Before arriving in Korea I had never really been introduced to kimchi, let alone tasted the fermented vegetable. And now, almost 2 years later, it has become a necessary stable in my diet. To be honest, I wasn't a big fan of kimchi my first few months here but I knew if I wanted to make any Korean friends or not be seen as an outcast (not like my curly hair didn't allow for that already) I had to at least try and enjoy the spicy cabbage.
Foreigner's say it takes about 6 months living in this country to actually start eating kimchi by choice and 6 months until you start to find Korean men or women attractive (if you didn't already). I did begin eating kimchi on the regular but as for the sexy Korean men, I never really grew a liking for the homogenous black hair, language barrier and jeans tighter than mine. After 6 months, to me, the kimchi was still hotter!
On Saturday, some friends and I went to check out the kimchi festival and see what all the hype was about. It ended up being a pretty fun and tasty experience. For 5,000 won (about $5) we were able to actually make our own kimchi and try different kinds of kimchi with various spices, vegetables and seafood from all over South Korea.
Gwangju is a city in Korea known for its cuisine, so the kimchi fest brought chefs, food critics and hungry guests from around Korea (and Asia) to taste the best of the best. It did however, also bring a handful of camera hungry, foreigner-crazed Korean people who at every opportunity wanted to interview us, photograph us or just stare from a distance. There were camera crews and journalists at the festival waiting for their turn to ask us questions like, "What brings you to Korea? Do you like kimchi? and, most importantly, Who is your favorite Korean pop group?" All the interviews ended with a peace sign picture and everyone left satisfied (and maybe somewhat annoyed).
 |
| Getting suited up to make some kimchi |
 |
| After being interviewed for a highschool project, we got a group shot |
 |
| Trick art exhibit |
All in all, Saturday ended up being a day filled with art, culture and lots and lots of kimchi. Little did I know, Sunday would turn out to be a day filled with car races, Indian food and lots and lots of luck. Consequently, the next day began around noon when Adam and I got picked up by our friends Lokhee and Anthony, to begin the hour drive to the Formula 1 races. The cheapest ticket for this high profile race was $160... or in other words, waay out of our budget! So, we decided to just take a drive down to Mokpo (the town where the races were being held) and test our luck.
This is another reason why I love Korea so much. For the most part, people are pretty laid back and maybe a little too trusting (at least in my North American mind). For example, I took the train for the first time 2 weeks ago and not once did anyone check my ticket. If I pay a smaller fare on the bus or forget to pay my bar tab, Korean people will generally leave it up to you to fix the problem. They most likely, wouldn't say a thing!
So we arrived at the race with no money, low expectations and high hopes. We got there just as the races began and were huddled around the back gate near a forest trying to peek in between bushes and fence to get a glimpse of a vehicle. The piercing noise and black vile car fumes confirmed our close proximity to the track but this just made us even more eager to be a part of the electric crowd inside. Not even 15 minutes of us loitering around the facility, a worker from the races asked us whether or not we had our tickets. We responded honestly and to our amazement she signaled for us to go ahead in and watch the race. This was probably best case scenario and something that would ONLY happen in Korea. We sat with the other paying fans (suckers) and even witnessed a crash (one car got side-swiped by the other making a right turn on the track). At the end of the race we tried our luck once more and walked straight into the Grand Stadium where we got to see the top 3 drivers stand humbly on the podium and get awarded their prize. The whole experience was pretty unbelievable!
 |
| It was a little too noisy for the little ones.. |
 |
| In the Grand stadium after the races |
 |
| On the train to Seoul...starting early |
 |
| Our music fest crew |
October thus far has been pretty amazing! It's cooled down quite a bit but has made my nightly sleeps that much more comfortable. My apartments lack of air conditioning was something I hope to never endure again! The rest of the month should still be satisfying with halloween to look forward to, a trip to Taiwan comming up, and kimchi to last me a lifetime!
Write more soon!
Miss you all.
Signing off,
Gillian Teacha x
