02. It’s Spring.
Welcoming first blooms, bidding goodbye to an exhibition, and of course, food.
I’m starting this entry at the top of Eungbongsan, a small mountain on the east side of Seoul. The view is stunning — a short walk up some hills and I was rewarded with a panoramic view of the city, framed with golden forsythias. I’m waiting for sunset, and I’m feeling strangely emotional about nothing in particular. I think it has to do with how startlingly beautiful the forsythias are against the backdrop of the city. They’re one of the first kinds of flowers to bloom when the weather warms, which means spring is upon us. I had a case of the Sunday Scaries but being up here is helping to wash that away. I think it’s also a good time to reflect on my week.
Monday afternoon in Seochon
I bought tickets to a photo exhibition back in February, and the imminent closing date finally got me to Seochon and through the exhibit doors this past week. I spent a fair amount of time in Seochon the last time I was in Seoul (as a visitor), and it had me reminiscing about the time I spent there, and the people I spent it with.
The exhibition was by Yosigo, a photographer from Donostia in northern Spain. Spain happens to be the one European country I’ve visited, and I also happened to spend a few days in the photographer’s hometown (though I didn’t know it was so at the time). Yosigo’s exhibition took me back to San Sebastián, as well as through Tokyo and cities back home in the States.
There was a portion of the exhibition where the artist recounted how he had visited Miami with a structured itinerary and shot list, but returned having strayed from his plan with photos of attractions he happened upon.
“People these days are unbelievably numb to the excitement of finding new places. Perhaps, social media and advanced technology are to blame, letting people travel without leaving their homes. So I intentionally lose way at shoots to fully enjoy my exploration through the unknown country and find interesting spaces. In other words, I try to become a flâneur.”
Even before I came to Korea, I studied the terrain of my soon-to-be new home by watching Youtube videos of my favorite content creators in Korea. It’s also how I came to know of this exhibition, ironically. At one point I watched vicariously, but as soon as I decided to move it suddenly became a research project — the places these vloggers were visiting would soon be within my reach.
For that reason, many of the restaurants and places I’ve visited I’ve actually already experienced through the lens of my computer or phone. That sense of numbness Yosigo writes about was indeed present for me — excitement hasn’t been a very dominant emotion for me when making excursions, even though so much of what I see is new.
That’s not to say it’s been an entirely negative experience — I actually hesitate to say negative at all. Having some expectation of places I plan to visit greatly helps to quiet any anxiety, especially when I’m alone. Following recommendations is also giving me some structure here, where there’s so many options that I often don’t know where to start. I’ve been able to discover so much, thanks to the internet and the people who share their experiences on it. But I’m also trying to make an effort to venture off path when I can, because I’m able to find new places under my own context and make my own impressions. Maybe it’s not quite excitement that I’m searching for, but intimacy and sentimentality.
Something I ate this week:
곱창 (Gopchang) is one of those things I thought I didn’t like. Turns out I was wrong in some ways and right in others — I was referring to 곱창 as the umbrella term for intestines. I knew there were subcategories, but I could never remember which was which (large intestines, small intestines, tripe). I didn’t think I’d like any of it, but I’ve also never given it a fair shot until last week. I went out with some friends and we tried a little bit of everything — my takeaways:
The term gopchang refers to small intestines. I was right in that I do not like this — mainly for its sandy texture when bitten into. However…
대창 Daechang, or large intestine, is wonderful. Where has it been all my life! I conclude that my tastes must have changed, something I hope will continue to happen (I still haven’t gotten over my aversion of chicken feet).
As I usually eat solo, meals like these are special because they’re meant to be shared. It’s not something I get to do often here, and I relished the time (and meal, of course).
More Sights
Thanks for Reading!
Thank you for your words of support as I get Walking Switchbacks started. It meant so much to read your thoughts and comments, and I’m feeling very thankful. Until next time :)
