then simply rewrite everything that he has already taken the time to explain I figure I'll just copy his wonderfully detailed, and much more readable, account here for you to enjoy! This should give you a breath of fresh air from my drawn out accounts of mundane life repeatedly using the same sentence structure and verbs over and over again due to my lack of creativity!
Please enjoy reading about Roy's week in South Korea and feel free to make the journey yourself, I'd love to have ya here!
Seoul II
Roy Saper
"Thursday, October 1, 2008
Today Adam, Nate and I met at the large Noryangjin Fish Market, four subway lines/three transfers for me – but got there in under an hour.
From the subway exit we walked over a pedestrian bridge where vendors were selling chestnuts and other items that they were cutting the shells off with small knives and scissors. Many other items were being sold on the bridge but not sure what they were.
At the end of the bridge we walked down concrete stairs that felt like being in a parking garage but the smell suggested the fish market was near. On the concrete stairs landing were vendors selling beautiful vegetables of all sorts looking very fresh. As we continued down the stairs we saw a phenomenally large warehouse-looking market the size of an oversize football field (more than 60,000 square meters) with rows and rows of small stalls, some 700 vendors, bustling with colors and activity, 24 hours every day.
Noryangjin Fish Market From Above
Colorful CollectionsAfter viewing the massive market we continued downstairs to the wet concrete floor and were startled at the first views of vendors marketing every kind of fish you’ve never seen before. They are all from the three seas that border South Korea. The king crabs come from Russia, smaller ones from China, and lobsters from Canada.
Most vendors sold what appeared to be the exact same fish that their neighboring vendors were selling. This wholesale market is the source for restaurants which seem to use fish in most dishes. Much of the fish is intended to be eaten raw. The daily auction starts at 1am. Apparently consumers select their fish and then take them to the adjacent few restaurants when then prepare the fish as desired.
Fish Row
Making Friends
Shark Attack!We saw large squid (tons of ‘em), octopus from the small to those with 4-foot long tentacles, long eels and other fish that are too indescribable but we are sure they would be classified as fish. Sharks were both big and small and some with heads and without.
Imagine the creature these came from!The shrimp weren’t. They were massive – 8 or 10” long. One vendor took a lobster out of a large tank and weighed it at around five pounds – with a $76 price tag at the wholesale market. The sting rays were evil looking, laid out on display, some turned upside down with the bottoms sliced open and the insides exposed (for some reason that we couldn’t understand). Must be the equivalent of our grocery stores displaying corn husked and not husked.
"Shrimp"
$76 Lobster. . .Wholesale!
Evil String Rays
Insideout Fish. . .EwThe super large crabs were also scary but as people bought them the vendor would pick them up and pack them for the restaurateur to take back to work. They were all extremely active and in many cases had climbed out of their tanks and were crawling on the floor. Other crabs were packed into boxes with what appeared to be sawdust packaging.
Tiered CrabCrabs, abalone, prawns, oysters, sea snails, sea slugs (used for sushi), sea cucumber…. Many were totally gross, particularly when you realize that some here eat octopus sliced while the tentacles are still moving. Ew.
Nate could have eaten just about nothing at this market!A few vendors had very large containers (as in 30+-gallon drums) filled with fish parts – for sale. I am guessing they are for soups.
Best bet is to wear rubber boots that get washed after leaving the market. Otherwise you’ll smell like fish market floor for quite awhile.
We found a small restaurant where no one spoke English (no surprise there). So we were encouraged to walk around and point to food we wanted from meals being eaten by customers. We ended up making great selections and enjoyed our meal, soon realizing that it was a Chinese rather than Korean restaurant.
Did not eat. . .From there we came back to the Renaissance Hotel Seoul to pick up the two suitcases I brought with 100 pounds of clothing, books, and gifts for Adam to give away. We took a subway/then cab to Adam’s home, a 7-floor “officetel” apartment building that faces a busy street and backs up to a smaller street. He first two floors are stores and (mostly) restaurants. There is a center hallway through the length of the building which has restaurant boxes and other restaurant supplies against the wall and the back doors to the restaurants open to the hallway so those who walk through the center hallway are basically looking into the “kitchen” areas.
