03.10.2016 Views

JB Life October 2016

The Fall 2016 issue of Jeollabuk-do's only English-language lifestyle and travel magazine.

The Fall 2016 issue of Jeollabuk-do's only English-language lifestyle and travel magazine.

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

Jeollabuk-do’s International Magazine<br />

<strong>October</strong> <strong>2016</strong>, Issue #4<br />

Registration No. ISSN: 2508-1284<br />

164 Palgwajeong-ro, Deokjin-gu, Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do, Korea<br />

Tel:(+82) 63-214-5605~6 Fax: (+82) 63-214-5608<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> Staff:<br />

ANJEE DISANTO, U.S.A.,<br />

M.A. Communication & Rhetoric<br />

<strong>JB</strong> LIFE LAYOUT & DESIGN<br />

Anjee is a ten-year resident of Jeonju<br />

and visiting professor at Chonbuk National<br />

University. While living here, she<br />

has traveled to 42 countries as well as<br />

explored and photographed most parts<br />

of the Korean peninsula. She is the English<br />

editor of CBNU’s student magazine<br />

and has worked extensively with<br />

10 Magazine in Seoul.<br />

DAVID VAN MINNEN, Canada,<br />

B.A. Humanities/Classical Languages<br />

<strong>JB</strong> LIFE CHIEF PROOFREADER<br />

David came to Jeonbuk in 2004. In<br />

2006, he created the Jeonju Hub website<br />

to help foreign residents and has<br />

been highly active in outreach since.<br />

After 4 years operating a saloon and<br />

5 running a restaurant, he works as a<br />

corporate English consultant. He lives<br />

with his wife, Jeonju artist Cheon Jeong<br />

Kyeong, and two children.<br />

AMIYA MORETTA is a passionate storyteller interested<br />

in unearthing the poetry of everyday life. She<br />

is a Fulbright scholar and a graduate of Whittier<br />

College who is currently teaching English in Jeonju.<br />

You can see more of her work on her personal blog<br />

at ichoosetomove.com.<br />

BETSEY NORMAN has been living in Korea for about<br />

3 years. She teaches English speaking at Chonbuk<br />

National University High School. Before coming to<br />

Korea she was a high school teacher in Minnesota.<br />

Betsey loves writing, reading, eating and dancing.<br />

BONNIE CUNNINGHAM, U.S., B.A. Visual Arts, is a<br />

new teacher in Korea. She loves to travel and make<br />

artwork along the way. While she currently focuses<br />

on painting, her background is in film and video.<br />

She is excited to be living here and looks forward<br />

to whatever it lends to her artwork.<br />

DAN OCTON has lived in Jeonju since 2009 and,<br />

despite leaving soon, considers it a second home.<br />

He took up photography as a hobby two years ago<br />

and is actively trying to improve in all aspects of it.<br />

He loves movies, music, and football.<br />

DEAN CRAWFORD watches lots of films, meaning<br />

he’s a bit of a geek and spends a lot of time on his<br />

own in dark rooms. After working in the UK film industry<br />

at Hogwarts and the X-Mansion, Dean now<br />

resides in Jeonju where he writes about his two favorite<br />

things, films and food!<br />

GREG TIMLIN has been living, working, and aging<br />

in Iksan for over 12 years. He first settled in Asia<br />

in 1994, where his love for photography, traveling,<br />

and this region bloomed. Hobbies include exploring<br />

the countryside by motorcycle, exploring the<br />

mind through teaching, and nice wine.<br />

HEATHER ALLMAN, a U.S. native, has been living<br />

and teaching English in Jeonju for 1.5 years. With<br />

a background in International Relations and Spanish,<br />

she has a dexterity for language. Writing and<br />

traveling are her two favorites, so she thought,<br />

why not do them both at once?<br />

MARLI JANSE VAN VUUREN is from South Africa.<br />

She has degrees in both teaching and photography<br />

and and is a big fan of Dachshunds.<br />

<strong>JB</strong> LIFE is published by the <strong>JB</strong>CIA<br />

(Jeonbuk Center for International Affairs)<br />

전라북도 국제교류센터<br />

DOWON KIM, Korea,<br />

BA Biological Science<br />

<strong>JB</strong> LIFE <strong>JB</strong>CIA LIAISON<br />

Dowon is a member of <strong>JB</strong>CIA and<br />

delivers stories of what is happening<br />

in the center and what the center does<br />

for Jeollabuk-do. She has lived in New<br />

Zealand so she loves meeting new people<br />

from diverse countries. Passionate<br />

about food, cycle, music and dogs. You<br />

can ask about the center through her<br />

e-mail at dwkim411@jbcia.or.kr.<br />

YOUNG-WOO PARK, Korea,<br />

Ph.D. TESOL<br />

<strong>JB</strong> LIFE KOREAN CONSULTANT<br />

Dr. Park has been teaching English for<br />

33 years, with interests in various levels<br />

from young learner to university.<br />

He has worked for several universities<br />

in Jeonju, Gwangju, and Daejeon, and<br />

maintains strong connections with several<br />

Western and Asian universities. He<br />

is especially interested in training university<br />

students for their job searches.<br />

MIRIAM LEE, B.A. History/Anthropology, can most<br />

likely be found singing in the hallways of the Jeonju<br />

English Center, where she teaches 5th graders.<br />

Miriam, who avidly defends her noraebang title,<br />

also won 3rd place in a Care Bears coloring contest<br />

in Jersey City in 1986.<br />

RENEE McMILLAN has been living and teaching in<br />

Jeonju for five years. A recovering actress, Renee<br />

has become addicted to travel and photography.<br />

She enjoys sharing her stories and adventures,<br />

and is excited to work with <strong>JB</strong> <strong>Life</strong> in capturing the<br />

beauty of Jeollabukdo.<br />

SHELLEY ASPDEN has spent the last 4.5 years<br />

studying, practicing, and living yoga. She is an enthusiast<br />

for nature, health, and fitness. Jeonju has<br />

been her home and support network since 2009<br />

and emphasize how the community fostered her<br />

journey along the way.<br />

SILAYAN CASINO is a multi-lingual Eurasian American<br />

with nearly 6 years’ English teaching experience<br />

in Korea. Hobbies include traveling, writing,<br />

photography and learning languages. She teaches<br />

at CBNU and is an active member of Antioch International<br />

Christian Fellowship.<br />

SUSAN KIM, an L.A. native and Korean American,<br />

came to Korea to discover her culture. Although<br />

lazy most of the time, she does have a passion for<br />

travel, cooking, eating, and wine. She worked in<br />

the marketing and advertising industry for years<br />

before arriving in Korea.<br />

SUZANNE SCHNEIDER, co-founder of REACH ministries,<br />

is passionate about raising awareness on<br />

trafficking and prostitution. She is co-author of<br />

the textbook series Practical Writing and works at<br />

Jeonju University. Suzanne is president of Jeonju-North<br />

Jeolla KOTESOL.<br />

SWARNALEE DUTTA, a native of India, has been living<br />

in Jeonju for 2 years, working as a postdoctoral<br />

scientist at the National Institute of Agricultural<br />

Sciences. While her toddler keeps her happily busy,<br />

she loves to read and keeps learning whatever life<br />

holds out for her.<br />

Jeollabuk-do Global Living<br />

Fall <strong>2016</strong> / Issue #4<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> is a quarterly project of the Jeollabuk-do<br />

Center for International Affairs. Our goal is to spread news<br />

to Jeollabuk-do’s international community, as well as to<br />

carry news of Jeonbuk throughout Korea and abroad. This<br />

magazine is currently published once per season, in April,<br />

July, <strong>October</strong>, and January.<br />

To get involved, email jeonbuklife@gmail.com<br />

04<br />

07<br />

08<br />

14<br />

18<br />

20<br />

24<br />

34<br />

38<br />

40<br />

44<br />

50<br />

52<br />

54<br />

INTERNATIONAL BEAT<br />

- International Center News<br />

HISTORY<br />

- Cheonho Holy Grounds<br />

FEATURE STORY<br />

- Bhoga Yoga<br />

TOUR<br />

- Gimje Horizon Festival<br />

LOCAL FOOD<br />

- Getting Wild in Wanju<br />

PHOTO ESSAY<br />

- “Empty Man” by Greg Timlin<br />

ARTS<br />

- Painting with Words: Focus on Korean Calligraphy<br />

- Motopia: The Art of Mohamed Fawzy<br />

GLOBAL JEONBUK<br />

- Pho Hanoi<br />

SPORTS<br />

- Bubble Ball Korea<br />

WORLDVIEW<br />

- Confucianism in Jeonbuk<br />

SOCIAL SCOPE<br />

- Being Neighborly<br />

- Walk for Freedom<br />

LOCAL VOICES<br />

- Youngwoo Park<br />

- Susan Kim<br />

FICTION<br />

- Focus on Poetry<br />

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION<br />

- “The Future is Dark”<br />

55<br />

JEOLLA DIALECT<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> 3


INTERNATIONAL BEAT<br />

Staying Global with the<br />

As of this fall, the Jeonbuk Center for International<br />

Affairs (<strong>JB</strong>CIA) has been in operation for a full<br />

year. During that time, this magazine, <strong>JB</strong> <strong>Life</strong>,<br />

has blossomed and published four quarterly issues as one of<br />

the Center’s projects. Next year, the magazine will move to a<br />

bi-monthly production. Besides this, the center has managed<br />

international YouTube vloggers and world-class foreign speakers<br />

and performers and has promoted a variety of volunteer opportunities<br />

to connect the international population of Jeonbuk<br />

to its local community. All in all, you could say it’s been an excellent<br />

first year. Now, looking forward to the end of <strong>2016</strong> and<br />

beyond, here are the programs the <strong>JB</strong>CIA is currently working<br />

on to push Jeollabuk-do to be even more globally minded.<br />

4<br />

1. NAKS (NATIONAL ASSOCIATION<br />

FOR KOREAN SCHOOLS)<br />

<strong>JB</strong>CIA attended the 34th annual Korean academic conference<br />

directed by NAKS (the National Association for Korean<br />

Schools) and sponsored by the <strong>JB</strong>CIA in July. It was held in<br />

Denver, Colorado for three days. This conference is held every<br />

year for Korean-American students and Korean school teachers<br />

from all the US states, including Hawaii, and also those<br />

from Canada.<br />

LEFT: A photo from the NAKS ceremony in Colorado. RIGHT:<br />

Participants in the first JISU Friends Day.<br />

<strong>JB</strong>CIA had a booth to display beautiful Korean letters<br />

(hangul) and beautiful Korean paper (hanji) to demonstrate<br />

how they are used in our daily lives. Center representatives<br />

gave a lecture for the teachers and judged a Korean speech<br />

competition, selecting one student who will be visiting Jeollabuk-do<br />

in December to take etiquette lessons and tour the<br />

province.<br />

Besides this, center representatives held a meeting with 14<br />

branches from all the other states to broaden mutual exchange<br />

between Jeollabuk-do and the U.S. The exchange will be mainly<br />

between each country’s elementary and middle schools. The<br />

hope is that students can share language, folk songs, dance, and<br />

so on to showcase the roots of where they are from and display<br />

the history and culture of Jeollabuk-do and Korea. The center<br />

hopes to enjoy more of such vivid exchanges in the future.<br />

2. “ JISU” FRIENDS DAY<br />

On August 20th, 40 people from JISU (the <strong>JB</strong>CIA’s Jeollabuk-do<br />

International Supporters Unity group) and Chinese<br />

students from overseas participated in a ‘Friends Day’.<br />

The supporters and foreign students were mixed into teams<br />

to work on the program. They visited Buan-gun to see the West<br />

coast and had a chance to dig out clams in the mudflats togeth-<br />

Members of the Foreign<br />

Students Public Relations Team.<br />

er. They also visited Naesosa temple, one of the famous tour<br />

sites in Jeonbuk. Here, they learned the history of Buddhism<br />

in Jeonbuk and had a short-term experience of temple life.<br />

There will be another ‘Friends Day’ in the middle of November<br />

geared toward a different nationality. If you wish<br />

to offer suggestions or to participate, please e-mail: dwkim411@jbcia.or.kr.<br />

3. FOREIGN STUDENTS<br />

P.R. TEAM CHANGE-OVER<br />

The <strong>JB</strong>CIA’s 1st Foreign Students Public Relations Team,<br />

formed from May to July to promote the province through<br />

photos and video, recently closed out their business and<br />

held an awards ceremony. Their work continues with a new<br />

team, though, as the 2nd Foreign Students PR Team also<br />

held their orientation. The second team’s activity has just<br />

begun with more diverse countries than the first. A total of 33<br />

students are currently signed up. They are from China(22),<br />

Vietnam(3), Sri Lanka(2), Mongolia(2), Taiwan(1), Ecuador(1),<br />

and Uzbekistan(1) and have been arranged into eight<br />

photo teams and three video teams. We look forward to each<br />

team’s photos and videos about Jeollabuk-do.<br />

<strong>JB</strong>CIA recently held its Jeollabuk-do International Exchange<br />

& Overseas Students Festival, and to light up the<br />

entrance, the center put up some materials to make a gallery.<br />

The content included an introduction of the Foreign Students<br />

PR Team and each team’s past activities. This gallery could<br />

be enjoyed by lots of students and community members who<br />

visited the festival on that day, seeing how much the PR team<br />

has worked on so far to promote the province, and many had<br />

Attendees of the<br />

Mock UN lead-up meeting.<br />

a joyful time using the gallery as a photo booth. The 2nd P.R.<br />

team’s students were also there, both enjoying their work<br />

and planning for the next event.<br />

4. MOCK U.N. MEETING<br />

The “Jeollabuk-do Mock UN Meeting” will be held on <strong>October</strong><br />

