I shall dearly miss:

• The comfort of the charter buses that I ride to work each day; the frilly decorative curtains hanging over the windows, the pointless dangly tassles and the colourful lights lining the overhead storage compartments
• Free coffees after lunch or on the odd occassion, when I must make a purchuse for myself, the cost of a coffee only being $1.50
• Green tea latte and anything green tea flavoured
• Paris Baguette for their sweet array of cream cheese filled bakery treats
• Korean food… yes, I will miss it dearly even though at one time, I thought it would be the bane of my existence
• The hotel service I receive at home; clothes always washed, undies neatly folded, bed remade after my lousy efforts, house always clean, dinner always waiting for me when I got home from work… (there was breakfast too at first, but my host mother got the hint after the first few days that I didn’t need her to wake up at 6am in the morning just to pour milk into my instant oatmeal)
• The welcome home party I experience every evening when I step through the doors in the form of little Louie grabbing my legs in a warm embrace and numerous shouts from everyone saying, “Emily! Hello! Welcome! Come in!”
• Spamming my fellow interns on facebook whilst at work with ideas and plans for the weekends and consequently, the anticipation each week that begins on Monday morning for the weekend to come
• Being able to justify my facebook/email/internet addiction as ‘work’ simply because I am sitting at my desk in my cubicle
• This means, productivity = 0 whilst Korean work ethic = 100!
• Rice cakes. I am mostly partial to the dumpling-looking ones with red bean or syrup filling, especially when freshly made by granny
• Cheap luxuries, like the day spa and haircuts at ‘Toni & Guy’ style hairdressers (the 1st time, it was only $16 and the second time, I got the “January” discount for $12!)
• Blogging about the exciting tales of living in Seoul
• Communal lunches in the cafeteria… none of this eating lunch at your computer desk like in so many anti-social work places in Oz

I shall not so dearly miss:

• Early morning wake ups although, for a long time now, this has been my favourite part of the day, rising early to a the quiet solitude of an early morning breakfast
• Sleep-deprived employees snoring on the bus during the 1 hr commute to work and people nodding off next to you on the bus and nearly head banging you every 2 minutes (this happened on too many occassions for my liking!)
• Leaving for work in the morning whilst it is still dark outside and returning home from work in the evening whilst it is still dark outside – what happened to my day?!
• Probably won’t miss kimchi too much… maybe the stuff I made with my family… but not the nasty versions most restaurants serve up
• Stuffy, bacteria-breeding incubators - aka – the Seoul subway
• Making jokes around my co-workers and realising they are just laughing because they don’t understand or worse, they don’t react because they didn’t realise I was joking
• Ice-ladden streets that make rushing to work a treacheous and risky business and should I slip and fall, one that my travel insurance would probably refuse to cover me for.. because why was I rushing in the first place? … not like I needn’t to get to work on time.
• Compulsively checking my facebook updates for signs of life to entertain me
• Wasting over 30 minutes each morning waiting for my laptop to start up when I could have spent that time wasting it on useless internet browsing …Then, sitting at a desk all day long staring at the same stupid, slow laptop

So here I am, my work is done and all I have left to do is enjoy my last week of careless freedom. The lunar new year is this weekend and so I look forward to some traditional Korean festivities with the family. Then I will be off to Jeju Island on Monday with my friend Maria for a few days of relaxation!

Now the countdown to my flight home begins and thus, the end of my time in Korea! *sob sob*

Well, I experienced all of these this past week on mammoth scales!

It started with the buffet on Saturday. Maria invited me along to indulge in a 5 star buffet at the Walker Hill hotel using the free coupons she had received at work. So yes, this was a buffet we both had to make the most of. Free + 5 star fine dining = 2 very satisfied patrons! Not only did we gluttonously over-feed ourselves, we even had the audacity to ask the dessert chef to get us more cheesecake after it had not been restocked and after we had already helped ourselves to the array of desserts on offer. He went out of his way to kindly self-deliver 4 whole pieces of the stuff to our table. Okay, so we admitted to feelings of guilt after that and forced 2 pieces down just to not offend him for his hospitality. That was the cherry on the cake but at that point we were wishing the coupons came with a free taxi ride home.