Adam’s apartment on the fourth floor overlooks a kindergarten building and green trees outside of a large number of taller resident towers. The smaller street below feels like a neighborhood street and not a major thoroughfare. Walking into Adam’s apartment one removes shoes and puts on slippers, the protocol at all homes and some restaurants and other buildings. On the right is his kitchen – a small sink, fridge and two burner stove. He has a two row wide shelving unit on the floor and his bed.
At the left of entry is the bathroom containing clothes washing machine, sink, toilet, and hand-held shower spray hanging from the wall.
Next to the bathroom is a steep staircase going up to the empty loft level. Above the bed (at the far end of the room opposite the entry door) is a full wall of windows from which I started removing the blue contact paper that was installed by the prior tenant. Closet space is under the loft ladder. Wood-look flooring.
Adam and Nate went to school at 4pm and I went along to see the school and meet the Korean teachers where Adam teaches English to middle school children. The school is on the 8th floor of an office building just seconds from Adam’s home. It is a new space that is bright and nicely designed with beautiful finishing and lighting. I also met two of Nate’s students. Adam and Nate spent the afternoon in the “Native Room” (native language instructors), their private room/office which is off-limits to others*."
*Not entirely true. Our room doubles as a storage closet for copy paper which DYB teachers fly through by the ream! The machine for removing chalk dust from their erasers is also kept in here as is the copy toner. However, the majority of teachers do knock before entering and then apologize profusely for the duration of their stay in our room!
To remove the contact paper I needed an adhesive release. I stopped at a car repair place figuring they would have acetone or something but couldn’t get them to understand what I was asking for. I then went to a fingernail place and bought a pink bottle of nail polish remover which does the trick! I also found a place that sold window blinds and shared my drawing and dimensions with the person there. He said he would install them but I wanted to get Adam to go back after school to confirm the order. The entire conversation with the window treatments guy was in two different languages but I think we were on the same page as he seemed to understand my drawing, dimensions, and option selections.
Stay tuned for more!"
Seoul Final
Roy Saper
"Friday, October 3, 2008
Thursday night we had a quick meal at a small counter facility with the owner making the noodles by running a slab of prepared dough through a very loud machine and seconds later he cooked in a huge pot in front of us the noodles that were just formed from the dough. As he stirred the noodles with a large screen his wife prepared the choice of two sauces (also cooking in front of us in large pots), ready to spoon them on the noodles, freshly made and cooked to order. The dark bean sauce was flavorful although slithery among the noodles gathered by chopstick. The counter and kitchen, incidentally, were all on the back side of a truck parked on the sidewalk by Adam’s home. Instead of napkins, a roll of toilet paper hung from a makeshift stand above our heads*."
*Nate and I eat here with pretty good frequency as the meals are hot, fresh and less than $2. . .considering the current state of the Won. . .but that's a-whole-nother story for Nate to tell you about!
"Our Friday dinner was at the barbeque restaurant on the first floor of Adam’s apartment building (they call it an “officetel”). The back of the restaurant and open kitchen door faces the elevator Adam uses to get home on the 4th floor.
We ordered two types of beef. One appears to be a flat sirloin that was cut into three pieces and presented to us raw on a platter. The second platter contained very thinly shaved pieces of “beef” that were about 25% beef and 75% fat and formed into tube-shaped rolls. Also brought to us was a small white square bowl containing large salt pellets, a bowl of a thickened red sauce, a small bowl filled with fresh garlic cloves, and a larger bowl of sliced onions in a vinegar sauce. A large basket of fresh lettuce leaves with two long green chilies filled the last spot on the small round table*."
*Not quite; there was also the omnipresent dish of kimchi and less frequently had slices of "root" bathed in a spicy red sauce. You also forgot the hot jjigae, or stew that was brought just a moment later. Contents appeared to be tofu, peppers, zucchini, onions and other unidentifiables.
"Red hot coals were then brought to us and placed in a pit at the center of the table. A chrome-like grill was put on top of the fire and the white bowl of garlic (maybe in sesame oil) was placed on top of the grill. We then began to place the two types of beef and onions on the grill. They cooked very quickly! The protocol is to pick up a slice of cooked beef, dip it in the coarse sauce and place it on a lettuce leaf with pieces of garlic and slices of onion, dabbed with the red sauce, rolling the combination in the lettuce leaf and popping it in the mouth. Very good and filling. A real Korean barbeque.
