I am in Schaffhausen visiting Dorothea's family, and while I am trying to evaluate all I have done last year, and trying to make a reasonable plan for the next one, my mind fills up with the memory of the posts that I did not write in 2012, many ideas that I did not succeed to put down. Some nice ones are difficult to let go, therefore I have decided to write a summary post. I can always recover them later, but probably something new will pop up.
I started this blog update our friends and family about our life in Korea. While we discover many things of this country and we mature a new comprehension, it becomes harder to convey my new feelings in this blog. Still, I want to write about what we see, and hope that our new awareness will emerge from this blog.
This year we saw a lanterne parade and a lanterne festival. They were both great, located in the north of the city, the ancient center of Seoul. The parade is held in spring. It is classic and spectacular. I post only two photos here, but there would be much more to show!
The lanterne festival is instead held in late fall. It is based on installations along the river. Luckily the weather was great when we visited it. The leaves on the trees composed a wonderful mixture of colours that day. The last photos show the modernity of the style of the lanterne.
During this year I wanted to blog about the zoos and places where children can see, and sometimes touch, animals in Seoul. If you have small children you know what I mean. Children need animals as much as they need to play and to sleep. It is the best cure against the magnetic attraction of the TV. Apparently there is no toy or book that can win watching a short Pororo movie, but the idea to visit the zoo is invincible.
The official zoo of Seoul is fantastic, one of the largest and most impressive in the world, but also one of the less known. Before or later I will write about it. Plus, there are some other cool places dedicated to children, the Children Gran Park, the horse race course, whose center has been transformed in a divertissement park, and several farms (e.g. Baedagol) where children can enter in contact with the animals. First some photos of the Zoo.
In spring we did one of the most wonderful trips of our life. It was very short, three days and half, that we almost entirely spent Kyoto. We went there invited by Rustam, a Kyrgyz friend who lives in Japan, and his family and we were amazed. In Italy many people say "see Naples and then die", because it will be your ultimate experience but I have to say that "see Kyoto and then die" would be fair as well. It is really one of the most wonderful city in the world. I think that our joy to be there transpires even from just these four pictures.
In June, before leaving for Europe, we discovered a great place in the south of Seoul called Anyang. It is a former amusement park, now officially transformed in an "art park". The art there is minimal but the environment is very pleasant and different from the usual rush and crowd in Seoul. It is possible to take a bath between nice flower-like decorations on the riverside. The arboretum of the Seoul National University is at the end of the valley, but we never matched the narrow opening time-schedule. Two of the nicest spots are shown in the last pictures, one along a narrow a torrent where many restaurants have their terraces, and a second one a unique restaurant where you can have your meal with your feet immersed in a shallow pool of water (only in summer, of course!).
I have written of the trip with my friends Fabio and Manuele, crossing Korea from Busan to Seoul. I wanted to write more about our visit in Gyeongju, the ancient capital of the Silla Empire, of our visit to a small village where the houses have been preserved (or rebuilt?), of the endless phallic wooden statues seen everywhere, of the "largest cave in Asia" that we visited on the way (with paths funnily displayed by neon lights), of a wonderful neo-confucian temple that we casually encountered, of my friends swallowing the infamous stinking worm moths that I never managed to eat, of the desert beaches and the cloudy mountains near Sokcho, and the giant statues of Buddha that we saw there. Finally I wanted to talk of our impression watching a living fish decapitated and sliced as quickly as possible for serving us with the freshest sashimi that we have ever had. But I did not manage to write all that, so I will show you only a glimpse of it.
In October we went to the "Hi Seoul!" festival. We were curious about it, but we did not expect very much. Instead we could admire one of the most spectacular parades of our life. It was fantastic. Here I show only few photos of the plays for children organized before the parade. From the parade I remember the giant puppets, the mechanical dinosaurus, the enormous birds made of tissue, and a scene from the dramatic show representing some ancient korean story of kings, ghosts and magicians. Certainly this deserves a post on its own.
Almost at anytime of the year it is worth climbing the mountains of Seoul. Finally enough time has passed since Renee`s birth: Dorothea is fit again, Renee is still light enough to carry on my back and Marlen is strong enough to hike herself (with a proper incentive, like a chocolate bar or the perspective of an icecream on the top!). This year we hiked several times Gwanak-san but also went to the Bukhan-san National park, the mountains in the north of Seoul. I really would like to write a nice post on the treks in Seoul, as it is one of the most friendly cities in the world for mountain-lovers. Maybe I will manage this year, but for now, here few pictures.