On Sunday, we visited the Full Gospel Church in Yeoido which boasts a membership of over 780,000 people!!!! This is phenomenal considering its larger than the population of most Australian cities. Can you imagine everyone in your town being members of the one church. It is hence the largest church in the world. Traffic controllers had to direct cars to the parking bays and the building itself resembled a nice orange brick stadium. Walking through the doors we were immediately greeted by ‘Foreigner Guides’ wearing bright red sashes. They led us to the elevator and 4 floors up, we were seated in the foreigner designated area where we could listen to live translations in 8 different languages. The orchestra and choir were fantastic and it was truly an eye-popping experience.

What better way to top of the weekend than to spend the afternoon watching ‘Avatar 3D’ on the world’s largest movie screen at Yeongdeungpo CGV. It stands 13 metres high and 31.4 m long. Without a doubt, the coolest movie experience of my life to date.

And this earthquake… ‘what’s the go with that?’ you may ask. On Tuesday at precisely 6:08pm, Seoul experienced its largest earthquake since 1978 when they first introduced recording equipment. They have only experienced 3 in this time period and this was the largest. Ok, so it only measured 3.0 magnitude but it was still enough to shake the furniture in the apartment above us… or so I was told. I wouldn’t know. I was on the subway home from work. But I thought I should mention it – it sounded pretty cool anyway, right?

We spent Friday night drinking it up and eating it up in Hongdae where students rule and people over the age of 25 (or 30 for the few exceptional exceptions) drool. The last Friday of the month = “Club Night”… 21 clubs for $20 or at least, as many as you feel like frequenting or as many as you can frequent whilst withstanding the cold. We kept it to a minimal 4 that evening. Like true Koreans we ate, drank, ate, drank, ate, drank and ate. Rather than the typical midnight munchies for Maccas, we opted for $3 instant Ramen with mandu at a takeaway shop. As witness to a later ‘incident’, I would not recommend this option for those of you with an unaccustomed stomach.

Saturday, we played the part of tourists. We started the morning with a pick-me-up at Paris Baguette, a staple for any cash-strapped tourist diet. This was followed by watching a ceremonial performance in the form of changing of the guards at Deoksugung Palace. Up for some fresh air, we took a leisurely walk around the palace grounds of Geongbokgung Palace. Behind this maze-like palace lies the President’s house, nestled at the feet of the mountains which provided a stunning backdrop. We walked around to the Bukchon Hanok village where traditional Korean houses are now home to endless rows of coffee shops and boutiques. I fell in love with this charming corner of Seoul and it was such a wonderful pleasure being able to snoop around so many worthy cafes in hunt of the ‘perfect one’ tolunch at. We opted for a place called ‘TeaStory’ with a table for 2 overlooking the little street to enable for some people-watching. The pictures of their waffles and ice-cream were enough to draw us in but we were pleasantly surprised to discover an equally tantalizing dish on the menu that caught our eyes – the ‘Flam’ (refer to the picture). Our meal, however, did start in reverse, with the waffle being served up first. One word – incredible! Generous dollops of green tea ice-cream and walnut/maple ice-cream, cream, fresh banana, and chocolate sauce served on the crispest and softest waffle I’ve ever had! It’s definitely worth writing about and hence, I am writing about it!

Then came the flam and what a pleasant surprise this little guy proved to be. A thin crispy base with just the right amount of chewy topped with camembert cheese, cranberries and spring onion. I want another one just thinking about it!

We then proceeded to another adorable coffee shop that caught our eyes (it’s true, humans eat/drink with their eyes!) for a warm drink where we sat for a good hour or so soaking up the atmosphere. The place was lit by lamps, lanterns, candles and whatever other tools of lighting you could imagine which created a warm and intimate aura. We sat in a ‘cubby-like’ corner overlooking other patrons and spent most of our time reading the messages on the serviette that were hanging from the ceiling. Happy frequenters had also left their messages of graffiti-love scrawled across the walls. It was enchanting and ever-so ‘cutesy’ that only the Koreans could get away with it.

