Two friends from Cheongju came to visit the other Fulbrighter in Gwangyang (Josh) and I for a couple of days, and we had a blast! Our time together was full of noraebang (Korean karaoke), good eats, sight-seeing, and reflecting on the grant year. Josh and I decided to show our friends Kelsey and Christine the Suncheon World Gardens, which was a perfect destination in the middle of spring. I had visited the gardens once before during the fall season, but as would be expected, I was much more impressed by what I saw during the spring season. The gardens themselves are huge, various, and full of color. If we had time to walk through the entire gardens, it would probably take at least five hours. The Suncheon Gardens consist of an arboretum zone, wetland zone, world garden zone, and a large bridge called "Dream Bridge". The Dream Bridge is decorated with 145,000 drawings by children from all over the world in hopes that their dreams will be carried off in the wind and be shared with many. The world garden zone consists of replications of gardens from different countries throughout the world, such as the Netherlands, France, Japan, Thailand, USA, a traditional Korean garden, and more. It was quite relaxing to enjoy nature while appreciating how different areas of the world exemplify nature's beauty.
After my two friends from Cheongju left, I had my close friend/orientation roommate come visit me too! Emily and I also traveled throughout SE Asia together during the winter vacation. When she arrived, I showed her the Suncheon Gardens, experienced the "famous" Gwangyang Bulgogi, and then we headed to Busan together for two days. Busan is a two hour bus trip from Gwangyang, and the weather remained beautiful for us. We were excited to head to the beach, soak up the sun, and do some more sightseeing along the coast. Unfortunately, this is where my low part of May kicks in. During our first full day in Busan, Emily and I were enjoying some Indian food, until the what we think to be food poisoning kicked in. Perhaps it was because we hadn't been eating that type of food for such a long time, or we ate too much, or the food just happened to be bad that day, but after that we were feeling all too sick to do anything. We ended up hanging back at the hostel and consuming medication in hopes of feeling better. 
My trip to Busan ended a day earlier than Emily's, as I had to be back in Gwangyang for a race during the weekend. I was feeling better, and I felt confident that I could perform well in the 10K on Sunday. On Saturday, two friends and I (Mary and Mallory) packed up and headed to Boseong, which is about one hour away from Gwangyang. We wanted to head there early because Boseong is famous for Green Tea Plantations, which we wanted to tour and experience what Boseong is known for. The scenery surrounding Boseong was absolutely phenomenal - green tea fields scattered all around the town. Boseong has been a tea plantation area since the days of the Japanese occupation, and with its long history comes large plantations, their traditions, and highly skilled workers. The most famous of these is the Daehan Dawon Plantation. The site has gained popularity as a film making destination after a huge success of the commercial for a telecommunication company. It also host ‘Dahyangje Tea Festvial’ each year in May. The green tea plantation tourist attraction was exciting as well - and full of green tea flavored everything. I was personally fond of the green tea flavored soft serve, and shamelessly ate three servings of it! After touring the plantation, we had dinner and called it an early night, as we wanted to be ready to go for our race in the morning.
The race itself was a hot, humid, and hilly course. We had met a nice Korean couple before the race began, and I actually ended up running with the man and finishing together. It reminded me of running with my dad, which I miss a lot. I've gotten so used to running alone since living in Korea, and it was nice to have a running buddy again. Although I didn't tackle a new PR, it was more fun to make a new friend and just have fun with my friends! After the race, Mary, Mallory, and I explored a nearby beach area, had some delicious seafood for lunch, and headed back to Gwangyang. Unfortunately, this is where everything goes wrong.
Sunday night after the race, I was just relaxing at home with my family. I called it an early night because I was exhausted from the race. However, I just couldn't fall asleep. An hour after just lying in my bed, waiting to fall asleep, I broke out in shivers, aches, fatigue, and what I assumed to be a high fever. I was sweating, but I felt extremely cold. I didn't sleep all night, and on top of having the shakes, my stomach decided that I needed to run to the bathroom at random moments throughout the night. The next morning I finally got out of bed, and told my host mom that there was no way I could make it to school, or even get any food down my throat. I ended up in the hospital for three days. I had a fever of 103, so I got hooked up to an IV and sent to bed rest for the entire week. Another week off of school, although this one was unplanned. I am still not entirely sure what caused the outbreak - maybe a flu virus, or dehydration after the race. All I know is that I am so glad to be better now!
After a full week of recovery, I was ready to be back at school and excited to be doing things again. The following weekend, I planned to perform a rap song that a student and I had written and recorded together at a festival in a nearby city. We practiced and practiced for so long, and I couldn't let him down now! It is funny to look back on this experience because Hyeon Min (the student) used to be someone who always acted up during my class. However, once we found this shared love for rap/hip-hop and making music, we instantly bonded and he has become a student for whom I have high expectations. The song that we wrote and performed is titled "인문계" which means "Humanities Department". In Korean high schools, students choose a science or humanities track in relation to their future goals and preparations for college. Hyeon Min raps about his life as a humanities student, and how his interest and passion for a future career in music is often overlooked and frowned upon by most Koreans. He raps about the criticism he receives for attending music academies rather than studying the "core subjects" that lead to a "reliable, stable job" in the future. He asked me to write a rap about my experience as a teacher in Korea, and my goals in the teaching profession. Hyeon Min has truly amazed me with his drive and motivation to be the best he can be while not allowing the criticism to bring him down. I am so happy to have been able to share this moment with Hyeon Min and his rap crew - it is a memory I will never forget! You can watch the video below!Alright, sorry for the long post (and lack of updates!). I'm working on May pt. 2 as we speak. Talk to you soon!
