i returned to korea a week ago. valentine's day to be exact. this is my fourth time to land in korea and begin a new semester of teaching. each time it feels different. this time, vastly so. after the initial feeling of disorientation that comes with just having said goodbye to everyone i love back in north america, the curse of jet lag upon me, and entering my apartment after two months of being away and having it smell funny, i began to feel deeply settled and so very happy to be back. i marvel at the affinity i feel for korea, despite the insane motorbikes that come full speed out of nowhere down the sidewalks, the yellow dust storms soon to hit and reek holy havoc on my respiratory system, and the red pepper paste in almost everything available to eat. i just love it here. and the rightness of living in korea at this time in my life is unquestionable.today, after cooking up a hearty hiker's lunch of poached salmon, mashed potatoes, and salad, finished off with a steaming cup of yunnan gold with a square of mexican dark chocolate, i set out on a mountain climbing venture. a friend told me about a ridge behind the train station that she recommended as a must hike. i rode a bus from my apartment to the vicinity of where my friend said the trailhead would be. turns out it was quite a walk through city streets to get to the actual base of the mountain, but i persevered! of course, there was a fork in the trail at the very beginning, and i chose the wrong one! well, not necessarily the wrong one, but the more meandering, odd one. it seemed fine for awhile, but then there came a long stretch where i had to walk through people's private vegetable gardens and was worried sick that i was going to be arrested for trespassing! in the process, i got massively snagged by a huge thorn bush that took me a good ten minutes to untangle from. finally, i made it to a clear, decent trail that looked as though it would lead me safely up the mountain. i followed it through forests of evergreens with magpie's chirping from the branches above, past mounds scattered about the mountain side where people are buried. and to no surprise, i came across a vibrantly colorful buddhist temple. i stopped in for a little rest and a splash of holy water on my face.
i seemed to be the only person on the path for quite some time, then a few other hikers came my way, some of whom were amused by my sing-songy "ahn-YONG-ha-SEH-yo," as they echoed it with giggling after passing by! it's possible they were also entertained by my abominable snowman outfit. i have not hiked enough to have the gear down pat yet. i made the mistake of wearing my bulky, below zero, down jacket, with ski gloves and a stocking cap. i simply did not want to get cold. so, i spent quite a bit of time taking it all off and putting it all back on again, sweating and then freezing. i have to get this clothing issue figured out. i might just go out tomorrow and purchase some hiking poles, so i at least look like i know what i'm doing!as i approached the top of the mountain, there were patches of ice and snow along the path. my breath looked like a cloud of smoke.
it is a marvelous thing to reach a mountain top. i never used to be one for climbing mountains. i was more of a minnesota flatlands, california ocean kind of gal. but, the more i climb to mountain peaks, the more i love the feel of looking out and seeing for miles and miles. the air is so clear way up there on top of the world. and one's perspective can't help but change. suddenly, i notice how small i am. and how boundless the earth, how far-reaching the horizon. i feel a great sense of accomplishment and awe every time i make it to the top of a peak and gaze at the view. i feel strong in my body, free in my soul...and my heart feels as wide as the world.
after resting for a while at the top and giving a go to the exercise equipment up there, i took off along the ridge, which appeared to meander for miles. the views were breathtaking. i would have gladly hiked along the top of the mountain range as far as it would have taken me, but after a while i deemed it best to start heading down the mountain before the sun slipped out of sight. i had no idea where i would end up at the bottom, but figured i'd surely be able to catch a cab home, no problem. you can imagine my shock in the last 100 meters when i realized that i was exactly where i had begun several hours earlier. i exited the mountain on the trail that i should have chosen at the fork in the beginning, but instead took the garden tour/thorn bush path! my laughter echoed throughout all of korea. how strangely funny and perfectly fitting. all at once.artwork:
1st image - an acrylic painting titled "asian fall" by frank ignizio
2nd and 3rd images - paintings in an exhibit titled "universal mountain" by korean painter, ahn sahn
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