Common to all restaurants is a long-shaped lidded box on the table from which we select our long handled rice spoon and stainless chop sticks and a second box which contained the napkins – a single ply paper measuring about 3 ½” square that unfolds to a 3 ½” x 7” size – the world’s smallest napkins. Also, one finds small plastic or stainless cups and a water dispenser is close by or sometimes a small plastic container of water is brought to the table. No ice and no one re-fills water for you. Servers do not introduce themselves by name and do not frequent the table to measure your level of satisfaction*. Also, they don’t do bread or rolls and it appears there are no desserts.
*If you ever want service however it is literally at your fingertips as all tables at almost all restaurants come well equipped with a call button to summon service! In that case that you are eating somewhere without a magic button, simply yell out "Yogi-yo!" and someone will be there in no time!
"Friday Adam got a free day* from work as it was a national holiday but he visited the elementary school that is part of his DYB “Do Your Best” academy. (He and Nate teach middle school students where earlier I had met teachers Anna, Hannah, Julia, Cleo, and Michelle, all Koreans who selected those American names. Not sure what they call themselves away from school.)"
*Free day? Kind of! We simply didn't have middle school classes because none of the students, or teachers planned on attending, though it's not clear which party made that decision. In order to fulfill our obligation to DYB of simply existing, Joseph requested that Nate and I show up at the elementary school to observe two classes a piece and then we would be free to go. . .so long as we didn't tell anyone, shhhhh!
Arriving at the elementary school just before classes began I was quickly ushered in to a different classroom from that which I was supposed to be watching. It turns out Harry had either overslept or missed the message about the changed work schedule and consequently was not at school! For the Koreans, one American is as good as any so they threw me into his class, handed me a book, and again said "teach."
Oh my. . .this was heaven! I bet that caught you off guard? You were expecting to hear a bunch of moaning about having to teach at 9 in the morning when I usually don't even rouse until 11 or so! Nope! Not teaching in the elementary school! This was great! I don't know how to really explain it except that the half hour I taught was fun, enjoyable, productive, worthwhile, and beneficial to all parties involved.
I immediately picked up the book and began to read. After going over some basic vocabulary, which the kids listened to with rapt attention, I asked the subsequent questions from the lesson. These kids almost jumped out of their seats wanting to give correct answers! This stands in start contrast to my middleschoolers who won't talk if you shove a crow bar in their mouth and won't listen to anyone put their friend next to them. . .and believe me, I have it way better than Nate who has the majority of the girls who respond to questions by giggling and shoving their head in their hands. . .not to mention the ones that get bored with their lesson and start playing games with their neighbors!
In the elementary school I was adored, instantly! The kids listened, paid attention, cared, gave feedback and on top of everything they were simply cute and hilarious! Harry spends many a night complaining about how he shouldn't be placed in the elementary school because he's smarter than that. . .well. . .take my place any day buddy!
Sorry, back to Roy's visit! I just wanted to demonstrate that the negativity about my job rises from the situation, not some underlying hatred I have for teaching or children!
"I took the subway to the Hagye station on line 7, the closest stop to Adam. From there I hailed a cab to take me the rest of the distance which would otherwise be a 25 minute walk to Adam’s apartment. I got from Adam the phonetic pronunciation of his intersection so I could direct the cab. The cabbie gave me the blank look of having no clue as to what I said. So I changed accents and brought two syllables together rather than sounding them as separate words and, voila! – he then understood the location where I had hoped he would take me. I recognized the area from the prior day’s visit and managed to locate Adam’s building.
Once there I worked on removing the contact paper adhesive from a couple windows (THANKS!) while he researched our plans for Saturday. Originally we were going to climb the mountain that goes to the very tall Seoul Tower (instead of taking the cable car option). Instead we decided to go to an International Jazz Festival the next day a couple hours away. More on that in a bit.
