I got my Chinese Visa today! After weeks of uncertainty about being able to get my visa before I leave, I finally can say that I am bound for China! I will not have to adjust any of my airline or hostel reservations, which is a huge relief. Now I can make plans of what I would like to see in Shanghai before my mom and sisters arrive. I am so excited to travel to another awesome country and share the experience with the girls. I am also excited to meet with my Chinese friend from school Xiao Chen. She left Korea about a month ago, so it will be great to catch up with her and spend some time touring Beijing together. She has offered to be our guide in Beijing, which is such a blessing.
Today, I went with Kyunghye and her friend Eun-Jin to see a few sights in Seoul. We went to the northern part of Seoul to see a few places. We went to a museum filled with artwork from Gyeomjae Jeongseon, a famous late Joseon Dynasty artist. We also went to see a 500 year old Joseon Dynasty Confucian School that still holds classes.
The museum had both artwork from Gyeomjae Jeongseon and some contemporary art. It was very interesting to learn more about Gyeomjae. Before going to the museum, I only knew that he was the most famous artist in Korean history. It was interesting to learn more about his life. He lived to be 84 years old, and continued to paint as he went blind. His later paintings shared so many similarities with Monet paintings, blurred lines and impressions of objects. One thing about his life that I thought was really amazing was that he traveled to every Joseon province, and painted landscapes of every region he visited. It was unusual for a person at that time to travel beyond their province. He was a traveler!
After browsing the portion of the museum about Gyeomjae, we went to see the contemporary art. They were based on seasons and times of the day using only colored squares. Sometimes I really don't understand some art, but it was still pretty fun to try to guess what each group of colors represented. I think we only got two right.
We began our walk to see the Confucian school, and we stumbled across one of the "workout areas" that I have seen all over Korea. In parks and along pathways, there are groups of workout equipment that are open for people to use. I think it is interesting that Korea is very health conscious, and they put that into action by building means for people to make healthy choices. A few other examples of this health awareness include: American style junk food is expensive, there are sidewalks everywhere, and there are many TV commercials encouraging living a healthy life.
The Confucian School was very close to the Han river. There was a pavilion overlooking the river, which had an awesome view of Seoul! The school looked very similar to other Joseon Dynasty architecture. There is one gate to enter the walled three building complex. The buildings were green (a sacred color for Korea) with flowers and other designs painted on it. When we got to the school, a class had just started, so we were quiet as we explored the grounds. It was a neat experience to walk around this 500 year old school, listening to a Confucian scholar lecturing in the background.
The focus Korean culture has had over the course of history has not been conquering other nations or other means of power, but the quest for more knowledge. This remains the focus of Korean culture to this day. I have never seen a country so hungry for more education. Korean students have a two month break from school right now, but for most students, this break is filled with more coursework then when they are in class. There are "winter break classes" that focus on a certain subject that most Korean students attend this time of year. There are some families that use this time to hire a tutor to teach their child six days a week for most of the day. Some of my Korean friends have told me that students look forward to school beginning again because the classes they take during the break are more difficult. Education philosophy here in Korea is so different from the USA. It is your duty as a student study hard, respect your teacher, and do well in school. There are many things that have changed for Korea over history, but education remains the focus of Korean culture. This still amazes me even after five months of living in Korea.
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