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Have you heard the saying, “you don’t really know what you’ve got until it’s gone?” I know I have, which is how I am able to use it for this blog. This weekend I had the opportunity to travel outside of Seoul. I have been in South Korea over 4 months and had not once ventured out of the city. So, when given the chance to check out beautiful Gyuon Ju, I took it.

Gyuon Ju is a historic town on the south east coast of the peninsula. A coastal town with a rich history spanning back more than 50 years! 50 years is a long time by Korean standards, or should I say, in Korean years. Similar to dog years, except you divide by 7. Conflict with Japan took a great toll on Korea, and thus, almost everything has been created, constructed and built in the past 50 years. But many structures in Gyuon Ju, which was originally the capital city, survived.

Leaving Seoul really exposed me to all of the things I take for granted in my day to day life. In Seoul I can usually get by just relying on established habits using a few words I have committed to memory like “Hello,” “Thank you,” and “Can I have a bag, please?” Some places will have someone who speaks English or will have an English menu. There was none of that in Gyuon Ju.

The Han River runs through Seoul dividing the city into a northern half and a southern half. I live in the southern half, which is nice because the people talk much slower, drive tractors and wear overalls. The mountains surround most views from Seoul, but are often cluttered by large “Officetels,” which is the Korean equivalent to “apartment building.” In Gyeon Ju the mountains are in plain sight. Unobstructed views with limitless trees and vegetation. Hopefully they will get some Officetels up soon so we can more readily identify where the mountains begin and end.

In Seoul we have plenty of yellow dust and volcanic ash settling all around us. If you’re good with a kite, you could probably send smoke signals, or should I say dust signals. Cars carry a light film of dust around with them which allows for you to write messages to the owner of that car like “Wash me.” In Gyeon Ju the air seemed clear and clean. It almost felt as if one could walk and run freely, like, even without a SARS mask. OH the anarchy!

A large part of transportation in Seoul relies on mopeds. You may have thought they were cool in high school, but here they are a way of life. I always thought they were fun, dangerous, loud, annoying, highly polluting machines that freely navigate their way to the front of the pack at a red light so they can be the first to the next red light. But I have come to realize they are really just dangerous, loud, annoying, highly polluting machines that freely navigate their way to the front of the pack at a red light so they can be the first to the next red light. In Gyuon Ju they have Louis Vuitton embroidered Vespas for rent, which really made me miss the typical McDonald’s delivery mopeds that run over my toes in Seoul. It’s true; it’s literally called “McDelivery.”

As you can tell, I was really starting to miss the comforts of Seoul. When I woke up in Gyuon Ju on Sunday morning, I was quite befuddled. There was no construction next to my head, no neon lights blinking and flashing, I may have heard a horn honk, but that is yet to be confirmed.

“You never know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone,” they say. I came back to Seoul with a bit of sun on my skin and a bit of pep in my step. It was the closest I had been to spring weather since… well, last spring. Seoul is just beginning to break into the 60s during the day. Next week should be the first week we are consistently above 60 on a daily basis. I am starting to get so desperate for warm weather. Until then, I have already made plans for another trip to the beach next month. If something terrible happens, i.e. I lose my Hello Kitty style SARS mask, or get sun burnt, at least when I get home I can get “McDelivery.” Some places just really don’t know what they are missing.

Moral of the story: Take a deep breath…

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