Jarasum Jazz FestivalOn street corners a block from Adam’s are fruit and vegetable vendors outside on the street corner so we bought some items for Adam to have snack food in his room. Right now he eats out all meals as they are quick and relatively inexpensive at the many restaurants in his area, all easily within few minute walking distances. Although the food is inexpensive, surveys show Seoul as the second most expensive Asian City for expatriates (after Tokyo) and the fifth most expensive in the world for expatriate employees. Cash is king in Seoul yet their currency denominations are roughly equivalent to our $1, $5, and $10 bills. So people carry a wad of money with them as there are no $20, $50 or $100 bill equivalents. Gas is about $8 a gallon – more than double our prices. At the hotel coffee or tea are $13 and a plate of cut fruit is $50.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Adam and Nate and I all rendezvoused at the Jamsil subway station early afternoon. Before exiting the subway station I enjoyed walking around the very large underground shopping area where I picked up some food items. I managed to eat all except after a couple bites of a long batter dipped and deep fried something I left the rest in the bag as I just don’t think I can eat tentacles knowing what they are.
Waiting for the bus outside Olympic ParkOur plan was to catch the 7000 bus to take us to the 2008 5th Annual Jarasum International Jazz Festival about 1 ½ hours away in Gapyeong Town. Although we and a couple other teachers we found spent 2 hours looking for the exact location to catch the bus, we did finally board it for the trip south through the Korean countryside*.
We asked many people to help us locate where we were to board the bus and we were pointed to every area possible that was by the subway station where the Jazz Festival brochure said to get the bus in a general way without telling us exactly where! One high school student impeccably dressed and presenting himself and his English very well spent considerable time walking us from bus stop to bus stop, trying to help us out. He said he wants to go to college to study hospitality management and was clearly going to be a good candidate for such a program as he was very generous with his time and enthusiasm in guiding us."
*No offense dad but I think you drastically understate the absurdity of our quest, not to Jarasum, but simpy finding the stupid 7000 bus! No more than half an hour in to our journey did we meet Rebecca and Anne who turned out to be doing the exact same thing we were, wandering all about the enormous Jamsil Station area in search of this one, elusive bus.
They had been instructed by the Seoul Helpline to wait near exit 8 and we had been told by a Korean woman (the most confident of our assistants) to wait by exit 9. While this information seemed to be somewhat consistent, none of the bus markings in between exit 8 and 9 showed anything about a 7000 bus.
Furthermore, every person that we asked (or more so, that Roy asked, as it seemed he had as much fun talking to Koreans as he did actually finding where we should be going) pointed us in a different direciton. This comes from the whole "not losing face culture" where they will give you a certain answer, no matter how incorrect it is, rather than look like they don't know!
After waiting around the exit 8/9 area for a while wedecided that perhaps we were in the wrong location and took off towards a busy intersection a few hundred yards away. Rebecca and Anne did the same thing and we parted ways, wishing them good luck! After another hour or so over wandering we met up with homeboy who led us all over the station area. With the assistance of another older gentleman, he led us to the exact place that we had started our journy and assured us to wait, that the 7000 bus would come.
Well by this time Rebecca and Anne had actually found their way back to the exact same spot and had been told similar information. This sounded promising! Still, no 7000 bus! As more and more time asked, we began to ask fewer and fewer bus drivers, who all indicated for us to wait where we were, but could not give us any further information. Having stood in the same spot since 1:07pm our coincidental traveling companions suggested that if the bus hadn't arrived by 2:07, an hour later, we should call it quits! This sounded pretty reasonable indeed!
By 2:00pm we were pretty disgruntled and talk of post waiting plans had begun, when all of a sudden, out of nowhere appeared our magical 7000 bus! I literally jumped and screamed for joy as did a few other Koreans, apparently in the same sort of predicament as ourselves! Had we never even made it to the festival I would have felt a sense of accomplishment in simply boarding that stupid bus!
Yay! Bus 7000!
