DMZ

I'll start this post by saying I am not an expert on history. I know an embarrassing amount of American history and know much less about Korean history. So what I write about the demilitarized zone may be wrong. To the best of my knowledge, this is what I saw and learned during my day trip up north.

Side Note: Working nights is nice. I get to sleep in and do a lot of things I wouldn't be able to otherwise. But it's not good for going anywhere, especially different cities, after 8 pm. That is why Alix and I chose to do a tour of the DMZ on a Sunday, so we could take our time arriving in Seoul the day before. Because of this, our tour was somewhat limited. We still got to see a lot but we didn't get to visit the JSA- joint security area. According to Wikipedia, this is the "truce village," where North and South Korean soldiers face each other and engage in "peace talks." I believe this is where you can actually step into North Korea and get a view of the propaganda village. It would have been incredibly interesting to see this and I'm a little disappointed I didn't get the chance. But to be perfectly honest, the entire situation weighs heavy on my heart. I think I would have been overwhelmed, and truthfully scared, to go there.

Our first stop on this particular tour was Imjingak. According to this helpful website, it was built in 1972 in the hopes that the two Koreas would reunite. There are several monuments, a park and various artifacts from the war on display here. There is also a Freedom Bridge which South Koreans crossed when they entered from the North for the first time after the war "ended."

From here, we went to visit the Third Tunnel. According to Wiki, it "is a tunnel under the border between North Korea and South Korea. It was the third tunnel to be discovered running under the border between the two Koreas." The tunnel was discovered in 1978 and was, as the name indicates, the third out of four tunnels that were found. As I understood it, some believe there are as many as 20 tunnels that were dug that have yet to be discovered. Amusingly enough, "Initially, North Korea denied building the tunnel then officially declared it part of a coal mine; black "coal" was painted on the walls by retreating soldiers to help confirm this statement."

We got to walk through the tunnels wearing goofy helmets (which I did not regret wearing whatsoever when I hit my head numerous times on the ceiling). It was interesting to walk through, imagining that hundreds of soldiers could have possibly taken the same path into South Korea with the intentions to do harm. We weren't allowed pictures of the tunnel and I was clearly not going to press my luck, so you can imagine; it was dark, damp and small.

After the tunnel, we went to the Dora Observatory where it was possible to look into North Korea. It was a bit smoggy that day and there was a photo line we were forbidden to cross, so I don't have much proof of this, either.

It was so fascinating. From here, it's possible to see the border and the two gigantic flags representing each country that fly alarmingly close to each other. A realistic slap in the face that these two countries (once the same) are still, technically, at war.

We ended the tour at Dorasan train station. If I remember correctly, this was made entirely from donations. Wikipedia didn't give much information on the station itself, but as of now, it's waiting to be put into use. It actually broke my heart to see how abandoned it was. Besides the few other tour groups, it was ghostly.

We were able to get "stamps" into North Korea here. We were told not to put them in our passports but we didn't give that advice much consideration. If nothing else, it will make for a nice conversation starter in an airport. We also bought "tickets" to Pyeongyang, the capital of North Korea. What a bargain, only 1,000 won! I made the remark that the man working at the counter was just playing make-believe, which in many ways he was. He sold us our ticket and gave us our stamp but it was all just one big game of pretend.

If the North and South ever do reunite, it would be possible to take a train from Busan all the way to London. Gives me goosebumps just thinking about it, uniting countries, continents, citizens all over the world. There just isn't enough of that these days.

Overall, it was a great experience and I was glad I did it. I knew that I wanted to visit the DMZ during my time here but it was also heartbreaking. I have grown to love and admire Korea in more ways than I could explain and I've been in denial about the situation the country is in. It was a harsh reminder that this may go on forever. Truth be told, it was bizarre that something representing so much pain and turmoil has been turned into a tourist trap. There were gift shops at each stop selling everything from DMZ puzzles to bath towels. I believe it's important to try and understand what's going on but at what point does it become too much? It seems that it would almost be too much of a hassle to reunite at this point. What will they do with all the souvenir barbed wire plaques?!

