The Packing Post

Since the February intake will soon arrive in Korea, we thought it would be appropriate to share our thoughts about what to pack – and what to leave behind – when you’re preparing for a stint as an English teacher in South Korea.

There’s not much point in us making an inclusive list of things to pack, as everyone has their own needs an packing schemes. However, here are some things to consider.

1. Korea has four seasons: pack accordingly. The winter does get cold, but it is also wet. You can buy winter jackets and such here, but they are often made of lower-quality fabric. If you already have a decent, warm winter jacket at home, consider bringing it along (if you have space).The summer is HOT and HUMID. Ladies: consider bringing your thick-strapped tank tops and skirts. You won’t likely be permitted to wear shorts at school, but they will be useful on your own time. Ladies: Korea’s not keen on cleavage. Be prepared to cover up (like up to your collar bone), at least at school. Some of my perfectly-acceptable-for-work shirts from home just didn’t cut it here, while nobody bats an eye if I wear a skirt with a hemline several inches above my knees.

2. The humid summers will mean you’ll probably sweat – a lot. But, deodorant is a little difficult to find and selection is slim. Consider bringing a supply of your own, or having family ship some to you later.

3. Sunscreen. You can get it here, but it may or may not have skin-whitener in it, and it’s likely to be spf50 or higher. We tried ordering some from iherb, but the one we selected just sweated off us and into our eyes. Yuck.

4. If you have the space, there are a few things you could bring to make your first week or so that much more simple and comfortable. One is a set of sheets, or at least a fitted one. As a couple, we got an apartment with a double bed. This might not be the case for everyone, as some of our single friends got something along the lines of a single bed. Many Koreans sleep on floor beds, so while you can purchase sheets here, they can be harder to find.

5. Another so-glad-we-brought-it item was a set of large towels. Korean bath towels mostly resemble North American hand towels, and aren’t always made of the softest material. Especially on a cold winter morning, wrapping up in a nice, big, fuzzy warm towel after your shower is nothing to be sneezed at.

6. If you have bigger feet (say above size 9) consider bringing your shoes (dress shoes/ hikers, running shoes, etc.) from home. While you’ll likely find just about every size and style you need in Seoul or online, if you live in a smaller town, shopping for shoes may require travel/ shipping fees and can just be a bit more complicated. Unless you require massive socks though, don’t waste space by packing a million pair. You can buy socks here everywhere, and for cheap.

7. Candy or some sort of easily packable, non-perishable treat from home. We brought tiny bottles of maple syrup as Christmas gifts for our co-workers, which were really appreciated. However, be aware that you can get many kinds of candy over here, particularly at the plethora of little chain foreign candy shops that have recently cropped up. They also have Nutella, by the way, which I packed unnecessarily. We have yet to find mars bars, though. I also brought Jello packets (about ten of them) to make and distribute tablespoon-full servings for a lesson on “Do you like…?/ Would you like…?/ May I…?” It was a HUGE hit. You can get Korean “jelly” (like Jello, but a slightly different sweetness and texture) here but they were very excited to try “Canadian” food. Something else to be aware of: if you’re teaching in public schools, there is a good chance you will have hundreds of (if not close to a thousand) students, and perhaps four to twelve co-teachers (everyone’s situation is truly different).

8. Medications. If you’re covered through a program like EPIK, medication is super cheap over here, BUT bring what you need to get started, including any special prescriptions you require, birth control, allergy medication, cold and sinus medication (Tylenol cold and sinus has gotten us through many, many stuffed up school days), Cold FX if you use it, etc. Again, you may be able to find variations of these here; however, for example, most of Korea seems to rely on Tylenol for pain medication, so if Advil is the only one that works for you, consider bringing a good size bottle. Be prepared: more likely than not, you will be sick, and sick often, for the first while (colds, flus, etc.).

9. Toothpaste. If you’re at all attached to a brand (eg. Crest, Colgate, Toms, etc.) then consider bringing at least a few tubes. While you might find it here somewhere, you’ll be more likely to find Korean toothpaste, which while some is minty, it admittedly tastes different. We don’t mind it, but some of our friends can’t stand it.

10. If you have curly hair and rely on mousse to tame your tresses, bring a decent supply with you or be prepared to have it sent from home. I brought a years’ supply and had more sent to me for my second year, but many friends have warned me against using Korean mousse, saying that it was very waxy and not effective.

11. Copies of all of your documents (passports, degrees, TEFL/TESOL/CELTA certifications, marriage license, travel insurance, letters of recommendation, etc.) on a USB, AND in your e-mail or on a cloud online. You never know when you’ll need copies of these things at a moment’s notice – literally.