Welcome to the Fest!"So five hours after getting out of bed we were at the Festival location. We paid our $25 each to get our wrist band and followed the crowd to a large field with an immense stage area and a great sound system. Thousands of people were on the grassy area, each sitting on folded mats they brought with them, watching and listening to an amazing performance by a drummer, bassist and keyboardist whose Moog Synthesizer provided tremendous electronic sounds. The keyboardist also played other wind instruments which he sent through the synthesizer. The rhythmic beat and power of the music were quite unique and noteworthy. The crowd was polite and quiet (*and did not dance. . .period. . .definitely not Nola's JazzFest).
Rebecca and Anne on the Road to Jazz Island!
Jazz Island Main Stage
Passivity at It's Best
Dad Enjoying Jazz Fest, Korean StyleWe ended up catching a 7:55pm bus back to Seoul but thought about staying over as the four-day festival had performers on stage until 3 am. The last bus back to Seoul was around 8 pm and most of the Seoul subways stop around midnight plus Adam had soccer the next day.
Goodnight Jarasum!Sunday, October 5, 2008
By Sunday noon as I was checking out areas that I had not seen yet. In the Insadong area that Adam and Nate recommended I visit I enjoyed the many shops and food places, though many were closed due to it being Sunday. I stopped at a restaurant where, no surprise, no one spoke English. But I did manage to order a beef bone soup that came with 8 additional side dishes. I tried each of the items and actually enjoyed the soup. Of the 8 side dish items I actually liked and ate most of 4 or 5. (You get used to them.) I finished only 2 or 3 of them, worried that if I finished some of the more challenging ones that they may bring me more. While working on trying to figure out how to pick up the clear noodles in the soup a lady came over with scissors and cut my kimchi (cabbage with red paper paste) into smaller pieces for me. Then she brought me a small white bowl with a bright yellow soup in it. Kind of looked like melted clarified butter but I couldn’t tell if the half-inch circular floater was a snail or a spice. It didn’t move so if it was a snail I figured it gave its life up for my benefit. I decided to give it a try, then realizing it may have been a tea as it was very sweet. I finished at least half and thankfully a refill was not brought to me.
From there I started wandering and heard the beating of drums. I couldn’t tell if it was amplified music or a live performance but soon came upon the grounds of Unhyungung Palace. I walked in and there were 6 young drummers seated on a stage each enthusiastically playing hour-glass shaped Korean drums in a very rhythmic, pulsating, and active beat. Their lively performance was followed by several other students playing traditional Korean stringed and other instruments that I had never seen or heard before.
In the audience were proud parents and grandparents and me. A lady came over to invite me to tour the palace and grounds and another person who spoke English came over to talk and introduce me to his middle school daughter who was a performer.
I explained I needed to get going as I wanted to catch Adam’s soccer game at 4 pm so I took the subway to Apgujeong. Each subway station has 6 to 10 exits. Each exit (and entrance) is for a different corner and direction so if you come out the correct exit number you wouldn’t have to later cross streets to go where you should be heading. So I took the exit 5 that Adam told me to use and walked the few blocks to a school yard where the game had started between his team, the “Han River Spitfires” in light blue, and a British team. This was a rough game in both language and action -- and reaction. As the 6-0 Brits were losing 1-0 against Adam’s team, they got more and more anxious and the yellow cards were fast and furious toward the end. Many players came away looking like a medic should help them due to slide encounters with artificial turf. Adam’s team prevailed and all likely went home to nurse their wounds.
Around the soccer field were many others playing on new playground equipment, playing badminton or catch and other games. It was a lively area with people of all ages out and sharing time with each other.
As we were walking back to the subway we passed a McDonalds (the only one I saw) with about half a dozen scooters in front each with a large yellows box on the back emblazoned with the arches insignia. They were for McDonalds deliver men to take orders to customers who call. There are Starbucks (but not with the presence we see here in America), Baskin Robins and Dunkin Donuts are all over and I saw one Dominoes where small pizzas are in the $20 to $28 range. Quiznos is also there.
The three of us took the subway back to Yeoksam where the hotel is. We found a restaurant with pictures of their menu items on the wall and ordered soups and I ordered kimchi rice which looked like Spanish rice but had a higher fire rating. I managed to eat about half plus the fried egg that was on top of it.
Back at the hotel Adam and Nate went down to the pool where they soaked away for a couple hours while I got some computer work done.
