A Day Away from Buddhism and a Night Full of It (5/27)

A   W A L K   I N   T H E   P A R K

I N   M Y  last post, I mentioned Yurae, my host brother for the evening homestay after our mountain hike and temple visit. As you can imagine, I was quite tired after such a physically and spiritually involving day, so the evening of our homestay was far less eventful than the morning. Although I would later learn that most people went out and did things like climbing the tallest tower in the city center of Busan or visiting a bathhouse, even, my host brother and I went straight back to his family's apartment and crashed immediately.

The view from Yurae's window in the morning-- we were quite a ways up, with a good many neighbors!

 Yurae's apartment was very, very nice. He lived in the Haeundae area of Busan, which, although I don't know the boroughs of New York, would be like the nicest one-- high-rent, high-income, high-class, through and through. I felt like I was staying in a townhouse, only I was about 30 floors up, and in a complex of high-rises larger than any I'd ever seen!

Despite the size and population density, the apartment was extremely comfortable and spacious. I had the privilege of staying in the room of Yurae's older brother, who just so happened to be my age. It was obvious that the room was still very much his-- his belongings filled it up in a very orderly and presentable way-- it looked lived in, not messy, to the point that I wondered if his brother would walk in on me sleeping at some point in the night!

However, the cultural differences started to sink in when I learned that this would not be the case-- Yurae's older brother was one year through with his mandatory military service. It was so sobering to be reminded that all males are forced into military service at some point after high school, so that, had I been born Korean, I most likely wouldn't be off studying abroad somewhere at my age but instead working somewhere for the armed forces! I believe Yurae said his brother was a pilot, and that he enjoyed his service. Yurae was excited to serve as well, and wanted to fly himself. He's such a kind kid; I'll never stop wishing that his dreams will come true.

Another view from the apartment, this time of the area across the river. Lower-income? Kinda looks it......

Unfortunately, because I'd tuckered myself out so thoroughly and therefore gone to bed so early, I woke up at... maybe 6 am? And there I stayed for a few hours, afraid to leave the room and throw off any family routines that may be occurring outside my bubble of anxiety. I hadn't yet met Yurae's father, and because my own father is so intimidating, I was honestly dreading it to a certain degree. My bladder finally forced me out of my paralysis, and that's when I learned that my fears were entirely misguided-- Yurae's father was just as kind as he was!

an extremely candid and strangely-perspectived picture of Yurae, myself, and his father!

As it turned out, neither of Yurae's parents spoke confident English. And, because Yurae barely did, and I was 100% ignorant of Korean, communication was a bit difficult at first. Never had I been in a get-to-know-you situation with parents and not been able to communicate who I am with words! But the kindness of my host family washed all those troubles away--after a few awkward attempts at conversation, Yurae's dad proposed a walk, and away we went to tour around the nice part of town!

And nice it most certainly was! As I mentioned above, Haeundae is perhaps the nicest borough of Busan, home to the tell-tale oversized shopping centers and fancy cars that indicate a certain class is present. The park we walked around was filled with public art and exercise machines, all of which most certainly didn't come free; the people were attractive and happy, which also read to me as signs of a certain degree of wealth. It was an incredible tour not only of a geographical reason, but also an economic echelon, which was very eye-opening, yet not exclusive or intimidating, thanks in no small part to the kindness and care of my host family.

An awesome ear sculpture! It had some sort of political message, but the speaker at the ear's center was broken, thus barring me from experiencing the full form of the piece.

Another piece, this one very shiny and smile-inducing

A gorgeous tree in the park at Haeundae!

After a full lap around the park--which was a large park by the river; extra beautiful!-- we came back around and met both some herons chillin' near a bike path and also a cool old kite flyer on a bridge overlooking the water-- mind you that this was maybe 7 or 8 am! He had an excellent spot with an excellent breeze and was clearly not a beginner at his art.

my mom loves herons-- this one's for you, mom!

see that tiny spec between the center of the picture and the high-rise on the right? that's the kite!

Yurae's father inspects the man's hand-made and bad-ass kites

A   F E A S T   W I T H   M Y   F A M I L Y

A S   W E  returned from our walk, we were greeted by Yurae's mom and an incredible feast she'd made in our absence!

I'd tried McDonald's version of a special Korean dish called bulgogi (불고기) previously on the trip but had not yet had the "real thing". That, to my surprise, was exactly what awaited us on our return-- a huge, home-made spread of the most delicious bulgogi I've had to date, along with a smattering of delicious and beautiful side-dishes. Yurae's mom knows how to cook!!!

Mmmmm! Bulgogi! Note also the kimbap, or korean sushi, and other side dishes.

Despite our inability to communicate effectively with language, we shared self-conscious attempts at communication that left me in a very humbled yet happy emotional place, and the same seemed true of the others. They were phenomenal hosts who did a phenomenal job of making me feel comfortable in an uncomfortable situation, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Before long, it was time to go. We said our goodbyes and exchanged gifts-- mine, a Hello Kitty with a UGA shirt for Yurae; theirs, a bottle of mulberry concentrate to be used as a mixer-- and headed back to the temple to regroup with the others and discuss our homestay experiences as a group.

one last shot of the boys, with Yurae's apartment complex in the background--impressive, no?!

T O   T H E   T E M P L E

O N C E   W E   had all returned with our host siblings to Hongbeopsa, we gathered in the large basement under the main dharma hall to share our experiences. Most of the stories I heard were laughably unfortunate-- one student who was quite noticeably uncomfortable with their sexuality and also somewhat homophobic ended up at a traditional Korean bath house that made them most uncomfortable, while another stayed in a rural area and slept on a Korean heated floor that they swore was trying to cook them alive. These misadventures made me most thankful for my family and the fun we had!

A Panorama of us all assembled to discuss our experiences

One of the happier homestays-- she got twins!

A N D   T H E N   S O M E   B U D D H I S M

O U R   H O M E S T A Y   was an interesting escape from the Buddhist environment we'd lived and breathed since arriving in Korea, but I must admit that I missed it when I was gone! Although all our hosts were members of the temple, their lifestyles were understandably far more contemporary than the monks we were staying with, and I enjoyed the tradition back into monastic life... with a gift-making session with the baby monks!

Since the next day would be the baby monks' last as monks, their chaperones guided them through making gifts for their long-lost mothers. Remember that these monks were 5 or 6 years old; this was undoubtedly the longest they'd been away from their mothers, and I'm sure both parties missed each other terribly!

The gifts were stuffed heart-shape poundcakes

A shot of the chaos I'd soon be missing

My baby monk friend!

A N D   A F T E R an exciting if somewhat stressful time with our baby monk friends, we were given our first personal time in quite a while. I spent mine alone, reflecting on and writing about my experiences, and trying to prepare myself mentally and spiritually for Buddha's Birthday the next day.

Below you will find some shots from the evening-- the grounds felt magical.

Atop the temple at the colossal buddha

Buddha and I

The lanterns lit the grounds with glory

In my book, I wrote:

It was the night before [Buddha's Birthday]

And all through Busan

Not a Muslim was stirring,

Not even a Khan. 

 Hey, I tried.