All jokes aside, it was a sobering experience. Seeing all the young soldiers, trying to imagine day to day life, it was impossible to try and understand what they have to endure. All I could imagine were my young male students having to stand guard over the border one day. A harsh reminder that wars, and this war in particular, will continue to affect families for generations to come.

Ni Hao, Shanghai

I find it remarkable that I can travel to new cities and fall absolutely in love with them. Shanghai was no exception.

I was relieved to find that getting to and from China was incredibly easy. The flight was only about an hour and a half and we had no trouble going through security or customs. However, we did meet teachers in Busan who didn't know they needed visas for China so they were unable to go. Remember your visas, kids.

Once Alix and I got to Shanghai, we boarded the Mag Lev, which is a high speed train that takes you from the airport to the heart of the city. The train topped speeds of 431 kilometers/hour which I believe turns out to be around 267 miles/hour. We were able to navigate the subway system and find our hostel, The Phoenix, easily. We got lucky with our accommodation once again. Great location, cheap, extremely comfortable. Couldn't ask for more.

Alix and I found Mike, who I met back in Hong Kong; he flew over for a few days from Chicago. We spent our first night strolling along The Bund, the beautiful river that runs along Shanghai (and I think) separates two parts of the city. I love seeing new skylines for the first time and Shanghai's was nothing short of breathtaking.

The next day we really didn't have a set plan, so we decided to just wander around the city. We found a market, which was kind of like a giant dollar store, and got lost in it for a while. We decided to visit the jade gardens which we found recommendations for online. We didn't realize the gardens were gated, so we spent a good amount of time looking for open flowers and trees. We finally found them with a little help and spent some time relaxing and enjoying each other's company.

We also walked around the "old city" which is exactly what it sounds like. If you imagine old time China in the movies, this would be the set. It was beautiful, nonetheless. And it had Dairy Queen.

I think we regretted our lack of research the most on our third day. We wanted to visit a fishing village, but unfortunately didn't know much about the city itself or how to get there. After a failed trip to the bus stop, we decided we would go our separate ways. Mike did a little sightseeing while Alix and I went to a fishing village that was more touristy but much closer. In the end, I'm happy we decided to go where we did. It was convenient and provided all we wanted to see.

While walking around, we found a little cafe and decided to stop for a coffee. We started talking to a university student who wants to move to America to receive her masters in Engineering. She told us that the cafe is famous for its postcards and you could write a postcard to your future self that they will send to you when you like, whether it's in one year or ten. Alix and I both wrote postcards to ourselves, she'll receive hers in a year and mine will be sent in two. It was a nice, unexpected surprise and actually provided a lot of insight. I was able to clear my mind on that little piece of paper. It will be interesting to see where I am and what I'm doing when I get it in the mail.

Overall, I don't think I spent enough time in Shanghai to truly get a sense of what it was about. Alix and I did a little research, but I think we were a bit unprepared on what to do and how to do it. Yet with that being said, we still had a fantastic time and Shanghai left a very good impression on me. The people were friendly, for the most part the city was clean, and everything was so cheap. When we were lost or look confused, people would come up and offer to help us. That doesn't happen in every city and though it was a small gesture, it meant a lot.

It really is true that it doesn't matter where you're at but who you're with. I'm lucky to have such easy-going travel companions no matter where I go. I love discovering new cities, but they wouldn't be as memorable if it wasn't for the remarkable people there discovering the city with me.

Can I come in now, China?

For those of you that care (so, about three people total) I got my visa for China today.

Okay, so in retrospect, getting my visa really wasn't that difficult. It was the worry and "what ifs" and the thought of having to send everything home that made it seem all the more daunting.

I didn't have to do that much more than Alix to get my visa. Yeah, I had to get the certificate from immigrations, yes I had to wait a little longer and certainly, I paid a lot more. But we both exerted the same amount of energy and time into the entire process, so I really have no complaints.

