These are all places that I ride my bike around regularly. Although I have discovered a lot of stuff, I never knew I could go into these historical houses. I always assumed they were private property. Now I’ve realised that I can if I want to! I usually ride around by myself but when my husband can be persuaded to join me, he does have a lot of fun too.
The old tree is said to cry the night before someone dies… which is kinda creepy! The countryside looks so pretty now, it’s such a change from how desolate it looked during winter. It’s quite nice down by the river now, but as I mentioned in the previous blog post, I’m not allowed to go swimming there.
We also managed to briefly film 2 cranes in the rice field. It’s quite cool to see a pair like that because they mate for life.
Hope you guys enjoyed that video. Let us know if there is something in particular you would like to see in the Korean countryside.
Korea doesn’t have the same type of swimming culture that we have in Australian. Australians learn to swim as very young children and we also have lessons at school. It’s quite likely that you’ll have a pool in your backyard or at least your friend does. Many apartment buildings have pool facilities and there are many public pools. Most of the population lives around the edge of Australia so there is also the access to beaches. Even if you live out on a farm it’s likely that you will go swimming in a river or dam. Although Korea is a peninsula there is not anything like the swimming culture in Australia. There are not really beaches like in Australia or any easy access to swimming areas for everyone.
Although we are right near a river I’m not allowed to swim in it. My husband said that 20 years ago people used to swim there but dams have been built and now the currents are very fast and dangerous.
Although Koreans don’t swim much, and in fact a lot of the population can’t actually swim, there is a lot of water around. I feel a sadness and a longing when I see all this water but know that I can’t go swimming in it. I always declare that I want to go swimming when I see water but Koreans friends just look at me like I’m very odd when I say that. I don’t really have any desire to swim at public pools here (there are different rules like having to wear a swimming cap) but I’d love to swim in the ocean. Does anyone actually know somewhere good to swim in the ocean in Korea that is not the crowded Busan beaches?
For nonKoreans living in Korea, do you miss swimming? Is it part of your culture? Do you swim anywhere in Korea?
How many Aussies out there had a pool party for their birthday at least once when growing up? I hated that my birthday was in July and it was always too cold for swimming.
Ahjummacist? That doesn’t even make sense. (Ahjummas are technically women who are married but tends to mean women in their 40’s and 50’s).
I’ve heard a lot of Koreans who have visited or stayed in Australia comment on the look and style of Australian women who are in that ahjumma age range. They have noticed that there isn’t one type of style for them and looks and hairstyles range considerably. In Korea there is a definite ahjumma style and something called an ‘ahjumma perm’. So of course ahjummas can end up looking very similar (obviously I’m not racist haha). My sister-in-law’s boyfriend once asked his mother about the perms saying, “Did you all get made in the same factory?”
When I go shopping with my mother-in-law we have to spilt up because I go to the younger women section and she goes to the ahjumma section – which is very different! I’m sure there are older Korean women that wear the younger styles, and the wealthy always have more access to different styles, but to me the ahjumma style is so vastly different to the younger styles. While of course in Australia there are clothing stores dedicated to older women, I’ve always been able to borrow clothes from my mother or shop in the same stores as her without feeling that style is vastly different to my own.
There also seems to be that line that you some day have to cross into ahjumma fashion. One of my husband’s female friends recently got an ahjumma perm and her friends were horrified. She insisted it was nice and easy to manage now so she felt comfortable, but her friends (all in their 30’s) were not ready to cross that line yet.
I don’t think I will ever get an ahjumma perm though…
Also, there wasn’t a new Mr Gwon Time yesterday like there should have been, but there is a new video on our BONUS channel where we try some of the candy you guys sent us.
I woke up in a dream, thinking that I was back in Australia with my family and I was so happy. Then I wake up and realise that was just a dream and that I’m in Korea and things are terrible. Then I wake up really this time and realise I’m in Korea and everything is fine. This happened the other day and I had to make a comic about it.
What I think my subconscious is working through is this: I have a wonderful family and it’s hard to leave them, not only in the sense of leaving home and leaving my country, but in the sense of leaving and starting my own family. It’s a natural part of life but it can be difficult. My mind was probably questioning whether I’d made the right choices, what if what I chose was really bad? How does it compare to my life with my family? The dream gave me the scenario of that alternative reality. Then I woke up really and was a bit disorientated by these dreams. I go downstairs and find my wonderful husband (who would never act badly like that really) simply sitting on the floor exercising. He greets me with a big smile and I realise how wrong that dream was.
What the bad version of my husband said was also an indicator of some things I do find difficult in Korea. I am the only white person around here and people do come to look at me. Older people touch my white skin. Most days it’s fine but some days I really dislike having to be introduced to many people. But now everyone around here knows who I am so that situation doesn’t really happen, or it’s actually something different. For example the other day my husband called me downstairs and I had a moment of feeling, “I hope it’s not more random people who want to see me,” but actually he just wanted me to see the huge fish a neighbour had caught. (Those that follow Facebook and Instagram would have seen the photo).
We are resuming comics from today but we are not yet sure when we will start videos again.
He doesn’t like popcorn! Who doesn’t like popcorn?! I love popcorn but didn’t get it all the time in Australia because it’s ridiculously expensive at the cinema. It’s cheaper in Korea so I always want it. He hates it and gets dried squid instead. Popcorn is obviously not a high priority for him when we are rushing to go see a movie.
He has also become interested in fashion that is a bit “younger” than what his countryside friends wear which is why he was stopping to look at snapbacks. When he sees his friends here they comment that he still looks like a university student. Meanwhile his friends have settling into more middle aged style of clothing and have aged more due to heavy smoking and drinking.
There was supposed to be a Mr Gwon Time yesterday. It is finished and ready to go but we haven’t subtitled it yet. Subtitling can be a lot of work and we haven’t felt up it because of the ferry tragedy in Korea. The mood has been very subdued here and everyone is just constantly watching the news and hoping.
We do have a few videos that are ready to go though.
We tell you which strawberries are the sweetest ones in Korea.
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