Korea Bucket List: Nami Island

This blog entry was originally published on the Aclipse Blog, which is produced by current Chungdahm Learning teachers in Korea. The blog features entries on current events around Korea, advice for incoming teachers, and the best spots sightseeing, shopping, and eating. The original entry can be viewed here. It has been edited slightly for content. For more information about Aclipse and Chungdahm Learning, click here. 

A couple weekends ago, I was excited to cross another destination off my ever growing Korea Bucket List: Namiseom. This gorgeous, half moon shaped island has always looked appealing with its famous tree-lined paths and photogenic surroundings.

Before I get into the details of the trip, here's some quick background history on the place: Nami is an "island" in Chuncheon, formed by water from the Han River when the Cheongpyeong Dam was built in the 1940s. It gets its name from General Nami, of the Joseon Dynasty era, whose tomb is located on the island. After its creation, it was basically landscaped and reforested to become the tourist destination that it is today. It was also used as a filming location in some popular dramas, the most famous being "Winter Sonata" in 2002. In 2006, it also declared itself a self-governing country, issuing its own currency and a "passport" to enter. Of course, this is all a gimmick -- just for funsies, which I'm sure kids absolutely love.

Our trip began at 9am, since we were headed in from Incheon. We met up with one friend, Riyas, at Yongsan Station in Seoul, where we were going to be catching an ITX train so we could make better time out to the Chuncheon area. You can get there via Seoul Metro, it just takes longer. The scenery as we headed into the mountainous countryside was just gorgeous:

From the train window, somewhere between Seoul and Chuncheon.

After an hour on the ITX from Yongsan, we arrived at Gapyeong Station, where we waited for the other half of our party to arrive. Since we had time to kill, we decided to grab some lunch. Chuncheon is known for originating one of my favorite Korean dishes, dak galbi. So, obviously, this is what we had to eat. Luckily, a billion dak galbi restaurants were right down the street from the station.

They made us put on aprons, which was smart, since it a) spits and splatters while it cooks and b) I drop food on myself more often than I should at nearly 28 years old.

Before and after -- delicious, delicious dak galbi. Corey, Riyas, and I practically inhaled the whole pan. SO good.

After lunch, Kellie, Chris, and Neo had made it to Gapyeong, so we flagged down some cabs and headed to the ferry terminal for Nami. The cab ride was quick and cheap -- only about 5 minutes in medium traffic and under ₩3,000. From there, it was time to buy tickets and board the ferry.

There's a "visa" fee discount of a couple bucks for foreigners, so that was cool. The dollars saved also helped justify buying ice cream later on...

The adorable little ferry.

In case you don't fancy taking the ferry to the island, you also have the option of zip-lining, which is definitely on my to-do list, possibly for the next time I go to Nami:

Yes, those little dots are people. 

After a ferry ride that took less than five minutes, we were dropped at the "port" and set off to wander aimlessly around the island. The scenery is so beautiful -- this post is definitely more image-heavy than most (as you've probably already noticed) because I couldn't stop taking pictures. So, heads up, and also, sorry I'm not sorry.

A guide to the tiny island.

Iconic snowmen from "Winter Sonata" and a soju bottle tree. (I don't know.)

The entire island is landscaped really beautifully with so many different trees.

General Nami's tomb.

The tree-lined paths were my favorites, as cliché as it may be, seeing as they're one of the iconic images from "Winter Sonata." But seriously, it really is nice just wandering around between all these tall trees.

L-R: Corey, me, Neo, Riyas, Chris, and Kellie.

As we walked, we realized we had made a huge mistake by not bringing swimsuits or watersport-friendly clothes -- Nami has so many water-related activities to offer! Besides just cruising around on a boat, they offer tubing, swan pedal boats, and whatever you want to call this: 

Top of the list for the next visit, right next to zip-lining. 

Nami also offers a ton of bicycle options. Hourly bike rentals (single, tandem, and little four-seater family cars) are available so you can cruise around the island's paths, but what we ended up doing was the Sky Bike. 

It was a pretty short ride, but it was still fun to pedal along and see some of the island from a (slightly) higher vantage point. We were tempted to rent bikes as well, but opted not to split into groups and just walked around instead. It was still fun, however, to watch all the other people cycle by.

Recycling is really important on Nami, as evidenced by their numerous art pieces made out of old soju bottles. The island tries to be very environmentally conscious -- all of the trash bins around the island had separate slots to make recycling easier. (Which, given Korea's notorious lack of public trashcans out on the sidewalks, was more exciting to see than it should be...) 