For any teacher living in Korea that is going to China from now on, I hope this option still exists in the future. I'm still confused as to why the consulate won't give visas to those of us who have less than 6 months here. Trust me, I don't want to stay in China. I just want to take a look around.

I'm ecstatic that I don't have to send everything home to the consulate in Chicago, and I'm sure my mom is breathing a little sigh of relief at this news as well.

All that remains to be done is counting down the days until we depart.

16- for those three people that care.

Shang-Bye

It's nice to have vacation days. Before I moved to Korea, I told myself that I would take advantage of all the vacation time I got. After all, I might never be living on this side of the earth again. I might never be a hop, skip and jump away from Tokyo or Taiwan like I am now. So I made a promise that when given ample time, I would use it to the best of my ability.

When I saw the schedule for the new year I was ecstatic to see all the three and four day weekends full of the promise and lure of adventure and exploration. Alix and I decided that during our four day weekend in May we would go somewhere. But where?! Tokyo? No, it's too expensive. Taiwan? No, the flights are terrible. Shanghai? Yeah, what about Shanghai? The flights are short and cheap and I've always wanted to go to China. I've seen the Qing Dynasty figurines on Antique's Roadshow. Maybe I'll stumble upon my own priceless treasure.

Now, before I booked the flight I knew Alix and I would have to get a visa to stay more than 24 hours. I also understood that as an American citizen, the cost of my visa would be significantly more than my Canadian counterpart's. Why is this? I do not know. I haven't researched (translation: googled) why it costs so much for an American to go to China and vice versa. But if you have and you know the answer, feel free to share.

Being fully aware of this, we decided to play the waiting game before applying for our visa. A single entry tourist visa is good for three months. If we had applied right after we booked our tickets, it would have expired before we got on the plane. And it never hurts to get a few more paychecks before seeing your bank account drain to a sad, lifeless lump in front of your eyes.

Here's where it gets tricky. And here's where I will do my best to explain the predicament I've found myself in the last few days.

All teachers in Korea have what's called an ARC- an alien registration card. We get these at the beginning of our time here and they help us with anything and everything. Getting a phone, setting up a bank account, you name it. For some unknown reason, the Chinese consulate decided that anyone who wanted a Chinese visa would have to have at least 6 months remaining validity on their ARC. Does your ARC expire in 3 months? Sorry, you're not allowed in. Oh, your ARC expires in 5 months and 12 days? Not my problem!

But what really bamboozles me is the fact that this rule (for some time, at least) only applied to the Chinese consulate in Seoul. I googled and re-googled a thousand different combinations of "chinese" "visa" "living" "south korea" and found the same thing every time. If you have less than 6 months on your ARC and you want to apply in Seoul, well you had better re-route to Hong Kong. However, you could make a quick trip to Busan and the friendly folks at any travel agency would be more than willing to take your passport and your money.

This is where it gets hilarious and painfully ironic. As I understand it, the you-can't-get-a-visa-in-seoul-but-you-can-in-busan thing lasted for about a year, maybe longer. When did it change and Busan adopted the 6 month validity rule? March 2011. About 12 days before I applied.

After having a minor meltdown (I don't care, I'll dig myself to China was repeated several times) and googling furiously, I began to find alternatives.

1) I called Kangsan Travel here in Busan. They're located in Jangsan and have a remarkably friendly, English speaking staff. The woman working explained that I needed to go to the immigrations office (located in Jungang-dong) for what is called a 외국인사실증명서 or a Certificate of Alien Registration. I went to immigrations and got the certificate, no problem. Then the next day I went to the opposite side of town and applied for my very own Chinese visa. Amazingly, I needed very little for what seemed an ominous visa process. I needed a passport sized color photo, an application, my ARC, my passport, the above mentioned certificate and a wad of cash. The kind woman working explained to me that the rule just changed in Busan. Like, watching the train pull away, you just missed it kind of thing. She then told me that she was sending all of my stuff to Gwangju, another city here in Korea. I suppose that Gwangju, like Busan before it, is still allowing visas to those who have less than 6 months on their ARC's. Why this isn't a uniform rule in all of Korea, I'll never know. Why this is a rule in the first place is even more puzzling. I put a rush on it, just in case, and she told me I would have my passport and a small sticker allowing me to enter China in less than a week.