29th for two days. It is designed to enhance the global<br />

capacity of young people in Jeonbuk and to give a taste of<br />

debate and diplomacy on a pending issue. Participants will<br />

survey the steps involved in the international organization’s<br />

decision making.<br />

At this event, there will be both Korean-speaking and<br />

English-speaking committees. Topics are The Future of UN<br />

Development and Cooperation to Eradicate Global Extreme<br />

Poverty (for Korean-speakers), and The International Community’s<br />

Policy Responses to Threats of Global Climate<br />

Change (for the English-speaking committee).<br />

It took two months to gather the right university students to<br />

chair the group (7), form the delegations (49 middle school<br />

students, 31 high school students), and produce 20 observers<br />

and staff, all from Jeonbuk. All involved had an orientation<br />

on August 6th to see what a mock UN meeting is, how it<br />

progresses, and the steps and rules they follow. After the<br />

orientation, each delegation submitted a position paper and<br />

working paper for the nation it represents. These delegations<br />

have had unofficial meetings every month to practice progress<br />

and rules of order for the upcoming official meeting.<br />

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6...<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> 5


INTERNATIONAL BEAT<br />

HISTORY<br />

By DAVID VAN MINNEN<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> Co-Editor<br />

6<br />

5. INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE &<br />

OVERSEAS STUDENTS FESTIVAL<br />

Jeollabuk-do has held events separately for marriage-immigrant<br />

women and also for international students. But<br />

until now, there was nothing offered that was directed at all<br />

foreigners inclusively. As such, <strong>JB</strong>CIA planned and held an<br />

event called the ‘International Exchange and Overseas Students<br />

Festival’ for foreign workers, immigrant women, international<br />

students, teachers, and any other expats. It took<br />

place on the 10th of September at CBNU’s Samsung Center.<br />

Among those present were Jeollabuk-do Governor Song<br />

Hajin, CBNU President Lee Namho, Ambassador Peteris<br />

Vaivars from Latvia, Consul-General Sun Xianyu of the<br />

Consulate-General of China in Gwangju, a total 9 different<br />

Embassy involved parties and Jeonbuk residents, foreigners<br />

living in Jeonbuk, etc. Over 2,000 people gathered and participated<br />

in the programs that <strong>JB</strong>CIA and CBNU prepared.<br />

The programs were mostly organized by <strong>JB</strong>CIA. There<br />

was a town-hall meeting with the Governor, a History and<br />

Culture Quiz with foreigners and residents, and a round of<br />

Golden Bell quiz game for international students. Especially<br />

well attended were the town-hall meeting with the Governor<br />

and special lectures on foreign relationships. The turnout<br />

was overwhelming and far greater than expected. The partricipants<br />

were passionate in learning and questioning. It was<br />

a very valuable time and a positive multi-cultural encounter.<br />

The multi-cultural showcase booths offered a splendid variety<br />

for the senses, including takoyaki, churros, mojitos, pad<br />

thai, Vietnamese rice noodles, and more. Participants also<br />

took part in traditional games and activities, tried on traditional<br />

clothing of various nations, and made handcrafted<br />

Vietnamese hats. The invited dignitaries also made a giant<br />

festival-sized bibimbap and took in a stage-based taekwondo<br />

performance. A diverse array of colorful costumes and a<br />

warm festival spirit was ever-present throughout the event.<br />

The evening program consisted of students’ performances<br />

and a bright highlight -- a special guest appearance by K-POP<br />

star, Hyuna.<br />

This was the first of hopefully many such events designed<br />

to give an opportunity to sample elements of Jeonbuk’s<br />

sprouting cultural diversity.<br />

[Photos of the International<br />

Exchange & Overseas Students<br />

Festival, courtesy of <strong>JB</strong>CIA]<br />

In the heart of the Korean countryside is a remote<br />

valley with rich soil and abundant fruit trees. This<br />

valley seems especially fertile, and tranquil. It is<br />

Cheonho, in the Gosan area of Wanju county, about 40<br />

minutes northeast of Jeonju. There is holy ground here.<br />

Many people take foot pilgrimages to reach this place,<br />

called Cheonho-Seongji (천호성지), in search of healing<br />

and spiritual growth. The site also serves to commemorate<br />

an important bit of local history. The people<br />

here say “it’s where yesterday meets tomorrow.”<br />

The place is about 25 minutes north-east of Bong-<br />

Dong. Drawing near, it is apparent that the Cheonho<br />

Valley’s soil is darker, and there are many fruit trees and<br />

greenhouses. The valley is distinctively fertile. If the<br />

healing vibe here is real, then the plants are certainly<br />

into it.<br />

Coming into the site itself, visitors are greeted by a<br />

Rio-esque statue of Jesus. The sprawling landscapes and<br />

stairways that follow are truly stunning, and blanketed in<br />

peace. There is a large cafeteria facility, and a spacious<br />

chapel. Then, the grand stairs up to the burial mounds.<br />

Here lie the remains of four priests and more than a<br />

dozen others. In 1866, they were arrested and brought to<br />

Supjeong-i, in Jeonju. There, they were beheaded, on a<br />

single split log, with one large implement. It was the second<br />

known Christian martyrdom on Korean soil. Their<br />

names were Jeong Munho “Bartholomew” (66), Son<br />

Seonji “Peter” (47), Han Jaegwon “Joseph” (33), and Yi<br />

Meongso “Peter” (47). Their heads were placed on pikes<br />

to discourage others from following their teachings.<br />

Today, the Cheonho Holy Grounds are a historic site<br />

renowned for healing powers. There is a newish chapel<br />

on the site, and a house next door, where couples can<br />

take a retreat, with discreet family counseling, all free.<br />

There is also a large, modern cafeteria, providing free<br />

lunch daily to area seniors and visitors.<br />

It is a quiet, welcoming place that wants nothing from<br />

you but offers peace. Step onto holy ground and into<br />

Jeonbuk’s rich history.<br />

ABOVE: The never-ending stairs to the top<br />

of the Cheonho Holy Grounds.<br />

[Photo by DAVID VAN MINNEN]<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> 7


FEATURE STORY<br />

By Shelley<br />

Aspden<br />

(Photos by<br />

Dan Octon)<br />

Six years ago, due to half a year of chemotherapy<br />

treatment, life wasn’t a bed of roses. However,<br />

the Jeonju community that we all know and<br />

love kept providing me with everything I needed. One<br />

of the biggest offerings was being introduced to a man<br />

who showed me a practice, lifestyle, and way of being<br />

that transformed me. I called him ‘Sonsaengnim’, and he<br />

taught me, and many others, Yoga.<br />

Yoga for me, at the start, was stretching. A physical activity<br />

that bendy people did, to become more bendy and so<br />

that you could sit cross legged. I suppose looking back, I<br />

wasn’t wrong: being flexible and being able to move your<br />

physical body freely without worry of pain or discomfort<br />

is a wonderful byproduct of yoga. Many people understand<br />

modern-day yoga to be a physical practice, like<br />

an exercise class, where you work the physical body to<br />

achieve physical strength, flexibility, balance; a form of<br />

body conditioning.<br />

However, yoga is much more. It is an esoteric science<br />

that explores the body, mind, and spirit as one entity,<br />

so that one can move toward balance in a systematic,<br />

soul-honoring way. Yoga originated in India over 5,000<br />

years ago. The philosophy and teachings come from ancient<br />

spiritual traditions, but it’s really important to emphasise<br />

here, YOGA IS NOT A RELIGION. Yoga takes<br />

beneficial teachings from all areas of life, such as culture,<br />

nature, science, and religion, to make a well-balanced and<br />

powerful tool, one which we can use every day to improve<br />

our lives. Many people are confused by what yoga is,<br />

where it comes from, why and how we practice. Hopefully,<br />

I will be able to briefly share with you my understanding<br />

of what yoga is, and help clarify what it is not.<br />

History of Yoga<br />

Yoga encompasses ancient holistic and spiritual practices<br />

that aim to find balance and harmony in the physical,<br />

mental, and emotional bodies. This balance is known as<br />

sattva in Sanskrit. Sanskrit is the ancient language of India,<br />

and is the language used in yoga. As yoga was born<br />

and created in India, it makes perfect sense that it has links<br />

to themes and language of Hinduism and Buddhism (the<br />

main religions of that time), however, it does not mean<br />

that the teachings of yoga are religious.<br />

There are certain traditional texts which are very important<br />

for a yogic aspirant to become familiar with in order<br />

to understand and benefit from yoga as a holistic practice.<br />

One of the most influential texts, which explains the<br />

depths of yoga is, ‘The Yoga Sutras’, written by Patanjali<br />

somewhere between 1,700 and 2,200 years ago. Patanjali<br />

gave simple directions on how to access our full potential,<br />

allowing us to move towards enlightenment. Other<br />

ancient texts, such as The Hatha Yoga Pradipika and The<br />

Bhagavad Gita also discuss these practices and how to<br />

achieve a state of homeostasis within the mind and body.<br />

What is Yoga?<br />

Yoga is a lifestyle, a way of living, that aims to bring<br />

harmony to the individual by helping them to become<br />

more sensitive and connected to their inner happiness,<br />

rather than external distractions. These external distractions<br />

are everywhere in modern societies: for example,<br />

food, music, clothes, relationships, TV etc. We are constantly<br />

looking for happiness from external objects, people,<br />

and situations. However, what we’ve lost and need to<br />

reconnect with is the ability to listen internally, to our true<br />

needs. When we begin to do this, our path and focus in life<br />

changes. This new path is not easy, and many challenges<br />

present themselves, but yoga gives us the tools to traverse<br />

this path with sthira (stability) and sukha (comfort).<br />

“Yoga is 1% theory,<br />

99% practice”.<br />

--Shri K. Pattabhi Jois g<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> 9


FEATURE STORY<br />

This quote sums up yoga beautifully. It’s all well and good studying, reading,<br />

theorizing and discussing about yoga, but we have to actually do it. I<br />

don’t just mean the asanas (postures), but all aspects, from the moral and<br />

ethical codes of conduct, to the surrendering to the Divine (whatever that is to<br />

you, Mother Nature, the sun, God, etc.).<br />

What are the Yoga<br />

Practices?<br />

In Patanjali’s ancient text, ‘The Yoga Sutras’, it discussed a path described<br />

as the ‘8 limbs of yoga’. These 8 branches of the yogic path start with the<br />

foundational practices allowing the aspirant to move towards Samadhi, enlightenment,<br />

in a harmonious and stable fashion.<br />

The 8 stages are:<br />

● Yama (universal moral values to create harmony with all beings)<br />

● Niyamas (personal ethical observances within oneself)<br />

● Asana (physical postures that create a resonance with beneficial universal<br />

energies, and aim to attain energetic balance within ourselves)<br />

● Pranayama (energy / prana control)<br />

● Pratyahara (detachment from the senses)<br />

● Dharana (concentration)<br />

● Dhyana (meditation)<br />

● Samadhi (the stage of realisation of the True Self and ultimate fusion with<br />

the Divine)<br />

10<br />

“Yoga chitta vritti nirodha”<br />

This Sanskrit phrase is probably the most common and widely known explanation<br />

of what yoga is. There are several translations, but the most simple<br />

to understand is that,<br />

“Yoga is the cessation<br />

of the fluctuations of the<br />

mind.”<br />

Basically, we aim to calm the uncontrolled thoughts of the mind, to find<br />

balance and harmony.<br />

By following these 8 paths of yoga, the uncontrolled thoughts within the<br />

mind stop, and we find balance and harmony in this stillness. The 8 limbs are<br />

the tools which we can use to find sattva (balance).<br />

As you can see, yoga is much more than the physical postures that you practice<br />

in a class. But I suppose you’re asking, why has the physical practice of<br />

yoga, the asanas, become so popular in modern society? Health and fitness is a<br />