This bridge leads to another really famous spot from "Winter Sonata," where the two main characters have their first kiss: 

Fake snow and snowmen so you can ~recreate the scene.~ This area was pretty crowded with people waiting to take their picture at the table. 

We spent hours just walking around the island. The shade from all the trees keeps the temperature cooler, and it was just so lovely to soak up the out-of-doors. The island has lots of food options, from sit-down restaurants to food tents and stalls, selling everything you could want. After a long stretch of wandering, we found ourselves at a picnic table for a couple hours, buying a few rounds of beer from the nearest tent and its kind ajumma. A few rounds in, she brought some grilled octopus and a spicy dipping sauce over as "service" because we'd bought so many drinks. It made a nice addition to our afternoon snacks. 

After we sat for a bit, we decided to finish our loop around the island. You can easily walk around the whole thing in a day -- and that's going at a slow pace, taking your sweet time. While there are areas we didn't fully explore, it's definitely easy to see it all. 

Rabbits were all over the place. Just... sitting around. In the path into the bathroom. Just staring at you and refusing to move. Apparently, they're a bit dangerous, too...?

Before coming to Nami, I'd read that there were ostriches. Ostriches? Yes, you read that right -- ostriches. Just... walkin' around. Being ostriches. A few were actually in an enclosure, but most of the ones we came across were roaming free, looking kind of freaky, and getting a little too close...

In hindsight, this was probably a poor decision. 

This one just walked right up to us when we were hanging out in the grass. Definitely not people-shy... 

After our interesting run-ins with the ostriches, it was starting to get late. We had return tickets on the ITX at 9:30pm, so we were nearing the time to catch a late ferry and grab dinner near Gapyeong Station. The island was significantly less crowded at this point, so we enjoyed one last stroll through the trees back to the ferry terminal.

So pretty!

For dinner, we decided to take advantage of being in the land of delicious chicken dishes, and instead of getting dak galbi for a second time, we went for chicken BBQ. Somehow, chicken BBQ doesn't seem to be all that popular? I haven't seen it at many restaurants -- though maybe I'm just not looking hard enough. Regardless, I was pretty excited and it was goooood. 

Mmmmm.

Added bonus: our restaurant was right on the water, so we had a nice view from the window. 

Next time, I want to stay in the area overnight and really take advantage of everything it has to offer. There's some kind of "French" area nearby, called Petit France... Looks like it might be interesting. Nami does actually have overnight accomodations -- from little bungalows to larger condo-style pensions, it's definitely a possibility to spend the night on the island itself. We peeked into a few of them as we walked around and they look pretty nice, as well as sizable. It would be easy and affordable to get a group together and just all crash on the floor in one of them. 

Plus, making an overnight-stay-full-weekend trip would allow for easily changing clothes for participation in zip-lining and some of those water activities... 

Have you been to Nami Island? Have you had a run-in with an ostrich? Leave a comment below! 

The story of a tank top.

As many of you know or have seen on this blog, you can find some really, really strange, random t-shirts in Korea. To give you a taste, here are my favorites that I found while wandering around shops in Osan last week.

"Erpretatiou, and theint the words of the wivi"

"In every other state that the wolf lives in they are endangered

She was disappointed his face that ugly enough to tree a wolf."

And then here's the one I actually bought, because it was the cheapest (and strangest) at only $5:

The front, with a big "Save Ferrets," instead of the popular "Save Ferris."

And then the back: "Get it dyed red" and "Naute not to asy for anything from but simply tc say thank you." 

It absolutely baffles me as to how some of these things end up printed on shirts -- we've found logos for various stores back in the U.S., different organizations (Red Cross, Girl Scouts), a wealth of strange Engrish, and the occasional logo for something that appears to be from a personal event (family reunion, wedding, etc.).

Normally, when I've seen the latter, I've assumed someone is just making up names and stuff for the sake of slapping it on a shirt. However, while in Osan, there was one that really caught my eye:

I did a double-take as soon as I saw "Tulsa" on this shirt, surprised to see something with my hometown printed on it. After getting a good laugh, showing everyone I was with, and taking a picture, I put it back -- $20 was too much to spend on a tank top while on my current budget (called "it's two days before payday and my three month vacation took all of my money..."). And, yellow just isn't really my color, you know?

In hindsight, I've made a huge mistake. I should've bought that shirt.

Why? (Besides the obvious reasons of it being so damn random and also about my hometown?)

Well, because I found Jason and Kasia. 

Once I got home that night, it dawned on me that I should Google the info on the shirt. Was this a real wedding? Are these real people? Could I somehow find them and send the picture of the shirt?

