In Canada, your average - run of the mill picnic plans usually involve a trip to safeway for your chips, hotdogs, buns, pop etc. Once said items are purchased and it is time to embark on the picnic, a typical location would be a local park, river valley or maybe a nearby national park. Needless to say, walking into our school picnic on Saturday, this is sort of the image that I had in mind.
Granted, I had figured out that the food would be different. First of all, I would be very scared to eat a Korean hotdog, and second of all I have seen no Safeways since arriving here :) I did figure though that our destination would be one of many parks in Gwangju or perhaps the mountains that still fall within city limits.
Imagine my suprise when...
We all pile into cars at the school and start driving, and driving...at nauseum at nauseum etc etc. I keep expecting that our destination will be just around the next bend. We have after all definately left the main road and are steadilly climbing up a steep and winding mountian road. Our convoy of vehicles would stop periodically so everyone could catch up. We had a straggling car because one of the foreign teacher's wife and kid were throwing up. It was an intense road.
Two and half hours later we finally arrive. So much for within city limits. Imagine my suprise when on the horizon I see the ocean!!! We drove all the way to the flippin' yellow sea!!! It really was beautiful though...
Our picnic consisted of meat cooked over a portable gas range, rice and red pepper paste. You put all of those ingredients in a little lettuce leaf burrito and down it in one bite. (a very common meal here) Oh and there was of course Kimchi. There is always Kimchi.
A good time was had by all and again I was reminded that my cultural worldview constantly needs adjusting, even when it comes to picnics.
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