New Years

What a way to spend new years. The 31^st I worked my last day of winter camp. Around 2 me and Lucie hustled down to the bus terminal and caught a 4 hour ride to Gyeongju on the east coast of Korea. We wandered around in the below freezing and windy night looking for a cheap motel to drop our bags and then head out to explore the city. Having entered the city by bus we were geographically near the bus station which classically is a hub for love motels. So we took a look, our mission a cheap clean room. The motels were flashy and modern looking all neon and polished ‘marble’. Although new and in good presentation on the outside I still felt like these establishments were a bit sketchy. I had a surge of optimism seeing a young family entering one hotel, so we went in. The posters greeting us from the lobby wall were artsy images of nude women and the price was too high for our budget ways. So we went to the next place where the price was a bit lower but still not quite right (notice how the reception window is opaque- I can't see her and she doesn't look at me, only shows me the price on a calculator), and posted next to the reception window was a list of room prices including some really really low prices but these were for the hourly rental. (It wasn't that windy-my scarf is wrapped to cover the logo on my jacket) So we headed back to the bus terminal to look at the electronic map and decided to take a shot at an advertised hotel knowing that the price might be higher but at least we wouldn’t feel the need to inspect the sheets and remove the cover from the comforter. The map had bizarre scale and also some confusion to which way was north. After attempting to take a taxi to our destination which turned out to be only 200 meters away we landed at the Gyeongju Park Tourist Hotel (054-742-8804 or 8807, the staff speaks English). What a score. The rest of new year’s eve is a blur of warmth and deep sleep.

The next day we took a bus towards gampo to golgulsa a Buddhist temple and monastery on a little hill. This temple is also a training center for the martial art sunmudo. Sunmudo is really impressive in how much control is fostered through balance, action,and stillness. The martial art is practiced as a means to achieve what it takes to meditate and reach enlightenment. A lesson well exemplified by the disciplined monks who show the importance of the direct relationships between mind and body. Golgulsa temple has English speaking staff who share information on the program at the temple and answer any questions.

The temple accepts volunteers for a 6month program- trading English classes/communication for 6months training in meditation and sunmudo. It seems pretty dreamy and really difficult considering the rigorous schedule the monks keep. Other programs held by the temple include a place for wayward boys, nothing snaps you out of your teenage funk like the discipline of waking at 4 am to pray and meditate and then spending several hours doing physical work and practicing a martial art.

And during winter and summer break in the school year the temple hosts an English camp whichfocuses on the principles of Sunmudo and Buddhism with English speaking staff for the kids to practice their English. The kids are really cute, of course. During the evening prayer that me and Lucie attended all the kids chanted really enthusiastically and loud to the heart sutra that was accompanied by the moktak (a wooden bell). In the dining hall we made friends with a young girl who told us all about her experience at the English camp and her love of fried sweet potatoes with ketchup.

The temple has a special bond with dogs. One mama dog recently had puppies and another was pregnant, enjoying herself in the kitchen hallway eating lots of rice and kimchi.