My Family's Visit

As some of you know, my family came out to Korea a few weeks ago to pay me a visit! They stayed in Korea for a week (the 3rd week of February) and visited three cities: Gwangju, Jeonju, and Seoul. We had a great time, and they handled that sometimes overwhelming feeling of jetlag surprisingly well! Some highlights of the trip:

1) Our Afternoon In Downtown Gwangju



My family was treated like a novelty item in downtown Gwangju. Because the country is so homogenous, it's not everyday the average Korean runs into a white person, not to mention and entire FAMILY of them (this is especially true in a smaller city like Gwangju). This being said, my family ate it up. Middle school girls came up to my 13 year old brother and said, "You are handsome!" Meanwhile, my father had a constant fan club of Korean children at his side, and he kept quizzing them on their English. Late in the afternoon, my dad was quizzing a group of them on colors. One kid got the color of his shirt wrong, and his friend said to my dad matter-of-factly, "He is stupid."

2) Hiking up Mudeung Mountain



The weather was pleasant the week they came up. A little chilly, but sunny enough for us to go hiking! So we decided to go up Mudeung Mountain, a small mountain near my apartment. There was a nice Buddhist Temple at the base, and we hiked for about a half hour, until we reached a modest summit with a very nice view of Gwangju!

3) My Dad and Brother at the Restaurant After the Hike



My dad wasn't a fan of sitting on the floor, and he wasn't big into chopsticks. Also, my brother wasn't crazy about the food...but the waitress loved them anyway! She came over to our table hospitably, and prepared everyone an exotic meal. It was great because she would literally stuff the food down my brother's throat, unaware that he detested it. He didn't want to be rude, so he'd wait for her to turn around before spitting it out and hiding it under his plate! This must have happened about 4 times! Meanwhile, my dad kept trying to make smalltalk with her, which I don't think she understood too well, if at all...

4) Our Day Trip to Jeonju



I took my family on a day trip about an hour outside of Gwangju to a city called Jeonju. To the avid followers of my blog, you'll remember that this is where I spent my week of training when I first arrived in Korea! Anyway, we explored a "folk village" and a hisoric (albeit small) palace. My dad was right when he said the village could be summed up as the "Olde Mystic Village" of Korea.

5) Seoul

We spent two nights in Korea's capital, Seoul. Here we went to the historic Gyungbogeoung Palace as well as a posh, artsy district called Insadong. However, I think everyone's favorite part of Seoul was the legendary Floor 19 of our luxurious hotel, which offered snacks all day, as well as a 3 hour open bar every night...

Anyway, we had a great time for the week. If any of my other friends/relatives want to come visit, let me know!