Chuseok in the countryside
It’s been hard to make any content at the moment, for example comics are just too exhausting, but when we can film a bit I can edit it into little videos. In this video we are back in the countryside to visit Hugh’s parents for the Chuseok holiday.
It’s been about 2 years since we’ve been back there and we made sure Hugh’s parents were vaccinated so the risk was low for them. It was nice to be back, but also quite exhausting for me at this stage of my pregnancy. Hugh did get a chance to fly his drone though, which is near impossible to do in Seoul without special permission. The other reason why it’s been hard to make much content lately is because firstly, we are really not going anywhere due to the current situation of the world. And secondly, Hugh is very busy with his company, so even filming at home becomes a challenge.
That said, I am glad when we can do something as it’s great to be able to look back in years to come. The charye (ancestral memorial rites ceremony) is still done by Hugh’s family, but may eventually fade out as Hugh may be unlikely to continue the tradition. But I am always happy to be included in this element of Korean culture.
We also went to the Goseong Dinosaur Museum, which we have been to before, but Yul doesn’t remember. I suspected the actual museum would be closed but at least there are the outside attractions and the real dinosaur footprint fossils to see. Yul heard me mention “museum” and got really excited because he loves museums. At least he was satisfied with everything else, but would have been nice to actually go inside the museum. So many things catered to children like museums are immediately shut in these times while places for adults stay open. While it’s been hard for everyone, children have been so negatively affected during this pandemic. Hopefully next time it will be open, and in the meantime we try to book for the Natural History Museum in Seoul when we can. I definitely miss the days of deciding to go to a museum on that day and just showing up and being able to go in!
Now that Yul is almost four, I have a better understanding of why so few families live in the countryside and prefer urban areas. The Korean countryside is not really set up for young children, at least in this area. Korea is very mountainous, so it’s great for adults that want to hike, but it means all valley areas are usually farm lands. I don’t mean the western ideal of rolling hills and space type farmland. With not much space the areas are often taken up with green houses for growing produce, sides of the roads are all irrigation ditches and many things are dangerous to children. It’s not an idyllic lifestyle.
Yul couldn’t understand why there was no convenience store or park for children there. In order to go to a park we have to cross the bridge to the next town. The one time we went to a playground, he was disappointed that there were no other children there to play with. Countryside areas no longer having families living there is a big problem these days, but I can’t blame families for moving when so many rural areas don’t have the infrastructure for raising children. You would think a rural area would have more places for children to play, but there was less than what is easily accessible for us in Seoul.
That’s some of my thoughts and perspective after living in Seoul for years and then going back to a rural area with a child. Hugh’s parents will retire in years to come and want to live closer to the sea, so will move. I’m hoping a more seaside area will at least have more public access areas that our children can enjoy in years to come when they visit.
Recent Comments