the beautiful DMZ

In the very NE corner of South Korea, just minutes from the border with the rivals up north, lies a beautiful town, with an incredible coastline. In the area surrounding Sokcho, South Korea are small and rural villages with rice farms and gardens galore. Small shanty-esque dwellings clustered on the hillsides are the foreground of the scores of mountain peaks all around. Everything seemed to be in bloom and the freshness of the sea air was very refreshing. Mixed in with one teeny neighborhood of humble homes and terraced gardens was one very out of place home. A mansion! Nothing about it seemed very Korean at all, except the lack of beds and ample supply of sleeping cushions (super comfortable, actually). The house had a really big open layout, half a dozen bedrooms and and bathrooms, really nice front and back porches with tables and benches lining them. Sixteen people all together were the inhabitants of this home for three days. What a blast it was. We all pitched in and did one large grocery shopping trip and ate like queens and kings every meal, with leftovers! There was a BBQ and a Mexican food feast and brunches that rival the Portland restaurant scene.

When we were not eating or relaxing around our little yard we were pretty much at the beach. The ocean was the most beautiful tropical sea blue color and the vast open beach was nearly empty.... it isn't "beach season" in Korea yet and it would be too outside the social norms to hit the sand before it was "normal". That was just fine with us, we managed to get a massive wiffle ball game going, and  played lots of frisbee. It was hot and sunny, the water was....um....refreshing (read: cold!). Everyone got a sunburn, I mean everyone. No matter how much sunscreen we were continually applying. The sun was so intense for our pasty white winter skin. I was happy as could be swimming in the water for hours while losing feeling in my limbs from the coldness.... it is hard for me to leave the water!

One of the most dangerous and heavily guarded borders in the world happens to be very beautiful and calm, creating an interesting contrast of thoughts and ideas. We took one morning off from our beach duty and drove the really short drive to the DMZ. It was a strange and cool experience. After a somewhat long process of registering our cars and all the passengers and paying a small fee we proceeded to the gate where heavily armed soldiers were checking the cars and paperwork before admitting anyone to the border. As we drove on past the check point the scenery became very desolate and tall barbed wire fences were just everywhere we looked. The beautiful untouched beach to our east and the menacing isolated enemy to our north. We walked up to an observation deck and there it was! North Korea, but it was hard to see much. There is a five kilometer DMZ in between the countries, no one lives there, no one goes there, nothing is seen there, except a big road with no cars on it and an empty train track and some empty buildings and of course the beautiful beach and lots of barbed wire.

At the border there was a North Korean market, not sure how they got that up and running, I think it is something that was grandfathered in from about forty years ago, when relations between the two countries were more stable. They were selling various foods and alcohol products and trinkets. There was a major demand for the rumored delicious North Korean beer. Sure enough it was killer! Beats any Korean beer I've had so far, but then again, this country is notorious for having bad brews. Along with a market and a few places to eat there is a cool park with a giant white buddha statue and some artifacts from the Korean War.... which my Grandfather fought in! We hung around enjoying our beer, the scenery, our friends, and especially being on the free side of the border! 

We made the most of our time and pushed it until the final time we had to leave! Of course it is hard to leave vacation, especially at such a beautiful, remote place, knowing that work is looming so close in the morning. And of course we are tired and dragging a little today, but it's worth it for sure! June and July will be a little busy here at school.... lots of exams and projects to work on. Then Vietnam in August! I miss my people back home! Take care of yourselves. 

"Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes."

— HENRY DAVID THOREAU 

love love love

you do not have to be good....

Wild Geese

by Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting —

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.

away from the city....

....and to the beautiful countryside we went! Chuncheon province, outside of the city, to be exact. It was a short, but super sweet trip. Just a few days, but the days felt long, and in such a good way, not like those days at work that feel long. Our traveling companions were Ryan and Ida, and we had a blast together.

Chuncheon is famous for being the home of dakgalbi, which just so happens to be my favorite Korean dish thus far. It's spicy chicken stir fried with loads of cabbage and bean sprouts and dukbokki. Delicious. When we are not traveling this often, our local dakgalbi spot is a weekly meeting spot for Nate and Irina and Josh and I. They had a street dedicated to the food! The whole street and all the side alleyways were lined with restaurants serving the exact same thing! So we picked one and chowed down....

However we were on a mission.... to get out of the city! And that we did, we found a cheap cozy little hotel on the bus route to the high mountain hydro electric dam, which was a jumping off point, by boat or by hiking, to some remote forest areas and lush mountain trails. We took a refreshingly cool boat ride, a treat from the hot hot heat of the day....

Once we got to our destination we moseyed around the shaded paths and passed interesting vendors and restaurants. One of them was this sidewalk stand, equipped with it's bright, carnival-esque umbrella, where a guy was selling this thick dark brown juice from some giant roots he had lying around next to his cart. We gave it a try, and it was well.... really earthy and dense and tasted like some serious rootness! Josh liked it, and ended up finishing up all of ours, we didn't  love it as much as he did. But that is just how it goes sometimes, you have to try that strange and exotic thing, especially when it is only available in one place, at that one time!

mmmmm.....