12. I’ve had people laugh at me for this one, but we really, honestly wish we’d brought a small, reliable smoke detector from home. Yes, our particular apartment is on the bottom floor. But, the windows are all barred, and there is no fire detection/ sprinkler system in the building that we have seen. A little extra warning can go a long way.

13. A little piece of home: this could be a collection of pictures to put up in your apartment, a national flag, or a special blanket or coffee mug. Just trust us.

We made these little Starbucks tumblers before we left – and we’re so glad we did. They’re small, portable, practical, and great conversation pieces.

Are you already here and have suggestions for other things you could could have left behind but were glad you didn’t? Please feel free to add them in the comments below!

Also, if you’re currently packing and have questions about what to include, we’ll try our best to answer them.

Now to get back to packing up our apartment before we depart for our next adventure… Cheers!

A Weekend River Wander

Every time we take the number 09 bus to the bus terminal or downtown, we pass over the Gwangju River, complete with footpaths and pretty scenes. We have always said that one day we would stop and walk along the paths. Finally, last Saturday, nearly two years after arriving, we got off the bus on the way back from downtown and headed up the paths along the river.

Sections of the river were lined with these tall reeds.

The weather made for some great reflection shots.

It was a perfect day for a stroll and we spent the better part of an hour and a half wandering along the river towards Champions Field, the Kia Tigers’ recently completed baseball stadium. Along long sections of the river path there were speakers mounted on poles that serenaded us with a variety of remixed English songs, including selections from the Wizard of Oz.

Tamara was really excited to hear the Wizard of Oz coming out of these speakers. We did the dance and everything.

There were also quite a few families out and about and it was pretty cute to watch the kids playing and chasing each other. One little boy got a little confused, ran after Blake and tried to take his hand while his father called him back. To his credit, the kid didn’t cry when he looked up and saw a strange bearded face where he expected to see Dad’s. He did beat a hasty retreat though. The lower reaches of the river were by far the nicest, due in a large part to the construction that was taking place higher up around the stadium. The nice part for us was that we were able to catch the 51 from outside the ballpark and head straight home. A great little afternoon adventure.

Looking up the river just after we turned onto the path.

Looking back from just before the first bridge crossing.

Duryunsan Provincial Park

Our first hike of the year was a new one for us. We had never been to the Haenam area, in the southern part of our province and we wanted to check it out before we left. A little looking led us to Duryunsan Provincial Park, which is located very near Haenam. Pat and Mel once again joined us for this particular outdoor adventure. Pat’s birding has taken him to Haenam several times in the past, but they had never been to the actual park itself.

Pretty happy to have a day out of town!

We caught an 8:20 bus from Gwangju to Haenam and had just enough time to snag a quick pastry at Paris Baguette near the Haenam Bus Terminal before grabbing the next but to the park. Initially, this hike is more of a three kilometre stroll up paths and roads along the creek.

Wandering up towards the temple.

We did this in a pretty heavy mist so there was not a lot to see and we kept moving at a decent clip to keep warm. Daeheungsa itself is quite large as temples go, and situated nicely in the river valley. It is unusually spread out, both at the main complex and with a bunch of outposts/buildings scattered along the valley as you come up along the river.

There were lots of these. Not entirely sure what they are, but they are pretty interesting either way.

The temple itself is quite nice, but the morning mist prevented us from getting the full effect of the setting until our return in the afternoon. In the morning we did see some interesting signs and a monk carrying some sort of gold bell? Candleholder? We are not really sure but it was pretty cool.

Apparently a monk spent years knotting this tree as it grew.

The signs were entertaining. As far as we can tell it means that those who are not monks cannot enter.

We hit temple saturation quite a long time ago, but this dragon head still seemed to warrant a quick photo. Seems so friendly.

A quick stop at the temple before the hike. The mountain is hidden in the mist in the background.

Even just the main temple complex was quite extensive.

The trail runs out the back of the temple and splits. There are three routes up to the summit and we chose the centre option that runs straight up the middle. In hindsight this may not have been the best option as the first kilometer or so was concrete: not the most pleasant hiking surface. However, it did eventually turn into a pretty little trail that continued up to the pass between two of the major peaks in the park: Garyeongbong and Duryunbong. The haze was lifting but the views were not great yet and the wind was howling so we opted to continue up to Garyeongbong, the highest peak in the park at 703 meters.

Once the pavement ended the trail was actually pretty nice.

Photobombed at the pass!

Looking up the trail to Duryunsan.