booming industry, and people are always looking for new ways to make their<br />

bodies fitter and healthier. In the past 20 years, people<br />

have begun to notice the amazing physical benefits that<br />

yoga can have on the body. As modern society is very<br />

external, we are constantly engaging with the senses, and<br />

society has attached itself to the external, physical benefits<br />

of yoga which can be seen everywhere. For example,<br />

we see ‘Instagram yogis’ who are physically strong, agile,<br />

flexible, toned, etc., and naturally we want to look and<br />

be like that. But what people don’t understand is that,<br />

for many of those yogis, they have been on a long and<br />

never ending journey of self exploration, practicing not<br />

only the asanas (physical postures) but also the other 7<br />

limbs. What we need to highlight is that it’s the journey,<br />

(physically, mentally, and emotionally), that is important,<br />

not the end product, which in modern yoga, many view as<br />

the asanas (postures).<br />

Asanas/Postures<br />

I personally have had conflicting views and discussions<br />

with friends, fellow teachers and practitioners about the<br />

role asana (physical postures) has in modern society. My<br />

yoga journey began by practicing asana. If my teacher<br />

had tried to teach me about energy and the subtle aspects<br />

of my being, I probably would have never returned. As<br />

the classes were in Korean and my understanding of the<br />

language was limited, I didn’t understand what he was<br />

saying. But the feeling I was getting from the classes<br />

was changing me. At that point in my life, I didn’t even<br />

understand or have a relationship with my own physical<br />

body, so expecting me to understand subtle relationships<br />

relating to energy/prana would have been too obscure<br />

and confusing. Therefore I feel there is a genuine need<br />

for asana classes that focus on creating physical health<br />

and strength in the body. But at the same time acknowledging<br />

the deeper aspects of yoga is essential, though in a<br />

simple and progressive way. Unfortunately, here in Korea<br />

and many places in the modern society, yoga studios<br />

are just teaching exercise classes based on pilates and select<br />

yoga asanas. I have been to yoga classes in Korea<br />

that have had blaring K-pop, flashing lights, and full-on<br />

dance routines. This is not yoga in the traditional sense.<br />

However, if it’s a doorway for someone to then explore<br />

further into yoga, then we cannot deny it has a role.<br />

The asanas (physical postures) help prepare the physical<br />

body for the more subtle energy practices. If our<br />

physical body is not in good health, we cannot effectively<br />

practice energy control. The postures also act as<br />

g<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> 11


FEATURE<br />

a tuning device, like on a radio, so that we can connect<br />

with beneficial energies. The wonderful thing is that even<br />

though we don’t know we are doing it and cannot feel this<br />

at first, as long as our awareness stays internal and we follow<br />

the guide of the teacher, we will be connecting to these<br />

energies. The asanas help create physical space, giving<br />

us the physical ability to sit in meditative postures for long<br />

periods of time without discomfort. Also, practicing asana<br />

makes you feel good, physically and mentally. By using<br />

the physical body and focusing our awareness on a particular<br />

point, e.g the breath or chakra, the mind begins to<br />

quiet, become calm, and be less erratic, leading to feelings<br />

of relaxation and harmony.<br />

Energy<br />

So what are the practices in yoga that engage in energy<br />

control and balance? Everything is energy. This has been<br />

clarified by modern-day science, however, this simple but<br />

important fact was always known by ancient yogis. From<br />

the physical to the most subtle, energy is the life force within<br />

each and everyone of us. It is also the force that connects<br />

us to everyone and everything.<br />

Yoga uses many practices to help improve the quality and<br />

quantity of this energy, remove energy blockages and create<br />

balance within energy centers located within us. This<br />

energy is known as prana in yoga. Prana flows through<br />

energy lines within us, called nadis, and helps maintain all<br />

physical, mental, and emotional functions. Along these energy<br />

lines are energy centers called chakras. By maintaining<br />

good quality, free-flowing prana along blockage free<br />

nadis, our chakras can function optimally, allowing us to<br />

live a balanced and harmonious life.<br />

So from this, we can see that yoga is about energy. Energy<br />

in its grossest and most subtle forms. The grossest aspect<br />

of ourselves is the physical body, and the most subtle<br />

are those processes that go beyond the mind. In yoga, we<br />

aim to unite these aspects, the gross and the physical, the<br />

body and the mind, so we see that they are not separate,<br />

but one.<br />

Bhoga Yoga:<br />

Jeonju<br />

Now that I’ve explained what yoga is, let me introduce<br />

you to our beautiful yoga community here in Jeonju. Bhoga<br />

Yoga began in 2013, in a small taekwondo studio in Ajungli.<br />

As a newly qualified yoga teacher who was extremely<br />

nervous and apprehensive, I found the Jeonju community,<br />

as always, took a leap of faith with me and joined our<br />

weekly classes. From our humble days in Ajungli, we have<br />

developed and expanded. We are now hosted by Body for<br />

Mind Yoga studio in Hyojadong. The yoga director, Park<br />

Sang Mi, has been a supporter of Bhoga Yoga since 2014,<br />

and we are all so grateful for her help and support.<br />

The classes I teach range from beginner Hatha flow to<br />

intermediate vinyasa flow. Each class has 4 elements:<br />

philosophy discussion, meditation, pranayama, and asana.<br />

This helps give people an insight into the deeper aspects<br />

of yoga, not just the physical practice. I also teach regular<br />

workshops, ranging from Ashtanga Modified Primary series<br />

workshops to Chakra-specific workshops. The workshops<br />

are attended by all levels of practitioners from all<br />

over Korea. We are currently moving through a 7-month<br />

series of workshops, focusing each month on a specific<br />

chakra. This systematic approach to exploring the chakras<br />

allows people the time and space to build a strong foundation<br />

for their practice, as well integrating these practices<br />

into their everyday lives.<br />

This year and last, we integrated our yoga practcse into<br />

a beautiful mountain hike up Godoksan, near Jeonju. To<br />

practice in nature, with the fresh cool air blowing on your<br />

skin, really invigorates the soul! Our weekly classes are<br />

live-streamed on Periscope so our Bhoga Yogis who live in<br />

different areas of the world can join us too!<br />

The main intention of Bhoga Yoga, was, and still is, to<br />

create a community where people feel safe and supported<br />

to explore their true selves, whilst having fun!<br />

‘Bhoga’ is a Sanskrit<br />

word that means<br />

‘conscious enjoyment’...<br />

...and that’s exactly what we do during our classes and<br />

workshops. We maintain the playful mind of a child, while<br />

bringing our mind under control with compassion and kindness.<br />

For those who have had a consistent and regular practice,<br />

they will agree that taking the yogic path isn’t easy. We<br />

become more aware of everything and everyone, as well<br />

as becoming more sensitive to external disturbances. For<br />

many, the realization that we have the power to control our<br />

own lives is liberating. However, acknowledging that taking<br />

this challenge on is at times scary and difficult, makes<br />

people return back to old habits.<br />

But that’s the beauty of having a community like ours: we<br />

support each other. During the last three and a half years,<br />

the community of Bhoga Yoga has grown together. We’ve<br />

all experienced our own challenges, but have chosen to explore<br />

the potential in each one for growth.<br />

Jeonju has provided me the secure and safe space to develop<br />

as a yoga teacher, and to truly explore who I really<br />

am. For this, Jeonju, I am so grateful. My time in Jeonju<br />

is coming to a close, as I shall be leaving in November<br />

<strong>2016</strong>,to explore new challenges, hoping to become a fulltime<br />

yoga teacher. With only two workshops left at the end<br />

of September and <strong>October</strong>, I hope our Bhoga Yoga community,<br />

throughout Korea and the world, maintains their dedication<br />

to their practice and commitment to making their<br />

lives healthier and happier.<br />

For more information please check out our Bhoga Yoga -<br />

Jeonju Facebook group, and the BhogaYoga website (http://<br />

www.bhoga-yoga.com). For those residing in Jeonju after<br />

I leave, I also highly recommend checking out the studios<br />

that have helped me along the way in Jeonju, including<br />

Body for Mind studio in Hyoja-dong and Myeongsang<br />

Yoga in Inhudong.<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> 13


JEONBUK TOUR<br />

Among 43 cultural festivals taking place<br />

around Korea this year, the Ministry of<br />

Tourism chose the Gimje Horizon Festival<br />

as one of its featured Top 3. This was a fitting chance<br />

for an event that is now in its 18th year but has perhaps<br />

not gotten the attention it deserves.<br />

What makes this festival so special? First and foremost,<br />

the setting. “Horizon Festival” stands as the<br />

name among many aspects of the event because of,<br />

well, the horizon (in Korean, jipyeongseon). Gimje<br />

is said to be the only inland location in Korea where<br />

one can see the horizon over flat land. And at this<br />

time of year, what a spectacular horizon it is. The<br />

rice fields stretch on in a golden hue before harvest,<br />

accented by spreads of purple-tinged cosmos flowers.<br />

Locally crafted scarecrows and decorative hay<br />

bales also help craft the silhouette of sunrise and sunset,<br />

giving a particularly autumnal feel.<br />

For the festival time, though, there’s something noticeably<br />

different on the horizon – dragons. This is<br />

g<br />

By ANJEE DISANTO, Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> Co-Editor<br />

[Shots courtesy of Gimje Public Relations]<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> 15


JEONBUK TOUR<br />

mid-300s in the Baekje dynasty and was a key to irrigating<br />

land throughout tough times in Korea. It’s only<br />

fitting, then, to celebrate the prosperity of modern Korea<br />

and Gimje’s “rice bowl” in particular in this spot.<br />

While the Horizon Festival takes place just one weekend<br />

each Fall, the charm of Gimje and its local farming<br />

culture extend far beyond that single span of days. If<br />

the festival’s not on, come here to check out the golden<br />

or bright green rice fields, the handmade scarecrows,<br />

the lakes of white lotus flowers (in summer), the scenes<br />

of every season at Geumsansa, or the feast of local<br />

foods. And the dragons… well, in spirit, they are always<br />

guarding the area, but in body, they’ll be back at<br />

the same time each year.t<br />

the theme that likely comes up the most in people’s<br />

grand photos and memories of the Horizon festival.<br />

For one, two giant bamboo dragons loom on the horizon<br />

line over the festival, meant to represent the legendary<br />

dragons that are said to guard Byeokgeolje, the<br />

festival ground. These bamboo beasts stand against<br />

dramatic sunrises and sunsets in the daytime and below<br />

torrents of festival fireworks or launched lanterns<br />

at night. Two moving dragons manned by locals, a<br />

colorful white and blue, might be seen meandering<br />

and performing amid the grounds as well.<br />

Besides a bit of spectacle, the Horizon Fest offers<br />

some ways for locals and tourists to get back to the area’s<br />

roots (both figuratively and otherwise). The event<br />

has long served as a way to connect to the farming<br />

culture of the region, which many call the “rice bowl”<br />

of Korea. Of course this can involve “connecting” to<br />

farming in a more literal way, such as by learning how<br />

to harvest rice, but this getting down and dirty it not<br />

everyone’s cup of tea.<br />

Luckily, the experiences related to the farming culture<br />

extend much further. Take the case of samulnori.<br />

These percussion quartets involving two gongs and<br />

two drums serve as the rhythmic backdrop to so many<br />

events in Korea, but the practice itself is also rooted in<br />

rice farming and the celebration of a harvest. With this<br />

in mind, Gimje’s festival understandably features this<br />

art form prominently. Another performance rooted<br />

in farming culture, nongak, is a spotlight in Gimje as<br />

well. This is the dance we so often see in Korea with<br />

tri-colored pompom hats, circles of instruments, and<br />

mild feats of acrobatics. As with any festival in Korea,<br />

these more traditional music displays are mixed<br />

with modern performances like Kpop-style shows, so<br />

it’s easy to get your fill of whatever you fancy.<br />

As for other traditions, a giant tug of war contest<br />

and ssireum, Korean folk wrestling, are bound to<br />

be on the itinerary in this rural setting. Less daring<br />

activities like kite flying, which takes place in staggering<br />

amounts over the dragon-donning horizon,<br />

are available, too, along with special events: several<br />

years ago, festival-organizers endeavored to make the<br />

world’s longest rice cake, for instance, and this year, a<br />

makkeoli sub-festival featured a setting to sample the<br />

extra-local brew.<br />

Of course you’re sure to find a full spread of cuisine<br />

at the Horizon Fest, as is true of most large-scale<br />

Korean gatherings, as well as experiential programs<br />

like wearing hanboks. (Gimje’s festival also offers a<br />

full-on traditional wedding experience, if the hanboks<br />

themselves are not enough.)<br />

But a last thing to consider when noting the importance<br />

of this local festival is the history behind<br />

the setting. Byeokgeolje, the reservoir at the festival<br />

grounds, is said to be the oldest reservoir made my<br />

man on the peninsula. This feature dates back to the<br />

Side Trips<br />

While in Gimje, one might make a variety of side<br />

trips to take in the local culture and cuisine.<br />

Among the options, we’ll offer up just two ideas for this<br />

issue: historic Geumsansa and hearty local beef sashimi.<br />

Geumsansa, the treasured “Golden Mountain Temple,”<br />

rests on the back slope of Moak mountain nearby prime<br />

hiking trails. Built in the Baekje era around 600, the temple<br />

houses a variety of national treasures, including the<br />

three-tiered Mireukjeon Hall in the temple’s main courtyard.<br />

Besides its multiple stories, which are not that characteristic<br />

of Korean temple structures, this hall houses a<br />

trio of stunning, larger-than life golden buddhas, including<br />

a Mireuksa (future) Buddha. The carvings and artwork on<br />

many of the numerous temple doors and walls are exquisite<br />

here, too – a great place to look into the small, thoughtful<br />

details of Korean Buddhist architecture.<br />

Besides its treasures, Geumsansa is renowned for its<br />

TempleStay program and its scenery for any season.<br />

Cherry blossoms dot the grounds and the walk to the temple<br />

in the spring, a time when the courtyard comes alive<br />

with lanterns. Summer brings lush greenery and flowers<br />

all around, while the backdrop of Mt. Moak bursts into<br />

reds and oranges in autumn. Even winter is a site to behold<br />

at Geumsansa, when snow caps the mountain’s peak and<br />

icicles hang from each roof tile.<br />

If you work up an appetite while touring the Gimje area,<br />

many local foods are more than worthy of a try, but we’d<br />

particular recommend trying some yook sashimi, made<br />

with local hanwoo. Hanwoo is Korean beef, and while<br />

eating raw beef might be unusual in some cultures, it’s<br />

definitely a delicacy in Korea. The meat is typically served<br />

in relatively thin, red slivers alongside a flavorful sauce to<br />

kick things up a notch. And even to a skeptical Westerner,<br />

the taste might surprise you, as the meat itself has an almost<br />

melt-in-your-mouth consistency.<br />

For this beef sashimi, you might check out Chongche<br />

Bori Hanwoo Zone in Gimje’s Oksandong area, or, if willing<br />

to go a bit further, Wonpyeong Jipyeongseon Cheongbori<br />

Hanwoo Zone in Wonpyeong.<br />

These are only two of many things Gimje has to offer in<br />

addition to the Horizon Festival. Check out future issues<br />

of <strong>JB</strong> <strong>Life</strong> for more detail on these and other local high<br />

points!<br />

16


LOCAL FOOD<br />

By ANJEE DISANTO<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> Co-Editor<br />