October 25 was Renee`s first birthday. Despite the late Autumn time, we were lucky enough to pick a sunny and warm day for her party so we could spend a fantastic afternoon on a field in the campus. I would like to post about all the people who came, but for now this is Renee, at her first year party!
During the entire year, as well as before, we have been surrounded by a special attention by koreans. It is just amazing to see the effect that our little ones make to them. A feeling or warmth that we just do not receive anywhere else. I am not 100% sure that Marlen and Renee are fine with it. Mainly for the little one it can be scary and for Marlen, I fear she might start to think that she is a star (when people treat you as such, the doubt arises!), but overall I think that it is just a lot of fun. These two photos should give the idea: it happened the same so many times! They were taken in December, in Insadong.
Overall it was an amazing year. I still remember our arrival in Seoul, that was truly a cultural shock. Doro was in her early pregnancy and Marlen was 2 years old. We expected to arrive and find an apartment ready for us, a place in the international childcare for Marlen, a job for Doro and a neatly set working position for me. Truly, none of our expectations was matched by the real world and the reason why we did not escape within two weeks was the support of our friends, who explained us how to manage and get things done here in Seoul. It was not easy, but we stayed.
However now that almost two years have passed, I can say that Korea was a surprise. Of course we had to accept many compromises, but I now believe that it was the most interesting place where I have been living since I left Italy, 12 year ago. I still remember, few months after we arrived, some korean colleagues asked me and Doro why we liked it here. Apparently many koreans see their own country under a negative light. We told them that Korea is cool and, after one year, I can confirm that.
This does not mean that we will remain forever here. Besides the language barrier that would take many years to be fully overcome, many of the cultural obstacles are still clear in front of us. The main one for me the assimilation within my working environment. This is in fact a very complex inter-cultural story and would deserve a separate post, or many posts, so I will drop it here.
Marlen and Renee grow up quickly and we need to stabilize somewhere. Our little girls need to be in one place where they can go to school, establish solid and long term friendships, grow up together and not leave again. And Dorothea needs to go back to work, which will be hard if not in Switzerland, therefore we need to stay in place to find the right solutions. The new year, 2013, will most probably be the time of the big decisions.
I started this blog update our friends and family about our life in Korea. While we discover many things of this country and we mature a new comprehension, it becomes harder to convey my new feelings in this blog. Still, I want to write about what we see, and hope that our new awareness will emerge from this blog.
This year we saw a lanterne parade and a lanterne festival. They were both great, located in the north of the city, the ancient center of Seoul. The parade is held in spring. It is classic and spectacular. I post only two photos here, but there would be much more to show!
The lanterne festival is instead held in late fall. It is based on installations along the river. Luckily the weather was great when we visited it. The leaves on the trees composed a wonderful mixture of colours that day. The last photos show the modernity of the style of the lanterne.
During this year I wanted to blog about the zoos and places where children can see, and sometimes touch, animals in Seoul. If you have small children you know what I mean. Children need animals as much as they need to play and to sleep. It is the best cure against the magnetic attraction of the TV. Apparently there is no toy or book that can win watching a short Pororo movie, but the idea to visit the zoo is invincible.
The official zoo of Seoul is fantastic, one of the largest and most impressive in the world, but also one of the less known. Before or later I will write about it. Plus, there are some other cool places dedicated to children, the Children Gran Park, the horse race course, whose center has been transformed in a divertissement park, and several farms (e.g. Baedagol) where children can enter in contact with the animals. First some photos of the Zoo.
the children gran park
and the farm, famous for the variety of fishes and for the little fishes that eat small pieces of (dead?) skin, but where we also met some cute friends...