2) The only other option I had was to send everything home so I could have a family member apply on my behalf at an American consulate. I believe there are only 5 Chinese consulates in America (New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Houston). I attempted to call the Chicago consulate to ask about the procedure and failed miserably, so back to google I went! Found out that it was definitely possible for a family member/friend to apply for you, as long as you could get to one of the aforementioned consulates. I had my mom on standby just in case she would have to make an emergency trip to Chicago, but so far it's been unnecessary. There are some things to consider if you'll be applying this way. a) Apparently sending your passport in the mail is a big no-no. So hide it inside your copy of The Great Gatsby or something before you ship it off. b) Hope it doesn't get lost. Or better yet, send it through FedEx so you can track the package. c) Hope even harder that you live close to a consulate and know someone willing enough to take the trip for you.

3) Don't have a friend that likes you that much? Live somewhere kind of inconvenient to all the consulate locations? (I'm looking at you, Montana). There are a ton of companies that will process a visa for you while you're living abroad. A little weird, I know, sending your stuff to a complete stranger. Not even stuff, your identity, really. I did some research and found a surprising amount of businesses, some seemingly more trustworthy than others. Call around, look for testimonials online, look for a company you trust completely. It's going to cost a pretty penny and you'll have to wait a bit longer, but if you really want to go, what other option do you have?

I dropped my documents off this morning, so I still don't know if I'll have a visa or not. I'll give an update sometime in the next week. So uh... mom, you still might need to make a trip up to the windy city for yours truly.

I know a lot of people could literally care less about any of this and probably stopped reading after "to begin..." But I know that I searched and searched and didn't find the direct answers that I wanted. I'm hoping that I will provide some of those answers if anyone else finds themselves in the predicament I was.

So for those of you that don't live in Korea, don't need a Chinese visa or have no idea what I just rambled on about...

Did you know? I'm going to Shanghai in less than a month!

Seoul Searching

A few weekends ago, my co-worker (Alix) and I decided to take a trip to Seoul. A friend of mine from university (Mandie) had just moved to Seoul to begin teaching. Since I had yet to visit the capital city, I figured St. Paddy's weekend was a fine time to go. So we went!

There are a number of ways to get to Seoul from Busan. You can take a bus, which is the cheapest way to go, but also the slowest. There are two different trains, the "slow" train or the "fast" KTX. And then of course, you always have the option to fly. We decided to take the KTX there and back. It was about 50,000 won each way and only took about 2 1/2 hours. In my opinion, the KTX is the most efficient way to get to Seoul. It was comfortable, fast, and took you right to the heart of the city.

We went to several different parts of Seoul, though I'd be hard-pressed to tell you exactly what they were called. We wound up in Itaewon, which I would describe as the foreigner or tourist district of the city. It was built up around the military base, so naturally there are a lot of foreigners in the area.

But let me make myself clear. I think there are a lot of foreigners here in Busan, depending on what part of the city you're in. But Itaewon was different. For a moment walking down the street, I felt like I was back in Normal, Illinois on my college campus. There were young kids everywhere in every direction I looked. I knew that Itaewon would be full of Westerners, but I guess I didn't realize the extent of it.

In Busan, almost every foreigner you meet is a teacher of some sort. Rarely have I met anyone here with a different story, although I occasionally do. In Seoul, I only talked to a handful of people who were actually teaching. Most of them were in Korea because it was military related.

We went to several different bars in both Itaewon and Hongdae (another popular area of the city). But I think what surprised me most of all was the fact that many of these establishments charged a cover. In university, I was used to and expected to pay cover almost every night I went out. But in Korea? I almost completely forgot about the concept until I saw a line out of a bar we wanted to go into.

Seoul was fun, don't get me wrong. It was great to see Mandie and catch up with her; nice to see a familiar face from home. And we did get a lot of luxuries that aren't avilable in Busan.