With little time to spare, we proceeded to the little stream, Cheonggyecheon, which runs through the middle of the city, providing a touch of tranquility for the hasty Seoulites. Some musicians were rocking it out on the bridge which acted like an encore for our departure through Myeong Dong and to the subway. Dinner was Korean BBQ, then drinking into the night, by the ‘bucket’, at Monkey Beach Thai-style Bar.

Then it was suddenly Sunday. We went for a trip to the towering KLI 63 building – the tallest in Seoul. It was interesting but rather a waste of time because the weather was far too foggy to bother paying to take the elevator to the observation deck to enjoy the view. But we were insistent on making the most of it, so we explored the wedding exhibition as though we were genuinely interested, bride-to-be’s. We enjoyed a quality Korean lunch of bibimpab and tteok mandu guk before returning to the city for coffee at Dunkin Donuts. Having vowed not to forfeit my soul to the dominating donut chain, I can honestly say that somehow the Koreans have managed to pull it off – providing a cosy charm non-existant in fast-food chains back in Australia. So yes, whilst I can proudly say I didn’t forfeit my soul, I did forfeit a few Won for a maple latte and it was well worth it! We followed this up by a trip to the Andy Warhol exhibition at the Museum of Art which I missed out on when it showcased in Brisbane. I was happy to finally see the famous pop art paintings I had so scrupulously studied back in high school.

We retreated home to join my homestay family for an amazing Korean dinner with Japchae as the main dish. To top of the day, my host parents drove us to one of the cafés that were situated in the middle of the bridge that crosses the Han River for a relaxing coffee/tea.

Monday, the day of Steph’s departure, came far too quickly. We went for one last meal together in Sincheon for brunch. The café, coined “One Tree Hill”, was where we chose to engross our taste buds in the superb tastes of banana and cinnamon pancakes! Then, the time had come; the time to bid farewell to my dear friend. I believe the weekend was a fleeting success and I have taken one for team Korea.

Steph popped up for the weekend having  just been to Tokyo and thus, I had every intention of ‘Koreanizing’ her through a full weekend mashed with Korean propaganda. No way were the Japanese claiming another one over the Koreans. Ok, so I sound a bit nationalistic but I have a tendency to feel protective over a country if I’ve been fortunate enough to set up camp there for more than a fleeting week or so. It gives you time to develop a special connection with the people and you become familiar with places that you begin to tag as your ‘favourite hot spots’ as though you’ve got multitudes of experience seeking out every other spots to compare it with. This is somewhat true, ok. I’ve been busy, busy, busy occupying my spare minutes seeing as much as possible so you can’t completely deny me of that…. please.

So I went to Seoul station to collect my tour candidate and waited eagerly as the commuters disembarked the train load by load. After much jittery anticipation, I saw her cheery face bob up and down over the crowd and we were soon embracing in a warm, welcoming hug. No sooner had we reunited, I had whisked Steph away to the subway in an attempt to somewhat adhere to our schedule so we could meet my friends on time later that night.

Alas, this was not to be the case. We were on the subway back into the city having dumped our stuff at the apartment and gotten ready quickly. Less than 2 hours of setting foot in Seoul, I, the budding tourist guide, nearly lost my (one and only) innocent tourist. We were carelessly chatting away, catching up on the many events that had happened over the last 2 months until I realized we had gone the wrong way on the subway. Thus, at the next stop, I made the instantaneous (and stupid) decision to push my way through the crowded train and jump off. The doors shut closed behind me. Success! I thought. I just saved myself like 2 minutes of going an extra stop in the wrong direction – whoa – Go Emily! I turned around to pat Steph on the back and was dumbfounded to see that she was staring blankly at me BEHIND the closed doors of the subway train with a little Korean man gazing ever-so more blankly back and forward between the two of us. Oh ****!