I’ve always felt that Korean cuisine had an element of<br />

earthy, outdoorsy charm. Meats of every manner are<br />

barbecued upon open fires, ajummas pluck greens at<br />

the roadside to mix into delectable side dishes, and ranges of<br />

pungent and salty earth and sea critters pop up as unexpected<br />

accompaniments to many meals.<br />

But a trip to Wanju’s “Wild Food Festival” revealed an<br />

even deeper connection to the outdoors through local fare.<br />

In terms of food, the Wanju festival typically highlights two<br />

ends of a spectrum: the tame-yet-tasty modern specialties of<br />

the local region and the rarely used ingredients and cooking<br />

methods of the past. For many, it’s the latter that would naturally<br />

be of more interest, and this side of the festival definitely<br />

did not disappoint.<br />

One of the highlights: entomophagy. A section of the<br />

grounds devoted to Wanju-based entomophagy (insects as<br />

food) exhibited both traditional and fusion methods of eating<br />

some delicious creepy crawlies. Fried beetles were nicely<br />

spiced, crunchy, and only mildly disconcerting, while pinesmoked<br />

grasshopper skewers offered a similar yet somehow<br />

more gourmet experience. Salty clumps of meal worms<br />

seemed to be a favorite even with kids, one of whom commented<br />

they “tasted like French fries.” These worms made<br />

their way into lollipops as well.<br />

For the truly adventurous, fried frogs popped up alongside<br />

the insects, with chefs cooking them in pepper and sesame<br />

in front of audiences. Although I’d tried frog legs before,<br />

like many in attendance, I was skeptical; luckily, it turns out<br />

that the Korean style of breading and seasoning makes even<br />

the seemingly frightening taste food-worthy. And escargot<br />

cutlet? While a surprising addition to the mix, this fusion<br />

offering seemed rather similar to the pork dish we all love.<br />

Perhaps this is the cutlet of the future?<br />

Elsewhere on the festival grounds, foods became adventurous<br />

simply through their catching or cooking methods, even<br />

if the ingredients were rather normal. Young and old were<br />

invited to catch their own salmon in the nearby stream. Afterward,<br />

the winnings were coated in coarse salt and could be<br />

cooked en masse via oven or grilled patiently over charcoal<br />

and clay pits. Many chose the latter, opting for a chance to<br />

share the quiet camaraderie round an outside fire that we so<br />

miss in modern times.<br />

Clay and mud proved to be a common element in cooking<br />

here. Meat strips like samgyeopsal were wrapped in oiled<br />

paper or lotus leaves and stuffed into deep red clay, after<br />

which they cooked in a massive clay oven. A similar method<br />

baked chickens inside of weighty clay clumps. And the<br />

result? All of these truly earthen methods ended, for me,<br />

as proof of a personal theory of mine: that nearly anything<br />

cooked in clay will turn out delicious.<br />

Of course, the bulk of these adventures represent traditional<br />

methods and ingredients of cooking, ones which are<br />

rarely used today for the sake of convenience. This is why<br />

another half of the festival seeks to highlight the most common<br />

Wanju foods and ingredients of today.<br />

Eight ingredients are the most lauded in Wanju’s “wild”<br />

inventory, though the festival reflected that there are in fact<br />

many more. Dried, candied persimmons and persimmon<br />

vinegar are two of the eight, and appeared both solo and in<br />

dishes at the festival. Ginger, onions, garlic, and jujubes<br />

make up more of the local food treasures, along with hanwoo<br />

beef. Rounding out the list were strawberries, mostly<br />

on offer through thick smoothies of fresh-picked berries.<br />

And while fried frogs, snail patties, and clay-roasted<br />

samgyeopsal might sound exciting, the modern local foods<br />

and their accompanying market were just as worth a visit.<br />

There also I tasted and sampled items in ways that were foreign<br />

to me, from ingredients using every available bit of the<br />

lotus plant to extra-strong alcohols brewed from fruits I’d<br />

never seen in person. To any adventurous chef, the abundance<br />

of lesser-known grains, spices, and locally grown<br />

vegetables would be a great find, too.<br />

We often see our local “wild” ingredients only in small<br />

doses in local markets or at highway rest stops. The same<br />

goes for traditional cooking methods, which pop up only at<br />

specialty restaurants these days (if we’re lucky!). Any opportunity<br />

to easily escape to the countryside, and in some<br />

ways, to the past, ought to be an ultimate wish of any true<br />

foodie. In Wanju, it turns out, there are plenty “wild” wishes<br />

to be fulfilled.<br />

While the Wanju Wild Food Festival only runs once per<br />

year in the Fall, many of the mentioned ingredients and dishes<br />

can be experienced through local markets and restaurants.<br />

Visit www.wanju.go.kr/tour to browse the local foods and<br />

offerings.<br />

PHOTOS: [FAR LEFT] A clay oven and prepared samgyeopsal strips. [NEAR LEFT] A brave<br />

volunteer steps up to taste the body of a fried frog. [RIGHT, FROM TOP] Grasshopper skewers,<br />

18 snail cutlet, and salmon roasting over a clay-pit fire. [Photos by ANJEE DISANTO]<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> 19


PHOTO ESSAY<br />

Heosu Abi (허수아비) is the Korean word for scarecrow.<br />

The component parts of the term literally translate<br />

to “empty” and “man.” But to me, they are not empty<br />

at all.<br />

Scarecrows have been a fixture of farm-country since time<br />

immemorial -- probably since the dawn of agriculture. Over<br />

the years, in addition to fulfilling their bird-repelling duties,<br />

they have wended their way into the fabric of the human psyche,<br />

symbols of innocence or evil, in whatever form of media<br />

they are being portrayed. But in this day and age, do you really<br />

see them standing guard above crops anymore? Do you?<br />

Where I come from, the old-school strawman-scarecrows<br />

are all but gone, replaced by higher-tech solutions using<br />

shiny synthetic ribbons, “noise-guns” and the like. Big farming<br />

has taken all the art out of the endeavor.<br />

In Korea though, it’s another story.<br />

I have been living in Jeollabuk-do, South Korea’s most rural<br />

province, for over eleven years. It’s a world apart from<br />

the frenetic-paced, crowded streets of Seoul, with its sleek<br />

buildings and 24-hour everything. Over the past few years,<br />

I have taught at up to eight different schools a week for the<br />

Iksan Board of Education, almost all of them servicing tiny<br />

farming communities in the very outskirts of town.<br />

The largest of these schools has 45 kids. And the smallest<br />

of them has a student body of eight. Eight! There are more<br />

cars parked on its soccer field (it has no parking lot) than<br />

there are students (who are not numerous enough for a soccer<br />

team). Outside its yard are a handful of old houses surrounded<br />

by the crops this small community survives off of. Pretty<br />

much all of my schools are set in similar surroundings, and<br />

exploring these small hamlets while I make my way to and<br />

from work has become something of a passion.<br />

I’ve noticed that farming here seems to be on a much<br />

smaller scale than in North America. Often enough, crops<br />

are still sown and harvested by hand. Family and neighbors<br />

work the fields together and lay the goods they have grown<br />

on the sides of the roads to dry out in the sun.<br />

One day, on a dusty road that was barely wide enough for<br />

all four wheels of a mid-sized car, I stumbled upon a sight:<br />

the torso of a ghostly white boy in a polo shirt hovering<br />

above a muddy field, on a pole. It was an old mannequin<br />

re-purposed to ward off birds, cool and creepy as hell, out<br />

here in the middle of nowhere. So I took some pictures of it.<br />

Over time, I found more of these cleverly crafted scarecrows<br />

among the fields of these small farms, and started to<br />

see them as the folk-art that they are. I would meet<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> 21<br />

g


PHOTO ESSAY<br />

some of their creators when they come over to see why a<br />

Canadian dude was knee-deep in their crops, and could hear<br />

them speak with pride of their creations.<br />

Materials varied from scarecrow to scarecrow. Some had<br />

on dress-shirts, winter jackets, or dresses, some used ramyeon<br />

packaging, buckets, road cones, hats of all types, beer<br />

cans, flags, shoes, teddy bears, and much, much more.<br />

One thing became clear to me: some spoke of more than<br />

the farmer’s simple need to ward away birds. Some were<br />

telling a story perhaps, or were an outlet of creativity or<br />

emotion for their creators. They were beautiful.<br />

One of my favorite finds was taken on a gloomy day last<br />

December. I was buzzing around the wee backroads, as I do,<br />

when the sun unexpectedly penetrated the thick cloud-cover.<br />

I thought I might get a nice shot of a well-known local<br />

mountain, Mireuksan, in the awesome light that was then<br />

developing. Boots ankle-deep in water and mud, I found a<br />

vantage point I liked, looked through my view-finder, and<br />

zoomed in. There, exactly where and when I would most<br />

like a scarecrow to be, one was. A doozy! It was not one,<br />

but two scarecrows - combined! And not just any old pair of<br />

scarecrows, but clearly an “adult” and a “child.”<br />

I asked myself, why? Why would someone do this? Was<br />

this scarecrow couple scarier to birds than a solo one, or<br />

somehow more effective? I’m pretty sure that’s not the<br />

case. I tried to imagine scenarios that could explain their<br />

existence: a grandparent and child made them as a bonding<br />

experience? Or perhaps they were made by a parent in<br />

mourning? Or by a proud parent-to-be? I felt someone had<br />

a pressing desire to express something here, some emotion<br />

or story. And I will never know it. A mystery.<br />

And like some Rorschach test, I can’t help but wonder<br />

what these farmland sentinels reveal about my own state of<br />

mind as I see in them this persona or that facial expression.<br />

All the same though, I just can’t stop myself from seeking<br />

them out.<br />

Where I used to speed through the curvaceous uncrowded<br />

country roads on my motorcycle, I now troll them slowly,<br />

camera on the ready, scanning the fields and horizon for my<br />

new favorite subject.<br />

For more images of scarecrows and the Korean countryside,<br />

search for “greggusan” and his photostream on Flickr.<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> 23


ARTS<br />

Focus on<br />

Korean<br />

Calligraphy<br />

By<br />

Miriam<br />

Lee<br />

24<br />

On the edge of the friendly but quiet courtyard<br />

of the Korean Traditional Culture Center in<br />

Jeonju, the new and growing building just<br />

northeast of downtown (you have probably seen it walking<br />

from Art Box to HomePlus), there sits a glass-fronted<br />

calligraphy studio and shop. Inside, a warm and down-toearth<br />

man is crafting his passion, helping the young and<br />

old to love Hangul.<br />

Even the newest of foreign visitors to Korea will likely<br />

have heard the basic history and superiority of the written<br />

Korean language, Hangul. It is a remarkably straightforward<br />

and logical language. (You’ll have heard some version<br />

of how even a complete idiot can learn it in a week.)<br />

It is as reliable in its logic as English is not.<br />

Hangul was a genius invention, any proud Korean student<br />

or linguistics scholar will tell you, especially on the national<br />

holiday on <strong>October</strong> 8th, which is set aside to celebrate<br />

the language. It happens to follow International Literacy<br />

Day by exactly a month. Hangul is one of the proudest elements<br />

of Korean culture, and with good reason. It is probably<br />

at the core of Korea’s very impressive literacy rate (in<br />

fact North Korea proclaims itself first in the world at 100%<br />

literate). Hangul is a relatively young language, created by<br />

the much-loved Joseon ruler King Sejong around the year<br />

1446. It was designed to help the common people become<br />

literate, and it was extremely successful. Beyond simply<br />

being phonetically logical, the letters provide specific instructions<br />

for placement of lips and teeth.<br />

According to an article in the Economist on Hangul<br />

Day of 2013 (<strong>October</strong> 8), in the fifteenth century, Hangul<br />

wasn’t immediately embraced by the elite Joseon scholars,<br />

but was mainly used by women and less educated<br />

students. Its use was not encouraged until the 19th century<br />

by the Japanese, in an effort to gain control over the<br />

Korean peninsula from China. Later more control still<br />

was gained by forcing the use of the Japanese language.<br />

In a country with as much national pride as Korea, even<br />

without such a special language, it would seem to follow<br />

almost naturally that there would be a strong tradition of<br />

calligraphy. In many festivals around the country, a street<br />

performance of clacking drums and anachronistic drama<br />

can be seen; a man in flowing white robes wields a massive<br />

paint brush against a large white sheet on the ground.<br />

With speed and drama he drips and sloshes, scrapes and<br />

drags out a massive message. (If it wasn’t already a tradition<br />

it would make an amazing graphic novel - a frustrated<br />

protagonist fights an unseen dragon with an unrealistically<br />

large ink paint brush). The final product is large and<br />

loud black ink in thick, juicy slabs.<br />

I have to admit that I don’t entirely get it. These tend<br />

to be the displays that I’m left wondering why other<br />

tourists are so closely filming. It is certainly culturally<br />

interesting, but not exactly aesthetically breathtaking. I<br />

do consider myself a fan of calligraphy in general (and<br />

not just because I’ve found that my elementary students<br />

much prefer a swirly and loopy “Great Job!” on their<br />

workbook pages to any giraffe or Pororo sticker). I waste<br />

a great deal of time with handwritten letters and compilations<br />

of Pinterest and YouTube calligraphy videos. Still,<br />

I struggle to see the beauty in these calligraphic displays.<br />

Perhaps it is just that ornateness is not a strong suit of<br />

Hangul. In fact it is its simplicity and utilitarian purity<br />

that make it so special.<br />

I suspect that the artist in the KTCC calligraphy center<br />

might agree, as he sits down for a <strong>JB</strong> <strong>Life</strong> interview. Seo<br />

Jae Jook, a native of Jeonju, started his career in graphic<br />

design. As he describes the beauty and precision with<br />

which letters are arranged on a page, I can’t help but be<br />

reminded of Steve Jobs giving his inspirational “Stay<br />

Hungry” speech to Stanford and his revolutionary interest<br />

in the very same thing.<br />

When I ask about the calligraphy performances he<br />

gives once or twice a year, for the New Year and other<br />

holidays, he seems as lukewarm towards the idea as<br />

I am. He prefers to discuss the words themselves, how<br />

they make people feel. He offers classes to students<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> 25<br />

