All of us have been here, at least in Korea anyway, since that fall of 1997. Watch your step or you will have to fight Diane. Just kidding. Travis is, as always, both good friend and neighbor. In the time that we have been here we haven't aged a bit. Okay, perhaps a wee bit.
Area Surrounding the Apartment Building
So much has changed since we first moved here. Initially, the apartment building was situated on the outskirts of the city and there were rice paddies directly across the street. The picture directly above this has, what many people here refer to as, farms. Most Westerners would probably agree that they are more in line with gardens.
This photo was taken while leaning out from my balcony window. The hill was covered with both vegetables and an orchard. In years to come it will disappear.
I used to jokingly say that these were the best "kids" in the neighborhood. Then I said it a bit more seriously. The small black goat is popular here for medicinal purposes. These little guys were eating lunch one day by the stream that is directly on the other side of the street from the apartment.
The closest mountain from the apartment is about a 5 kilometer hike. The pathway left much to be desired but the view from the top was fantastic.
On Campus
Traditional dances are performed each semester. They generally parade around campus and at times it can be a bit disconcerting if you are in the middle of class. If not, it is a lot of fun to watch and the kids really get into it.
Some of My Students From the First Semester
A Day Trip To Popchusa Temple
The temple is located about 40 - 60 minutes south of Cheongju (weather and traffic being factors). It is located in this national park. The scenery is absolutely fantastic and it is such a relief to get away from "civilization".
On this particular day we took the bus. I seriously think that the driver was having a bad hair day, or just wanted to scare the bejeesus out of his passengers. As you can see, the road has more than a few twists and turns. Traveling back down was not anticipated by the group.
The bus only takes you part of the way up to the temple and from there it is a pleasant 20 minute walk. The pathways are ideal and there are restrooms and water fountains (as well as pop/coffee machines) along the way.
Finding your way around is not difficult at all. The day we went up was a bit chilly but not as cold as it gets in the winter months here.
This is the largest free-standing Buddha in Asia. It is 30 meters high and the base contains both Buddhist and Korean cultural artifacts along with an absolutely beautiful statue of the Buddha from the future. Despite what people have told me, I still think it looks decidedly female.
Elephants are depicted here (as in many countries in Asia) in this lantern. It was also used to hold incense and other offerings. This is a working temple and it is not uncommon to see monks walking across the courtyard in their grey attire. (All monks are not alike).
This stone lantern was very popular in Korea's past. Although they are not often used today they still leave a visual impression of times gone by.
The temple ground has several buildings for worship. The interiors are filled with representations of Buddha in both statue and picture form.
This cooking pot once fed the entire population of the temple (estimated at 6,000 people). It is about the size of a four person tent and makes you sit back and wonder what the rice was like when you got to the bottom.