A quick Google search led me to the website for their wedding photographer, where I found a password-protected album of their wedding photos. Unable to access it and find any more info about this couple (like their last names so I could try to find them on Facebook or something), I emailed the photographer, explaining this strange situation and my mission to show them the photo of the shirt.

Their wedding photographer quickly emailed me back, also sharing my confusion and amusement. He then forwarded my message to the contact email he still had on file for Jason and Kasia, and I had a message in my inbox from Kasia when I woke up last Sunday morning! Apparently the logo is from their wedding invitation -- the girl who designed it must've had it up on her website, and somehow, someone found it and decided to make a shirt.

And this is where I started kicking myself for not buying the shirt -- Kasia, of course, would like to have the shirt and has offered to pay for me to send it to her. But, it was in Osan, which is two hours away from where I live in Incheon. I was able to enlist the help of my friend, Amy, who lives in Osan, but by the time she made it back to the store, the shirt was gone. Sigh.

I hope that I might be able to find the shirt elsewhere... next weekend's plans involve a shopping trip to my dear Bupyeong Underground Shopping Center, which is home to all of the wonderfully bizarre shirts I buy (and give to family and friends). Bupyeong has a remarkable mess of completely random things, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that fate will reunite me with this shirt.

Kasia has been understanding about not being able to get the shirt to her, and I can only hope that somehow, I'll come across another one. If nothing else, she's got a great story and a photo to prove it! And hey, I do too.

ps. Anyone in Korea that is reading this, whether I know you or not: if you find this shirt, buy it and contact me. I will pay you back! And then you can feel awesome about yourself for helping me complete this unusual quest to send a very special shirt to some complete strangers. :)

Top 5 Must-See Spots in Incheon, South Korea!

This blog entry was originally published on the Aclipse Blog, which is produced by current Chungdahm Learning teachers in Korea! The blog features entries on current events around Korea, advice for incoming teachers, and the best spots sightseeing, shopping, and eating. The original entry can be viewed here. 

When Aclipse helped me get placed at a Chungdahm branch in Incheon in November 2011, I immediately started doing my research. I was pleased to see that it's the third largest city in Korea and it's next door to Seoul -- meaning popping into the city for weekend adventures would be a cinch. However, I quickly noticed that there's a serious lack of Incheon-coverage in the blog world. So, I present, in no particular order, my top 5 spots to check out in Incheon! 

1. Incheon International Airport

Chances are, you'll be checking out the airport whether you mean to or not, simply because you'll be flying in here. But let's be real: that first visit through the airport when you arrive is going to be a blur and you're probably going to miss all of the cool things. 

What makes this airport top 5 worthy? Well, for starters, it's been rated the best airport in the world for the past seven years. Also, it happens to have a spa, an ice skating rink, a casino, a golf course, and all the duty free shops you could ever want. 

And check out that architectural design! This airport just looks cool, you guys.

So, while it may seem strange, by Western standards, to hang out at an airport, my students tell me it is a thing. And honestly, an airport that boasts a spa, ice skating, golfing, and the obvious shopping and restaurants? Hard to just ignore. If you don't want to make a special trip out to the airport, next time you're flying through Incheon International -on your way to Korea, on your way to a vacation, or whatever it may be - budget a little extra time just for walking around. 

2. Muuido, Wolmido, & the other surrounding islands

One exciting thing about Incheon is being right on the coast. Since my days are spent surrounded by high-rise apartment buildings, I often forget that I'm about fifteen minutes away from the ocean, albeit an area that's mostly industrial shipyards. However! There are islands! Tons of them, actually. And the best part: they have beaches. 

So far I've only visited Muuido, but so, so many more are on my to-do list for the summer. Muuido is great because it's easily accessible -- you catch a bus from Incheon International Airport, grab a quick ferry, and you're there. While it can be done as a day trip, you have the option of renting a pension room for super cheap rates, or you can rent a little hut on the beach (that sleeps about four people) for as little as ₩30,000 a night! 

Muuido is great for summertime beach fun, Wolmido has fresh seafood and a small amusement park, and that's just the beginning. Stay tuned for more posts on the islands around Korea -- it's my goal this summer to explore as many as I can. 

3. Chinatown & Jayu Park

I'm grouping these two together because they're literally next to each other, so visiting both in one go makes an excellent day trip. Incheon is home to the only "official" Chinatown in Korea! It's at the Incheon-end of the Seoul Metro Line 1, directly across from Incheon station. 

Chinatown is full of delicious restaurants (make sure you stop for some jajangmyeon -- a black bean noodle dish that the area is known for!), adorable tea and coffee shops, excellent souvenir shopping, and great photo ops! 

