Korean schools don't really have spring breaks. However, Jeil Middle School's founding day was April 20th, so classes were canceled both Monday and Tuesday of last week! I was shocked, because usually classes aren't canceled for ANYTHING and there are generally ceremonies or dinners for special days like this.
The holiday was specific to my school, which meant that none of my friends had vacation. My co-teachers all had other plans as well, but I decided that four days is defnitely too long to sit around Daegu. I had to take advantage of it no matter what, even if it meant traveling alone! I've had my heart set on visiting Jeju Island, or Jeju-do, since I got to Korea, and I wanted to go before the tourist season started and plane tickets got too expensive or difficult to find.
I was definitely worried about going alone - my Korean language skills are basically non-existent and the English signage and English-speakers decrease dramatically as you leave Korea's bigger cities (Jeju-do gets a lot of tourists but is considered a 'rural' province). I'd also heard bad thing's about Jeju's public transportation system - there just isn't much of it. Every single Korean that knew I was going, told me that it's necessary to have a car there to see the sights. I have neither a car nor an international driver's license to rent one. But I decided to take the bull by the horns and just go for it; even if I all I did was sit on a beach, it would at least be four days relaxing outside of Daegu!
Anyway, the second my classes were over on Friday the 16th, I headed straight from school for the Daegu airport. Jeju-do is only 50 miles south of the mainland, so after a 45-minute flight (they were still collecting our cups and napkin trash as the plane began its descent!) I was on Jeju Island, the Hawaii of the East! The plane landed in Jeju's largest city, Jeju-si, along the north coast, and I boarded a limo bus for the city of Seogwipo, exactly opposite from Jeju-si on the island's south coast. Seogwipo's a tiny town (by Asian standards - population 84,000) and it was pretty dark and quiet when I got off that bus. But I had a map and some directions from my hostel, so I found the place within easy walking distance of the bus stop. It was nothing fancy but I had a private room and bathroom for about $20 a night.
I've decided to just make detailed captions of all my photos, in an effort to keep this short, but there are still some things I want to mention. First of all, I've always found Koreans to be pretty friendly and helpful people, but they were really great on Jeju. Every time I was stumbling around looking for the right bus or wanted someone to take a picture of me, all I had to do was ask and even people who didn't speak English tried to help me! Bus drivers, local Koreans, and other tourists were all surprised that I was traveling alone (Koreans like to do everything in groups) and went out of their way to be helpful. I even met one couple in a restaurant on my first night, and later that weekend they bought me dinner and showed me around Seogwipo in their car!
Second, it was such a satisfying and fulfilling trip, not only becuase Jeju is an awesome place, but because I went alone and was able to make my way around and see everything that I wanted to. Living abroad long-term is a strange mix of independence and total dependency. Living alone in a foreign country, holding my first real full-time job, and paying my own bills in my first apartment is definitely an exercise in independence; however, when I first arrived I couldn't even clean my bathroom because I couldn't tell the difference between the toilet cleaners, surface cleaners, and laundery detergents in the stores. And there are dozens of other things like that every single day - I can't go to the bank or doctor by myself, and it was a huge deal when I figured out the post office. There are just things, which a functioning adult in the U.S. totally takes for granted, that are really difficult here, and that gets annoying.
Anyway, in Jeju I visited the tourist office every morning and they wrote me out a little itinerary of what I wanted to do, with directions and instructions in English and Korean so I could show people, and then I was on my own. I chatted with the locals, bused all over that island, read the signs and directions in Korean, asked Koreans for directions, and basically owned Jeju's public transportation system. It was so satisfying, especially after hearing everyone tell me how impossible it would be.
All in all, it was a really wonderful, relaxing weekend - great people, delicious food and beautiful weather and scenery. After living in Daegu for eight months, Jeju-do reminded me of Wisconsin - I realized how much I miss seeing trees and grass and breathing air that actually smells good. Jeju definitely deserves its nicknames - Hawaii of the East, Paradise Island, or my personal favorite: Island of the Gods.
Look at my pictures from Jeju Island here: http://picasaweb.google.com/kristin.laufenberg/JejuIsland?feat=directlink
Since I captioned the photos instead of writing more about these places, some of the captions are a bit long and might interfere with looking at the picture. When you view the photos as a slideshow, you have the option (at the bottom of the screen) to hide the captions or display them. Enjoy!
