I have arrived in Gwangju.
Everyone knows I struggle with memorizing vocabulary. “Heavy” is a word that I’ve looked up the Korean equivalent for at least 15 or 20 times, and it never has managed to stick with me. But, as of today, I think I can confidently say I’ve got it well and truly stuck in my brain, finally.
Context is everything, in language learning. I have some very heavy luggage, today, as I tote my most important worldly possessions down to Gwangju. Hefting the bag into the taxi, and again, getting help from the assistant at the bus terminal, I had occasion to hear and use “무거워요” (mu-geo-weo-yo = it’s heavy). And now I know that I know that word.
Travel costs are so reasonable, in Korea, after having been in Japan. The bus ticket, express “special” (우등) from Suwon to Gwangju was only 21,000 won. That’s less that 20 bucks, to take me basically across the whole country, north to south. Admittedly, that “across-the-country” bus trip was exactly 3 hours and 5 minutes long. Once out of metro Seoul, the expressways are wide, well-engineered and convenient.
I don’t remember when I was last in Gwangju. I do know I haven’t ever spent much time here – it’s Korea’s 4th or 5th largest metropolis (depending on whom you ask), but possibly it’s the country’s least “international” of the major cities. Regardless, it’s an important city for the history of modern democratic South Korea, and it’s pretty successful, as cities go, from what I’ve read.
I’m going to look around a bit. More later.
Day: April 15, 2010
Caveat: “주둥이 함부로 놀리지 마라”
“Don’t move your muzzle randomly” – this is what my friend Seung-bae said, as we stood in front of a Buddhist temple, discussing the issue of hypocrisy and religion. We had driven up the first part of a mountain called 광교산, past the Suwon reservoir, and at the end of the road near the base of the actual mountain, there was a temple, as is typical.
When he said this, he wasn’t criticizing me – he was teaching me an aphorism, which he is very good at.
Here’s a picture of the temple.
Here’s a picture of the view out over Suwon, as it got dark.
Here, we stopped at a hole-in-the-wall for makkoli (rice beer) and egg/vegetable pancakes with some radish kimchi on the side.
Here’s a picture of a truly bogus chicken joint.