After wandering through Chinatown, head up the hill (er, mountain) to Jayu (Freedom) Park! The park gets its name from the post-Korean war era -- there's a statue of MacArthur in the park, commemorating his landing in Incheon and important role in the war's outcome. In addition to MacArthur's statue, the park has lots of other sculptures, is beautifully landscaped, and has some great views of Incheon and the port:

4. Bupyeong Ungerground Shopping Center

My dear friend Kara already wrote of the wonders to be found in Bupyeong's Underground Shopping Center, so let me just underscore how amazing this place is. 

Bupyeong has everything you've ever wanted and more. It's a confusing mess of aisles, with stall after stall packed maybe a little too full -- in short, complete sensory overload. And it's awesome. Ever look at Korean fashion longingly and wonder where you can get clothes like that? Bupyeong is your place. Clothes, bags, glasses, shoes, phone accessories, party supplies, stationery, Engrish shirts to send to folks back home... It's all here. With an extra helping of the Engrish.

After you conquer the seemingly endless maze of Engrish shirts and awesome fashion, venture above ground too: there's a neat area full of name brand shopping, great restaurants, and a lively bar scene. A little more wandering will also bring you to a traditional-style market selling everything from produce to fresh fish to blankets. 

5. Sorae Fish Market

Taking full advantage of being on the coast, the Sorae neighborhood of Incheon has a lively fishing industry, including its own market. The day I spent in Sorae last fall for their annual festival was probably one of the best days I've had in Korea. Even though Sorae is minutes away from my bustling, modern neighborhood, there's something about this place that feels like it hasn't changed in decades. 

Buildings and buildings full of fresh seafood -- cooked, dried, fried, and some still alive. You can stock up on groceries to take home or you can pick up what you want for dinner, head to a nearby restaurant, and they'll cook it for ya. For fans of fresh fish looking for a traditional fish market experience, get to Sorae as soon as you can. 

I have to say, I'm really happy that I ended up in Incheon -- it's a great city and I'm really looking forward to exploring it more! Even if you aren't placed to work at a school in Incheon, I highly recommend spending some time here. 

Have you even been to Incheon? Are there any spots in Incheon that you would recommend? Leave a comment below! 

EDIT - June 6, 2014 -- NEW entry with even more to do in Incheon is up! Check it out!

Hey look, I'm (kind of?) a professional!

As some of you may already know because we a) know each other in real life or b) you are friends with/follow me on one of my various social media accounts: I'm actually getting paid for this bloggin' stuff now!

To clarify, it isn't this blog that's actually bringing in the cash (...yet?? ;) ), but it's this one:

When I decided to move to Korea to teach English, it was Aclipse that helped me get there. They're a recruiting company that works specifically for Chungdahm, my school. Chungdahm has locations all over Korea and Aclipse is constantly looking for new teachers to come overseas.

As of June 1st, I'm officially one of their International Marketing Assistants, meaning I write for their blog and maintain a social media presence that promotes coming to Korea to teach English.

The blog itself is updated almost every day by current teachers in Korea and it's full of really great information about living and working in the ROK.

And! My first blog post just went live on the site: Top 5 Must-See Spots in Incheon, Korea!

So go check it out, click around a bit, and enjoy!

My Expats Blog interview!

Recently, I was asked to answer some interview questions by the lovely people over at Expats Blog, and the interview went live today! Click on the little logo above or follow link and check out their website -- it's full of links to expat blogs and interviews with people all over the world! 

New habits, meet my old life.

It's easy to adopt habits and mannerisms from other people. While we don't look much alike, people often ask if my best friend and I are sisters, and the only way this makes sense to me is that we have a lot of the same vocal and physical mannerisms. When you're around someone for a long time, you just sort of subconsciously take on these things.

The best part, I think, about these things is: they become the new normal. I really like the idea of a culture sneaking into your habits and instincts, leaving behind little traces here and there of your time abroad.

Now that I'm back in the States on vacation after fifteen months in Korea, I'm suddenly very aware of these subconsciously adopted habits. Often it's simply catching myself using Korean mannerisms that I've picked up from students and friends, and even more often having to pause and explain myself to the friend watching me with a puzzled expression. Other times it's having a craving for something that wasn't a staple of my American life's diet.

So here's a list, in no particular order, of the little bits of Korea that have become a part of my "normal" routine.

1. Taking my shoes off when I enter a house.
This has become a reflex to me that was actually difficult to override in my brain. (Think of how clean our carpets would be if we didn't constantly track in dirt!) While I was still trying to get myself out of this habit, I would intentionally make myself be the last one to enter the house so I didn't hold up anyone behind me. Which is something that had been happening...

