Mom and Dad Visit Korea!

Hi everybody! I hope you are all having a fabulous beginning to the spring season, whether in South Korea, USA, or elsewhere. The new semester started in March, so I have been scrambling to get back into the swing of things and prepping myself for full-teaching mode again. I am a little ways behind where I want to be regarding my blog posts - but this one is dedicated to my mom and dad's visit to Korea during February - my last couple weeks before school started again.

Gyeongbokgung Palace

After my vacation throughout SE Asia, I had about a week of rest and get excited for my parents' visit (I was already super excited beforehand, so that didn't take much effort). I was so happy and ready to show my parents where I have been living and teaching for the past 7-8 months. My mom and dad were able to stay for about 8 days, which we split between Seoul and my "hometown", Gwangyang. We spent about 5 days in Seoul and 2 days in Gwangyang (I wish we would have stayed longer in Gwangyang!!!). 

Gyeongbokgung Palace

When my parents arrived, I couldn't contain my joy - this was the longest time I had ever gone without physically seeing them. We checked into our hotel, rested awhile, and I took them out for Chicken and Beer, also known as Chimek (치맥) because of "Chicken" and "Beer" (in Korean means "Maekju"), the combination makes "Chimek". It was a delicious and relaxing start to our time together in Korea.

Tteokbokki

On my parents' first full day in Seoul, we had quite a busy schedule. Looking back, I should have been more forgiving for the jet-lag and tiredness, but there were so many things I wanted to show them. First, we went to Gyeongbokgung Palace, which was built during the Joseon Dynasty in 1395. Although much of the premises were destroyed during a Japanese invasion from 1592-1598, some of the most representative artifacts of the palace have remained intact. The palace houses more than 7,700 rooms - needless to say, it took a long time to walk through the palace grounds. My parents and I were fascinated by the rich history and intricate designs that were displayed to us. I, myself was not too familiar with Korean history before arriving here, so this all has been an interesting learning experience for me as well. 

Ready for the tour!

With South Korean border military

After exploring the palace and surrounding museums, we decided it was nap time back at the hotel. Unfortunately, we had a rainy trip walking to the subway, and I found out that my dad was not a fan of the public transportation in Seoul. The subway was quite crowded, stuffy, and full of germs, which were not to his liking (or mine, or anybody's for that matter)! Sorry dad! After a well-deserved nap at the hotel, I begged my parents to try some authentic Korean cuisine. We decided to go for "fusion-style" pizza and 떡볶이 (tteokbokki), a spicy rice-cake, fish cake, and sweet-red chili sauce. I was very proud of my parents for giving it a shot, although it was a bit too spicy, even for my standards. 

Insadong

HONEY BREAD!!!

Day two was one of the highlights of the trip, as we spent the majority of the day on a tour through the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). We hopped on a bus with some other tourists and our hilariously outgoing tour guide, and took a trip north. Our trip took us to Panmunjom, an abandoned village on the de facto border between North and South Korea, where the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement that paused the Korean War was signed. My parents and I were equally intrigued to learn about the history current situation of the North/South border, and being able to stand where it all took place was pretty amazing. When I booked the tour, I was uncertain how my parents would react, but I was relieved to see that they enjoyed the tour and learned a lot about Korean history that they didn't know beforehand. After the tour, my parents and I met up with another Fulbrighter, Emily, and we had dinner and drinks together in Gangnam! My parents were excited to hang out with one of my friends and talk about our lives in Korea.

A short video of the tour

Seoul Tower

Day three consisted of a more traditional Korean experience, as I showed my parents through Insadong, Seoul's traditional area rich in culture and history. My parents and I walked through a Buddhist temple, and explored the older area of Seoul. We bought a lot of souvenirs and enjoyed mandu (dumplings) for lunch before heading to Tom 'N' Toms (fitting for my dad, as his name is Tom) to let my parents experience the wonderful creation that is HONEY BREAD! Honey Bread is truly a gift that Korea brought to me. Deliciously creamy, soft, but crunchy at the right spots, honey bread is one of the best desserts I have ever eaten. I think my parents were pretty impressed by it too. On our last night in Seoul, I took my parents to the Seoul Tower to see the entire view of the city lit up at night. It was PACKED!! We waited in line for hours trying to get up, and quite a long time getting down too. However, my parents and I enjoyed seeing the landscape view of the city from above. 

Our last meal in Seoul

IGA... what!?

Day four was mainly a travel day - Seoul is in the northern part of South Korea, and Gwangyang is almost the furthest south. So, we had a 4.5 hour bus ride from Seoul to Gwangyang. Not to mention that the New Year holiday was being celebrated at the same time, so traffic was quite heavy. BUT, we finally made it to Gwangyang. And along the way we saw an IGA grocery store - who would've thought that we would see a taste of our hometown proud all the way in Korea!? Crazy! When we finally made it to Gwangyang, my parents and I met up with one of my best Korean friends, EJ, for dinner. EJ took us to a lovely Italian-fusion restaurant where we enjoyed pasta, pizza, and salad. My parents were very excited to be in my hometown, and I was happy to introduce them to my friends and community. EJ you are a rockstar - thank you for taking my parents and I!

My two families <3

Having fun with home stay mom!

Day five was a big day! My parents were FINALLY going to meet my home stay family and spend the entire day together. Internally I was a mixture of over-excitement and completely freaking out because it was like my two real families meeting and I didn't know how they would react to each other, especially with a language barrier. BUT, of course, my worries were for nothing because they absolutely loved each other. My home stay family had a truly wonderful day lined up for us. We explored temples, traditional villages, and even went hiking in the mountains and saw some amazing ice sculptures. My parents and my home stay parents were laughing, making jokes, and taking photos together like we have all known each other forever. It was awesome to see!

In the mountains, cool ice sculptures

Everybody together! 

That evening, my home stay family, my main co-teacher from my school, and my extended family all gathered for a lovely bulgogi dinner together. My parents were amazed by all of the food and side dishes that are customary in Korean meals. They also had a fun time learning about the drinking culture and pouring for your elders, and other Korean customs. I was really amazed by the interactions we were able to have and how we could all connect regardless of language, age, race, or whatever it may be. We ended up talking, eating, and drinking long into the night, which was a perfect way to end my parents' stay in Gwangyang. I really wish we would have had another day to show my parents my school and surrounding areas in Gwangyang, but our time was cut short.

Saying goodbye to EJ!

Day six was traveling back to Seoul to prepare for my parents' departure. EJ accompanied us and sent-off my parents and I with open arms and a few tears. Not only did my parents have an amazing trip, but it was so neat to see my home stay family and local Korean friends interacting together and learning a lot from my parents as well. Hopefully my parents have the opportunity to visit Korea again in the future, or EJ can finally get her chance to travel to the USA with me this summer!

Overall, the time spent with my parents throughout the week was phenomenal, and it went by way too quickly. It was an awesome experience for my parents, myself, and for my friends and family in Gwangyang as well. Until next time!!