A moment passed and the train slowly began to roll away. I was frozen in shock. What had I done?! And suddenly, I cracked. I burst in a cackling mess of laughs. It was like a scene from a TV sitcom or a really bad Korean soap. No clue as to where the apartment was, without mobile, without map, without any knowledge of the language, Steph was left to her own. She knew we had to change lines though, so I crossed over to the other side of the track and stood praying whilst 4 subway trains passed. Still no Steph. What if she thought I was coming to her?! But if I was to catch the next train, then there was the risk that she’d be on the train coming to me at the same time and we’d both miss each other. It was truly the case of the Prisoners’ Dilemma I had learnt in economics. Darn it – this was not the time for economics!

The fifth train rolled up. My eyes frantically scanned the doors as commuters poured out. And there – HALLEJUAH– we saw each other jumping up and down at opposite ends of the platform. Thank goodness we were both a head taller than the average little Korean.

Moral of the story – Emily was not born to be responsible for other people.

http://www.korea4expats.com/roketship.php?code=80

So, here I am, sitting at my desk, expereinceing that potent mix swirling around in my tummy. I’m giddy with excitement. I’ve got my ear-phones pumping online triple JJJ radio into my ears. I’m bobbing my head up and down. My toes are tapping uncontrollably to the beats. Obviously I’m not doing any work because I am typing this blog. Thus, I am bored out of my brains. But, no one seems to care around me because I am sitting at my desk typing. This constitutes work. Really though,  it’s mental self-torture! The computer stares at me and I envision it laughing in my face saying, “Suffffeeeeer sucker. You have to stare at me for exactly 6 hours and 43 more minutes.”

Thus, I have concluded, Fridays at work are a complete waste of a perfectly good Friday. Who actually does work on a Friday? Why do we abide by this unofficial code of the 5 day work week (or in Korea’s case – the 24/7 work week)? Who on earth invented it? Clearly they were out to make the world a miserable place. Call on the masses – I want to protest! Hmmm… my tumbling tummy tells me I don’t think that would go down to well here.

In Korea, work, for most people, is life. For me, I prefer work to supplement my life so that I can live my life outside of work. Here, it seems to me that the illusion of productivity is valued greater than productivity itself. For me, efficiency is key and if this means you only need to sit at your desk for 4 hours a day, then brilliant! Here, cubicles that extend for as far as the eye can see is considered a normal workplace. For me, I don’t want to feel like a drone in a beehive serving the queen bee! And I don’t want it to take me 4 weeks to successfully be able to navigate my way from one end of the building to the other!

Thus, the routine of an 8am start on Monday quickly transforms work into ‘just another job’ when it’s not something you are entirely passionate about. This is a state of mind that makes the hours feel long and dreary. It’s everything else that I AM passionate about that gets me through the days and makes the experience so valuable to me. I love the culture, the people, the challenges and the chance to learn new things outside of my normal scope of thought. These things excite me…. oh, and the orange coloured doors.

This is what working in another culture has meant for me – seeing how things are done in the ‘other’ hemisphere, appreciating how different cultures function and learning to value what works for me. I’m not saying there is a right or wrong way of doing business and I’m not about to get into that debate. It’s something I debate in my own mind over and over, along with the, “What the heck am I doing here?” (and don’t we all experience this from time to time?).

So, rather then dread Mondays, let’s celebrate the challenges in life that encourage us to think outside of the box and challenge our traditional way of thought. For me here, it’s been about being open to the Korean work style. From my experience, questions and doubt eventually help me to stand more grounded. Whatever style you prefer – just make it work for you.

I’ll leave you with some wise words from Placebo:

“Slave To The Wage”

Run away from all your boredom
Run away from all your whoredom and wave
Your worries, and cares, goodbye
All it takes is one decision
A lot of guts, a little vision to wave
Your worries, and cares goodbye

It’s a maze for rats to try
It’s a race, a race for rats
A race for rats to die
It’s a race, a race for rats
A race for rats to die

This is not quite the traditional picture one would expect to see at a Korean Buddhist temple. On this occasion, however, at the Geumsansa temple, situated in the mountains overlooking the city of Seoul, this was the picture and one I wish for you to now imagine.

