back from nam..

Becky and I had our week's holiday last week. We get one week off in our year's contract so we decided to check out Vietnam. For an illustrated update, click here and here to see the photo albums I put up on facebook.

We arrived in Hanoi (the capital) on a Saturday, and then we waited around for our flight to Da Nang. At this time we could have exchanged the heaps of Korean Won that we had with us, but we just wanted to catch our flight and get there. Big mistake. We got to Da Nang, and found out that ONLY at Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh airports would they accept Korean Won. We were stuck with no money, and I forgot my four digit pin on my credit card.. So I used the good ol' Bank of Montreal card, and it got us through (with a few costly service charges).

The taxi driver who found us our hotel assured us that the hotel could loan us the money until the banks opened on Monday, and they did. We got 1,000,000 dong (their currency is called 'dong' .. i found this funny..), which was about $58 Canadian. This trip was almost completely unplanned out (this kind of adventure is new for me), and Becky and I didn't really know what we wanted to do for the week, or where we wanted to go. All we knew was that we wanted our open water diver's license.

This could end up being a super long post if I go through the week, so i'll summarize it like this: The first 3 days Becky and I went diving; one dive in the pool and then 5 dives in the ocean. We had our license by Wednesday. Thursday and Friday were shopping days, where we perused the market and bought some Christmas gifts (we'll be back home for Christmas this year). Saturday we took a scooter to Marble Mountain and packed up and caught a flight back to Busan. The pictures illustrate the journey better than I'm going to write, but I will mention my favorite highlight.

On Friday afternoon I went to meet up with this Vietnamese family I met a few days before. I met a guy named Sang, a fisherman in Hoi An (the city we were in). He showed us "the real Vietnam life" by taking us on a boat tour with his father, and even showing us how they catch fish. It was incredible to see this side of the country.

This is Sang, a 17 year old fisherman. His English is excellent, but he has yet to complete school. He had to take two years off to save money before he can finish his last two years. He told Becky and I that a year of school costs about $100 - this gives a picture of the situation out there.

Here's Sang's father, celebrating his catch.


Bringing home the bacon, or... fish.

king sejong the great

the following is an article i wrote for the korea sun magazine. i really liked researching this guy; his life story has so much more that can be squeezed into 500 words or less (this one is way over the limit!), but i hope i did it justice.

King Sejong ‘the Great’

They Don’t Give This Title Out to Just Anyone

The history of Korea dates back thousands of years and has been shaped by a host of influential characters. Among the most significant of these is King Sejong, the only ruler to have ever been given the title ‘Great’ by the people of Korea. Thanks to the Sillok, or ‘Annals of the Choson Dynasty’, there is a lot of historical data written on the king, allowing a clear window in which through view his life, character and spirit. What relevance does a king from six hundred years ago have in today’s modern Korea? You might be surprised.

The life of King Sejong is like a beacon from the past, still visible in today’s progressive culture. One of the ways he is viewed today is through his achievements and innovations. Sejong began his reign with many ambitions. Being a well educated man he could see that there was much to be improved on in his newly acquired kingdom. In order to make his objectives come to pass, he established a royal institute of research called the Chiphyonjon, or ‘Jade Hall’. This building housed up to thirty-two scholars who served as the king’s research team, helping his projects come to fruition.

With this team of academics, Sejong was able to complete many of these undertakings, although nothing happened quickly. The reorganization of the taxation system took twenty-six years to complete, and it was thirty years before the national ceremonies were standardized. However long it took, the king was determined to meet the challenging targets he had set for himself.

What sets him apart from other rulers of this time is his true concern for his people, and his actions and achievements confirm this. Some of his accomplishments include contributions to medical science, advances in agriculture, astronomy, and the development of standard musical notes. Understanding the importance of literacy, Sejong improved the standard of printing technology, even creating larger fonts to aid the elderly in reading. All these triumphs greatly benefited the culture and the nation, but surprisingly these are not what he is remembered by.

The Korean alphabet or Hangul is widely considered the greatest legacy of King Sejong the Great. Ten years in the making, the new Korean written language was published in 1446, in the 28^th year of Sejong’s reign. At this time Chinese characters were the only form of a written language. The king was greatly distressed because amongst the uneducated people there were many who were unable to read or write. The creation of a basic 28 letters was to level out the class differences, allowing the commoner to be just as literate as the nobleman.

Hangul is the only alphabet created by an individual for which the motives behind its creation were clearly set out and explained. Each consonant symbol resembles the shape of the mouth or throat while pronouncing that particular sound, while the vowels were formed after the fundamental characters of heaven, earth and man. Compared to Chinese characters, the written language prior to Hangul, these few symbols are incredibly easy to learn and understand. Unlike any other writing system in the world, scholars have called Hangul one of the greatest achievements in the field of linguistics. To King Sejong, it was so much more. Hangul is the embodiment of the king; it is the response to, and the atonement for injustices and inequalities within the Korean kingdom.

