Greenhouses and Overpasses |

Greenhouses and Overpasses

It is believed that when a magpie is caught calling in the front of your home, a visitor will come shortly. A far away sibling or a relative of good nature.

14 April

Today what started out as a duo trip to Chungcheongnam-do Nonsan-si – which I believed to be a small sector of Seoul – ended up being a nearly a twenty person group trip into the country. Taking the metro from Sinchang to Cheonan we caught a one way bus at the Shinsegae Terminal for a two hour trip to Nonsan-si.

The small charter bus was not pack, but literally stuffed with people in seats, with people sitting and standing in the aisle, as if some type of filling to a tin pastry – a non air conditioned tin pastry. After an hour we hit the first stop in Non-ju and the driver seemed to take pity on his travelers and turned on the inner fans to cool us off with warm air.

At the moment Korea is just reaching spring. The colors are just beginning to bloom into the brown countryside. A mix of plains, tilled farmland, and forested mountains – Exquisite – Korea is very much an agricultural society. Being located in a suburb of one of the largest cities in the world you do not realize how quickly their advancements have come about.

It was only in the early 2000 that these people were able to eat meat everyday. Not even fifty years ago electricity was not common in the middle and lower class homes. Ox carts and animals were the best forms of transportation besides the occasional bus that would visit larger country villages a few times a week . These people relied on their agriculture to sustain their lives. Rice, a few types of kimchi, and a few vegetables were typical meals, excluding meat. If lucky a few cuts of meat, once a month, were consumed – the meats were usually cooked in a broth soup with the bone, clear noodles, slices of peppers, and spring onions. A few days ago I had the chance to eat this traditional soup, called 갈 비 탕 – it was delicious but I cannot believe that when I was roughly 8 or 9 sustaining a somewhat typical childhood in America these people were in a poverty state after the war – working very hard to rebuild their country into one of most advanced countries of the world.

It is not surprising that their motto palli palli means hurry hurry. Korea, especially Seoul, is known by it’s hurry hurry culture. Almost 90% of their residents attend college while in the USA the average rate of college attendance of 20% not counting those who drop out due to complications.

The reason for the trip to Nonsan was to celebrate the 2012 Nonsan Strawberry Festival and raise the spring. It is luck that today became such a beautiful day from the cold morning it started out as.

Picture this: On a bus driving through greenhouses and overpasses. 아줌마 and 아저씨 pulling weeds in their tilled dirt gardens. Slow moving streams dividing property and property. The cherry buds blossoming filling the dry trees with life – hues of whites and purples – grass sprouts breaking free for the soils brown cap. Beautiful. The Strawberry Festival was packed with people. Located in the river channel – here you can make Strawberry everything – cakes, wine, beer, hamburgers, toys, wooden trinket, rice cakes, breads, drinks, the list goes on……

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23 April

For current times – Spring is in full bloom. Sinchang just recently had a Cherry Blossom Festival the past two days. The park – filled with folks picnicking with venders offering sweeties and various meats for sale. Children and adults alike celebrating Spring. The photos below explain everything.

Cheers,

Beirut.