This part of the trail is where things started to get pretty interesting. The ridge that Garyeongbong is part of is very rocky and the result was that parts of the hike required scrambling over boulders and up really steep sections of rock. Being a Korean hiking course there were hand and foothold assists on any tricky parts, but it was still pretty fun. By the time we reached the peak, the haze had lifted a bit more and we were able to get at a look at the ocean. Duryunsan park is out on a sort of peninsula so the view encompasses a lot of coast, including Jindo Island. Even on a hazy day it was pretty nice. On a clear day it would have been amazing.

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We spent only a short time on the summit as the wind was really kicking up and making things pretty chilly. Just off the peak we found a slightly sheltered area for a bite of lunch before continuing along the ridge line towards the Noseoulbong.

The farmland runs right out to the ocean. Really beautiful.

Looking back towards Jindo

Huddling out of the wind.

By this point the wind was both freezing and extremely powerful so we opted to drop back down into the valley on a smaller trail between the two peaks. As it turned out, this was an exercise in boulder-hopping down the mountainside until we reached the original centre trail just above the pavement to finish off our descent on the road.

The nice thing about the rocky descent was the abundance of great views over the temple complex.

By the time we reached the temple, the haze had cleared enough to get a good look at the peaks behind it and we paused for a bit of photography before walking the last three kilometres to a cafe where we warmed our frozen fingers and then down to the bus stop to start our trip home.

Looking up at the summit.

Looking up at the summit through the entrance to one of the off-limits areas.

Looking up at the summit.

Logistics Getting from Gwangju to Haenam is very easy and the buses run on about 30-40 minute intervals from U square. The trip is an hour and ten to and hour and thirty minutes. Cost is just over 11,000₩. To get from Haenam to Duryunsan, the local bus leaves from the bus terminal. From what we could tell, it runs every 30 minutes (give or take) and costs 1,200₩. It is possible to purchase tickets at the ticket booth, pay cash as you get on the bus, or swipe a hanpay transit card (used for Gwangju public transit) as you board the bus. The bus will load through the gate on the far right, number 7 or 8, and the bus will be for Daeheungsa and/or Duryunsan. It takes about 15 minutes to get to the park. The end of the bus line is the base of the cable car and hikers will want to get off before this, at an intersection with a bunch of hotels and shops along it. From here, take the boardwalk up the river and keep walking until you hit the main temple complex (about 3 km). All the trails branch out from the temple itself. Access to the park is 3000₩. Coming back to Haenam, wait for the bus at the stop where you were dropped off. It is a sort of Y intersection beside a bridge and the bus should come every 30 minutes or so. Once again, stay on it until it returns to the terminal.

Happy hiking!

Kimchi Making

For our first trick of the New Year, one of Blake’s co-teachers was kind enough to take us with her to this year’s kimchi-making event with her family. Many Korean families get together once a year in the early winter to make a year’s worth of kimchi as a group. It quickly became evident why: it’s a ton of work!

When we arrived at Blake’s co-teacher’s grandparents house, in a small village outside of Gwangju, we were greeted by four aunts/uncles and a cousin as well as her grandparents. We met everyone and were made very welcome in the living room where a few questions were asked before we got started on the actual kimchi-making tasks. The cabbages, a whole lot of them, had been salted four days before and the family had spent the morning preparing the paste to be rubbed into the salted cabbage. One of the uncles was already brewing fish broth outside over a fire made from sesame stalks. Our first task was to take two pots of vegetables (ginger, garlic, seaweed, and Korean pear) as well as two large bottles of raw, salted shrimp to the local mill to be puréed.

The mill itself was a really interesting little event. It was located in the back of one of the tiny marts that are scattered throughout country towns. What was more interesting was that in the back room with the mill was also a local watering hole and was filled with older men drinking makgeolli. Unlike many other places we have been, our arrival was not immediately greeted by excited chattering and discussions about the foreigners. This is probably due to the fact that we arrived with locals. One man did approach us. He is apparently mute and communicated using sign language. Apparently, he has a son an daughter working as doctors in the states. Over all, a very friendly experience.

One element is a sort of fish broth boiled outside over a fire made from dried sesame stalks.

After everything had been loaded back into the pots, we crossed the street to find the rest of the process well under way in a side room. There were two large basins of red pepper paste, a basket of chopped green onion and lettuce, and some grated carrot. There was also a board where one of the aunts was chopping radish. Tamara got in on that straight away (which may have slowed things down a bit). Meanwhile, Blake was enlisted to help mix the rest of the ingredients into the red pepper paste (after a recipe debate among the aunts). This involved dumping the various ingredients into the basins, pulling on elbow length gloves, and digging in to mix.