Taco Bell for instance:

And Forever 21:

And Bennigan's for dinner.

Yes, Bennigan's. The chain restaurant that couldn't stay open in America has finally found its niche in Korealand.

But for what it's worth, I am so happy I chose to work in Busan. In my opinion, Busan has a more laid-back atmosphere. People aren't always in such a rush. But maybe that's because there aren't as many people living here, which is another reason I like living in Busan. I grew up in a pretty small town, so I had a bit of a culture shock moving to a big city. I think my anxiousness would have sky rocketed if I moved straight to Seoul.

I love Korea on the whole and I admire every city I've been to so far. But my heart will always belong to Busan.

Is this real life?

I'm not usually one to vent or complain about other people's ignorance. I don't use social networks or this blog as a soap box. I don't boast about my political affiliation or blast those who believe something different than me. But is has become apparent to me in the past few days that other people do, so if you'll allow me...

Let me begin by saying Japan was hit by a natural disaster I think very few of us will ever be able to comprehend. Lives were wrecked and uprooted in the course of a single day. Look around and be thankful for every single possession and infinitely more important, your health and the health of those around you.

Hearts were breaking around the world for those affected by this tragedy, yet some people still felt it necessary to use the Internet as a platform for what they felt needed to be said.

The first example I stumbled upon was a young college student attending UCLA. She posted a video about "Asians in the library," and how they all had downright terrible manners. She even went on to mention the Japanese students and although they were probably calling family members to make sure they were still alive, you could at least go outside. Right?

Wrong. She's come under a lot of heat about the video and although I do feel she should be reprimanded, I think it's gone a bit far. She's received threatening messages and her class schedule has been posted as to perhaps encourage violence. Let's not tolerate ignorance, but let's not spread hatred in the same foolish way.

I then came upon a video of another young woman saying that the catastrophe in Japan was straight from the hands of God. You see, Lent had just begun and Christians all around the world were praying for atheists to wake up. This, by all means, was God literally shaking the Japanese people and telling them to stop sleeping. Right?

Wrong. We aren't living in the times of the Old Testament. From what I've learned growing up, God is loving, compassionate and forgiving. Why would He punish innocent people? Innocent children, brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers alike? And even more so, if that really is true, why would anyone want to worship and give thanks for such a disaster?

I think these two instances genuinely upset me since I too am a young American girl. I've lived in Asia for some time now and Korea is gut-wrenchingly close to Japan. I mourn for the Japanese people and all the work that has to be done in the next several years. How could people be so malicious? How could a human being be so inhuman?

But it doesn't take misfortune for some people to spread their own types of ignorance, unfortunately. Not only is YouTube being utilized, as the two examples above show, but Facebook has given a microphone to anyone and everyone, becoming a terrifying stage for those who choose to use it. Which is how I came upon this jewel of a status:

Expatriate: a person who has renounced his or her native country. Here are some suggestions on countries you can move to since you are so unhappy with the United States: Libya, Burma, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Tibet, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, China, and Cuba. Re-post if you agree.

I was absolutely horrified and somewhat offended when I read this. I truly believe, with every inch of my being, that this is what makes Americans so unlikable. I have traveled to several countries in the past three years and never once have I felt uncomfortable, out of place or in real danger because of my heritage. Yet, I see people on Facebook proclaiming that "I shouldn't have to press 1 because I live in America and I speak English. Damnit!" As an expat living in South Korea for the last seven months, knowing no more than 35 Korean words, I am ashamed to know people that could be so unpleasant.

I suppose this is just out of frustration. In the wake of tragedy, I would like to see world citizens coming together. But it seems in dire times, we'd rather stick with what we know.

A (half) year in review

Ahh, yes. The halfway point contemplation. What have I been doing the last six months? How do I feel about the overall experience? Am I ever coming home?

Instead of spilling my guts, I'll direct you to a small piece I wrote for a travel blog (Do It While You're Young). This is how I feel about Busan, in a nutshell.

Click here for the story.