My Own Hallyu Fever

Talk about the Hallyu fever, I was once a sucker for Korean dramas in the Philippines, and they have been the dubbed versions to my native language. As to Korean pop music, it was not that expansive two years ago in my country, so there was really no chance for me to get hooked to it. I guess I had other priorities, then. Teehee.

I am now here in South Korea, in a place where Asian teenagers would probably die to be in just to experience the real Hallyu craze, yet there seems to be little time (and interest) for me to get it on with them. I guess I still have other priorities in life. Haha.

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Korean Temple Stay

My housemates and I alloted a weekend for a temple stay experience. Our apartment at the seventeenth floor happens to be good friends with a Buddhist at the nineteenth floor, and he opened up the idea of a trip to Gangwha-do, where a meditation center is located. Mr. Lee, the Buddhist who is also a Taekwondo instructor, along with his two kids, drove us to the place as soon as we finished our Saturday lunch, and the weather joined us in our relaxed mood as we hope for an escape from the stress of the city.

It’s been quite a while since I breathed in fresh air in South Korea, and I should thank the wonderful atmosphere that the temple area provided as soon as we arrived an hour and a half later.

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Boryeong Mud Festival

It’s amazing how South Korea has suddenly become a melting pot of foreigners— of Americans and Westerners, at that. Korean’s huge appetite for learning the English language has definitely opened doors for these native speakers, and they’ve all swarmed and created their own communities in the country.

Festivals have always been a great way to group foreign people in South Korea, and one of the highly-awaited events during the summer month of July is the Boryeong Mud Festival held in Daechon Beach, in the province of Chungcheongnam-do. The place has been made famous by the mud that can be found in its beach, perceived to offer good skin benefits due to its mineral contents. But more importantly, the festival has been regarded as the grandest way to pool international people together— anyone who just want to enjoy and play it cool during the summer season.

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