chuseok weekend

This past weekend was Korea's biggest holiday of the year: Chuseok. It's a celebration of the harvest and everyone travels to their hometowns to honor their ancestors. For this reason, traveling anywhere was out of the question and we stuck around Seoul/Geyeonggi-do. The holiday is kinda comparable to our Thanksgiving.

Saturday morning I met up with some of my friends and we headed to the Korean Folk Village in Yongin (south of Seoul). We were expecting a traditional village full of Korean history, however, it was a little more commercial than expected. Kids in traditional hanboks were feasting on corndogs and churros.

The whole day wasn't a waste, however, we got to see some pretty cool things like traditional Korean dance, herbs, holiday attire, and games. It was kinda comparable to Disney World meets Greenfield Village... but in Korea.

That Sunday Me, Amy, and Rebecca decided to head to the World Cup Stadium used for the world cup in 2002. The stadium itself was closed but we got to walk all around it and take in the asthetically pleasing area they chose. It was a brisk fall day and being outside and walking around the park area was nice. The stadium sits on the west side of Seoul and you can see the mountains peeking up behind it (to the left under the trees in this picture).

The weekend was a nice long break from work, but now I am back. Although this week is midterms so I am not teaching at all, just sitting at my desk all day everyday. I am about to go out for a traditional korean dinner with the English department. Fall has begun and I officially feel like I am not a tourist here anymore. That initial excitement/fear has worn off and now i acutally feel like a resident of Korea.