It felt like I was another world away despite being within minutes drive from the contrasting life of Seoul beneath. So what’s the go with this little story you may ask? Let me elaborate…

I’m usually the first to jump on the rollercoaster for a cultural experience should the chance arise. Thus, when my friend and fellow intern, Emillie, was approached by a local TV station, Arirang TV, to participate in a templestay for the filming of a TV series and invite some friends along – we jumped at the chance. Arirang promotes Korean culture through its english shows and this particular series we were being filmed for looks at Korea through the eyes of foreigners living or working in South Korea.

Not sure of what to expect, we were chauffeured to the temple grounds by the TV crew. Pretty much, from the moment we took our first step out, the cameras were all over us. We were plugged into our mics and thrown into the templestay experience, starting with a full-blown introduction by the Buddhist monk. Not only did I have no knowledge of the buddhist principles, it was all in korean, so hmm… this didn’t help my cause. An intro to the bowing routine commenced. This involved attempting to keep oneself warm whilst repeating the actions of the ever so disciplined monk up front who seemed not a bit phased by the imposing cameras and icicles forming from the roof (well, they were there in my imagination!)

Meditation followed. Unsure of what leg went where and what thought was meant to be where inside my head, I sat quietly, eyes closed, mentally picturing a monkey clanging some symbols together whilst circus music played in the background. I only have Homer Simpson to thank for this idea. Meditation = fail.

We then went for some casual chanting… in Korean of course. Minus a million degree weather did not help my concentration. Bowing was involved which made it even harder to maintain one’s composure whilst keeping one eye on what the monks were doing, one not-so-obvious eye on the camera, and ones thoughts from drifting into the black abyss. Chanting session = fail.

Dinner time! Mentally and physically exhausted (and only a few hours in!), I was much anticipating the meal ahead. It was a traditional setting and involved a complete traditional ceremony of carrying the bowls to the temple room, sitting down on your individual mat, carefully arranging your bowls from largest to smallest, being served and finally, the eating part. Here the low-down on Buddhist eating principles ’1-0-1′. Food is strictly vegetarian. You must eat everything on plate, down to the last rice grain. You must not speak during the meal. You must not allow your eyes to wander whilst eating. Do not mix the food in your food bowls. Always eat with the bowl masking your face. No munching, crunching, grunting or other animalistic noises. Finally, you must clean your own bowls – using the water provided and, with your chopsticks and a single pickled radish, wipe the inside of the bowls in a circular fashion. Upon completion, you must drink the water and eat the pickle. Remember – no wastage!
I had to fight hard at this point to refrain from unintentionally regurgitating my whole meal.
Gracefully eating = fail.

Post dinner, it was time to commence our 108 bows to the sound of some mystical recording of an elderly monk chanting. Despite my lousy attempts to stay focused (yes, the monkey came back to distract me) and my continuous slipping on my mat each time I stood up, I somehow managed to pull through and complete all 108. Bowing professionalism = fail.

Bed time! The ladies all shared a room where we set up camp on the heated flooring which actually turned the room into a sauna within a matter of minutes. Hence, I woke up in the morning at 5am more than happy to get up, get dressed and get outside to cool off!

The second day was mixed up a little with some more morning chants, meditation, breakfast, meditation, tea and question time with the elder monk, hiking, meditation, lunch and closing remarks. The hike was rather treacherous up the icy mountain path and the camera crew amazed me by their stamina in lugging all their equipment with them! Upon our return, they realized they had missed their chance to talk scenic shots of the view from up top… and hence, had to back track up the mountain once more. Like, what the?!

So the experience all in all, whilst may sound like a grueling fat-camp, was in fact, a very enjoyable and eye-opening, cultural experience. The novelty of being filmed soon wore off after the first 30 minutes or so when you realize you can’t 100% be yourself in front of the camera especially in such a situation where you need to tread lightly in fear of offending a whole religious faction. I am so grateful for the opportunity though and am anxiously waiting to see just how much of a fool I made of myself for the public to mock.