After they were clean and rested we went out for a barbeque dinner but the places were closed so we found a fried chicken place and ordered both garlic chicken and regular. It was nice to have a change from the standard Korean fare and plus we got a week’s worth of fat requirements in a single meal.
Nate took the skis I brought from his home in Michigan and he and Adam headed back to their apartments, ready for Monday when they would begin teaching new lessons at their school.
Monday, October 5, 2008
It is 4 pm and I’m writing this from 31C, the great legroom bulkhead seat of a United 777. At 35,000 feet and 2 hours into the flight at 653 miles per hour the captain just pointed out Mt. Fuji as we passed over the center of Japan heading east. Outdoor temperature is negative 52 degrees F and tailwinds are 127 mph. The screen shows we’ve flown 1506 miles with 4,800 left to San Francisco where we are to land at 8 am Sunday – eight hours before the plane took off, thanks to passing the International Date Line.
The luxury limo left the Renaissance Hotel in Seoul at 11am for the one hour trip west to the new Incheon International Airport. The Hotel staff handled my bags without allowing me to touch them and they were then removed for me at the airport. The level of staff attention at this hotel is unsurpassed. Adam and Nate noted the quality of the sauna and pool area and resort/country club-like amenities last night during their couple hour pool visit at the hotel. It is so rare to find excellence and attention to detail and although it is prevalent at this hotel, I see it here in many areas. The health club facilities were immaculate by every measure. If you were given free reign to design a health club with any equipment or layout, I can’t see how what they did could have been improved.
Seoul is divided into 25 districts very much like Tokyo and Paris, each with their own name and style as defined largely by the nature of commerce of the area (or government or educational institutions there). Each district is further divided into distinct neighborhoods. There are 522 such neighborhoods and each one of them is divided into smaller divisions. The subway allows travelers to get from any district to any other district for fares starting at under $1.00.
The national sport in Korea is taekwondo and they also have professional baseball and soccer teams.
Respect, in Korea is important. Elders are always respected as the Cub Scout rules dictate. Driving by the National Cemetery is a large sign “National Cemetery – Keep Quiet”. The National Assembly building has a very large and wide dome but sits on a more contemporary columned building more like Iolani Palace in Honolulu. Whereas Japan and most of China (pre-Shanghai’s build-up) display an abundance of traditional architecture from earlier dynasties, that is much less the case on Korea.
Seoul is the headquarters for many large technology-related businesses such as Samsung, Hyundi and LG. Everyone appears to be well “connected” with display of their techno-collection in subways always. Many taller buildings have large Time Square style LED video displays on them. In fact, there is much more in Seoul that looks like New York than Asia.
Other random thoughts and observations: busses all have seatbelts. Looking down from the 17th floor of the hotel I observed that most of the flat roofs on buildings are green in color. Ginseng is the medicine of choice here and many drugs such as narcotics, vaccines, steroids, performance enhancers, and such are strictly prohibited without permits. Jail terms are their answer to illicit drugs. Traffic signals are sometimes heeded but a red light does not mean that drivers will stop for the light or for pedestrians. Cars are all clean and look pretty new. I did not see any junkers on the road. Cars are some times driven on sidewalks and scooters are frequently driven on sidewalks without regard to pedestrians. Related, perhaps, is the fact that I saw no police in Seoul. In New York there are police everywhere. In Seoul they are absent and it is one of the safest cities in the world. In New York and London there is a very strong police presence in subways. In Seoul people seem to just mind their manners as they do not want to lose face. Subways do not have trash containers. Trash containers have been deposit points for bombs in the past, so I am told, and the trash containers are gone. In America students go to school for 180 days. In Korea they go to school for 220 days plus, for many students, their school days start early and continue so late that most American students would be in bed already.
The Seoul airport is another example of excellence. Free wireless is available for everyone and floors shimmer and shine as clean as new. The layout and design of the airport, the efficiencies, the quality of stores and their contents and presents all stand out. Airport attendants stand at escalators looking like models and exclaiming something to us as we entered the moving walkways. No idea what they were communicating but the people at the airport looked like another civilization. Large size wheeled luggage carts are available at no charge for everyone. Most all of passengers are wearing their Sunday best – about all the men are in suits and the women in skirts and matching tops, most looking like expensive designer quality outfits, petite size for about everyone. The way they walk, move, and gesture reflects a refined culture and civilization unlike I recall seeing at any American airport.
