My first weekend on Jeju Island

When I arrived in Jeju, Jimmy, of JejuESL greeted me and away we went across the island to Seogwipo. This was a perfect introduction, because it gave me a chance to see the main city (Jeju City) and the volcano (Mt. Halla) and Jimmy's limited English gave me a preview of what it would be like to communicate with new acquaintances.

I really had no idea what to expect when I arrived in Seogwipo. I had ₩ 100,000, equivalent to $85, in my pocket and a lot of luggage. I had prepared myself for anything (with a little of me holding on to the doubt that the English academy in which I was to teach actually existed at all. ) I knew that Seogwipo had relatively few native English speakers & had read that, while Koreans are friendly and warm, it might be difficult making Korean friends in the true sense of the word - I would soon find the exact opposite to be true.

We arrived at Tommy's English Academy and Tommy was waiting to meet me with grin on his face to match my own. I soon learned that Tommy, who was born in Jeju, spent time living in Minnesota and went to college in the cities. He showed me around the school and introduced me to the children who were there. Invariably these introductions consisted of me saying "Hello, my name is Weston. It is nice to meet you." In response I received wide eyes and utter silence.

After our initial hello, Tommy told me that, though he is my boss, he my friend first. I then met his sister in law and the three of us headed over to the apartment they had picked out for me. My room is better than I hoped for. I love it and best of all I have access to the roof which provides me with an excellent view of Seogwipo and beyond (including Mt. Halla and the ocean.) We left my luggage and headed back to the school to meet the older group of students.

They have all adopted english names in addition to their Korean ones. Friday's class was over by the time we got back so we ordered chicken and pizza and I watched the boys play soccer at the elementary school across the road. Jieun, Tommy's sister in-law took me back to my apartment saying that she would be back in the morning to take me to the store. During the last 36 hours I had only slept for seven, but I needed water so I made my way to King Mart. After I picked out some basic necessities it took me about 5 minutes to make my transaction, because I couldn't see the price on the screen and girl behind the counter didn't seem to speak English or Korean, but only giggled.

I woke up at 5:00 the next morning ( everyday it is 5:00 on the dot ) and I walked up the remaining 5 flights of stairs to the roof to watch the sun rise. Jieun and her son Chan-Yeup picked me up and we went to have my first traditional Korean meal. The table was full of things I had never seen and the owner was trying to tell me what everything was (in Korean). Each time I tried something new Chan-Yeup would look at me and enthusiastically ask, "is it delicious!??." Each time we neared the bottom of a bowl, a new, exciting dish was brought to the table - damn I love Korean food.

Jieun bought me some things at the store and then we went to her home were she gave me some of her things. (The generosity of this women is never-ending.) Chan-Yeup and I spent part of the afternoon playing with magnetic building blocks and then it was time for my first trip to the sea. We picked up snacks at a street stall and walked down a trail through trees I've never seen in my life. Each time I glimpsed the cliffs through the trees I would try to stop, but Jieun would grab my arm and pull me right along. We came to a clearing at the edge of a cliff just as the sun was setting. The cliffs were gorgeous and in the night you could see the lights of fishing boats in every direction.

Though I was thrilled to have made Korean friends I told Jieun that I was very tired. Whether she had understood or not, we went and picked up more children and met Tommy's sister at a restaurant - I wouldn't make it home for another 3 hours, but dinner was incredible and it was great getting to know Chan-yeup's peers.

When I woke up at five on Sunday, I knew I wasn't getting any more sleep so after the sunrise I ventured down to the market. The market is about a five minute walk from my apartment. It occupies around 6 city blocks and is full of everything I can imagine and some things I can't. I collected supplies for breakfast and made my way home. Breakfast was interesting... What I thought to be tomatoes turned out to be parcimon (sp?); a delicious fruit on its own that was never destined for an omelet.

Jieun and Chan-Yeup came upstairs, and as I insisted that I could get settled in myself, Jieun tried to unpack my things for me and clean my apartment (this has become an ongoing battle as she doesn't seem to think that I can do my own dishes or laundry.)

We picked up Kim - Bap and got in the car to go to the Jeju folk village to learn about the local, native culture. As I was looking out the window thinking about the food we had just ordered, Chan-Yeup pulled my seat back and had laid out all of the food in the back seat. In between bites, he would yell something as he shuttled food via chopsticks up to his mother.

The Jeju folk village was fascinating, but this is getting really long...

Sunday night Tommy took me out to meet his two brother laws. We dropped off the kids - the first sign that this was to be a night which would involve drinking. Jieun's husband was very quite for a while, but eventually smiled and told Tommy that I seem very kind and he is excited to have me here. As we ate squid and drank Malaki (rice wine?) and Soju (the national drink of Korea which tastes like vodka and packs half the punch) I learned that Tommy's other brother in-law is a fourth degree black belt and a Tae Kwon Do instructor. Tommy stopped me mid-bite and said that I shouldn't stuff myself, because this wouldn't be the only place we went to eat. He further explained that, because of my jet-lag, we were taking it easy, but eventually we would go to five or six different places and might stay out until four or five drinking and eating.... We had started at seven - holy hell.

At the next restaurant, Tommy's brother in-law told me that while I'm in Korea I am to be his son adding that I should call him "Papa." He said life is all about adventuring, exploring, and experiencing and he wants to help me do these things while I'm around. His son is about my age and teaches Tae Kwon Do as well. I'm to be good friends with him and practice Tae Kwon Do on the weekends.

I'm so fortunate to have Tommy. He has already introduced me to his family, someone who can be my dentist, and on monday we took a break from class and had orange juice in the home of a Jeju State Representative... He also seems bent on being my matchmaker, and while I've tried explaining that I'm quite happy being single, he evidently introduced himself to a girl named Jess at the supermarket and took her friends to a nice restaurant so that I will would have Canadian friends.

Friday morning I found myself on another continent for the first time and didn't know a soul. By Sunday night I felt incredibly blessed to have made friends in the truest sense of the word.