I really need to get this off my chest and I have to do so now...I AM GOING TO KOREA ON SATURDAY! ^_^
Three months of suppression made me burst out like an atomic bomb. A wanderlust, my mom calls me and I do not deny my feet always itch to visit a new place. In my room, there is this a shelf located above the dresser. Whenever I get home, I never fail to wipe it clean since it becomes a favorite place for spiders to spin their webs. That shelf contains little souvenirs of the places I have been to, whether outside or within the Philippines. For example, I have a charm bracelet from Universal Studios, a small silver spoon from a souvenir shop in Niagara, an embossed keychain I bought the first time I went to Enchanted Kingdom, a glass bottle from Boracay and even a wooden keychain with dangling miniature cutlery I purchased when I took a sidetrip to Cebu back in high school. And just so you know, I don't have the infamous "man-in-a-barrel" which populates souvenir stalls in Baguio. Cleaning this shelf takes hours not really because the entire activity is difficult. It's just that before I go back to arranging the items once more on the now pristine shelf, I carefully examine each one and like a portkey/time machine, I am once more drawn back to the places I once visited.
To say that I am excited about my impending Korea trip is an understatement in its most horrible sense. In fact, it could be the understatement of understatements! The Korea trip is the first thing which enters my head in the morning and the last thought to leave before I fall asleep every night. Sometimes, I would spontaneously combust into uncontrollable giggling, usually in front of my sister, who would then dart her eyes around their sockets like a pinball machine. One time I woke up in the middle of the night to relieve my bursting bladder and saw that I forgot to turn my phone off. Before pushing the power button, the Korea trip once more popped into my head out of nowhere so I texted Sue that I really couldn't believe I was getting the chance to go to Korea, even if it was just for a couple of days. She later texted me when there was daylight, with a hint of hypnotism, "Yes, you are going to Korea and you are going to bring back Won Bin for your dearest friend, MOI!" I have yet to delete that message, if only to remind me of some of the "missions" my friends have forced me into upon learning of my trip.
The reasons for my overexcitement are both varied and, I believe, valid. After all, it has been roughly eight years since I had ever been to a place outside Philippine territory. For a labelled wanderlust like me, it's almost similar to a bird getting freed from a cage after years of imprisonment! Add that to the fact that this would be my first time to visit a country located in Asia. My appreciation and interest in Asia was a late bloomer, to be blamed perhaps on the fact that I grew up bombarded with Disney. It began with my Asian history classes in mid-high school and have risen steadily ever since I took classes on Asia-Pacific countries and their respective histories in college. Despite the severe memory work, those classes so roused my interest in the rich and exotic cultural heritage of countries in Asia, it was almost like smelling a whiff of steaming rice doused in enormous amounts of curry powder.
Of course, the anticipation of my Korea trip is to be heavily blamed on the shift of my Hollywood from California to Seoul. My 3-year old fascination with Korean music, movies and TV series could be considered a manifestation of the hanryu (Korean Wave) currently invading the entirety of Asia (take for instance My Sassy Girl, Tagalog version).
Sue, Em and Kate (the frequent spammer in my shoutbox in the sidebar of this blog) told me I could finally get to wear my shirts in layers. I have always liked doing that but it gets too warm here that it becomes uncomfortable. And I have always had a penchant for turtlenecks...I can wear them there without feeling sweat rolling down my nape and back,
An indication of my lunacy would be the fact that my dad (my travel partner this time) was surprised that I knew so much about the place more than he did, especially since I was just tagging along for the ride. I was telling him about the places and parks around the area and he was even more dumbfounded to know that I had already pored through a map of the place days before our visa was approved.
Less than a week before my trip, I am still adding a list of things I have to do in Korea. My list so far includes the following:
* Have a picture taken wearing a hanbok.
It was interesting watching Han Ji Hye in Sweet 18 walk around doing house chores while donning the traditional Korean attire.
* Eat kimchi.
The first time I ate kimchi was in Market! Market! when it was served as a side dish to a chicken barbecue meal my aunt bought me for lunch. With my fork, I picked up a piece of the pickled cabbage and tossed it into my mouth. I did not like what I tasted so I pushed a huge mound of rice into my mouth.
* Watch a movie in a cineplex...WITHOUT SUBTITLES!
The key to understanding Korean movies would be the English subtitles, some of which are made by fans. To complete my cinematic experience, I intend to watch April Snow (if it is still showing there) when I get to Seoul...despite all the negative writeup I have been reading. If not, other choices would be Sympathy for Lady Vengeance and Duelist. Best of luck to me! Need to know if I can have a career in linguistics.
I don't know how big my chances are of getting to see movie stars or singers when I'm there. But then my friend Mich recently saw Freddie Prinze Jr. so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. But I'm hoping I get to go to Lotte World. Mich said that the skating scene in Stairway to Heaven (bottom left) was shot there as well as stills of Kwon Sang Woo and Choi Ji Woo in the carousel...I would want to see that even if I am not a fan of the drama. What has really got me excited though is that I recently learned that two of the places where my ultimate favorite K-serial MISA (bottom right) was shot are conveniently located near the place where I will be staying! ^_^
If only people were still allowed to visit So Ji Sup in the Mapo district office...but that's all right! ^_^
There is always a story behind every temple and shrine...and I would certainly want to know what those stories are. Add that to the fact that art in temples have always been awesome and intricate.
* Get the 411 on tea drinking.
What I understand about tea drinking is that it is not simply concerned with holding a cup of tea and downing it. The entire exercise itself is interesting and relaxing, as if the tea drinkers have all the time in the world to indulge in this activity when the rest of the world seems to be always in a hurry.
* Drink soju in a tent bar.
It is not uncommon to see actors in Korean dramas trying to intoxicate themselves with this alcoholic drink served in transluscent green bottles. For a time we did not know what it was called so Em decided to refer to it as Sprite. And usually they would drink these in tent bars or restaurants with monobloc tables and chairs. I plan to momentarily suspend my self-imposed mortification and have a bottle of soju inside a tent bar. I just need to be sure I'm with someone who can give me a piggyback ride home, given my rather low alcohol tolerance level.
Lee Dong Gun and Kim Jung Eun having a drink of soju in "Lovers in Paris." Kim
has a little too much to drink and is brought home by Lee...piggy-back style.
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