Some Afterthoughts on Recent Travels and Life Abroad

It’s now been just over three years since I came to Korea, and close to a month since I finished my road trip so I figure this is a good time for reflection. I started traveling on July 26th and I arrived home on August 13th. In all, I spent 13 days traveling around the peninsula with little planning beyond a vague notion to get to the coast and loosely follow it. I think if I had the time and money, I could’ve easily spent another month on my bike; I enjoyed my time on the road that much. I’d like to say thanks to my girlfriend who was completely supportive (and I think nervous) about my trip.

I’d also like to say thanks to my family. Although my parents often disapprove my various plans, it’s done out of concern for my wellbeing. When I came to Korea there were comments about Kim Jong Il. When I got the motorcycle, I told my father via MSN and his reaction was ‘gray hairs popping out!!’. It was the fastest I’d say he’s ever typed anything. My mother told me to be careful about traveling in the country and feared I’d wind up dead in the countryside, a victim of robbery and foul-play. I’ll probably only truly be able to understand them when I have kids of my own. On the other hand, my sister’s reaction to the trip was ‘sounds cool’. A few words also deserve to be mentioned regarding the country and it’s people.

I remembered reading prior to arriving on the peninsula that about 70% of Korea is covered in mountains. When I first arrived here, I remembered being awestruck by landscape as my bus sped towards Daejeon. It was my first impression of the country. Riding around has only reinforced that perception.

My first impression and contact with Koreans came shortly after I landed at the Incheon airport. I was having difficulty finding money to use a payphone. A Korean couple saw me and actually allowed me to use their calling card to make a call. During this trip, so many people were so gracious to me. From the hotel lady, to the biker and the DMZ couple. I’m eternally grateful for their kindness and generosity. Again my travels have only served to reinforce my initial perceptions.

That isn’t to say that every Korean I’ve met in the last three years has been a saint. After about twenty-four hours on plane and another 3 hours by bus, the guy who was supposed to pick me up at the bus stop flaked out. There have also been the odd run-ins with people from time to time, like on the subway when someone starting harassing me. He was shouting ‘WELCOME TO KOREA! EAT THIS CANDY!’ at me repeatedly. It was one of my oddest experiences in Korea. Then there’s the whole hagwon thing.