Temple and Village

I first want to start today's entry with a quote that defines what I have learned from 9-11-2001:
“These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of America’s resolve.”
–President George W. Bush
September 11 was a tragic day that we should never forget. America was more united and patriotic in the aftermath of 9-11 than I had ever seen in my lifetime. Now nine years later, we are back to division and anger. Even though we disagree, we have the freedom to do so. That is the beauty about America. Being away from my home country has given me a greater appreciation for what I have been given in America. I am so proud to tell people that I am from the USA.

Today, I went to a Buddhist temple and a traditional Korean village with Hyesun and some of her friends. I invited one of my friends from school to come on this all day excursion. Her name is Sarah, she's an Art major from Pennsylvania. She's in my language classes. She is interested in seeing historical and cultural sites, my favorite things to visit. We met Hyesun in Cheonan and met her two friends that she brought to travel with us. Eunil is her best friend from high school who very knowledgeable about Seoul and Korea. Petro is Eunil's boyfriend from Germany. They met in India and have been together for two years. He came to visit her for a few weeks and see her home country.

We first went to a Buddhist temple outside of Cheonan. It was near a few rivers, so there was a calming feeling in the complex. The complex was a collection of about six different temples in an area of about ten acres. There were about four temples in a square together and the others were set near one of the rivers. Today it was raining on and off because it is typhoon season. As a result, the temple was completely empty except for one monk. It was so peaceful to walk around the complex and see all of the intricate details on each of the temples. Each of them had their own personality with the kinds of Buddha's that were placed in the temple. There was one temple that had at least 200 Buddha's placed around the walls. So different from the Midwest! The monk was very nice and talked with us. It is one of my favorite places I have seen here in Korea.

We then went to Anyang to eat lunch at a restaurant that Hyesun wanted to try. It was a three course Korean meal. They first brought out Korean side dishes. They also brought an assortment of vegetables and pork. We then put a little of each into a leaf and ate it, a famous thing to eat in Korea. I had a new food today: fish eggs. The funny thing is I didn't even know it until Hyesun told me later while we were eating. I was putting a little of everything on a leaf to try it all together. The fish eggs looked like some kind of spice, so sprinkled some on top. A few minutes later Hyesun said: "I just love these fish eggs! They are so good." I then realized why the "spice" didn't have any taste. They were very good, I'm just glad I won't be going around Korea looking for this "spice" that doesn't exsist. The last course was a bowl of rice and some more sides to add to the rice. There was no Kimchi! Shocker! There was the signature red pepper paste that has given me a new appreciation for cold water. I decided not to destroy my taste buds today and opted out of adding it to my rice.

After we ate, we went to a traditional Korean village. It was adorable! There were houses built in the style of the ancient homes with a grass roof and the pagoda style houses. What was really interesting about this village is that it is a functioning village. People live in the houses. It was really funny walking around some of the houses and seeing a Hyundai parked on the side. We got there an hour before it closed, so the village was pretty empty. It was really fun to explore all the homes and see what Korea looked like 500 years ago.

It was great to see Hyesun meet some of her friends. I was so glad that Hyesun could come and help us find our way with the buses (I got lost the last time I took a bus). It was also great to see some of Korea with Koreans who absolutely love their country. There is no better tour guide! Today was one of the best days I've had in Korea. I learned so much and saw so many amazing sites. I have one more week of classes and then I have a ten day break for Korean thanksgiving. Hyesun, Sarah, and I will be going to Busan for a few days to visit Hyesun's grandparents. We will then go to Seoul and visit with the Byeons. I'm super excited about our break because I will get to see more of the country and visit with the Byeons again.