Cashiers look at you and smile when they present the receipt as though it is a treasure to hold. Everyone is very well trained and clearly makes a difference. When I returned the phone (that I rented 7 days ago) the efficiency of the transaction and courtesy of the sales attendant reflected a level of professionalism, training, and customer interest that is un-American but one I strive to perfect every day. Their careful presentations and selection of words, gestures, and smile make the transaction enjoyable. Everyone seems knowledgeable and competent.
English signage in stores is exquisite and well done in all respects (font style and size, colors, information detail). What I see in this airport is such a culture shock and contrast to what I see in America. The rows of beautiful orchids and other plantings in the airport, the comfortable seating and large number of electrical outlets for laptop users and courtesy 220v round-prong adapters for use by those with American plug types. Food seating areas were always spotless and the digital displays for everything were perfectly placed and designed.
Efficiency at check in and competence, thoroughness and interest of the United Airlines agent were all perfect. Why can’t the culture of exceptional service prevail in America where it is the rarely practiced or observed? There is a clear homogeneity of the population here (just as in Japan) and the culture is clear. (About 98% of the people in Korea are Korean.) In America culture vacillates with the times, perhaps defined by television. Men here look like they are going to a job interview. No tattoos, no piercings, no saggy pants, no clumsy-looking old worn untied shoes, no sweat shirts, no shirts hanging outs, no athletic outfits. Shoes are well polished, belt buckles shine, and ties are conservative as are their suits. Women carry expensive bags in this land where rip-off designer labels (such as those that one can buy from street vendors in New York) are not permitted or tolerated. Louis Vuitton and Gucci are seen on every subway. There is a sense of displayed pride in one’s self. And mirrors in subway stations allow people to see how nice they appear! Most all of the women wear high heels.
As I was looking out the window en route to the airport I observed sculptures placed outside so many of the office buildings – all contemporary either abstract or stylized figurative.
Along the river Han were many park-like areas with picnic tables, playground and exercise equipment, tents for gatherings, and people congregating. The Han used to be the trade route to China through the Yellow Sea but since the estuary is at the border between North and South Korea, the river is no longer able to be used for navigation purposes. This is such a contrast to the barge and cargo activity one always sees on the Mississippi. Not too long ago there was one bridge crossing the Han. Today there is a very large number of bridges of every style plus construction of piers showing more are soon to be erected. Most of Seoul was destroyed in the Korean Way (1950-1953) and the evidence of the 1960s and 1970s building boom is strong. Seoul is 600 years old but you couldn’t find much evidence that would suggest that today.
The further out from Seoul we drove, the greater the number of arch-shaped greenhouses I noted. Miles of greenhouses and adjacent crops open to the elements with enormous cabbages. No cattle grazing, no corn, no silos. In fact, beef is relatively rare and expensive, just as it is in Japan. They seem to have figured out the crops and efficiency equation and have no problem feeding 40 million people.
In one week here I didn’t see a single jogger (*Nate and I have seen one jogger who turned every Korean head within range completely backwards) and the few bikes were at racks where the children were in school. There are a very large number of bridges that cross the wide river that passes through Seoul. What is surprising is that just a few decades ago there was only one bridge – and today there are many other bridges under construction.
When you see a drunk on the street late at night, it is not a college kid acting like a fool, but rather a business man in suit being helped by others with him. Major drinking and more frequent tobacco use than in America is also a part of the culture.
Koreans, by virtue of being small, appear not to mind that the economy seat rows in this plane are close to each other as they don’t have the problem of knees in seat backs like larger size Americans would!
Finally back home after 20 hours of travel I am not sure what clock I’m operating under so I will stop now and give you a break."
Thanks for sharing Dad! What a wonderfully detailed, and accurate account of life in Seoul! You just made my break time at school a lot more relaxing! I'll close my eyes for a few minutes until someone comes a knockin'. . .at which point I'll sit up alert, stare at the computer screen, and then close them again the moment they leave! That's the American way, right?
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