WELCOM TO SEOUL- WE ARE BACK!!!

Deoksugung Palace Building Center City

In this summer of wild and frequent travel, I am back in Seoul, S. Korea (before going to Hong Kong). Why? You might wonder. Well I was invited to give a 3 day workshop followed by a Supervision session in Seoul, and then to teach a 4-day class in Hong Kong. (Side note, I seem to be teaching in HK, during or shortly after large political events. That is certainly true this summer as well. I wont go into the politics yet, but might once we get to HK.)  

Other relevant -details: Bruce is with me this time- and we are discovering how to explore and travel together since last summer when he had a major health issue, that resulted in him being in the (extremely excellent, friendly, supportive and accessible) hospital for about a week. He is better now, but we are having to adjust to changes in his energy and stamina. On the other hand, it is fun to explore, wander and discover together. (And there might even be some entries from Mr. B himself..). OK return impressions of Korea starting now.

Seoul Plaza for concerts, events and K-Pop performances

Our flight was quite easy, a non-stop hop from Minneapolis to Seoul in 12 hours, complete with all the movies you can fit into that time period. We sat, walked, sat, sat, watched old and new movies we have wanted to see but never found time to see, sat, sat, walked, sat, sat, sat. On the other hand, it was lovely to hear Korean being spoken, although I only know 2 word (hello and thank you- which spontaneously popped into my brain as I heard Korean being spoken around me.)

View of mountains from near our Hotel

Some general impressions of Seoul:  Due to the fairly complete destruction that occurred during the Korean War (1950-1953) as well as a more recent economic boom and support from other Western nations (including the US), the city of Seoul is a mix of Asian and Western energy and appearance.  Seoul is a beautiful vibrant city where modern skyscrapers and nature co-exist.  Large buildings with a fluid but metaphoric design poke the clouds that move across the sky next to older ornately painted temples with curving tiled roofs or tall square-stoned walls topped by tiles. Nature pops up in unexpected locations, a broad, reclaimed stream that flows across the city in one location, pocket parks with twisted tree trunks, filled with men playing ‘Go’ around the next corner. (‘Go’ is a Chinse board game, similar to chess but focusing on claiming territory. You can tell it is being played by the clicking sound of small circular game pieces being forcefully placed on the board grid. So far, I have only seen older men playing this game). 

City Hall-  Seoul

Surrounding the city, tall craggy hills can be seen poking up into a blue cloud-filled sky (except when it is raining). I continue to revel in the role of symbol and metaphor in the culture (this is similar to China as well). Pictures, designs, actions are not just concrete and representative, but always seem to have deeper meanings. In the center of Seoul, there is a building that looks like a dragon, and going to the art museum every piece of art holds multiple layers of meaning. I love it.

Deoksugung Palace with Modern Buildings 

I read that Korea is perhaps the most formal and hierarchical culture in Asia. I feel like I see this reflected in the frequent bowing that I see when people meet, leave or have conversations- although the bowing is slightly faster and not as low as in Japan.  This is also reflected in the Korean language, which sounds more similar to Japanese than Chinese. it is a language where the form you use are different, based on your own rank, age, position in relationship to and the person to whom you are speaking. 

Cheonggyecheon Stream in the rain

I am struck by the high level of courtesy and kindness that I see. (which might also be a reflection of not wanting to cause others to be embarrassed in public.) Some of this is the influence of the strong role of Confucianism, a hierarchical belief system, where everyone has their place and role in society.  Men are higher than women, elders higher than youth, educated professionals higher than workers or people in service jobs….. you get the idea. As older adults ourselves, people are continually holding doors, letting us go first and basically deferring to us.  It is also a very relational culture, which means that it is more important to harmonize with others, rather than sticking out.

All Ages in Traditional Hanboks

Even walking around our hotel, I notice the absence of bright colored clothing. Men often wear light business shirts and dark pants- blue, white and black seem to be the colors of choice. Women as well tend to dress in muted tones, even if they wear more colorful clothing.  In contrast are the Koreans of all ages who we see renting traditional costumes- called “hanbok’ as they walk around historic sites.  We have already seen everyone from small children with their parents to groups of older women in long flowing, brightly colored, high waisted dresses and men is tall scholar hats and long blue tunics.

Palace with City Hall and Skyscrapers in Background

More random details, our hotel is the same one we were in last year, so we have been enjoying rediscovering old familiar haunts as we wander and explore. Turning a corner suddenly seeing a familiar warrior statue, or a shrine to Korean ‘service women’ during the period of Japanese rule helps me reclaim my mental map of Seoul from last year. We have already visited near-by art museums, parks and palaces. More on those later. (one of the many benefits of being over 65 years old is that we have been admitted into all museums, national monuments and palaces free- we just need to flash our passport to verify our age.) While I continue to be challenged by the spoken and written language, there seems to be a number of English speakers, plus since we can access local wifi, we have access to on line maps, subway schedules and other information. 

OK much more to share, but that will be in the next entry. This is getting long and I want to post it soon. Welcome back to our travels.