Witnessing the soon to be Korean history

The thought of witnessing some of the important developments of another country was something new. Its something one shouldn't ignore as one becomes a part of it and gets to see the changes from within as an insider.

I came to Korea in 2016 but from then on there has been so many big changes in the whole nation of South Korea. The first being the candlelight protest to remove the ex-President from his/her position. I have never seen so many people come together for the cause of something and achieving their goal. Everyday news was filled with the news of protests. As a foreigner I saw how this protest happened and also the change in the government. I also witnessed the election campaigns which I found was very funny. People used loudspeakers and gave out pamphlets. The most funny thing was that they had a song which played from time to time and 3 supporters, mostly elderly people would dance to the song. 

The second one is related to the geography of Korea. South Korea was known to be safe from Earthquakes. Korea was not prepared for the recent earthquakes. It was occurring after many years. The first tremor was in 2016 at Gyeongju(경주) and I was in Busan at the time. My dorm was on a hill and I was in the 9th floor. The building shook. It felt like a train. It was traumatizing. All I could think was "why do I have to come to foreign country to experience such things?" But later I realized that such an experience is preparing me in some way. And that is how I took my passport and cell phone when my Goshiwon caught on fire. :)

The third one is more of a happy and a proud thing(for Korea). It was the Winter Olympics. In 1988 Olympics was held in Korea and the next time it happened was after 30 years in 2018. I was so happy that I was in Korea even though I couldn't go to watch the games. But I could see the live broadcast. The most happy moment for many Koreans was the participation of North Korea in the games. South Korea and North Korea came together as one team for Ice hockey. They didn't win but their effort was applauded. Also I didn't expect India to be part of the games but was so proud to see two athletes.
The fourth is slowly taking place. Its the peace talks between South Korea and North Korea. North Korean athletes had come to Korea for the Winter Olympics soon after which South Korea sent a team of singers to perform in North Korea. Winter Olympics became a platform for the two siblings to meet. And soon the peace summit will be held and many in Korea are praying for a miracle to happen. 

These things evoked different emotions in Koreans and as a foreigner I could feel and understand what was going through peoples' minds. No one in India knew much about the continuous earthquakes that had happened. I not only witnessed the changes but also got to understand the history of Korea. Maybe after 10 years I can say that I was part of Korea's history. 

In the end, this is what I learned: Enjoy not just the beauty but also the hardships and shabby sides of whatever you do, wherever you go and whoever you meet. It makes you feel more attached to the thing, the person and the place. 

My Journeys: Taean(태안)

While in Seoul my first trip was to a place called Taean(태안) which is in the western part of South Korea and its the seaside.

The area outlined in red is Taean(Tae-an, 태안)

One day my friend(언니) decided to go to the beach but it was already past 7pm. I said "No" but she persuaded me and I decided to go with her to the beach. All I was thinking was that the beach is near from Seoul so we will be back early. But she decided to leave at 12 midnight. So we went to get her car from the University parking lot at 12 and we were off to Taean. I was not sure where this place was. It took almost three hours to reach there. In between we stopped at a convenience store and had some Ramyun and Rice rolls. (The convenience store in Korea is open 24x7) After having our snack we decided to go the beach but it was too early(3am) so she drove us through the villages nearby. It was so quiet and dark unlike Seoul. By 4am we had reached the beach and the water was till the fence. We looked for a good place to park the car and waited inside the car. We slept off till 8 am inside the car. When we woke up there was slight drizzle so we drove to the nearest to sea and saw that the water had drained. This was something new to me. It was the low tide and high tide phenomenon. 

The same place during low tide and high tide. 

There were two islands called Anmyeon-do(안면도)which looked like two huge rocks or small hill surrounded by sand and stones. It becomes island when its high tide.  

We saw 2~3 people picking something from between the rocks so we also decided to go down and see. There were small crabs and shell creatures. I caught a small crab just to get the feel of it. We started collecting some shell creatures so that we could boil it and have for a meal. 

As it was continuously drizzling we decided to have breakfast and come back. All the restaurants there had seafood based menu. We went for Blue crab soup/curry. It was tasty but as I was not used to eating rice and seafood in the morning I had to force myself to eat it.(Koreans eat rice for all the three meals) By then the clouds cleared and we saw more people going in to collect shells and other creatures. Mostly there were Korean families. They had brought their children to experience picking up these shell creatures. 

The local people were selling equipments for digging and some local snacks. 

We also went in to enjoy the sea and take pictures. There was a line of wooden stumps leading into the sea. 

We had gone very inside but by 12 noon they announced that the sea water is moving in. We were still inside and slowly our legs were getting wet with water and it rose till the ankle. I got onto the stump and started walking on it. The water was rising within seconds. I felt very strange and scary of the sea. The behaviour of the sea seemed very mysterious. 

Tips:

* There is direct public transport from Seoul to Anmyeon-do. It takes 2~3hrs. 

* Carry raincoats, equipments and containers to experience picking shell creatures. 

* If going by car try visiting the flower show nearby. Get to see the beauty of tulips, lilys and other flowers. There is a small entry fee. 

Episode 3 # My New Findings

Episode 3
Place: University Dormitory

The friend with whom I had gone to see the handicraft exhibition, later contacted me and asked if I could repair something for her. It was a Rosary. A part of the knots were broken off and it needed to be made again newly. It was not something that I could just add a bit of a thread and finish.

This was the condition of the rosary. 

All I was thinking was that why would somebody want to repair a rosary. They could discard it and get a new one. But my friend said that the person who asked for the repair was not able to find anyone who could repair it for them and that it belonged to his/her grandma. They wanted it to be made in the similar knot pattern. So I said I can do it but would need some time to learn how to make such knots. But that was not all. It seems that this rosary is something that the grandma cherishes and that she would like to hold onto to it till her last breath. 

This background inspired me to put in more effort to do my best in repairing this rosary. And I decided to repair it before Christmas. But another shocking fact was that the beads of the rosary were made of  real stones which made it heavy. 

I took 4 days to repair it and this was how it looked.

This gave me ideas to do more with beads like weaved, knotted and elastic bracelets. I asked my friends where I could get beads and everyone told me the same place which is Dongdaemun Market.

 I searched the place through internet and found the market. It was right in front of the subway gate. There were buildings with 6 floors and each floor had different types of raw materials. Lace, Jean cloth, swatches, raw material for making clips earrings, blankets, tote bags and what not!!!

I wished I could own the whole building. Everything was so beautiful. 😍😍  I spent 3~4 hrs in beads section of that building. 

A lady saw me checking the beads at her store and asked me whether I make rosaries and I said yes. She showed the beads that were in fashion. She gave me a cup of tea. I asked her if she could teach me how to make the last knot for elastic bracelet and she showed me and told me that if there is anything else I would like to know she is ready to let me know. I bought beads from her shop and looked for more at other stores too. 

 These are some of the things I made using the beads. It helps me to think about new ideas and do more things with just beads and strings. 

Some days I decide that I will revise a certain portion of my studies and make one bracelet. Just to make the bracelet I try and finish studying as soon as possible. Its a reward I give myself. And its the best creative reward.