g


ARTS<br />

with enough of a command of Korean to explore dual<br />

meanings and word play. (Sadly, mine won’t do, as<br />

I demonstrate an inability to recognize the words for<br />

“smile” and “road” that have been cleverly displayed<br />

on the wall of the studio.)<br />

His cedar-scented studio is pleasantly arranged with<br />

examples of his work, curving and circling into one appealing,<br />

if hard to decipher, shape. The characters turn<br />

out to be a kind of visual onomatopoeia, with words<br />

playfully and poetically arranged to extend their meaning.<br />

The shapes are fat and friendly and unpretentious.<br />

A line of brightly colored clocks point toward his small<br />

office. He explains that the cultural center requested<br />

that he design clocks for the young building complex.<br />

When I inquire about what I assume to be a deeper<br />

meaning about time or life, he just says all the rooms<br />

needed new clocks.<br />

This is not the painfully precise lesson in perfect<br />

penmanship that I was expecting. Nor was it a deeply<br />

spiritual look into the beauties of imperfections I vaguely<br />

remembered from the Asian art history class I took<br />

fifteen years ago. In an effort to better understand, I<br />

watched a clip of a presentation given to the Korea Society<br />

by Korean calligrapher Park Byoung Chul. He calls<br />

himself a letter farmer, planting the seeds and letting<br />

the words bloom. He explains that what was a tradition<br />

named for “fashionable elegance” has taken on an entirely<br />

new life without restrictions or standards, which<br />

leaves immense space for expression and play. In fact,<br />

he claims that the only shared elements between traditional<br />

and modern calligraphy are the paper, the brush,<br />

and the ink stone and slab.<br />

Due to the youth and simplicity of the language, Mr.<br />

Seo explains, plenty of room for expression is left. He<br />

quickly draws a word I’ve seen surreptitiously appear<br />

on my classroom white boards many times: ddong!<br />

똥! He illustrates how the D sound can be slightly stylized<br />

to make a butt, the long line of the “oh” sound can<br />

represent the intestines, and the final velar nasal stop<br />

(-ng sound), usually a simple circle, can illustrate in<br />

various shapes the very word it is indicating!<br />

I ask about his favorite brush, gesturing to the hanging<br />

circles of perfectly clean but aged traditional paint<br />

and ink brushes prominently placed on the photogenic<br />

walls of his studio. I suppose I was expecting him to<br />

display his favorite teacher’s ancient tool, but I share<br />

his delight when, after waving his hand over shelves<br />

full of pens of different colors and tip sizes, he pulls<br />

from a secretive spot in his office a shining blue box,<br />

and with a grin opens it to reveal the complete rainbow<br />

set of, you guessed it, gel pens.<br />

This is the beauty of Korean culture, I think. The<br />

ancient and the modern can intertwine in a way that<br />

is both clashing and seamless. A seventy-five-year-old<br />

woman selling homemade tofu on a sidewalk in front<br />

of a loud cell phone store, an elegant hanok gracing<br />

the entrance to the most modern IMAX theater, both<br />

moving forward and honoring history. Feelings about<br />

the smell of rice in autumn in ancient ink and gel pen<br />

highlights. And how better to truly celebrate the Korean<br />

people’s history than with the honesty and unpretentious<br />

accessibility with which Hangul was created.<br />

For the New Year’s Day holiday, Seo Jae Jook can<br />

be found in the courtyard performing a calligraphic<br />

ceremony, painting encouraging and inspirational<br />

words for the new year. Around the studio there<br />

are many examples of positive and poetic messages,<br />

some his own and some quotations, on mugs and fans<br />

and even a dodecahedronal calendar. He says he often<br />

works with people to find the right message or word<br />

to have inscribed on a gift for a particular occasion.<br />

Gifts of calendars and coffee mugs are available for<br />

very reasonable prices, and you can even have your<br />

own name chop made, complete with the minute<br />

notches that will make your signature stamp uncopiable.<br />

He is quite proud to explain how he made a signature<br />

chop for a recent Norwegian visitor, and can do<br />

the same for you in twenty or thirty minutes.<br />

The shop at KTCC is open to visitors from Monday<br />

to Saturday from 10am until 7pm with additional<br />

Sunday hours during the holiday and festival seasons.<br />

PHOTOS: [PREVIOUS PAGES] Fans and scrolls<br />

decorated by the artist in his studio. [RIGHT] Two<br />

of the artist’s works on display in his workshop,<br />

and Mr. Seo himself explaining how to bend words.<br />

[Photos by ANJEE DISANTO]<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> 27


ARTS<br />

Inside the World of Mohamed Fawzy<br />

By SILAYAN CASINO<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> Contributing Writer<br />

What does “Motopia” mean? Well, it is derived<br />

from the word “utopia,” which means<br />

an idyllic world. It is also the nickname of<br />

an Egyptian artist, Mohamed, living in the vicinity of<br />

Gimje. Read on and learn more about Motopia!<br />

Beginnings<br />

workshops at the Jesuit Culture Center in Alexandria.<br />

This work eventually led him to Siwa Oasis. The Siwa<br />

Oasis is an Egyptian desert oasis found in Africa’s northeast,<br />

near the Libyan border.<br />

In Siwa, Mohamed built his own house. All he rented<br />

was a shelter. He used many recycled materials, salt<br />

stones, and whatever natural resources he could find to<br />

make a home for himself for about ten years. He also built<br />

a cultural center and library for the children. The families<br />

and children he worked with in Siwa were relatively<br />

g<br />

Mohamed was born in Alexandria and moved to the<br />

UAE as a young boy. The eldest of four children, he grew<br />

up with a loving father, an engineer, who taught him many<br />

things about art. They spent many hours making things by<br />

hand. This eventually sparked Mohamed’s interest in pursuing<br />

art as a career. But from the time he started elementary<br />

school, Mohamed was “forbidden” from doing any<br />

more art work. His art supplies and materials were hidden<br />

away from him, though secretly, he continued.<br />

In 1995, Motopia returned to Egypt, to Alexandria,<br />

where he at first pursued biology but later changed his<br />

academic focus to anthropology and art. Two years later,<br />

in 1997, he began working full-time in art and teaching<br />

art to children. He started offering private and children’s<br />

LEFT: A work that occupies a full wall in Fawzy’s<br />

Gimje studio. RIGHT: One of the many wire animal<br />

sculptures that are characteristic of Fawzy’s style.<br />

[Photos by ANJEE DISANTO]<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> 29


ARTS<br />

LEFT: A copy of a children’s book designed by<br />

Fawzy before coming to Korea.<br />

RIGHT: The artist himself in front of one of his<br />

large-scale works. [Photos by ANJEE DISANTO]<br />

poor and couldn’t afford much. For this reason, Mohamed’s<br />

art workshops were free. He used whatever he<br />

had earned or saved from Alexandria to make this contribution<br />

to the Berber-speaking people of Siwa. Why?<br />

One of Motopoia’s goals was to instill, release, creative<br />

expression in children. However, many in that<br />

Muslim culture consider art expression forbidden<br />

because of their religion. Through his workshops,<br />

though, girls and boys were allowed to do art together,<br />

where they normally wouldn’t have been allowed<br />

to, as gender segregation is common in Islam. His<br />

years in Siwa were good to him and he was grateful<br />

to have had the opportunity to live among that community.<br />

From Siwa, Motopia returned for a while to Alexandria,<br />

before moving to South Korea in 2013. His<br />

decision to move was a big one. His wife was Korean<br />

and they decided to make their life together in South<br />

Korea. When he left Egypt, Mohamad “threw away,”<br />

disposed of thousands of pieces of artwork he had<br />

collected in order to open up a children’s discovery<br />

museum. Unfortunately, that project was not realized,<br />

but coming to Korea was really a new beginning for<br />

Mohamad. It was not really his choice, but he is accepting<br />

his fate and is making the most of his situation.<br />

Major and Minor<br />

Experiences<br />

Over the course of his art career, Mohamad has<br />

had 40 solo exhibitions, seven of which took place in<br />

Korea. He has also participated in five non-solo exhibitions,<br />

mostly in Seoul, the most recent one having<br />

been in Busan. His exhibits consist mostly of paintings,<br />

drawings, sculpture, photography, and video art.<br />

In Egypt, in fact, he was featured several times in design,<br />

architecture, and art magazines, as well as on<br />

television.<br />

He has also gained much experience working with<br />

street children. He discovered that some organizations<br />

encourage work with street children and then take<br />

advantage of the earnings the children make. This<br />

brought him to work directly with the children to empower<br />

them more.<br />

In Alexandria, Motopia had a brief experience with<br />

modern dance and “live” painting. What is this, you<br />

may be wondering? It is a performance in which the<br />

back wall of the stage is covered in cardboard paper<br />

while paint and brushes front the wall. As the artists<br />

dance, they also pick up the brushes and paint. This<br />

was part of a one-month workshop during which the<br />

story and music were created. The modern dance with<br />

live painting performance was the culmination of this<br />

project.<br />

Another touching experience Motopia encountered,<br />

was in Kathmandu, Nepal. We learned that Motopia’s<br />

passion is working and helping children develop a<br />

more scientific and cultured side from within through<br />

art. In Nepal, for just a short time of about three<br />

months, he worked with blind children, teaching them<br />

sculpture and drawing. It may seem impossible, but<br />

the challenge certainly paid off. He was very pleased<br />

to see that the results of the blind children “were similar<br />

to those of seeing children of the same ages.” Truly<br />

amazing.<br />

<strong>Life</strong> in Korea<br />

Motopia’s life in Korea has not exactly been a utopia.<br />

During his time in Gimje, he has been harassed<br />

and targeted as a terrorist, simply because of his name<br />

and where he comes from. Mohamed does not even<br />

practice Islam. He was born into that religion, but<br />

being away from his family, with his lifestyle as an<br />

artist, he is content the way he is. Islam is a religion<br />

the same way Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism<br />

are religions. Terrorism exists in many,<br />

g<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> 31


ARTS<br />

not necessarily all, societies. It is an act of extremism.<br />

There seems to be a strong misperception or misunderstanding<br />

about exactly who terrorists are. Just because<br />

he is Muslim, he stresses, it does NOT mean he<br />

is a terrorist. Mohamed is an artist, and a very gifted<br />

one at that.<br />

Still, one of his neighbor’s whom he was helping<br />

with something reported him to the police. Mohamad<br />

is living in a foreign country, an unfamiliar culture,<br />

and has had to tolerate this kind of racism in his new<br />

home. Is this fair? No. Do his activities as an artist,<br />

participating in exhibitions around Korea, and taking<br />

part in artist in residence programs, reflect those of an<br />

extremist, a terrorist? No. To this day, his activities<br />

have been observed by police, though he is no longer<br />

being harassed. Despite this negative experience, he<br />

will pursue a life in Gimje. The language barrier, as<br />

for many of us expats, limits his ability to integrate<br />

into the community, though somehow he has managed<br />

for the past two years since moving to this rural area<br />

from Seoul.<br />

During his time in Korea, Mohamed has discovered<br />

new interests and new art mediums. He is fond of Korean<br />

paper, hanji, and would like to use it to make<br />

clothes at some point. In addition, he likes the Korean<br />

transparent fabric called boshi. He would like to use<br />

this to experiment making sculptures with wire. Calligraphy<br />

is another one of Mohamed’s interests. He<br />

has worked a little in combining Japanese calligraphy<br />

with Arabic calligraphy, and would be interested in<br />

doing something similar with Korean and Arabic calligraphy.<br />

Fairly recently, Mohamad also started drawing<br />

old Korean houses, from around the 1920’s. He<br />

lives in such a house himself (maybe a little younger<br />

than from the 1920’s) and enjoys the architectural<br />

form.<br />

Since 1996, Mohamad’s inspiration for working<br />

with children has been somewhat personal. He said,<br />

“I feel alive when I<br />

work with children.”<br />

The past two years, however, he has had few opportunities<br />

to teach or work with children. He said<br />

he doesn’t teach so much as help children “discover”<br />

what they can do. He added that working with children,<br />

he has the opportunity to get so many new ideas<br />

from them. Mohamed shared that in Egypt, children<br />

are generally deprived of experimenting with art. So<br />

he felt they needed someone to motivate them, to find<br />

a way to bring out their creativity as individuals. This<br />

may be similar in Korea, where parents’ focus on education<br />

is paramount and any sort of creative discovery<br />

is secondary.<br />

His hope is to stay in Gimje, to learn more Korean in<br />

order to be able to communicate with people around<br />

him, and to open workshops for children again. Eventually,<br />

he’d like to buy some land and build a big art<br />

school and library for children. His real, true passion<br />

is working with children to help them understand<br />

themselves; to help them discover certain social and<br />

cultural hobbies; and to develop scientific thinking,<br />

creativity, and imagination.<br />

If you’re interested in learning more about Motopia,<br />

seeing some art work, or coloring some of his<br />

pictures, it’s very possible. He has written several<br />

children’s books, including one in Korea that was<br />

published in 2014. It’s title is 해복 바다에 무슨 일<br />

이 일어났을까 by 모하메드 파우지 이브라힘 칼<br />

레드. He is also currently working on compiling a<br />

coloring book, for adults. You may view more of his<br />

works on his web site at http://www.motopia-art.net/<br />

or contact him by searching for “Mohamed Fawzy”<br />

on Facebook. He welcomes contact with anyone:<br />

artists, art fans, parents with children, and more.<br />

LEFT: Detail of an illustration from Fawzy’s<br />

Korean-language children’s book. ABOVE and<br />

RIGHT: Two large-scale cloth-based works on<br />

the walls of Fawzy’s studio..<br />

[Photos by ANJEE DISANTO]<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> 33


GLOBAL JEONBUK<br />

A Taste of Vietnam’s North<br />

34<br />

By DEAN CRAWFORD<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> Contributing Writer<br />