Not my entryway, but mine would often resemble a shoe explosion like this one. (Photo credit.)

2. Bowing.
I'm not even always aware that I do this, actually. It isn't a full bend-at-the-waist bow, but just a small nod of the head. Always accompanied with a "thank you" in either English or Korean, this is such a simple and effective way to express gratitude that will be understood in Asia. Gestures of body language like this make a language barrier irrelevant. Once I was back in a country whose language I spoke fluently, I caught myself doing this pretty quickly and made an effort to stop, mostly because I was on the receiving end of quite a few bewildered looks.

3. Eating spam.
I am so. mad. about this one. Let me clarify: I do not buy cans of spam. I do not cook with spam on my own. I do not, ever, actively seek out spam as something to eat. But, after being in the ROK for a decent amount of time, I have become... used to eating spam. And... I recently had the shocking revelation that I actually enjoy eating spam. Not in large quantities, but a bit of spam in my roll of gimbap? Delicious. Oh, is that a bit of spam in my soup? Excellent. Now that I'm home? I'm so mad that I miss spam...

A spam giftset at a Korean grocery store, which is common and considered to be a generous gift. (Photo credit.)

4. Pushing and shoving.
Being as Korea is packed full with a whole lot of people, and subway stations can get a bit intense during those busy hours, I have gotten quite good at pushing and shoving my way through a crowd without so much as a single "excuse me." I've learned by watching the masters of this maneuver: the ajummas, who I aspire to be like someday. When I first got to Korea, I was still trying to apologize for inevitably hip-checking strangers, but now, I just plow my way through like a pro. During my time home, I've actually felt really bad quite a few times for my no-nonsense darting and weaving through a crowd. Sorry, everyone I may have cut off or bumped into at SXSW. I didn't mean to be an asshole. You were just in my way...?

You try being meek and making it through this kind of crowd.

5. Throwing up a peace sign in a photo.
Luckily, this is kind of a thing everywhere right now? So my learned instinct to automatically pose with a peace sign next to my face just had to be toned down a bit. Friends did call me out on this though... "What are we doing in this photo? Oh, are we throwing up peace signs?" "Oh, uh... sure...? *sighs* I don't even think I'm aware that I'm doing this..."

Some of the causes of my peace sign photo pose reflex.

6. Speaking in simplified English.
As is true with anyone trying to learn a foreign language, you find ways to express yourself whether or not it's grammatically correct. Sometimes, while it could technically be correct, it just isn't how people actually speak. English is a tough language, so I constantly hear little phrases from my students that sound awkward to my native English speaker ears, and yet do make sense. And, I've adopted some without meaning to. For example, I don't even know how many times I've described the number (as in quantity) of something as "very many" since being home, immediately catching myself and laughing. My students say this all time -- "Oh, teacher, there were very many people at the Big Bang concert!" It makes sense, and also doesn't.

7. Speaking in Korean/Konglish.
While I can't claim to have a strong grasp of the Korean language, like, at all, I have found myself doing a fair bit of code-switching. Ususally, this is in the form of various Korean vocab words being thrown into an English conversation. Instead of yes or no, I'll substitute the Korean equivalent. "Chincha?!" is used in place of "really?!" Sometimes it'll be more complex sentences, like an English word followed by the Korean for "give me, please." I frequently did this before going to Korea, instead with bits of Japanese, Spanish, French, or whatever foreign vocabulary happened to fit the situation. What can I say, it entertains me. I've also found myself using some Konglish that I've picked up from my kids. Strangee, not strange. Same-same, when comparing two things that are, well, the same.

8. Eating uncooked ramen.
The best part about this one is that I HATED ramen in college. I turned my nose up at it when my fellow poor college student friends would make some for dinner. This was not because I wouldn't deign to eat it, but simply because I thought it smelled terrible. Imagine their surprise when I came back from Korea and insisted we go pick up ramen from the Korean grocery store so I could eat it uncooked. While I will eat most packaged ramens uncooked (and prefer them that way), Korea has a brand that's actually meant to be eaten raw -- Ottogi's Ppushu Ppushu. And I am obsessed with it. Ob-sessed.

So. Delicious. (Though the best flavor is the BBQ.)

I'm sure there are other little ticks and quirks I've adopted, and I look forward to figuring them out. All of these "new norms" make me smile and I'm curious to see what else seeps into my habits as I spend a couple more years in Korea.

Has anyone else had an experience like this? Tell me your stories in the comments below!