Mentally and physically exhausted after such an intense 24 hours, Maria and I needed to unwind and what better way than to hit up the shops! Shopping recoup = success!
Yes, I have come to the realization I would make a very lousy monk if ever I had the desire to be one… which I don’t…. so lucky for this generation of Korean buddhists – I won’t be tarnishing their reputation anytime soon. In fact, if I were them, I’d impose an injunction on me from every walking within 1km of their temple grounds ever again. Meanwhile, I reckon they’ll go (secretly) stream the video on YouTube to see themselves on TV.

It was time for some genuine ‘down-time’ with my fellow interns; away from the workplace, away from our covertly non-private home life, and away from the hustle and bustle of Seoul. Destination – Busan!

If you like fish and you like it raw then head on down to Busan’s Jagalchi Raw Fish Market; the largest fish market in Korea. In fact, just head to Busan full stop. There are fish markets literally within a 50 metre radius of everything else that one might forget to consider when visiting the port side city. Home to the largest sea port in Asia and just a stones throw from Japan, separated only by the Korea Strait, this city is a fishmonger’s paradise. I’m almost certain that the Koreans have scoured every seabed to muster the most unusual seafood ‘delicacies’ solely for the amusement of western tourists. Or do they actually eat this stuff? Anything that looks edible and even not so edible, well, they’ve tried it and it’s currently in stock here by the boat load.

These other sights I mentioned that one may want to consider checking out will reveal a traditional culture that’s been preserved for centuries and often forgotten about in Seoul amidst the conrete skyscrappers of modern capitalism. Okay, so it’s not like these are non-existent in Busan but there’s something about this city that makes it feel a small step closer to the traditional, untainted Korea.

The Beomeosa buddhist temple lies in the mountains north of central Busan. Only a short bus ride and you feel a world away. The colourful lanterns swaying in the breeze, the chanting buddhist monk and the rustic charm of the pagodas creates a serene setting. Throw in some overcast weather and take out the usual masses of tourists one experiences in the palace areas of Seoul and it becomes slightly more mysterious.

Beyond this, one can venture up the mountain to explore the grand Geumjeong fortress, however, be warned; the countless parties of old people trekking up the rocky path are wearing hiking gear for a reason. For those short on time & ill-prepared  as I, sporting my new yet impractical knee-high leather boots, one may find it to be a hollow attempt to hike to the top. My fellow crew and I only made it half-way before turning back.

This did, however, allow us time to hike up another hill after a little detour on a stray bus (so according to us!) and witness the breathtaking view of Busan from the south end of the fortress.

The Haeundae beach is a must see sight for those who would like to experience an surprising touch of a tropical paradise. I was more than impressed by the clean stretch of beach, turquoise blue water, green flora and clear blue sky. The boardwalk along the rocky cliffs leads you to a statue of a little mermaid sitting on a rock. It appeared to me to be a larger rendition (and what one might consider a breach of copyright if such exists for this sort of thing) of the famous ‘ lille havfrue’ bronze statue in Copenhagen.

The youth culture in Busan is lively and ‘happening’. Lining the streets around Busan National University are endless fashion stores, restaurants, bars and clubs. At one bar, we were treated like celebrities with reserved seating by the window overlooking passer-byers, free bar snacks and at-call music requests. All we did was buy a $4 pint of beer each! Nampodong is Busan’s version of Seoul’s Myeong Dong; a shopping and tourist district for all sorts. Naturally, I was impressed by the flashing neon lights and countless street vendors that help to create the bustling atmosphere but without the bustling Seoul pedestrians.

We dined on Kalbi (Korean BBQ), drank beer and kahlua (together!), sang Karaoke and more than anything… relaxed! It was a weekend away like no other and one much needed to let loose our inhibitions, vent about th cultural challenges and be our good ol’ Aussie-selves once more.