Jeonju’s inclusion into the Lonely Planet’s Top 10<br />

Places to Visit in <strong>2016</strong> primarily came down to<br />

two factors. The country’s largest Hanok Village<br />

is a sight to behold, particularly at night, when lanterns<br />

bathe the area in traditional lights, transporting you back<br />

through 1000 years of Korean history. And for those that<br />

reside in area, you’d be hard pressed to hear anyone deny<br />

that Jeonju is undoubtedly the culinary capital of Korea.<br />

Despite the city continuing to develop and the newest<br />

hotspot for food and drink, Shinshigaji, offering a wealth<br />

of bars and restaurants, the one slight complaint that Jeonju<br />

expats may bemoan is the foreign food choices, in particular,<br />

the options for authentic South East Asian cuisine.<br />

And when it comes to Vietnamese food, Ashley Bui, the<br />

owner and head chef at Pho Hanoi, would certainly agree.<br />

As a result, she took it upon herself to open a restaurant<br />

with one simple remit: to provide the authentic flavors<br />

of Vietnam to Korean diners via a genuine Vietnamese<br />

experience.<br />

“I want people to come<br />

here and feel like they are<br />

coming to my home.”<br />

“Vietnamese, Korean, foreigners…they can find a family<br />

here,” she says with a beaming smile.<br />

The latest in a family of culinary artists hailing from<br />

Hanoi, it took over 10 years of living in Jeonju for Ashley<br />

to finally take the plunge to open Pho Hanoi in April. Using<br />

recipes passed down from generation to generation,<br />

Bui simply decided it was time to bring the true taste of<br />

Vietnam to Jeonju.<br />

“There any many restaurants around that don’t feel like<br />

they are real Vietnamese and more fusion. Here we serve<br />

authentic Vietnamese food. People who have been to Vietnam<br />

can definitely find the taste that they like.”<br />

So dedicated is she to creating that authentic taste, she<br />

has weekly shipments of herbs and spices sent straight<br />

from Vietnam, as anything other than the best simply<br />

won’t do. Restaurants from Hanoi to Ho Chi<br />

g<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> 35


GLOBAL JEONBUK<br />

Minh have their distinct flavours, so she refuses to<br />

make her food generic.<br />

Having travelled much of Vietnam, I cant attest that<br />

Pho Hanoi certainly offers an authentic feel. Lotus<br />

flowers handcrafted by Ashley herself hang from the<br />

the ceiling, while soothing Vietnamese music plays<br />

over the PA. The aromatic smell of Cà phê đá (traditional<br />

Vietnamese coffee) makes this place feel unlike<br />

any other Vietnamese restaurant I’ve tried in the city.<br />

But Pho Hanoi is more than it’s handicrafts and coffee.<br />

Ashley exerts a painstaking effort to make sure<br />

that the food is the star of the show. Not only are the<br />

majority of her ingredients straight from Vietnam, but<br />

her mother also works in the kitchen, ensuring that<br />

the family recipes are being adhered to. To some,<br />

this might seem extreme, but Ashely has been cooking<br />

since she was 11. To her, this dedication isn’t an<br />

extravagance, but a necessity. When I asked why she<br />

doesn’t buy her ingredients locally, she simply replied,<br />

“I can’t find what I need in Jeonju, so that’s the<br />

only way to keep the flavor and traditional taste.”<br />

Consider the nation’s most recognizable dish, pho.<br />

What some may simply see as as a dish of steamed<br />

water and a few herbs is a dish for which her family<br />

has been perfecting the recipe for years.<br />

“The main flavor is the bone, but it takes a lot of<br />

work. We cook it for 12 hours, but for the first 2<br />

hours, I always have to check it. The heat rises, so I<br />

have to make sure the broth is always pure and clean.<br />

Unlike Korean food, which is cooked with a strong<br />

heat, I have to cook our broth on a low heat for a long<br />

time, putting in more water. We use brisket and muscle<br />

from the cow, which has a great flavour.”<br />

It is only then that she can add more traditional seasonings<br />

such as cinnamon, dry shrimp, onions, and<br />

ginger. It seems like a real labor of love in a quest<br />

for perfection, especially when she tells me that her<br />

brother makes a point of travelling all over her home<br />

country looking for the best pho combinations. While<br />

this may seem extreme, it is definitely worth the effort.<br />

Ashley informed me that one should be able to tell<br />

from the first sip if the broth is fresh, and fresh it is.<br />

It’s fragrant, flavorful and downright delicious. Without<br />

sounding too melancholic, the first taste took me<br />

back to eating pho on the streets of Ho Chi Minh. The<br />

Pho Bo was not too sweet and definitely not too salty.<br />

The fresh, aromatic taste left no desire to add the Vietnamese<br />

chili sauce provided. I can honestly say it’s<br />

the best pho I’ve had in Jeonju, if not Korea.<br />

While a food critic has no option but to try pho bo<br />

whilst visiting a Vietnamese restaurant, another dish<br />

that comes highly recommended from local expats is<br />

the Xoi Ga, fried chicken with a sticky rice. Cooked<br />

in coconut juice, cinnamon, star anise, and, as I was<br />

told, “a special seasoning from the forest in Vietnam”<br />

(which no doubt arrives in the aforementioned weekly<br />

package from her sister), the chicken is fried to perfection<br />

and pairs perfectly with the sticky rice. I also tried<br />

the spring rolls and a Vietnamese coffee. A fitting start<br />

and end to a delicious meal. Despite my best efforts to<br />

try everything on the menu, as I got a bit full on the<br />

delicious food, Ashley informed me of the other more<br />

popular dishes.<br />

“Foreigners love the Bun Cha (vermicelli with BBQ<br />

pork, meatballs and spring rolls) because President<br />

Obama came to Vietnam and tried it with a bottle of<br />

Hanoi beer. We place a topping with stir fried beef on<br />

top. So it’s really good for a hot summer day!”<br />

But what about the locals? What does the Korean<br />

population ask for?<br />

“For the Koreans, they really love the Pho Tap Cam<br />

Cay (satay rice noodle with seafood and beef) - it’s<br />

spicy! But we can reduce the spice made to order. They<br />

also love the fried rice (Com Bo Xao) with stir fried<br />

beef that is seasoned with lemon grass and many kinds<br />

of herbs. One bowl of pho and this is a very popular<br />

combination.”<br />

As she said this, I overheard a young Korean couple<br />

walk through the door saying “맛있는 냄새” and order<br />

exactly that. It is obvious that she knows her food and<br />

her clientele extremely well.<br />

“Koreans enjoy our<br />

restaurant because they<br />

have a feeling like they<br />

are in Vietnam.”<br />

She proclaims this with a shy smile. “My customers<br />

say this is the real taste (of Vietnam) and they come<br />

back again.”<br />

I know I certainly will.<br />

I felt nothing but welcome during my time in Pho Hanoi<br />

and left feeling more than satisfied. With opening<br />

hours of 10am - 10pm and no breaks taken even during<br />

national holidays, I suggest that you, too, take a trip off<br />

the main strip of Shinshikaji and give Pho Hanoi a try.<br />

PHOTOS: Previous pages -- A bowl of bun cha<br />

with the backdrop of Pho Hanoi’s bright dining<br />

room; a xio ga plate with fragrant sticky rice.<br />

[Photos by ANJEE DISANTO] These pages --<br />

classic pho [photo by ANJEE DISANTO] and cha<br />

gio [photo by DEAN CRAWFORD].<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> 37


SPORTS<br />

with “Bubble Ball”<br />

By HEATHER ALLMAN<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> Contributing Writer<br />

Over the past few years, Bubble Ball has quickly<br />

gained popularity worldwide. Now played<br />

in over 200 countries, it is a smashing way for<br />

groups of people to combine their love of fun, sport, and all<br />

things, well, bouncy. If you’ve ever had the urge to knock<br />

your friends down at full speed without any sense of regret,<br />

Bubble Ball is the sport for you.<br />

Think it’s a good time to score? Bubble Ball is available<br />

year round in the Jeollabuk-do area, as it can be played<br />

both inside and out. Nathan Weatherholt, a Florida native<br />

currently residing in Jeonju and Co-Founder of Bubble<br />

Ball Korea, found himself “desperately wanting to play,”<br />

as it was apparent that the sport’s popularity was gaining in<br />

the U.S. After numerous searches left them realizing that<br />

Korea lacked a certain elasticity, Weatherholt and his business<br />

partner had the idea to purchase some bubble balls for<br />

their group of friends to enjoy. Once they recognized the<br />

legitimate success the game had achieved across the globe,<br />

the two decided to assist others in getting in on the action.<br />

Operating for a little over a year, Bubble Ball Korea has<br />

received some outstanding feedback with an abundance of<br />

repeat customers.<br />

Those who have experienced Bubble Ball Korea firsthand<br />

only offer rave reviews. Referring to it as “so much<br />

more intense and exciting” than expected, and that they<br />

“have never played sports like this before but really<br />

want to play again,” veterans of the game say positive<br />

things. Dean from England declared his favorite part<br />

to be “hurling [his] mate across the pitch!” Bubble<br />

Ball isn’t just a game, it’s also “a great way to exercise,”<br />

and blow off some steam. If you’re concerned<br />

about the sport being too high impact, Lynn from the<br />

U.S. said that, “she’s a small girl, but can play like [the]<br />

Hulk!” Rest assured, Bubble Ball Korea is made to suit<br />

players of any age and stature.<br />

So what should participants expect? Weatherholt described<br />

it as “a very odd sensation when you first get into one. You<br />

take on a sense of invincibility, while running full steam at<br />

your friends, smashing into them, and watching them roll like<br />

a tumbleweed!”<br />

The typical Bubble Ball game is a very inflated take on the<br />

game of soccer, with two teams of five trying to get the ball<br />

into their opponent’s goal. Reality springs into action in the<br />

form of 5-foot-wide,10-kg inflatable bubbles adorned by each<br />

player. While these may sound difficult for some to tackle, the<br />

only restriction is that players must be 145 cm tall.<br />

Bubble Ball soccer may be the most popular version of the<br />

sport, but Bubble Ball Korea also offers games called “Bubble<br />

Blast,” “Team Bubble Blast,” and “Capture the Flag.” Although<br />

players are required to sign a waiver, all of the games<br />

are extremely safe. Referees are always present to ensure that<br />

water breaks and fair play are strictly enforced.<br />

Bubble Ball Korea wants their customers to know that<br />

“Safety and FUN are [the] two most important factors with<br />

this company.” On top of that, they guarantee an amazing<br />

time.<br />

If you think you’re ready to kick off, organizing a Bubble<br />

Ball event is easy. Games can be played with as few as six<br />

people, but the company suggests having a group of nine or<br />

more. Larger groups can take turns playing against one another.<br />

The customer is only required to find the playing surface<br />

and Bubble Ball Korea will take care of the rest. An ideal<br />

playing field is the size of a basketball court, but larger areas<br />

can be utilized as well. Bubble Ball Korea will accommodate<br />

customers anywhere within the North Jeolla area, but are willing<br />

to travel further at an additional charge. If you’re in a bit<br />

of a bind, Weatherholt said that they are “happy to help find<br />

fields or schools to fit the customer’s needs within Jeonju” for<br />

no extra cost. He noted that most venues will require a reservation<br />

fee to use their facilities, which will not be included in<br />

the Bubble Ball Korea prices.<br />

Bubble Ball events are priced at 300,000 KRW for the first<br />

hour, including: 10 inflatable bubbles, referees/facilitators,<br />

soccer balls, markers, scoreboards, goal nets, and liability<br />

waivers. Prices significantly decrease for added rounds. Special<br />

discounts are awarded to students and corporate/school<br />

events. The activity is suited for schools, businesses, churches,<br />

organizations, and groups of friends.<br />

For more information or to schedule events, visit bubbleballkorea.com.<br />

Further inquiries can be addressed to bubbleballkorea@gmail.com.<br />

Photos courtesy of Bubble Ball and<br />

bubbleballkorea.com.<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> 39


WORLDVIEW<br />

some regard Confucianism as suppression by cultural ideals<br />

some regard Confucianism as the ideal expression of culture<br />

it’s all about how we regard each other<br />

by David van Minnen<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> Co-Editor<br />

