Chuseok!

I am in the third day of the ten day break for Chuseok! Chuseok is like Christmas in America: all businesses close and everyone visits relatives during the holiday. It is a three day celebration filled with festivals at historic sites and lots of eating.

Hyesun, Sarah and I were planning to go to Pusan to visit her grandparents. We decided to stay in Seoul and tour around the city. The roads become very congested during the break, so we were looking at a ten hour bus ride to Pusan. We would only have two days in Pusan before we would have to make the trip back to Seoul. Seoul is very empty because families get together in the countryside. We have been touring Seoul and outside of the city. After Kyunghye's test in November, we are planning to go the Pusan with the entire Byeon family to see their grandparents.

Yesterday, I got to see the Byeon's Aunt and Uncle with their two children again. I met them the first week I was in Korea. They were very excited to see me again and hear about school. They also helped me and Sarah study for our Korean language test that we have to take when we get back from break. It was great to hear their speaking to help us understand the Alphabet. We also went to see "Despicable Me" in 4D with them. For those who don't know, in a 4D movie, you wear 3D glasses. But that's not all: the chairs move, water splashes on you, and there is wind to go with the movie. I have never been to a 4D movie in a theater, but here in Korea it is very much the norm. The theater was in the World Cup Stadium. After the World Cup, they converted part of it into a shopping center. The 4D movie was so much fun! I was laughing almost the whole time because of all the crazy things that were happening to the audience.

Today, we went to Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul. It is in the historic part of Seoul that has three other palaces within walking distance from each other. This part of Seoul is over two thousand years old. Gyeounbokgung was built about 700 years ago during the Joseon Dynasty. It was partially destroyed in the 1500's by the Japanese during Korea's war with Japan. It was rebuilt in the 1800's only to be partially destroyed in 1910 by the Japanese during the occupation. It is being rebuilt and many of the buildings have been restored.

When we got to the palace, we watched the changing of the guards. It was so exciting to see the guards in Joseon style dress (some of the men had fake beards because it was the style of the dynasty to have a beard, but not today) and to hear the traditional instruments being played as they marched. After the ceremony we walked around the palace. Korean palaces have many buildings built on about forty acres. They have over thirty separate buildings. The entire Royal family would live in the palace. This could include grandparents, siblings, and cousins of the King. Hyesun said the reason the palace has so many different buildings over so much land is that the Royal Family was rarely allowed to leave the palace. Many of the members of the Royal Family were born and died in the palace, never seeing outside of the walls. They were never to be seen by the common people. I thought this was very tragic: the King in a sense was a prisoner in the palace walls. He ruled over a beautiful country, but he was never allowed to see it.

Tomorrow, we are planning to go to the Seoul watch tower and possibly the fortress in Seoul. I'm very excited to see what other things we may do in Seoul this week.