We hiked our way up and up and up and believe it or not we came upon a temple! It is strange that temples, whether in the city or on a hiking trail, are now just normal to see, and not very surprising or exotic seeming. This was a really special place, the buildings were terraced upon the mountainside, with small bells ringing from the nice breeze that had kicked up. The buildings were enormous, and colorful as usual, but my favorite was the fresh running stream that weaved through the mountainside, with perfect shallow rocky areas to hang out and cool off.

We chatted riverside for a while, allowing our appetite to build again, for our third batch of dakgalbi (it is so different each place!). We hiked back down and once to a lower elevation there was this killer restaurant that had the most amazing dinning room ever, the river! It literally had these wooden decks resting on the rocks and cliffs that surrounded the small river, so the water was running underneath us as we ate and drank this strange milky rice wine... makgoli. 

We had to leave on the last boat well before sunset so we had some time to bum around the small neighborhood near or hotel and hang out outside a mini mart playing cards and taking in the beautiful sunset. The evening ended with a nice walk across the big and fast flowing river to see some rural farms by night and a few strange statues along the way. 

What a success the trip was, and still it is always good to come home. We are in town for five days before heading off to the east coast this weekend to celebrate Nathan's 30th birthday.... beach house style!! So more to come soon!

R.I.P. Gil Scott-Heron

I heard the news today that Gil Scott-Heron passed away. I have been a fan of this talented man for his music and his words. He did such great things in his life... and he likely touched millions of ears and gave hope and inspiration to those listening. His works will undoubtedly live on, and he will be supremely mourned, and yet his death will also be celebrated, because in death is some newness (i hope)! RIP Gil Scott-Heron.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised


You will not be able to stay home, brother.
You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out.
You will not be able to lose yourself on skag and skip,
Skip out for beer during commercials,
Because the revolution will not be televised.


The revolution will not be televised.
The revolution will not be brought to you by Xerox
In 4 parts without commercial interruptions.
The revolution will not show you pictures of Nixon
blowing a bugle and leading a charge by John
Mitchell, General Abrams and Spiro Agnew to eat
hog maws confiscated from a Harlem sanctuary.
The revolution will not be televised.


The revolution will not be brought to you by the
Schaefer Award Theatre and will not star Natalie
Woods and Steve McQueen or Bullwinkle and Julia.
The revolution will not give your mouth sex appeal.
The revolution will not get rid of the nubs.
The revolution will not make you look five pounds
thinner, because the revolution will not be televised, Brother.


There will be no pictures of you and Willie May
pushing that shopping cart down the block on the dead run,
or trying to slide that color television into a stolen ambulance.
NBC will not be able predict the winner at 8:32
or report from 29 districts.
The revolution will not be televised.


There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down
brothers in the instant replay.
There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down
brothers in the instant replay.
There will be no pictures of Whitney Young being
run out of Harlem on a rail with a brand new process.
There will be no slow motion or still life of Roy
Wilkens strolling through Watts in a Red, Black and
Green liberation jumpsuit that he had been saving
For just the proper occasion.


Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Hooterville
Junction will no longer be so damned relevant, and
women will not care if Dick finally gets down with
Jane on Search for Tomorrow because Black people
will be in the street looking for a brighter day.
The revolution will not be televised.


There will be no highlights on the eleven o'clock
news and no pictures of hairy armed women
liberationists and Jackie Onassis blowing her nose.
The theme song will not be written by Jim Webb,
Francis Scott Key, nor sung by Glen Campbell, Tom
Jones, Johnny Cash, Englebert Humperdink, or the Rare Earth.
The revolution will not be televised.


The revolution will not be right back after a message
bbout a white tornado, white lightning, or white people.
You will not have to worry about a dove in your
bedroom, a tiger in your tank, or the giant in your toilet bowl.
The revolution will not go better with Coke.
The revolution will not fight the germs that may cause bad breath.
The revolution will put you in the driver's seat.


The revolution will not be televised, will not be televised,
will not be televised, will not be televised.
The revolution will be no re-run brothers;
The revolution will be live.

making mixes

As I have mentioned before I dig the website 8tracks. It's easy to find new music or listen to old stuff you already like. People post hundreds of mixes a day, usually themed in some way, or sticking to a genre or two. Danielle made a killer mix for..... ME! How sweet it is to have friends that do wonderful things like this! You can listen to it here. Thanks Danilelle! 


Her mix in turn inspired me to make my own, for whom? You guessed.... Danielle Premo! And it also inspired me to make many more, for my friends, my family, my loved ones, or to pay attention to memories and certain times in my life. I invite any and all to join me in this project, make your own mixes, and feel free to share them here! Who says that the awesome idea of mixtapes has to be over simply because we have made our music smaller to carry around? 