What is the most prominent feature of Korea?<br />

A variety of people will give you a<br />

variety of answers to that question, such<br />

as K-Pop, LG phones, complete domination of womens’<br />

golf, and... mmmm the FOOD! These are noteworthy,<br />

but they do not explain what makes Koreans stand out<br />

from all other nations. In practical living, Korea is by<br />

far the most strictly practicing Confucian culture on the<br />

planet.<br />

“The Korean way” is basically Confucian principles<br />

rigorously practiced in daily life.<br />

Looking at acedemia’s offering of Confucius is informative<br />

and formative, but looking at Korea’s real-time, fleshand-blood<br />

living offering of Confucianism sees it lived out<br />

with gusto. Living in Korean society is to breathe in Confucian<br />

ways. Even if you don’t live here, it’s easy to see<br />

the Korean presence on the international stage, in business,<br />

tech, animation, gaming, and music, just to name a few. It<br />

is the Korean worldview and work ethic that bear the load<br />

of the nation’s skyrocketing success.<br />

So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that there are many<br />

Koreans who are extremely proud of their heritage and<br />

see it ebbing away under the sway of modernism. Every<br />

developing nation can relate, in its own way.<br />

In Korea, people think and behave very strictly<br />

along a certain code. Living to that code<br />

gives belonging and tells you where you<br />

stand. Relentlessly. Korea is unique from<br />

all other cultures mostly because of its<br />

strict ‘lived out’ Confucianism. There is<br />

no competition, by far, anywhere, according<br />

to rooms full of seasoned travelers.<br />

What is<br />

Confucianism?<br />

Confucianism is an ethical<br />

system. It is a societal<br />

ranking system. It<br />

is a philosophy. A way of living. The principle component:<br />

honor thy father and mother. This is one of the<br />

Ten Commandments, too, right? “Yes, but the fourth<br />

commandment . . . it’s turned up way higher in Korea,”<br />

explained a precocious teenaged girl. The entire Confucian<br />

system is about how to properly honor and obey<br />

your superiors. And pleasing them is how you do well in<br />

life. Simple, right?<br />

Confucius Himself<br />

Confucius had a difficult life. As did we all in 500 B.C.<br />

It may come as a surprise that he did not believe in classes<br />

or a caste system, and his disciples were both rich and<br />

poor together, depending on their abilty; not their birthright.<br />

But he lived in an environment very different than<br />

his vision. It was a time full of armed conflicts. He spent<br />

most of his life just trying to stay alive.<br />

He was Chinese. He had a great mind. At one point, he<br />

was actually given a fiefdom and he had a chance to prove<br />

that his society would work. It did, and he drew a great<br />

following, and of course, enemies.<br />

Especially able amongst his enemies were lords who<br />

wanted him to stop decrying birthright. Confucius lived<br />

much of his later years in hiding and he died in failure,<br />

lamenting he had nobody whom he might<br />

mentor. If the honorable wise man were alive<br />

right now, he would be amazed at what massive<br />

influence he’d had, and the shapes it<br />

took in various regions.<br />

Confucius was about equal opportunity.<br />

He certainly did embrace an aristocracy,<br />

but not of birth. The better people were<br />

people of upright character. He<br />

said all people should be educated,<br />

without favorites. Elevation<br />

depends on merit. He<br />

had a great social welfare<br />

program. He believed in<br />

equality, in a way.<br />

g<br />

40<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> 41


WORLDVIEW<br />

If all people are basically good, and won’t use it wrongly,<br />

it’s a great system. Filial piety is great when theose in authority<br />

over you are good, and nice; but not if they’re not.<br />

His system works, and he knew it; but still, he died in<br />

failure, thinking nobody cared.<br />

Korea, the Epicenter’<br />

of Confucian Principles<br />

All of Asia knows Confucius now, to some degree.<br />

It varies from culture to culture how strictly it is in<br />

effect. When it comes to actual daily living, Korea<br />

is by far the most energetically Confucian society<br />

on the planet. One anthropologist claims all of Asia<br />

was much more Confucian, just Korea modernized<br />

late, and is an undried puddle of a former system.<br />

So Korea has the most residual Confucianism because<br />

it was so isolated and it was a late bloomer.<br />

This way of viewing it assumes modernity is the<br />

goal and Confucianism is a skin to be shed. However,<br />

another way of looking at it is that Confucianism<br />

works. All you need for it to blossom is freedom<br />

from tyranny. The Korean way has been a way interrupted.<br />

70 years ago, Korea was a little preoccupied<br />

with having Shinto principles drilled into them by<br />

occupation-installed Japanese schoolteachers. Officially,<br />

the Korean way was on pause. It needed a<br />

chance to grow. Then there was the war. This place<br />

was devastated, and not so long ago. But finally,<br />

the Korean way was free to bloom and grow. With a<br />

little help from friends, South Korea has skyrocketed<br />

to a great height on the world stage. Confucianism<br />

is not a skin to be shed, but an Iron-Man suit of<br />

successful principled harmony.<br />

Korea has risen like a Pheonix on the wings of<br />

Confucian principles. Buddhists and Christians may<br />

be eager to chime in about their influence, and these<br />

will be discussed in upcoming articles. Economists<br />

have a great deal to say to explain Korea’s growth,<br />

and that’s coming in the last installment of this series<br />

as well.<br />

The objective of this article is to assert that, of the<br />

several layers that make up the Korean worldview,<br />

the Confucian principles of piety wield the strongest<br />

influence on the culture, and to celebrate some<br />

of the good things, while identifying current trends.<br />

Current Trends<br />

The importance Koreans place on education leads<br />

to great competition, from which emerges great skill.<br />

Korea claims a 98% literacy rate. There is also the<br />

strong family bond that other cultures seem to have<br />

lost a generation ago. Korea has a very low street<br />

crime presence, without a menacing police force.<br />

Are some races just more well-behaved by nature?<br />

Doubtful. Not DNA, but intangible cultural heritage.<br />

It is the positive, unifying, ordering, and dominant<br />

worldview that is to take the credit--or the blame, in<br />

many conversations.<br />

“Confucianism isn’t a religion; it’s, like, an operating<br />

system,” illustrated a teenaged Korean guy,<br />

who had lived in several cultures.<br />

Like everywhere else, there are Koreans who celebrate<br />

the old way with ferocious pride, as a sage<br />

grandmother lamented, “The joy of ceremony, and<br />

of honor, in relations . . . it’s all disappearing and we<br />

are in danger of losing who we are.”<br />

And, like everywhere else, there are some in this<br />

dominant worldview that will do anything they can to<br />

get out, or get their kids out. This trend is alarming,<br />

as it poses an emigration brain-drain: the very people<br />

Confucius wanted to lead the country are leaving<br />

the country! That’s tragic. If indeed such a trend is<br />

afoot, this is worth talking about. What makes them<br />

want to get out to a Western country? The pursuit of<br />

knowledge. Can Confucianism flex and synchronize<br />

with modernity? What does it have to offer the rest<br />

world? And what to learn from them? Your input is<br />

encouraged. Send to Jeonbuk<strong>Life</strong>@gmail.com.<br />

Whatever your appraisal of Korea’s Confucian<br />

culture, everyone can agree that it is the most distinguishing<br />

feature of Korea. If you know any Koreans,<br />

or are Korean, the persistant question throbs in<br />

the air: ‘How Korean are you?’ To describe this as<br />

nationalism is overly political, and doesn’t see the<br />

bigger picture. This is about morality, and identity.<br />

It’s not something you can easily examine, when it<br />

is you. It’s not something you can reset or turn off.<br />

Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth<br />

living.” It is a very worthwhile pursuit to see how<br />

people tick. Especially when you are rubbing shoulders<br />

with each other. This topic is much too broad<br />

to adequately treat in a single article. Glancing off<br />

the tip of the iceberg, we will careen, in part 4, into<br />

the arms of Buddha, who exerted a huge influence<br />

upon Korea’s spendidly and tenaciously Confucian<br />

peninsula.<br />

PHOTOS :<br />

PREVIOUS PAGES -- Jeonju Hanggyo,<br />

a historic Confucian school in the Hanok<br />

Village. LEFT (top and bottom) -- Versions<br />

of the ‘sam-taeguk,’ a symbol that recurs<br />

throughout Neo-Confuciansim and also<br />

ties to shamanism, Daoism, etc. ABOVE --<br />

A ‘gat,’ a Korean hat often associated with<br />

Confucian scholars.<br />

[Photos by ANJEE DISANTO]<br />

42 Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> 43


SOCIAL SCOPE<br />

By Renee McMillan<br />

“Making sure kids without a<br />

family had a gift on Christmas<br />

was not only something I could<br />

control, it felt like something I<br />

had to control.”<br />

The foreigner community in Jeonju has a long tradition<br />

of working closely with local charities to<br />

provide services and to raise money for ongoing<br />

projects. From the annual Murder Mystery that raises funds<br />

for Esther Park and the Jeonju Three, to performances of The<br />

Vagina Monologues that donate to Jeonbuk Women’s Association<br />

United (JWAU), many foreigners and Koreans have<br />

spent countless hours donating time and energy to make a<br />

contribution to the city they call home. No group has worked<br />

as tirelessly and continuously as Neighbourly, Neighborly.<br />

Neighbourly, Neighborly is a group of local volunteers that<br />

works closely with orphanages in Jeonju to provide monthly<br />

visits, as well as annual Children’s Day and Christmas presents<br />

to approximately two hundred children. The Neighbourly,<br />

Neighborly Facebook group was established on January<br />

1, 2010 by Christina Murphy. Christina’s journey in creating<br />

Neighbourly, Neighborly was a long and deeply personal one.<br />

In 2009, Christina found herself at somewhat of a crossroads,<br />

and was uncertain in which direction to move. Feeling<br />

44<br />

Jeonju Expats Giving Back to the Community<br />

stuck and dissatisfied, and also feeling she had little control<br />

over her circumstances, Christina wasn’t sure where to turn.<br />

It was at this time she saw a post by David Van Minnen on<br />

the Jeonju Hub requesting help for the Christmas orphanage<br />

visits.<br />

“He needed volunteers and direction. It surprised me that he<br />

needed volunteers. I always thought there were loads of people<br />

helping out with that stuff. There always were, but such is<br />

life in Korea: people move, schedules change, and things get<br />

in the way. I was disappointed to realize that this whole time I<br />

thought it was being taken care of by lots of people, and guessing<br />

that there wasn’t a need for little old me, that actually, I<br />

could have just been participating.”<br />

Christina contacted Van Minnen, and when she asked him<br />

what he needed, he replied, “Everything.” Christina told him<br />

she would do everything. She is quick to add, “I wasn’t trying<br />

to be a hero. I just thought that my life was crap and I couldn’t<br />

do anything about that, but I could make other changes so other<br />

people’s lives didn’t need to be so crappy.”<br />

Christina and David went to work figuring out what they<br />

needed to do. They had two hundred and nineteen kids, ranging<br />

in age from zero to nineteen, that needed gifts. They also<br />

needed to buy gifts by gender and different preferences. They<br />

decided to fill gift bags with notebooks, pens, stickers, candies,<br />

gloves, and fun 1,000-won toys. Once they had determined<br />

exactly what they needed, Christina and one of her<br />

friends went shopping and bought everything. Christina adds,<br />

“In a weird way, it was the first time I’d felt good for a long<br />

while. My living room was filled with boxes of things, and on<br />

Christmas Eve, when David Van Minnen turned up to collect<br />

everything in his Santa suit, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t<br />

awesome.”<br />

Santa had another request for Christina. He wanted her<br />

to visit the orphanages when the gifts were delivered so she<br />

could see the fruits of her labor. Christina was hesitant. “He<br />

gave me the directions and schedule for visiting the orphanages<br />

the next day, which was something I was completely<br />

not up for doing. I didn’t want to feel bad, as selfish as that<br />

sounds. I couldn’t take it.” Santa insisted she visit at least one<br />

orphanage, and when her friend who had helped said she<br />

wanted to go, Christina reluctantly agreed.<br />

It was raining heavily on Christmas Day, and as her friends<br />

prepared for a Christmas party, Christina walked through the<br />

mud to Hosung Children’s Home. Sitting on a chapel pew<br />

with her head down, surrounded by Christmas gifts, Christina<br />

met a young boy who would change everything. “This kid,<br />

about seventeen years old, came up to me and started talking.<br />

He was barely drawing breath as he told me about school, his<br />

football team, and what he wanted to be when he was older.<br />

He didn’t even see me as a foreigner. He just wanted to talk.<br />

That kid opened my eyes. That room full of ‘sad orphans who<br />

would make me feel sad’ was actually a room full of kids<br />

who were not in ideal situations. It embarrassed me to think<br />

of how I’d been so defeated by my own problems, when here<br />

were kids refusing to be defeated.” Christina helped Santa<br />

give out the gifts, and they stayed to chat and play with the<br />

ABOVE:<br />

Volunteers wrap gifts for the orphanages.<br />

(Photos courtesy of Deep Into)<br />

kids afterwards. When it was time to leave, Christina didn’t<br />

want to say goodbye, and she knew she wanted to see the kids<br />

again. On the way back to the car, Christina thanked Santa,<br />

and mentioned how surprised she was by how much the kids<br />

just wanted to be around people. David told her he wished<br />

they could visit more often. Christina couldn’t stop thinking<br />

about his words, or her experiences with the kids she had met.<br />

That night, while attending a Christmas party, Christina<br />

spoke with other members of the Jeonju community who<br />

were actively involved in different charities. Her mind went<br />

into overdrive, and she decided to start a Facebook group to<br />

see if they could create an open, ongoing community of volunteers.<br />

Christina named the group Neighbourly, Neighborly,<br />

using both the British and American English spellings, as well<br />

as Hangeul, on the website. She wanted to ensure that everyone<br />

felt included and welcome to participate.<br />

Although Christina did create the Facebook group for<br />

Neighbourly, Neighborly, she is very quick to point out that<br />

she was not the first person in Jeonju to volunteer at orphanages.<br />

She feels that she has often been given undue credit in<br />

that regard. “Koreans and foreigners of all walks of life had<br />

been visiting and volunteering at the orphanages and other<br />

places long before I turned up. Throughout the lifetime of<br />

Neighbourly, I myself, with a few friends, volunteered as<br />

English teachers for the Jeonbuk Women’s Association United<br />

(JWAU). It is from a lot of those experiences, from those<br />

people and my own, that I built the Neighbourly model.”<br />

While Christina gives credit to those that came before her,<br />

there is no doubt that her ideas and organization, as<br />

g<br />

45


SOCIAL SCOPE<br />

well as her passion and determination, were contagious. By the<br />

end of New Years Day, over one hundred volunteers had joined<br />

the Neighbourly group. People were excited, and were offering<br />

ideas. The first orphanage visit was arranged, and while not<br />

perfect, it was well received by the kids and volunteers. The<br />

group decided to give Children’s Day gifts, and began holding<br />

fundraisers. Month by month, Neighbourly grew, and a fourth<br />

orphanage was added. Christina worked with local businesses<br />

and artists, and met a lot of great people. Everything was going<br />

so well, she decided to stay in Jeonju and continue growing<br />

Neighbourly, Neighborly.<br />

One of the biggest concerns Christina had when she started<br />

Neighbourly, Neighborly was sustainability. When she was initially<br />

deciding how best to help the orphanages, and ideas for<br />

the group were first forming, she talked to other people who<br />

were raising money for the Jeonju Three. “I remember having<br />

a good conversation about sustainability.”<br />

“Whatever good we do,<br />

we need to make it so it<br />

can continue rather than<br />

just raising expectations.”<br />

This idea took on greater significance in the fall of 2013.<br />

Christina made the decision to leave Jeonju, and handed the<br />

group over to Michelle Aspden, Jasmin Shurgold, and Melissa<br />

Joynt. “It makes me really happy to see that now in its seventh<br />

year, and with different volunteers, that the Neighbourly group<br />

is still working,” Christina said.<br />

With new coordinators in place, Neighbourly, Neighborly<br />

continued under Christina’s model. In the fall of 2014, Ashley<br />

Mishell took over the group and Neighbourly really began<br />

growing again. Jasmin Shurgold explains, “No one could really<br />

fill Christina’s shoes until Ashley joined. She brings new<br />

energy and is very organized. There is never a moment when<br />

people don’t know what to do. She follows through and puts<br />

in the leg work when no one else will.” Under the direction<br />

of Ashley, the group expanded their fundraising efforts. They<br />

have added regular Bingo nights and evenings of language exchange,<br />

and are currently holding a photography contest.<br />

Ashley also works very hard to establish and maintain relationships<br />

with local business owners. She helped build a<br />

relationship with Our Shop India, who hosted a Holi Hai<br />

event in April. Ashley also works closely with the owners of<br />

Deep In, Deep Into, and Radio Star, who allow Neighbourly,<br />

Neighborly to hold regular fundraising events, special drink<br />

sales, and Christmas wrapping events in preparation for the<br />

Christmas orphanage visits. Ashley can’t stress enough how<br />

grateful Neighbourly is, or the importance of the role that the<br />

local business owners play, and states, “The business owners<br />

in Jeonju are amazing!”<br />

Neighbourly, Neighborly will be holding several events in<br />

the upcoming months. They will be hosting the annual Halloween<br />

party at Deep Into in <strong>October</strong>, as well as selling calendars<br />

that feature the winners of the photography contest. In<br />

December, there will be Christmas present wrapping in preparation<br />

for Santa’s orphanage visit. There is also the possibility<br />

of a potluck dinner being hosted in November. Please visit the<br />

Neighbourly, Neighborly Facebook page, or keep an eye on<br />

the “Jeonju Knowledge” Facebook group for further details.<br />

Neighbourly, Neighborly always needs volunteers, and there<br />

are many ways that people may get involved. There is still a<br />

need for volunteers at the monthly orphanage visits. The group<br />

provides visits to four orphanages on a rotating schedule, so<br />

that each orphanage should receive three visits per year. There<br />

will also be a need for people to help with the upcoming Halloween<br />

party, both with decorating and helping run the event<br />

the night of the party. And as always, people contribute greatly<br />

by attending the events that are held.<br />

If you would like to volunteer, you may do so by joining the<br />

Neighbourly, Neighborly Facebook group, or you may send an<br />

email to Jeonju.neighbourlyneighborly@gmail.com. You may<br />

also contact one of the current coordinators: Ashley Mishell,<br />

Hyuntae Kim, Elizabeth Vargas, or Sorcha Rattigan.<br />

Volunteering with Neighbourly, Neighborly is a great way<br />

to contribute to your community. Jasmin Shurgold explains,<br />

“When you look back on your time in Jeonju and what you<br />

did, you can always be proud of your volunteer work with<br />

Neighbourly, Neighborly. Many volunteers feel it’s a good<br />

way to give back, and to feel grounded. It gives perspective on<br />

your time in Korea.”<br />

PHOTOS: [TOP RIGHT] Two photos of costumed<br />

attendees at Deep Into’s annual Halloween party,<br />

an event whose proceeds go toward “Neighbourly.”<br />

(Photos by Sunwoo Hwang)<br />

[BOTTOM RIGHT] Two photos of the “Holi Hai”<br />

celebration in March, also partially sponsored by<br />

Neighbourly Neighborly.<br />

(Photos by Jyotiranjan Bal)<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> 47


