Sognisam. It means... um... something mountains. I should look into that one. But Sognisam is great. Aside from me confusing it with "teacher" and telling my teacher that I was "coming to her" this weekend, everything about it was chillin.

The area is known for it's mushrooms, delicious food, Buddhist temple (Beopjusa), and the National Forest that lies behind the temple. We took part in a Buddhist service(?) and I learned the proper customs for praying. I thought all about how my dad would be laughing at my attempts at assimilation, but I thought it was only curteous to follow the suggestions of a monk. So I bowed in the proper order and gave my thanks to Buddha, but I think he knew that it was just formality.



The temple has a HUGE statue, bronzed and looming, that is the center piece and symbol of the temple. It's pretty well-known among Koreans, I guess. The rest of the grounds were prim and proper, and we looked on as the monks played the traditional drums for the spirits in the earthen world, air, sea, and afterlife. I don't want to upset Buddha or any monks reading this, but they couldn't keep a beat... not like Turzo. I send my prayers to Turzo from now on... the human metronome.

The meals that we had were amazing. The spreads were out of this world, literally. I had never had so many odd side dishes. The area is known for roots, leaves and barks as well, and the tastes were so wild. I love the spice, I love the crunch, and I love Korea... I mean... let's be honest, Korea has better food than Italy. It's just so much more diverse in flavors.

The next day I went on a massive trek through the woods behind the temple. The vegetation was like nothing I'd ever seen and the paths were outstanding. As you went up the moutain, you wondered why no one just drove up there, and then all of a sudden, the road turned into a steep staircase that looked like it would lead to a wiseman who would ask me for my three noble questions regarding life. As you went up the mountain, you could drink the water from the streams at any point. It was delicious and as pure as can be, well, that's what we were told. I think I have a pretty strong stomach, so I handled it fine, but I know one person is fighting something off. Along the way to the top we found a couple hermitages. They were pretty cool. I was amazed at the quality of homes they had built there and realized that it must have taken them years to hike up all the materials. Something like that would sure make me appreciate EVERYTHING I owned. I trespassed through their gardens and sat on their deck chairs, but to no avail did I encounter any Korean hermits. Finally, after leading a group of 7 other peeps up to the peak, I decided to have a snack and break off with some more determined hikers. It took us from peak to peak, and by the end of the day, we had hit three peaks and played in some majestic waterfalls. The humidity is so high in Korea that if you don't go swimming while hiking, then you're just missing out on fun. You really have nothing to lose when your boxers and socks are already soaked through.

My last meal was magnificent as well. I sat next to the head honcho of Fulbright Korea, Mrs. Shim, and even though I tried to practice my Korean etiquette, she refused to let me do so, which really left me confused. During the meal, I tried to make conversation, but I forgot that Koreans don't speak during meals, they just gobble like it's their last source of food for days. Afterwards, she asked me point blank, "Where would you like to be placed in Korea?"
I mean, what do you say to the person that controls all the fate of your life for the next 12 months? I told her the truth for sure. So, I got my wishes granted and am off to "Honeymoon Island". I'm pretty sure I still have to teach English... but that seems hard when all signs say that my home will be, well, uh, paradise?