Return to the Dam (Partner to My Previous Post)

Scott and I went back to the Andong Dam this weekend before the cherry blossoms lost their bloom (which sadly, is now happening at great speed). I wasn't able to take pictures on my previous visit, because my camera was at home.

We took a taxi to the top so we wouldn't have to climb it all, but he turned and crossed a bridge halfway there and brought us to the wrong side of the dam (which we didn't know is closed off to pedestrians). Therefore, we walked back down the steep hill, across a bridge, and back up. The road snakes up the hill a ways before making it to a lookout house on that side of the dam, and the heat was about 85 degrees by this point, so we decided instead we would save some time by scaling the 70 degree mountain up to the lookout...

...on a soft sandy terrain covered in shrubs, dead grasses, and needles.

The view was worth it though. We didn't make it quite to the top, because the climb grew steeper and we could hear a group of people above us at the lookout house. The last thing I wanted to do was grab a tree and hoist myself up into a group of Koreans looking like a heathen shrub. Instead, we made it to a level ground with benches, which had a path that lead us to a park at the base of the mountain. Oh yes, there was a path about 10 feet from where we decided to be mountaineers.


I'm going to miss the cherry blossoms. They are stunning.


We stumbled back down in the blazing heat, and walked down the road to where the exhibition buildings are, just next to the Moonlight Bridge. Along the street were several other small seafood restaurants, with large tanks out front housing the fish you can select to eat. Just as we were about to pass out under the extreme heat I hear "Sara Long!" (well, more like "Sah-Rah Rong!") and out pops my principal from one of the restaurants. When he's not in school, I'm pretty sure he would spend every waking minute basking in the cultural hot spots of Korea- he is very much in love with his country, which is really cool to see. He supplied us with some water and introduced us to his wife. He asked us if we wanted food, but we declined because they had already finished their own.


Before heading home, we walked across the Weolyeongyo "Moonlight Bridge"- that structure is in the center. I like it, because it's not a typical straight bridge. We need to go back again, not only to see the moon from it, but because there are also fountains of water that shoot up from either side of it during the evening.

I'm a 25 Year Old Doll and Tennis Pro

In Korea, the day you are born is your first birthday, and then as soon as the new year turns over, everyone becomes a year older. This is how I am now 25 instead of 23. When my birthday comes in June, I will still be 25 (instead of turning 24) until Jan 1, and then I become 26. I wanted to mention this, so when I start referring to people's age, remember that in America they would be a year or two younger.n
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I can't wait to be here on New Years Day. Biggest birthday party ever.
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OK. Last Tuesday (and pardon the lateness of this post, but I just acquired the pictures from this event), after applying for my ARC Card with Taebun, I was dropped off at school and told "Oh Sara, today teachers have workshop after lunch." Taebun had to leave again (he's the busiest person I know), so the only additional information I could glean was something about the Andong Dam and dinner later. When 1:20 came around, I left with Mrs. Shim and Mrs. Im and hopped in the car with the 5th grade PE teacher (by the way, the difference between "hop on!" and "hop in!" was discussed at great length during the ride, which later lead to a routine where they would say "hop on!" and me pretending to leap onto the car hood).
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So "Workshop" turned out to be another word for "Hang out." I'm not sure what happened with the students at school, but we met up with the entire faculty turned at the Weolyeongyo bridge("Moonlight Bridge"), which is about 10 minutes by car down the river from my apartment, near the Dam. It is the longest walking bridge in the nation, named for the view of the moon you can see reflected on the river like an old Oriental painting, and has a large hand carved gazebo in the center of it.