King Sejong the Great undoubtedly deserves his title. With thirty-two years in power, he was able to inspire a nation, remove class barriers, and set down examples of how a population should be governed and cared for. By ruling with understanding and compassion, Sejong clearly sets a precedent as to how any kingdom should be run; the love for people comes before the love of self.

an update

the last little while has been a mess of activity: from traveling to planning other trips, to getting new jobs to buying cool things; this last month has been awesome.

first: geoje-do. this is the name of one of the largest islands in korea, second only to jeju. i got to travel there a couple of times this past month, both times being incredible and refreshing. the first time was a weekend spent with jessie's parents, and the second was a camping trip in which kevin, meaghan, jessie, justin, becky and i went camping on the edge of this amazing pebble beach. (for pictures see here)

second: vietnam. throughout our one year contract becky and i get a week of vacation, and that time off has already begun. tomorrow is the korean 'memorial day', in which the country pays tribute to its fallen soldiers. on saturday becky and i will board a plane traveling to da nang, vietnam. we'll stay 8 days there, with the theme of the trip being scuba diving. i like having themes to things - they are like having 'goals', but they are easier to obtain (probably because they are not called goals).

third: magazine writer. so a little while back i responded to an ad that spoke of a magazine looking to expand throughout all of korea. after sending in a few articles, the publisher emailed me back and asked if i wanted to become a staff writer/photographer! i was, and still am stoked. it's a monthly magazine called the korea sun (check it out!), and my trash or treasure article is actually the 'feature' for june! i actually suggested that each issue have some sort of history article (cause the history of korea needs to be shared - it's really interesting), and so, among other articles that i could send in, i get to write the history section! gregg finley would be so proud...

fourth: motorcycle. i am now the proud owner of a 1997 daelim 125cc motorcycle. i'm sure i'll have a picture soon. it was a bit of a hassle to get it, but all in all, i'm pleased with my purchase. this bike will do many a trips to geoje, and hopefully to festivals and events at which i can take some sweet pictures, or write an article. busan drivers suck by the way (just in case you were wondering). i feel like they receive their license free when they buy a cell phone and a satellite tv for their car (why wouldn't you want to watch your favorite tv show while you talk on the phone and drive?).

yup... it's been busy - but it's been fun. oh! and i moved to a bigger apartment too!! the new apartment news deserves to be more than just a sidenote, but i'm done with the update. all you need to know is that this apartment gets natural sunlight (a giant step up from the last one).

if you are into history at all, check out the history of korea - i'll post the history article i wrote for the magazine soon, if any are interested - it's on one of the hero's of 'the land of the morning calm', king sejong the great.

tips from no impact man

about a week ago i arrived at my new apartment - and it is awesome! It's about twice the size of my old one and the windows actually let natural light in! amazing!
as i was packing and unpacking i was analyzing all the stuff i have and... i have a lot of stuff. not only that, but i have a lot of stuff i don't even use! I kept extra blankets in the winter in case people wanted to crash at my house, i save my plastic bags (in hopes that i'll never take another one again from the market, but that collection somehow keeps growing), and i have a ton of stuff that i need to get rid of. i've noticed that the products in korean stores are packaged to protect them in case of nuclear attacks (not seriously- i just mean there's a lot of plastic). if i were to buy some sushi at homeplus (the tesco owned mega store), it would have an outside layer, individually wrapped sushi pieces, and the plastic from the sauce packets and garnishings; most of the product's weight isn't edible. all this said, i've also been reading the no impact man blog and discovered a list of things that would greatly cut down on the waste that we produce. for those who've read that blog in the past are probably familiar with some stuff on this list, but for those who haven't... check it out. apparently the average american produces 4.5 pounds of trash per day. if even a few of these tips are taken to heart i think this average would drop immensely.

