My Failed Trip to Jeju

Suncheon Gardens

Well, the title doesn't make me sound very optimistic, which at first I wasn't, but my failed trip actually turned out to be not so bad. Let's start from the beginning.

Because of the midterm exam period at my school that takes place during three days (Monday - Wednesday), followed by a national holiday on Thursday and Friday (Children's Day), I basically had a week of "Spring Break". I was excited because I had planned a trip to Jeju Island and was finally going to cross off a few things on my bucket list, such as hiking the tallest mountain in Korea, Halla Mountain.

Hanging in Yeosu

Here's how it went down: Monday morning, I packed up, excited, ready to go. I booked my bus ticket to Gwangju, headed out and had a smooth 1 hour bus ride. The sky was cloudy, but I knew the rain wasn't supposed to come until the evening. I get off the bus, take the subway to the Gwangju airport. About a 30 minute transfer. Weather still looking promising. I get to the airport, attempt to check into my 3:00 p.m. flight, when the lady at the counter tells me my flight has not been delayed, but "on hold" while they check the weather conditions. I briefly look outside and it hasn't even started raining, nor did it feel particularly windy when I was walking in. She advises me to take a seat, wait, and stare at the flights screen anxiously. So I do so. And less than one hour later, they canceled my flight. I heave a huge sigh, pick up my bag, and get in line to discuss my options. The same lady talks to me and tells me she can put me on a 7:30 flight. I didn't really want to wait around for 3 more hours, but I still wanted my trip to Jeju to go as planned. So I sat back down and waited.

Gabby comes to Gwangyang!

Another hour and some change later, the 7:30 flight gets canceled. By this time it IS actually raining outside, although it's not anything we all haven't experienced before. I get back in line, too tired to deal with this. She advises me that the next available flight isn't until the next evening at the same time (7:30 p.m.). My trip was only due to be Monday - Thursday because other friends would be visiting throughout the weekend, and I decided that one full day and some change on Jeju Island wouldn't be worth it. I made the quick decision to cancel my entire trip. I'm just happy that she provided me with a full refund for my round trip tickets.

Ssireum (Korean-style wrestling)

After my vacation was canceled, I called a few ETAs in Gwangju to see what they were up to. I ended up getting pizza with my friend Tiffany and sulking in my sadness about having to put off my hike to Halla Mountain. After dinner, I hopped on a bus back to Gwangyang, a bit peeved that my entire day was wasted on transportation for nothing.

The next morning I woke up, feeling refreshed and my bitter feelings had passed. I was excited to stay back in Gwangyang now because I could explore some more gems of my awesome placement city. On Tuesday and Wednesday, I hung out with friends in my city, relaxed, and just enjoyed some down time. I ended up being quite productive and getting a lot done with things related to Fulbright Korea Alumni Relations, apartment cleaning, catching up on some leisure reading, etc.

Basketball

On Thursday, an ETA friend (Gabby) from waaaay up north (Hwacheon) came to visit the south for the weekend! I was excited to show her around and hopefully introduce her to some of the beauties of Gwangyang, Suncheon, and Yeosu. Gabby arrived Thursday night and we had some famous ~Gwangyang bulgogi stew~ and called it an early night. Friday morning we met up with our other friend Tiffany and decided to go to Yeosu due to the maybe rainy weather. It ended up being a poor decision on our part because everything was so CROWDED. We went to the aquarium, spent 23 bucks, all just to be shoved around by Korean families and children whining everywhere we turned. Although it was a super neat place, the experience was ruined by the crowds. After the aquarium trip, we had some lunch and decided what to do next. We wanted to check out an island but figured that would also be insanely crowded and ultimately decided against it. THEN we thought about going to a super beautiful temple but found out that the bus only comes once every 40-60 minutes. We didn't want to wait around, so I attempted to find a place to walk to. I found a small mountain and navigated our way there, only to our dismay that it had taken us to a shack halfway up the mountain. We turned around, defeated. This day was a bust.

Preparing for warm-ups

We trotted back down and just decided to go back to Gwangyang. On our way down, we came across a plaza full of people and FREE FOOD. We got makgeoli and pajeon, a Korean favorite. The locals laughed at us as we sipped our rice wine and devoured the pancake. It was delicious and it lifted our moods for awhile. We headed back home, cleaned up and rested, and met up again in Suncheon for dinner. This time, we would have much better luck. We went to one of my favorite barbecue places, grilled some meat, and were feeling good. We wanted to go dancing afterwards, but our favorite club was closed, so we decided to go bowling. While bowling, we met some Korean guys who ended up paying for us. Then we all decided to go to noraebang (karaoke room) to sing and have fun there! We had a good night singing and dancing with our new friends... while also not having to pay for anything! Haha.

Tug-o-war

On Saturday morning, we headed to Suncheon to do some sightseeing. We went to the Suncheon Bay and Gardens. Although we had a few navigation issues, overall it was a beautiful day with beautiful sights to see! The gardens are especially beautiful during the springtime, showcasing model gardens from all around the world. It is a perfect place to stroll around, relax, and enjoy nature. By the end of the day, we were worn out, so we called it an early night by watching a movie and passing out. And just like that, the spring break week was coming to a close. Sunday morning arrived, Gabby went back to Hwacheon, and I prepared for the next week of lessons at school.

Victory for class 1-1 in tug-o-war

Although my plans didn't work out the way I had originally planned, I am glad that it was more spontaneous. I had a great time relaxing, hanging out with friends, and just taking it easy. I went into the next week ready to get back to teaching, although it was another short week. The boys only had three days of school because Thursday and Friday were designated as "Sports Days". Sports Day is a huge event -- especially at an all-boys school. The boys work in teams (their homeroom classes), design their own uniforms, and participate in various sports activities such as basketball, soccer, foot volleyball, ssireum (Korean-style wrestling), and track and field events. They don't have to worry about studying and can let loose! They order their favorite foods, enjoy ice cream, and freedom (for two days). It was fun to watch them play, compete, and see them smiling nonstop (not common during the regular school days).

Enjoying the action

The teachers have also been active in sports-playing. We are preparing for an area-wide volleyball tournament, so we have practices three times a week for two hours after school. My arms have never felt so sore. Haha! I am excited though, as I love competition and hope to win the tournament. Stay tuned to see how our team placed.