The holiday was specific to my school, which meant that none of my friends had vacation. My co-teachers all had other plans as well, but I decided that four days is defnitely too long to sit around Daegu. I had to take advantage of it no matter what, even if it meant traveling alone! I've had my heart set on visiting Jeju Island, or Jeju-do, since I got to Korea, and I wanted to go before the tourist season started and plane tickets got too expensive or difficult to find.
I was definitely worried about going alone - my Korean language skills are basically non-existent and the English signage and English-speakers decrease dramatically as you leave Korea's bigger cities (Jeju-do gets a lot of tourists but is considered a 'rural' province). I'd also heard bad thing's about Jeju's public transportation system - there just isn't much of it. Every single Korean that knew I was going, told me that it's necessary to have a car there to see the sights. I have neither a car nor an international driver's license to rent one. But I decided to take the bull by the horns and just go for it; even if I all I did was sit on a beach, it would at least be four days relaxing outside of Daegu!
Anyway, the second my classes were over on Friday the 16th, I headed straight from school for the Daegu airport. Jeju-do is only 50 miles south of the mainland, so after a 45-minute flight (they were still collecting our cups and napkin trash as the plane began its descent!) I was on Jeju Island, the Hawaii of the East! The plane landed in Jeju's largest city, Jeju-si, along the north coast, and I boarded a limo bus for the city of Seogwipo, exactly opposite from Jeju-si on the island's south coast. Seogwipo's a tiny town (by Asian standards - population 84,000) and it was pretty dark and quiet when I got off that bus. But I had a map and some directions from my hostel, so I found the place within easy walking distance of the bus stop. It was nothing fancy but I had a private room and bathroom for about $20 a night.
I've decided to just make detailed captions of all my photos, in an effort to keep this short, but there are still some things I want to mention. First of all, I've always found Koreans to be pretty friendly and helpful people, but they were really great on Jeju. Every time I was stumbling around looking for the right bus or wanted someone to take a picture of me, all I had to do was ask and even people who didn't speak English tried to help me! Bus drivers, local Koreans, and other tourists were all surprised that I was traveling alone (Koreans like to do everything in groups) and went out of their way to be helpful. I even met one couple in a restaurant on my first night, and later that weekend they bought me dinner and showed me around Seogwipo in their car!
Second, it was such a satisfying and fulfilling trip, not only becuase Jeju is an awesome place, but because I went alone and was able to make my way around and see everything that I wanted to. Living abroad long-term is a strange mix of independence and total dependency. Living alone in a foreign country, holding my first real full-time job, and paying my own bills in my first apartment is definitely an exercise in independence; however, when I first arrived I couldn't even clean my bathroom because I couldn't tell the difference between the toilet cleaners, surface cleaners, and laundery detergents in the stores. And there are dozens of other things like that every single day - I can't go to the bank or doctor by myself, and it was a huge deal when I figured out the post office. There are just things, which a functioning adult in the U.S. totally takes for granted, that are really difficult here, and that gets annoying.
Anyway, in Jeju I visited the tourist office every morning and they wrote me out a little itinerary of what I wanted to do, with directions and instructions in English and Korean so I could show people, and then I was on my own. I chatted with the locals, bused all over that island, read the signs and directions in Korean, asked Koreans for directions, and basically owned Jeju's public transportation system. It was so satisfying, especially after hearing everyone tell me how impossible it would be.
All in all, it was a really wonderful, relaxing weekend - great people, delicious food and beautiful weather and scenery. After living in Daegu for eight months, Jeju-do reminded me of Wisconsin - I realized how much I miss seeing trees and grass and breathing air that actually smells good. Jeju definitely deserves its nicknames - Hawaii of the East, Paradise Island, or my personal favorite: Island of the Gods.
Look at my pictures from Jeju Island here: http://picasaweb.google.com/kristin.laufenberg/JejuIsland?feat=directlink
Since I captioned the photos instead of writing more about these places, some of the captions are a bit long and might interfere with looking at the picture. When you view the photos as a slideshow, you have the option (at the bottom of the screen) to hide the captions or display them. Enjoy!
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