*for the actual blog by no impact man click here*

1. No soda in cans (which means we’re probably less likely to get cancer from aspartame).
2. No water in plastic bottles (which means we get to keep our endocrines undisrupted).
3. No coffee in disposable cups (which means we don’t suffer from the morning sluggishness that comes from overnight caffeine withdrawal).
4. No throwaway plastic razors and blade cartridges (I’m staging the straightedge razor comeback).
5. Using non-disposable feminine-hygiene products that aren’t bad for women and are good for the planet.
6. No Indian food in throwaway takeout tubs.
7. No Italian food in plastic throwaway tubs.
8. No Chinese food in plastic throwaway tubs.
9. Taking our own reusable containers to takeout joints (except that now we’re eating local so this tip is out for us).
10. Admitting that we sometimes miss Indian, Italian and Chinese takeout.
11. Hopping on the scale and celebrating the loss of my 20-pound spare tire since I stopped eating bucketsful of Indian, Italian and Chinese takeout.
12. Buying milk in returnable, reusable glass bottles.
13. Shopping for honey and pickled veggies and other goods in jars only from merchants who will take back the jars and reuse them.
14. Returning egg and berry cartons to the vendors at the farmers’ market for reuse.
15. Using neither paper nor plastic bags and bringing our own reusable bags when grocery shopping.
16. Canceling our magazine and newspaper subscriptions and reading online.
17. Putting an end to the junk mail tree killing.
18. Carrying my ultra-cool reusable cup and water bottle (which is a glass jar I diverted from the landfill and got for free).
19. Carrying reusable cloths for everything from blowing my nose to drying my hands to wrapping up a purchased bagel.
20. Wiping my hands on my pants instead of using a paper towel when I forget my cloth.
21. Politely asking restaurant servers to take away paper and plastic napkins, placemats, straws, cups and single-serving containers.
22. Explaining to servers with a big smile that I am on a make-no-garbage kick.
23. Leaving servers a big tip for dealing with my obsessive-compulsive, make-no-garbage nonsense, since they can’t take the big smile to the bank.
24. Pretending McDonalds and Burger King and all their paper and plastic wrappers just don’t exist.
25. Buying no candy bars, gum, lollypops or ice cream (not even Ben and Jerry’s peanut butter cup) that is individually packaged.
26. Making my own household cleaners to avoid all the throwaway plastic bottles.
27. Using baking soda from a recyclable container to brush my teeth.
28. Using baking soda for a deodorant to avoid the plastic containers that deodorant typically comes in (cheap and works well).
29. Using baking soda for shampoo to avoid plastic shampoo bottles.
30. Using the plastic bags that other people’s newspapers are delivered in to pick up Frankie the dog’s poop.
31. Keeping a worm bin to compost our food scraps into nourishment that can be returned to the earth instead of toxins that seep from the landfills.
32. Switching to real—meaning cloth—diapers which Isabella, before she was potty-trained, liked much better.
33. Not buying anything disposable.
34. Not buying anything in packaging (and count the money we save because that means pretty much buy nothing unless it’s second hand).
35. Shopping for food only from the bulk bins and from the local farmer’s market where food is unpackaged and fresh.
36. Forgetting about prepackaged, processed food of any description.
37. Being happy that the result is that we get to eat food instead of chemicals.
38. Giving our second-hand clothes away to Housing Works or other charities.
39. Offering products we no longer need on Freecycle instead of throwing them away.
40. Collecting used paper from other people's trash and using the other side.
41. Using old clothes for rags around the apartment instead of paper towels.
42. Talking with humor about what we’re doing because making a little less trash is a concrete first step everyone can take that leads to more and more environmental consciousness.

the father of korea

here is an article that i wrote for the korea sun magazine. it's about one of my favorite korean folk tales...

If one looks just beyond the first appearance of this modern industrialized country they would find a wealth of cultural treasure. The stories of Korean heritage date back thousands of years and are greatly contribute to the contemporary culture of today. Arguably the most famous of these tales is the story of Tan-gun, the legendary founder of Korea. Although it can be told in a number of ways, here’s my rendition of the story.

Legend has it that Hwan-in (who was the god and ruler of all) sent his son Hwan-ung to earth to build a new country in the east. He was given three divine assistants: the clouds, the winds, and the rains. Hwan-in also gave his son the souls of 3,000 others, an entire race, to help him in his task. They descended to Mount Taebaeksan (now called Baekdusan), and Hwan-ung named this place Shinshi, “City of God”.

Not far from Shinshi was a cave that housed a tiger and a bear. Both animals witnessed the happiness of the humans under Hwan-ung’s rule and prayed to become human themselves. Moved by the animal’s prayers, Hwan-ung gave them instructions to follow in order for their request to be granted. He told them that becoming human requires great patience and perseverance. He said “you must stay secluded in your cave for 100 days without sunlight, and eat nothing but these 20 garlic cloves and this bundle of mugwort. If you can persevere through this, then you will become human.”

The tiger and bear agreed and followed Hwan-ung’s instructions. After a number of days living in these conditions, the tiger gave up and left the cave. However, the bear persisted and stuck to the challenge. As the dawn broke on the hundred-and-first day, a beautiful young woman emerged from the cave. The bear-woman was so stunning in fact, that Hwan-ung proposed to her. Soon after their marriage the bear-woman gave birth to a son and named him Tan-gun, meaning “high priest” or “founder”.

When Hwan-ung departed from Earth in 2333 BC, Tangun became the first great ruler of Korea. He called the land Choson, which means “Land of the Morning Calm”, and here taught his people about government, agriculture, worship of God, and other important matters.

This story has been passed down through generations for thousands of years, and occupies a special place in the heart of Korean culture. Although there are some who take the story as a literal truth, and some who make their own interpretations. Personally, I see the story as a narrative describing the character and struggle of the Korean people. The bear and tiger were representations of the different tribes. It was the perseverance of the bear tribe, as opposed to the strength of the tiger tribe that, led to survival through these very harsh conditions. Also, the name Tan-gun might just be a title, as this label had been given to kings of old, expressing how their rule was divinely blessed.

However this story is interpreted, one thing is for certain; the history of the Korean people is rich with beauty and sorrow, successes and failures, victories and defeats: it all depends on how you view it.