Final Days in Korea

What a whirlwind! My last few weeks in Korea were busy!

Over the course of my 7 weeks in Korea, I spent a lot of time with these ladies. Dr. Yune, a research professor and a sweet and funny woman, made sure to make me feel at home the second I walked in the door at PNU. Despite working insane hours and having children, she made time during the last week to take me to Gwangju on my last full day in Busan. Bora, my supervisor and a lovely lady, and Yesol, a student at PNU, came along too! What fun it was!

Gwangju used to be the capital of Korea and has traditional style houses everywhere, a world heritage site temple, and a park where many of the royals have been buried. Of course, the day started out with a traditional lunch at a place which is famous for its tofu dishes.

The hill in this photo is a royal tomb. It was explained to me that the taller the hill, the more important the person buried there.

We rounded off the day at a coffee shop with a famous dessert that I have seen many places but had not been brave enough to try. Dessert should have chocolate and butter, right? But alas, I gave it a go. And the word I can use to describe it would be: surprising.

Ingredients: coffee on the bottom, shaved ice, milk to be poured over the ice, sweet red beans, rice noodle 'Tteok', green tea ice cream and a small tomato on top. Overall, it had a very sweet flavor but since the elements are definitely not my normal type for dessert, I think I would pass next time.

After leaving Busan, I went up to Seoul to spend my last few days in Korea with Ellen. I am so thankful that she was willing to be busy those days after she got out of work so I could play tourist.

We went up to Namsam park where Ellen goes running with a group. In the middle of the park is the Seoul Tower which beautifully displayed the city at night. We were able to wrangle a photographer for this picture...

We also went to a Korean baseball game that was very rowdy and included cheerleaders. It was a fun and relaxing night.

As a capstone to my Korean adventure, I decided to go on a tour of the demilitarized zone`s (DMZ) third tunnel. The boarder itself is about 4 km wide between the two Koreas.

I am really glad I went on the tour because it gave me such a different perspective into the current unique situation that this country is living in. In discussions with university students about North Korea, it became apparent that the hostility out of the north was normal and part of everyday life. What was not very clear to me until the tour was how there is a strong undercurrent of belief in the unification of the Korean penninsula. To  my tour guide, it was not a matter of 'if' Korea would be united, but 'when'. So many families were broken up as a result of Korea's division and with it came loss and saddness. However there is still hope that one day, families and friends will be together once again.

The spot to look over into N. Korea. All one can see is a village that no one lives in and beautiful countryside.

What a great tour that gives the taste of the historical background and current situation. If anyone goes to Korea, I think this is a must. I met some interesting people on it as well, including three Australians from the Gold Coast. My heart did melt a little bit from hearing the accent all day. :)

Finally, Ellen and I found this little nugget of beauty in the middle of the city. Once a shanty town, now a cool spot during a hot day. You can walk around,  put your feet in the water, maybe read a book.  Or, if you are like a drunk gentelman, take an unexpected swim.

So many adventures in this crazy country. I can`t believe how fast the time went by, but that is what everyone says! It realy is amazing to me how quickly Korea became so normal to me. Not being able to communicate very well, expecting to be lost often, spending lots of time walking/on transportation and being surrounded by people and concrete all of the time. But the best thing about my new normal was seeing the kindness in strangers. The people have such big hearts and a hospitality that is so wondeful for foreingers like me. I have been truly blessed through this experience and can`t help but think God led me to this place for a purpose. We will see what He has in store for me next!

 I am happy that I am now in Japan for a few more days that I don`t have to get back to reality just yet.