I’ve been slacking. When I started this blog, I had intended
to update it on a consistent basis, but I’ve now let more than a month pass
without posting anything here. I wish I
could say my neglect was due to my being too busy adventuring and doing outrageously
exciting things to spend time writing.
But the truth is I had a very low-key, uneventful December. In an effort to save money for an upcoming
trip to Japan, I’ve been going out less on the weekends and spending more time
at home. As a result, I just haven’t had
much to write about. Toward the end of
December, however, the holidays and end-of-the-school-year activities did
provide some stories that are worth telling.
A lot of folks back home have been asking whether or not
Koreans celebrate Christmas. The short,
not-so-simple answer is: sort of. I mean, department stores decorate and coffee
shops play Christmas music (usually remixed with electronic dance beats). But people don’t travel to visit family,
stores stay open, and hardly anyone gets extra time off work or school. It’s like they adopt the seasonal themes superficially
but don’t really practice the traditions.
Still, I got many wishes of “Merry Christmas” from my
students and co-workers who recognize how important this holiday is to westerners. On the Friday before Christmas weekend, a
student gave me a strawberry cupcake as a Christmas present. It was one of only two presents that I
received this year, and it totally made my day.
Luckily, I have plenty of foreign friends here who wanted to
do something special to celebrate. And
after a month of not doing much socially, I really needed to get out.
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| A white Christmas in Korea! |
I awoke on the morning of December 24th to bright
blue skies and a fresh layer of snow on the ground. Perfect – a white Christmas. It was a good start. The weather had been rather cold and dreary in
the preceding weeks, so the delightful wintery scene from my balcony of
snow-covered hills combined with the pungent, comforting aroma of wood smoke was
very welcome indeed. Despite the cold, I
bundled up and sat on my balcony for a while, contentedly sipping a steaming
cup of freshly-brewed java and enjoying the clear morning.
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| The girls -- Asanda, Kira, Lauren, and Jenji -- with our lovely Christmas cake |
Later that day, I met some friends at Cheonan Station and
boarded a train bound for Seoul. Another
friend was apartment-sitting in the capital and had invited us to spend
Christmas there – a prospect far more enticing than remaining in our usual
stomping grounds. After we arrived, we
decided to go out for dinner. Then, we
stopped by a supermarket and bought a cake and some wine. I also decided to splurge on a bottle of bourbon
and justified the expense by saying that it was a Christmas present to
myself. It’s the little things that make
the holidays special.
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| N Seoul Tower |
We made a brief stop back at the apartment, ate the cake (after
singing happy birthday to Jesus), had a quick drink, then went out again. In an effort to do something more momentous
and memorable, we resolved to go to Namsung Tower (also called N Seoul Tower),
which sits atop a prominent hill in the heart of Seoul. It’s a 777 ft. tall communication and observation
structure – think of it as a Korean version of the Seattle Space Needle. Equally touristy too. We were able to take a cable car up to the
top of Namsung Hill – a slightly uncomfortable, but mercifully quick ride. I’m sure it sounds like a rather romantic
notion to be sailing over the lights of Seoul in a cable car, but true to
Koreans’ customary disregard for the concept of “personal space,” they had so many
of us crammed into the car that you couldn’t have fit another person in with a
shoe horn. Stuck somewhere in the middle
of the pack, I didn’t have much of a view outside.
Once at the top of the hill, we circled the base of the
tower to check everything out. There was
a whole pavilion up there with souvenir shops, restaurants, and even a teddy
bear museum. The only thing of real
interest, if only for its humorous quirkiness, was a viewing platform on which
all the rails were adorned with “love padlocks.” This is a custom by which sweethearts come
together and affix a padlock on the railing and throw away the key, thereby
creating a symbol of their everlasting love for each other. A quick google search has shown me that this
custom did not originate in Korea, but its cheesy cutesiness seems perfectly
suited for this country and its sappy take on romantic relationships.
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| Love Padlocks at the pavilion atop Namsung Hill |
The real attraction up here was the tower itself and the
panoramic views from the top. A 9000₩ elevator
ride, complete with an intense 3D animation on the ceiling that simulated
blasting off in a rocket, took us to the observation deck at the top of the
tower. The observation deck was completely
enclosed, which kept everyone warm, but was nonetheless a little disappointing
for me, since it’s difficult to take good photos through dirty glass. Still, the view is easily the best and most
prominent in the city. Due to the tower’s
central location, one is able to see the bright lights of the world’s second
largest metropolis spreading out as far as the eye can see in all directions –
no other view goes so far in helping one to appreciate the immensity of this
city. Another neat feature was that the
names of the great cities of the world were printed near the tops of the glass
window panes, with an indication of in which direction they lay and how far
distant they are. It turns out that my
beloved Seattle is 8,331.88 km away. (I
returned to N Seoul Tower a couple weeks later, this time during daylight, with
hopes of snapping some good photos – but alas, the forecasted clear skies didn’t
materialize, resulting in less-than-ideal photographing conditions. Still, a sample photo can be seen below this
post)
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| A view of Seoul from N Seoul Tower on Christmas Eve |
The remainder of our Christmas Eve was spent back at the
apartment cozily watching Christmas movies and drinking in holiday cheer (with
a splash of alcohol). The following day
was more of the same. Two of my friends
graciously prepared us a very delicious albeit non-traditional Christmas feast
and we all eventually returned to Cheonan that evening very satisfied with how
we’d spent the holiday weekend.
Ultimately, my Christmas ended up bearing many similarities to my
Thanksgiving this year– characterized by westerners coming together and, in the
absence of family and the comforts of home, consciously trying to recreate
something of the ambiance and tradition we’re used to. It's like we know the recipe by heart, so we do what we can despite lacking a few ingredients. Like Thanksgiving, my Christmas in Korea was
not quite typical, but still familiar enough to keep loneliness and homesickness at bay.
I’m a couple weeks late getting this posted, but I’d still
like to wish you all happy holidays and the best of luck in the new year. Here’s to a 2012 filled with even more
adventure, fun, and self-discovery! If
the Mayans were right, this could be our last chance to make the best of things,
so make sure you take advantage of what precious little time you have left!
(That was a joke. But seriously though,
Carpe Diem!)
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| A daytime view of Seoul from the top of N Seoul Tower |
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