She was a bit slow…

Chopped lettuce, green onions, and a few other things were added to the paste as well.

Along with the blended ingredients from the mill.

Mix away!

Mixing in green onion pieces.

Once everything was blended, and met the approval of the various aunts, we made a couple small plates of kimchi to go with lunch. We were taken back into the living room and seated around low round table spread with a great deal of food. Once we sat, one of the aunts re-arranged the chopsticks so we had the nicest pairs. Many of the dishes we had tried before, but, as is often the case, the home-cooked versions tasted very different (and honestly better) than those we have had in restaurants. Apparently, this meal is a yearly tradition and serves to test the kimchi. This year, the aunts declared it too salty and headed back into the side room to add more ingredients to offset the saltiness.

A traditional lunch spread to test the kimchi — apparently the first round was too salty so more radish was added.

We now began the production stage in earnest. Blake started out helping one of the uncles cut the stems out of the middle of the salted cabbages; a process that was rather chilly on the hands as they were stored outside. Tamara immediately started working on rubbing the paste into the cabbage and Blake joined later. We were definitely the slow link in the process and the aunts around us flew through the heads of cabbage. There is a bit of a technique to it and we certainly don’t have it. We were, however, getting faster towards the end.

Glove up and prepare for the paste!

The final step.

We had to depart before dinner and we left with arms full of gifts. We now have more kimchi than we could possibly eat in a year, never mind in less than two months. We also have several very ripe persimmons, and a bag of dried persimmons to top it all off. This was all tied in a nice blanket bundle for us to carry home. The entire family escorted us out of the courtyard and said goodbye at the gate. It was really amazing how welcome they made us and how willing they were to try to communicate across the language barrier. It was an amazing experience. Beyond learning how to make kimchi, we got to share this occasion with an extended family that welcomed us with open arms.

Geumseungsanseung — Winter On The Fortress Mountain

For the last hike of 2014 Ben, Tom and I headed out to Damyang for a spin around the fortress to the north. Tamara and I did this hike with a group a few weeks after we first arrived in Korea and we had not been back until the previous weekend when we took the Mortensons up to the first gate. This time I was going up in mid-winter and, while the views were still fantastic, things were a little slippery.

The trail up to the gates was nice and easy with no sign of snow. It was not until the second gate that we ran into a bit of ice on the path.

Looking back at the gate from partway up the first ascent.

From there it was basically a question of whether the trail was on a north facing slope or protected from the sun by the wall itself that determined how slippery it was. We decided to head left from the main gate to hit the west gate and major descent/climb of the hike early on. This side of the loop is probably the least treacherous, although it was a pretty slick descent from Nojeokbong.

Tom on the wall – at times the safest place to walk.

Nojeokbong.

Looking back at the lower gate.

The trail from Nojeokbon to Cheolmabong.

Tom and Ben on Cheolmabong.

Going down from Cheolmabong to the west gate had some pretty slick sections as well. Because the entire path down is on a north facing slope, it was getting almost no sunlight. We did large sections of it crouched down using our heels as skis.

At least this way we have some semblance of control.

Looking down on the west gate.

Walking the wall on the way down from Cheolmabong.

The main ascent in the whole hike comes from the west gate to the north and while it’s moderately steep, it’s not that long. We stopped for a coffee break at the north gate before continuing.

Since the last time I was on this hike, they had added this shelter over the north gate.

Coffee time.

Looking through an arrow slit at the north gate.

The eastern side of the hike is my favourite part. The trail runs along the relatively narrow ridge-top providing a great view and interesting hiking. At one point we hit a dead-end on a cliff and, rather than going back a hundred meters, we opted to descend a section of mixed cliff and steep slope to the trail. Ben and I both managed to take tumbles, but he had far and away the worst of it. Luckily he managed to stop his slide by catching a tree. It was a good bit of excitement.

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We also climbed up some icy rocks to Sirubong, an area that Tamara and I had missed the first time we came up. This is a great peak and the view would have been fantastic had we been there a bit earlier before the haze moved in.

Final rest stop on Sirubong before heading down the mountain.

From there it was a bit of guesswork to relocate the trails on the other side, but once we had it was a relatively short pell-mell run down the mountain to the resort and spa at the bottom. This is their trademark descent method and I have to say, it’s a lot of fun.

After a bit of spa time, it was off in a taxi to Damyang and home. For those living in Gwangju, this is a great and easily accessible hike that you should definitely try to do.