In spring we did one of the most wonderful trips of our life. It was very short, three days and half, that we almost entirely spent Kyoto. We went there invited by Rustam, a Kyrgyz friend who lives in Japan, and his family and we were amazed. In Italy many people say "see Naples and then die", because it will be your ultimate experience but I have to say that "see Kyoto and then die" would be fair as well. It is really one of the most wonderful city in the world. I think that our joy to be there transpires even from just these four pictures.
restaurant terraces and restaurant with feet in cold water
I have written of the trip with my friends Fabio and Manuele, crossing Korea from Busan to Seoul. I wanted to write more about our visit in Gyeongju, the ancient capital of the Silla Empire, of our visit to a small village where the houses have been preserved (or rebuilt?), of the endless phallic wooden statues seen everywhere, of the "largest cave in Asia" that we visited on the way (with paths funnily displayed by neon lights), of a wonderful neo-confucian temple that we casually encountered, of my friends swallowing the infamous stinking worm moths that I never managed to eat, of the desert beaches and the cloudy mountains near Sokcho, and the giant statues of Buddha that we saw there. Finally I wanted to talk of our impression watching a living fish decapitated and sliced as quickly as possible for serving us with the freshest sashimi that we have ever had. But I did not manage to write all that, so I will show you only a glimpse of it.
the interior of the cave
the temple and manuele and fabio in front of the plate full of moths
the beaches in Sokcho and the mountains nearby
The Buddha and the last instants of life of our fish
In October we went to the "Hi Seoul!" festival. We were curious about it, but we did not expect very much. Instead we could admire one of the most spectacular parades of our life. It was fantastic. Here I show only few photos of the plays for children organized before the parade. From the parade I remember the giant puppets, the mechanical dinosaurus, the enormous birds made of tissue, and a scene from the dramatic show representing some ancient korean story of kings, ghosts and magicians. Certainly this deserves a post on its own.
Almost at anytime of the year it is worth climbing the mountains of Seoul. Finally enough time has passed since Renee`s birth: Dorothea is fit again, Renee is still light enough to carry on my back and Marlen is strong enough to hike herself (with a proper incentive, like a chocolate bar or the perspective of an icecream on the top!). This year we hiked several times Gwanak-san but also went to the Bukhan-san National park, the mountains in the north of Seoul. I really would like to write a nice post on the treks in Seoul, as it is one of the most friendly cities in the world for mountain-lovers. Maybe I will manage this year, but for now, here few pictures.
October 25 was Renee`s first birthday. Despite the late Autumn time, we were lucky enough to pick a sunny and warm day for her party so we could spend a fantastic afternoon on a field in the campus. I would like to post about all the people who came, but for now this is Renee, at her first year party!
During the entire year, as well as before, we have been surrounded by a special attention by koreans. It is just amazing to see the effect that our little ones make to them. A feeling or warmth that we just do not receive anywhere else. I am not 100% sure that Marlen and Renee are fine with it. Mainly for the little one it can be scary and for Marlen, I fear she might start to think that she is a star (when people treat you as such, the doubt arises!), but overall I think that it is just a lot of fun. These two photos should give the idea: it happened the same so many times! They were taken in December, in Insadong.
Overall it was an amazing year. I still remember our arrival in Seoul, that was truly a cultural shock. Doro was in her early pregnancy and Marlen was 2 years old. We expected to arrive and find an apartment ready for us, a place in the international childcare for Marlen, a job for Doro and a neatly set working position for me. Truly, none of our expectations was matched by the real world and the reason why we did not escape within two weeks was the support of our friends, who explained us how to manage and get things done here in Seoul. It was not easy, but we stayed.
However now that almost two years have passed, I can say that Korea was a surprise. Of course we had to accept many compromises, but I now believe that it was the most interesting place where I have been living since I left Italy, 12 year ago. I still remember, few months after we arrived, some korean colleagues asked me and Doro why we liked it here. Apparently many koreans see their own country under a negative light. We told them that Korea is cool and, after one year, I can confirm that.
This does not mean that we will remain forever here. Besides the language barrier that would take many years to be fully overcome, many of the cultural obstacles are still clear in front of us. The main one for me the assimilation within my working environment. This is in fact a very complex inter-cultural story and would deserve a separate post, or many posts, so I will drop it here.
Marlen and Renee grow up quickly and we need to stabilize somewhere. Our little girls need to be in one place where they can go to school, establish solid and long term friendships, grow up together and not leave again. And Dorothea needs to go back to work, which will be hard if not in Switzerland, therefore we need to stay in place to find the right solutions. The new year, 2013, will most probably be the time of the big decisions.
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