From left to right: Mrs. Im (4th grade), Me, Mrs. Shim (5th grade), and the 5th grade PE teacher (I still can't get his name, but we both show up to work early every morning and he tries to have a rapid conversation with me in Korean and sings to himself at his desk).
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The faculty is really a big family here. Which is interesting, because there's over 50 of us, all at different ages. I had expected something much more strict from a culture that puts such a value on respecting elders, but it's actually very relaxed. I can laugh, drink, and joke with my principal (although I still maintain appropriate conduct, such as offering to pour a drink when empty, and when he pours me a drink to hold it with my right hand and touch my left to my wrist. As a foreigner I do get away with little slip ups though). You can respect your elders without being afraid of them. Mrs. Im is 36, Mrs. Shim is 43, Taebun is 30, and I'm 25, but there is absolutely no problem with all of us walking around and chatting about everything. It's great.
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After an hour of leisurely strolling the bridge and the area on the other side with Mrs. Shim and Mrs. Im, where traditional Korean houses dot the landscape up the mountain, we walked down the street to some nearby buildings with exhibitions for Andong craft work. In one, you can view and purchase items made in the style or look of traditional Andong art, such as framed miniatures of the famous masks, scarves and coin purses, ties made out of onion plants, and tassels for traditional garments.
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(This is me and my school principal)
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Next door to this building was another, but in this one they make organic fabrics in the old style for hanboks, the traditional Korean dress. As soon as I walked in, my principal grabbed me by the arm and led me to a display marked "don't touch display" and said "you. change. party dress!" and everyone laughs and cheers. I thought it was a joke, but less than 20 minutes later the owner of the building was taking the dress of the stand and sliding it over my head. Well, here you have it:

Everyone told me how beautiful I looked in the traditional dress, but I couldn't help but worry I looked like a pregnant Amazon next to the dainty Korean women who circled around me.

(Me and Mrs. Shim. I have this framed- one of the teachers gave it to me the next day. Behind me is the display and mannequin that the dress was on.)

It was a lot of fun, even if it was a little strange for me to be on display. It certainly broke the ice a little bit for the faculty who have been a little afraid to talk to me because they didn't think their English was good enough. Afterwards, it seemed like it was easier for them to approach me for a few words or questions.

This is how I suddenly became a tennis pro.

Mrs. Shim and Mrs. Im were not always by my side, so I would try talking with the others. I was seated at a table with about 10 of the female faculty, and they were trying to find things to say. They wanted to know if I played any sports. The only one I know, well aside from riding horses, is tennis so that is what I told them. One woman (I think the school nurse) said "I play!" and wanted to know if I would play with her. Now, this has evolved over the course of the week because I also found out that, because the faculty is a big family, they like to share gossip. I did tell them that I hadn't played in years, mostly just in high school, but that didn't stop word from getting around that I'm fabulous at the sport. Now I've been approached by about five teachers to play tennis with them, and pretty soon I'm about to become a huge embarrassment because I've heard these women are really good. I'll update you when I have my debut.

After leaving the exhibitions, I "hopped on the car" to go to the top of the Dam which is massive and was only just built in 1981. From the top I could see all the way down the Nakdong river, flanked on each side by the rising mountains (which is all the more beautiful of a view when the cherry blossoms are in bloom- pink speckled at random all over. It really brings out the sheer depth of the rising landscape), and could count the bridges all the way to the one nearest to my apartment. I had no idea when I moved that I was not only going to be living right across the river from downtown, but also just down the river from beautiful uninhabited scenery in a country that has to do a lot with limited space in cities.

And then dinner. My parents should enjoy this one because they saw exactly what this was on the Anthony Bourdain Korean food special before I left the country. Dinner was a big pot of spicy red soup complete with a whole catfish (and if it's like we saw it made on the show, they just catch the fish and throw it on it) along with long thin mushrooms that are in most every soup here, and a few other vegetables. Oh yes, I ate the catfish, which was really good once removed from its scales and bones. I must say, I'm really enjoying this whole concept of communal eating that takes place over here. Everyone shares what's on the table. We also had hot stone pots of rice, and various side dishes including tiny dried sardines, peanuts, kimchi, and mushrooms. And of course, Soju. It's too delicious for it's own good.