SOCIAL SCOPE<br />

A21’s Fight AGAINST<br />

HUMAN<br />

TRAFFICKING<br />

By SUZANNE SCHNEIDER<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> Contributing Writer<br />

On <strong>October</strong> 15, <strong>2016</strong>, people around the world<br />

will unite in the war against human trafficking.<br />

A21’s Walk for Freedom is a global event that<br />

strives to bring awareness to human trafficking while raising<br />

money to rescue and restore lives from the clutches<br />

of this form of modern day slavery. A21 is a non-profit<br />

organization that was founded in 2007 in an attempt to<br />

combat the injustice of human trafficking through rescuing<br />

one life at a time. They opened their first shelter for survivors<br />

of human trafficking at the end of 2008 in Thessaloniki,<br />

Greece. Currently, they operate shelters, transitional<br />

homes, and administrative bases in 10 countries. The 3rd<br />

annual worldwide Walk for Freedom will include participants<br />

from over 250 different locations around the globe,<br />

including Jeollabuk-do. As Korea’s first host city, Jeonju<br />

will welcome walkers from throughout South Korea who<br />

desire to step out and walk for freedom.<br />

Over the past two years, Freedom Walkers have hit the<br />

streets of downtown Jeonju, distributing thousands of fli-<br />

ers in hopes of raising awareness about human trafficking<br />

here in South Korea. The event will be hosted by REACH<br />

ministries (a Christian organization founded in 2014 in Jeonju)<br />

with the hope of bringing awareness to the issue of human<br />

trafficking, and to reach out to victims with the love of<br />

their religion. Since its inception, REACH has been serving<br />

the women and men in the red-light district through prayer<br />

and outreach.<br />

Those desiring to participate in the 3rd annual Walk for<br />

Freedom can sign early or simply show up at the event. In<br />

order to sign up, send your name and contact information to<br />

reach.jeonju@gmail.com or Facebook.com/REACHjeonju.<br />

There is no fee to sign up. Participants can order an A21<br />

Walk for Freedom shirt before the event for 15,000 won, or<br />

simply wear a plain black shirt. The goal is to appear uniform,<br />

as a united front! Walkers will meet in the Jungbu<br />

Church parking lot at 1:30 pm in downtown Jeonju. The<br />

one-hour walk will begin promptly at 2:00 pm.<br />

Following the walk, REACH ministries will host a screening<br />

of Nefarious: Merchant of Souls. Nefarious is a hard-hitting<br />

documentary uncovering the disturbing reality of human<br />

trafficking, especially for the purposes of sexual slavery<br />

and exploitation. The film gives an in-depth look at how and<br />

where slaves are purchased and sold and includes footage<br />

from 19 different countries. In addition, Nefarious features<br />

expert interviews and analysis as well as moving survivor<br />

testimonies, ultimately ending with a promise of hope. The<br />

screening will begin at 3:30 in the second floor theatre, above<br />

Café TOV. Viewing is free of charge and all are welcome to<br />

attend, regardless of faith or religious association.<br />

For more information about the Walk for Freedom please<br />

contact reach.jeonju@gmail.com.<br />

“All that is necessary for<br />

evil to triumph is for good<br />

men to do nothing.”<br />

– Edmund Burke<br />

[Photos from last year’s walk<br />

by MARLI JANSE VAN VUUREN]<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> 49


LOCAL VOICES<br />

Looking at Korean<br />

Ethusiasm toward<br />

Education<br />

By YOUNG-WOO PARK<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> Co-Editor<br />

Many people around ask me why my fellow Koreans<br />

want to educate their children so enthusiastically.<br />

I often answer their question, “Because they<br />

want to build up their dreams through their children. Education<br />

is the major key that opens the gate to the rich.”<br />

This answer will be right in some sense, but it is wrong<br />

in some others. Education cannot give us a successful<br />

result at every turn. Though we are willing to educate<br />

our children eagerly, they are not ready to get this education<br />

without good motivation. This is why I want to talk<br />

about the method of Korean education.<br />

Generally speaking, those who have had higher education<br />

than others have better chances of becoming<br />

successful men and women. Korea has had its own particular<br />

social mood since the Joseon Dynasty through<br />

concepts such as the 과거시험. People could achieve<br />

their dreams through the exam only. If a man had passed<br />

the exam, he could have had a great position as a high<br />

public officer and he could have had power and money<br />

at once. All people wanted elevate their status by passing<br />

the exam, so they had to study very hard and needed to<br />

get a good education. This led to the overall remarkable<br />

enthusiasm toward education. Nobody can say this is too<br />

much, because this desire to be successful is natural.<br />

Some people say Koreans’ enthusiasm toward education<br />

is a good motivation for Korean development, but<br />

others are worried about its excess. Some parents cannot<br />

even be satisfied with the state-provided education<br />

for their children, so they are looking for some special<br />

places for private lessons. This takes a lot of money, but<br />

they are willing to pay for the lessons because they are<br />

sure a better education can give their children a more<br />

successful life.<br />

This has been the common Korean attitude toward education<br />

so far, but it has changed a little by little. The<br />

change should take place with any reason, but especially<br />

for personal happiness. We should remember, “So many<br />

men, so many minds.” We recognize the differences of<br />

people and respect the differences. Some people can be<br />

happy by singing songs and some with playing soccer.<br />

It’s good time to try to change some methods of education.<br />

We had better provide a wider range of possibilities<br />

for our children and give them some chances to choose<br />

their own special ways. Of course we should provide<br />

enough information about their choices to the children<br />

and talk a lot with them. We especially need to develop<br />

the right attitude toward college studies. Now, more than<br />

80% of Korean students are trying to enter universities,<br />

even some who are not interested in studying, but just<br />

want to graduate. This is not good for this society or the<br />

students themselves. Happiness cannot be attainedt from<br />

studying only. Try to adapt your personal attitude and let<br />

the children find their own happiness.<br />

From City <strong>Life</strong> to<br />

Small-town Korea<br />

By SUSAN KIM<br />

UNITED STATES<br />

“What strange phenomena we find in a great city,<br />

all we need to do is stroll about with our eyes open.<br />

<strong>Life</strong> swarms with innocent monsters.” – Charles<br />

Baudelaire<br />

spent the beginnings of my expat life in Busan, where<br />

I the scenery was more familiar to me. I enjoyed the<br />

smells of the sea, being able to sit on the beach all afternoon,<br />

just watching life pass me by. It was a great way to<br />

experience Korea for the first year. It got me acclimated to<br />

all that is Korea. I survived the culture shock and lack of<br />

personal space. There were plenty of places to see, museums<br />

to visit, people to meet, and amazing foods to fill my<br />

stomach. It was a great year, but after reassessing what<br />

I wanted to accomplish while in Korea, I decided it was<br />

time to move to a small city. So a new adventure began.<br />

After spending a few weeks in the Philippines, it was<br />

time to head to the mysterious new town I had chosen to<br />

live in. I had never been before, and all my Korean friends<br />

in Busan warned me that I was moving to the “country.”<br />

Since I have always lived in a big city, I was a bit apprehensive,<br />

but I was also looking for calm, peace, and<br />

tranquility. These are the images I think of when I think<br />

“country,” so I was excited for this new chapter to begin.<br />

As the bus from Busan drove into the new town on the<br />

interstate, I could see the welcome sign that read “Jeonju.”<br />

It started to really hit home that I was starting life<br />

over again, but this time is a very unfamiliar place. As<br />

we drove further into town, my fears started to disappear<br />

and I realized it wasn’t the “country” after all. In fact, it<br />

looked like every other smaller town in Korea, with all<br />

the apartment buildings, restaurants, cafes, parks, etc. My<br />

nervousness was starting to disappear, and I became more<br />

comfortable with the idea of moving from a city of 4 million<br />

to a city of 600,000.<br />

As we drove into the bus station, I was surprised at how<br />

small and old it was, but I was looking forward to all the<br />

possibilities. After I got all my bags and my dog off the<br />

bus, I called my only contact in town, David. He came to<br />

pick me up and drove me to my new apartment. He made<br />

my first day in Jeonju completely comfortable as he gave<br />

me a short 101 on Jeonju life and a tour of my area, even<br />

driving me to my new workplace so I could walk there<br />

with more confidence when I had to on Monday. All my<br />

boxes that I had sent him earlier from Busan were already<br />

in my new apartment, which was small, but clean. David<br />

even introduced me to my first wine bar in town. This is<br />

when I REALLY knew I would be able to survive.<br />

All my fears of the unknown disappeared, and I knew I<br />

would be fine. That was five years ago. I’m still living in<br />

Jeonju. It’s a great small town. It is easy to get around, has<br />

plenty of bars, restaurants, cafes, cinemas, and even foreign<br />

food. I’ve learned to really appreciate convenience<br />

store drinking, taking late night walks through parks and<br />

along rivers, and running into so many familiar faces as<br />

you do walkabouts around town.<br />

There is something about Jeonju that drowns out every<br />

delicious taco and falafel a big city has to offer. There<br />

is something about the sense of community one has in<br />

terms of friendships versus the smorgasbord of acquaintances<br />

a big city affords. Besides foreigners though, living<br />

in Jeonju has led to friendships I could never have<br />

guessed: the baker, who bombards me with hellos and<br />

free pastries whenever I pass his bakery; the café owner,<br />

who always provides freshly brewed free refills and<br />

kindness; the banchan store owner, who knows exactly<br />

what I want every time I go in. There are mountains and<br />

rivers close by that help you escape the concrete buildings<br />

and breathe in some fresher air. Jeonju is the town famous<br />

in Korea for its gastronomy. The name Jeonju literally<br />

means “Perfect Area.”<br />

Don’t get me wrong, I do miss the beaches of Busan<br />

and its fine, upscale restaurants, exciting nightlife, and<br />

the myriad of cultural activities, but I’ve learned to slow<br />

down and appreciate the important experiences of life,<br />

living in a small town.<br />

“A small town is a place where there’s no place<br />

to go where you shouldn’t” –Burt Bacharach<br />

50<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> 51


FICTION<br />

“A Gogi Lovin’ Vegetarian”<br />

by Amiya Moretta<br />

For awhile I struggled,<br />

I mean, NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br />

In this gogi lovin’ land<br />

First word: Gogi.<br />

“Ode to Jeonju”<br />

by Swarnalee Dutta<br />

O magpie! O magpie!<br />

As you fly up in the sky,<br />

Will you take me along with you<br />

To see the wonderful city below?<br />

This city, my friend, you should know<br />

Is growing fast but aging slow.<br />

Concrete buildings crowding in,<br />

Yet old-world charm is safe within.<br />

O magpie! O magpie!<br />

There by the river, just nearby<br />

Do you see the Hanok maeul?<br />

Therein dwells the city’s soul.<br />

Tradition intact amidst modern flow<br />

Like the child within us, who refuses to grow.<br />

Lined by trees of gingko and maple,<br />

Ondol warming houses are strong and stable.<br />

O magpie! O magpie!<br />

It is hard to say ‘Goodbye!’<br />

Sarangchae-Anchae and the courtyard,<br />

The charismatic Hanok will hold your heart.<br />

Hanbok, Hanji and Pansori music<br />

Bibimbap, kimchi and cultural relic<br />

The taste of Jeonju once you get<br />

I bet, you will never forget.<br />

--------------------<br />

Hanok –Korean traditional house<br />

Maeul - Village<br />

Ondol – Korean traditional floor-based heating<br />

Sarangchae – Male quarters of Hanok house<br />

Anchae – Female quarters of Hanok<br />

Hanbok – Traditional Korean dress<br />

Hanji – Korean paper<br />

Pansori – Korean vocal music art form<br />

“Jeonju”<br />

by Betsey Norman<br />

I am home. I am home.<br />

Feet to the pavement. Head to the ground.<br />

This tree is home. This stone is home.<br />

This park where the students cook samgeupsal<br />

though it’s not allowed<br />

That, too, is home.<br />

This door is home. These keys are home.<br />

This room with the crazed cat, is home.<br />

These shoes are home. These feet are home.<br />

Somehow along the way, I have come home.<br />

It seemed that I couldn’t<br />

Get the meat out of the meal,<br />

In the same way, you can’t get<br />

The kimchi out of the kiss.<br />

It just is.<br />

“Gogi neh,”<br />

I would say…<br />

And then sit and wonder,<br />

How a plate of pig flesh found<br />

Its way to my table…<br />

“Gogi neh,” louder and clearer,<br />

I would pray. Crossing my fingers,<br />

Until the meal was delivered.<br />

Bigger and bolder the meat<br />

Was displayed, a shining<br />

Smile as it came my way.<br />

Sighs of defeat.<br />

Appetite sinking.<br />

I nodded, confused.<br />

Sure, I was doomed…<br />

Until one day, I learned<br />

Something that forever<br />

Changed my Korean life:<br />

“Neh” means “Yes”<br />

“Anio” means “No”<br />

NEH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br />

Second word: Neh<br />

Third word: Anio<br />

Fourth word:<br />

O’TAKAY!!!!<br />

Needless to say,<br />

I’m a happier vegetarian these days.<br />

illustration by<br />

Bonnie Cunningham<br />

52<br />

Jeonbuk <strong>Life</strong> 53

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!