"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." -Abraham Lincoln

weekend adventures

Monday monday monday.... it is not a typical monday. This week is really easy for me, my students are gone camping, so I don't have to teach any classes! I still have to come to my office, for "planning", but really who can do that much planning! I could get a little bummed that I have to still come into work, as opposed to having the days off, but instead I focus on the fact that I am forced to be at school, so I can spend lots of time online, emailing and researching and reading new things, and get paid handsomely to do so. It gets me up early still, out walking in the morning chaos of my neighborhood, so it's not bad after all....

This past weekend was eventful, in a really relaxing way. Saturday we got up early to Ryan calling, he was outside our apartment, we'd overslept! We all pitched in and made a huge breakfast intended to fuel us up for our hike! We walked to the bus stop and headed out of town, south of Seoul to the Cheonggyesan mountain range. We had incredible bus luck all day, I love it when that happens. No waiting, our transfers just pulling up as soon as we get there, etc. Easy. 

When we got there we headed to the hills, passing a great little farmers market, which we hit up on the way back down, getting the freshest veggies for dinner. 

We hit the trails, and they were so crowded at first, must have been some hiking club or group, so us, not knowing where we were going, or having much preference, took a sudden turn off the main trail to a small, steep terraced trail, and suddenly it was peaceful! No hikers at all in fact, just the three of us. 

This was a great trail in fact, leading us up the mountain at such a kind pace. The day was cloudy, and rain seemed imminent, but that didn't bother any of us, we are from Oregon, we are used to the rain! The gray clouds overhead were pretty in contrast to the luscious green canopy above. It was warm and the air was wet and the forrest seemed to be alive with bugs and worms and insects, so we peered closely at the leaves to investigate an inch worm or some cool looking beetle... it is mating season, so it was highly entertaining! We continued up and around and through the trees, as the path changed several times, each change revealing a new beauty of the place. The rain came, but it wasn't a nuisance, the trees above caught most of the drops, the rest cooled us down nicely, although it made for some muddy and therefore slippery terrain, no falls though (just some close calls)! 

Sunday we did some urban exploring, Josh found for us some info about a lecture, or talk of some kind to be held (in english) at a temple in the very north of the city, and on the topic of zen buddhism. So another early start on the day this time we took the subway across town, to the base of the Bukhansan mountain range, to the Hwagyesa (temple). Situated at the top of a hill, above a humble looking residential area, towers another of Koreas beautiful Buddhist temples. 

The grounds were lush and green and had lots of things to look at and trails to ramble upon. So we wandered freely and took it all in.

The place seemed free of tourists, which was a nice treat, there were lots of people milling around, busy doing their days work. Monks on cellphones, men setting up huge tents, a woman selling trinkets from a tent, and a small crew on construction workers moving a giant glass buddha, a goofy sight really, but not that surprising either.

The temple grounds covered a large area, maybe a dozen or so buildings, surrounding one massive five story temple in the center of it all. There were lanterns up, leftover from all the celebrations this past month, such a beautiful addition to the already incredible and colorful buildings, with the ornate wood structures and paintings on nearly every surface! We had time to kill before the talk was to begin so we wandered around for a few hours, and even stumbled upon a service that was in session, and stopped at a nice shady bench to enjoy our tasty snack, courtesy of Josh!

a Korean woman explaining to her kid the scene in the painting

people can write a wish or a prayer and attach them to the lanterns

A service being held at one of the dozens of temple rooms adorned with golden Buddhas

The dharma talk we went there for was held on the top floor of the main building, in an attic room with wood floor, low vaulted ceilings and a big gold buddha in the center. There were about twenty people there to listen, we all sat on small mats on the floor, legs crossed for over and hour! Whew.... I'm glad for all my years of yoga training, but I was still quite antsy to stretch my legs, being as they are sore from the hike on the previous day! Two monks led the talk, a woman from Poland and a man from the US, he the zen master and she the student, I think. Those of us listening hailed from probably fifteen nationalities, but all had the same desire to gain some knowledge from this talk. 

The head monk, the zen master as he called himself, talked a lot, and much of it was simple and common sense, as with many buddhist philosophies. He presented an interesting metaphor of a piece of fruit that has become so ripe that is has fallen from the tree and is now beginning to rot, in this fruit however is a seed, and the rotting fruit is creating an optimal fertilization for the growth of a new tree. He thinks of the world we live in that way. It has become rotten, people are fascinated and almost obsessed with the end of the world, why? He thinks because people are really unhappy, but it is best to not be only saddened by this, but to realize that there is potential fruit, seeds of a greater thing. We can work to find what these seeds are and learn how to cultivate them. I like this thought. It was a good talk, and it was a good relief when it ended as well. 

We ended the day, and the weekend with a quick stop at our buddy Kevin's house (with a great view, and a porch for enjoying it) for a BBQ to honor the great Dan Mckay (yeah, he's got those awesome pink shorts on), of Portland, Oregon  on his 32nd birthday. We had burgers, potatoes, and lots of watermelon, along with a killer home brewed IPA (yesssss!!!). Another good weekend, and many more to come... 

love love love