Korean Folk Village in Suwon

The trail gang reunited again this weekend. Katrina and I met Transition (Matt) and Shuffles (Dani) at Suwon Station on Saturday around 1 pm. Their train was supposed to arrive at 12:15 but ended up getting delayed for some reason. We had a few ideas in mind of what to do for the day - Korean War Memorial, Seoul Aquarium, an art exhibit in Seoul, watch a movie, or the Korean Folk Village. By the title of this blog, I'm guessing you know which one we settled on. Matt and Dani had been there before but for Katrina and I, this was our first time. I've been wanting to go for a few weeks now and I finally made it.

(View of the village from across the river)

(I love how the houses have plants growing on the roof, out of the straw. I think these were pumpkin plants.)

After "Having It My Way," filled with a Bacon Double Cheeseburger from none other than the Burger King himself, we made our way to the Tourist Information Center outside of Suwon Station. I read online that if you purchase tickets there, a free shuttle will take you to the village. So, we boarded the bus, took the half an hour ride, met a nice young lady in the Air Force stationed at Osan, and arrived at the village by about 2:30 pm. The village is a pretty big place and closed at 6:30 pm so we were a bit rushed. From my understanding, it seemed to be a history of the housing techniques used in Korea during various times as well as in different locations of the country. We saw replica houses from Jeju as well as other places.

(Dani said people write their prayers on a piece of paper then tie them off around this stone)

(Place to grind some rice or corn or whatever else you might want to grind)

(Jeju House)

It is places like the Folk Village that I really love when living in a foreign country. I guess I am a bit of a history nerd but there is just something about the traditional. We arrived at the perfect time to see a native dance, some guy do some amazing things on a tight rope, an equestrian exhibition, as well as a traditional wedding. These were four separate shows, each lasting for about 20 minutes. We skipped over the first part of the village in order to make it to the shows on time so at some point, I would love to get back. However, the shows were awesome and if you do find a way to make it to the village, make sure you go and see the shows. My favorite was probably the dancers, then the wedding, and a close toss up for third.

(Dancers behind us)

(Trapeze guy)

(Equestrian Show)

(Traditional Wedding)

After the wedding ceremony, which we left a bit early, we were able to take our time and enjoy the rest of the village. By that time though, we were probably half way through it. Also, a lot of the information was in Korean with a quick blurb in English. Therefore, it was difficult to fully understand all of the displays. There was a really interesting tree with different color ribbon hanging down and I never quite understood nor read the meaning anywhere. So, if you know what that is about, please leave a comment. There was an interesting area filled with torture devices. Their devices were simple but got the job done.

(Different color cloth hanging in the tree - no idea what it stood for or represented)

(Torture area)

(Dani told us that each thing hanging outside the house stood for something or had a meaning - a new born baby, somebody is sick so stay out, etc.)

(The village blacksmith)

(Just some fruit on a table in a room)

There were a few other ingenious devices throughout the village, a couple hens and chickens along with a few wild cats. There were plants everywhere. In some houses there were individuals making authentic items - one guy was making straw sandals. We saw a witch doctor as well. It was a really fascinating place with lots to see and do. It was a bit overcast so it wasn't that crowded which was wonderful. Also, it was later in the day so that might have helped as well. I had a great time and definitely plan on going back again.

(Automatic grinder - water from the river would move the pulverizer up and down)

(Statue, don't know the meaning, from Jeju Island)

(Katrina swinging on a really big swing)

(A lot of red pepper paste being prepared and aged, a lot)

(For all the farmers who may happen to read this, an old fashioned corn silo)

The night was topped off with some delicious Mexican food - four Americans in South Korea eating Mexican food - I'm sure there are better examples of globalization but that should work well for most people. Then we had a few beers, an intense political, social, and economic discussion, and a few Budweiser beers. Called it a night around midnight, after a game of cribbage - I lost on the last hand...

We got up this morning, everyone took a shower, separately I might add and then it was off to the station. I had my first Kraze burger which, to put in a corny way was crazy delicious but also crazy expensive, around 9,000 won. However, it was the first real burger taste I've had in a while so it was well worth it. Katrina had a tomato and mozzarella sandwich and we split some garlic fries - they were very tasty at times and then some bites were not enjoyable. It's difficult to explain.

Chuseok, the Korean Thanksgiving will be here in about a week. I have off Monday threw Thursday while Katrina only has off from Tuesday to Thursday. Nevertheless, we are going to take a ferry out to an island for those three days and do a little camping with some friends. In addition to our bonus, we also got paid overtime for this past month of intensive classes - a wonderful surprise on my last pay stub. Furthermore, this is the last month my housing deduction is withdrawn which equates to 200,000 won. So, from here on out, full paychecks with a 400,000 won housing return in a few months.

Life is fantastic right now! For the most part, I have some wonderful classes. There are only two real problem children in all of my classes, both of them girls. However, work is wonderful, I love my AO class, such smart kids and the things they learn. The disparity in education between South Korea and the US is drastic. Then again, parents here will pay thousands of dollars to send their children to one to three academies a night, five to six days a week. With an extra two to four hours of school a day, what kid wouldn't be smarter? Hope everyone is doing wonderful!