Well I have just left South Korea, leaving my good friend Won and his wonderful family behind. It has been a fascinating five days. Living with Won and travelling around mainly on public transport has provided much insight into the Korean culture.
SAT: Arriving There
As I came off the aircraft, a blast of cold air caught me just at the doorway. Won had warned me that it can get cold in Korea. I just got an idea of how cold, and I was not dressed for it. In fact, on my first day there it was the coldest day that winter and clocked in at minus 5 celcius. It got down to minus 9 degrees later. Fortunately I had heeded the warnings of my friends and carried warmer gear in my backpack.
Won met me at the gate and together with his Uncle and Dad’s girlfriend, we drove the long drive back to Won’s house. I dozed a few times during this drive, still trying to catch up on my shut-eye.
It was a long drive through heavy traffic – something that does not seem to ease greatly in Seoul. Traffic continues flowing solidly every day of the week until early the next morning and starts up again the next day well before dawn. Even during the “off” periods there is a substantial number of cars on the roads. You never feel alone in Seoul. And we were certainly not alone, stuck in heavy traffic.
Housing
Won’s house is situated on the sixth floor of a large highrise building that contains four such houses per floor. It was a new building so there were many new features. Video door bell, remote control door lock, automatic lights, electronic entry doors, and other such items. It was a gadget paradise.
The house was centrally heated, with a narrow balcony section separating the heated house from the cold outside. With the central heating we only needed light summer clothes inside. This allowed for a comfortable place to hide from the freezing weather outside.
Dinner with the Family
That night I was taken out for a traditional Korean meal at a newly opened restaurant. Here we sat on the floor around the table, careful to take our shoes off before entering the establishment, and were inundated with multitudes of bowls and plates. Each one containing something different although we all had our own collection of bowls too.
On the menu was Duck and Kimchi, a lovely spicy cabbage served with almost everything. As we started devouring this, another dish appeared on the table which after much prodding, I discovered was dog. A distinctive meat with its own flavour, it is easy to see why so many like it. To eat our meal, we were served with Soju, a traditional drink poured into shot glasses and carrying a lot of punch. I tried everything on the table, both food and drinks, much to the surprise of my new Korean friends.
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